Booknote: Transformers: The IDW Collection. Phase 2, Volume 6

Various authors, Transformers: The IDW Collection. Phase 2, Volume 6. San Diego, CA: IDW, 2017.  ISBN: 9781684050857.

Genre: graphic novels and comics
Subgenre: science fiction, robots, Transformers
Format: hardcover
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

I had read the first part of this volume back in 2014, but I get to read the complete story arc now. In the end, the art is good but not consistent; it  is done in different styles by different artists for different scenes. The result is inconsistent art quality. Also at times they try to pack so much into frames that you can barely make details out. The same goes for the characters; they threw in every Transformer they could find. It really can be hard keeping track of who is who other than some major players.

The story is basically one  of those save the world from some major doomsday event, in this case, Shockwave's scheme to end time itself. It  is a decent action story, but it has a lot of twists, and at times it does feel a bit stretched out. Having read the whole series now, I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars overall because I liked it, but it has some issues. It is a bit of heavy reading. Plus to be honest, I did not find Megatron's new  behavior believable.

In addition to the main story arc, the volume contains a Windblade four issues series, which takes place after the Dark Cybertron tale. I enjoyed this short series a lot better. Windblade is Metroplex's "city speaker," his advocate. When someone is mining out ore from Metroplex, the signs point to Starscream, but is Cybertron's despot really behind this plot?

Overall, the volume has some good art, and it uses different artists for different parts of the story which was interesting. The main story is not that good, but if you are a hardcore Transformers fan, you'll likely want to read it. I will add that the IDW hardcover volume is solid and well made; for libraries, this format can be a good durable choice.

2 out of 5 stars.