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TRANSFORMERS: GENERATION 1 #1
Recommended (8/10)
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Dreamwave Productions
Writer: Chris Sarracini
Pencils: Pat Lee
Inks: Rob Armstrong
Backgrounds: Edwin Garcia
Colors: TheRealIt!
Letters: Dreamer Design
Editor: Roger Lee
Price: $2.95 US ($5.95 US foil cover) |
I'll be honest, despite the hype surrounding this title and the enormous sales success it has found even before release, I really wasn't that excited about the return of the Transformers. After reading this first issue, however, I'm actually pretty impressed with the take that the Dreamwave crew has on Transformers. While definitely aimed at the nostalgic fans who remember the characters, it's a pretty easy read for newcomers as well, and they've managed to walk that line between goofy (I mean, we are talking about transforming robots) and serious that makes the concept work. This was a whole lot better than I thought it would be, and even for someone with no strong attachment to the characters, it was a fun read. I imagine that hard-core Transformers fans are going to greet this first issue
with fits of glee.
One of the aspects of the Transformers that really hasn't been brought across in
their previous, more kid-friendly cartoon and comic-books is the size and
presence they could have. These are robots that could stomp on someone without
even knowing it, or crush them in the palm of their hand. They're giants made of
metal and born with built-in weaponry, and there's a majesty to the Autobots and
a primal fear response that seems a natural from the Decepticons. Lee and
Armstrong make good use of this size factor, particularly in the opening scene
which portrays the horrible power that the robots have to kill and destroy.
I also really appreciated that the robots were mostly kept low-key in this issue, half-glimpsed or seen mostly in part. Other than a full scene with Megatron which hints at a potentially deadly stubborn streak remaining in his personality and a final scene that will please any fan of the characters, we mostly see the Transformers on the periphery of the story. We see the hands and feet of Megatron doing the dirty work of Lazarus or we see the "protection" he alludes to develop behind the men in a very nice and understated use of the transforming effect. Other than a few key splash pages and an unfortunately timed and somewhat gaudy center-spread poster, this issue is more about build-up than showing everything. Sarracini may have managed to avoid some of the pitfalls that befell G.I. Joe's first arc, namely a rush to get everything
done too quickly.
While there are some changes
in the approach, however, Sarracini realized that part of what worked for
previous Transformers was having human characters surrounding the story of the
robots. No matter how human they may act, these are giant robots that turn into
other machines... there's a certain distance factor as far as empathy goes. But
by bringing in concerned military-industrial types, a regular joe who has
experience with the robots, a terrorist leader and a dangerously unscrupulous
weapons dealer, they have built a world around the Transformers that is easier
to relate to. Plenty of good stories have been told about the Transformers'
civil war, looking at the book through a science-fiction lens, but it seems that
Sarracini's take has a little bit of a Tom Clancy flavor, examining how human
governments and rogue elements would relate to what are effectively ultimate
weapons.
Sarracini's writing did have
some groan-worthy moments for me, particularly in the dialogue. Lazarus and
Bishop are both right out of the 80s movie villain stereotype book, and the
shadowy way in which General Hallo operates is also a little bit over-the-top.
Overall, however, I was quite pleased with the way that the story slowly
unfolded, and I was glad that Sarracini paced himself instead of trying to cram
cameos of everyone's favorite Transformer into the first issue.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
