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Transformers IDW #56
Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers
Prowl has been kidnapped. Worse, no one wants him back. What's a meddling weasel of a bot to do? Call in THE WRECKERS of course!
Too bad the only one he trusts to rescue him, Springer, has been in a coma ever since the Wreckers' last stand at the prison Garrus-9. Traitors are revealed, secrets come to light, and it may all be more than even the baddest crew of Autobots can handle. It's a Wreckers mission, so it's guaranteed to end badly, and this time the team will never be the same.
Too bad the only one he trusts to rescue him, Springer, has been in a coma ever since the Wreckers' last stand at the prison Garrus-9. Traitors are revealed, secrets come to light, and it may all be more than even the baddest crew of Autobots can handle. It's a Wreckers mission, so it's guaranteed to end badly, and this time the team will never be the same.
120 pages, Paperback
First published August 24, 2016
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65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 10, 2017
This is the long awaited sequel to Last Stand of The Wreckers, and this time, Last Stand co-writer and artist Nick Roche takes this one solo. After the events of Last, the Wreckers disbanded with team leader Springer in a coma. The abduction of Prowl by an unknown faction of Cybertronians brings together a mixed cast of Kup, Arcee, and Impactor, as they race against time to recover Prowl and the dark secrets he carries as the main Autobot strategist from being leaked into the open.
The muted colors of the cover is indicative of the direction that Roche wanted to take. He wanted it darker and more cloak and dagger than the last Wreckers adventure. The thing with noir and the spy stories that writers like Ed Brubaker and Nathan Edmondson is that its a challenge to set up your story and maintain reader interest. Roche's inexperience is probably the main culprit why the pacing was sluggish initially. The action does pick up significantly in the middle chapters and gives the reader a moderately adequate ending.
This is still a Wreckers story, so the requisite firefights and fluid spills are present, as well as the departure of a Wrecker staple. It also introduces the concept of beast forms for the Cybertronians and the return of several Wreckers.
This story has been a long time coming, especially after the successful reception of Last Stand. Roche explains the delay in the author commentary, which manifested it self as the total lack of Springer in the monthly series. For this reader, who is a Springer fan, I mourn at the lost opportunity that could have given one of my favorite Transformers a spotlight in the IDW comics.
Overall, this was a good read, it is not as good as Last Stand sadly, but adequate for this reader's need to see Springer in the comics.
The muted colors of the cover is indicative of the direction that Roche wanted to take. He wanted it darker and more cloak and dagger than the last Wreckers adventure. The thing with noir and the spy stories that writers like Ed Brubaker and Nathan Edmondson is that its a challenge to set up your story and maintain reader interest. Roche's inexperience is probably the main culprit why the pacing was sluggish initially. The action does pick up significantly in the middle chapters and gives the reader a moderately adequate ending.
This is still a Wreckers story, so the requisite firefights and fluid spills are present, as well as the departure of a Wrecker staple. It also introduces the concept of beast forms for the Cybertronians and the return of several Wreckers.
This story has been a long time coming, especially after the successful reception of Last Stand. Roche explains the delay in the author commentary, which manifested it self as the total lack of Springer in the monthly series. For this reader, who is a Springer fan, I mourn at the lost opportunity that could have given one of my favorite Transformers a spotlight in the IDW comics.
Overall, this was a good read, it is not as good as Last Stand sadly, but adequate for this reader's need to see Springer in the comics.
February 7, 2017
WRECK AND RULE!
Vote: 3,5
Not as good as Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers, but the story was good and I really like IDW's characterization of Prowl as a manipulative son-of-bitch spec-ops officer with a very dark past.
December 31, 2017
I would give last stand of the wreckers 5 Stars.
This gets 4, and mainly because of (SPOILER) the reveal of the history between Prowl and Tarantulus.
Recently, I began watching the Netflix documentary "The Toys that Made us". They have not released a Transformers episode, but I am assuming that is coming soon. Watching the documentary, just reminded me of points I have always known- So much of the mythology that I have devoted my headspace was originally created with the intent of making Millions of dollars, selling toys to Grammar School age boys.
I was one of them.
In 1986, Did the four year old version of me know that the 35 year old version of me would be reading a comic, off a laptop computer, about the toys he was playing with and how they were dealing with PTSD and trying move beyond the "Sins" they have collected after battling for millions of years?
Yeah, I don't think Four year old me had the ability to imagine that. Welcome to the future.
I had a conversation, recently, about how some of the enjoyment of reading comics has gone away, because they have saturated the main stream. There are people that will never read comics, who only know what they do about the characters, because they have seen a handful of movies. These people also happen to be extremely vocal, and will complain about every possible social injustice they hear about in a comic related news article. It makes me yearn for the days, when it was a more closed off club. I miss the days where you had a bit of shame, because you knew so much about captain america, or Iron Man.
The club is always going to be small for a book like this. SPOILER- When Tarantulus is begging Prowl to love him, and they get into a fight over the fate of their "Child", who just happens to be Springer, you know there are only a few hundred people, maybe thousand in the world that even know what the fuck you are talking about.
This gets 4, and mainly because of (SPOILER) the reveal of the history between Prowl and Tarantulus.
Recently, I began watching the Netflix documentary "The Toys that Made us". They have not released a Transformers episode, but I am assuming that is coming soon. Watching the documentary, just reminded me of points I have always known- So much of the mythology that I have devoted my headspace was originally created with the intent of making Millions of dollars, selling toys to Grammar School age boys.
I was one of them.
In 1986, Did the four year old version of me know that the 35 year old version of me would be reading a comic, off a laptop computer, about the toys he was playing with and how they were dealing with PTSD and trying move beyond the "Sins" they have collected after battling for millions of years?
Yeah, I don't think Four year old me had the ability to imagine that. Welcome to the future.
I had a conversation, recently, about how some of the enjoyment of reading comics has gone away, because they have saturated the main stream. There are people that will never read comics, who only know what they do about the characters, because they have seen a handful of movies. These people also happen to be extremely vocal, and will complain about every possible social injustice they hear about in a comic related news article. It makes me yearn for the days, when it was a more closed off club. I miss the days where you had a bit of shame, because you knew so much about captain america, or Iron Man.
The club is always going to be small for a book like this. SPOILER- When Tarantulus is begging Prowl to love him, and they get into a fight over the fate of their "Child", who just happens to be Springer, you know there are only a few hundred people, maybe thousand in the world that even know what the fuck you are talking about.
February 26, 2026
I enjoyed this sequel story, although I'd argue it wasn't quite as good as its first instalment, 'Last Stand of the Wreckers'.
Positives first though:
The narrative arc of why the whole crew are stuck in their situation is very good, not only does the political standpoints of the good guys face peril, but the war they are engrossed in could swing the wrong way if it gets out, and a human, Verity, could be the one to do it.
Verity's reasons for doing this are conflicted and gives her great narrative sway which is unusual for stories of this kind. She has access to the Aequitas files and plans to use them against Prowl, but this information will also cause political chaos. She also has no idea until 1/5 of the way through that Prowl has already been taken hostage by someone else.
Prowl is the focus of this story as the barebones mission on the surface is to save him from the clutches of Tarantulas. Prowl himself is a complex character who is not to be trusted in this continuity, but he needs to be saved and also is the catalyst reason they are in the dire situation of hostage and rescue.
Several characters are brought into this comic, mostly down to (spoiler) several others dying in the previous story.
The introduction of Hubcap was a nice idea, and his twist in the story packs a punch due to his meek nature and unique abilities.
Carnivac is also celebrated here in a slightly different form from the original wreckers comics, along with 'Mayhem' a beast wars-esque outfit fighting for the bad guys undercover as wild animals.
The mental state of the wreckers themselves is thrashed about. The way the author shows their guilt, ignorance, brutality and heroism brings out a conflicting opinion in the reader for many of these characters. It's clever development. Impactor is a bully and an arse, but he gets done what is needed most of the time, despite holding a grudge. Prowl is a walking disaster, he created this mess and nobody really likes him, but he must be saved. Guzzle is a hulking liability but he is needed to get the job done. Roadbuster is a straigh-forward brute, but the twist in the recalling of his psychotic episode not only allows display for his guilt, but also his stubborness. Arcee is a caring, loyal to the cause character, but she is willing to cut all ties, or even kill a human, to not disgrace the name of her cause.
The negatives for me:
Tarantulas is not the manacing enemy that Overlord was in the first story. He talks too much and is an unstable overthinker. His fight scenes are also clumsy due to his size and shape. Although the reason he looks like he does is explained well in the story, it is a nod to the beast wars generation and continuity which I don't really have any passion for.
Although Carnivac and his team were fairly well portrayed in this story as outcast decepticons, I felt the Predacons would have been a better bet. The giant robot who turns into a whale was a nice touch but the transformation of his solid robotic looks doesn't blend so well with that of an organic whale who could pass as a flesh creature.
The fight scenes in this one aren't as good. It's a simple as that, despite the strong story which brings a more political weight, the battles were minimal compared to the gun heavy predecessor.
The sudden shock tactic twists with instant kills were overegged imo. Without spoilers, a couple of instant fatalities occur, both are justified well by the characters who carried them out, but the suddenenss of both in reletively quick succession was a little grating.
Overall:
Despite these minor criticisms it's still a good narrative to follow and I wish there were more to come. The lineup change of the wreckers could give scope for that. A particularly nice, albeit dark, touch was the raindown of coffins of previous wreckers caused by a rift in the ship.
I'd recommend this story for sure wether you're a fan of the continuity or not, however, read Last Stand first, otherwise some of the narrative weight would be lost on you here.
Positives first though:
The narrative arc of why the whole crew are stuck in their situation is very good, not only does the political standpoints of the good guys face peril, but the war they are engrossed in could swing the wrong way if it gets out, and a human, Verity, could be the one to do it.
Verity's reasons for doing this are conflicted and gives her great narrative sway which is unusual for stories of this kind. She has access to the Aequitas files and plans to use them against Prowl, but this information will also cause political chaos. She also has no idea until 1/5 of the way through that Prowl has already been taken hostage by someone else.
Prowl is the focus of this story as the barebones mission on the surface is to save him from the clutches of Tarantulas. Prowl himself is a complex character who is not to be trusted in this continuity, but he needs to be saved and also is the catalyst reason they are in the dire situation of hostage and rescue.
Several characters are brought into this comic, mostly down to (spoiler) several others dying in the previous story.
The introduction of Hubcap was a nice idea, and his twist in the story packs a punch due to his meek nature and unique abilities.
Carnivac is also celebrated here in a slightly different form from the original wreckers comics, along with 'Mayhem' a beast wars-esque outfit fighting for the bad guys undercover as wild animals.
The mental state of the wreckers themselves is thrashed about. The way the author shows their guilt, ignorance, brutality and heroism brings out a conflicting opinion in the reader for many of these characters. It's clever development. Impactor is a bully and an arse, but he gets done what is needed most of the time, despite holding a grudge. Prowl is a walking disaster, he created this mess and nobody really likes him, but he must be saved. Guzzle is a hulking liability but he is needed to get the job done. Roadbuster is a straigh-forward brute, but the twist in the recalling of his psychotic episode not only allows display for his guilt, but also his stubborness. Arcee is a caring, loyal to the cause character, but she is willing to cut all ties, or even kill a human, to not disgrace the name of her cause.
The negatives for me:
Tarantulas is not the manacing enemy that Overlord was in the first story. He talks too much and is an unstable overthinker. His fight scenes are also clumsy due to his size and shape. Although the reason he looks like he does is explained well in the story, it is a nod to the beast wars generation and continuity which I don't really have any passion for.
Although Carnivac and his team were fairly well portrayed in this story as outcast decepticons, I felt the Predacons would have been a better bet. The giant robot who turns into a whale was a nice touch but the transformation of his solid robotic looks doesn't blend so well with that of an organic whale who could pass as a flesh creature.
The fight scenes in this one aren't as good. It's a simple as that, despite the strong story which brings a more political weight, the battles were minimal compared to the gun heavy predecessor.
The sudden shock tactic twists with instant kills were overegged imo. Without spoilers, a couple of instant fatalities occur, both are justified well by the characters who carried them out, but the suddenenss of both in reletively quick succession was a little grating.
Overall:
Despite these minor criticisms it's still a good narrative to follow and I wish there were more to come. The lineup change of the wreckers could give scope for that. A particularly nice, albeit dark, touch was the raindown of coffins of previous wreckers caused by a rift in the ship.
I'd recommend this story for sure wether you're a fan of the continuity or not, however, read Last Stand first, otherwise some of the narrative weight would be lost on you here.
December 9, 2022
I can't get enough of the Wreckers. They are the best thing I've read when it comes to Transformers and even though this isn't 5 stars to most people it is to me.
The Wreckers are basically a kill team that is sent in to do the dirty work that no one else will even if it means killing innocents. All for the greater good though... Really they also just like killing and are all a little crazy and they are written so well. Also, one of the very few Transformers comics with a human that I actually like so a huge plus for Verity.
This is a sequel to the "Last Stand of the Wreckers" and it also follows up from the main Transformers run after the "Combiner Wars" specifically when it comes to Prowl. You don't have to have read anything besides the previous Wreckers story, but if you want to know why Prowl is in the state that he is in the Combiner Wars and specifically issue 42 which is the beginning of Volume 8 will explain all that.
In my opinion the Wreckers are peak Transformers and the best thing IDW has released regarding Transformers. I highly recommend trying this out after reading Last Stand of the Wreckers.
The Wreckers are basically a kill team that is sent in to do the dirty work that no one else will even if it means killing innocents. All for the greater good though... Really they also just like killing and are all a little crazy and they are written so well. Also, one of the very few Transformers comics with a human that I actually like so a huge plus for Verity.
This is a sequel to the "Last Stand of the Wreckers" and it also follows up from the main Transformers run after the "Combiner Wars" specifically when it comes to Prowl. You don't have to have read anything besides the previous Wreckers story, but if you want to know why Prowl is in the state that he is in the Combiner Wars and specifically issue 42 which is the beginning of Volume 8 will explain all that.
In my opinion the Wreckers are peak Transformers and the best thing IDW has released regarding Transformers. I highly recommend trying this out after reading Last Stand of the Wreckers.
October 29, 2019
Not Good
I did not like this comic at all. The story makes no sense whatsoever. The dialogue is dense and cluttered. So much endless talking, and you still can't figure out what anyone is talking about. The still art is good, but whenever there is action, you can't tell what is going on. Worst of all, the Wreckers are depicted as practically worse than Decepticons. They're murderers, they're evil, they all hate each other, etc. I mean, what is even the point of these guys? They're supposed to be Autobots, right? Aren't Autobots supposed to be good guys? That's the main thing I've decided I don't like about IDW's recent Transformers comics. They've seemed to have forgotten that basic fact. Reading this, everyone in this story is so unlikable it just makes you wonder, does this author even like Transformers? Not recommended.
I did not like this comic at all. The story makes no sense whatsoever. The dialogue is dense and cluttered. So much endless talking, and you still can't figure out what anyone is talking about. The still art is good, but whenever there is action, you can't tell what is going on. Worst of all, the Wreckers are depicted as practically worse than Decepticons. They're murderers, they're evil, they all hate each other, etc. I mean, what is even the point of these guys? They're supposed to be Autobots, right? Aren't Autobots supposed to be good guys? That's the main thing I've decided I don't like about IDW's recent Transformers comics. They've seemed to have forgotten that basic fact. Reading this, everyone in this story is so unlikable it just makes you wonder, does this author even like Transformers? Not recommended.
May 25, 2018
Roche creates a multi-layered espionage and saboteur narrative, very much in the vein of Last Stand of the Wreckers. There's authorial passion, creative experimentation and confidence here in heaps. I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped although you might: deep-in-universe references, a multitude of characters and not enough exposition to go on. It feels 20% too long, mostly the extended fight sequence that runs through over half the book. There are quite good ideas, fleshed out characterisation and an extended making-of feature.
April 17, 2019
A dark Prowl-centric follow-up to Last Stand of the Wreckers. This story works to establish just how bad Prowl's been over the years, yet also plants the seeds for redemption... which feels a little odd, considering. It also seems to try a little hard to add unnecessary angst and edginess for a few characters. The ending also just sort of happens, and feels disappointingly status-quo. On the other hand, the villain and his minions are interesting, which helps a lot. (B)
September 24, 2022
At this point in the timeline, I feel Prowl’s storyline has played itself out. I found this story boring and unfocused. All the philosophical back and forth between Prowl and his captor went on for two full issues and none of it amounted to anything significant. By the end, the whole journey felt aimless and muddled.
2/5
2/5
January 1, 2019
Last book read in 2018, the year when I discovered Transformers: MTMTE and LL.
Some great scenes and interactions (every scene with Prowl and Mesothulas/Tarantulas), fantastic art. Overall a bit to chaotic for me, so 3,5 stars instead of 4. But I do love this Prowl!
Some great scenes and interactions (every scene with Prowl and Mesothulas/Tarantulas), fantastic art. Overall a bit to chaotic for me, so 3,5 stars instead of 4. But I do love this Prowl!
October 25, 2019
This book is really good and dramatic. It's a little more darker than Last Stand Of The Wreckers but less violent. And even though the art is kind of creepy it's still a good book. This book is a good sequel and tells a story about letting go of the demons of our past and continuing in life.
June 18, 2017
Not as good as the first book.
November 15, 2017
Wreck and rule!
March 7, 2020
The Autobots really are a terrible lot, aren't they?
August 23, 2024
Standout issues: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5
August 31, 2016
A great spiritual sequel to Last Stand of the Wreckers, and a book whose title is exceptionally appropriate. Nick Roche is awesome and I continue to love everything he does for this series.
November 10, 2016
Outstanding.
April 6, 2018
Last Stand of the Wreckers is easily the best Transformers story IDW has published. Sins is a pretty worthy follow up, though. I love the lore they've concocted for the Beast Wars characters and Broadside as a giant whale is brilliant. The only problem with stories like this is they make want to buy figures I would otherwise never care about.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews