There may be no hotter comic book on the market right now than the Energon Universe’s Transformers ongoing series. Daniel Warren Johnson and Jorge Corona have been firing on all cylinders with their work on this second story arc for the series. We’ve seen just about everything from strong emotional moments to big action sequences. All of that have pushed the current Autobots vs Decepticons war to have its own special sauce with the continuously evolving direction it is taking. We got the chance to check out an early copy of Transformers #10. Find out how it turned out with our advance review below.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Artist: Jorge Corona
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Rus Wooton
TRANSFORMERS #10 SOLICITATION
“**Shockwave’s plan revealed! ** Can the Autobots recover from their latest loss in time to save everyone?” – Skybound and Image Comics
REVIEW
Transformers #10 delivers one of the bigger game changer comic books we’ve had in the Energon Universe. That is saying a lot given what we’ve seen thus far from the Transformers, GI JOE, and Void Rivals comic books. But that speaks to exactly what Daniel Warren Johnson and Jorge Corona accomplish by the end of this latest issue.
Right away, Johnson and Corona utilize the introduction of Beachcomber, who saved Spike at the end of Transformers #9 from Astrotrain, to remind the reader of how long the Autobots vs Decepticons war. The cool thing that they do with the sense of time is that, just like Beachcomber, because of the setting being on Earth’s Moon you don’t realize how much time passes between panels. It is not until we see the Apollo 11 Moon landing that you realize how long Beachcomber was alone.
This sense of time, which even Beachcomber doesn’t fully comprehend, does give further weight to just how long the Autobots vs Decepticon war has been going on. It properly frames why when Beachcomber does make it to Earth it is such an eye-opening experience for him. This leads you to understand the decisions he has made since arriving on Earth and how he views the Transformers’ presence on Earth. It’s an important third-party perspective we haven’t had thus far that in its own way makes the ending of Transformers #10 even more important.
Beachcomber’s scenes also compliment the additions of Elita One and Ultra Magnus to the Autobots ranks. They have had the complete opposite experience from Beachcomber. We see how that hits differently with the way the Autobots react to their arrival on Earth.
Most importantly, Elita One dialogue is a reminder that Earth is really the place where the Autobots are making their last stand. Things have not at all gone positively for the Autobots in this war as the Decepticons have completely overwhelmed them. That has continued to be the case on Earth as Optimus Prime is hit with the heavy weight of leadership with his decision in the previous issue.
Those implications drove home how Shockwave may be the most terrifying Decepticon of them all. That is saying a lot given what we’ve seen the likes of Starscream and Soundwave do thus far. There are things said and done by Shockwave that will certainly leave readers’ jaws on the floor. These are some of the chilling actions from a villain you’ll see in a comic book.
Jorge Corona deserves a lot of credit for the impact that the story in Transformers #10 has. The artwork is on point on what the weight of every scene carries. From emotional reunions to brutal villainous actions, everything hits as intended. This is easily Corona’s best work since coming on to this series thus far. It really elevated the dialogue spoken by each character.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Transformers #10 is purely incredible from beginning to end. There is no comic book that is hitting on an emotional or action level like this series. Daniel Warren Johnson and Jorge Corona take the Autobots vs Decepticons war to another level with this issue. The developments here could very well be felt across the Energon Universe. It all creates greater excitement to find out what will happen next in this series.
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10
Click here to check out the full preview of Transformers #10 releasing on Wednesday, July 10th.
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