Transformers Ongoing #13

RODIMUS might be impulsive, but he’s not stupid. The last anyone saw of him, he was rocketing off Earth in disgrace and a stolen ship. In this issue we finally see where he went, what his plan was, and which long-absent DECEPTICONS he came up against.

For only the second time in a year, the Transformers ongoing series takes us away from the primary battleground of Earth. While the fate of Bumblebee hangs in the balance on Earth following the end of Transformers #12, Transformers #13 takes us back to the asteroid that Starscream’s crew resides on with the comatose Megatron. The issue centers on Rodimus, following his departure from Earth. Aboard Ultra Magnus’ ship that he stole to leave Earth, Rodimus launches an attack against the Decepticon forces on the asteroid in order to recover an Autobot artifact. What Rodimus encounters is unexpected and helps launch the next story arc in the ongoing series.

Ongoing writer Mike Costa, who really hit his stride during the “International Incident” story arc, has a huge task of starting off a new story arc by centering it on the much-debated interpretation of Rodimus/Hot Rod. Costa attempts to redeem the character, putting the character into battle versus the Decepticons rather than the character that leads the attempt to flee the conflict. He starts off the issue with a nice little touch…Hot Rod’s G1 motto! From there, Rodimus’ actions seem more reminiscent of the Autobot from Spotlight Hot Rod rather than the character viewed as a coward during the early part of the ongoing series. Since this is the start of a new story arc, the story centers around one sequence of events. While the sequence was well written and features a character born from the Classics line, it is more of a story to set the stage for upcoming events rather than progress the story by leaps and bounds.

Nick Roche takes over art duties from Guido Guidi and his consistent with his art style from the Last Stand of the Wreckers series. The style is yet another switch in the ongoing series, which started with Don Figueroa’s new movie-inspired designs and last featured Guidi’s more familiar Generation 1/Classics hybrid designs. The switch to Roche’s style is a little jarring at first but one quickly settles into the style. While the style may be different, he still takes cues from the previous artists such as retaining Rodimus new body structure and transformation. Nick’s knack of capturing emotion in his robot art also shines in this issue, especially towards the beginning of the issue with the Decepticons guarding the defense perimeter. Nick’s art is also assisted by a top-notch performance on colors by J. Brown.

Consider Transformers #13 a tease. While featuring top-notch art and being well-written, its purpose it to set up the story arc that features the return of a familiar foe and a return to dominance for the Decepticons. The return at the end of the issue and the fate of Rodimus sets the stage for what should be a fantastic story arc and upcoming future for the ongoing comic.

Overall Rating: 4

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