Optimus Prime #15

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Kei Zama

Colors by: Josh Burcham

Published by: IDW

I have admitted in other reviews of IDW’s Hasbro universe that I am still very new to this universe and that I am playing a little catch-up when it comes to the storylines. This is very true for this issue of Optimus Prime, my first for the series. Saying all this, there are two things I have to say before I get to this review. Number one, who would’ve thought that a transformers comic would have such a great political lean to it and two, thank you IDW for not only including a character list of the major players but also a quick recap of what happened in previous issues. Perfect for new readers!

Now that I’ve gotten all of that out of the way, I can say that this is a great jumping-on issue for new readers (as I am one) and that it does enough to catch you up on the ongoing storylines (the new treaty with Earth, giving a background to some Transformers that casual readers may not be familiar with) while also planting seeds for what is to come.

The issue starts off with a flashback sequence involving some of those lesser-known Transformers in the form of the Mistress of the Flame, Praesidia and Magrada, where they are on a holy quest to walk the path of the Primus. However, what they found on this pilgrimage was not the light of Primus, but the evil that opposed it. This opening sequence contains a good deal of foreshadowing that is thankfully paid off at the end of the issue.

One of the other two storylines that appear in this issue revolve around Optimus’ continued effort to continue fostering the new alliance between Earth and Cybertron as he oversees the transport of materials from Earth to be converted into Energon on Cybertron. Barber smartly shows that this new alliance is still in its infancy by having some of the Autobots continue to question Optimus’s decision - something i’ve seen in a few other issues previously.

The other sees what has happened to Starscream after having been deposed as leader of Cybertron. It seems that he may be going a little mad and seeing things that aren’t there. This may be but a small part of the issue, but for a new reader like myself, it offers a big hint to what transpired previously.

On art, Zama and Burcham do an excellent job. I’ve always admired artists that get to draw for a Transformers comic because it cannot be easy having to deal with all these different characters and their unique body models. This is just as impressive for the colorist Burcham who probably has so many references to get all the colors just right.

One thing I did notice, and this seemed to be the case for Optimus Prime First Strike as well, for a comic called Optimus Prime, there seems to be a decided lack of Optimus within the comic. However, the storylines found are so strong, that this is but a very minor annoyance on my point.