REVIEW: ‘Transformers: Escape,’ Issue #2

In Part Two of Transformers: Escape, while the battle rages between the Autobots and the newly formed Decepticons, a team of unaligned Cybertronians plans out their big escape, not only for themselves but the hundreds of organic aliens that have come to call Cybertron home too. The only way off the planet is the Arks that once transported hundreds of Cybertronians through space during a time of expansion. But now, they lay in disarray. Can they get the Arks back in working order and escape this chaos? Not if the Decepticons have anything to say about it. Transformers: Escape #2 is published by IDW Publishing, written by Brian Ruckley, art by Beth McGuire-Smith, colors by Priscilla Tramontano, and letters by Jake M. Wood.

While I am enjoying this mini-series so far, along with the overall reboot of the Transformers comics, one thing becomes very apparent while reading this issue: you’ll miss out on a lot of nuances if you haven’t read the main series first (or even the anthology series). Many of the backstories are never explained, such as the significance of the Insecticon’s return to Cybertron, why the tether fell in the first place and caused such a ruckus, and what immersion is. And you would never know that this isn’t the first time groundquakes have been mentioned in the reboot. While the small details aren’t explained, the overall plot is nevertheless easily followable. The significance of the events won’t be lost simply by not understanding some of the background events.

There was a large amount of juxtaposition between organic and inorganic life in the first issue, and it effectively continues in this issue. Ruckley does a wonderful job getting these points across by using Hound as the center point for this. We’ve seen the implications of xenorelations in Cybertronian culture from the other reboot series, and we’ve seen the xenophobia from both Cybertronians and aliens alike. But I don’t think we’ve seen Cybertronians help aliens as much as they have now, and Hound is the primary driving force for this. The Transformers reboot so far has been Transformers-centric, but it is refreshing to see how this civil war affects other people.

Personally, the best part about Transformers has always been the personalities and the fun dialogue, and Ruckley brings both to the table in Transformers: Escape #2. We get a fun combination of personalities, from the sadistic Insecticons to the haughty and innocent scientists and the sincere Hound. This gaggle of personalities brings out some fun dialogue when they grate and clash with each other.

I only have a few areas of critique for Transformers: Escape #2. We have a handful of storylines weaving through this issue. The jump between these lines of the plot can be a bit jarring at times. And while I understand that it’s probably hard for squishy organic people who are half the size of Transformers to fight against these giant robots, the aliens’ helplessness becomes a bit tiresome.

The art from McGuire-Smith is always excellent. They have been on the creative team for some of the recent series, and their art continues to support the characters and plot well, including in this series. The characters are wonderfully emotive, which makes the fear and frustration expressed through the dialogue more impactful. Tramontano’s colors support the art well and further add emotion to the panels. The Insecticons are an excellent example of this, with Tramontano using deep shadows every time an Insecticons looms over their victim.

Overall, while I would recommend reading the main series first, the events of Transformers: Escape #2 are still impactful. This is largely due to the great selection of personalities and the excellent dialogue. But the art and colors also do an outstanding job supporting the plot. So far, this mini-series is a great tangent to the main storyline of Transformers (2019).

Transformers: Escape #2 is available now wherever comics are sold.