"Spotlight: Shockwave"

After numerous covers and letters page illustrations, Nick Roche here gets his first gig on sequential art for IDW. His artwork is a menthol breath of fresh air. It's truly great that IDW are allowing their artists to bring their own creative vision to Transformers.

The fight sequences are fluid, graceful and beautifully choreographed. And his portrayal of the characters faces are so full of expression that dialogue isn't necessary. Josh Burcham's colouring perfectly complements Nick's illustrations.

There was an old Marvel Transformers story with Shockwave and the Dinobots fighting on prehistoric Earth, and the plot here feels like it's retreading old ground. However, Simon Furman is giving us more pieces that fit tantalisingly with his other IDW stories that the too-familiar scenario can be forgiven.

Simon Furman has hit nails squarely into the characters' heads in this story. Shockwave is resourceful, logical and deadly, and Grimlock's Dynobots are thuggish, petty and vengeful. By the way, it's the Dinobots really; the new name is a clever play on words. Personally I would have changed the "D" for a "W" and made them alcoholic.

In amongst the recent, protracted story arcs such as "Infiltration" and "The War Within", Simon Furman has at last given us a well-paced, thoughtfully character-driven complete story in one-sixth of the comic space he usually has.

Grimlock's reaction to the option of donning organic "beast" modes is a real highlight of the story; so underplayed, so in-character, so brilliant.

This story gives the reader an unabated insight into Shockwave's character, taking what we know of him from the last twenty years and pushing the probe deeper into his psyche.

The first of IDW's "Spotlight" issues is a warm, endearing piece of art, and if you didn't think Shockwave was brilliant before you will do now.



"Spotlight: Shockwave" (22 pp) was originally published by IDW Publishing
in Transformers: Spotlight #1 (September 2006)

Written by Simon Furman | Art by Nick Roche | Colours by Josh Burcham
Letters by Sulaco Studios | Edits by Dan Taylor