Writer: Stuart Moore
Artist: Tyler Kirkham
Publisher: Marvel/IDW
Price: $2.99
Release Date: 5th July
For once, the timing could just be right for a comic. Coming out when the Transformers movie opens in America, whilst also containing heroes such as Captain America, Wolverine and Spider-man – it would seem this should sell very well indeed. And it will, giant robots and the greatest heroes in the Marvel universe together? Well, it’s been a long time since Spidey swung into the path of the Autobots and Decepticons way back in Marvel’s Transformers #3 in 1985. Since then various licensing issues have kept them apart, the only crossovers coming courtesy of a handful of Transformers crossovers with G.I. Joe. Obviously both IDW and Marvel have done the maths and calculated the benefits of having their properties interacting with each other and so here we are with the first issue in a four part mini-series.
The book opens in Latveria where the Avengers consisting of Wolverine, Captain America, Luke Cage and Spider-Man (the New Avengers team) have snuck into the country to investigate a radiation source in Doctor Doom’s homeland. What they find are strange planes bombing neighbouring Symkaria, and a structure of unknown construction surrounded by Doom’s destroyed Doom-bot army. The aggression that Latveria appears to be perpetrating on their neighbours means they may retaliate with nuclear weapons. Cap and co. have been sent in to stop a war erupting, and it’s about to drag them into something literally far bigger than they ever realised.
This first issue is something of a rarity these days – it builds slowly. There are action scenes and the setting is reasonably grand, but it doesn’t go all out by the first double-splash page. In fact, by the end of the issue you get to the point where a number of pieces are in place and you actually want to see where the story will go. Stuart Moore does a good job of trying to balance two rather conflicting sets of characters and on the whole manages to succeed. Spider-Man is funny, Logan is grouchy, Cap has a stick up his ass, it all pretty much works. The Transformers, when they actually appear, might be in character, it’s difficult to say with so little to work on. The only one who does get the time to show his true colours does so wonderfully. All I need to do to prove that is quote straight from the comic “reduce all humans…to the mindless, crawling creatures you truly are.” ‘Nuff said. Moore also pulls a conflict-rabbit out of his writing hat by having a device that makes humans and super-humans hostile to each other, thereby allowing for the Avengers to get on each others nerves, and set up the obligatory Wolverine/Optimus Prime fight that surely has to happen in a future issue.
Artist Tyler Kirkham performs very well with his work here. Most artists would struggle with trying to depict both the Avengers and the Transformers in the same book, but his Avengers are very strong in their characterisation, the nearest comparison I can think of is Liefield being battered by Romita Jr. Some of the expressions are rather too gritted-teeth for my liking, but the stance of the characters in some of the pages just reminds me of the bulkiness of JRJR’s work. Kirkham delivers some great action scenes, notably the Avengers trapped in a tunnel within the strange construction and assaulted by lasers. And his robots aren’t too shabby either, the double-page splash towards the end of the book is worth the entrance fee, even if Jazz looks as though he’s eaten too many pies, the sense of scale does work well. The last page is also great because it really makes you want to get the next issue to see how they go about handling the unfolding events.
Continuity-wise IDW chief Chris Ryall has stated it takes place between Transformers: Infiltration and Transformers: Escalation, and the shadowy appearance of the Decepticon leader makes it difficult to argue this. Also, it’s entirely possible to fit this into pre-Civil War Marvel Continuity, Maria Hill director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America, is well not dead. It will be interesting to see if there are any more hints given as to which continuity is the more relevant in the future issues.
As a timely exploitation of the market, this works. Luckily it also works as a decent attempt to crossover two titles that probably shouldn’t work. A decent start, it would seem that bigger and better things are to come in this series. Hopefully.
James Dodsworth - Born and raised in Yorkshire, residing in London since 2000, James has a Law Degree and works for the Anti-Financial Crime Office of a International Asset Management Company. He is a writer and editor for FractalMatter.com.
But his main claim to fame is living next to the pub where Shaun of the Dead was conceived.