Optimus Prime

Few names carry as much weight in the world of transforming robot fiction as Optimus Prime, and this early 2000s Dreamwave Productions incarnation plants him firmly in the Modern Age alongside some of the most iconic names in the franchise — Megatron, Grimlock, Bumblebee, Hot Rod, and Jazz all share the page with him across a run that spans guidebooks and Generation One tie-ins alike. Debuting in Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #4 in 2003, this version of the legendary leader is part of Dreamwave's ambitious effort to reintroduce Transformers lore to a new generation of collectors with serious production values. Though his catalog footprint here is a focused seven appearances, they span multiple connected titles, making him a thread that runs through Dreamwave's whole More Than Meets The Eye initiative. For fans and completists charting the full publishing history of one of comics' most enduring characters, this chapter is a genuinely worthwhile stop.