Transformers #13 is written by Daniel Warren Johnson and published by Image. Artwork is by Jason Howard, colours by Mike Spicer and letters by Rus Wooten. Main cover art (left) is by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer.
Transformers #13 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon ComiXology UK right here.
Synopsis
After the stunning events of his battle with the Decepticons, Starscream has been left for dead. Now the secret to surviving the future may be revisiting his shocking past…
Review
Last issue was devastating as Optimus let into his rage and slaughtered Shockwave. The issue ended with Elita making an attempt to trick Optimus into helping with the war on Cybertron, making him leave Earth behind. Although they are both on the same side of the war, they each serve different ideologies of how to win the war. Darren Warren Johnson has been amazing at being able to convey the idea of war between the Autobots and Deceptions that I don’t think any Transformers media has been able to achieve in the past.
This latest issue steps away from the main story, replacing Jorge Corona with Jason Howard for this two-story arc that takes us back to Issue 7, where Starscream lost the fight for leadership to Soundwave. Not only do we get to find out what has become of him, but DWJ begins to dive into Starscream’s origin story before he was a Decepticon.
The issue starts off very light-hearted with Starscream, who was previously known as Ulchtar, with his friends Genvo and Jetfire as they go to see a spectacle that only occurs once every two hundred years. It’s a heartwarming moment between friends and isn’t an aspect we’ve yet seen from DWJ, as currently in the present day, it’s only tragedy after tragedy, the disheartening effects of war. It actually feels unnatural to see these Transformers have such a good time, but in good old Daniel Warren Johnson fashion, tragedy does indeed strike.
What helps Issue 13 stand apart from the issues before is Jason Howard’s art; it feels like the best fit for the story being told. Howard is extremely skilled at showing the sheer size of something with his arts and, from that, allowing the readers to feel exactly how the characters are feeling on the page. Ulchtar loses a friend as the war is brought to his front step, and we see the perpetrator behind the show—Optimus. A character who’s seen as a hero to us, but in this moment, Jason Howard’s art depicts him towering over Ulchtar and looking menacing, showing how a war can be depicted to make either side look like they’re on the right side of history when there isn’t context behind why they’re fighting.
The same practice is used when a Transformer comes to Ulchtar’s rescue—Megatron, once again a character that we normally see as ruthless, but Howard’s use of the spread page to show Megatron front and centre, portraying him as this heroic saviour, is genius and matches so well with Daniel Warren Johnson’s writing.
Back in the present day, the conclusion has the chance to change the future of the Energon Universe depending on which direction the story heads in, but from knowing these human characters who don’t have ties with the Autobots, it’s safe to say they can’t be trusted.
Verdict
Transformers #13 stirs away from our regular scheduled story to tell us the origins of Starscream and how he came to be the ruthless Transformer that he is. Daniel Warren Johnson manages to shift the tone of the story suddenly without any warning, but it’s Jason Howard’s art that helps tell the story with his perception of size and how he uses that for it to speak for itself.
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