REVIEW: ‘Transformers Galaxies,’ Issue #11

Transformers Galaxies is back with Part Two of “Storm Horizon,” focusing on Ultra Magnus and his crew of scientists out on a deep-space exploratory mission gone wrong. Transformers Galaxies #11 is published by IDW Publishing, written by Brandon Easton, with art by Andrew Griffith, colors by Josh Burcham, and letters by Jake M. Wood.

Transformers Galaxies #11 sees Ultra Magnus and Chromedome coerced by Spinister to locate a missing Alpha Trion and his ship. With the rest of Magnus’s crew held hostage by Spinister, Magnus has no other choice but to enter the Black Sphere system, a solar system sitting precariously close to a black hole. But the threat of a black hole isn’t the only problem. Hostile aliens and splicers lie in wait and the mystery of Trion’s disappearance becomes more and more convoluted.

Given that this series is an anthology, I have to commend the creative teams for keeping each of these story arcs concise but nevertheless interesting. It’s not easy to create an insular story that features both a large cast of characters and character growth but Easton has done an excellent job. This issue does have a few times where it refers to events in IDW’s Transformers (2019). And although there is no explanation of these events for people who haven’t read this other series, it shouldn’t create much of a stumbling block.

But, if you have read IDW’s other ongoing series, you’ll likely find this additional info interesting because it relates to what’s been going on in Magnus’s absence. Magnus and his crew have been far-removed from the daily happenings of Cybertron, so we don’t know just how long they’ve been gone exactly, but it’s been long enough. Things have gone bad to the pont that even Cybertronians not on their homeworld are taking advantage of the political upheaval.

Like the previous issue, Transformers Galaxies #11 is inundated with flashbacks of Ultra Magnus and Alpha Trion. In this way, we can see where Magnus began and how different he is now. Although I’ve never found myself enamored by Magnus’s character in other series, the use of this literary device definitely made this character grow on me. Seeing Magnus grow from a pessimistic and callous warrior to a ‘bot with an infinite amount of sympathy adds an extra dimension to the character that was definitely needed to sympathize with this character.

All in all, Easton writes Magnus well, from his long-winded, big-worded sentences to his idealistic nature. And although Magnus is one of those ‘bots that people like to write in a stale, straightforward manner, Easton adds in a few nuggets of humor that will undoubtfully warrant a chuckle.

The rest of the creative team has done an excellent job bringing this story to life. Griffith has a more detailed art style than other artists in this series. But even though I’ve seen other media trade expressiveness for detail, Griffith manages some great facial expressions and body language. Burcham’s colors only further elevate the art and make the handful of full-page spreads of the solar system that much more breathtaking. Wood’s lettering brings up the rear with speech bubbles that are easy to follow and never overshadow the characters or the action.

Although “Storm Horizon” is not my favorite arc so far in this anthology series, I still enjoyed my time with this issue. The way Easton writes Magnus has added an extra dimension to this character and the rest of the creative team has done an excellent job rounding this issue out.

Transformers Galaxies #11 is available now wherever comics are sold.