In celebration of the release of Michael Bay’s Transformers — and with the robots-in-disguise at their most popular since I was 5 years old and saw Optimus Prime get shot, stabbed, and die before my very eyes in a Brooklyn movie theater — here’re a few Transformers comics that might be worth your while.

Transformers: Escalation

Sure, Simon Furman’s “Ultimatizing” of the Transformers universe began with “Infiltration,” but this is where everything kicks into high gear and ends with a truly awesome Optimus vs. Megatron fight. Furman’s written Transformers for so long that it’s astonishing to see him provide a fresh take on the mythology, but even more impressive is how he’s restored the “wow” factor to seeing these giant robots.


Transformers Spotlight: Kup

Yep, another book from the IDW era (available with other one-shots in the Transformers: Spotlight trade), but this one scores extra points for being scary and weird and batshit insane. Focusing on grizzled war vet, Kup, and — believe it — his descent into insanity when stranded alone on an alien planet, this is the best standalone Transformers episode that never was.


Transformers: End of the Road

A crazy space epic from 1991, with Simon Furman — the Claremont of Transformers — clearly letting loose and having fun. Furman has always made the stakes high for our Autobots, and never did you fear for them more than in this story. Plus, it’s actually got Galvatron vs. Megatron, which is really all you need to know.


Transformers: Showdown

No Transformers collection is complete without something by Bob Budiansky, who for all intents and purposes, built much of the Transformers’ lore. One of the best collections of his work can be found in Showdown, which is action-packed but still shows the creator’s great ability to build both characters and a universe.

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