Transformers: Robots in Disguise #1
Written by John Barber
Interior Art by Andrew Griffith
Cover by Marcelo Matere
Colors by Josh Perez
Letters By Shawn Lee
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #1 is the second ongoing Transformers series that IDW has begun this month. RID is a companion series to Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye. MTMTE focuses on Rodimus and his crew as they search for the Knights of Cybertron. RID focuses on the Transformers left on Cybertron.

Centuries of war between the Autobots and Decepticons have ravaged the planet. The planet is actually attacking them on occasion. The Autobots have established themselves as the authority on Cybertron. The Decepticons govern themselves and they also police the non-affiliated indigenous lifeforms, or Nails. All Decepticons have had Inhibitor/Deterrence chips implanted in their heads as a means of controlling them. Bumblebee is the leader of the Autobots, Ratbat is the leader of the Decepticons, and Metalhawk is the spokesperson for the Nails.

John Barber has crafted a very interesting story full of subplots and intriguing developments. After watching so many cartoons and reading so many comics focusing on the Cybertronian war, I never even considered what the aftermath of the war would be like. The politics and maneuvering between the different factions is very interesting and it puts longtime supporting characters like Bumblebee, Prowl, and Ratbat in a new light.

Optimus Prime left Cybertron and Rodimus and his gang are in space, so this leaves room for some of the lesser-known Transformers to take center stage. Also, Andrew Griffith‘s pencils are solid and really capture the seriousness of the current situation on Cybertron. Similar to MTMTE, RID has forced me to pay attention to characters that I never gave more than a passing thought to (such as Ratbat) and added a new dimension to the epic Transformers saga. I eagerly await the next issue.