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The Decepticons have won, the Autobots are defeated, and the time for conquest is at hand! After finally succeeding in overtaking the Autobots, the Decepticons set about ruling our planet with an iron fist. Their forces invade and control New York City, and before long they manage to cripple the United States. It's a war between the armed forces of the United States of America and a giant species of technologically advanced killing machines.

Meanwhile, the Autobots struggle to survive a forced exile on their dead homeworld, Cybertron, while searching for a traitor within their ranks. A traitor who sold them out to the Decepticons! With trust and unity in short supply, and the Autobots at the very edge of extinction, who will stand against Megatron of Earth?

Find out in this collection of The TRANSFORMERS: ALL HAIL MEGATRON

Paperback

First published July 5, 2011

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Shane McCarthy

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for Callum Shephard.
324 reviews41 followers
April 10, 2013


Let two things be clear before going into this: First, you might want to have a basic understanding of the setting before trying to read this. Nothing of the background or war is really explained and likely assumes anyone reading will at least be aware of the basics.

Second, despite keeping most of the transformers� original looks, this comic is bloody. It is extremely dark with a lot of people dying. While no direct blood or guts are usually shown, it often presents events in such a way to be chilling. Usually either via description or just outright suggestion leaving the readers to imagine the rest. That being said the robots themselves are often beaten to a pulp, with some surprisingly graphic wounds. Even moments of torture or subjects such as suicide brought up.

The surprising thing here is that it actually works though. Unlike the Michael Bay films, the humans don’t stand a hope in hell of victory and the fights are completely one sided. This combined with the state the heroes are in during the opening makes the villains seem genuinely threatening, and a force more than capable of bringing down worlds en mass. Yet somehow it manages to avoid the Marvel curse of being relentlessness bleak to the point of only inspiring apathy within readers. Most likely because in the action driven series, the heroes start at their darkest point and rise back up to fight back as events progress.

Perhaps the most surprising point amidst this is that writer McCarthy managed to weave enough of a plot amongst the action. Not a story for the action to follow but multiple character subplots ranging from an apparent traitor amongst the Autobots to doubts in the Deception cause. While none are especially complex they are enough to keep things interesting and feel like the characters are genuinely involved. Something which is quite an accomplishment when there are a good thirty named individuals on either side. It can almost take you out of the moment when you realise the well-crafted, ideology driven reasoning for someone opting to defect is by someone called Thundercracker.

Much of the action is reasonably spaced out between events. While the series is very clearly action heavy it’s not utterly reliant upon it, or focuses upon it to the detriment of everything else. It’s frequent enough to keep you interested but rarely becomes overbearing save for a few moments. What helps keep things interesting is a mixture of Guido Guidi’s art style and the pacing between scenes.

Guidi’s art style deserves special mention. While it would have been easy to make this a very brown, very grey environment to emphasise upon the bleakness (insert your own modern FPS joke here) it’s very colourful. Both with the transformers themselves and the environment, creating an oddly disjointed feel amidst the conflict. Albeit one which works here, breaking up the environments into visibly different locations and keeping the reader visually invested.

For all this praise however, there is a lot to criticise. Even before getting to the comic’s individual problems it suffered from multiple canon discrepancies with what came before. Objects like the Matrix are suddenly introduced with no prior mention to this series and more than a few personalities don’t quite match up correctly. Often drifting to what readers might feel more familiar with than how they had been done by Furman.

Story-wise McCarthy does rely upon deus ex machinas more than once throughout the series. Sometimes excused by the more awesome results of their inclusion, sometimes feeling utterly jarring with the narrative and leaving you scratching your head. The continuity itself has more than a few problems within the series as well. With issues ranging from minor visual alterations between issues to stating actions occurred when we saw otherwise. A notable case being when it’s claimed Devastator crushed the bridges of Manhattan, while it’s clearly shown they were left intact in his assault.

All of the story problems are also without getting into some of the basic logical errors. Many transformers show up in the classic looks from the cartoon despite the vehicles being too heavily outdated for camouflage. An often repeated case of this being Starscream who switches from an F-22 to outdated F-15s. Other problems also arising from just why the Decepticons are even bothering having human alternate modes as well. Several Autobots are also seen playing Go, despite having little logical reason to even know about the Chinese game.

Also if you’re not a fan of Michael Brian Bendis� ultra-decompressed method of storytelling you’re going to absolutely hate this comic. Though at least unlike with his stuff McCarthy actually allows his heroes to end arcs on a high note. Not be relentlessly crushed down by misery, death, infighting and utter failure even in a bleak event such as this.

So, with all this considered how does All Hail Megatron stack up? It’s reasonably good. While nothing outstanding or even being a shining example amongst Transformers comics, it does more than enough to keep a reader entertained. The action is solid, the new direction is fairly well, and while the writing has more than a few problems there is enough to like here. While it’s not a series which is a must buy, it’s definitely recommended despite its problems. If you’re someone looking to get into IDW’s series to see what the writing is capable of, you could definitely do much worse.
Profile Image for Alexander Draganov.
Author29 books155 followers
April 13, 2020
All Hail Megatron e популярна серия от комикси за поредицата “Трансформърс�, дело на издателската къща IDW. При излизането си тя предизвиква доста спорове във фендъма заради изключително мрачния си тон, но след като я прочетох, мога да кажа, че тя е едно от най-добрите неща, излизало някога за роботите под прикритие на компанията “Хасбро�.

Войната между Аутоботите и Десептиконите продължава милиони години, отдавна излязла отвъд границите на родната им планета Кибертрон и прехвърлила се в космоса. Сега обаче Мегатрон, тираничният лидер на злите Десептикони, е на ръба на тоталната победа...

Прочетете повече на линка!
1 review
August 5, 2023
Short version: The art is good, and stick with the story because it will get better once you are past the installment written by this author.

I tend to be generous with my ratings, and in general, I am very favorably disposed toward The Transformers, but I was very disappointed with this storyline. At a time when IDW was doing some interesting things with the Transformers, "All Hail Megatron" was a massive step backwards in terms of writing. McCarthy's characterization of the humans in particular featured dreadful levels of toxic masculinity and glamorized casual and unmotivated assault. I know that this is a fiction about transforming alien robots, but I still want to see internal consistency and verisimilitude.

As this is an installment in a much larger storyline that includes a variety of artists and writers, I would encourage Transformers fans to read it merely as setting the stage for later stories that did much better things with the Transformers characters and their associates.
I am very saddened to have to give a Transformers book with a talented artist only three stars, but the writing was inferior to other authors in the IDW Transformers line-up, and featured one-dimensional and reprehensible characters.

If anyone knows this author, can they find out and tell me why the Witwickys were such arrogant and aggressive sociopaths to everyone around them? What story purpose did it serve? Bizarre.
1,148 reviews7 followers
October 8, 2018
The basic premise of All Hail Megatron is, what if the Decepticons won? The result was a series that tried to be more profound than it was, then largely reverted to status quo by the end. To be honest, one of the things that probably held it back was being part of the larger IDW Transformers continuity - if the series had been allowed to truly stand alone, I suspect it would have gone much better. Still, All Hail Megatron does have its moments, especially early on when Earth tries to handle with the Decepticons without any Autobot support. This is also one of the first instances I recall of trying to give the Decepticons an actual philosophy, something that pays off later in IDW's comics. The huge omnibus edition of All Hail Megatron includes not only the main series, but the various Spotlight issues that came out during the same period; these are fine, with the Blurr story being the standout (even if it doesn't quite jibe with later canon). All Hail Megatron is also when we first get Drift, who had potential but felt a lot like a wish-fulfillment character. Overall, this hefty tome is worth reading for Transformers fans, but manage your expectations despite the intriguing premise. (B)
Profile Image for one9eighty.
112 reviews
January 18, 2024
Deceptions attack earth and pretty much win. Humans are outmatched and end up hiding around their burned out cities. The Autobots are stuck on Cybertron with a near dead Optimus Prime and no plan and very little help.

The story started off good but really tailed off towards the end. It was nice to see the Autobots struggling and squabbling as much as the Decipticons usually do. It was nice to see an organised Decipticon attack, albeit still with Starscream undermining Megatron at any opportunity. The human element was a bit of a let down - they were made out to be mainly living a life in shadows and rubble (almost identical to The Terminator future where machines hunted humans), but at the same time the Witwicky's were war heroes who could (and do) save humanity. Meh.

Mosty drawn really well with different artists stepping in for a turn, the main negative for me was that it all started so well but petered out into a whimsical meh. Actually, another negative while I'm ranting, the spotlight/one-shot stories... it would have been nice if they were stories tied into the whole story, but some of them were an annoying distraction. A mixed review all in all. I'd give it 3.5 but that doesn't work on here so I've rounded it up to 4 out of 5.
90 reviews
July 11, 2018
Vol 1 is very good, it introduces the decepticons invasion of earth and the utter distress the humans are in.

Vol 2 is also very good, it tells us mainly how the invasion could happen and were the Autobots are when it happened, the internal struggle between the Autobots is very eye-opening in how war affects everybody and yes even bots are effected, it even has a scene where Ironhide tries to kill his teammate who he suspect is a traitor for the Deccepticons.

Vol 3 is where the quality falls off because the last 3 issues are stories that kinda don't fit with the rest of the story, my favorite stories is the story about Sunstreaker's depression and also the story about Ironhide getting tired of the war against the Decepticons and how he thinks that he has lost the cause to fight anymore.

Overall the book is great but falls of at the end, definitely enjoyed how the Autobots struggled in their situation and how Megatron plan plays out.
Profile Image for Riester (Mei).
11 reviews
November 30, 2024
Si le quitan las partes en las que McCarthy le inyecta toda su masculinidad tóxica a sus personajes, lo planas que se sienten las partes con los humanos (a excepción de Coda:Rebirth), tiene uno que otro momento rescatable. All Hail Megatron sabe mejor cuando enfatizan el horror psicológico y el liderazgo de Megs. El Optimus de McCarthy se siente muy "mid", como dirían los jóvenes.

(Tampoco le perdono a Mike Costa el que haya tirado el desarrollo de Starscream por la ventana).
Profile Image for Simon Turner.
51 reviews
February 19, 2019
This story takes the premise, 'what if megatron won'? It picks up with the autobots defeated, broken and exiled on cybertron whilst the decepticons ruling earth. Loved this twist on the story and enjoyed it from start to finish. The complete collection also features the ones shits and spotlights tied in with this story and are well worth reading.
Profile Image for Nick.
249 reviews
June 4, 2019
A near perfect Transformers graphic novel. The artwork through out stays amazing, and despite a couple misplaced one-shots with bad storytelling, there is some great stories and writing in this collection. There are a few mistakes here and there but for the most part, it is a MUST read and MUST own for any Transformers fan.
Profile Image for Mark Young.
Author7 books46 followers
May 3, 2021
One of the best stories I’ve read so far in the Transformers series. Great characterisation, lots of conflict among the autobots, which I’ve not often seen in my limited reading of the comics. Fantastic artwork. So stunning visuals, scenes and character designs.
Profile Image for Z.
471 reviews2 followers
June 28, 2017
Such a good story and darn good artwork.
37 reviews
October 28, 2020
Great build up but ending could have been better. The additional comics are a bit boring though.
Profile Image for K.
879 reviews
December 1, 2021
Good story. Jarring art at times when D-grade people were brought in next to A grade.
Profile Image for Don.
1,422 reviews11 followers
February 25, 2022
An amazing story, start to finish. Everything was fantastic.
Profile Image for Adrian Roberts.
Author3 books3 followers
June 29, 2015
I was a massive Transformers fan as a kid and they're always the first place I go in any toy store. Not to buy, just to have a look and resist buying.

A few years ago I stumbled over Last Stand of the Wreckers, an excellent series of comics that I thoroughly enjoyed. For some reason I never bought any more, something I regret. Two years ago I decided to hell with it and started collecting IDW's current titles More Than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise.

I love comics and have been collecting most of the Batman and Justice League titles for years. Now though, after I've done my monthly pick up from the comic shop, the Transformer comics are always top of the pile for reading. They are light hearted and fun with serious storylines running throughout.

Having missed everything that happened before these two titles I wanted to catch up and I started with All Hail Megatron. I was not disappointed. For starters this hard back edition looks fantastic and though I have seen some people bemoaning the lack of movement for the double pagers, I didn't really find it interrupted my enjoyment.

The story itself kicks off quickly and doesn't let off the whole way through, with some truly awesome scenes and artwork. I don’t like going into storylines in my reviews, that’s what the publishers pay people a lot of money for. All I will say is that Megatron is let off his leash and you get an idea of just what he can do. For me he stands up there in the list of all time villains with Darth Vader and the Joker.

If you know your Soundwave from your Shockwave, who Devastator and Omega Supreme are, your Kup from your Springer and lets face it, you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t, get this book. You won’t be disappointed and you’ll be able to pick up the story easily enough even without reading IDW’s back catalogue.

After reading All Hail Megatron, that back catalogue is now on my wish list on Amazon.
Profile Image for James Zanghi.
117 reviews
January 26, 2015
All Hail Megatron is part of the IDW Comics line of the Robots of Disguise's nearly eternal war. It also serves as the primary inspiration for Michael Bay's third Transformers movie: The Dark of the Moon.

However, unlike the terrible works of filmmaking that are the Transformers live-action movies, Shane McCarthy's graphic novel is way more personal and spectacular. The graphic novel starts off with Optimus Prime being defeated in battle, having the Matrix torn from his grasp, and left for dead by Megatron on the fields of Cybertron. Megatron and his Decepticons then launch an all-out assault on the various cities of America and start an all-out slaughter of the human race and invasion of Earth, primarily focusing on New York City. As the leaderless Autobots attempt to find out who sold Prime out to the Decepticons, they come under attack by the Swarm.

Besides Dark of the Moon, there is some inspiration for AHM in the Generation One original series, and not just with the character design. Primarily, it is inspired by The City of Steel, one of my all-time favorite episodes in Season Two in Generation One, where the Decepticons take control of the Big Apple and begin converting it into a Headquarters while having Optimus taken out of the action.

There is some seriously great artwork in this graphic novel, despite the darkness of the story. The characters are very 'fleshed'-out and the action is breathtaking and rivals most Roland Emmerich disaster movies.

This Graphic Novel also launched the official IDW comic book line and served as inspiration for the fourth Transformers film (Age of Extinction) which isn't all that bad compared to the first three Transformers movies. In short, this is a must read for all Transformers fans of any age.
Profile Image for Ben.
32 reviews32 followers
August 29, 2013
5 stars to the first 12 comics. 2.5 to the last 4. They were 8 half stories, out of order and with no context (at least for me). Also the artwork changed too much throughout the whole book for me. Seriously different art styles really threw me off.
Profile Image for Jean-Pierre Vidrine.
617 reviews4 followers
June 30, 2013
I've never read a more brutal Transformers comic. There is also some interesting character exploration and examination of motives here, putting a lot of old assumption into perspective.
Profile Image for Rob Schultz.
3 reviews
January 27, 2016
I'm not usually a fan of revisionist takes on such established mythos, but both the art and story were incredibly well-done. I would highly recommend this to any G1 fan.
Profile Image for Eko Prasetyo.
92 reviews3 followers
January 13, 2015
Megatron wins, then lose. Devastator versus Omega Supreme. A human killed a prominent Decepticon. Starscream surprised everyone.
333 reviews
November 11, 2019
Solid story, some fun dark spots. Not as great as the autocracy series but still enjoyable.
Profile Image for Ben.
269 reviews3 followers
March 23, 2020
Drags in the middle. The scenes in New York, as well as the Codas and spotlights at the end, are all phenomenal. I wish Guido Guidi drew all transformers all the time!!
Profile Image for Swapnil Dubey.
92 reviews16 followers
March 10, 2018
BEAUTIFUL! this comic book looks in collection. From the cover page to the end page of story, everything is brilliant. Writing, effects, arts, cover, art gallery, binding everything's perfect. It covers complete All Hail Megatron and Coda series. Plus part is it has four Spotlights also. These spotlights are not really related with the main story but still readable.

DECEPTICONS WINS! Do you know what happens when bad guys really wins? I am pretty sure you only want to experience it in stories. This is the story where Megatron Prevail. He is brutal, terrifying, stronger than ever before and true to his moto.. Peace Through Tyranny. Movie version of Megatron is nothing in comparison.

MEGATRON PREVAIL! and he corners both, Autobots and humans. America fails to fight back and Autobots are fighting their own fears on Cybertron. I have never seen this gigantic show of strength before by a villain. I really hope that after reboot we will see some scenes from it in Transformers' movie. Megatron really gives me goosebumps in some scenes like when he punches a jet, fights Devastator alone and avoid to use Soundawave's cassettes for protection against guided missiles. He is not only the epitome of sheer strength and eloquent in his speeches but also scrutinize everything. A true leader as nothing comes to him as a surprise. He knows who is with him and who is gonna betray him. Fear the Lord Megatron.

OPTIMUS RETURNS! as he always does. Only a great villain can create a great hero. Optimus has proved it again and again. Everytime Megatron comes strong, Optimus comes back stronger. He never stops learning and even as a leader he is not eaten by ego or over confidence. I remember a scene where Ironhide/Red questions his leadership and instead of throwing tantrums Optimus just says 'TEACH ME'. He takes every blow on him and uses it to be stronger.

MORAL DILEMMA! is on both sides and nobody understand what they are doing is right or wrong except their leaders. Autobots get betrayed by their own teammate and this situation points fingers on everyone. Megatron gets betrayed by his followers and fight his own people. Some are suffering from emotional trauma some desperately wants leadership and some good bots wants to wipe out humanity. Both sides are full of betrayals and treacheries. Lot can be learned from Megatron and Optimus that how they maintain team spirit in a situation of moral crisis.

NO DRAWBACKS! I could notice in this comic books. Because it doesn't have any. It's a great journey with bots and cons. I recommend it on high level and give it Five Outta Five on the scale of can-be-rea-multiple-times.

ALL HAIL MEGATRON!
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