Booknote: Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters, Vol. 1

Mairghread Scott, et.al., Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters, Vol. 1., San Diego, California: IDW, 2013. ISBN: 9781613777435 (Scheduled for publication October 2013; I did try to get a link from the publisher, and I was unable to find it). 

I've always liked Transformers (except for the movies. Those are just atrocities not worth the time of day that we should agree never to speak of again). This comic features the Dinobots. If you have only seen the Dinobots in the old 1980s cartoons, these bots are very different. They are smarter for one, which I think is nice. Their characters get a little better development here. However, the story was not so great. It was just ok.

The setting is Cybertron, the Transformers' homeworld, after their big war. The planet is in ruins, and the few survivors try to scrape a life while seeking out any remains of energon, the energy source they need to survive. The few remaining Transformers live in isolated underground settlements. Grimlock leads a small group of Dinobots. When a Transformer from another town comes asking for help in solving some suspicious deaths, two of the Dinobots agree to help.

The story offers some potential of depth as it alludes to secret experiments done by Shockwave, a Decepticon, and to the Dinobots' origins. However, the story seems a bit rushed at times, thus remaining at a superficial level. The art at times seemed a little cluttered or busy, so some action sequences I may have missed a detail here or there. In the end, it's light entertainment but no big deal.

I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Disclosure note: Once again, I get to tell you I read this as an e-book via NetGalley provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. There, that should keep The Man happy.