Transformers: Robots In Disguise #9 Review

Transformers: Robots In Disguise continues on this month, showing the dangers of the Cybertron wilderness, as well as giving Bumblebee greater focus in this issue.

The official description from IDW:

DINOBOT HUNT! Ironhide and the DINOBOTS journey deep into the Cybertronian wilderness… and what they find is not what they expected! Meanwhile, the DECEPTICONS enact a dangerous plan with bizarre consequences!

The opening pages, focusing on Bumblebee, are one of the things I’m growing to love about Robots In Disguise. For a franchise that’s mostly famous for giant robots fighting, its refreshing to see these lull moments, focusing on individual characters. Bumblebee, as the current leader of Cybertron, has great need of this focus, so its a well grabbed opportunity. His monologue is written well, and ties a lot of the individual events together.

This issue does focus on lots of different areas, such as Ironhide and the Dinobots, the leadership of Cybertron and Turmoil’s time traveling machine. The fact that none of these side arcs or items are dropped is very much appreciated, giving the series the sense that it doesn’t simply jump from plot to plot on a whim.

Time is also taken to show more of Cybertron as a whole. Whether its a bar scene or a simple conversation, the effects of Bumblebee’s leadership are shown to affect the entire city. This gives the planet a greater sense of realism (as real as Transformers can be), suggesting a living community that reacts to occurrences and events.

As for the events in the last issue, they’re expanded upon more here. The last issue introduced the Dinobots and left them chasing Ironhide. Long time fans may not like this treatment of the Dinobots being depicted as savages acting on instinct, but it does add a sense of danger. For a series that’s long been about Autobots Vs Decepticons, creating new threats can sometimes be challenging.

This of course all comes to a head, revealing the fate of the Aerialbots. This is given a nice double page splash, that instantly grabs attention; everyone loves giant detailed pictures of Transforming robots. It all makes for a thrilling next issue, or at least something that’s bound to have a fair amount of action.