Shattered Glass (issue)

2012-05-05T05:42:29Z

96.48.253.215:

{{disambig2|the BotCon 2008 comic|the franchise it introduced|Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)}}
{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|''Transformers Timelines'']] Vol.2 #3
|prev=Games of Deception
|next=Wings of Honor
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Transformers: Shattered Glass]]''
|prev2=Shattered Expectations
|next2=Dungeons & Dinobots
|image=Timelines v2n3ce.jpg
|caption=Transformers [[Pat Lee|stand and point]] a lot in the mirrorverse, too.
|title="Shattered Glass"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[April 24]], [[2008]] ([[BotCon 2008]])
|coverdate=Spring 2008
|writer=[[Ben Yee|Benson Yee]]
|story=[[Pete Sinclair]] and [[Ben Yee|Benson Yee]]
|pencils=[[Don Figueroa]]
|inks=[[Don Figueroa]]
|colors=[[Espen Grundetjern]]
|letters=[[Jesse Wittenrich]]
|managing editor=[[Pete Sinclair]]
|editorinchief=[[Brian Savage]]
|continuity=[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Decepticons wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of... the Autobots?'''

==Synopsis==
{{note|This story follows the events of "[[Crossing Over: Part 6]]".}}
Emerging from a dimensional portal, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] arrives, to his shock, on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Almost immediately, he is jumped by an oddly colored [[Triggercon]] named [[Ruckus (SG)|Ruckus]]. Ruckus tries to make a getaway, when he's blasted by [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]]. Rodimus takes Cliffjumper to see [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]. Optimus escorts the by-now-nervous Cliffjumper to the [[smelting pool]] to see [[Rumble (SG)|Rumble]]'s execution. Quite unwisely, Cliffjumper tries to talk some sense into Optimus and gets blasted for his pains. As a test of loyalty, Optimus dumps Cliffjumper into the [[Rad Zone]]. While unconscious, Cliffjumper's body is found by [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobot]]-colored versions of Scrapper and Long Haul. Cliffjumper wakes up to see both Hook and Scrapper working on him. Needless to say, he freaks out and makes a run for it, only to collide with Megatron, accompanied by Sideswipe. Sideswipe asks to see Cliffjumper alone. Upon further inspection, Sideswipe concludes that the Cliffjumper standing before him is not the same Cliffjumper he knew; after all, his Cliffjumper was killed right before his eyes during an ambush. Cliffjumper asks what the slag is going on, and Sideswipe condenses his universe's history.

In this universe, Optronix was absolutely obsessive about knowledge. Feeling unsatisfied in his original position, he backstabbed and betrayed countless others to become one of the more influential members of society. He began preaching intolerance for Cybertron's peaceful lifestyle, and others who agreed with this philosophy, mainly those who were similarly dissatisfied, joined him. In time, Optronix declared himself and his followers autonomous from Cybertron, and thus, they took the name [[Autobot]]s. Optronix then upgraded his followers, but, of course, he kept the most powerful mods for himself. When he finished upgrading, he renamed himself Optimus Prime. Then, one day, the Autobots began their reign of terror. Those who refused to join the Autobots were scrapped. Eventually, Optimus's sanity was shattered with a shocking revelation, but no one, not even his closest friends, knew what that was. The Autobots did not go unchallenged; other Cybertronians who managed to escape the initial massacre formed a loose resistance, but without a strong leader to guide them, the cause was sure to sputter out. That's when Megatron emerged from [[Polyhex]], uniting the resistance fighters into a tightly knit army. Megatron had only one equal on the battlefield, namely Optimus, but had the additional advantage of being able to transform. Armed with the technology of hiding themselves in plain sight, the resistance became the [[Decepticon]]s. Optimus, however, managed to reproduce the technology for his own troops to use. Because of that, morale has been sinking.

Cliffjumper, quite out of his league, asks why an Autobot in his universe would be a Decepticon in this one. Sideswipe confesses that he was once an Autobot, but over time, he stopped believing in Optimus's cause and was subsequently left for dead after a staged ambush. That was when he joined the Decepticons for the sole purpose of revenge. Cliffjumper isn't exactly convinced, but decides to stick around before he makes a final decision.

[[Image:Shatteredglassmegatrondecepticons.jpg|left|250px|thumb|See? Friendly.]]
Back in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], Blurr reports to Optimus (while Prime spars with [[hologram|holographic]] [[auto-combatant]]s, no less) about the status of the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]'', but is concerned about the launching platform's stability. Optimus is unconcerned and even welcomes a Decepticon attack. At Decepticon HQ, Starscream reports on the ''Ark'''s status as well, with a highly concerned Megatron listening in. As Cliffjumper and Sideswipe enter, Megatron informs them that Optimus plans to head to other planets to plunder their resources. Cliffjumper exclaims "By [[Primus]], he can't be allowed to do that," leaving the others slightly confused. Cliffjumper then provides a highly condensed version of the Transformers' origins. Megatron is somewhat relieved to learn that a god may have been behind their creation, but says that he needs to concentrate on a plan to get past the guards at the launching platform. Starscream then comes up with the brilliant idea of attacking the platform itself. With the platform's destruction, the Ark will collapse under its own weight, stranding the Autobots on Cybertron, albeit temporarily. To destroy the platform, Starscream plans to use Cliffjumper's "[[glass gas]]" to weaken the steel, making it vulnerable to regular weapons fire. Cliffjumper agrees to assist Starscream with replicating the formula as Megatron and the others plan the new attack.

At sundown, Razorclaw and Rampage dispatch the guards, allowing Starscream, Divebomb, and Whisper to deploy the "Glass Gas Bombs", but while the bombs hit their target, their weapons fire fails to destroy the platform. It soon becomes an all-out brawl between the two sides, as Megatron and Optimus trade barbs. When Optimus spots Cliffjumper, he attempts to destroy the "traitor", but Megatron takes the hit. Finally spurred into action, Cliffjumper finishes the job, destroying the platform and crippling the ''Ark''. Megatron orders the 'Cons to retreat, but Optimus, enraged, attempts to extract revenge. Megatron gives Optimus a parting gift before flying off into the sunset with Cliffjumper, who finally agrees to join the resistance.
{{--}}
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|h1=[[Decepticon]]s|c1=
* [[Ruckus (SG)|Ruckus]] (2)
* [[Clench (SG)|Clench]] (6)
* [[Skyquake (SG)|Skyquake]] (7)
* [[Krok (SG)|Krok]] (8)
* [[Rumble (SG)|Rumble]] (9)
* [[Long Haul (SG)|Long Haul]] (15)
* [[Scrapper (SG)|Scrapper]] (16)
* [[Hook (SG)|Hook]] (17)
* [[Diagnostic Drone]] (18)
* [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (19)
* [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] (20)
* [[Sir Soundwave|Soundwave]] (22)
* [[Razorclaw (SG)|Razorclaw]] (23)
* [[Rampage (SG)|Rampage]] (24)
* [[Reflector (SG)|Reflector]] (25)
* [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (26)
* [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]] (27)
* [[Divebomb (SG)|Divebomb]] (28)
* [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (30)
* [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] (31)
* [[Laserbeak (SG)|Laserbeak]] (32)
* [[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] (33)
* [[Buzzsaw (SG)|Buzzsaw]] (34)
* [[Quake (SG)|Quake]] (35)
* [[Frenzy (SG)|Frenzy]] (36)
|h2=[[Autobot]]s|c2=
* [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] (3)
* [[Perceptor (SG)|Perceptor]] (4)
* [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
* [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]] (10)
* [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (11)
* [[Ricochet (SG)|Ricochet]] (12)
* [[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] (13)
* [[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] (14)
* [[Sunstreaker (SG)|Sunstreaker]] (21)
* [[Dropshot (SG)|Dropshot]] (29)
* [[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]] (37)
|c4=
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (1)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh, so unwise..."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' emulating [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]].

'''Sideswipe:''' "You're not him. You look just like him, except for the colors. It's like seeing a ghost."<br>
'''Cliffjumper:''' "Look, Sideswipe, or whoever you are, I'm tired of being shocked, confused, and generally angry here. Tell me what you are talking about or so help me I will beat it out of you!"<br>
'''Sideswipe:''' "Heh, you even talk like him."
:—Even mirrorverse Cliffjumper shares a mold with [[Bumblebee (G1)|a Bumblebee]].

'''Cliffjumper:''' "So, you're telling me that Megatron's a good guy and Optimus Prime is loonier than [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]? Last week, I'd have told ya that you had a cracked cylinder. But... I've seen some crazy things lately. Dimension hopping, time travel, alternate realities... [[GEEWUN|what I wouldn't give for a simple war with good guys and bad guys!]]"<br>
'''Sideswipe:''' "Straxus is insane where you come from? Pity, I always liked his poetry..."
:—Poetry? Hate to see what their [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] is like.

'''Optimus Prime:''' "[[Seeker (SG)|Seekers]], [[Roll out|Transform and Roll out!]]"<br>
'''Rodimus:''' "15 points for the tapes, 25 points for the rest, loser buys the fuel! Game on!"
:—Even when everything's the opposite, some things remain constant.

==Notes==
* This was Figueroa's first ''Transformers'' work since his hiatus.

===Errors===
* Cliffjumper, though portrayed as such in the story immediately prior, is not in his actual ''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' color scheme. His silver car deco was dropped by the colorist for no reason.

===Transformers references===
* [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] is modeled after its appearance in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'' cartoon]]. There's even a line of [[Sir Soundwave|Soundwave]]-lampposts in front of the [[Great Dome|dome]]!
* Speaking of Soundwave, though most of the crowd-fillers were [[redeco]]ed versions of previous characters, "Shattered Glass" Soundwave exists as a toy—the [[Soundwave (G1)/toys|"Sonic White" version of MP3 Soundwave]]. Quite a few of those got sold on that BotCon weekend.
* "Shattered Glass" Perceptor exists as a toy, too—[[Perceptor (G1)|Generation 1 Perceptor]] [[Magnificus (G1)|in his original ''pre-Transformers'' Microman colors]]. The [[repurposing]] trend these two characters started would be merrily [[Transformers: Shattered Glass (toyline)|carried on in subsequent fiction]].
* There's a [[Diagnostic Drone]] helping Hook and Scrapper fix Cliffjumper. Amusingly, it's wearing a little nurse's cap.
* Sideswipe's history of "Shattered" [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] closely mirrors (so to speak) the version told in [[The Transformers (issue)|the very first ''Transformers'' story]], and even Optimus Prime's initial rallying cry to his troops is an homage to [[Megatron (G1)|Generation 1 Megatron's]] in that issue. However, Optimus Prime's early name, Optronix, and his profession as a archivist, are references to [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: The War Within|The War Within]]''.
* Reflector's [[character model]] is based on [[Spy Shot 6]]. Both of them transform into cameras.
*[[Shockwave (SG)|"Shattered Glass" Shockwave]] is mentioned, as a mental health professional.
* [[Nightbeat (SG)|"Shattered Glass" Nightbeat]], [[BotCon 2008]]'s customization class figure, appears briefly at the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]'' launch.
* Sideswipe's reasons for changing sides are the same as [[Wheeljack (Armada)|''Armada'' Wheeljack]], whose toy mold he shares.

===Real-world references===
* Cliffjumper mutters "Ponderous, slaggin' ''ponderous''" after Sideswipe tells his tale is part of a semi-elaborate convention callback. There is an infamous set of outtakes of [[Casey Kasem]] (the original voice actor for Cliffjumper) having... well, violent meltdowns while recording ''American Top 40'' ("Ponderous, f***in' ''ponderous'', man."). Clips of these outtakes were edited with footage of Cliffjumper attempting to sniper-shot [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" for the closing credits of [[MSTF]] at [[OTFCC 2004]].
[[Image:ShatteredGoBots.gif|right|300px|thumb|Shouldn't [[Fitor]] be colored like [[Path Finder]] or something?]]
* Artist [[Don Figueroa]] started a trend in his early Dreamwave days by killing off cameos of [[GoBots (franchise)|GoBots]] [[Cy-Kill (disambiguation)|Cy-Kill]]. Suitably enough, in this mirrorverse tale, an evil [[Leader-1 (SG)|Leader-1]] (in Cy-Kill colors) is cannon fodder. Oddly enough, though, Cy-Kill's fist is one of those raised in support of Optimus Prime's revolution.
* Jazz blurts out "I ain't gettin' bombed by no plane!", a reference to the oft-repeated mantra of B.A. Baracus (played by Mr. T) from ''The A-Team''; "I ain't gettin' on no plane!".
{{--}}

===Diamond Edition extras===
* ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]''-style bios of Rodimus and Starscream.
* A reprint of "[[Shattered Expectations]]".

===Covers (2)===
* '''BotCon Convention cover:''' Evil Autobots Goldbug, Rodimus and Blurr by [[Dan Khanna]] (pencils).
* '''Wide release cover:''' Megatron leads the heroic Decepticons in an attack against Optimus.
<gallery>
Image:Timelines v2n3ce.jpg|Exclusive cover
Image:ShatteredGlass DiamondCover.jpg|Retail cover
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* www.temptingtoys.net
* [[Transformers Collectors' Club]]
* www.grahamcrackers.com
* www.stylinonline.com
* Past Generation Toys (back cover)

[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Shattered Glass issues]]

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Shattered Glass (issue)