The Wreckers returned in issue one, albeit not their usual selves. With no purpose or leader they were lost, but now that Prowl’s gone and Springer is back that fire in their sparks may return. Will some Decepticons lose some limbs in issue two? Let’s Wreck ‘n Rule!
TRANSFORMERS: SINS OF THE WRECKERS #2
Writer: Nick Roche
Artist: Nick Roche
Colorist: Josh Burcham
Letterer: Tom B. Long
Editor: John Barber
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers: With peace between the Autobots and Decepticons finally a reality, the Wreckers find themselves lost and without purpose. Soon, Prowl disappears and the Wreckers are tasked with finding him. Now led with a rejuvenated Springer, they head to Earth to find Verity Carlo, a human who has been blackmailing Prowl with evidence of Autobot war crimes.
MORE FUN FOR TRANS FANS
If you read the first issue of Sins of the Wreckers then most likely you read the previous mini series, Last Stand of the Wreckers or are at least familiar in some way with the characters. The amount of enjoyment the reader will get out of Sins of the Wreckers depends on how much Transformers comics they’ve read previously which is its biggest weakness. Nick Roche nails the character’s personalities and does a great job of blending the humor in with the action, which matches the tone of the previous Wreckers series. He also manages to keep plot points and character traits that have cropped up in other Transformers books consistent in this series, which fans of continuity are sure to appreciate. This issue already starts to ramp up the Wrecker action and we see the team start to get back into the swing of things as a group of Decepticons hiding in beast modes appear and are linked to the disappearance of Prowl. For long time and extreme Transformers fans like myself, this is all fantastic stuff but I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that a new reader would certainly be more than a little confused. Just the sheer number of characters is overwhelming and almost none are what I would call top-tier, mainstream. The amount of Transformers comics you’ve read prior to this will gauge your enjoyment as well, as there are plenty of references to past events, some several years old. That’s not to say that it isn’t a fun book and only for Transformers fans but new readers should be aware before going in that this one is bringing a lot of baggage.
ART AND COLORING CONTRADICTING EACH OTHER
This isn’t Nick Roche’s first time handling writing and art duties and it’s clear that he’s improved some in his storytelling. It can be quite obvious when an artist is writing (even without the credits) but Roche has certainly learned when to let dialogue take the place of visuals and vice versa. His style has also naturally evolved while still being recognizable. It at one point resembled animation too much and strayed from the robotic nature, but he has come back to some of the realism of his earlier work, which I find stronger. It’s quite impressive the detailing that goes into the bots and the straight line work that is done. With so much detail, at times the action in the smaller panels can be hard to decipher, especially if the reader isn’t familiar with the bots on the page. One consistent problem that I find in all Transformer comics is any time there are humans, the artist is so talented at drawing robots that their human characters are weak. That is still the case here though Roche remains the strongest of the IDW Transformers artist in that respect. My biggest complaint with the art, and it is one I had with issue one as well, is the coloring. It’s extremely drab and muted and doesn’t work with Roche’s style at all. I’m not sure if they are intentionally going for a darker tone because of the way the story will be going, but only the first page (which is a dream sequence) is bright and even then the colors feel bland. For a style as energetic and flowing as Roche’s, I was expecting something more along the lines of the first Wreckers series. I guess I’ll wait to see if this plays out in some way.
BOTTOM LINE: FUN READ, WITH A LOT OF BAGGAGE
Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #2 is a fun read regardless of what level of Transformers fandom you come in at. It’s packed with action, has some great humor and characters that are extremely likable. Unfortunately, the issue (and series) does come with its own amount of baggage and the more knowledge of past events and stories the reader has going in, the more enjoyment they are likely to get. The art by Nick Roche is fun and detailed, with only a few instances of overcrowding. Coloring is the biggest let down and is too muted and drab for the book and art style. Still, Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #2 is a heck of a lot of fun and there aren’t many other books out where you get to see a giant whale turn into a tank, now are there?
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1 Comment
The coloring is meant to have that drab depressed tone to it. I feel that it sets the mood quite well considering Verity’s health issues, Prowls disappearance, and everything else going on in the book. The contrast with Prowl’s dream sequence was intentional and shows that positive things are brighter, but things in the main story aren’t very positive at the moment. I do think that it’ll get more vibrant as we go on, especially once the group gets to the Noisemaize.
Glad to see Transformers comics being reviewed here, though I wish they were talked about more on the MS Podcast!