Transformers vs Visionaries #4 Review

Written by: Magdalene Visaggio

Art by: Fico Ossio

Colors by: David Garcia Cruz

Lettered by: Shawn Lee

Published by: IDW

Penultimate issues in mini-series can sometimes be very tricky to pull off. There is still some story left to tell, but you only now have two issues to do it and everything needs to be tied off at the end. Having said that, Visaggio does a pretty good job of not only advancing the storyline within this issue, but also setting up some higher stakes as well (that’s right, stakes even higher than genocide!).

The crux of this issue revolves around the Cybertronians preparing to detonate a “EMP” like bomb at the core of their planet that would see them immunized to the magic of the Prysmosians (sp?); at the same time, former Spectral Knight Cryotek is seeing, maybe for the first time, the consequences of his betrayal of Leoric and how he might have been wrong all along. You couple these storylines with Lady Virulina demanding absolute fealty from Cryotek as well as Merklynn beginning the corruption of another former Spectral Knight, and you have a pretty busy issue.

However busy the issue is though, the plot does continue to advance and you can see the final confrontation coming. We get another casualty this issue, though not as sudden as Kup’s from the first issue, and a lot or reordering of the board as the pieces get placed for the final act.

I’m really curious to see how this plays out in the end since the title might say Transformers vs Visionaries, this has been pretty much a vehicle (no pun intended) for the Visionaries with the Transformers there more as chess pieces to be used when needed - a complaint that I’ve heard from all these Transformers vs series, but that I can’t echo due to this being my first such series.