On The Wr-egative Side

Assuming your brain functions at least reasonably well (by which in mean you know words like 'and' and 'the') you will be aware that the recent Last Stand of the Wreckers series was Very Good Indeed.

That being the case, now the collected edition is out, replete with the kind of bonus features that will have other graphic novels stuffing socks behind their covers out of sheer embarrassment, you can expect to have this goodness reiterated to you as the arrogant scum of the internet (people like me) pour fourth with their reviews in the mistaken belief that anyone  cares about their opinions.

And it is, really, so very very good. But equally that has been said very very often. So here, in a vain (kapow - dual meaning)' attempt to be different, is All The Things I Don't Like About Last Stand Of The Wreckers;

1) Shooting. Rather ironically for a book that's back cover proclaims, "Nine robots, one purpose: turn up and start shooting", the Wreckers do rather seem to forget their trigger fingers sometimes. The first example of this is in the moments after Rotorstorm's death, when his comrades decide that instead of using their point and kill sticks, dog piling Overlord is a better solution. While I appreciate the story would have been a lot shorter if someone had immediately shot the big bad in the brain it doesn't alter the fact that I can't for the life of me think why someone didn't shoot him in the brain.

The second instance, just as pronounced i think, is Pyro's death. Pyro is a chap who appears to spend his entire waking existence with an extremely large rocket launcher on his left shoulder. Now the possibility exists that he suffers from the rare Magnus's Malady, which makes a bot prone to forget he has shoulder mounted weaponry, but nowhere is this suggested. Assuming Pyro isn't afflicted this way again I can't think of a good reason why he didn't spend his final moments gleefully firing explosive projectiles into generic Decepticon faces before one of them managed to kick him in the gold plastic, thus ending him forever. Don't get me wrong, I understand Pyro's death is supposed to be in contrast with to his fantasised glorious ending,  but the fact he appears to spend his final moments being, at best, a bit forgetful somewhat cheapened his fate.

2. Armchairs. Ah, target 2006, how I love thee. And how I loved your grim harpoon handed sacrificial lamb, who's alt mode (save for a rather undescriptive reference to a tank in the UK letters pages) was never revealed. Imagine my disappointment then, a whole 24 years later, to find out he turned into a well tooled Lazy Boy. On the plus side we are one letter away from a much worse scenario but my disappointment remains.

3. Panel. I am a big fan of both the artists on LSTOW but there is one panel that just doesn't do it for me. Unfortunately it's a pretty fundamental one as we say goodbye to not one but two of our heroes. No matter how many times i look at the panel of Twin Twist and Top Spin's shared demise I struggle to make out what's what. Sure, I can figure it out through prolonged staring (to hijack my regular mating tactic) but when my initial reaction to the depiction of the death of two guys who have Wrecked and Ruled since I was 8 is to squint, rotate the page, and squint some more, something hasn't worked.

4. Dying. Throughout this series, certainly from the arrival at Garrus 9 onwards a truly exceptional job was done at creating the sense that anyone could die. And die people did. But, looking back at who made it and who didn't, I can't help but feel a little cheated that the characters you would have predicted to survive, the big names as it were, all made it through. In the end Last Stand of the Wreckers wasn't quite as surprising as I both hoped and feared it would be when it came to who died. Although it rather makes up for this last one by doing a much better job of defying expectations in terms of who lives, for which we, the disciples of The Almighty Guzmiester and His Wondrous Transformation give eternal thanks.

And that's it. Any other criticisms, such as a strong dislike for Nick Riche's hair, would be cruelly manufactured in the name of creating a more compelling list and nothing more.

Because it really is so very very good.

Art 8/10
Story 9/10
TPB Extras 10/10