G.I. Joe vs. Transformers v1 TPB

I want you to imagine the craziest, most ridiculous comic book you’ve ever read. I have a promise for you. This book is crazier.

Tom Scioli is a lunatic, and from what I understand, he’s the driving force behind the madness in this book. John Barber’s work on Transformers is solid, but doesn’t have anything close to this level of insanity. That’s why I’m awarding Scioli the credit for this brilliant, insane masterpiece.

To be honest, so much happens in every single issue that the book barely has a plot. The action leaps from scene to scene, skipping over mundane details as if this were a Grant Morrison comic. When you read this comic, it honestly feels like the creative team has so much story to tell that they are just rushing to get it all out on the page. There simply isn’t time for deep characterization or motivations. There is always a new bit of madness waiting to be revealed after you flip the page!

Let me give you a quick summary. Unlike every other crossover between these properties, this one focuses on the Joes invading Cybertron. Utilizing the plant bomb technology from the old cartoon, the Joes have seeded Cybertron with oxygen, preparing it for an invasion. They rocket up there and quickly start swarming around the big ‘bots. Heck, one of the covers has a Joe dropping a grenade on poor Wheeljack’s head! The Transformers are having a hard time processing these little meat bugs, and Scioli addresses the insane sense of scale on every page. This is like two different stories that crossover due to proximity rather than logic.

Naturally, the Joes and Autobots start to make alliances, as do the Cobras and Decepticons. Of course, this had to happen since Destro is described as a “god of guns” at one point. And that’s not even the craziest thing in this collection.

Once you add in that Scioli is drawing this in his Kirby-like style, and this becomes the most exciting comic book on the stands.

This is an EXCELLENT comic, but only if you like concepts like the following:

• Tunnel Rat climbing into the nose of Fortress Maximus.
• The G.I. Joe pets forming their own combat team.
•  The October Guard re-imagined as Halloween-based, Rob Zombie-type villains in a Jack O Lantern ship.
• Broken Transformer parts used as jewelry on surviving robots.

Don’t pick this up if that type of ridiculous madness doesn’t appeal to you.