Kirkman opens at the Nemesis and wastes precious little time establishing that the Decepticons have a very different situation on their hands. Meanwhile, Wheeljack heads back to the Cybertron shard, and Carly and Spike get a brief chance to talk outside the Ark before the day goes sideways. The issue moves quickly between those threads, giving us an ominous discovery, a useful new development for Carly and a clash that practically comes through the staples. It is a busy chapter, but the separate locations are clear and the scenes feed into the danger rather than sitting around waiting for their turn.

Howard’s art makes the first impression and keeps swinging. Megatronus Rex has a broad, top-heavy silhouette, deep shadows and an enormous blade that makes the other robots look underdressed for the occasion. Howard shoots him from below, plants those massive feet and lets the surrounding wreckage sell his size. You can almost hear the floor complaining. His mechanical bodies have enough recognizable parts to stay readable, while the scratchy rendering and rough edges give everything a battered, used-up feeling. These machines have been through some business. Nobody here looks fresh out of the blister pack.

The transformations are a particular treat. Howard breaks the motion into small, successive panels, then pays it off with a large image of the completed form. That rhythm gives the change a physical process: parts shift, shapes reorganize, and suddenly there is a whole new problem standing in front of you. The battle pages use diagonal movement, big foreshortened fists and flying debris to drag your eye across the action. A punch can fill most of a page and still leave room below for the reaction that tells you how badly it landed. WEPA, let the big ugly hit breathe.

The fight also has character underneath all that flying scrap. Megatronus Rex enjoys himself, which makes him nastier than a villain who simply stands there announcing how powerful he is. He corrects his name, taunts Optimus about his diminished title and treats the whole encounter like an opportunity to show off. Kirkman gives him the arrogance of a man who bought a new suit and immediately started disrespecting everybody at the function. Optimus refuses to fold, but the artwork keeps reminding us that courage does not magically close a size advantage. His determination is easy to admire because this looks like a terrible matchup.

Soundwave adds another flavor of trouble. His loyalty stays clipped and purposeful, even as Megatronus tries to tell him he could be something more. That little exchange puts a thought in the air without stopping the battle to unpack an entire relationship. Shredhead, meanwhile, gets an earlier conversation about cooperation and the difficulty of living with the fragments of a fallen clan inside one spark. There is vulnerability in that admission. Kirkman lets the team respond with concern and a little humor, so the scene feels like people checking on one of their own. The subsequent violence has more weight because we just spent time with them being a team.

Carly’s moment works for similar reasons. She worries about her robot friends, Spike struggles to find something helpful to say, and neither kid sounds like they arrived with a perfectly rehearsed speech. Arcee’s delivery of Wheeljack’s exo-suit brings a welcome burst of excitement. Carly gets something she can actually use, and Howard changes her posture and expression enough that you can see her energy return. Spike’s reaction adds a good little laugh. Those few panels make the humans feel involved in this world without pretending they can casually stroll through a Cybertronian battlefield in sneakers.

Wheeljack’s detour supplies the creepy stuff. Howard surrounds him with dark, vertical machinery and open space, making his initial delight at having uninterrupted work time pretty funny. Then he notices what has changed, and that pleasure disappears fast. His eyes and body language carry the switch before the dialogue finishes explaining it. The scene is brief, but it leaves a worry hanging over the bigger spectacle. Kirkman knows a smaller discovery can make the giant battle feel worse when you suspect the two problems belong in the same nightmare.

Spicer’s colors give each location a distinct temperature. The shard is chilly blue and violet, the quieter outdoor conversation has earthy browns and patches of green, and the Ark glows with heated orange before the battle blows it wide open. Against all that dust and fire, the Autobots’ reds, blues and pinks stay easy to pick out. Megatronus carries dark teal, black and purple through the wreckage like a bruise somebody taught to walk. Bright yellow impacts and muzzle flashes hit hard because the surrounding shadows have actual depth. This is loud color with control, fam.

Wooton’s lettering is right there throwing elbows with the art. The angular robot balloons help distinguish those voices from the humans, and the sound effects make transformation and impact feel like separate kinds of noise. They stretch through the available space without forcing you to guess which punch happened first. Howard can crowd a frame with weapons, limbs and rubble, so that clear reading path earns its keep. The smaller dialogue exchanges remain comfortably legible even when everybody around them is getting launched into next week.

My main gripe is how quickly the back half turns into another escalation. The exo-suit and Wheeljack material are interesting enough that I wanted a little more time with them before the fighting takes over. A few villain boasts repeat the same basic threat, too. The cliffhanger absolutely has spectacle, but it also leaves this installment feeling like the first vicious round of a larger beating. Readers coming in cold will have questions about the changed team and current identities; the immediate danger is clear, while the relationships reward having followed the run.

Howard and Spicer make the brutality look tremendous, Wooton gives it volume, and Kirkman slips concern, insecurity and some mean villain humor between the blows. This is a muscular chapter with a couple of promising side threads that deserve room next issue. Megatronus Rex talks like he owns the building and fights like he plans to demolish it anyway. Somebody better check the Autobots’ insurance, mi gente, because that deductible is about to get disrespectful.

CRUSADERS SCORE: 
4.5/5

Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Jason Howard
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Cover A: Jason Howard
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Publication Design: Andres Juarez
Production: Abigail Lee
Publisher: Skybound / Image Comics

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