Today’s Comic> Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #4

What are you all staring at?

Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #4

IDW Publishing (April 2010)

WRITERS: James Robert & Nick Roche

PENCILERS: Nick Roche & Guido Guidi

INKERS: Andrew Griffith & Guido Guidi

COLORIST: Josh Burcham

COVER “A” (shown): Nick Roche and Josh Burcham

COVER “B”: Trevor Hutchison

LETTERER: Chris Mowry

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Denton J. Tipton

EDITOR: Andy Schmidt

The Autobots reach Aequitas, who isn’t a Transformer but a supercomputer specifically designed to act as judge and jury impartially. The mission is to retrieve its program, which Overlord has been using to gain a battle with Megatron on his terms. Meanwhile, Impactor and Springer are captured along with Twin Twist, who is being tortured by a Decepticon. However, Topspin has felt Twin Twist’s pain and since Aequitas (in its current state) needs a spark to be sacrificed, offers his, killing both brothers. Kup and Guzzle are unable to find Grimlock, but end up teaming with a Decepticon, Snare (who wants out of Overlord’s nightmare), to rescue the others. Meanwhile, Perceptor’s group is trapped and the only way out with the program, which has been downloaded into Ironfirst, is to blow the detonation chips within the ex-prisoners–which includes Impactor–and thanks to something he downloaded, Ironfist agrees.

I have to break formula here, because most of my issues with the comic comes from my dislike of the darker, violent stories. That makes it difficult to break out the got right/got wrong format. You can figure out which panels were done by different artists, but for the most part the shift isn’t all that dramatic. The story itself, however, is very violent. Fuel flies like blood, just making scenes disturbing, especially the torture scenes. It’s very off-putting, but I’m not sure this story could have gone any other way from the start.

The only complaint I have since I know they’re still trying to build up to whatever it is Impactor did (the “b” plot of this mini) is that we have no idea what Autobot command wants with Aequitas’ judgment program. What purpose does it serve? And what is with the spark sacrifice? It seems to be there just so Topspin can be killed off, and Twin Twist with him. There is no part about the Aequitas mission that makes sense.

Recommendation: Look at it in the store first and judge for yourself. It’s not exactly bad, so I can’t judge it as a reviewer. However, on a personal level it kind of bugs me.

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Tomorrow’s Comic: Transformers Spotlight: Prowl