Transformers #1

Quite simply, the perfect start to what has the potential be one of the best licensed comics of all time. Read Full Review

With decades of stories across dozens of variations, taking on the Transformers and creating something new might have felt like a daunting task. While speaking with both Robert Kirkman and Daniel Warren Johnson over the last few months, it was abundantly clear that they have a deep appreciation for these characters. Both shared the impact that The Transformers: The Movie had on their respective childhoods, and just hearing them speak about their reverence for the iconic heroes and villains brought nothing but joy to my heart. Once you get this book in your hands, you'll understand just how BIG this launch truly is.  Read Full Review

TRANSFORMERS #1 is everything a Transformers fan could want from a reboot and more. Daniel Warren Johnsons writing and art give the property a fresh take while remaining faithful to the source material, which is all any Transformers fan could ask for. Read Full Review

Optimus Prime hits Starscream with wrestling moves in this comic. What more could you ask for? The story being a unique and captivating retelling of the classic G1 animated series is the icing on the cake. Read Full Review

The Energon Universe couldn't kick off more properly than a DWJ non-stop roller-coaster of excitement and action. The pages will have readers re-energized on the long-standing franchise as it hits the road for another memorable journey. Read Full Review

A fresh, compelling restart for an iconic franchise from one of the best comics creators of the current day. Read Full Review

Transformers #1 is a kick-ass start to a whole new story. Its familiar, but not too familiar to the point of feeling like it has already been done. Fans old and new should be grabbing this off of the stands. The team is already proving they've got what it takes to play in this sandbox. Read Full Review

A really good and surprisingly mature re-introduction to the world of Transformers that has the potential for a lot of great ideas and future stories. Read Full Review

The first issue is but an introduction and it's one that does everything required by a new miniseries: introducing sympathetic characters, presenting an outstanding aesthetic with stylish action, and providing a premise with plenty of room to expand. Read Full Review

New readers will be swept away and trying to catch their breaths in the best ways. The hype was well-earned going into this debut as DWJ and Spicer delivered an earth-shaking runaway hit. Read Full Review

Daniel Warren Johnsons style works perfectly for the Transformers. The visuals are beautifully detailed and thrilling. Read Full Review

Transformers #1 delivers an exciting new beginning for the franchise. Daniel Warren Johnson honors what has come before, while tapping into a sense of wonder by all the possibilities created by the Energon Universe. This excitement is increased by where the Autobots and Deceptions are left by the end of this first issue. It all results in Transformers #1 being a must-read comic book. Read Full Review

A grieving man and his son suffer loss and make powerful allies when a race of robots brings their savage war to Earth in the brutal and devastating Transformers #1. Read Full Review

This series looks set to be the What if? Dark of the Transformers universe, which at the very least is an interesting concept, even if it will take a little getting used to for certain fans of the franchise. Read Full Review

DWJ takes us back to the beginning with attractively rough art and a new(ish) take on the arrival of the Transformers on Earth, and it's honestly refreshing stuff. Read Full Review

It's a really enjoyable Transformers comic that delivers what I assume to be the usual Transformers comic book action. I just expected something more unique or special with this big reboot. Read Full Review

Johnson also presents several intriguing questions throughout the first issue, such as what exactly is the situation on Cybertron, why and how did Optimus and Starscream crash on Earth and, notably, where is Megatron? The stakes are also raised considerably as Johnson shows anybody, whether transformer or human, could die and do so in graphic and brutal ways as Starscream twice showed he's capable of. There's fun to be had in Johnson and Spencer's Transformers with their story, characters and artwork, but despite the G1 influence it is going to be quite a bit more mature than the classic series. Read Full Review

Overall, Transformers #1 is good. It's familiar in a lot of ways so for those who are fans, your enjoyment will hinge on how much you wanted a comic that was different than before. I myself think it's a bit too much like the original but where it deviates in its focus it excels. It's enough to get me intrigued as to what comes next but definitely dampens the excitement I had a bit. In the end, it feels like it's back to basics. Read Full Review

Daniel Warren Johnson does a great job of introducing the Transformers into the Energon Universe after a brief cameo in Void Rivals. It's safe to say that these are not your dad's Transformers. It is more than meets the eye. Read Full Review

Red

Oct 04, 2023

An incredible reintroduction to the world of Transformers with a reimagining of the classic and iconic G1 origin story. A love letter to the franchise and everything a Transformers fan would want from the beginning of a new Transformers story. The tone is set immediately, you know you're in for a gritty Transformers story from the very first page. The human and Cybertronian interactions are very real, the way they deal with loss is also very real. The way these characters are written is perfect, this new interpretation of Spike is great, and has a huge sense of relatability that I'm sure will hit home and make him a fan-favorite. Optimus is written exactly how you'd expect and want him to be written, I think Daniel Warren Johnson may write the best Optimus Prime we've seen in comics to date. He's the fierce, heroic leader of the Autobots who puts others before himself, who feels a huge sense of loss whenever one of his comrades fall. Ratchet acts exactly how anyone familiar to the character would expect him to act, he's the war hardened medic who keeps it real with his fellow Autobots, and he gets a moment to shine in combat here. Jetfire is quite interesting here because it's an inspired and fresh take on the character. I love the way they've adapted his story - rather than going for the old Decepticon to Autobot arc he usually has, he instead starts off with no faction, and you see him pick one very quickly once he realizes what's going on. Similarly, the villains are great. Starscream is still the gross, pathetic Decepticon we all know and love/hate him as, but he's also portrayed incredibly intimidating here, and has multiple moments that prove him worthy of being this series' main antagonist. Soundwave is still the loyal Decepticons communication officer we're all familiar with, even somewhat mentioning a very familiar name. He's portrayed very similar to his G1 counterpart, using his minicons in battle, to scout out resources, and fix parts of their base. And although he doesn't have much to do, Skywarp is still also in-character, being realistic with his team whenever they try and push themselves too far. The art is spectacular, it's both fun and helps portray the dark and gritty war these characters are in at the same time, it really helps immerse you in this world Overall, an incredible start to the Transformers in this universe, I cannot wait to see how the Energon universes continues, and to see how Daniel Warren Johnson's Transformers especially continues, that message at the end of this issue gives me all the faith in the world that he's the perfect man for the job. more

Hailey

Oct 05, 2023

Here it comes another masterpiece by DWJ.

wakizashireviews

Oct 06, 2023

I loved it! A rare 10/10 from me. I am happy to say this issue is excellent. It’s clear how much love and respect Daniel Warren Johnson has for these characters. It bursts off every page. He has crafted a very compelling story that delivers an entertaining and action-packed opening to this new series as well as setting things up for future issues. I went into this story with very little knowledge of the characters or what has come before. Yet I was immediately pulled in and had a blast reading it. That’s the sign of a great storyteller. Full Review on my WordPress Blog: https://biginjapangrayman.wordpress.com/2023/10/06/transformers-1-oct-2023-review/

ResearchReader

Oct 09, 2023

Not a big Transformers person, but I do like DWJ. This was a banger of a first issue. Like Did he just kill off/incapacitate in the first issue the ones I think he did? Like that is some open with a blaze type writing. Nothing is held back. Prime here is written wonderfully, Jetscream tragically, and Starscream... a-holly...? All in character, and every page just drips with detail. The atmosphere, the tension, the drive, the detail. Its all perfect. This is what every comic should be (not thematically but I mean the sheer level of writing and artistic detail). There is still a lot of mystery and I want to read the next issue so badly. This is how you get people back into comics. DWJ once again produces a 10/10 work. The man' s work in the comic industry is amazing. more

Comics Code Authorities

Oct 14, 2023

Amazing from the reviews I've read how Johnson has managed to impress so many non-fans. But he's apparently also impressing a lot of long-time fans, including myself. This is my first experience with his work, and so far it's very good. That's super rare these days from a comic writer. But johnson is a true fan too from what I hear and he puts that into how he writes these characters. He gives Optimus Prime the compassion I remember, but also the strength to be a real badass when taking down Decepticons. Starscream is the power mad villain I remember, always ready to destroy anything to get that power he so craves/ I can't wait for the others to get online so we can see what he does with them. I'm also looking forward to seeing what he does with Megatron when he finally shows up. All I ask is he spare us any of the monotonous Shockwave overthrowing Megatron and taking over stuff that's been done to death since Marvel and was lame even then. I've heard more praise for this book since its release as anticipation was pretty silent since it was announced where the series was going next. So far this single issue is the best Transformer issue I've seen since the Dreamwave days. It's vastly better than ANYTHING IDW ever did, that's for sure. That's why this book gets a rare and well-earned perfect 10. more

SneakyToaster17

Mar 17, 2024

It’s great when a first issue can manage setup and momentous action. Sometimes a writer/artist combo pays off beautifully, and this is a prime example.

Toonstrack

Oct 05, 2023

Yea I mean this is awesome. One of the most hyped series of the year and DWJ delivers. Alresdy heart and amazing art presents the fight moves are super cool. Excited to see where this goes.

DaddyChar

Oct 07, 2023

I'm a simple man, I see suplex I give a 9

Hex

Oct 09, 2023

As with Do A Powerbomb I couldn't care less about the subject matter. I don't dislike Transformers but they have never been my go to for content be it tv, movies, comics or toys. But DWJ is on it. All of the dumb wrestling moves make it better not worse for my experience which if it were anyone else I would write off about how idiotic it all is. This is great. It's heavy, the human subplot seems to have weight unlike so many properties that have to have 'normal people' in it to sell tickets in theaters. I care about what is happening which isn't something I would ever normally say about Transformers. DWJ makes me invested in dumb shit and I love it.

Deadlybeavis

Nov 03, 2023

Awesome comic. But this is DWJ and it's kind of expected.

Bighaz

Dec 23, 2023

A+ this brought back childhood memories. You want to find an amazing comic book. Just find one in robert Kirkman's stable and you will not be disappointed

Screaming Enigma

Oct 04, 2023

I’ll start this review off by saying that, going into this, I could not have cared less about Transformers. I had watched some of the movies with Shia LaBeouf in them, but I was never the biggest fan of the franchise. However, when it was announced that Daniel Warren Johnson, who’s one of my favorite comic creators right now, if not my absolute favorite, would be writing and drawing this, I knew I had to check it out. While I’m not completely sold on this series yet, I did think this was a pretty good start that has piqued my interest. This feels like a jumping-on point for someone looking to try a Transformers book, which is exactly what I was hoping for with this, given my brief history with the franchise. All in all, Johnson has ma naged to get me interested in a series that I would have, initially, not given a second glance at. Johnson is the man and I’ll definitely be sticking around to see what he cooks up with this series. more

Oddball12

Jan 25, 2024

Good start, instantly enjoyed it.

fzanca

Oct 11, 2023

I wasn't as enamored with this issue as everyone else appears to be. Truth be told, that I'm no a big Transformers fan, I'm more of a GI Joe fan. I think you have to be a fan to really enjoy this the way people are. I found the art inconsistant and the human depicted as Lilyputians. They probably wouldn't have survived that fall and how the hell did they get down out of that tube with breaking a million bones? When they are pushing Optimus' gun they are like ants. Also, if Jetfire knew nothing about the war on Cybertron, how did he know to go to Earth? Remember that the last we saw him was in Void Rivals. I found this story extremely mediocre. I'm glad everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Looking forward to GI Joe. Check out my comic review channel - https://youtu.be/ZT_wXITN-Gg more

DDJamesB

Oct 15, 2023

Lots of action. Really cool art. Just lacked a good plot. Well see where it goes.

2birdsstoned815

Oct 05, 2023

https://youtu.be/vV2EmbnlutU?si=aMByIS32UNowCn7v Review at (:32) in link

Chris Y

Jun 08, 2025

Everyone’s raving about this series. I don’t see it. There’s nothing wrong with the writing, but the art is very rough and shoddy. I think characters like the Transformers need to be drawn with more technical finesse.