Comics
Review: ‘Transformers Prime: Rage of The Dinobots’ #1
As a child of the 80s, my favorite part of watching “The Transformers” television show was The Dinobots. Any episode they showed up, I knew there was going to be some awesome Decepticons smashing. I confess, I never understood why Optimus Prime and The Autobots didn’t just send them into every battle and mop the floor with their enemies. I always wished they would somehow merge into some gigantic robot and destroy that punk Devastator…sorry, cartoon flashbacks.
Ahem. Where was I?
Oh yes, Transformers Prime: Rage of The Dinobots #1 showcases the new version of the Dinobots, and they’re not the ones I grew up with.
WRITTEN BY: Mike Johnson and Mairghread Scott
ART BY: Agustin Padilla
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: November 28th, 2012
From the start, this version of the Dinobots seems smarter than the ones I grew up with on TV. All the ‘bots are here: Grimlock, Sludge, Snarl, Slag (not Slug), and Swoop. Basically, the Dinobots are a team of Hulks that can also turn into giant dinosaurs. They like fighting and smashing enemies and bragging to each other how strong they are. Wow, they really are like the Green Goliath, aren’t they? They are cooler because they are robots and shoot lasers and have swords. Also they all have job titles now for some reason.
The story takes place during the evacuation of Cybertron. We get a glimpse of another classic character that the Dinobots have to rescue from the Forged, the Predacons and their master, Shockwave. I don’t know who the Forged are except that many of them have bolted-on eye patches. Seeing Agustin Padilla’s art on display here really gives the Dinobots some heft and weight. They are big beasts and Padilla makes them look thicker, armed-to-the-teeth. The story starts as an exodus and turns into a quest to save one of their own. Although some of the Dinobots don’t feel like part of the bigger Autobot family, Grimlock rallies his men to fight and prove to others that they are.
Questions are raised about their identities and if these alien dinosaur forms define them now. Are they more animal than machine now? This is deeper than I thought The Transformers could ever get. I personally don’t think it’s necessary for this story. All I want to see is Dinobots transform and destroy! Bring on Devastator! I hope this series is more fun than serious in the future.
Score: 2.5 / 5 Skulls
Reviewed by: Your Friendly Neighborhood Brady
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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