IDW Publishing continues its Transformers 2012 relaunch with Robots in Disguise #1… Review follows…

Hype!

Already this year, and bear in mind a little over three weeks of 2012 has passed, IDW Publishing has delivered two very well-received Transformers comics. And now, with the third new title, Robots in Disguise, the pressure is on. I can barely breathe.

The Cover

Following the same format as More Than Meets the Eye #1, there are seven covers available for this issue. The four inter-connecting tetraptych covers (A-D) are by Marcelo Matere and Priscilla Tramontano. The fifth cover (E) is by Andrew Griffith and Josh Perez. The blank “sketch” cover (RIB) is/will be by Dan Khanna and, as before, the RIA cover is a foil blocked, fold-out cover of the first four covers.

The Creative Team

John Barber is both writer and editor of Robots in Disguise. This is something that was famously frowned upon (*cough*) back in the Marvel days! With John overseeing the new 2012 titles and writing this series, could this be an end to the splatter-pattern approach to continuity from previous IDW Transformers comics? Hope so!

John’s script dives right into a tense, simmering situation on Cybertron. Every single Autobot, Decepticon and NAIL is looking over his shoulder as “The Autonomy Lesson” heats up into a high pressure political time bomb. Details from “The Death of Optimus Prime” bubble up to the surface here, scalding the characters, new and old.

The script is competent but a little obvious at times and while there are plenty of little mysteries building up in the background, the ending isn’t too surprising. However, seeing more from the Decepticons is certainly welcome!

Andrew Griffith proved his mettle with All Hail Megatron #14 (half of, leastways) in 2009 and last year’s Transformers Dark of the Moon tie-in, Foundation. Robots in Disguise is Andrew’s opportunity to shine and, boy, does he!

Every panel is rendered with bold clarity, whether it’s a close-up shot or a crowd scene. There is no mistaking that the Transformers are robots here.

“What would they do if we activated an I/D chip? What would Metalhawk say if I started killing people by remote control?”

The Story

Robots in Disguise #1 follows those left behind on Cybertron after the events of More Than Meets the Eye #1, and that’s all you need to know right now.

The Verdict

Comparisons will be made between Robots in Disguise #1 and More Than Meets the Eye #1, but, frankly, these two comics are two entirely different beasts. This issue is every bit as engaging as its twin brother, especially with the way it handles the fallout and consequences of the new positions in which the Autobots and Decepticons find themselves. Robots in Disguise #1 rips open the lid of a political Pandora’s Box and I look forward, reading through the gaps between my fingers, to seeing how it plays out. FOUR OUT OF FIVE POLARIS STARS