The Transformer Films have been very saddening for Transformer fans around the world. The first film wasn’t very negatively received, but the 2nd film destroyed the movie franchise for many people. It was pretty hard to blame them, but maybe the comic adaption would be better right? I can safely say that it’s off to a much better beginning!

This collection covers the events of the movie, as well as a prequel and sequel (That takes place before Transformers 2) series. The Movie Collection definitely brings a nice amount of comics that give you extra value for your purchase.

The prequel comic shows a little bit of the war on Cybertron. The Autobots are on the losing end, (Like always) but they quickly think of a desperate plan of action. They launch the All Spark into space while Bumblebee distracts Megatron. Megatron gets most of the focus in the prequel comic and he does pretty well. He’s easily one of the more interesting Transformer characters and it’s always fun to see him take the opponents down. This comic may have not featured many Autobots, but at least we got to sympathize with the Decepticons.

Next up was the adaption of the Transformers Movie. It’s been ages since I watched the first one, but I could immediately tell that it was better. The humans were not as annoying as they had been in the movie and they stayed out of the way when the action got real. (Stabbing someone with an All Spark barely counts for beans anyway) Optimus Prime finally got to appear in this comic and he definitely did pretty good. His fire sword is always cool to look at and he can definitely deal some lethal damage with it. The other Decepticons aren’t able to lay a hand on him. The only problem with Optimus Prime is that we never get to see his leader skills. While reading the comic, you may wonder why he was chosen to be the leader. He just seems to be more of a solo act. Prime just beats up anyone who gets in his way and he makes sure that the mission gets completed. Still, he makes for a much better leader than the other Autobots.

We also get a comic that takes place after the movie. Ironically enough, this part of the graphic novel proceeds to take up nearly half of the book. Starscream is now the main character and he wants to show that he is a much better leader than Megatron. Unlike Megatron and Prime, Starscream decides that he won’t let anything cloud his judgement. If you believed everything that he says during the narration, you would quickly be glad that he became the leader. Starscream brings up a lot of valid points (Prime and Megatron destroying the very planet that they wanted to rule) and to be honest, he is a better leader than the other two. Maybe this isn’t the case in the other shows and comics, but I would definitely be on his side in this one. He seemed to be much smarter than the others and he has a lot of tactical experience. The plot of the comic was mostly Starscream bashing Megatron and learning from the humans. Eventually, Starscream will be able to take over the world!

This was a solid way to start off the movie adaptions. The comic was much more enjoyable than the film and eliminated most of my negatives that I had. The humans don’t really make you wince (Except for one scene) and the robots are decently good. One negative would be the character designs from the film. They are still pretty similar to each other and the overall art doesn’t help matters. The art wasn’t awful and I would even say that it was decently good, maybe just a little chaotic at times. The fight scenes were solid and I would recommend it to just about all comic fans. Whether you want an action comic or an aliens story, you’ll enjoy this one. Of course if you like Transformers a lot, you may want to check out Regeneration.

Overall 7/10

The climax of the series is now upon us. Every series has to end at some point and even Future Foundation had to go. There is currently a new FF series which replaced this one, but I think it’s safe to say that we’ll all miss the exiting plots and large scope that this series had. I’m happy to say that I’ve reviewed the series from start to finish, this volume being the final one in the series. This volume isn’t quite as exciting as the others, but since things are finally coming to a close, there is still tension.

The first comic involves The first comic is about Spiderman trying to kick Human Torch out of his house. Human Torch keeps messing up Peter’s life, but arguably he’s not doing it on purpose…arguably! This comic is definitely more of a comedy than an action. It’s pretty fun for the most part, but the party scene was pretty sad and Spiderman’s Spider Sense should have stopped him! I don’t think Spiderman will ever be able to fully forget that part of his life. Someone even enters his house to use the rest room.

Another comic involves Wakanda. So, why did everyone decide to go to Wakanda? Well, maybe they just wanted to have fun! Unfortunately, Franklin is away on business (Training with his future self basically) so the Future Foundation needs to solve this situation without violence. What’s the situation? A group of Wakandian rebels want to beat them up and they may have a Master Plan. They definitely weren’t the most memorable villains out there.

In another comic, the Human Torch takes the group on a field trip. They go to the Negative Zone where Human Torch is currently the King. It’s pretty amazing, but I guess Human Torch is just that powerful. Unfortunately for Johnny Storm, the people want a democracy now. Basically, this means that they will vote for the leader, so Human Torch’s stay as King may be through. The votes come in and the winner may not be who you think!

Finally, we also have a wrap up comic for the Inhumans and the Kree. Franklin helps to fix a dying Sun while they negotiate. Reed Richards talks pretty tough for the comic which is good to see. The Inhumans and kree decide on a truce, but Black Bolt decides to add one extra condition. It’s something that may make him a disliked character for some, but for others, they may just take this in stride. Just like that, the arc/series is over!

The series had a good run. There may not have been that much action in the final collection, but since the series was ending, it’s to be expected. It was a solid series and a pretty fun one as well. Reed Richards could have used a little more screen time, but his few scenes were pretty intense for the most part. There are still a lot of plot lines that are still around, but I guess they’ll be wrapped up in other series. We missed out on several plots in this series as well, but I guess it’s more incentive to buy other Marvel series alongside this one. Overall, I’d recommend this collection, but you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more if you read the previous installments in the series. I also recommend the series as a whole. It may not have been the most action packed adventure, but it was still Fantastic Four right? That’s bound to make things epic!

Overall 6/10

I never get tired of reading Superman comics. Superman is always a solid protagonist and this comic is fun to read. It goes by quickly and we do get some nice Superman action. Some of Superman’s most memorable villains appear as well. Is the comic rushed or is it one that will be remembered through history?

The comic starts out with a meteor preparing to hit Earth. Superman quickly stops it, but he sees a kid inside. The Government quickly gets involved and they decide to take this guy into custody. They take him to a secure facility, but Superman quickly finds out about it and takes the kid home. The name’s Christopher Kent and he’s not an opponent to be taken lightly.

Superman tries to give the kid a normal life, but it’s not meant to be. Luthor sends in Bizarro to cause trouble and General Zod breaks out of captivity along with the other Kryptonians. Superman’s going to need the Justice League to get involved with this fight, as well as Christopher Kent. This time, Superman needs to save the world and defeat an army of beings who could shatter the planet…this looks like a job for Superman!

Superman is a pretty solid main character as usual. He’s always ready to make the world a better place and he does a pretty solid job of defeating all opponents who stand in his way. I didn’t like Lois or Chris Kent in this comic. Lois was very apprehensive about raising Chris and Chris…I just didn’t like him. He wasn’t my type of character, that’s for sure. Lex Luthor is pretty good and he continues to show everyone up as he wins battle after battle. His fight against the Kryptonian is very….inaccurate or hard to believe. You get to make your pick. Metallo and Parasite were pretty fun villains and easy to root for. The Kryptonians and Bizarro were less likable, but they made for good villains.

That’s the problem with Kryptonians. If they’re all at around half of Superman’s level, they should still be able to crush most of the people on Earth in an instant. I just couldn’t believe some of their losses, but the stakes definitely felt high, so I still give the author points for the attempt. Batman lost pretty quickly which is also a little tricky. Could an army of Kryptonians take on the Justice League? The only threats would be Batman, Wonder Woman, GL, Flash, Supergirl, and Powergirl. Probably a few more, but those are the big problems. They were outnumbered, so maybe it’s feasible, but still pretty sad for the League.

This was definitely a fun comic book. We got to see what it would be like if Superman wasn’t actually the last Kryptonian. Getting the League involved was pretty good as well. The art inside the Phantom Zone was definitely intriguing, but for those who don’t have 3D glasses, it could be annoying. The ending is pretty sad for some characters, but for the most part, it had a solid ending. The only negative might be the short length, but that’s barely a negative and won’t hurt the comic. I’d recommend this comic and I’m sure that all comic fans will have fun with it. Superman will always be a cool character.

Overall 7/10

The Uncanny Xmen roster was one of the most memorable lineups in Xmen history. They heavily influenced the 90’s show and continue to be remembered as some of the most popular Xmen characters. This collection includes the 200th issue, which is definitely a big milestone. The collection is nice and big, so it brings a lot of comics.

The issue starts out with Shadowcat and Magneto at a reunion with a lot of old folks. They were Magneto’s friends back in the day and they aren’t to be underestimated. Unfortunately, the Freedom Fighters attack and decide that Magneto must be defeated. The Freedom Force is actually the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but they do work for the Government now. Shadowcat calls in the Xmen, but things get pretty embarrassing for them at first. With Destiny in the field, they’re able to counter everything that the Xmen have.

When you have a roster that includes Colossus, Rogue, Cyclops, and Wolverine, they can’t be stopped for long. They quickly take the advantage, but Magneto decides to turn himself in. This way, he can free mutants through peace instead of violence. The Xmen are likely skeptical, but they don’t try to stop him as Magneto is taken away. Magneto goes to a large court and the case begins. It’s pretty fun, but the Xmen have bigger things to worry about. Someone is framing the Xmen and trying to jeopardize Magneto’s case. Who can it be!?

The Xmen head out to stop the menace, but the opponents may be closer than they think. In the aftermath, Professor Xavier is finally at the end of his rope and he is forced to leave Earth, leaving Magneto as the rightful leader of the group. Storm and Cyclops also have their big confrontation to decide who the leader will be. The battle is pretty……unrealistic, but Cyclops is distracted. The result should still have been different. This marks the end of Cyclops for the rest of the collection.

Now that the situation has been settled, Rachel Summers decides to inherit the Phoenix Force and destroy The Beyonder once and for all. The Beyonder gives her the necessary power to do so, but she has to decide between destroying him and saving her friends. Rachel decides to keep the power after helping er friends and launches another attack, but she’ll end up destroying the entire universe! Needless to say, the Xmen don’t like this. The Beyonder comes in person and the final showdown begins! Only one will walk away from this battle in control.

We get two standalone comics to help pass the time by. In one of them, we see a very out of character Nightcrawler. He’s sad because beings like The Beyonder are just too powerful. He prefers to put his life on the line against weaker opponents, who outmatch him, but can still be defeated. Nightcrawler must match wits against Arcade and save a mutant who needs his help. This definitely sounds like a job for Nightcrawler!

In the other (Much better) comic, Wolverine is being hunted by Lady Deathstrike and the Ravagers. Wolverine is definitely on the losing side and he can’t even speak for a while. Luckily one of the Power Pack is here to help him. She doesn’t end up fighting, but she gives him a pep talk. Wolverine’s healing factor also helps him out as they team up to fight Deathstrike and her lackeys. It was a pretty fun comic and definitely shows how tough Wolverine can be.

As the Xmen adventures continue, The Freedom Force attacks once again, but this time they’re after the Xmen themselves! Once again, the Xmen are being defeated, but I’m sure that they would have made a comeback. Rachel was the most disappointing since the Phoenix should make short work of these guys. Luckily the Police chase them off. Rachel also starts to have nightmares where she destroys Wolverine or he ends up destroying her. They both begin to feel the damage in the real world which is a problem.

Rachel decides to avenge one of her friends that Selene destroyed. She heads to the mansion and quickly defeats her, but Wolverine gives her an ultimatum. Turn back, or he’ll have to end her. Rachel doesn’t care and attempts to finish Selene off, but Wolverine is quicker. Rachel barely survives and escapes, but now things get tricky. The Hellfire Club goes out to take Rachel down, while the Xmen are also looking for her. She’s far too weakened to defend herself, but the other two groups are busy fighting. Things really get interesting once Nimrod appears. He makes short work of both groups, but with the power of Heroics, they manage to fend him off. Rachel decides to dance her way out of this and goes into a portal. Unfortunately, it may not have been her best move!

The final comic involves Mojo and he shrinks them down to size. Not much to say about this comic. It was all right, but the New Mutants got too much screen time and the Xmen didn’t look so good. They can’t always look good I suppose, but it’s just embarrassing how often they get mind controlled.

The character roster was very good. This collection helped me gain a lot of respect for Nimrod and he’s definitely a very cool character. I think he’s now in my top 5 Xmen villains and you can expect him to be appearing on the site soon. Cyclops was pretty cool as well, but things take a turn for the worse towards the end. Magneto was pretty good and I can’t really complain about the Xmen. Storm losing her powers was pretty annoying, but hardly her fault.

I didn’t like any of the New Mutants. They all talked really tough, but they could never win when it counted. Rogue was pretty tough, but her power is constantly backfiring on her. Wolverine was still the best Xmen in this collection and he seems to be the toughest. That healing factor comes in handy and he never gives up. Colossus and Shadowcat appeared a lot, but they didn’t really do anything that was very important. Professor Xavier was also a non factor for this collection.

The Beyonder was intriguing, but his ending was anticlimatic. Still, I can see why he was a threat in The Secret Wars. His abilities are pretty fun to watch and I’m glad that he talks tough. Most cosmic entities forget that trash talking is the best part about being a villain. The Freedom Force is all right, but they looked much tougher than they should have. Just a minor complaint of course.

This was definitely a solid Xmen collection and it had a lot of action. It’s easily the best comic I’ve read in a while and probably in my top 5 Xmen collections. The art was very well done and has aged well. This was back during the golden age of comics for me and reminds me why I miss those days. I highly recommend this comic to all readers.

Overall 8/10