REVIEW: ‘Transformers,’ Issue #10

Transformers #10 is published by IDW Publishing, written by Brian Ruckley, art by Angel Hernandez, Anna Malkova, and Beth McGuire-Smith, with colors by Joana Lafuente and Josh Burcham, and letters by Tom B. Long.

In Transformers #10, Cybertron becomes more dangerous as fear spreads through the populace, turning many to the Ascenticon cause. In this atmosphere, Megatron attends a meeting with fellow senators, including Orion Pax, to discuss what needs to be done in the absence of Sentinel Prime. Because of this, Bumblebee sees his new job get even more complicated.

We get a peek at a meeting between multiple senators, including Orion Pax and Megatron. We know that not everyone is happy with the state of Cybertron, especially Megatron and his followers. This sentiment has been evident since the first issue and has culminated in all the different social and political movements that have sprung up. But this meeting really reveals that the turmoil in the streets is only a symptom of the political squabbling that’s occurring. Orion Pax wants to stay the course while Megatron wants to stir the pot, which is really no surprise.

It’s also interesting to note the jargon being used in retaliation to Megatron’s dissent: “If you cared at all about Cybertron, you’d be helping us calm the situation”. Taking this as an example, in the few pages in which Megatron and Orion Pax butt heads, the dialogue is great. Orion Pax and Megatron are very much opposite forces in this political arena, as they have often been throughout the history of Transformers, and are firm in their beliefs. The dialogue fits these two major characters well, with Orion Pax remaining eloquent even in his irritation, and Megatron being brusquer, even mocking at times, but still articulate as a senator should be. Through the dialogue, we can further see the forming rift between these two which was mentioned back in Transformers #6. Overall, Orion Pax and Megatron are written very well and don’t deviate much from what avid Transformers fans expect of the two.

This issue also reveals a little more of the connection between Froid and Cyclonus. And the dialogue, once again, doesn’t deviate from the personalities of these two bots.

We’ve gotten this idea, over the past few issues, that the Ascenticons lead a relatively peaceful movement in comparison to the other contrary movements such as The Rise. Even Alita-1 doesn’t believe that the Ascenticons are behind the recent deaths or that violence is even on the Ascenticon agenda. This makes it much more understandable why Bumblebee would even consider joining the movement. However, as in all movements, there are always extremists. Alita-1 remains doubtful that these extremists form the core of the movement. However, and what makes the plot all the juicier, is that Bumblebee has expressed his doubt in the movement and even Alita-1 is unsure. Many of our main characters are questioning themselves and the world around them.

Overall, Angel Hernandez, Anna Malkova, and Beth McGuire-Smith did wonders on the art. The colors by Joana Lafuente and Josh Burcham are not only pleasing but set the mood for many of the panels. The lettering, by Tom B. Long, even in dialogue-heavy panels such as the senate meeting, don’t clutter the panels and are easy to follow.  If you’ve read the previous issues, there really aren’t any surprises to expect in this issue.

Transformers #10 is jam-packed with politics and intrigue. Answers are finally given to us concerning the connections between Megatron, the Ascenticons, and the first Cybertronian deaths the planet has seen in a very long time. I won’t say much in regards to what questions are finally answered in this issue to avoid any spoilers, but the ending of this issue greatly advances the plot. The first two issues of this series were very slow plot-wise, but now we’re speeding ahead. The ending of this issue also introduces some characters who will most likely have a larger role in future issues and for which I’m personally very excited to see added to this series.

Transformers #10 is available wherever comic books are sold.