Daily Comic Book Mission #024: Transformers #30

Is everyone ready to transform and roll out? I hope so because I've got your daily comic book mission right here.

Transformers issue number 30 from Image and Skybound. Taking it way back to March of this year. Brand new comic book, just released. And if you like Transformers, if you've been into Transformers for quite some time, me, like four decades of Transformers, They're doing stuff in this series that they've never done before. Well this issue in particular, there's a plot twist in here that I'm not going to reveal, but I will say that if you love Transformers and you want to see them just really push the envelope, you're going to have to go out there and get issue number 30.

But in order to understand issue number 30, you're really going to have to read the rest of the series because for starters, we've got a relatively new character here on the cover and who, well it's kind of the star of this issue.

Elita-1. Wonder if she knows Edit Station-1?

Elita-1, she's, well, she. I'm still not sure this whole male-female robot thing, but they do allude that Elita-1and Optimus Prime may have had a relationship in the past.

I feel like we need to know more about this. Mr. Kirkman, please, tell us more. Did they meet at the bar and just go home together drunk? Like did they meet through an Autobot dating app? Is that a thing? Did the Optimist swipe right? Is that how that works?

I don't know. But let's see. She has a line of dialogue here. "For millennia, we fought together against the Decepticons. I am strongest with you by my side." And they bold that. So you know it's important.

And then he says... I gotta do my Peter Cullen voice. "I fear that is", God damn it.

Nobody can defeat Peter Cullen. "I fear that it's but a distant memory, no matter how much I desire it as well."

You can't read the comic book without hearing Peter Cullen's voice. I mean, he's been doing it for like four decades. He's just incredible.

Anyway, so Elita-1, okay, here's the backstory real quick. Elita-1 is really angry, really angry. She's got like this pent up fury over a million years, and not just because Optimus like stood her up on a date or whatever. But because Optimus has betrayed his people, or his robots, by leaving Cybertron and taking the battle to Earth, and he's fighting for Earth.

Because Optimus feels guilty that he led the Decepticons to Earth, who are gonna destroy the entire planet. So he's determined to fight for the humans on Earth, and she wants no part of this.

She's like, I want you back on Cybertron, and if you won't come back to Cybertron, then you're the enemy.

And then Elita-1 says: "You're not fit to lead." And then she challenges Optimus to a fight.

And we haven't seen a fight against Optimus this good since...

Probably Transformers: The Movie. Still one of my favorites.

I love the color work in these issues. I cannot overemphasize how incredibly beautiful the Transformers comic books are now. They've just got the best artists on the planet working on this. Dan Mora. Mike Spicer does the colors, and while Dan Mora's illustration work is just breathtaking, it's the colors that really pop on this one.

Just a really unusual color palette. Every panel, I mean most of this issue is a fight scene, every panel is just gorgeous. You really have to read this if you're into Transformers and you want to see something different than what they've done before.

I'm trying to find some poetic way to say this, but there really isn't one, and I'm still dancing around the whole plot point here, but let's just say Elita-1 believes that she should be leading, and Optimus is like well we'll see what the Matrix thinks, and I'll just leave it at that.

The decision is up to the Matrix of Leadership to follow either Optimus Prime or Elita-1, who doesn't seem like she would have been fun at the bar, to be perfectly honest. She seems to have an anger management problem. Give her two drinks, and she'll be smashing things and burning down buildings. She's like an Eagles fan, but a pink robot.

Transformers issue number 30 is your Daily Comic Book Mission. If you love Transformers, let this issue take you outside of your comfort zone. I haven't really told you the complete thing yet because I want you to experience it. And… uh. I've actually been very pleased with where the series has gone after issue 25. I was a little concerned with issue 25, but they've chosen wisely. They've chosen to do things differently, and I think a series like this that's been running for so long needs that, and it's fun to mix things up.

So, highly recommended here from your friend at ComicBook.beer, and yes I have a beer, got an Iron City today, which also works well with Transformers because they're made of metal. And Iron City is like liquified metal. So cheers to you, Transformers.

Trying to think of who my favorite Transformer is right now. We need to see some more from Shredhead, who's like the newest Transformer in the series. And you're like, who the hell's Shredhead? Shredhead's a custom van, so I do appreciate that. Haven't seen him a whole lot yet. Do we get a Transformer that's an El Camino also?

If you're gonna give me a custom van, which was on my wish list, I'm just gonna go down the list now. El Camino. AMC Eagle, AMC Pacer. We got all the other car brands represented. We need more AMC. American Motor Company, bring them back.

Alright. Transformers issue number 30, your daily comic book mission.