Transformers: Infiltration

Transformers Infiltration. The first in a new (well started in 2005) series by "4th greatest" comic company IDW. Following the bankruptcy of Dreamwave(the previous publisher of transformers comics), the rights to Transformers comic was bought up by IDW. But instead of continuing the plot-hole ridden, convoluted, inconsistent, story set up by Dreamwave, IDW decided to craft their own Transformers comic continuity.

Keeping a tone and spirit similar to Marvel comics "Ultimates" universe continuity, this new Transformers series utilises all the familiar characters but takes place in a world very similar to our modern post 9/11 day and age we live in. No more space ships, anti robot ray guns and giant world destroying weapons. "Real" is the topic word of the day in this new TF series.

The premise is quite unique in Transformers fiction and contain many elements that the 2007 movie copied. For one thing, Cybertron is now a dead husk of a planet and the war between the autobots and decepticons has spiraled out into many battlefronts across the galaxy. This time the Transformers did not come to earth by chance many million years ago like in the cartoon. Earth is just another frontline in the ongoing pan-galactic war. A frontline which only recently has risen in tactical importance due to the discovery of an element called "Ultra-energon".

Another element that is unlike previous Transformers media, is the emphasis on the use of disguise, subterfuge and an undercover "cloak and dagger" approach. No longer do the Decepticons just blast their way into town and attempt to subjugate every planet they come across. They now follow a strict protocol involving working behind the scenes, unknown to the local inhabitants, to topple any form of order into chaos, then sweeping in to claim the spoils of war. Alternate modes like being able to transform into cars to blend with the local vehicles now serve an even greater importance as to minimize discovery by the locals. Only as a last resort do the factions' soldiers transform and battle in full Robot mode.

Story - 8.5/10

This new tale opens on earth and we are introduced to the world throught the eyes of a spunky loner teenage girl, Verity Carlo, living "off the grid". Her rootless existence is one day shattered by the discovery(and subsequent stealing) of a palm top computer that contains information exposing Decepticon presence on earth. Events spiral out of control. One thing leads to another(some more humourous than others) and soon we have our human cast through with the audience can be introduced to the world of IDW's Transformers. Hunter O'Nion(sci/fi geek fanboy obsessed with aliens) Verity Carlo and Jimmy Pink(Mechanic and possibly the most normal of the bunch). Starting off with what seems like a simple "destroy all evidence" mission with the Decepticons wanting to kill the humans that have exposed them and the Autobots intent on protecting said humans, soon spirals into something a lot bigger and draws our 2 big players (Megatron and Optimus Prime) to the Earth Front. But there is more to the story that meets the eye. Humans have been researching and monitoring alien robot activity via black Ops organisations like Skywatch and the Machination, each intent on acquiring Transformers or their technology for less than noble gains(sound familiar??*hints at SEctor 7 in the movie*). Whats more, with the situation on earth Escalating out of control, a far more sinister threat lurks in the vast shadow of the cosmos................

The slow build up from the start is very fitting for the story. I like the new take of a secret war rather than the all out battles we're so familiar with in the tv series and previous comics. Very realistic setting(no human ray guns or space stations or funny quasi-future jump suits), this story could be taking place today for all i know. Unlike Marvel's Transformers series which thrust you thick into the action or Dreamwave's which has a build up with as many holes as a rifle range target, Infiltration actually has a decent believable build up that leaves one curious to know more. And it is refreshing to see the autobots acting like a real combat unit. Also, that they are not perfect, With internal squabbles,chain of command issues, breaching of mission perimeters etc. A far cry from the "do no wrong as a whole" autobots in the cartoons and previous comics. The decepticons now actually have the advantage over the autobots with better planning in their plot wheras the autobots are just "putting out fires". The autobots vs decepticons no longer come across as "forces of good VS legion of evil". But rather just as opposing imperfect military factions with their own agenda.And now, earth is only just another front in a galaxy wide war. That's new too. Its like earth, due to its Ultra-energon deposits, is just like a....an oil rich area which the bots can use. But there are other areas that are currently hot spots. Though the whole Skywatch/Machanation plot point gets a little lost here. I like the approach IDW is taking with interconnecting plot threads spinning in and out of the other titles like StormBringer and the spotlights.

Characters - 7/10

Most of the bots are the same old personalities we all knew and loved. Only problem is, writer Simon Furman makes the assumption that if you pick up this book, you are already well versed in your TF characters and/or a long time fan. There is hardly any introduction on the bot characters with only Ratchet, Prowl, Starscream and Megatron(just barely in meg's case) being decently fleshed out for the newcomers. The rest(to the Transformers newbie reader) may come across as just blank slates, stock "background" characters or at worse one dimensional. The Batttlechargers are just dumb muscle, the other 4 decepticons just lackeys going along with whatever Starscream says, Ironhide the strong silent type, Bumblebee the ever helpful, Sunstreaker the uppity one, wheeljack the guy who makes cracks the code locks on the palmtop computer tec. There are hintings at their character personalities but they are too subtle. On the other hand, the actions and reactions to the various situations the characters are thrown in are really feasable and do not require any suspension of belief. They are very "real" characters. Compared to this comic, Optimus Prime in the 2007 movie is an illogical, obstinate, one track mind, one-trick-pony. And Megatron in the movie is a rampaging savage animal as opposed to the cold calculating military tactician with a hidden lethal and brutal bloodlust when he "cuts loose" in combat.


As for their looks, anyone familiar with the cartoon can immediately identify who is who. Unlike the 2007 movie, the characters in this comic mimick

Anyway If i didn't have my prior knowledge of Transformers, i would not have enjoyed this book as much as i did. However, the human characters were for once, not as annoying as previous ones. I actually liked Verity Carlo and Hunter. Especially the part in the decepticon base where Verity comes face to face with Megatron. We see the independent, headstrong, almost bitchy Verity was all just a facade. Inside, she's just a scared little girl with a troubled past.(and this facade falls away even more in Escalation, revealing her inner vulnerabilities). Hunter?? well, he just clicked with me. I'm a fanboy of Transformers just as he's obsessed with Aliens and Robots. So ya, go refresh your transformers knowledge of the basic "who is who" before going into this book. I would have given it a 9/10 but thats only cos i already have quite a substantial knowledge of transformers already. But from a Transformers "newbie" point of view, i shall give it 7/10 for rushed introductions to familiar characters.

Art - 9/10

E J Su. Definitely a new name in transformers. At first i approached his art with distaste. Compared to Dreamwave, EJ Su's art was just downright....unimpressive. But then it hit me. His art is very down to earth, and it fits well with the very down to earth story. Not too simple and dull like mid-Marvel US, not too stylised like Generation 2 or most marvel UK, and not too flashy like dreamwave.His panel layout has some hinting of a manga touch through the frequent use of action lines

and very anime-esque expressions(big eyes with dot pupils to show surprise, constipated look of concentration or stress etc etc) on humans but aside from that, the proportions of the human characters are still kept realistic.(don't expect them to look like Ash ketchum. lol.)


The Bots. The bot designs are what really shine. Like Don Figueroa before him, EJ su has re-designed the bots with modern alt-modes and the bots actually look like they can transform into those alt-modes without "morphing". He approaches the look of the robots with more an engineering design touch as opposed to from an artist's touch.
The parts slide and shift believably to transform the bot. This shows that the bots can be designed realistically to transform WITHOUT altering their look too much from the original G1(I guess the 2007 movie designers never looked at Figureoa's or Su's art). (THIS is Jazz BTW)
They all have joints where they are supposed to have joints and this time even the face and mouths are individual moving parts and not some magical soft plastic that acts like flesh like in previous transformer shows and comics. So you'd think that now with the robots looking VERY robotty, they will have very machine-like expressions on their faces? WRONG. EJ Su, doesnt show the robots' emotion through contorting of the facial features like how a human does(or how dreamwave and marvel did for that matter with their bots). He uses the robots' body language, tilting of the head, shadows and frame angles to great effect in showing a decent range of emotion, effectively bypassing the "dull surprise"(<---check this up on tfwiki.net if unsure) that so plagued dreamwave(Pat Lee's especially) art.The colouring by one John Rauch just enhances the gritty feel of the art. The colouring even looks on par with other graphic novel miniseries like "The Ultimates". Sure its not as great as Alex Ross or Stephan Seijic. But it definitely ain't Jose Delbo or Rob Liefeld. In terms of Transformer art, EJ Su, though a newcomer, deserves to be up there among the likes of Don Figueroa and Guido Guidi.

Overall - 8.9/10

A good update to a classic tale. More time could have been spent on the bots and less on the humans though. For a book 1 in a series, it does its job well of re-inventing the franchise. Presenting something new while keeping the spirit of the originals. Also, it keeps the audience asking questions and curious to know more.THe TPB also includes a nice sketch section featuring E J Su's concept designs for the transformers.
Check it out now at any comic book stores. THIS is Transformers(not that wham bam brainless action thing called a movie)