Transformers: Salvation One-Shot - Generations - IDW Comic Review


The Dinobots are on the trail of Bludgeon, who has been doing something terrible to Sweep corpses and sparks. But Bludgeon isn't who they find... they find someone significantly worse. Transformers: Salvation is written by John Barber and illustrated by Livio Ramondelli.


Elsewhere in the universe, the citizens of Tokyo suddenly felt an unexplainable sense of dread.

The Special issue is a format we don't see enough of anymore, and it scratches an itch that Transformers stories don't scratch for me very often: an extended, self-contained story longer than a single issue but shorter than an entire arc. You don't really need to have been following the previous installments, Punishment and Redemption to keep up with this, though it helps. But it's paced well and makes good use of its additional pages.

"Salvation" is a pretty fitting title for the themes of the story as well, with the Dinobots and others fighting to protect the next generation of Transformers... which in this case means making sure they don't turn out like them. It's a theme we've seen before in Transformers, but the fact that it doesn't try to justify or forgive the past actions of the Dinobots, or anyone else, is something that makes me view it a bit more favorably than other stories that committed those Sins.

On top of all that, there's some interesting world-building details and some good lines, just as you'd expect from John Barber. Trypticon manages to be a standout character as we get insight into the Titan's origins, history and motives... and let's be honest with ourselves: when has Trypticon ever been an actual, fleshed-out character? That's pretty great.

Livio Ramondelli's style, with its dark, rough, metallic look reminiscent of Simon Bisley, is fairly consistent in the long run. But there's some things that stand out about Salvation that I particularly appreciate. In the past, I've said that his tendency to tint entire panels with a color overlay could muddy the lineart and make the art more indistinct and harder to follow. Here they're used much more selectively, and it is very much to the art's benefit. The contrast is richer in scenes where that's needed, and it provides for a much more enjoyable reading experience. The parts I enjoy most are well beyond the preview, but Page 19 in particular looks just great, from really great energy effects to a nice, atmospheric look at Trypticon's brain module.

Only one cover, but it's a nice one. It follows on the themes introduced in the Redemption cover, but instead of Bludgeon being the bright form in the background, he's silhouetted by the light of Trypticon as he stands amidst his handiwork on the battlefield. It's a good, striking composition.

You could almost as easily call this Spotlight: Trypticon - and that's a character I think John Barber could get some interesting mileage out of given the right circumstances. It's a good story, paced well, and Livio's brought his A-game as well. I'd be more than happy to see one of these a year or even every six months from Barber and Ramondelli - and the ending is a pretty solid stopping point but definitely leaves room for more. It's a solid comic.

ReviewerRAC  
DateJune 12th 2017  
Score 8 stars (8 out of 10)  
Reads4738


Back to Reviews Index
Advertise on TFormers.com








This site uses cookies for site configuration, advertising, and analysis. By using this site you accept our policies - Read Full Site Policy OK
Sign Up For The TNI Newsletter And Have The News Delivered To You!


Forums Communities: Toy Fans - Marvel Fans - Transformers Fans

@ToyNewsI Socials: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

@MarvelousNews Socials: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

@Tformers Socials: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

@JediInsider Socials: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

Entertainment News International (ENI) is the #1 popular culture network for adult fans all around the world.
Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!

Contact and Support

Advertising | Submit News | Contact ENI | Privacy Policy

©Entertainment News International - All images, trademarks, logos, video, brands and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies and owners. All Rights Reserved. Data has been shared for news reporting purposes only. All content sourced by fans, online websites, and or other fan community sources. Entertainment News International is not responsible for reporting errors, inaccuracies, omissions, and or other liablities related to news shared here. We do our best to keep tabs on infringements. If some of your content was shared by accident. Contact us about any infringements right away - CLICK HERE