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Transformers IDW #75
Transformers vs. The Visionaries
Cybertron has been invaded. The Transformers encounter unwelcome guests at the heart of their planet--and they may not have their hosts' best interests at heart.
Refugees from another world, the Visionaries' startling magical abilities could make them powerful allies... or dangerous enemies. It turns out there are some of each. When Virulina, leader of the Darkling Lords, discovers that the Transformers are vulnerable to magic, she uses that weakness to try and gain control of Cybertron! Leoric of the Spectral Knight teams up with Ironhide to stop her, but they quickly find themselves facing not just the Lords, but all of New Prysmos itself.
Refugees from another world, the Visionaries' startling magical abilities could make them powerful allies... or dangerous enemies. It turns out there are some of each. When Virulina, leader of the Darkling Lords, discovers that the Transformers are vulnerable to magic, she uses that weakness to try and gain control of Cybertron! Leoric of the Spectral Knight teams up with Ironhide to stop her, but they quickly find themselves facing not just the Lords, but all of New Prysmos itself.
- GenresComicsGraphic Novels
128 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2018
2 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Magdalene Visaggio
202 books179 followersMagdalene Visaggio is a comics writer and essayist. She's the writer and creator of the GLAAD and Eisner-nominated series Kim & Kim, as well as Eternity Girl at DC Comics. She currently resides in Manhattan.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 5, 2019
There's times I know I should resist my fanboy urges and forgo company wide events and crossovers. This was one of those times. I know IDW has been trying to establish a "Hasbro Universe" for lack of a better description.
In truth though I could care less about Transformers, as I never much cared for the Marvel Comic, the first movie, or the animated show. I have vague memories of Visionaries, and I should have left them vague.
The plot is uninteresting, I mean planetary destruction , betrayals and heel to baby face turns (couldn't resist using that last term). Been there and done that. If a writer is going to go to those places try to give the reader something to invest in.
Sure I'll admit I'll probably check out the company's G.I. Joe and Six Million Dollar Man crossover with the hope that one is entertaining, but this makes me glad I've said no to most of the titles for these properties from IDW.
Note: read as digital singles.
In truth though I could care less about Transformers, as I never much cared for the Marvel Comic, the first movie, or the animated show. I have vague memories of Visionaries, and I should have left them vague.
The plot is uninteresting, I mean planetary destruction , betrayals and heel to baby face turns (couldn't resist using that last term). Been there and done that. If a writer is going to go to those places try to give the reader something to invest in.
Sure I'll admit I'll probably check out the company's G.I. Joe and Six Million Dollar Man crossover with the hope that one is entertaining, but this makes me glad I've said no to most of the titles for these properties from IDW.
Note: read as digital singles.
August 14, 2020
I quite enjoyed this book. I never read the Visionary comics but I was a fan of the cartoons. The Transformers are a mix of Generation 1, the (original animated) movie, Beast Wars and Beast Machines. This is more a Visionary comic than Transformers.
In the Visionary cartoon,I always thought Merklynn was more of a villain, but here the distinction is made clearer. I did like the moral dilemma as well of for one species to survive the other must perish. I gave a plausible reason for the "noble" Spectral Knights to change sides. The character designs for the Visionaries is completely different from the cartoon versions.
The action for me is a bit disappointing and a bit scarce. I would have given this book 3.5 stars but I think it deserved a round up instead of down. I supposed is I looked at it just as a Transformers fan it would have been 3 stars as I like the Viosionaries as well it got the round up. Rach chapter starts with the fill page issue cover. The are a couple of varient covers at the end and a sketch book rather than a covert gallery.
In the Visionary cartoon,I always thought Merklynn was more of a villain, but here the distinction is made clearer. I did like the moral dilemma as well of for one species to survive the other must perish. I gave a plausible reason for the "noble" Spectral Knights to change sides. The character designs for the Visionaries is completely different from the cartoon versions.
The action for me is a bit disappointing and a bit scarce. I would have given this book 3.5 stars but I think it deserved a round up instead of down. I supposed is I looked at it just as a Transformers fan it would have been 3 stars as I like the Viosionaries as well it got the round up. Rach chapter starts with the fill page issue cover. The are a couple of varient covers at the end and a sketch book rather than a covert gallery.
December 26, 2023
Surprisingly entertaining, considering the minimal pop-culture imprint of the Visionaries franchise. This is mainly down to the author making the Visionaries themselves interesting enough characters to be worth reading, plus some compelling stakes (since all sides are trying to save their civilizations). The ending might be a little too pat, but it's a fun enough ride. (B+)
September 20, 2018
This was about what the title suggests: two toy lines fighting each other. The story does feel a bit like something an imaginative child would come up with while bashing action figures together. Please note that that is not a criticism. There is more to it though.
Catching up to where the Transformers are in continuity is established well enough without having to read years of IDW comics.
The Visionaries have gotten a radical makeover with differently styled armor and a more diverse cast of characters. The wizard Merklynn is the one most drastically changed from the old toy line and animation, in terms of his look and personality. This actually makes him more compelling as a character.
The ending is a touch Deus Ex Machina, but it doesn't come completely out of nowhere. The consequences of such not leading to a return to something resembling status quo was a nice surprise. And there are some loose threads left hanging that may be nodding to certain Transformers lore.
Fico Ossio's art is lively and great at conveying action.
All in all, this was a good escapist read.
Catching up to where the Transformers are in continuity is established well enough without having to read years of IDW comics.
The Visionaries have gotten a radical makeover with differently styled armor and a more diverse cast of characters. The wizard Merklynn is the one most drastically changed from the old toy line and animation, in terms of his look and personality. This actually makes him more compelling as a character.
The ending is a touch Deus Ex Machina, but it doesn't come completely out of nowhere. The consequences of such not leading to a return to something resembling status quo was a nice surprise. And there are some loose threads left hanging that may be nodding to certain Transformers lore.
Fico Ossio's art is lively and great at conveying action.
All in all, this was a good escapist read.
March 16, 2020
I loved the Visionaries when I was a kid, so I had to check out this reboot, and I have to say all the changes worked quite well, the characters look much better, and the art was quite good, what ruined it for me is the whole crossover with the Transformers, I didn't care for any of that.
August 1, 2018
Storywise, plain garbage. Visionaries are generic "magic space/fantasy knights" characters and almost in every issue, a TF dies, in a tragic way, with no special reason.
Art is fairly decent, with some very well drawn panels.
I suggest skipping this crossover...
Art is fairly decent, with some very well drawn panels.
I suggest skipping this crossover...
August 18, 2025
The Transformers: An iconic franchise with a global fanbase, telling the stories of a race of machine-beings from the planet Cybertron who are at civil war between their factions known as the Autobots and Decepticons.
The Visionaries: An action-adventure concept that had potential but never made it past a single season and a short comic book series; yet somehow it gained a pretty dedicated fanbase. Set on the planet Prysmos in a trinary star system, where two factions of Knights were granted magical powers by a very neutral wizard named Merklynn who has his own agendas. Once a technologically rich world, all tech was rendered useless and magic has resurfaced as the new driving force of their society.
So, seeing these two very different franchises collide was a source of curiosity for me. I have enjoyed both before but was never an ardent follower of either.
In this version we see the Visionaries and all the remaining people of Prysmos having made a journey across the stars and found a potential new home on Cybertron after their home planet was left totally inhospitable and destroyed. The main narrative follows the two sides as they struggle to find an accord and there is friction between the Transformers as well as between the two factions of the Visionaries - the Spectral Knights and the Darkling Lords - as to whether there can even be a peace between two such different societies and species. This is worsened by the discovery that the magic of the Visionaries is not just dangerous but potentially fatal to all Transformers and Energon based life and maybe even the whole planet. Tensions are high and invariably it all explodes into chaos and outright war. The question is how the pieces will land on the board and what is the agenda of Merklyn.
Well paced with engaging choices that veer away from the most familiar elements of both franchises: the Transformers involved are not the usual fan-favourite suspects for the most part and the Visionaries have been modified and somewhat reimagined and it is mostly for the better in my humble opinion, bringing the fantasy franchise closer to a solid version that is an improvement on the kiddish version from the cartoons.
Through it all we have the artwork by Fico Ossio who is a relative unknown for me. The artwork by him and colourist Cruz are quite solid. The panels flow well, the narrative is not impeded by the layouts and the colours and energy serves well with the flow of the story itself - the action being a strong point with a suitably vibrant depiction that keeps you from taking it all too seriously. However I was a little annoyed (and this is a pet-peeve) because I found the facial depictions of the humaniod characters to be particularly inconsistent over the course of the story; at times it was fine and then randomly on panels it would look almost like a varied style and it bugs me - either have a chaotic style from the start or have consistency, can't have it both ways.
Overall, this is a highly entertaining story and one I would recommend if you ever enjoyed either franchises as it is familiar yet something new and done well. I could see myself reading a sequel or at least another story with these or similar versions of these characters, particularly the Visionaries. Was it great? Honestly, not all that much, but a solid effort that is quite readable for a quick, good time.
The Visionaries: An action-adventure concept that had potential but never made it past a single season and a short comic book series; yet somehow it gained a pretty dedicated fanbase. Set on the planet Prysmos in a trinary star system, where two factions of Knights were granted magical powers by a very neutral wizard named Merklynn who has his own agendas. Once a technologically rich world, all tech was rendered useless and magic has resurfaced as the new driving force of their society.
So, seeing these two very different franchises collide was a source of curiosity for me. I have enjoyed both before but was never an ardent follower of either.
In this version we see the Visionaries and all the remaining people of Prysmos having made a journey across the stars and found a potential new home on Cybertron after their home planet was left totally inhospitable and destroyed. The main narrative follows the two sides as they struggle to find an accord and there is friction between the Transformers as well as between the two factions of the Visionaries - the Spectral Knights and the Darkling Lords - as to whether there can even be a peace between two such different societies and species. This is worsened by the discovery that the magic of the Visionaries is not just dangerous but potentially fatal to all Transformers and Energon based life and maybe even the whole planet. Tensions are high and invariably it all explodes into chaos and outright war. The question is how the pieces will land on the board and what is the agenda of Merklyn.
Well paced with engaging choices that veer away from the most familiar elements of both franchises: the Transformers involved are not the usual fan-favourite suspects for the most part and the Visionaries have been modified and somewhat reimagined and it is mostly for the better in my humble opinion, bringing the fantasy franchise closer to a solid version that is an improvement on the kiddish version from the cartoons.
Through it all we have the artwork by Fico Ossio who is a relative unknown for me. The artwork by him and colourist Cruz are quite solid. The panels flow well, the narrative is not impeded by the layouts and the colours and energy serves well with the flow of the story itself - the action being a strong point with a suitably vibrant depiction that keeps you from taking it all too seriously. However I was a little annoyed (and this is a pet-peeve) because I found the facial depictions of the humaniod characters to be particularly inconsistent over the course of the story; at times it was fine and then randomly on panels it would look almost like a varied style and it bugs me - either have a chaotic style from the start or have consistency, can't have it both ways.
Overall, this is a highly entertaining story and one I would recommend if you ever enjoyed either franchises as it is familiar yet something new and done well. I could see myself reading a sequel or at least another story with these or similar versions of these characters, particularly the Visionaries. Was it great? Honestly, not all that much, but a solid effort that is quite readable for a quick, good time.
August 3, 2020
Today's reading binge ends with an old 80s toys crossover written for the current times.
You know what? It was fun. It was an alternate reality, toy box read. I'm not sure if super-fans of either IP got the same out of it, but for a casual fan like me there was good action and the characters were solid enough to be just this side of Saturday Morning Cartoons.
That's what I was looking for and it's what I got.
You know what? It was fun. It was an alternate reality, toy box read. I'm not sure if super-fans of either IP got the same out of it, but for a casual fan like me there was good action and the characters were solid enough to be just this side of Saturday Morning Cartoons.
That's what I was looking for and it's what I got.
January 3, 2025
All these tie-ins suck pretty badly. They are written in a way that frequently betrays the characters, and this time they killed a popular character without any fanfare. The whole thing is trying to fix a problem creates the last terrible crossover.
August 8, 2018
This book was much heavier on the Visionaries and much lighter on the Transformers than I expected, and I was never really into Visionaries.
February 12, 2025
Standout Issues: #2, #3, #4
July 21, 2021
I found it very odd that the visionaries of the transformers were together so I had to read it when I heard about this and it was Mal Ray nothing really to write home about.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews