Transformers: Tales of The Fallen - Ravage

The Tales of The Fallen series has been a Spotlight style book for the movie universe characters. Mostly ones that got very little time in the movies themselves. Some have been great, giving insights into character backgrounds and adding a bit of depth to the movie universe, while some have been no so great. I have to tell you, I was looking forward to "Ravage". With Nefarious on the horizon, and Simon Furman constantly hinting that this is were the story starts, I had high hopes for another good comic.

Well, after reading it, I can safely say that this is the worst Transformers comic I have ever read. The story? There isn't one. The entire issue can be summed up in one page or the opening sentence of Nefarious. I was left wondering why it was felt that this tale warranted telling.

The art by Alex Milne is subpar for what he is capable of. It looks rushed and a bit sloppy, which is a shame because this was a great chance for Milne to showcase his work in this issue, because the little bit of story there is was told by the art. He is a very talented artist, but I bet he was left uninspired by the script.

In the end this issue is just a pointless movie tie-in, shamelessly riding on success of ROTF. I'm very disappointed because this wasn't even close to the high quality TF books IDW has been putting out as of late. You expect a little substance for $4. After reading this, I wanted my money back.

BW4E

Story: 1/10 Art: 4/10 Quick Verdict: Dodge It

Spotlight Back Issue Review: Transformers Infiltration #6

Kicking off the Transformers titles for IDW was the Generation One revamp dubbed Infiltration. It was written by long time Transformers scribe, Simon Furman, and drawn by E.J. Su. This series was the source of more controversy than just about any Transformers comic title in history. At first the series was well received by fans because of the slower, unique approach. But this optimism quickly gave way to cries of complaint. Fueling this "board war" was newcomer artist E.J. Su and his unusual art style. Some were fans of it and others were wanting the crisp, clean cut art of the Dreamwave days. So the reason I picked this issue for this week's spotlight review is because everything culminates here in the final issue. Was it all worth it or not?

First off, I have to say that this is by far the best issue. After months of waiting, (and for this reader, boredom,) we finally get an issue worth paying for! Megatron is ready to put his house in order, and willing to kill any who get in his way, i.e. Starscream. Furman presents us with one of the best battles in recent memory. After years, in the show and comics, of the whole Starscream vs. Megatron thing, we final get a battle worthy of the set stage. Just look at page sixteen and tell me that isn't one of the coolest things you've seen in a Transformers comic.

E.J. Su puts his best foot forward here, with the best pencils of any of the issues. But it still suffers from bad coloring and proportioning of the characters. All in all, this issue gives you your money's worth in awesome action and a halfway descent conclusion to a far too drawn out miniseries.

BW4E

Story: 7.75/ 10 Art: 6.75/10 Quick Verdict: Grab It/Hold It

Mini Madness: Beast Wars The Gathering #3 Review

After an amazing first issue, this miniseries had a major slump with the second. Can Furman pull this one back out of the water and save a story with so much potential?

Yes he can! Again we are given a comic that draws you in and leaves you giddy with anticipation of the next issue. The story progresses at a fine pace setting up the final battle. Finally we get a glimpse of the TV show characters and how they fit in with this title. Furman makes sure that nothing is forgotten, bringing up story elements and tying up loose ends that I never would have remembered. The dialogue is very natural and well written to complement this incredible tale.

Figueroa's pencils are beautiful as always, with excellent shadowing that adds rich texture to the pages. Figueroa seamlessly blends organics and robotics unlike anyone else. Not that I'm ragging on the other artists, because they are drawing some wonderful covers (such as the one posted above), Don just has a real knack for it. Josh did another great job coloring, setting a great tone and tropical feel for the book. There are so many things to love about this miniseries, it's a shame that there are only four issues.

BW4E

Story: 9/10 Art:9/10 Quick Verdict: Grab It

Maximum Dinobots #3 Review

First off, let me preface this by saying that I still don't have issue 2, like many of you out there, due to the production problem. So, I can only guess as to what happened last month.

This issue is much different than the first. While still fun and entertaining, the dialogue, and the characterization of the Dinobots confuse me. These fierce warriors are starting to seem like the cast of an after school special. 'But we're a team, You can't leave.' What the heck? I understand that Furman is trying to paint a picture of the brotherly, close-knit friendship of the Dinobots, but does it have to be so corny? I would have thought that some more intelligent dialogue than this would have been scripted by Furman, who has always written these characters well. The story in itself in not bad at all, in fact, I can't wait until the next issue, to see where the story is going to go with the new characters that are brought in.

The art work is pretty good, but not as clean as the first issue. The panels are very cluttered and the lines seem to bee more sloppy and rushed. Too much is going on. I would like Roche to stick to a set style. His Frank Miller interpretation or his cleaner refined style. In the end, this one just lacks the luster of the first issue, but is fun nonetheless.

BW4E

Story: 7/10 Art: 7.5/10 Quick Verdict: Hold It/ Grab It

Mini Madness: Beast Wars The Gathering #2 Review

Beast Wars: The Gathering had the best start of about any Transformers comic produced. An amazing and complicated story, brilliant artwork, and a wonderful coloring job worked together to build a masterpiece. But what of the second issue?

I can definitely tell you (as this is a retrospective review) that this issue is the series weak link. Not much happens here other than boring dialogue and mindless fighting. The art stays up to par, with smooth lines and fantastic shadowing. But the writing and the coloring seem a little off. That said, this issue is still better than most of the stuff IDW puts out. I can see why this issue was set in this direction, I just wish it was handled a bit better. The intrigue, the suspense are all lacking, until the very, very end. What made the first issue so amazing is missing here. All you are left with is a filler issue that sets up what is to come. And believe me, it's worth it.

BW4E

Story:6/10 Art: 9/10 Quick Verdict: Grab It/ Hold It

Spotlight Back Issue Review: Spotlight Blaster

Not very often do we see a Transformers comic like this. Simon Furman has given us an interesting "who done it" story. It's nothing we haven't seen before. But it's something we don't see often in Transformers comics. That is why I chose this issue for this week's Spotlight Review.

Here we are given quite an interesting take on Blaster, a bot there to boost morale, yet he is more depressed than anyone. In fear for his life, not able to trust anyone. On the hunt for the one who tried to take his life. I have to hand it to Furman for crafting a more than average tale, though I doubt everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

A job well done is in order for a rookie Transformers artist. He did a wonderful job for his first gig. One fault I do find with his work was that the silhouette of the assassin kind of ruined the air of mystery. One look at it and you know exactly who it is. Which really makes me wonder why Blaster and Perceptor couldn't figure this one out. Come on it's obviously !@*$&%#$&%. Anyways, if you like a story out of the ordinary, pick this one up. But if you have slightly different tastes, you might want to skip it.

BW4E

Story: 8/10 Art: 7.5/10 Quick Verdict: Hold It/ Grab It

Mini Madness: Beast Wars: The Gathering #1 Review

Welcome to TF Zone's first edition of "Mini Madness." As explained in this month's newsletter, MM will be the place where past miniseries will be reviewed. Week by week the next issue will be reviewed. After the series is completed, a retrospective review of the series as a whole will be done. First up is Beast Wars: The Gathering to be followed by War Within Volume 1. This should be interesting for those who have read the series before and those who are new to it. Enjoy!

When Dreamwave collapsed many were disappointed. One of the biggest disappointments was that the promised Beast Wars series was seemingly never to come to light. But eventually IDW picked up the license and quickly announced the a Beast Wars miniseries was coming. And come it did with much anticipation from a rabid fan base. Was this comic book adaptation going to be as groundbreaking as the cartoon it was based off of? Well.... let's start at the beginning.

To put it simply, this issue is a masterpiece on every level. The story and script are brilliantly written and feature the lesser known characters that never made it to the show. Weaving a brilliant tale of politics, espionage, betrayal, and revolution, Simon Furman gives us the start to what seems to be one of the greatest Transformers stories told. And while this commanding story is being laid out, Don Figueroa brings his masterful pencils to the show. His talent with robotics and organics blend into a wonderful showpiece that accents an already amazing comic. Not that I usually mention the colorist, but Josh did some of his best work in this book, bringing lush colors and tones to this must read. Even if you never got past G1, you should seriously give this one a shot.

BW4E

Story: 10/10 Art: 10/10 Quick Verdict: Grab It