THE TRANSFORMERS: COMICS, BOOKS AND MANGA

CURRENT TRANSFORMERS COMICS FROM IDW PUBLISHING

Transformers Mosaic: Dead Men's Boots
Reviewed by Blackjack

My part’s all scripted, of course. Part of the mythology.
Dead Men’s Boots is just a short one-page prequel thing written by exactly the same team that did Last Stand of the Wreckers, and it just shows Springer recruiting the four new guys that are going to be the new Wreckers. I do really like how Springer lies to everyone that their name is at the top of the list, and Springer’s self-reflecting monologue, comparing himself to Impactor and telling himself that he gives them a choice, and all the reaction of the new Wreckers – Pyro being delighted, Rotorstorm seemingly being pissed, Ironfist geeking out about statistics (I think it’s a nice thing that Ironfist doesn’t go ohmygodohmygod as a nice subtle note to how his recruitment was already predetermined by Prowl) and Guzzle turning down the opportunity to later reconsider. It’s a pretty good piece that feels a lot more tragic considering how optimistic everything is, and considering what happened in LSOTW the darker undertones of Springer being frank about the survival rate is a nice touch. Overall pretty good for a one-page comic.


Dead Men’s Boots was initially written as part of the fanmade Transformers: Mosaic fan project. And while Simon Furman likewise did make a Mosaic before (‘Hail and Farewell’) with the intention of fitting it into continuity, Dead Men’s Boots ended up published in the trade paperback versions of Last Stand of the Wreckers, canonizing it.

On the computer behind Ironfist you can see a diagram showing the brain bullet inching into his brain.

Ironfist implicitly confirms that Rack’n’Ruin is dead by changing the survival rate statistics depending on whether Rack’n’Ruin is alive or not.

Compared to the text story ‘Bullets’, Springer should be a holographic projection talking to Ironfist. While considering holomatter technology it isn’t completely inconceivable for holograms to look really realistic. Pyro, Rotorstorm and Guzzle are holding smoking guns, placing Dead Men’s Boots as happening straight after during the recruitment scenes in Bullets – the other three Autobots simply mistaking Springer’s hologram for the Shimmer.