Scoring at #16 on the top 20 we have an introduction to war with the first issue of Dreamwave’s Transformers Armada!

Dreamwave Transformers Armada Issue 1

Transformers Armada #1

First impressions while re-reading this comic, are that it would fit well for some US TV networks… Drops you right in the middle of some action and sets you running

We get some good views of Cyber City as we follow Hot Shot while he races to report a potential disaster to none other than Optimus Prime. It seems the Decepticons are attacking and capturing the Mini Cons.

The story then changes place slightly to the Mini Con Sector Village C52 and Mini Cons Sparkplug and Rollbar as they discuss their chances of survival. We learn that the Mini Cons have a plan to erect a force field around the city to stop the Decepticons. We catch up with several groups as they work before focusing on Longarm and Jolt, Longarm recounts a story he heard from a friend about what the Decepticons are doing to the captured Mini Cons.

Can you spot the cameos?

We cut back to Rollbar just in time to see the battered body of Sparkplug flying through the air to report that the Decepticons were there. The Mini Cons turn on the force field… With nothing happening… Until one of them applies a tried and true method of getting things going… He kicked it.

Out for the Count...

As the assorted Mini Cons watch the force field, awaiting the Decepticons arrival, unbeknown to them, Cyclonus sneaking in through, what I’d call, a sewer to come up right behind them.

The focus now moves to Cyclonus and Demolisher attacking and capturing the Mini Cons. Once done, they report back to Megatron, who tells them that “Next we declare war.”

As an introduction to the Armada story and the comic itself, this comic works perfectly/ It shows the main players well, and gives you a look at how they act and think, I think this would probably be a better introduction to the storyline than the actual cartoon, a testament to Dreamwave’s hard work to get some of the best Transformers storytellers around.

James Raiz’s art is, as always, fantastically on the mark. Although one has to wonder why the Transformers look like normal Earth based cars even on Cybertron, but one could forgive that easily enough since we are trying to make it easily identifiable for some of the younger audiences.

This Means War!

The Creative Team

Writer: Chris Sarracini
Pencills: James Raiz
Inks: Rob Armstrong, Erik Sander
Backgrounds: Edwin Garcia
Colors: Alan Wang, Ramil Sunga, Gary Yeung
Graphic Design: Paul Villafuerte
Flats: Henry Li
Letters: Dreamer Designs
Pre-Press: Hell-O-Graphics

Release Date: July 2002
Cover Price: $2.95

Trivia: Bots somewhat resembling Generation 1 Hound, Jazz, Wheeljack, and Cliffjumper appear as extras in Cyber City. In Prime’s first appearance, there’s a screen behind him with tiny, but legible, text. The text reads “All your base are belong to us” over and over, and “if you can read this you are obsessed”. It makes a fair point.

My Score: 9/10 Matrixes