This was the last, desperate resort. But here we are. Standing so deep amongst the dead that the only way out is forward.
Keep reading for a review of Transformers 19.
Warning, some spoilers below.
Windblade’s back this issue (I still say it would’ve been amazing to see her reappear holding herself upright in a doorway, still dripping with Bacta-tank fluid, teeth bared, holding off the bad guys with a sword, but I am not the person writing this comic. I am the person doing occasional fan art so I’ll get back to you on that.) (Also does anyone know where I got that image from? I know my brain scraped it up from somewhere…) Where was I? OH yes, Windblade’s back, in time to see Ratchet patching up some survivors, letting her know that, what with the Tether that attaches the moon to the planet falling, things look much, much worse outside.
Meanwhile, Megatron says he never wanted violence (I have my doubts) but there’s no help for it now. Thousands are dead and the only way it’ll mean anything is if he wins. The senators who’ve been on his side aren’t happy with any of it, because he’s using that as his excuse to take charge, and they may have been on board for violence and treason but they most definitely didn’t sign up to get ordered around.
We also hear a little bit more about Pyra Magna, who apparently is in stasis and “roused only to remind her that she is a prisoner,” so I can’t wait to find out more about that. It’s definitely one more reason for Megatron to go all in: he refuses to end up like her.
Plus he’s bringing in the Brute Squad, and anybody who’s been less than enthusiastic about Megatron’s methods (Elita-1 and Bumblebee specifically) are going to get taken out of the action, one way or another.
Things moved a bit quicker this issue, though there’s still a lot of talking going on (introductions tend to slow the pace down a lot) especially with the Autobots. Optimus (Orion, SORRY, I do that every review) is still unquestioningly loyal to anyone who holds the Matrix, even when they’re inflexible, stuck up, tone deaf sociopaths quickly descending into paranoia, like Sentinel Prime. When Sentinel Prime finally falls off that pedestal, I almost hope he takes Orion with him. Is that bad? That’s probably bad. But seriously, how cool would that be, the Matrix deciding that Orion’s going to have to be a lot less wishy-washy if he’s going to be a leader, and picking somebody else for a while.
Anna Malkova had the art for the whole issue this time around (with colors by Joana Lafuente) and everything looked very crisp and clean, and I really liked all the faces; Ratchet looked excellent, and I loved the shot of Megatron reflected in Soundwave’s visor, that was a nice touch. My favorite page was definitely Orion chasing after Sentinel Prime, trying to make him see reason. The image at the bottom provided a beautiful background for the whole page, it flowed extremely well, and every panel looked fantastic.