Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Defiance

Rating NR Genre sci-fi Author Written by: Chris Mowry - Art by: Dan Khanna, Andrew Griffith Publisher IDW Publishing External Links

All Transformers look alike.  I announce this opening statement hoping that it is not considered a racial slur towards the Transformer community.  This is just my opinion and does not represent that of Static Multimedia.  So Transformers and Transformers fans everywhere need not send their letters of disapproval.  Even though my intention is not to upset anyone, unfortunately I believe this statement is true and it remains the only negative comment I have on the comic book Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Defiance.

One of two official comic book prequels to the sure-to-be blockbuster film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Defiance takes us way, way back to the very beginning of the Transformers timeline.  The comic book explores the early history of the planet Cybertron before Decepticons and Autobots even existed and the story begins with Megatron and Optimus actually working together towards the development and exploration of their planet, the fore mentioned Cybertron.  You’ll notice I only referred to him as Optimus as this comic book also tells of the creation and significance to the title “Prime” which gets added to Optimus’s name.

The story revolves around the discovery of an intact archeological amulet that holds a mysterious power that could lead to an astronomical disaster if fell into the wrong hands.  And who gets a hold of it? Megatron, of course.  We witness his diabolical transformation into a power monger along with Optimus Prime’s stand against his reign of evil.  Sides are taken and the Decepticon and Autobots are born.

The comic book is a fun read and leaves you eagerly anticipating the Michael Bay film while informing you of the intriguing back story to the movie’s plot.  The only downfall is my previously stated comment on all Transformers looking alike.  With a page count just fewer than 100, it can get confusing on which Transformer is which.  Because the action is all on paper, you don’t get the distinguishing elements that a movie can bring like sound and size which leaves Megatron and Bumble Bee being the only ones that really stand out in the comic.  I found myself having to go back a lot of times to try and figure out who is who when a name was not given in the dialogue.

Regardless of my who’s-who complications, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Defiance is a great story.  If you didn’t have a chance to catch it when it was released as a four-issue series this past winter, then I strongly recommend this 96 page paperback edition.  Along with the story, it comes with an art gallery that includes concept art that gives the reader a look at the work that goes into making a comic book like this.  All in all it makes a great side dish to the upcoming film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which opens in theatres everywhere this Wednesday, June 24th.