THE TRANSFORMERS: COMICS, BOOKS AND MANGA

CURRENT TRANSFORMERS COMICS FROM IDW PUBLISHING

The Transformers: Stormbringer

| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | TPB | Manga | PREVIEWS |

Stormbringer #1, issue #7 in the main series

Released 19th July 2006. Written by Simon Furman. Art by Don Figueroa. Colours by Josh Burcham. Letters by Robbie Robbins. Edited by Chris Ryall and Dan Taylor. $2.99 cover price, choice of covers.

Synopsis: In flashback, a dark figure stands amidst roiling flames, as someone (later revealed as Optimus Prime) narrates. Shirting to the present, Jetfire and the Technobots are in orbit around Cybertron, where we learn that the planet has been uninhabitable and off-limits for around seven hundred stellar cycles. Discovering an Energon trace, they break protocol, activate shields and head down to check it out. Prime's flashback continues to describe Autobots and Decepticons united against the menace, interrupted by a priority signal from Prowl's detachment of Autobots on Earth. On Cybertron, Jetfire recounts the warnings by Thunderwing (a Decepticon scientist) that the planet was dying due to the stresses placed on it by the Transformers' civil war. Then the landing party is attacked by a group of Decepticons whilst the other two Technobots back on the shuttle are taken out by further attackers. They regain consciousness to the sight of Thunderwing's as-yet-unmoving body and the chanting group who are trying to resurrect him...

Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Thunderwing (flashback), Nosecone, Jetfire, Afterburner, Lightspeed, Strafe, Scattershot, Megatron (flashback), Optimus Prime (flashback), Searchlight, Blaster, Bluestreak, Highbrow, Perceptor (flashback), Soundwave (flashback), Mixmaster (flashback), Swerve (flashback), Iguanus (cloaked), Finback (cloaked), Skullgrin (cloaked), Bomb-Burst (cloaked), Bludgeon (cloaked), Trypticon (flashback), Omega Supreme (flashback), Crosshairs, Downshift, Groundbreaker, Gunrunner, Kick-Off, Overdrive, Pincher, Siren.

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Denyer

Stormbringer #2, issue #8 in the main series

Released 9th August 2006. Written by Simon Furman. Art by Don Figueroa. Colours by Josh Burcham. Letters by Robbie Robbins. Edited by Chris Ryall and Dan Taylor. $2.99 cover price, choice of covers.

Synopsis: On Cybertron, Bludgeon proceeds with his plan to remotely nudge Thunderwing's reanimated corpse into attacking and devastating other worlds. Why? Because he feels his fellow Transformers have used and abandoned theirs. Three of the Technobots and Jetfire have been captured and are being lasered apart for components and materials, with the disappearance of their science vessel just now being noticed by Autobot command. Optimus Prime recalls the Wreckers, a specialist strike force, and plans to meet them at Cybertron to investigate the possible reappearance of Thunderwing. He's tormented by the memory of previous events. Elsewhere, the remaining two Technobots survived the destruction of their shuttle but are caught in a weakened state by Centurion drones. On Nebulos, a Decepticon infiltration unit witness the arrival of Thunderwing.

Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Thunderwing (shadow), Jetfire, Bludgeon, Strafe, Scattershot, Lightspeed, Finback, Skullgrin, Bomb-burst, Iguanus, Afterburner, Nosecone, Crosshairs, Searchlight, Optimus Prime, Pincher, Springer, Roadbuster, Topspin, Broadside, Sandstorm, Whirl, Twintwist, Scoop, Crosshairs, Gunrunner, Sureshot, Pointblank, Backstreet, Override, Dogfight, Megatron, Centurion Drones, Ruckus, Darkwing, Dreadwind, Crankcase, Roadgrabber, Skullcruncher, Thrust.

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Denyer

Stormbringer #3, issue #9 in the main series

Released 6th September 2006. Written by Simon Furman. Art by Don Figueroa. Colours by Josh Burcham. Colour assist by grungewerx. Letters by Robbie Robbins. Edited by Chris Ryall and Dan Taylor. $2.99 cover price, choice of covers.

Synopsis: Nebulos is being swiftly razed, the Thunderwing weapon destroying everything it sees. Meanwhile inside Cybertron, Bludgeon turns Thunderwing over to auto-pilot and checks on the development of his prototype new pretender shell. On the surface, two of the Technobots are rescued by the arriving Wreckers, who make plans to storm the undergroun base. Back on Nebulos the carnage continues, the Decepticons quickly abandoning any plan to impede Thunderwing's progress, with the loss of over half their number. The Autobots on Cybertron break through into the base, finding Bludgeon has already defeated itself... but with no indication that they can deactivate Thunderwing before it causes further loss of life!

Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Thunderwing's reanimated corpse, Bludgeon, Skullgrin, Finback, Bomb-burst, Iguanus, Centurion drones, Nosecone, Afterburner, Roadbuster, Topspin, Optimus Prime, Springer, Broadside, Whirl, Sandstorm, Skullcruncher, Ruckus, Roadhugger, Darkwing, Dreadwind, Crankcase, Thrust, Twintwist, Scoop, Jetfire, Megatron (on screen), Razorclaw.

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Denyer

Stormbringer #4, issue #10 in the main series

Released 18th October 2006. Written by Simon Furman. Art by Don Figueroa. Colours by Josh Burcham. Letters by Sulaco Studies. Edited by Chris Ryall and Dan Taylor. $2.99 cover price, choice of covers.

Synopsis: The Autobots gathered on Cybertron await Thunderwing's arrival, making plans and trying to find an edge they can use against the mindless creature. In orbit, a team of Decepticons sent by Megatron and led by Razorclaw prepare to nuke the planet if the Autobots can't stop it, ultimately deciding to give them a helping hand first. Eventually the mad super-weapon burns out, and the countdown on the planetary bomb is aborted. Facts begin to come to light about the source of the unstable Energon that Bludgeon used to reanimate Thunderwing, leading Optimus Prime to plot a course for Earth...

Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Thunderwing's body, Twintwist, Whirl, Jetfire, Roadbuster, Topspin, Springer, Broadside, Optimus Prime, Strafe, Lightspeed, Sandstorm, Scoop, Razorclaw, Rampage, Tantrum, Divebomb, Headstrong, Thunderwing (flashback), Blast-off, Divebomb, Triggerhappy, Windsweeper, Spinister, Tantrum, Carnivac, Barrage, Headstrong, Quake, Dogfight, Centurion drones, Pointblank, Crosshairs, Override.

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Denyer

Stormbringer TPB

Released 28th February 2007. $17.99 list price. Reprints issues #1-4 of Stormbringer. Publisher solicitation: For those of you craving unchecked, giant robot action on an epic scale, look no further than this special space epic. In "Infiltration," we had tantalizing hints about the state of play elsewhere in the TRANSFORMERS universe, but now we look in on CYBERTRON itself, unlocking a dark, dark chapter in the planet's history, one that is about to hit the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS again... full force! By the Beast Wars team supreme of Simon Furman and Don Figueroa. This special collected edition also features a sketchbook from artist Figueroa, too. Browse at Amazon.com | Browse at Amazon.co.uk

Stormbringer "manga" reprint

Released 11th April 2007. $9.99 list price. Reprints issues #1-4 of Stormbringer in grayscale. Publisher solicitation: IDW presents a special digest-sized version of the hit "Transformers: Stormbringer" that features the stellar original black and white artwork of Don Figueroa. Browse at Amazon.com | Browse at Amazon.co.uk

 

| Infiltration | IDW Comics Guide | Spotlights V1 |