IDW Transformers: Lost Light 25, Optimus Prime 25, and Unicron 6 Delayed

I've been keeping track of the scheduled publication dates since May over in the chronology thread, and have probably updated that post at least once a week since. Very little has been on time this year, though they did really well for a stretch of the summer. More delays should not come as a surprise, though I expect this LL one was in the realm of shipping delays on Diamond's end.

It's quite a task to cram in so many goodbyes for all the characters, I'm sure. Maybe it would be easier to have a giant foot come down and crush everyone, a la Python?!

"Achieved" is still misspelled.

Rodimus Prime wrote:"Achieved" is still misspelled.

Roche had time to correct it for a print so hopefully it makes it to the final cover as well. If it doesn't we can hassle him over it for eternity

AW MAN!!
just drop the friggin axe already!

are u goin back for re-shoots?

anticipation
not my forte.

ScottyP wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:"Achieved" is still misspelled.

Roche had time to correct it for a print so hopefully it makes it to the final cover as well. If it doesn't we can hassle him over it for eternity

Yeah, I suppose. But, it actually kind of fits, considering the characters, as they're all far from perfect as is their mission. So maybe it should be left that way.

Thanks to the Action and Adventure Twitter Page, we have a one-page preview for the final issue of Lost Light! This first page, currently only available on iOs, features the characters from Lost Light attending a funeral on what is being called New Cybertron. This New Cybertron would be the Functionist Cybertron they defeated last issue, and as for the funeral, there are several notable characters visible and also missing from the shots. There appear to be guards armed guards present with a trailer that reads "G10" possibly to mean Garrus 10, in line with the prisons using Garrus-X. The deceased is also noted as passing due to age related burnout.

So which character could the funeral be for? Megatron? Rodimus? Someone else entirely? Let us know what you think of this brief look at the end of Lost Light below!

I'm calling it as Megatron, his story was finished, and I think this is appropriate

Why is Whirl being taken to prison? He's (relatively) reformed.

Bounti76 wrote:Why is Whirl being taken to prison? He's (relatively) reformed.

I think he's just shown there with the police officers

I don't see either Rewind or Thunderclash, TC would do the whole donate his body to science thing.

Why is Prowl here?

Could... could it be for Ratchet? I mean, everything in this funeral discourse sounds like something he would do, and don't forget that he was the one who talked to Tailgate about Cybertronians not being immortal and being able to die from "age-related burnout". I feel like the next panel is going to have Drift and/or First Aid and be the person(s) who said that quote while in mourning.

Stormshot_Prime wrote:Why is Prowl here?

Not Prowl, Bluestreak.

Why does Brainstorm have a briefcase?

Hmm...

Maybe it's brainstorm looking at his own funeral (hence the briefcase) I think Roberts is having one last bit of fun with a fake out...

So I keep rereading Lost Light and I now know why I didnt register the "ifinite". That story element is dropped faster than a scolding hot potatoe. Its like it had no point at all and only tangentially related to adaptus to the point where it might not be connected at all (since it just ends with Scorponok who couldnt care less about that plot anymore either).

I do still much preffer James Robert's dialogue and pacing to any other TF book I ever read but this was definitely a shortcoming in storytelling. The mederi stuff is fantasic though. Did we ever figure out how Tailgate got there?

Nexus Knight wrote:

Stormshot_Prime wrote:Why is Prowl here?

Not Prowl, Bluestreak.

But those are definitely Prowl’s colors, Bluestreak has a blue and red color scheme. And ol Bluestreak didn’t seem to survive the whole sparkeater ordeal, it seems Ratchet accidentally killed him.

One explaination could be that this is the functinist universe Prowl, but thats a stretch. The only other explanation I’d have is that this takes place post OP25/Unicron 6, with all the characters from those series settling on what is appropriately dubbed New Cybertron.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I'm calling it as Megatron, his story was finished, and I think this is appropriate

To be fair, the whole continuity is ending so it could be anyone but it's probably someone old and hard-working.

-Crossfire- wrote:Could... could it be for Ratchet? I mean, everything in this funeral discourse sounds like something he would do, and don't forget that he was the one who talked to Tailgate about Cybertronians not being immortal and being able to die from "age-related burnout". I feel like the next panel is going to have Drift and/or First Aid and be the person(s) who said that quote while in mourning.

That's my guess as well. Not only for the reasons you mentioned but because Ratchet always %$#@ing dies.

Animated and Prime Rachet didn't die.

william-james88 wrote:So I keep rereading Lost Light and I now know why I didnt register the "ifinite". That story element is dropped faster than a scolding hot potatoe. Its like it had no point at all and only tangentially related to adaptus to the point where it might not be connected at all (since it just ends with Scorponok who couldnt care less about that plot anymore either).

I do still much preffer James Robert's dialogue and pacing to any other TF book I ever read but this was definitely a shortcoming in storytelling. The mederi stuff is fantasic though. Did we ever figure out how Tailgate got there?

Epistemus/The Omega Guardians said they arranged for Tailgate to be teleported to Mederi. Given its ability to see through time, this could have been arranged at some point earlier in history.

william-james88 wrote:So I keep rereading Lost Light and I now know why I didnt register the "ifinite". That story element is dropped faster than a scolding hot potatoe. Its like it had no point at all and only tangentially related to adaptus to the point where it might not be connected at all (since it just ends with Scorponok who couldnt care less about that plot anymore either).

I do still much preffer James Robert's dialogue and pacing to any other TF book I ever read but this was definitely a shortcoming in storytelling. The mederi stuff is fantasic though. Did we ever figure out how Tailgate got there?

The point of the Infinites was to provide troops in Adaptus' plan to fight Functionist Cybertron. That was the end game of that plot thread. They could heal themselves from death, so even if they got killed, they could come back and keep fighting.

Ok,on the bluestreak/prowl question,roberts answered on twitter that it was prowl

Given James' love of trolling people over character deaths, I'm guessing it's someone we've never actually heard of (see Tripodeca).

-Crossfire- wrote:Could... could it be for Ratchet? I mean, everything in this funeral discourse sounds like something he would do, and don't forget that he was the one who talked to Tailgate about Cybertronians not being immortal and being able to die from "age-related burnout". I feel like the next panel is going to have Drift and/or First Aid and be the person(s) who said that quote while in mourning.

That's my bet.
And it sucks.

maybe its a fake out for Megatron.
Sohe can go back to the Functionist Verse
without any legal hassels.

or maybe Rung.
He did vanish after making all those Matrixes.
Matrices?
Matrixi?

MrBlack wrote:Why does Brainstorm have a briefcase?

Hmm...

ZeroWolf wrote:Animated and Prime Rachet didn't die.

I was being a little sarcastic only because I've seen Ratchet die on 3 separate occasions.

Bleak5170 wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Animated and Prime Rachet didn't die.

I was being a little sarcastic only because I've seen Ratchet die on 3 separate occasions.

I count his death in the 86 Movie and in AOE, what’s the third?

Stormshot_Prime wrote:

Bleak5170 wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Animated and Prime Rachet didn't die.

I was being a little sarcastic only because I've seen Ratchet die on 3 separate occasions.

I count his death in the 86 Movie and in AOE, what’s the third?

I was thinking Marvel g1

ZeroWolf wrote:I was thinking Marvel g1

Yeah, but every main cast member died in Marvel G1, or just about. And plus with the IDW universe ending, I am surprised there havent been more casualties.

About the whole James Roberts run, I have been rereading from the begining of MTMTE and it is truly fantastic. Especially rereading it knowing whats up ahead. Like they talk about the leader of the DJD before we see him, just as an example, and when you know who it is (and who it really is) then itmakes it more enjyable the second time around since you are catching on to everything. I truly believe this is thebest piece of TF fiction ever written (if you add the 2 parter Chaos theory as a prelude). What really made me go HOLY SHIT! was when we were getting flashbacks to Overlord torturing Fort Max. And Overlord talks about seeking what is being hidden underneath aquitas. Like, wow, I had completely forgotten that. I didnt know Overlord was also atfter the magnficence, it felt like a throwaway line but its clearly not that aymore. And now it makes sense as an added reason to take over garrus 9.

This is easily the most rereadable comic I have ever read.

We are at the end of an era, with the final book in James Robert's Transformers saga about to be released. Lost Light 25 is an oversized issue coming in a 30 pages, practically double the length of a regular issue. Below is a very spoilery 5 page preview from Graphic Policy, so only read it if you are ok with knowing who died.

James Roberts (w) • Jack Lawrence (a & c)

MORE THAN MET THE EYE. The quest is over, the dust has settled, and everything has changed—forever. But before the fond farewells, before the parting of ways, before the unkept promises to stay in touch, there’s time—surely, there’s time—for one last drink…

FC • 40 pages • $4.99

It was Ratchet?





Also I've only ever read 2 comics:The one with centuritron "Into the Abyss"
and the one that came packaged with nightbeat " IDK "

So at least Prowl, Windblade, and Earth survive Unicron. If this is years after Unicron 6 and Op25, shouldn’t it have been released last?

Stormshot_Prime wrote:So at least Prowl, Windblade, and Earth survive Unicron. If this is years after Unicron 6 and Op25, shouldn’t it have been released last?

It was always intended to be released first and we still don’t know the entire issue so don’t let this let you draw to conclusions just yet. It is Roberts and he always subverts expectations. If this comic was to ruin the end of OP and unicron than it wouldn’t be first.

"We achieved something" Yeah, turning a beloved franchise into an SJW circle jerk. Good. Riddance.

Maverick69429 wrote:"We achieved something" Yeah, turning a beloved franchise into an SJW circle jerk. Good. Riddance.

Overall, that aspect wasn't too bad. It gave some extra layers to characters, even if it humanized them, thus taking away from the mystique of being alien shape-shifting robots. It was heavy-handed at times, but that's not due to the nature of the subject, but rather the inadequate talent of the writer. I got tired of Chromedome and Rewind pretty quickly, but I thought Cyclonus and Tailgate fit together well. I was a bit surprised by Ratchet and Drift, but I shouldn't have been. They spent most of the story together. I don't care about the rest. I do think that by the time the issue (and the story) comes to a close, Rodimus and Megatron will become at least conjunx amicae, if not more. As much as I was disappointed in the end of MTMTE, the overall story of the crew of the Lost Light has been pretty good. It won't beat the original Marvel comics, but it's better than what we had between 2006 and 2012. Just my opinion, of course.

Randomhero wrote:

Stormshot_Prime wrote:So at least Prowl, Windblade, and Earth survive Unicron. If this is years after Unicron 6 and Op25, shouldn’t it have been released last?

It was always intended to be released first and we still don’t know the entire issue so don’t let this let you draw to conclusions just yet. It is Roberts and he always subverts expectations. If this comic was to ruin the end of OP and unicron than it wouldn’t be first.

You have a good point, but I remember back during First Strike there was a lot of weirdness with releases. For example we were spoiled that the villain of Revolutionaries was Joe Colton, before the pentultimate issue of that came out. I’m hoping you’re right, but the schedule has been modified so much at this point who knows.

Stormshot_Prime wrote:

Randomhero wrote:

Stormshot_Prime wrote:So at least Prowl, Windblade, and Earth survive Unicron. If this is years after Unicron 6 and Op25, shouldn’t it have been released last?

It was always intended to be released first and we still don’t know the entire issue so don’t let this let you draw to conclusions just yet. It is Roberts and he always subverts expectations. If this comic was to ruin the end of OP and unicron than it wouldn’t be first.

You have a good point, but I remember back during First Strike there was a lot of weirdness with releases. For example we were spoiled that the villain of Revolutionaries was Joe Colton, before the pentultimate issue of that came out. I’m hoping you’re right, but the schedule has been modified so much at this point who knows.

That was due to revolutionaries being delayed so much which ruined that surprise but this was always intended to be released first or the same week as Unicron but I know for sure it was never last and moved due to delays.

So, (possibly) YEARS into the future, and Prowl STILL hasn't gotten his eye fixed?

Bounti76 wrote:So, (possibly) YEARS into the future, and Prowl STILL hasn't gotten his eye fixed?

Look at the corner of those panels. It’s says much earlier. The scene of Rodimus prowl and megatron are flashbacks

Sometimes I find the best way to start saying "goodbye" is to get straight to business.

For this review, sharing some context for this final issue of Lost Light may be an appropriate starting point. For those keeping up with the series you'll know that issue 24 left us with most of the series' main plots resolved. This finale serves as a way to put a bow on some other points of unfinished business while also providing a coda to show just where things go once the dust has settled. The biggest questions still to be answered are addressed for the most part, and even some yet-to-come events in IDW's other stories are alluded to in a telling way without venturing far into spoiler territory. That latter point is not the book's fault, but rather due to the chaotic release scheduling we've all come to be familiar with.


The primary story is set in the far flung future, where everyone that has survived to that point is older and sadder. It's just like real life, only with robots that turn into cars and stuff, and that allows the story to deliver some of the emotional beats the series has become so well known for.

The sincere, dedicated following this series has earned stems from that ability to present a narrative that allows for an escape into another world that retains a connectivity to its readers by examining, among many things, our relationships to others. Interpersonal, romantic, platonic, professional, friendly, or just plain casual, the Lost Light crew forged various bonds through their journey. What those are, were, could be, and could have been form the backbone of this finale, sparing no remorse for your feelings along the way.


There's little left to really wrap up, and the biggest question on the minds of most readers probably has to do with how exactly this story might tie in to things going on elsewhere. This is answered early and allows the story to keep going, and ends up leaving some wonder in my mind anyhow about whether or not that question is actually addressed - but that's just me and it almost definitely was in its entirety.

The other one has to do with one of the central figures of the story since "Season 2" of More Than Meets The Eye began. A great deal of nuance is present in the approach to this plot, and unfortunately it crosses into the point of ambiguity. This may have been on purpose, or it could be that I just plain missed something. If that's the case, I'm happy to eat crow later because it's my only real critique of this issue, and even then it's more critical of the content than the delivery.


This is an ending that manages to do exactly what it needs to do, and it does so in a way that only this story with these characters at this moment could do. There's just enough of a twist to it to make you wonder "is it really over?" This occurs almost immediately after reaching the point of the issue where it appears that it truly is - goodbyes are said, farewells are made, and characters have again gone their separate ways. The mood received is comparable to one that might be felt on the last day of school, or at the last meeting at a soon-to-be-departed job, or even while writing the last review about your favorite comic book series of all time.

It's the end and it's ok to be a little sad, but it's better to be glad that it happened.


Jack Lawrence returns for the finale, a fitting assignment as this lands him at 16 issues of the series' 25 on primary line art duties. The output does not disappoint, with his signature adeptness with expressions allowing many character moments to come through precisely as they were intended. Joana Lafuente's colors are a wonderful complement as usual, with special attention and praise in order for the subtle but impossible to miss difference in palette between scenes set in the future and those occurring in the "present". Tom B. Long takes the dense script and places every bubble of text with care, creating a full package between art, color, and text which ensures these unique characters keep their voice. Peaks and valleys help even Swerve convey speech that hits more at home with its realism than a Swerve line ever possibly could otherwise.

The covers available are the "A" cover, featured in this review's news story thumbnail, with art by Lawrence and colors by Lafuente. Nick Roche's art and Josh Burcham's colors take up the traditional "B" cover spot, with editor David Mariotte making the spelling assist that will be forever appreciated turn into a reality. MTMTE regular Alex Milne provides an appropriately decorated RI cover with Josh Perez's colors shining as they always do. You can find images of all of those covers and full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Transformers: Lost Light #25, but please note it contains a character appearance list which may accidentally deliver spoilers.


I've taken great care here to not spoil much. If you've been reading the series, you'll read this issue, and I think you'll be satisfied. There's always a desire to want more of a good thing, and while you might be left with a lingering question or two that won't ever be answered, there's always that faint chance that one day Simon Furman's old adage "it never ends" might apply here as well. Transformers was kept alive in part by the passion of its fans even after the Marvel comic ceased publication - twice, counting G2 - so every back issue, collected version, trade paperback, and fancy hardcover omnibus set (please?) you buy in the future helps keep the possibility of Team Rodimus having some future adventures alive.

"Chances of this actually working?" "Oh, astronomically slim." But with the backup content of Roberts' retrospective teasing at just enough as it relates to the murdered word, and considering other strange goings on such as the initially solicited 40 page, $4.99 sized issue not happening, it feels like there's something in a distant tomorrow. Maybe one day the Crusadercons will quip their way into our hearts all over again, and this reader would welcome that with open arms.

Right, a score. 5/5 if there were numbers, but no numbers are needed this time.

To James Roberts, Jack Lawrence, Joana Lafuente, Alex Milne, Nick Roche, Josh Burcham, Brendan Cahill, Casey Coller, E.J. Su, Priscilla Tramontano, Tom B. Long, Carlos Guzman, David Mariotte, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Andrew Griffith, John Barber, Hayato Sakamoto, Brian Shearer, JP Bove, Agustin Padilla, Jose Aviles, and the huge list of other creators that worked on Lost Light and More Than Meets The Eye that I'll kick myself for forgetting to mention here -



So is it really over? Yes.

Haven't read this issue and I miss the series already....

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Maverick69429 wrote:"We achieved something" Yeah, turning a beloved franchise into an SJW circle jerk. Good. Riddance.

Overall, that aspect wasn't too bad. It gave some extra layers to characters, even if it humanized them, thus taking away from the mystique of being alien shape-shifting robots. It was heavy-handed at times, but that's not due to the nature of the subject, but rather the inadequate talent of the writer. I got tired of Chromedome and Rewind pretty quickly, but I thought Cyclonus and Tailgate fit together well. I was a bit surprised by Ratchet and Drift, but I shouldn't have been. They spent most of the story together. I don't care about the rest. I do think that by the time the issue (and the story) comes to a close, Rodimus and Megatron will become at least conjunx amicae, if not more. As much as I was disappointed in the end of MTMTE, the overall story of the crew of the Lost Light has been pretty good. It won't beat the original Marvel comics, but it's better than what we had between 2006 and 2012. Just my opinion, of course.

I pretty much got used to Chromedome and Rewind. The way it was written for them in MTMTE was pretty good and established that I eventually became quite fine with them.

Then from reconstruction onwards, these stuff became rampant. Cyclonus and Tailgate, Anode and Lug, Blast-Off and Onslaught, Arcee and Aileron and now, Drift and Ratchet. I just find it so weird and personally it's really hard to get used to and I don't think I ever will.

Anode with Lug, Arcee with Aileron and the Two Combaticons I can look past. But Cyclonus, Tailgate and Drift, Ratchet? That would be a big NO from me. I liked them better during the time of MTMTE when they were just close buddies (with the exception of Chromedome and Rewind). Those kinds of stuffs was moderate back then.

Sorry, I don't normally want to do this but since this current universe/continuity is ending, might as well put my thoughts on what I feel about this subject. Just my two cents there.

A great review Scotty, I'm really sad that this is coming to an end.

Obligatory follow-up given the review's contents - Mr. Roberts clarifies something for me, spoilers at link so be careful: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/ ... 24768?s=19

YoungPrime wrote:Haven't read this issue and I miss the series already....

Curious to hear what you think after you've read it

ZeroWolf wrote:A great review Scotty, I'm really sad that this is coming to an end.

Thanks!

I won't miss this comic but i'm happy others did enjoy it.

Though some arcs were rushed for the sake of ending the universe, this is probably one of the best stories we’ll ever get. It’s not often we get some fiction with actual depth and thought put into its deep universe. I just feel like the next comic series will lack so much of what made any of the IDW stories so great, that depth will be replaced with toy selling. We saw how unnatural that sat in continuity with their attempts to tie in Combiner Wars and Titans Return.

At least there’s two more issues in the IDWverse to tide us over for the year.

Here’s to the Crusadercons.

I wasn’t very happy with this ending. Highlights were ratchets funeral and bits with Megatron. I was not happy with Rung being completely forgotten. I understand the reason but there’s photos of him! Wouldn’t Nautica remember him? Is this really a case of “we saved the universe! We don’t remember how though...”

Some things just left me bitter. Roller, Grimlock just leaving with the Scavengers, nickel being there is a total “alright we’re just gonna ignore this cold blooded killer.” The organics from Mederi, nightbeat. Nightbeats death that came was totally forgotten was something that irked me.

This final story and arc of this 7 year series just a giant let down for me.

I understand that they're in different books, but the writers of both should have found a way to reunite Grimlock and the Dinobots. And I'm glad Rung is forgotten, I never liked the character.