- Writer: Danny Lore
- Artist: Guido Guidi
- Inker: John Wycough
- Colorist: John-Paul Bove
- Color Assist: Ed Pirrie
- Letterer: LetterSquids
- Designers: Jake Wood and Johanna Nattalie
- Editor: Riley Farmer
- Supervising Editor: David Mariotte
Thanks to Vault Comics for the review copy!
Transformers is one of those awesome ‘good guys versus bad guys’ franchises. It’s generally pretty clear that the Autobots are good and the Decepticons are bad (as John Cena’s Agent Burns notes in the Bumblebee movie, “They literally call themselves Decepticons. That doesn’t set off any red flags?). Shattered Glass takes this time honored paradigm and inverts it. Like the Star Trek Mirror Universe, here the Autobots autocratic rulers and the Decepticons are valiant rebels. How do you know this? Aside from the plot, the Autobot symbol is now purple and the Decepticon symbol is now red.
This twist allows Transformers to explore some new avenues in its storytelling, with new takes on the characters. While this issue features quite a few bots Transformers fans might recognize, the primary two are Blurr (now a nasty bounty hunter) and Starscream (now the most trusted lieutenant in the rebellion).
Transformers got its start as essentially a 30 minute ad for toys and I suspect selling alternative paint job versions was at least a contributing factor behind this series. However, the first issue manages to introduce the mirror universe while telling a fun story that can be enjoyed without knowing any Transformers lore. On the other hand, longtime Transformers fans will want to see how their favorite characters are reimagined (I’m dying to see what they do with Optimus Prime). Issue 1 also has some well executed action sequences. In particular, the art does a great job translating Blurr’s speed to the page, which is no small feat.
So far, the Shattered Glass universe is anything but broken. Let’s see if the fun premise can sustain the series.
The first 3 issues of Transformers: Shattered Glass are now available. The 4th issue of the series is due out on December 1st, 2021.
Are you going to pick up the title? Have you already? Feel free to leave a comment below!
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