What do you think?
Rate this book
Transformers (2023) #4
Transformers Vol. 4: Conquer and Control
The Eisner Award-winning series from Daniel Warren Johnson and Jorge Corona reveals the answers to long awaited questions as the Cybertronian war on Earth explodes in TRANSFORMERS VOL. 4.
ONE SHALL STAND, ONE SHALL FALL.
Megatron has returned to lead the Decepticons, and only Optimus Prime may be able to stop him.
The war between the Autobots and Decepticons has all been leading to the shocking conclusion that NO ONE will see coming!
The critically acclaimed team of Daniel Warren Johnson (Do A Powerbomb) and Jorge Corona (Middlewest) break all the rules in this brand-new volume of the Eisner Award-winning series.
Collects TRANSFORMERS #19-24 and a story from ENERGON UNIVERSE SPECIAL 2025.
ONE SHALL STAND, ONE SHALL FALL.
Megatron has returned to lead the Decepticons, and only Optimus Prime may be able to stop him.
The war between the Autobots and Decepticons has all been leading to the shocking conclusion that NO ONE will see coming!
The critically acclaimed team of Daniel Warren Johnson (Do A Powerbomb) and Jorge Corona (Middlewest) break all the rules in this brand-new volume of the Eisner Award-winning series.
Collects TRANSFORMERS #19-24 and a story from ENERGON UNIVERSE SPECIAL 2025.
144 pages, Paperback
Published November 25, 2025
18 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Warren Johnson
166 books414 followersDaniel Warren Johnson is a Chicago-based comic book writer, artist, and illustrator. He's worked on titles for most major publishers, including Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Image. His current series with Skybound/Image Comics is EXTREMITY, a sci-fi/fantasy title he is writing and drawing, and continues to update his webcomic Space-Mullet in his spare time.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 23, 2025
EN The Energon universe, and this series in particular, represents some of the best that the American comic book industry is currently producing.
That said, I must admit that I increasingly struggle to see how this series will intersect with the others, which initially seemed to be its purpose. By the fourth volume, such crossovers have been virtually nonexistent. Considering that everything takes place within the same universe, I can’t help but wonder: where are the GI Joes when the Autobots and Decepticons are destroying half a city in their battles?
In any case, this is merely a personal curiosity and does not negatively affect the work. This series remains a delightful read, especially for those who grew up following the Transformers.
--
PT O universo de Energon, e esta série em particular, representa o melhor que a indústria de banda desenhada americana está a produzir actualmente.
Dito isto, confesso que cada vez menos consigo perceber como esta série se irá cruzar com as outras, o que inicialmente parecia ser o seu objectivo. Ao quarto volume, esse cruzamento revelou-se praticamente inexistente. Considerando que tudo se passa no mesmo universo, não consigo deixar de me perguntar: onde estarão os GI Joes quando os Autobots e os Decepticons destroem meia cidade a lutar entre si?
Seja como for, é apenas uma curiosidade pessoal e não afecta negativamente a obra. Esta série continua deliciosa de ler, especialmente para quem cresceu a acompanhar os Transformers.
That said, I must admit that I increasingly struggle to see how this series will intersect with the others, which initially seemed to be its purpose. By the fourth volume, such crossovers have been virtually nonexistent. Considering that everything takes place within the same universe, I can’t help but wonder: where are the GI Joes when the Autobots and Decepticons are destroying half a city in their battles?
In any case, this is merely a personal curiosity and does not negatively affect the work. This series remains a delightful read, especially for those who grew up following the Transformers.
--
PT O universo de Energon, e esta série em particular, representa o melhor que a indústria de banda desenhada americana está a produzir actualmente.
Dito isto, confesso que cada vez menos consigo perceber como esta série se irá cruzar com as outras, o que inicialmente parecia ser o seu objectivo. Ao quarto volume, esse cruzamento revelou-se praticamente inexistente. Considerando que tudo se passa no mesmo universo, não consigo deixar de me perguntar: onde estarão os GI Joes quando os Autobots e os Decepticons destroem meia cidade a lutar entre si?
Seja como for, é apenas uma curiosidade pessoal e não afecta negativamente a obra. Esta série continua deliciosa de ler, especialmente para quem cresceu a acompanhar os Transformers.
November 24, 2025
A terrific finale to Daniel Warren Johnson’s run. This volume delivers everything that made the series special: big emotional swings, powerful character moments, and the kind of bold, high-impact storytelling DWJ excels at. The ending is satisfying, dramatic, and pays off the groundwork laid from issue #1. A fantastic close to a truly standout run — I loved it.
January 17, 2026
This was a really good series! 4.4 🌟
December 11, 2025
The previous volume of Daniel Warren Johnson’s excellent Transformers run ended on quite the cliffhanger, which is the glorious return of Megatron, who is ready to take back control of his Decepticon army, smelling big trouble for both the Autobots and humanity.
However, before we get to the main course, this volume opens with a fun little starter, which is a six-page story published as part of the Energon Universe Special 2025 one-shot. Written and drawn by Johnson himself, the story explores Jazz’s love of music as he starts off as part of a band of Autobots in Cybertron, to eventually finding a musical rhythm during the present day on Earth, which just so happens to be his namesake. As well as being a nice little piece of sincere characterisation that Johnson excels at, it is also nice seeing his electrifying art which has been missed since he dropped art duties on the book after the first six issues.
Another detour that the volume takes before the main narrative is #19, a flashback issue that shows Megatron’s rise of power, as he goes through trial after trial set up by the Quintessons, battling hordes of Sharkticons. Drawn by Ludo Lullabi and coloured by Adriano Lucas, the issue gives a different visual energy than what you usually expect from the series, though it delivers on the impact of Megatron going through hell. Although Johnson doesn’t go into great depth over Megatron’s Cybertronian origins – though they could be saving that for future issues – the issue shows how Megatron perceives power differently to Optimus Prime, especially when the former receives his own Matrix.
It is clear throughout this volume that Johnson loves writing Megatron, who is presented as this tyrannical ruler with a touch of honour who somewhat respects Optimus, even if he views his enemy’s empathy towards humanity as a sign of weakness. Whilst you do get the classic dynamic of Megatron bossing Starscream around, there is also psychological abuse in how Megatron transforms into a handgun so that Starscream can wield it and force him to do horrible things. As much as some Decepticons have tried to oppose him, there is a reason why Megatron is a leader.
If there is a flaw that is carried over from the previous volume, it would be the unwieldy nature of the amount of characters displayed throughout, some of which are branched out into separate groups. Since this covers the remaining issues from Johnson’s runs, not all the subplots are wrapped, though again this could be setting up future storylines in this book. However, whatever arcs are resolved, Johnson nail it with wonderful scenes of characterisation from Ultra Magnus finally getting his groove back to the father-son dynamic that has been played throughout since the very beginning.
As the main artist, Jorge Corona’s busy art may not be as polished as Johnson’s work, but he is always giving his A-game, especially when it comes to the action, which is spectacular, especially during the climax where everything is thrown in the kitchen sink, including three combiners. Considering that we had five Michael Bay-directed Transformers movies that revelled in destruction porn without any regard for human life, the creators are aware of this, and so when the destruction occurs, it matters into how the Autobots are in this constant situation of trying to stop their enemies, but worrying about harming humans in the crossfire. While there are humans that fear the presence of the Transformers in general (can’t wait for that G.I. Joe crossover), there are some who view the Autobots as heroes, including Carly and Spike who see them as a family.
It may not be much of a spoiler to say that the Autobots win against the Decepticons as this is a tale as old as time when it comes to the entire franchise, but Johnson and Co present some surprises along the way, which makes me excited to see what writer Robert Kirkman and artist Dan Mora have planned during their time on Transformers. As for this initial run, Danil Warren Johnson makes you feel vindicated about why you liked this toy-based property in the first place.
However, before we get to the main course, this volume opens with a fun little starter, which is a six-page story published as part of the Energon Universe Special 2025 one-shot. Written and drawn by Johnson himself, the story explores Jazz’s love of music as he starts off as part of a band of Autobots in Cybertron, to eventually finding a musical rhythm during the present day on Earth, which just so happens to be his namesake. As well as being a nice little piece of sincere characterisation that Johnson excels at, it is also nice seeing his electrifying art which has been missed since he dropped art duties on the book after the first six issues.
Another detour that the volume takes before the main narrative is #19, a flashback issue that shows Megatron’s rise of power, as he goes through trial after trial set up by the Quintessons, battling hordes of Sharkticons. Drawn by Ludo Lullabi and coloured by Adriano Lucas, the issue gives a different visual energy than what you usually expect from the series, though it delivers on the impact of Megatron going through hell. Although Johnson doesn’t go into great depth over Megatron’s Cybertronian origins – though they could be saving that for future issues – the issue shows how Megatron perceives power differently to Optimus Prime, especially when the former receives his own Matrix.
It is clear throughout this volume that Johnson loves writing Megatron, who is presented as this tyrannical ruler with a touch of honour who somewhat respects Optimus, even if he views his enemy’s empathy towards humanity as a sign of weakness. Whilst you do get the classic dynamic of Megatron bossing Starscream around, there is also psychological abuse in how Megatron transforms into a handgun so that Starscream can wield it and force him to do horrible things. As much as some Decepticons have tried to oppose him, there is a reason why Megatron is a leader.
If there is a flaw that is carried over from the previous volume, it would be the unwieldy nature of the amount of characters displayed throughout, some of which are branched out into separate groups. Since this covers the remaining issues from Johnson’s runs, not all the subplots are wrapped, though again this could be setting up future storylines in this book. However, whatever arcs are resolved, Johnson nail it with wonderful scenes of characterisation from Ultra Magnus finally getting his groove back to the father-son dynamic that has been played throughout since the very beginning.
As the main artist, Jorge Corona’s busy art may not be as polished as Johnson’s work, but he is always giving his A-game, especially when it comes to the action, which is spectacular, especially during the climax where everything is thrown in the kitchen sink, including three combiners. Considering that we had five Michael Bay-directed Transformers movies that revelled in destruction porn without any regard for human life, the creators are aware of this, and so when the destruction occurs, it matters into how the Autobots are in this constant situation of trying to stop their enemies, but worrying about harming humans in the crossfire. While there are humans that fear the presence of the Transformers in general (can’t wait for that G.I. Joe crossover), there are some who view the Autobots as heroes, including Carly and Spike who see them as a family.
It may not be much of a spoiler to say that the Autobots win against the Decepticons as this is a tale as old as time when it comes to the entire franchise, but Johnson and Co present some surprises along the way, which makes me excited to see what writer Robert Kirkman and artist Dan Mora have planned during their time on Transformers. As for this initial run, Danil Warren Johnson makes you feel vindicated about why you liked this toy-based property in the first place.
December 3, 2025
!!!!!!!This was so good!!!!! I cried so much!!!!! What the heck?!?!?!?!!!!
October 23, 2025
While not AS good as volume 1 and 2 for me, it's still goddamn epic.
Basically this has the Autobots final stand against the Decepticons. The return of a fully committed and ruthlessly focused Megatron to lead his forces raises the stakes, especially following the chilling standalone vignette that kicks off the volume. What follows is an epic, brutal, hand-to-hand combat with plenty of death to go around. The destruction is immense, featuring powerhouse clashes like the Autobots' Superion taking on the Decepticon Combiners Devastator and Bruticus, but it all funnels down to the personal, gut wrenching final duel between Optimus Prime and Megatron that redefines their rivalry. In other words, this shit is SICK.
But what worked so well are the touching moments between Prime and the ones he's lost in the Hall of Prime, a quiet, mournful reflection that honors the sacrifices, particularly the profound loss of Bumblebee from earlier in the run. I actually FELT that shit. The human characters even have some standout moments, with Spike Witwicky and Carly bravely inserting themselves into the battle to aid their mechanical friends. Epic, sad, beautifully done, this run will go down as a classic!
Basically this has the Autobots final stand against the Decepticons. The return of a fully committed and ruthlessly focused Megatron to lead his forces raises the stakes, especially following the chilling standalone vignette that kicks off the volume. What follows is an epic, brutal, hand-to-hand combat with plenty of death to go around. The destruction is immense, featuring powerhouse clashes like the Autobots' Superion taking on the Decepticon Combiners Devastator and Bruticus, but it all funnels down to the personal, gut wrenching final duel between Optimus Prime and Megatron that redefines their rivalry. In other words, this shit is SICK.
But what worked so well are the touching moments between Prime and the ones he's lost in the Hall of Prime, a quiet, mournful reflection that honors the sacrifices, particularly the profound loss of Bumblebee from earlier in the run. I actually FELT that shit. The human characters even have some standout moments, with Spike Witwicky and Carly bravely inserting themselves into the battle to aid their mechanical friends. Epic, sad, beautifully done, this run will go down as a classic!
January 1, 2026
"Small, but mighty" is the final piece dialogue of this volume, spoken by Optimus Prime, and is also the best means summarising Daniel Warren Johnson's story in the Transformers Energon Universe thus far. This volume perhaps strikes me as my favourite, and one of my most favourite graphic novels thus far, continuing the story from Megatron's return as leader of the Decepticons, and with the Autobots on the backfoot once again. Curing the infighting that plagued his faction, Megatron easily settles in again as leader of the Decepticons and waging tryannical brutality against his Cybertronian enemies, and humanity. Cities across the United States itself become battlefields as the Autobots do all they can to protect themselves, humanity, and an ailing Optimus Prime from a reinvigorated Decepticon warpath. This volume is especially interesting as we continue to see the War for Cybertron on numerous fronts, the interactions between the Autobots and the humans they meet along the way, and the most interesting feature: Optimus Prime, with his ongoing discovery of humanity, battle with loss, and his determination to protect the Earth. I cannot wait until the next volume arrives.
January 25, 2026
Daniel Warren Johnson knows what he's doing with this franchise and I love to see take form. This latest volume continues where things were left off and attempts to prepare the field for a devastating battle where sacrifices will be needed to even have a chance at surviving the impending onslaught. Despite numerous subplots and characters, DWJ juggles everything wonderfully, even making humans relevant in the grand scheme of things.
December 30, 2025
stupid fucking robots making me sob uncontrollably.
October 30, 2025
oh my GODDDDDDDD am i a massive transformers nerd- YES, BUT, this continues to be some of the best writing thats come out of transformers in such a loooong time. my only hope as the baton passes to new artists and writers is that the good beats continue and there aren't too many gaping holes in the plot.
this volume is where reading void rivals is probably going to become paramount to understanding the plot, so i guess i finally have to get off my ass and go do that
this volume is where reading void rivals is probably going to become paramount to understanding the plot, so i guess i finally have to get off my ass and go do that
September 12, 2025
I have absolutely adored this series but I have to admit, the back half, starting from the end of the second trade onward, have been paced incredibly bizarre. Single action scenes take up entire issues with very little big story moments. This series of issues is also full of that, but swings HARD with the emotional moments, which I think have been brilliant and truly effective throughout the entire series. Interested to see where it goes from here, now that our war is wrapped up for now.
October 13, 2025
Absolutely insane. Can agree some of the pacing was off during the end and some things didn’t get the time nor coverage I would have liked, but honestly I’m just so blown away by the quality of everything else I really don’t care. Not the only thing blown away this issue. Haha. Starscream and Bumblebee parallels are actually killing me 😀
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2025
i think i was sold a little too much hype for this finale. it's still good. but the pacing goes a bit weird in this final stretch.
February 1, 2026
An absolutely triumphant conclusion to the first two years of DWJ’s new epic, with Jorge Corona solidifying his position as THE iconic new artist for this run (though Ludo Lullabi’s early pages are also excellent). I do feel a bit like my mom who has been shaking her head for decades wondering “why are the autobots always SO outgunned” - but the high stakes, and grim and shocking turns continue to keep this book cooking.
December 30, 2025
Man, this actually really nailed the landing. Great arc ultimately for Spike, for Carly, for Optimus, glad they brought back Megatron to do his shenanigans. I really liked the callbacks to the OG Transformers cartoon film, and that pretty much every thread was acknowledged and tied up somehow, but also the door for what’s going on with Cybertron was left plenty open. Curious if Johnson will ever come back for another run of this series — I would be back in a heartbeat. I don’t get emotionally moved by most mainline comics, but this one really hit me in the feels at the end since I think there was so much pervasive loss and trauma throughout this run for all the many characters. Also helped that the Autobots were all genuinely good, fleshed out characters. So glad I started reading this a year or so ago.
December 7, 2025
What a way to finish. For now.
Before that, I have to say, I’m not sure whether to just accept or question the mysterious return of Megatron’s eyes, but I can live with that I think.
Ok, wow what an end. I’ll need to read again and gather my thoughts more, but what a fantastic way to wrap up things. Starscream, Magnus, Beachcomber, Cliff all had such great stories, and the way Optimus’ story came around with his arm, Sparky, and the matrix and everything… ah. And they made this one really cinematic in a lot of ways too, which I love.
I’ve got nothing but praise for this series, I can’t wait for the next start…
Before that, I have to say, I’m not sure whether to just accept or question the mysterious return of Megatron’s eyes, but I can live with that I think.
Ok, wow what an end. I’ll need to read again and gather my thoughts more, but what a fantastic way to wrap up things. Starscream, Magnus, Beachcomber, Cliff all had such great stories, and the way Optimus’ story came around with his arm, Sparky, and the matrix and everything… ah. And they made this one really cinematic in a lot of ways too, which I love.
I’ve got nothing but praise for this series, I can’t wait for the next start…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2025
ABSOLUTE PEAK!
I ran to my local comic book store for the direct market release and oh my god has the wait been worth it just to get the paperback, I loved this run!
Is it brutal? Yes. Do a good portion of my favs die? Yeah kinda.
BUT WAS IT WORTH IT?
YES!
I also loved how this book opened with Jazz’s issue and then Megatron (who’s my absolute favorite) and I’m so intrigued on Megatron’s background.
It’s a very fun twist to similar lines of background for him.
Overall, I’m so sad that DWJ will be leaving, but I’m excited to see where the franchise will go with new writers and artists being added.
5/5 stars
I ran to my local comic book store for the direct market release and oh my god has the wait been worth it just to get the paperback, I loved this run!
Is it brutal? Yes. Do a good portion of my favs die? Yeah kinda.
BUT WAS IT WORTH IT?
YES!
I also loved how this book opened with Jazz’s issue and then Megatron (who’s my absolute favorite) and I’m so intrigued on Megatron’s background.
It’s a very fun twist to similar lines of background for him.
Overall, I’m so sad that DWJ will be leaving, but I’m excited to see where the franchise will go with new writers and artists being added.
5/5 stars
November 16, 2025
With the Autobots on the back foot and Megatron on the move, the war for Earth seems like it's a foregone conclusion. But old friends and new, as well as some surprising allies, help turn the tide and keep the good guys in the fight for a little while longer.
There are some big fist-pump moments here, some tearjerkers, and at least one page turn that had me looking like the :O emoji. There's so much heart behind the Autobots, especially Prime, and it shines through in Daniel Warren Johnson's final few issues on the title.
I do think that the fact the Transformers can be repaired from pretty much any injury does detract a bit from the 'deaths' we see here and there, especially since we've seen some of these characters get wrecked already in this series, but the artwork captures the brutality of their 'murders' so powerfully every time, it's hard to complain.
This is an ending of sorts, with DWJ stepping away in favour of Robert Kirkman himself, but while there's definitely a conclusion as the final pages come to a close, there's so, so much more story to tell, and I'm here for it. I'm also interested to see how some of the events in this book reverberate through GI Joe, given that several major US cities get smashed to crap across these six issues.
There are some big fist-pump moments here, some tearjerkers, and at least one page turn that had me looking like the :O emoji. There's so much heart behind the Autobots, especially Prime, and it shines through in Daniel Warren Johnson's final few issues on the title.
I do think that the fact the Transformers can be repaired from pretty much any injury does detract a bit from the 'deaths' we see here and there, especially since we've seen some of these characters get wrecked already in this series, but the artwork captures the brutality of their 'murders' so powerfully every time, it's hard to complain.
This is an ending of sorts, with DWJ stepping away in favour of Robert Kirkman himself, but while there's definitely a conclusion as the final pages come to a close, there's so, so much more story to tell, and I'm here for it. I'm also interested to see how some of the events in this book reverberate through GI Joe, given that several major US cities get smashed to crap across these six issues.
December 5, 2025
I think pound for pound the work Daniel Warren Johnson has done on Transformers is the best Transformers I've read or seen in so long. Every character has their own unique voice and makes robots seem like people you'd want to know. I think the artwork is frantic and expressive and exciting. I think it's unafraid to make bold decisions with characters that people are usually afraid to make bold decisions with. I think these stories take the mythos we know and turn it just enough on its head to make it fresh.
I'm just really enjoying the EU very much.
I'm just really enjoying the EU very much.
September 10, 2025
The end has arrived. Daniel Warren Johnson's run has been truly exceptional, and I have enjoyed every issue. The ending is a suitable point to pass the story to the next creative team. Issue 24 was definitely the weakest for me but overall, I still appreciated the conclusion of the run and the issue.
January 14, 2026
And so the run that made me love Transformers and brought me into the wondrous fun of the larger Energon Universe comes to an end. And in goes out the way it began and continued throughout the entire run; full of action, great characters, stunning art and colors, and most importantly ten tons of heart.
November 25, 2025
This volume was intense. After being absent for most of the initial run of the series, Megatron arrives and showcases just how evil he is as a character. This is Megatron which put him at the top of the greatest villains of all time list. It's incredible and another solid entry for this series.
November 27, 2025
Great ending to this story, the depth of Megatron was really good here and the conclusion to all these elements of the story was really neatly wrapped up, the art never fails to amaze me in this series and this might be my favourite books for the colours out of all 4.
December 18, 2025
Warren really did the impossible with his Transformers run. Combining great punky art with a good heartfelt story and having all of that based on childhood toys en cartoons. It's a pity his run has ended but in this volume it goes out with a bang.
December 26, 2025
This series continues to be impressive and have non-stop action. And even with the action, still having heart and emotional moments and character moments. With the way the story unfolds, you really don’t know what’s going to happen, and that’s a fresh take and anything can really happen.
September 17, 2025
Peak just Peak transformers
September 30, 2025
“My beautiful boy.” Shut it off, wrap it up. Let optimus see his baby boy again please. Why does skybound torture these my poor babies😭
October 8, 2025
just incredible.
October 13, 2025
Se prendió la wea
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews