Transformers #2 [Comic Review]
After a tremendous launch, the second issue of Daniel Warren Johnson’s Transformers had a high bar to clear. There may be enough nostalgia and goodwill nestled in the intellectual property to draw out plenty of interested buyers for the first issue, but this is the part where the rubber hits the road and fans get to decide if they’re in this story for the long-haul.
As far as this fan is concerned, I’m buckled in tight.
Transformers #2 opens with the battle-weathered Optimus Prime admiring the natural beauty of Earth. Reflecting on the lush green environment not far from the battle that just took place, Optimus tragically kills a deer after mis-stepping. Though foreign to him, he mourns the creature and reflects: Where I am from, everything is metal. The ground doesn’t sway when I walk. I don’t leave marks where my feet tread. I should have known better.
The introspection reveals his empathetic core. Unfamiliar with terms like “Mom” or “Dad”, Optimus does recognize one term as he gets to know more about Spike and his world: “Family”. He explains how the autobots are his own family, in a way, and that they have been waging war for centuries against an extremist faction known as the Decepticons.
Image Credit: Skybound
In short order, DWJ establishes the emotional stakes of the series while introducing new fans to the central narrative of the Transformers universe. As if to counterbalance Optimus’ empathy and understanding, we are also treated to a pretty gruesome action sequence that really drives home the bloodlust of a particular Decepticon. These are enemies that are not afraid to kill humans - a fact that has been overlooked (or at least not emphasized) in some previous iterations of the Transformers franchise.
Another soon-to-be-familiar face also makes their debut in this issue, which I won’t spoil here…but it serves to further build excitement for the broader world that Kirkman is hoping to build with the Energon universe, and the cameo is well-executed.
Overall, DWJ successfully hooks readers with this new issue. I would say the amount of heart in this issue is surprising, but being familiar with Johnson’s work, it’s not uncharacteristic at all. What is surprising, and honestly impressive, is how this heart is translated into characters comprised of steel and chrome.
