
IDW Publishing 2018
Written by John Barber & Mike Johnson
Illustrated by Philip Murphy
Coloured by Priscilla Tramontano
Lettered by Christa Miesner
The Transformers ‘80s cartoon series meets Star Trek: The Animated Series in a no-holds-barred Saturday Morning mash-up for the ages! At the edge of Klingon space, the Starship Enterprise finds there's more to the final frontier than meets the eye, when Kirk and his crew come face to face with the strangest life forms of all: Cybertronians! This unprecedented crossover brings together two of the greatest science fiction universes of all time—in the style of their classic animated series! A five-year mission meets a four-million-year war!
Honestly I wasn’t going to read this until I actually looked at and realised it was the cartoon version of both franchises were being used. Then I was in like Flynn as the saying goes. I was 3-4 when the cartoon aired so I had to catch em on reruns but I adored it and still do. Now I am not a Transformers person never have been and though I have tried I never really will be but hey that’s okay because the fact that we are in a cartoon crossover just means it’s going to be hella good. So get ready for a Saturday Morning showdown that will make you crave a bowl of Boo Berry to wolf down in your pyjamas!
The way the guys open this up is classic Star Trek manner with Kirk and his Captain’s Log giving us the low-down on what has brought the Enterprise to this place and point in time. So having been called to Cygnus Seven and a Dilithium Mine which of course we all know is what powers the ships of Starfleet. Apparently it is also something the Transformers need as power as well at least that is what I am guessing or inferred from reading this issue. Either way it does indeed cause for an immediate confrontation between the Decepticon’s and the Starfleet outpost.
The way this book is structured is utterly fantastic as they create a perfect ebb & flow to the story. We get information and meetings and some of the very best dialogue around. I love the fact that we get Sulu using his most famous line today in the book and anytime that I get to hear “Dammit Jim” I am a happy camper. The whole issue even when dealing with Optimus Prime was flawlessly done. The meeting between and the misunderstanding as well as what is learned from their tricorders all of it is so well constructed. Lest I forget M’Ress yes ma’am I love that the cartoon could include these alien beings so fully when the show could not.
I love that this has that old school cartoon feel like from the days when the actually used cels, I have some of my own from the Super Friends just saying. That it is so on point and it feels exactly like the cartoon should and I am blown away by that fact because it’s so eerie to see it on the page like it was taken from the actual cartoons. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective show off a great eye for storytelling. With the cartoon style we don’t always get backgrounds and that’s still the same here as well and for one of those rare times I don’t mind it. Otherwise the attention to detail and the overall mood, tone and feel of the book couldn’t be any more perfect.
With Kirk and the Enterprise, Optimus Prime and his Autobots, Megatron and his Decepticons as well as the Klingons well yeah this is what a true crossover team-up is all about. So if you want to have your childhood come back to you in a way that you never thought would actually be able to happen you NEED to be reading this.