Transformers Till All Are One 4 NM Subscription Variant Cover Priscilla Tramonta

Description

Transformers: Till All Are One #4 SUBSCRIPTION VARIANT COVER

IDW Publishing
Mairghread Scott (Author)
Sara Pitre-Durocher (Artist)
Priscilla Tramontano (Cover Artist)
PAGE COUNT: 34

SWINDLE LIVES! And ONSLAUGHT knows the perfect way to unlock the secrets in his head. As the COMBATICONS rampage through Iacon, can IRONHIDE and his newly formed police force stop them before they annihilate STARSCREAM—and anyone else who gets in their way?

The Combaticons have what they came for: Swindle may not live, but the secrets within the recesses of his mind are now theirs. If only they could resist the urge to burn everything. As Ironhide’s security forces scramble to contain their first of many disasters, they wonder: why isn’t Blast Off answering his communicator…?

The first full storyline in TAAO comes to a fairly satisfying close this issue. Unsurprisingly, none of the players in the conflict come out with a clear “win” – except perhaps Ironhide, whose security force is seemingly here to stay. The pacing is brisk and the story moves quickly, which a battle should. Bruiticus’ thought processes and actions are a neat expansion on what we saw throughout Combiner Wars, with the added wrinkle of one of the components being Mostly Dead. Blast Off tries to take control, and seeing his desire for justice wrestle with Onslaught, Brawl, and Vortex’s desire for revenge is a nice thing.

That’s exemplified in the two-page spread at the beginning of the issue, and what a beautiful piece of work that is from Sara. An excellent composition that expresses the idea of the mental processes very well. The rest of the issue is of course more straightforward, taking place outside of Combaticon Headspace, and the art is as always clean and attractive, and the battle easy to follow. And yet things begin to “feel” rougher as the battle intensifies. It took me a couple of readthroughs to figure out how that was being accomplished, but as the issue goes on more and more solid black is being used, both on figures and on the background, making for a darker and more intense feel and giving the pages with the Bruticus battle a distinction from less action-oriented scenes elsewhere in the city. Nicely done!

Joana Lafuente’s second issue of coloring TAAO is again excellent. She gives Combaticon Headspace and Swindle’s memories their own distinctive looks, and overall just does a fine job on the issue. The night-time battle takes place just before dawn, and the shifting of the light as dawn breaks is handled particularly well as well. It’s been nice to see two different approaches to coloring getting equal time in the first story arc, and I’ll be perfectly happy to see either Lafuente or Priscilla Tramontano coloring the book any day.

Near mint, 1st print. Bagged & Boarded.