The Decepticons are faced with an attack of a viral construct that takes over Transformers’ bodies while the Autobots, confused and living in fear, start to squabble. Ironhide wants to beat up Mirage whom he suspects is a traitor and responsible for the apparent death of Optimus Prime. Can a traumatized Sunstreaker stop Ironhide from killing a fellow Autobot?

This series seems to be reconstructing systematically the Autobots for a newer generation. What is most interesting is how the new designs of the Autobots, based on recent toys are used in this series. Guidi is a good illustrator that can capture the range of emotions of the Transformers, while continuing to make them look like robots. Working on the Transformers is not an easy job as they have complex designs that are easy to mess up. I’m happy to write that Gudi can be trusted with rendering them appropriately.

Reconstructing the Transfomers means revisiting older characters and reengaging their core personalities. That’s what McCarthy is doing here. For example, he recalls the ambivalence of Mirage to the Autobots’ cause. He also shows the devotion that Ironhide had for Optimus Prime, as his personal bodyguard. But at the same time he shows greater complexity to characters like Sideswipe who are no longer bubble heads with guns. Let’s hope McCarthy does something interesting with these characters after he’s done redefining them.

Here’s a complaint about IDW Publishing. I’ve written last year about how difficult it was to find the covers for comic books on several publishers’ Web sites. A lot of publishers since then have improved their Web sites to make it more usable to visitors. Although IDW Publishing changed its Web site recently, it’s still very difficult to find a simple comic book cover. It’s as if they don’t want you too. As there are too many variant covers to count and the one that I wanted for this review was nowhere to be found at a suitable size, I used the bland ones above. One would think that by now, a comic book publisher would understand that it’s very lively hood depends on making sure people can identify their comic books and find their covers, within minutes of landing on their Web sites. IDW Publishing doesn’t get it yet.