[Comic Book Review] IDW’s TRANSFORMERS '84: Secrets & Lies TPB

PopCultHQ received advance review copy of TRANSFORMERS ’84: Secrets & Lies TPB from IDW Publishing. Available March 3rd, the creative team for this book features writing by Simon Furman, art from Guido Guidi, colors by John-Paul Bove, and letters from Jake M. Wood & Tom B. Long.

Here is PopCultHQ’s Spoiler-Free Review of…

TRANSFORMERS ’84: Secrets & Lies TPB

Story: Simon Furman
Art: Guido Guidi
Colors: John-Paul Bove
Letters: Jake M. Wood & Tom B. Long

Cover Art: Guido Guidi

Collects the four-issue Transformers ’84: Secret and Lies series,
plus the Transformers ’84 #0 one-shot.

As the Cybertronian Civil War rages between Optimus Prime’s Autobots and Megatron’s Decepticons, Shockwave has encountered a new obstacle to the Decepticons’ victory and subjugation of the planet: Megatron himself! As Optimus and his recruits take off to stop an even deadlier threat—an asteroid belt powerful enough to destroy the metal world—Megatron leads a team of Decepticons after in hot pursuit! But what other motivations does Prime have for this mission? How does it benefit Shockwave’s goals? And what does it all have to do with a secret on Earth in the eleventh century?

PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
TRANSFORMERS ’84: Secrets & Lies TPB

In 1984, the world was introduced to Transformers. Now it is time to return back to that simple time. When Ronald Reagan was in the White House, audiences were falling in love with dance and romance courtesy of Footloose, and Marvel Comics was king of the comics industry. Keep a sharp out for these beings, who are more than meets the eye. Be on the lookout and be ready for…Transformers ’84: Secrets & Lies TPB.

Writing: Every so often a comic book series comes out that falls into one of two categories. Either that of a delightful homage/love letter to a pre-existing media group, or it adds to said group in a way that has not been done before. Or it falls into both categories and is just downright awesome. Such is the case with Simon Furman’s fantastic scripts for Transformers ’84. From the very first page, readers will get the sense that Simon is a die-hard Transformers fan. Everything about the book echoes with the sound of pure, unabashed passion for this timeless group. Whomever picks up this TPB, old fans or new, they will walk away craving more from Simon and his fabulous storytelling.

Art: Guido Guidi’s artwork is nothing less than spectacular. The level of detail is immaculate and his linework bringing the Autobots and Decepticons to life is amazing. Nothing is missed when it comes to Guido’s art. As the series is a throwback to the early days of the Transformers, it lines up perfectly with Simon’s scripts. The action and splash pages look and feel like something straight out of the original comics and cartoon. Everyone’s favorite heroes and villains look exactly as they did decades ago. And that is all thanks to one person, the astounding Guido.

Colors: John-Paul has played around in a variety of creative sandboxes as a colorist. From the chaotic future of Judge Dredd, to the dark realms of Dungeons and Dragons. To see him take on the action-packed, explosive-riddled and rich world of Transformers, showcases his skill in a marvelous manner. The color palettes he has selected for everything, Autobots and Decepticons in particular, is nothing short of epic. This entire book is rendered in a color style that brings out every detail and quite honestly makes it feel like it is the mid-80s again.

Letters: Eyes are said to the window to the soul. Well it is lettering that is the window to the soul of comic book characters. Our tour guides into the minds and machinations of the Transformers are the dream team of Jake Wood and Tom Long. These two bright fellows positively pulled no punches on the lettering. There is a certain gravitas flowing in every word balloon, in particular with Optimus Prime’s words. This reviewer could quite honestly hear Peter Cullen himself reading the dialogue, it is that good. Hats off to Jake and Tom for a darn awesome job.

PopCultHQ’s overall assessment:

Ever since the first toys, comics, and cartoons blasted into the world in 1984, the scope of entertainment has changed radically. Everywhere we look, Transformers are all over. Transformers ’84: Secrets & Lies TPB is a terrific throwback to the Golden Era of this out-of-this-world group of characters. Transform and roll out for the 80’s with a graphic novel that is a sure-fire success.