kasss's review against another edition
5.0
May 26, 2023: Reread Last Stand of the Wreckers almost exactly a year after I first read it. I'm currently in the process of reading all the IDW Transformers comics in chronological order ( https://www.comicbooktreasury.com/transformers-idw-reading-order/ ) and having a lot of fun with it.
That said, I think this book suffers from the-extras-aren't-that-great. The comic itself is incredible, especially now that I'm seeing so many more links to other story lines (both chronologically in the past and in the future). When I finished it I wondered why on earth I hadn't given this thing 5 stars the first time around. Then I got to the extras and eh. They're good. They're fine. Some bits are fun and interesting. But they definitely bring down my rating.
No more. Let's forget about the extras. The core of the book, The Last Stand of the Wreckers absolutely deserves the full 5 stars.
May 23, 2022: 4 stars
That said, I think this book suffers from the-extras-aren't-that-great. The comic itself is incredible, especially now that I'm seeing so many more links to other story lines (both chronologically in the past and in the future). When I finished it I wondered why on earth I hadn't given this thing 5 stars the first time around. Then I got to the extras and eh. They're good. They're fine. Some bits are fun and interesting. But they definitely bring down my rating.
No more. Let's forget about the extras. The core of the book, The Last Stand of the Wreckers absolutely deserves the full 5 stars.
May 23, 2022: 4 stars
mxreader's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, so I decided to re-read this book, because why not? It was, after all, my first experience with IDW's Transformers.
Gosh, it is so much better than I remembered. Reading it is cathartic. The art is amazing and detailed. The tone is dark, thrilling, and viscerally agonizing. It can be humorous one panel and violent the next. A lot of characters are introduced, but were given some characterizations to make them stand out. That's why the deaths are so brutal and shocking, or even depressing to see.
Like, I'm sure about 80% of the cast dies. What the hell, Roberts? Is this your doing?
One thing I don't like much is the info-dumping. Explanations don't appear very organically. There were panels where bubble texts dominate, making it very hard to focus.
Also, Springer and Overlord might be my favourite characters out of the book. I see that some people complains that Verity doesn't really serve a purpose in the story. On some levels, I agree. Her introduction and role seems forced and flimsy, and her participation doesn't add up much... until the end that is. Her potential and character are dwarfed by Cybertronian ones, who are more interesting and relevant (somewhat) to the story and stakes. However, I must say that her role in the sequels is much more developed, so I don't think that she is that much bad of a character.
Gosh, it is so much better than I remembered. Reading it is cathartic. The art is amazing and detailed. The tone is dark, thrilling, and viscerally agonizing. It can be humorous one panel and violent the next. A lot of characters are introduced, but were given some characterizations to make them stand out. That's why the deaths are so brutal and shocking, or even depressing to see.
One thing I don't like much is the info-dumping. Explanations don't appear very organically. There were panels where bubble texts dominate, making it very hard to focus.
Also, Springer and Overlord might be my favourite characters out of the book. I see that some people complains that Verity doesn't really serve a purpose in the story. On some levels, I agree. Her introduction and role seems forced and flimsy, and her participation doesn't add up much... until the end that is. Her potential and character are dwarfed by Cybertronian ones, who are more interesting and relevant (somewhat) to the story and stakes. However, I must say that her role in the sequels is much more developed, so I don't think that she is that much bad of a character.
eddyfate's review against another edition
5.0
Still one of my favorite comic stories ever. Not only a good Transformers comic, but a damn fine comic in general.
silverthane's review against another edition
4.0
A very entertaining graphic novel from the Transformers universe.
It hardly seems necessary for me to explain what Transformers are but for the benefit of those who have been living under a rock since the 80s the Transformers are large anthropomorphic robots who can 'transform' into machines typically cars, trucks, planes, tanks etc. There are two warring factions locked in a perpetual civil war for control of their planet Cybertron; The Autobots (good guys) and the Decepticons (bad guys)
In 'Last stand of the Wreckers' we see an Autobot special ops team sent to an Autobot prison planet which has been invaded and seized by Decepticon forces under the command of the sadistic and powerful 'Overlord' the team must work together if they hope to free the prisoners and defeat Overlord.
The novel is action packed right from the start and there are some very entertaining and engaging characters. The line and colour work are very impressive and the story is riveting. It is violent (if you call robots being dismembered 'violence') but not gratuitous.
It's not all positive though. As with most graphic novels I read it is very short, only 172 pages, and not all of those pages are the actual story (there are storyboards and extra features for fans at the end of the book) considering it's size and that it only took an hour to read from cover to cover it was expensive at nearly £18.
Despite it's faults I generally liked it and would certainly consider getting some more from the collection in future.
It hardly seems necessary for me to explain what Transformers are but for the benefit of those who have been living under a rock since the 80s the Transformers are large anthropomorphic robots who can 'transform' into machines typically cars, trucks, planes, tanks etc. There are two warring factions locked in a perpetual civil war for control of their planet Cybertron; The Autobots (good guys) and the Decepticons (bad guys)
In 'Last stand of the Wreckers' we see an Autobot special ops team sent to an Autobot prison planet which has been invaded and seized by Decepticon forces under the command of the sadistic and powerful 'Overlord' the team must work together if they hope to free the prisoners and defeat Overlord.
The novel is action packed right from the start and there are some very entertaining and engaging characters. The line and colour work are very impressive and the story is riveting. It is violent (if you call robots being dismembered 'violence') but not gratuitous.
It's not all positive though. As with most graphic novels I read it is very short, only 172 pages, and not all of those pages are the actual story (there are storyboards and extra features for fans at the end of the book) considering it's size and that it only took an hour to read from cover to cover it was expensive at nearly £18.
Despite it's faults I generally liked it and would certainly consider getting some more from the collection in future.
echotechne's review against another edition
4.0
Not bad, quite action-packed and well-drawn. A little confusing at times because I spent the first three issues wondering if I was supposed to have read a side-story to get what was going on with certain people's pasts, but it does actually explain it all in the end.
beecatbell's review against another edition
5.0
The hard cover edition is exceptional. The "bonus" material in the back really goes above and beyond. Some of the bonuses include comic variant covers, fan art, bonus comic panels, deleted scenes, promotional art work, fun facts, character bios, and text stories that build up the universe.
Last Stand of the Wreckers withstands the test of multiple rereads; each time I read it the story is compelling.
Last Stand of the Wreckers withstands the test of multiple rereads; each time I read it the story is compelling.
adelaidemetzger_robotprophet's review against another edition
3.0
I read the IDW Transformers series extremely out of order.
But if I had started with Last Stand of the Wreckers at least I would have been prepared with the violence More Than Meets the Eye gave me.
There are things about this book that I love for the same reason I love pretty much all of the IDW Transformers comics so far. The plot weaves in and out of past, present, and future, but with the characters leading the forefront of events. But although the complexity of characters and realism make this series stand out from the rest, I found violence leading the forefront of this volume.
I’ve praised Nick Roche before—the Spotlight: Megatron he wrote and drew is my number one favorite Transformers comic ever. But that guy must have a thing for gratuitous war violence and torture porn because it. Is. EVERYWHERE. I don’t get queasy to blood and violence—Neil Blomkamp films are some of my favorite—but this kind of violence is the kind you shake from after experiencing it in a nightmare.
Faces ripped from heads, spines pulled from bodies, heads popped in the palms of larger Cybertronians, people just straight up torn apart by the hands of others, and oh, the pages running free with ever-flowing energon. I found myself so put-off by what Last Stand of the Wreckers had within its pages and wishing I could forget the images of torture and pain. I understand that this is aimed at the older Tranformers audience but shouldn’t it have some kind of warning like most ultra-violent comics? Why aren’t these rated “mature?” Because it’s robotic beings getting torn apart and not humans? Because energon is purple instead of red? This makes no sense.
I still love these comics because, come on, it’s Transformers. But I’m extremely disturbed by the content they get into.
dramaticbanjo's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
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