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Friday Recommendation: Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers

By | July 20th, 2012
Posted in Columns | % Comments

If you’re reading this, THANK YOU!

What that means is, you actually saw the subject of today’s Friday Rec’ and kept going.  That’s a good sign.  And even if you’re not completely sold on the idea of reading a Transformers comic, bear with me for a little longer and I’ll do what I can to bring you around.

For me, Transformers are just another Marvel Comics property, not any different from the X-Men, the Avengers, or Spider-man. They’ve seen a reboot or two, and have changed publishers, but those are just technicalities as far as I’m concerned.  The toys that necessitated the comics were blank slates when Habro brought them from Japan, but as soon as comics legend Dennis O’Neil uttered the words “Why don’t we call the Autobots’ leader “Optimus Prime?”, they were Marvel, through-and-through, and that’s how it is.  But I recognize that it’s not the case for everybody, and that there are some readers who just don’t, and will never care for the Transformers.  Fair enough.

However, in many ways, ‘Last Stand of the Wreckers’ is the perfect comic for non-Transformers fans.  It’s light on continuity, has a surprisingly straight forward plot, and a cast of characters who’re about as relatable as you can get with millions-of-years old robots from space.  And yet, on the other hand, it’s still an amazingly good comic and exactly the kind of story longtime Transformers fans like myself have always wanted, and it’s the very reason why the creative team of writer James Roberts and co-writer and artist Nick Roche are in charge of one of IDW’s current ongoing series, “Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye.”

So here’s the deal:

The X-Men have X-force.

The Avengers have the Secret Avengers.

The Justice League (sort of) has the Suicide Squad.

And the Autobots have the Wreckers.

Originally created by UK Transformers writer Simon Furman, The Wreckers were a team within-a-team comprised of characters the American Transformers comics had mostly overlooked.  From Furman’s point of view, nobody cared about them so he could do just about whatever he wanted to.  The Wreckers are bascially Autobadasses (yeah, I went there).  They’re Autobots, sure, but they don’t exactly hang out with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, or Jazz.  These guys are out there doing the dirty work, like assassinations, and demolitions.  Basically, they’re the Transformers equivalent of The Dirty Dozen.

They’re not nice, precise or particularly talented, but they get the job done and leave whatever gets in front of them wrecked all to hell.

Last Stand is probably their finest moment, if maybe not their most triumphant.  A damaged, rogue Decepticon named Overlord has taken over the Autobots’ prison on Garrus-9.  He’s holding both Autobots and Dececpticons against their will, torturing them all and forcing his captives to take part in a murderous experiment to gain the attention of Decepticon high command, and Megatron.  When the Autobots lose communication with the facility, Ultra Magnus sends in the Wreckers to take back the prison and save as many Autobots as they can.  Not long after that, things get pretty nasty.

Rounding out the battle-hardened veterans and fan-favorite characters like Springer, Kup, and Percepter, is a team of new recruits.  Like Furman’s original idea, these rookie Wreckers are Autobots you’ve never heard of, like Guzzle, Pyro, Rotorstorm, and Wrecker fanboy #1, Ironfist.  From the get-go, you know things aren’t going to end well for every member of the team.  But the journey to the end, and the character development and camaraderie in this book is truly surprising, and often, inspiring.  And the level of violence and psychological torture presented is just heartbreaking and unlike anything you’d expect from a comic inspired by a thirty year old toyline.

‘Last Stand of the Wreckers’ is so well done and intense that, quite honestly, if it had been a Sgt. Rock story instead of a Transformers book, it probably would’ve been at least nominated for an Eisner.  That’s high praise, I know, but if you don’t believe me, give it a read and decide for yourself.


//TAGS | Friday Recommendation

Chad Bowers

Chad Bowers has been reading comics for most of his life. His transition from fan to professional is a work in progress. He’s the co-founder of ACTION AGE COMICS, creator of the webcomic MONSTER PLUS, co-creator of AWESOME HOSPITAL, THE HARD ONES, and DOWN SET FIGHT (coming soon from Oni Press) with Chris Sims. He reviews comics, writes G.I. JoeVersity, and co-hosts The Hour Cosmic for Multiversity Comics! If you've got nothing better to do, you can follow him on Twitter or Tumblr.

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