Transformers: The IDW Collection - Phase Two, Vol. 3

Transformers: The IDW Collection #2.3

by John Barber

The Lost Light finally reaches the Crystal City, while Orion Pax follows a rogue group of Decepticons. Meanwhile, back on Cybertron, violence breaks out in the heart of the city and Prowl looks for someone to blame! Collects More Than Meets The Eye #9–13 and the 2012 Annual, Robots in Disguise #9–11 and the 2012 Annual, plus the Thundercracker, Bumblebee, and Megatron Spotlights.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, the fourth volume of the IDW Transformers comic is fairly good. Hence the 4 star rating. Some of the story arcs though are, in terms of art and plot, are not as good. Then, there are other stories that are superb.

It starts out with two Spotlights: Thundercracker and Bumblebee. These are both good and shed more light on the ongoing political disputes on Cybertron, as Bumblebee seeks to defeat Starscream for the election.

Then there is a "More Than Meets The Eye" Annual, that details a mission of Rodimus that ends in the Autobots finding a Metrotitan. This was also pretty good.

The "Robots in Disguise" Annual was very good. It not only gives us some interesting historical lore, but also sheds light on a potential future with interesting implications for Starscream. This was a very good story.

Then we have a few stories covering Orion Pax and Prowl as they seek to avert a terrorist attack. This was also well done and gives a great historical look at Orion Pax.

It is the "More Than Meets the Eye" story covering the Leading Light (Rodimus' ship) that is the weakest, both in terms of art and story quality. While the overall arc is interesting and has some shocking moments, the sheer amount of nonsense exposition (that didn't move the story forward) seemed to be filler and was rather annoying. This would have been a 2, at best 3, star story.

But the volume rebounds triumphantly with the remaining issues of "Robots in Disguise" with an excellent tale of political maneuvering by Starscream, all leading to the eventual leadership position Starscream always desired. The art and story were superb! I loved it and this is a 5 star story. The best part? The ending. The Spotlight on Megatron was one of my favorites. Directly following the previous story, it signals an exciting upcoming volume as we meet the new and improved Megatron returning from a three-year hiatus. Volume 4 of this series looks like it's going to be great.

[Sean DeLauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good one. Normally the stories are absurdly dramatic and undeservedly weighty, but this collection mixed in some genuinely interesting (retelling pre-war Orion Pax history, which seems obligatory, to revive Rung), clever (retelling pre-war history using 80's-era coloring style to indicate past events), and funny (drunk Ultra Magnus) stories. And two time-travel stories: one about time travel beyond comprehension and one bouncing backward and forward in time that proved a compelling way to drive the story forward.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great addition to the collection. This one was especially good, and there were some great laugh out loud moments. And some suprises as well.

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5?

Did I like these characters before (the ones I was familiar with)? For sure. But now? Damn I really see the hype with MTMTE. Cyclonus and Tailgate? Adorable. I get the love people have for the lost light crew and damn it's just going up and up.

I love seeing scenes out of context on twitter or tiktok and then find it when I'm reading it haha, makes me excited for what's to come (though I know it's also likely gonna bring a lot of hurt 😅).

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are certainly much more involved and mature than previous Transformers comics, although they're not very friendly to the casual reader. The plots are intricate and they do not stop to explain what's going on. If you haven't read the previous series or haven't read them in awhile, you're out of luck.

[Merlin’ · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH YEAHHHH MORE RUNG CONTENT!!! Spotlight: Megatron is kinda insane tho poor Starscream fr like did he really deserve all that 😭. 10/10 execution on that chapter AND MY RUNG INTERLUDE IM SO GLAD HES BACK!!

[Marcin Tomaszewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niezmiennie najlepsze Transformers jakie możesz kupić, a Swerve to najlepszy Autobot. Szczególnie, że jego imię oznacza zboczenie.

[Mr. Marz P · Rating 4 out of 5]

IDW solid series. Currently up to Phase 2 Vol. 9. Very happy all the way through.

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The MTMTE Shadowplay arc remains my favourite issues.