Comic Book Review: Transformers: All Hail Megatron Vol. 1 (Trade Paperback)
Transformers: All Hail Megatron Vol. 1 (Trade Paperback)
Written by Shane McCarthy
Illustrated by Guido Guidi and Casey Coller
Published by IDW Publishing
Reviewed by Philip J. Eaves
I’ll be honest with you here. That whole lesson of “don’t judge a book by its cover” is bunk. At least for me. True, content makes or breaks a good read for me, but if a book has a crappy cover, especially for today’s graphic novels, it just doesn’t appeal to me. If a publisher can’t make a comic book collection visually appealing, I’m already one step closer to I Don’t Caresville.
So, when I was pouring through shelves of new graphic novels, trying to find one that got me excited to read, I stumbled upon a book I swore I had never seen before. A cover reminiscent of old-timey war propaganda. A simple color scheme with daunting black figures. I thought I had stumbled upon a Hickman book, but then I was surprised to find the Transformers logo in the top corner. My jaw dropped.
All Hail Megatron is not your standard Transformers book, illustrated by the fact that I am reading it. Normally I pass on these types of books – no offense to you GI Joe and Transformers fans out there. I skip these titles for a couple of reasons, with the top being I don’t want to spend money to read a six-issue toy commercial. But, as I said, this book is something else. It’s a “what if” scenario that isn’t often seen in comics, a medium overflowing with heroes. All Hail Megatron asks the question, “What if Megatron and the Decepticons won?” The answer: total @#$@in’ anarchy!
The Decepticons hit Earth hard, starting with the Big Apple. Buildings are destroyed. The military is defeated. People run for their lives.
What makes this book a real gem, however, is not in the awesome battle scenes. It’s in the more dramatic moments. Writer Shane McCarthy doesn’t hesitate to stop the action every once in a while and have the Decepticons argue wartime strategy and philosophy here. The Decepticons are really looking up to Megatron at this point, as he has finally brought them the victory they have been struggling for ages to achieve, but some have different agendas. McCarthy even takes skewed looks at the Transformers themselves. How are the insect-transforming Decepticons different from the aircraft Decepticons?
Another interesting aspect of this story is that, even though the Autobots aren’t completely out of the picture, they aren’t a part of the battle in New York. It is basically humans versus Decepticons. I know this may sound stupid, but you actually get an idea of how powerless humans would be against a robotic bat or train. And since Optimus Prime isn’t around to fight our battles for us, human lives are lost left and right. For a book about toys, there is an awful lot of death and heartache.
The art by Guido Guidi and Casey Coller is reminiscent of the cartoon, which is both good and bad. I feel like the Transformers should have a new, darker look for this book, but I understand that a more, cartoony approach would prevent young readers from feeling disconnected.
Whether a fan of the franchise or not (I am in the “not” category), this is an good read. Rarely do we see a story about the victory of the villain, and even more rare is the story involving a supervillain but no superhero. I am sure the Autobots are sure to come to the rescue, but right now this is a conquest story I never saw coming. I also never saw myself enjoying a Transformers book this much.
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