IDW's summer-long Transformers event "CHAOS" comes to an abrupt (if not predictable) ending in this issue, and I'm glad.
(SPOILERS: DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR WHAT HAPPENS)In this issue, Galvatron has been proven completely wrong against how to stop the D-Void. In fact, Galvatron is doing exactly what D-Void wants by merging the Heart of Darkness with Vector Sigma in the depths of Cybertron. Megatron is busting his chassis trying to stop D-Void in an all-out battle and in typical TRANSFORMERS-like fashion, Optimus Prime and Rodimus go head-to-head against Galvatron. But when they get ready to stop him? They find out it's already happening, and the Dead Universe is starting to creep into the Transformers Universe via Cybertron. When suddenly, both Optimus and Rodimus have a revelation: OPEN THE MATRIX. They do this and everything comes to a grinding halt...leaving only an empty shell of the Matrix and a downtrodden Optimus Prime in the wasteland that was once Cybertron.
The good thing about CHAOS was that it seemed to gather many plotlines floating around out there (if you've ever read any of the TRANSFORMER SPOTLIGHTS or HEART OF DARKNESS, you know what I mean). Now it seems that the Autobots are all together at least mostly in the same book, if not always on the same page. The BAD thing about CHAOS was things seemed confusing at times. Thankfully, Mike Costa allows the first 2 pages of this book to summarize for the reader EXACTLTY what's going on. In addition, Livio Ramondelli is a terrific cover artist, but his interior artwork leaves little to be desired. At times, the artwork flows together and you can't really tell what's happening. At the VERY least, give this man some sound effects to add impact to the picture. Also, why does the answer always have to be "
Open the Matrix" in the Transformers universe. It's been used in so many storylines over the years over multiple publishers that its' become a bit like the STAPLES
"EASY" button...giving the Autobots a way out of almost every universe-shattering situation. And when all this power and collective ancient Autobot knowledge is unleashed, all we get is an all-white page?? Great shades of ZERO HOUR!!!
Issue #31 will be the epilogue to this story, which will truly be the icing on the cake to see what the lasting effects on the TRANSFORMERS titles will be now that CHAOS is over...but don't get too comfortable yet. The final issue on the bi-weekly schedule is called "
THE DEATH OF OPTIMUS PRIME", so you've got a few more bucks to shell out before you roll out of this title.