Name: Transformers: IDW Collection Phase Two
ISBN: 9781684054848

James Roberts

John Barber

Mairghread Scott

Presenting IDW's Transformers comics in recommended reading order, including one-shots, crossovers, and event series! It's everything a beginner could need, everything a diehard could want. The Autobots and Decepticons' uneasy peace is threatened by the flames of war! Starscream, ruler of Cybertron, makes contact with Windblade's homeworld--and the only defense against a new Cybertronian Empire is the Combiners--multiple Cybertronians joining together into huge, dangerous forms! Collects Transformers issues #39-43, More Than Meets The Eye issues #41-44, and Windblade Volume 2 issues #1-5.

Transformers: IDW Collection Phase Two

Nick Roche

Alex Milne

The adventurers aboard the starship "Lost Light" continue to search for the Knights of Cybertron and they are all headed into dangerous territory.

More than meets the eye

The Transformers

Ken Yuen

Art is good, I can barely follow the story at the best of times. There's like 300 characters.

The Transformers go on an epic quest to the farthest reaches of the Transformers universe and beyond.

More than meets the eye. Volume 1

This is my first time reading a Transformers comic book in a long time. Kind of feels like entering a long-running story in the middle.

The art is gorgeous and stuff, but the story is a bit hard to follow. I heard good things about the series so I'll check out volume 2.

Universe united, universe divided! In the aftermath of Revolution, Rodimus and his crew are stranded with no ship--and no hope of escape! Five years ago, Rodimus and a collection of traumatised, lovelorn and/or sarcastic Autobots set off on a quest to find Cyberutopia. So far, they've made a right hash of it. They've misplaced their map. They've lost their ship, the Lost Light, to a mutinous escapologist. Oh, and they're dead. Collects issues #1-6.

Lost Light

Transformers

Matt Maldre

I enjoyed this volume so much that I've read it three times. The dialogue is so incredibly refreshing for Transformers. Every character has so much personality. Not the stiff cardboard versions of the 80s.

Jessica Nottingham

Well, I can definitely say that this remains my favorite of the two series! It's honestly because of the thin line that James Roberts walks between tragedy, and humor. Let's be honest, these aren't always the happiest stories. Despite the fact that the war is over, well, it's not really over. Lines are still drawn in the sand. Hatred still exists. Our characters still die. Sometimes in ways that are a bit hard to stomach. If you don't think that you'd feel sad for a non-human character dying, let me assure you that you are dead wrong. Whether these characters are human or not, they have the kinds of personalities that draw you in and make you care. It's evil. It's brilliant.

I'll bet money you know someone like Magnus. Overly serious, possibly OCD. The life of the party? Not so much. You probably also know someone like Swerve, who is over eager and tells terrible jokes. Or someone like Rung, who tries their best to help others to such an extent that they often end up getting hurt themselves. Trust me, these characters are easy to fall into step with. They come alive, and I can't deny that I'm absolutely hooked. It's testament to how well this is written that I actually like some of the Decepticons. Yup, they may have been evil at one point, but now they're just as lost as everyone else. And... this motley band of buddies is kind of funny too.

What I liked most about this volume is that it's actually bunch of short story arcs all threaded together. Each one shows a little piece of something different that's currently going on. We have a mysterious plague that Ratchet and his crew have to figure out how to solve. That particular one almost made me cry. What a brutal way to go! Then, we have the crew of the Lost Light, where Skids is trying to figure out what memories he's missing, and poor Rung is having one hell of a day. Finally, there's our Decepticons in the panel above. Trying to band together, trying to get home, still kind of awful to one another. Yet, again, funny.
 
I'm really enjoying how Roberts takes the time to set up these relationships between characters. You can see who genuinely cares about others, who separates themselves from the group, and who just doesn't know how to belong. I can't deny, my emotions were all over the place this volume. I should have been prepared. I wasn't. I tell you, I'm more invested in this than you know.

The crew of the Lost Light finally reaches Crystal City where they learn about the origins of the Knights of Cybertron.

More Than Meets the Eye

Let me start a slow clap for this volume, if I may. I absolutely adored it! Is it possible for a series to just get better? I'm terrified that it can't keep riding this high, but I think James Roberts might prove me wrong. There's so much goodness wrapped up in Volume 3 of More Than Meets the Eye. I was given so much back story. Events that happened before the war, the way some of our characters met one another, even the reason that personalities are the way they are currently. What's more brilliant, is that all of this information was given to me by way of our amazing characters sitting around, drinking, and telling stories. What could be better?
 
Remember how I keep mentioning how much real life issues make their way into these two Transformers series? Well, if one is more about politics, then MTMtE is the one that's more about common rights and the idea of religion. Some of the characters are highly religious. Some don't care at all. Still others are summed up in the panel below. That the world around us can be appreciated, no matter what you believe in. That last line in the panel hit me hard. So much truth, all in a comic.
 
I love following the growth of these characters also. Swerve, whom up until now has been a jokester above all else, almost broke my heart in this volume. Watching him talk about his guilt over harming someone he considers a friend, just floored me. It's so nice to see that these characters are multi-faceted. They don't always fit in just one box. They aren't afraid to break out of that shell if it's needed. Although, truth be told, sometimes that's a terrifying prospect. Like, for instance, when Ultra Magnus smiles. SMILES. *shudders*
 
So anyway, what all my rambling is really leading up to is that this was my favorite volume so far! I still love this series more than anything, and it's just being proven to me over and over again that James Roberts is a stellar writer. More.

The crew of the Lost Light faces a band of rogue Decepticons and ventures to the planet Hedonia in an attempt to put recent events behind them.

Oh, I LOVED this volume. Hands down, this is my favorite so far. More Than Meets the Eye is still the superior series for me, but above and beyond that was the fact that this whole volume stole my breath away. I wish I could dish about absolutely everything that happens, but then there'd be no reason for you to read this. So, I'll do my best to highlight.
 
First off, so many layers have been slowly peeled back from these characters. James Roberts has created such depth, even in characters like Swerve. He's my favorite, because of his sense of humor. However I've learned so much about him these past volumes. That he has a deeper set of emotions. That he uses humor sometimes to disguise those. That, even poor Swerve gets lonely.
 
Another great example of this is Ultra Magnus. I shared the panel where he smiled, which was so totally out of character for him that it was almost terrifying. However there's more underneath that tough and strict exterior. This volume really dove in to what Ultra Magnus is, what he used to be, and how he just doesn't know what to do with himself. He wants to be liked, he's just gotten used to being feared instead. Truth time? I feel for him.
 
Oh, and then there's the whole idea of relationships that extend beyond just friendship. I find in interesting that I never considered that there might be actual deep relationships in this story. It's probably because I started out this whole journey with the idea that robots don't have feelings. Well, I was definitely wrong. I'm happy about that. And I've learned so much about all of these characters that the fact that they might be happy together? Just makes me smile. And weep. This time, it definitely made me weep.
 
There's been a lot of destruction, and even some death. I've mostly gotten used to it. In this volume though, it reached a new level. So far, James Roberts has made it feel like most of the time characters can come back. They can be saved. They might be gone for a while, but it's okay because there's always possibility. This time, I don't think that will happen. Poor Chromedome. The final set of panels in this story almost killed me. Does that tell you how invested I've become?
 
*wistful sigh* So good. So good, and so sad.

Shockwave, seeking to remake Cybertron and destroy the Autobots and Decepticons in the process, can only be stopped by Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Rodimus.

Dark cybertron

Let me tell you, after reading this I'm in the Rodimus camp. I'd rather be missing in space, on the Lost Light. Poor Bumblebee. He's got his hands full on Cybertron. Not just with rebuilding what was lost, but with everything. It's twisted.
 
Remember when I said that part of what I love about this whole world is that it very much mirrors our own? Well that just got amped up ten fold. Cybertron is a war-torn world that's now suffering from the aftermath. When the war was on, there were only two sides: Autobots and Decepticons. That was the truth that everyone operated on. Now, with those who left the planet returning home to find that their world is a ravaged mess, things are much worse. New lines being drawn, friends turning against friends. This graphic novel ate at me. War is hell, but rebuilding afterwards is just as bad.
 
I still really love this half of the story, but I had to deduct one star because this is the really serious side of it all. I missed my laughs, and some of my favorite characters who left the planet. Still, I found new favorites to latch onto. Despite his cold and calculating demeanor, I'm intrigued by Prowl. He also terrifies me, but I see what he's doing. Plus, Ironhide and I see eye to eye. I don't know how well his optimism will serve in this new world, but I have faith. Let's hope it's not misplaced.
 
Oh, and the art here is different too. I liked it, but not as much as the art in MTMtE. It's a lot more colorful, but also a lot more sharp. I'll admit that it works well for a lot of the panels. Especially the ones where political upheaval is in the works. It just doesn't have the same spark for me. I like it, I just don't love it. Still, there's a great story in the works here! I anticipate I'm going to be devastated at some point, and I'm trying to prep for it.

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye

As Shockwave reveals his ultimate plan, Bumblebee and Megatron forge a deadly alliance, while Optimus Prime and Rodimus battle an ancient evil, and Windblade makes a play that will shape the destiny of the Transformers.

Transformers: Dark Cybertron

"Originally published as 'The Transformers: more than meets the eye' issues #28-33"--Indicia.

Transformers: IDW Collection Phase Two

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