TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE VOLUMES 1-7 review
(Reviewed by Matthew Werner)
Robots in Disguise is a series published by IDW and written by John Barber, illustrated by a slew of artistes including Andy Griffith, Sarah Stone, Brendan Cahill, Livio Ramondelli, Guido Guidi, Casey Coller, Atilio Rojo, and Dheeraj Verma. Unlike the child's series of the same name (I have no idea why they did that considering the two series are completely different), this series can get really adult and really mature at the blink of an eye, yet retains that age old Transformers feel, and without feeling like a cynical cash-in on stupid kids. It's actually really good. Like, surprisingly amazing.
The art of the series fluctuates, at least stylistically It always looks great, sometimes even excellent, and this changes on an issue by issue basis. What really makes this art great, in my honest opinion, is that there are a ton of bright colors, tons of sheens, and it just pops right off the page. There is a metric ton of detail in just about every panel, with little dents, extra embellishments of their chassis, etc.. And it looks even better when they get into outer space. This is a series that loves throwing lasers and stars and planets and shit at you and it's all imaginative and gorgeous looking. The action isn't particularly amazing but it still looks good and there are times when the illusion of motion is just breathtakingly done.
Oddly enough, this is a Transformers series that primarily relies on its writing to be quality. The concept is that the war between the Autobots and Decepticons has ended and Cybertron's been reborn, so they have to find a way to live together without blowing each other's heads off. It does deviate from this later down the line, but this is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the 'Formers formula and it isn't completely thrown away later down the line either. The plot is excellently told and features many a betrayal or master manipulation. Think of cosmic Game of Thrones with robots and no sex/incest/human mutilation. Then crank up the awesome meter. That's how the plot here is like, and that's a huge boon towards the series. I can never tell where it's going--it's always throwing curve-balls, and they aren't just bullshit contrivances at the last second, the story is subtly told and when it twists it catches you off guard but doesn't make you question what just happened. The lore of the pre-war Cybertron is given a lot of focus here, and it works incredibly well as it still ties in to the current series, and it's fascinating seeing where it's going to go next. The pacing of the series is slowed down, but not necessarily to a crawl. This gives the characters time to breathe and get played like fiddles at the same time, which I approve of here. And when shit hits the fan it speeds up to lightning fast, throwing shit at you, not to the point of being overwhelmed but enough to shock your system and get you addicted to reading more of it.
The characters of the series are all wonderful, with tons of personality and depth. For example, Ironhide has seen a vision of the future so he knows that everything'll play out perfectly, but eventually (and I'm trying not to spoil it), that premonition is changed and he just breaks down because he was so certain of the future but it gets altered in an instant. I love seeing these guys interact with one another, as their personalities bounce off of one another perfectly and add to the overall enjoyment of the series. The dialogue is fantastic, with some quips, bits of philosophy, and some master manipulations throughout.
If I had some problems with the series, I'd have to mention that some characters don't necessarily seem to have a basis for some of their actions and the justifications can seem flimsy. And some major characters are blatantly ignored to the point of being forgotten when you get down the line, which can be somewhat annoying. These, however, are minor criticisms and they don't hold the series back enough to really take away from the enjoyment and intrigue the series brings, in a nice, neat Transformers package.
Transformers: Robots in Disguise (the good one) is a fantastic series and already a contender for one of the best series I've read this year. I haven't caught up completely yet, as I still need to read Dark Cybertron plus anything after that, and I doubt I'll ever get around to all of the spinoffs and such. Irregardless, this series is definitely a must-read in my books. Transformers: Robots in Disguise (volumes 1-7) gets a 10/10.
Masterpiece
Summary:
Gorgeous art, nice action, a fantastic concept, a fresh take on an old property, interesting story, a colorful cast of characters, deeply developed lore, top-tier dialogue, and great pacing put this series on the top of the pile.
(originally posted: 3/5/2016)
Robots in Disguise is a series published by IDW and written by John Barber, illustrated by a slew of artistes including Andy Griffith, Sarah Stone, Brendan Cahill, Livio Ramondelli, Guido Guidi, Casey Coller, Atilio Rojo, and Dheeraj Verma. Unlike the child's series of the same name (I have no idea why they did that considering the two series are completely different), this series can get really adult and really mature at the blink of an eye, yet retains that age old Transformers feel, and without feeling like a cynical cash-in on stupid kids. It's actually really good. Like, surprisingly amazing.
The art of the series fluctuates, at least stylistically It always looks great, sometimes even excellent, and this changes on an issue by issue basis. What really makes this art great, in my honest opinion, is that there are a ton of bright colors, tons of sheens, and it just pops right off the page. There is a metric ton of detail in just about every panel, with little dents, extra embellishments of their chassis, etc.. And it looks even better when they get into outer space. This is a series that loves throwing lasers and stars and planets and shit at you and it's all imaginative and gorgeous looking. The action isn't particularly amazing but it still looks good and there are times when the illusion of motion is just breathtakingly done.
Oddly enough, this is a Transformers series that primarily relies on its writing to be quality. The concept is that the war between the Autobots and Decepticons has ended and Cybertron's been reborn, so they have to find a way to live together without blowing each other's heads off. It does deviate from this later down the line, but this is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the 'Formers formula and it isn't completely thrown away later down the line either. The plot is excellently told and features many a betrayal or master manipulation. Think of cosmic Game of Thrones with robots and no sex/incest/human mutilation. Then crank up the awesome meter. That's how the plot here is like, and that's a huge boon towards the series. I can never tell where it's going--it's always throwing curve-balls, and they aren't just bullshit contrivances at the last second, the story is subtly told and when it twists it catches you off guard but doesn't make you question what just happened. The lore of the pre-war Cybertron is given a lot of focus here, and it works incredibly well as it still ties in to the current series, and it's fascinating seeing where it's going to go next. The pacing of the series is slowed down, but not necessarily to a crawl. This gives the characters time to breathe and get played like fiddles at the same time, which I approve of here. And when shit hits the fan it speeds up to lightning fast, throwing shit at you, not to the point of being overwhelmed but enough to shock your system and get you addicted to reading more of it.
The characters of the series are all wonderful, with tons of personality and depth. For example, Ironhide has seen a vision of the future so he knows that everything'll play out perfectly, but eventually (and I'm trying not to spoil it), that premonition is changed and he just breaks down because he was so certain of the future but it gets altered in an instant. I love seeing these guys interact with one another, as their personalities bounce off of one another perfectly and add to the overall enjoyment of the series. The dialogue is fantastic, with some quips, bits of philosophy, and some master manipulations throughout.
If I had some problems with the series, I'd have to mention that some characters don't necessarily seem to have a basis for some of their actions and the justifications can seem flimsy. And some major characters are blatantly ignored to the point of being forgotten when you get down the line, which can be somewhat annoying. These, however, are minor criticisms and they don't hold the series back enough to really take away from the enjoyment and intrigue the series brings, in a nice, neat Transformers package.
Transformers: Robots in Disguise (the good one) is a fantastic series and already a contender for one of the best series I've read this year. I haven't caught up completely yet, as I still need to read Dark Cybertron plus anything after that, and I doubt I'll ever get around to all of the spinoffs and such. Irregardless, this series is definitely a must-read in my books. Transformers: Robots in Disguise (volumes 1-7) gets a 10/10.
Masterpiece
Summary:
Gorgeous art, nice action, a fantastic concept, a fresh take on an old property, interesting story, a colorful cast of characters, deeply developed lore, top-tier dialogue, and great pacing put this series on the top of the pile.
(originally posted: 3/5/2016)
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