The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye

The name or term "More than Meets the Eye" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see More than Meets the Eye (disambiguation).

All of your favorite childhood heroes... and Drift.

The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye is an ongoing comic series published by IDW Publishing, starting in January 2012. This series follows the adventures of Rodimus and his team as they travel through space, hunting for the legendary Knights of Cybertron (so they tell themselves) and having adventures along the way. But mostly it's about lonely nobodies hanging out pretending they have friends.

The series picks off from The Death of Optimus Prime, the epilogue to the previous ongoing, and takes place at the same time as a second ongoing series, Robots in Disguise, which together form the fourth major "act" of IDW's then-ongoing Generation 1 continuity.

Critics in wider comic and sci-fi fandom have praised it, with many a gushing article and award nomination. The politics, the plotting, and the gender and sexual politics have all come in for favoured nods. Most of fandom holds up 'season 1' as one of the top Transformers stories ever, though 'season 2' had more criticism and claims of shark-jumping from Transformers fans (though not critics) after the "Elegant Chaos" storyline.

The series concluded with issue #57, followed by a Revolution-branded one-shot (which proved polarizing as fans either loved the barbed satire about crossover events or really didn't), before relaunching with a new artistic creative team as The Transformers: Lost Light in December 2016.

"Everyone on board the Lost Light is cracked in the head!"

"Yeah, dysfunctional isn't the word! There isn't a normal 'bot among you!"

"And that wouldn't be so bad if you actually made progress—but as far as I can make out, all you do is argue, crack jokes, and get sidetracked doing pointless, silly things that only you find amusing!" Various members of the Circle of Light , "Little Victories"

«	The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye issues:	»
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 Annual 2012 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36 #37 #38 #39 #40 #41 #42 #43 #44 #45 #46 #47 #48 #49 #50 #51 #52 #53 #54 #55 #56 #57 Revolution

Overview

In contrast to the Cybertron-based setting of Robots in Disguise, More than Meets the Eye is set predominantly within the walls of the Lost Light, the spaceship captained by Rodimus that carries his crew on their expedition to locate the Knights of Cybertron, a mythical group who left the planet ten million years prior to the present day to spread peace and enlightenment across the universe. The book features an ensemble cast, who come and go from the spotlight with each passing issue, made up in large part of characters who have been overlooked by past fiction.

The "main cast" at the series outset includes Rodimus himself, a daredevil egotist who could not be more ill-suited to command; his officious second-in-command Ultra Magnus, whose obsessive-compulsive traits make life on the ship difficult for everyone; third-in-command Drift, now with a relentlessly positive outlook on life following a near-death experience; the talkative Swerve, who immediately became a fan favorite; ship's doctor Ratchet, now feeling his age and looking for something new in life; dangerously unhinged ex-Wrecker Whirl, who soon forms a murderous enmity with disillusioned ancient Cybertronian Cyclonus; "ship's genius" Brainstorm, the briefcase-wielding engineer of increasingly improbable weaponry; ship's security officer Red Alert, even more paranoid then ever; timid psychiatrist Rung, who slowly seems to be more than he appears; and diminutive archivist Rewind and mnemosurgeon Chromedome, who would come to draw much attention as the first truly official "gay" romantic couple in Transformers fiction. In short order, the crew is joined by Tailgate, a naive Transformer who has been offline for the duration of the war and finds himself forced to choose a side, and Skids, a long-missing Autobot who reappears with amnesia and a bad attitude. As the series progresses, more Autobots come into focus on the fringes of the story, like the over-eager, luckless Pipes, and resentful, boozy, one-trick-pony Trailbreaker. The book occasionally takes breaks from the main cast to focus on the misadventures of the Scavengers: a group of bungling Decepticon misfits trying to start a new life in the post-war galaxy. More than Meets the Eye uses its "quest" backdrop to tell multiple smaller adventures, throughout which are threaded many, many seeds for future stories, together forming a grand tapestry that has clearly been planned out very far in advance.

All of your favorite childhood heroes... wait, what's he doing there?

Season 1

Following an unexpected quantum jump upon launch, the Lost Light is hurled off into the depths of space, where the crew is joined by Skids and contends with a stowaway Sparkeater. A visit to Delphi by Ratchet to help cure a plague introduces the threat of the Decepticon Justice Division, who then feature in a Decepticon-dedicated story menacing a band of misfit Decepticons, and also brings the facility's surviving patients and staff onto the ship—including Fortress Maximus, whose post-traumatic stress causes him to snap and nearly kill Rung. Hoping to cure Rung's damaged brain, Rewind gathers a small group together to recount a shared story from their past about Orion Pax foiling a Senate plot to discredit the burgeoning Decepticon movement in the days of Functionism. Unfortunately, the little archivist is soon badly wounded in battle, sending Chromedome into a grief spiral that allows Drift to manipulate him into carrying out a plan laid out by Prowl: using his mnemosurgery skills to tap the memories and learn the secrets of mass-murdering Decepticon Overlord, secretly hidden on board the Lost Light. Unfortunately, Chromedome accidentally allows Overlord to escape, and Rewind has to sacrifice himself to jettison the monster from the ship. Ultra Magnus is also fatally wounded in the battle, but when his body disappears from the ship's Medibay, the crew track it to Luna 1, where they discover and foil a twisted plot by Chief Justice Tyrest to wipe out all those Transformers he sees as tainted by original sin.

The book then moves into the Dark Cybertron crossover with Robots in Disguise. The Lost Light crew initially investigate a previous find that leads them to the Titan Metroplex, and Orion Pax's investigation into the Dead Universe's involvement in Shockwave's overall plot. The casts of both series finally meet again in Robots in Disguise #26.

All of Ten's favorite adulthood heroes.

Season 2

Following Dark Cybertron's conclusion, the cast undergoes a reshuffle, as tertiary crew members like Trailcutter, as well as several newcomers, become the story's focus: Nightbeat, recently resurrected detective; Skids' escapologist partner Getaway, who takes an immediate shine to Tailgate; Camien bibliophile and quantum mechanic Nautica; and Riptide, a neurotic M.T.O. Aquabot. The season kicks off with Megatron's trial and the events that lead to him captaining the Lost Light set in the six months between Dark Cybertron and Season 2. In the present day, the resumed voyage does not start well, with the arrival of a coffin, disappearing objects on the ship, and a chilling addendum to Rewind's Message. Answers to the mysteries revolving around the coffin lead to the time-traveling "Elegant Chaos" arc, as the Lost Lighters scramble after Brainstorm, who has gone back in time, bent on changing the future. Along the way, the gang inadvertently answers some of the series's longest-standing questions, including the events foreshadowed in season 1's ominous message from the future.

In the aftermath, several characters depart for other comics while new people Velocity and Thunderclash join the crew. The Lost Light discovers a message from a dead spy within the DJD while helping Swerve with his self-worth issues, in a madcap adventure on a holomatter Earth. Following its directions to the Necrobot's planet, they are met with a sobering reminder that all of them are killers and would one day have to face it. Megatron was particularly shaken by the visual representation of the billions of deaths he was responsible for. Meanwhile, the Scavengers return for another two-parter, feeling stagnant and dealing with a mentally disabled Grimlock in a post-Great War world.

All of your childhood's favourite heroes betraying your childhood's other favourite heroes.

Back aboard the Lost Light, Getaway and Atomizer's true agenda for Tailgate comes to light, and so do Skids' repressed memories—which had left him with deep scars and extinguished his previous faith. Elsewhere, the Decepticon Justice Division learn Megatron had called for an end to Decepticon warfare; they double down and join forces with Deathsaurus's splinter faction, determined to kill Megatron for heresy.

The fiftieth issue begins the season finale arc, "The Dying of the Light". Megatron, Rodimus, and the main cast are tricked into going to Necroworld, only to learn the entire Lost Light crew have mutinied under Getaway's lead. Sick of Megatron's presence and Rodimus' incompetent leadership, they intend to continue the Knightquest without them, having informed the Galactic Council of Megatron's location. Unfortunately, the Decepticon Justice Division is also there to hunt Megatron. Shocking revelations are had, a bunch of old friends and an old enemy return, and a fierce battle is waged. Though the Decepticons are beaten, none of the crew escape unscathed—and some pay the ultimate price. Meanwhile, beneath Necroworld's hollow shell, Nightbeat and Rung discover the true purpose of the unusual planet...

And elsewhere in space, Light alumni Fortress Maximus and Red Alert, the Light's constant shadow in Prowl, and just-got-here Cerebros face a threat from the past as Sentinel Prime comes for Luna 1's dormant Titan army!

The finale issue, a Revolution tie-in, eclipses them all in stakes as Crankcase has an awkward first date with someone he met on the internet.

Creative team

Series artist Alex Milne (left) and writer James Roberts (right)

The series is written by James Roberts, fresh from the critical success of Last Stand of the Wreckers. Roberts had already been assigned the series when he wrote the two-part "Chaos Theory" in issues #22 and #23 of the ongoing series, and seeded many early plot points for the series into those two issues, including Whirl as the prison guard. Also furthering the link between the ongoing and More than Meets the Eye, when Roberts co-plotted "Chaos" with Mike Costa, Costa let him script all of the Kimia escape shuttle scenes, populated with characters who would be aboard the Lost Light.

Alex Milne serves as the series regular artist, with colors by Josh Burcham. The visual "look" of More than Meets the Eye that the pair have created is very unique, with slightly exaggerated, cartoonishly stylized character models unlike anything in Milne's past work, cel-shaded with a textured, muted color palette that combines to create something quite unlike any modern Transformer comic. So key is this "visual identity" to the book that almost all other contributors who have worked on the title have striven to emulate it, adapting their own lineart and coloring styles to match the expected look and tone of the book. Frequent Roberts collaborator Nick Roche provided art for issues #1 and #6, as well as "B" covers for every issue, while Brendan Cahill co-pencilled #12, Guido Guidi stepped in for #13, Agustin Padilla filled in last-minute for #16, and James Raiz drew the lineart for #22. Joana Lafuente and Josh Perez have also lent their colors to the book, while Marcelo Matere regularly provides retailer incentive variant covers for the series. Following the "Dark Cybertron" crossover event, Burcham stepped down as the book's regular colorist, and Lafuente took his place, bringing a new palette and gradiated shading to the series.

Soundtrack

Pick up the latest issue of The Transformers: More Than Meets the Indie Disco!

In a unique touch, writer James Roberts would visit the IDW Publishing forums shortly before the release of each issue and offer up a "teaser" post containing one or more songs that served as a "soundtrack" that would set the tonal and/or emotional stage for the upcoming issue, usually tending toward the independent- and folk-rock genres. This began at issue #2, with the songs for #1 being provided later; TFWiki lists these songs on each issue's respective article. Non-issue-specific songs for the series and its characters in general include:

• "Lost Coastlines" by Okkervil River—an overall anthem for the series
• "I've Got a Plan" by My Friend the Chocolate Cake—theme song for Rodimus
• "I Would Fix You" by Kenickie—theme song for Chromedome and Rewind
• "True Men" by Jon DeRosa—theme song for Ultra Magnus
• "The Old Man's Back Again" by Scott Walker—theme song for Megatron
• "Irish Blood, English Heart" by Morrissey—another theme song for Megatron
• "Let's Make This Precious" by Dexys Midnight Runners—anthem for the series' second season
• "Fiction" by The Lucksmiths—theme song for Nautica
• "Left to My Own Devices" by Pet Shop Boys—theme song for Brainstorm
• "Meaningless" by The Ballet—theme song for the Scavengers
• "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens—theme song for Cyclonus
• "Hello Cruel World" by Mark Oliver Everett—theme song for Tailgate
• "Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)" by James—theme song for Whirl
• "I Spy" by Pulp—theme song for Getaway

Collections

• The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye Volume 1 (June 13, 2012) ISBN 1613772351 / ISBN 978-1613772355
  • Collects The Death of Optimus Prime, and More than Meets the Eye issues #1–3.
  • Bonus material includes art from most covers, 12 promotional images, "Meet the Crew" page, design sketches from Alex Milne for various characters and ship locations, and a 2-page editor's comment with "behind the scenes" information about the series.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 2 (October 17, 2012) ISBN 1613774982 / ISBN 978-1613774984
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #4–8.
  • Bonus material includes art from most covers, "Meet the Crew" and "Meet the 'Cons" pages.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 3 (March 27, 2013) ISBN 161377592X / ISBN 978-1613775929
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye Annual 2012 and issues #9–11.
  • Bonus material includes "Meet the Crew", variant covers, and designs for the Guiding Hand.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 4 (July 17, 2013) ISBN 1613776918 / ISBN 978-1613776919
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #12–16.
  • Bonus material includes art from most covers, and the prose story "Signal to Noise".
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 5 (November 13, 2013) ISBN 1613778023 / ISBN 978-1613778029
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #17–22.
  • Bonus material includes art from most covers, and the prose story "The Sound of Breaking Glass".
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: Dark Cybertron Volume 1 (April 16, 2014) ISBN 1613778910 / ISBN 978-1613778913
  • Collects Dark Cybertron #1, More than Meets the Eye issues #23–25, and Robots in Disguise issues #23–24.
  • Bonus material includes art from most covers.
  • Trade paperback format.

• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 1 – cover art by Alex Milne and Josh Perez
• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 2 – cover art by Alex Milne and Josh Perez
• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 3 – cover art by Alex Milne and Joana Lafuente
• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 4 – cover art by Alex Milne and Joana Lafuente
• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 5 – cover art by Alex Milne and Josh Perez
• 
  Dark Cybertron Volume 1 – cover art by Phil Jimenez and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1 (Reissue) (May 21, 2014) ISBN 1613779658 / ISBN 978-1613779651
  • Collects The Death of Optimus Prime, and More than Meets the Eye issues #1–3.
  • New cover art by Livio Ramondelli.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: Dark Cybertron Volume 2 (June 11, 2014) ISBN 1613779984 / ISBN 978-1613779989
  • Collects Robots in Disguise issues #25–27, More than Meets the Eye issues #26–27, and Dark Cybertron Finale.
  • Bonus material includes covers of each issue.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 1 (September 3, 2014) ISBN 1631400401 / ISBN 978-1631400407
  • Collects The Death of Optimus Prime, More than Meets the Eye issues #1–3 & #4–5, and Robots in Disguise issues #1–5 & #6.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 6 (December 10, 2014) ISBN 163140184X / ISBN 978-1631401848
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #28–33.
  • Bonus material includes covers of each issue.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: Dark Cybertron (February 11, 2015) ISBN 163140072X / ISBN 978-1631400728
  • Collects Dark Cybertron #1, More than Meets the Eye issues #23–27, and Robots in Disguise issues #23–27, and Dark Cybertron Finale.
  • Bonus material unknown at this time.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 7 (May 13, 2015) ISBN 1631403273 / ISBN 978-1631403279
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #34–38.
  • Bonus material includes covers of each issue.
  • Trade paperback format.

• 
  More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1 – cover art by Livio Ramondelli
• 
  Dark Cybertron Volume 2 – cover art by Phil Jimenez and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 1 – cover art by Saren Stone
• 
  More Than Meets the Eye Volume 6 – cover art by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente
• 
  Dark Cybertron – cover art by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente
• 
  More Than Meets the Eye Volume 7 – cover art by Alex Milne and Josh Perez

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 2 (August 12, 2015) ISBN 1631403648 / ISBN 978-1631403644
  • Collects Autocracy issues #1–12, Spotlight: Trailcutter, Hoist & Orion Pax, Robots in Disguise issues #7 & #8–9, and More than Meets the Eye issues #6–8.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 8 (October 21, 2015) ISBN 1631404520 / ISBN 978-1631404528
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #39–44.
  • Bonus material includes covers of each issue.
  • Trade paperback format.

• Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Box Set (December 2, 2015) ISBN 1631404741 / ISBN 978-1631404740
  • Collects More Than Meets the Eye volumes 1–5.
  • Bonus material unknown at this time.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 3 (February 24, 2016) ISBN 1631405403 / ISBN 978-1631405402
  • Collects Spotlight: Thundercracker, Bumblebee & Megatron, More than Meets the Eye Annual 2012, issues #9–11 & #12–13 & "Signal to Noise", and Robots in Disguise Annual 2012 & issues #10–11.
  • Bonus material unknown at this time.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 9 (May 4, 2016) ISBN 1631406159 / ISBN 978-1631406157
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #45–49.
  • Bonus material includes covers of each issue.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 10 (October 5, 2016) ISBN 1631407163 / ISBN 978-1631407161
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #50–55.
  • Bonus material includes covers of each issue.
  • Trade paperback format.

• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 2 – cover art by Saren Stone
• 
  More Than Meets the Eye Volume 8 – cover art by Alex Milne and Josh Perez
• 
  More Than Meets the Eye Box Set – cover art by Marcelo Matere
• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 3 – cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long
• 
  More Than Meets the Eye Volume 9 – cover art by Alex Milne and Josh Perez
• 
  More Than Meets the Eye Volume 10 – cover art by Alex Milne and Joana Lafuente

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 4 (October 12, 2016) ISBN 1631407155 / ISBN 978-1631407154
  • Collects Monstrosity issues #1–12, Robots in Disguise issues #12–16 & #17–18, and More than Meets the Eye issues #14–16.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: Titans Return (January 14, 2017) ISBN 1631408216 / ISBN 978-1631408212
  • Collects Titans Return #1, The Transformers (2012) issues #56–57, and More than Meets the Eye issues #56–57.
  • Bonus material unknown at this time.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 5 (February 22, 2017) ISBN 1631408445 / ISBN 978-1631408441
  • Collects Primacy issues #1–4, Robots in Disguise issues #19–20 & #21–22, and More than Meets the Eye issues #17–21, #22 & "The Sound of Breaking Glass".
  • Hardcover format.

• Revolution: Transformers (March 8, 2017) ISBN 1631408429 / ISBN 978-1631408427
  • Collects Till All Are One: Revolution #1, The Transformers (2012): Revolution #1, More than Meets the Eye: Revolution #1, and The Transformers Holiday Special.
  • Trade paperback format.

• Revolution (March 29, 2017) ISBN 978-1631409370
  • Collects Revolution issues #0–5 and all the tie-in one-shots.
  • Bonus material includes a cover gallery.
  • Hardcover format, exclusively sold through the comic book direct market.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 59: Dark Cybertron, Part 1 (June 14, 2017)
  • Collects Dark Cybertron #1, More than Meets the Eye issues #23–25, and Robots in Disguise issues #23–24.
  • Bonus material includes a bio on the Titans, the making of Dark Cybertron with John Barber and James Roberts, a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 4 – cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long
• 
  Titans Return – cover art by Priscilla Tramontano
• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 5 – cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long
• 
  Revolution: Transformers – cover art by Marcelo Matere
• 
  Revolution – cover art by James Biggie
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 59: Dark Cybertron, Part 1 – cover art by Guido Guidi (Ratchet) and Phil Jimenez/Andrew Griffith (retro)

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 6 (October 18, 2017) ISBN 1684050855 / ISBN 978-1684050857
  • Collects Dark Cybertron #1, More than Meets the Eye issues #23–27, and Robots in Disguise issues #23–27, Dark Cybertron Finale, and Windblade (2014) issues #1–4.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7 (March 21, 2018) ISBN 1684051495 / ISBN 978-1684051496
  • Collects More Than Meets the Eye issues #28–30, #31–33 & #34, and Robots in Disguise issues #28–32 & #33–34.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 72: The Dying of the Light (January 24, 2018)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #50–55.
  • Bonus material includes the bonus story "No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases", essential background material on the DJD, a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 75: Titans Return, Part 1 (February 7, 2018)
  • Collects Till All Are One issues #1–4, Titans Return #1, The Transformers (2012) issues #56–57, and More than Meets the Eye issues #56–57.
  • Bonus material includes a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 60: Dark Cybertron, Part 2 (February 21, 2018)
  • Collects Robots in Disguise issues #25–27, More than Meets the Eye issues #26–27, and Dark Cybertron Finale.
  • Bonus material includes a "blow-by-blow account of Dark Cybertron's hidden secrets", a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 8 (December 5, 2018) ISBN 1684053722 / ISBN 978-1684053728
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #35–38 & #39–40, The Transformers (2012) issues #35–38, Punishment issues #1–5, and Drift - Empire of Stone issues #1–4.
  • Hardcover format.

• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 6 – cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long
• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7 – cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 72: The Dying of the Light – cover art by Don Figueroa (Cyclonus) and Alex Milne (retro)
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 75: Titans Return, Part 1 – cover art by Don Figueroa (Arcee) and Livio Ramondelli (retro)
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 60: Dark Cybertron, Part 2 – cover art by Mark Brooks (Brainstorm) and Andrew Griffith (retro)
• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 8 – cover art by Marcelo Matere

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 53: Liars, A to D (December 26, 2018)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #1–6, and Spotlight: Trailcutter & Hoist.
  • Bonus material includes an all-new interview with James Roberts, rare archive material from the dawn of More than Meets the Eye, Alex Milne's sketchbook, a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 55: Shadowplay (January 9, 2019)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #7–13 and Annual 2012.
  • Bonus material includes the second of a new three-part interview with Roberts, early pages of scripts, design sketches from Alex Milne, a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 63: Elegant Chaos (June 12, 2019)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #35–42.
  • Bonus material includes a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 9 (June 19, 2019) ISBN 1684054842 / ISBN 978-1684054848
  • Collects The Transformers (2012) issues #39–41, #42 & #43, Windblade (2015) issues #1–3 & #4–5, and More than Meets the Eye issues #41–44.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 57: Remain in Light (August 21, 2019)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #14–21, and "Signal to Noise" & "The Sound of Breaking Glass".
  • Bonus material includes a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 66: Speak, Memory (December 25, 2019)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #43–49.
  • Bonus material includes a one-page article about the Scavengers, a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 53: Liars, A to D – cover art by Don Figueroa (Whirl) and Alex Milne (retro)
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 55: Shadowplay – cover art by Don Figueroa (Chromedome) and Alex Milne (retro)
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 63: Elegant Chaos – cover art by Don Figueroa (Trailbreaker) and Alex Milne (retro)
• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 9 – cover art by Marcelo Matere
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 57: Remain in Light – cover art by Don Figueroa (Skids) and Alex Milne (retro)
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 66: Speak, Memory – cover art by Dan Khanna (Getaway) and Alex Milne (retro)

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 10 (January 1, 2020) ISBN 1684055849 / ISBN 978-1684055845
  • Collects Windblade (2015) issues #6–7, The Transformers (2012) issues #44–45, Combiner Hunters #1, Sins of the Wreckers issues #1–5, More than Meets the Eye issues #45–47 & #48–49, and The Transformers Holiday Special: Choose Me & The Thirteenth Day of Christmas.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 61: World Shut Your Mouth (January 8, 2020)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #28–34.
  • Bonus material includes "Season 2" character poster art, a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 81: Revolution (February 19, 2020)
  • Collects Revolution issues #0–5, Till All Are One: Revolution #1, The Transformers (2012): Revolution #1, and More than Meets the Eye: Revolution #1.
  • Bonus content includes an intro from Simon Furman.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 11 (June 17, 2020) ISBN 1684056403 / ISBN 978-1684056408
  • Collects The Transformers Holiday Special: Silent Light, Redemption, The Transformers (2012) issues #46–50 & "New Worlds Order", and More than Meets the Eye issues #50–55 & "No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases".
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 12 (February 10, 2021) ISBN 1684057469 / ISBN 978-1684057467
  • Collects The Transformers (2012) issues #51–55 & #56–57, Till All Are One issues #1–4, Titans Return #1, and More than Meets the Eye issues #56–57.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Three: Volume 1 (September, 2021) ISBN 1684058422 / ISBN 978-1684058426
  • Contains Revolution issues #0–5, Till All Are One: Revolution #1 & issues #5–8, The Transformers (2012): Revolution #1, Action Man: Revolution #1, More than Meets the Eye: Revolution #1, and Revolutionaries issues #1–4.
  • Hardcover format.

• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 10 – cover art by Marcelo Matere
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 61: World Shut Your Mouth – cover art by Don Figueroa (Hoist) and Alex Milne (retro)
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 81: Revolution – cover art by Dreamwave Productions (Blitzwing) and Fico Ossio (retro)
• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 11 – cover art by Marcelo Matere
• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 12 – cover art by Marcelo Matere
• 
  The IDW Collection Phase Three: Volume 1 – cover art by Sara Pitre-Durocher

• Transformers: Best of Megatron (March 2, 2022)
  • Collects The Transformers (1984) #70: "The Pri¢e of Life!", Megatron Origin #1, The Transformers (2009) #22: "Chaos Theory Part 1", Autocracy #7: "Choices", and More than Meets the Eye #32: "slaughterhouse"
  • Bonus material includes an art gallery.
  • Comic format.

• Transformers: Best of Windblade (December 7, 2022)
  • Collects Windblade's first appearance from More than Meets the Eye #26: "Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8", Windblade (2014) #1: "A 'Bot and Her City", Till All Are One Annual 2017: "The Chosen One", and Transformers (2019) #9: "The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three".
  • Bonus material includes an art gallery.
  • Comic format.

• 
  Best of Megatron – cover art by James Biggie
• 
  Best of Windblade – cover art by James Biggie

International Printings

Japanese reprints

The Japanese reprints have been published from Villagebooks, translated by Akihisa Koike. Bonus material includes: art from all covers, appearance character commentary, includes a booklet with a commentary written by Akihisa Koike and Eugene Ishikawa.

• The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye Volume 1 (September 28, 2019)
  • Collects The Death of Optimus Prime, and More than Meets the Eye issues #1–5.
  • There are two covers, regular and exclusive. Produced exclusively for the Amazon.co.jp, verse COMICS, Shosen book tower, BLISTER comics and Mamegyorai.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye Volume 2 (February 28, 2020)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #6–11 and Annual 2012.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye Volume 3 (August 28, 2020)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #12–16.
  • Prose story translated by Keisuke Tsubono.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye Volume 4 (May 31, 2021)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #17–22.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: Dark Cybertron Volume 1 (March 25, 2022)
  • Collects Dark Cybertron #1, More than Meets the Eye issues #23–25, and Robots in Disguise issues #23–24.
  • Trade paperback format.

• The Transformers: Dark Cybertron Volume 2 (March 25, 2022)
  • Collects Robots in Disguise issues #25–27, More than Meets the Eye issues #26–27, and Dark Cybertron Finale.
  • Trade paperback format.

• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 1 Regular Cover – cover art by Kazumasa Yasukuni. Unite RID vol.1 cover.
• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 1 Exclusive Cover – cover art by Takahiro Yamada and Kazumasa Yasukuni.
• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 2 Regular Cover – cover art by Naoyuki Fujisawa.
• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 3 Regular Cover – cover art by Tasuku Tajima.
• 
  More than Meets the Eye Volume 4 Regular Cover – cover art by Hayato Sakamoto and Josh Perez.
• 
  Dark Cybertron Volume 1 – cover art by Kazumasa Yasukuni.
• 
  Dark Cybertron Volume 2 – cover art by Kazumasa Yasukuni.

Swedish reprints

The Swedish reprints have been published by Ades Media and translated by Johan Boström.

• Transformers: Mer än ögat kan se (June 15, 2019)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #1–8 & Annual 2012, Spotlight: Trailcutter & Hoist, and a special illustrated edition of "Bullets".
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: Kaos och skuggor (November, 2020)
  • Collects The Transformers (2009) issues #22–24, #26, #28 & #30, The Death of Optimus Prime, and More than Meets the Eye issues #9–13.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: Krig och hågkomst (July, 2021)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #14–22, a special illustrated version of "The Sound of Breaking Glass", and Spotlight: Orion Pax.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: Du sköna nya värld (November, 2022)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #28–38 & #40.
  • Hardcover format.

• Transformers: Några av mina bästa vänner är Autoboter (November, 2025)
  • Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #39 & #41-46, Drift: Empire of Stone issues #1-4 and the Revolution one-shot.
  • Hardcover format.

• 
  Mer än ögat kan se – cover art by Alex Milne and Joana Lafuente.
• 
  Kaos och skuggor – cover art by Nick Roche and Josh Burcham.
• 
  Krig och hågkomst – cover art by Alex Milne and Josh Perez.
• 
  Du sköna nya värld – cover art by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente.
• 
  Några av mina bästa vänner är Autoboter – cover art by Alex Milne and Josh Perez.

In fiction

2005 IDW continuity

Your childhood's hero you pretended was your favourite after your gran bought it and not that Ultra Magnus you wanted.

...I didn't say I didn't like it—I just don't understand all of the words, and it presumes a familiarity with the Autobot/Decepticon war that I still don't have...Tailgate, "The One Where They Go to Earth"

After being exposed to Brainstorm's meta-bomb and briefcase, the Autobot Swerve somehow created a reiterative time-loop inside him, allowing his holomatter generator to create a life-sized replica of the planet Earth to which his mind retreated when he was dying from a rust infection. The only literature on "Swearth", as it was swiftly dubbed, was a comic book series called More than Meets the Eye that detailed the adventures of the Lost Light's crew up until that point, which Tailgate read in order to gain clues as to Swerve's location. The One Where They Go to Earth

EarthSpark cartoon

The comic book More than Meets the Eye was a series detailing the events of the Transformers' adventures on Earth. Some viewed them as accurate historical documents. Secret Legacy, Part 1

Recognition

• Three nominations for the 2014 True Believers Awards: Favourite American Comic Book: Colour, Favourite Single Story (#13), and Favourite Continued Story ("Remain in Light").
• #85 on Comic Book Resource's top 100 Comics of 2015.
• Winner of Comics Alliance's Best of 2015: Continued Excellence in Serial Comics (beating Saga!!)
• Winner of Comics Alliance's Best of 2016: The Best Sci-Fi Comic of 2016 (beating Saga again!!)

Other notes

• Roberts, like John Barber, was told to assume their comics would last a year. Roberts, cheerfully saying it was "stupid" in a podcast interview, decided to plan for "Seasons" running for years anyway. That turned out work out as the comic did run for years! His plan was that when it did have to end, they'd run into the Knights in some way and a vague threat, such as Unicron or Quintessons, linked to this.
• James Roberts has stated that he wrote the series in mind with the characters in general all having his English accent.
• Roberts made a Spotify playlist of thirteen Morrissey songs he associates with Megatron. Make of that what you will.
• In early 2023, James Roberts compiled his preliminary writing notes for the series into The MTMTE Notebooks, Vol 1 and 2. These were sold at conventions as well as online. In late 2023, he revealed Volumes 3 and 4 and made them available for purchase.