It’s sad that the greatness that is Last Stand of the Wreckers is only going to last 5 issues but reading Issue 4, it’s clear that if it went on much longer we’d run out of Wreckers. (Frankly at this point, I don’t see any reason to think there will be any left after #5.)

Wreckers #5 is a little more exposition-heavy than its siblings, but the slight slowdown is barely noticeable between the visceral violence and graphic casualties. It’s a set up-issue. It doesn’t stand as well on its own as some of the previous issues, but it is the fate of all second to last issues to provide the rising action for the climax.

The nature of Aequitas is revealed early in this book. It’s an important story point, but it’s not the big character reveal that most suspected it would be. I suspect the full impact it will have on the story won’t make itself felt until the next issue.

Enough nitpicking, the issue is awesome. It pulls no punches. The dialogue maintains this series' standard of excellence; the action is constant and purposeful. It’s a great read.

Nick Roche and Guido Guidi’s art is impeccable and blends together seamlessly. Its cartoon-like quality actually makes its implausible subjects seem more real. It’s not trying to convince you that 15 foot tall humanoid robots make sense, it’s trying to make them enjoyable and lets the reader get into the story and believe the characters.

Speaking of the characters - even more than the story or action, they are what has made this series great. You could write a 5-issue arc about these mech’s playing cards. From issue one, every character has been a believable person with understandable motives and a valid perspective. Nick Roche and James Roberts have forged a cast worthy of reading, never insulting the reader with broken causality.

Not only is Last Stand of the Wreckers awesome, it all makes sense. It fits into a rational place in IDW’s own continuity in a way that very few of its series have. You don’t have to take it with a grain of salt or try to remember “Well, it’s just a comic.” It all comes together.

If you’ve read Wreckers before, you don’t need me to tell you to pick this up. If you haven’t… frankly 4 is a little late to come in. Snag the first few and catch up, or if that proves impossible, pre-order the trade. Your local comic shop will be happy to put an order in for you, or Amazon has had the Trade up for pre-order for some time. If you're into Transformers and you're not reading the best TF fiction in over a decade, I don’t know what to tell you.

Writer: James Roberts & Nick Roche
Pencils: Nick Roche & Guido Guildi
Publisher: IDW
Cover price: $3.99
On sale: 04/21/10