Hey folks, Crooker here once again with another issue of Skybound’s The Transformers ongoing series! This is issue #33 by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard, the new lead artist! This one is really beating the pacing allegations folks, because boy is it PACKED! There’s a lot to cover, but I’ll try and keep it concise for y’all. Let’s dig in.
This issue really felt like Kirkman took to heart the criticisms lobbed at him the past couple issues about the pacing feeling a bit sluggish, because we spend a bit of time with everybody here, and not a page feels wasted. More than anything, this one gives the sense of consolidation, all the ducks back in a row to give a sense of where we’re at before the next major upheaval. That, and it feels like a very needed “filler” issue, where we get some down time without the stakes feeling too astronomical. We get a check in on Elita-1 of course, but who cares about that? HOT ROD IS BACK! Fresh off of leaving Void Rivals, my boy is BACK, baby! In the MAIN book, and suspiciously in proximity to one very hotly contested Matrix of Leadership… Kirkman, you dog. You absolute dog. If you’re the Hot Rod fan I know you are, I know what you’re thinking! Do it, man! Do it!
Image/Skybound
We also, of course, check in with Spike, Carly and the “Notobots” on Earth, and get my favorite sequence in the whole issue: Optimus being a true blue Superhero, working openly with humanity to solve problems and save lives. I love it, and the Superman homage with him holding up the bridge… god, so awesome. Kirkman really understands the core Supermanian appeal of the character, even lacking the Matrix that grants him his wisdom, Optimus is still Optimus. He even specifies himself that he is not “Orion Pax”, confirming that he did once go by that name, and this is unlike previous continuities that would often treat having the Matrix like becoming He-Man (anybody see that movie by the way? It was great! Go watch that too). Overall, it’s a great bit of character building.
Image/Skybound
Finally, we get Wheeljack, who seems to have discovered some convenient sparks on that chunk of Cybertron in the ocean. So, we know who’s coming, right? I don’t have to spell it out for you? Well if you don’t know, I suppose I’ll keep your grim expectations locked for the time being. Also, of course, a short check-in on the Decepticons… and the reveal that STARSCREAM’S BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
The art, also, is really good! Howard, so far, is a very different kind of artist for the book than what we’ve had previously, even if he has contributed to this run already. Him as the main artist wasn’t my first choice (I’m holding out for Greg Capullo… hey a guy can dream, can’t he?), but I like what he brings to the table! It’s very dynamic, very action focused. and I really love the anime-like way he draws human characters. The robots are pretty slim for my liking, but eh, I’ll get used to it. His shot composition is frankly fantastic, so I don’t mind some sparseness in the details. Hell, I tend to prefer it.
Transformers #33 is a really solid comic. It reads like some of Kirkman’s better work in his other books, where he tightens the focus and manages to get a lot out in a little bit of space. It’s a very economic issue, doing a lot with its limited page count while still feeling like you got a pretty good bang for your buck. We really needed an issue that slows down and does a bit of introspection, we’ve had so few of those in the Transformers book compared to other EU titles. Overall, just fantastic stuff. I hope the coming issues feel nice and dense like this too!
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