My arms have been hurting too much to draw lately (SAD!! I WANT TO DRAW TT I MISS KOSS AND I MISS RATCHMA) so I read all the current Skybound Transformers comics! They were a fun romp—I like the goofy G1 vibes and Megatron’s backstory is so funny to me 😭 They turned him into the Green Goblin Gun
I don’t think they’re intended to be a very serious installment in the franchise, but they do a good job at being entertaining, if you like rock ’em sock ’em action eye candy with cartoonishly evil villains and are fine with characters being expendable. The art feels more polished and coherent than some of the IDW comics, IMO, even if I’m not the biggest fan of the style itself (mostly the way faces are drawn—I adore the textured inks and the colouring). I enjoy how DWJ’s nostalgia for the original cartoon comes through; the comic captures the energy of being a kid and going crazy playing action hero with your friends (or your toys). The characters kept busting out wrestling moves and I loved that LMFAO
After watching Prime, I also liked how the Autobots are the more compelling characters than the Decepticons here o u o)
There are a lot of more critical things to say about it too, like how its irreverent handling of death is not my cup of tea, even though I know why it’s written that way (pretty typical “let’s show the reader how dark and gritty this is by killing off beloved characters in gruesome ways!” fare). Or how some characters feel one-dimensional, or how some choices in the writing felt frustrating or trite… But generally, I’d rather dwell on positive things ahaha; I’m sure plenty of other people have posted their grievances!
All in all, it’s alright so far! Not my favourite continuity, and I can’t see myself investing too hard in the story or characters, but I’ll keep reading as it updates (next issue on the 14th of May). My least favourite thing about this run is the pro-gun pro-civilians-hoarding-tactical-equipment pro-military vibe, but that can’t be helped when it has a GI Joe tie-in, I suppose 🤦
