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International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"

2011-01-05T10:13:34Z

83.71.128.169: /* Covers(4) */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers]]'' #12
|prev=International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows"
|next=Heart Like a Wheel
|title=International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"
|image=Transformers_12B.jpg
|caption=The goodie robots love DEMOCRACY. The baddie robots love COMMUNISM.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date= [[October 13]], [[2010]]
|coverdate= October 2010
|written by=[[Mike Costa]]
|art by=[[Guido Guidi]]
|colors by=[[James Brown|J. Brown]]
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|assistant editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|editor=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2010)]]
}}
'''The confrontation between Autobots, Combaticons and Predacons boils over.'''

==Synopsis==
At the [[China|Chinese]]-[[North Korea]]n border, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] attempts to convince the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s to stand down, while [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] surreptitiously reports to [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]. The Predacons agree to leave, until [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] shoots [[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] in the back, spurring the Predacons into a full-out brawl with the [[Autobot]]s.

Back at base, Bumblebee, [[Pennington]] and [[Bluestreak|Silverstreak]] watch on, unsure of what to do. Before they can lend aid, [[Sandra (G1)|Sandra]] unilaterally decides to break the encryption on the video feed, broadcasting the [[Transformer]]s' battle to the public. In response, the [[Russia]]n government announces that it has launched a nuclear missile at the battle.

Pennington radios the news to [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], who attempts to get both sides to stop in light of the threat. Rampage initially disbelieves it, but Onslaught confirms on information from [[Pyongyang]]. With [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] already gone, the Autobots are forced to rely on [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] to divert the nuclear missile.

Back at the battle site, the Predacons have left, leaving the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]]s in Autobot hands. Optimus explains that Thundercracker left to destroy the [[energon plant]]s in [[Dandong]] and Pyongyang, effectively cutting off the ability of China and North Korea to provide resources for (and command the loyalty of) any Cybertronians. Thus ends the immediate threat, leaving the new question of how to handle the problem of the Autobot's secret being blown open.

A week later, with the Autobot-[[United States military]] alliance on shaky ground, Bumblebee makes the decision to go public and confront the media himself, calling on Autobot and human alike to have the courage to work together. His speech seems on the verge of convincing the rioting protesters, when a protester pulls an energy weapon and blasts Bumblebee, leaving him on the ground, optics black...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (11)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (12)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (13)
*[[Bluestreak|Silverstreak]] (14)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (16)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (18)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (19)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (21)
|c2=
*[[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] (2)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (6)
*[[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] (7)
*[[Tantrum]] (8)
*[[Headstrong]] (9)
*[[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (10)
*[[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (17)
*[[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (20)
|c3=
*[[Pennington]] (5)
*[[Sandra (G1)|Sandra]] (12)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (15)
*[[Joe Gladki]] (22)
}}

==Quotes==
"Cosmos! On my count, you're going to free up one of the satellites you're running a subterfuge on." 
"Okay, but... Bumblebee, what I'm doing up here is not easy. I'm creating two totally independent video-feeds, rendering in real time while counterfeiting a forty-five character digital water mark. Two digital water marks. Plus-" 
"Then cutting it down to one will be way easier, right? Okay, thirty seconds." 
"...Razzafrazzen..." 
:—'''Bumblebee''' puts the pressure on '''Cosmos'''.

==Errors==
*TBD

==Items of note==
* Rampage notes that the Predacons have sided with the People's Republic of China because they respect their patience. This makes a certain degree of sense; per his original [[bio]], patience and a dedication to biding your time until the moment is right are the defining traits of their their old leader, [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (who is stranded on an asteroid with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s Decepticons, last seen in [[The Transformers issue 7|issue #7]]). It seems that in the absence of Razorclaw, the team has gravitated towards a command structure similar to the one they're used to operating under.

===Covers(4)===
*'''Cover A:''' Bumblebee at a podium speaking to the public; art by [[Don Figueroa]], colors by [[James Brown|J.Brown]].
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus, Onslaught and Rampage in front of the national flags of their alliances; art by [[Guido Guidi]], colors by J.Brown.
*'''Cover RI:''' Concept drawing of Wheeljack; art by Don Figueroa.
*'''New York Comic-Con exclusive cover:''' Prowl, [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]], [[Brainstorm]] and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] fighting [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]], in a homage to ''[[wikipedia:File:Magnetodebut.png|Uncanny X-Men'' #1]]; art by [[Casey Coller]], colors by [[John-Paul Bove]].

<gallery>
Image: Transformers 12A.jpg|Woah! Sorry I thought that camera was a gun.
Image: Transformers 12B.jpg|Truth, justice and the American way are the rights of all sentient beings.
Image: Transformers 12RI.jpg|Don't talk smack to 'Jack!
Image: Transformers 12NYCC.jpg|[[Michael Bell]] loves it!
</gallery>

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[[Category:IDW Generation 1 issues]]

International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"

2011-01-05T10:01:39Z

83.71.128.169: /* Covers (2) */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers]]'' #10
|prev=International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads"
|next=International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows"
|title=International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"
|image=Transformers 10A.jpg
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date= [[August 10]], [[2010]]
|coverdate=August 2010
|written by=[[Mike Costa]]
|art by=[[Guido Guidi]]
|colors by=[[James Brown|J. Brown]]
|letters by=[[Neil Uyetake]]
|assistant editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|editor=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2010)]]
}}
'''The Autobots sneak into North Korea.'''

==Synopsis==
On a dock in [[Incheon]], [[South Korea]], [[Campologno]] is hooking up a shipping container to a crane when he is confronted by a rather officious dockworker. The dockworker, quite reasonably, wants to know what sort of shipping company has the power to force a shipyard to unload a single ship at a time when there's alien attacks occurring within 10 miles. Unable to successfully bluff the operation even with [[Joe Henderson]]'s help, Campologno incapacitates the dockworker with a sleeper hold and tosses him into the water. Henderson and Campologno argue about this course of action, bemoaning the limited time they've had to run the operation. [[Skywatch]] field commander [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] silences his subordinates and gets their assistance in opening the seven shipping containers, revealing seven [[Autobot]]s in their [[alternate mode|vehicular forms]].

Once freed from his container, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] asks if there's a problem. Spike complains about the lack of smarts that his unit has been displaying. Prime reminds him that a unit is a reflection of its commanding officer. After that, the Autobots and Skywatch personnel enter a hangar, allowing the Autobots to transform into their robot forms without being spotted by the watchful eyes of any orbiting reconnaissance satellites. Witwicky reminds them that the mission is strictly off the book now that Cybertronians have been classified as Weapons of Mass Destruction, so they'll have to engage the enemy without revealing their robotic nature. The Autobots will have to fight in their alternate modes. Spike reveals that Prime's trailer contains a lot of weaponry, and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] is tasked with attaching that weaponry to the Autobots' vehicular bodies.

Further inland, [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]], and [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] are relaxing, and celebrating not having to deal with [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] or [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] bossing them around. At this point, [[Kim Jong Du]] storms out with his bodyguards to admonish the idling [[Decepticon]]s and order them to deal with the [[United States of America|United States]]/South Korea forces that are mustering. Brawl is less than happy to be ordered about by a [[human]] and makes his objections known to Onslaught. The Combaticon leader says they have to keep this up as long as Kim has [[energon (fuel)|energon]], but he has a plan. Vortex calls him on it, and Onslaught admits that he's ''formulating'' a plan. This causes Brawl to claim that he misses Swindle.

A short while later, an American NCO is rallying his troops to face off against the three Combaticons. As he's declaring that the humans won't let machines just march in, an extremely up-gunned [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] goes speeding past to engage the Decepticon foe. Smokescreen lays down a smokescreen as he blasts Vortex. This leads Onslaught to wonder if there are Autobots present. Onslaught's suspicions are confirmed when Optimus Prime emerges from the smoke at ramming speed and barrels into the luckless Decepticon. Vortex uses his rotors to redirect the smokescreen at Smokescreen, reasoning that the Autobot can't see through it either. Taking advantage of the distraction, Vortex takes to the skies and transforms to helicopter mode, bragging that the Autobot/Skywatch force is doomed without air support.

Spike obviously agrees with Vortex, as he orders the hitherto hidden [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] to engage the Combaticon helicopter. Meanwhile, the ground-based Decepticon forces are trying to figure out why the Autobots won't transform, preferring to remain as sitting ducks in their alternate modes. As Onslaught starts tearing into Prime's cab, Skywatch deploys their Beta Team of [[crash suit]]s. The Autobots and the crash suits start herding the Combaticons towards the sea, where a waiting [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] unleashes a debilitating volley of firepower at the Decepticon duo, effectively pinning them. Immediately after this, Vortex blasts Jetfire, damaging the Autobot's wing and causing him to plummet into a collision with Broadside. The huge explosion this causes distracts the Autobots long enough for the three Combaticons to flee the area.

A short time later, the Autobots are back in the hangar, with [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] working on repairing some of the damage to Broadside and Jetfire. Spike wants to know how come the other Skywatch personnel allowed Brawl to escape. Campologno and Henderson point out that the Combaticons are protected from Skywatch's suppressors and without that advantage, they can't stop a tank. Optimus notes that Jetfire, as a research scientist, really is no match for a soldier of Vortex's caliber. Ratchet interrupts the debrief to give a prognosis on Jetfire: he'll be out of action for at least a week. [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] grouses that this will leave them without air support and the option of transforming, meaning that they'll have almost no chance of victory. Prime states that he's been in contact with the Autobot leader, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], and that Bumblebee has a plan.

Bumblebee is giving a speech to a potential new recruit, mentioning how times have changed, and how they're not really sure where things are now, citing [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] as an example. Bumblebee talks about how the situation is much bigger than it used to be and that it threatens all Autobots and Decepticons. Bumblebee concludes by asking [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] to join his force as the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] ponders...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters

|c1=
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (5)
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (6)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (8)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (9)
* [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (10)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (11)
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (17)
* [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (18)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (19)
|c2=
* [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] (12)
* [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (13)
* [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (14)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (20)

|c3=
* [[Campologno]] (1)
* South Korean customs official (2)
* [[Joe Henderson]] (3)
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (4)
* [[Kim Jong Du]] (15)
* US Army commander (16)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Onslaught''': As long as he (Kim Jong Du) has the Energon, we have to keep this up. But don't worry, I have a plan. 
'''Vortex''': Oh, you have a '''plan'''? Are you learning to make Energon? 
'''Onslaught''': No. 
'''Vortex''': Are you figuring out how to capture the facility without blowing the whole thing sky high? 
'''Onslaught''': Well...no...look, I'm '''formulating''' a plan, okay? I '''will''' have one.
:-Onslaught, demonstrating his unparalleled mastery of strategy

==Errors==
* On page 8, Prime's licence plate is blank
* On page 11, when Vortex speaks to Kim Jong Du, the "<" is missing.
* On page 13, one of the military guys describes the Combaticons as "tough costumers" instead of "tough customers."
* On page 15, when Vortex attacks Cliffjumper, the latter is coloured like Smokescreen.
* On page 22, Bumblebee's wings are coloured to match the tv screens.

==Items of note==
*''Once again'' the designs for the Transformer characters have changed, with artist Guido Guidi giving the Autobots character models that are closer to the style he used during ''[[All Hail Megatron]]'' but incorporating details from [[Don Figueroa]]'s run in ''The Transformers'' ongoing series. The notable exception is Jetfire, who retains his (more or less) [[Floro Dery]]-designed character model. Meanwhile, the Combaticons have less detailed character models that more closely resemble their original toys than Dery-based models seen in the previous issue.
*Skywatch soldier Campologno has been providing the Autobots with his DVDs in an attempt at a cultural exchange. Evidently, among them are television series and movies starring [[Patton Oswalt]].
*Broadside has the emblem that looks like the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] logo, but it's actually a LEGO 4005-1: Tug Boat homage.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/comic-books-graphic-novels/318429-transformers-10-preview-review-thread-2.html#post5105571 Guido post at TFW 2005 message board.]</ref>
*Onslaught and Vortex are shown opening their [[mouthplate]]s to reveal mouths underneath. Brawl can probably do this too.
*As Ratchet repairs Broadside and Jetfire, the rarely seen [[onebox component|repair bay]] from his original toy sits next to him.
*Onslaught, the guy whose personality revolves around making plans, can't think up a plan without [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle's]] help?

===Covers (2)===
* '''Cover A:''' Jetfire getting blasted out of the sky; art by [[Guido Guidi]], colors by [[James Brown|J. Brown]]
* '''Cover RI:''' The Autobots in the darkness; art by [[Charles Paul Wilson III]]

<gallery>
Image: Transformers 10A.jpg| You're going to fall on you toys!!!
Image: Transformers 10RI.jpg| Loose lips sink broadside
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* TBD

==References==
<references />

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 issues]]

Target: 2006

2010-04-02T16:25:57Z

83.71.128.169: /* Marvel originals */

{{featured}}
{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #78–88
|prev=In the National Interest
|title="Target: 2006"
|next=Aerialbots over America!
|image=MarvelUK-088.jpg
|caption=They have better things to do tonight than die!
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|coverdate=[[September 13|13th September]] – [[November 22|22nd November]] 1986
|script=[[Simon Furman]]
|art=[[Jeff Anderson]] (78-79, 81, 87), [[Ron Smith]] (82), [[Geoff Senior]] (83-84, 86)
|pencils=[[Will Simpson]] (80, 85, 88)
|inks=[[Tim Perkins]] (80, 85, 88)
|colours=[[Tony Jozwiak]] (78-81, 85, 87), [[John Burns]] (82), [[Gina Hart]] (84,86,88)
|letters=[[Richard Starkings]] (78,82-85,88), [[Annie Halfacree]] (79-81,86-87)
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge travel back in time with a plan to destroy Unicron.'''

==Synopsis==
===''Prologue''===
[[Image:Primewoods.jpg|thumb|left|150px|PRIME '''''SMASH!''''']]Optimus Prime is hunting the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and is growing frustrated. So frustrated, in fact, that he is indiscriminately knocking over trees and wrecking woodland habitats. Prowl manages to get through to Prime about the damage he is causing, and also questions whether the Dinobots are worth the trouble they cause. Optimus wonders if Prowl might be right, but doesn't want the [[Autobot]] forces on [[Earth]] to be any more depleted than they have to be.

Meanwhile, below the surface of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Emirate Xaaron is running late for a briefing with Impactor about the forthcoming [[Operation: Volcano]] and whether Ultra Magnus will be a part of it.

[[Image:Traitor Autobot.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Sic semper proditor]]On the surface city of [[Polyhex]], phase one of Operation Volcano is going into effect as Shrapnel tortures a treacherous Autobot into revealing Emirate Xaaron's whereabouts, before killing said traitor. Unknown to the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] the information is false, having been ''deliberately'' leaked by Roadbuster.

Back on Earth, Optimus Prime is briefing the Autobots on the reasons they fight and the importance of protecting the [[human]] race from the [[Decepticon]] menace when he, Ratchet and Prowl are wracked by pain and suddenly disappear. The remaining Earthbound Autobots are distraught.

[[Image:Matrixflame.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Fire (doo, doo do), I want you to burn]]On Cybertron, Emirate Xaaron is in the chamber of the [[Matrix Flame]], which, with its connection to Optimus Prime severed, gutters and dies. Xaaron does not take this well.

[[Image:Target 2006 Prologue Galvatron, Scourge & Cyclonus.jpg|thumb|right|150px|It took 1.21 jiggawatts to get this image]]At a cereal farm in [[Oregon]], the weather takes a turn for the worse as three shadowy figures arrive, trying to figure out where, and more importantly, [[Time travel|when]] they are. Soon, the locals are investigating the noise made by the figures arrival. After one of the figures discovers that it's [[1986]], he is revealed as Galvatron!

===''Apocalypse Then...Now!''===
[[Image:Target 2006 Part 1 Scourge & Cyclonus.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Catch that pigeon NOW]]Scourge & Cyclonus (who has Galvatron on board) are flying over Wyoming and testing out the destructive capabilities of their [[New body|new forms]] by destroying first a locomotive and then a gas station. The Decepticons discuss how easy it would be to conquer the planet with their upgraded weaponry until Galvatron reminds them that their purpose in the past is to prepare for the future. Galvatron orders them to seek out Megatron.

[[image:Target 2006 Part 1 Smokescreen's smart.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Smokescreen has an [[Omega Supreme (G1)|excellent idea]]]]Down at ground level, Jazz is leading a team of Autobots in a reconnaissance mission, hoping to discover what happened to Optimus, Prowl & Ratchet by spying on Megatron, who is accompanied by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s. As the Autobots continue to watch, Galvatron, Scourge & Cyclonus arrive, transforming to robot mode and introducing themselves to Megatron as fellow Decepticons. Ever suspicious, Megatron has Soundwave scan the new arrivals and confirm that they are, indeed, Decepticons but something seems to be blocking any deeper scan.

[[Image:Target 2006 Megatron fusions Galvatron.jpg|thumb|left|150px|I don't think so]]A wary Megatron asks if Galvatron works for [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]], and is surprised when Galvatron claims to be the [[Decepticon leader]] of [[2006]]. Galvatron asks Megatron to put aside his considerable doubts, and surrender command of the Constructicons (temporarily) to him. Galvatron asks Megatron to trust in him, and Megatron replies in traditional style by blasting Galvatron in the face with his [[fusion cannon]]. The future Decepticon shrugs off the shot and his lieutenants aim their weaponry at Megatron. Galvatron orders Scourge and Cyclonus ''not'' to fire as Megatron can not be allowed to die.

Instead, Scourge & Cyclonus bull-rush Megatron & Soundwave respectively rendering them unconscious before Galvatron uses his [[particle cannon]] to bury the prone Decepticons under a rock pile. At that point, Galvatron's leadership is confirmed when Laserbeak perches on his shoulder. Galvatron orders the Constructicons to accompany him.

[[Image:Target 2006 Ultra Magnus splash.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Deal with ''this''.]]Witnessing all this, the Autobots split up, with Jazz & Hound following Galvatron's party, Ironhide observing Megatron's group and Smokescreen reporting back to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]].

On Cybertron, Impactor is furious that Ultra Magnus is no longer part of Operation: Volcano, and pleads his case to Emirate Xaaron. Xaaron states that the extinguished Matrix flame has priority over Volcano, and informs Impactor to take it up with Ultra Magnus himself. Magnus declares that he must travel to Earth.

===''Construction Time Again!''===
[[Image:Target 2006 Galvagun.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Anything [[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|you]] can do, I can do better]]On Earth, specifically in Northern Oregon, Jazz and Hound are spying on the Constructicons. Galvatron is leading the Constructicons as they build a massive and presumably powerful device of some sort, utilising enough solar panels to "level a small planet." This leads the Autobots to speculate that it might be some sort of power source for future Cybertron, but if so, why build it in the past?

One thing the Autobots ''are'' sure of is that if they don't find out more about the structure, it'll be the death of all of them. As Hound and Jazz turn and head back to the Ark, Cyclonus attacks, seriously wounding Jazz, and gloating over an obviously upset Hound.

Elsewhere, Ultra Magnus arrives on Earth, somewhat disorientated after travelling via [[Spanner (G1)|Spanner]]'s unstable prototype [[space bridge]]. As Magnus fights off the after-effects of travel, he recalls Impactor's fury at the disruption of Volcano and notes that he only has 5 [[units of time|solar cycles]] to get to the bottom of the matrix flame mystery and set things right on Earth.

[[Image:Target 2006 Hound vs wood.jpg|thumb|right|150px|For when lumberjacks are just too slow]]For Hound, it seems that time has already run out as Cyclonus tosses him around like a rag doll. Cyclonus gloats then when [[Life Spark]] was as injured as Hound currently is, Unicron sculpted him into the powerful form of Cyclonus but for the Autobot, no such opportunity will arise. As Cyclonus brings his oxidating laser to bear for the coup de grace, it is shot out of his hand by the imposing Ultra Magnus.

[[Image:Target 2006 Creepy Galvatron Prone Jazz.jpg|thumb|left|80px|Ooh 'eck!]] Magnus is surprised that Cyclonus appears to recognise him, leading the Decepticon to realise that this must be the Ultra Magnus of 1986, and that the Autobot's presence on Earth needs to be reported to Galvatron. Magnus believes that it will take some time for that report to reach Galvatron, but Cyclonus disagrees, tossing Hound into Magnus to punctuate the point before flying off.

Understanding that Hound is too gravely injured to report to the Ark under his own power, Ultra Magnus transforms to his car carrier mode and transports the stricken Autobot back to base.
Upon hearing Cyclonus' report that Ultra Magnus is unexpectedly present on Earth, Galvatron realises that his Decepticons are going to have to improvise. The future Decepticon decides that the best course of action would be to goad the Autobots into a hasty, ill-planned attack so that defeat will demoralise them. Furthermore, Jazz will be used as bait.

Back at the Ark, Grapple is repairing Hound, who is briefing the Autobots on the threat of Galvatron. Jetfire wants to investigate immediately but is stopped by Ultra Magnus, who insists that Jetfire and the other Autobots need to assist in the quest to find out what's happened to Optimus Prime before concerning themselves about Galvatron. Jetfire is skeptical, and points out that much of Magnus' story doesn't quite add up.

The bickering Autobots are interrupted by Smokescreen who displays a communication from Galvatron on the view screen. The future Decepticon gloats mockingly at the Autobots as he displays his brutally tortured prisoner, Jazz.

===''Defeat!''===
[[Image: Target 2006 Ironhide digs.jpg|100px|right|thumb|Ironhide gets his rocks off]]Ironhide is digging through rubble, pondering the nature of defeat. He notes that some defeats can be overcome easily, but some cannot. Ironhide thinks back to the Autobots recent battle with Galvatron

[[Image:Target 2006 Doubting Magnus.jpg|thumb|left|150px|He really can't deal with it right now]]''On the Ark, a distracted Ironhide's reverie is interrupted by Jetfire who, together with Smokescreen, are preparing to go kick Galvatron's butt back to 2006 in order to rescue Jazz. Hound disagrees, saying that without extra 'bot-power and as Galvatron is clearly out of their league. ''

''A less-than-trusting Jetfire realises that they are referring to Ultra Magnus and tells Hound and Ironhide to ask the newly-arrived Autobot to accompany them. Ultra Magnus backs up that lack of trust by refusing, stating that his priority'' has ''to be finding Optimus Prime and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]]. Magnus begs for forgiveness from the remaining Autobots, who for their part would rather be Earth-bound if Magnus' lack of compassion is standard Cybertronian issue.''

''The remaining Autobots go to attack anyway, and are almost immediately ambushed by Scourge & Cyclonus. Mirage is the first casualty to the airborne Decepticons, and the Autobots scatter to avoid being blasted by Scourge & Cyclonus' weaponry. Jetfire takes to the skies, colliding with Cyclonus and forcing the Decepticon to the ground, trailing smoke.''

''The other Autobots are blasting Scourge, but the future Decepticon's skiff form proves to be too manoeuvrable and they are unable to hit him. Scourge indulges the Autobots by landing and transforming into robot mode, punching out Brawn and Wheeljack as he comes into land. The Autobots respond by surrounding Scourge and clobbering him into unconsciousness.''

[[Image:2006-1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Galvatron indulges in his passion for S&M.]]''Jetfire pulls Ironhide, Smokescreen and Tracks away from the melee and go after Galvatron. The future Decepticon leader seems completely unbothered by their arrival, and is happy that some Autobots got past his lieutenants. Galvatron reveals that the defeats of Scourge & Cyclonus were a mere ruse and that the future Decepticons are unharmed, as are the Constructicons. None of the Decepticons lift a finger to defend Galvatron, who is unperturbed by the Autobot fire-power arrayed against him. The Autobots blast Galvatron, but, unharmed, he merely laughs at their efforts before savagely beating the Autobots down himself.''

''Galvatron leaves the helpless Autobots alive, deeming them not even worth killing.''

Ironhide finishes digging through the rubble, revealing Soundwave & Megatron. Back at the Ark, somebody punches their way out of a stasis pod whilst Grapple is distracted.

===''Wreck and Rule!''===
[[Image:Impactorfearless.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Dance into the fire]]On Cybertron, Impactor's Autobot group, now dubbed "The [[Wrecker]]s" attack Decepticons. Shrapnel is taken out by Impactor's harpoon gun and subsequently used as a weapon to take care of Octane. Rack'n'Ruin deal with Thrust while the [[Jumpstarter]]s , together with Roadbuster finish off Bombshell, Blitzwing, Dirge & Ramjet.

As Impactor notes, the attack is a success, except without Ultra Magnus' presence to guard their flank, the Wreckers would be quickly overwhelmed by Decepticon reinforcements were this the actual Operation: Volcano instead of a practice run with [[Facsimile Construct]]s standing in for the Decepticons.

[[Image:Jukebot.jpg|thumb|right|150px|FREEBIRD!]]Impactor once again goes over the painstaking preparations for their mission, and how Emirate Xaaron's sending of Ultra Magnus to Earth has put the mission in jeopardy. Without Magnus' presence, Operation: Volcano is as good as dead, a fact which Twin Twist affirms, stating that it's "not their fight. anymore." Impactor goes to report the abortion of the operation to Xaaron and tells the wrest of the Wreckers to relax.

Twin Twist, Whirl and Roadbuster follow their instructions, stopping off at [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]], a black market fuel source that doesn't concern itself with petty details like the customer's faction. The Wrecker's aren't in good spirits, as while they realise that calling off Volcano was the logical course of action, they still feel bad about backing out. The depressing mood is broken when an angry Decepticon, Fang, bursts into the Oil House and brutally attacks the entertainment as Fang didn't like the music being played. Twin Twist's mech fluid is boiling and he wants to do something about Fang, but Roadbuster cautions that this "isn't their fight."

[[Image:Target 2006 Whirl Roadbuster Do It.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Let's fall in love.]]In the meantime, Impactor is explaining the decision to call off Volcano to Xaaron. Xaaron agrees that if Magnus is unable to return on time, then withdrawing would be the right thing to do, and might lead to an Autobot victory later on. The Emiraate muses about what might happen if Volcano is aborted and Ultra Magnus does return to Cybertron on time. Impactor grudgingly takes the hint.

Back at Maccadam's, Fang beats the fluid out of the Piano Transformer guy and asks if anybody else wants to disagree with him. Twin Twist takes Fang up on his offer, quickly rendering Fang an ex-Decepticon. Defending an innocent Transformer from unprovoked Decepticon attacks acts as an epiphany for the Wreckers, who agree that they must continue to fight, no matter what.

Once the Wreckers re-assemble at their base, Impactor announces a change in their plans. Operation: Volcano is a 'go' once more then Impactor asks for volunteers to participate. The Wreckers unanimously vote to re-join the Operation, and begin another combat rehearsal.

===''The Devil You Know...''===
[[Image:Target 2006 Starscream breaks free.jpg|thumb|150px|lright|The Birdbot of Arkatraz]]Starscream has awoken aboard the Ark, and has also freed Frenzy and Thundercracker. Starscream cannot accept the site he is seeing, that of Megatron commanding the Autobots.

Megatron tells the Autobots that they need to follow his instructions as closely as possible. Jetfire is in disagreement, claiming that Megatron was rescued by Ironhide merely to advise, not to command. Megatron treats this statement with contempt, pointing out how ''spectacularly'' unsuccessful Jetfire's last attempt at commanding an assault on Galvatron was. Ironhide interjects that Megatron wasn't exactly a resounding success against Galvatron either, and would still be lying under a rock pile if not for the Autobot.

Ironhide concedes that a mutual alliance with Megatron's forces is the Autobot's best bet against Galvatron, and calls for a vote on whether they should follow Megaton's instructions, at least in the short term. The vote carries.

Starscream can't help but smirk as he learns of these events, particularly at the prospect of allying with a being powerful enough to force the Autobot's and Decepticons together. Overcome with the idea of power, Starscream leaves to seek out Galvatron.

[[Image:Target 2006 Magnus Big head.jpg|thumb|left|150px|It's like an orange on a toothpick]]At the Ark, Ultra Magnus cannot believe the Autobots are willingly going to follow the orders of a monster such as Megatron and berates Hound rather fiercely about committing to rescuing Jazz over seeking out Optimus Prime. Hound comments that they have plenty of time to carry out both objectives. Magnus strenuously disagrees, showing him the countdown to Operation: Volcano and explaining how Magnus' time on Earth is strictly limited by by his mission on Cybertron. Hound wonders if that mission can be postponed, and Ultra Magnus flatly states that it can't, as the bait has already been set. Hound understands, but knows he still has to accompany the others to rescue Jazz. Magnus agrees but cautions to watch out for Megatron, who is just as insidiously evil as Galvatron.

Over at the [[Portland]] Iron & Steel Foundry's central storehouse, Scourge is struggling with ennui, reduced to carrying the raw materials for Galvatron's weapon and with the [[human]]s not being a match for his considerable fighting prowess, Galvatron's lieutenant is itching to fight. He detects something and brings his weapon to bear, blasting Trailbreaker who is trying to sneak in alongside Brawn and Tracks.

[[Image:Scourge marvel uk 83.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Even Scourge cannot stop the metal]] The sneak attack surprises Scourge, who thought that once the Autobots were beaten, they wouldn't recover. The future Decepticon is nonplussed though, as a mere three Autobots are no match for his fire-power. Unfortunately for Scourge, five more Autobots arrive from another part of the building and pen him in amongst the maze-like storage areas.

Things get worse for Scourge as his weapon is blasted out of his hand. A second blast hits Scourge, enraging him to the point that he smashes into a pile of steel, burying Smokescreen and Ironhide. Realising that discretion is the better part of valour, Scourge tries to contact Galvatron and escape, but his signal is jammed.

Scourge's mood is momentarily improved when he catches Hoist unaware and impales the Autobot with a thrown steel plate. With the need to transform into his jet mode becoming more and more pressing, Scourge smashes through an exterior wall. Before he can transform, though, Megatron blasts scourge with the ol' fusion cannon, temporarily incapacitating the future Decepticon.

Elsewhere, Jazz is struggling with the pain of his torture, but fights through it enough to claim that Galvatron is just as bad as Megatron. Galvatron is amused by Jazz's claim, but makes one small correction. Galvatron is not "as bad as Megatron," Galvatron IS Megatron!

===''Trios!''===
[[Image:Triplechangerstarget2006.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Oh, ''bugger''.]]On Cybertron, Impactor is trapped in an [[inhibitor claw]] and is getting his aft handed to him by the [[Triple Changer]] team of Springer, Broadside and Sandstorm. Unable to transform, Impacotr has to rely on his close combat skills to defeat the trio, but te is found wanting. Down, but not out, Impactor knows that the stakes are higher than just his life, and if Operation:Volcano has any chance of succeeding, it will be because he fights back. Impacor charges Springer, knocking him to the ground. Reacting instantaneously Sandstorm draws a bead on Impactor with his sandblaster gun. Springer chides Sandstorm, stating that they don't need to use their guns. Instead, Springer uses his rocket pack to leap over Impactor and backhand the Wrecker to the ground.

Impactor refuses to beg for his life. Springer doesn't seem to care, dismissing Sandstorm and Broadside who transform to their aerial forms and fly off. Springer also transforms to his helicopter mode and tells his fellow triple changes that they'll meet at [[Debris]] before flying away. This shocks Springer as only the Wreckers are supposed to know about their base ast Debris. The departing Springer tosses a communicube to Impactor, much to the Wrecker's confusion. The communication turns out to be from Emirate Xaaron who reveals that the Triple Changers were Autobots who Xaaron has drafted in to replace Ultra Magnus on Operation: Volcano. He admits they're not up to Magnus standard but points out that the beating they just handed out to Impactor proves their worth. A frustrated but happy Impactor crushes the communicube.

Back on Earth, Galvatron is dispelling Jazz's disbelief about Galvatron being a future version of Megatron. Jazz goads Galvatron into explaining further. [[The Transformers: The Movie|Twenty years from now]] Megatron and Optimus Prime will fight at the very spot Galvatron is occupying now. Megatron will ultimately fall. Though wounded, the Slag-Maker would have continued to function if the ever-treacherous Starscream hadn't booted him out into space.

[[Image:Target 2006 Unicron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A sinister plot device looms]]In space, Megatron's broken body is discovered by Unicron, a planet-sized living being. Unicron offers Megatron a simple choice: Serve him or die. Being pragmatic, Megatron opts for the first option. Unicron repairs and upgrades Megatron into his new form: that of Galvatron. Still being a Decepticon leader at heart, Galvatron tries to rebel from Unicron's enslavement. Galvatron is instantly (and painfully) punished. Understanding that he needs to be free of Unicron's influence, Galvatron time travelled to 1986 where the Chaos Bringer can not follow and sets about building a weapon powerful enough to destroy Unicron which Galvatron plans to fire the moment he returns to 2006.

Cyclonus returns from the steel foundry and reports that there was no sign of Scourge, so he assumes that Scourge is either dead or captive. Cyclonus did come across Starscream, who claimed to have information to share with the winning side in return for their alliance. Having no patience for the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]'s schemes, Cyclonus instead beat the information out of him. Megatron is currently leading the Autobots. Jazz is amused by the irony of Megatron fighting Megatron and begins to laugh before an upset Galvatron knocks the Autobot unconscious.

[[Image:Target2006-BlurrHotRodKup.jpg|thumb|200px|left|It's just a jump to the left...]]In the Wyoming desert, Shockwave, Frenzy and Thundercracker are confused about why Megatron, Soundwave and the Constructicons are absent. Fenzy and Thundercracker don't recall anything after their earlier beating from Omega Supreme, which Shockwave despairs at. Meanwhile, in the far-flung future of 2006, Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr prepare to ravel back to 1986. As the Autobot trio use the mass displacement time travel machine to arrive in 1986, Frenzy, Shockwave and Thundercracker are spirited away in a manner similar to what happened to Optimus Prime, Prowl and Ratchet.

As the future Autobots arrive in the 80s, a malevolent subconscious laughter is heard. The laughter echoes across the coal mine, the surface of Cybertron and even reaches Galvatron, who is suddenly afraid...

===''Prisoners of War!''===
[[Image:Target 2006 Nemesis.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Nemesis'' no mo']]In, the inky void of space, the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' floats above the Earth, protected from detection from highly sophisticated shielding systems. A lance of energy shoots from the Earth and utterly obliterates the Decepticon starship.

Watching the orbital destruction on a monitor, Galvatron is very pleased with himself. The test firing of his new super weapon was a complete success. Now all the future Decepticon leader has to do is wait for the weapon to recharge, return to the 2006 from whence he came and use the weapon against Unicron and Galvatron will be his own master.

The self-congratulating is interrupted by Cyclonus, reporting that it is time for the prisoner-exchange meeting.with the Autobots. A meeting which the new recruit, Starscream is to play a pivotal role. Starscream agrees, but wants to know the reasoning behind destroying a perfectly good starship like the ''Nemesis''. What if the Decepticons wish to leave Earth some day? Galvatron scoffs that there are far better methods of transportation now available.

Noting that Starscream seems rather ill-at-ease in their presence, Galvatron reassures the Seeker not to be too concerned about violence-first approach to problems now that Galvatron is in full control of the situation. Starscream transforms and flies off to perform his duties. This gives Cyclonus an opportunity to ask Galvatron why they need Starscream at all. The future Decepticon leader explains that Cyclonus is missing the delicious irony in Starscream using Galvatron to ensure his future when Galvatron is the reason Starscream has ''no'' future. The Decepticons allow themselves some healthy maniacal laughter.

At the Ark, Ultra Magnus is contemplating his failure. With a mere twenty-two hours before the launch of Operation: Volcano, he is no closer to locating Optimus Prime than he was when he was first sent to Earth. Magnus' reverie is interrupted by the arrival of Kup, Blurr and a genuflecting Hot Rod, who introduce themselves, and then go to leave, explaining that they have to talk to Optimus Prime about Galvatron. Ultra Magnus stops them right there and insists that they compare notes.

[[Image:Target 2006 fatally slow.jpg|thumb|left|150px|This is bad comedy]]In Northern Oregon, it is time for the prisoner exchange. Galvatron insists that the Autobots turn Scourge back over to him before he releases Jazz. Jetfire agrees but reminds Galvatron that the anti-grav manacles restraining Scourge are programmed to fry the Decepticon should Galvatron break his pledge and bring harm to Jazz.

Jetfire claims that it could easily have been Galvatron in the manacles, as they beat Scourge easily. The future Decepticon leader disagrees about the ease of his lieutenant's capture. The prisoners are exchanged, and the Autobots now have a badly-wounded but still living Jazz back in their hands. Galvatron asks after Megatron.

At the site of Galvatron's weapon, Megatron is being choked by Cyclonus, who points out that Megatron was foolish to come snooping around unprotected. Megatron claims it is Cyclonus who is the foolish one and that he is not unprotected just as Soundwave sneaks up on Cyclonus, allowing Megatron to incapacitate the future Decepticon. Knowing that it won't take long for Galvatron to deal with the Autobots, and orders to Soundwave to round up the Constructicons. Before he can acknowledge the order, Soundwave is blasted into unconsciousness. Megatron is slow to react and is also rendered unconscious thanks to Starscream and his null ray.[[Image:MagnusVGalv2006.jpg|thumb|right|140px|Come and 'ave a go if you think you're 'ard enough.]]

At the Ark, Kup is explaining the principles of time travel using [[mass substitution]] to Ultra Magnus. After realising that Optimus Prime's disappearance must be due to to Galvatron's time travel, Magnus berates himself for his idiocy in avoiding the future Decepticons when they were the key to his Prime hunt and charges off to rectify his mistake, ignoring the remainder of Kup's explanation.

Back at the prisoner exchange rendezvous, the Autobots are confused. If Galvatron knew about Megatron, why bother with the exchange at all. Galvatron explains that he has need of Scourge, and feels that the Autobots are in need of a lesson. Using a remote control, the future Decepticon activates Jazz and sends him to attack against his Autobot comrades. Unwilling to attack their cohort, the Autobot group are soon rendered unconscious and Jazz is deactivated once more.

Shortly thereafter, Galvatron visits the site of his weapon, where Starscream is poised to fatally shoot Megatron. Galvatron prevents Starscream from committing the act, and punishes the Seeker for disobeying a direct order to leave Megatron alive in true Decepticon style. Starscream gets punched out. Gloating at the ease in which all his foes are falling to him, Galvatron asks who can truly stand against him. Enter Ultra Magnus...

===''You Haveta Ask?!''===
[[Image:Target 2006 Galvatron catapult.jpg|thumb|left|Like a [[Furmanism|vast, predatory bird]]]]Galvatron is perched on top of Ultra Magnus' car carrier mode, and is trying to destroy the powerful Autobot. Ultra Magnus is trying to shake off the enraged Decepticon and finally has to resort to the drastic measure of speeding over an incomplete highway overpass and slamming on the brakes ''hard.'' Galvatron's momentum sends the future Decepticon leader tumbling off the edge of the over pass and into the ground below, temporarily knocking the fight out of him. Ultra Magnus wonders how the fight got this complex.

[[Image:Target 2006 Part Eight Galvatron.jpg|thumb|right|Superman!]]''Earlier, Magnus had confronted Galvatron and offered the Decepticon a simple choice: immediately return to his own time by choice, or Ultra Magnus would force him to, in pieces of necessary. Galvatron reacted in his typical manner, by firing his particle beam cannon. However the shot missed and grazed the edge of Galvatron's super weapon, prompting Galvatron to have to fight Magnus using only his bare hands.''

''Ultra Magnus is able to fend off the initial furious assault from Galvatron, and is able to weather most of the subsequent attacks although the powerful Autobot is taking a lot of damage. Magnus tries to keep Galvatron enraged and not thinking clearly with [[Spider-Man|incessant quips]]. As Galvatron rants and raves about his Unicron-given indestructibility, Ultra Magnus picks up a message from Kup on his internal communications sensors. ''[[Image:Galvatrong1.jpg|thumb|left|The scariest knee in the solar system]]''Apparently Kup, Blurr and Hot Rod have a plan that will send Galvatron back to 2006, and all Magnus has to do is keep the near-indestructible warmonger busy for an hour or two. After a few more blows are exchanged, Ultra Magnus dazzles and disorientates Galvatron using his powerful headlights and drives off. Galvatron scrabbles for a handhold and climbs to the roof of Magnus' trailer.''

Back to the present, Ultra Magnus is happy that he's been able to occupy Galvatron's attention for the length of time that he has, and hopes it's been enough for Kup and company to enact their plan. Before Magnus can check on Kup et al, the overpass he is standing on is blasted away by Galvatron, sending the Autobot hurtling to the ground. Once landed, Ultra Magnus is met by Galvatron's laser cannon mode, which proceeds to blast the Autobot all over the place. In a last, desperate gambit, Ultra Magnus tosses a fuel tanker in the firing line of Galvatron's barrel, causing a massive fire to erupt. The two Transformers continue to fight until a victor steps out of the conflagration - Galvatron!


===''Back to the Future!''===
[[Image:Target 2006 repaint.jpg|thumb|right|They stole the idea from [[Hasbro]].]]Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr are laying the groundwork to their plan. First they [[repaint|paint]] Skywarp to look like Starscream, then they set up explosives all around Galvatron's super weapon. After that, the future Autobots hide the real Starscream and render both Scourge and Cyclonus as unconscious. The preparation complete, the Autobts go to their observation area.

Galvatron is dragging Ultra Magnus by the neck to his weapon site so that the Autobot can witness Galvatron's final triumph. When Galvatron discovers that his lieutenants have been recently damaged to ensure unconsciousness he at first suspects Megatron and Soundwave, but finds them just as deactivated as before. Galvatron then, understandably, assumes that this was some treachery on the part of Starscream, just as the Autobot trio had intended. The Autobots prepare to attack Galvatron, but are unable to get a clear shot as Ultra Magnus has stepped into the firing line. Magnus is determined to do what he can to get Optimus Prime back and still participate in Operation: Volcano, which is kicking off in under an hour.

[[Image:Galvatron V Magnus UK87.jpg|thumb|left|Don't stop til you get enough!]]Not too far away, the Autobots are recovery from their attack at the hands of a remote-controlled Jazz. Smokescreen is determined to take the fight to Galvatron one more time, despite the results from the last few such assaults, as unchecked Galvatron could arrive at any point in time and use his weaponry to stand as an unchallenged ruler.

Ultra Magnus continues to battle Galvatron, simply ''refusing'' to give up. Eventually, Magnus is thrown by Galvatron, giving Hot Rod's group a clear bead on Galvatron, which is instantly disrupted by the arrival of Smokescreen, Jetfire and their group, who are defending Magnus by forcing Galvatron to go through them first. Kup, being practical, realises that going up against Galvatron is likely to mean death for these Autobots, so he goes ahead and detonates the explosives anyway, hoping that the Autobots will have the sense to get clear. The chain reaction of the explosives cause the power source of Galavtron's weapon to detonate, obliterating the weapon completely. As he is being buried by falling shrapnel, Galvatron howls with rage at being denied his victory this late in the game.

[[Image:Target 2006 fake Starscream dies.jpg|thumb|right|He done blowed up real good]]Minutes later, Galvatron bursts from the wreckage, demanding to know who has the nerve to dare attack him. Skywarp-as-Starscream claims the credit, thanks to some remote control manipulation from the future Autobots. Overcome with rage, Galvatron fires at "Starscream," killing him. Once the red mist clears, Galvatron realises that he will not kill Starscream until 2006, and so, he must be in a parallel dimension to the one he time jumped from initially and thus his actions here will have no bearing on the future, or on his enslavement to Unicron. Taking the setback in his stride, Galvatron transports himself, Scourge and Cyclonus back to 2006 whilst the future Autobots consider what to do with Starscream.

===''Aftermath!''===
Unicron is surveying the remain of Galvatron's weapon, and is happy to see that his puppet, Galvatron couldn't escape the Chaos Bringer's control so easily, though the ingenuity Galvatron's trip to the past did surprise Unicron. Unicron's influence is such that he was able to subtly guide Hot Rod, Blurr and Kup in their succesful plan to thwart Galvatron. Unicron also plants the suggestion to one day build [[Autobot City]] on the site of Galvatron's weapon complex. The future Autobots return to the future.

[[Image:Target 2006 Magnus too late for Volcano.jpg|thumb|200px|left|I trust I am not too early]]After Starscream is stuffed back into cold storage, Jetfire and Smokescreen are thanking a magnanimous Ultra Magnus on his role in saving both Earth and Cybertron. At the mention of Cyberton, Magnus has a small conniption as he now knows that Operation: Volcano must have already begun - without him!

On Cybertron, Emirate Xaaron is giving a speech to twenty-two Autobot resistance chiefs, who, in reality, are expendable facsimile constructs and part of the complicated trap that is Operation: Volcano. After an Insecticon-sized signal is detected by Impactor and the Wreckers, they know phase one of Volcano has been a success. The Decepticons have swallowed the bait. Roadbuster, though, isn't happy. He's worried about the chance of failure, especially as while powerful, the Triple Changers are not a match for Ultra Magnus. Impactor observes that if Magnus is returning to Cybertron to participate in Volcano, his time is extremely limited.

Back on Earth, Laserbeak cuts free Soundwave and Megatron, the latter of whom is thirsting for revenge. Ultra Magnus returns to Cybertron rather than meeting with Optimus Prime, and hopes that one day, Magnus and Prime can fight together side by side, a notion Jetfire agrees with.

[[Image:Dirge macabre marvel uk 88.jpg|thumb|right|Anti-climax personified.]]Back on Cybertron, a group of Decepticon murderers gather. They include the Insecticons, Thrust, Blitzwing, Octane and a tagging-along thug by the name of Macabre. Unlike his fellow Decepticons, Macabre doesn't seek to interrogate Emirate Xaaron, merely to assassinate him. Impactor gives the signal: "Wreck and Rule!" However, the signal is superfluous as Astrotrain interrupts Dirge with a communicube containing a message from Megatron - The Decepticons must cease all operations in [[Polyhex]] and have the Space Bridge working well enough to transport the Insecticons to Earth within two cycles, with no questioning of orders.

Impactor steps to the dais and informs Xaaron that the Decepticons have turned back. Uncertain as to the reason, the Wrecker speculates that the Decepticons must have discovered that it was a trap, and so all the preparation work for Operation: Volcano was wasted. Macabre, however, didn't turn back with the other Decepticons, and is determined to go down in history as the Decepticon that killed Xaaron, so he fires his massive studded gun at the Autobot dignitary. Unfortunately for Macabre, Impactor spots the weapon and is able to take the impact himself, dying.

[[Image:Target 2006 Prime triumphant.jpg|thumb|left|...most of the time]]Macabre steps out of the shadows, bewailing his lost opportunity to finish off Xaaron and is blown to smithereens by the Wreckers' combined fire-power. Xaaron is upset about Impactor's impending death, but Impactor always knew that death was a possibility and nominates Springer for his replacement as Wreckers commander.

On Earth, Optimus Prime is speechifying at the Ark. He talks about the severe injuries that Jazz, Trailbreaker and Grapple have suffered, and the perhaps even more debilitating mental injuries the other Autobots have acquired having faced total defeat. Prime states that no matter what sufferings they go through in their battles, The Autobots will prevail.

{{-}}

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (1)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (2)
* [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (3)
* [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (4)
* [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (5)
* [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (6)
* [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (7)
* [[Emirate Xaaron]] (9)
* [[Skater]] (10)
* [[Impactor]] (11)
* [[Autobot traitor]] (13)
* [[Roadbuster]] (14)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (15)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (16)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (17)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (18)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (19)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (20)
* [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (23)
* [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (33)
* [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (35)
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (36)
* [[Grapple]] (37)
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (38)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (39)
* [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (40)
* [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (41)
* [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (42)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (43)
* [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] (52)
* [[Rack'n'Ruin]] (53)
* [[Twin Twist]] (54)
* [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (59)
* [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (60)
* [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (61)
* [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (65)
* [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] (66)
* [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] (67)
|c2=
* [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] (12)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (21)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (22)
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (24)
* [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] (25)
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (26)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (27)
* [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (28)
* [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (29)
* [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (30)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (31)
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (32)
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (34)
* [[Fang]] (56)
* [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (57)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (58)
* [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (63)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (69)
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (70)
* [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (71)
* [[Octane]] (72)
* [[Macabre]] (73)
* [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (74)
* [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] (75)
* [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (76)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (77)
|c3=
* [[Joy Meadows]] (8)
|c4=
* [[Piano Transformer guy]] (55)
* [[Unicron]] (62)
|h5='''[[Facsimile Construct|Facsimile Constructs]]'''|c5=
* Dirge (44)
* [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] (45)
* Octane (46)
* Thrust (47)
* Shrapnel (48)
* Bombshell (49)
* Blitzwing (50)
* Ramjet (51)
* Starscream (68)
}}

==Errors==
*It is implied that Galvatron builds his weapon on the site of the future [[Autobot City]] so that when the weapon fires in 2006 it will destroy Autobot City ''and'' Unicron. He states it will be "hidden underground", but it's not mentioned ''how'' it'll get underground - we could be charitable and assume there is a way, but ''why'' would the Autobots build their city where they ''know'' a slag-off great cannon was buried?
*On page 5 of issue #81, Jetfire's backpack suddenly disappears for a single frame.
*On the first and last pages of issue #82, the [[Octane]] facsimile construct is mis-colored as [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]].
*The Autobots do not use [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. This would normally be an item of interest and not an error, except that we are reminded that Omega Supreme exists, that he is powerful enough to kill lots of Decepticons, and Smokescreen ''actually says'' "Now there's a thought! Why not sic Omega on them?" (referring to the Constructicons, Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak when it is assumed they are involved in the disapperance of Prime, Prowl and Ratchet) in Part 1. No reason is ever given why they don't use him against Galvatron and he is not shown in any scenes in the entire story.
*Part 4 has the Wreckers training against nine facsimile constructs that represent the "deadliest killers". Then, the final part establishes Operation: Volcano will kill the ''ten'' deadliest killers - while the art only shows ''nine'' of them ([[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] turns up but doesn't seem to have been expected by the others). Did the tenth just decide to have a lie-in?

==Items of note==
*This is the epic Transformers story that everyone remembers from the UK comics. Events in this story cause ramifications over the next 150 issues.
*[[Ladybird Books]] would borrow the premise of this story for their 1986 books.
*The Movie was originally planned to take place in 2006 but was changed to 2005 very late in production by which time Target 2006 had already been given a title. As a result, all of the UK comics future stories were set twenty years in the future of the 'real' year.
*Galvatron time jumps just at the point in the Movie after he says "Decepticons, to Earth."
*According to Galvatron in issue #78, Earth has a weather control system as of 1995. Our Earth is clearly behind schedule.
*This story has it that Unicron's physical form ''can'' be destroyed by weapons technology (albeit really powerful weapons) and not just the Matrix - Unicron himself refers to the cannon being able to destroy him. The idea of Unicron being defeatable by Transformer weaponry has never turned up again.
*The character designs for Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge in issue #78 are based on the toys rather than the Movie look as the issue was designed before the artist got to see the Movie designs.
*For this story and all future appearances Galvatron would appear in his grey and purple toy colour scheme rather than the Movie's predominantly purple colour.
*Simon Furman reused issue #78's sequence with Emirate Xaaron and captions about the Autobot movement going literally underground almost verbatim when he took over the US strip some years later.
*The drawing of Galvatron on the cover of issue #84 is a slightly altered tracing of his [[character model]].
*The fate of Optimus Prime and the other Transformers who disappear is revealed in #100's "[[Distant Thunder!]]"
*In terms of story chronology, this is the fourth UK "future" story centering on the [[The Transformers: The Movie|movie]] cast. It's preceded by the Shockwave segment of "[[Aspects of Evil!]]". The next story, chronologically, is "[[Wanted:Galvatron — Dead or Alive!]]" and the subsequent titles.

==Back-Up Stories==
===''Cybertron: The Middle Years!''===
Included in issue #83 was a short text history of Cybertron during the years Optimus Prime and Megatron's crews were lost on Earth. It chronicled the rise of [[Trannis]], the fall of the [[Council of Autobot Elders]], the establishment of the Autobot resistance under the leadership of Xaaron, the fall of Trannis at the hands of the Wreckers, and the rise of Trannis's successor [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]].

'''Issue #78:'''
*Hercules — "Whom the Gods Would Destroy!" Part 1
*[[Robo-Capers]]

'''Issue #79:'''
*Hercules — "Whom the Gods Would Destroy!" Part 2
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #80:'''
*Hercules — "Whom the Gods Would Destroy!" Part 3
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #81:'''
*Hercules — "Whom the Gods Would Destroy!" Part 4
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #82:'''
*Hercules — "...Not Just Another Galactus Story!" Part 1
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #83:'''
*Cybertron: The Middle Years! (see above)
*Hercules — "...Not Just Another Galactus Story!" Part 2
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #84:'''
*Hercules — "...Not Just Another Galactus Story!" Part 3
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #85:'''
*Hercules — "...Not Just Another Galactus Story!" Part 4
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #86:'''
*Spitfire and the Troubleshooters — "Beginnings" Part 1
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #87:'''
*Spitfire and the Troubleshooters — "Beginnings" Part 2
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #88:'''
*Spitfire and the Troubleshooters — "Beginnings" Part 3
*Robo-Capers

==Reprints==
*Reprinted as a Trade Paperback by [[Titan Books]] in August 2002. A hardback version with an exclusive cover was made available at the Transforce 2002 convention in the UK. However, the convention version was misprinted, with the final eight pages of the story appearing in reverse order. Titan offered a free replacement, but many fans kept the original — partially because of the novelty, but mostly because they had just got it signed by [[Simon Furman]].
*Reprinted in 5 parts by [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] in 2007 as part of their ''[[Generations (comic reprints)|Generations]]'' series, with nearly 100 variant covers.
*The IDW reprints were then inevitably collected in a TPB, released January 2008.
*Parts 5 and 6 were reprinted as a single comic book issue as a pack-in (erroneously) included with [[Universe (2008 franchise)|''Universe'']] [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] vs. [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]. (It was supposed to be packed in with the [[Roadbuster]] vs. [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] set, which was "Target: 2006"-themed.) This printing altered two uses of the word "damn" to "darn," a word more friendly to American children.

==Covers (34)==
===Marvel originals===
*'''UK issue #78 cover:''' Prowl, Ratchet & Optimus Prime disappearing into limbo, by [[Alister Pearson]].
*'''UK issue #79 cover:''' Galvatron and Ultra Magnus, by [[John Higgins]].
*'''UK issue #80 cover:''' Ultra Magnus arrives, by [[John Stokes]].
*'''UK issue #81 cover:''' Galvatron stands over vanquished Autobots, by [[Will Simpson]].
<center><gallery>
Image:MarvelUK-78.GIF|'''UK issue #78''' - and right in the middle of telling us about that fish he caught.
Image:MarvelUK-079.jpg|'''UK issue #79''' - and we're not showing you what they're shooting at.
Image:MarvelUK-080.GIF|'''UK issue #80''' - The impact is going to go straight to the knees
Image:MarvelUK-081.GIF|'''UK issue #81''' - Yes, yes it will be continued is the answer.
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

*'''UK issue #82 cover:''' the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]], by [[Phil Gascoine]].
*'''UK issue #83 cover:''' Scourge being blasted, by [[Robin Smith]].
*'''UK issue #84 cover:''' Galvatron & Unicron by Phil Gascoine.
*'''UK issue #85 cover:''' Jazz is possessed by Galvatron, by Robin Smith.
<center><gallery>
Image:MarvelUK-082.GIF|'''UK issue #82''' - or don't meet them and live.
Image:MarvelUK-083.GIF|'''UK issue #83''' - well, more scraped then scrapped.
Image:MarvelUK-084.jpg|'''UK issue #84''' - He's holding an invisible matrix, really.
Image:MarvelUK-085.jpg|'''UK issue #85''' - Braaaaains!
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

*'''UK issue #86 cover:''' Ultra Magnus fighting Galvatron, by Robin Smith.
*'''UK issue #87 cover:''' Galvatron poses by his weapon, by Phil Gascoine.
*'''UK issue #88 cover:''' the Wreckers, by [[Geoff Senior]].
<center><gallery>
Image:MarvelUK-086.jpg|'''UK issue #86''' - Just like what happens when you bash the toys together kids!!
Image:MarvelUK-087.jpg|'''UK issue #87''' - That'll teach that carboard cutout of Galvatron what for.
Image:MarvelUK-088.jpg|'''UK issue #88''' - Yeah, Magnus, YOU are the weakest link.
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

===IDW reprints===
*'''IDW issue #1 cover A:''' Galvatron, Scourge & Cyclonus arrive in 1986, art by [[Nick Roche]], colors by [[Rob Ruffolo]].
*'''IDW issue #1 cover B:''' Galvatron, Scourge & Cyclonus arrive in 1986, by [[Jeff Anderson]].
*'''IDW issue #1 Retail Incentive cover A:''' sketch of cover A, by Nick Roche.
*'''IDW issue #1 Retail Incentive cover B:''' panels of UK issue #78, by Jeff Anderson.
<center><gallery>
Image:IDWTarget2006 1A.jpg|'''IDW issue #1 A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 1B.jpg|'''IDW issue #1 B'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 1RIA.jpg|'''IDW issue #1 RI-A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 1RIB.jpg|'''IDW issue #1 RI-B'''
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

*'''IDW issue #2 cover A:''' Cyclonus & Ultra Magnus fight by Hound's prone body, by Nick Roche, colors by Rob Ruffolo.
*'''IDW issue #2 cover B:''' Galvatron's ultimate weapon, by Will Simpson colors by [[Tony Jozwiak]].
*'''IDW issue #2 Retail Incentive cover A:''' sketch of cover A, by Nick Roche.
*'''IDW issue #2 Retail Incentive cover B:''' panels from UK issue #81, by Jeff Anderson.
<center><gallery>
Image:IDWTarget2006 2A.jpg|'''IDW issue #2 A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 2B.jpg|'''IDW issue #2 B'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 2RIA.jpg|'''IDW issue #2 RI-A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 2RIB.jpg|'''IDW issue #2 RI-B'''
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

*'''IDW issue #3 cover A:''' the Wreckers, art by Nick Roche, colors by Rob Ruffolo.
*'''IDW issue #3 cover B:''' Wreck & Rule!, by [[Ron Smith]].
*'''IDW issue #3 Retail Incentive cover A:''' sketch of cover A, by Nick Roche.
*'''IDW issue #3 Retail Incentive cover B:''' panels from UK issue #82, by Ron Smith.
<center><gallery>
Image:IDWTarget2006 3A.jpg|'''IDW issue #3 A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 3B.jpg|'''IDW issue #3 B'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 3RIA.jpg|'''IDW issue #3 RI-A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 3RIB.jpg|'''IDW issue #3 RI-B'''
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

*'''IDW issue #4 cover A:''' Brawn choked by a zombie-controlled Jazz, by Nick Roche, colors by Rob Ruffolo.
*'''IDW issue #4 cover B:''' Galvatron riding Ultra Magnus, by Geoff Senior.
*'''IDW issue #4 Retail Incentive cover A:''' sketch of cover A, by Nick Roche.
*'''IDW issue #4 Retail Incentive cover B:''' panels from UK issue #86, by Will Simpson.
<center><gallery>
Image:IDWTarget2006 4A.jpg|'''IDW issue #4 A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 4B.jpg|'''IDW issue #4 B'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 4RIA.jpg|'''IDW issue #4 RI-A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 4RIB.jpg|'''IDW issue #4 RI-B'''
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

*'''IDW issue #5 cover A:''' Ultra Magnus versus Galvatron, art by Nick Roche, colors by Rob Ruffolo.
*'''IDW issue #5 cover B:''' Starscream is obliterated, by Jeff Anderson, colors by Tony Jozwiak.
*'''IDW issue #5 Retail Incentive cover A:''' sketch of cover A, by Nick Roche.
*'''IDW issue #5 Retail Incentive cover B:''' panels from UK issue #88 by Will Simpson.
<center><gallery>
Image:IDWTarget2006 5A.jpg|'''IDW issue #5 A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 5B.jpg|'''IDW issue #5 B'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 5RIA.jpg|'''IDW issue #5 RI-A'''
Image:IDWTarget2006 5RIB.jpg|'''IDW issue #5 RI-B'''
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

===Trade paperbacks===
*'''Titan TPB cover:''' Galvatron in shadow, by Geoff Senior.
*'''Transforce Titan hardcover:''' Galvatron shoots at Ultra Magnus by [[Lee Sullivan]].
*'''IDW TPB cover:''' reuse of IDW issue #5 cover A.
<center><gallery>
Image:TitanTarget2006tpb.jpg|'''Titan TPB'''
Image:TransforceTitanTarget2006hc.jpg|'''Transforce Titan HC'''
Image:IDWTarget2006tpb.jpg|'''IDW TPB'''
</gallery></center>

[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

In the National Interest

2010-04-02T16:12:26Z

83.71.128.169: /* Covers (23) */

{{picsneeded|IDW covers}}
{{comicstory|
|prev=Showdown!
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #74–77
|next=Target: 2006
|image=MarvelUK-74.jpg|You guys just have to destroy '''everything''', don't you?
|title="In the National Interest"
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|coverdate=[[August 16|16th August]] – [[September 6|6th September]] 1986
|writer=[[Simon Furman]]
|art=[[Will Simpson]]
|inks=[[Dave Hine]] (75), [[Tim Perkins]] (76)
|colours=[[John Burns]] (74-76), [[Tony Jozwiak]] (77)
|lettering=[[Annie Halfacree]]
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Joy Meadows and the Dinobots are going to blow the whole Robot Master story wide open, but the Decepticons and Triple I don't want this to happen.'''

==Synopsis==
Joy Meadows is on a [[Television|TV]] talk show announcing that she will expose the claims of [[Donny Finkleberg|Robot Master]] that he leads the Transformers for the sham that is. Meanwhile [[Intelligence and Information Institute|Triple-I]] are watching and decide that she must be silenced. At the same time, Professor Morris is standing trial for murder, when the courtroom is invaded by four armed men who kidnap Morris. He then finds out he has been captured by Triple-I to control their new mechanism, Centurion, in order to stop Joy wrecking their Robot Master scenario.

Meanwhile, back at the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] are bored, as they are confined to the [[Autobot]] base because their forms make them too conspicuous. Grimlock decides they need to go find some action, when Sludge rushes in and states that he's seen Joy on TV. The Dinobots go out to find Joy and are just in time to save her from an ambush laid by Triple-I. Grimlock tells Joy about the fights between the Autobots and [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] and works out that Robot Master is a puppet of the government. Joy sets up an interview with one of the Dinobots, and Swoop sets off to pick up her film crew.

The Decepticons (who are searching for Robot Master) pick up the signal, and Swoop gets involved in a fight with Megatron while picking up the film crew. Swoop is saved by the arrival of Centurion (controlled by Morris, who is disobeying Triple-I's orders and has sealed himself in the control room), but as Swoop flies off, he is hit by a homing beacon fired by a Triple-I employee. The signal from this leads the Decepticons to the Dinobots' location.

Centurion arrives as the Dinobots are getting defeated and attacks the Decepticons, bringing the battle back into the balance. Soundwave takes the recordings from the film crew and destroys them, threatening the humans with an unpleasant fate if they ever try to compile further evidence. The Decepticons leave, and the Dinobots lick their wounds.

Meanwhile, Morris decides that he is going to bury Triple-I once and for all.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (10)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (11)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (12)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (13)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (14)
|c2=*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (5)
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (16)
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (17)
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (18)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (19)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (20)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (21)
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (22)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (23)
|c3=*[[Joy Meadows]] (1)
*[[TV host]] (2)
*[[Donny Finkleberg]] (3)
*[[Forrest Forsythe]] (6)
*[[Walter Barnett]] (7)
*[[Attorney]] (8)
*[[Professor Morris]] (9)
*[[Grady]] (17)
*[[Rick]] (18)
|c4=* [[Centurion (Marvel)|Centurion]] (15)
}}
==Errors==
* The Dinobots complain that they're confined to the Ark by the other Autobots because their dino modes make them look conspicuous. This appears to reference the US version of the dialogue in "[[Command Performances!]]", where the Dinobots' absence in recent stories is explained the same way. However, the UK version of "Command Performances" actually has altered dialogue that purposefully ignores that explanation, since the Dinobots had previously been focused on in several UK stories, and thus, no explanation of an absence was needed. So basically, this issue of the UK comic adopts a plot point from the US comic that the UK comic previously chose to ignore.

* Morris confessed to the murder and gave himself up in his first appearance, so why is his lawyer arguing he's innocent? Why is he on the verge of being acquitted?

==Items of note==
* "OOH, 'ECK! DECEPTICONS!" Slag has the campest warning ever.
* [[Walter Barnett]], usually the [[Tom Banachek|nice guy]] in Triple-I, doesn't appear to be bothered about murdering Joy to maintain the Robot Master story.
* The Centurion project was not known about by the [[President of the United States]], and Forsythe is scared that they'd all be facing prison sentences if the President knew Centurion was theirs. He notably doesn't seem worried that the President would know they tried to murder a journalist...
* Centurion would then hang around with the Dinobots for a while before being destroyed by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The Dinobots must have liked him, because Grimlock ordered [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] to rebuild him ahead of other Autobots when Grimlock became leader.
* Reprinted as part of [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[Best of UK: Dinobots]]''.
* Issue subtitles:
** Issue #74—
** Issue #75—Gauntlet!
** Issue #76—Holocaust
** Issue #77—The Dinobots' Last Stand?

==Back-up Stories==
'''Issue #74:'''
*Hercules — "For the Love of Gods" Part 1
*[[Robo-Capers]] - A [[Robo-Capers issue 74|special edition]], revealing the new host of the letters page — Grimlock, guest written by Simon Furman.

'''Issue #75:'''
*Hercules — "For the Love of Gods" Part 2
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #76:'''
*Hercules — "For the Love of Gods" Part 3
*Robo-Capers

'''Issue #77:'''
*Hercules — "For the Love of Gods" Part 4
*Robo-Capers

==Reprints==
* Reprinted as a back-up story in UK issues #302-307 from late 1990 until February 1991.
* Reprinted in the [[Titan Books]] trade paperback "Dinobot Hunt" in May 2004.
* Reprinted as part of [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s [[Best of UK: Dinobots]] series in late 2007 and early 2008.
* The IDW reprints were inevitably collected in a trade paperback, released in May 2008.

==Covers (23)==
<gallery>
Image:MarvelUK-74.jpg|'''UK issue #74''' - Ha! Punny.
Image:MarvelUK-75.jpg|'''UK issue #75''' - A hug from centurion could seriously injure you.
Image:MarvelUK-76.jpg|'''UK issue #76''' - Yes YOU - the reader are shooting swoop, how could you.
Image:MarvelUK-77.jpg|'''UK issue #77''' - Has it ALL? Even by 1980's standards this is a poor depiction of "everything".
Image:MarvelUK-302.jpg|'''UK issue #302''' - Dreadwing is haunted because the first half of this comic is reprinted.
Image:MarvelUK-303.jpg|'''UK issue #303''' - Look at that stupid hat.
Image:MarvelUK-304.jpg|'''UK issue #304''' - WHAT are you shooting at that lady?
Image:MarvelUK-305.jpg|'''UK issue #305''' - Remember to paint my good side fleshling.
Image:MarvelUK-306.jpg|'''UK issue #306''' - and the ability to come back from the dead repeatedly.
Image:MarvelUK-307.jpg|'''UK issue #307''' - This is how angry playing the Transformers ps3 game can make you.
Image:TitanDH.jpg|'''Transformers: Dinobot Hunt'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 4a .jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #4 A'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 4b.jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #4 B'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 4ri a.jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #4 RI-A'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 4ri b.jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #4 RI-B'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 5a .jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #5 A'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 5b.jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #5 B'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 5ri a.jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #5 RI-A'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 5ri b.jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #5 RI-B'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 6a .jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #6 A'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 6b .jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #6 B'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots 6ri.jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots #6 RI'''
Image:BoUK Dinobots TPB.jpg|'''Best of UK: Dinobots TPB'''
</gallery>
*'''UK issue #74:''' Grimlock, Sludge and Slag burst through the cover, by [[Alister Pearson]].
*'''UK issue #75:''' while Megatron is about to destroy Swoop, Guardian looms up behind him, by [[John Stokes]].
*'''UK issue #76:''' Swoop carries off the LCTV van, by [[David Hine]].
*'''UK issue #77:''' composite of the story's major players, by [[Phil Gascoine]].
*'''UK issue #302:''' [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] & [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]], by [[Staz|Stewart Johnson]] & [[John Burns]].
*'''UK issue #303:''' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], by Stewart Johnson & [[Robin Bouttell]].
*'''UK issue #304:''' [[Circuit Breaker]] & Starscream, by [[John Marshall]], [[Bambos Georgiou]] & Robin Bouttell.
*'''UK issue #305:''' Shockwave, by [[Richard Fisher]].
*'''UK issue #306:''' a contemplative [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], by Stewart Johnson & Robin Bouttell.
*'''UK issue #307:''' [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] being punished by [[Unicron]], by [[Andrew Wildman]] & Robin Bouttell.
*'''Transformers: Dinobot Hunt cover:''' the Dinobots crush some log cabins, by ???
*'''Best of UK: D.inobots #4 cover A:''' Sludge holding Joy, art by [[Nick Roche]], colors by [[Rob Ruffolo]]
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #4 cover B:''' scene from "[[Victory!]]", by [[Geoff Senior]].
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #4 Retailer Incentive cover A:''' panels from "Victory!", by Geoff Senior.
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #4 Retailer Incentive cover B:''' sketch of cover A, by Nick Roche.
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #5 cover A:''' Grimlock brandishing sword over defeated Decepticons, art by Nick Roche, colors by [[Liam Shalloo]].
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #5 cover B:''' scene from UK issue #75, by [[Will Simpson]].
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #5 Retailer Incentive cover A:''' panels from UK issue #76, by Will Simpson.
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #5 Retailer Incentive cover B:''' sketch of cover A, by Nick Roche.
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #6 cover A:''' Guardian leading the Dinobots, by [[Josh Burcham]].
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #6 cover B:''' Guardian beating up the Constructicons, by Josh Burcham.
*'''Best of UK: Dinobots #6 Retailer Incentive cover:''' panels from UK issue #77, by Will Simpson.
*'''Best of UK Dinobots TPB:''' Grimlock, by Nick Roche.

[[Category:Articles in need of images]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Showdown!

2010-04-02T14:35:21Z

83.71.128.169: /* Covers (3) */

{{disambig3|Showdown}}
{{comicstory|
|prev=Command Performances!
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #20
|next=Aerialbots over America!
|prev2=Command Performances!
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel_UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #72–73
|next2=In the National Interest
|image=MarvelUS-20.jpg
|caption=Brokeback Cybertron
|title="Showdown!"
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=May 1986
|coverdate=September 1986
|writer=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|penciler=[[Herb Trimpe]]
|inkers=[[Ian Akin]] and [[Brian Garvey]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]
|letterer=[[Janice Chiang]]
|editor=[[Michael Carlin]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Donny Finkleberg tries to escape from Ravage, and gets some help from Skids and a new friend.'''

==Synopsis==
Donny Finkleberg is on the run from the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]], and Ravage is hot on his trail. Stumbling across a temporarily vacant camp site, Donny steals some clothes and buries his old costume. Realizing that he needs to find the [[Autobot|Autobots]], Donny unwittingly passes the injured Skids by. Not far behind him, Ravage destroys the campsite, momentarily fooled by the abandoned Robot Master uniform.

Elsewhere, in a small town several miles away, register girl Charlene is given a lift by her co-worker Wendell, as her car has recently broken down. On the drive she discusses with him how she wants some adventure in her life, and persuades him to pull over so they can explore an old trail. There, they find Skids with his radio playing, and arrange to have him taken to [[Wendell#Cousin_Bob|Bob's Service]]. Bob gets the van up and running, and Charlene drives off, leaving Wendell with the bill.

As she pulls out, the van catches the eye of Jake Dalrymple, who recognizes it from [[Command Performances!|an earlier encounter]] and tries to run it off the road. Skids takes over the driving, outmaneuvering Jake and leaving him with a windscreen of green paint. On the outskirts of town, Skids reveals himself as a [[Transformer]], explaining to Charlene that he had been trying to find peace as her car. He goes on to reveal he was a scientist, and had no desire to [[Furmanism|fight or die]], that all he wants to continue his scientific studies with her. Meanwhile Jake is ranting about the crazy van and its driver, which gives Donny a clue...

The next day, Skids asks Charlene about her old west memorabilia. She tells him of how it was a great time of adventure, and even though she didn't live then, she can still dream of it. Skids laments that all his dreams are memories of war so the pair go out to make him some new ones. The pair grow closer, with Charlene brushing off Wendell's invitation to see a new movie to give Skids a wash (which they both enjoy [[Transformer romance|waaaay too much]]). Before Charlene can give Skids his wax and buff job they are (thankfully) interrupted by Donny, who had been listening in on her talking to her 'ordinary van'.

Skids's attempt to stay hidden is finally undone by Ravage who pounces at Donny, firing. Charlene and Donny dive into Skids who speeds off at top speed. The two humans argue — Donny patting himself on the back for finding an Autobot, and Charlene pointing out that he only found Skids because Ravage is trying to kill them. Rushing through the town (and past Jake), the trio head to an abandoned mining town to battle their pursuer away from civilization.

[[Image:Showdownskidsdream.jpg|left|250px|thumb|It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.]]
Arriving in the town, the Autobot tells the [[Human|humans]] to hide, but just after they leave, Jake arrives and smashes his windscreen with a tire iron. Rendered unconscious, Skids has a dream that he has to face Megatron in a showdown to save Charlene. He realizes even though he doesn't want to fight, he has to to protect her... unfortunately, it doesn't go so well for him, but it was only a dream. Back in reality, Charlene and Donny argue with Jake, but a renewed attack by Ravage scatters them. Before Ravage can finish Skids, he is rammed by Jake in his Lamborghini, giving the others enough time to bring the Autobot around. His resolve to fight strengthened by his need to protect Charlene, Skids fights a desperate battle with Ravage, eventually tricking the Decepticon into falling down an abandoned mine shaft.
With Ravage gone, Charlene tries to convince Skids to come back with her but he says he is going with Donny back to the Autobots. He cannot avoid his responsibility, and he would be living in a dream if he stayed, no matter how much he wants to. Charlene tells him she'll miss him, but he did better than the last car she loved — its transmission went and she junked it.

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
* [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (3)

|c2=
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (1)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (8)

|c3=
'''Regulars'''

* [[Donny Finkleberg]] (2)

'''Guests'''

* [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]] (4)
* [[Wendell]] (5)
* [[Wendell#Cousin_Bob|Cousin Bob]] (6)
* [[Jake Dalrymple]] (7)
}}
==Errors==
* Although he is depicted as such here, Skids is ''not'' a van, but a much smaller [[wikipedia:Honda_City_Turbo|Honda City Turbo]] (a vehicle virtually unknown in the United States).
* Skids' torso is colored red on the cover.
* On page 17, Charlene's top is colored orange instead of pink.
* The damage to Skids' windscreen disappears on page 20 in panels 1 and 4 and again on page 21, panel 5.
* His whole windscreen / door back [[kibble]] is missing on page 21, panel 6 — though this is likely deliberate to allow the picture to show Ravage pouncing.
* In Skids' dream, Megatron says he'll crush Charlene if he wins their duel, but he is quite clearly shown dropping her.

==Items of note==
* Ravage breathes fire now apparently.
* On page 11, Wendell is shown watching Charlene around a corner which could be taken that he's got the hots for her and is simply <s>a bit creepy</s> trying to figure out if she's seeing someone else. However he was just inside talking to her — she's even still talking to him as she gets behind the wheel — so there's no reason he couldn't follow her out to talk.
* A more logical explanation is that Wendell was incorrectly drawn in place of Donny Finkleberg — it would explain how he found Charlene at her home (which was shown to be somewhat isolated earlier), as he could have reasonably spent the day looking for a blue van like the one Jake was talking about in the diner, before following them as they left.
* Ravage remained underground until [[Time Wars]] (in the UK continuity. His return in America is vague, but his presence in post-[[Underbase]] stories implies that he at least stayed out of that battle).
* This issue was reprinted in the [[Titan Books]] collection "[[Showdown (Titan)|Showdown]]".

===Covers (3)===
<gallery>
Image:MarvelUS-20.jpg|'''US issue #20''' - Megatron is cheating again, he doesn't even ''own'' a holster
Image:MarvelUK-072.jpg|'''UK issue #72''' - Ravage doesn't brush after meals.
Image:MarvelUK-073.jpg|'''UK issue #73''' - The things you do for women...
Image:Titan-ShowdownSC.jpg|'''Titan Showdown TPB''' - Is Budiansky the tanks name?
Image:Titan-ShowdownHC.jpg|'''Titan Showdown HC''' - The last thing I remember was buying a round of energon
</gallery>

* '''US cover:''' Megatron and Skids as cowboys, by [[Herb Trimpe]].
* '''UK issue #72 cover:''' Ravage with Robot-Master costume in his mouth, by [[Geoff Senior]].
* '''UK issue #73 cover:''' reuse of art from US cover.
* '''Titan TPB cover art:''' [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and the other half of the [[space bridge]] by [[Andrew Wildman]].
* '''Titan hardback cover art:''' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s head by [[Alan Davis]], [[Mark Farmer]], & [[Chris Blythe]].

===Advertisements===
* None yet identified.

[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Showdown!

2010-04-02T14:34:01Z

83.71.128.169: /* Covers (3) */

{{disambig3|Showdown}}
{{comicstory|
|prev=Command Performances!
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #20
|next=Aerialbots over America!
|prev2=Command Performances!
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel_UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #72–73
|next2=In the National Interest
|image=MarvelUS-20.jpg
|caption=Brokeback Cybertron
|title="Showdown!"
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=May 1986
|coverdate=September 1986
|writer=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|penciler=[[Herb Trimpe]]
|inkers=[[Ian Akin]] and [[Brian Garvey]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]
|letterer=[[Janice Chiang]]
|editor=[[Michael Carlin]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Donny Finkleberg tries to escape from Ravage, and gets some help from Skids and a new friend.'''

==Synopsis==
Donny Finkleberg is on the run from the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]], and Ravage is hot on his trail. Stumbling across a temporarily vacant camp site, Donny steals some clothes and buries his old costume. Realizing that he needs to find the [[Autobot|Autobots]], Donny unwittingly passes the injured Skids by. Not far behind him, Ravage destroys the campsite, momentarily fooled by the abandoned Robot Master uniform.

Elsewhere, in a small town several miles away, register girl Charlene is given a lift by her co-worker Wendell, as her car has recently broken down. On the drive she discusses with him how she wants some adventure in her life, and persuades him to pull over so they can explore an old trail. There, they find Skids with his radio playing, and arrange to have him taken to [[Wendell#Cousin_Bob|Bob's Service]]. Bob gets the van up and running, and Charlene drives off, leaving Wendell with the bill.

As she pulls out, the van catches the eye of Jake Dalrymple, who recognizes it from [[Command Performances!|an earlier encounter]] and tries to run it off the road. Skids takes over the driving, outmaneuvering Jake and leaving him with a windscreen of green paint. On the outskirts of town, Skids reveals himself as a [[Transformer]], explaining to Charlene that he had been trying to find peace as her car. He goes on to reveal he was a scientist, and had no desire to [[Furmanism|fight or die]], that all he wants to continue his scientific studies with her. Meanwhile Jake is ranting about the crazy van and its driver, which gives Donny a clue...

The next day, Skids asks Charlene about her old west memorabilia. She tells him of how it was a great time of adventure, and even though she didn't live then, she can still dream of it. Skids laments that all his dreams are memories of war so the pair go out to make him some new ones. The pair grow closer, with Charlene brushing off Wendell's invitation to see a new movie to give Skids a wash (which they both enjoy [[Transformer romance|waaaay too much]]). Before Charlene can give Skids his wax and buff job they are (thankfully) interrupted by Donny, who had been listening in on her talking to her 'ordinary van'.

Skids's attempt to stay hidden is finally undone by Ravage who pounces at Donny, firing. Charlene and Donny dive into Skids who speeds off at top speed. The two humans argue — Donny patting himself on the back for finding an Autobot, and Charlene pointing out that he only found Skids because Ravage is trying to kill them. Rushing through the town (and past Jake), the trio head to an abandoned mining town to battle their pursuer away from civilization.

[[Image:Showdownskidsdream.jpg|left|250px|thumb|It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.]]
Arriving in the town, the Autobot tells the [[Human|humans]] to hide, but just after they leave, Jake arrives and smashes his windscreen with a tire iron. Rendered unconscious, Skids has a dream that he has to face Megatron in a showdown to save Charlene. He realizes even though he doesn't want to fight, he has to to protect her... unfortunately, it doesn't go so well for him, but it was only a dream. Back in reality, Charlene and Donny argue with Jake, but a renewed attack by Ravage scatters them. Before Ravage can finish Skids, he is rammed by Jake in his Lamborghini, giving the others enough time to bring the Autobot around. His resolve to fight strengthened by his need to protect Charlene, Skids fights a desperate battle with Ravage, eventually tricking the Decepticon into falling down an abandoned mine shaft.
With Ravage gone, Charlene tries to convince Skids to come back with her but he says he is going with Donny back to the Autobots. He cannot avoid his responsibility, and he would be living in a dream if he stayed, no matter how much he wants to. Charlene tells him she'll miss him, but he did better than the last car she loved — its transmission went and she junked it.

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
* [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (3)

|c2=
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (1)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (8)

|c3=
'''Regulars'''

* [[Donny Finkleberg]] (2)

'''Guests'''

* [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]] (4)
* [[Wendell]] (5)
* [[Wendell#Cousin_Bob|Cousin Bob]] (6)
* [[Jake Dalrymple]] (7)
}}
==Errors==
* Although he is depicted as such here, Skids is ''not'' a van, but a much smaller [[wikipedia:Honda_City_Turbo|Honda City Turbo]] (a vehicle virtually unknown in the United States).
* Skids' torso is colored red on the cover.
* On page 17, Charlene's top is colored orange instead of pink.
* The damage to Skids' windscreen disappears on page 20 in panels 1 and 4 and again on page 21, panel 5.
* His whole windscreen / door back [[kibble]] is missing on page 21, panel 6 — though this is likely deliberate to allow the picture to show Ravage pouncing.
* In Skids' dream, Megatron says he'll crush Charlene if he wins their duel, but he is quite clearly shown dropping her.

==Items of note==
* Ravage breathes fire now apparently.
* On page 11, Wendell is shown watching Charlene around a corner which could be taken that he's got the hots for her and is simply <s>a bit creepy</s> trying to figure out if she's seeing someone else. However he was just inside talking to her — she's even still talking to him as she gets behind the wheel — so there's no reason he couldn't follow her out to talk.
* A more logical explanation is that Wendell was incorrectly drawn in place of Donny Finkleberg — it would explain how he found Charlene at her home (which was shown to be somewhat isolated earlier), as he could have reasonably spent the day looking for a blue van like the one Jake was talking about in the diner, before following them as they left.
* Ravage remained underground until [[Time Wars]] (in the UK continuity. His return in America is vague, but his presence in post-[[Underbase]] stories implies that he at least stayed out of that battle).
* This issue was reprinted in the [[Titan Books]] collection "[[Showdown (Titan)|Showdown]]".

===Covers (3)===
<gallery>
Image:MarvelUS-20.jpg|'''US issue #20''' - Megatron is cheating again, he doesn't even ''own'' a holster
Image:MarvelUK-072.jpg|'''UK issue #72''' - Ravage doesn't brush after meals.
Image:MarvelUK-073.jpg|'''UK issue #73''' - The things you do for women...
Image:Titan-ShowdownSC.jpg|'''Titan Showdown TPB'''
Image:Titan-ShowdownHC.jpg|'''Titan Showdown HC''' - The last thing I remember was buying a round of energon
</gallery>

* '''US cover:''' Megatron and Skids as cowboys, by [[Herb Trimpe]].
* '''UK issue #72 cover:''' Ravage with Robot-Master costume in his mouth, by [[Geoff Senior]].
* '''UK issue #73 cover:''' reuse of art from US cover.
* '''Titan TPB cover art:''' [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and the other half of the [[space bridge]] by [[Andrew Wildman]].
* '''Titan hardback cover art:''' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s head by [[Alan Davis]], [[Mark Farmer]], & [[Chris Blythe]].

===Advertisements===
* None yet identified.

[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]