Sunday, March 17, 2013

Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #13


PRICE REDUCED-REVIEW! ($1.99 on Comixology)

Man, this is one complicated comic. At least James Roberts is keeping his core cast fairly limited; but it has taken me 13 issues and a trip to an online wiki to feel like I really know these guys.

Rodimus is off screen for most of the issue, leaving the spotlight on the other “core crew” of the Lost Light. Finally getting some downtime on a vacation planet, the ‘bots have to send in holo-avatars of themselves in advance to make sure they are allowed in different locales. The cover shows Skids, Ultra Magnus, Rung, Rewind, and Swerve’s avatars, each a pretty effective human representation for each.

Of the group, I find myself liking Swerve more and more each issue. I didn’t connect with him at first, but now I find myself amused at his antics. Ultra Magnus as the Batman-like straight man works well too. Rung’s alter ego is wearing a “Mary Sue” nametag. I’m not sure I ever realized that Roberts had inserted himself into the Autobots through Rung, but I appreciate that he is giving himself the tag. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with your favorite childhood toys? Roberts is clearly living the dream.

One thing that’s intriguing about this book is the budding relationships between the characters. Chromedome and Rewind have been established as a couple, but Rodimus and Drift, along with Tailgate and Cyclonus all seem to be some manner of partners too. I suppose that makes sense in a series where there is only one female, but it is definitely a new element.

I think things will get darker next issue, so I appreciate the time spent with the characters relaxing. Guido Guidi sticks with the book’s cartoony tone, but it fits these characters better than any others in comics, I’d say. Guidi gets the core cast I’ve mentioned, plus a couple shots of Blaster and Rodimus as cameos. When do we get more Hound and Trailbreaker?

Good

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