Ricky Church reviews Transformers #29…
After several weeks of delays, IDW’s Transformers is finally back on track and the latest issue is an action-packed one that raises the stakes in more ways than one. Brian Ruckley provides a few answers as to the motivations of some characters while Megatron pushes Cybertron further to the brink of collapse. Ruckley’s writing and Anna Malkova’s artwork gives the series an exciting jolt in the arm after so long away.
When the series last left readers, Megatron had discovered some interesting information regarding Titansparks thanks to Starscream playing both sides to see how the Autobots and Decepticons would use it. Ruckley has made it a point throughout his story that Titans, the huge spacefaring transformers whose devastating power was seen when Vigilem destroyed Cybertron’s Winged Moon and tether, are very few since no Titansparks have been created in centuries. Optimus and other bots discover though that’s not entirely true as Sentinel Prime and his predecessor hid over a dozen forged Titansparks in Nominus Prime’s edict to control energon and population size so war and expansion could never break out again. It’s a significant development that could shift the power balance for either faction.
Ruckley wastes little time getting right into Transformers #29‘s story as it focuses squarely on the Titans, both the ones Optimus tries to uncover and the ones still remaining in space that Megatron wishes to ‘deal’ with before the Autobots could potentially wake them up from his sabotage. It’s an exciting chapter that sets up the conflict well before delivering an action-packed battle as the Decepticons try to take control of the structure the Titansparks are held in. Malkova’s artwork is rich and detailed with nice, easy to follow character movements from panel to panel. One showing Optimus mowing down a Seeker in truck form is fairly reminiscent of the same type of sequence in Transformers: The Movie, but puts her own spin on it. David Garcia Cruz compliments Malkova’s artwork well with his vibrant colours. Compared to previous issues, the colours here are very bright with the variety of bots, the glow of all the computer screens in the command centre and the action. It all flows in a very captivating way thanks in no small part to Malkova and Cruz’s work.
Though the issue is heavy on the action, there are still several intriguing character beats sprinkled in the story. Optimus showing mercy to the Seeker he runs over, telling her to warn her comrades the facility is about to explode, is just an example of Optimus’ heroic side and how he often doesn’t wish to take life needlessly if he can help it. Meanwhile, Megatron takes another step toward utter villainy as he orders the comatose Titans in Cybertron’s orbit to be brought crashing down, effectively killing them and causing even more untold damage across the planet. His crusade against the old order may have begun with legitimate concerns and grievances, but the past several issues have shown how’s slowly drifting away from whatever legitimacy he had – if he had any at all – and his power grab is really more about his ambition. Elsewhere, Perceptor is given an interesting personality that deviates from some of his past iterations and some Decepticons seem a little put off by Megatron’s willingness to destroy the Titans. Coupled with Optimus’ moment of mercy, it’s enough to question if some Decepticons may eventually switch sides.
Transformers #29 is a welcome return for IDW and Ruckley’s series. It’s exciting and fun while pushing the story and characters in new directions and raising the stakes. The Pyrrich victory the Autobots earn ensuring Megatron didn’t get his hands on the Titansparks at the cost of those sparks shows how precarious a situation both sides are in – and makes one wonder how Starscream will continue pitting both sides against the other even more for his own mysterious goals.
Rating: 9/10
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