Transformers #20: Could’a Been

You know how some people say “That was a great movie/tv show/etc. But it doesn’t really work in comics.” That’s kind of how I feel about this Transformers issue, it would really make a better cartoon than a comic. The past few issues, actually most of this series, have been about the origin of the Transformers, going even so far back to show us how the Autobots and Decepticons started and while all that is VERY interesting, I feel like it would make for a better cartoon series. This issue in particular features a bunch of characters trying to away some other that will eventually become Decepticons. Author Greg Ruckley hits all the right points plot-wise, he’s got his characterizations down pat, he’s got a great sense of humor, but man, there’s just something kind missing. Unfortunately, I can’t put my finger on it. The book had action, an interesting story, but there are places in this issue that immediately reminded me of the waaaaaay too long scenes in the Star Wars prequels that were spent in the Galactic Senate. I mean, I pretty much only ask for two things in a Star Wars movie. Stars and wars. That’s similar to what I want in a Transformers book. Robots that transform, and fighting. If I wanted to watch a governmental debate, I’d watch CSPAN, and if I wanted to watch a civilization destroy itself, I’d look out my window. While I thought this issue was pretty entertaining, I feel that if it lost a couple of talking pages and replaced it with some action, I would’ve enjoyed it a whole lot more.

Artist Anna Malkova is a much-needed steroid injection to this book. She gives it the sleek look of a nicely done animated cartoon while peppering in enough realism to make the Transformers look like a real alien race that has been through a difficult past. The word that immediately comes to mind when describing her art is “sleek”. I’d really like her to be the new “Transformers artist” because if she did 50-75 issues of this book, you wouldn’t hear me complaining at all. Awesome work from Malkova!!!