Transformers #3: Battlin’ Bots!

Three issues into Transformers under the Skybound roof and let me tell you, I’m hooked more than I’ve been hooked in a long time. The creative team continues to knock it out of the park issue by issue. 

Much like the life-blood Energon that our new comic universe is named for, this issue is explosive in nature! It’s filled to the brim with gnarly action, subtle world building and bombastic work from everyone on the creative team.

Daniel Warren Johnson continues to build our characters piece by piece. It was established already that Sparkplug had seen war, but now, in the backwoods of America, we see just how much war has affected him and his fellow citizens. We see this darker side to the people we’re coming to know. And how fear leads us to make poor decisions.

That to me is an aspect of the writing I rather enjoy. Yes, we’re moving at a lightning fast pace in these first issues. But through that, we’re still finding out who our characters are. We’re seeing who these characters will be when they’re kicked into the mud. Sparkplug the father & soldier. Spik& Carly the brave. Optimus Prime the undying hero. Starscream…the sniveling shadow of someone he’ll never be. 

Another aspect I enjoy of DWJ’s work specifically is his art. It continues to be energetic and panel-shattering. He’s crafty with the character’s powers—this issue’s highlight Decepticon being Skywarp. Every hit the characters take are painful in a way that makes you wince when you see them. DWJ also keeps on showing his love for wrestling through our rumbling robots. Making Optimus Prime into a grappler is a fantastic touch. 

But DWJ’s art wouldn’t be as amazing as it is without the colors of Mike Spicer. Spicer looked at the energy of the 90s toy lines and their absolutely eye-exploding colors and went “I can make that gritty.” I’ve never looked at warm vibrants and felt like I was down in the dirt. That’s not to say there isn’t some grime in the colors. There are. But Spicer masterfully backdrops the fight scenes in gritty 90s neon. 

Rounding out our knock-out team is Rus Wooton on letters. Who’s praise I have to sing once again. I imagine I will continue to sing that praise so long as he’s on the book. His letters at times are subtle while at others they’re exploding in your face. DWJ might have gotten creative with the character’s powers this issue, but Wooton enhances it to another level. The art and the letters are mixed together on a whole other level. They work in tandem in a beautiful dance to create a world you can get lost in.