Mairghread Scott brings out the heavy artillery for the penultimate installment of Windblade and cranks the intrigue, violence, and political machinations up to eleven.  I was left concerned and a little lost about who was safe to trust after some of the reveals, but this isn’t a weakness; it aptly reflects Windblade’s feelings in the face of some disturbing surprises. Scott also coaxes a little humanity out of Starscream, which amazed me given his de facto role as despot and villain; however, good writing can take an unsympathetic character and make him real for a short while.

Sarah Stone gets to play with Windblade’s airplane form more in this issue, and she does a nice job tying the girl to her alternate form.  Windblade’s plane variant looked feminine and curvier to me than the male Transformer’s alternates, but I may be carrying over feelings for the character.  There are more action sequences in this issue, and Stone proves up to the task.  The panels are dynamic and menacing, conveying a sense of worry and fear to the readers.

At this point, I’m invested in Windblade’s story, because the young, naïve girl-bot has gotten under my skin.  Again, Issue #3 isn’t a good jumping on point, because I think you should explore Windblade’s entire story, but it’s a universal tale that will appeal to longtime fans and newcomers alike.  We’ve been left with a major question at the end of this volume, and I’m not sure how Scott and Stone will wrap it up for us in a single issue!


5 Surprisingly Disturbing Scenes of Robot Torture out of 5