Back again this month for another issue of Skybound and Daniel Warren Johnson’s mecha mega-hit, Transformers #10! Double digits now, we’re in it for the long haul. Written by the aforementioned DWJ with art done by Jorge Corona and Mike Spicer on color, it’s another intense and unforgettable entry in this ongoing saga. Let’s dig in.
Wow, so much happened in this one. I feel like my head is spinning a bit from just how damn fast this pacing is – it’s hard to believe that the opening arc just finished up four issues ago. We’re already back in the thick of it all with Shockwave wasting NO time in pulling out the big guns. The stakes on display here are massive, about as massive a step up as you can get with ALL OF CYBERTRON being pulled into Earth orbit. Good lord man, that’s like… end of a season of TV or movie trilogy level of a big pull, and we’re not even a year into the book yet. I almost want to criticize the book and tell it to slow the hell down a notch, but I can’t say I’m not liking all this either. The scope of the plotting here is ambitious to say the least – sure beats the glacial pace of the classic Marvel series and the comparatively slow burning early years of IDW’s long tenure. What’s next, Unicron by issue #20? Well, can’t say I’d be mad about that, so… hey, if the t-cog fits.
Skybound
On the characterization side, boy is this an equally rich display. Beachcomber’s opening sequence has instantly endeared me to a character I’ve otherwise been neutral on for most of my robot-loving-life, a phenomenon not uncommon for many with new Transformers media, so I’m happy I could gain some appreciation for such an overlooked and lovable little guy. Astrotrain continues to be a funny source of murderous and apologetic, even if he only gets a line or two, but oh-me-oh-my the sequence with Shockwave and Soundwave. You just KNOW Shockwave’s gonna get his transistors handed to him hardcore after nearly dumping Ravage for scrap; Starscream got mutilated for merely kicking the big ol’ cassette kitten, so I know for a fact this will end messily. Optimus and Elita having their little drama moment was also nice to see, considering the long history of the characters having interlinked history (romantically or otherwise), which further twists the nail with how terrible Optimus feels with everything going wrong around him. Delightfully tragic stuff, big fan.
Skybound
Corona’s art is firing on all cylinders too, with some sublime and gorgeous pages packed with detail and perfectly shows the awe of nature the cybertronians have- be that genuine like with Beachcomber or twisted and malignant like with Shockwave. Watching that poor whale start to get sucked in by that contraption just… ouch. Hurt to watch man, even if you don’t see the gorey details. That’s what I call effective.
Skybound
Another knock-out issue. Again, things are moving… fast. Insanely fast. I don’t know yet if that’s a good or a bad thing. I really do think a breather is gonna be needed at some point to keep things fresh, and I mean more than like, half an issue this time. Not that I’m complaining too much, we have it pretty good, but this pace can’t keep going at this exact rate forever without starting to feel taxing. While I’m loving all this, I do hope we get to chill out a bit after this Shockwave arc closes.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find somebody who’ll sell me a reasonably-priced Legacy Beachcomber…
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