THE TRANSFORMERS: COMICS, BOOKS AND MANGA

CURRENT TRANSFORMERS COMICS FROM IDW PUBLISHING

Transformers Nefarious #3
Reviewed by Blackjack

"Twenty-two minutes. That is how little time you have left to live."

Firstly, the art continues to get worse. The colouring is marginally better than last issue, but Carlos Magno's haphazard art causes everything to look ugly. From the lifeless, expressionless Transformers to Carter's wizened prune of a face, unrealistic explosions, the half-assed lines and the fact that they again did not utilize an inker causes the art to look incomplete. Characters in the background suffer the most because of this, and poor Knock Out is put into contortionist's poses just because he's supposed to look insectile. Scripting wise, Soundwave gets some nice scenes as a coordinated plotter, and Bumblebee gets a lot of love by carrying the issue as something that's readable instead of the dullness of the past two issues. The moral dilemma of choosing between friends and duty might be a tired one, but at least it's something compared to the still-soporific Initiative subplot. Dealing with Breakaway's death is well handled as well.

Things jump from one scene to another relatively quickly, although the leap from last issue to now is a little jarring. What passes for plot -- the oh-so-predictable double cross from Soundwave and the Initiative creating their own AllSpark -- inches on ever so slightly. The Initiative is dull, Optimus Prime and Ironhide talking is dull, Galloway ignoring protocol like Lennox is dull.. but the action scenes, coupled with Bumblebee's monologue, have perked this issue up, putting it heads and shoulders above the last two issues. Not that it's much of an accomplishment, but it's a start to salvage the rest of the miniseries.


Dune Runner is still drawn in the new-toy Armorhide design, and his name is now confirmed to be Dune Runner instead of Armorhide by Bumblebee. Jolt, Knock Out and Dune Runner are established to be cadets new to Earth. In the case of Jolt, this inexperience might explain why he was out of the action during ROTF. (Or alternatively Furman might've not known Jolt was in the movie until after he wrote this).

It is now confirmed that whoever took over Ravage's mind during Tales of the Fallen #5 and Nefarious #1 is the Initiative. As of this issue, Ravage is back under their control. Presumably from Carter’s dialogue, Ransack is also under the Initiative’s control instead of Soundwave’s.


At the end of last issue, Soundwave is in the hands of Optimus, Ironhide and Sideswipe. This issue, the trio are in a NEST shelter while Bumblebee and the cadets are the ones transporting Soundwave there. If time is of the essence, why the switch in teams?

Optimus Prime claims that Ironhide’s expertise is needed in the safehouse. What good could a trigger-happy weapons specialist could do to set up a containment zone? If anything, it’s up Ratchet’s alley.

Block-colouring and lack of faces in background humans happens numerous times in this issue.

Ironhide and Sideswipe's faces are so badly messed up.

During the fight scene, Ratbat looks tiny compared to the motorcycle-mode Knock Out, whilst previously Ratbat had always been as large as the other non-Cassettes. (Beastbox and Rumble are only slightly smaller than Jolt or Bumblebee.)


Bumblebee: I am the strong, silent type.

Dune Runner: "Sure, Soundwave's got this big, bad rep, but lookit him. Prime whipped his butt good."
Soundwave: "Twenty-two minutes."
Dune Runner: "Huh?"
Soundwave: "That is how little time you have left to live."

Knock Out: "I mean, what's he going to do? Overwhelm us with his smoldering reticence?"

Optimus Prime: "Yes, But I find that right now, I'd rather face a dozen Megatrons than one Major William Lennox."