One of the biggest mysteries after the Fall of Cybetron was what happened to the Dinobots. You play as Grimlock near the end of the game, free his friends, and then you’re back with Optmius and Megatron. Rage of the Dinobots heads back to a falling Cybertron where the Dinobots are, and also serves as a bridge to season 3 of the show. I like how comics can be used to explore other things that the source material didn’t, in this case what’s up with the Dinobots and Shockwave. The first issue was pretty explosive, establishing Grimlock as the primary focus. For some reason he’s lacking his Hulk-like way of talking, but he’s been a fantastic protagonist nonetheless. In this issue the Dinobots stage a prison break, free Ultra Magnus, and run into the antagonist exclusive to this story, Ser-Ket. Lots of great stuff here, a great issue for fans of the Prime TV series and games.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

CYBERTRON FALLING! As their world collapses around them, the DINOBOTS battle SHOCKWAVE’s forces to protect the fleeing Cybertronians! SWOOP’s life hangs in the balance—his teammates fight to save him, but will he succumb to evil? The answer may not be what you expect!

Grimlock makes a plan to head to the mountain where Swoop is being kept. What he and the Dinobots don’t realize is that the mountain holds plenty of Autobot prisoners, including Ultra Magnus. Soon they all run into Ser-Ket, a follower of Shockwave. I think Grimlock might just be the most engaging Autobot to read. Here he displays great compassion for his fellow bots, one of the best scenes is in the prison when Slug says, “Why Not? They did it to us!” then Grimlock replies “We do both: free prisoners and get Magnus and Swoop!” The writing is top notch for all the characters. Shockwave doesn’t make an appearance, but his presence is felt throughout. Rather we have this comic exclusive character called Ser-Ket, she is definitely a solid villain, I hope to see more of her in the coming issues. (She’s has a ‘like a boss‘ moment when she pushes one of her minions off the platform, good stuff.)

The art is a very high point, easily capturing the feel of Fall of Cybertron and the look of Prime. The main cover is definitely the best, showcasing Grimlock in Tyrannosaurus Rex form. The second one is also pretty stunning, showcasing two of the other Dinobots, Slug and Swoop in all their dino glory. The third cover showcases UIltra Magnus, almost straight out of a Prime episode, strong covers all around.

Overall, a great second installment of Rage of the Dinobots. The writing is great, so is the art. It also captures the intensity found while playing the games, all Prime fans should be reading this series.

4.5/5

My name is Daniel (@Destroyer_199), the main guy for comic reviews here at Unleash the Fanboy. I was born in 1995 in the Big Apple, spent my formative years in Staten Island, and currently reside in the awesome state that is New Jersey.