With just one issue left, Transformers: Monstrosity #3 has the typical job of escalation; building things up before the big final episode. With so much going on, how does the issue hold up?

The official description from IDW:

MEGATRON UNCHAINED! In the early days of the war, MEGATRON—exiled on JUNKION—battles to reclaim the throne of CYBERTRON. But the TERRORCONS have other ideas… Meanwhile, GRIMLOCK and the DINOBOTS threaten OPTIMUS PRIME’s fledgling republic!

In short, this is a good issue, despite so much going on. There are story arcs involving Megatron, Scorpionok, Optimus Prime and the Dinobots. It’s all very good stuff, and Monstrosity #3 does a very good job of weaving around all of them, but it still leaves a lot in the air. Megatron’s arc is highly predictable and the rest does a lot of foreshadowing. It’s a good read from start to finish, but few developments happen till the latter end of the issue.

That said, the writing is still fairly strong. Chris Metzen & Flint Dillie do their best to get to the core of the characters. Whilst hearing Megatron answer every problem with ‘being Megatron’, some of the other characters get a better treatment. In particular, the Dinobots come into their own a bit more here, even if the focus is clearly on the fan-favorite Grimlock. The cliffhanger of this issue certainly teases a lot.

As for the art, the visuals of Livio Ramondelli are still a delight to sample. The moody colors and hues help sell this story well. Again, the contrast between different sub-plots helps to define and smooth the issue’s transitions. Yet, when it comes down to it, the detail and color simply helps define the moody atmosphere of the setting, as well as depicting awesome robots.

In short, Transformers: Monstrosity #3 probably delivers as well as it possibly can. Given that there’s only so many outcomes available, being a prequel and all, it’s a great relief to see that it still does enough to offer suspense and intrigue. If that isn’t enough, it’s a very pretty comic from start to finish with a lot of what makes Transformers great.

4/5