What do you think?
Rate this book
Transformers IDW #49
Transformers: Combiner Wars
The AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS' uneasy peace is threatened by the flames of war! STARSCREAM--ruler of CYBERTRON--makes contact with WINDBLADE'S home world--and the only defense against a new CYBERTRONIAN EMPIRE are COMBINERS--multiple CYBERTRONIANS forming together into huge, dangerous forms! Collects issues #39-41 of Transformers and the first three issues of Windblade-Combiner Wars.
153 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2015
8 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 12, 2015
I've written often in my reviews of the collected volumes of the IDW Transformers series Robot In Disguise on how its the best comic book series about Hasbro's transforming robots. So imagine my disappointment at this crossover event that I felt was not as good as I thought it would be.
True, Robot In Disguise did not exactly had a crossover issue, but the Lost Light triumvirate of Rodimus, Megatron and Ultra Magnus did make a cameo appearance, if only to send off First Aid, his four Protectobot friends and Mirage back to Cybertron.
I was especially excited to see Livio Ramondelli involved in the art. I particularly enjoyed his work on Autocracy and I was bit apprehensive on how his work would mesh because he has a stylized style that would stand out. He has more cartoony style for Combiner Wars but not so different from his darker work on the appropriately bleak Autocracy or its sequel, Monstrosity.
I initially was quite excited for Combiner Wars since it also tied in with new toys that Hasbro put out as well. However, my disappointment on how the comic book component of the campaign tempered my enthusiasm for the toys. Maybe when its on clearance I'll get a few for myself.
True, Robot In Disguise did not exactly had a crossover issue, but the Lost Light triumvirate of Rodimus, Megatron and Ultra Magnus did make a cameo appearance, if only to send off First Aid, his four Protectobot friends and Mirage back to Cybertron.
I was especially excited to see Livio Ramondelli involved in the art. I particularly enjoyed his work on Autocracy and I was bit apprehensive on how his work would mesh because he has a stylized style that would stand out. He has more cartoony style for Combiner Wars but not so different from his darker work on the appropriately bleak Autocracy or its sequel, Monstrosity.
I initially was quite excited for Combiner Wars since it also tied in with new toys that Hasbro put out as well. However, my disappointment on how the comic book component of the campaign tempered my enthusiasm for the toys. Maybe when its on clearance I'll get a few for myself.
September 7, 2022
Combiner Wars? More like, Combiner Fracas.
Occasionally good artwork, but really, this is a non-event. Kind of a let down which I am hoping does not signal the decline of an incredible run of comics from IDW.
2.5/5
Occasionally good artwork, but really, this is a non-event. Kind of a let down which I am hoping does not signal the decline of an incredible run of comics from IDW.
2.5/5
October 19, 2015
If you always thought the answer to the question "What is better than fighting robots?" is "Giant fighting robots" then 'Transformers: Combiner Wars' might change your mind.
It's a big crossover series (kind of) that takes place in issues 39-41 of Transformers and issues 1-3 of Transformers: Windblade. The Autobots and Decepticons are at peace but that is threatened by Cybertron and their new leader, Starscream. The only solution to this is to build giant robots made out of other robots, called Combiners. The problem with this, and many of the Transformer books I've read, is that there is so much exasperating bloviating going on that I feel like watching C-SPAN would more exciting. Maybe I'm juvenile to actually want the robots to fight each other, especially those giant ones, but it seems few and far between.
The other problem with a crossover like this is that you have art styles that differ quite a bit. While reading monthly issues this might not be a big deal, in a 6 issue story like this I did actually like both art styles and I understand that the issues were from two different books, but it kind of kept pulling me out of the story a bit. All in all, it wasn't my style. I wanted giant fighting robots, not giant boring robots.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
It's a big crossover series (kind of) that takes place in issues 39-41 of Transformers and issues 1-3 of Transformers: Windblade. The Autobots and Decepticons are at peace but that is threatened by Cybertron and their new leader, Starscream. The only solution to this is to build giant robots made out of other robots, called Combiners. The problem with this, and many of the Transformer books I've read, is that there is so much exasperating bloviating going on that I feel like watching C-SPAN would more exciting. Maybe I'm juvenile to actually want the robots to fight each other, especially those giant ones, but it seems few and far between.
The other problem with a crossover like this is that you have art styles that differ quite a bit. While reading monthly issues this might not be a big deal, in a 6 issue story like this I did actually like both art styles and I understand that the issues were from two different books, but it kind of kept pulling me out of the story a bit. All in all, it wasn't my style. I wanted giant fighting robots, not giant boring robots.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
October 1, 2018
Transformers: Combiner Wars sees Windblades Homeworld under the hammer as the war that are threatened with Combiner Technology's spread start to threaten the fragile peace that exists amongst all Cybertronians! :D The characterisation is spot on as we get to see all the various combiners from Superion to Devastator get caught in the escalating situation! :D The portrayal of the characters and the issues of combing are really put to the fore and you can see the concerns from all sides about this! :D Starscream's grasping for power is still as every is play as it Prime's trying to stand up for the individual! :D
The politics are all up to the front as well as we see that Starscream's hold on power is basically a veneer and that people will still jump when Prime wants them to! :D At the same time we get to see Windblade and Prowl in action and more of Caminus is explored! :D The action comes thick and fast throughout as well with the inevitable battles between combiners and surprising twists coming up and catching up with old characters and at the same time introducing new characters like Optimus Maximus! :D
The art is stunning with the action coming thick and fast and all portrayed brilliantly on the books pages! :D Barber, Mairghread and Stone do a great job getting it all up there and the whole books works brilliantly! :D Transformers: Combiner Wars is full of character development, World building, moral issues, heroics, villains, adventure and and action packed throughout! :D Brilliant Crisp High Five! :D Go and Get! :D
The politics are all up to the front as well as we see that Starscream's hold on power is basically a veneer and that people will still jump when Prime wants them to! :D At the same time we get to see Windblade and Prowl in action and more of Caminus is explored! :D The action comes thick and fast throughout as well with the inevitable battles between combiners and surprising twists coming up and catching up with old characters and at the same time introducing new characters like Optimus Maximus! :D
The art is stunning with the action coming thick and fast and all portrayed brilliantly on the books pages! :D Barber, Mairghread and Stone do a great job getting it all up there and the whole books works brilliantly! :D Transformers: Combiner Wars is full of character development, World building, moral issues, heroics, villains, adventure and and action packed throughout! :D Brilliant Crisp High Five! :D Go and Get! :D
October 22, 2024
Three stars for three giant robot fights.
On the other hand, only three stars because why did we get three giant robot fights.
On the other hand, only three stars because why did we get three giant robot fights.
March 12, 2017
Who would have thought that the Transformers would have so much politics? This series takes place after a big war where the Autobots and Decepticons now live together on Cybertron with Starscream as the leader of the planet. If you understood that sentence, then you are a Transformer nerd and will probably like this book. Some new female Transformer characters are introduced, along with the concept that there are lost colonies of Cybertron out in the galaxy. The Combiner Wars title comes from the fact that certain Transformers can combine into one large robot. This will happen in the story, and they will fight. I enjoyed reading about a society of robots. I liked the art, however some of the issues were done with very dark tones. Also, It was hard for me to tell some of the characters apart visually. Overall, I enjoyed it and will probably investigate stories about the character Windblade.
December 24, 2018
Hmm. Conceptually this was going to be excellent. All the classic Combiners including Devastator, Menasor et al, battling it out on a politically unstable Cybertron? Should be grand but isn't. Too repetitive in parts and disparate in others. I enjoyed the preceding issues but the expectation outweighed the reality in the end. Taking a break from this title for awhile...
August 13, 2017
A damn fine read with writers John Barber and Mairghread Scott interrogate the nature of politics and the military through character-plot keeping in flow with a series of twists and turns. Part digital painting by always professional Livio Ramondelli (showing less lens flare), has settled into his epic style becoming at home. Useful, for Livio is paired with Sarah Stone who regularly uses cartoonish emotes: somehow these merge fluently. Much of the book includes big damn fights, a little too often, and the creators are lacking in drawing in some of the investment. On the other hand, there's a sense this series has found it's footing again, and it holds a candle to the MTMTE/Lost Light series much better than is often credited.
March 26, 2017
I found this to be a particularly interesting read simply because the political climate on Cybertron seems to be similar to the political situation in The US today. The "Chosen One" is a bot that many view a tyrant and is known for his lying, scheming ways. But fortunately Optimus Prime is around to try to balance the tables as much as Starscream will allow. Starscream is still scheming to turn Cybertron and existing Cybertronian societies into empire ruled by his tyrannical metal fist. The best way Starscream sees fit to accomplish his goal is to unleash the devastating power of the Combiners onto the newly discovered colony of Caminus.
February 2, 2018
Well, there are a lot of interesting and fun ideas in here. Unfortunately, outside of some of the political stuff, Combiner Wars comes off as alternately shallow or hurried, and doesn't really live up to its potential. (I almost wonder if the creators had to write this against their will.) In particular, the Enigma of Combination isn't used for anything beyond a pure plot device, with no reference to the backstory and implications from the prologue (a.k.a. Transformers Volume 7). This isn't bad, exactly, but after the lead-in I was expecting much more. (B)
June 28, 2019
aw no Bruticus??? I still prefer teh Autocracy Trilogy , graphics-style...but jsut seeing combiners pummel each other is pretty entertaining...and teh storyline isn't too shabby, though i still can't get use to the windblade character.
September 22, 2019
Pretty cool, but...
Where is Bruticus? Predaking? Computron? How can you even have a combiner war without the Combaticons? But it was still good. The art was very good too, except for the last issue, which really stunk. Overall, decent. 3-1/2 stars.
Where is Bruticus? Predaking? Computron? How can you even have a combiner war without the Combaticons? But it was still good. The art was very good too, except for the last issue, which really stunk. Overall, decent. 3-1/2 stars.
March 9, 2024
Un poco fome la verdad, siento que fue un arco demás en la línea continua porque no le hallé sentido (o la otra no se leer) me gustaron los epílogos eso si.
Aún no entiendo bien que quería hacer prowl(?
Aún no entiendo bien que quería hacer prowl(?
May 22, 2017
No es impresionante ni nada así, pero mi niño fan de los robots gigantes está feliz.
March 29, 2019
You can't slip this if you care about Prowl! Some important stuff goes down with our rapidly evolving tactician...
October 21, 2020
It's amazing how Barber and Scott are given a toy-driven storyline and absolutely deliver a compelling mix of politics and lore.
December 8, 2022
Another one of those not so rare misses. It started off okay and then devolved into its usual ridiculousness.
June 30, 2016
I got some good...and some bad. But it's all subjective.
As much as I love Transformers--and I really love Transformers--the politics of Cybertron are kind of wearing me out. I'm not big into political dramas but I'm not big into fight, fight, fight, fight! either. I shouldn't be so critical because that's very picky, but there's a bit of see-sawing in the plot here. There's a big fight in the beginning, then politics, then a fight, then politics, then another fight, etc. I understand that it wouldn't be The Combiner Wars without actual fights between Combiners, but about halfway through the book I kind of felt like different Combiners kept popping up or coming back after they'd been defeated for the sake of there being a fight.
But the way the internal threats were revealed and the way the climax peaked was just fantastic! I mean--Prowl?! Come ON! He has become so frickin' twisted I just...I can't believe the way this character has evolved and Mairghread Scott really got behind finalizing the outcome of Prowl's insanity. The Combiners themselves were pretty cool--especially Superion. It seemed like the most level-headed of all the Combiners prior to the character that pops up in the end (which I thought was an epic twist)! Another thing I thought was really interesting was the way the Camiens recieved Optimus Prime. I don't know if this counts as a spoiler but I'll hide it anyway because the mystery that hangs over Windblade and Optimus is more impactful when read personally. You can still get into the story of this book without letting that internalization distract you. I just thought that was an interesting analysis.
Livio Ramondelli is a talented artist where his strength is in dark tones and dramatic characters, but Sarah Stone and Corin Howell are my absolute favorites. I eat their art style up with my eyes like a desert man consumes water; I seriously cannot get enough of it and I wish they did the art for all of the Transformers comics--with the exception of Nick Roche because he is the master of telling story through gesture and expression. Yeah, more Stone and Howell please.
I would say more but I refrain from telling spoilers. Overall, I did like this volume despite some overwhelming details that distracted from some characters like Starscream and overshadowed the importance of the two worlds meeting together. There is a hint for Transformers fans who grew up in the late 90's and it blew my mind so much that I bought the volume following this one, Windblade: Distant Stars, before even finishing this book. Can't wait to dig into the Transformers that were really part of my childhood as opposed to my older brother's.
As much as I love Transformers--and I really love Transformers--the politics of Cybertron are kind of wearing me out. I'm not big into political dramas but I'm not big into fight, fight, fight, fight! either. I shouldn't be so critical because that's very picky, but there's a bit of see-sawing in the plot here. There's a big fight in the beginning, then politics, then a fight, then politics, then another fight, etc. I understand that it wouldn't be The Combiner Wars without actual fights between Combiners, but about halfway through the book I kind of felt like different Combiners kept popping up or coming back after they'd been defeated for the sake of there being a fight.
But the way the internal threats were revealed and the way the climax peaked was just fantastic! I mean--Prowl?! Come ON! He has become so frickin' twisted I just...I can't believe the way this character has evolved and Mairghread Scott really got behind finalizing the outcome of Prowl's insanity. The Combiners themselves were pretty cool--especially Superion. It seemed like the most level-headed of all the Combiners prior to the character that pops up in the end (which I thought was an epic twist)! Another thing I thought was really interesting was the way the Camiens recieved Optimus Prime. I don't know if this counts as a spoiler but I'll hide it anyway because the mystery that hangs over Windblade and Optimus is more impactful when read personally. You can still get into the story of this book without letting that internalization distract you. I just thought that was an interesting analysis.
Livio Ramondelli is a talented artist where his strength is in dark tones and dramatic characters, but Sarah Stone and Corin Howell are my absolute favorites. I eat their art style up with my eyes like a desert man consumes water; I seriously cannot get enough of it and I wish they did the art for all of the Transformers comics--with the exception of Nick Roche because he is the master of telling story through gesture and expression. Yeah, more Stone and Howell please.
I would say more but I refrain from telling spoilers. Overall, I did like this volume despite some overwhelming details that distracted from some characters like Starscream and overshadowed the importance of the two worlds meeting together. There is a hint for Transformers fans who grew up in the late 90's and it blew my mind so much that I bought the volume following this one, Windblade: Distant Stars, before even finishing this book. Can't wait to dig into the Transformers that were really part of my childhood as opposed to my older brother's.
August 30, 2024
Standout issues: Part 1 (Windblade Vol. 2 #1), Part 2 (The Transformers Vol. 2 #40), Part 4 (The Transformers Vol. 2 #41), Epilogue (The Transformers Vol. 2 #42)
November 16, 2015
I couldn't even finish this book, and I don't usually do that. I like the Transformers, and I've read a few of their comics, but this one didn't make any sense...... Looking into it, this book throws two different comic books in the same collection, and one of them is in the middle of it's run. So if you're going to pick this up, make sure you know the story centered around it first. If you want a good Transformers comic series, get Autocracy and the others in that series.
September 23, 2015
Its probably not a good thing when the politics of this sort of crossover event are better than the giant robot smushing.
October 2, 2015
Interesting take
Good read, a different take on the start of the special teams, more guff g v h b h v
Good read, a different take on the start of the special teams, more guff g v h b h v
June 21, 2016
"You see that? The ground was innocent. It never did anything but let me walk on it. So imagine what I'll do to you if you hurt my friend"
-Chromia
Best. Line. EVER!
-Chromia
Best. Line. EVER!
October 13, 2016
Big, dumb fun story about robots teaming up to form bigger robots and punching other robots in their robot faces.
November 28, 2016
Interesting.
February 17, 2018
3,5 overall with more stars for some of the episodes (and for Swindle and Prowl, especially for Prowl!)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews