The last issue was a knock-out in high quality and Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #20 is more of the same. Honestly, this is one of those stories where the combination of suspense and non stop action actually make sense.

The official description from IDW:

NOWHERE TO RUN! The end is nigh for the surviving members of the Lost Light crew, as enemies old and new move in for the kill. But on the fringes of known space, an ancient visionary is about to eliminate the Cybertronian race with a wave of his hand.

This issue is one of those issues that comes alive. The plot is defined to key areas, yet everything balances smoothly, jumping to each character just as the story needs too. The dynamic feels a lot like a movie and I would go so far as to say that many of the elements are very movie-esque (but not in a Michael Bay kind of way). On the downside, I could argue against the ‘mad doctor’ cliche again… and the kill-switch isn’t the most subtle plot device. Ignore theses however, and everything else is great.

So what’s so good? Well, the writing is top-notch stuff. James Roberts understands characters and, when it comes to the Transformers, that gives the title a distinctive edge. Guys like Rodimus scream for unique, individual treatment and this is exactly where More Than Meets The Eye #20 shines. It is, at times, dialogue heavy, but characters speak when they have to – it’s always them, never filler.

Likewise, something about the art also gripped me on this issue. Alex Milne offers detailed pencils, but the dynamic poses in this issue (especially in the latter half) really help sell the script. It draws attention. As for the colors, Josh Burcham and John-Paul Bove don’t let up. There’s color for the most part, and stronger lighting and emphasis on important action scenes that give them a little extra presence.

All in all, I’m highly impressed with this issue. Whilst it does tie into the overall Transformers arc, including Robots In Disguise, I could of happily read this if it just related to it’s own title. Still, big arcs need to think big, and More Than Meets The Eye #20 hasn’t cut any corners.

5/5