[Interest Check] All Hail Megatron

Posted on February 23rd, 2012 by The Mistress

Every night, I try to make it a point to do some light reading before I get some shut-eye. Though it has been a long time since I’ve graced upon a novel, I have this returning interest in Western comics. One of the series I began taking an interest in was, surprisingly, outside the superhero genre we’ve all come to love. This one was originally from a toyline that evolved into a TV cartoon back in the 80′s and 90′s… and more recently, into a series of Michael Bay movies. You guessed it right, it’s Hasbro’s Transformers.

This comic book storyline I picked up had me going through every single issue in just one sitting. All Hail Megatron is a 16-issue limited series that certainly dwarfs whatever plot Michael Bay had in his movie version. This comic book story tells about the Decepticons’ invasion of Earth, the Autobots’ struggle to get back up on their feet, and the human’s plight in fending off the mechanical invaders. Save for a few plot twists, the story is pretty straightforward. The evil ones to triumph in the first few issues. But naturally, in the course of a good-versus-evil story, you know what to expect in the end.

The main selling point of All Hail Megatron is the underlying emotions every faction brings to the story. The Autobots are pushed to their limits after being apparently pummeled by the Decepticons. Just like the original cartoons, Cybertron residents are very much similar to humans: capable of emotion, pain and pleasure. With the art and the dialogue, one can definitely feel the tension, frustration, and stress everyone in the team is undergoing. It compels the reader to ask more questions, read more pages, and know how the Autobots can make it through such a sorry state. The Decepticons, true to their name, have their part of the story filled with rampage-drunk revelry and backstabbing. The Decepticons here are virtually untouchable! The comics emphasizes how helpless the human defenses are against these towering mechs. Suffice to say, the Decepticons here are portrayed with more balls than those found in the movies. No sir, you don’t want the movie-sanitized versions of the Decepticons. You’re sure to love these Decepticons right here. And what of the humans? Imagine all of them in a sorry, low-morale state, trying to rise up again from the turmoil and disaster brought about the Decepticons, while the government seeks out desperate measures just to get rid of the mechanized invaders.

This 16-issue arc focuses more on character development. As emotions run high within the different factions, you get to see characters rise and fall. There’s that feeling of wanting to be there and just barge into their conversations. There’s that intensity felt as you flip through every page, wanting to know what would happen next, wanting to know the fates of each and every key player. I can’t stress this much, but All Hail Megatron won’t jump on you as an action-packed series. It’s all about emotion. And the art complements it well too. Impressive detail on every part of the robots’ bodies and the gritty environments all make every page a definite masterpiece.

Given the opportunity, grab a copy of All Hail Megatron from IDW Publishing. You’ll see the Autobots and Decepticons with a lot more depth compared to the movies. No, my friends, this is not your Saturday morning Transformers on TV. This one’s a lot better.