(IDW 2015)

Writer: John Barber

Art: Andrew Griffith 

Colors: Josh Perez

Optimus Prime’s quest into the Sea of Rust to find answers to his role as a Prime, saw him encounter a new female combiner, Victorion, who also had questions of her own for the Transformers new space messiah.

Meanwhile, Galvartron and Soundwave took advantage of an opportunity that left Arcee and the other Autobots trapped on the Ark 7 fighting for their lives. Now in Transformers #48 the events unfolding back on Earth at the Earth Defence HQ may decide the outcome of the conflict in Conquerors Part 3! Yes, everything has been leading to this moment as the fate the Autobots, the human race, and post-war Cybertron all now rests with two of the Transformers greatest heroes: Buster the dog and D.O.C the drone!

Transformers #48 written by John Barber, with art by Andrew Griffith, and colors by Josh Perez, is the penultimate issue of this new story-arc for IDW’s Transformers comic book series, and this issue finds two of the most unlikely heroes of all helping out in the most extraordinary of circumstances as we race towards issue #50!

So, how can a tale about a dog and a drone be so pivotal to current events in the Transformers universe? Well, easy, when your have a writer of the calibre of John Barber at the helm. After all the all-out-action of previous issue, any preconceptions you might have had about this issue being little more than a fill-in before the main event are sorely mistaken, as Transformers #48 proves to be a thoughtful, moving, and beautifully written installment. Buster and D.O.C the drone not only make the most adorable team, their adventure at the Earth Defense HQ is crucial to events as they get caught up in bigger plot-lines gradually unfolding around them, and its all skillfully handled by Barber in a way that makes every scene an absolute delight to read.

The art by Andrew Griffith’s captures every nuance Barber’s story perfectly, with crisp, clear layouts, every page is bursting with detail, and there are some clever uses of perspective to accentuate Buster’s and D.O.C’s viewpoints as well. The vision of writer and artist are as one in Transformers #48, I was completely engrossed in this story, the lovely bond that formed between Buster and D.O.C was genuinely heart-warming, the colors by Josh Perez enhanced every scene as events built towards a thrilling cliff-hanger, and special mention goes to the brilliant lettering by Tom B. Long who brought Buster’s and D.O.C’s personalities and quirky friendship to life so beautifully as their adventure took centre stage for this issue.

Several plot threads begin to slot into place as the issue draws to a close. Garrison Blackrock visit to Spike’s cell at the EDC HQ finally sees Blackrock’s schemes  revealed at last, while Skylink, Jazz Jetfire, and Kup escape their gruesome predicament with some unexpected help in their most desperate hour of need.

Transformer #48 is another superbly written issue by John Barber, which, together with Andrew Griffith’s great artwork, this IDW Transformer series becomes even more exciting and action-packed with each successive issue, and with its shock-twist ending, Transformer #48 sets everything up a thrilling finale to this Conquerors story arc!

Paul Bowler is a self-Confessed Sci-Fi Geek, Doctor Who fan, and Zombie Disposal Expert. He likes movies, comic books, and all things PS3. He likes to write about his interests, would love to write a novel one day, and also enjoys chatting to the many people he has gotten to know on Twitter. When he’s not busy being an Impossible Astronaut, he likes to take a break from his adventures in time and space to enjoy some of his favorite tv shows and movies, preferably with a nice cuppa tea & a sandwich! You can follow him on Twitter @paul_bowler, or find him at his website, Sci-Fi Jubilee.