Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On

2023-01-24T17:44:15Z

EctoplasmicEntity: minor spelling and grammar corrections, as well as a couple of edits in the text itself.

{{Comicstory|
|series=mtmte|issueno=2
|prev=Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It
|next=Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things
|caption=
|image=MTMTE2_cvrB.jpg
|title="Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 15]], [[2012]](1st printing) [[March 21]], 2012 (2nd printing)
|coverdate=February 2012
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline|Current era (2012)]]
}}
'''The recovering crew of the ''Lost Light'' are joined by Skids, a bot on the run... but on the run from what?'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:HangersOn-Hoist.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.7]]
On the barren planet where the ''[[Lost Light]]'' has put down, [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] and others go about gathering up the [[Autobot]]s who have been scattered across the world's surface. [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] radios in that he has discovered the source of their explosive mishap: the [[Duobot]] [[Ore]] was standing too close to the [[quantum generator]] when it activated, and wound up being "totally mashed" into it. Perturbed by Brainstorm's general tone of levity, Rodimus orders him to start helping with the search, then takes a call from [[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]], who is with [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], hauling [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]] out of a lake.

Meanwhile, in the skies above the planet, a small ship materializes. Its sole occupant is [[Skids (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skids]], who awakens with an [[inhibitor claw]] on his back and the knowledge that he is running from ''something''... but cannot remember what, finding that all of his recent memories are missing. Spotting a [[mode lock]] on the shuttle's console and realizing that it is trying to transform into something, he sets the ship on a collision course with the planet and bails out. He watches the ship crash, but from the flames, its remnants transform into a trio of gigantic robots; one was killed, presumably in the crash, but the others are quite alive and quite hostile, advancing on Skids while wielding giant swords and repeatedly intoning the cryptic phrase: "nineteen eighty-four". Apparently lacking in any weapons, Skids improvises with the nearby corpses of [[Polaris]] and [[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]]: he magnetizes the former to one of the giant robots, then uses the latter's gun to blow Polaris up, taking the monstrous mechanoid with it.

Aboard the ''Lost Light'', [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] tends to the wounds [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] received before take-off, startling the timid psychiatrist by smashing his own hand with a hammer to loosen his joints. They discuss [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]], who is being carbon-dated by [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]], and Ratchet grumbles about [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'s newfound sense of unbearable positivity before half-heartedly turning his attention to the unconscious [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]. Suddenly, Whirl awakens, seizes Rung, and begins throttling him, heedless of Ratchet and Swerve's attempts to calm him. The maddened Autobot only stops when Rung chokes out the warning that if he kills him, he'll go back to prison. Whirl snaps out of it and stalks off, the ruckus having awakened Tailgate, who is relieved to find out he did not kill the unhinged Autobot. Realizing that Tailgate is a 'bot out of time, Swerve begs Ratchet to allow him to be the one to tell him, and the "gentle" manner in which Swerve relates the information elicits a horrified bellow from Tailgate that is heard outside the ''Lost Light''.

[[File:HangersOn Whirl Cyclonus.jpg|thumb|I'm a vampire!!!]]
Elsewhere on the ship, Rodimus meets with Cyclonus, who explains that he attached himself to the hull of the ''Lost Light'' to join in its mission. Though unapologetic for his past actions, he pleads his case for being allowed to stay and manages to sway Rodimus to his side, though Ultra Magnus is less than convinced. Having found Whirl skulking around, Magnus brings him into the room, and orders him to settle his argument with Cyclonus. Whirl does so without admitting any guilt, and is surprised when Cyclonus hugs him... only for him to whisper during the embrace that Whirl should watch his back, because he's going to kill him.

[[File:Legislator vs Skids Hangers On.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]
Swerve and Tailgate go for a walk outside, with Tailgate rebuffing Swerve's request to see his [[alternate mode]] on the basis that Ratchet told him to take it easy. They meet up with Chromedome and Rewind for some proper introductions, when Skids suddenly falls out of the sky with the last of the giant 'bots on his tail. Recognizing the Autobot—and noting that he has long been thought dead—Chromedome removes Skids's inhibitor claw for him, allowing him to deploy his weapons and finish his pursuer off with impressive ease. As things calm down, though, Chromedome points out that Skids has been holding a handgun all along, which Skids somehow never realized...

Skids returns to the ''Lost Light'' with the other Autobots, quickly discovering he's earned himself a fan in Swerve, who artfully balances proposing that he and Skids team up and badgering Tailgate into transforming. Rodimus addressed the assembled Autobots on recent issues, but Whirl pipes up with a "pressing issue"—unimpressed with just about everyone else on the ship, he thinks the group should at least have a cool name. Swerve proposes "The Crusadercons", but Rodimus and Skids take issue with the -con suffix. Before any further discussion can take place, Rodimus gets a call from [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], who has been investigating reports of noises on the lower decks with [[Shock (G1)|Shock]]... who is now lying dead by Red's side, his [[spark]] ripped out. Panicked, Red Alert relates his fear to Rodimus... there's a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] on board!
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] (1)
*[[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]] (2)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] (3)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (4)
*[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] (5)
*[[Rollout (G1)|Rollout]] (6)
*? (7)
*? (8)
*[[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] (9)
*[[Ore]] (10)
*[[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] (11)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] (12)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (13)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (15)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (17)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (19)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (20)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (22)
*[[Polaris]] (23)
*[[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]] (24)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (25)
*[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] (26)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (27)
*[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] (28)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (29)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (30)
*[[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]] (31)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] (32)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (33)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (34)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (35)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (36)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (37)
*[[Pointblank]] (38)
*[[Animus]] (39)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (40)
*[[Shock (G1)|Shock]] (41)
{{!}}}
|c4=
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]] (14)
*[[Legislator]]s (16)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (21)
}}

==Quotes==
"Why are you—''aak!''—doing this?" 
"It's your '''eyebrows'''! He's jealous of your capacity for self-expression!"
:—When '''Rung''' is throttled by Whirl, '''Swerve''' proves to be little help.

'''Rewind:''' "'''Wow.''' It's time like this I'm glad I have a camera bolted to my head..." 
'''Swerve:''' "Nice '''moves'''! Who '''are''' you? An '''ex-[[Wreckers|Wrecker]]'''? One of the '''[[Warriors Elite]]'''? An old '''pit fighter'''?" 
'''Skids:''' "I'm a '''theoretician.'''"
:—That last line kinda feels like it's missing a "...motherf@#!er!" at the end.

'''Rodimus:''' "'''Look''' at them all. What do I tell them?" 
'''Ultra Magnus:''' "The '''truth'''. We've lost contact with Cybertron, we can't find ourselves on the map, Ore is dead, Hyperion and Polaris are dead, but Cyclonus is happy, so that's okay". 
'''Rodimus:''' "See, this is why you're not a public speaker." 
'''Drift:''' "I think you should accentuate the positive. We've got the quantum generators working again—big tick. We're ready to resume our quest—big tick. And we've managed to save '''virtually''' all of the Autobots who got pulled outside—that's more of a '''little''' tick, '''but it's still a tick!'''" 
'''Rodimus:''' "Hmm. I think I'll go for a mixture of depressingly gloomy and offensively upbeat. Thanks, guys."

"So, you gonna show me your alt mode or what?" 
"Ooh, '''alright''' then. But I'm taking it '''slow''', okay?" 
"Tell you what: I'll speak to Skids and pop back in about '''six million years' time''', okay?"
:—'''Swerve''' only teases '''Tailgate''' because he loves him.

"'The Crusadercons.' The more you say it, the cooler it sounds." 
"Someone hears that, they're gonna think we're Decepticons." 
"What, so it has to end in 'bot'?" 
"Well... '''yeah'''. Omnibots, Monsterbots, Duobots... it's kind of an '''unwritten rule''', isn't it." 
"Forget the '''rules'''! The war's over—it's time to '''reclaim the suffix'''!"
:—'''Swerve''' is just a really quotable 'bot, okay? '''Skids''' doesn't share our enthusiasm for him.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*This is the start of an arc about Tailgate's background, which will carry on until [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|#13]] (with one last slight twist in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|#21]]).
*It's also the start of the Skids arc which gets resolved in #19 and #20.
* The answer to the question Skids asks himself when he wakes up ("Scum! Why is my name Scum?") is revealed to the reader in [[Speak, Memory! (Part 2)|#49]] and remembered by Skids in [[The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|#54]].
*The Legislators keep saying [[1984|"nineteen eighty-four"]]: this will be significant in the Skids arc and has a different meaning to [[How Ratchet Got His Hands Back|what you think it does]].
*Whirl is ''loathed'' by the other Autobots, with Ratchet openly hoping that something would prevent him from repairing him.

===Transformers references===
*Blaster is now sporting a yellow face, a colouration formerly unique to the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel G1 comic]].
*At one point, Skids remembers his "Batch number, [[Tech Spec|Technical Specifications]], [[Function]]" and even his motto, which he finds lame.

===Trivia===
*If you don't get the double-meaning that British writer James Roberts has hidden in the Duobots' names, try saying "Shock and Ore" out loud with a British accent.
*The last page includes a summary of the crew members already introduced, with short introductions beneath. These include factoids such as Swerve's weapon of choice is his mouth, Whirl was twice voted "Autobot most likely to defect", and Ultra Magnus once smiled, and has regretted it ever since.

===Crew Manifest===
*The fifty or so crew members lost during the quantum jump are all recovered. The only deaths were Polaris and Hyperion.
*Shock and Ore are killed by the Sparkeater and quantum jump, respectively.
*Skids and Cyclonus join the crew.
*4 deaths, 2 new arrivals since the launch.

===Errors===
*The ''story so far'' page is missing a space between "peril" and "an".
*Ratchet says he's asked Swerve to "carbon-date" Tailgate to find out how old he is, but carbon dating is neither useful for anything older than a few ten thousand years, nor anything that isn't composed of organic matter.
*When Skids is telling Chromedome to remove the inhibitor claw from his back, his gun is missing from his right hand.
*(And on Roche's cover, the gun is in his left hand, but whatevs.)
*On page 22, when Drift is giving the communicator device to Rodimus, he has two right hands.

===Soundtrack===
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUN826BdvV4 "Calendar Girl"] by {{w|Stars (Canadian band)|Stars}}
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfySK7CLEEg "Bloodbuzz Ohio"] by {{w|The National (band)|The National}}

===Foreign localization===
'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Usohappyaku Part 2: Koshiginchaku'''" (嘘八百パート2：腰ぎんちゃく, "Pack of Lies Part 2: Hangers-On")

'''Swedish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Lögnare, Från A till D Del 2: Fripassagerare'''" (Liars, From A to D Part 2: Stowaways")

===Covers (4)===
*'''Cover A:''' Rodimus amongst injured Autobots; art by Alex Milne, colors by [[Josh Perez]].
*'''Cover B:''' Skids gets blown out of the ship; art by [[Nick Roche]], colors by [[Josh Burcham]].
*'''Cover RI:''' Sketch (uncolored) version of cover A by Alex Milne.
*'''Second printing:''' Wraparound cover of Rodimus and Magnus surveying the ''Lost Light'' crew by Milne and Burcham, taken from panel 2 of page 19

<gallery>
File:MTMTE2_cvrA.jpg|"Quit lying down on the job, ya bums!"
File:MTMTE2_cvrB.jpg|Skids gets a helluva intro.
File:MTMTE2_cvrRI.jpg|"I TOLD THEM I WANTED COLOR!"
File:MTMTE2_2ndptg.jpg|Second printing cover
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The World & Everything in It|#2]]
*''[[Infestation 2|Infestation 2: Transformers]]''
*''[[G.I. Joe (comic)|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]]'' Annual 2012
*''Road Rage''
*''Jack Avarice is The Courier''

===Reprints===
*'''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1''''' ([[June 13]], [[2012]]) ISBN 1613772351 / ISBN 978-1613772355 
:*Contains issues #1 to #3, as well as the preceding ''[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]'' one-shot.
:*Bonus material includes art from most covers, 12 promotional images, "Meet the Crew" page, design sketches from [[Alex Milne]] for various characters and ship locations, and a 2-page editor's comment with "behind the scenes" information about the series.

*'''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1''''' (reissue) ([[May 21]], [[2014]]) ISBN 1613779658 / ISBN 978-1613779651
:*Contains issues #1 to #3, and ''The Death of Optimus Prime'' one-shot.
:*New cover by [[Livio Ramondelli]].
:*Bonus material UNKNOWN

*'''''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 1]]''''' ([[September 3]], 2014) ISBN 1631400401 / ISBN 978-1631400407
:*Includes "The Death of Optimus Prime", ''More than Meets the Eye'' #1–5 and ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' #1–6.

*'''''Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Box Set''''' ([[December 2]], [[2015]]) ISBN 1631404741 / ISBN 978-1631404740
:*Contains ''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye'' Volumes 1 to 5.
:*Bonus content UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.

* '''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]]: Volume 53: Liars, A to D''''' ([[December 26]], [[2018]])
:* Hardcover collection of ''Robots in Disguise'' #25 to #27, ''More than Meets the Eye'' #1 to #6, ''[[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]]'' and ''[[The Waiting Game|Spotlight: Hoist]]''.
:* Bonus content includes an all-new interview with James Roberts, rare archive material from the dawn of ''More than Meets the Eye'', and Alex Milne's sketchbook.

* '''''Transformers: Mer än ögat kan se''''' ([[June 15]], [[2019]])
:* Swedish reprint volume.
:* Collects issues #1-8, [[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]], [[The Waiting Game|Spotlight: Hoist]], [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|The 2012 Annual]] and a special illustrated edition of [[Bullets]].

<gallery>
File:MTMTE vol1.jpg|'''Volume 1'''; cover art by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
File:MTMTE vol1 reissue.jpg|'''Volume 1 reissue'''; cover art by [[Livio Ramondelli]]
File:IDWCollectionP2V1.jpg|'''''IDW Collection Phase 2 Vol. 1'''''; cover art by [[Saren Stone]]
File:MTMTE boxset.jpg|'''Box Set'''; cover art by [[Marcelo Matere]]
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v53.jpg|'''''Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 53: Liars, A to D'''''; cover art by [[Don Figueroa]] (Whirl) and Alex Milne (retro)
File:MTMTE_SWE_01.jpg|'''''Mer än Ögat kan Se'''''; Cover art by Alex Milne and [[Joana Lafuente]].
</gallery>

User:EctoplasmicEntity

2023-01-16T14:08:21Z

EctoplasmicEntity:

I'm just another guy that happens to like this wiki.

User:EctoplasmicEntity

2023-01-16T13:57:17Z

EctoplasmicEntity: my page or smth

Welcome to my page.

I'm just another guy that happens to like using this wiki.
Transformers is just something I decided to pick up in 2022, and this very wiki was a big part of that.

anyways, did you know that the G1 seeker landing gear fits neatly within the cockpit in robot mode?

User:EctoplasmicEntity

2023-01-16T13:51:50Z

EctoplasmicEntity: Created page with "Welcome to my page."

Welcome to my page.

Plutonium pepperoni

2023-01-06T00:21:15Z

EctoplasmicEntity: Corrected "wether" to "whether", since it would be a safe bet to assume that this page has nothing to do with castrated rams.

'''Plutonium pepperoni''' is a [[Cybertronian food]] item. Presumably it is shaped like Earth's pepperoni, and it may or may not be made of plutonium. [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] loves it more than either [[cesium salami]] or [[beryllium baloney]].

==Fiction==
When asked on Grim Grams about whether he preferred cesium salami or beryllium bologna, Grimlock said that he found plutonium pepperoni the most delicious of them. He then complained about getting hungry and went to order some strontium spaghetti with [[Vector Prime]]'s ANN expense account. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime}}

[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
[[Category:Transformer culture]]

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On

User:EctoplasmicEntity

User:EctoplasmicEntity

User:EctoplasmicEntity

Plutonium pepperoni