Transformers #3 is written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson. Colours are by Mike Spicer and letters by Rus Wooton. The book is published by Image Comics.
Transformers #3 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold.
Synopsis
THE BIGGEST LAUNCH OF THE YEAR CONTINUES HERE! Outnumbered and overpowered, it’s time for the Autobots to stand their ground, as Optimus Prime goes toe to toe with Skywarp!
Review
Picking up right where we left off last month, Transformers is wasting no time it getting down to action. Picking up with Carly and Sparky Witwicky has he breaks the news that her father has been crushed by a giant robot. Just another average day in the Energon Universe. The relative calm is shattered by the arrival of Skywarp, a moment which signals a huge gear shift for the series.
Writer Daniel Warren Johnson is an absolute tour-de-force with the Transformers IP. Issue #3 is essentially status quo for the series: an intense mix of action and emotion. The plot is driving forwards at an incredibly satisfying pace whilst continuing to take strides to step away from simply following the continuity on the G1 animated series. Issue #3 breaks away from the spectre of Megatron, allowing us to see Starscream really attempting to take control of the Decepticons as an all out war seems to be on the cards.
This month’s issue is nothing short of intense. There’s only the briefest of reprieves as Starscream monologues like a true moustache-twirling before Optimus joins the action and takes on Skywarp. After this what’s most striking about issue #3 is how Warren Johnson balances such high stakes action with real consequence and human emotion. I talked about this in a previous review but having a writer/artist like Warren Johnson makes for the more pure of creative visions. The visual sensibilities enhance the script and the final vision is just so cohesive that it’s nigh on impossible to criticise.
The epitome of Transformers success is in the handling of Optimus Prime. This issue he’s both a ferocious fighter but also a fragile soul. His actions in the fight with Skywarp are brutal. Warren Johnson taps precisely in to why fans love the character. Pulling him right out of the action in a moment of pure horror for Sparky whilst flashing back to a crucial moment from issue #1. In the dying moments of the book there are huge strides taken in pushing the series towards finding a new status quo and it’s certainly exciting for the future.
Verdict
Yet another exhilarating issue from Daniel Warren Johnson and the Transformers team. I can’t remember the last time a new series went this hard, this fast so early on.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
