Prepare for battle?
You bet! With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, noted writer/artist rolled-into-one Daniel Warren Johnson takes the reins on the linchpin of this initiative, the flagship Transformers comic series! Well, he maintains the reins on the writing of this series at least, as does Mike Spicer on colors. Jorge Corona has taken over regular penciling duties with a style all his own.
In this twelfth issue, the Autobots’ rescue mission has gone horribly awry as Ultra Magnus abandoned them in the middle of a fight! Can Optimus Prime turn things around against Devastator and stop Shockwave’s plan to transfer Earth’s energy resources to Cybertron, which is now hovering over Earth via space bridge?
Fighty fight?
This issue is indeed mostly a long fight scene, which is only fitting for the conclusion of the second arc. The main drama happens late in the issue where Optimus faces a choice that will define his relationship with his Autobots and the planet Earth for the foreseeable future. It’s a choice he’s faced in previous continuities, but it seems he’s got a little bit more “influencing” it this time around.
Elita One is the other character that this issue focuses on and she serves as sort of a counterpoint to Optimus Prime’s priorities, much as she was in the recent Netflix trilogy of cartoons. This may not be the first time they’ve been at odds, but their conflict here feels more personal than it has ever been and you can understand both of their viewpoints.
Who else does stuff?
Uh, everyone else is there… but most of them just serve to further Optimus Prime’s character journey. Carly rushes in to save Cliffjumper, who is basically still just a helpless hostage this issue. Shockwave continues to act in a way Shockwave has never really acted, and some Combaticons show up to get beaten down.
Er, yeah. This issue is not one for character development unless you are Optimus Prime or Elita One.
Cube?
I’m trying to be generous here, but each issue in this second arc kind of solidifies the feeling that this series isn’t really for me. Everything here has been done before in Transformers fiction, and done better in some cases. Optimus Prime’s decisions seem suspect at best, especially since he seems to be unduly influenced by some outside factor. The other characters are mostly window-dressing in this issue, aside again, for Elita. Jorge Corona’s art is very striking, but not always the clearest in conveying what’s happening.
This series is really for people who are either only familiar with the live-action movies or more recent incarnations of Transformers, or people who have NO previous familiarity with Transformers. We’re at the halfway point of DWJ’s run (he’s planning 24 issues), so maybe it will eventually prove a solid bedrock for whomever follows him up. For right now though, I’m just judging this on an issue-by-issue basis.
Buy Transformers # 12 this week, and remember that old movie, with the walking thingie?
