Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers

Transformers IDW #19

by James Roberts, Nick Roche

Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers The Autobot special ops crew, The Wreckers, are sent to investigate Garrus-9, a prison that fell to the Decepticons three years ago with no communication in or out since. Who's really behind the prison siege, and what dark secret awaits Springer there? The answers to those questions will send this mission to the razors edge. Full description

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Comics Manga, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

172 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2010

About the author

James Roberts is a British comic book writer best known for his contributions to the Transformers franchise.

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much that I read it twice within a week of getting it from Comixology.

This was one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. It has everything I wanted in a Transformers adventure: action, multiple robot deaths, moral ambiguity and Wreckers. The Wreckers were an elite Autobot crew whose trademark was a lot of mayhem and destruction.

This wasn't a perfect book. Nick Roche is much more known for his art and he turned out to be a competent wordsmith but it was quite clear this was the first time he was both writing and drawing. His art was the best part of the story. His robot art managed to strike the right balance between the Hasbro toy detail and cartoony imagery needed to make his characters more expressive.

I said this wasn't a perfect book and I lay all the blame at the feet of the point-of-view character, the human robot groupie Verity Carlo. She's probably the worst character ever. If my current favorite Transformers series, More Than Meets the Eye has proven anything, one does not need human POV character.

The MTMTE is important because this is a psuedo-prequel to that series. James Roberts, writer of MTMTE gets a story credit here and he continues a lot of the themes and sub-plots from this story.

Last Stand of the Wreckers not only influenced and lead into subsequent comic book stories it also inspired toys. The Springer toy from Hasbro is one of my favorite toy and best incarnations of the character. It is clearly based on the Roche's designs.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most brutal and extreme Transformers story ever.
It was like Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" made sci-fi, with touches of "Save Private Ryan", "Inglorious bastards", "Where eagles dare" and lots of other awesome war movies too.




Fortress Maximus, a fan favourite character of mine since I was a teen, really deserved a better fate :(

[Aggelos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually Transformers comics are for me a guilty pleasure.
But this is just great! The art is the most fitting for the franchise and the story is Suicide Squad done right.
Last glorious stand indeed!

[alpacaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think that's my fifth time reading LSOTW. Easily my favourite modern Transformers story.

Wreck n Rule!

[Orion W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is good and full of action, humor and violence. The violence is a little extreme though so I wouldn't recommend it to people who can't stand that stuff because this book has it at almost every page. And it gets pretty brutal at the end. Though all together it is a good book.

[Reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an almost ceremonial re-reading of my battered old HC before I move it on, as I've nicer editions now. This really is an impressive and important book in the modern history of Transformers, where MTMTE gets the plaudits as an ongoing narrative and introducing a lot more love to our favourite waring robots, this mini series sets the frame work for what would be James Roberts' winning formula.

The introduction in this edition explains the philosophy of the series, how all the characters are "red shirts," the hopeless lot almost guaranteed to fail. In this, we see shades of MTMTE where the spirit is in the attempt, not in the result of the quest/mission. While it's not as lovey-dovey as MTMTE, we see the type of character relations that was devoid in TF until now, real existing relationships that you believe in. There are flaws, and not everyone belongs to a certain soldier archetype. To even call them red shirts is to them a disservice. In a few short pages, I feel I know these "nobody bots" as well as I know my established favourites.

Credit must also go to Nick Roche, whose style undeniably influenced the TF art that came after this run. To somehow bring a softness to Transformers' hard robot edges with rounded eyes and human like posturing.

This edition gets bonus points for all the bonus content in the back end. The often unseen TF prose that Roberts put out between his runs and to see the scripts for the issues was a rare treat before Roberts started to publish his notebooks.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy]

I did not finish this!!!

My library system (Shout out SWAN) has a very odd mix of Transformer comics and it feels really difficult to jump in with such a mix. I am out of the loop and felt lost reading this.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’ve read my fair share of horror and horrifying, but there’s something about this comic that taps into something particularly horrifying for me. most likely it’s the sadistic body horror. like that panel where they find fort max? aauuuugghh.

[David Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's basically the best Transformers story ever.

[Eddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of my favorite comic stories ever. Not only a good Transformers comic, but a damn fine comic in general.

[Catfish Dogfight · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Wreckers, COMBINE" is my new motto.

[Iantony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've given up on IDW Publishing Transformers comics a few years ago. Then I read about this mini series online and decided to buy and read it out of curiosity.

This mini series is really good, beyond my expectation, this comic blows, like really blows! To put it simply, the story portrays an Autobot elite hit squad (The Wreckers) on a mission to liberate an Autobot prison camp, only to find that the camp has been ruled by one of the most dangerous Decepticon deserter, one of the strongest phase sixers, the psychopath Overlord.

Overall the art and the characterization are really good, make me want to buy an Overlord action figure. I'd totally recommend this mini series to all lovers of Transformers G1 universe.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It's a story of sacrifice and betrayal, and of good people dying in stupid, pointless ways."

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transformers Last Stand of the Wreckers takes a brutal and brilliant approach to the subject at hand with the Wreckers assigned to retake a prison camp that has been lost to the Rogue Decepticon Overlord! :D

There is an incredible amount of story as well as a large amount of back story through the events depicted in the book! :D Every character gets a moment throughout the book giving a real sense of depth to the whole book! :D Many of the characters both good and bad pasts are shown and this adds to the visceral sense of what is at stake for many of them! :D There are brilliant touches as well where you get to see different versions of events and these also the characters in new light! :D Especially as some of these characters have been around for a long time it adds some facets to personalities that you would almost think were known already which contributes to some surprising twists! :D

The attrition rate of characters throughout the book is also really high with many of them having some very sticky situations! :D I found my jaw on the floor a number of times throughout the book having not expected what happened to have actually happened! :o Again though this adds to the brutal but brilliant tone that permeates the whole book, meaning you do no t know what is going to happen from page to page! :D Victory for either side is not a foregone conclusion! :D The issues of war crimes are explored to great effect throughout the book adding to the depth to many of the characters actions and providing a motivation beyond the simply doing of right that some of the supposed good guys have lost! :D

As ever the artwork is superb! :D Every character are displayed perfectly and the expression on the characters faces really do show what they are thinking! :D Characters are shown in action extremely well conveying the urgency of the situations that they find themselves in! :D

The end of the book contains a textural story that gives you a lot more background on many of the less well known characters! :D The actually is a great story in its own right exploring duplicity and self interest within the Autobot ranks! :D At the same time it is lever way of showing that motivated self interest to the detriment of others exists even in wartime! :D

The rest of the book includes interesting factoids about where some of the inspiration came for much of the rest of the book some of which are fairly easy to guess throughout the story but it is still great to see that you are not imagining things when you read the book! :D

Last Stand of the Wreckers is a clever take on some old and new characters that adds a harder edge too them but at the same time there are elements of humour throughout the book which you would not expect to see and help to balance out the entire book! :D

Brilliant stuff showing a new take on an already well known group of characters that takes some surprising twists as well as setting up things for future events and future repercussions! :D

[Martin Lund · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been really interesting if there'd been enough room to tell the story with all the detail and connections given the space they need or the script being written to fit the number of issues allotted for the arc. As it stands, however, it's just too busy and there are too many threads left half-developed or half-explorer for me to enjoy the "last stand." Also taking away from the whole is that overall, the stakes are kind of low, despite the grand claim of the title.

[Laureltmcglew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recommended this limited comic series by a trusted friend at the library. While only being familiar with the 2007 film and snippets of the '86 film I've seen in passing, I'm always up for a challenge when it comes to new franchises and gave it a shot.

What I got left me completely stunned. LSotW is quite honestly one of the best written and drawn comics I've ever had the chance to read. The writing immediately sucks you into the action, the pacing is impeccable with several writing techniques (most prominently the usage of the unreliable narrator) constantly kept this reader on her toes for how the story will play out. Despite being completely unfamiliar with any of these characters (from what I've read, the creative team used z-list characters from the franchise in order to keep everyone guessing the different fates of them), I could immediately understand who they were and what their personality were in order to empathize with their pain throughout the series.

The themes within the series are fascinating to think over, especially in how much it deconstructs some of the overall ideas within the Transformers franchise and war media in general: that war is glorious, that all soldiers should strive to be as self-sacrificing as possible and aim for a noble death, and that there is always a clear black-and-white morality. That there can be heroes and villains on both sides of a conflict is a point touched upon repeatedly. Honestly, I'd love to go back and analyze what ethical code could be applied to each character. I definitely recognized some Utilitarianism in the actions of certain individuals.

Speaking of heroes and villains, Overlord may be the most terrifying villain I've ever encountered, a cruel and sadistic space-Caligula with overtones of Nazism. The reveal of his true motivations just make the whole affair even scarier because of just how petty they are. Terror runs deep throughout the pages of this comics with war imagery utilized effectively, constantly reminding the reader that while the creative team can get away with showing pretty gruesome moments due to all of the character being robots, the characters are all still sentient and very much experience pain. And whoever at IDW OK'ed pulling a double Marathon Man owes me fifty bucks and a therapist. That was scarier than anything Apocalypse Now threw at me.

My only regret with this comic is that because it was not produced by either of the Big 2 comic companies, this mini-series will probably never get the attention it deserves. I took several courses in college related to the analysis of comics and I had never heard of this until a week ago. I can only hope more future readers will stumble across this comic in the same way I did and help raise awareness for it.

[Vin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rate it all as a whole because, although I personally prefer to analyze each issue separately, this story feels so complete that deserves to be seen as a whole.
The connection between its five parts is fluid, coherent, and each piece adds to the final impact.

I finished reading the last Wreckers story and it honestly left me shattered. It even left me teary-eyed from the impotence at the end.

It's amazing how a fictional story, originally based on toy sales, can so starkly and realistically portray the cruelest face of war: the dehumanization, the unjust sacrifice, and the manipulation of truth for political purposes.

This story goes beyond the typical conflict between two sides. It tells us about idolatry, nationalism, and how love for a cause can be used against you, turning you into a mere disposable instrument.

The imprisoned Decepticons, turned into a spectacle. Overlord's obsession to get Megatron's attention, recreating the struggles of the Kaon pits, distorts the original ideal of the decepticon cause into a tyrannical parody. And most cruel: that false “choice” that offered the prisoners after all the mental abuse - to die or fight him - an illusion of control, torture disguised as opportunity. There was no difference; only horror.

And the new cadets... so full of enthusiasm for their first mission, so admiring of the most intrepid group of Autobots, being sent straight up on a carnage (with Perceptor being *aware* that one of them would have to be a sacrificesince the begging?). No one would tell the truth. Prowl-or rather, the Autobot higher-ups-hid everything to protect their faction's image. The official story was a lie.
I felt pain for all those who died, even if I don't know their names. Their dreams, their hope, were extinguished before they could even begin. I felt sorrow also for the Decepticons, used and eliminated without mercy.
I deeply appreciate that, unlike other volumes or the G1 series, this story does not glorify war. It forces us to face what many would rather ignore: how power and politics can drain meaning from life itself.

Thank you very much Nick Roche for writing this, maybe I would have liked the story to have a little more length to continue enjoying it, I really enjoyed every emotion this made me convey.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the powerful and psychotic Decepticon Overlord takes control of a former Autobot prison facility and begins hunting and torturing the guards for sport, the Wreckers are called in to save the day.
Facing overwhelming odds and reinforced with untested new recruits, Springer, Kup and Perceptor lead the Autobot's elite special forces team into what may be their final battle.

It took me a little while to get into this book since so few of the characters featured were familiar to me (I'm pretty new to IDW's take on the robots in disguise) and some of those characters are alike enough visually for it to be a bit confusing at times. However, by the end of the book I was fully invested in this Dirty Dozen-style team of commandos.
And like the Dirty Dozen, there's a surprisingly high body count among the main characters, with several dying in genuinely horrific ways. This is not a book for kids, despite being based on a cartoon/toy line.

A brutal but surprisingly emotionally engaging addition to the Transformers saga.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[Adelaide Metzger · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Megan Scheidel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series. It is definitely tied in first place for my top comics. This has to be one of the most epic Transformers stories to date. (Well except for ~the one~.) It is a strange mix of action, gore, and (shockingly) humor. The moment you are about to laugh with a character something goes horribly wrong.
This all leads up to two different entities, the Wreckers and Overlord. The Wreckers are the guys you send in when you need people who can shoot and aren't afraid of getting shot. Overlord himself is a mech so powerful that he "redefines the word." When two forces like these collide, it can only end in casualties. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, and you may even have to cover your eyes at parts. I highly recommend this.

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very dark and gritty Transformers tale, unlike any other I've read. Sure, plenty of other Transformers comics have violence and death and blur the lines between good and evil, but the mood is different here. This is truly a story of the horrors of war, and the varying ways it can affect individuals.
The prose story afterward was an interesting reading experience. At first it seems like a simple prelude, feeling a little unnecessary. But, as it progresses, and reveals key story elements, it becomes an integral part of the preceding comic story. This holds true for the one-page comic following.
The art is at once dark and colorful, conveying action and emotion in equal portions.
This is definitely not the most joyous Transformers comic I've ever read, but it is among the best.

[Liz B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. I read this because my son (15 at the time) told me I needed to read it. He is really into Transformers, and has been since age 4. I didn't expect to love it.

It's terrific, and you should read it.

The excellent reading experience was topped off by meeting James Roberts at TFCon July 2023, and he was so interesting and smart (as I expect from all writers!) and also kind and funny and willing to talk at length with young people (and apparently at least one young person's mom) about his work.

Was I expecting the Tennyson reference?

Indeed I was not.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Shawn Bertke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting if not a little hard to follow with all the time jumps. It also didn’t help that the new characters introduced were very similar aesthetically and therefore easy to confuse with each other. The art certainly didn’t help this since most action scenes were very hard to follow. I wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did but it wasn’t bad by any means.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

The positives: A good story with enough interesting characters and twists and turns to keep interested. Nice conclusion and wrap up.
The negatives: Art work was so cluttered it was hard to tell what was going on at times. Story had gaps and was very hard to follow at times.

I stuck with it and it was good, but definitely could have been better with some changes.

[Neurocomp · Rating 5 out of 5]

surprisingly entertaining ...wished they'd label some of teh lesser known transformers periodically , cuz it was hard to tell some apart.
Didn't realize springer was leader of a subteam, let alone the wreckers.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, or at least really really like it. The story itself was neat, and had moments of extreme badass. But the artwork was extremely confusing. It was very hard to tell what was happening for the most part, especially in the action scenes.

[Destiny36 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read but Heartbreaking

This is a very good read, especially for anyone who knows about the wreckers or has read the More Than Meets the Eye comics. Anyone that has no knowledge of those, be warned this book is a lot of sadness and death.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down the best Transformers I've read so far! This is exactly what I wanted out of Transformers which is basically nonstop action. The story was actually great too with really good twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. If I had to recommend a Transformers comic this would be it. 5/5

[Clint the Cool Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story!

Very good. One of the best Transformers stories. The artwork was great, the characters are interesting. It's an epic story. Highly recommended!