Transformers: Combiner Wars

Plot Summary and Credits

With the war between the Autobots and Decepticons at an end, the planet Cybertron begins to reach out to its lost colonies, starting with the religious inhabitants of Caminus. Starscream, now the ruler of Cybertron, hires former Decepticon Swindle to lead a group of associates to Caminus, where they use an artefact called the Enigma of Combination to form the combiner Menasor. As Swindle and Menasor leave a trail of destruction across Caminus, Optimus Prime and Windblade unleash the Autobot combiner Superion and saves the people of the planet, who hail Optimus as a demigod due to his status as a Prime. This threatens Starscream’s hold on the colony, which the former Autobot strategist Prowl believes will lead to another war. Prowl returns from Earth with the Decepticon combiner Devastator under his command and attacks Starscream, who uses the Enigma to turn five more Autobots into the combiner Defensor, who defeats Devastator with the help of Superion. With two combiners now under his control, Starscream’s influence over the alliance between Cybertron and Caminus threatens the fragile peace between the old factions, and his new power is put to the test when Menasor escapes from prison and joins forces with Devastator in an attempt to destroy the space bridge linking Cybertron to the colonies. As the four combiners battle over the space bridge, Optimus and Prowl obtain the Enigma of Combination and join with fellow Autobots Mirage, Ironhide and Sunstreaker to form the combiner Optimus Maximus. With their minds connected in this new form, Prowl sees how Optimus looks beyond strategy and probability to envision a more hopeful future, agreeing to help undo the damage he has caused. Back on Cybertron, Starscream kills Swindle in a riot at the space bridge to cover up his crimes. A council of worlds is established to govern the colonies, with Windblade representing Caminus.

Mairghriad Scott, John Barber (writers), Sarah Stone, Livid Ramondelli, Marcelo Ferreira, Corin Howell (artists), Brian Shearer, John Wycough (inkers), Yamaishi, Thomas Deer (colours), Tom B. Long (letterer)

Collects Transformers #39-41 and Windblade #1-3

My Copy

I came across this comic in the ship one day completely by chance, and wasn’t going to miss out on an out-of-print collection like this. I assumed it was second hand, since the binding was a bit loose. It’s practically falling apart at the time I’m writing this review.

Before Reading

Since IDW lost the rights to Transformers, copies of their numerous works are pretty hard to come by. This was a big factor in my enjoyment, knowing that there were so few of these still out there, even if it wasn’t the most physically stable. It was also a pretty sizeable event within the lore with a lot of characters meeting up, so I imagined it would be a relatively easy entry point.

After Reading

Because the Transformers franchise is built around the Autobot/Decepticon war, the post-war eras of the various continuities have always interested me. Optimus Prime’s career as the carrier of the Matrix of Leadership started when the war broke out, so he’s only really ever been a leader of soldiers rather than politicians, which puts him in a unique position within their rebuilt society. There’s always been a semi-religious aspect to his character, which is dialled up to eleven when he arrives on Caminus. In true Prime fashion, he tries to stay humble, but is often forced to exploit his newfound role in order to keep Starscream at bay. It can be tricky to give paragon-like characters like Optimus meaningfully character development, so this new position gives him a new kind of conflict, where it’ll take more than a dramatic speech and a slow-motion action scene to win.

The combiners themselves are an interesting concept, beyond just being a fun gimmick for selling toys. From a narrative standpoint, they present a way of forcing their associated quintet of ‘bots to work together closely, since they require their components to be mentally in sync. Prowl’s addition to Optimus Maximus gives a direct look into his cold, calculating mind, as well as a connection to Prime and his other former allies, who use this connection to show him a better way to change Cybertron. Despite all of this potential, we don’t really get to see much of this from the other combiners. The only other brand new one is Defensor, whose components don’t seem to have much connection beyond all of them being search and rescue themed, unlike Primes’ companions who all fought together during, before and after the war. The story itself is named after them, so it’s a shame that these kinds of psychological effects aren’t explored all that much.

Considering that this is a story about combiners and that Swindle has a prominent role, I have to say that I was a little miffed that we didn’t see my personal favourite Bruticus, of whom Swindle traditionally forms the right leg. This is kind of understandable given that we already have two Decepticon combiners, each made up of a group of established characters, as well as the three Autobot groups that are formed to fight them. With so many other characters, many of whom are only just being introduced in this universe, there’s already a lot of ‘bots to keep track of, including two separate characters named Tankor.

As someone who’s grown up with Transformers through the many highs and lows of the franchise, the thing that I really enjoy about IDW’s comics is their much more mature take on the universe. This continuity is filled with some pretty dark stuff that wound never make it into a kids’ cartoon, from political manoeuvring to graphic violence (I don’t think we’ll ever see an adaptation of the Decepticon Justice Division), but the adult-oriented retelling doesn’t forget its roots, still embracing the cartoonish nature of the franchise. It’s a real shame that it’s so difficult to get a hold of any of this material any more, so if by some miracle the universe gets a reprint, I’ll be the first in line.

Closing Thoughts

Combiner Wars does a great job of showing the nuances of post-war Cybertron while leaving plenty of room for the bombastic action that the franchise is known for.

My last couple of reviews have been for DC’s reimagined universe, and up until this point I’ve neglected Marvel’s own recent stab at revamping their characters. I’ll be taking my first look at the new Ultimate Universe next week with a hero who finds himself lost in this mixed-up world.