MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Talk:Little Victories

2013-10-17T16:17:27Z

Chupacabraconvoy: First Aid fixed?

Hi new user here. I just wanted to confirm my edit before I put it up, and help on how to implement it. Here I go: "In addition, this marks the first appearance of Tailgate's altmode, which indicates that his t-cog had not yet succumb to Cybercrosis." [[User:Chupacabraconvoy|Chupacabraconvoy]] 02:43, 17 October 2013 (EDT)

Hmmmmm, good point, hadn't realised that! Might be more that it was written before Remain in the Light (i think James Roberts posted that on idw board). But yeah, i'm sure we've never seen Tailgate fully transform to alt-mode. Also is that Boss (and First Aid, plus somebody) at the party? --[[User:Mini-master|Mini-master]] 05:39, 17 October 2013 (EDT)
:Hmm. I'm thinking more Brainstorn, given the wings, and perhaps that's an off-model Trailcutter on the right? [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] 06:34, 17 October 2013 (EDT)
Wait, just realized something: if that is indeed First Aid in his altmode, then it raises another question. When did he get fixed? Didn't he have a misalign strut or t-cog that prevented him from transforming?[[User:Chupacabraconvoy|Chupacabraconvoy]] 12:17, 17 October 2013 (EDT)

Little Victories

2013-10-17T07:09:12Z

Chupacabraconvoy: /* Continuity notes */ tailgate altmode. Typos

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=22
|prev=More than Meets the Eye issue 21
|next=Dark Cybertron, Part 2
|seriesissue2=[[Dark Cybertron]]
|next2=Dark Cybertron, Part 1
|image=MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg
|title="Little Victories"
|caption=What a guy!
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 9]], [[2013]] (iBooks) [[October 16]], [[2013]] (print)
|coverdate=October 2013
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[James Raiz]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2013)]]
}}

'''Rewind's recordings become a movie that charts the crew's adventures, including an intrusion into another robotic civil war, the mystery of Rung's alternate mode, and a visit from one of the greatest Autobots around!'''

==Synopsis==

In a series of brief talking-head segments, the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' introduce themselves to the audience as a set of title cards appear between soundbytes: "Little Victories: A film by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] of Lower [[Petrohex]]". After everyone has given their names, Rewind turns his camera around to introduce his film, created at [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, through a combination of his perpetual recordings of the goings-on on the ship and footage from the many security cameras installed on the vessel by [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]. To begin the movie proper, we see Rodimus requesting its filming, followed by a candid clip of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] expressing some concern at potentially looking ridiculous as a result of questionable editing decisions. Rodimus gives him permission to censor the finished product if necessary, and blacked-out sections of the film prove he wasn't shy about it.

While lounging around in the ship's oil reservoir, Rewind, [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] talk about the cool [[alternate mode]]s of their teammates, and the conversation turns to the mystery of what [[Rung]] turns into. Swerve wagers a hundred [[Shanix]] to the first person to figure it out, and starts trying by "accidentally" clonking him on the head in hopes of automatically triggering a transformation. Talking-head clips of Tailgate and Swerve reflecting on their wager turn to talk of hobbies, a topic that Rewind gets [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] to weigh in on; the theoretician lists "meeting new people", and recalls an encounter on [[Hedonia]]...

The film shifts to Hedonia, some time beforehand, and shows Skids and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] meeting the [[Ammonite]]s, a race of mechanical beings engaged in a civil war with their enemies the [[Terradore]]s. Whirl disparages their conflict in comparison with the Transformers' own, but it soon becomes apparent that the Ammonites trump the Cybertronians at every turn: their war has lasted ''sixteen'' million years rather than four, they have ten-changing "Decabots" instead of just [[Six Changer]]s, and while the Transformers are still trying to master [[Combiner]] technology, the Ammonites are ''all'' interchangeable combiners, and prove it by separating into their diminutive component 'bots. The two 'bots enjoy are enjoying a drink with their new rivals when a patron alerts the barman to the arrival of a huge Terradorian cruiser. As the Ammonites panic, Whirl strides outside and, with Skids looking on, quickly and easily murders the Terradore leader [[Imperius Drax]], smugly informing his new "friends" that ''that'' is how it's done.

Another talking-head segment follows, as Rewind asks each crew-member if they are "happy", to a variety of positive, confused, suspicious and veiled answers. A short scene of Tailgate trying and failing to trick Rung into transforming with an "alt-mode party" comes next, after which the movie shows Rodimus arriving in the ''Lost Light'' communication suite wearing a makeshift "[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]" helmet made from a bucket for a theme night as [[Swerve's]]. [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] informs him that they have received a message from [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], captain of the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'', who is quickly proven by another series of soundbytes from the crew to be one of the most popular, awesome, super-cool and handsome Autobots in the whole entire universe. Rodimus, however, is not a fan, and an extremely passive-aggressive exchange of pleasantries follows as Thunderclash comes aboard with his first officer [[Paddox]]. Rodimus tries to show off his crew, but Thunderclash knows them all well: he actually gets a ''hug'' from Ultra Magnus when he compliments his writings on "the relationship between typograpy and military justice", he impresses [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] by respecting his religion with an appropriate greeting, and he turns out to be old friends from medical school with [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]. Rodimus ''just about'' holds himself together through all of this, but explodes when Thunderclash reveals that ''he'' is on a quest for the [[Knights of Cybertron]] too! He angrily demands to know what Thunderclash wants, and the film cuts away to segments from Ratchet and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that explain that the ''Vis Vitalis'' is actually a huge, wireless life support machine that keeps the gravely-wounded Thunderclash alive, and that he has come to the ''Lost Light'' hoping for a ship-to-ship jumpstart to replenish his vessel's failing power supply.

A little later, Thunderclash walks [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] through how to use the [[quantum generator|quantum engines]] to accomplish the power-transfer, but just before the process is activated, Paddox suddenly pulls a gun on Thunderclash, revealing himself to be an Ammonite deep-cover agent! The Ammonites, it turns out, are actually the ''bad guys'' in their war, and following Whirl's assassination of the Terradores' leader, all Ammonites have been recalled for a big push back against the extreme tactics of his successor. "Paddox" intends to take the Autobots' quantum engines for the Ammonite war effort, but is abruptly taken out in the most unusual way possible: Swerve sneaks up and clobbers him over the head with... Rung in alternate mode. The film cuts away briefly for Rung to explain that even ''he'' doesn't know what his odd, cylindrical alternate mode is—he was classified as an "ornament" by the [[Functionism|Functionist]] council—then cuts back to Thunderclash thanking Rodimus for his efforts, and Rodimus quietly whispering to Rewind that he has begun to regret the candid nature of the movie...

''On [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], the [[Circle of Light]] boo the movie, which [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] is playing as part of a recruitment drive, hoping to get some of the Circle to join the ''Lost Light''. The Circle mock the movie and the entire ship's crew, accusing them all of being crazies and shirkers who never make any progress in their quest, and all leave, with some thinking of signing up with Thunderclash. Behind Skids, on the screen, the movie continues to roll on...''

A final talking-head segment sees Rewind ask each of the crewmembers what they hope is next for them. Some see the end in sight and some think the journey itself and the friends they've made are what it's all about, but Tailgate sums it up best when he says: "Who knows?" For the final scene of the movie, Rewind calls all his friends together for a group shot in Swerve's, not caring who stands where as along as everyone is together.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (3)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (4)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (6)
*[[Rung]] (7)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (9)
*[[Brainstorm]] (10)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (11)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (14)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (15)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (18)
*[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (19)
{{!}}}
|c2=
|c4=
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (5)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (8)
*Assorted [[Ammonite]]s (16)
*[[16444/9]] (17)
*[[Paddox]] (20)
*Multiple [[Circle of Light]] members (21)
}}

==Quotes==

"It's '''Whirl''', spelled: ''ker-klick! '''Choom!'''" 
:—'''Whirl''', on his own name

"So you think you're better at war than us? How long were you fighting?" 
"Four million years. You?" 
"Sixteen." 
"Sixteen years." 
"Sixteen million." 
<big>"'''Sixteen million years?!'''</big> Six-'''teen'''? That's ridiculous. That's a ridiculous number."
:—'''16444/9''' and '''Skids'''

"I once went toe-to-toe with a '''six-changer'''. Jet! Beast! Tank! Gun! '''And something else I can't remember!'''"
:—'''Whirl'''

''(Rodimus enters the communications room with a bucket on his head.)'' 
"I thought you didn't like hats." 
"'''Theme Night''' at Swerve's: 'People You'd Like to Punch.' I was a lone '''Megatron''' in a sea of '''Whirls'''."
:—'''Blaster''' and '''Rodimus'''

"What's the '''problem?''' Everyone on board the ''Lost Light'' is '''cracked in the head!'''" 
"Yeah, '''dysfunctional''' isn't the word! There isn't a '''normal''' 'bot among you!" 
"And that wouldn't be so bad if you actually '''made progress'''—but as far as I can make out, all you do is '''argue''', crack jokes, and get '''sidetracked''' doing pointless, silly things that only you find amusing!"
:—Various members of the '''Circle of Light''' get a bit meta on the comic. Er, the movie.

"In the future, I'd like to see a world without guns. Ha! No. Joking."
:—'''Brainstorm'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* The scenes in Rewind's documentary take place over a wide span of time. The earliest takes place during issue #1, while the latest must occur in-between issues [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|#13]] (in which the crew visited Hedonia) and [[Remembrance Day|#14]]. The one present day scene, taking place outside the documentary, occurs between scenes in the [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|previous issue]], after Tyrest's defeat but before the Light Lost departs Luna-1.
* The [[Novic Medal for Outstanding Valor|Novic Medal]], presumably named in reference to the legendary Nova Prime, was previously mentioned in [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]]'s bio in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''.
*Rewind asks Magnus if he's received the [[Rodimus Star]], an accolade that hasn't appeared in the main ''More than Meets the Eye'' series itself, but which was introduced in ''[[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]]''.
* A number of moments from this issue were hinted at or even seen in previous issues, which took place later chronologically.
** Two of the panels in Rewind's farewell montage in issue [[The Gloaming|#16]] have their source in the events depicted this issue: Perceptor running out of his smoking lab (page 2, panel 5), from which dialogue was lifted directly, and Rung counting his model collection (page 5, panel 7). Back in #16, the scene of the former had camera read-out text when none of the others did. Now we know why.
** In issue [[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|#19]], Tyrest brings up Utra Magnus hugging someone.
** In issue #21, Magnus talks about Rodimus's immature reaction to a "Thunder--."
* The Raging Prism was mentioned back in #13, where some of the characters talked about visiting its "Temple" on Hedonia. It makes sense, then, that a Hedonian resident would make reference to it.
* One of the Ammonites exclaims, "By the Great Shattering." According to the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|Annual]], something called the Shattering caused the formation of the Galactic Council. And since we learn this issue that the Council formed in response to the Ammonite-Terradore war... Ta-da, it all adds up!
* For the first time, we have in-story acknowledgment that Tailgate and Rung are from the same era, confirming that the former's reference to Rungian analysis in issue #1 was no error.
*Also for the first time, is the appearance of Tailgate's altmode, which indicates his t-cog had not yet succumb to Cybercrosis.
*Upon seeing Rodimus's "Megatron" costume (a bucket on his head), Blaster remarks on his captain's dislike for hats, which was introduced in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 annual]].
* Tailgate's statement that he wants to hate Thunderclash is a reference to his tendency to resent 'bots of greatness, previously seen in his attitudes toward Dominus Ambus and pre-insanity Tyrest.
*Back in issue #16, Chromedome pointed out a constellation he and Rewind had dubbed the "Vis Vitalis". Given that this term refers to something decided non-physical (see real-life references, below), we can probably assume that the stars made a picture of Thunderclash's ship.
* Continuing the running joke of people getting his name wrong, Rung's old ID card spells his name R-O-N-G.
* Chromedome finally learns to make the sound "pfft", having struggled to do so for ''four million years'' across issues [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|#9]] and [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|#11]].

===Transformers references===
*The Rung toy Swerve is trying to figure out on this issue's B cover comes with a set of [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]-style [[instructions]]. It has articulated eyebrows and a "listening mode"!
*Swerve tries to make Rung reflexively transform by striking his [[neural cluster]], a weak spot on Transformers mentioned in the Marvel UK story "[[Fire on High!]]".
*The Ammonites and Terraores are designated "Evil" and "Heroic", just like the "Heroic Autobots" and "Evil Decepticons" in classic Transformers marketing.

===Real-life references===
*The "Vis Vitalis" is a classical alchemical principle that proposes the existence of "life force" possessed by living creatures.

===Other trivia===
*Because this issue was written to be packed in with the ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Skids toy, it had to be written ''well'' in advance, before even #16 was penned, hence its standalone, not-too-continuity-heavy nature.
*The digital version of this issue was inadvertently released a week early through iBooks. It wasn't taken down, but nobody really noticed until a few days before it's print release.
*This issue is labelled as a "[[Dark Cybertron]]" prelude, and has a redesigned inside front cover to go along with this branding.
*This issue's visiting guest Autobot has his named parsed as "Thunder Clash" on the cover, as it was on his original toy, but as "Thunderclash" in the story itself, as pretty much every [[Thunderclash (disambiguation)|other use of the name]] is.
*Paddox remarks that the new leader of the Terradores may even reach out to the "Dark Cyclops" as a means of winning the war. Instinct, together with ''More than Meets the Eye''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s general tone, might suggest that he's talking about ''Whirl'', as if he became a legendary/mythic figure after killing the Terradore leader, but this ''is'' branded as a "Dark Cybertron" prelude, so might he be referring to [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]...?
*No "Meet the Crew" feature is included this issue, but then, the first two pages of the story cover that all pretty well themselves!

===Errors===
*On page 17, panel 5, "actually" is misspelled "actaually".
*Back in issue 13, as the Autobots were departing Hedonia, Whirl remarked that they hadn't killed anybody, which this issue proves to be incorrect. The error was caught well in advance of the publication of this issue (since it was written so far ahead of time), and the offending line was removed from the trade paperback reprinting of issue #13.

===Crew manifest===
*No updates!

===Soundtrack===

*''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3eM2R1aCKQ I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous]'' by [[Wikipedia: Frank Turner|Frank Turner]]
*''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YMYC0pS4Ws Goodnight Kiss]'' by [[Wikipedia: Black Box Recorder|Black Box Recorder]]
*''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB2TEElBU64 End Credits]'' by [[Wikipedia: Jesse Hartman|Laptop]]

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Rung holds a datapad bearing Thunder Clash's image, signed by the 'bot himself, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Swerve tries to puzzle out the transformation of a Rung toy, by [[Nick Roche]] and Josh Burcham.
*'''Cover RI:''' Skids, by [[Phil Jimenez]] and [[Romulo Fajardo Jr.]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg|The modest Thunderclash.
File:MTMTE22 cvrB.jpg|Swerve feels [[fandom|our]] pain.
File:MTMTE22 cvrRI.jpg|Guess which cover comes with the Skids toy?
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[Dark Cybertron, Part 1|The Transformers: Dark Cybertron'' #1]]
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Dark Cybertron, Part 2|#23]]
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Dark Cybertron, Part 3|#23]]
*''Robots in Disguise'' [[Soundwaves (issue)|#24]]
*''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Destiny, Part Five|#95]]
*IDW ''Samurai Jack'' comic
*''[[My Little Pony]]'' Annual 2013
*''[[Star Trek]]: Khan''(back cover)

==External links==
* [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/comics-16/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eyes-22-full-preview-178599/ Preview]
* [http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15275&p=353870#p353870 James Roberts reflects on the creative process of this issue on the IDW forums]

Little Victories

2013-10-17T07:07:59Z

Chupacabraconvoy: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=22
|prev=More than Meets the Eye issue 21
|next=Dark Cybertron, Part 2
|seriesissue2=[[Dark Cybertron]]
|next2=Dark Cybertron, Part 1
|image=MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg
|title="Little Victories"
|caption=What a guy!
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 9]], [[2013]] (iBooks) [[October 16]], [[2013]] (print)
|coverdate=October 2013
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[James Raiz]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2013)]]
}}

'''Rewind's recordings become a movie that charts the crew's adventures, including an intrusion into another robotic civil war, the mystery of Rung's alternate mode, and a visit from one of the greatest Autobots around!'''

==Synopsis==

In a series of brief talking-head segments, the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' introduce themselves to the audience as a set of title cards appear between soundbytes: "Little Victories: A film by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] of Lower [[Petrohex]]". After everyone has given their names, Rewind turns his camera around to introduce his film, created at [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, through a combination of his perpetual recordings of the goings-on on the ship and footage from the many security cameras installed on the vessel by [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]. To begin the movie proper, we see Rodimus requesting its filming, followed by a candid clip of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] expressing some concern at potentially looking ridiculous as a result of questionable editing decisions. Rodimus gives him permission to censor the finished product if necessary, and blacked-out sections of the film prove he wasn't shy about it.

While lounging around in the ship's oil reservoir, Rewind, [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] talk about the cool [[alternate mode]]s of their teammates, and the conversation turns to the mystery of what [[Rung]] turns into. Swerve wagers a hundred [[Shanix]] to the first person to figure it out, and starts trying by "accidentally" clonking him on the head in hopes of automatically triggering a transformation. Talking-head clips of Tailgate and Swerve reflecting on their wager turn to talk of hobbies, a topic that Rewind gets [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] to weigh in on; the theoretician lists "meeting new people", and recalls an encounter on [[Hedonia]]...

The film shifts to Hedonia, some time beforehand, and shows Skids and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] meeting the [[Ammonite]]s, a race of mechanical beings engaged in a civil war with their enemies the [[Terradore]]s. Whirl disparages their conflict in comparison with the Transformers' own, but it soon becomes apparent that the Ammonites trump the Cybertronians at every turn: their war has lasted ''sixteen'' million years rather than four, they have ten-changing "Decabots" instead of just [[Six Changer]]s, and while the Transformers are still trying to master [[Combiner]] technology, the Ammonites are ''all'' interchangeable combiners, and prove it by separating into their diminutive component 'bots. The two 'bots enjoy are enjoying a drink with their new rivals when a patron alerts the barman to the arrival of a huge Terradorian cruiser. As the Ammonites panic, Whirl strides outside and, with Skids looking on, quickly and easily murders the Terradore leader [[Imperius Drax]], smugly informing his new "friends" that ''that'' is how it's done.

Another talking-head segment follows, as Rewind asks each crew-member if they are "happy", to a variety of positive, confused, suspicious and veiled answers. A short scene of Tailgate trying and failing to trick Rung into transforming with an "alt-mode party" comes next, after which the movie shows Rodimus arriving in the ''Lost Light'' communication suite wearing a makeshift "[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]" helmet made from a bucket for a theme night as [[Swerve's]]. [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] informs him that they have received a message from [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], captain of the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'', who is quickly proven by another series of soundbytes from the crew to be one of the most popular, awesome, super-cool and handsome Autobots in the whole entire universe. Rodimus, however, is not a fan, and an extremely passive-aggressive exchange of pleasantries follows as Thunderclash comes aboard with his first officer [[Paddox]]. Rodimus tries to show off his crew, but Thunderclash knows them all well: he actually gets a ''hug'' from Ultra Magnus when he compliments his writings on "the relationship between typograpy and military justice", he impresses [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] by respecting his religion with an appropriate greeting, and he turns out to be old friends from medical school with [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]. Rodimus ''just about'' holds himself together through all of this, but explodes when Thunderclash reveals that ''he'' is on a quest for the [[Knights of Cybertron]] too! He angrily demands to know what Thunderclash wants, and the film cuts away to segments from Ratchet and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that explain that the ''Vis Vitalis'' is actually a huge, wireless life support machine that keeps the gravely-wounded Thunderclash alive, and that he has come to the ''Lost Light'' hoping for a ship-to-ship jumpstart to replenish his vessel's failing power supply.

A little later, Thunderclash walks [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] through how to use the [[quantum generator|quantum engines]] to accomplish the power-transfer, but just before the process is activated, Paddox suddenly pulls a gun on Thunderclash, revealing himself to be an Ammonite deep-cover agent! The Ammonites, it turns out, are actually the ''bad guys'' in their war, and following Whirl's assassination of the Terradores' leader, all Ammonites have been recalled for a big push back against the extreme tactics of his successor. "Paddox" intends to take the Autobots' quantum engines for the Ammonite war effort, but is abruptly taken out in the most unusual way possible: Swerve sneaks up and clobbers him over the head with... Rung in alternate mode. The film cuts away briefly for Rung to explain that even ''he'' doesn't know what his odd, cylindrical alternate mode is—he was classified as an "ornament" by the [[Functionism|Functionist]] council—then cuts back to Thunderclash thanking Rodimus for his efforts, and Rodimus quietly whispering to Rewind that he has begun to regret the candid nature of the movie...

''On [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], the [[Circle of Light]] boo the movie, which [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] is playing as part of a recruitment drive, hoping to get some of the Circle to join the ''Lost Light''. The Circle mock the movie and the entire ship's crew, accusing them all of being crazies and shirkers who never make any progress in their quest, and all leave, with some thinking of signing up with Thunderclash. Behind Skids, on the screen, the movie continues to roll on...''

A final talking-head segment sees Rewind ask each of the crewmembers what they hope is next for them. Some see the end in sight and some think the journey itself and the friends they've made are what it's all about, but Tailgate sums it up best when he says: "Who knows?" For the final scene of the movie, Rewind calls all his friends together for a group shot in Swerve's, not caring who stands where as along as everyone is together.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (3)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (4)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (6)
*[[Rung]] (7)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (9)
*[[Brainstorm]] (10)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (11)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (14)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (15)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (18)
*[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (19)
{{!}}}
|c2=
|c4=
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (5)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (8)
*Assorted [[Ammonite]]s (16)
*[[16444/9]] (17)
*[[Paddox]] (20)
*Multiple [[Circle of Light]] members (21)
}}

==Quotes==

"It's '''Whirl''', spelled: ''ker-klick! '''Choom!'''" 
:—'''Whirl''', on his own name

"So you think you're better at war than us? How long were you fighting?" 
"Four million years. You?" 
"Sixteen." 
"Sixteen years." 
"Sixteen million." 
<big>"'''Sixteen million years?!'''</big> Six-'''teen'''? That's ridiculous. That's a ridiculous number."
:—'''16444/9''' and '''Skids'''

"I once went toe-to-toe with a '''six-changer'''. Jet! Beast! Tank! Gun! '''And something else I can't remember!'''"
:—'''Whirl'''

''(Rodimus enters the communications room with a bucket on his head.)'' 
"I thought you didn't like hats." 
"'''Theme Night''' at Swerve's: 'People You'd Like to Punch.' I was a lone '''Megatron''' in a sea of '''Whirls'''."
:—'''Blaster''' and '''Rodimus'''

"What's the '''problem?''' Everyone on board the ''Lost Light'' is '''cracked in the head!'''" 
"Yeah, '''dysfunctional''' isn't the word! There isn't a '''normal''' 'bot among you!" 
"And that wouldn't be so bad if you actually '''made progress'''—but as far as I can make out, all you do is '''argue''', crack jokes, and get '''sidetracked''' doing pointless, silly things that only you find amusing!"
:—Various members of the '''Circle of Light''' get a bit meta on the comic. Er, the movie.

"In the future, I'd like to see a world without guns. Ha! No. Joking."
:—'''Brainstorm'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* The scenes in Rewind's documentary take place over a wide span of time. The earliest takes place during issue #1, while the latest must occur in-between issues [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|#13]] (in which the crew visited Hedonia) and [[Remembrance Day|#14]]. The one present day scene, taking place outside the documentary, occurs between scenes in the [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|previous issue]], after Tyrest's defeat but before the Light Lost departs Luna-1.
* The [[Novic Medal for Outstanding Valor|Novic Medal]], presumably named in reference to the legendary Nova Prime, was previously mentioned in [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]]'s bio in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''.
*Rewind asks Magnus if he's received the [[Rodimus Star]], an accolade that hasn't appeared in the main ''More than Meets the Eye'' series itself, but which was introduced in ''[[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]]''.
* A number of moments from this issue were hinted at or even seen in previous issues, which took place later chronologically.
** Two of the panels in Rewind's farewell montage in issue [[The Gloaming|#16]] have their source in the events depicted this issue: Perceptor running out of his smoking lab (page 2, panel 5), from which dialogue was lifted directly, and Rung counting his model collection (page 5, panel 7). Back in #16, the scene of the former had camera read-out text when none of the others did. Now we know why.
** In issue [[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|#19]], Tyrest brings up Utra Magnus hugging someone.
** In issue #21, Magnus talks about Rodimus's immature reaction to a "Thunder--."
* The Raging Prism was mentioned back in #13, where some of the characters talked about visiting its "Temple" on Hedonia. It makes sense, then, that a Hedonian resident would make reference to it.
* One of the Ammonites exclaims, "By the Great Shattering." According to the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|Annual]], something called the Shattering caused the formation of the Galactic Council. And since we learn this issue that the Council formed in response to the Ammonite-Terradore war... Ta-da, it all adds up!
* For the first time, we have in-story acknowledgment that Tailgate and Rung are from the same era, confirming that the former's reference to Rungian analysis in issue #1 was no error.
*Also first time, is the appearance of Tailgate's altmode, which indicates his t-cog had not yet succumb to Cybercrosis.
*Upon seeing Rodimus's "Megatron" costume (a bucket on his head), Blaster remarks on his captain's dislike for hats, which was introduced in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 annual]].
* Tailgate's statement that he wants to hate Thunderclash is a reference to his tendency to resent 'bots of greatness, previously seen in his attitudes toward Dominus Ambus and pre-insanity Tyrest.
*Back in issue #16, Chromedome pointed out a constellation he and Rewind had dubbed the "Vis Vitalis". Given that this term refers to something decided non-physical (see real-life references, below), we can probably assume that the stars made a picture of Thunderclash's ship.
* Continuing the running joke of people getting his name wrong, Rung's old ID card spells his name R-O-N-G.
* Chromedome finally learns to make the sound "pfft", having struggled to do so for ''four million years'' across issues [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|#9]] and [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|#11]].

===Transformers references===
*The Rung toy Swerve is trying to figure out on this issue's B cover comes with a set of [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]-style [[instructions]]. It has articulated eyebrows and a "listening mode"!
*Swerve tries to make Rung reflexively transform by striking his [[neural cluster]], a weak spot on Transformers mentioned in the Marvel UK story "[[Fire on High!]]".
*The Ammonites and Terraores are designated "Evil" and "Heroic", just like the "Heroic Autobots" and "Evil Decepticons" in classic Transformers marketing.

===Real-life references===
*The "Vis Vitalis" is a classical alchemical principle that proposes the existence of "life force" possessed by living creatures.

===Other trivia===
*Because this issue was written to be packed in with the ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Skids toy, it had to be written ''well'' in advance, before even #16 was penned, hence its standalone, not-too-continuity-heavy nature.
*The digital version of this issue was inadvertently released a week early through iBooks. It wasn't taken down, but nobody really noticed until a few days before it's print release.
*This issue is labelled as a "[[Dark Cybertron]]" prelude, and has a redesigned inside front cover to go along with this branding.
*This issue's visiting guest Autobot has his named parsed as "Thunder Clash" on the cover, as it was on his original toy, but as "Thunderclash" in the story itself, as pretty much every [[Thunderclash (disambiguation)|other use of the name]] is.
*Paddox remarks that the new leader of the Terradores may even reach out to the "Dark Cyclops" as a means of winning the war. Instinct, together with ''More than Meets the Eye''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s general tone, might suggest that he's talking about ''Whirl'', as if he became a legendary/mythic figure after killing the Terradore leader, but this ''is'' branded as a "Dark Cybertron" prelude, so might he be referring to [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]...?
*No "Meet the Crew" feature is included this issue, but then, the first two pages of the story cover that all pretty well themselves!

===Errors===
*On page 17, panel 5, "actually" is misspelled "actaually".
*Back in issue 13, as the Autobots were departing Hedonia, Whirl remarked that they hadn't killed anybody, which this issue proves to be incorrect. The error was caught well in advance of the publication of this issue (since it was written so far ahead of time), and the offending line was removed from the trade paperback reprinting of issue #13.

===Crew manifest===
*No updates!

===Soundtrack===

*''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3eM2R1aCKQ I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous]'' by [[Wikipedia: Frank Turner|Frank Turner]]
*''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YMYC0pS4Ws Goodnight Kiss]'' by [[Wikipedia: Black Box Recorder|Black Box Recorder]]
*''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB2TEElBU64 End Credits]'' by [[Wikipedia: Jesse Hartman|Laptop]]

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Rung holds a datapad bearing Thunder Clash's image, signed by the 'bot himself, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Swerve tries to puzzle out the transformation of a Rung toy, by [[Nick Roche]] and Josh Burcham.
*'''Cover RI:''' Skids, by [[Phil Jimenez]] and [[Romulo Fajardo Jr.]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg|The modest Thunderclash.
File:MTMTE22 cvrB.jpg|Swerve feels [[fandom|our]] pain.
File:MTMTE22 cvrRI.jpg|Guess which cover comes with the Skids toy?
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[Dark Cybertron, Part 1|The Transformers: Dark Cybertron'' #1]]
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Dark Cybertron, Part 2|#23]]
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Dark Cybertron, Part 3|#23]]
*''Robots in Disguise'' [[Soundwaves (issue)|#24]]
*''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Destiny, Part Five|#95]]
*IDW ''Samurai Jack'' comic
*''[[My Little Pony]]'' Annual 2013
*''[[Star Trek]]: Khan''(back cover)

==External links==
* [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/comics-16/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eyes-22-full-preview-178599/ Preview]
* [http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15275&p=353870#p353870 James Roberts reflects on the creative process of this issue on the IDW forums]

Little Victories

2013-10-17T07:07:03Z

Chupacabraconvoy: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=22
|prev=More than Meets the Eye issue 21
|next=Dark Cybertron, Part 2
|seriesissue2=[[Dark Cybertron]]
|next2=Dark Cybertron, Part 1
|image=MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg
|title="Little Victories"
|caption=What a guy!
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 9]], [[2013]] (iBooks) [[October 16]], [[2013]] (print)
|coverdate=October 2013
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[James Raiz]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2013)]]
}}

'''Rewind's recordings become a movie that charts the crew's adventures, including an intrusion into another robotic civil war, the mystery of Rung's alternate mode, and a visit from one of the greatest Autobots around!'''

==Synopsis==

In a series of brief talking-head segments, the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' introduce themselves to the audience as a set of title cards appear between soundbytes: "Little Victories: A film by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] of Lower [[Petrohex]]". After everyone has given their names, Rewind turns his camera around to introduce his film, created at [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, through a combination of his perpetual recordings of the goings-on on the ship and footage from the many security cameras installed on the vessel by [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]. To begin the movie proper, we see Rodimus requesting its filming, followed by a candid clip of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] expressing some concern at potentially looking ridiculous as a result of questionable editing decisions. Rodimus gives him permission to censor the finished product if necessary, and blacked-out sections of the film prove he wasn't shy about it.

While lounging around in the ship's oil reservoir, Rewind, [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] talk about the cool [[alternate mode]]s of their teammates, and the conversation turns to the mystery of what [[Rung]] turns into. Swerve wagers a hundred [[Shanix]] to the first person to figure it out, and starts trying by "accidentally" clonking him on the head in hopes of automatically triggering a transformation. Talking-head clips of Tailgate and Swerve reflecting on their wager turn to talk of hobbies, a topic that Rewind gets [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] to weigh in on; the theoretician lists "meeting new people", and recalls an encounter on [[Hedonia]]...

The film shifts to Hedonia, some time beforehand, and shows Skids and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] meeting the [[Ammonite]]s, a race of mechanical beings engaged in a civil war with their enemies the [[Terradore]]s. Whirl disparages their conflict in comparison with the Transformers' own, but it soon becomes apparent that the Ammonites trump the Cybertronians at every turn: their war has lasted ''sixteen'' million years rather than four, they have ten-changing "Decabots" instead of just [[Six Changer]]s, and while the Transformers are still trying to master [[Combiner]] technology, the Ammonites are ''all'' interchangeable combiners, and prove it by separating into their diminutive component 'bots. The two 'bots enjoy are enjoying a drink with their new rivals when a patron alerts the barman to the arrival of a huge Terradorian cruiser. As the Ammonites panic, Whirl strides outside and, with Skids looking on, quickly and easily murders the Terradore leader [[Imperius Drax]], smugly informing his new "friends" that ''that'' is how it's done.

Another talking-head segment follows, as Rewind asks each crew-member if they are "happy", to a variety of positive, confused, suspicious and veiled answers. A short scene of Tailgate trying and failing to trick Rung into transforming with an "alt-mode party" comes next, after which the movie shows Rodimus arriving in the ''Lost Light'' communication suite wearing a makeshift "[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]" helmet made from a bucket for a theme night as [[Swerve's]]. [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] informs him that they have received a message from [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], captain of the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'', who is quickly proven by another series of soundbytes from the crew to be one of the most popular, awesome, super-cool and handsome Autobots in the whole entire universe. Rodimus, however, is not a fan, and an extremely passive-aggressive exchange of pleasantries follows as Thunderclash comes aboard with his first officer [[Paddox]]. Rodimus tries to show off his crew, but Thunderclash knows them all well: he actually gets a ''hug'' from Ultra Magnus when he compliments his writings on "the relationship between typograpy and military justice", he impresses [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] by respecting his religion with an appropriate greeting, and he turns out to be old friends from medical school with [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]. Rodimus ''just about'' holds himself together through all of this, but explodes when Thunderclash reveals that ''he'' is on a quest for the [[Knights of Cybertron]] too! He angrily demands to know what Thunderclash wants, and the film cuts away to segments from Ratchet and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that explain that the ''Vis Vitalis'' is actually a huge, wireless life support machine that keeps the gravely-wounded Thunderclash alive, and that he has come to the ''Lost Light'' hoping for a ship-to-ship jumpstart to replenish his vessel's failing power supply.

A little later, Thunderclash walks [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] through how to use the [[quantum generator|quantum engines]] to accomplish the power-transfer, but just before the process is activated, Paddox suddenly pulls a gun on Thunderclash, revealing himself to be an Ammonite deep-cover agent! The Ammonites, it turns out, are actually the ''bad guys'' in their war, and following Whirl's assassination of the Terradores' leader, all Ammonites have been recalled for a big push back against the extreme tactics of his successor. "Paddox" intends to take the Autobots' quantum engines for the Ammonite war effort, but is abruptly taken out in the most unusual way possible: Swerve sneaks up and clobbers him over the head with... Rung in alternate mode. The film cuts away briefly for Rung to explain that even ''he'' doesn't know what his odd, cylindrical alternate mode is—he was classified as an "ornament" by the [[Functionism|Functionist]] council—then cuts back to Thunderclash thanking Rodimus for his efforts, and Rodimus quietly whispering to Rewind that he has begun to regret the candid nature of the movie...

''On [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], the [[Circle of Light]] boo the movie, which [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] is playing as part of a recruitment drive, hoping to get some of the Circle to join the ''Lost Light''. The Circle mock the movie and the entire ship's crew, accusing them all of being crazies and shirkers who never make any progress in their quest, and all leave, with some thinking of signing up with Thunderclash. Behind Skids, on the screen, the movie continues to roll on...''

A final talking-head segment sees Rewind ask each of the crewmembers what they hope is next for them. Some see the end in sight and some think the journey itself and the friends they've made are what it's all about, but Tailgate sums it up best when he says: "Who knows?" For the final scene of the movie, Rewind calls all his friends together for a group shot in Swerve's, not caring who stands where as along as everyone is together.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (3)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (4)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (6)
*[[Rung]] (7)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (9)
*[[Brainstorm]] (10)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (11)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (14)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (15)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (18)
*[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (19)
{{!}}}
|c2=
|c4=
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (5)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (8)
*Assorted [[Ammonite]]s (16)
*[[16444/9]] (17)
*[[Paddox]] (20)
*Multiple [[Circle of Light]] members (21)
}}

==Quotes==

"It's '''Whirl''', spelled: ''ker-klick! '''Choom!'''" 
:—'''Whirl''', on his own name

"So you think you're better at war than us? How long were you fighting?" 
"Four million years. You?" 
"Sixteen." 
"Sixteen years." 
"Sixteen million." 
<big>"'''Sixteen million years?!'''</big> Six-'''teen'''? That's ridiculous. That's a ridiculous number."
:—'''16444/9''' and '''Skids'''

"I once went toe-to-toe with a '''six-changer'''. Jet! Beast! Tank! Gun! '''And something else I can't remember!'''"
:—'''Whirl'''

''(Rodimus enters the communications room with a bucket on his head.)'' 
"I thought you didn't like hats." 
"'''Theme Night''' at Swerve's: 'People You'd Like to Punch.' I was a lone '''Megatron''' in a sea of '''Whirls'''."
:—'''Blaster''' and '''Rodimus'''

"What's the '''problem?''' Everyone on board the ''Lost Light'' is '''cracked in the head!'''" 
"Yeah, '''dysfunctional''' isn't the word! There isn't a '''normal''' 'bot among you!" 
"And that wouldn't be so bad if you actually '''made progress'''—but as far as I can make out, all you do is '''argue''', crack jokes, and get '''sidetracked''' doing pointless, silly things that only you find amusing!"
:—Various members of the '''Circle of Light''' get a bit meta on the comic. Er, the movie.

"In the future, I'd like to see a world without guns. Ha! No. Joking."
:—'''Brainstorm'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* The scenes in Rewind's documentary take place over a wide span of time. The earliest takes place during issue #1, while the latest must occur in-between issues [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|#13]] (in which the crew visited Hedonia) and [[Remembrance Day|#14]]. The one present day scene, taking place outside the documentary, occurs between scenes in the [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|previous issue]], after Tyrest's defeat but before the Light Lost departs Luna-1.
* The [[Novic Medal for Outstanding Valor|Novic Medal]], presumably named in reference to the legendary Nova Prime, was previously mentioned in [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]]'s bio in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''.
*Rewind asks Magnus if he's received the [[Rodimus Star]], an accolade that hasn't appeared in the main ''More than Meets the Eye'' series itself, but which was introduced in ''[[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]]''.
* A number of moments from this issue were hinted at or even seen in previous issues, which took place later chronologically.
** Two of the panels in Rewind's farewell montage in issue [[The Gloaming|#16]] have their source in the events depicted this issue: Perceptor running out of his smoking lab (page 2, panel 5), from which dialogue was lifted directly, and Rung counting his model collection (page 5, panel 7). Back in #16, the scene of the former had camera read-out text when none of the others did. Now we know why.
** In issue [[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|#19]], Tyrest brings up Utra Magnus hugging someone.
** In issue #21, Magnus talks about Rodimus's immature reaction to a "Thunder--."
* The Raging Prism was mentioned back in #13, where some of the characters talked about visiting its "Temple" on Hedonia. It makes sense, then, that a Hedonian resident would make reference to it.
* One of the Ammonites exclaims, "By the Great Shattering." According to the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|Annual]], something called the Shattering caused the formation of the Galactic Council. And since we learn this issue that the Council formed in response to the Ammonite-Terradore war... Ta-da, it all adds up!
* For the first time, we have in-story acknowledgment that Tailgate and Rung are from the same era, confirming that the former's reference to Rungian analysis in issue #1 was no error.
*Also first time, is the appearance of Tailgate's altmode, which indicates his t- cog had not yet succumb to Cybercrosis.
*Upon seeing Rodimus's "Megatron" costume (a bucket on his head), Blaster remarks on his captain's dislike for hats, which was introduced in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 annual]].
* Tailgate's statement that he wants to hate Thunderclash is a reference to his tendency to resent 'bots of greatness, previously seen in his attitudes toward Dominus Ambus and pre-insanity Tyrest.
*Back in issue #16, Chromedome pointed out a constellation he and Rewind had dubbed the "Vis Vitalis". Given that this term refers to something decided non-physical (see real-life references, below), we can probably assume that the stars made a picture of Thunderclash's ship.
* Continuing the running joke of people getting his name wrong, Rung's old ID card spells his name R-O-N-G.
* Chromedome finally learns to make the sound "pfft", having struggled to do so for ''four million years'' across issues [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|#9]] and [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|#11]].

===Transformers references===
*The Rung toy Swerve is trying to figure out on this issue's B cover comes with a set of [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]-style [[instructions]]. It has articulated eyebrows and a "listening mode"!
*Swerve tries to make Rung reflexively transform by striking his [[neural cluster]], a weak spot on Transformers mentioned in the Marvel UK story "[[Fire on High!]]".
*The Ammonites and Terraores are designated "Evil" and "Heroic", just like the "Heroic Autobots" and "Evil Decepticons" in classic Transformers marketing.

===Real-life references===
*The "Vis Vitalis" is a classical alchemical principle that proposes the existence of "life force" possessed by living creatures.

===Other trivia===
*Because this issue was written to be packed in with the ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Skids toy, it had to be written ''well'' in advance, before even #16 was penned, hence its standalone, not-too-continuity-heavy nature.
*The digital version of this issue was inadvertently released a week early through iBooks. It wasn't taken down, but nobody really noticed until a few days before it's print release.
*This issue is labelled as a "[[Dark Cybertron]]" prelude, and has a redesigned inside front cover to go along with this branding.
*This issue's visiting guest Autobot has his named parsed as "Thunder Clash" on the cover, as it was on his original toy, but as "Thunderclash" in the story itself, as pretty much every [[Thunderclash (disambiguation)|other use of the name]] is.
*Paddox remarks that the new leader of the Terradores may even reach out to the "Dark Cyclops" as a means of winning the war. Instinct, together with ''More than Meets the Eye''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s general tone, might suggest that he's talking about ''Whirl'', as if he became a legendary/mythic figure after killing the Terradore leader, but this ''is'' branded as a "Dark Cybertron" prelude, so might he be referring to [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]...?
*No "Meet the Crew" feature is included this issue, but then, the first two pages of the story cover that all pretty well themselves!

===Errors===
*On page 17, panel 5, "actually" is misspelled "actaually".
*Back in issue 13, as the Autobots were departing Hedonia, Whirl remarked that they hadn't killed anybody, which this issue proves to be incorrect. The error was caught well in advance of the publication of this issue (since it was written so far ahead of time), and the offending line was removed from the trade paperback reprinting of issue #13.

===Crew manifest===
*No updates!

===Soundtrack===

*''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3eM2R1aCKQ I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous]'' by [[Wikipedia: Frank Turner|Frank Turner]]
*''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YMYC0pS4Ws Goodnight Kiss]'' by [[Wikipedia: Black Box Recorder|Black Box Recorder]]
*''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB2TEElBU64 End Credits]'' by [[Wikipedia: Jesse Hartman|Laptop]]

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Rung holds a datapad bearing Thunder Clash's image, signed by the 'bot himself, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Swerve tries to puzzle out the transformation of a Rung toy, by [[Nick Roche]] and Josh Burcham.
*'''Cover RI:''' Skids, by [[Phil Jimenez]] and [[Romulo Fajardo Jr.]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg|The modest Thunderclash.
File:MTMTE22 cvrB.jpg|Swerve feels [[fandom|our]] pain.
File:MTMTE22 cvrRI.jpg|Guess which cover comes with the Skids toy?
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[Dark Cybertron, Part 1|The Transformers: Dark Cybertron'' #1]]
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Dark Cybertron, Part 2|#23]]
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Dark Cybertron, Part 3|#23]]
*''Robots in Disguise'' [[Soundwaves (issue)|#24]]
*''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Destiny, Part Five|#95]]
*IDW ''Samurai Jack'' comic
*''[[My Little Pony]]'' Annual 2013
*''[[Star Trek]]: Khan''(back cover)

==External links==
* [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/comics-16/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eyes-22-full-preview-178599/ Preview]
* [http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15275&p=353870#p353870 James Roberts reflects on the creative process of this issue on the IDW forums]

Talk:Little Victories

2013-10-17T06:43:07Z

Chupacabraconvoy: Continuity notes Tailgate's alt mode.