Released recently in the US was the latest Transformers instalment from IDW. We get the wrap up of the events in ‘CHAOS’, as well as the beginning of two new stories in “More than Meets the Eye” and “Robots in Disguise”.

The storyline features no humans and there are no indications that there will be any human involvement in the near future. This is quite a change of pace considering, to many fans, there has been far too much of a human element in Transformers lately.

Even though it is a one-shot story, there is something to be gotten from it whether you are an old or new reader as it incorporates elements from previous stories and segways into the two series to come.

The story leaps forward a few weeks after the events of CHAOS have been wrapped up and shifts its focus on Cybertron. This is after Optimus Prime rushed the matrix in order to stop Dvoid sacking the galaxy, beginning with Cybertron’s dead husk. This worked, and Cyberton was granted a rebirth with no dead husk for Dvoid.

The good news is that Optimus Prime has survived (who’d have guessed that?). We find out more about his history, which is one of the strengths of this story. But it achieves this whilst also progressing towards the new series. The final choice that he makes may be a logical one but certainly not predictable and, although it feels like we have seen it before, there is a different feel associated with it. He somehow manages to appear more like Optimus Prime than we have ever seen him before. And that can only be a good thing for OP fans.

Transformers issue 31 is currently on the newsstands in the US and it is an issue with a difference as the pace was certainly different than what we have become accustomed to. It essentially serves as something of a retrospective, but manages to avoid compromising its own story.

The issue was written by Mike Costa, who was clearly in a sentimental mood when he wrote this story. Its central theme is reflection, and is set in the future, some millions of years from now. And other than just a couple, we aren’t greeted with any Transformers that we would recognise. The story is heart-warming and tells the history of the Decepticons and Autobots, as well as the biggest battles they have faced.

The artwork was laid firmly in the hands of Casey Coller, who does a superb job here. He introduced some amazing designs for the future Transformers. They are not unrecognisable and he has managed to avoid going overboard. Each character looks appropriate to the Transformers series and also a perfect fit evolution-wise. Perhaps the most impressive element of the job is how the past battles are shown in splash pages. This is where Coller excels. They can be recognised instantly and are well detailed with each emotion displayed on a single page, which is quite some achievement.

The issue oozes charm and certainly offers some of that feel-good factor. There are some glimpses of the present story and future events in the title, but the emphasis is certainly on the retrospective of the history of Transformers.