After IDW shut down the continuity for their shared Transformers Universe, the future of the property was up in the air. The publisher retained the license and announced a brand new continuity shortly after. The creators working on the previous Universe have been cycled out in favor of a host of new creators. The colorists, letterers and editors have remained the same, instilling the IDW focus of the line. With a brand new shared Universe to explore, will the creators and editors at IDW be able to craft a Universe-spanning shared world property as successful as the last incarnation? There’s only one way to find out!
Written by Brian Ruckley
Illustrated by Angel Hernandez and Cachet Whitman
Colored by Joana Lafuente
Lettered by Tom B. LongA NEW ERA DAWNS! In the infinite universe, there exists a planet like no other: Cybertron! Home to the Transformers, and a thriving hub for inter-stellar commerce, it is a world brimming with organic and constructed diversity. Immense structures line its landscape. Mechanical giants roam across its surface. Starship-sized titans orbit its skies, keeping a constant protective watch above and below. Ancient Transformers merge into its very fabric. Small, mysterious creatures skulk in its shadows. It is a truly amazing realm, long untouched by war, and exuberantly reaching for the stars. This is the Cybertron that Optimus Prime and Megatron vie for in this bold new origin-a world of seemingly endless peace! All that changes when Bumblebee and Windblade take a newly-forged Cybertronian on his first voyage through this world of wonders-they are confronted by the hard reality of the first murder to have occurred on Cybertron in living memory!
All that changes when Bumblebee and Windblade take a newly-forged Cybertronian on his first voyage through this world of wonders-they are confronted by the hard reality of the first murder to have occurred on Cybertron in living memory!
One of the major ways the new Transformers property is striving to be different from what came before is the time period. Instead of getting a post-war take on the property, novelist Brian Ruckley is giving readers a peek at a time period set in the distant past. Readers are getting a prequel set during a pre-war Cybertron. There is a massive risk of telling a story that feels too familiar when readers already have an idea on some of the directions the story is heading towards. The casual, new-reader-friendly script of “Transformers” #1 never truly rises above being a more traditional prequel story. The quality and some of the twists and turns within the narrative at least show some promise.
There are a few twists on the traditional formula that should pique the interest of the reader. The new creatures Rubble encounters are fascinating. Also, giving readers a glimpse at Windblade in a pre-war continuity is a great idea to add to a prequel story. However, these small changes don’t amount to a truly great narrative by themselves. The twists only offer a slight departure from the original continuity. “Transformers” #1 definitely could have used a stronger twist towards the end of the issue that brought home the idea this is a truly different Universe. Readers get an overly familiar introduction into a brand new time period that should feel different and exciting.
One definitively strong aspect the new continuity delivers on is the artwork. The more pronounced lines and sci-fi take on the property from artists Angel Hernandez and Cachet Whitman suit the script incredibly well. The take on the robots is very stylized and deploys really bold lines. The art direction on the characters can be slightly too simplistic in some scenes. There are also a few moments where certain robots aren’t emoting with as much feeling as they could. Readers could have been more immersed in the narrative of the issue with some stronger facial expressions from the cast members. The art direction is stunning and features a really unique tone and direction for the property. Had the full issue took as many chances as the artwork did, I would have had more positive feelings regarding the story as a whole.
Continued belowDespite some of the familiar ground and faults from the previous narrative, the issue does contain a few pages carrying a truly poignant scene between Orion Pax and Megatron showing the strengths of author Brian Ruckley’s writing. The scene with Pax and Megatron depicts a harrowing sense of tension between the characters. The political meeting illustrates the current state of the new Transformers Universe stronger than any other portion of the book. The disagreement between Pax and Megatron carries a regal nature and self-important tone. I wish the book could have utilized these ideas in the previous scenes to keep readers interested all the way through the issue. The cliffhanger for the issue is too vague to draw enough interest in readers.
Now that readers have a new continuity to experience some of these characters in, it is disheartening to not see some of the traditional mainstays of the property changed more radically. Orion Pax is still a do-gooder and leader of the people. Megatron is still a violent dictator on the rise. The previous continuity ventured past some of these familiar character beats despite the fact that it took years for the narrative to build past some of the shortcomings.
While “Transformers” #1 tells a captivating narrative with a couple of interesting changes, the series doesn’t bring enough new aspects to the table to keep readers interested past the Orion Pax and Megatron scenes. The issue fails to show readers what makes the new continuity for the franchise different. The writing and art for the title keep fans at arm’s length and loses out on some of the bombastic tone and directions this world is known for. Despite a weak opening issue, it is still hard to deny the amount of potential for the title as a whole. Artists Angel Hernandez and Cachet Whitman have a bold art direction for the title that is as interesting as the promise of a new shared Universe.
Final Verdict: 5.5 – The pleasant but sleepy script in “Transformers” #1 loses some of the goodwill the property is known for.
