Transformers #1: A Kick Butt Kick-Off

Much like all things Transformers, change is inevitable. So, here we stand, at the edge of a timeline still being birthed. Skybound’s Energon Universe had already begun with Void Rivals, but now it truly begins with Transformers #1. 

I am admittedly a huge Transformers fan and arguably the biggest one here at Comic Watch. I want that potential bias being known going forward with these reviews. Especially with this one, as it’s the start of another new comic universe. So expectations are already set, whether I consciously realize it or not.

Let’s talk the book though. Our first step into a whole new world. 

Daniel Warren Johnson is our scribe and artist, with Mike Spicer on colors. As well as Rus Wooton on letters. Johnson is a known powerhouse among comic fans. From Do A Powerbomb to Beta Ray Bill. His work on Beta Ray Bill was a favorite of mine for 2021, so when it was announced he’d be writing and drawing Transformers, I was excited. Safe to say those expectations I mentioned were rather high. And they were met, as well as exceeded!

DWJ does not hold back in this premiere issue. It’s story beat after story beat with no room to slow down. Though that’s not a bad thing in this case. Our human protagonists, Spike & Carly, are very quickly set up. While they’re not given much panel time in the issue, we know some of their major struggles as well as their relationship to each other. Outside of the humans, DWJ gives us some other familiar faces, sticking with Cybertronians we know from as far back as episode 1 of The Transformers in 1984. 

We’re given a glimpse into an Optimus who’s quick on his feet and is willing to throw down in a bare knuckle brawl. But then we’re given the opposite in Starscream, who is quickly conniving and doesn’t care if you’re friend or foe—he’ll shoot to kill. Familiar traits in familiar faces.

DWJ’s art is bombastic as usual. It’s gritty and raw in the linework and inking. The action at times is almost reminiscent of old Geoff Senior Transformers work. It feels familiar like our heroes & villains, but different than anything that has come before.

Spicer’s colors have to be celebrated. They’re bright and vibrant one moment, and dark and gloomy the next. He fills blank backgrounds during action scenes with eye-catching colors that make the action really pop. There’s this nostalgic feel to Spicer’s colors that’s hard to describe. They aren’t straight up 80s vibrancy, but they evoke a similar feeling when the moment calls for it. It’s an aesthetic I could get used to.

Now, we have to talk about Wooton’s letters. Oh boy, that lettering is phenomenal! The sfx lettering is top notch. It frankly might be some of the best I’ve seen in quite a long time. The scenes feel like they’re loud and booming and just as intense to the senses as the action is. And while the letters are just as intense as the action, they’re also just as dynamic. Wooton absolutely obliterated my expectations when it came to the lettering!