Windblade #3 takes its tale of the young Speaker for the City on a much darker path than the previous two, and they weren’t walks in the park! Windblade is sure Starscream is behind the ore mining and power drain of Metroplex she discovered at the end of Issue #2, but when she and her compatriots get arrested by Starscream, the truth turns out to be far more complicated. The unity between former Autobots and former Decepticons proves to be more fragile than it would seem, as well, threatening everything our heroine has been working for on Cybertron!
Mairghread Scott brings out the heavy artillery for the penultimate installment of Windblade and cranks the intrigue, violence, and political machinations up to eleven. I was left concerned and a little lost about who was safe to trust after some of the reveals, but this isn’t a weakness; it aptly reflects Windblade’s feelings in the face of some disturbing surprises. Scott also coaxes a little humanity out of Starscream, which amazed me given his de facto role as despot and villain; however, good writing can take an unsympathetic character and make him real for a short while.
Sarah Stone gets to play with Windblade’s airplane form more in this issue, and she does a nice job tying the girl to her alternate form. Windblade’s plane variant looked feminine and curvier to me than the male Transformer’s alternates, but I may be carrying over feelings for the character. There are more action sequences in this issue, and Stone proves up to the task. The panels are dynamic and menacing, conveying a sense of worry and fear to the readers.
At this point, I’m invested in Windblade’s story, because the young, naïve girl-bot has gotten under my skin. Again, Issue #3 isn’t a good jumping on point, because I think you should explore Windblade’s entire story, but it’s a universal tale that will appeal to longtime fans and newcomers alike. We’ve been left with a major question at the end of this volume, and I’m not sure how Scott and Stone will wrap it up for us in a single issue!
5 Surprisingly Disturbing Scenes of Robot Torture out of 5
