Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #29 – Review

By: James Roberts (writer), Alex Milne (artist), Joana Lafuente

The Story: “You have five seconds to talk me out of doing something spectacular”

The Review: Freed somewhat from the last issue’s need to hook new readers and establish new plot threads, Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye is feeling a bit more like itself this month. While the jokes and character development still come at a breakneck pace, there’s a little more space to explore.

It’s nice to see that Megatron can remain an intriguing part of the series without dominating the page. This issue is largely focused around Trailcutter and Chromedome, in the present, and Rodimus in the past. Trailcutter’s story is a great example of how easily Roberts can make comedic plots into something that feels legitimate and meaningful, both to the character’s arc and the larger narrative. Meanwhile the addition of Nightbeat continues to pay off as his investigation with Chromedome introduces even more wrinkles into one of the most beloved and affecting running plots the series has.

The entire present section of the story runs exceedingly smoothly and contains plenty of the series’ trademark humor. Trailcutter is especially gifted in this latter regard, even setting up an editorial caption’s punchline.

Meanwhile, in the past, Roberts’ skill at writing Rodimus is on clear display. He’s still the same reckless, idealistic bot we know, but he’s changing and struggling with those changes. But it’s the Decepticons that really steal the show. Starscream delivers a brilliant take down of his former tormentor that seems poised to shape the current Transformers landscape. It’s fascinating to see the way that Starscream weaves together Megatron’s fears and his own self-loathing.

These scenes – one smooth and straightforward as Rodimus, the other grandiose as Cybertron’s current ruler – are fine demonstrations of Roberts’ now famous knack for character writing. There are hopes and fears and the festering sting of past injustice in the sparks of both bots.

While the blossoming characters and deepening enigmas make for an engaging issue, there’s no denying that this is not an action packed issue. If that’s something you need from your giant robot comic, then you’ll have to look elsewhere, but I encourage readers to keep an open mind in that regard.

Alex Milne’s layouts are wonderfully varied and cleverly chosen. You’ll find many of the basic panel arrangements, 9 panel grids and five panel wide-screen pages, but there’s plenty more to it. There are obvious examples, one page with Prowl and Starscream standing in front of the other panels or a fairly unique not quite spread, but there are plenty of smart choices that aren’t quite as plain. Unlike last issue, there are often large, fairly empty panels and every time you encounter one you know it’s time to stop and take notice. Despite this, the book remains densely blocked and its continued readability is a testament to Milne’s instincts as an artist.

A natural corollary is the issue’s focus on faces. Looking at Rodimus and Atomizer will show you how much Milne can draw out of their drastically different designs. Admittedly Milne definitely has a particular style. Two adjacent panels of Starscream and Megatron at the trial look very much alike. It’s interesting to consider how the two are similar, but I can’t say that it was a conscious choice with certainty.

One last thing that’s worth mentioning is the inks. It’s becoming increasingly common for pencilers to ink their own pages, but to do so with such consistency and when they’re such an important part of the final look is impressive. There’s such crispness to the lines in this issue, I mean look at Cyclonus on the first few pages. Especially with the very fluid natural movement and expression in the bots’ faces, it’s important to have such sharp, clear lines to remind us that these are mechanical beings. It also does quite a lot to identify where bots begin and end, aiding the book in its many crowded scenes.

The Conclusion: MTMTE #29 is something of a return to form for the series after a strong but densely plotted season premiere. Season I was a little quicker to the draw and most issues of this book are at least slightly more action-heavy, but there’s plenty to sink your teeth into this month.

The character work is natural and complex and Roberts’ focus on the past and how it affects our present finds clear, but never overbearing, expression in the branching, intertwining paths of the Lost Lights’ crew.

It’s a bold approach, but strong artwork, clever writing, and increasingly engaging mysteries make it hard not to get sucked into the story at hand.

Grade: B+

– Noah Sharma