IDW’s Transformers comic books of late have been dwarfed by the live-action movies. This month, the company relaunched with a brand-new direction, new books, and new surprises. There are now two ongoing regular series – both titled, The Transformers, but subtitled, More Than Meets The Eye and Robots In Disguise. The first title is available now, the second will arrive the final week in January.
More Than Meets The Eye, described as “Justice League International meets Lost In Space,” by it’s author John Roberts, is exactly that, as team leader Rodimus Prime (aka, Hot Rod) captains a massive shipfull of robots on a Grail-like quest for the legendary Knights of Cybertron, which sounds like a lost Knights Templer/Jedi order. Prime hopes that success will restore glory and ensure a certain future to the unfocused Cybertronians in the aftermath of a battle which ended with longtime leader Optimus Prime stepping down and dividing leadership between Rodimus and Bumblebee, who believes Rodimus quest is a fool’s errand and reconstruction of Cybertron, physically and socially, should be top priority.
But Rodimus is not alone, and his ship is a motley crew of familiar characters (Ultra Magnus, Ratchett, Cyclonus, Red Alert) and not-so-familiar (Drift, Rewind, Rung, Tailgate, Swerve). The Justice League International analogy is crystal clear here – if you’re used to the cringe-inducing “comedy” of the live-action films, have no fear. This is the good stuff. The script is sharp and crisp, the art, by fan-favorite Nick Roche, is expressive and animated. The mysteries set-up for upcoming issues are interesting and add suspense.
In short, this book is the perfect jumping-on point for anyone looking to check out the Transformers comic books. I look forward to checking out Robots In Disguise, which focuses on Bumblebee and his adventures with the robots on Cybertron – it looks to be equally good.