Prime Directive issue 1

2010-06-05T10:29:10Z

71.146.0.210: /* Errors */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=[[Prime Directive|''The Transformers: ''Generation 1'']]
|prev=Prime Directive Preview
|next=Prime Directive issue 2
|title=''The Transformers: ''Generation 1'' #1
|image=G1_Vol.1_Issue1_1.jpg
|caption=You! Imagine I have a chair to sit on!
|publisher=[[Dreamwave Productions]]
|date=April 4, 2002
|coverdate=April, 2002
|writer=[[Chris Sarracini|Chrislock]]
|penciler=[[Pat Lee|Patimus Prime]]
|inker=[[Rob Armstrong|Robonus]]
|colorist=[[TheRealT!]]
|graphic design=[[Paul Villafuerte|Paulceptor]]
|letterer=[[Dreamer Design]]
|editor=[[Roger Lee|Hot Rog]]
|continuity=[[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave continuity]]
|chronology=[[Dreamwave timeline|Modern era]]
}}

'''Lazarus has weapons for sale while Spike learns that he can't escape his past.'''

==Synopsis==
In a [[South America]]n jungle, two rebels are on night patrol. [[Manny (G1)|Manny]] grouses at [[Pisser|his friend]] for lighting a cigarette and possibly giving away their position, but his friend is more interested in relieving himself. The pair are both swiftly dispatched by a [[Megatron (G1)|metal giant]].

In Cleveland, [[Ohio]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] prepares for work and is being handed his hardhat by [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]] when [[Robert Hallo|General Hallo]] from the [[United States Army]] stops by. Hallo introduces himself as the head of a department concerned with developing war technology, and informs Spike that he's been granted a leave of absence from his job so that he can help the army. When Spike inquires as to what happens if he turns down the offer, Hallo simply says that it is not an offer.

Up in the wasteland of [[Canada]]'s northen territories, [[Lazarus]] and a hooded "freedom fighter" named [[Bishop (G1)|Bishop]] are carried across the snow in a jeep. Lazarus has a business proposition for Bishop, but they must continue on foot. As they do so, the "[[Hound (G1)|jeep]]" transforms to stand guard behind them. The party finally reaches Lazarus's bunker, and Bishop's hood is removed, allowing him to see the "goods".

Spike waits in the Pentagon, reading a news story commemorating the ''[[Ark II]]'' disaster. As he's about to go in to the meeting, [[Larry]] the janitor cautions him that nothing is as it seems in this place. General Hallo and Spike discuss the ''Ark II'' disaster which claimed the lives of [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] and the [[Magnificent Seven|other human]]s who had volunteered to travel to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. However Hallo has news for Spike — although the [[Transformer]]s were all believed to have been destroyed in the ship's explosion, the military has recent footage of Megatron razing a rebel encampment in South America.

Megatron himself, at that moment, is being viewed by Lazarus and Bishop. Lazarus explains that all of the Transformers have been fitted with a control mechanism which gives him complete control over them. Megatron responds to verbal commands, until Lazarus commands the [[Decepticon]] leader to kneel before him. Lazarus dismisses this as a minor bug, but after they leave, Megatron's eyes glow ominously.

Hallo and Spike travel to Area 24, where Hallo asks if Spike will help them with their own Transformer. As Spike realizes what this means, they enter a hanger which houses [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (8)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (9)
|c2=
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (1)
|c3=
* [[Manny (G1)|Manny]] (2)
* "[[Pisser|The Pisser]]" (3)
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (4)
* [[General Hallo]] (5)
* [[Lazarus]] (6)
* [[Bishop (G1)|Bishop]] (7)
}}

==Errors==
* Judging by the relative position of Optimus Prime's chest and head on the Autobot variant cover, if he were to move his right arm we would see a grossly disproportionate neck.

==Quotes==

"I have seen the future of warfare, Mister Bishop. I have seen its '''evolution'''. Imagine a soldier who himself is the perfect weapon. A soldier who need not hold a gun because he himself '''is''' the gun. Or better still, something so much more powerful. A soldier not hindered by his '''humanity''', for he has none. A solider with the ability to transform at will from warrior to weapon... from weapon to warrior in the blink of an eye. This is the evolution of warfare."
:—'''Lazarus'''

==Items of note==
* Not counting the [[Prime Directive Preview|preview issue]] released the previous month, this issue was the first mass-released ''Transformers'' comic in nearly a decade. With 119,251 ordered copies for April 2002, it topped Diamond Comic Distributors' sales charts<ref name="diamondapril">[http://www.icv2.com/articles/indepth/1260.html ICv2 reporting on Diamond's charts for April 2002]</ref>, an accomplishment repeated by several of the following issues. In addition, this issue saw a second and even a third printing run due to high demand.
* The final page of the issue serves as a dramatic reveal of the Transformer that the U.S. forces have found. Since the collected volumes present this image on the opposite side of the preceding page, with no page-flipping required, this loses a lot of the dramatic impact.
* Following the story is a 2-page fictional news article entitled "Reliving the '99 ''Ark II'' Tragedy—What Happened?"
* [[James Raiz]], [[Alan Wang]] and [[Kenny Li]] created a [http://transfans.net/graphics/specials/interviews/raizextra5b.jpg large lithograph] that contained over 600 characters from multiple Transformers continuities. Each issue of ''[[Prime Directive]]'' came in two cover variants, Autobot and Decepticon, and each variant of each issue had a 2-page center spread which was 1/12 of the lithograph. Split up, it was 4 issues wide by 3 issues high.

===Covers (6)===
* '''Regular Cover:''' Autobots wraparound by [[Pat Lee]]
* '''Regular Cover:''' Decepticons wraparound by Pat Lee
* '''2nd printing:''' Prime and Bumblebee by Pat Lee
* '''3rd printing:''' Omega Supreme by Pat Lee
* '''Foil Cover:''' Battle wraparound by Pat Lee
* '''Incentive Cover:''' Superion wraparound by Pat Lee and [[James Raiz]]

<gallery>
Image:G1_Vol.1_Issue1_1_full.jpg|Autobot cover
Image:G1_Vol.1_Issue1_2_full.jpg|Decepticon cover
Image:G1_Vol.1_Issue1_Foil_full.jpg|Foil cover
Image:Dw_cover_number_1_prime_and_bumblebee.jpg|2nd printing cover
Image:DW_cover_number_1_omega.jpg|3rd printing cover
Image:Dw cover number 1 devastator.jpg|Incentive cover
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* [[BotCon]] 2002
* [[Titan Books]] G1 reprints
* [[Prime Directive issue 2|''Prime Directive'' #2]]
* ''Darkminds: Macropolis'' #3
* ''Warlands'' TPB #2
* [[Predaking]] lithograph
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] poster
* Transformers posters (back interior cover)

==Footnotes==
<references/>

[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 issues]]

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Prime Directive issue 1