Transformers #8 Review

 

Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson

Artist: Jorge Corona

Colorist: Mike Spicer

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer; Jorge Corona & Mike Spicer; Karen S. Darboe; Ethan Young; Paul Azeceta; Adam Gorham; Alex Milne; Alan Quah; Marcus Williams; Alessandro Micelli; Gabriele Dell’Otto; Tyler Kirkham; Von Randal & Neil Cervantes

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 8, 2024

 

On Cybertron, Elita sacrificed Huffer, Kup, and Warpath in her rescue mission. On Earth, Soundwave deposed Starscream, Spike mourns his father’s passing, and anger consumes Carly. With a strategist like Soundwave leading the Decepticons, are the Autobots finished? And how will the US Navy greet our alien newcomers? Let’s recharge our Energon batteries, leap into Transformers #8, and follow Spike and Carly's transformative journey!

 

Story

After Jimmy and Sparky's deaths, Spike has no family left. Nor does Carly, who channels her pain into a rage. She blames her friend Cliffjumper because he couldn’t kill Starscream. And Arcee still mourns Ultra Magnus, who died thanks to her thirst for vengeance. Back on Cybertron, Elita wonders if her sacrifice was worth it. The person she gave her all to rescue wants to die.

 

Unlike his predecessor, Soundwave has a plan. Instead of squashing insignificant Humans for his amusement, Soundwave channels their strengths to further his aims. He proves no less merciless toward Humans than Starscream, but Soundwave regrets the killing. While Soundwave makes deals with powerful allies and earns their respect, no one mentions Megatron could lead the Decepticons more effectively.

 

In Transformers #8, the Decepticons rule by strength, while Autobots draw strength from forgiveness. Yet desperate times demand compromises. Starscream forced Soundwave to perform concentration camp experiments. Yet, as Optimus transforms into something new and perhaps better, he enslaves another. The needs of the many may outweigh the needs of the few. Still, that doesn’t make it right. Optimus Prime knows that, making it one more stain on his soul.

 

Many writers struggle to serve so many plot lines while developing interpersonal drama. Yet, like Slippery Jim diGriz, Daniel Warren Johnson accomplishes the seemingly impossible. Along the way, he even enhances our understanding of how the Cybertronians arrived on Earth. All Hail The Stainless Steel Turborat!

 

 

 

Art

Carly urges Spike to share his feelings as she rolls his wheelchair to the lakeshore. Yet when Cliffjumper joins them, Carly mimics Arcee by turning away and gazing into the distance. Elita carries her companion’s broken body. When he asks her to kill him, tears streak down her face. The captain of the USS Henry Harrisson crosses his arms over his chest as he waits for his fighters to intercept the approaching robots. Then his planes fall on the aircraft carrier, Soundwave lands amid the explosion, and Thundercracker shoves the remaining fighters into the ocean.

 

Jorge Corona laces drama with tenderness, enhances action with big-budget spectacle, delivers vast and compelling sets, and showcases drama and action amid breathtaking natural beauty. Mike Spicer takes Corona's magic to the next level with a loaded palette of colors that adds contrast, interest, and nuance. Scenes evoke reality even when showing vast differences in scale. Yet nothing matches the epic scope when the Decepticons leap into the Pacific and watch a lavender structure rise from the ocean floor.

 

Rus Wooten portrays Human speech with large-size black letters in white dialogue balloons. Transformers use italicized black letters in rectangular balloons with lightning bolt arrows, while Soundwave commands yellow words into blue balloons. Alarms blare as a fighter screams off the deck before spinning back into the control tower, and a massive boom rocks the aircraft carrier. While the fists banging into blast doors strike fear into Decepticons, the whoosh of a rocket and the resultant explosion prove the most powerful in Transformers #8.

 

Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Friends hurt each other yet draw strength from togetherness, while brokenness, pity, and vengeance rock Autobots, Decepticons, and Humans alike in Transformers #8.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.