New Avengers/TransFormers #3

September 11, 2007

Quick Rating: Bad
Rating: T+

With Latveria and Symkaria on the brink of war, the Decepticons attack!

Writer: Stuart Moore
Pencils: Tyler Kirkham
Inks: Sal Regla
Colors: Annette Kwok
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Cover Art: Ed Mcguinness
Publisher: Marvel Comics/IDW Publishing

The first issue of this crossover was just kinda mediocre. The second issue was lousy. With this third issue, I officially throw my hands in the air and give up. I can’t even tell what’s going on anymore. After last issue’s plot device wore off, the Avengers and the Autobots team up to take down the Decepticons and Dr. Doom, who have a giant force field over their lair where Spider-Man is being held captive. For some reason, which completely escaped me and I’m not masochistic enough to look for, if they don’t get in there and stop the bad guys, Europe will be plunged into war.

I’ll give the book this much – this really is an equal-opportunity crossover. Everyone is written poorly. From the silly sniping between Ratchet and Prowl to the terrible dialogue from Captain America and Luke Cage, it’s pretty much equally bad. Iron Man might tip the scale with the introduction of a giant (read: Transformer-sized) suit of armor he just happened to have built for just such an occasion, but somehow neglected to provide an adequate power supply for. (Here’s a hint, Tony – call up those Sentinel O*N*E guys and ask what they’re using.)

Tyler Kirkham’s artwork is still adequate. He actually does quite a good job with the TransFormers, and his Avengers aren’t bad. He just doesn’t have much to work with.

Stuart Moore has done much, much better work than this in the past. The whole book has the feel of a story slapped together in committee and rushed into production to take advantage of the TransFormers’ movie buzz. As this issue proves, that’s just not the way to make a comic book.

Rating: 2/10

TransFormers: Generation One (2003 Ongoing) #1

February 7, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Night of the Combaticons

Ratchet and Brawn escape the Decepticons, but can they outrace Bruticus?

Writer: Brad Mick
Pencils: Don Figueroa
Inker: Elaine To
Colors: Espen Grundetjern & Rob Ruffolo
Letters: Ben Lee
Publisher: Dreamwave

The TransFormers ongoing finally begins, and it’s off to a rollicking start. With Megatron presumed dead and seven Autobots as his captive, Starscream has proclaimed himself leader of the Decepticons. His coronation is disrupted (shades of TransFormers: The Movie) when two of his captives escape and he sends his grunt troops, the combined robot called Bruticus, to bring them back.

The chase takes up most of the issue, with Ratchet and Brawn on the run, fighting enemies and even trying to get past their own defense systems. Brad Mick has demonstrated real aplomb for these characters, crafting a really exciting action issue and allowing us to really root for our heroes on the run. He even manages to work in a little comedy (with the help of the art team), placing little Bumblebee in a captain’s chair way too big for him.

Although most of the buzz about this property when it relaunched surrounded artist Pat Lee, Don Figueroa has really come to make it his own. From battle-damage to looks of pain or determination on the metal faces of our protagonists, he has a range that he’s really allowed to show off. The color team is also deserving of kudos, doing some great effects with energy, shadow, light sources and just the overall look of the book.

The only real knock against this title is that it does at times drift into a lot of stuff we’ve seen before – robots “killed” in such a fashion that they will almost certainly be reactivated in an issue or two, Starscream proclaiming himself king in the absence of a Megatron no one doubts will return… these are TransFormers staples, things we’re so used to seeing that they don’t even phase us anymore. This is a good book. If Mick manages to overcome the clichés, it could be on its way to being a great one.

Rating: 7/10