I am not and never have been a Transformers fan (My ’80s obsession was more the classic My Little Pony stuff.), but when I heard of Mairghread Scott’s upcoming Windblade series, my interest was piqued.  Not only would the first female Transformer be introduced due to fan input, but the four-issue mini-series features both a female writer and a female artist. My familiarity with Mairghread’s previous works pushed me over the edge when I was offered the opportunity to review the first issue; I know she creates wonderful stories, and I would be a fool to pass up this one simply because I’m not a robot girl. While I don’t think I loved it as much as hardcore Transformers fans will, I can’t deny that Windblade has a powerful story at its heart that is backed up with Sarah Stone’s beautiful artwork.

Windblade is struggling on Cybertron in her new role as Cityspeaker for the Titan Metroplex due to missing her home and difficulties with the current leader, Starscream.  He blames her for various maintenance issues plaguing the city, which are directly related to Metroplex’s injured state, and is generally an unpleasant individual.  The young ‘bot tries to learn more about the demanding leader, but nothing she hears helps settle her worries.  Can Windblade keep the city going long enough for her Titan to fully heal, or will Starscream continue to get in her way?

Issue #1 sets the stage for the major conflict in the remaining three issues: the power struggle between Windblade and Starscream.  At the same time, I easily sympathized with Windblade, because her decisions and worries focused outward on the other citizens of Metroplex and her injured Titan.  It also didn’t hurt that her character design is much cuter than Starscream’s! The friendship between Windblade and Chromia, another female Transformer, also adds a “human” element to the plot.  The two support each other emotionally and physically, and the rapport between them reflects my relationships with female friends.  I think my favorite parts of this issue were the two female Transformers together, since it felt so real.

I have never read any of the previous Transformers comics, so I had no preconceived ideas about Sarah Stone’s artwork.  I loved the almost Geisha look of Windblade’s design, and the differences between her and Chromia’s appearances proved that robots can look distinct.  Windblade almost seemed tiny and delicate in comparison with Chromia’s more Brienne of Tarth body structure.  The male robots blended together a little more for me, but I could tell that the major characters were given distinct color schemes to make them stand apart from each other.  Rattrap’s rodent-like character design made me giggle, although that may be a staple of the property.

Overall, if you are a Transformers fan, I think that Windblade #1 will continue to keep you happy, and if you’ve ever wanted to try the franchise, this is a great place to start.  As a newcomer, I could easily follow the plot and become invested in the leads, and it was just an enjoyable read for a weekend evening.  Besides, where else will you find a cute girl who can turn into a plane?
 

4.5 “Wait, Robots Go to Bars?” out of 5