By: James Roberts (Writer), Alex Milne (Artist), Josh Burcham (Colorist)
The Story: Overlord is free to be the psychopath he has always been on the Lost Light. Hilarity and carnage ensues.
The Review: James Roberts does not pull any punches, does he? Just when he made me like and care about all those transforming robots, he goes ahead and do things like this. He unleash the big bad right in their midst and let us see the chaos and violence that soon follows. If this sounds like the beginning of a rant, I do apologize, as it is the very opposite of such a concept that I am trying to bring here.
Indeed, the way the latest issue concluded, we all knew that everything would hit the fan rather quickly, something that James Roberts had planned. One of the best things he does here is give us some time, playing with our expectation as the pacing of the issue enhance the tension. Even though we see some of the carnage in the early pages, it is shown in a way that is ambiguous as we get some lead-up to that very point right after. We get to see what the characters are doing, what they’re speaking about mere moments before the inevitable bloodbath (or should I say Sparkbath?). When Overlord eventually arrive on the scene, it is has a much bigger impact. Let’s just say that the first victim of his cruelty is one that will have quite an effect on the cast and the book as a whole.
Of course, it’s not just random butchery as there are also buckets of action, but also a whole lot of emotions there. Like I said in previous reviews, it amazes me that James Roberts made me care about those characters, but it is in these kinds of circumstances that it truly pays off. The relationship between characters, how they see such a catastrophe as Overlord in their ship and their reaction to those that fell in battle are all aspects that are explored in this issue. There is a particularly effective scene in the final pages that is absolutely tragic, something that made me truly feel sorry for Chromedome, one of the characters that have been explored much more in the last few issues.
Of course, none of that carefully planned storytelling and these character moments would work if it weren’t for Alex Milne expertise, which explode in these pages. He has a way to draw these big machines, those transforming robots in such a way that we can see just how they feel, even without the necessary elements that would make their face akin to human ones. I’ve said it each time he was the artist on this book, but it still baffles me to see so much emotion coming out from a character that has no eyes, no eyebrows and no mouth. Using the various poses, the hands and the overall ambiance to create compelling emotions on those robots takes considerable skill, which is why I have so much respect for such an artist like him. His panelling, in most places, is also brilliant, as he juggles with multiple scenes in a smart way across two pages without it being contrived or too conceptually obtuse. There is also the question of Josh Burcham, who I can sincerely congratulate on such a well-done color job. In some places, he is precise and very detailed, adding shiny effects in all the right places, while at other times, he choose the more minimalistic approach to enhance the emotional impact, such as in the last panel.
The Conclusion: A beast of an issue, with lots of very important and heartfelt moments that shows just how much mastery of his script and his characters James Roberts has. Along with Alex Milne and Josh Burcham on the art, the whole team on this book shows just why this is the very best Transformers book around.
Grade: A-
Hugo Robberts Larivière
Some Musing: Considering all the abuse Fortress Maximus had taken during Last Stand of the Wreckers, it was so satisfying to see him go against Overlord in such a way. Kudos to James Roberts for such a brilliant moment.
Grade
Conclusion