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Transformers: The IDW Collection #1.6
The Transformers: The IDW Collection, Vol. 6
The re-presentation of IDW's Transformers Universe continues in this sixth volume! Includes the first six issues of the Transformers ongoing series written by Mike Costa and drawn by Don Figueroa, the four-issue Bumblebee series by Zander Cannon and Chee, the fan favorite Last Stand of the Wreckers by James Roberts and Nick Roche, and Transformers Spotlight: Prowl.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2012
8 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
James Roberts
537 books131 followersJames Roberts is a British comic book writer best known for his contributions to the Transformers franchise.
Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 8, 2021
The 6th Volume of the Transformers Collection falls short of the excellence of the previous volumes. Perhaps, due to my reading them back to back, the quality drop off seems so especially jarring in relation to the truly wonderful Volume 5 "All Hail Megatron" story arc.
Volume 6 starts off well with the interesting story of what happens in the wake of the Decepticon invasion. Megatron and the Decepticon leadership have fled and most assume Megatron dead. The humans have established Skywatch as a powerful force to fight all the Transformers and the few remaining Decepticons and the Autobots hide from the humans. There is a lot of unpack in this interesting story. From Optimus Prime's shocking decision, to the Bumblebee as new head of the Autobots. It had a little bit of everything from Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod to the new situation on Earth. I'd give this part of the story 4 stars.
Then it goes downhill. The art and the story aren't that good. I realize the back says "The Last Stand of the Wreckers" is a fan favorite, but really? It's overly confusing, has that annoying Verity human in it and the art isn't that good. Sorry. It's a 2 star.
In fact I had wished the story had stayed on the Bumblebee as Autobot leader story. The only interesting thing about the Wreckers story arc was the introduction of the Decepticon Overlord. He was rather interesting.
This was the first non 4 or 5 star volume. Hopefully, it will be the last and they get back to the good story. Not terrible or anything just disappointing compared to the previous volumes.
Volume 6 starts off well with the interesting story of what happens in the wake of the Decepticon invasion. Megatron and the Decepticon leadership have fled and most assume Megatron dead. The humans have established Skywatch as a powerful force to fight all the Transformers and the few remaining Decepticons and the Autobots hide from the humans. There is a lot of unpack in this interesting story. From Optimus Prime's shocking decision, to the Bumblebee as new head of the Autobots. It had a little bit of everything from Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod to the new situation on Earth. I'd give this part of the story 4 stars.
Then it goes downhill. The art and the story aren't that good. I realize the back says "The Last Stand of the Wreckers" is a fan favorite, but really? It's overly confusing, has that annoying Verity human in it and the art isn't that good. Sorry. It's a 2 star.
In fact I had wished the story had stayed on the Bumblebee as Autobot leader story. The only interesting thing about the Wreckers story arc was the introduction of the Decepticon Overlord. He was rather interesting.
This was the first non 4 or 5 star volume. Hopefully, it will be the last and they get back to the good story. Not terrible or anything just disappointing compared to the previous volumes.
February 16, 2025
the new general transformers run that started here is amazing so far and i'm very excited to see where it goes. always love to see a bumblebee focused story, the wreckers story was insane and brutal, and prowl's spotlight, short and sweet, was just the epitome of his character.
November 4, 2017
it was an enjoyable storyline, with top notch art work
September 14, 2021
Thus begins the third era of IDW's Transformers comics. The ongoing series starts strong, shaking things up by splitting up the Autobots and pitting them not against the Decepticons but against humanity, who blame all Transformers for the absolute devastation wrought by Megatron's invasion. Don Figueroa's new designs, which are evocative of those in the then-new Michael Bay movies, got a lot of flack at the time it was first published. Reading them years later, though, apart from a bit of weirdness in some of the facial expressions I think they actually work well and it's nice to see new takes on old characters.
Transformers: Bumblebee, unfortunately, suffers from a questionable narrative and wildly inconsistent artwork - the biggest point being that despite taking place at the same time as the ongoing, and with the same characters, it reverts back to all the bots' original appearances rather than using Don's new designs. There are also numerous places where the art doesn't match the writing in small ways (a character remarks on Bumblebee's lack of a license plate, which he clearly has on a later page) and big ways (humans with obviously Japanese and Indian names are drawn as very, very white people). Certainly not the worst of IDW's output, but just kind of "meh" overall.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, though, this volume contains the absolutely incredible Last Stand of the Wreckers. James Roberts and Nick Roche pick up several of the series' loose plot threads and weave them into a narrative focusing primarily on on characters who've really never had a lot of exposure before. Nick Roche's art is gorgeous, and Overlord is an absolutely chilling villain. To quote Kup, "Some called him a psycho, but that was way off. He was always in control." It's messy, it's brutal, and characters die in stupid, pointless ways, and it's absolutely engaging from beginning to end.
I did notice, reading all of these stories together (and Spotlight: Prowl, which is just kind of there and nothing more really needs to be said), that there's a common theme running through them of the Transformers learning from humanity. It's an interesting take that helps make Earth an important element instead of just place things happen. Issue 4 of the ongoing series, Seasons of Flight, in particular exemplifies this, as Thundercracker notes: "Even the youngest of us is thousands of years old. And for as long as we've functioned, we've fought the same battles in the same ways. Held the same allegiances. Lived the same lives. We call ourselves Transformers. Where's the transformation in that?"
Transformers: Bumblebee, unfortunately, suffers from a questionable narrative and wildly inconsistent artwork - the biggest point being that despite taking place at the same time as the ongoing, and with the same characters, it reverts back to all the bots' original appearances rather than using Don's new designs. There are also numerous places where the art doesn't match the writing in small ways (a character remarks on Bumblebee's lack of a license plate, which he clearly has on a later page) and big ways (humans with obviously Japanese and Indian names are drawn as very, very white people). Certainly not the worst of IDW's output, but just kind of "meh" overall.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, though, this volume contains the absolutely incredible Last Stand of the Wreckers. James Roberts and Nick Roche pick up several of the series' loose plot threads and weave them into a narrative focusing primarily on on characters who've really never had a lot of exposure before. Nick Roche's art is gorgeous, and Overlord is an absolutely chilling villain. To quote Kup, "Some called him a psycho, but that was way off. He was always in control." It's messy, it's brutal, and characters die in stupid, pointless ways, and it's absolutely engaging from beginning to end.
I did notice, reading all of these stories together (and Spotlight: Prowl, which is just kind of there and nothing more really needs to be said), that there's a common theme running through them of the Transformers learning from humanity. It's an interesting take that helps make Earth an important element instead of just place things happen. Issue 4 of the ongoing series, Seasons of Flight, in particular exemplifies this, as Thundercracker notes: "Even the youngest of us is thousands of years old. And for as long as we've functioned, we've fought the same battles in the same ways. Held the same allegiances. Lived the same lives. We call ourselves Transformers. Where's the transformation in that?"
January 25, 2025
I really liked that the first two showed the effects of the Cybertronian war on Earth. It led to the Autobots being treated poorly, but most of them took it in stride as they understood what the Decepticons are like and sympathized with the humans. I also just liked seeing their efforts to rebuild― both humans and Cybertronians. Skywarp’s desperate attempts to get Megatron back and make him proud were so sad in a way?
"Until the guns came out, this all could have been resolved with words. Ah, well. One is the same as another to me."
This is one of Skywarp's dialogues to himself. I know it was likely not meant to be read into so deeply but I saw it as him never having the chance to come to a peaceful resolution in his life and that was heart-wrenching.
My favorite part of this volume was absolutely The Last Stand of the Wreckers. Verity permanently teaming up with Magnus was adorable, and even having her own armor to go out on field! It was rather devastating to grow attached to some of the characters only to see them meet their untimely ends, but that is how the Wreckers are. I knew it was coming and yet I couldn't help growing to love them, and facing the pain when they inevitably died tragically. Springer and Impactor had a really interesting arc as well, and it was cool to see Prowl’s coding taking effect in Perceptor. The ending was definitely the sweetest part to me. Verity took over Ironfist’s blog in order to share his last battle in glory, and that's absolutely what he would've wanted. He was left with such a heroic legacy.
Prowl’s spotlight, finally, was an intriguing addition here. After seeing all he's done with the mental manipulation (literally), it was a bit unexpected for him to be so compassionate! This spotlight gave him a new addition to his already incredible character, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of him!
"Until the guns came out, this all could have been resolved with words. Ah, well. One is the same as another to me."
This is one of Skywarp's dialogues to himself. I know it was likely not meant to be read into so deeply but I saw it as him never having the chance to come to a peaceful resolution in his life and that was heart-wrenching.
My favorite part of this volume was absolutely The Last Stand of the Wreckers. Verity permanently teaming up with Magnus was adorable, and even having her own armor to go out on field! It was rather devastating to grow attached to some of the characters only to see them meet their untimely ends, but that is how the Wreckers are. I knew it was coming and yet I couldn't help growing to love them, and facing the pain when they inevitably died tragically. Springer and Impactor had a really interesting arc as well, and it was cool to see Prowl’s coding taking effect in Perceptor. The ending was definitely the sweetest part to me. Verity took over Ironfist’s blog in order to share his last battle in glory, and that's absolutely what he would've wanted. He was left with such a heroic legacy.
Prowl’s spotlight, finally, was an intriguing addition here. After seeing all he's done with the mental manipulation (literally), it was a bit unexpected for him to be so compassionate! This spotlight gave him a new addition to his already incredible character, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of him!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2014
Picking up where All Hail Megatron left off, Volume 6 of these premium hardback collections contains the first volume of The Transformers self-titled ongoing series, as well as two limited series, Bumblebee, and The Last Stand of the Wreckers.
Far be it from me to go against the grain, but the worst thing about the Michael Bay Transformers films isn't the character designs. Oh, don't get me wrong, they're godawful, but I think those films fail more on the basis of their horrendous acting, confusing editing and cinematography, and sleepy, dull scriptwriting and storytelling. The designs aren't even among their top five biggest cinematic sins (though definitely they are endemic of overarching problems within the movies), really. They are, however, insulting to fans of the simple, readable, and elegant G1 designs, seeing to it that, for the most part, G1 fans keep the Michael Bay Transformers designs as far away from their Transformers media as is humanly possible.
With that in mind, it is utterly baffling that IDW saw it fit to redesign the classic, familiar, and rather aesthetically appealing G1-inspired designs from All Hail Megatron into busy, horrifying, lifeless constructs that take liberally from the Michael Bay films. Its what they did, though, in The Transformers, their fresh ongoing series that sees to finally give their Transformers universe a coherent center.
The writing is great, dealing with the fallout of All Hail Megatron and how Earth's people are logically reluctant to encourage the continued presence of transforming alien robots. Optimus Prime forces himself to take a backseat, seeing his Autobots scramble without his firm guidance, while the Decepticons equally struggle without their all-powerful leader. Sadly, comic books rely on art for presenting almost all of their ideas, and the retooled designs are horrific and the change of aesthetic and tone is painfully jarring. Luckily, this style is not used in following stories - this is the single sore thumb in this ongoing's otherwise near-flawless run.
The story that comes next in The IDW Collection Volume 6 is Bumblebee, a limited release series that runs concurrent with The Transformers, seeing to shed a light more on Bumblebee's motivations and trepidation. It's a charming series, making Bumblebee into a quite adorable companion to human friends, and it is drawn in a painterly style that softens the edges of the otherwise violent series considerably. It's quite good, the only real problem being that it was originally released to run concurrent with The Transformers Volume 1, the story that runs immediately beforehand.
It creates a weird scenario wherein The Transformers mentions things happening in Bumblebee, and ends - then Bumblebee mentions things happening in The Transformers, and ends. It could have been resolved if it had been collected as individual issues instead of merely as entire TPB volumes (which future Transformers collections, conveniently, do) - as it stands, its a minor complaint, and a nitpick at best... it would have been optimal, though, to have been presented in its original release order.
Finally, it's The Last Stand of the Wreckers, an epic tragedy of, as its creators describe it, "good people dying in pointless ways."
Some context. "The Wreckers" are a team that, in-fiction, are made up of characters that, in reality, are C-grade toys that don't sell - basically, bargain bin fodder. They aren't Optimus Prime. Sometimes they're actually outright clones of Optimus Prime. Or, they're one-off European region-exclusive toys that have no following at all. The Wreckers, in-fiction, represent Hasbro's actual process for taking wildly unpopular toys and swiping them off of store shelves and into landfill.
Ergo, it is fitting that the Wreckers are, basically, a suicide squad. Last Stand of the Wreckers tells of this plucky suicide squad going on a one-way mission to rescue a far, far more important character. Their fates are sealed from page one, but they pull a mean trick - they make us care for them, make us sympathetic to their slightly warped minds and hopeless plight, and then, just as you start to consider that they might not die after all, they are viciously, and cruelly, ripped away - with barely a last gasp.
It's sickeningly violent, actually. These lovable robots are subject to abject terror, torture, endless death, and then, when they finally get to die, they're pulled limb from limb, or their eyes are torn out; replete with sprays of oil and pained expressions on their faces. It is violence that, if inflicted on humans, would be rated hard-R - here, it is done on robots that we are made to love like family, by a shockingly twisted villain that would be entertaining, if only we weren't made to understand, quite explicitly, that he cannot be stopped, and will just outright murder everyone you care about by the time we're done.
It's perhaps less of a tragedy, and more of a cruel practical joke; nontheless, it's superbly well-written. Witty, funny, and yet uncomfortably dark in tone and subject matter, Last Stand of the Wreckers is quite possibly the best Transformers comic story ever written. If it were in a collection on its own (which it is, but these IDW hardcovers are spectacular value, so it's hard to resist) I would be arguing to give it six stars, let alone five...! It's a painful journey into a hellish machine of death, with some new best friends that the story kids us into believing in. Truly, it's a phenomenal sci-fi prison escape story - a tragedy of insurmountable loss and grief, with typical Transformers charm making it all the worse when lives of beloved protagonists are violently, painfully and explicitly snubbed out, basically forcing us to watch as they, excruciatingly slowly, are tortuously and pointlessly exterminated.
This collection varies in quality, but when that quality ranges from "alright" to "mindblowingly awesome in every conceivable way," you kind of take it in stride. It's another win for IDW's licensed toy properties, and, though it briefly snatces it away, keeps faith instilled in fans that the ongoing, persistent quality of modern Transformers comic fiction is far from a fluke.
Far be it from me to go against the grain, but the worst thing about the Michael Bay Transformers films isn't the character designs. Oh, don't get me wrong, they're godawful, but I think those films fail more on the basis of their horrendous acting, confusing editing and cinematography, and sleepy, dull scriptwriting and storytelling. The designs aren't even among their top five biggest cinematic sins (though definitely they are endemic of overarching problems within the movies), really. They are, however, insulting to fans of the simple, readable, and elegant G1 designs, seeing to it that, for the most part, G1 fans keep the Michael Bay Transformers designs as far away from their Transformers media as is humanly possible.
With that in mind, it is utterly baffling that IDW saw it fit to redesign the classic, familiar, and rather aesthetically appealing G1-inspired designs from All Hail Megatron into busy, horrifying, lifeless constructs that take liberally from the Michael Bay films. Its what they did, though, in The Transformers, their fresh ongoing series that sees to finally give their Transformers universe a coherent center.
The writing is great, dealing with the fallout of All Hail Megatron and how Earth's people are logically reluctant to encourage the continued presence of transforming alien robots. Optimus Prime forces himself to take a backseat, seeing his Autobots scramble without his firm guidance, while the Decepticons equally struggle without their all-powerful leader. Sadly, comic books rely on art for presenting almost all of their ideas, and the retooled designs are horrific and the change of aesthetic and tone is painfully jarring. Luckily, this style is not used in following stories - this is the single sore thumb in this ongoing's otherwise near-flawless run.
The story that comes next in The IDW Collection Volume 6 is Bumblebee, a limited release series that runs concurrent with The Transformers, seeing to shed a light more on Bumblebee's motivations and trepidation. It's a charming series, making Bumblebee into a quite adorable companion to human friends, and it is drawn in a painterly style that softens the edges of the otherwise violent series considerably. It's quite good, the only real problem being that it was originally released to run concurrent with The Transformers Volume 1, the story that runs immediately beforehand.
It creates a weird scenario wherein The Transformers mentions things happening in Bumblebee, and ends - then Bumblebee mentions things happening in The Transformers, and ends. It could have been resolved if it had been collected as individual issues instead of merely as entire TPB volumes (which future Transformers collections, conveniently, do) - as it stands, its a minor complaint, and a nitpick at best... it would have been optimal, though, to have been presented in its original release order.
Finally, it's The Last Stand of the Wreckers, an epic tragedy of, as its creators describe it, "good people dying in pointless ways."
Some context. "The Wreckers" are a team that, in-fiction, are made up of characters that, in reality, are C-grade toys that don't sell - basically, bargain bin fodder. They aren't Optimus Prime. Sometimes they're actually outright clones of Optimus Prime. Or, they're one-off European region-exclusive toys that have no following at all. The Wreckers, in-fiction, represent Hasbro's actual process for taking wildly unpopular toys and swiping them off of store shelves and into landfill.
Ergo, it is fitting that the Wreckers are, basically, a suicide squad. Last Stand of the Wreckers tells of this plucky suicide squad going on a one-way mission to rescue a far, far more important character. Their fates are sealed from page one, but they pull a mean trick - they make us care for them, make us sympathetic to their slightly warped minds and hopeless plight, and then, just as you start to consider that they might not die after all, they are viciously, and cruelly, ripped away - with barely a last gasp.
It's sickeningly violent, actually. These lovable robots are subject to abject terror, torture, endless death, and then, when they finally get to die, they're pulled limb from limb, or their eyes are torn out; replete with sprays of oil and pained expressions on their faces. It is violence that, if inflicted on humans, would be rated hard-R - here, it is done on robots that we are made to love like family, by a shockingly twisted villain that would be entertaining, if only we weren't made to understand, quite explicitly, that he cannot be stopped, and will just outright murder everyone you care about by the time we're done.
It's perhaps less of a tragedy, and more of a cruel practical joke; nontheless, it's superbly well-written. Witty, funny, and yet uncomfortably dark in tone and subject matter, Last Stand of the Wreckers is quite possibly the best Transformers comic story ever written. If it were in a collection on its own (which it is, but these IDW hardcovers are spectacular value, so it's hard to resist) I would be arguing to give it six stars, let alone five...! It's a painful journey into a hellish machine of death, with some new best friends that the story kids us into believing in. Truly, it's a phenomenal sci-fi prison escape story - a tragedy of insurmountable loss and grief, with typical Transformers charm making it all the worse when lives of beloved protagonists are violently, painfully and explicitly snubbed out, basically forcing us to watch as they, excruciatingly slowly, are tortuously and pointlessly exterminated.
This collection varies in quality, but when that quality ranges from "alright" to "mindblowingly awesome in every conceivable way," you kind of take it in stride. It's another win for IDW's licensed toy properties, and, though it briefly snatces it away, keeps faith instilled in fans that the ongoing, persistent quality of modern Transformers comic fiction is far from a fluke.
October 7, 2021
This book... all I have to say is wow.
First off, All Hail Megatron is a breath of fresh air. The story takes place on earth and you really get insight into the Decepticons, particularly Starscream and Megatron's relationship, as well as some lovely splash pages of New York being diabolically destroyed. Last Stand of the Wreckers, which I can safely say is probably the BEST arc of the entire comic run thus far. Last Stand is one of those comic book arcs you read once and remember everything that happens, its just that good, the art is great, the splash pages are well utilized the violence is visceral and the atmosphere as you realize the desperation settles in is second to none.
The only thing that I disliked about this book was the in-between arc of For All Mankind. You had characters that were acting completely different than their established personalities, and while seeing Bumblebee and Hot Rod in charge was nice, the arc was a major drag. Thankfully its sandwiched between these two legendary arcs, otherwise it would probably have dragged down the whole book were it next to two more average stories.
Otherwise, I absolutely loved this book, needless to say All Hail Megatron and Last Stand of the Wreckers have more than earned their spot on my reading book shelf!
First off, All Hail Megatron is a breath of fresh air. The story takes place on earth and you really get insight into the Decepticons, particularly Starscream and Megatron's relationship, as well as some lovely splash pages of New York being diabolically destroyed. Last Stand of the Wreckers, which I can safely say is probably the BEST arc of the entire comic run thus far. Last Stand is one of those comic book arcs you read once and remember everything that happens, its just that good, the art is great, the splash pages are well utilized the violence is visceral and the atmosphere as you realize the desperation settles in is second to none.
The only thing that I disliked about this book was the in-between arc of For All Mankind. You had characters that were acting completely different than their established personalities, and while seeing Bumblebee and Hot Rod in charge was nice, the arc was a major drag. Thankfully its sandwiched between these two legendary arcs, otherwise it would probably have dragged down the whole book were it next to two more average stories.
Otherwise, I absolutely loved this book, needless to say All Hail Megatron and Last Stand of the Wreckers have more than earned their spot on my reading book shelf!
September 8, 2018
Optimus Prime relinquishes his command and turns himself in to the humans. Bumblebee is voted as the new leader. Hot Rod starts down the path to become Rodimus Prime. The Autobots have won the war but are divided. The remaining Decepticons are leaderless and being hunted down by the humans. This was a downer of a book but very necessary and allows the reader to see the Autobots at their lowest. They are trying to find their place on Earth without abandoning their principles. It’s great seeing the opinions of secondary bots and the issues the main bots are dealing with.
The Last Stand of the Wreckers was a great story about a sect of Autobots. You get to see the controversial Autobots’ in action, question if some of their actions are good or even necessary, you see one of Megatron’s elite soldiers become a mad man to get the attention of his former leader.
The Last Stand of the Wreckers was a great story about a sect of Autobots. You get to see the controversial Autobots’ in action, question if some of their actions are good or even necessary, you see one of Megatron’s elite soldiers become a mad man to get the attention of his former leader.
March 1, 2022
These stories were good and moved the franchise along, but I feel like this was a low point in the series. It's like a transition phase between major story lines. Nothing great here, but still worth reading.
September 26, 2021
IDW solid series. Currently up to Phase 2 Vol. 9. Very happy all the way through.
January 7, 2024
Jesus Christ, Last Stand of the Wreckers is some of the best writing ever. And absolutely beautiful art.
August 27, 2025
Last stand of the wreckers was pretty fire ngl and TF: For All Mankind could have been a banger if it wasn’t in that nasty mess of a bayverse inspired art style.
October 4, 2014
Contains
For All Mankind: I didn't really like the art on this one. The characters weren't really great either.
Bumblebee: The art is stylistic and pretty cute. I actually thought this one was charming.
Last Stand of the Wreckers: Definitely the best of the bunch. Was surprised by the amount of gore. It is also extremely emotional. Outstanding.
Prowl Spotlight: Really didn't feel like anything at all. Just a bunch of paper stuck at the end of the collection.
Overall a worthy collection.
For All Mankind: I didn't really like the art on this one. The characters weren't really great either.
Bumblebee: The art is stylistic and pretty cute. I actually thought this one was charming.
Last Stand of the Wreckers: Definitely the best of the bunch. Was surprised by the amount of gore. It is also extremely emotional. Outstanding.
Prowl Spotlight: Really didn't feel like anything at all. Just a bunch of paper stuck at the end of the collection.
Overall a worthy collection.
March 15, 2015
The outstanding Last Stand of the Wreckers just about forces this collection from 3-stars to 4, which tells you all you need to know about the "meh" For All Mankind and the diabolical Bumblebee and Prowl stories also collected.
September 15, 2013
The war is over and the human race try to banish the Cybertronians from Earth permanently.
Love it!!!!
Love it!!!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews