TRANSFORMERS #10, by Image Comics & Skybound on 7/10/24, proves Shockwave is the villain you’ll love to hate when he kills or tortures anything that gets in his way.
Credits:
- Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
- Artist: Jorge Corona
- Colorist: Mike Spicer
- Letterer: Rus Wooton
- Cover Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: July 10, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of TRANSFORMERS #10:
Plot Analysis:
Transformers #10 is the kind of comic that feels relatively solid and consistent with the series from front to back, but readers who’ve been on board since issue #1 may feel this issue lacks oomph. It could be that the choice to spend half the issue on Beachcomber’s backstory is a gamble that doesn’t fully pay off, or it could be that a journey without a destination is starting to show hairline cracks in the series.
When last we left the Autobots and Decepticons in Transformers #9, the situation got a whole lot worse for Earth when Soundwave completed the construction of an interstellar portal that allowed the infamous Decepticon general Shockwave to join the fight. Thankfully for the Autobots, Elita One fled through the portal with the barely living Ultra Magnus before shutting it down. The issue concluded with Optimus Prime being forced to flee the battle, grudgingly leaving Cliffjumper and Jazz behind. Meanwhile, Autotrain kidnaps Spike, but the boy is rescued by the arrival of Beachcomber.
In Transformers #10, we begin with a flashback to the Decepticons and Autobots brawling aboard a ship in Earth’s orbit millions of years ago. Beachcomber was ejected from the ship during the fight, sending him crashing to the Moon’s surface without a hope of escape. Eons later, Beachcomber escapes the Moon when he stealthily hitches a ride aboard Apollo 11 during humanity’s first Moon landing in 1969.
True to the Autobot’s name, Daniel Warren Johnson leaves Beachcomber marooned on a different sort of deserted island. How Beachcomber gets marooned makes sense and adds details to how the Ark crashed on Earth in the first place. That said, the method of Beachcomber’s escape to Earth comes off as silliness that almost succeeds by the “Rule of Cool.”
The Apollo missions were carefully calibrated and measured feats of engineering, so there’s no way Beachcomber would have been able to hitch a ride without crashing the lander or driving it wildly off course with his body weight.
Somehow, Beachcomber makes it to a tropical island to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature for the next 65 years. When his sensors pick up the presence of the Ark, Beachcomber travels on foot across oceans and continents (apparently) to find the ship embedded in a mountainside with all its occupants deactivated. Beachcomber had the choice to wake up the Autobots sooner but he opted not to. In the present, Beachcomber explains this information to Spike after his rescue while Autotrain sits chained up nearby.
Johnson uses Beachcomber’s backstory to develop his character as a soldier grown weary of war and fighting, converting into a pacifist monk of sorts. This character work further plays on the Autobot’s name as someone who prefers the laid-back, easygoing life of peace. Strangely enough, Beachcomber is the Transformer that now seems the most divergent from any previous iteration of the character, which may or may not be a problem, depending on your need for source material reverence.
The issue shifts to Shockwave and Soundwave talking aboard the Nemesis on the ocean floor. Shockwave is pleased with the news from the Constructicons that the portal has been repaired and is more powerful than ever. Soundwave is preoccupied with his desire to repair Ravage, but Shockwave chastises him for not staying focused on the bigger picture and snatches up Ravage to be thrown in a recycler.
Before Ravage is crushed to scrap, Shockwave is distracted by a surprising site from one of the Nemesis windows. He spots a pod of blue whales swimming in the waters near the barrier surrounding the ship, and he marvels at the majesty of the gigantic creatures. His awe turns to glee when the Constructicons activate the portal’s energy feeder intake and sucks in the pod of blue whales to be destroyed and converted into energy.
Johnson uses this scene with Shockwave to go for pure shock value as a cheap trick to underscore just how ruthless, callous, and evil Shockwave can be. However, just because it’s a cheap trick doesn’t mean it won’t work. Yes, it works, turning Shockwave into the villain you love to hate.
Elsewhere, Optimus Prime makes it back to the Autobot base where Wheeljack has the hydroelectric dam configured to start generating Energon. The reunion is bittersweet when Arcee sees Elita One has arrived with Arcee’s longtime and long ago mentor Ultra Magnus. The happy moment turns to grief when Wheeljack learns Jazz and Cliffjumper were left behind, and Ratchet was destroyed in the battle.
Again, Johnson masterfully plays with complex emotional themes. In one scene, Johnson creates emotional highs and lows while establishing complicated conflicts for Optimus as he’s constantly burdened with the consequences of his choices made in the heat of battle. In this way, Johnson creates a stark contrast in the atmospheres between the Decepticon and Autobot camps.
The issue concludes with Cliffjumper and Jazz facing torture at the hands of Shockwave, possible unrest in the Decepticon ranks over their own decision to leave soldiers behind, a tense conversation between Elita One and Optimus Prime over past decisions in the war, and a massive new arrival.
For all the back and forth and ups and downs, especially with Beachcomber, the last scene (no spoilers here) practically dispels any misgivings with a huge wow moment you won’t see coming. Johnson gives readers a planet-sized cliffhanger that demands your attention, which is how every comic in the action genre should end. And before you ask, no it’s not Unicron.
Art Quality:
Jorge Corona and Mike Spicer continue to impress with dramatic visuals, energetic action, pitch perfect figurework and character designs, and an all around fantastic looking comic.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Transformers continues to be touted as part of the Energon interconnected universe as noted on the credits page. So far, the presence of any G.I. Joe character, outside of Duke’s brief appearance in issue #2, remains elusive. We know the government and military are actively interested in handling the “giant robot” problem, but whatever crossovers are planned have yet to appear in this series.
Final Thoughts:
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TRANSFORMERS #10 is another strong entry in the series with a backstory on Beachcomber’s whereabouts, an emotional rollercoaster for the Autobot camp, and a massive cliffhanger. Daniel Warren Johnson’s knack for creating powerful and complex moments is on full display, and the art team’s output is stellar, but the Beachcomber portions of this issue are a little odd.
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