One year ago, the comic world witnessed a debut that shattered expectations. OPTIMUS PRIME and company crashed the Energon Universe. In their wake has been compelling stories that have re-ignited a fanbase.
Entering year two, the latest arc dives into the past of an infamous Decepticon. Starscream was left for dead at the hands of Soundwave. Where his future goes now ties into the secret past from Cybertron.
TRANSFORMERS #13 by Daniel Warren Johnson, Jason Howard, Mike Spicer, and Rus Wooton welcomes readers into a new beginning arc.
Let’s take a closer look and see how year two begins!
TRANSFORMERS #13 by Daniel Warren Johnson, Jason Howard, Mike Spicer, and Rus Wooton (Credit: Image Comics via Skybound Entertainment)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Johnson pens a tragic tale of innocence lost. Seeing the hated Decepticon in a new light gives an engaging perspective. Knowing how power hungry he is now, the writing portrays him as a loyal friend broken by loss. The result leads to a turn that gives big depth into the striving for acceptance.
It plays off where readers last saw him in the Energon Universe. Coming off the brutality of Soundwave’s onslaught, the current state of Starscream is unstable. This is only made worse by who he’s discovered by. As the ties with the Energon Universe become closer, the footnotes being left are consistently raising the stakes. However, the main driver in this chapter is the past. The closing pages perfectly tie events together, It changes the course of not only the tale at hand, but a character’s path to revenge and purpose.
Howard steps in for art duties and gives Starscream’s past an exciting feel. The opening pages recaps recent events with a new twist. It leads into the revealing side of Cybertron’s past. Readers watch as Starscream comes across happy and adventurous. The reactions he has with his friends create a feel of optimism before life changes direction.
There is a huge two page splash showcasing a well known Transformer. It builds up the hopefulness that Starscream carries. The peaceful times fade away in the blink of an eye. In its place, Howard and Spicer presents panels filled with the unstable fighting between the Autobots and Decepitcons. Once the tragedy occurs, the pages spiral towards a monster two page splash. Parting with a bold final image, the art team leaves no doubt that a new player has entered the deadly game of war on Cybertron.
FINAL POINT: 9.2
The rebirth of a fallen Decepticon begins with a devastating look at his early beginnings. Johnson takes readers into the past with phenomenal writing. Howard, Spicer and Wooten weave in the pain of loss with the mounting drama as the pages make loud statements. It’s a strong launching point into year two of one of comics’ best series.
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