Infestation 2 Transformers #1

The Infestation threat has broken the boundaries of time and the Lovecraftian monsters invade the world of Transformers: Hearts of Steel! It’s a steam-punk world in the grips of panic as terrifying beings from the depths of the ocean corrupt both humans and Decepticons! Only one man knows how to stop the Infestation, and it’s up to him to awaken the Autobots in time to prevent full-scale cataclysm!

It’s been a little over five years since the Transformers: Hearts of Steel mini-series has ended. While originally conceived as the first of several mini-series featuring Transformers in different eras of history, IDW abandoned the idea following Hearts of Steel's completion. Fans believed it to be relegated to history and old entries in Wikipedia. Then suddenly, IDW surprises us all bringing back the Hearts of Steel universe for the Transformers portion of the Infestation 2 cross-over event.

Infestation 2 Transformers #1 takes place twenty years after the events of Hearts of Steel, as the story begins with the reader catching up on the status of Thomas Muldoon. Thomas has found a degree of happiness, but is still frustrated about his lack of progress regarding his inventions. Due to the sudden arrival and threat of the Lovecraftian monsters, the active Autobots ask for Thomas’ assistance in reactivating the only person capable of taking down the monsters: Optimus Prime!

The Infestation 2 #1 kick-off issue did a great job of providing a tie-in to the original “Infestation”, featuring many of the same key players from the first Infestation event. Therefore, this concept does not seem forced and the presence of Lovecraftian monsters now in the 19th century makes sense. Writer Chuck Dixon, who wrote the original Hearts of Steel mini-series, returns for the two-part Transformers event. Even though it’s been seven years since he last wrote about these characters set in this era, Chuck steps back into the 1800s without skipping a beat. Those who were amazed by this tale of the Transformers during the time of expansion and development in America are once again thrown into this world beautifully crafted by Chuck Dixon and drawn (partially) by his original Hearts of Steel partner Guido Guidi. The uniqueness of this story in this era is made even more unique and exciting with the arrival of the mythical monsters.

Guido has main art duties on this issue, although John Wycough handles the inks for eight of the pages (15-22). The change, however, is barely noticeable if at all. Like with Hearts of Steel, the level of detail on the Transformers is amazing. Both Guido and John have a knack for featuring human emotion as well, as shown through the human characters represented in this story. Joana Lafuente, on colors, just gets better and better with every issue she handles. Her colors and shading on the Port Cenotaph part of the story perfectly illustrates how her colors help portray the mood throughout the issue.

Did you miss Hearts of Steel? If so, you’ll love being brought back to the 1800s in this issue. While bringing back this long forgotten storyline, it also ties in perfectly to the Infestation 2 story. This is a great pick up whether you’re following the entire Infestation 2 story or whether you just want another Hearts of Steel story, while those who care for neither can pass it up without missing any potential storylines from the main Transformers arc (as seen in the Transformers crossover from the first Infestation). For those who want more Hearts of Steel, the good news is that the wait is only two weeks long until the release of Infestation 2 Transformers #2!

Overall Rating: 4

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