Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye Volume 1 Paperback – June 26, 2012

This is my most favorite comic featuring Transformers. I would recommend it for teenagers and adults, it is a little dark at times and would be too hard for a child to follow. It's a great read for people who like Transformers, adventure comics or robots in general.It is more than just the usual Autobots vs Decepticons story that people come to expect from a Transformers series. I like that it follows a lot of different characters and their stories not just Optimus and Bumblebee. Of course those two are featured but a lot of the other characters get much needed screen time (or maybe page time?)The stories in this series are great I like that they tell tales of adventure, battle, redemption and mystery. There is even an arc about love which I liked a lot more than I expected. I suppose with robots, you wouldn't expect a 'cute' story thrown in there with all of the more action packed ones. Of course it isn't central to the plot so it does not feel overdone or annoying.The artwork is beautiful and it is the main reason why I chose to purchase a printed copy. This volume includes sketches and extras at the end of each chapter. I find that these sketches make it easier to imagine what is happening and makes the comic experience more complete. Also having a volume is a lot more sturdy compared to the single issues so if you are like me and re-read your comics you don't have to worry as much about bending the spine of the book.

On the planet of Cybertron exists life, but not life as we know it, intelligent robots capable of transforming have waged a civil war for millions of years, the Heroic Autobots and the Evil Decepticons struggle-Wait. What? It's over?War is over!...And now it only gets even more intense.In the beginning of 2012, IDW announced Transformers would have not one, but TWO ongoing series, and so, fans didn't know quite what to expect, until it was announced that the talent behind both would reflect the works to follow onward. James Roberts, co-writer of Last Stand of the Wreckers and author of the lauded two parter Chaos Theory story now stands head writer alongside some familiar faces, with fellow Wrecker artist Nick Roche helping in, and IDW regular Alex Milne standing as the mainstay artist!While in Sister series Robots in Disguise, the story is of political intrigue and slow burning thriller, More Than Meets the Eye is a riproaring adventure into space, think Star Trek, but everyone can turn into a car, or a memory stick if you want to stay non-shapist!The reading is light on pages, but each crammed with more depth and entertainment than any ongoing transformers story in possibly 20 years, and from the blast off, the gathering of a crew and the reveal of a terrifying secret aboard the ship, this issue covers the debut of the team, and shapes up well for IDW's future.While 'RiD' boasts a familiar line up, 'MTMTE' is full of new and unexplored characters, ripe for introduction and quick to warm to, and best of all?You don't even have to have read a comic before this to enjoy it.It certainly HELPS, and to assist, also within is penned by Roberts and Co. the one-shot comic 'The Death of Optimus Prime', detailing the wedge driven into the Autobots that has created such a split.The Lost Light is lost, and there's a wide, wide galaxy out there between the crew and their goals.But luckily for us, the adventure is so much more than the destination...Buy it now, and see for yourself if you're willing to join the crew.

Oh James Roberts, you haven't let us down yet.Say hi to More Than Meets the Eye, folks, one of the greatest balls of story and emotion throughout all of the Transformers franchise's 30-something year lifespan. I suppose I should start off by talking about what won't cause me to start rambling on for hours on end... as much as the other stuff. The art. The art is done by Nick Roche, originally, and later Alex Milne, and both of them do FANTASTIC work, especially Milne, who can manage to put a lot of emotion into the face of Whirl, a robot who... doesn't really have a face, but rather a single eye.As for the story though, written by the previously mentioned James Roberts... I honestly can't do his writing justice. It's just so... glorious. Each character feels... hand-crafted, almost, with witty, yet conversational dialogue, and a plot that's only begun to start twisting and turning in new and great directions, with great set up for later story. Some of these set-ups include Skids, most awesome theoretician you'll ever meet having amnesia, Ratchet's broken hands, and Tailgate's... Well, being Tailgate, I can't say much else about his set-ups without giving anything away.All in all, everything about this series is glorious, and if you haven't started reading it yet, then you're missing out on some of the best writing ever to exist.

I absolutely loved this comic, only reason it didn't have five stars is that it's hard to read through on a kindle. I would have it zoomed in to read the text the whole way and in some panels miss half of the script. I suggest buying the actual physical comic if you want to truely enjoy this work. The artwork is wonderful, the story inventive, and the characters are very diverse. Robot drama is the easiest way to describe it. A bunch of bots are thrown together, each with their own unique problems and things get crazy. I'm on book three and I love it.