Daniel Warren Johnson has been on a roll with the Transformers series. Johnson has given the war between the Autobots and Decepticons a whole new edge. That is all thanks to having Starscream as the leader of the Decepticons. Starscream has brought a different aura as he has been absolutely terrorizing the Autobots and Earth’s citizens. What will happen next? Find out with our advance review of Transformers #5.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer & Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Rus Wooton
SOLICITATION
“Starscream revives one of the most powerful Decepticons to eliminate the Autobots once and for all.” – Image Comics & Skybound
REVIEW
Right now, there is no comic book that does better at carrying momentum from issue to issue than Transformers. Daniel Warren Johnson proves that again with Transformers #5. There is a sense of escalation without ever going too far or over-the-top. Everything makes sense with where this latest chapter of the Autobots and Decepticons war is at.
The magic of Transformers #5 is with its pacing. Johnson finds the right mark to have characters stay in the moment while everyone’s history comes into play with how they react. We see that with Starscream throughout this issue. Up to this point Starscream has been an absolute menace. He has been reveling in being the leader of the Decepticons. But now we see how Starscream responds when things don’t go as planned.
Starscream decision making reminds you of how long he has been second-in-command to Megatron. If he is to be the leader, he believes himself to be certain actions should be avoided. At the same time, Starscream does things that show its his unpredictability that makes him a different leader from Optimus Prime and Megatron.
What makes Starscream work as the lead villain is how he compliments Optimus Prime. No matter how tough things get Optimus is shown to never forget about caring for those around him. Whether it’s connected with Spike’s dad or his priorities being his teammates’ well-being, Optimus s the leader you want to have. All of Optimus’ development makes his big moments make you connect with him and the Autobots even more.
Speaking of the Autobots, as a whole Johnson does a wonderful job making sure everyone has a distinct personality. Beyond each Autobot having a specialty Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and Ratchet all have distinct personalities. That makes them stand out even more when the action gets chaotic.
Johnson’s character work is best showcased for the big returning character in Transformers #5. It doesn’t take long for Johnson to establish the character’s personality and fighting style. Their development gets you bought into the story even more than you already were. It gets you have yetn more exciting to see more Transformers introduced to see how Johnson handles other Autobots and Decepticons yet to show up.
Johnson and colorist Mike Spicer’s artwork continues to get better with each issue. The style they’ve given Transformers is really coming into its own. They capture the deeply emotional moments to hit the notes they need to amplify the scenes. The action sequences have a good frenetic pace that get over how this is another chapter in the war between the Autobots and Decepticons.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Daniel Warren Johnson works his magic with strong character work and action sequences in Transformers #5. Starscream and Optimus Prime continue to stand out as two very different leaders. The newest Transformers introduced into the story get you even more exciting for what happens next. It all leads to Transformers #5 being another incredible showcase for why this series is must-read.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10