All Hail Megatron #1

I recently picked up the first issue of All Hail Megatron from IDW Publishing. I have heard nothing but negativity surrounding this series since it was released, but I thought I would finally buckle down and give it a try. After reading issue #1, I can say two things. It doesn't feel as good as Simon Furman's work during the -Tion series, but it doesn't feel as bad as people made it out to be either.

Apparently, it has been one year since the Transformers made themselves known on Earth after existing for years in secret, hiding in plain sight. In New York City, the Constructicons (debut) arrive transforming to robot mode and tell the populous that they come in peace. After a breif snicker between Hook and Scrapper, the Constructicons attack the city. Starscream and the Seekers join the battle, and Megatron arrives to cause more destruction. Eventually, the humans attempt to counterattack, but they are grounded by Soundwave and the onslaught of the Decepticons. Meanwhile, Prowl and Jazz are on Cybertron with several other Autobots. Jazz is angry for some reason. The final panel shows a severely injured Optimus Prime.

Compared to the earlier IDW comics, this issue definitely doesn't stand up in terms of depth and story. It does feel like it is setting up something bigger, but the new writers don't match Simon Furman. The art style however (although character designs were unfortunately influenced by Hasbro) looks excellent. It blends a Generation One anime feel with the previous designs of the -Tion series. Although there are no explanations for the Seekers downgrading to their current forms (Hasbro wanted to sell more toys so they went from F-22's to F-15's), this issue felt like a great set up to a bigger story but with a lot of fan service. Although this issue pales in comparison to Simon Furman's work, it feels like an interesting start to a new series (well, then new). I will probably be checking out more issues in the coming weeks to see how things play out.