Transformers #17 review – Clash of the Titans (Ruckley, Malkova, McGuire-Smith, Lafuente, Bove, Wood, Uyetake, Ramondelli, IDW Publishing)

Brian Ruckley (Author) Anna Malkova (Artist) Beth McGuire-Smith (Artist) Joana Lafuente (Colorist)  John-Paul Bove (Colorist) Jake M. Wood (Letterer) Neil Uyetake (Letterer)  Livio Ramondelli (Cover Artist)

Thanks to IDW Publishing for the review copy!

This issue, which concludes the five part “The Change in Your Nature” arc, centers around the Titans, who are huge Transformers that are part of lore in the Transformers universe (There’s one particularly effective page that shows the sheer size of a titan compared to Wheeljack).  In the IDW comics, the Titans have a smaller bot that acts as the ‘speaker,’ which I tend to picture as a pilot.  In issue 16, the Ascentionists (precursors to Decepticons) took over a base and injected something that impacted the Titans.  In this issue, that infiltration has caused something to go wrong with the Titans which leads to a big confrontation. 

I got a kick out of all the classic characters this issue squeezed in, including Wheeljack, Gears, Huffer, Astrotrain, Blaster, and one of my favorites, Cosmos. I particularly appreciate how well the different bots are drawn and colored.  They are easy to tell apart and the characters I know were instantly recognizable.  

IDW also excels at introducing new characters.  I was not familiar with Slipstream before reading the comics, but she has become a popular character.  In this issue, I was surprised that my biggest reaction was to a character I had never heard of named Lightbright (and her Titan Lodestar).  Strange name aside, this issue managed to give her personalty and make me root for her within a few pages.

The issue is the culmination of an arc and the plan set in motion in issue 16, but I’m looking forward to reading issue 18 to continue the story.  If you haven’t read issues 13-16, you might find yourself a bit confused, so I suggest reading at least a few issues prior to this one. If you’ve never read a Transformers comic before, you may want to start with the Transformers Galaxies line, as those stories have been more self contained and character focused.

Transformers # 17 is now available.

Check back tomorrow for my review of Transformers #18.

Have you read the issue? What are your thoughts? Feel free to chat with me on Twitter or leave a comment below!