Okay, so this month we have Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #25, or Dark Cybertron #6. You know the drill, there’s a dead universe, a zombie titan, the dead are back to live, there’s a giant robot underwater… does this latest issue at least help make anymore sense?

The official description from IDW:

A HERO FALLS—AND ONE RETURNS! The struggle in the DEAD UNIVERSE heats up as ORION PAX—the ‘bot who was once OPTIMUS PRIME—and RODIMUS struggle with the legacy of PRIMES! Meanwhile, the Lost Light is under attack in deep space—and SHOCKWAVE and the terrifying NECROTITAN threatens CYBERTRON!

As usual, Dark Cybertron is split into a number of different tangents, all of which are confusing once put together. The overall arc is confusing to say the least and, while that may be the point to a certain extent, this is too much. One minute the title is underwater in one plot, then back to Cybertron for another. While the dead universe links into the latter, the former still seems completely isolated and, without a reason to care, the complicated plot line only adds to the confusion.

I’m not sure how much of this is down to James Roberts and John Barber, as the problem lies both in the writing and the overall story. No matter how good the action or dialogue gets, it won’t make this complex narrative anymore understandable. The dialogue has its moments here, but it’s less of the witty dialogue seen in the past. The dead universe arc is nothing but tense and edgy, while the Cybertron arc comes down to “look, we got Dinobots!”.

Visually, the issue still jumps between three different styles. While each has its own merits, switching from one to another only disorientates. I get the idea, which is great in principle, but reading through the issue it just helps pull the whole thing apart. With three people providing art and two colorists in one issue, there are simply too many hands at work behind the title.

All in all, More Than Meets The Eye #25 is not enough to save the current arc. I still hold hopes, as it has its moments, but overall its simple confusion does not outweigh any of its benefits.

2/5