Transformers #50 Review

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All Hail Optimus, All Hail Optimus Part 1, Andrew Griffith, Autobots, Casey W. Coller, Cybertron, Decepticons, Galvatron, IDW Publishing, John Barber, John-Paul Bove, Josh Burcham, Josh Perez, Optimus Prime, Shanghai, Transformers, Transformers #50, Transformers #50 review

Transformers #50

Review by Paul Bowler

A new era begins in Transformers #50 All Hail Optimus – Part 1!, as IDW Publishing’s Transformers comic book series reaches is 50^th issue! It seemed that Galvatron was triumphant, but with Optimus Prime – now supported by a new army of followers – declaring Earth will become part of Cybertron’s Council of Worlds, the citizens of Earth and the Decepticons are not about to let this go unchallenged! The new saga starts now in this landmark 50^th issue of IDW Publishing’s Transformers comic book series, as everything hangs in the balance, and the repercussions will change the Transformers universe forever…

Galvatron thought victory was within his grasp, with Garrison Blackrock’s schemes revealed, Soundwave double-crossed, the Transformers on Cyberstron rallying to Galvatron’s cause, and the Ark 7 crash landing in China. However, with the assistance of the new female combiner, Victorion, events on Cybertron took a dramatic turn. Now in Transformers #50 Optimus Prime and his army have arrived on Earth to confront Galvatron as his forces celebrate their victory over the Autobots at the crash site of Ark 7 in China. Optimus Prime has annexed Earth into the Cybertronian Council of Worlds, presenting a united front against Galvatron and declaring that war is now over – in a move which leaves the Decepticons and humanity astounded!

Following on from the Conquers surprise cliff-hanging finale, writer John Barber kicks off this giant-sized 50^th issue of Transformers with a short flash forward as Optimus Prime makes his addresses to the people of Earth, before immersing us in the non-stop action thrill ride that is All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth, backtracking to yesterday as the Autobots roll out to defend the Earth from Galvatron and the Decepticons. Optimus Prime really ups the ante to become like the Primes of legend in this issue, while Galvatron’s plan to use the humans Onyx Code to his own advantage reveals another element to Blackrock’s schemes. The epic scale of this issue sees the action unfolding on several fronts, with the face-off between Optimus Prime’s and Galavatron’s forces in Shanghai dominating the majority of scenes, while events at Earth Defence Command HQ on Bikini Atoll take a dramatic turn, and on Sanctuary Station orbiting Jupiter’s moon Io the Transformers of Soundwave’s communion are left reeling from Galvatron’s betrayal.

It’s great to see the Autobots going on the offensive against Galvatron’s forces in this issue, the action flows thick and fast, and it quickly becomes apparent that this time Prime is playing for keeps! There are some fun moments of humour interspaced between all the action though, including a heartfelt aside from EDC Director Marissa Fairborn about Thunder Cracker’s attempts at writing a screenplay being compared to his flying skills, and Glavatron’s sly dig about Soundwave’s commune of Autobot’s and “animals” certainly ruffles a few feathers!

When the Mindbomb is deployed the tide of the battle unexpectedly turns, giving the Autobots the chance they need to strike, but Galvatron still manages to keep one step ahead of everyone. The EDC have countermeasures of their own to deploy and the Peoples Liberation Army Mecha Force also attack with lethal force. Soundwave’s forces also enter the fray at a crucial moment, while Alleron and Cosmos must each face life changing decisions; Starscream does his best to maintain control on the other side of the Space Bridge, and with Victorion’s assistance Optimus Prime resolves to save the Autobots from the wreckage of the Ark 7!

Transformers #50 features some incredible artwork by Andrew Griffith, with colors provided by Josh Burcham, John-Paul Bove, and Josh Perez, with concise lettering by Tom B. Long & Chris Moway, and the “previously” artwork is by Sarah Pitre-Durdcher. With its huge roll call of Transformers every page of this issue is chock full to bursting point with Autobot and Decepticon action, the sweeping scale of the battles is glorious to behold, there are casualties along the way too, with events seamlessly switching between characters and the various locations, the Autobots press home their advantage in fine style, and Optimus Prime’s bizarre dream-like vision towards the end is both hauntingly mesmerising and impressively realized.

One of the most powerful and emotive scenes is the way Thundercracker and Optimus Prime employ the most basic Earth tradition of all. A temporary triage is established for those fallen in battle, before John Barber rounds this issue off with a great coda “New Worlds Order”, featuring pencils by Casey W. Coller, inks by Jamie Snell, and colors by Joana Lafuente. It is perhaps here that John Barber really brings all the plot threads together into a more cohesive whole, as the aftermath of Optimus Prime’s declaration ripples out across the Transformers universe. Get ready to witness some big changes on Earth involving the EDC, there’s also a new role for Spike Witwicky, while on Sanctuary Station Soundwave resolves never to be deceived again, discord is rife on Cybertron as Starscream and Bumblebee assess the situation, and back on Earth in his underwater base Galvatron and Mindwipe finally discover who Garrison Blackrock really is.

With an amazing regular cover for Transformers #50 by Andrew Griffith & Thomas Deer, there is a plethora of impressive variant covers to choose from by Jonathan Hickman, Mike Choi, Casey W Coller and John-Paul Bove, Alex Milne and Josh Perez, and Livid Ramondelli and Phases. Transformers #50 is a superb issue, its an absolute must buy Transformer fans, but it also serves as a good jumping on point for new readers as well, and it exemplifies the high levels of storytelling and impressive art which has made this IDW series so popular. Transformers #50 is a showcase for the entire range of Transformers comics and a brilliant celebration of everything John Barber and Andrew Griffith have done on Transformers together with Josh Perez, and the excellent guests artists along the way, to make this book everything that fans love and enjoy so much about the Transformers!

Publisher: IDW / Writer: John Barber / Art: Andrew Griffith

Colors: Josh Burcham & John-Paul Bove & Josh Perez

Letters: Tom B. Long & Chris Moway

“Previously” artwork: Sarah Pitre-Durdcher

Regular Cover: Andrew Griffith & Thomas Deer

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The Amazing Spider-Man #8 Review

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Alex Ross, Cloak and Dagger, comics, Dan Slott, Marte Gracia, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Matteo Buffagni, Mister Negative, Parker Industries, Peter Parker, Shanghai, Spider-Man, Spidermobile, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man #8, The Amazing-Spiderman #8 review, The Dark Kingdom

The Amazing Spider-Man #8

Review by Paul Bowler

Peter Parker has discovered that an old enemy Mister Negative and his gang, the Inner Demons, have been disturbing the designer drug Shade in Shanghai. The drug warps and enhances the users’ dark side. Spider-Man’s allies Cloak and Dagger have already been affected, and have become Mister Negative’s lieutenants in his vendetta against Spider-Man. Now in The Amazing Spider-Man #8 Peter Parker and his new company are threatened by Mister Negative’s plan to invert Parker to his cause, while unknown to Peter someone inside Parker Industries has been secretly conspiring with the terrorist group ZODIAC, and now they must honour their pact and deliver what they’ve promised the organization – to kill the Amazing Spider-Man!

The Dark Kingdom Part 3: Black & White, concludes in Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #8 as the global business world of Parker Industries, with its cutting edge high-tech innovations, collides head on with Spider-Man’s crime-fighting responsibilities to make life even more complicate for Peter Parker. Dan Slott builds the momentum right from the outset, with Dr Yao Wu quickly rustling up an antidote in his lab at Parker Industries Shanghai HQ for the officers Cloak and Dagger dosed with the Shade during their dramatic face-off with Spider-Man last issue. From here events quickly move to a presentation of an award which also happens to involve the Spider-Mobile, or more precisely the vehicles revolutionary green fuel and engines, a technology, which thanks to the funding from Shen Quinghao, will now make the new engines available nationwide.

As if things aren’t hectic enough for Peter Parker, he’s also still pretending to be under Mister Negative’s influence – his corrupting touch only works once and as he already took control of Spider-Man before in the Dark Reign: Mister Negative miniseries so it won’t affect Peter now – but it’s a situation Spider-Man can use to his advantage. Add the fact the presentation also involves Peter taking a ride in the Spider-Mobile with his current girlfriend, Lian, who has been secretly working for ZODIAC to get experimental medical treatments for her terminally ill mother, and it’s not long before her intricate web of deceit beings to unravel.

The art by Matteo Buffagnio puts the pedal to the metal, quite literally this issue, especially when the Spider-Mobile goes all Spider-Slayer when Spider-Man makes an appearance! Matteo Buffagni’s artwork really excels here, if you liked the Spider-Mobile before, you are going to go absolutely crazy for the wall crawlers not-quite-so-friendly-neighbourhood set of high-tech wheels now! Things are compounded further because Peter’s girlfriend is at the wheel, particularly when she has a crisis of conscience at a crucial moment.

The action is fast and furious, as Spider-Man slugs it out with the Spider-Mobile in what quickly become a death-defying chase that plays out against the gleaming backdrop of the Shanghai skyline in spectacular fashion, and colorist Marte Gracia’s exquisite use of shade and tone ensures this is another hugely impressive issue – and of course there’s a spectacular Spider-Mobile themed cover by Alex Ross to enjoy as well! The characters and their expressions convey all the tension and drama perfectly, there are some particularly emotionally charged scenes amidst all the non-stop action as well, and Mister Negative’s grand scheme to expose Shen Quinghao’s past hit’s a snag after it becomes clear Sun’s officers are prepared to deal with the Shade.

Cloak and Dagger also enter the fray once more at a pivotal moment, however this time; Spidey is ready for Cloak’s teleporting ability thanks to some nifty Parker tech. This in turn paves the way for Cloak and Dagger to eventually escape Mister Negative’s influence, it’s a moment which is of particular significance for the characters, especially for Dagger, and I like the how Cloak’s motivation to take such drastic action is cleverly juxtaposed by Lian’s reasons for selling codes to ZODIAC to get treatments for her dying mother.

Dan Slott has crafted another superb issue here. The pace of the story seamlessly hits each emotional beat to perfection. There are some inspired moment of humour as well, including a hilarious Star Wars reference involving a certain Mon Calamari Admiral’s iconic catchphrase, there’s also gets a surprise communiqué midway thought the battle with the Spider-Mobile, and the mood set during Cloak and Dagger’s dramatically OTT closing statement is brilliantly quipped off the page by Spider-Man’s witty aside.

After the build up to the climatic events in this issue, everything did seem to get wrapped up a little bit too conveniently. Mister Negative and his alter ego is still out there somewhere as well, but its good to have Cloak and Dagger back, and it will be interesting to see how Lian’s actions will impact on her relationship with Peter from this point.

The Amazing Spider-Man #8 is an exciting and action-packed issue. Featuring a great story by Dan Slott, with excellent art by Matteo Buffagnio, and vivid colors by Marte Gracia, this is another knockout issue of Marvel’s flagship Spider-Man title, and everything is now set for the new story arc Scorpio Rising beginning in March!

Publisher: Marvel / Writer: Dan Slott / Art: Matteo Buffagni /Colorist: Marte Gracia

Lettering: VC’s Cory Petit / Cover Artist: Alex Ross

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The Amazing Spider-Man #6 Review

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Cloak and Dagger, comics, Dan Slott, Marte Gracia, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Matteo Buffagni, Mister Negative, Parker Industries, Peter Parker, Shanghai, Spidey, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man #6, The Dark Kingdom

The Amazing Spider-Man #6

Review by Paul Bowler

A new story-arc begins: The Dark Kingdom! Peter Parker’s company Parker Industries is brining cutting edge high-tech to the world, it also equips S.H.I.E.L.D, and the Uncle Ben Foundation offers humanitarian aid all over the world. Following the battle with Zodiac and Scorpio in the UK, The Amazing Spider-Man #6 finds Peter Parker back in Shanghai, where one of Spider-Man’s deadliest villains has returned: Mister Negative! What is Mister Negative’s plan, and how has he got two fan-favourite Marvel heroes to join forces with him?

Its another busy day at Parker Industries filled with plenty of new innovations and action-packed web-spinning for Peter Parker in Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #6, where, following a flashback to a well organised breakout of a high security prisoner on Stronghold 1: the department of justice prison transport, writer Dan Slott kicks off the story in earnest as we find Peter enjoying a brief respite from his executive role and wall crawling duties on the rooftop of the Shanghai branch of Parker Industries. After a quick Spider-Sense tingling white-knuckle ride in the Spider-Mobile, things get a little more complicated for Peter, as business and politics become awkwardly entwined, before news of the arrival of Mister Negative means its time for some Spidey action!

This issue covers a lot of ground in a short space of time, but it doesn’t feel rushed though. The opening flashback is handled really well, it’s a good way to reintroduce Mister Negative, and the surprise of having him teamed up with Cloak and Dagger is another neat twist – especially with the unexpected role reversal of their powers.

Matteo Buffagni’s art is also very good, each scene is well presented, the characters are all nicely defined, and the page layouts stylishly convey the fast-paced action. Mister Negative is also an intersting villain, its great to see him return, and his powers certainly makes him one of Spider-Man’s more unusual adversaries. I like the contrast Buffagni’s art highlights between Peter’s high-flying business life and his wall crawling adventures as Spider-Man. There’s some awesome Spider-Mobile action as well, I love that car, it always looks stunning, and that wrecking ball scene is sure to leave you with a big silly grin on your face!

I’m also really pleased to see the return of Cloak and Dagger in this issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. Dan Slott has really brought a new spin on the characters here, especially how their powers have now been drastically altered by Mister Negative. The artwork of Matteo Buffagni really captures the essence of these characters perfectly, they dominate every scene they appear in, and colorist Marte Gracia employs subtle shades and tones to great effect throughout to make this one of the most impressive looking issues of the new series so far – and let’s not forget that gorgeous cover by Alex Ross as well, this one’s a real stunner!

Amazing Spider-Man #6 gets The Dark Kingdom arc off to a great start. Dan Slott is on great form once again, his writing always seems to draw me into the story, and he has a great handle on all the characters, which together with Matteo Buffagni’s art and Marte Gracia’s colors, makes this another standout issue. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this story develops, especially after that cliff-hanger ending, and to finding out exactly how and why Cloak and Dagger are now working for Mister Negative.

Publisher: Marvel / Writer: Dan Slott / Art: Matteo Buffagni

Colorist: Marte Gracia / Cover Artist: Alex Ross

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