By Title: First Strike #6
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writers: David A. Rodriguez, Mairghread Scott
Artists: Max Dunbar, James Raiz, Ander Zarate, David Garcia Cruz
Story Rating: 8
Art Rating: 10
Color Rating: 10
Overall Rating: 9.3
IDW Publishing brings the cataclysmic war between man and machine to an end as all factions of the war come crashing down in the core of Cybertron. Scarlett and the Joes aided by Optimus Prime and the Autobots shed blood and metal to ensure the fate of the planet.
Mairghread Scott and David A. Rodriguez bring the action in this final chapter of First Strike. In the final confrontation the Joes and Autobots fight Joe Colton and his band of Cobra soldiers. An immense battle takes place as Scarlett fights Joe alone and nearly dies in the line of duty. The Cybertron Council turns on the Autobots and places Optimus Prime under arrest.
Scarlett defeats Joe in mortal combat as the rest of Cobra falls at the hands of our heroes. In the midst of the battle Kreiger manages to enter the Cybertron core and steal the energy of the planet and all who are connected to Cybertron.
Kreiger morphs into a being known as Merklynn, a man of alien origin who wields the incredible power of magic. In the Cybertron core he uses his magic to teleport the Joes and Transformers away from the core and locks himself inside. Merklynn with a wave of his hand defeats everyone without using the full extent of his abilities.
A team of incredible artists has come together to create panels of nonstop action, color, and emotion. The roster of artists involves Max Dunbar, James Raiz, Ander Zarate, and David Garcia Cruz. Each artist brings his or her own flavor of artistic elements that infuse bright colors complimented with crisp line work. Bright colors from all hues of the spectrum capture the attention as characters create movement to each panel pushing the story forward.
The lines are thin as they create outlines and facial details when applied to the humans. The transformers hold more detail for their appearance towers over everything.
Optimus Prime and the fellow Autobots have incredible edge work in basic shapes and color as their powers flourish across the pages. Humans carry the weight of emotional value for tears can be displayed in their faces.
The ending to the comic book is abrupt and doesn’t make any sense, as the new evil of Merklynn is never solved. Everyone leaves the planet both humans and Transformers as if nothing ever took place. The story did not explore this new evil further, which it could’ve extended the series past the limited run. The ending served as a disappointment for our heroes leaving the unresolved evil to grow more powerful.
