Advance Review: ‘Transformers’ #4 Raises The Intensity And The Action

Optimus Prime is not, well… quite at his prime. But that won’t stop him or his friends and combatant colleagues from jumping into action to save lives in a very lively, dynamic and frantic Transformers #4 from Daniel Warren Johnson. 

Starscream takes on Optimus Prime in a dramatic and physical opening battle, before fellow bots on both sides, like Jazz, Soundwave and Ratchet, joint the fray. Deftly breaking the high in tensity of battle is the sombre tension of the human drama and Spike’s life, which is in the balance. With Autobots and Decepticons fighting all around him. 

A standout moment for me was the sheer viciousness of Starscream, as revealed across this issue. In one scene he and Optimus must consider how to regain much needed energy. Their separate solutions are, needless to say, very different, leading to a vicious and vindictive act by Starscream to realise his solution.

All of this and more are written and illustrated by Warren Johnson with such verve and vigour. Blurred lines animate the action while his looser, bolder, wobblier lines – if I can weakly allude to his iconic signature style in such poor terms – brings an oilier, dirtier veneer to the industrial urban backdrop that is so evocative of the grease and gears of this trucks’n’Transformers world.

Transformers #4 packs a lot in, serving up the all-important epic-sized Transformer action, while playing on fans’ heartstrings too. The liberal use of densely panel-packed pages aides in a narrative that covers a lot of various plot points and scenarios and subplots. This feels like two comics worth of story in just 22 pages. 

Big on action, big on story and big on bombastic art. 

Transformers #4 is out on Wednesday 10th January, 2024 from Skybound/Image Comics