Transformers: Last Bot Standing - IDW Publishing comic miniseries

[ZakuConvoy]

Spoiler

A little slow, but that's helping to build up the atmosphere. A good start, just not a lot to sink my teeth into, yet. And I think we'd have a LOT more to talk about, if we hadn't been spoiled by the covers, with Moon arriving like the Terminator at the end, there.

There's definitely some echos of Spotlight Kup, with Rodimus attacking any other robot he sees, though. Now why is he so violent with EVERY other Transformer, even one that doesn't seem all that dangerous? Is the "energon" the town is using dangerous, somehow?

Perusing the wiki, they bring up a good point, though. Moon was actually created by humans in BW2. And, it's possible Steeljaw and company could have been "raised" on Earth. Could all of these "bad guys" be Earth-aligned Transformers?

As for the "necklaces"...I'm betting on it being some sort of Super Energon. The bad guys will get ahold of one or two, Rodimus will be forced to take the other for the final battle, and defeating the bad guy will cost him his life but he'll save the town.

But, yeah, I'm looking forward to the next few issues.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Issue 2 came out today.

Spoiler

Soylent Energon is PEOPLE!

Okay, so, yeah, not Earth-aligned Transformers. Man-Eating Transformers. Okay. I guess it's like humans eating bugs. A little gross, but you do what you gotta do sometimes. Not so bad with a little hot sauce.

This issue is kind of cameo city. I'm not even sure how many of these guys are references to "real" toys and how many they're just making up on the fly. And they're pretty clearly referencing EVERYTHING Transformers a little, to make it seem like all roads lead to this story. If we really NEEDED to explain it, I guess we could just say Universe War 3 happened or something and a lot of these guys are just refugees from destroyed universes in the multiverse.

I'm a *little* surprised that they didn't go with all beast-Transformers for our survivors. But, they're all from post-G1 toylines, so I guess it still works as a "the old generation has failed our kids" metaphor.

And we get some hints to the backstory. This planet is important somehow. So, does it have a special type a energon, is this really Earth in the far future, or is this Primus or some other "god" creating new life?

 

[Dvandom]

Spoiler

My guess is that the Veteran is a G1 character. Maybe Wheelie (described as annoying), maybe Bumblebee (described as fuel-efficient).

Cover A is deceptive and cheap shock crap, though.

---Dave

 

[Salt-Man Z]

Bah, apparently I only preordered the first issue without subscribing to the series; didn't even realize #2 was out!

 

[Swerve]

I loved the second issue.

Spoiler: Spoiler

It seems like they want us to think this is Lost Light Rodimus..his response to the words Lost....Lights...and a really good joke about how everyone remembers Thunderclash. Might just be Easter Eggs. The veteran looks like Wheelie's head. Swerve would be nice though.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

#3 is out!

Spoiler

Huh, so those little vials were just little shots of Energon. It acts more like a Cyber Planet Key, giving Rodimus a full-on makeover after getting a shot.

Some nice action in this issue but that's most of it.

Wheelie has been upgraded to "Haiku mode" I honestly didn't check to see if they cheated on that.

Awww....Moon wanted to get a upgrade, too. From the covers, I didn't expect Moon to be the sympathetic one.

It probably would have been nice to get at least a half-page for the flashback of Rodimus' crew dying. One panel each to show how they died feels a little abrupt.

There's actually kind of a interesting philosophical debate to be had here. Is the universe better off without Cybertronians? I feel like it's going to be a moot point by next issue, though. They're clearly hinting that this planet is sitting on a massive payload of Energon or something.

Which...I get WHY Rodimus is hiding the Energon from them, but would a couple dozen Cybertronians REALLY ruin the universe all over again? Without Cybertron itself, I don't think they have any way to make more of themselves. They can't suddenly repopulate and swarm all over the universe again. Mind, once they run out of the Energon on THIS planet...that's it...there's probably no more to be had. And then they'll have to go back to eating organics again. So...yeah, this actually is a bit of a depressing pickle.

The next issue cover with Burning Rodimus looks pretty cool.

Only one issue left until the end of the road...

 

[Johnny Here]

I like this
This is like the darkest timeline and it kind of just creeps up on you

 

[Magnusblitz]

#3 was a pretty great issue. We've had plots before about how destructive Cybertronians are to the universe at large, but actually eating people is certainly an extra-sinister take on it. (Does make me wonder why they bother having Autobot/Decepticon sigils though... especially since they appear to be drawn by the artist, not just photoshopped in afterwards).

Rodimus not only hates Wheelie, but we get to see him literally punt Wheelie's head into orbit.

Wheelie has been upgraded to "Haiku mode" I honestly didn't check to see if they cheated on that.

Upon first reading his text I sorta suspected he was speaking in haiku, and started counting to check (though I could've just kept reading to confirm...) though it doesn't really fit haiku except following 17 syllables (a lot of the phrases don't even really fit the 5/7/5 meter). I noticed at least one cheat - "became impossible" is 6 syllables, not 5.

 

[Swerve]

I'm loving this story. Fitting ending to the IDW line.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

And we find ourselves at yet another ending. Issue #4 is out. And, in a lot of ways, this is our goodbye to IDW Transformers...

*Looks over at Shattered Glass 2*

Well, at least this is probably the comic most fitting to see as the end of IDW's run.

And it's good. It goes how you'd probably expect. But it wraps up well.

Spoiler

Rodimus literally going Super Saiyan, "flame hair" and all, MIGHT be a liiiiiiitle bit much.

And I don't care what Rodimus says, "Unstoppimus" is a GREAT name.

Other than that...no real surprises here. Maybe except that Rodimus doesn't ACTUALLY die on the page. But, he's out of fuel and orbiting the planet in case they need him.

Honestly, I'm not sure if this planet really has THAT great of a future to look forward to, given most of the stars are extinguished. But, hey, NOT being slaves to giant robot overlords is still a better future than the alternative, I guess.

And the ending is just sentimental enough, I think. Not TOO schmaltzy, but not TOO abrupt either.

Overall, I think I'm giving this comic a 8/10, B+. I liked it. It's reminiscent of a lot of westerns or samurai movies. And I cared about what was going on. Even got a few interesting motivations. At the very least, this premise is unique for this franchise.

I probably won't give my overall thoughts on IDW's run for the past 17 years until Shattered Glass 2 is over and the IDW run is well and truly in the ground. But...well, I'll just say even with all the ups and downs, IDW will probably be my favorite Transformers comic publisher for a good long while.

Now, a part of me would have liked it if IDW got to do their big "Crisis" style crossover event to end this era of Transformers Publishing. For those not in the know, IDW was planning a Collision Course miniseries, where a BUNCH of Transformers from different universes fight each other for reasons. It was even still a possiblity as late as earlier this year. But, either due to time or a change of plans, we didn't get it. But, we did get to see some covers in that "Best of Rarities" one shot (I had to plug that one last time)

Transformers: Collision Course - Transformers Wiki

tfwiki.net

I'm just a sucker for multiversal shenanigans. But, I know a lot of fans are tired of multiverse stuff at this point.

And, this is probably a more classy way to go. Not the flashiest exit. But, a meaningful one. At the very least, we got one miniseries to say goodbye to all the years worth of IDW comics.

(Till all are) One's Enough.

 

[Alexcoene]

Spoiler: spoilers

Well, now we need Combiner Wars-compatible toys of Wedge, Riotgear and Cyberwarp.

But more seriously, this was a very nice 'last' transformers story, and it gave good spotlight to Steeljaw too.

And while that Collision Course does sound cool, I feel like it could also have been a mess. I also think a smaller story like this was a cleaner finale to IDW's tenure on Transformers. I can only wonder what's in the future of the franchise now.

 

[Swerve]

You know, they never really answer if this is Lost Light Rodimus, but I like to think so. It was a good ending to the IDW era, but they'll all be back I'm sure... it never ends

 

[Salt-Man Z]

You know, they never really answer if this is Lost Light Rodimus, but I like to think so. It was a good ending to the IDW era, but they'll all be back I'm sure... it never ends

I mean, official word from Roche is that it was never intended to fit into any preexisting continuity, but if you squint, it could be the final story of any of them.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Can't wait for the trade of this to hit.

Hm, if it's a Rodimus-centric story, I wonder if I should go for physical...

 

[Magnusblitz]

Overall, I think I'm giving this comic a 8/10, B+. I liked it. It's reminiscent of a lot of westerns or samurai movies. And I cared about what was going on. Even got a few interesting motivations. At the very least, this premise is unique for this franchise.

I think that's about how I'd rate it too. I don't think it quite reached the highs I was hoping for given the concept, but it is a good concept and was done fairly well. (I was hoping for a bit more "old" Rodimus I suppose, or maybe a bit more time pondering the end, rather than an "ok see ya" ending). But still good stuff, and unique as far as Transformers stories go. Also some good references (I caught the Invincible meme panel, as well as "request denied," there's probably more) throughout, though the super saiyan bit was a bit silly for me.

 

[Dvandom]

The art felt like the issue was done in a massive hurry. And even that aside, I didn't care for the story at all, it felt like a massive waste of a final story, more of a middle finger to the franchise.

---Dave

 

[Magnusblitz]

I do agree the art seemed hurried this last issue. Everything looks very flat - I'm not sure if it's the penciler or colorist, but there's both less shading and thicker line work (which tends to make things look not as detailed) then the last issues. I do note there's an extra colorist on this issue that wasn't on the first three, which could indicate they were bumping up on deadlines and had to split the work.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Yeah, chances are they needed to get this issue done in a hurry in order to get the trade collection out on time. Still, I'd say it's not horrible.

 

[Shadewing]

Of course that also means maybe the art could be fixed in trade

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Well, here's hoping, on all counts.