Customer Reviews

Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To be succinct, Nick Roche and James Roberts have finally brought Transformers to its true potential. I'll say this about UKers, they treat science fiction with more love and gravitas than writers in the states tend to do. Even if you are only a passing fan of Transformers, this book oozes character and drama and you will be a hardcore fan by the time you're done reading it.

It's just a crying shame that the other writers currently in IDW's employ aren't this skilled. But if we support this book with our wallets, perhaps that will encourage the editors to set the bar as high as this book has shown us it should be.

Last Stand of the Wreckers is a non-stop shoot 'em up story about fightin' robots from the '80's. It's also a densely-packed (just five issues!) war story about legendary soldiers and idealistic recruits on a doomed mission.

You can read it either way, though it may take a few go-rounds to pick up on all of the complicated plot (which sneaks in some political shadiness and lots of moral gray areas with all the shooting and fighting). A re-read might also be needed to get a handle on the varied cast of characters, who are all unknowns (except maybe to hardcore Transformers fans). But the book rewards you for it, with new details and implications to notice each time.

Without spoiling anything: the story takes place in outer space, and follows a group of die-hard soldiers called the Wreckers as they bring in new recruits on a mission to liberate a prison complex under the control of a vicious warlord. There's a lot of wisecracking, a lot of vivid action sequences (with good and bad guys getting beat up and dismantled in just about every way possible), a lot of tragedy and some heartfelt speeches. Every Wrecker gets a moment in the sun, and they have well-defined, distinct personalities--you're guaranteed to care about the fate of at least one or two by the end.

It's worth reading even if you aren't a fan of Transformers--the authors have gone well above and beyond Michael-Bay style goofiness, and Last Stand is more "classic sci-fi novel" than "'80's cartoon". It's a shame that it's so short, as it seems like there's much more to tell; but what is there is fantastic.

Sometimes a comic lets you down. Sometimes Transformers stories start out great... and then lose their way. Sometimes, no matter how much you wanted to like a series, it just doesn't live up to its promise.

Other times, things rock so hard they threaten bladder control and you're forced to seek counseling after reading them because you realize that it is unlikely anything you read will ever rock quite so hard, ever again.

Last Stand of the Wreckers is in the latter category. (The Doctors say I'll make a full recovery.)

It's not a comic for kids. Not just because of the graphic nature of the violence, but because the emotional subtlety of the story would be lost on most of the under 13 crowd. (Note: I'm sure many kids out there are advanced enough to enjoy the book properly, I merely suggest parents use judgment, lest they find them selves in need of a therapist and/or rubber sheets.)

Every page turn brings another shock, revelation, or gut wrenching assault. It's not entertaining because its fun. It's engaging because it's visceral. It's compelling because it rings true. This is a complexity of story that Transformers fiction has rarely, if ever, even touched, much less explored. From the first panel on, the whole issue carries this horrible feeling of inevitability one can only normally experience by falling off of a cliff.

Death looms around every page, and you'll be surprised to see who survives. There is an emotional truth to this ending. Sublime Pathos mixed with the futility of violent conflict. That's what distinguishes Last Stand in the annals of Transformers media, its depth. This is quality writing, the kind people win awards for.

As always in Wreckers the dialog is amazing. They even worked in some text from The Charge of the Light Brigade and, if I'm not mistaken, a line from Red Dwarf. It's a rare and gifted writing team that can find room for both Tennyson and Grant/Naylor in one comic.

The characters, most second stringers, who had little more that a name, a blurb, and a quote 5 issues ago, are now like old friends. Most top shelf Transformers have less character after 25+ years in the lime light. With out that believability of character even a story this rich would fall apart.

Roche and Roberts achievement here is simply stunning.

Frankly it's better than we have any right to expect from a comic deriving from a toy license. This is the Transformers answer to Watchmen.

The art this issue provided solely once again by Mr. Roche, with colors by Josh Burcham, is amazing. The past few months of Transformers comics have shown us that there are many ways to bring G1 Transformers to the page, some great, some not so much, Nick Roche gets it right. It's cartoonish with out lacking detail. Expressive faces, even mouth-less ones, that conduct such accessible emotions and define personality so well, you might not even notice how distinct they are.

More goes on in one Roche panel, than in some recent series. He has a fantastic sense of, scope and Mise-en-scène. No panel is just there to attach the dialog bubble to. You get your money's worth out of every page.

This masterpiece is not for the faint of heart, Roche has developed a positive gift for mechanical evisceration, dismemberment, and terminal rupture. This is what that neighbor kid in "Toy Story" did to his Transformers.

This series came together perfectly. It's practically flawless. In fact, a moment spent actively attempting to contrive a flaw just now met with no success. It's not the sort of story you can tell every week. What Wreckers is, is a superbly constructed tragedy. It's a comic book about giant robots fighting that still conveys human truth, about war and death, futility and hope, about making the wrong decisions, and learning.

Yes, I'm still talking about the comic book.

If Kurosowa made a Transformers Movie, this would be it.

Roche and Roberts have created a work that is nothing short of genius. More than once, I have had my distaste for the lesser elements of Transformers fiction challenged by the ludicrous question, "Well, what do you want from the Transformers? Shakespeare?" Of course not, that's silly.

I want Nick Roche and James Roberts. I want the Wreckers.

This is hands down one of the top five best stories in Transformers history. As I read it, I kept wondering what it would be like to see the book come to life, become a movie. The plot is riveting, the characters are great, old and new. There was just something about it that made it great from beginning to end. This is a must-own story for any fan of Transformers!

I was interested in the Last Stand of the Weckers when it was available in the single volumes but im gald I was unable to find them and I ended up getting the compililation, which is the only way to read this story...all at once.

The art is awesome and the story is very well told. There are even extras at the end of the book with a short pre-story of what happened before the wreckers were assembled for there fateful mission called Bullets, and a few character bios and art. If you like Transformers comics and you have'nt read this I highly recomend this title, you wont be disappointed.

I read this book and it was great in fact I read it in are suv while me and my famliy drove 200 miles to disneyland ca for chirstmas week vacation.This as well as other graphic novels from the transformers lines were the best chirstmas gift a fan like mecould get.This book is a most buy also it is dark sothing that makes this story great.

This book is amazing... I don't know how else to describe it. The art is outstanding. Nick Roche (lines) and Josh Burcham (colors) have outdone themselves with this one.

The story is dark and very well written. It's aimed more toward adults and it's nice to see some Transformer media in that area outside new movies.

I recommend this for any comic-book lover.

Even if you aren't a transfan, I highly recommend getting this comic. It is beautifully written and drawn, and the action never gets old or boring. If you have a weak stomach, be warned; Last Stand of the Wreckers has some pretty graphic and intense battle and death scenes, but IDW has still turned out a excellent comic.

Great story. Very graphic and violent, with lots of torture scenes and people on both sides getting ripped to shreds or dismembered, sometimes to the point of being quite disturbing. Also depressing, yet amazing at the same time. I would definitely not recommend this for anyone under the age of 15 or 16, however.

I've just finished reading The Last Stand of the Wreckers and in my opinion it ranks up there with KINGDOM COME,DARK PHEONIX SAGA,INFINITY GUANTLET and other great stories of the comics medium.This story is very PULP FICTION like with a bit of DIRTY DOZEN and the horrors of SAW mixed in.A team of autobots are sent to garrus 9 to free their comrades and a special someone known as Aequitas.Before the mission starts they find out that the planets run by the decepticon Overlord which makes the mission even more deadly.Overlords a very powerful (almost as powerful as Megatron)psycopathic and sadistic decepticon hellbent on drawing attention from megatron by torturing his autobot captives and decepticon soldiers and little does overlord know that megatron is dead.As they descend to the planet the old and newly recruited wreckers are inadvertedly split up into teams one battling its way to accomplish its mission and the other captured and being tortured.The wreckers seem to be proud of thier wrecker status than being an autobot as evidenced by Impactors reply to decepticon Snares comment "AUTOBOT?I'M A WRECKER, SNARE.FIRST AND ALWAYS".An ongoing series of thier expliots is needed,'nuff said.