Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #41 Review

From the outset of Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #41, you could expect a grim storyline. Heck, it’s got a funeral and the series has dealt with similar themes before. What we have, however, is much more the opposite. Whether that’s an improvement or not may very well split the audience.

The official description from IDW:

“Dear RODIMUS and crew… It’s my funeral tomorrow and I’d love it if you could all be there.
Refreshments will be provided. Please R.S.V.P.—THUNDERCLASH”

As I said, this starts off as if it would lead to a very character-driven storyline, with the death of a large character et al. However, the whole tone of this issue feels completely off. The majority of the title is filled with the typical quirky-writing that I normally love from More Than Meets The Eye but it goes against the pre-wake setting and, frankly, it makes the entire title read oddly.

Still, writer John Barber does begin to focus on an actual storyline, but its only weaved lightly throughout this issue. As usual, Barber has his usual charm with characters, such as a small side-plot involving Rodimus and Megatron, but it isn’t always successful. For instance, there’s a lot of sorority drama here that really doesn’t fit the title or the characters. Perhaps if it took up less pages, but its another plot tangled into the mix.

Visually, More Than Meets The Eye #41 has looked as good as it ever has. Alex Milne has a great talent when it comes to both pencils and detailing, helping to keep the complex designs clean, clear and crisp. That said, Joana Lafuente also brings the beautiful, vibrant colors the series is known for, which – again – only works against the initial setting.

All in all, this does lead into a potentially interesting plot, but the way it gets their isn’t the way I expected and I’m not sure it entirely works. I’ll keep reading of course, as its not making me want to stop, but the series has been on a strong high lately and this issue waivers a little.