Rhymes With Geek

Transformers vs GI Joe #2
Written by Tom Scioli and John Barber
Art, Colors and Lettering by Tom Scioli
Covers by Tom Scioli, Ed Piskor, Jaime Tyndall & Ula Mos, Rob Liefeld & Tom Mason
Published by IDW
Release date August 27, 2014
Cover price $3.99
Review by Mark William Pawziuk

The adventure continues as the Real American Heroes touch down on Cybertron, but don’t expect the Robots in Disguise to roll out the welcome mat…

Story: Make no mistake, Transformers vs GI Joe’s primary objective is fun, but it also delivers tense action!  Because this Habro-licensed series has an independent continuity, anything can happen.  Nobody and no robot is safe. Autobots are on the verge of extinction, reduced to living in ghettos on Cybertron.  The Joes and Autobots don’t understand each other’s intentions and risk mutual annihilation.  Despite being free to do their own thing, Scioli and Barber respect and elevate the previously established characters and personalities. In particular, Scarlet is a stand-out, along with the blinged-out, hyper-volatile Megatron.  The writers also pay homage to previous interpretations both in the story pages and in the back matter. Even  The Weather Dominator is mentioned here!  With references to Apocalypse Now, Tour of Duty,  Gobots, and more this issue, Transformers vs GI Joe #2  is a fantastic nostalgia trip.  At the same time, however, it is inventive and exhilarating.  Story score: 10 out of 10.

Art: Scioli’s bold layouts and incredibly attentive illustrations are such a driver to this book.  They are so well integrated to the story that it’s hard to talk about them separately. Like some comics I’ve read from the ’50s and ‘60s, the book is broken into a few individually titled sections. Keeping with the old school feel, the pages are given a smudged, aged newsprint look. Each panel is a carefully crafted image with no shortage of playful details to uncover.  There is the Yo Joe Cola on page one, Sgt. Slaughter’s Tag Team Terminator and poor Bumblebee’s head hanging from Megatron’s neck.  I could go on and on, but I’ll wrap this section up by saying that Scioli has become one of my all-time favourite comic creators in just three issues!  Art score: 10 out of 10.

Overall: Like issues #0 and #1, Transformers vs GI Joe #2  is another show-stopper that merits multiple readings.  There is absolutely way too much awesome to take in during one sitting, no matter how much you slow down to savour it.  Overall score: 10 out of 10.

Want to see how this review compared to the others?  Check out our friends at Comic Book Roundup!