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Transformers: The IDW Collection #1.7
Transformers: The IDW Collection, Volume 7
The re-presentation of IDW's Transformers Universe continues! This volume includes Abnett and Lanning's two-part Transformers Infestation, as well as Mike Costa's Transformers ongoing issues #7–18, and the four-issue Ironhide series! Features art by Nick Roche, E.J. Su, Guido Guidi, Don Figueroa, and more.
358 pages, Hardcover
First published September 18, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 10, 2021
After the relatively mediocre 6th volume, I was hoping for more from the 7th. It did not start off well.
The volume starts with the ending of the Kup-Dead people story. The art and the overall story leave much to be desired, but it did answer some questions from volumes past. Still, things were not looking up and I expected another 3 star volume.
Then things began to improve drastically. The Decepticons revenge was really good. I enjoyed the new look of Megatron and appreciated where the story was going. It seemed to save the story and was much more in keeping with the quality of the previous volumes. I enjoyed the Megatron return and am curious to see where this story is headed.
Then for some reason GR thought the volume ended. It did not. There were 70 more pages where the story of Ironhide was told, and it completes the Sunstreaker story.
So while it started off with a whimper it ends with a bang. The first story is weak, but everything after is quite enjoyable. Good to see the Transformers finding their stride again.
The volume starts with the ending of the Kup-Dead people story. The art and the overall story leave much to be desired, but it did answer some questions from volumes past. Still, things were not looking up and I expected another 3 star volume.
Then things began to improve drastically. The Decepticons revenge was really good. I enjoyed the new look of Megatron and appreciated where the story was going. It seemed to save the story and was much more in keeping with the quality of the previous volumes. I enjoyed the Megatron return and am curious to see where this story is headed.
Then for some reason GR thought the volume ended. It did not. There were 70 more pages where the story of Ironhide was told, and it completes the Sunstreaker story.
So while it started off with a whimper it ends with a bang. The first story is weak, but everything after is quite enjoyable. Good to see the Transformers finding their stride again.
September 25, 2021
This was a fairly solid volume, overall. The story is decent enough, and the art is solid throughout. One thing that bugs me continues to be the inconsistent designs for the Transformers, which change with every artist. And not just the expected stylistic differences, but wholly different alternate modes and body designs. In at least one instance, Thundercracker changes from the F-22 design he's had relatively consistently to his classic F-15 design, and then back to the F-22 after only one issue! Flashbacks are sometimes consistent about depicting characters in the design they had at the time, except when they're not. It's a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things, but it's frustrating nonetheless.
Though on the positive side of design changes, one character returns in a big way with a completely new design mandated by the story, and it's an excellent one. It's rare that a major character will receive a complete overhaul like this, and it works very well.
As far as the mini-series that bookend this volume... Infestation is okay. That it's a crossover with IDW's various other properties is largely irrelevant, thankfully, and it does a decent job of re-introducing Galvatron and his entourage. It also finally makes use of a couple old plot points that were brought up once and never mentioned again, and ties off those loose ends in a clever and satisfying way. My one gripe is how everyone constantly calls Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge Decepticons, even though they never were.
Ironhide is well-written, and a nice way to bring back some old characters (and to finally introduce a new one yet to appear in this continuity), but it's mostly just Ironhide punching and shooting things to death. His dialogue with Alpha Trion was top notch, though.
Though on the positive side of design changes, one character returns in a big way with a completely new design mandated by the story, and it's an excellent one. It's rare that a major character will receive a complete overhaul like this, and it works very well.
As far as the mini-series that bookend this volume... Infestation is okay. That it's a crossover with IDW's various other properties is largely irrelevant, thankfully, and it does a decent job of re-introducing Galvatron and his entourage. It also finally makes use of a couple old plot points that were brought up once and never mentioned again, and ties off those loose ends in a clever and satisfying way. My one gripe is how everyone constantly calls Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge Decepticons, even though they never were.
Ironhide is well-written, and a nice way to bring back some old characters (and to finally introduce a new one yet to appear in this continuity), but it's mostly just Ironhide punching and shooting things to death. His dialogue with Alpha Trion was top notch, though.
January 25, 2025
This volume consisted of Infestation, The Transformers, and Ironhide's little series.
The Infestation bit was honestly my least favorite part of this. I think the zombie plot is incredibly overdone in comics, and its execution was also quite poor.
In the continuation of Transformers, it was intriguing to see more of the plot come together, and the situation on Earth has gotten complicated. Megatron's new frame is cool-looking, and I still have some questions as to how his old one was able to create so many weapons of high power. Rodimus' lil romp with the Decepticon base showed his personality quite well too. He reminds me of Kaox in that he lives for the thrill of adrenaline, and will put anything aside in order to get that feeling. He has no regard for his own safety throughout that whole encounter, and I'm guessing this is when he will become Prime as the matrix saves him from Megatron's shot. Also loved how he just absolutely humbled Starscream.
Back on Earth- I've been loving Bumblebee's style of leadership. He's a bit overly trusting, but he isn't blind to it in the ways Optimus is. Bumblebee acknowledges that the humans may, and likely will, betray them, but still believes working together is the best choice after considering all their options. Optimus tends to ignore any problems even if they're staring him right in the face. I also admired the differences in Bumblebee and Starscream's approaches to recruiting Thundercracker. Bumblebee did it in a way that made Thundercracker feel heard and cared for as more than a weapon, appealing to him very emotionally, whereas Starscream appealed to his own want for power rather than considering Thundercracker's wants and needs.
Finally, Ironhide's story was sad; losing all his memories and being seen as nothing more than a soldier is awful. Hated Alpha Trion for that (and his personality too tbh he's kinda just... not for me). I'm glad that Sunstreaker stayed back with him, and that he's alive, because they really need each other right now. Sunstreaker was so receptive of Ironhide's memory loss, adjusting the way they interacted accordingly, and that was quite sweet.
The Infestation bit was honestly my least favorite part of this. I think the zombie plot is incredibly overdone in comics, and its execution was also quite poor.
In the continuation of Transformers, it was intriguing to see more of the plot come together, and the situation on Earth has gotten complicated. Megatron's new frame is cool-looking, and I still have some questions as to how his old one was able to create so many weapons of high power. Rodimus' lil romp with the Decepticon base showed his personality quite well too. He reminds me of Kaox in that he lives for the thrill of adrenaline, and will put anything aside in order to get that feeling. He has no regard for his own safety throughout that whole encounter, and I'm guessing this is when he will become Prime as the matrix saves him from Megatron's shot. Also loved how he just absolutely humbled Starscream.
Back on Earth- I've been loving Bumblebee's style of leadership. He's a bit overly trusting, but he isn't blind to it in the ways Optimus is. Bumblebee acknowledges that the humans may, and likely will, betray them, but still believes working together is the best choice after considering all their options. Optimus tends to ignore any problems even if they're staring him right in the face. I also admired the differences in Bumblebee and Starscream's approaches to recruiting Thundercracker. Bumblebee did it in a way that made Thundercracker feel heard and cared for as more than a weapon, appealing to him very emotionally, whereas Starscream appealed to his own want for power rather than considering Thundercracker's wants and needs.
Finally, Ironhide's story was sad; losing all his memories and being seen as nothing more than a soldier is awful. Hated Alpha Trion for that (and his personality too tbh he's kinda just... not for me). I'm glad that Sunstreaker stayed back with him, and that he's alive, because they really need each other right now. Sunstreaker was so receptive of Ironhide's memory loss, adjusting the way they interacted accordingly, and that was quite sweet.
November 9, 2022
I have to say this ended up being disappointing. Transformers and Earth just seem to be chore to read most of the time unfortunately.
The Infestation storyline was terrible and pointless. Completely skippable.
The main Transformers story was okay, but not great. I just really can't get into the plot at all. It was very up and down and I think Transformers and humans just don't mix as well as when it is just straight up Autobots vs Decepticons only. "The Last Stand of the Wreckers" is probably the only Transformers that I have read where there is a human in it who doesn't really take away from the story in my opinion. That example is pretty much the only exception so far though.
To simplify: Humans part of main plot = bad - Humans not part of main plot or not involved = GOOD
To me these writers are just not good at writing any plots that involve humans unless it involves them being mass murdered by Decepticons. It is just so odd.
Also, the Ironhide Spotlight at the end had reeeeaaaallly clean art. Literally some of the nicest art I've seen in Transformers so far. I wish the rest of this collection looked that nice.
The Infestation storyline was terrible and pointless. Completely skippable.
The main Transformers story was okay, but not great. I just really can't get into the plot at all. It was very up and down and I think Transformers and humans just don't mix as well as when it is just straight up Autobots vs Decepticons only. "The Last Stand of the Wreckers" is probably the only Transformers that I have read where there is a human in it who doesn't really take away from the story in my opinion. That example is pretty much the only exception so far though.
To simplify: Humans part of main plot = bad - Humans not part of main plot or not involved = GOOD
To me these writers are just not good at writing any plots that involve humans unless it involves them being mass murdered by Decepticons. It is just so odd.
Also, the Ironhide Spotlight at the end had reeeeaaaallly clean art. Literally some of the nicest art I've seen in Transformers so far. I wish the rest of this collection looked that nice.
April 22, 2019
haven't read Ph1Vol 2,4,6 but I really did not like this collection
Infestation (Zombie/Undead)
Time Travel
Parallel Universe
thigns i don't like in a book!! (Well unless the zombies are part of the genre...but in transformers!!?!?!?!) Didn't much like it.
The Chaos lead-in parts (can't remember the # scheem but #3 were good though
Infestation (Zombie/Undead)
Time Travel
Parallel Universe
thigns i don't like in a book!! (Well unless the zombies are part of the genre...but in transformers!!?!?!?!) Didn't much like it.
The Chaos lead-in parts (can't remember the # scheem but #3 were good though
March 14, 2023
This collection had some incredible moments, like the revenge of the Deceptacon‘s story arc. But it also has some ok moments like the infestation and Ironhide’s stories. In all it was great, and the new artwork tends to look a little more anime, but it works for me. Still really enjoyed the stories.
October 5, 2021
Really wild to see the Decepticons, and Megatron in particular, decide the best way to destroy the humans and the Autobots is by speaking to them through the television and radio, then capitalizing on humans' fear of what is different.
Taking a page out of the fascist playbook of old here.
Taking a page out of the fascist playbook of old here.
August 27, 2025
Best part was the Ironhide short, glad to see my guy Sunstreaker all fixed up. Mostly. To a degree.
November 13, 2014
The seventh volume of IDW's Transformers series collects from the second volume of their "Transformers" ongoing.
IDW's Transformers has been relatively hit-or-miss, but, starting with the ongoing Transformers series (just called "Transformers") it has been almost universally a hit. Working with the soft reboot post-All Hail Megatron, the series focuses, mostly, on Autobots stranded on Earth, forming shaky alliances with human authorities and batting down Decepticon stragglers after Megatron's devastating all-out invasion on the planet several years prior.
Volume 7 of these premium hardcover collections starts with Transformers: Infestation, a two-part story written as part of IDW's big publisher-wide "Infestation" event, which pits several well-known franchises against relentless zombie hordes. The Transformers Infestation plotline slots nicely into the series at large, using the Dead Universe as a jumping-off point. While there are several connections with the franchise-spanning Infestation crossover, it is, mostly, a short, canon, self-contained zombie invasion story, that, nontheless, has lasting ramifications for the Autobots.
Moving from Infestation and into the ongoing's second volume, things start to really heat up. Humankind is tearing itself apart with paranoia. Though the events of All Hail Megatron are but a distant, nightmarish memory, there is severe distrust of Cybertronians on Earth. Bumblebee leads the Autobots on Earth with this as a backdrop, and tensions continue to rise as several countries see fit to hire Decepticon mercenaries to conduct their wars for them. It's a particularly dark view of world politics post-alien invasion, and the final chapter throws some real curveballs that seem to hint at a far, far darker endgame than one might expect. Though, there are still plenty of robot-based thrills and spills to soak in, and some particularly inspired choices of world leaders whom would relish the chance to throw Transformers around.
The third volume of the ongoing is a revenge story, with presumed-dead characters rising to stir up the status quo. The lengths at which these Decepticons will go, for the sake of teaching the Autobots a "lesson," are pretty severe, and it's a far meatier read than some of the stories which flank it. IDW hasn't shied away from being truly mature in its adaptation - Last Stand of the Wreckers is truly gruesome - and this continues the trend of turning what were once shameless cartoon villains into demented, wickedly evil madmen. It's a gambit that results in some gripping storytelling, and this is no exception.
And finally there's an Ironhide miniseries. I love this Ironhide miniseries. Focusing on Ironhide haven woken up millions of years after receiving a fatal blast to the chest, a lot of it is him, wandering around a desolate and ruined Cybertron, alone. It's haunting, and hilarious, all at once, with Ironside's running commentary showcasing his dry, witless humour. The series eventually branches off and provides revelations about other characters, but, as a whole, it leans on a singular gimmick that pays dividends, at least for me. I've always enjoyed these character-specific series, and this may be one of the finest examples.
The art is universally fantastic, as always, with some stellar new designs for fan-favourite characters, and a visceral punch to all the action scenes that makes them truly exciting to behold. IDW seems to have hand-picked creative teams that understand the Transformers mythos to a tee, with dark, shocking, almost depressing storylines, and an almost Machiavellian prose that values fear and dread over joy or optimism. It then combines that with solid sci-fi worldbuilding, and, when it's done, it throws in transforming giant robots. It takes itself very seriously, but it understands that by doing so, therein lies the fun.
Fans of Transformers have grown up, and they very much crave a nostalgic thinkpiece that idolizes the toys they grew up with. But they also just want to see cool robots beat the snot out of each other with fantastical laserguns, and so, this series provides all of that, in a coherent whole that, as is standard of IDW, packaged beautifully and to the highest quality. If you're following IDW's Transformers, I can't see any reason why you'd stop here. Excellent work.
IDW's Transformers has been relatively hit-or-miss, but, starting with the ongoing Transformers series (just called "Transformers") it has been almost universally a hit. Working with the soft reboot post-All Hail Megatron, the series focuses, mostly, on Autobots stranded on Earth, forming shaky alliances with human authorities and batting down Decepticon stragglers after Megatron's devastating all-out invasion on the planet several years prior.
Volume 7 of these premium hardcover collections starts with Transformers: Infestation, a two-part story written as part of IDW's big publisher-wide "Infestation" event, which pits several well-known franchises against relentless zombie hordes. The Transformers Infestation plotline slots nicely into the series at large, using the Dead Universe as a jumping-off point. While there are several connections with the franchise-spanning Infestation crossover, it is, mostly, a short, canon, self-contained zombie invasion story, that, nontheless, has lasting ramifications for the Autobots.
Moving from Infestation and into the ongoing's second volume, things start to really heat up. Humankind is tearing itself apart with paranoia. Though the events of All Hail Megatron are but a distant, nightmarish memory, there is severe distrust of Cybertronians on Earth. Bumblebee leads the Autobots on Earth with this as a backdrop, and tensions continue to rise as several countries see fit to hire Decepticon mercenaries to conduct their wars for them. It's a particularly dark view of world politics post-alien invasion, and the final chapter throws some real curveballs that seem to hint at a far, far darker endgame than one might expect. Though, there are still plenty of robot-based thrills and spills to soak in, and some particularly inspired choices of world leaders whom would relish the chance to throw Transformers around.
The third volume of the ongoing is a revenge story, with presumed-dead characters rising to stir up the status quo. The lengths at which these Decepticons will go, for the sake of teaching the Autobots a "lesson," are pretty severe, and it's a far meatier read than some of the stories which flank it. IDW hasn't shied away from being truly mature in its adaptation - Last Stand of the Wreckers is truly gruesome - and this continues the trend of turning what were once shameless cartoon villains into demented, wickedly evil madmen. It's a gambit that results in some gripping storytelling, and this is no exception.
And finally there's an Ironhide miniseries. I love this Ironhide miniseries. Focusing on Ironhide haven woken up millions of years after receiving a fatal blast to the chest, a lot of it is him, wandering around a desolate and ruined Cybertron, alone. It's haunting, and hilarious, all at once, with Ironside's running commentary showcasing his dry, witless humour. The series eventually branches off and provides revelations about other characters, but, as a whole, it leans on a singular gimmick that pays dividends, at least for me. I've always enjoyed these character-specific series, and this may be one of the finest examples.
The art is universally fantastic, as always, with some stellar new designs for fan-favourite characters, and a visceral punch to all the action scenes that makes them truly exciting to behold. IDW seems to have hand-picked creative teams that understand the Transformers mythos to a tee, with dark, shocking, almost depressing storylines, and an almost Machiavellian prose that values fear and dread over joy or optimism. It then combines that with solid sci-fi worldbuilding, and, when it's done, it throws in transforming giant robots. It takes itself very seriously, but it understands that by doing so, therein lies the fun.
Fans of Transformers have grown up, and they very much crave a nostalgic thinkpiece that idolizes the toys they grew up with. But they also just want to see cool robots beat the snot out of each other with fantastical laserguns, and so, this series provides all of that, in a coherent whole that, as is standard of IDW, packaged beautifully and to the highest quality. If you're following IDW's Transformers, I can't see any reason why you'd stop here. Excellent work.
December 3, 2014
(Error in the listing: it's the Ironhide mini, not Drift)
Infestation two-parter: 2/5. Bilge, albeit with some interestingly stylised artwork
International Incident: 2/5. Poor story shoe-horsing Transformers and geopolitics together. Also, the first chapter has some truly awful art.
Revenge of the Decepticons: 4/5. Fast-paced, s**t-hitting the fan action. Much more interesting.
Ironhide: 3/5. Straightforward action-adventure with a bog-standard Transformers flavour. Lovely art.
Infestation two-parter: 2/5. Bilge, albeit with some interestingly stylised artwork
International Incident: 2/5. Poor story shoe-horsing Transformers and geopolitics together. Also, the first chapter has some truly awful art.
Revenge of the Decepticons: 4/5. Fast-paced, s**t-hitting the fan action. Much more interesting.
Ironhide: 3/5. Straightforward action-adventure with a bog-standard Transformers flavour. Lovely art.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews