It hasn’t been too long since I read The Gathering so the characters are still pretty familiar to me in the sequel. It’s Transformers so I use the term “familiar” a little graciously since you’re probably not going to know all of the names by the time that you finish. I find it easier to just memorize the designs instead of the names since that usually sticks with you a little longer. It’s a pretty good comic and it really has everything that makes Transformers so fun.

Magmatron has been defeated, but he somehow survived the ordeals of the last volume. He is now trapped between dimensions so he exists as a pure energy being. He can travel through time instantaneously now, but he is unable to talk to anyone. It’s a pretty boring existence for him, but he learns of a plot to bring back Unicron. He must warn the Maximals or the Predacons before it is too late! Meanwhile, the Maximals and Predacons are still stuck outside of time during the Beast Wars saga as they try not to tamper with the original fighters and the original fighters try not to tamper with the Autobots and Decepticons.

This is why time travel can be tricky! Ravage wants to tamper and naturally help the Predacons win so fights ensue. Magmatron unleashes his plan, which helps other Maximals to arrive while at the same time making the new villain send his heralds to the planet to silence all of the plots. A lot of things are happening here and the volume is filled with nonstop action. Beast Wars is definitely getting off on the right foot with me.

First off, the art is very solid. That’s a must if you’re going to fill a collection with action scenes. Bad artwork would just wreck that effort and make the issues drag on. The designs are all spot on and everything is very clear. These may be giant robots, but they are able to fight with grace and finesse. Again, the artwork does a great job with that here.

One of the big positives is that the collection is just fun to read from start to finish. There aren’t any big names like Optimus Prime or Megatron here so the comics have to deal with minor characters to hold out intention. I guess Grimlock counts as a big character, but he’s more of a guest star or the one big star to keep your attention. He isn’t even needed since the writing is just that good. It’s definitely a pretty fun ride and probably one of the best Transformer comics on the market.

Shokaract is the big villain of this collection and he’s pretty cool. I definitely like his design and the Anti Matrix that he possesses is definitely powerful. I don’t see him taking on Megatron or anyone like that, but in this universe he is easily one of the strongest fighters on the block. He is already gone by the end of the collection though so we’ll have to get ready for the next big villain to replace him. (The guy gets a one panel cameo at the very end and he looks cool so far, but we’ll have to see how his personality is to know for sure whether he is a good character or not) Shokaract is being used by the villains, but he doesn’t know this so he still manages to talk tough the whole time. He’s a solid villain even if his amount of screen time isn’t very large.

It’s good to see the series still taking some nods from G1 like the Unicron is returning subplot. They’ve stopped that for now, but I’m sure that he will totally revive at some point. Once he does, I’m expecting a crossover since the Maximals will likely be thoroughly outclassed by this new threat. They’re good, but they’re simply a lot weaker than their G1 counterparts.

It’s hard to say who the leader is. The War is over right now so technically the Maximals and Predacons are teammates over in space. One of the robots who looks like Optimus Prime seems to call the shots or he at least has a lot of political power. On Earth, the war still rages on and the Maximals have the upper hand. There are 3 Maximals who looks like Optimus Prime at the moment. I like the one with fur and the tallest one whose leadership skills closely resemble that of the famed leader. I was pretty surprised when I saw the third one since he just jumped in out of nowhere, but he seems to be pretty cool as well. Some drama ensues as Razorbeast, one of the main Maximals, turns evil. His story is probably the only sad one in the batch since it’s pretty tragic. He was a good character so it’s sad to see him go.

One of the tools at the villain’s disposal is a king of liquid that infects whoever is hit with it. One blast will turn you into a mindless creature whose physical stats are now greatly increased. This happens to Razorbeast, but luckily he has enough strength of character to last for a while. It’s a great weapon for the villains, but it’s a little too potent if you ask me. Razorbeast was able to give the whole team a good fight so it was hard to believe that the weakened heroes teaming up with the villains could beat the heralds. They don’t due to some circumstances, but they held out for quite a while without getting hit. It’s a stretch, but I can live with it.

Ravage still makes for a pretty good Decepticon as well. He always looks out for his own skin, but he knows when it’s time to team up. His contributions to the team definitely help out a lot during the tough spots and he’s always been a pretty cool character. He looks better than his Autobot counterpart in Grimlock. Grimlock looks tough to be sure, but he just doesn’t seem as experienced as he should be. Ravage brings a lot to the table for his side, but Grimlock is really just extra muscle for the heroes. He comes in handy, but he should be able to help out even more.

The time travel aspect is a nice touch, but it does make things rather tricky for the writers going forward. Apparently, the robots have access to all point in time now so what’s to stop an enemy from messing with the timestream? Traitors are everywhere after all so you can’t count on any defenses forever. It’s one of the dicey parts about time travel and I guess it’s just better not to think about it. After all, this does open the door to some great stories in the future. I just think that it’s a path that needs to be walked very carefully.

Overall, Transformers Beast Wars The Ascending is a very good collection. There are mostly only obscure characters to be found here, but you’ll still find yourself enjoying the collection. It’s just one battle after another and it’s a lot of fun to read. It plays out like something from the 80’s. It’s a stand alone adventure by the end although I’m sure that some of the plots will ultimately continue. I recommend this to any Transformers fan or to anyone who likes a good action comic. I really can’t think of any negatives here and this is why Transformers has such a good reputation in the comic world.

Overall 7/10