‘Transformers’ #22 Review — Big Things Brewing As The End Draws Near

If last issue was the “shit hits the fan” issue of the arc dropping much earlier than traditional pacing would suggest, then Transformers #22 is the “comprised of vignettes moving characters into place for the next big thing” issue. It thus continues the trend of paradoxical timing, coming after the plot beat these kinds of issues usually setup.

Combined with the recent news of a big creative shakeup in the series coming with issue #25, it makes it clear that for as loaded with incident as the last issue was, even more significant things are coming round the corner. This issue then does an effective job of setting those up, as well as finally addressing a long-simmering and ever-escalating nitpick: the impact of these giant robot battles on society.

A lot happens in Transformers #22. The beaten Autobots, evicted from the Ark, find safe haven amongst the humans of the Pacific Northwest, even as Optimus Primes’ condition worsens as a result of the “infection” from Megatron’s arm. Cliffjumper sends Shredhead to Earth in his place to protect Carly, while the US army — including G.I. Joe head honcho General Flagg — escalates their standing with the Decepticons while Doc acts on his consciosuness to free Ultra Magnus.

All of these represent significant turning points in their respective subplots, and all contribute to the “building to a head” feeling of the issue as it draws closer to the finale a few issues out. But it’s that first bit of plot development — the interactions between the Transformers and humans — that feels the most significant.

One of the things that always raised an eyebrow for me in this series is the scale of the conflict. Dropping the Autobot/Decepticon conflict into a simulacrum of the modern lends that conflict narrative weight, but that means its consequences need to have that weight, too. It’s easy to ignore when the fights are happening in the mostly deserted woods around the Ark or out at sea, but when Bruticus and Devastator are turning Seattle into their own personal wrestling wring, it’s hard to not think about how the arrival of giant sentient transforming alien robots on Earth should fundamentally alter every aspect of human society.

That’s not really something the series has spent time exploring. There’s been snippets of it here and there — mostly in the form of the US military response — and certainly, the entire existence of the current G.I. Joe series is predicated on Duke’s encounter with Starscream. But for the most part, writer Daniel Warren Johnson has mostly kept a micro-focus on the Transformer/human interactions, through characters like Spike and Carly.

Transformers #22 suggests that is changing as the book heads into Johnson’s endgame. The devastation wrought on earlier in the series is openly acknowledged, and Megatron is actively directing Decepticon attacks on the military outside Seattle, with Bruticus and Devastator now engaging in a Legolas/Gimli-style game of who can smush the most humans. Flagg is talking about the West Coast falling, while the Autobots join a caravan of humans heading to Chicago, where they plan to take their stand.

The world of Transformers is changing as a result of the Transformers, as it logically must. With this issue, the series is finally acknowledging that in full, and the story is the better for it. For all the other key developments that unfold in its pages, that is the the most significant one, the one poised to have the biggest impact on the book long term.