Transformers Robots in Disguise #1

This first of two new ongoing Transformers series offers an excellent jumping-on point and all-new direction as BUMBLEBEE and his fellow AUTOBOTS struggle to maintain control of a world without OPTIMUS PRIME!

Fresh off the release of the hotly anticipated More Than Meets the Eye #1, the almost equally anticipated Robots in Disguise #1 hits comic book shelves (and your friendly app) this week. While not necessarily packing same of epicness that More Than Meets the Eye #1 did, it equals its counterpart in other ways.

Robots in Disguise #1 takes place soon after the events of The Death of Optimus Prime and More Than Meets the Eye #1. Bumblebee has been left in charge of the Transformers remaining on Cybertron. Rodimus and the crew of the Lost Light are believed dead after the explosion during takeoff from Cybertron (as seen in More Than Meets the Eye #1). Meanwhile, the Decepticons roam on Cybertron with inhibitor chips installed while non-allied Transformers return to the planet. While all this is happening, the power of the Matrix released by Optimus Prime in Chaos has caused the planet to come back to life, but in a wild sense that causes it to lash out at its inhabitants.

Transformers Editor John Barber handles writing duties for this ongoing series. Whereas the More Than Meets the Eye series created storylines for some underutilized and offbeat characters, Robots in Disguise has more of a focus on several characters that have been featured since the start of the IDW era along with a few second-tier characters. John throws several interesting storylines within the first issue, which will definitely have ramifications far beyond the first few issues of the ongoing. Bumblebee struggles to manage leadership on Cybertron, having to toe a fine line between sympathizing with the “Nails” (the non-allied Transformers) and keeping the Decepticons in check. Prowl works what appears to be his own agenda, while the Decepticons plot how to free themselves from Autobot control.

Andrew Griffith handles art duties for this series. Andrew does a bang-up job of capturing the robotic forms and gets to show of the new, but familiar, Cybertron modes that the Autobot main characters have adopted. Josh Perez covers coloring duties, with his tones as bright and vibrant as ever.

With the release of Robots in Disguise #1, IDW is 2-for-2 in their successful refreshing of the Transformers ongoing. Whereas More Than Meets the Eye #1 takes a fresh spin on things with a less familiar cast, Robots in Disguise throws a more familiar cast into a tenuous situation the likes they have never faced before. Both series have the potential to take the reader in any direction, which is a welcome change from some of the previous predictability.

Overall Rating: 4

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