IDW Publishing 2016
Written by Nick Roche & James Roberts
Illustrated by Alex Milne
Coloured by Joana Lafuente
Lettered by Chris Mowry
This story’s about The Scavengers. A group of the six worst Decepticons around. After finding and helping the Autobot Grimlock—while also getting into a long line of ridiculous misadventures—the Scavengers have a new goal: to help out other Decepticons in need! And might there be any Decepticons in need... on EARTH?
Alright so i’m completely lost here. This really is mainly for those who have been reading the Transformers series and not exactly new reader friendly. While it does tie-in to the whole Revolution storyline I will regretfully say it isn’t necessary reading. If you are new to the Transformers like I am, I know of the different types but never knew names, there are some things about this to enjoy.
The book opens with a Dinobot rampaging Armadillo Texas for no apparent reason. Here we meet a member of G.I. Joe (?) who goes by the moniker MP3. It wouldn’t surprise me if he were created for this story, he’s very enthusiastic and the sole member of the team left in the area. While he’s investigating the scene he’s encountered by two beings who claim to be members of MASK, though we know that’s false. What’s apparent is that these are characters I would describe as loveable losers. Those that you like to read about and who seem directionless and unsure of their place but soldier on.
The interiors here are really good. The way that the cybertronian bodies are portrayed are full of detail and look awesome. The use of page layouts through angles and perspective and handled beautifully. MP3 is fun and fits with the Joe’s nicely. The attention to detail, use of backgrounds and the way the colours are done really make this a great book visually. Plus there is a Dire Wraith involved and he looks pretty spot on.
This feels a lot like it could be a new kind of team coming together in the wake of current events that have happened thanks to Revolution. These are the kinds of characters that inhabit a universe but aren’t seen a whole lot and they don’t tend to have much interaction with the “major” players. From that angle it’s a nice idea. I like to think that this is the way to make a group book that fits into the universe but doesn’t have anyone real interaction with everyone. The whole loveable losers angle just won’t leave my train of thought.
The writing is good and strong the story development has a nice direction to it. The characterisation is fun, interesting and full of those little moments that make the characters likeable. The concept and way that we meet these folks is well handled. There’s a nice amount of humour involved in all this and the fact that these are kind of forgotten heroes of this new universe could be a huge draw. So where this leads to next is anyone’s guess but if More Than Meets The Eye is going to feature all these characters I may have a new book to follow.