It is time for the Energon Universe’s Transformers to enter a new era with Robert Kirkman and Dan Mora as the creative team. If you are going to follow up an epic run like the one Daniel Warren Johnson and Jorge Corona you couldn’t pick a better creative team. Kirkman and Mora have delivered some of the best comic books in the industry over the years. Seeing what stories they produce together for the Transformers franchise is very exciting. Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment provided us with an early copy of Transformers #25 to check out. Find out how it turned out with our advance review.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Dan Mora and Jorge Corona
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Rus Wooton
TRANSFORMERS #25 SOLICITATION
“NEW ARC! The Energon Universe will never be the same as the Autobots and Decepticons kick off the most surprising new chapter in their war on Earth.
Optimus Prime and the remaining Autobots must join forces with unlikely allies in order to protect their adopted planet. But Prime’s next challenge lies closer to home than he ever imagined.
And what is the fate of the Decepticons?
The creative dream team of Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead) and Dan Mora (Justice League Unlimited, Superman) kick off the new direction for TRANSFORMERS that will be More Than Meets The Eye!” – Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment
HIGHLIGHTS OF TRANSFORMERS #25
Nothing Like Megatron’s Rage
Villains being angry after being defeated by the heroes is nothing new. But there is really something unique to Megatron being angry that sets it apart from other villains raging out. It really is a credit to Robert Kirkman and Jorge Corona’s ability to capture evil magnetic personality of Megatron that draws you into his character. Even when he is going of physically and verbally on the rest of the Decepticons you can’t take your eyes off it. What he says and does sets up so much what the direction of the Decepticons will be from where things kick off in Transformers #25.
Rebuilding the Autobots
While they were finally able to get a big victory over the Decepticons, the Autobots have no time to celebrate. The fact is they have been barely surviving up to this point. Kirkman gets right into the state of the Autobots in Transformers #25. It is driven home how the Autobots have never had a chance to get their feet under them. This creates an good starting point for Kirkman to both build off what Daniel Warren Johnson did and give his own take that progress all these characters.
Humans Are Series Wild Cards
The Autobots and Decepticons are no doubt the stars of the show but you should not forget about the human characters. Kirkman does a very good job using the fallout of the latest Autobots and Decepticons battle to further integrate the human characters. There are a lot things through what specific human characters do that remind you of the connections to the series’ ties to the entire Energon Universe. What we find out from these characters certainly raises eyebrows for what we could see in the future.
Dan Mora Continues Jorge Corona’s Art Direction
The transition between Jorge Corona and Dan Mora is handled in a smart fashion. Corona is able to complete the story he started with Johnson. We then get the transition into Mora’s artwork that does feel like a new start for the series. Even with Corona and Mora having very different art styles the transition point was a key to the handoff success. Mora certainly brings a big event feel to the Transformers. It drives home how this series will continue to be one of the premiere comic books in the industry.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK IN TRANSFORMERS #25
Energon Universe Continuity Heavy Start
There is no avoiding that Transformers #25 is a continuation of what has been built for the franchise time as part of the Energon Universe. As the writer who kicked off the Energon Universe there was no way Kirkman wasn’t going to continuity the continuity. That does mean for new readers hoping to jump on without reading the previous Transformers run may be lost in certain parts. A lot of the story here relies on having at least read the previous story arc. That does not mean this is not a good starting point for new readers. There is just some homework that will need to be done to fully enjoy all the things that happen in this comic book.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Transformers #25 is an excellent start to Robert Kirkman and Dan Mora’s creative run on this series. They continue what their predecessors started to give greater impact to the next moves the Autobots and Decepticons make. There are already many impactful developments in this one issue that will leave fans excited for what Kirkman and Mora have planned for this Transformers series.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Check out the full preview for Transformers #25 by clicking here.
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