Transformers Volume 1: Robots in Disguise— Mini Review

Daniel Warren Johnson is a creator whose medium is energy. His comics and art are all about the energy (high or low) of the moment which is appropriate in a comic about a space-faring robotic robot race trying to find energy to revive their dormant species. And if you’re looking for a comic about robots doing wrestling moves on other robots, then Johnson is the artist for that because he can make you feel the pressure of a chokehold and the boom of a metallic figure being body slammed on the ground. When he draws a fight, there’s all kinds of chaotic energy spilling out of the page. 

But where Transformers: Robots in Disguise stands out are the moments where Johnson has to find the inner energy of the characters as they have to deal with the trauma that they are caught up in. Whether it’s a father who is lost after the death of one son and the inability to connect with another son or a good guy robot realizing how fragile the world is as he cradles the body of a deer he accidentally killed, Johnson’s story comes together in these smaller, quieter moment. All of these characters have lost something (even the bad robots) and Johnson gives them their time of grief and pain in this story about an alien invasion. 

Johnson finds this engaging rhythm between the exciting physical action and the quieter, inner turmoil that moves you through the story. There’s the robot on robot fighting which is fun in a big, dumb kind of way and then there’s the moments of grief and reflection. Johnson intertwines these moments, skillfully balancing the diverse energies to tell an action-packed and emotionally charged story.