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2019 IDW continuity

2020-02-20T19:10:17Z

Guntrip: /* Other releases */

{{nav-G1|logo=Transformers 2014 logo.png}}

[[File:Transformers-2019-1-cvrA-clean.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

The '''2019 IDW continuity''' serves as the reboot to [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Transformers'' line as a whole, beginning in March [[2019]] and running into the foreseeable future. As per tradition, this new iteration of the continuity is a new, separate story, entirely divorced from the [[2005 IDW continuity]] and its decades-long story arc that concluded with 2018's ''[[Transformers: Unicron|Unicron]]'' miniseries. Despite this, however, the continuity has featured an unusually high number of IDW-original returning characters, and many concepts have been mined from its predecessor and adjusted to fit into this new universe.

Unusually for a ''Transformers'' story, which generally start ''in medias res'', with the Autobot-Decepticon war well underway, this continuity opens just before chronological beginning of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]— the first story to do so since 2010's ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'' novel.

==Main titles==
===''Transformers''===
{{main|Transformers (2019 comic)}}

The primary ongoing comic written by [[Brian Ruckley]], ''Transformers'' opens on a peaceful, egalitarian Cybertron rocked by the first murder in living memory—a murder with far-reaching repercussions for both Senator [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]], his allies, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the conflicted leader of the self-styled [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s.

===''Transformers: Galaxies''===
{{main|Transformers: Galaxies}}

''Transformers: Galaxies'' serves as a companion piece to the main ''Transformers'' ongoing, a spiritual successor of sorts to the ''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Spotlight]]'' issues that helped to flesh out original IDW continuity. An anthology of side stories, each new arc features a new creative team, telling stories set far away from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

===Other releases===
''[[Transformers Valentine's Day Special]]'' - a romance-themed one-shot, released in February 2020.

==Collected editions==
Eschewing the standard trade paperback format, this continuity is primarily being collected in larger hardbacks, each containing twelve issues. From the second volume onwards these mix together issues of both ongoing titles, collecting the entire continuity in both under a single banner and in publication order from the very start.

{{chapters|title=''Volume 1: The World In Your Eyes'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part One|#1]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|#2]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|#3]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Four|#4]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|#5]]
*[[Orion Pax: Free Fall|#6]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One|#7]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two|#8]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|#9]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|#10]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five|#11]]
*[[Nautica: Home|#12]]
}}

{{chapters|title=''Volume 2: The Change In Their Nature'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part One|#13]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|#14]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|#15]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Four|#16]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Five|#17]]
*[[Transformers issue 18|#18]]
 <div class="list-header">''Galaxies''</div>
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 1|#1]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 2|#2]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 3|#3]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 4|#4]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 1|#5]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 2|#6]]
}}

[[Category:Continuities]]
[[Category:IDW (2019)]]

2019 IDW continuity

2020-02-20T19:09:45Z

Guntrip: /* Other releases */

{{nav-G1|logo=Transformers 2014 logo.png}}

[[File:Transformers-2019-1-cvrA-clean.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

The '''2019 IDW continuity''' serves as the reboot to [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Transformers'' line as a whole, beginning in March [[2019]] and running into the foreseeable future. As per tradition, this new iteration of the continuity is a new, separate story, entirely divorced from the [[2005 IDW continuity]] and its decades-long story arc that concluded with 2018's ''[[Transformers: Unicron|Unicron]]'' miniseries. Despite this, however, the continuity has featured an unusually high number of IDW-original returning characters, and many concepts have been mined from its predecessor and adjusted to fit into this new universe.

Unusually for a ''Transformers'' story, which generally start ''in medias res'', with the Autobot-Decepticon war well underway, this continuity opens just before chronological beginning of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]— the first story to do so since 2010's ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'' novel.

==Main titles==
===''Transformers''===
{{main|Transformers (2019 comic)}}

The primary ongoing comic written by [[Brian Ruckley]], ''Transformers'' opens on a peaceful, egalitarian Cybertron rocked by the first murder in living memory—a murder with far-reaching repercussions for both Senator [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]], his allies, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the conflicted leader of the self-styled [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s.

===''Transformers: Galaxies''===
{{main|Transformers: Galaxies}}

''Transformers: Galaxies'' serves as a companion piece to the main ''Transformers'' ongoing, a spiritual successor of sorts to the ''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Spotlight]]'' issues that helped to flesh out original IDW continuity. An anthology of side stories, each new arc features a new creative team, telling stories set far away from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

===Other releases===
''[[Transformers Valentine's Day Special]]'' - a one-shot to tie in to Valentine's Day, released in February 2020.

==Collected editions==
Eschewing the standard trade paperback format, this continuity is primarily being collected in larger hardbacks, each containing twelve issues. From the second volume onwards these mix together issues of both ongoing titles, collecting the entire continuity in both under a single banner and in publication order from the very start.

{{chapters|title=''Volume 1: The World In Your Eyes'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part One|#1]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|#2]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|#3]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Four|#4]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|#5]]
*[[Orion Pax: Free Fall|#6]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One|#7]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two|#8]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|#9]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|#10]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five|#11]]
*[[Nautica: Home|#12]]
}}

{{chapters|title=''Volume 2: The Change In Their Nature'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part One|#13]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|#14]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|#15]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Four|#16]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Five|#17]]
*[[Transformers issue 18|#18]]
 <div class="list-header">''Galaxies''</div>
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 1|#1]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 2|#2]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 3|#3]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 4|#4]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 1|#5]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 2|#6]]
}}

[[Category:Continuities]]
[[Category:IDW (2019)]]

The Change In Your Nature Part Four

2020-02-20T19:06:53Z

Guntrip:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' #16
|prev=The Change In Your Nature Part Three
|next=The Change In Your Nature Part Five
|caption=''And I get a little bit Genghis Khan Don't want you to get it on with nobody else but me With nobody else but me''
|image=TF2019 16 cvrA.jpg
|title="The Change In Your Nature Part Four"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[January 29]], 2020
|coverdate=December 2019
|written by=[[Brian Ruckley]]
|art by=[[Beth McGuire-Smith]] (pages 1-9) [[Anna Malkova]] (pages 10-20)
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]] (pages 1-9) [[Joana Lafuente]] (pages 10-20)
|letters by=[[Jake M. Wood]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]] and [[Tom Waltz]]
|continuity=[[2019 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=
}}

'''A drastic new Ascenticon scheme takes shape as political turmoil erupts across Cybertron.'''

==Synopsis==
Tensions run high in the [[Senate]] antechamber as Senators file out of the negotiation room after a tense emergency meeting, but [[Froid]] doesn't pick up on the mood, pushing past [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]'s security forces to speak to [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] about his latest psychological findings. [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] immediately rises to see him off, but Nautica tells her bodyguard that she doesn't need her for this one. [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] smirks at Road Rage as she watches the two depart: Starscream opines that Froid is clearly infatuated with her, like [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and [[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]] before, but Nautica's never had eyes for any of them.

At the current Ascenticon base of operations, Senator [[Heretech]] fills [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in on the details that [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] ''doesn't'' want the [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]] senator to know: the upcoming Senate debate is a sham, a sting operation that will end in [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s arrest and Sentinel's ultimate denunciation of the Ascenticon movement. Horrified by the decline of Cybertronian society, Heretech and his [[Reversionist]]s will soon be departing Cybertron entirely to start anew elsewhere in the cosmos... so what Megatron does with this information is entirely up to him. The moment Heretech leaves the abandoned colosseum, Starscream emerges from the shadows, revealing that he's been spying on the Ascenticon leader throughout the meeting. Having backed multiple horses throughout the ongoing political crisis, Starscream asks Megatron if he knows ''everything'' about [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]... and just how much he owes to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] after his expulsion from [[Security Operations]]. Megatron refuses to entertain the idea that his former colleague could be actively working against him this way, but Starscream reminds him that he could just have easily let his old friendship blind him to Orion's true nature.

At a spaceport, Nautica and Road Rage hurry into the main terminal to intercept a recently landed [[Voin]] ship that's landed in spite of Nautica's direct instructions to delay all Voin vessels until she can ascertain the damage done to Cybertron's Voin community. But the damage has already been done—through the door comes a Voin asserter, a specialized warrior ensconced in an armored sphere, controlling a phalanx of monstrous warbeasts. Nautica theorizes that the asserter has been sent to enact the Voin's idea of justice... an act of vengeance that won't stop at just one Cybertronian!

Troubled by the news, Megatron meets with [[Elita One (G1)|Elita-1]] to discuss the issue of Bumblebee: although Elita-1's report on her teammate is nothing but positive, she has concerns of her own regarding Senator Soundwave and his increasingly brazen behaviour, including her own worries that ''he'' was the one responsible for killing [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]]'s teammates in the [[Cybertronian Mountains]]. As Elita takes her leave, a weary Megatron puts in a call to Soundwave and tears into him: thanks to his own incompetence, they have no choice but to accelerate their game even further...

On Shockwave's orders, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] speeds through the Cybertronian badlands towards an outlying relay facility. Inside, [[Slipstream (G1)|Slipstream]] briefs her cadre of dysfunctional Ascenticon warriors on their mission: to capture the building by any means necessary, and to leave no survivors. [[Tracer (G1 Decepticon)|Tracer]] is first up, bisecting the first security 'bot and giving [[Shadow Striker (G1)|Shadow Striker]]'s ground team the freedom to storm the inner facility and drop the next guard. The facility, [[Blackjack]] explains, is an abandoned relic from the [[Expansion|Age of Expansion]] used to coordinate [[Titan (group)|Titan]]s...but as he explains, the group comes under fire from [[Headrush]], the last member of the garrison. [[Hyperdrive (Micromaster)|Hyperdrive]] easily takes him out, just in time for Slipstream and their secret asset [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] to arrive before any enemy reinforcements.

Using a specially-engineered [[data-bomb]] developed by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s inner scientists, the team are able to use Skystalker's [[Cityspeaker|cityspeaking]] talents to reach out into Cybertronian orbit, where the planet's Titan defense fleet lies dormant. Skystalker reaches out to one such Titan, [[Vigilem]], rousing him from his long slumber—and, gradually, the awesomely powerful warrior comes back online, ready to carry out his new orders...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] (5)

|h2=[[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s|c2=
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (11)
* [[Elita One (G1)|Elita-1]] (13)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (14)
* [[Hyperdrive (Micromaster)|Hyperdrive]] (15)
* [[Blackjack]] (16)
* [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] (17)
* [[Slipstream (G1)|Slipstream]] (18)
* [[Tracer (G1 Decepticon)|Tracer]] (19)
* [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] (20)
* [[Shadow Striker (G1)|Shadow Striker]] (21)

|c4=
* [[Froid]] (1)
* [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] (2)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (3)
* [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] (4)
* [[Heretech]] (6)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (7)
* [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (8)
* [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (9)
* [[Voin]] asserter (12)
* [[Headrush]] (22)
* [[Vigilem]] (23)
}}

==Quotes==
"This planet, and this civilization... they are failing, sinking ever further from the light of our origins." 
"I did not know you were a declinist, Heretech." 
"I find evidence of that decline ever '''more''' persuasive. As a culture. As spiritual beings."
:— '''Heretech''' and '''Megatron'''

"In this case, '''they<nowiki>'</nowiki>d''' call it compensatory justice. But from our point of view, it's trouble."
:— '''Nautica'''

"Blackjack, tell Flamewar she can't call us that. It's '''stupid'''." 
"I don't care '''what''' she calls us." 
"Yes! There you are. '''Team Stream''', it is!"
:— '''Hyperdrive''', '''Blackjack''', and '''Flamewar'''

"Headrush. '''Heh'''. See, Flamewar. '''That's''' funny." 
"Don't you think he's a bit weird? I think he's a bit weird."
:— '''Hyperdrive''' and '''Flamewar'''

==Notes==
*'''First appearances:''' [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]], [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Tracer (G1 Decepticon)|Tracer]], [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]], [[Vigilem]]
*'''Mentioned but not yet seen:''' [[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]], [[Bitstream (G1)|Bitstream]], [[Sparkstalker]]

===Continuity notes===
* Crosscut was previously established to have worked with Nautica on an offworld peacekeeping mission in [[Nautica: Home|issue #12]]
* Heretech refers to the destruction of the [[Memorial Crater]], which occurred in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|issue #9]], and the killing of an immersant [[Titan (group)|Titan]] in [[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|issue #14]].
* Starscream was noted to have previously ousted Soundwave from the Intelligence Service in issue #14.
* Nautica had previously theorized that the [[Voin]] killed back in [[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|issue #5]] was an important one; her fears were confirmed in [[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|issue #14]], though she wasn't entirely sure what kind of response the Voin would utilize. The "asserter" seen here is accompanied by monstrous versions of the apelike creatures Cybertron's Voin have traditionally used and the crustaceans glimpsed in #12.
* Flamewar suggests that their new team could be the equivalent of "Strika's Heavies", a [[War of the Threefold Spark]]-era military unit that cameo'd in [[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|the prior issue]].
* The orbiting Titan defense fleet was something first alluded to aaaaall the way back in [[The World In Your Eyes Part One|issue #1]], and later briefly glimpsed by [[Rubble]] in [[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|issue #3]]... and now it seems that foreshadowing is about to pay off in a big, big way...

===Transformers references===
* Starscream namedrops [[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]] as an intellectual who'd been infatuated with Nautica in the past; she appeared in the pages of ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' as a member of Nautica's [[Caminus (planet)|Camien]] sorority.
* Heretech announces that the Reversionists plan to leave Cybertron entirely; in addition to setting up the plot of [[Gauging the Truth, Part One|the third arc]] of ''[[Transformers: Galaxies|Galaxies]]'', it also hearkens back to the [[Exodus (G1)|Exodus]] from the [[2005 IDW continuity|original IDW continuity]], a mass evacuation of pre-war Cybertron overseen by pious leader [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and the eventual rise of the religious [[Circle of Light]].
* Skystalker is confirmed to be a [[Cityspeaker]], a profession that originated in the prior IDW continuity with [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]]... although given her security credentials it's unclear if Windblade herself is a Cityspeaker in this new universe.
* Holy crap! A treacherous servant of the [[Liege Maximo]], [[Vigilem]] matched wits with [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] in the pages of 2016's ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'' but his hubris proved his undoing as he ultimately failed to turn the Cityspeaker to his side. It's unclear how much of Vigilem's backstory will be maintained for this reboot—indeed, it's not clear if the [[Thirteen]] exist in this universe at all—but it's pretty darn clear that no matter what his backstory is like, Vigilem ''definitely'' spells trouble for Cybertron...

===Other notes===
* Originally solicited for release in December 2019, this issue arrives incredibly late, at the end of January 2020.
* The original solicitation for this issue<ref>https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/09/20/idw-transformers-comic-solicitations-for-december2019-396829</ref> was somewhat different, talking about riots and drawing them back to the murder investigations.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A''': Orion and Megatron, by [[Corin Howell]]
* '''Cover B''': Future Autobots Orion Pax, Bumblebee, and Chromia, by [[Hal Laren]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover''': Bumblebee schematics in the style of a retro video game, by [[Hazen Backer]]

<gallery>
File:TF2019 16 cvrA.jpg
File:TF2019 16 cvrB.jpg
File:TF2019 16 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* TBD

==External links==
*[https://graphicpolicy.com/2020/01/28/preview-transformers-16/ Preview]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Transformers (2019) issues]]

The Change In Your Nature Part Five

2020-02-20T19:03:09Z

Guntrip:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' #17
|prev=The Change In Your Nature Part Four
|next=Transformers issue 18
|caption=
|image=TF2019 17 cvrA.jpg
|title="The Change In Your Nature Part Five"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 19]], 2020
|coverdate=January 2019
|written by=[[Brian Ruckley]]
|art by=[[Anna Malkova]] (pages 1, 8-20) [[Beth McGuire-Smith]] (pages 2-7)
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]] (pages 1, 8-20) [[John-Paul Bove]] (pages 2-7)
|letters by=[[Jake M. Wood]] and [[Neil Uyetake]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]] and [[Tom Waltz]]
|continuity=[[2019 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Faced with a rogue Titan, a pair of unlikely heroes must lay everything on the line to defend the Winged Moon.'''

==Synopsis==
Their raid on the abandoned [[Titan Net]] subsidiary hub complete, [[Slipstream (G1)|Slipstream]] and her cadre of [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]] operatives slip away aboard [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]. Although Astrotrain is more interested in taking on some more security 'bots, Slipstream warns him that it won't be needed. There's no way for the Autobots to undo what they've just done; all that matters now is that they go to ground as fast as possible.

In the wreckage of the [[Memorial Crater]] beyond [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] continues to sit and stew in his own anger. He brushes off the ceaseless bickering of his ghostly compatriots, ignoring their ideas as to how how he should best deal with his emotions...and whether or not he should get [[Paragon]] involved. Only the arrival of [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] shakes the old warrior from his visions; the rescue specialist tells Cyclonus he needs to leave. Cyclonus obliges, but has one question for Hot Spot: who did this? The way Hot Spot's heard it, it's [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] who's to blame; at this, Cyclonus stalks off, grimly announcing that he has a decision to make.

Above Cybertron, on the [[Winged Moon]], [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] updates [[Lancer]] on his investigations into [[The Rise|Rise]] sabotage: someone illicitly installed an [[energon siphon]] and transmitter and diverted a portion of the moon's output to the now-destroyed Rise base beneath the crater. [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] attempts to disassemble the transmitter, but the explosion accidentally catapults him into space, forcing his mentor [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and a grudging [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] to leap after him and drag him back to the surface. When [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] arrives a moment later, Wheeljack automatically assumes that he's come to rescue Gears too late, but the Chief of Space Security has instead come to ask why there's a [[Titan (group)|Titan]] approaching the Winged Moon. Wheeljack initially believes it to be [[Lodestar]], the only currently active Titan in Cybertron's fleet... but Cosmos warns Wheeljack that it's ''not'' Lodestar; worse yet, their mystery Titan is coming in fast and picking up speed on a direct collision course with the moon.

Down below, pandemonium reigns in Iacon's central Titan Net hub as [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] tries to ascertain the extent of the damage. The [[data-bomb]] has scrambled the network, knocking out all communication relays between Cybertron and its fleet of slumbering Titans in orbit... all of them except [[Vigilem]], who's somehow come back online and is on a direct course towards the Winged Moon. As [[Gizmo]] runs diagnostics, [[Playback]] points out that there's ''one'' Titan who's still awake and not linked into the network... a Titan who might now be their only chance of stopping Vigilem.

Their tour of Cybertron's colonies cut short, the [[Cityspeaker]] [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] and her Titan Lodestar enjoy some downtime in Cybertron's orbit, until an urgent transmission from Blaster interrupts Lightbright's music. Blaster gets the pair up to speed: with Vigilem's own Cityspeaker [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] missing in action, Lodestar and her Cityspeaker are now the only Cybertronians capable of talking him down... or, if necessary, taking proactive measures to protect the Winged Moon. As Lightbright races to her Titan's bridge, Lodestar confesses her own doubts: Vigilem is an ancient Titan, a veteran of many wars during Cybertron's [[Expansion|Age of Expansion]] who boasts the heavy weapons and combat knowledge to prove it—and there's nothing in her arsenal capable of matching his firepower. Lightbright remains confident as she patches herself into Lodestar's systems; after all, she's ''sure'' that this is all some mistake...

Lodestar catches up with Vigilem as the other Titan continues along his course towards the Winged Moon, but her hails go unanswered: Vigilem is preoccupied with his own ramblings, quoting long screeds that Lodestar immediately recognizes as excerpts from one of [[Codexa]]'s writings. Interpreting this as an ominous sign that Vigilem may be beyond reason, Lightbright orders Lodestar to stand by and prepare to escalate hostilities. Lodestar's more forceful warnings ''do'' finally pre-empt a response from Vigilem... but his response is to ponderously changes course and fire on Lodestar! Lodestar struggles to withstand the barrage; as Wheeljack and his fellow engineers glimpse the deadly lightshow and sound the alarm, Lightbright tries to use Lodestar's masers to burn out his sensors and blind their foe. The desperate last-ditch maneuver doesn't work, and in retaliation, Vigilem fires a barrage of missiles that quickly overwhelm Lodestar's point defenses.

Fire erupts across the bridge as Lightbright tries to get Lodestar's propulsion systems back online—it only takes a few seconds for Lightbright to activate Lodestar's auxiliary atmospheric jets... but a second is all it takes for Vigilem to transform and touch down on the surface of the Winged Moon, and Wheeljack watches in horror as Vigilem unleashes the full fury of his weapons on the great [[Tether]] that connects the moon to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]!

Wounded but not defeated, Lodestar regains control... but Lightbright has no other choice but to urge her partner into action for one final, do-or-die attack. Fully aware that she most likely won't survive the battle, Lodestar thanks Lightbright for her companionship as the pair swoop in over the Winged Moon—only for a single blast from Vigilem ruptures Lodestar's hull and knocks Lightbright off her feet. The second blows the bridge to pieces... Lightbright is unharmed, but her Titan partner is gravely wounded. Surrounded by smouldering debris, Lightbright is paralyzed by horror—not just at the grisly sight around her, but what she hears as Lodestar musters the last of her strength to give one final, urgent warning.

The Tether is collapsing.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in hallucinatory form. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=

|h2=[[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s|c2=
* [[Tracer (G1 Decepticon)|Tracer]] (1)
* [[Slipstream (G1)|Slipstream]] (2)
* [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] (3)
* [[Blackjack]] (4)
* [[Shadow Striker (G1)|Shadow Striker]] (5)
* [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] (6)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (7)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* ''[[Gridlock (G1)|Gridlock]]'' (8)
* ''[[Highfire (G1)|Highfire]]'' (9)
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (10)
* [[Neutro|Groundbuster]] (11)
* ?? (12)
* ?? (13)
* ''[[Provoke]]'' (14)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* ''[[Grudge]]'' (15)
* [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (16)
* [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (17)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (18)
* [[Lancer]] (19)
* [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (20)
* [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (21)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* [[Vigilem]] (22)
* [[Playback]] (23)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (24)
* [[Wavelength (G1)|Wavelength]] (25)
* [[Gizmo]] (26)
* [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] (27)
* [[Lodestar]] (28)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==
"What a mess." 
"You talking external or internal, Gridlock? I'm picking up a '''lot''' of anger. Real seething stuff."
:—'''Gridlock''' and '''Highfire'''

"How long you've been this clunker's mentor now? We two orders of magnitude beyond '''normal''' yet?"
:—'''Huffer'''

"Titans built our colonies. They fought our battles. They died for us. They '''were''' us. All our potential possibilities, abilities, continued out of our deepest past into the present. Expressed. Beautiful. But terrible, too. I understand that now. We were too slow to see that not all of the past belongs in the present. Perhaps we always should have been more afraid of ourselves."
:—'''Vigilem''' quotes Codexa

"I have been grateful for your companionship and guidance through all these megacycles." 
"Oh, and I for yours, Lodestar. We've seen some things, no? Maybe more to see if the '''Thirteen''' fly with us."
:—'''Lodestar''' and '''Lightbright'''

"Some say we are lesser for the Titans' absence, and for their sleep. But we should fear what terrible circumstance brings their '''waking'''. And what terrible circumstance might '''follow''' it."
:—'''Vigilem'''

==Notes==
*'''First appearances:''' [[Lancer]], [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]], [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]
*'''Mentioned but not seen''': [[Paragon]]

===Continuity notes===
* Cyclonus's ghostly hallucinations talk about Cyclonus's relationship with the mysterious [[Paragon]] and his time with [[Froid]], which had previously been alluded to in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two|issue #8]].
* Hot Spot blames [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] for the destruction of the [[Memorial Crater]]; this occurred in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|issue #9]] as part of [[The Rise]]'s efforts to scuttle a bunker underneath the surface (although if we're being picky we'd point out that it was really ''[[Shadow Striker (G1)|Shadow Striker]]'' who did most of the demolitions work).
* Wheeljack has found an [[energon siphon]] attached to the Winged Moon, and revealed that it was set to transmit a certain amount of energon to the aforementioned bunker; in issue #9, [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] discovered the other end of this operation—several dozen fuelling chambers—although at the time Chromia wasn't sure where they were getting the fuel from.
* [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] first appeared as a worker on the Tether back in [[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|issue #2]]. This issue reveals that [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] is his mentor, although [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] flags up the fact that he's been a mentee for longer than is customary.
* [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] makes a cameo in this issue, and Wheeljack assumes that he's there to rescue Gears. Gears and his unlucky habit of drifting off into space (and his need to be rescued by Cosmos) was a running gag in "[[Open Comms]]", which came out only a week before this issue.
* Lodestar previously made an appearance in issues [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|#10]] and [[Nautica: Home|#12]]; although she wasn't named at the time, she was the ship that [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] and his diplomatic retinue commissioned for their tour of Cybertron's colonies. Lightbright also put in an appearance in that issue and used her skills to help [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] and [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] capture an [[Thraal]] saboteur, though this is the first issue that explicitly confirms that she is a [[Cityspeaker]].
* Vigilem's ramblings are derived from a piece of writing by [[Codexa]], entitled ''[[The Way We Were, by One Who Saw It]]''; notably, this work takes a very different look at the past from [[Termagax]]'s rosier perspective and reveals that Codexa held a much more critical opinion of the [[Expansion|Age of Expansion]] that marked Cybertron's heyday.

===Transformers references===
* Blaster's coworkers at the Titan Net hub include [[Playback]], drawn to resemble the unnamed [[Paradron]]ian communications specialist in the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee]]" and later named via "[[Ask Vector Prime]]", [[Gizmo]], a one-off character from the [[2005 IDW continuity]]'s ''[[Spotlight: Hot Rod]]'', and [[Wavelength (G1)|Wavelength]], who appeared in ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' as one of the many "[[Disappeared]]" bots abducted by a time-travelling [[Mortilus|Necrobot]].
* Lightbright dances along to a song about [[Velocitron]], a colony planet that originated in the ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Transformers: Cybertron]]'' franchise and went on to feature in the [[Aligned continuity family|"Aligned" continuity family]], [[2005 IDW continuity|the original IDW continuity]], and the ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|Cyberverse]]'' cartoon.
* Vigilem's ramblings namedrop [[Chela]] and [[Tempo]] as Titans from Cybertron's past, who both appeared in the original IDW continuity. Additionally, the issue introduces a new Titan, [[Waypoint]], whose defeat of the [[Szorian]] empire references the race of the same name from [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s [[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]] comics.
* Tempo is noted to have carried the "Knights off into legend"; it's a sure bet that Codexa is talking about the [[Knights of Cybertron]], a semi-mythical group that originated in the pages of ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]''. In that comic, the Knights were prominently affiliated with Titans and left the planet aboard a fleet of the giants. In the previous IDW continuity, Tempo was not one of these Titans, however; he was affiliated with [[Vector Prime]], left Cybertron after the Knights, and met with an uncertain fate sometime before the present day.
* As she and Lodestar make their approach to the moon, Lightbright mentions the [[Thirteen]]; their existence had previously been inferred through a set of stained-glass windows in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five|issue #10]] and the existence of the [[Enigma of Combination]] over in ''[[Transformers: Galaxies]]'', this is the first time that they've been specifically named as such.

===Errors===
* On page 15, Lodestar’s speech bubble reads “The is reciting some of Codexa’s writings.”

===Other notes===
* Originally solicited for January 22, this issue arrives almost a month late, arriving instead in mid-February.
* Similar to [[The Change In Your Nature Part Four|#16]], the original solicitation for this issue<ref>https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/10/25/idw-transformers-comic-solicitations-for-january-2020-399151</ref> featured a completely different plot. It focused on Megatron, who doesn't even appear in this issue.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A''': Megatron and Cybertron, by [[Livio Ramondelli]]
* '''Cover B''': Megatron at a tipping point, by [[Brendan Cahill]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover''': Megatron unmasked, by [[Marcelo Martere]]

<gallery>
File:TF2019 17 cvrA.jpg
File:TF2019 17 cvrB.jpg
File:TF2019 17 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* ''[[Transformers: Galaxies]]'' [[Wannabee, Part 1|#5]]
* ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel''
* ''Locke & Key''

==External links==
*[https://popculthq.com/2020/02/11/preview-idws-2-12-release-transformers-17/ Preview]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Transformers (2019) issues]]

The Change In Your Nature Part Five

2020-02-20T18:48:27Z

Guntrip: /* Other notes */

Transformers: Galaxies

2020-02-12T18:05:19Z

Guntrip:

[[File:TFGalaxies 1 cvrB.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|We built this city on rock and roll. And mortar and bricks and cobblestones. Wood too.]]

'''''Transformers: Galaxies''''' is a monthly comic series from [[IDW Publishing]] that premiered in September [[2019]]. A spin-off of the [[Transformers (2019 comic)|ongoing ''Transformers'' series]], and set in the [[2019 IDW continuity]], ''Galaxies'' stars secondary characters amidst the backdrop of the antebellum storyline in the main series, with the first story arc featuring the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]. Following that, the second will highlight [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], the third will star [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], [[Greenlight]], and their mentee [[Gauge]],<ref>[https://twitter.com/SamMaggs/status/1151913955222097920 Tweet by @SamMaggs, 18 July 2019]</ref> and the fourth arc will showcase [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]].

{{chapters|align=center|title=''Galaxies'' issues:|content=
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 1|#1]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 2|#2]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 3|#3]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 4|#4]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 1|#5]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 2|#6]]
*[[Gauging the Truth, Part 1|#7]]
*[[Gauging the Truth, Part 2|#8]]
}}

==Overview==
In the past, after the [[War of the Threefold Spark]] devastated [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the Constructicons helped to rebuild their homeworld. Since then, they disappeared from the public eye. What have they been up to as they plot to return?

==Creative team==
[[File:TFGalaxies 10 cvrA clean.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|]]
The first arc of ''Galaxies'' is written by Vox Media co-founder and ''Transformers'' fan [[Tyler Bleszinski]], with art by [[Livio Ramondelli]]. The second is to be written by [[Kate Leth]] and [[Cohen Edenfield]], with art by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]. The third is to be written by [[Sam Maggs]], with art by [[Umi Miyao]]. The fourth is to be written by ''[[Transformers: Deviations|Deviations]]'' and ''{{i|M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand|M.A.S.K.}}'' writer [[Brandon M. Easton]], with art by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Thomas Deer]].

==Collections==
*'''''Transformers Volume 2: The Change In Their Nature''''' ([[June 30]], [[2020]] **''scheduled''**) ISBN 1684056756 / ISBN 978-1684056750
**Hardcover.
**Collects ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' issues #13-18 and ''Galaxies'' issues #1-6.
**Bonus material currently unknown.

==Notes==
*TBA

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.idwpublishing.com/the-bold-new-era-of-transformers-expands-with-monthly-galaxies-series/ Announcement from IDW]

[[Category:IDW (2019)]]
[[Category:IDW titles]]

Transformers Valentine's Day Special

2020-02-12T18:03:50Z

Guntrip:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''Transformers Valentine's Day Special''
|prev=
|prev2=
|next=Open Comms
|caption
|image=TFVDay-cvrA.jpg
|title="Transformers Valentine's Day Special"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 12]], 2020
|coverdate=February 2020
|written by=[[Patrick Ehlers]]
|art by=[[Jack Lawrence]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Jake M. Wood]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]], [[Tom Waltz]] and [[Riley Farmer]]
|continuity=[[2019 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Glyph and her friend Tap-Out are two 'bots from entirely different walks of life, but will an expedition to a distant world bring them closer or drive them apart?'''

==Synopsis==
Bookish and reserved, [[Glyph (Universe)|Glyph]] has lent her insight to the technical aspect of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s Xeno-Relations division for many years, but the data analysist has hoped to take a more active role in understanding other cultures throughout the galaxy, and so she's overjoyed when department head [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] approves her proposal to study the native civilization on the remote world of [[SDS-359]]. Glyph's first port of call is her friend [[Tap-Out (Universe)|Tap-Out]]; formerly a respected gladiator, the pugilistic 'bot and his sparring partner [[Apeface|Apeface]] have been reduced to performing exhibition matches in front of a bored crowd since [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s closure of the old arenas, and their latest bout ends prematurely after all two members of the audience walk out—followed not long after by Apeface, who warns Tap-Out that, on a planet where nobody cares about [[gladiatorial combat]] anymore, they're ''both'' out of a job.

Glyph bumps into Tap-Out just after this humiliation; already fed up and cranky, Tap-Out does his best to feign enthusiasm for Glyph's new career change despite his own bad luck. He's caught off guard when his friend reveals the real reason why she's come to him: preliminary research on her assignment reveals that the planet is above the minimum threshold of hostility, meaning that Cybertronian explorers are allowed to bring a 'bot along for security purposes... and so Glyph wants Tap-Out to be ''her'' bodyguard for the duration of the voyage. Tap-Out uses the flight to SDS-359 to keep in shape, training for whatever lies ahead; privately, however, he's not sure that he understands her work, and wonders why she would even bring him, a 'bot who primarily thinks with his fists, along on a mission that requires a gentle diplomatic touch.

As their starship touches down in the verdant forests of SDS-359 some time later, a welcoming party of tiny native mammals greet the two [[Transformer|Cybertronian]]s as they disembark. Tap-Out is pleased at their warm reception, but disappointed that the planet's idyllic, seemingly peaceful environment have left him with nothing to do. Glyph, meanwhile, approaches the natives and tries to greet them in their native tongue; her attempts at first contact go poorly, however, when the natives flee in terror from the two visitors! Glyph realizes that she's evidently misspoken the native language, but it's too late to make amends: the natives pull open a giant stone door and unleash a monstrous reptilian creature on the pair. Itching to fight, Tap-Out quickly steps up to defend his charge and takes out the beast with a single punch... and finds himself surrounded by cheering natives, celebrating his victory over their guardian!

Over the next few days, Glyph's xenolinguistic research stalls out; the natives refuse to engage with any of Glyph's attempts to understand their language, only reacting to shows of violence—shows that are in no short supply, as Tap-Out finds new fame amongst the aliens as he defeats one guardian creature after another. One evening, Glyph finally delivers her ultimatum to Tap-Out, now festooned in tribal symbols of adoration, as he returns from his latest fight: Glyph needs Tap-Out to try to talk to the aliens; evidently, ''he's'' doing something right that ''she'' can't emulate.

Uneasy and out of his element, Tap-Out approaches the village fire and hesitantly tries to open up a dialogue, but the moment he tries speaking their native languages, the creatures once more turn on their champion, pelting him with rocks and summoning another guardian... a guardian bigger than anything Tap-Out's yet faced. That's when Tap-Out hears a wild warcry, and watches in awe as ''Glyph'' hurtles to the rescue in her vehicle mode, snatching Tap-Out's club and using it to deliver a fatal blow to the creature! The pair finally embrace and admit that they're glad to be with one another, no matter what.

Some time later, Glyph composes her final xenolinguistics report, pleased to report that she and Tap-Out have finally been able to crack the secret of the native language and open communications with the aliens. By battling guardian beasts together and learning to trust one another, their mutual trust has been reciprocated by their hosts, who have welcomed them into the tribe. Language, Glyph reports, isn't merely based on arranging words, but on emotions and values; to ''truly'' communicate, one must first come to understand others, and understand that everyone is capable of trust, fear, hope... and love.

Their research done, Glyph and Tap-Out prepare to return to Cybertron, taking in one last sunset as they board their starship. Glyph asks Tap-Out if he's going to miss this beautiful world, but Tap-Out smiles and answers in the native language... as long as he has Glyph, he won't miss ''anything''.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=

|h2=

|h4=[[Transformer|Cybertronian]]s|c4=
* [[Glyph (Universe)|Glyph]] (1)
* [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (2)
* [[Tap-Out (Universe)|Tap-Out]] (3)
* [[Apeface]] (4)

|h5=Others|c5=
* Natives (5)

}}

==Quotes==
"I'm sorry! This place was harder to find than the old arenas." 
"That solves the mystery of why no one was in the crowd. It's not that I'm a has-been and my livelihood was delisted by Sentinel Prime. It's not that my '''partner''' bailed the moment we lost the audience. It's that '''the place was hard to find'''."
:—'''Tap-Out''' and '''Glyph'''

"Natives respond to shows of violence and little else...in fact, nothing else.... <s>they worship him, which I know he likes.</s> Strike that last observation."
:—An excerpt from '''Tap-Out's''' log

"You screwed up the translation." 
"Yeah, well, you broke my club."
:—'''Tap-Out''' and '''Glyph'''

"I am glad to be here with you." 
"I am glad to be '''anywhere''' with you."
:—'''Tap-Out''' and '''Glyph''' have a nice moment

==Notes==
*'''First appearances:''' [[Glyph (Universe)|Glyph]], [[Tap-Out (Universe)|Tap-Out]], [[Apeface]]

===Continuity notes===
* Chronologically, this story appears to be set some time before [[The World In Your Eyes Part One|issue #1]] of the main [[Transformers (2019 comic)|''Transformers'' ongoing comic]]; there's no mention of the burgeoning [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]] crisis and [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] has not yet left with [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] for their tour of Cybertron's outlying colonies. Glyph was previously mentioned in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five|''Transformers'' issue #11]] as having decrypted some vital information related to [[The Rise]], so presumably this will happen ''after'' she and Tap-Out return to Cybertron.
* Tap-Out glumly notes that Sentinel Prime has delisted "gladiator" as an allowed profession; this gels with dialogue in ''[[Transformers: Galaxies|Galaxies]]'' [[Constructicons Rising, Part 2|issue #2]], which established that gladiatorial combat as [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] had known it during the [[Expansion|Age of Expansion]] had been recently abolished.

===Transformers references===
* Originally created for [[BotCon 2002]] as part of the short-lived ''[[Transformers: Expanded Universe|Expanded Universe]]'' toyline , Tap-Out and Glyph made their first fictional appearance in 2002's [[Betrayal|BotCon comic]], which established that Tap-Out had worked as a bodyguard for the quiet linguist while stranded on an [[Akalo|alien world]]. Their relationship in that comic was not expounded on beyond a single scene in which Tap-Out said a fond farewell to his compatriot; this issue reimagines parts of that ''Universe'' story to include confirmation that this version of the pair are (now) in a romantic relationship.
* Tap-Out's backstory, meanwhile, hews closer to the history of his [[Tap-Out (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]] rather than his other Generation 1 iterations; like ''Animated'', this version of the character is a boxer who trains with a punching bag, showing off his powerful uppercuts during his bouts with the native wildlife.
* A 'bot based on ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] makes a cameo appearance on page three. Another passerby on the same page resembles ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' [[Cliffjumper (Energon)|Cliffjumper]].
* As she rescues Tap-Out, Glyph is shown to possess a retractable [[faceplate]] based on her original toy.

===Real-life references===
* One of the many guardians Tap-Out faces is drawn to resemble the Japanese movie monster {{w|Gamera}}.

===Errors===
* During the montage of Tap-Out's victories, Glyph's log incorrectly names the planet "SDS-356".
* Tap-Out's dialogue on page 12 reads "so much easier that hitting something", when it should be "than".
* On page 15, Tap-Out's face and body paint are miscoloured black, rather than pink.

===Other trivia===
* Backmatter for this comic includes a bonus backup story, "[[Open Comms]]", and concept art of both Tap-Out and Glyph by artist [[Jack Lawrence]].
* This issue was originally solicited with a backup story written by [[Kate Leth]] and [[Cohen Edenfield]]<ref>[https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/DEC190656 Original ''Previews'' solicitation]</ref>, but IDW issued a solicit update in late January 2020 that replaced their credits with one for [[Sara Pitre-Durocher]], who produced the backup story ultimately included with the issue.<ref>[https://previewsworld.com/Article/239272-Product-Changes--0121 ''Previews'' product changes for January 21, 2020]</ref>

===Covers (2)===
* '''Cover A:''' Glyph and Tap-Out share a moment, by [[Jack Lawrence]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover:''' Cosmos pines, by [[Sara Pitre-Durocher]]
<gallery>
File:TFVDay-cvrA.jpg|Cue the wah-wah guitar.
File:TFVDay-cvrRI.jpg|Totally lonely, and totally not in this comic.
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* ''[[Transformers: Galaxies]]'' [[Wannabee, Part 1|#5]]
* ''Napoleon Dynamite''
* ''Locke & Key
* ''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/preview-idw-transformers-valentines-day-special Preview]

[[Category:IDW (2019) issues]]

The Change In Your Nature Part Four

2020-01-29T08:38:35Z

Guntrip: /* Other notes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' #16
|prev=The Change In Your Nature Part Three
|next=The Change In Your Nature Part Five
|caption=
|image=TF2019 16 cvrA.jpg
|title="The Change In Your Nature Part Four"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[January 29]], 2020
|coverdate=December 2019
|written by=[[Brian Ruckley]]
|art by=[[Beth McGuire-Smith]] (pages 1-9) [[Anna Malkova]] (pages 10-20)
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]] (pages 1-9) [[Joana Lafuente]] (pages 10-20)
|letters by=[[Jake M. Wood]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]] and [[Tom Waltz]]
|continuity=[[2019 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=
}}

'''A drastic new Ascenticon scheme takes shape as political turmoil erupts across Cybertron.'''

==Synopsis==
Tensions run high in the [[Senate]] antechamber as Senators file out of the negotiation room after a tense emergency meeting, but [[Froid]] doesn't pick up on the mood, pushing past [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]'s security forces to speak to [[Nautica]] about his latest psychological findings. [[Road Rage]] immediately rises to see him off, but Nautica tells her bodyguard that she doesn't need her for this one. [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] smirks at Road Rage as she watches the two depart: Starscream opines that Froid is clearly infatuated with her, like [[Crosscut]] and [[Proxima]] before, but Nautica's never had eyes for any of them.

At the current Ascenticon base of operations, Senator [[Heretech]] fills [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in on the details that [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] ''doesn't'' want the [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]] senator to know: the upcoming Senate debate is a sham, a sting operation that will end in [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s arrest and Sentinel's ultimate denunciation of the Ascenticon movement. Horrified by the decline of Cybertronian society, Heretech and his [[Reversionist]]s will soon be departing Cybertron entirely to start anew elsewhere in the cosmos... so what Megatron does with this information is entirely up to him. The moment Heretech leaves the abandoned colosseum, Starscream emerges from the shadows, revealing that he's been spying on the Ascenticon leader throughout the meeting. Having backed multiple horses throughout the ongoing political crisis, Starscream asks Megatron if he knows ''everything'' about [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]... and just how much he owes to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] after his expulsion from [[Security Operations]]. Megatron refuses to entertain the idea that his former colleague could be actively working against him this way, but Starscream reminds him that he could just have easily let his old friendship blind him to Orion's true nature.

At a spaceport, Nautica and Road Rage hurry into the main terminal to intercept a recently landed [[Voin]] ship that's landed in spite of Nautica's direct instructions to delay all Voin vessels until she can ascertain the damage done to Cybertron's Voin community. But the damage has already been done—through the door comes a Voin asserter, a specialized warrior ensconced in an armored sphere, controlling a phalanx of monstrous warbeasts. Nautica theorizes that the asserter has been sent to enact the Voin's idea of justice... an act of vengeance that won't stop at just one Cybertronian!

Troubled by the news, Megatron meets with [[Elita One|Elita-1]] to discuss the issue of Bumblebee: although Elita-1's report on her teammate is nothing but positive, she has concerns of her own regarding Senator Soundwave and his increasingly brazen behaviour, including her own worries that ''he'' was the one responsible for killing [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]]'s teammates in the [[Cybertronian Mountains]]. As Elita takes her leave, a weary Megatron puts in a call to Soundwave and tears into him: thanks to his own incompetence, they have no choice but to accelerate their game even further...

On Shockwave's orders, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] speeds through the Cybertronian badlands towards an outlying relay facility. Inside, [[Slipstream (G1)|Slipstream]]'s briefs her cadre of dysfunctional Ascenticon warriors on their mission: to capture the building by any means necessary, and to leave no survivors. [[Tracer (G1 Decepticon)|Tracer]] is first up, bisecting the first security 'bot and giving [[Shadow Striker (G1)|Shadow Striker]]'s ground team the freedom to storm the inner facility and drop the next guard. The facility, [[Blackjack]] explains, is an abandoned relic from the [[Expansion|Age of Expansion]] used to coordinate [[Titan (group)|Titan]]s...but as he explains, the group comes under fire from [[Headrush]], the last member of the garrison. [[Hyperdrive (Micromaster)|Hyperdrive]] easily takes him out, just in time for Slipstream and their secret asset [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] to arrive before any enemy reinforcements.

Using a specially-engineered [[data-bomb]] developed by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s inner scientists, the team are able to use Skystalker's [[Cityspeaker|cityspeaking]] talents to reach out into Cybertronian orbit, where the planet's Titan defense fleet lies dormant. Skystalker reaches out to one such Titan, [[Vigilem]], rousing him from his long slumber—and, gradually, the awesomely powerful warrior comes back online, ready to carry out his new orders...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] (5)

|h2=[[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s|c2=
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (11)
* [[Elita One|Elita-1]] (13)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (14)
* [[Hyperdrive]] (15)
* [[Blackjack]] (16)
* [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] (17)
* [[Slipstream (G1)|Slipstream]] (18)
* [[Tracer (G1 Decepticon)|Tracer]] (19)
* [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] (20)
* [[Shadow Striker (G1)|Shadow Striker]] (21)

|c4=
* [[Froid]] (1)
* [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] (2)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (3)
* [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] (4)
* [[Heretech]] (6)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (7)
* [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (8)
* [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (9)
* [[Voin]] asserter (12)
* [[Headrush]] (22)
* [[Vigilem]] (23)
}}

==Quotes==
"This planet, and this civilization... they are failing, sinking ever further from the light of our origins." 
"I did not know you were a declinist, Heretech." 
"I find evidence of that decline ever '''more''' persuasive. As a culture. As spiritual beings."
:— '''Heretech''' and '''Megatron'''

"In this case, '''they<nowiki>'</nowiki>d''' call it compensatory justice. But from our point of view, it's trouble."
:— '''Nautica'''

"Blackjack, tell Flamewar she can't call us that. It's '''stupid'''." 
"I don't care '''what''' she calls us." 
"Yes! There you are. '''Team Stream''', it is!"
:— '''Hyperdrive''', '''Blackjack''', and '''Flamewar'''

"Headrush. '''Heh'''. See, Flamewar. '''That's''' funny." 
"Don't you think he's a bit weird? I think he's a bit weird."
:— '''Hyperdrive''' and '''Flamewar'''

==Notes==
*'''First appearances:''' [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]], [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Tracer (G1 Decepticon)|Tracer]], [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]], [[Vigilem]]
*'''Mentioned but not yet seen:''' [[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]]

===Continuity notes===
* Crosscut was previously established to have worked with Nautica on an offworld peacekeeping mission in [[Nautica: Home|issue #12]]
* Heretech refers to the destruction of the [[Memorial Crater]], which occurred in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|issue #9]], and the killing of an immersant [[Titan (group)|Titan]] in [[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|issue #14]].
* Starscream was noted to have previously ousted Soundwave from the Intelligence Service in issue #14.
* Nautica had previously theorized that the [[Voin]] killed back in [[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|issue #5]] was an important one; her fears were confirmed in [[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|issue #14]], though she wasn't entirely sure what kind of response the Voin would utilize. The "asserter" seen here is accompanied by monstrous versions of the apelike creatures Cybertron's Voin have traditionally used and the crustaceans glimpsed in #12.
* Flamewar suggests that their new team could be the equivalent of "Strika's Heavies", a [[War of the Threefold Spark]]-era military unit that cameo'd in [[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|the prior issue]].
* The orbiting Titan defense fleet was something first alluded to aaaaall the way back in [[The World In Your Eyes Part One|issue #1]], and later briefly glimpsed by [[Rubble]] in [[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|issue #3]]... and now it seems that foreshadowing is about to pay off in a big, big way...

===Transformers references===
* Starscream namedrops [[Proxima]] as an intellectual who'd been infatuated with Nautica in the past; she appeared in the pages of ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' as a member of Nautica's [[Caminus (planet)|Camien]] sorority.
* Heretech announces that the Reversionists plan to leave Cybertron entirely; in addition to setting up the plot of [[Gauging the Truth, Part One|the third arc]] of ''[[Transformers: Galaxies|Galaxies]]'', it also hearkens back to the [[Exodus (G1)|Exodus]] from the [[2005 IDW continuity|original IDW continuity]], a mass evacuation of pre-war Cybertron overseen by pious leader [[Dai Atlas]] and the eventual rise of the religious [[Circle of Light]].
* [[Tracer (G1 Decepticon)|Tracer]] takes out an unlucky [[generic]] security guard by slicing him in half with his rotors; his death is drawn to resemble [[Ambulon]]'s demise in the pages of ''More than Meets the Eye'', where he was bisected vertically by [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]].
* Skystalker is confirmed to be a [[Cityspeaker]], a profession that originated in the prior IDW continuity with [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]]... although given her security credentials it's unclear if Windblade herself is a Cityspeaker in this new universe.
* Holy crap! A treacherous servant of the [[Liege Maximo]], [[Vigilem]] matched wits with [[Windblade]] in the pages of 2016's ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'' but his hubris proved his undoing as he ultimately failed to turn the Cityspeaker to his side. It's unclear how much of Vigilem's backstory will be maintained for this reboot—indeed, it's not clear if the [[Thirteen]] exist in this universe at all—but it's pretty darn clear that no matter what his backstory is like, Vigilem ''definitely'' spells trouble for Cybertron...

===Other notes===
* Originally solicited for release in December 2019, this issue arrives incredibly late, at the end of January 2020.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A''': Orion and Megatron, by [[Corin Howell]]
* '''Cover B''': Future Autobots, by [[Hal Laren]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover''': Bumblebee schematics in the style of a retro video game, by [[Hazen Backer]]]

<gallery>
File:TF2019 16 cvrA.jpg
File:TF2019 16 cvrB.jpg
File:TF2019 16 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* TBD

==External links==
*[https://graphicpolicy.com/2020/01/28/preview-transformers-16/ Preview]

[[Category:Transformers (2019) issues]]

The Transformers: The IDW Collection

2020-01-20T21:04:35Z

Guntrip:

[[File:IDWCollection1.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume One]]
Beginning in 2010, [[IDW Publishing]] began a series of hardcovers titled '''''The Transformers: The IDW Collection''''', which aimed to reprint their [[2005 IDW continuity|original IDW Transformers stories]] in a "suggested reading order" up through ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' and beyond. This order included some... questionable placements for certain stories.

The first eight volumes, retroactively labelled "Phase One", cover the stories released up through the end of [[The Transformers (IDW)|the 2009 ongoing series]]. "Phase Two" begins with "[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]" and carries over into the ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' ongoings. The presented reading order of Phase Two is even more haphazard than that of Phase One, frequently hopping back and forth between the two parallel ongoings while also juggling the various otherwise-disconnected miniseries.

For of the first eight volumes, [[E. J. Su]] provided brand new cover art of a specific character that plays a notable role in certain comic stories featured in each volume. The covers for Phase Two are provided by [[Sarah Stone]] and [[Marcelo Matere]].

In 2016, a softcover Compendium edition containing the first two volumes hit the shelves. No further Compendiums have been produced.

{{chapters
|title=''The Transformers: The IDW Collection'' volumes:'''
|content=
<div class="list-header">Phase One:</div>
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume One|#1]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Two|#2]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Three|#3]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Four|#4]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Five|#5]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Six|#6]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Seven|#7]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Eight|#8]]
 <div class="list-header">Phase Two:</div>
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 1|#1]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 2|#2]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 3|#3]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 4|#4]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 5|#5]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 6|#6]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7|#7]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 8|#8]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 9|#9]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 10|#10]]
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 11|#11]]
 <div class="list-header">Compendium:</div>
*[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Compendium, Vol. 1|#1]]
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:IDW Collection}}
[[Category:IDW (2005) comic compilations]]

2019 IDW continuity

2020-01-10T10:39:08Z

Guntrip: /* Collected editions */

{{nav-G1|logo=Transformers 2014 logo.png}}

[[File:Transformers-2019-1-cvrA-clean.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

The '''2019 IDW continuity''' serves as the reboot to [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Transformers'' line as a whole, beginning in March [[2019]] and running into the foreseeable future. As per tradition, this new iteration of the continuity is a new, separate story, entirely divorced from the [[2005 IDW continuity]] and its decades-long story arc that concluded with 2018's ''[[Transformers: Unicron|Unicron]]'' miniseries. Despite this, however, the continuity has featured an unusually high number of IDW-original returning characters, and many concepts have been mined from its predecessor and adjusted to fit into this new universe.

Unusually for a ''Transformers'' story, which generally start ''in medias res'', with the Autobot-Decepticon war well underway, this continuity opens just before chronological beginning of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]— the first story to do so since 2010's ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'' novel.

==Main titles==
===''Transformers''===
{{main|Transformers (2019 comic)}}

The primary ongoing comic written by [[Brian Ruckley]], ''Transformers'' opens on a peaceful, egalitarian Cybertron rocked by the first murder in living memory—a murder with far-reaching repercussions for both Senator [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]], his allies, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the conflicted leader of the self-styled [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s.

===''Transformers: Galaxies''===
{{main|Transformers: Galaxies}}

''Transformers: Galaxies'' serves as a companion piece to the main ''Transformers'' ongoing, a spiritual successor of sorts to the ''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Spotlight]]'' issues that helped to flesh out original IDW continuity. An anthology of side stories, each new arc features a new creative team, telling stories set far away from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

===Other releases===
''[[Transformers Valentines Day Special]]'' - a one-shot to tie in to Valentine's Day, set for release in February 2020.

==Collected editions==
Eschewing the standard trade paperback format, this continuity is primarily being collected in larger hardbacks, each containing twelve issues. From the second volume onwards these mix together issues of both ongoing titles, collecting the entire continuity in both under a single banner and in publication order from the very start.

{{chapters|title=''Volume 1: The World In Your Eyes'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part One|#1]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|#2]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|#3]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Four|#4]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|#5]]
*[[Orion Pax: Free Fall|#6]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One|#7]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two|#8]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|#9]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|#10]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five|#11]]
*[[Nautica: Home|#12]]
}}

{{chapters|title=''Volume 2: The Change In Their Nature'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part One|#13]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|#14]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|#15]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Four|#16]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Five|#17]]
*[[Transformers issue 18|#18]]
 <div class="list-header">''Galaxies''</div>
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 1|#1]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 2|#2]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 3|#3]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 4|#4]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 1|#5]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 2|#6]]
}}

[[Category:Continuities]]
[[Category:IDW (2019)]]

2019 IDW continuity

2019-11-29T15:13:02Z

Guntrip: /* Other releases */

{{nav-G1|logo=Transformers 2014 logo.png}}

[[File:Transformers-2019-1-cvrA-clean.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

The '''2019 IDW continuity''' serves as the reboot to [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Transformers'' line as a whole, beginning in March [[2019]] and running into the foreseeable future. As per tradition, this new iteration of the continuity is a new, separate story, entirely divorced from the [[2005 IDW continuity]] and its decades-long story arc that concluded with 2018's ''[[Transformers: Unicron|Unicron]]'' miniseries. Despite this, however, the continuity has featured an unusually high number of IDW-original returning characters, and many concepts have been mined from its predecessor and adjusted to fit into this new universe.

Unusually for a ''Transformers'' story, which generally start ''in medias res'', with the Autobot-Decepticon war well underway, this continuity opens just before chronological beginning of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]— the first story to do so since 2010's ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'' novel.

==Main titles==
===''Transformers''===
{{main|Transformers (2019 comic)}}

The primary ongoing comic written by [[Brian Ruckley]], ''Transformers'' opens on a peaceful, egalitarian Cybertron rocked by the first murder in living memory—a murder with far-reaching repercussions for both Senator [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]], his allies, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the conflicted leader of the self-styled [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s.

===''Transformers: Galaxies''===
{{main|Transformers: Galaxies}}

''Transformers: Galaxies'' serves as a companion piece to the main ''Transformers'' ongoing, a spiritual successor of sorts to the ''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Spotlight]]'' issues that helped to flesh out original IDW continuity. An anthology of side stories, each new arc features a new creative team, telling stories set far away from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

===Other releases===
''[[Transformers Valentines Day Special]]'' - a one-shot to tie in to Valentine's Day, set for release in February 2020.

==Collected editions==
Eschewing the standard trade paperback format, this continuity is primarily being collected in larger hardbacks, each containing twelve issues. From the second volume onwards these mix together issues of both of ongoing titles, collecting the entire continuity in both under a single banner and in publication order from the very start.

{{chapters|title=''Volume 1: The World In Your Eyes'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part One|#1]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|#2]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|#3]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Four|#4]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|#5]]
*[[Orion Pax: Free Fall|#6]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One|#7]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two|#8]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|#9]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|#10]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five|#11]]
*[[Nautica: Home|#12]]
}}

{{chapters|title=''Volume 2: The Change In Their Nature'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part One|#13]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|#14]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|#15]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Four|#16]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Five|#17]]
*[[Transformers issue 18|#18]]
 <div class="list-header">''Galaxies''</div>
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 1|#1]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 2|#2]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 3|#3]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 4|#4]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 1|#5]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 2|#6]]
}}

[[Category:Continuities]]
[[Category:IDW (2019)]]

2019 IDW continuity

2019-11-29T15:12:37Z

Guntrip: /* Main titles */

{{nav-G1|logo=Transformers 2014 logo.png}}

[[File:Transformers-2019-1-cvrA-clean.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

The '''2019 IDW continuity''' serves as the reboot to [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Transformers'' line as a whole, beginning in March [[2019]] and running into the foreseeable future. As per tradition, this new iteration of the continuity is a new, separate story, entirely divorced from the [[2005 IDW continuity]] and its decades-long story arc that concluded with 2018's ''[[Transformers: Unicron|Unicron]]'' miniseries. Despite this, however, the continuity has featured an unusually high number of IDW-original returning characters, and many concepts have been mined from its predecessor and adjusted to fit into this new universe.

Unusually for a ''Transformers'' story, which generally start ''in medias res'', with the Autobot-Decepticon war well underway, this continuity opens just before chronological beginning of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]— the first story to do so since 2010's ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'' novel.

==Main titles==
===''Transformers''===
{{main|Transformers (2019 comic)}}

The primary ongoing comic written by [[Brian Ruckley]], ''Transformers'' opens on a peaceful, egalitarian Cybertron rocked by the first murder in living memory—a murder with far-reaching repercussions for both Senator [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]], his allies, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the conflicted leader of the self-styled [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s.

===''Transformers: Galaxies''===
{{main|Transformers: Galaxies}}

''Transformers: Galaxies'' serves as a companion piece to the main ''Transformers'' ongoing, a spiritual successor of sorts to the ''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Spotlight]]'' issues that helped to flesh out original IDW continuity. An anthology of side stories, each new arc features a new creative team, telling stories set far away from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

===Other releases===
[[Transformers Valentines Day Special]] - a one-shot to tie in to Valentine's Day, set for release in February 2020.

==Collected editions==
Eschewing the standard trade paperback format, this continuity is primarily being collected in larger hardbacks, each containing twelve issues. From the second volume onwards these mix together issues of both of ongoing titles, collecting the entire continuity in both under a single banner and in publication order from the very start.

{{chapters|title=''Volume 1: The World In Your Eyes'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part One|#1]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|#2]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|#3]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Four|#4]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|#5]]
*[[Orion Pax: Free Fall|#6]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One|#7]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two|#8]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|#9]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|#10]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five|#11]]
*[[Nautica: Home|#12]]
}}

{{chapters|title=''Volume 2: The Change In Their Nature'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part One|#13]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|#14]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|#15]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Four|#16]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Five|#17]]
*[[Transformers issue 18|#18]]
 <div class="list-header">''Galaxies''</div>
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 1|#1]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 2|#2]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 3|#3]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 4|#4]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 1|#5]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 2|#6]]
}}

[[Category:Continuities]]
[[Category:IDW (2019)]]

The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five

2019-11-29T15:09:10Z

Guntrip:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' #11
|prev=The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four
|next=Nautica: Home
|caption=
|image=TF2019 11 cvrB.jpg
|title="The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[August 28]], 2019
|coverdate=August 2019
|written by=[[Brian Ruckley]]
|art by=[[Angel Hernandez]] (pg. 8-17), [[Anna Malkova]] (pages 1-7, 18-20)
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]] and [[Tom Waltz]]
|continuity=[[2019 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Bumblebee finds his loyalties tested when Barricade becomes the prize in a struggle between The Rise and Security Operations.'''

==Synopsis==
In the halls of the Cybertronian [[Senate]], First Senator [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] gravely listen to [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]]'s report on the current crisis unfolding at [[Ascenticon Headquarters]]: rogue [[Security Operations]] officer [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] has sought refuge with the Ascenticons... and [[Ascenticon Guard]] member [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] has denied the 'bots of Security Operations access to the building. Straightforward as ever, Sentinel orders Chromia to break down the doors and bring in their target by force, but Orion advocates a more restrained approach. Perhaps, he suggests, he should speak to [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] first... the recent destruction of the [[Memorial Crater]] has further divided [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s already polarized society, and those who hold Ascenticon sympathies are already blaming the security operatives who carried out the raid. Sentinel grumbles that Orion has until sunset to get what he wants... and if he ''doesn't'', then he'll order Chromia to get proactive about the situation.

Ignoring Head of Intelligence [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s snide remarks, Chromia passes an object to Orion: the salvaged contents of the data-jack that she and her team uncovered at the Rise base in the crater. Forty names are on the list of every 'bot who used the facility's [[energon stations]]–including, she reasons, the Risers responsible for killing [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] and [[Rubble]].

Elsewhere, Megatron himself is furious with Soundwave's handling of the recent crisis–under Soundwave's authorization, Barricade passed information directly to [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] regarding the location of the [[Voin]] witness... and Shockwave sought to tie up that loose end by sending the notoriously unstable [[Quake (G1)|Quake]] to finish the job. With security cordons at their doorstep and a suspected Riser taking shelter in their headquarters, the political legitimacy of the Ascenticons is crumbling, and fast. As he vents his fury, the Ascenticon leader smashes one piece of furniture after the next, until an attendant timidly pokes her head around the door to inform Megatron that Orion wishes to speak to him. With his carefully-prepared plan collapsing around him, the Ascenticon leader sighs, and agrees that Security Operations ''cannot'' be allowed to speak to Barricade now. Instead, Megatron puts through a call to [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] on one of Soundwave's secure drones, informing his co-conspirator that someone needs to come get Barricade... and that the extraction effort needs to look good.

Unaware of Megatron's scheme, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] has just finished paying [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]]'s [[stasis lock]]ed body a visit–but that's not why he's at the medical center today, as he's arrived to have a tête-à-tête with Orion Pax. Orion is the one who put him up to joining the Ascenticon Guard, a way of keeping an eye on the organization after the suspiciously incompetent attack on Megatron's Ascenticon rally–but now, with Ascenticon headquarters in turmoil, Orion asks Bumblebee not to return. The yellow Autobot refuses: Rubble died because nobody was there to protect him. Bumblebee was in debt to Orion already, but now he's even ''deeper'' in debt to Rubble's memory... and he won't stop until that debt is paid, and Cybertron protected.

Some time later, back at Ascenticon headquarters, the members of the [[Ascenticon Guard]] prepare for the inevitable confrontation with [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and his men. One by one, the various Ascenticons head off to their posts, intent on maintaining a united front in the face of Security... but Bumblebee lags behind, and wonders aloud just ''what'' Barricade did to get on their radar. Soundwave is quick to order Bumblebee to his station, but–the moment Soundwave's back turns–Bumblebee slips off after Barricade as the ex-cop heads down a side hallway, and bumps into [[Flywheels|Skytread]] on the way, who firmly encourages his fellow guardsman to find somewhere else to be busy.

Up above, [[Sixshot]] and his compatriots [[Whisper (G1)|Visper]] and [[Storm Cloud (G1)|Storm Cloud]] scope out the situation below. As per Shockwave's orders, they've been sent to retrieve Barricade, and make it look convincing... and their "attack" begins with a blast that announces their presence. While the two smaller Transformers grab Barricade, Skytread is seemingly dropped with a staged jolt from an electric stun baton, Bumblebee goes up against Visper before Sixshot intervenes and momentarily stuns the yellow 'bot. As they turn to leave, however, the [[Six Changer]] finds himself blindsided when Bumblebee recovers and fights back, wielding a chunk of debris as an improvised weapon! Though 'Bee fights hard, the fight is as short-lived as it is lopsided: Sixshot contemptuously snatches Bumblebee's weapon from his hands... and Bumblebee himself is electrocuted by none other than Skytread! The deed done, the Risers scatter... and Barricade goes with them.

That night, Megatron surveys the ruins of the damaged Ascenticon building; with Soundwave in tow, the Ascenticon leader broadcasts a new speech. Cybertron is but a shadow of its former glory, Megatron opines, and the rise of violence across the planet–a violence exemplified by The Rise, and abetted by the incompetence of Security Operations–are but symptoms of the underlying cause: and that cause is the the reign of the Autobots, and their slavish adherence to the [[Nominus Edict]].

On cue, Megatron's fellow Ascenticons step forward–senators, members of the Ascenticon Guard alike, and even Bumblebee. Though they are beset by chaos and disorder on all sides, Megatron announces that progress ''must'' be made, their ascension aided by determination, purpose, and, if need be, anger... and, as he hoists the tattered Ascenticon flag, the first step on this new path begins with a new insignia for the Ascenticons. Using a blowtorch, Megatron burns a new pattern over the old symbol, turns it upside down, and reveals his handiwork to the people of Cybertron...

...[[Decepticon|the sign of the future.]]

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] (1)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] (4)

|h2=[[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s|c2=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (6)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (9)
* [[Reflector (G1)|Refraktor]] (10)
* [[Elita One (G1)|Elita-1]] (11)
* [[Flywheels|Skytread]] (13)
* [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]] (17)
* [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (18)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] (19)
* [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] (20)
'''[[The Rise]]'''
* [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] (12)
* [[Storm Cloud (G1)|Storm Cloud]] (14)
* [[Sixshot]] (15)
* [[Whisper (G1)|Visper]] (16)

{{!}}}

|c4=
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (2)
* [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (3)
* [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (7)
* [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (8)

}}

==Quotes==
"I stay until I've cleared my debts and made anyone else that needs to '''pay theirs'''. Because if I don't, I will '''break.''' I will break."
:—'''Bumblebee'''

"We'll do the elevated approach anyway. Shockwave wanted something dramatic. Some damage. He also said not to '''kill''' anyone if possible, so I suppose we try that."
:—'''Sixshot'''

"We must not ascend slowly now, on the '''soft''' current of reason and debate, but on a '''surging tide''' of purpose and determination! And yes, '''anger too''' if that is what it takes to sweep away the obstacles and delays and distractions the Autobots set in our path. '''This''' is the new face of Ascenticons. And it is the '''face''' of the '''future'''."
:—'''Megatron''' ends on a CLIFFHANGER, dun dun DUNNNNNN

==Notes==
*'''First appearances:''' [[Storm Cloud (G1)|Storm Cloud]], [[Whisper (G1)|Visper]], [[Strika (BM)|Strika]], [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]

===Continuity notes===
* [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] officially joined the Ascenticon Guard during [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|issue #9]], and sought shelter in their HQ in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|the previous issue]]; it wasn't entirely laid out in the comic beforehand, but we correctly theorized that Barricade was the 'bot responsible for passing on information regarding the [[Voin]] scavenger to [[The Rise]], beforehand, and that Quake was deliberately sent to silence it.
* Chromia and her team salvaged data on The Rise in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|issue #9]] and inadvertently ran into Sixshot and his skeleton crew while there. The ensuing conflict saw the [[Memorial Crater]] destroyed, as mentioned by Orion in this issue, and the fallout from the battle has further inflamed tensions in Cybertronian society.
* Windblade was wounded in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|issue #9]] and subsequently taken to the medical center in issue #10, though her condition was left unclear. This issue reveals that she will recover.
* Bumblebee is revealed to be a deep-cover operative for Orion Pax; this explains the ''real'' reason why he expressed an interest in joining the Ascenticon Guard in [[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|issue #5]]; and may also clarify his semi-regular disappearances in issues [[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|#3]] and [[The World In Your Eyes Part Four|#4]].
* Additionally, Bumblebee notes that he's been in Orion's debt for a "long time;" ''presumably'', this has something to do with Bumblebee's still-mysterious expulsion from Security Operations, as revealed in issue #5, though the precise circumstances behind this incident have yet to be revealed.
* Orion mentions the botched attack on Megatron's rally, which took place in [[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|issue #2]]; several characters since then have occasionally touched on the suspiciously incompetent nature of the attack.
* Sixshot retains the battle damage he sustained at the hands of Windblade in issue #9, and warns Visper and Storm Shot not to end up on the same list he's placed [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] and [[Shadow Striker (G1)|Shadow Striker]] on, referencing his rather poor treatment of the duo in the same issue.

===Transformers references===
* Stained glass windows on the walls of the Senate depict [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], [[Solus Prime]], [[Nexus Prime]], [[Solomus]], and [[Quintus Prime]]. These were not a script mandate, and were added by artist [[Anna Malkova]]; according to her, they are meant to represent various branches of the government: legislative, judicial, executive, social services, and education. <ref>[https://twitter.com/Anna__Malkova/status/1169233149664124929 Anna Malkova on Twitter, 4 September 2019]</ref> Other statues in the hall are based off a stylized version of Sentinel Prime's [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|live-action film series counterpart.]] <ref>[https://twitter.com/Anna__Malkova/status/1169233913732128768 Anna Malkova on Twitter, 4 September 2019]</ref>
* Chromia name-drops [[Glyph (Universe)|Glyph]] as the 'bot responsible for unscrambling the garbled data recovered from the Rise base, referencing the character’s history as an accomplished linguist.
* Characters mentioned on the datapad include some well-known future Decepticons—[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] and [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]—and some more obscure characters, including [[Treadshot (G1)|Treadshot]] and [[Blackjack]]... though only time will tell if they'll actually make an appearance in the comic.
* The critically wounded Windblade is interred within a clear tank of liquid, kept on life support via a series of tubes wired into her body; a similar fate befell [[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|the original IDW incarnation of Sideswipe]], though in ''that'' case he didn’t recover and was, ultimately, euthanized.
* Sixshot swears by the [[Void]].
* The final group shot of the Ascenticons features most of the Ascenticons who've appeared in the series, with some new faces thrown in: [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] appears, using the orange-and-grey jet form based on his [[Jhiaxus (G2)#Generations|2014 ''Generations'' toy]]; behind him is [[Strika (BM)|Strika]], sporting a body that's close to her appearance in ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'', and a purple bat that's ''prooobably'' [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]... though its turban-like head adornment, combined with his name very conspicuously showing up on Chromia's list of Risers, means that it might also be a block-coloured [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]]?

===Errors===
* After last issue’s gaffe, Soundwave is back to using his distinctive speech bubbles... however, in this issue, they're coloured ''yellow'', rather than blue.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A''': Elita-1, by [[James Raiz]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
* '''Cover B''': Security Operations, by [[George Caltsoudas]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover''': Quake's on the loose, by [[Guido Guidi]]
<gallery>
File:TF2019 11 cvrA.jpg
File:TF2019 11 cvrB.jpg
File:TF2019 11 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* ''[[Transformers: Galaxies]]'' series
* [[Transformers '84 issue 0|''Transformers '84'' #0]] one-shot
* New ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' series
* ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' (back cover)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://graphicpolicy.com/2019/08/27/preview-transformers-11/]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part 5}}
[[Category:Transformers (2019) issues]]

2019 IDW continuity

2019-11-29T12:57:38Z

Guntrip:

{{nav-G1|logo=Transformers 2014 logo.png}}

[[File:Transformers-2019-1-cvrA-clean.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

The '''2019 IDW continuity''' serves as the reboot to [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Transformers'' line as a whole, beginning in March [[2019]] and running into the foreseeable future. As per tradition, this new iteration of the continuity is a new, separate story, entirely divorced from the [[2005 IDW continuity]] and its decades-long story arc that concluded with 2018's ''[[Transformers: Unicron|Unicron]]'' miniseries. Despite this, however, the continuity has featured an unusually high number of IDW-original returning characters, and many concepts have been mined from its predecessor and adjusted to fit into this new universe.

Unusually for a ''Transformers'' story, which generally start ''in medias res'', with the Autobot-Decepticon war well underway, this continuity opens just before chronological beginning of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]— the first story to do so since 2010's ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'' novel.

==Main titles==
===''Transformers''===
{{main|Transformers (2019 comic)}}

The primary ongoing comic written by [[Brian Ruckley]], ''Transformers'' opens on a peaceful, egalitarian Cybertron rocked by the first murder in living memory—a murder with far-reaching repercussions for both Senator [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]], his allies, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the conflicted leader of the self-styled [[Decepticon|Ascenticon]]s.

===''Transformers: Galaxies''===
{{main|Transformers: Galaxies}}

''Transformers: Galaxies'' serves as a companion piece to the main ''Transformers'' ongoing, a spiritual successor of sorts to the ''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Spotlight]]'' issues that helped to flesh out original IDW continuity. An anthology of side stories, each new arc features a new creative team, telling stories set far away from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

==Collected editions==
Eschewing the standard trade paperback format, this continuity is primarily being collected in larger hardbacks, each containing twelve issues. From the second volume onwards these mix together issues of both of ongoing titles, collecting the entire continuity in both under a single banner and in publication order from the very start.

{{chapters|title=''Volume 1: The World In Your Eyes'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part One|#1]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|#2]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|#3]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Four|#4]]
*[[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|#5]]
*[[Orion Pax: Free Fall|#6]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One|#7]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two|#8]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|#9]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|#10]]
*[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five|#11]]
*[[Nautica: Home|#12]]
}}

{{chapters|title=''Volume 2: The Change In Their Nature'':|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">''Transformers''</div>
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part One|#13]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Two|#14]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|#15]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Four|#16]]
*[[The Change In Your Nature Part Five|#17]]
*[[Transformers issue 18|#18]]
 <div class="list-header">''Galaxies''</div>
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 1|#1]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 2|#2]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 3|#3]]
*[[Constructicons Rising, Part 4|#4]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 1|#5]]
*[[Wannabee, Part 2|#6]]
}}

[[Category:Continuities]]
[[Category:IDW (2019)]]

Nautica: Home

2019-09-18T07:37:09Z

Guntrip: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' #12
|prev=The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five
|next=Transformers issue #13
|caption="Nautica, that's your solution to everything: to move under the sea. It's not gonna happen!"
|image=TF2019 12 cvrB.jpg
|title="Nautica: Home"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 18]], 2019
|coverdate=August 2019
|written by=[[Brian Ruckley]]
|art by=[[Sara Pitre-Durocher]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]] and [[Tom Waltz]]
|continuity=[[2019 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=
}}

'''When Head of Xenorelations Nautica and her bodyguard uncover a sinister plot while returning to Cybertron, she'll have to rely on her diplomatic skills and cultural knowledge to save the day.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] has always been fascinated by organic life, a lifelong obsession that eventually led her into a career in xenorelations, eventually becoming head of the department and landing a seat in [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s innermost retinue. But as Cybertron grows increasingly factionalized, and years of long-buried histories threaten to boil back over, Nautica has spent more and more time offworld, doing what she loves. Even now, she remembers her solitary voyage beneath the ice of [[Aeglus IV]], learning the language of the bioluminescent natives, before the words of a furious [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] drags her back to reality. Having learned of the deaths of both [[Rubble]] and [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]], the First Senator has cancelled his tour of the colonies, a journey that's taken him and his retinue to the remote asteroid city of [[Hexagon]],and will return home as soon as all visiting delegations depart their [[Titan (group)|Titan]].

As the various Cybertronians go their separate ways, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] catches up with Nautica; while she's perturbed by the news of murder on her peaceful homeworld, she's ''more'' concerned by the thought of a dead [[Voin]], worrying how it might affect Cybertron's Voin population. Nautica tries to brush off the Head of Intelligence, but Starscream has more important news for her, and shows her a transmission from the local [[Thraal]] embassy. The secretive, warlike Thraal have long been an unknown quantity in the politics of Cybertronian space, but Starscream is happy to report that he and his team have finally managed to penetrate their complex anti-surveillance system. Starscream doesn't speak Thraalese, so he's unaware that there's anything amiss from the recorded footage of the Thraal delegation taking leave of the colony's Thraal ambassador... but Nautica, who ''does'', immediately takes her leave, putting in a call to her bodyguard [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] as she does.

As the pair head towards the Thraal embassy, Nautica fills Road Rage in on everything that's wrong with the picture. Obsessed with rank and hierarchy, the local delegate was showing great respect to a low-ranking junior advisor, and her odd goodbye suggested that this advisor was being sent on a journey—a ''final'' journey, even—of great cultural significance. Road Rage wonders if they should get Colonial Security officer [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] involved, or Sentinel Prime, or even Starscream, but Nautica brushes them all off, one by one. Sentinel Prime is too brash, Hound's good judgement fails in the face of the belligerent Thraal, and Starscream is amoral and self-serving.

''Nautica remembers her days with the Voin in their verdant aquatic gardens, learning everything she could about their strange culture and ethics, her megacycle with [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]], negotiating a ceasefire between the Thraal and the [[Occulted Dremdens]], and muses that, for her, a life on quiet, static Cybertron just doesn't hold the same appeal that it used to.''

Nautica's mastery of the Thraal language allows her and Road Rage access to the main embassy aboard the ship, where the Thraal ambassadors to Cybertron are getting ready for the voyage... but the mystery advisor isn't there. Nautica is able to quickly spin the situation and lies that they've merely been sent to confirm the number of Thraal that will be travelling with them; the moment they're out of the embassy, however, Nautica calls [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] and asks her to run a scan for any organics outside their usual zones. While they wait for the information, Nautica fills in Road Rage on the Thraal: every so often, the Thraal embassy petitions Sentinel Prime to expel Cybertron's population of [[A'ovan]] refugees, a political move designed to appease the hardline Thraal extremists bent on finishing their extermination of the species.

The impromptu political discussion comes to an end when Lightbright gets back in contact with Nautica, informing her that she's found a faint signature in the improvised cold store set up for the benefit of their organic diplomats. Road Rage puts on an excellent show of intimidation, easily battering the door down... but discovers that the larder has already been ransacked and abandoned. Nautica identifies the small corpses strewn everywhere as [[frem]]s, a Thraal delicacy, but correctly deduces that there's a layer of subterfuge: something was disassembled, component-by-component, smuggled aboard the ship ''inside'' their bodies, then reassembled in the cold store. Whatever it is has already been reassembled and carried out, or, Nautica notes, ''climbed'' out, as most Thraal weapons take the form of autonomous, semi-sentient machinery. Ignoring her bodyguard's pleas to let her take the fore, Nautica instructs her to call [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]], in the hopes that she'll be able to discreetly handle the problem. As the pair reach an intersection, however, they stumble across their mystery Thraal and his robotic creation!

Road Rage immediately takes the fore; when she tackles the Thraal, he stays down, but he's already given a command to his machine, who promptly scuttles off. Road Rage transforms and gives chase, but is unprepared when the device promptly teleports outside of the tube they're in. The two Cybertronians are right behind it, however, and head for the nearest airlock. Nautica reveals that they're dealing with an [[autonomous artificial-life bomb]], a purpose-built suicide bomber that will crawl to the weakest point of the ship and explode. Disarming it, Nautica grimly realizes, is completely out of the question, as even the gentlest touch will immediately trigger its detonation sequence.

Of the two, Road Rage's flight mode means that she can operate in zero-gravity better than her charge, who nevertheless crawls towards the dogged machine—though her attempts to negotiate with the AI in Thraalese are for naught, as the device is fanatically devoted to its guiding purpose. Nautica looks over her shoulder to see Road Rage finishing her adjustments: with Lightbright's help, she's hatched a plan to stop the bomb, and turned a hatch on the Titan's hull into an impromptu bomb shelter for Nautica. Road Rage transforms and zooms off, just as Lightbright pulls the release on a deliberately overpressurized valve. The burst sends the bomb flying off the ship, while Road Rage takes ainm and fires her missiles at the device. As Nautica watches, the bomb is consumed by a massive explosion, while Road Rage's body slowly drifts away from the explosion...

Some time later, Nautica has finished informing Sentinel Prime of the incident, gratefully noting that Road Rage will make a full recovery in a cycle or two. The same can't be said of the Thraal saboteur, however, who's been slowly dying since Road Rage landed on him. The Thraal ambassador, she reports, is horrified by this news, and although Nautica is sure that he's innocent, it's clear that this was a very deliberate, well-orchestrated terrorist attack. The Thraal hardliners who masterminded the crime wanted to send a message to Cybertron, a warning that their contiued protection of what remains of the A'ovan will not be tolerated. Sentinel grumbles that news of this attack ''cannot'' be allowed to spread; they have enough troubles at home already. Nautica agrees to keep this dark, but warns her leader that this is not an entirely unanticipated development. Privately, Nautica wonders what new problems she'll find when she returns home... and if Cybertron even ''is'' her home anymore.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] (5)
|c4=
* [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (1)
* [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] (2)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (3)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (4)
* Female [[Titan (group)|Titan]] (6)
* [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] (7)
* ''[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'' (7)
* [[Thraal]] ambassador (8)
* Thraal saboteur (9)

}}

==Quotes==
"Did you tell Starscream, at least?" "No. Why would I?" 
"Well, he '''is''' the head of intelligence. And he's generally considered quite clever." 
"'''I''' generally consider most Cybertronians as incapable of distinguishing amoral self-interest from cleverness."
:— '''Road Rage''' and '''Nautica'''

"Somehow, everything that has Cybertron in its grip—the megacycles of stratified, unforgotten history, the intricacies of doctrinal differences... somewhere along the way I slipped free and the '''rest''' of the universe got a grip instead."
:— '''Nautica'''

"Bodyguard moment, Road Rage! '''Bodyguard moment!'''"
:— '''Nautica'''

"you can't teleport, can you? 
"'''What?''' You don't think I would have mentioned it before now, if I could teleport?" 
: '''Nautica''' and '''Road Rage''' get frank

==Notes==
*'''First appearances:''' [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]]

===Continuity notes===
* As per the note on page 1, this story is set before [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|issue #10]]. As such, most of the comic is set aboard the as-yet unnamed female Titan as she prepares to head back to Cybertron with Sentinel Prime and his inner retinue.
* The issue begins with an excerpt from a fictional book titled "Introductory Principles for New Recruits to Xenorelations," which highlights several alien species alluded to in the series thus far and outlines the nature of their civilizations. In addition to the [[Voin]], [[Thraal]], and [[A'ovan]], which have all appeared in a semi-major capacity, the [[Aklutheen]], who were mentioned by [[Rubble]] to be one of the many races living in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]'s [[Xeno-Quarter]], the text also introduces a new race to the ''Transformers'' canon, the [[Occulted Dremden]].
* First alluded to in [[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|issue #2]], the [[A'ovan]] had previously appeared in [[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|issue #5]] as refugees, living in a [[A'ovan habitat|custom-built arcology]] designed to replicate their natural biosphere after the Thraal used nuclear weapons against their homeworld. This issue reveals that their planet was deliberately "sterilized" by the Thraal, and the text suggests that the conflict between the two races is much less of an active war (as per their prior appearance in [[Transformers Comic issue 3|issue #3 of Titan's ''Transformers'' magazine]]) and something closer to a deliberate, targeted genocide, carried out for reasons unknown.
* Several Voin representatives appear aboard the Titan; unlike their prior appearances, where the Voin all used the same ape-like creature as their "slaved organics", ''these'' Voin are also shown controlling another organism, a tripodal crustacean, alongside the familiar primates.
* The previous few issues revealed the jobs of some of Sentinel's staff: in addition to Head of Xenorelations Nautica and Head of Intelligence Starscream, this issue reveals that [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]] are part of [[Colonial Security]].

===Transformers references===
* [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] receives her first major role in.... well, ''ever'', as Nautica's bodyguard. This [[function]] originated in her original [[Road Rage (G1)#Masterpiece|''Masterpiece'' toy bio]], which depicted her as the loyal, talented aide to the Autobot diplomat [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]. Perhaps in reference to this, a flashback shows Nautica and Road Rage working with Crosscut during a prior diplomatic mission.
* [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] also makes her debut in the new continuity; formerly a one-off cameo in ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'', the character was brought into the [[2005 IDW continuity|original IDW continuity]] as a [[Caminus (planet)|Camien]] [[cityspeaker]]. While she's not ''specifically'' named as a cityspeaker here, it's not hard to deduce that her ability to so deftly manipulate the Titan's various circuits and inner workings suggest that she has a similar range of powers.
* The Thraal appear on-panel for the first time, though they've been somewhat redesigned: while the original Thraal were basically humanoid except for their blue skin, this version of the species reimagines them with pale green skin and thick, hairlike tentacles.

===Real-world references===
* On page 2, a generic Cybertronian in the crowd is coloured to resemble [[Rom]] the [[Space Knight]].

===Other notes===
* It wasn't clear at the time if Rubble's memories of the "Aklutheen" as inhabitants of the Xeno-Quarter was him misremembering the name of the similar-sounding [[Akalouthan]]; this issue apparently confirms that they are two separate species.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A''': Nautica and Road Rage, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
* '''Cover B''': Nautica explores an alien ocean, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Thomas Deer]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover''': Nautica wants YOU (to go exploring), by [[Jeffery Veregge]]

<gallery>
File:TF2019 12 cvrA.jpg
File:TF2019 12 cvrB.jpg
File:TF2019 12 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* TBD

==External links==
*[https://graphicpolicy.com/2019/09/17/preview-transformers-12/]

[[Category:Transformers (2019) issues]]

Talk:Bumblebee (film)

2018-12-28T10:54:42Z

Guntrip: /* Sector Seven's "first contact" */

==Lawsuit?==
So Hasbro just filed a Lawsuit with DC Comics for the Bumblebee Name. [http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/bumblebee-trademark-transformers-dc-comics-warner-bros-1202541577/] [[User:Energizer|Energizer]] ([[User talk:Energizer|talk]]) 04:45, 30 August 2017 (EDT)
:Ah no wait, it's over. DC & Hasbro are cool. [http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/08/17/the-battle-of-the-bumblebees-is-over-hasbro-and-dc-comics-settle-bumblebee-trademark-dispute-370180] [[User:Energizer|Energizer]] ([[User talk:Energizer|talk]]) 19:22, 11 September 2018 (EDT)
==To Scream or not to Scream==
Should Starscream be in the cast list here, when we've not actually had any official announcement/confirmation that the character in the trailer is him? --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] ([[User talk:KilMichaelMcC|talk]]) 12:58, 8 June 2018 (EDT)
:Nope. --[[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 01:11, 9 June 2018 (EDT)
::Aw, come on! Its quite obviously supposed to be starscream, the head design is a slightly more g1-ifies version of michael bay starscream. The colors of the jet (what can be seen of it) are starscream colors, red air intakes, white nose area, and even a orange cockpit. It is highly unlikely this starscream homage isnt him, its clearly a more g1-ified version of michael bay starscream. [[User:YourBestPal|YourBestPal]] ([[User talk:YourBestPal|talk]]) 13:13, 9 June 2018 (EDT)
:::It's not uncommon for [[Blackout (Movie)|movie]] [[Grindor (ROTF)|characters]] to [[Crankcase (DOTM)|not]] [[Berserker|be]] who you think they are. Until Starscream is officially confirmed, we gotta play it safe. [[User:Ikkad|Ikkad]] ([[User talk:Ikkad|talk]]) 14:14, 9 June 2018 (EDT)
::: Only one [[Barricade (Movie)|decepticon]] has been confirmed for the movie. Starscream has not been confirmed yet. [[User:Puppetroblox|Puppetroblox]] ([[User talk:Puppetroblox|talk]]) 19:34, 9 June 2018 (EDT)
Get rekt, it’s confirmed as screamer now! [[User:YourBestPal|YourBestPal]] ([[User talk:YourBestPal|talk]]) 08:24, 21 June 2018 (EDT)
:The rudeness is hardly necessary. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 08:51, 21 June 2018 (EDT)
Sorry, I meant it in a friendlier manner. [[User:YourBestPal|YourBestPal]] ([[User talk:YourBestPal|talk]]) 13:53, 25 June 2018 (EDT)

The reason they had to make an official announcement was because you people kept speculating that it wasn't Starscream when it blattantly was. It's a soft reboot. He doesn't have to turn into a Dorito F-22 to be the same character. This has been common knowledge for months.[[User:Leo1452|King Kid]] ([[User talk:Leo1452|talk]]) 12:03, 28 June 2018 (EDT)
:Well I for one have always enjoyed crow when topped with a little (Whataburger) ketchup. - [[User:TBR|TBR]] ([[User talk:TBR|talk]]) 21:55, 21 July 2018 (EDT)

This just in: That Scream is now Blitzwing. [[User:FigureGunplaFan|FigureGunplaFan]] ([[User talk:FigureGunplaFan|talk]]) 07:48, 15 August 2018 (EDT)
:...that just in literally a month ago hence my last comment above. - [[User:TBR|TBR]] ([[User talk:TBR|talk]]) 20:33, 15 August 2018 (EDT)

== /* Timeline and Continuity */ ==

This movie is a reboot because if not they should find the way to explain how Bumblebee fought in the WW2, because this movie is supposedly to be the first time Bumblebee came to Earth--[[User:Crosshairs|Crosshairs]] ([[User talk:Crosshairs|talk]]) 22:42, 9 June 2018 (EDT)
:Stop. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 23:29, 9 June 2018 (EDT)
==toyline?==
Is there a toyline? I know the movie has a while to release, but we knew about titans return about a year before release. Why do t we know about this toyline?
[[User:YourBestPal|YourBestPal]] ([[User talk:YourBestPal|talk]]) 13:39, 10 June 2018 (EDT)

There might be. I have seen pictures showing a prototype of a volkswagen beetle Bumblebee ( redeco from TLK new bumblebee ) [[User:Puppetroblox|Puppetroblox]] ([[User talk:Puppetroblox|talk]]) 20:29, 10 June 2018 (EDT

:The toyline will be absorbed into ''Studio Series.'' [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 20:49, 10 June 2018 (EDT)
==Is this really a reboot?==
I have heard that the reboot is cancelled, but the past events in the movies just don't match up.
Bumblebee went to earth with Hot Rod and fought in world war 2 (ww2) there. Instead the movie shows bumblebee's first time on earth.
So is this a start to the reboot or just a confusing event in the Bayformers Movies? [[User:Puppetroblox|Puppetroblox]] ([[User talk:Puppetroblox|talk]]) 20:39, 10 June 2018 (EDT)
:Dude, it really doesn't matter right now, the movie isn't out yet. [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 20:49, 10 June 2018 (EDT)
==bumblebee design==
Is it me, or does bumblebee kinda look like the cancelled alternators g1 bumblebee? If anyone else picks up on this, should we put it in the (currently nonexistent) trivia area that his design is possibly an homage to said toy? [[User:YourBestPal|YourBestPal]] ([[User talk:YourBestPal|talk]]) 13:55, 25 June 2018 (EDT)

==female Decepticon==

A youtuber, AndySupreme99, claims that he saw the trailer at Cinemacon. He says that there is a female Decepticon. Have any of you seen the trailer he mentioned?
:We obviously know now that this was referring to Shatter, but for the record, we need a better source than "This YouTuber says..." next time. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 01:19, 22 July 2018 (EDT)

==new characters confirmed==

The director has confirmed that Cliffjumper, Soundwave and Shockwave will be on Cybertron. [[User:Puppetroblox|Puppetroblox]] ([[User talk:Puppetroblox|talk]]) 06:53, 15 August 2018 (EDT)
:Source? [[User:FigureGunplaFan|FigureGunplaFan]] ([[User talk:FigureGunplaFan|talk]]) 07:47, 15 August 2018 (EDT)
::When I googled, I found a bunch of excited fan videos pointing back to a wordpress blog which mentioned Travis Knight in terms of his appearance at San Diego Comic Con, and then launched into a bunch of other details that were not obviously sourced to anything Knight said. I don't think we should be inclined to add them based on that. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 21:33, 15 August 2018 (EDT)

::Now we all know that it is true because of the second trailer, but we should get an official source first next time instead of info from a fan made video. [[User:Memeuser17|Memeuser17]] ([[User talk:Memeuser17|talk]]) 13:38, 19 October 2018 (EDT)

== Can we not add pages for background randos who may or may not be characters? ==

Have people already forgotten when everyone though Blitzwing was actually Starscream? We shouldn't be saying Acid Storm is in the film, when there's the possibility that the green dude might well turn out to be a completely new character. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 22:38, 24 September 2018 (EDT)
:Sorry, I should've probably just waited or not do it at all instead of telling people to delete if they didn't like it. But I didn't think it would be taken to this extent where pages were being made. Once again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 23:09, 24 September 2018 (EDT)
::The first rule of wikis is that if there is a red link, *somebody* is gonna fill it. - [[User:TBR|TBR]] ([[User talk:TBR|talk]]) 01:29, 25 September 2018 (EDT)

==To Scream or not to Scream Part 2==
This fits better here than on Bltizwing's article's talk page, where I'd posted it first:

''We're swiftly disabused of that notion thanks to a barrage of familiar faces including Decepticon premiereship players Shockwave, Starscream and Blitzwing, all in their original, first generation forms.''

This is obviously an incorrect take on the trailer, as Blitzwing is assuredly not there in his "original, first generation form." We therefore can't take the article's identification of Starscream as definitive, especially given that this isn't the first time we've seen a Starscream-looking dude in a trailer, and he turned out named something else. Note that Starscream is not mentioned in any of the article's direct quotes of Travis Knight. --KilMichaelMcC (talk) 16:59, 25 September 2018 (EDT)
:I understand what you mean, but in the background of the Shockwave shot, we see a bot that looks different than Blitzwing, and has more similarities to Starscream. We can especially tell because the international trailer shows us Blitzwing's body. If this ends being Blitzwing ''too'' (for some reason) than sure. [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 17:30, 25 September 2018 (EDT)
::We cannot positively ID that guy as Starscream at this point, certainly not based on a sentence that contains at least one clear error. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] ([[User talk:KilMichaelMcC|talk]]) 17:37, 25 September 2018 (EDT)
:::Blitzwing being in his Generation One style form can just be the error, and that's it. And besides, if Starscream wasnt in the actual movie, wouldn't you think they would've scrubbed his name by now? [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 17:49, 25 September 2018 (EDT)
::::A version of G1 Blitzwing does not appear in the trailer, and that mistaken impression by the author has not been corrected. That mistake renders the sentence unreliable. The author thinks that one Seeker on Cybertron is Starscream, and maybe it is, but we've been down the "this Seeker-looking dude is clearly Starscream" road once already, and we know how that turned out. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] ([[User talk:KilMichaelMcC|talk]]) 17:58, 25 September 2018 (EDT)
:::::One incorrect part of a sentence doesn't cancel out the whole sentence. It is true that Shockwave and other characters appear in their G1 style bodies. Let's get at a compromise. If the movie comes out and that Seeker in the background isn't Starscream, then, we remove it. But for now we keep it so we can remember. Dealio? [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 18:30, 25 September 2018 (EDT)
::::::No. What? No. When the movie comes out this'll all be moot. We're talking about what our articles are presenting to readers right now as confirmed facts about an upcoming release. And actually, yes, that one error does make the whole sentence unreliable, as it auggests that it's just the author's impression of the trailer and not info from an actual production source. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] ([[User talk:KilMichaelMcC|talk]]) 19:13, 25 September 2018 (EDT)
::::::Yeah, let's just delete the Starscream stuff for now and see what happens. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 20:04, 25 September 2018 (EDT)
:::::::Fine. [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 20:17, 25 September 2018 (EDT)
Welp, looks like the new, short featurette made this guy look EVEN more like Starscream. By the way, I have "Starscream" hidden along with the other background bots; if the movie comes out, and it turns out this isn't Blitzwing or anyone else, then we can probably un-hide him, along with everyone else. Guess we'll find out soon! [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 17:48, 5 December 2018 (EST)

== Mr. Bee caption ==

I really don't care for it, but the context of that caption is that it's from the Bee Movie during the trial scene with Barry Vs. The Human Race. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 11:03, 16 October 2018 (EDT)
:I know what it's from, I just think it's gross.
:Also Sipher removed it once already, and he's an admin, so. -[[User:Foffy the Sheep|Foffy]] ([[User talk:Foffy the Sheep|talk]]) 11:15, 16 October 2018 (EDT)
::Yeah, I totally agree. Just figured I might add some context. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 13:07, 16 October 2018 (EDT)
:::Good news, its been taken care of in the form of the famous "You like Jazz?" [[User:Energizer|Energizer]] ([[User talk:Energizer|talk]]) 18:29, 17 October 2018 (EDT)

== Officialy Confirmed Characters ==

Recently characters like Arcee,Cliffjumper, Ratchet and Starscream were confirmed in an official featurette. Should we add them?[[User:Memeuser17|Memeuser17]] ([[User talk:Memeuser17|talk]]) 13:17, 27 November 2018 (EST)
:I feel like at this point we can afford to wait three weeks for the film to actually come out before adding tons of characters to the cast list. We've previously had shots of characters in trailers/preview material which have not been in the finished film. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 15:28, 27 November 2018 (EST)
::Besides, just because someone looks like a character doesn't mean they actually are. Remember "Starscream"? -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 15:30, 27 November 2018 (EST)
:::If the "featurette" is the video linked here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRFv6JVFApk Bumblebee - First Generation Design - Paramount Pictures UK], there is nothing in that video that confirms those characters. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 15:46, 27 November 2018 (EST)
::::Seems to be referencing this TFW2005 article about that featurette http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/11/27/transformers-bumblebee-designing-g1-featurette-jointhebuzz-377449 Which includes some blurry screenshots with background characters circled. Which is not confirmation of who these characters are, especially since you can barely see them. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] ([[User talk:KilMichaelMcC|talk]]) 15:57, 27 November 2018 (EST)
:::::'''EDIT:''' Yeah, that. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 15:58, 27 November 2018 (EST)

==The novel==
Warning: Spoilers!

The movie novel confirms that there is one more human character named Sheriff Lock who chases Bee and the humans in a tunnel before Bee damages his cop car by jumping on the hood. We should add him because this is from an official source.[[User:Memeuser17|Memeuser17]] ([[User talk:Memeuser17|talk]]) 11:00, 29 November 2018 (EST)
: Characters in novelizations don't always show up in the movie itself. There's no rush; we can wait a few weeks. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 11:02, 29 November 2018 (EST)

== The Hoover Dam in the Trailer. ==

This may be useless information, but it could also be of some interest to some.
I was born in Las Vegas and have lived here for most of my life.....I was born in the 70's BTW.
Anyways as a kid (and even now) I loved going to the Hoover Dam, so I know a bit about it's appearance throughout the years and decades.
So the movie takes place in 1988 right?
If that is the case the way the Dam looked in the trailer (I believe it was in the second trailer) is not correct for the time period.
The parking structure and new visitors center that can be seen on the west (Nevada) side the Dam in the trailer was built (added) in the mid 90's.
I did try to find some sample pics from the 80's online, but could not find any that were stamped for that time period. But I do have two post cards from my personal collection that I did get around that time, that shows how the Hoover Dam would appear in 1988. (I can send pics of them if need be).
So like I said this is not really important info about the movie, but I thought it should at least be said and addressed, you know for the whole "real world" "continuity" section or something. --[[User:Michael Alex Kawa|Melissa]] ([[User talk:Michael Alex Kawa|talk]]) 04:55, 3 December 2018 (EST)
:I would suggest waiting until after the film is released before adding any real-world comparisons like that, so as to make sure it accurately reflects the final version. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 08:11, 3 December 2018 (EST)
:I agree and that does makes sense, because they may change it, or perhaps the scene takes place at some other time period in the film, when I do see the movie I will let you know if it still is an issue. [[User:Michael Alex Kawa|Melissa]] ([[User talk:Michael Alex Kawa|talk]]) 01:35, 5 December 2018 (EST)

==thundercracker==
I’m not sure if it’s just a generic or not, but there’s a seeker colored suspiciously like thundercracker. Does anyone else think it’s thundercracker or is it just me? [[User:YourBestPal|YourBestPal]] ([[User talk:YourBestPal|talk]]) 16:35, 14 December 2018 (EST)
:Dude, just wait a WEEK and you can find out for sure. Geez, what is this obsession people have with playing "wow, that blur in the background looks kind of like random character number 382. If I squint."?--[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 20:24, 14 December 2018 (EST)

==Open editing please?==
When will regular users be able to edit this? The movie's already out... [[User:Autoboty|Autoboty]] ([[User talk:Autoboty|talk]]) 05:18, 21 December 2018 (EST)
:"expires 21:17, 21 December 2018 (UTC)". It's only 6:30 am on the East Coast. Not many have had a chance to see it yet... - [[User:TBR|TBR]] ([[User talk:TBR|talk]]) 06:26, 21 December 2018 (EST)
:For Christ's sake, would it kill people to just wait a few days and then add information? This does not need to be immediately added; in fact, it's better that it's not, because it gives you time to write up a concise summary. Just...chill. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 10:01, 21 December 2018 (EST)
:The article is unlocked now. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 22:03, 21 December 2018 (EST)

== New universe ==

Since the new film is clearly settled in a new continuity, should we move the new informations of the characters in a separate section in their own pages or create totally new pages ? {{unsigned|RoboWarriorPrime}}
:Same page, we would only make a new page if it's a new continuity family. There is also a discussion on how to tackle the Bee movie [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal#The Bumblebee Movie|here]]. [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 10:26, 22 December 2018 (EST)

== Next movie ==

It will be about Grimlock. --[[User:RandomDecepticon67|Random]][[File:Decepticon symbol.png|20px|link=User:RandomDecepticon67]][[User:RandomDecepticon67|67]] ([[User talk:RandomDecepticon67|talk]]) 06:21, 23 December 2018 (EST)
:Source or didn’t happen [[User:Indridcold13|Indridcold13]] ([[User talk:Indridcold13|talk]]) 13:06, 23 December 2018 (EST)

== Caption theme for this film? ==

So what is it this time around? [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 00:33, 27 December 2018 (EST)
:It has been Bee Movie so far, don’t know if it’s going to change [[User:Indridcold13|Indridcold13]] ([[User talk:Indridcold13|talk]]) 00:46, 27 December 2018 (EST)
:Bee Movie. There can be only one. - [[User:TBR|TBR]] ([[User talk:TBR|talk]]) 03:01, 27 December 2018 (EST)
::''Hey, I've never seen the Bee Movie. I had no clue!'' [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 10:46, 27 December 2018 (EST)
:::I hear it made a real buzz at the box office! - [[User:TBR|TBR]] ([[User talk:TBR|talk]]) 21:04, 27 December 2018 (EST)

== Sector Seven's "first contact" ==

The Sector Seven unit seen in the film calls the entire Bumblebee/Blitzwing fight, and later the meeting with Shatter and Dropkick as "first contact", which seems to imply that this is the first time that Sector Seven has seen Cybertronians. But as we know, at that point in time, Megatron and the Allspark are very clearly in possession of S7. Currently, this is stated to be a continuity error... But is there a chance that the Unit involved under Burns doesn't know of the entire story behind Megatron? Remember, in TF1, Banachek, said that the entire footage acquired from Transformers was deemed "beyond Top Secret." Using real-life Top Secrecy protocols, it isn't hard to imagine that even S7 wouldn't tell their field teams what was going on in their secret base, either A. because they simply don't have to know, or B. in case of interrogation, the soldiers can't tell anything useful.

The same can be said of allowing Shatter and Dropkick inside Hoover Dam: the field team could know the HQ, but wouldn't know the entirety of the story. And of course, the files that Shatter/Dropkick search through could be doctored, with some sensitive information removed or placed behind bars, allowing access but keeping some of the files a secrecy. Traces of Cybertronian-originated tech inside the files could simply be replaced with the cover-up stories S7 has used before, possibly even to the field teams.

Just a theory based on real-life protocols, and some careful speculation.

[[User:Jirr'kel|Shockblaster's Hideout]] ([[User talk:Jirr'kel|talk]]) 07:34, 27 December 2018 (EST)
:Given they cut a scene they filmed showing frozen ('''G1''') Megatron, they may or may not have Megs and the Allspark in the *Bumblebee* continuity. - [[User:TBR|TBR]] ([[User talk:TBR|talk]]) 21:05, 27 December 2018 (EST)

:Admittedly it's been a while since I watched the 2007 film, but Megs was (a) found frozen (and offline?) and (b) kept frozen (and offline?), right? So they can still have him in the freezer and consider this first contact, because it was the first ''actual'' contact, with the words and the talking. Like many things with continuity between these movies, I think it can work if you squint. A lot. --[[User:Guntrip|Guntrip]] ([[User talk:Guntrip|talk]]) 05:54, 28 December 2018 (EST)

Post

2018-11-25T19:35:50Z

Guntrip: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=op|issueno=25
|prev=A Sunrise Dark
|prev2=Ceremony
|next=
|caption=
|image=OP25 cvrA.jpg
|title="Post"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 21]], 2018
|coverdate=October 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Kei Zama]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''In the aftermath of the battle with Unicron, our heroes build a new future on Earth, and we look back on the life of Optimus Prime.'''

==Synopsis==
''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] looks back on his life and remembers...''

''As Orion Pax slowly comes online in an [[Iacon (polity)|Iaconian]] [[hot spot]], the [[blacksmith]] supervising his forging is impressed by his size and calls the ancient storyteller [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] to bear witness. Trion agrees there seems to be something special about Pax; that he is a 'bot who will be "worth weaving tales about." With some difficultly, Pax pulls free of the sparkfield, only for the first thing he witnesses to be the blacksmith mistreating the [[Scrounge (G1)|smaller 'bot]] who transforms into his medical equipment.''

Rebuilding on [[Earth]] continues in the wake of [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'s attack. [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] and [[Marissa Faireborn]] talk about the future—about a "ceremony" [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] is attending, about an upcoming funeral Arcee is going to miss—and Arcee tells Marissa the complicated story of her gender transition and how she's moved past the hardships she faced to find a job, friends, and a lover in [[Aileron]].

''Hoping to fight injustice, Orion Pax joins the Iaconian police force. During training, he is given his first gun by [[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]], who is amused by his wide-eyed innocence.''

While [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] oversees clean-up and rebuilding in [[San Francisco]], [[Sofía Orozco]] arrives on the scene to film a new story. [[Brad Emory]] guest stars to continue berating Cybertronians and their presence on Earth, and Sofía allows him to speak before approaching Jazz for his point of view. Jazz merely tells her he's not here for thanks, he's just here to do what's right.

''Orion Pax and [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] come upon fellow officer [[Outback (G1)|Outback]] roughing up [[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]] for drawing graffiti. Puzzled by the symbol he has scratched into a wall, Pax questions Ravage as to its meaning, but Outback kicks the cat-bot and explains that it's the mark of the "[[Decepticon]]s."''

Unsure what to make of themselves on Earth and thinking they might restart their old [[Chic Chips]] business, brothers [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] and [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] go to [[Pyra Magna]], the newly-appointed [[Mistress of Flame]], for some advice. Pyra is still getting used to her new role as spiritual adviser and isn't much help; Needlenose isn't surprised, regarding her as just another 'bot who abandoned everything they believed in, prompting Pyra to testily explain that she is attempting to bring new guidance to the [[Way of Flame]] in this post-Prime era, before all but kicking them out so she can prepare for the coming funeral.

''Repeated confrontations with the Decepticons send Orion down a dark path, as his fury builds over the subversive, criminal acts they partake in, which overshadow their justifiable anti-authoritarian roots. Seeing Pax's anger when he apprehends [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] in a [[simultronic]] bust, [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] reminds him of the systemic oppression that gave rise to the Decepticons in the first place and rebukes him for having lost sight of that and becoming "part of the problem."''

In [[Little Cybertron]], [[Rum-Maj]] and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] watch as graves are dug for all those who perished during the conflict with Unicron. The cost of victory weighs heavily on Rum-Maj to the point she is unsure if it was even a victory at all; Wreck-Gar opines that there ''aren't'' any victories in life because it goes on regardless, with or without you, and you just have to do your best for as long as you're around.

''When [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] extends an offer to Orion Pax to meet with him and talk, Orion discusses the matter with his closest allies. [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] thinks Pax should do it, in hopes that it will bring unity, but Ironhide disagrees, labeling all Decepticons murderers. Pax sides with 'Bee, telling Ironhide it's a chance to move past what has been and change the future for the better.''

In Africa, a group of poachers track a herd of elephants who have been displaced due to debris from Unicron landing on their grazing lands. Before the criminals can open fire on the animals, [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] swoops in to stop them. Acting in the deceased [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]]'s name, he decides that his old friend would understand if he made it so the poachers can't hurt anyone ever again...

''Following Pax's transformation into Optimus Prime, he successfully defeats and captures Megatron, but it is not long before a Decepticon raid frees Megatron from prison. [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] fears that Megatron may spread the war to other planets, and deems Optimus's hope that the Decepticon leader will have seen the error of his ways and will start his movement over again peacefully to be "nuts".''

Bumblebee walks along a coastline as the sun sets on his last day on Earth, before he heads off to serve as the Cybertronian race's diplomatic envoy to the [[Galactic Council]] after the funeral the next day. Walking beside him is a familiar face: the deceased [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], who gave up his life to ensure victory against Unicron, and who has traded roles with Bumblebee to somehow become a "ghost" only he can see. Bumblebee encourages the spectral Starscream to come with him on his mission, but Starscream doubts he would be welcome. Bumblebee jokingly accuses him of being mad that Optimus Prime is going to get all the credit for saving the universe; Starscream smiles and brushes it off, stating that he's sure people will remember him, and that will be enough.

''As Prowl predicted, the war moves off-planet, and civilizations die as a result. [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] accuses Optimus Prime of not caring, of believing the ends justify the means; [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]] calms him to prevent a fight, but shares his beliefs, and tells Prime so to his face.''

Thundercracker and [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] attend an awards ceremony where he is up for "Best Original Screenplay" for his biopic of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] [[Chuckles]]. Wracked with nerves that are made all the worse by the fact that one of his favorite actresses, [[Karen Fishook]], is announcing the winner, Thundercracker braces himself to hear the result...

''Optimus remembers his period of shifting identity, how he went from Prime back to Orion Pax and traveled the stars for a time until retaking the Prime title, then how [[Cybertronian colonies|Cybertron's colonies]] came to consider him [[The Arisen]], the Thirteenth Prime. He wonders, could it be true? Could ''that'' be why Alpha Trion was at his birth?''

Out in the void of [[space (the place)|space]], Aileron captains an exploration vessel crewed by Jetfire, [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]], [[D.0.C.]], and the remaining colonist ex-soldiers. When Jetfire picks up something unusual, Aileron orders them to set course for it with the intention of making friends, and tells [[Bump]] to contact Arcee on Earth so she can apologize to her for her inevitable late return.

''Following Optimus's annexation of Earth, he travels to the colony worlds to recruit new followers, exploiting their faith in his supposed divinity to convince them to join him. Prime's confidence in his new role concerns Aileron, as she remembers how naive and impressionable she was in the face of "The Arisen" not so along ago.''

Prowl oversees [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]]'s incarceration in an undersea facility. Shockwave reflects on the many faces he was worn in his life, and comments that he is no longer sure which of them was ever the real him. In a moment that's as much dark self-reflection as it is condemnation of Shockwave, Prowl tells him that they were ''all'' the real him, because a 'bot is defined by—and will be judged by—their actions, not what they hoped to attain when they carried those actions out.

''In advance of the final showdown with Unicron, Optimus Prime has one final conversation with Arcee. He removes his [[mouthplate]] and hands it to her, symbolically removing the "mask" of his identity so he can face Unicron as his true self. Recalling Alpha Trion's words at the moment of his creation, that he would be worth telling stories about, Prime tells Arcee that it is ''stories'', and the emotions and deeds they can inspire, that are truly important, moreso than the real-life person those stories happen to be about.''

Prime's discarded mouthplate now sits atop a coffin at the funeral everyone has been waiting for. With a small group of mourners that include representatives of various former colonies, the Earth heroes and organizations he fought with and against, and Prime's closest friends and fiercest detractors, [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] presides, and begins to read from a prepared speech... before she stops herself and instead begins to speak from her heart, delivering a eulogy that is both celebrates and damns with its truth. Prime has left no body; instead, they bury the ''idea'' of Optimus Prime—the idea of both the heroic warrior who fought oppression and saved lives and worlds, and the war hawk leader who pretended to divinity and lied and killed to achieve his desires—that he may be remembered always, and that they may move beyond him and build upon what he achieved to shape a better future on their new homeworld.

''Sinking into darkness, Optimus Prime thinks back on the successes and failures of his life one last time, and the fundamental contradiction they embodied: how could he claim to desire freedom for all beings when he presented that freedom as only achievable through him, with war and destruction ensuing when anyone opposed him? Now, at the end, Prime can see the truth, that "freedom" and "unity" are not in contradiction to one another, but two sides of the same coin, one only attainable through the other. In his life, he failed to find the harmony between the two.. but now that he is gone, he can see that it doesn't matter. Optimus Prime departs the living world with a smile on his face, knowing that life will go on without him, and the stories of his journey, of his ''trying,'' will inspire others to keep doing the same.''

And a story is exactly what these "flashbacks" turn out to be; perhaps the dying Prime's life flashing before his eyes, but also Arcee telling the story of Optimus Prime's life to her class of students, made up of human and [[Elonian]] children, and the new generation of young Cybertronians formerly cared for by [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. [[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] questions how Arcee can know that what she is telling them about Prime's final realizations at the end of his life are true, since she wasn't there; Arcee responds that she knew what Prime thought and felt while he was alive, and that is enough to reach the same conclusion. Prime believed in a better future, she tells the children, and believing in the future means believing in the ability of people to change for the better. And all the stories of such change, like the story Arcee is telling them now... all those stories of triumph and failure, and all that they can teach and inspire... ''they'' are what will truly define that future.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime/Orion Pax]]'' (4)
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (5)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (8)
*''[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]]'' (9)
*''[[Outback (G1)|Outback]]'' (10)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (15)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (17)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (19)
*[[Swift (G1)|Swift]] (20)
*[[Jumpstream]] (21)
*[[Slide]] (22)
*[[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (23)
*[[Dust Up]] (24)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (25)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (26)
*''[[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]]?'' (27)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Tumbler]]'' (28)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (29)
*''[[Slag (G1)|Slag]]'' (36)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (37)
*''[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]'' (38)
*''[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]'' (39)
*''[[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]]'' (40)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (44)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (45)
*[[Bump]] (47)
*[[Aileron]] (49)
*''[[Oiler]]'' (50)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (53)
*[[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] (55)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (56)
*[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock/Sovereign]] (57)
{{!}}}

|c2=
*[[Sparkstalker]] (12)
*''[[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]]'' (16)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (18)
*''[[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]]'' (30)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (34)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost (35)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] (51)

|c3=
'''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'''
*[[Scarlett]] (58)
*[[Matt Trakker]] (59)
*[[Ayana Jones|Mayday]] (60)
*[[Zilong Qian|Talon]] (62)

'''Others'''
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (6)
*[[Brad Emory]] (11)
*[[Sofía Orozco]] (12)
*[[Karen Fishook]] (43)
*[[President of the United States|President]] (61)
*[[Action Man]] (64)
*[[Sgt. Savage]] (65)

|h4=Other Cybertronians|c4=
*''[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'' (1)
*''[[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]'' (2)
*''Unnamed [[blacksmith]]'' (3)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s (7)
*[[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] (13)
*[[Rum-Maj]] (31)
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (32)
*? (33)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (41)
*[[Centurion (IDW)|Centurion]] (54)
*[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] (66)
*[[Slicer (Decepticon)|Slicer]] (67)

|h5=Others|c5=
*[[Livia]] (14)
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (42)
*[[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] (46)
*[[D.0.C.]] (48)
*''[[Unicron]]'' (52)
*[[Rom]] (63)
}}

==Quotes==
"Our job is to keep the '''peace.''' We only kill as the '''last option'''—when '''evil''' leaves us no choice." 
"'''Ha ha ha!''' Kid, I thought you were too '''serious'''—glad ta see a '''bleak''' sense of '''humor''' in ya."
:—'''Orion Pax''' and '''Kup'''

"This place is really popular, you know, '''Rummy-Cube,''' my love. But do you know '''why?''' Ask me why." 
"No." 
"It seems people are '''dying''' to get here!"
:—'''Wreck-Gar''' and '''Rum-Maj''' visit Little Cybertron's graveyard

"'''Winning?''' What does it '''mean?!''' Maybe there's no '''winning''', my dear, because the game doesn't '''end.''' Some '''pieces''' fall off the board, but new '''pink pegs''' get stuck in the car and we keep passing '''go''', keep collecting '''200 Shanix.'''" 
"Perhaps. Perhaps it '''is''' a victory when the '''game''' continues... '''regardless''' of the players."
:—'''Wreck-Gar''' and '''Rum-Maj'''

"'''Soundwave''' laid down his life so '''everybody''' could live. But for '''you'''... I think he'd understand if I made an '''exception.'''"
:—'''Buzzsaw''' attacks the poachers

'''Optimus Prime:''' "'''Find''' [Megatron]. But I want the '''opportunity''' for peace. We're fighting for the '''same thing,''' after all." 
'''Prowl:''' "He's '''nuts.'''" 
'''Bumblebee:''' "Heh. He's '''Optimus.'''"

"You '''know''' you saved the universe, right?" 
"Pfft. Not if you '''ask''' anyone." 
"Oh Primus. You're '''jealous''' that '''Optimus''' got all the credit." 
"Who, '''me?''' Jealous? It's '''okay.''' People will '''probably''' remember me. That's '''all''' I can ask for, I guess." 
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Starscream'''

"I was '''right''', you know. When it all comes down to it, everything is about '''resources'''... there is a finite amount of '''everything'''. Even '''identities'''. And I am no longer sure which version of '''myself''' was the '''real''' one." 
"They '''all''' were, Shockwave. All that was done to you, all that you did to yourself... all that you did to '''others.''' We are our '''actions'''... not our '''hopes.'''"
:—'''Shockwave''' and '''Prowl'''

"'''Today''', on his adopted world of '''Earth'''... we bury '''Optimus Prime'''. Not his '''body'''—that's gone. Not his '''spark'''—that belongs to '''Solus.''' We bury the '''idea''' of Optimus Prime. He was a warrior. A hero. A killer. A liar. '''Destruction''' was his company. Did he '''cause''' it—or prevent '''worse?''' The thing that made Optimus who he '''was'''... was that he '''asked''' those questions. Life is not '''simple''', and neither is '''death.''' We inter the '''idea''' of Optimus Prime into the '''soil''' of his '''adopted world'''... a world that has, in turn, adopted us '''all.''' [['Til all are one]]."
:—'''Windblade''' delivers a eulogy for Optimus Prime

"'''Freedom''' and unity (...) describe the same '''phenomenon.''' '''One''' cannot be free unless all are. And if '''all''' are '''free'''—they are as '''one.''' I fell short of '''achieving''' this... but it doesn't matter. The '''goal''' isn't important. The journey is. And it '''never''' ends."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s final words

"Believing in the future means believing we can '''change.''' The '''story''' of that change, the story of becoming what we '''are'''—what we were '''meant''' to be... '''that''' is the true history of the '''world.''' And '''this''', children, is our future. This is '''our''' world."
:—'''Arcee''' signs off

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*This issue is the final comic in the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]. Following on from the events of [[Ceremony|''Unicron'' #6]], it serves as an epilogue to that story, to the ''Optimus Prime'' series and John Barber's seven-year ''Transformers'' run, and to the IDW universe as a whole. In terms of chronology, however, portions of [[How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2|''Lost Light'' #25]] take place in the far future, long after this issue.
*Scattered remarks made here and there over the last few years of IDW comics have implied a recontextualization of Arcee's origins from her [[Spotlight: Arcee|controversial ''Spotlight'' back in 2008]], but with this issue, Barber—working with ''Transformers'' fan [[Jenevieve Frank]] to incorporate her own experiences—finally addresses the matter directly. In no uncertain terms, Arcee was (in her words) "forged male, which did not match [her] spark," and willingly agreed to the procedure Jhiaxus performed on her. Her erratic behavior following this was not the result of the transition itself, but the lack of aftercare Jhiaxus provided ("the Cybertronian equivalent" of "bad meds," Arcee and Marissa collectively conclude).
*Arcee also notes that [[Anode]] (a trans character featured in ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'') offered to help her, only to vanish. Given that Anode only realized her trans identity after leaving Cybertron to escape the war, this means she must have met Arcee when she returned to Cybertron just prior to events shown in [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|''Lost Light'' #1]], and her "disappearance" was her abduction to the future by [[Mortilus|the Necrobot]], seen in that same issue. The implication, then, is that the things Arcee discovered from Anode (like the fact she ''didn't'' have to have her [[CNA]] altered in order to transition) coupled with Anode's disappearance before she could help her triggered the rampage the already-unstable Arcee was on as ''Spotlight: Arcee'' began.
*Orion's first two flashbacks are the earliest points we have seen in his life in this continuity, prior to his previously-chronologically-earliest appearance in [[Chaos Theory Part 1|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #22]]. The third also seems intended to be set before this issue, in his younger days before he became a police captain (Outback still calls him "rookie," and the narration implies it is before he addresses the Senate, as seen in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #23]]), but see "Errors" below.
*Needlenose and Tracks were previously shown in business together selling Chic Chips before the war in [[The Transgressors|''The Transformers'' #44]].
*Following her acceptance into the ranks of the Torchbearers in ''Unicron'' #6, replacing the deceased [[Stormclash]], Slide is shown to have adopted their red-and-green color scheme. With Pyra ascending to the position of Mistress of Flame, Skyburst has become the new leader of the team, and Swift has joined them as the new sixth member and also taken their colors. Swift's not here for combining reasons, though; [[Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|''The Transformers'' #46]] explained there are always six Torchbearers, representing the hexagonal lattice of [[Solus Prime]]'s [[Creation Lathe]].
*Orion's fourth flashback takes place after the various flashbacks we've seen throughout the ''Optimus Prime'' series, but before ''[[The Transformers: Autocracy|Autocracy]]'', and depicts Orion in his "angry and violent" phase that he fell into following the events seen in [[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|''Optimus Prime'' #5]].
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] appears with Pax's unit in this flashback; presumably he's there because he's still partners with Prowl in the [[Iaconian Mechaforensic Division]] at this time, as seen in [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|''More than Meets the Eye'' #9]]-[[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|11]]. Per those issues, his name at this time is "Tumbler."
*Process of elimination would indicate the block-colored sixth 'bot on Orion's team seen in this flashback is Hound, who was part of his unit in ''Autocracy'', but hasn't shown up in any of the other looks at the past in the ''Optimus Prime'' series. His cannon's on the wrong shoulder, though.
*This flashback sees Swindle mention a simultronic dealer named [[Marauder (G1)|Marauder]]. A 'bot by this name was previously referenced in [[Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|''Lost Light'' #3]], one of the deceased Transformers whose essences were captured in one of the Necrobot's spark-flowers, whose death was apparently the work of Starscream.
*Orion's fifth flashback occurs between [[The Hunt for Soundwave|''Autocracy'' #3]] and [[Cause and Effect|#4]], but it retcons the precise circumstances of Orion and Megatron's meeting. Orion was not politely invited to meet with Megatron and given time to talk it over with his comrades; he was ''forced'' to do so by Decepticons who were holding Bumblebee hostage (with 'Bee even telling Orion not to go because it was a trap, versus his encouragement in his story) and had to go to the meeting right away.
*During the fifth flashback, Ironhide refers to the death of the Senate, as seen in [[Megatron Origin issue 4|''Megatron Origin'' #4]].
*Buzzsaw is defending elephants against poachers in Soundwave's memory because elephants were Soundwave's favourite Earth creatures, as he revealed in [[New Cybertron Part 4: Dance Among the Shadows|''Optimus Prime'' #4]].
*Captain of continuity to the very last, John Barber plugs one of the larger gaps in the IDW timeline with Orion's sixth flashback, which details how Megatron escaped captivity after he was imprisoned by the Autobots in [[Primacy issue 4|''Primacy'' #4]].
*Following his death in ''Unicron'' #6 and conspicuous absence from the gathering of the spirits of the dead seen in the same issue, Starscream is revealed to have persisted after death as a "ghost" who can only be seen by Bumblebee, in an inverse of their relationship for the last three years (spanning [[The Transgressors|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #44]], though all of [[The Transformers: Till All Are One|''Till All Are One,'']] up to [[The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|''Optimus Prime'' #19]]). Exactly how Starscream has done this is left unsaid; perhaps his spirit has wound up in [[Infraspace]] like Bumblebee's did, given that the Talisman, which killed Starscream, showed the ability to project a 'bot's consciousness there in [[Ghost in the Machine (IDW)|''Revolutionaries'' #8]]. See also "Transformers references," below.
*Bumblebee is leaving to become the Transformers' diplomatic envoy to the Galactic Council. ''Lost Light'' #25 established that Prowl was reaching out to the Council to have them oversee Megatron's second trial, in the hope the Cybertronian race would finally be allowed to join. Sounds rather like he got his wish.
*Orion's seventh flashback showcases his tempestuous relationship with the Dinobots, which was the subject of ''[[The Transformers: Punishment]]''. Slug is correctly still referred to as "Slag" during this flashback, as it's set before he changed his name in [[No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|''More than Meets the Eye'' #25]].
*One of the other writers competing with Thundercracker for his award is "Michael Costa," a tip of the hat to former IDW ''Transformers'' writer [[Mike Costa]], who rehabilitated Thundercracker all the way back in 2010's [[Things Fall Apart, Part 3: "Seasons in Flight"|''Transformers'' vol. 1 #4]] by establishing him as a fan of Earth television, thereby setting him on the path to this moment.
*Thundercracker was established to be a fan of Karen Fishook (who played the mother of the titular character of his favorite TV show ''[[Nurse Whitney]]'') in [[Starscream: The Movie (comic)|the 2018 ''Optimus Prime'' annual]].
*Orion's eighth flashback occurs during his solo space travels, somewhere between ''[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]'' and [[Syndromica (1)|''Robots in Disguise'' #6]].
*While on a space adventure as part of Aileron's crew, D.0.C. is shown with a stuffed toy dog on a lead, with a visible "B" on its name tag. This is obviously a surrogate for Buster, as the pair became pals after sharing an adventure back in [[Conquerors Part 3: Helden|The Transformers #48]].
*Orion's ninth flashback falls somewhere between the end of ''[[Revolution]]'' and the start of ''Optimus Prime''.
*It's not called out by name, but Shockwave appears to have been imprisoned on ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Lemuria]]'', a.k.a the former Decepticon spacecraft ''Nemesis'', which was being used as an underwater headquarters by G.I. Joe in [[G.I. Joe vol. 5|''G.I. Joe'' vol. 5]] following its capture by the [[Earth Defense Command]] in [[White Heat|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #57]].
*The imprisoned Shockwave has been strung up with his arms and legs removed, a plight that was also suffered by [[Getaway]] in [[Speak, Memory! (Part 2)|''More than Meets the Eye'' #49]]. Perhaps this is standard Cybertronian protocol for exceptionally dangerous prisoners. Additionally, the perspective and framing of Shockwave's dismembered body calls back to how he was similarly shown in [[Maximum Dinobots issue 2|''Maximum Dinobots'' #2]], and [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 3|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #3]], and [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More Than Meets The Eye'' #11]]. In each of those other circumstances, Shockwave was being rebuilt and getting a new chance to further his schemes; here, he has been taken apart most likely for keeps.
*Orion's tenth and final flashback is set during the events of [[Unicron issue 5|''Unicron'' #5]], and shows his decision to remove his faceplate prior to the end of that issue, which went unexplained at the time.
*Windblade begins Optimus's funeral by saying "Loss of life is only a tragedy if it is without..." before stopping herself. The next word is "purpose"; this rite was previously used by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] at the funeral of [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]] in [[Megatron Origin issue 3|''Megatron Origin'' #3]], and by Optimus at the funeral of Sideswipe in [[The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|''Optimus Prime'' #13]].
* The Elonian child on the final page appears to be the same young girl who appeared in ''Unicron'' issues [[Our Darkest|#1]] and [[Ceremony|#6]].
*And so the question of whether or not Optimus Prime truly is The Arisen is... left ambiguous. He ''might'' be the reincarnation of the Thirteenth Prime... or he might not. In the end, it doesn't matter; what matters is what he used the story that he was to accomplish.

===Transformers references===
*The text on the first page of this issue is taken from the [[bio]] included with the [[Tech Spec]]s of the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Generation 1|original Optimus Prime toy]]. The "line graph" below it is based on (but is not an exact replica of) Prime's original Tech Spec graph itself.
*The little robot who transforms into the blackmith's medical equipment (apparently some kind of magnifying lens) is [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]], a comic-original character who appeared in [[The Smelting Pool!|issue #17]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original Marvel ''Transformers'' comic]]. He's made several silent cameo guest-spots dotted across IDW history that, like this one, have typically depicted him in unfortunate situations, but this is the first time we've seen his alternate mode. In the Marvel comic, he transformed into a wheel, and in homage to that, he's here seen chasing after a circular piece of his own [[kibble]] that's popped off and is rolling away.
*The freshly-forged Orion Pax's appearance is mostly based on his original look from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn]]" with a few embellishments, like the angular protruding windshield-chest reminiscent of the design created by [[Guido Guidi]] for his appearance in "[[Spotlight: Blurr]]."
*Multiple human workers seen throughout this issue are wearing tan shirt, blue pants, and yellow helmet and boots worn by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Sparkplug Witwicky|his father]] in the Generation 1 cartoon.
*On page 3, a sign is shown advertising [[energon goodie]]s as they appeared in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', as wafer-like "sticks of gum" kept in a square container.
*Orion Pax notes that, as a truck, Functionism permitted him to have become "a scientist, a librarian, or a dockworker" instead of a police officer. Orion was a dockworker in the Generation 1 cartoon, and a librarian in both [[Dreamwave Productions]]' [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|comic book continuity]] and the [[Aligned continuity family]]. "Scientist" was presented as a possible job he could have had in Optimus Prime's original Generation 1 profile, were he not leader of the Autobots instead, and may also be an allusion to the [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|live-action movie version of the character]], who in IDW's movie tie-in comics, was the head of Cybertron's [[Science Division]] before becoming a Prime.
*Swindle refers to a 'bot named "[[Shadowhawk]]," which was the Japanese-market name for [[Divebomb (Energon)|''Energon'' Divebomb]].
* Hound is shown holding Ravage in captivity -- a reference to their numerous bouts in Generation 1 fiction.
*Starscream surviving death as a ghost is, of course, a concept that originated in the Generation 1 cartoon episode "[[Starscream's Ghost]]," and has seen a lot of play in subsequent media, particularly in Japan. If the Infraspace explanation isn't the case, perhaps IDW's Starscream really does just have the same "indestructible spark" as the original, which the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] credited with his unique ability to persist after death.
*Midnight Express remarks that he likes the cold, an aspect of his personality derived from his original Japanaese characterization. This trait survived into the English-language bio included with Hasbro's release of the figure, but not into the English-dubbed version of the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 cartoon)|''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon]].
*Optimus drops [[Furmanism#IT NEVER ENDS|a famous climactic Furmanism]] as the final line of his narration.
*Arcee serving as a teacher for the next generation of Cybertronians alludes to her [[Arcee (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]], who was a teacher before the war.
*Several young members of that next generation appear along with the young Sideswipe on the final page. Apart from one who is drawn to look like the deceased [[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]] (and coloured like Wheeljack's [[Action Master]] redeco, [[Slicer (Decepticon)|Slicer]]), the rest appear to be generics who colourist Josh Burcham has given the color schemes of other characters. One has been colored like [[Sideways (Armada)|''Armada'' Sideways]], and another like [[Turbofire]].

===Real-life references===
*Wreck-Gar uses a few board game metaphors:
**"...you know, Rummy-cube, my love..."-a slight allusion to {{w|Rummikub}}, a tile adaptation of set-collecting games like Rummy.
**"New pink pegs get stuck in the car"—a gameplay mechanic from {{w|The Game of Life}}.
**"We keep passing Go, keep collecting 200 [[Shanix]]"—an allusion to passing Go and collecting $200 in [[Monopoly]]
*Thundercracker has titled his Chuckles movie ''Last Laugh,'' which was the name of the real-life hardcover collection of the IDW ''G.I. Joe'' comic books telling the story that T.C. has based his screenplay on.
*Karen Fishook starts to read the result of the award ceremony by saying "And the winner is..." before correcting herself and saying "And the award goes to..." Her first impulse is how they used to announce the Oscars, before it was changed in 1989 to the latter (or rather, to "And the ''Oscar'' goes to...").
*The imagery of Bumblebee walking on a beach receiving guidance from someone who cannot be seen, showing only one set of footprints in the sand, is similar to common inspirational "--and that's when I carried you" allusions to [[Jesus]].

===Errors===
*With regard to Orion's third flashback, it shows Ravage drawing graffiti of the Decepticon symbol when Orion was still a rookie beat cop... but [[Chaos Theory Part 1|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #22]] showed that Orion had become captain of the Rodion precinct before Megatron ever thought the symbol up.
*Shockwave says "There's is a finite amount of everything."

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in October 2018, this issue was held back until late November to ensure that it was released after the delayed ''Unicron'' #6.
*This issue features 24 story pages instead of the usual 20. The remaining four pages of the comic are taken up by the introductory "Tech Specs" page (described above), two bookend pages that simply read "The Beginning" and "The End," and a farewell letter from writer John Barber reminiscing about his time on IDW's ''Transformers'' comics and thanking his fellow creators.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' A huge cast group shot surrounding a portrait of Optimus Prime, by [[Kei Zama]] and [[Josh Burcham]]; an homage to Marvel Comics' 25th anniversary covers from 1986. [[Heavy Traffic!|Marvel's ''The Transformers'' #22]] featured one of these covers, but the note on the credits page that it is drawn "after {{w|Walt Simonson|Walter Simonson}}" indicates it's specifically evoking the cover of [https://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Thor_Vol_1_373 ''Thor'' #373] and Simsonson's regal depiction of the God of Thunder.
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime, with other members in the pieces of a shattered Autobot symbol behind him, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' ''Robots in Disguise'' artist [[Andrew Griffith]] returns to draw key cast members from Barber's run one last time
<gallery>
File:OP25 cvrA.jpg|
File:OP25 cvrB.jpg|
File:OP25 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog|Team Sonic Racing]]'' one-shot

==External links==
*[http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2018/11/16/exclusive-idw-preview-optimus-prime-25/ Preview]

[[Category:Optimus Prime issues]]

Post

2018-11-25T19:35:00Z

Guntrip: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=op|issueno=25
|prev=A Sunrise Dark
|prev2=Ceremony
|next=
|caption=
|image=OP25 cvrA.jpg
|title="Post"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 21]], 2018
|coverdate=October 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Kei Zama]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''In the aftermath of the battle with Unicron, our heroes build a new future on Earth, and we look back on the life of Optimus Prime.'''

==Synopsis==
''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] looks back on his life and remembers...''

''As Orion Pax slowly comes online in an [[Iacon (polity)|Iaconian]] [[hot spot]], the [[blacksmith]] supervising his forging is impressed by his size and calls the ancient storyteller [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] to bear witness. Trion agrees there seems to be something special about Pax; that he is a 'bot who will be "worth weaving tales about." With some difficultly, Pax pulls free of the sparkfield, only for the first thing he witnesses to be the blacksmith mistreating the [[Scrounge (G1)|smaller 'bot]] who transforms into his medical equipment.''

Rebuilding on [[Earth]] continues in the wake of [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'s attack. [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] and [[Marissa Faireborn]] talk about the future—about a "ceremony" [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] is attending, about an upcoming funeral Arcee is going to miss—and Arcee tells Marissa the complicated story of her gender transition and how she's moved past the hardships she faced to find a job, friends, and a lover in [[Aileron]].

''Hoping to fight injustice, Orion Pax joins the Iaconian police force. During training, he is given his first gun by [[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]], who is amused by his wide-eyed innocence.''

While [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] oversees clean-up and rebuilding in [[San Francisco]], [[Sofía Orozco]] arrives on the scene to film a new story. [[Brad Emory]] guest stars to continue berating Cybertronians and their presence on Earth, and Sofía allows him to speak before approaching Jazz for his point of view. Jazz merely tells her he's not here for thanks, he's just here to do what's right.

''Orion Pax and [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] come upon fellow officer [[Outback (G1)|Outback]] roughing up [[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]] for drawing graffiti. Puzzled by the symbol he has scratched into a wall, Pax questions Ravage as to its meaning, but Outback kicks the cat-bot and explains that it's the mark of the "[[Decepticon]]s."''

Unsure what to make of themselves on Earth and thinking they might restart their old [[Chic Chips]] business, brothers [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] and [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] go to [[Pyra Magna]], the newly-appointed [[Mistress of Flame]], for some advice. Pyra is still getting used to her new role as spiritual adviser and isn't much help; Needlenose isn't surprised, regarding her as just another 'bot who abandoned everything they believed in, prompting Pyra to testily explain that she is attempting to bring new guidance to the [[Way of Flame]] in this post-Prime era, before all but kicking them out so she can prepare for the coming funeral.

''Repeated confrontations with the Decepticons send Orion down a dark path, as his fury builds over the subversive, criminal acts they partake in, which overshadow their justifiable anti-authoritarian roots. Seeing Pax's anger when he apprehends [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] in a [[simultronic]] bust, [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] reminds him of the systemic oppression that gave rise to the Decepticons in the first place and rebukes him for having lost sight of that and becoming "part of the problem."''

In [[Little Cybertron]], [[Rum-Maj]] and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] watch as graves are dug for all those who perished during the conflict with Unicron. The cost of victory weighs heavily on Rum-Maj to the point she is unsure if it was even a victory at all; Wreck-Gar opines that there ''aren't'' any victories in life because it goes on regardless, with or without you, and you just have to do your best for as long as you're around.

''When [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] extends an offer to Orion Pax to meet with him and talk, Orion discusses the matter with his closest allies. [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] thinks Pax should do it, in hopes that it will bring unity, but Ironhide disagrees, labeling all Decepticons murderers. Pax sides with 'Bee, telling Ironhide it's a chance to move past what has been and change the future for the better.''

In Africa, a group of poachers track a herd of elephants who have been displaced due to debris from Unicron landing on their grazing lands. Before the criminals can open fire on the animals, [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] swoops in to stop them. Acting in the deceased [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]]'s name, he decides that his old friend would understand if he made it so the poachers can't hurt anyone ever again...

''Following Pax's transformation into Optimus Prime, he successfully defeats and captures Megatron, but it is not long before a Decepticon raid frees Megatron from prison. [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] fears that Megatron may spread the war to other planets, and deems Optimus's hope that the Decepticon leader will have seen the error of his ways and will start his movement over again peacefully to be "nuts".''

Bumblebee walks along a coastline as the sun sets on his last day on Earth, before he heads off to serve as the Cybertronian race's diplomatic envoy to the [[Galactic Council]] after the funeral the next day. Walking beside him is a familiar face: the deceased [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], who gave up his life to ensure victory against Unicron, and who has traded roles with Bumblebee to somehow become a "ghost" only he can see. Bumblebee encourages the spectral Starscream to come with him on his mission, but Starscream doubts he would be welcome. Bumblebee jokingly accuses him of being mad that Optimus Prime is going to get all the credit for saving the universe; Starscream smiles and brushes it off, stating that he's sure people will remember him, and that will be enough.

''As Prowl predicted, the war moves off-planet, and civilizations die as a result. [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] accuses Optimus Prime of not caring, of believing the ends justify the means; [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]] calms him to prevent a fight, but shares his beliefs, and tells Prime so to his face.''

Thundercracker and [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] attend an awards ceremony where he is up for "Best Original Screenplay" for his biopic of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] [[Chuckles]]. Wracked with nerves that are made all the worse by the fact that one of his favorite actresses, [[Karen Fishook]], is announcing the winner, Thundercracker braces himself to hear the result...

''Optimus remembers his period of shifting identity, how he went from Prime back to Orion Pax and traveled the stars for a time until retaking the Prime title, then how [[Cybertronian colonies|Cybertron's colonies]] came to consider him [[The Arisen]], the Thirteenth Prime. He wonders, could it be true? Could ''that'' be why Alpha Trion was at his birth?''

Out in the void of [[space (the place)|space]], Aileron captains an exploration vessel crewed by Jetfire, [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]], [[D.0.C.]], and the remaining colonist ex-soldiers. When Jetfire picks up something unusual, Aileron orders them to set course for it with the intention of making friends, and tells [[Bump]] to contact Arcee on Earth so she can apologize to her for her inevitable late return.

''Following Optimus's annexation of Earth, he travels to the colony worlds to recruit new followers, exploiting their faith in his supposed divinity to convince them to join him. Prime's confidence in his new role concerns Aileron, as she remembers how naive and impressionable she was in the face of "The Arisen" not so along ago.''

Prowl oversees [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]]'s incarceration in an undersea facility. Shockwave reflects on the many faces he was worn in his life, and comments that he is no longer sure which of them was ever the real him. In a moment that's as much dark self-reflection as it is condemnation of Shockwave, Prowl tells him that they were ''all'' the real him, because a 'bot is defined by—and will be judged by—their actions, not what they hoped to attain when they carried those actions out.

''In advance of the final showdown with Unicron, Optimus Prime has one final conversation with Arcee. He removes his [[mouthplate]] and hands it to her, symbolically removing the "mask" of his identity so he can face Unicron as his true self. Recalling Alpha Trion's words at the moment of his creation, that he would be worth telling stories about, Prime tells Arcee that it is ''stories'', and the emotions and deeds they can inspire, that are truly important, moreso than the real-life person those stories happen to be about.''

Prime's discarded mouthplate now sits atop a coffin at the funeral everyone has been waiting for. With a small group of mourners that include representatives of various former colonies, the Earth heroes and organizations he fought with and against, and Prime's closest friends and fiercest detractors, [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] presides, and begins to read from a prepared speech... before she stops herself and instead begins to speak from her heart, delivering a eulogy that is both celebrates and damns with its truth. Prime has left no body; instead, they bury the ''idea'' of Optimus Prime—the idea of both the heroic warrior who fought oppression and saved lives and worlds, and the war hawk leader who pretended to divinity and lied and killed to achieve his desires—that he may be remembered always, and that they may move beyond him and build upon what he achieved to shape a better future on their new homeworld.

''Sinking into darkness, Optimus Prime thinks back on the successes and failures of his life one last time, and the fundamental contradiction they embodied: how could he claim to desire freedom for all beings when he presented that freedom as only achievable through him, with war and destruction ensuing when anyone opposed him? Now, at the end, Prime can see the truth, that "freedom" and "unity" are not in contradiction to one another, but two sides of the same coin, one only attainable through the other. In his life, he failed to find the harmony between the two.. but now that he is gone, he can see that it doesn't matter. Optimus Prime departs the living world with a smile on his face, knowing that life will go on without him, and the stories of his journey, of his ''trying,'' will inspire others to keep doing the same.''

And a story is exactly what these "flashbacks" turn out to be; perhaps the dying Prime's life flashing before his eyes, but also Arcee telling the story of Optimus Prime's life to her class of students, made up of human and [[Elonian]] children, and the new generation of young Cybertronians formerly cared for by [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. [[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] questions how Arcee can know that what she is telling them about Prime's final realizations at the end of his life are true, since she wasn't there; Arcee responds that she knew what Prime thought and felt while he was alive, and that is enough to reach the same conclusion. Prime believed in a better future, she tells the children, and believing in the future means believing in the ability of people to change for the better. And all the stories of such change, like the story Arcee is telling them now... all those stories of triumph and failure, and all that they can teach and inspire... ''they'' are what will truly define that future.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime/Orion Pax]]'' (4)
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (5)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (8)
*''[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]]'' (9)
*''[[Outback (G1)|Outback]]'' (10)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (15)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (17)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (19)
*[[Swift (G1)|Swift]] (20)
*[[Jumpstream]] (21)
*[[Slide]] (22)
*[[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (23)
*[[Dust Up]] (24)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (25)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (26)
*''[[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]]?'' (27)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Tumbler]]'' (28)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (29)
*''[[Slag (G1)|Slag]]'' (36)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (37)
*''[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]'' (38)
*''[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]'' (39)
*''[[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]]'' (40)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (44)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (45)
*[[Bump]] (47)
*[[Aileron]] (49)
*''[[Oiler]]'' (50)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (53)
*[[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] (55)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (56)
*[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock/Sovereign]] (57)
{{!}}}

|c2=
*[[Sparkstalker]] (12)
*''[[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]]'' (16)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (18)
*''[[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]]'' (30)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (34)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost (35)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] (51)

|c3=
'''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'''
*[[Scarlett]] (58)
*[[Matt Trakker]] (59)
*[[Ayana Jones|Mayday]] (60)
*[[Zilong Qian|Talon]] (62)

'''Others'''
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (6)
*[[Brad Emory]] (11)
*[[Sofía Orozco]] (12)
*[[Karen Fishook]] (43)
*[[President of the United States|President]] (61)
*[[Action Man]] (64)
*[[Sgt. Savage]] (65)

|h4=Other Cybertronians|c4=
*''[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'' (1)
*''[[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]'' (2)
*''Unnamed [[blacksmith]]'' (3)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s (7)
*[[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] (13)
*[[Rum-Maj]] (31)
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (32)
*? (33)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (41)
*[[Centurion (IDW)|Centurion]] (54)
*[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] (66)
*[[Slicer (Decepticon)|Slicer]] (67)

|h5=Others|c5=
*[[Livia]] (14)
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (42)
*[[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] (46)
*[[D.0.C.]] (48)
*''[[Unicron]]'' (52)
*[[Rom]] (63)
}}

==Quotes==
"Our job is to keep the '''peace.''' We only kill as the '''last option'''—when '''evil''' leaves us no choice." 
"'''Ha ha ha!''' Kid, I thought you were too '''serious'''—glad ta see a '''bleak''' sense of '''humor''' in ya."
:—'''Orion Pax''' and '''Kup'''

"This place is really popular, you know, '''Rummy-Cube,''' my love. But do you know '''why?''' Ask me why." 
"No." 
"It seems people are '''dying''' to get here!"
:—'''Wreck-Gar''' and '''Rum-Maj''' visit Little Cybertron's graveyard

"'''Winning?''' What does it '''mean?!''' Maybe there's no '''winning''', my dear, because the game doesn't '''end.''' Some '''pieces''' fall off the board, but new '''pink pegs''' get stuck in the car and we keep passing '''go''', keep collecting '''200 Shanix.'''" 
"Perhaps. Perhaps it '''is''' a victory when the '''game''' continues... '''regardless''' of the players."
:—'''Wreck-Gar''' and '''Rum-Maj'''

"'''Soundwave''' laid down his life so '''everybody''' could live. But for '''you'''... I think he'd understand if I made an '''exception.'''"
:—'''Buzzsaw''' attacks the poachers

'''Optimus Prime:''' "'''Find''' [Megatron]. But I want the '''opportunity''' for peace. We're fighting for the '''same thing,''' after all." 
'''Prowl:''' "He's '''nuts.'''" 
'''Bumblebee:''' "Heh. He's '''Optimus.'''"

"You '''know''' you saved the universe, right?" 
"Pfft. Not if you '''ask''' anyone." 
"Oh Primus. You're '''jealous''' that '''Optimus''' got all the credit." 
"Who, '''me?''' Jealous? It's '''okay.''' People will '''probably''' remember me. That's '''all''' I can ask for, I guess." 
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Starscream'''

"I was '''right''', you know. When it all comes down to it, everything is about '''resources'''... there is a finite amount of '''everything'''. Even '''identities'''. And I am no longer sure which version of '''myself''' was the '''real''' one." 
"They '''all''' were, Shockwave. All that was done to you, all that you did to yourself... all that you did to '''others.''' We are our '''actions'''... not our '''hopes.'''"
:—'''Shockwave''' and '''Prowl'''

"'''Today''', on his adopted world of '''Earth'''... we bury '''Optimus Prime'''. Not his '''body'''—that's gone. Not his '''spark'''—that belongs to '''Solus.''' We bury the '''idea''' of Optimus Prime. He was a warrior. A hero. A killer. A liar. '''Destruction''' was his company. Did he '''cause''' it—or prevent '''worse?''' The thing that made Optimus who he '''was'''... was that he '''asked''' those questions. Life is not '''simple''', and neither is '''death.''' We inter the '''idea''' of Optimus Prime into the '''soil''' of his '''adopted world'''... a world that has, in turn, adopted us '''all.''' [['Til all are one]]."
:—'''Windblade''' delivers a eulogy for Optimus Prime

"'''Freedom''' and unity (...) describe the same '''phenomenon.''' '''One''' cannot be free unless all are. And if '''all''' are '''free'''—they are as '''one.''' I fell short of '''achieving''' this... but it doesn't matter. The '''goal''' isn't important. The journey is. And it '''never''' ends."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s final words

"Believing in the future means believing we can '''change.''' The '''story''' of that change, the story of becoming what we '''are'''—what we were '''meant''' to be... '''that''' is the true history of the '''world.''' And '''this''', children, is our future. This is '''our''' world."
:—'''Arcee''' signs off

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*This issue is the final comic in the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]. Following on from the events of [[Ceremony|''Unicron'' #6]], it serves as an epilogue to that story, to the ''Optimus Prime'' series and John Barber's seven-year ''Transformers'' run, and to the IDW universe as a whole. In terms of chronology, however, portions of [[How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2|''Lost Light'' #25]] take place in the far future, long after this issue.
*Scattered remarks made here and there over the last few years of IDW comics have implied a recontextualization of Arcee's origins from her [[Spotlight: Arcee|controversial ''Spotlight'' back in 2008]], but with this issue, Barber—working with ''Transformers'' fan [[Jenevieve Frank]] to incorporate her own experiences—finally addresses the matter directly. In no uncertain terms, Arcee was (in her words) "forged male, which did not match [her] spark," and willingly agreed to the procedure Jhiaxus performed on her. Her erratic behavior following this was not the result of the transition itself, but the lack of aftercare Jhiaxus provided ("the Cybertronian equivalent" of "bad meds," Arcee and Marissa collectively conclude).
*Arcee also notes that [[Anode]] (a trans character featured in ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'') offered to help her, only to vanish. Given that Anode only realized her trans identity after leaving Cybertron to escape the war, this means she must have met Arcee when she returned to Cybertron just prior to events shown in [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|''Lost Light'' #1]], and her "disappearance" was her abduction to the future by [[Mortilus|the Necrobot]], seen in that same issue. The implication, then, is that the things Arcee discovered from Anode (like the fact she ''didn't'' have to have her [[CNA]] altered in order to transition) coupled with Anode's disappearance before she could help her triggered the rampage the already-unstable Arcee was on as ''Spotlight: Arcee'' began.
*Orion's first two flashbacks are the earliest points we have seen in his life in this continuity, prior to his previously-chronologically-earliest appearance in [[Chaos Theory Part 1|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #22]]. The third also seems intended to be set before this issue, in his younger days before he became a police captain (Outback still calls him "rookie," and the narration implies it is before he addresses the Senate, as seen in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #23]]), but see "Errors" below.
*Needlenose and Tracks were previously shown in business together selling Chic Chips before the war in [[The Transgressors|''The Transformers'' #44]].
*Following her acceptance into the ranks of the Torchbearers in ''Unicron'' #6, replacing the deceased [[Stormclash]], Slide is shown to have adopted their red-and-green color scheme. With Pyra ascending to the position of Mistress of Flame, Skyburst has become the new leader of the team, and Swift has joined them as the new sixth member and also taken their colors. Swift's not here for combining reasons, though; [[Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|''The Transformers'' #46]] explained there are always six Torchbearers, representing the hexagonal lattice of [[Solus Prime]]'s [[Creation Lathe]].
*Orion's fourth flashback takes place after the various flashbacks we've seen throughout the ''Optimus Prime'' series, but before ''[[The Transformers: Autocracy|Autocracy]]'', and depicts Orion in his "angry and violent" phase that he fell into following the events seen in [[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|''Optimus Prime'' #5]].
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] appears with Pax's unit in this flashback; presumably he's there because he's still partners with Prowl in the [[Iaconian Mechaforensic Division]] at this time, as seen in [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|''More than Meets the Eye'' #9]]-[[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|11]]. Per those issues, his name at this time is "Tumbler."
*Process of elimination would indicate the block-colored sixth 'bot on Orion's team seen in this flashback is Hound, who was part of his unit in ''Autocracy'', but hasn't shown up in any of the other looks at the past in the ''Optimus Prime'' series. His cannon's on the wrong shoulder, though.
*This flashback sees Swindle mention a simultronic dealer named [[Marauder (G1)|Marauder]]. A 'bot by this name was previously referenced in [[Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|''Lost Light'' #3]], one of the deceased Transformers whose essences were captured in one of the Necrobot's spark-flowers, whose death was apparently the work of Starscream.
*Orion's fifth flashback occurs between [[The Hunt for Soundwave|''Autocracy'' #3]] and [[Cause and Effect|#4]], but it retcons the precise circumstances of Orion and Megatron's meeting. Orion was not politely invited to meet with Megatron and given time to talk it over with his comrades; he was ''forced'' to do so by Decepticons who were holding Bumblebee hostage (with 'Bee even telling Orion not to go because it was a trap, versus his encouragement in his story) and had to go to the meeting right away.
*During the fifth flashback, Ironhide refers to the death of the Senate, as seen in [[Megatron Origin issue 4|''Megatron Origin'' #4]].
*Buzzsaw is defending elephants against poachers in Soundwave's memory because elephants were Soundwave's favourite Earth creatures, as he revealed in [[New Cybertron Part 4: Dance Among the Shadows|''Optimus Prime'' #4]].
*Captain of continuity to the very last, John Barber plugs one of the larger gaps in the IDW timeline with Orion's sixth flashback, which details how Megatron escaped captivity after he was imprisoned by the Autobots in [[Primacy issue 4|''Primacy'' #4]].
*Following his death in ''Unicron'' #6 and conspicuous absence from the gathering of the spirits of the dead seen in the same issue, Starscream is revealed to have persisted after death as a "ghost" who can only be seen by Bumblebee, in an inverse of their relationship for the last three years (spanning [[The Transgressors|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #44]], though all of [[The Transformers: Till All Are One|''Till All Are One,'']] up to [[The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|''Optimus Prime'' #19]]). Exactly how Starscream has done this is left unsaid; perhaps his spirit has wound up in [[Infraspace]] like Bumblebee's did, given that the Talisman, which killed Starscream, showed the ability to project a 'bot's consciousness there in [[Ghost in the Machine (IDW)|''Revolutionaries'' #8]]. See also "Transformers references," below.
*Bumblebee is leaving to become the Transformers' diplomatic envoy to the Galactic Council. ''Lost Light'' #25 established that Prowl was reaching out to the Council to have them oversee Megatron's second trial, in the hope the Cybertronian race would finally be allowed to join. Sounds rather like he got his wish.
*Orion's seventh flashback showcases his tempestuous relationship with the Dinobots, which was the subject of ''[[The Transformers: Punishment]]''. Slug is correctly still referred to as "Slag" during this flashback, as it's set before he changed his name in [[No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|''More than Meets the Eye'' #25]].
*One of the other writers competing with Thundercracker for his award is "Michael Costa," a tip of the hat to former IDW ''Transformers'' writer [[Mike Costa]], who rehabilitated Thundercracker all the way back in 2010's [[Things Fall Apart, Part 3: "Seasons in Flight"|''Transformers'' vol. 1 #4]] by establishing him as a fan of Earth television, thereby setting him on the path to this moment.
*Thundercracker was established to be a fan of Karen Fishook (who played the mother of the titular character of his favorite TV show ''[[Nurse Whitney]]'') in [[Starscream: The Movie (comic)|the 2018 ''Optimus Prime'' annual]].
*Orion's eighth flashback occurs during his solo space travels, somewhere between ''[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]'' and [[Syndromica (1)|''Robots in Disguise'' #6]].
*While on a space adventure as part of Aileron's crew, D.O.C. is shown with a stuffed toy dog on a lead, with a visible "B" on its name tag. This is obviously a surrogate for Buster, as the pair became pals after sharing an adventure back in [[Conquerors Part 3: Helden|The Transformers #48]].
*Orion's ninth flashback falls somewhere between the end of ''[[Revolution]]'' and the start of ''Optimus Prime''.
*It's not called out by name, but Shockwave appears to have been imprisoned on ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Lemuria]]'', a.k.a the former Decepticon spacecraft ''Nemesis'', which was being used as an underwater headquarters by G.I. Joe in [[G.I. Joe vol. 5|''G.I. Joe'' vol. 5]] following its capture by the [[Earth Defense Command]] in [[White Heat|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #57]].
*The imprisoned Shockwave has been strung up with his arms and legs removed, a plight that was also suffered by [[Getaway]] in [[Speak, Memory! (Part 2)|''More than Meets the Eye'' #49]]. Perhaps this is standard Cybertronian protocol for exceptionally dangerous prisoners. Additionally, the perspective and framing of Shockwave's dismembered body calls back to how he was similarly shown in [[Maximum Dinobots issue 2|''Maximum Dinobots'' #2]], and [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 3|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #3]], and [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More Than Meets The Eye'' #11]]. In each of those other circumstances, Shockwave was being rebuilt and getting a new chance to further his schemes; here, he has been taken apart most likely for keeps.
*Orion's tenth and final flashback is set during the events of [[Unicron issue 5|''Unicron'' #5]], and shows his decision to remove his faceplate prior to the end of that issue, which went unexplained at the time.
*Windblade begins Optimus's funeral by saying "Loss of life is only a tragedy if it is without..." before stopping herself. The next word is "purpose"; this rite was previously used by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] at the funeral of [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]] in [[Megatron Origin issue 3|''Megatron Origin'' #3]], and by Optimus at the funeral of Sideswipe in [[The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|''Optimus Prime'' #13]].
* The Elonian child on the final page appears to be the same young girl who appeared in ''Unicron'' issues [[Our Darkest|#1]] and [[Ceremony|#6]].
*And so the question of whether or not Optimus Prime truly is The Arisen is... left ambiguous. He ''might'' be the reincarnation of the Thirteenth Prime... or he might not. In the end, it doesn't matter; what matters is what he used the story that he was to accomplish.

===Transformers references===
*The text on the first page of this issue is taken from the [[bio]] included with the [[Tech Spec]]s of the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Generation 1|original Optimus Prime toy]]. The "line graph" below it is based on (but is not an exact replica of) Prime's original Tech Spec graph itself.
*The little robot who transforms into the blackmith's medical equipment (apparently some kind of magnifying lens) is [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]], a comic-original character who appeared in [[The Smelting Pool!|issue #17]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original Marvel ''Transformers'' comic]]. He's made several silent cameo guest-spots dotted across IDW history that, like this one, have typically depicted him in unfortunate situations, but this is the first time we've seen his alternate mode. In the Marvel comic, he transformed into a wheel, and in homage to that, he's here seen chasing after a circular piece of his own [[kibble]] that's popped off and is rolling away.
*The freshly-forged Orion Pax's appearance is mostly based on his original look from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn]]" with a few embellishments, like the angular protruding windshield-chest reminiscent of the design created by [[Guido Guidi]] for his appearance in "[[Spotlight: Blurr]]."
*Multiple human workers seen throughout this issue are wearing tan shirt, blue pants, and yellow helmet and boots worn by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Sparkplug Witwicky|his father]] in the Generation 1 cartoon.
*On page 3, a sign is shown advertising [[energon goodie]]s as they appeared in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', as wafer-like "sticks of gum" kept in a square container.
*Orion Pax notes that, as a truck, Functionism permitted him to have become "a scientist, a librarian, or a dockworker" instead of a police officer. Orion was a dockworker in the Generation 1 cartoon, and a librarian in both [[Dreamwave Productions]]' [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|comic book continuity]] and the [[Aligned continuity family]]. "Scientist" was presented as a possible job he could have had in Optimus Prime's original Generation 1 profile, were he not leader of the Autobots instead, and may also be an allusion to the [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|live-action movie version of the character]], who in IDW's movie tie-in comics, was the head of Cybertron's [[Science Division]] before becoming a Prime.
*Swindle refers to a 'bot named "[[Shadowhawk]]," which was the Japanese-market name for [[Divebomb (Energon)|''Energon'' Divebomb]].
* Hound is shown holding Ravage in captivity -- a reference to their numerous bouts in Generation 1 fiction.
*Starscream surviving death as a ghost is, of course, a concept that originated in the Generation 1 cartoon episode "[[Starscream's Ghost]]," and has seen a lot of play in subsequent media, particularly in Japan. If the Infraspace explanation isn't the case, perhaps IDW's Starscream really does just have the same "indestructible spark" as the original, which the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] credited with his unique ability to persist after death.
*Midnight Express remarks that he likes the cold, an aspect of his personality derived from his original Japanaese characterization. This trait survived into the English-language bio included with Hasbro's release of the figure, but not into the English-dubbed version of the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 cartoon)|''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon]].
*Optimus drops [[Furmanism#IT NEVER ENDS|a famous climactic Furmanism]] as the final line of his narration.
*Arcee serving as a teacher for the next generation of Cybertronians alludes to her [[Arcee (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]], who was a teacher before the war.
*Several young members of that next generation appear along with the young Sideswipe on the final page. Apart from one who is drawn to look like the deceased [[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]] (and coloured like Wheeljack's [[Action Master]] redeco, [[Slicer (Decepticon)|Slicer]]), the rest appear to be generics who colourist Josh Burcham has given the color schemes of other characters. One has been colored like [[Sideways (Armada)|''Armada'' Sideways]], and another like [[Turbofire]].

===Real-life references===
*Wreck-Gar uses a few board game metaphors:
**"...you know, Rummy-cube, my love..."-a slight allusion to {{w|Rummikub}}, a tile adaptation of set-collecting games like Rummy.
**"New pink pegs get stuck in the car"—a gameplay mechanic from {{w|The Game of Life}}.
**"We keep passing Go, keep collecting 200 [[Shanix]]"—an allusion to passing Go and collecting $200 in [[Monopoly]]
*Thundercracker has titled his Chuckles movie ''Last Laugh,'' which was the name of the real-life hardcover collection of the IDW ''G.I. Joe'' comic books telling the story that T.C. has based his screenplay on.
*Karen Fishook starts to read the result of the award ceremony by saying "And the winner is..." before correcting herself and saying "And the award goes to..." Her first impulse is how they used to announce the Oscars, before it was changed in 1989 to the latter (or rather, to "And the ''Oscar'' goes to...").
*The imagery of Bumblebee walking on a beach receiving guidance from someone who cannot be seen, showing only one set of footprints in the sand, is similar to common inspirational "--and that's when I carried you" allusions to [[Jesus]].

===Errors===
*With regard to Orion's third flashback, it shows Ravage drawing graffiti of the Decepticon symbol when Orion was still a rookie beat cop... but [[Chaos Theory Part 1|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #22]] showed that Orion had become captain of the Rodion precinct before Megatron ever thought the symbol up.
*Shockwave says "There's is a finite amount of everything."

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in October 2018, this issue was held back until late November to ensure that it was released after the delayed ''Unicron'' #6.
*This issue features 24 story pages instead of the usual 20. The remaining four pages of the comic are taken up by the introductory "Tech Specs" page (described above), two bookend pages that simply read "The Beginning" and "The End," and a farewell letter from writer John Barber reminiscing about his time on IDW's ''Transformers'' comics and thanking his fellow creators.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' A huge cast group shot surrounding a portrait of Optimus Prime, by [[Kei Zama]] and [[Josh Burcham]]; an homage to Marvel Comics' 25th anniversary covers from 1986. [[Heavy Traffic!|Marvel's ''The Transformers'' #22]] featured one of these covers, but the note on the credits page that it is drawn "after {{w|Walt Simonson|Walter Simonson}}" indicates it's specifically evoking the cover of [https://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Thor_Vol_1_373 ''Thor'' #373] and Simsonson's regal depiction of the God of Thunder.
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime, with other members in the pieces of a shattered Autobot symbol behind him, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' ''Robots in Disguise'' artist [[Andrew Griffith]] returns to draw key cast members from Barber's run one last time
<gallery>
File:OP25 cvrA.jpg|
File:OP25 cvrB.jpg|
File:OP25 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog|Team Sonic Racing]]'' one-shot

==External links==
*[http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2018/11/16/exclusive-idw-preview-optimus-prime-25/ Preview]

[[Category:Optimus Prime issues]]

Ceremony

2018-11-14T17:41:09Z

Guntrip: /* Transformers references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Unicron]]'' #6
|prev=Unicron issue 5
|next=Post
|image=TFUnicron6_cvrA.jpg
|caption="What did it cost?" "''Everything.''"
|title=Ceremony
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 14]], [[2018]]
|coverdate=October, 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Sara Pitre-Durocher]] (pg 1-10), [[Andrew Griffith]] (pg 11-14, 17, 32, 36) [[Alex Milne]] (pg 15-16, 20, 26-29, 33-35, 37-40), [[Kei Zama]] (pg 18-19, 21-25, 30-31)
|colors by=[[David Garcia Cruz]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''In the final battle against Unicron and his servants, many of our heroes are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to prove that faith and compassion can triumph over the fear and chaos born from the legacy of the Primes.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Mount Rushmore]] has become the new home of all the [[spark]]s that were being nurtured within [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], having been removed from the [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] to keep them safe during the battle that now rages in [[Earth]] orbit. As [[Marissa Faireborn]] comforts [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]], [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] arrive with the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], who have been brought at the request of [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] to help with a plan that may yet save the day...

Chaos reigns above the Earth as an army of [[Autobot]]s, [[Decepticon]]s, and everyone in-between—transported into space by Trypticon and [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]—attack [[Unicron]] and its servants, keeping them occupied in order to allow [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], and [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] to transport [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]], and the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] down to Unicron's surface. The stubborn [[Slide]] is reluctant to join the battle, unwilling to fight and die in the name of Optimus Prime. Punctuating her words, Trypticon becomes the first to fall, slain by one of Unicron's eye-beams.

Down below, all across the Earth, from [[Venice]] to [[Sao Paolo]], the planet's heroes and villains fight alongside their alien allies to defend their world against Unicron's [[Maximal]]s. In [[Toronto]], [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] watch from the [[CN Tower]] as [[Stardrive]] and [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] battle the Maximals in the streets below. Shockwave deems the fight a lost cause, and contacts [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], ordering him to bring his [[Worldsweeper]] down from orbit to collect Shockwave and Rhinox so that they may leave the Earth to its fate, and deal with Unicron another day. Bludgeon, however, refuses; always a servant of chaos, he has thrown in his lot with Unicron, rapturous at the notion that he will be able to watch the entire universe be uncreated at the planet-eater's hands. Shockwave is dumbfounded at the very idea, but barely has time to process Bludgeon's betrayal before he is attacked from behind by Rhinox; this once-loyal Maximal has also decided to side with Unicron after learning that the divine "Onyx Prime" whom he once believed in was nothing but a trick played by Shockwave. Shockwave attempts to fire on Rhinox, only to discover that the new cannon-arm the Maximal provided him with will not work on the Maximals. Rhinox overpowers Shockwave and tears the cannon-arm off, preparing to turn it on his former master... only for his head to suddenly be blown off by a blast from behind, fired by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]!

Up in orbit, Thundercracker is hit by Maximal fire and falls behind the rest of his group, finding himself surrounded by enemy forces. After depositing Arcee on Unicron with Starscream and Optimus, Skywarp reluctantly goes to his fellow [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]'s aid, teleporting into the path of a Maximal blade to save Thundercracker's life so that he can get the Talisman to the others. Refusing to leave Skywarp behind, Thundercracker tosses the Talisman to Starscream down on Unicron's surface and dives into the fight. It doesn't seem possible that the two can survive, and that poses a problem to the rest of the group: without Skywarp's teleporting powers, they can't get through Unicron's miles-thick armor. Starscream hits upon a solution and implements it before anyone can object; with one last egotistical grin born of the knowledge that he was the one to save the day, he asks Prime and Arcee to give Windblade his best, then activates the Talisman, sacrificing his life as its magical energies consume him and begin burning their way down into Unicron.

Watching from the battlefield, [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] and [[Aileron]] are stunned by Starscream's sacrifice, but [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] always knew he had it in him. [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] isn't interested in debating Starscream's merits right now, as the Maximals continue to attack; a moment later, [[Icebird|one of the beasts]] rakes Ironhide with its claws, fatally wounding him. As Bumblebee fends the Maximal off, Jazz rushes to Ironhide's side, assuring him that he will make it through—but Ironhide is too far gone, and dies in peace in his friend's arms, feeling that he finally understands the meaning of the phrase "[['Til all are one|'til all are one.]]"

Nearby, Slide continues to find other things to complain and argue about rather than the actual threat at hand when the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] approach her. She and [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] immediately start fighting over the tragic outcome of [[Time Will Rust|their recent clash on Earth]], but [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] interrupts them, motioning toward Bludgeon's Worldsweeper as it heads down to Earth to rain devastation on the planet. Slide relents, and she, the colonists, and the Dinobots head down to the planet to lend their aid.

Following the path the Talisman is burning through Unicron, Optimus Prime and Arcee venture into the depths of the planet-eater once more, fighting their way through its [[Unicron's antibodies|antibody monsters]]. Arcee proposes that Prime leave the mission to her, that she may make amends for her part in the devastation of [[Antilla]] that began this nightmare, but Prime refuses; as "[[The Arisen]]," one of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], he ultimately traces all their misfortunes to the failures of himself and his lineage. Arcee is confused; she ''knew'' the Thirteen, and ''knows'' that Optimus wasn't one of them, but before she can press the issue, the pair arrive at Unicron's heart, where the supermassive black hole around which the monster planet once orbited now rests. As they watch, the Talisman disappears into the singularity... and a moment later, Optimus bids Arcee farewell and leaps in after it. His physical body is compressed to pure information, and Prime once again finds himself in [[Infraspace]], the transitional limbo between life and death, with the Talisman at his feet. But he is not alone in this twilight realm: from out of the darkness appears the form of the [[Unicron's creator|Antillan scientist]] who created the Talisman, whose rage and desire for vengeance is what is driving Unicron from beyond the veil. Prime attempts to talk to the scientist, telling him that his anger toward the Cybertronians is justified, but the alien is not interested in words and lashes out at him.

Prowl drags Shockwave out into the street, where Stardrive stands ready to play her part in the complex plan Prowl and Soundwave have assembled. While Stardrive uses her Wraith magicks to invade Shockwave's body and mind, across the continent, [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] follows Soundwave's instructions, remotely linking Stardrive into the [[Enigma of Combination]]—saved from Cybertron by Soundwave—via their communications systems. Next, the Aerialbots combine into [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] for the first time since absorbing the duplicate Enigma created by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] out of Earth's communications network years ago. The energies of the Earth Enigma fill the air—but they're not ''all'' that are in the air, as Bludgeon's Worldsweeper appears overhead, and [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] leaps out to attack Superion! As the two combiners clash, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] arrives with the Dinobots and colonists. The Dinobots all leap aboard the Worldsweeper, intent on taking the ship down, while Slide and the colonists argue about what to do. Some unexpected help arrives in the form of [[Pyra Magna]] and the surviving [[Torchbearer]]s, who have been clinging to the hull of Bludgeon's ship, and who now boldly attempt to form [[Victorion]], despite the loss of [[Stormclash]], to buy the Dinobots the time need to enter the ship and defeat Bludgeon. As a partial combiner herself, Slide feels the energies of the Earth Enigma running wild around her, and embraces them, joining with the Torchbearers as they merge, becoming the new leg of Victorion. Together, Victorion and Superion overpower and finally destroy Monstructor.

Meanwhile, the Dinobots fight their way onto the Worldsweeper's bridge and seize the [[Void Scepter]] Bludgeon is using to control the vessel, sending the ship flying away in the direction of [[Washington, D.C.]], in order to give Soundwave time to execute his plan. [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] are slain in the subsequent fight; as Bludgeon and Slug grapple, the Decepticon tells Slug that their deaths mean nothing, as Unicron will still destroy them all. Slug disagrees; he has faith that Unicron will be stopped, and moreover, he knows the Dinobots are relics of the war, unable to let go of their old hatred, and so they ''must'' die if the Cybertronian race is to move forward unburdened by them. With that, both Bludgeon and Slug die as the Worldsweeper crashes into the [[White House]]. Some of the Maximals aboard survive and emerge to menace the [[President of the United States|President]] and her G.I. Joe bodyguards [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]], but at the last minute, [[Rum-Maj]] and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] arrive with their [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] to finish off the beasts and save the humans.

Back at Mount Rushmore, Soundwave senses that the time is right to execute the final step of his plan. The Enigma of Combination has always had the power to combine not just ''bodies'', but hearts, minds, and ''spirits''—and now, by the power of ''two'' Enigmas, using his own faith as an anchor, Soundwave is able to make contact with and unite the spirits of all those who have died in the war against Unicron, and more. In Toronto, via Stardrive, Shockwave can feel what is happening and begs Prowl to convince Soundwave the plan will not work—that "faith" is a fabrication invented by Shockwave himself millions of years ago, incapable of accomplishing anything. But Prowl disagrees; "faith," he says, is just another name for having the strength to conquer the fears within yourself. And Shockwave... the original false Prime, progenitor of a corrupt lineage that has loomed over Optimus Prime all his life and been the root cause of every conflict that has brought Cybertronian history to this climactic moment... Shockwave represents everything that Optimus Prime has ever feared. Soundwave disintegrates as the combined spirits of the dead are united with Shockwave's thoughts via Stardrive, and sent by her Wraith magicks, linked to the Talisman, to Optimus Prime.

In Infraspace, all this wonder and terror floods into Optimus; every fear he has ever known, embodied in Shockwave's thoughts, and the memory of everyone who has ever stood behind him, which gives him the strength to face those fears and overcome them. As the Talisman surges back to life and the landscape of Infraspace begins to crumble away under its power, Prime now knows what he must do: rather than attempting to ''defeat'' the spirit of Unicron's creator, he instead extends a hand toward him in peace, and asks him his name. Confused and in pain, the scientist admits that he can no longer remember... but he does remember the name of his daughter, who died during Antilla's war with Cybertron, setting him on this path of death and revenge. Prime pulls the alien into an embrace, and calls upon him to remember that name now, at the end. Thus do they die in peace together, the last of the Primes overcoming the legacy of his ancestors by showing compassion to the monster birthed by their crimes, as the power of the Talisman collapses Unicron's body into the black hole at its own heart.

As Unicron collapses, all the combatants in Earth orbit make for the planet's surface, save for Bumblebee and Aileron, who fly through the maelstrom to rescue Arcee before she is sucked into the singularity. The trio set down on Earth's moon, where Aileron and Arcee joyously reunite, and they are presently joined by [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], revealed to have survived Bludgeon's attack on [[Sanctuary Station]]. At Mount Rushmore, Marissa believes Thundercracker must surely have perished, but Buster thinks otherwise, and is proven right seconds later when Thundercracker descends from the sky, carrying the damaged but also-still-living Skywarp with him. At Thundercracker is welcomed by his friends, Skywarp laughs at the ridiculousness of the situation, but recognizes his brother-in-arms as a true Seeker. Prowl and Stardrive take a despondent Shockwave into custody; [[Rom]] and [[Livia]] console a young [[Elonian]] orphan; [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] thinks of [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|his brother]] as he watches Buster, [[D.0.C.]], and [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] play; Windblade and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] discuss Windblade's future as the leader of Cybertron on Earth; [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] digs the lone surviving Dinobots, Swoop and [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], from the wreckage of the Worldsweeper; and with the survivors of Cybertron and its colonies now destined to be permanent residents of Earth, the President starts making plans for their future together.

Pyra Magna recovers the [[Mistress of Flame]]'s [[Forgehammer]] from where she left it, wedged in Metroplex's armor, and realizes now that "faith" is not what ''others'' tell you to believe, but what you believe in your own heart. Pyra takes the mantle of Mistress of Flame upon herself, and invites Slide to join the Torchbearers full-time; Slide, overjoyed to know belonging once again, and realizing that she and Pyra were wrong about Optimus Prime all along—that he never wanted to ''rule'' them, but to build a better world for them to live in—tearfully accepts.

With Earth now lit by twin stars of light and darkness—the [[sun]] and Unicron's black hole in perfect balance—the Transformers enter a new era on a new homeworld, an era without Primes, without Autobots or Decepticons, without even the distinction between Cybertronian, colonist, or Earthling. Thanks to Optimus Prime, his sacrifice, and his belief in those who followed him...

...all are one.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic'' text appear only in spirit form. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]? (4)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (5)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]]? (6)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (7)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (8)
*[[Alpha Bravo]] (9)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]? (10)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (15)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (16)
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (19)
*[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]] (20)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] (23)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (25)
*? (27)
*[[Slide]] (28)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (29)
*[[Bump]] (30)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]]? (31)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (33)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (34)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (36)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slug]] (37)
*[[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] (38)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (39)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (40)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (44)
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (46)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (47)
*[[Strongarm (BW)|Strongarm]] (62)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (81)
*[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (88)
*[[Dust Up]] (90)
*[[Jumpstream]] (91)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (92)
*[[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (93)
*[[Rust Dust]] (94)
*[[Victorion]] (95)
*''[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'' (96)
*''[[Ambulon]]'' (99)
*''[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'' (101)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (103)
*''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'' (104)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (105)
*''[[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]]'' (106)
*''[[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]]'' (108)
*''[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]'' (109)
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (110)
*''[[Fastlane]]'' (111)
*''[[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]]'' (112)
*''[[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]]'' (113)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (120)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (121)
*''[[Gimlet]]'' (123)
*[[Goldbug (IDW)|Goldbug]] (133)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (134)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (21)
*[[Octane|Tall Tankor]] (22)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (26)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (43)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (52)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (63)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (64)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] (70)
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (72)
*[[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] (73)
*[[Broadside (Classics)|Broadside]] (74)
*''[[Horri-Bull]]'' (98)
*''[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]'' (107)
*''[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]'' (114)
*''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'' (115)
*''[[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]]'' (116)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (131)

|c3=
'''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'''
*[[Scarlett]] (56)
*[[Matt Trakker]] (57)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (58)
*[[Zilong Qian|Talon]] (59)
*[[Ayana Jones|Mayday]] (65)
*[[Snake-Eyes|Snake Eyes]] (67)
*[[Agent Helix]] (69)
*[[Cover Girl]] (84)
*''[[Mainframe (G.I. Joe)|Mainframe]]'' (119)
*[[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] (125)
*[[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]] (126)

'''[[Cobra]]'''
*[[Red Shadows]] (51)
*[[Tempest (Cobra)|Tempest]] (68)

'''[[VENOM]]'''
*[[Miles Mayhem]] (48)
*[[Sly Rax]] (53)

'''[[Iron Ring]]'''
*[[Iron Klaw]] (49)
*[[Doctor X]] (50)

'''[[Action Man Programme|AMP]]'''
*[[Action Man]] (54)
*[[Terrence Salmons]] (55)

'''Others'''
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (1)
*[[President of the United States|President of the US]] (124)

|h4=Other Cybertronians|c4=
'''[[Maximal]]s'''
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] (66)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (71)
*[[Rampage (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Rampage]] (75)
*[[Archadis]] (76)
*[[Icebird]] (see Errors, 77)
*[[Apache]] (78)
*? (79)
*[[Inferno (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Inferno]] (80)
*[[Transquito]]/[[Bigmos]] (see Errors, 82)
*[[Soundwave (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Soundwave]]? (83)
*[[Tasmania Kid]] (see Errors, 85)
*[[Coelagon]] (127)

'''[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]'''
*[[Rum-Maj]] (129)
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (130)

'''Others'''
*[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] (11)
*[[Swift (G1)|Swift]] (14)
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (35)
*[[Centurion (IDW)|Centurion]] (41)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (42)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] (45)
*[[Stardrive]] (86)
*''[[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]]'' (97)
*''[[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'' (100)
*''[[Mistress of Flame]]'' (102)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] (128)

|h5=Others|c5=

'''Space Knights'''
*[[Rom]] (17)
*[[Livia]] (18)
*''[[Maur]]'' (117)
*''[[Prim]]'' (118)

'''Others'''
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
*[[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] (24)
*[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] (32)
*[[Dire Wraith]]s (60)
*Wraith [[Countdown (G.I. Joe)|Countdown]] (61)
*[[D.0.C.]] (87)
*''[[Unicron's creator]]'' (89)
*[[Garnak]] (132)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faith. The last refuge of those '''left behind.'''"
:—'''Marissa Faireborn'''

"Never before have I thought this... but that is a big one." 
"Imagine how '''I''' feel. You're the size of a '''city'''—I'm only '''six feet tall.'''" 
"You are 5'10<nowiki>''</nowiki>, Garrison."
:—'''Metroplex''' and '''Garrison Blackrock''' discuss the size of Unicron

"I never imagined the fate of '''everything''' would end up in '''your''' hands, Starscream." 
"That's funny, because '''I''' always knew it '''would.'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Starscream'''

"Tell '''Windblade''' to take good care of '''Earth''', will you? Aw, who am I kidding? She probably won't even '''try''' to conquer the place."
:—'''Starscream''''s last words

"[Orion] thinks the '''shadowplay''' that stripped me of emotion changed me '''fundamentally.''' But as Rhinox said, I was '''always''' pulling strings. '''I''' gave Orion the capacity to carry a '''Matrix.''' I '''made''' him into '''Optimus Prime'''. He was the one who changed... when he stopped viewing my actions as '''just.'''"
:—'''Shockwave'''

"Slug—you won't last a '''minute.'''" 
"Then we'll get this done in '''forty-five seconds.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''' gives '''Slug''' some "encouragement"

"Faith is a '''lie!''' I '''invented''' it! '''Faith''' will not stop the '''uncreator!'''" 
"You '''still''' don't see. Soundwave believes in a '''higher power''', sure. But guys like '''you''' and '''me'''—we don't '''have''' to. All we need to believe in is the inherent '''good''' of '''doing good'''... and that someday, '''ultimately,''' that will be enough to stop '''evil.'''" 
"'''Logic''' is neither good '''nor''' evil. '''None''' of us are. We contain the capacity for '''both.'''" 
"Faith is just '''one path''' to the '''ultimate trick:''' '''confronting''' the evil in '''ourselves'''... and defeating '''that.'''"
:—'''Shockwave''' and '''Prowl''' discuss belief

"Operation: '''Absolution.'''"
:—'''Soundwave'''s last words

"I am '''not''' a piece of '''your''' history... I am the '''end''' of my '''own!'''"
:—'''Unicron's creator'''

"I was forged '''Orion Pax.''' As war began, I was called '''Optimus Prime.''' Now some call me The '''Arisen''', the Thirteenth Prime. But the '''masks''' are gone now. I am '''Orion Pax'''. Before this... who were '''you?'''" 
"So long ago... I can't '''remember.''' But I know the name of my '''daughter''', who your kind '''murdered'''..." 
"Then that shall be the '''word.''' Rather than the fire of '''hatred'''... let her name—her '''memory'''—'''light''' this dark hour."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' allows '''Unicron's creator''' to die knowing compassion

"I thought... I would make us '''strong...'''" 
"Take it from me: strong doesn't mean '''right.'''"
:—A defeated '''Shockwave''' is carted away by '''Stardrive'''

"'''Optimus Prime''' is gone... and with him ends the era of Autobot and Decepticon, Cybertronian and colonist, human and machine. What survives is his '''faith.''' Perhaps he never believed in any '''higher power''' guiding our hands... but he believed in '''us.''' I am '''Pyra Magna'''... the '''Mistress of Flame'''. '''Spiritual leader''' of my people; defender of my homeworld... '''Earth.''' And we will light our way against '''all''' our '''darkest hours'''... as '''one.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''''s closing monologue

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*In the montage of heroes and villains fighting around the Earth, Predaking is seen in the service of Iron Klaw. The Predacons have been under his control since before the events of [[The Iron Klaw|''Revolutionaries'' #4]]; it seems he's managed to repair [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] after Kup blew his head off in that story.
*Action Man declares "This is for Kup" as he blasts a Maximal; the pair were buddies in ''Revolutionaries'', until Kup's death in [[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]].
*Terrence Salmons is now wearing the Action Man uniform too. As seen in the {{i|''Action Man'' comic}}, he was considered next-in-line for the position until Ian Noble, the current Action Man, slipped in ahead of him, but it looks like extenuating circumstances have seen him take up the mantle alongside Ian.
*Scarlett has joined Matt Trakker in Detroit, where his team were located when we last saw them in [[Our Finest|issue #3]]'s {{i|back-up strip}}.
*Last issue, as the battle with the Maximals concluded, it was abruptly noted that Mayday was now in command of the human forces, despite the fact that nothing had been shown to happen to previously-established leaders Spike and Talon on-panel. This issue shows that Spike got shot down by the Maximals, and unintentionally took Talon down with him, but both men have survived and are stranded in a jungle somewhere. Spike notes that he "always figured [he'd] have a bigger role" in the final battle; while most IDW readers are no doubt glad he doesn't, this hearkens back to the fact Spike leads his life like he's "the star of an action movie," as originally observed in [[Police Action Part 2: Only Forward|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #27]].
*Pressed into fighting alongside Strongarm in defense of Earth, Rumble and Frenzy grumble that they "shoulda unionized," a joking reference to the recent success the pair have found in Hollywood, as seen in [[Starscream: The Movie (comic)|the 2018 ''Optimus Prime'' annual]].
*Starscream uses the Talisman to burrow through Unicron's surface, in the same manner as it burrowed its way down through Cybertron in ''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]''.
*Slug and the Dinobots continue to clash with Slide following the events of [[Time Will Rust|''Optimus Prime'' #23]]-[[A Sunrise Dark|24]], which included the death of her fellow colonist soldier [[Gimlet]].
*Rhinox provided Shockwave with his new gun-arm in [[Road's End|issue #4]]. He evidently built it himself, indicating this Rhinox shares the engineering abilities of his counterpart in the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]].
*Shockwave notes that he didn't simply become evil when subjected to Shadowplay, having always been a manipulator with dodgy leanings. He illustrates this with the specific example that he was the one who gave Optimus a Matrix chamber (which we learned in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #23]]), but the darker side of his pre-Shadowplay life was previously emphasized in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More than Meets the Eye'' #11]] when [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] dug up some intel on him and learned about the various covert projects he was investing in, which he was keeping secret from his allies.
*Soundwave got the Enigma of Combination out of storage in issue #3.
*Galvatron turned Earth into a large-scale Enigma of Combination in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #53]]. Superion absorbed the Earth Enigma code to prevent it from working in [[All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #54]]; this is the first time the team have combined since then.
*Optimus Prime returns to Infraspace by entering the black hole at the heart of Unicron, the same way he did by entering the singularity in Crystal City in [[The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|''Optimus Prime'' #19]].
*The Dinobots settle their recurring rivalry with Bludgeon, begun in ''[[The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption]]'' and continuing through ''[[The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation]]'' and [[The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|''Optimus Prime'' #13]]-[[The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|14]].
*Bludgeon previously used his Void Scepter to control Trypticon in ''Salvation''.
*The ability of the Enigma to combine not just bodies, but hearts and minds, has always been implicit in the way combiners work, with a gestalt personality emerging as Transformers' bodies are merged together. However, it was previously established that it was possible for it to work in a more spiritual way, combining minds ''without'' combining bodies, back in [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]], when it was credited with subtly uniting the thoughts and ideas of early humans, leading to the development of human cities and civilizations.
*The spirits who appear before Soundwave specifically include all those notables who have died throughout the ''Unicron'' mini-series itself (Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and the Solstar Knights from [[Our Darkest|issue #0]], Dirge and the Mistress of Flame from [[Unicron issue 1|issue #1]], Omega Supreme from [[Stranger Eons|issue #2]], Scattershot, Fastlane, and Cloudraker from [[Our Finest|issue #3]], Blurr, Elita One, Cosmos, Sky-Byte, and Laserbeak from [[Road's End|issue #4]], and Ironhide from this issue) and its tie-in issues in ''Optimus Prime'' (Mainframe and Gimlet), along with other significant characters who have died during "Phase 2" of the IDW Universe: Alpha Trion ([[The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|''Optimus Prime'' #16]]), Ambulon ([[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|''More than Meets the Eye'' #19]]), Horri-Bull ([[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|''Robots in Disguise'' #1]]), Kup ([[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]]), Metalhawk ([[Heavy Is the Head|''Robots in Disguise'' #16]]), Pipes ([[Under Cold Blue Stars|''More than Meets the Eye'' #15]]), Ravage ([[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|''More than Meets the Eye'' #55]]), Rung ([[Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|''Lost Light'' #24]]), Sideswipe ([[The Life of Sideswipe|''Optimus Prime'' #10]]), Skids ([[The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|''More than Meets the Eye'' #54]]), and Trailcutter ([[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|''More than Meets the Eye'' #34]]).
*The president notes that the White House has been reinforced since the "last attack," referring to the [[Dire Wraith]] attack in ''[[Thundercracker & Buster Save the World|The Transformers: Revolution]]'' one shot.
*Optimus Prime had a vision of a Worldsweeper crashing into the White House in [[All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #50]].
*Buzzsaw was implied to have perished in issue #4, but is here revealed to have survived his brush with death.
*The Elonian girl and her [[Mutt (IDW)|pet creature]] are presumably the same ones that appeared in [[Our Darkest|''Unicron'' #0]], and on the last page they're drawn posed as they were on the first page of issue #0.
*It's the end of ''Transformers: Unicron'', but not quite the end of the universe; the story continues into [[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]], the final issue and epilogue to the entire [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]].

===Transformers references===
*The Maximal who kills Ironhide is [[Icebird]], one of the [[Mutant (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Mutants]], who had two beast modes, but no robot mode, save for a robot head hidden inside their bodies. Icebird is here drawn with his robot head deployed. But, see "Errors" below.
*Sky Lynx recalls an adventure on [[Regulon Four|Regulon IV]], a planet with several previous mentions in Transformers media, originating in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]."
*After Ironhide's death, Aileron rallies the others with a variation on a well-used [[Furmanism#CAN_I_DO_LESS.3F|Furmanism]].
*[[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|Optimus Prime dies]], again.

===Real world references===
*Wreck-Gar's classic habit of peppering his speech with snippets of pop culture continues:
**He greets the humans in the White House with the cry of "Hi-ho, True Believers and Believerettes," the blusterous term {{w|Stan Lee}} regularly used to refer to faithful fans of [[Marvel Comics]].
**He quotes the opening theme to ''{{w|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood}}'', declaring it a "beautiful day in the neighborhood," and hoping they'll "be [the Junkions'] neighbors."
**He paraphrases the title of the 1987 movie ''{{w|Good Morning, Vietnam}}'' with a whoop of "Goooood Morning, Planet Earth!"
*The Action Men are fighting Maximals outside {{w|London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross station}}, one of London's major train stations.

===Errors===
*As a helicopter, Alpha Bravo is easily identifiable among the Aerialbots arrived on page 1, panel 3, and Air Raid appears roughly-on model as well, but the other Aerialbots don't seem to match their ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' designs, and aren't really recognizable as any particular members of the group, hence the "?"s in our list above.
*Trypticon is credited as a "Decepticon Titan," but he hasn't been a Decepticon for ages.
*Rumble and Frenzy's ID captions (or colors!) are [[FIRRIB|swapped]].
*Icebird was among the dead Maximals seen in [[The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|''Optimus Prime'' #20]]. This is about to become a theme.
*A Maximal with the body-type shared by Transquito and his Japanese counterpart Bigmos appeared on page 17, panel 1. While the block-coloring used in the pages of ''Optimus Prime'' made identifying Maximals and discerning between American and Japanese characters tricky, in this case, ''both'' these characters should be dead, with the remains of one appearing in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other dying on-panel in [[The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|''Optimus Prime'' #21]].
*Likewise, a Maximal sharing the body type of [[Snarl (BW)|Snarl]] and Tasmania Kid appears in the same panel. Both these characters are also accounted for; one was also among dead remains seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other is a native Eukarian, not a Maximal, who was seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #23.
*Perhaps not an ''error'', but narration and dialogue consistently calls Bludgeon's ship a "symbol ship," which is an odd way of referring to something that's got a proper name: it's a [[Worldsweeper]].
*Starscream's absence from the spirits of the dead is so pronounced it ''can't'' be an error, but the fact that ''Stormclash'' isn't among them (given the inclusion of nobodies like Fastlane, Cloudraker, and the dead Space Knights) feels like an oversight.
*One last time, the chart at the end of the issue misspells "[[Devisiun]]" as "Divisiun."
*The bonus material refers to [[Prion]] has having been devastated by the Black Box Consortia, which should be the [[Black Block Consortia|Black ''Block'' Consortia]]. It isn't a complete error, though - the Black Box Consortia was the equivalent organisation in the [[Functionist Universe]], as seen over in [[The Transformers: Lost Light|''Lost Light'']]

===Deathlist===
*Trypticon; killed by one of Unicron's eye-beams
*Starscream; sacrifices himself activating the Talisman
*Ironhide; dies from injuries inflicted by Icebird
*Rhinox; killed by Prowl
*Optimus Primal; finished off by Stardrive and Snake Eyes
*Monstructor; killed by Victorion and Superion
*Broadside; roasted by Strafe
*Soundwave; gives up his life to combine the spirits of the dead with the Enigma of Combination
*Sludge and Snarl; die in the battle aboard the Worldsweeper
*Slug and Bludgeon; die in the crash of the Worldsweeper
*Unicron; consumed by the black hole at its own heart
*Optimus Prime; sacrifices himself to destroy Unicron

===Other trivia===
*Intended for release in October, this issue arrived late in the middle of November. ''Optimus Prime'' #25 was consequently pushed back to ensure it was released afterward.
*This super-sized final issue is 48 pages in length, with 40 pages of story. In addition to the the sixth and final installment in a series of interviews with creators from IDW history, this time with ''Unicron'' writer and artist [[John Barber]] and [[Alex Milne]], backmatter for this issue also includes a complete listing of all thirteen [[Cybertronian colonies]], complete with Prime, [[Regenesis]] ore, Titan, current status, and (if applicable) representative on the [[Council of Worlds]], filling in several pieces of information that have never been revealed on-panel (like which Prime goes with which planet, and the names of previously-unidentified ores and Titans).

===Covers (6)===
*'''Cover A:''' Unicron surrounded by shards of reality depicting images from throughout IDW history, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Sebastian Cheng]]
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, Doctor X, and [[Baroness|Cobra Commander]], by [[James Raiz]] and [[David Garcia Cruz]]; connects to Raiz's other covers for the series to form [[:File:Unicron-Bcovers-JamesRaiz.jpg|a larger image]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover A:''' Optimus Prime, Starscream, Bumblebee, Soundwave, Windblade, and Unicron, by [[E. J. Su]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover B:''' Jetfire by [[Francesco Francavilla]]; connects to Francavilla's other covers for the series to form a larger image
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover A:''' Unicron takes the place of Thanos in an homage to the cover of [https://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet_Vol_1_4 ''The Infinity Gauntlet'' #4], beckoning unseen parties toward him and declaring "You belong to me!" (a line from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') by [[John Paras]]
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover B:''' Paras's ''Infinity Gauntlet'' homage, but with a blank white background and a blank speech bubble

<gallery>
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File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIB.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrREA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrREB.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*[[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] and [[How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2|''Lost Light'' #25]], with a tagline that reads: "THE TRANSFORMERS WILL RETURN IN 2019."
*''Go-Bots'' #1
*''Unicron'' checklist

==External links==
*[https://www.comiccrusaders.com/exclusive-preview-transformers-unicron-6-of-6/ Preview]

[[Category:Unicron issues]]

Ceremony

2018-11-14T17:39:43Z

Guntrip: /* Errors */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Unicron]]'' #6
|prev=Unicron issue 5
|next=Post
|image=TFUnicron6_cvrA.jpg
|caption="What did it cost?" "''Everything.''"
|title=Ceremony
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 14]], [[2018]]
|coverdate=October, 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Sara Pitre-Durocher]] (pg 1-10), [[Andrew Griffith]] (pg 11-14, 17, 32, 36) [[Alex Milne]] (pg 15-16, 20, 26-29, 33-35, 37-40), [[Kei Zama]] (pg 18-19, 21-25, 30-31)
|colors by=[[David Garcia Cruz]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''In the final battle against Unicron and his servants, many of our heroes are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to prove that faith and compassion can triumph over the fear and chaos born from the legacy of the Primes.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Mount Rushmore]] has become the new home of all the [[spark]]s that were being nurtured within [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], having been removed from the [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] to keep them safe during the battle that now rages in [[Earth]] orbit. As [[Marissa Faireborn]] comforts [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]], [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] arrive with the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], who have been brought at the request of [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] to help with a plan that may yet save the day...

Chaos reigns above the Earth as an army of [[Autobot]]s, [[Decepticon]]s, and everyone in-between—transported into space by Trypticon and [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]—attack [[Unicron]] and its servants, keeping them occupied in order to allow [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], and [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] to transport [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]], and the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] down to Unicron's surface. The stubborn [[Slide]] is reluctant to join the battle, unwilling to fight and die in the name of Optimus Prime. Punctuating her words, Trypticon becomes the first to fall, slain by one of Unicron's eye-beams.

Down below, all across the Earth, from [[Venice]] to [[Sao Paolo]], the planet's heroes and villains fight alongside their alien allies to defend their world against Unicron's [[Maximal]]s. In [[Toronto]], [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] watch from the [[CN Tower]] as [[Stardrive]] and [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] battle the Maximals in the streets below. Shockwave deems the fight a lost cause, and contacts [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], ordering him to bring his [[Worldsweeper]] down from orbit to collect Shockwave and Rhinox so that they may leave the Earth to its fate, and deal with Unicron another day. Bludgeon, however, refuses; always a servant of chaos, he has thrown in his lot with Unicron, rapturous at the notion that he will be able to watch the entire universe be uncreated at the planet-eater's hands. Shockwave is dumbfounded at the very idea, but barely has time to process Bludgeon's betrayal before he is attacked from behind by Rhinox; this once-loyal Maximal has also decided to side with Unicron after learning that the divine "Onyx Prime" whom he once believed in was nothing but a trick played by Shockwave. Shockwave attempts to fire on Rhinox, only to discover that the new cannon-arm the Maximal provided him with will not work on the Maximals. Rhinox overpowers Shockwave and tears the cannon-arm off, preparing to turn it on his former master... only for his head to suddenly be blown off by a blast from behind, fired by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]!

Up in orbit, Thundercracker is hit by Maximal fire and falls behind the rest of his group, finding himself surrounded by enemy forces. After depositing Arcee on Unicron with Starscream and Optimus, Skywarp reluctantly goes to his fellow [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]'s aid, teleporting into the path of a Maximal blade to save Thundercracker's life so that he can get the Talisman to the others. Refusing to leave Skywarp behind, Thundercracker tosses the Talisman to Starscream down on Unicron's surface and dives into the fight. It doesn't seem possible that the two can survive, and that poses a problem to the rest of the group: without Skywarp's teleporting powers, they can't get through Unicron's miles-thick armor. Starscream hits upon a solution and implements it before anyone can object; with one last egotistical grin born of the knowledge that he was the one to save the day, he asks Prime and Arcee to give Windblade his best, then activates the Talisman, sacrificing his life as its magical energies consume him and begin burning their way down into Unicron.

Watching from the battlefield, [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] and [[Aileron]] are stunned by Starscream's sacrifice, but [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] always knew he had it in him. [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] isn't interested in debating Starscream's merits right now, as the Maximals continue to attack; a moment later, [[Icebird|one of the beasts]] rakes Ironhide with its claws, fatally wounding him. As Bumblebee fends the Maximal off, Jazz rushes to Ironhide's side, assuring him that he will make it through—but Ironhide is too far gone, and dies in peace in his friend's arms, feeling that he finally understands the meaning of the phrase "[['Til all are one|'til all are one.]]"

Nearby, Slide continues to find other things to complain and argue about rather than the actual threat at hand when the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] approach her. She and [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] immediately start fighting over the tragic outcome of [[Time Will Rust|their recent clash on Earth]], but [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] interrupts them, motioning toward Bludgeon's Worldsweeper as it heads down to Earth to rain devastation on the planet. Slide relents, and she, the colonists, and the Dinobots head down to the planet to lend their aid.

Following the path the Talisman is burning through Unicron, Optimus Prime and Arcee venture into the depths of the planet-eater once more, fighting their way through its [[Unicron's antibodies|antibody monsters]]. Arcee proposes that Prime leave the mission to her, that she may make amends for her part in the devastation of [[Antilla]] that began this nightmare, but Prime refuses; as "[[The Arisen]]," one of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], he ultimately traces all their misfortunes to the failures of himself and his lineage. Arcee is confused; she ''knew'' the Thirteen, and ''knows'' that Optimus wasn't one of them, but before she can press the issue, the pair arrive at Unicron's heart, where the supermassive black hole around which the monster planet once orbited now rests. As they watch, the Talisman disappears into the singularity... and a moment later, Optimus bids Arcee farewell and leaps in after it. His physical body is compressed to pure information, and Prime once again finds himself in [[Infraspace]], the transitional limbo between life and death, with the Talisman at his feet. But he is not alone in this twilight realm: from out of the darkness appears the form of the [[Unicron's creator|Antillan scientist]] who created the Talisman, whose rage and desire for vengeance is what is driving Unicron from beyond the veil. Prime attempts to talk to the scientist, telling him that his anger toward the Cybertronians is justified, but the alien is not interested in words and lashes out at him.

Prowl drags Shockwave out into the street, where Stardrive stands ready to play her part in the complex plan Prowl and Soundwave have assembled. While Stardrive uses her Wraith magicks to invade Shockwave's body and mind, across the continent, [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] follows Soundwave's instructions, remotely linking Stardrive into the [[Enigma of Combination]]—saved from Cybertron by Soundwave—via their communications systems. Next, the Aerialbots combine into [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] for the first time since absorbing the duplicate Enigma created by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] out of Earth's communications network years ago. The energies of the Earth Enigma fill the air—but they're not ''all'' that are in the air, as Bludgeon's Worldsweeper appears overhead, and [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] leaps out to attack Superion! As the two combiners clash, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] arrives with the Dinobots and colonists. The Dinobots all leap aboard the Worldsweeper, intent on taking the ship down, while Slide and the colonists argue about what to do. Some unexpected help arrives in the form of [[Pyra Magna]] and the surviving [[Torchbearer]]s, who have been clinging to the hull of Bludgeon's ship, and who now boldly attempt to form [[Victorion]], despite the loss of [[Stormclash]], to buy the Dinobots the time need to enter the ship and defeat Bludgeon. As a partial combiner herself, Slide feels the energies of the Earth Enigma running wild around her, and embraces them, joining with the Torchbearers as they merge, becoming the new leg of Victorion. Together, Victorion and Superion overpower and finally destroy Monstructor.

Meanwhile, the Dinobots fight their way onto the Worldsweeper's bridge and seize the [[Void Scepter]] Bludgeon is using to control the vessel, sending the ship flying away in the direction of [[Washington, D.C.]], in order to give Soundwave time to execute his plan. [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] are slain in the subsequent fight; as Bludgeon and Slug grapple, the Decepticon tells Slug that their deaths mean nothing, as Unicron will still destroy them all. Slug disagrees; he has faith that Unicron will be stopped, and moreover, he knows the Dinobots are relics of the war, unable to let go of their old hatred, and so they ''must'' die if the Cybertronian race is to move forward unburdened by them. With that, both Bludgeon and Slug die as the Worldsweeper crashes into the [[White House]]. Some of the Maximals aboard survive and emerge to menace the [[President of the United States|President]] and her G.I. Joe bodyguards [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]], but at the last minute, [[Rum-Maj]] and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] arrive with their [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] to finish off the beasts and save the humans.

Back at Mount Rushmore, Soundwave senses that the time is right to execute the final step of his plan. The Enigma of Combination has always had the power to combine not just ''bodies'', but hearts, minds, and ''spirits''—and now, by the power of ''two'' Enigmas, using his own faith as an anchor, Soundwave is able to make contact with and unite the spirits of all those who have died in the war against Unicron, and more. In Toronto, via Stardrive, Shockwave can feel what is happening and begs Prowl to convince Soundwave the plan will not work—that "faith" is a fabrication invented by Shockwave himself millions of years ago, incapable of accomplishing anything. But Prowl disagrees; "faith," he says, is just another name for having the strength to conquer the fears within yourself. And Shockwave... the original false Prime, progenitor of a corrupt lineage that has loomed over Optimus Prime all his life and been the root cause of every conflict that has brought Cybertronian history to this climactic moment... Shockwave represents everything that Optimus Prime has ever feared. Soundwave disintegrates as the combined spirits of the dead are united with Shockwave's thoughts via Stardrive, and sent by her Wraith magicks, linked to the Talisman, to Optimus Prime.

In Infraspace, all this wonder and terror floods into Optimus; every fear he has ever known, embodied in Shockwave's thoughts, and the memory of everyone who has ever stood behind him, which gives him the strength to face those fears and overcome them. As the Talisman surges back to life and the landscape of Infraspace begins to crumble away under its power, Prime now knows what he must do: rather than attempting to ''defeat'' the spirit of Unicron's creator, he instead extends a hand toward him in peace, and asks him his name. Confused and in pain, the scientist admits that he can no longer remember... but he does remember the name of his daughter, who died during Antilla's war with Cybertron, setting him on this path of death and revenge. Prime pulls the alien into an embrace, and calls upon him to remember that name now, at the end. Thus do they die in peace together, the last of the Primes overcoming the legacy of his ancestors by showing compassion to the monster birthed by their crimes, as the power of the Talisman collapses Unicron's body into the black hole at its own heart.

As Unicron collapses, all the combatants in Earth orbit make for the planet's surface, save for Bumblebee and Aileron, who fly through the maelstrom to rescue Arcee before she is sucked into the singularity. The trio set down on Earth's moon, where Aileron and Arcee joyously reunite, and they are presently joined by [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], revealed to have survived Bludgeon's attack on [[Sanctuary Station]]. At Mount Rushmore, Marissa believes Thundercracker must surely have perished, but Buster thinks otherwise, and is proven right seconds later when Thundercracker descends from the sky, carrying the damaged but also-still-living Skywarp with him. At Thundercracker is welcomed by his friends, Skywarp laughs at the ridiculousness of the situation, but recognizes his brother-in-arms as a true Seeker. Prowl and Stardrive take a despondent Shockwave into custody; [[Rom]] and [[Livia]] console a young [[Elonian]] orphan; [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] thinks of [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|his brother]] as he watches Buster, [[D.0.C.]], and [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] play; Windblade and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] discuss Windblade's future as the leader of Cybertron on Earth; [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] digs the lone surviving Dinobots, Swoop and [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], from the wreckage of the Worldsweeper; and with the survivors of Cybertron and its colonies now destined to be permanent residents of Earth, the President starts making plans for their future together.

Pyra Magna recovers the [[Mistress of Flame]]'s [[Forgehammer]] from where she left it, wedged in Metroplex's armor, and realizes now that "faith" is not what ''others'' tell you to believe, but what you believe in your own heart. Pyra takes the mantle of Mistress of Flame upon herself, and invites Slide to join the Torchbearers full-time; Slide, overjoyed to know belonging once again, and realizing that she and Pyra were wrong about Optimus Prime all along—that he never wanted to ''rule'' them, but to build a better world for them to live in—tearfully accepts.

With Earth now lit by twin stars of light and darkness—the [[sun]] and Unicron's black hole in perfect balance—the Transformers enter a new era on a new homeworld, an era without Primes, without Autobots or Decepticons, without even the distinction between Cybertronian, colonist, or Earthling. Thanks to Optimus Prime, his sacrifice, and his belief in those who followed him...

...all are one.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic'' text appear only in spirit form. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]? (4)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (5)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]]? (6)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (7)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (8)
*[[Alpha Bravo]] (9)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]? (10)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (15)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (16)
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (19)
*[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]] (20)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] (23)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (25)
*? (27)
*[[Slide]] (28)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (29)
*[[Bump]] (30)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]]? (31)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (33)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (34)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (36)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slug]] (37)
*[[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] (38)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (39)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (40)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (44)
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (46)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (47)
*[[Strongarm (BW)|Strongarm]] (62)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (81)
*[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (88)
*[[Dust Up]] (90)
*[[Jumpstream]] (91)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (92)
*[[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (93)
*[[Rust Dust]] (94)
*[[Victorion]] (95)
*''[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'' (96)
*''[[Ambulon]]'' (99)
*''[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'' (101)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (103)
*''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'' (104)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (105)
*''[[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]]'' (106)
*''[[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]]'' (108)
*''[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]'' (109)
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (110)
*''[[Fastlane]]'' (111)
*''[[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]]'' (112)
*''[[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]]'' (113)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (120)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (121)
*''[[Gimlet]]'' (123)
*[[Goldbug (IDW)|Goldbug]] (133)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (134)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (21)
*[[Octane|Tall Tankor]] (22)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (26)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (43)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (52)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (63)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (64)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] (70)
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (72)
*[[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] (73)
*[[Broadside (Classics)|Broadside]] (74)
*''[[Horri-Bull]]'' (98)
*''[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]'' (107)
*''[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]'' (114)
*''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'' (115)
*''[[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]]'' (116)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (131)

|c3=
'''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'''
*[[Scarlett]] (56)
*[[Matt Trakker]] (57)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (58)
*[[Zilong Qian|Talon]] (59)
*[[Ayana Jones|Mayday]] (65)
*[[Snake-Eyes|Snake Eyes]] (67)
*[[Agent Helix]] (69)
*[[Cover Girl]] (84)
*''[[Mainframe (G.I. Joe)|Mainframe]]'' (119)
*[[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] (125)
*[[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]] (126)

'''[[Cobra]]'''
*[[Red Shadows]] (51)
*[[Tempest (Cobra)|Tempest]] (68)

'''[[VENOM]]'''
*[[Miles Mayhem]] (48)
*[[Sly Rax]] (53)

'''[[Iron Ring]]'''
*[[Iron Klaw]] (49)
*[[Doctor X]] (50)

'''[[Action Man Programme|AMP]]'''
*[[Action Man]] (54)
*[[Terrence Salmons]] (55)

'''Others'''
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (1)
*[[President of the United States|President of the US]] (124)

|h4=Other Cybertronians|c4=
'''[[Maximal]]s'''
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] (66)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (71)
*[[Rampage (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Rampage]] (75)
*[[Archadis]] (76)
*[[Icebird]] (see Errors, 77)
*[[Apache]] (78)
*? (79)
*[[Inferno (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Inferno]] (80)
*[[Transquito]]/[[Bigmos]] (see Errors, 82)
*[[Soundwave (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Soundwave]]? (83)
*[[Tasmania Kid]] (see Errors, 85)
*[[Coelagon]] (127)

'''[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]'''
*[[Rum-Maj]] (129)
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (130)

'''Others'''
*[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] (11)
*[[Swift (G1)|Swift]] (14)
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (35)
*[[Centurion (IDW)|Centurion]] (41)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (42)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] (45)
*[[Stardrive]] (86)
*''[[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]]'' (97)
*''[[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'' (100)
*''[[Mistress of Flame]]'' (102)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] (128)

|h5=Others|c5=

'''Space Knights'''
*[[Rom]] (17)
*[[Livia]] (18)
*''[[Maur]]'' (117)
*''[[Prim]]'' (118)

'''Others'''
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
*[[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] (24)
*[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] (32)
*[[Dire Wraith]]s (60)
*Wraith [[Countdown (G.I. Joe)|Countdown]] (61)
*[[D.0.C.]] (87)
*''[[Unicron's creator]]'' (89)
*[[Garnak]] (132)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faith. The last refuge of those '''left behind.'''"
:—'''Marissa Faireborn'''

"Never before have I thought this... but that is a big one." 
"Imagine how '''I''' feel. You're the size of a '''city'''—I'm only '''six feet tall.'''" 
"You are 5'10<nowiki>''</nowiki>, Garrison."
:—'''Metroplex''' and '''Garrison Blackrock''' discuss the size of Unicron

"I never imagined the fate of '''everything''' would end up in '''your''' hands, Starscream." 
"That's funny, because '''I''' always knew it '''would.'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Starscream'''

"Tell '''Windblade''' to take good care of '''Earth''', will you? Aw, who am I kidding? She probably won't even '''try''' to conquer the place."
:—'''Starscream''''s last words

"[Orion] thinks the '''shadowplay''' that stripped me of emotion changed me '''fundamentally.''' But as Rhinox said, I was '''always''' pulling strings. '''I''' gave Orion the capacity to carry a '''Matrix.''' I '''made''' him into '''Optimus Prime'''. He was the one who changed... when he stopped viewing my actions as '''just.'''"
:—'''Shockwave'''

"Slug—you won't last a '''minute.'''" 
"Then we'll get this done in '''forty-five seconds.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''' gives '''Slug''' some "encouragement"

"Faith is a '''lie!''' I '''invented''' it! '''Faith''' will not stop the '''uncreator!'''" 
"You '''still''' don't see. Soundwave believes in a '''higher power''', sure. But guys like '''you''' and '''me'''—we don't '''have''' to. All we need to believe in is the inherent '''good''' of '''doing good'''... and that someday, '''ultimately,''' that will be enough to stop '''evil.'''" 
"'''Logic''' is neither good '''nor''' evil. '''None''' of us are. We contain the capacity for '''both.'''" 
"Faith is just '''one path''' to the '''ultimate trick:''' '''confronting''' the evil in '''ourselves'''... and defeating '''that.'''"
:—'''Shockwave''' and '''Prowl''' discuss belief

"Operation: '''Absolution.'''"
:—'''Soundwave'''s last words

"I am '''not''' a piece of '''your''' history... I am the '''end''' of my '''own!'''"
:—'''Unicron's creator'''

"I was forged '''Orion Pax.''' As war began, I was called '''Optimus Prime.''' Now some call me The '''Arisen''', the Thirteenth Prime. But the '''masks''' are gone now. I am '''Orion Pax'''. Before this... who were '''you?'''" 
"So long ago... I can't '''remember.''' But I know the name of my '''daughter''', who your kind '''murdered'''..." 
"Then that shall be the '''word.''' Rather than the fire of '''hatred'''... let her name—her '''memory'''—'''light''' this dark hour."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' allows '''Unicron's creator''' to die knowing compassion

"I thought... I would make us '''strong...'''" 
"Take it from me: strong doesn't mean '''right.'''"
:—A defeated '''Shockwave''' is carted away by '''Stardrive'''

"'''Optimus Prime''' is gone... and with him ends the era of Autobot and Decepticon, Cybertronian and colonist, human and machine. What survives is his '''faith.''' Perhaps he never believed in any '''higher power''' guiding our hands... but he believed in '''us.''' I am '''Pyra Magna'''... the '''Mistress of Flame'''. '''Spiritual leader''' of my people; defender of my homeworld... '''Earth.''' And we will light our way against '''all''' our '''darkest hours'''... as '''one.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''''s closing monologue

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*In the montage of heroes and villains fighting around the Earth, Predaking is seen in the service of Iron Klaw. The Predacons have been under his control since before the events of [[The Iron Klaw|''Revolutionaries'' #4]]; it seems he's managed to repair [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] after Kup blew his head off in that story.
*Action Man declares "This is for Kup" as he blasts a Maximal; the pair were buddies in ''Revolutionaries'', until Kup's death in [[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]].
*Terrence Salmons is now wearing the Action Man uniform too. As seen in the {{i|''Action Man'' comic}}, he was considered next-in-line for the position until Ian Noble, the current Action Man, slipped in ahead of him, but it looks like extenuating circumstances have seen him take up the mantle alongside Ian.
*Scarlett has joined Matt Trakker in Detroit, where his team were located when we last saw them in [[Our Finest|issue #3]]'s {{i|back-up strip}}.
*Last issue, as the battle with the Maximals concluded, it was abruptly noted that Mayday was now in command of the human forces, despite the fact that nothing had been shown to happen to previously-established leaders Spike and Talon on-panel. This issue shows that Spike got shot down by the Maximals, and unintentionally took Talon down with him, but both men have survived and are stranded in a jungle somewhere. Spike notes that he "always figured [he'd] have a bigger role" in the final battle; while most IDW readers are no doubt glad he doesn't, this hearkens back to the fact Spike leads his life like he's "the star of an action movie," as originally observed in [[Police Action Part 2: Only Forward|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #27]].
*Pressed into fighting alongside Strongarm in defense of Earth, Rumble and Frenzy grumble that they "shoulda unionized," a joking reference to the recent success the pair have found in Hollywood, as seen in [[Starscream: The Movie (comic)|the 2018 ''Optimus Prime'' annual]].
*Starscream uses the Talisman to burrow through Unicron's surface, in the same manner as it burrowed its way down through Cybertron in ''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]''.
*Slug and the Dinobots continue to clash with Slide following the events of [[Time Will Rust|''Optimus Prime'' #23]]-[[A Sunrise Dark|24]], which included the death of her fellow colonist soldier [[Gimlet]].
*Rhinox provided Shockwave with his new gun-arm in [[Road's End|issue #4]]. He evidently built it himself, indicating this Rhinox shares the engineering abilities of his counterpart in the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]].
*Shockwave notes that he didn't simply become evil when subjected to Shadowplay, having always been a manipulator with dodgy leanings. He illustrates this with the specific example that he was the one who gave Optimus a Matrix chamber (which we learned in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #23]]), but the darker side of his pre-Shadowplay life was previously emphasized in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More than Meets the Eye'' #11]] when [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] dug up some intel on him and learned about the various covert projects he was investing in, which he was keeping secret from his allies.
*Soundwave got the Enigma of Combination out of storage in issue #3.
*Galvatron turned Earth into a large-scale Enigma of Combination in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #53]]. Superion absorbed the Earth Enigma code to prevent it from working in [[All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #54]]; this is the first time the team have combined since then.
*Optimus Prime returns to Infraspace by entering the black hole at the heart of Unicron, the same way he did by entering the singularity in Crystal City in [[The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|''Optimus Prime'' #19]].
*The Dinobots settle their recurring rivalry with Bludgeon, begun in ''[[The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption]]'' and continuing through ''[[The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation]]'' and [[The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|''Optimus Prime'' #13]]-[[The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|14]].
*Bludgeon previously used his Void Scepter to control Trypticon in ''Salvation''.
*The ability of the Enigma to combine not just bodies, but hearts and minds, has always been implicit in the way combiners work, with a gestalt personality emerging as Transformers' bodies are merged together. However, it was previously established that it was possible for it to work in a more spiritual way, combining minds ''without'' combining bodies, back in [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]], when it was credited with subtly uniting the thoughts and ideas of early humans, leading to the development of human cities and civilizations.
*The spirits who appear before Soundwave specifically include all those notables who have died throughout the ''Unicron'' mini-series itself (Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and the Solstar Knights from [[Our Darkest|issue #0]], Dirge and the Mistress of Flame from [[Unicron issue 1|issue #1]], Omega Supreme from [[Stranger Eons|issue #2]], Scattershot, Fastlane, and Cloudraker from [[Our Finest|issue #3]], Blurr, Elita One, Cosmos, Sky-Byte, and Laserbeak from [[Road's End|issue #4]], and Ironhide from this issue) and its tie-in issues in ''Optimus Prime'' (Mainframe and Gimlet), along with other significant characters who have died during "Phase 2" of the IDW Universe: Alpha Trion ([[The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|''Optimus Prime'' #16]]), Ambulon ([[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|''More than Meets the Eye'' #19]]), Horri-Bull ([[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|''Robots in Disguise'' #1]]), Kup ([[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]]), Metalhawk ([[Heavy Is the Head|''Robots in Disguise'' #16]]), Pipes ([[Under Cold Blue Stars|''More than Meets the Eye'' #15]]), Ravage ([[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|''More than Meets the Eye'' #55]]), Rung ([[Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|''Lost Light'' #24]]), Sideswipe ([[The Life of Sideswipe|''Optimus Prime'' #10]]), Skids ([[The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|''More than Meets the Eye'' #54]]), and Trailcutter ([[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|''More than Meets the Eye'' #34]]).
*The president notes that the White House has been reinforced since the "last attack," referring to the [[Dire Wraith]] attack in ''[[Thundercracker & Buster Save the World|The Transformers: Revolution]]'' one shot.
*Optimus Prime had a vision of a Worldsweeper crashing into the White House in [[All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #50]].
*Buzzsaw was implied to have perished in issue #4, but is here revealed to have survived his brush with death.
*The Elonian girl and her [[Mutt (IDW)|pet creature]] are presumably the same ones that appeared in [[Our Darkest|''Unicron'' #0]], and on the last page they're drawn posed as they were on the first page of issue #0.
*It's the end of ''Transformers: Unicron'', but not quite the end of the universe; the story continues into [[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]], the final issue and epilogue to the entire [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]].

===Transformers references===
*The Maximal who kills Ironhide is [[Icebird]], one of the [[Mutant (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Mutants]], who had two beast modes, but no robot mode, save for a robot head hidden inside their bodies. Icebird is here drawn with his robot head deployed. But, see "Errors" below.
*Sky Lynx recalls an adventure on [[Regulon Four|Regulon IV]], a planet with several previous mentions in Transformers media, originating in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]."
*After Ironhide's death, Aileron rallies the others with a variation on a well-used [[Furmanism#CAN_I_DO_LESS.3F|Furmanism]].

===Real world references===
*Wreck-Gar's classic habit of peppering his speech with snippets of pop culture continues:
**He greets the humans in the White House with the cry of "Hi-ho, True Believers and Believerettes," the blusterous term {{w|Stan Lee}} regularly used to refer to faithful fans of [[Marvel Comics]].
**He quotes the opening theme to ''{{w|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood}}'', declaring it a "beautiful day in the neighborhood," and hoping they'll "be [the Junkions'] neighbors."
**He paraphrases the title of the 1987 movie ''{{w|Good Morning, Vietnam}}'' with a whoop of "Goooood Morning, Planet Earth!"
*The Action Men are fighting Maximals outside {{w|London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross station}}, one of London's major train stations.

===Errors===
*As a helicopter, Alpha Bravo is easily identifiable among the Aerialbots arrived on page 1, panel 3, and Air Raid appears roughly-on model as well, but the other Aerialbots don't seem to match their ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' designs, and aren't really recognizable as any particular members of the group, hence the "?"s in our list above.
*Trypticon is credited as a "Decepticon Titan," but he hasn't been a Decepticon for ages.
*Rumble and Frenzy's ID captions (or colors!) are [[FIRRIB|swapped]].
*Icebird was among the dead Maximals seen in [[The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|''Optimus Prime'' #20]]. This is about to become a theme.
*A Maximal with the body-type shared by Transquito and his Japanese counterpart Bigmos appeared on page 17, panel 1. While the block-coloring used in the pages of ''Optimus Prime'' made identifying Maximals and discerning between American and Japanese characters tricky, in this case, ''both'' these characters should be dead, with the remains of one appearing in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other dying on-panel in [[The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|''Optimus Prime'' #21]].
*Likewise, a Maximal sharing the body type of [[Snarl (BW)|Snarl]] and Tasmania Kid appears in the same panel. Both these characters are also accounted for; one was also among dead remains seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other is a native Eukarian, not a Maximal, who was seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #23.
*Perhaps not an ''error'', but narration and dialogue consistently calls Bludgeon's ship a "symbol ship," which is an odd way of referring to something that's got a proper name: it's a [[Worldsweeper]].
*Starscream's absence from the spirits of the dead is so pronounced it ''can't'' be an error, but the fact that ''Stormclash'' isn't among them (given the inclusion of nobodies like Fastlane, Cloudraker, and the dead Space Knights) feels like an oversight.
*One last time, the chart at the end of the issue misspells "[[Devisiun]]" as "Divisiun."
*The bonus material refers to [[Prion]] has having been devastated by the Black Box Consortia, which should be the [[Black Block Consortia|Black ''Block'' Consortia]]. It isn't a complete error, though - the Black Box Consortia was the equivalent organisation in the [[Functionist Universe]], as seen over in [[The Transformers: Lost Light|''Lost Light'']]

===Deathlist===
*Trypticon; killed by one of Unicron's eye-beams
*Starscream; sacrifices himself activating the Talisman
*Ironhide; dies from injuries inflicted by Icebird
*Rhinox; killed by Prowl
*Optimus Primal; finished off by Stardrive and Snake Eyes
*Monstructor; killed by Victorion and Superion
*Broadside; roasted by Strafe
*Soundwave; gives up his life to combine the spirits of the dead with the Enigma of Combination
*Sludge and Snarl; die in the battle aboard the Worldsweeper
*Slug and Bludgeon; die in the crash of the Worldsweeper
*Unicron; consumed by the black hole at its own heart
*Optimus Prime; sacrifices himself to destroy Unicron

===Other trivia===
*Intended for release in October, this issue arrived late in the middle of November. ''Optimus Prime'' #25 was consequently pushed back to ensure it was released afterward.
*This super-sized final issue is 48 pages in length, with 40 pages of story. In addition to the the sixth and final installment in a series of interviews with creators from IDW history, this time with ''Unicron'' writer and artist [[John Barber]] and [[Alex Milne]], backmatter for this issue also includes a complete listing of all thirteen [[Cybertronian colonies]], complete with Prime, [[Regenesis]] ore, Titan, current status, and (if applicable) representative on the [[Council of Worlds]], filling in several pieces of information that have never been revealed on-panel (like which Prime goes with which planet, and the names of previously-unidentified ores and Titans).

===Covers (6)===
*'''Cover A:''' Unicron surrounded by shards of reality depicting images from throughout IDW history, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Sebastian Cheng]]
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, Doctor X, and [[Baroness|Cobra Commander]], by [[James Raiz]] and [[David Garcia Cruz]]; connects to Raiz's other covers for the series to form [[:File:Unicron-Bcovers-JamesRaiz.jpg|a larger image]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover A:''' Optimus Prime, Starscream, Bumblebee, Soundwave, Windblade, and Unicron, by [[E. J. Su]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover B:''' Jetfire by [[Francesco Francavilla]]; connects to Francavilla's other covers for the series to form a larger image
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover A:''' Unicron takes the place of Thanos in an homage to the cover of [https://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet_Vol_1_4 ''The Infinity Gauntlet'' #4], beckoning unseen parties toward him and declaring "You belong to me!" (a line from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') by [[John Paras]]
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover B:''' Paras's ''Infinity Gauntlet'' homage, but with a blank white background and a blank speech bubble

<gallery>
File:TFUnicron6_cvrA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrB.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIB.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrREA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrREB.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*[[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] and [[How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2|''Lost Light'' #25]], with a tagline that reads: "THE TRANSFORMERS WILL RETURN IN 2019."
*''Go-Bots'' #1
*''Unicron'' checklist

==External links==
*[https://www.comiccrusaders.com/exclusive-preview-transformers-unicron-6-of-6/ Preview]

[[Category:Unicron issues]]

Ceremony

2018-11-14T17:38:25Z

Guntrip: /* Errors */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Unicron]]'' #6
|prev=Unicron issue 5
|next=Post
|image=TFUnicron6_cvrA.jpg
|caption="What did it cost?" "''Everything.''"
|title=Ceremony
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 14]], [[2018]]
|coverdate=October, 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Sara Pitre-Durocher]] (pg 1-10), [[Andrew Griffith]] (pg 11-14, 17, 32, 36) [[Alex Milne]] (pg 15-16, 20, 26-29, 33-35, 37-40), [[Kei Zama]] (pg 18-19, 21-25, 30-31)
|colors by=[[David Garcia Cruz]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''In the final battle against Unicron and his servants, many of our heroes are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to prove that faith and compassion can triumph over the fear and chaos born from the legacy of the Primes.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Mount Rushmore]] has become the new home of all the [[spark]]s that were being nurtured within [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], having been removed from the [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] to keep them safe during the battle that now rages in [[Earth]] orbit. As [[Marissa Faireborn]] comforts [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]], [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] arrive with the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], who have been brought at the request of [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] to help with a plan that may yet save the day...

Chaos reigns above the Earth as an army of [[Autobot]]s, [[Decepticon]]s, and everyone in-between—transported into space by Trypticon and [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]—attack [[Unicron]] and its servants, keeping them occupied in order to allow [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], and [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] to transport [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]], and the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] down to Unicron's surface. The stubborn [[Slide]] is reluctant to join the battle, unwilling to fight and die in the name of Optimus Prime. Punctuating her words, Trypticon becomes the first to fall, slain by one of Unicron's eye-beams.

Down below, all across the Earth, from [[Venice]] to [[Sao Paolo]], the planet's heroes and villains fight alongside their alien allies to defend their world against Unicron's [[Maximal]]s. In [[Toronto]], [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] watch from the [[CN Tower]] as [[Stardrive]] and [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] battle the Maximals in the streets below. Shockwave deems the fight a lost cause, and contacts [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], ordering him to bring his [[Worldsweeper]] down from orbit to collect Shockwave and Rhinox so that they may leave the Earth to its fate, and deal with Unicron another day. Bludgeon, however, refuses; always a servant of chaos, he has thrown in his lot with Unicron, rapturous at the notion that he will be able to watch the entire universe be uncreated at the planet-eater's hands. Shockwave is dumbfounded at the very idea, but barely has time to process Bludgeon's betrayal before he is attacked from behind by Rhinox; this once-loyal Maximal has also decided to side with Unicron after learning that the divine "Onyx Prime" whom he once believed in was nothing but a trick played by Shockwave. Shockwave attempts to fire on Rhinox, only to discover that the new cannon-arm the Maximal provided him with will not work on the Maximals. Rhinox overpowers Shockwave and tears the cannon-arm off, preparing to turn it on his former master... only for his head to suddenly be blown off by a blast from behind, fired by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]!

Up in orbit, Thundercracker is hit by Maximal fire and falls behind the rest of his group, finding himself surrounded by enemy forces. After depositing Arcee on Unicron with Starscream and Optimus, Skywarp reluctantly goes to his fellow [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]'s aid, teleporting into the path of a Maximal blade to save Thundercracker's life so that he can get the Talisman to the others. Refusing to leave Skywarp behind, Thundercracker tosses the Talisman to Starscream down on Unicron's surface and dives into the fight. It doesn't seem possible that the two can survive, and that poses a problem to the rest of the group: without Skywarp's teleporting powers, they can't get through Unicron's miles-thick armor. Starscream hits upon a solution and implements it before anyone can object; with one last egotistical grin born of the knowledge that he was the one to save the day, he asks Prime and Arcee to give Windblade his best, then activates the Talisman, sacrificing his life as its magical energies consume him and begin burning their way down into Unicron.

Watching from the battlefield, [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] and [[Aileron]] are stunned by Starscream's sacrifice, but [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] always knew he had it in him. [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] isn't interested in debating Starscream's merits right now, as the Maximals continue to attack; a moment later, [[Icebird|one of the beasts]] rakes Ironhide with its claws, fatally wounding him. As Bumblebee fends the Maximal off, Jazz rushes to Ironhide's side, assuring him that he will make it through—but Ironhide is too far gone, and dies in peace in his friend's arms, feeling that he finally understands the meaning of the phrase "[['Til all are one|'til all are one.]]"

Nearby, Slide continues to find other things to complain and argue about rather than the actual threat at hand when the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] approach her. She and [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] immediately start fighting over the tragic outcome of [[Time Will Rust|their recent clash on Earth]], but [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] interrupts them, motioning toward Bludgeon's Worldsweeper as it heads down to Earth to rain devastation on the planet. Slide relents, and she, the colonists, and the Dinobots head down to the planet to lend their aid.

Following the path the Talisman is burning through Unicron, Optimus Prime and Arcee venture into the depths of the planet-eater once more, fighting their way through its [[Unicron's antibodies|antibody monsters]]. Arcee proposes that Prime leave the mission to her, that she may make amends for her part in the devastation of [[Antilla]] that began this nightmare, but Prime refuses; as "[[The Arisen]]," one of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], he ultimately traces all their misfortunes to the failures of himself and his lineage. Arcee is confused; she ''knew'' the Thirteen, and ''knows'' that Optimus wasn't one of them, but before she can press the issue, the pair arrive at Unicron's heart, where the supermassive black hole around which the monster planet once orbited now rests. As they watch, the Talisman disappears into the singularity... and a moment later, Optimus bids Arcee farewell and leaps in after it. His physical body is compressed to pure information, and Prime once again finds himself in [[Infraspace]], the transitional limbo between life and death, with the Talisman at his feet. But he is not alone in this twilight realm: from out of the darkness appears the form of the [[Unicron's creator|Antillan scientist]] who created the Talisman, whose rage and desire for vengeance is what is driving Unicron from beyond the veil. Prime attempts to talk to the scientist, telling him that his anger toward the Cybertronians is justified, but the alien is not interested in words and lashes out at him.

Prowl drags Shockwave out into the street, where Stardrive stands ready to play her part in the complex plan Prowl and Soundwave have assembled. While Stardrive uses her Wraith magicks to invade Shockwave's body and mind, across the continent, [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] follows Soundwave's instructions, remotely linking Stardrive into the [[Enigma of Combination]]—saved from Cybertron by Soundwave—via their communications systems. Next, the Aerialbots combine into [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] for the first time since absorbing the duplicate Enigma created by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] out of Earth's communications network years ago. The energies of the Earth Enigma fill the air—but they're not ''all'' that are in the air, as Bludgeon's Worldsweeper appears overhead, and [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] leaps out to attack Superion! As the two combiners clash, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] arrives with the Dinobots and colonists. The Dinobots all leap aboard the Worldsweeper, intent on taking the ship down, while Slide and the colonists argue about what to do. Some unexpected help arrives in the form of [[Pyra Magna]] and the surviving [[Torchbearer]]s, who have been clinging to the hull of Bludgeon's ship, and who now boldly attempt to form [[Victorion]], despite the loss of [[Stormclash]], to buy the Dinobots the time need to enter the ship and defeat Bludgeon. As a partial combiner herself, Slide feels the energies of the Earth Enigma running wild around her, and embraces them, joining with the Torchbearers as they merge, becoming the new leg of Victorion. Together, Victorion and Superion overpower and finally destroy Monstructor.

Meanwhile, the Dinobots fight their way onto the Worldsweeper's bridge and seize the [[Void Scepter]] Bludgeon is using to control the vessel, sending the ship flying away in the direction of [[Washington, D.C.]], in order to give Soundwave time to execute his plan. [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] are slain in the subsequent fight; as Bludgeon and Slug grapple, the Decepticon tells Slug that their deaths mean nothing, as Unicron will still destroy them all. Slug disagrees; he has faith that Unicron will be stopped, and moreover, he knows the Dinobots are relics of the war, unable to let go of their old hatred, and so they ''must'' die if the Cybertronian race is to move forward unburdened by them. With that, both Bludgeon and Slug die as the Worldsweeper crashes into the [[White House]]. Some of the Maximals aboard survive and emerge to menace the [[President of the United States|President]] and her G.I. Joe bodyguards [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]], but at the last minute, [[Rum-Maj]] and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] arrive with their [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] to finish off the beasts and save the humans.

Back at Mount Rushmore, Soundwave senses that the time is right to execute the final step of his plan. The Enigma of Combination has always had the power to combine not just ''bodies'', but hearts, minds, and ''spirits''—and now, by the power of ''two'' Enigmas, using his own faith as an anchor, Soundwave is able to make contact with and unite the spirits of all those who have died in the war against Unicron, and more. In Toronto, via Stardrive, Shockwave can feel what is happening and begs Prowl to convince Soundwave the plan will not work—that "faith" is a fabrication invented by Shockwave himself millions of years ago, incapable of accomplishing anything. But Prowl disagrees; "faith," he says, is just another name for having the strength to conquer the fears within yourself. And Shockwave... the original false Prime, progenitor of a corrupt lineage that has loomed over Optimus Prime all his life and been the root cause of every conflict that has brought Cybertronian history to this climactic moment... Shockwave represents everything that Optimus Prime has ever feared. Soundwave disintegrates as the combined spirits of the dead are united with Shockwave's thoughts via Stardrive, and sent by her Wraith magicks, linked to the Talisman, to Optimus Prime.

In Infraspace, all this wonder and terror floods into Optimus; every fear he has ever known, embodied in Shockwave's thoughts, and the memory of everyone who has ever stood behind him, which gives him the strength to face those fears and overcome them. As the Talisman surges back to life and the landscape of Infraspace begins to crumble away under its power, Prime now knows what he must do: rather than attempting to ''defeat'' the spirit of Unicron's creator, he instead extends a hand toward him in peace, and asks him his name. Confused and in pain, the scientist admits that he can no longer remember... but he does remember the name of his daughter, who died during Antilla's war with Cybertron, setting him on this path of death and revenge. Prime pulls the alien into an embrace, and calls upon him to remember that name now, at the end. Thus do they die in peace together, the last of the Primes overcoming the legacy of his ancestors by showing compassion to the monster birthed by their crimes, as the power of the Talisman collapses Unicron's body into the black hole at its own heart.

As Unicron collapses, all the combatants in Earth orbit make for the planet's surface, save for Bumblebee and Aileron, who fly through the maelstrom to rescue Arcee before she is sucked into the singularity. The trio set down on Earth's moon, where Aileron and Arcee joyously reunite, and they are presently joined by [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], revealed to have survived Bludgeon's attack on [[Sanctuary Station]]. At Mount Rushmore, Marissa believes Thundercracker must surely have perished, but Buster thinks otherwise, and is proven right seconds later when Thundercracker descends from the sky, carrying the damaged but also-still-living Skywarp with him. At Thundercracker is welcomed by his friends, Skywarp laughs at the ridiculousness of the situation, but recognizes his brother-in-arms as a true Seeker. Prowl and Stardrive take a despondent Shockwave into custody; [[Rom]] and [[Livia]] console a young [[Elonian]] orphan; [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] thinks of [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|his brother]] as he watches Buster, [[D.0.C.]], and [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] play; Windblade and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] discuss Windblade's future as the leader of Cybertron on Earth; [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] digs the lone surviving Dinobots, Swoop and [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], from the wreckage of the Worldsweeper; and with the survivors of Cybertron and its colonies now destined to be permanent residents of Earth, the President starts making plans for their future together.

Pyra Magna recovers the [[Mistress of Flame]]'s [[Forgehammer]] from where she left it, wedged in Metroplex's armor, and realizes now that "faith" is not what ''others'' tell you to believe, but what you believe in your own heart. Pyra takes the mantle of Mistress of Flame upon herself, and invites Slide to join the Torchbearers full-time; Slide, overjoyed to know belonging once again, and realizing that she and Pyra were wrong about Optimus Prime all along—that he never wanted to ''rule'' them, but to build a better world for them to live in—tearfully accepts.

With Earth now lit by twin stars of light and darkness—the [[sun]] and Unicron's black hole in perfect balance—the Transformers enter a new era on a new homeworld, an era without Primes, without Autobots or Decepticons, without even the distinction between Cybertronian, colonist, or Earthling. Thanks to Optimus Prime, his sacrifice, and his belief in those who followed him...

...all are one.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic'' text appear only in spirit form. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]? (4)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (5)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]]? (6)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (7)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (8)
*[[Alpha Bravo]] (9)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]? (10)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (15)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (16)
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (19)
*[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]] (20)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] (23)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (25)
*? (27)
*[[Slide]] (28)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (29)
*[[Bump]] (30)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]]? (31)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (33)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (34)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (36)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slug]] (37)
*[[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] (38)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (39)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (40)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (44)
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (46)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (47)
*[[Strongarm (BW)|Strongarm]] (62)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (81)
*[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (88)
*[[Dust Up]] (90)
*[[Jumpstream]] (91)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (92)
*[[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (93)
*[[Rust Dust]] (94)
*[[Victorion]] (95)
*''[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'' (96)
*''[[Ambulon]]'' (99)
*''[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'' (101)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (103)
*''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'' (104)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (105)
*''[[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]]'' (106)
*''[[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]]'' (108)
*''[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]'' (109)
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (110)
*''[[Fastlane]]'' (111)
*''[[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]]'' (112)
*''[[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]]'' (113)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (120)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (121)
*''[[Gimlet]]'' (123)
*[[Goldbug (IDW)|Goldbug]] (133)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (134)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (21)
*[[Octane|Tall Tankor]] (22)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (26)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (43)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (52)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (63)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (64)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] (70)
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (72)
*[[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] (73)
*[[Broadside (Classics)|Broadside]] (74)
*''[[Horri-Bull]]'' (98)
*''[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]'' (107)
*''[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]'' (114)
*''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'' (115)
*''[[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]]'' (116)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (131)

|c3=
'''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'''
*[[Scarlett]] (56)
*[[Matt Trakker]] (57)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (58)
*[[Zilong Qian|Talon]] (59)
*[[Ayana Jones|Mayday]] (65)
*[[Snake-Eyes|Snake Eyes]] (67)
*[[Agent Helix]] (69)
*[[Cover Girl]] (84)
*''[[Mainframe (G.I. Joe)|Mainframe]]'' (119)
*[[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] (125)
*[[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]] (126)

'''[[Cobra]]'''
*[[Red Shadows]] (51)
*[[Tempest (Cobra)|Tempest]] (68)

'''[[VENOM]]'''
*[[Miles Mayhem]] (48)
*[[Sly Rax]] (53)

'''[[Iron Ring]]'''
*[[Iron Klaw]] (49)
*[[Doctor X]] (50)

'''[[Action Man Programme|AMP]]'''
*[[Action Man]] (54)
*[[Terrence Salmons]] (55)

'''Others'''
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (1)
*[[President of the United States|President of the US]] (124)

|h4=Other Cybertronians|c4=
'''[[Maximal]]s'''
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] (66)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (71)
*[[Rampage (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Rampage]] (75)
*[[Archadis]] (76)
*[[Icebird]] (see Errors, 77)
*[[Apache]] (78)
*? (79)
*[[Inferno (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Inferno]] (80)
*[[Transquito]]/[[Bigmos]] (see Errors, 82)
*[[Soundwave (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Soundwave]]? (83)
*[[Tasmania Kid]] (see Errors, 85)
*[[Coelagon]] (127)

'''[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]'''
*[[Rum-Maj]] (129)
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (130)

'''Others'''
*[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] (11)
*[[Swift (G1)|Swift]] (14)
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (35)
*[[Centurion (IDW)|Centurion]] (41)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (42)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] (45)
*[[Stardrive]] (86)
*''[[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]]'' (97)
*''[[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'' (100)
*''[[Mistress of Flame]]'' (102)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] (128)

|h5=Others|c5=

'''Space Knights'''
*[[Rom]] (17)
*[[Livia]] (18)
*''[[Maur]]'' (117)
*''[[Prim]]'' (118)

'''Others'''
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
*[[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] (24)
*[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] (32)
*[[Dire Wraith]]s (60)
*Wraith [[Countdown (G.I. Joe)|Countdown]] (61)
*[[D.0.C.]] (87)
*''[[Unicron's creator]]'' (89)
*[[Garnak]] (132)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faith. The last refuge of those '''left behind.'''"
:—'''Marissa Faireborn'''

"Never before have I thought this... but that is a big one." 
"Imagine how '''I''' feel. You're the size of a '''city'''—I'm only '''six feet tall.'''" 
"You are 5'10<nowiki>''</nowiki>, Garrison."
:—'''Metroplex''' and '''Garrison Blackrock''' discuss the size of Unicron

"I never imagined the fate of '''everything''' would end up in '''your''' hands, Starscream." 
"That's funny, because '''I''' always knew it '''would.'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Starscream'''

"Tell '''Windblade''' to take good care of '''Earth''', will you? Aw, who am I kidding? She probably won't even '''try''' to conquer the place."
:—'''Starscream''''s last words

"[Orion] thinks the '''shadowplay''' that stripped me of emotion changed me '''fundamentally.''' But as Rhinox said, I was '''always''' pulling strings. '''I''' gave Orion the capacity to carry a '''Matrix.''' I '''made''' him into '''Optimus Prime'''. He was the one who changed... when he stopped viewing my actions as '''just.'''"
:—'''Shockwave'''

"Slug—you won't last a '''minute.'''" 
"Then we'll get this done in '''forty-five seconds.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''' gives '''Slug''' some "encouragement"

"Faith is a '''lie!''' I '''invented''' it! '''Faith''' will not stop the '''uncreator!'''" 
"You '''still''' don't see. Soundwave believes in a '''higher power''', sure. But guys like '''you''' and '''me'''—we don't '''have''' to. All we need to believe in is the inherent '''good''' of '''doing good'''... and that someday, '''ultimately,''' that will be enough to stop '''evil.'''" 
"'''Logic''' is neither good '''nor''' evil. '''None''' of us are. We contain the capacity for '''both.'''" 
"Faith is just '''one path''' to the '''ultimate trick:''' '''confronting''' the evil in '''ourselves'''... and defeating '''that.'''"
:—'''Shockwave''' and '''Prowl''' discuss belief

"Operation: '''Absolution.'''"
:—'''Soundwave'''s last words

"I am '''not''' a piece of '''your''' history... I am the '''end''' of my '''own!'''"
:—'''Unicron's creator'''

"I was forged '''Orion Pax.''' As war began, I was called '''Optimus Prime.''' Now some call me The '''Arisen''', the Thirteenth Prime. But the '''masks''' are gone now. I am '''Orion Pax'''. Before this... who were '''you?'''" 
"So long ago... I can't '''remember.''' But I know the name of my '''daughter''', who your kind '''murdered'''..." 
"Then that shall be the '''word.''' Rather than the fire of '''hatred'''... let her name—her '''memory'''—'''light''' this dark hour."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' allows '''Unicron's creator''' to die knowing compassion

"I thought... I would make us '''strong...'''" 
"Take it from me: strong doesn't mean '''right.'''"
:—A defeated '''Shockwave''' is carted away by '''Stardrive'''

"'''Optimus Prime''' is gone... and with him ends the era of Autobot and Decepticon, Cybertronian and colonist, human and machine. What survives is his '''faith.''' Perhaps he never believed in any '''higher power''' guiding our hands... but he believed in '''us.''' I am '''Pyra Magna'''... the '''Mistress of Flame'''. '''Spiritual leader''' of my people; defender of my homeworld... '''Earth.''' And we will light our way against '''all''' our '''darkest hours'''... as '''one.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''''s closing monologue

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*In the montage of heroes and villains fighting around the Earth, Predaking is seen in the service of Iron Klaw. The Predacons have been under his control since before the events of [[The Iron Klaw|''Revolutionaries'' #4]]; it seems he's managed to repair [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] after Kup blew his head off in that story.
*Action Man declares "This is for Kup" as he blasts a Maximal; the pair were buddies in ''Revolutionaries'', until Kup's death in [[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]].
*Terrence Salmons is now wearing the Action Man uniform too. As seen in the {{i|''Action Man'' comic}}, he was considered next-in-line for the position until Ian Noble, the current Action Man, slipped in ahead of him, but it looks like extenuating circumstances have seen him take up the mantle alongside Ian.
*Scarlett has joined Matt Trakker in Detroit, where his team were located when we last saw them in [[Our Finest|issue #3]]'s {{i|back-up strip}}.
*Last issue, as the battle with the Maximals concluded, it was abruptly noted that Mayday was now in command of the human forces, despite the fact that nothing had been shown to happen to previously-established leaders Spike and Talon on-panel. This issue shows that Spike got shot down by the Maximals, and unintentionally took Talon down with him, but both men have survived and are stranded in a jungle somewhere. Spike notes that he "always figured [he'd] have a bigger role" in the final battle; while most IDW readers are no doubt glad he doesn't, this hearkens back to the fact Spike leads his life like he's "the star of an action movie," as originally observed in [[Police Action Part 2: Only Forward|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #27]].
*Pressed into fighting alongside Strongarm in defense of Earth, Rumble and Frenzy grumble that they "shoulda unionized," a joking reference to the recent success the pair have found in Hollywood, as seen in [[Starscream: The Movie (comic)|the 2018 ''Optimus Prime'' annual]].
*Starscream uses the Talisman to burrow through Unicron's surface, in the same manner as it burrowed its way down through Cybertron in ''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]''.
*Slug and the Dinobots continue to clash with Slide following the events of [[Time Will Rust|''Optimus Prime'' #23]]-[[A Sunrise Dark|24]], which included the death of her fellow colonist soldier [[Gimlet]].
*Rhinox provided Shockwave with his new gun-arm in [[Road's End|issue #4]]. He evidently built it himself, indicating this Rhinox shares the engineering abilities of his counterpart in the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]].
*Shockwave notes that he didn't simply become evil when subjected to Shadowplay, having always been a manipulator with dodgy leanings. He illustrates this with the specific example that he was the one who gave Optimus a Matrix chamber (which we learned in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #23]]), but the darker side of his pre-Shadowplay life was previously emphasized in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More than Meets the Eye'' #11]] when [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] dug up some intel on him and learned about the various covert projects he was investing in, which he was keeping secret from his allies.
*Soundwave got the Enigma of Combination out of storage in issue #3.
*Galvatron turned Earth into a large-scale Enigma of Combination in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #53]]. Superion absorbed the Earth Enigma code to prevent it from working in [[All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #54]]; this is the first time the team have combined since then.
*Optimus Prime returns to Infraspace by entering the black hole at the heart of Unicron, the same way he did by entering the singularity in Crystal City in [[The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|''Optimus Prime'' #19]].
*The Dinobots settle their recurring rivalry with Bludgeon, begun in ''[[The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption]]'' and continuing through ''[[The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation]]'' and [[The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|''Optimus Prime'' #13]]-[[The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|14]].
*Bludgeon previously used his Void Scepter to control Trypticon in ''Salvation''.
*The ability of the Enigma to combine not just bodies, but hearts and minds, has always been implicit in the way combiners work, with a gestalt personality emerging as Transformers' bodies are merged together. However, it was previously established that it was possible for it to work in a more spiritual way, combining minds ''without'' combining bodies, back in [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]], when it was credited with subtly uniting the thoughts and ideas of early humans, leading to the development of human cities and civilizations.
*The spirits who appear before Soundwave specifically include all those notables who have died throughout the ''Unicron'' mini-series itself (Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and the Solstar Knights from [[Our Darkest|issue #0]], Dirge and the Mistress of Flame from [[Unicron issue 1|issue #1]], Omega Supreme from [[Stranger Eons|issue #2]], Scattershot, Fastlane, and Cloudraker from [[Our Finest|issue #3]], Blurr, Elita One, Cosmos, Sky-Byte, and Laserbeak from [[Road's End|issue #4]], and Ironhide from this issue) and its tie-in issues in ''Optimus Prime'' (Mainframe and Gimlet), along with other significant characters who have died during "Phase 2" of the IDW Universe: Alpha Trion ([[The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|''Optimus Prime'' #16]]), Ambulon ([[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|''More than Meets the Eye'' #19]]), Horri-Bull ([[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|''Robots in Disguise'' #1]]), Kup ([[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]]), Metalhawk ([[Heavy Is the Head|''Robots in Disguise'' #16]]), Pipes ([[Under Cold Blue Stars|''More than Meets the Eye'' #15]]), Ravage ([[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|''More than Meets the Eye'' #55]]), Rung ([[Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|''Lost Light'' #24]]), Sideswipe ([[The Life of Sideswipe|''Optimus Prime'' #10]]), Skids ([[The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|''More than Meets the Eye'' #54]]), and Trailcutter ([[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|''More than Meets the Eye'' #34]]).
*The president notes that the White House has been reinforced since the "last attack," referring to the [[Dire Wraith]] attack in ''[[Thundercracker & Buster Save the World|The Transformers: Revolution]]'' one shot.
*Optimus Prime had a vision of a Worldsweeper crashing into the White House in [[All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #50]].
*Buzzsaw was implied to have perished in issue #4, but is here revealed to have survived his brush with death.
*The Elonian girl and her [[Mutt (IDW)|pet creature]] are presumably the same ones that appeared in [[Our Darkest|''Unicron'' #0]], and on the last page they're drawn posed as they were on the first page of issue #0.
*It's the end of ''Transformers: Unicron'', but not quite the end of the universe; the story continues into [[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]], the final issue and epilogue to the entire [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]].

===Transformers references===
*The Maximal who kills Ironhide is [[Icebird]], one of the [[Mutant (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Mutants]], who had two beast modes, but no robot mode, save for a robot head hidden inside their bodies. Icebird is here drawn with his robot head deployed. But, see "Errors" below.
*Sky Lynx recalls an adventure on [[Regulon Four|Regulon IV]], a planet with several previous mentions in Transformers media, originating in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]."
*After Ironhide's death, Aileron rallies the others with a variation on a well-used [[Furmanism#CAN_I_DO_LESS.3F|Furmanism]].

===Real world references===
*Wreck-Gar's classic habit of peppering his speech with snippets of pop culture continues:
**He greets the humans in the White House with the cry of "Hi-ho, True Believers and Believerettes," the blusterous term {{w|Stan Lee}} regularly used to refer to faithful fans of [[Marvel Comics]].
**He quotes the opening theme to ''{{w|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood}}'', declaring it a "beautiful day in the neighborhood," and hoping they'll "be [the Junkions'] neighbors."
**He paraphrases the title of the 1987 movie ''{{w|Good Morning, Vietnam}}'' with a whoop of "Goooood Morning, Planet Earth!"
*The Action Men are fighting Maximals outside {{w|London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross station}}, one of London's major train stations.

===Errors===
*As a helicopter, Alpha Bravo is easily identifiable among the Aerialbots arrived on page 1, panel 3, and Air Raid appears roughly-on model as well, but the other Aerialbots don't seem to match their ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' designs, and aren't really recognizable as any particular members of the group, hence the "?"s in our list above.
*Trypticon is credited as a "Decepticon Titan," but he hasn't been a Decepticon for ages.
*Rumble and Frenzy's ID captions (or colors!) are [[FIRRIB|swapped]].
*Icebird was among the dead Maximals seen in [[The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|''Optimus Prime'' #20]]. This is about to become a theme.
*A Maximal with the body-type shared by Transquito and his Japanese counterpart Bigmos appeared on page 17, panel 1. While the block-coloring used in the pages of ''Optimus Prime'' made identifying Maximals and discerning between American and Japanese characters tricky, in this case, ''both'' these characters should be dead, with the remains of one appearing in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other dying on-panel in [[The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|''Optimus Prime'' #21]].
*Likewise, a Maximal sharing the body type of [[Snarl (BW)|Snarl]] and Tasmania Kid appears in the same panel. Both these characters are also accounted for; one was also among dead remains seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other is a native Eukarian, not a Maximal, who was seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #23.
*Perhaps not an ''error'', but narration and dialogue consistently calls Bludgeon's ship a "symbol ship," which is an odd way of referring to something that's got a proper name: it's a [[Worldsweeper]].
*Starscream's absence from the spirits of the dead is so pronounced it ''can't'' be an error, but the fact that ''Stormclash'' isn't among them (given the inclusion of nobodies like Fastlane, Cloudraker, and the dead Space Knights) feels like an oversight.
*One last time, the chart at the end of the issue misspells "[[Devisiun]]" as "Divisiun."
*The bonus material refers to [[Prion]] has having been devastated by the Black Box Consortia, which should be the [[Black Block Consortia|Black ''Block'' Consortia]]. It isn't a complete error, though - the Black Box Consortia was the equivalent organisation in the [[Functionist Universe]].

===Deathlist===
*Trypticon; killed by one of Unicron's eye-beams
*Starscream; sacrifices himself activating the Talisman
*Ironhide; dies from injuries inflicted by Icebird
*Rhinox; killed by Prowl
*Optimus Primal; finished off by Stardrive and Snake Eyes
*Monstructor; killed by Victorion and Superion
*Broadside; roasted by Strafe
*Soundwave; gives up his life to combine the spirits of the dead with the Enigma of Combination
*Sludge and Snarl; die in the battle aboard the Worldsweeper
*Slug and Bludgeon; die in the crash of the Worldsweeper
*Unicron; consumed by the black hole at its own heart
*Optimus Prime; sacrifices himself to destroy Unicron

===Other trivia===
*Intended for release in October, this issue arrived late in the middle of November. ''Optimus Prime'' #25 was consequently pushed back to ensure it was released afterward.
*This super-sized final issue is 48 pages in length, with 40 pages of story. In addition to the the sixth and final installment in a series of interviews with creators from IDW history, this time with ''Unicron'' writer and artist [[John Barber]] and [[Alex Milne]], backmatter for this issue also includes a complete listing of all thirteen [[Cybertronian colonies]], complete with Prime, [[Regenesis]] ore, Titan, current status, and (if applicable) representative on the [[Council of Worlds]], filling in several pieces of information that have never been revealed on-panel (like which Prime goes with which planet, and the names of previously-unidentified ores and Titans).

===Covers (6)===
*'''Cover A:''' Unicron surrounded by shards of reality depicting images from throughout IDW history, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Sebastian Cheng]]
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, Doctor X, and [[Baroness|Cobra Commander]], by [[James Raiz]] and [[David Garcia Cruz]]; connects to Raiz's other covers for the series to form [[:File:Unicron-Bcovers-JamesRaiz.jpg|a larger image]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover A:''' Optimus Prime, Starscream, Bumblebee, Soundwave, Windblade, and Unicron, by [[E. J. Su]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover B:''' Jetfire by [[Francesco Francavilla]]; connects to Francavilla's other covers for the series to form a larger image
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover A:''' Unicron takes the place of Thanos in an homage to the cover of [https://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet_Vol_1_4 ''The Infinity Gauntlet'' #4], beckoning unseen parties toward him and declaring "You belong to me!" (a line from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') by [[John Paras]]
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover B:''' Paras's ''Infinity Gauntlet'' homage, but with a blank white background and a blank speech bubble

<gallery>
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File:TFUnicron6_cvrREB.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*[[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] and [[How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2|''Lost Light'' #25]], with a tagline that reads: "THE TRANSFORMERS WILL RETURN IN 2019."
*''Go-Bots'' #1
*''Unicron'' checklist

==External links==
*[https://www.comiccrusaders.com/exclusive-preview-transformers-unicron-6-of-6/ Preview]

[[Category:Unicron issues]]

Ceremony

2018-11-14T17:16:08Z

Guntrip: /* Real world references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Unicron]]'' #6
|prev=Unicron issue 5
|next=Post
|image=TFUnicron6_cvrA.jpg
|caption="What did it cost?" "''Everything.''"
|title=Ceremony
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 14]], [[2018]]
|coverdate=October, 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Sara Pitre-Durocher]] (pg 1-10), [[Andrew Griffith]] (pg 11-14, 17, 32, 36) [[Alex Milne]] (pg 15-16, 20, 26-29, 33-35, 37-40), [[Kei Zama]] (pg 18-19, 21-25, 30-31)
|colors by=[[David Garcia Cruz]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''In the final battle against Unicron and his servants, many of our heroes are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to prove that faith and compassion can triumph over the fear and chaos born from the legacy of the Primes.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Mount Rushmore]] has become the new home of all the [[spark]]s that were being nurtured within [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], having been removed from the [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] to keep them safe during the battle that now rages in [[Earth]] orbit. As [[Marissa Faireborn]] comforts [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]], [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] arrive with the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], who have been brought at the request of [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] to help with a plan that may yet save the day...

Chaos reigns above the Earth as an army of [[Autobot]]s, [[Decepticon]]s, and everyone in-between—transported into space by Trypticon and [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]—attack [[Unicron]] and its servants, keeping them occupied in order to allow [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], and [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] to transport [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]], and the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] down to Unicron's surface. The stubborn [[Slide]] is reluctant to join the battle, unwilling to fight and die in the name of Optimus Prime. Punctuating her words, Trypticon becomes the first to fall, slain by one of Unicron's eye-beams.

Down below, all across the Earth, from [[Venice]] to [[Sao Paolo]], the planet's heroes and villains fight alongside their alien allies to defend their world against Unicron's [[Maximal]]s. In [[Toronto]], [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] watch from the [[CN Tower]] as [[Stardrive]] and [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] battle the Maximals in the streets below. Shockwave deems the fight a lost cause, and contacts [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], ordering him to bring his [[Worldsweeper]] down from orbit to collect Shockwave and Rhinox so that they may leave the Earth to its fate, and deal with Unicron another day. Bludgeon, however, refuses; always a servant of chaos, he has thrown in his lot with Unicron, rapturous at the notion that he will be able to watch the entire universe be uncreated at the planet-eater's hands. Shockwave is dumbfounded at the very idea, but barely has time to process Bludgeon's betrayal before he is attacked from behind by Rhinox; this once-loyal Maximal has also decided to side with Unicron after learning that the divine "Onyx Prime" whom he once believed in was nothing but a trick played by Shockwave. Shockwave attempts to fire on Rhinox, only to discover that the new cannon-arm the Maximal provided him with will not work on the Maximals. Rhinox overpowers Shockwave and tears the cannon-arm off, preparing to turn it on his former master... only for his head to suddenly be blown off by a blast from behind, fired by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]!

Up in orbit, Thundercracker is hit by Maximal fire and falls behind the rest of his group, finding himself surrounded by enemy forces. After depositing Arcee on Unicron with Starscream and Optimus, Skywarp reluctantly goes to his fellow [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]'s aid, teleporting into the path of a Maximal blade to save Thundercracker's life so that he can get the Talisman to the others. Refusing to leave Skywarp behind, Thundercracker tosses the Talisman to Starscream down on Unicron's surface and dives into the fight. It doesn't seem possible that the two can survive, and that poses a problem to the rest of the group: without Skywarp's teleporting powers, they can't get through Unicron's miles-thick armor. Starscream hits upon a solution and implements it before anyone can object; with one last egotistical grin born of the knowledge that he was the one to save the day, he asks Prime and Arcee to give Windblade his best, then activates the Talisman, sacrificing his life as its magical energies consume him and begin burning their way down into Unicron.

Watching from the battlefield, [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] and [[Aileron]] are stunned by Starscream's sacrifice, but [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] always knew he had it in him. [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] isn't interested in debating Starscream's merits right now, as the Maximals continue to attack; a moment later, [[Icebird|one of the beasts]] rakes Ironhide with its claws, fatally wounding him. As Bumblebee fends the Maximal off, Jazz rushes to Ironhide's side, assuring him that he will make it through—but Ironhide is too far gone, and dies in peace in his friend's arms, feeling that he finally understands the meaning of the phrase "[['Til all are one|'til all are one.]]"

Nearby, Slide continues to find other things to complain and argue about rather than the actual threat at hand when the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] approach her. She and [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] immediately start fighting over the tragic outcome of [[Time Will Rust|their recent clash on Earth]], but [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] interrupts them, motioning toward Bludgeon's Worldsweeper as it heads down to Earth to rain devastation on the planet. Slide relents, and she, the colonists, and the Dinobots head down to the planet to lend their aid.

Following the path the Talisman is burning through Unicron, Optimus Prime and Arcee venture into the depths of the planet-eater once more, fighting their way through its [[Unicron's antibodies|antibody monsters]]. Arcee proposes that Prime leave the mission to her, that she may make amends for her part in the devastation of [[Antilla]] that began this nightmare, but Prime refuses; as "[[The Arisen]]," one of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], he ultimately traces all their misfortunes to the failures of himself and his lineage. Arcee is confused; she ''knew'' the Thirteen, and ''knows'' that Optimus wasn't one of them, but before she can press the issue, the pair arrive at Unicron's heart, where the supermassive black hole around which the monster planet once orbited now rests. As they watch, the Talisman disappears into the singularity... and a moment later, Optimus bids Arcee farewell and leaps in after it. His physical body is compressed to pure information, and Prime once again finds himself in [[Infraspace]], the transitional limbo between life and death, with the Talisman at his feet. But he is not alone in this twilight realm: from out of the darkness appears the form of the [[Unicron's creator|Antillan scientist]] who created the Talisman, whose rage and desire for vengeance is what is driving Unicron from beyond the veil. Prime attempts to talk to the scientist, telling him that his anger toward the Cybertronians is justified, but the alien is not interested in words and lashes out at him.

Prowl drags Shockwave out into the street, where Stardrive stands ready to play her part in the complex plan Prowl and Soundwave have assembled. While Stardrive uses her Wraith magicks to invade Shockwave's body and mind, across the continent, [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] follows Soundwave's instructions, remotely linking Stardrive into the [[Enigma of Combination]]—saved from Cybertron by Soundwave—via their communications systems. Next, the Aerialbots combine into [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] for the first time since absorbing the duplicate Enigma created by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] out of Earth's communications network years ago. The energies of the Earth Enigma fill the air—but they're not ''all'' that are in the air, as Bludgeon's Worldsweeper appears overhead, and [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] leaps out to attack Superion! As the two combiners clash, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] arrives with the Dinobots and colonists. The Dinobots all leap aboard the Worldsweeper, intent on taking the ship down, while Slide and the colonists argue about what to do. Some unexpected help arrives in the form of [[Pyra Magna]] and the surviving [[Torchbearer]]s, who have been clinging to the hull of Bludgeon's ship, and who now boldly attempt to form [[Victorion]], despite the loss of [[Stormclash]], to buy the Dinobots the time need to enter the ship and defeat Bludgeon. As a partial combiner herself, Slide feels the energies of the Earth Enigma running wild around her, and embraces them, joining with the Torchbearers as they merge, becoming the new leg of Victorion. Together, Victorion and Superion overpower and finally destroy Monstructor.

Meanwhile, the Dinobots fight their way onto the Worldsweeper's bridge and seize the [[Void Scepter]] Bludgeon is using to control the vessel, sending the ship flying away in the direction of [[Washington, D.C.]], in order to give Soundwave time to execute his plan. [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] are slain in the subsequent fight; as Bludgeon and Slug grapple, the Decepticon tells Slug that their deaths mean nothing, as Unicron will still destroy them all. Slug disagrees; he has faith that Unicron will be stopped, and moreover, he knows the Dinobots are relics of the war, unable to let go of their old hatred, and so they ''must'' die if the Cybertronian race is to move forward unburdened by them. With that, both Bludgeon and Slug die as the Worldsweeper crashes into the [[White House]]. Some of the Maximals aboard survive and emerge to menace the [[President of the United States|President]] and her G.I. Joe bodyguards [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]], but at the last minute, [[Rum-Maj]] and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] arrive with their [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] to finish off the beasts and save the humans.

Back at Mount Rushmore, Soundwave senses that the time is right to execute the final step of his plan. The Enigma of Combination has always had the power to combine not just ''bodies'', but hearts, minds, and ''spirits''—and now, by the power of ''two'' Enigmas, using his own faith as an anchor, Soundwave is able to make contact with and unite the spirits of all those who have died in the war against Unicron, and more. In Toronto, via Stardrive, Shockwave can feel what is happening and begs Prowl to convince Soundwave the plan will not work—that "faith" is a fabrication invented by Shockwave himself millions of years ago, incapable of accomplishing anything. But Prowl disagrees; "faith," he says, is just another name for having the strength to conquer the fears within yourself. And Shockwave... the original false Prime, progenitor of a corrupt lineage that has loomed over Optimus Prime all his life and been the root cause of every conflict that has brought Cybertronian history to this climactic moment... Shockwave represents everything that Optimus Prime has ever feared. Soundwave disintegrates as the combined spirits of the dead are united with Shockwave's thoughts via Stardrive, and sent by her Wraith magicks, linked to the Talisman, to Optimus Prime.

In Infraspace, all this wonder and terror floods into Optimus; every fear he has ever known, embodied in Shockwave's thoughts, and the memory of everyone who has ever stood behind him, which gives him the strength to face those fears and overcome them. As the Talisman surges back to life and the landscape of Infraspace begins to crumble away under its power, Prime now knows what he must do: rather than attempting to ''defeat'' the spirit of Unicron's creator, he instead extends a hand toward him in peace, and asks him his name. Confused and in pain, the scientist admits that he can no longer remember... but he does remember the name of his daughter, who died during Antilla's war with Cybertron, setting him on this path of death and revenge. Prime pulls the alien into an embrace, and calls upon him to remember that name now, at the end. Thus do they die in peace together, the last of the Primes overcoming the legacy of his ancestors by showing compassion to the monster birthed by their crimes, as the power of the Talisman collapses Unicron's body into the black hole at its own heart.

As Unicron collapses, all the combatants in Earth orbit make for the planet's surface, save for Bumblebee and Aileron, who fly through the maelstrom to rescue Arcee before she is sucked into the singularity. The trio set down on Earth's moon, where Aileron and Arcee joyously reunite, and they are presently joined by [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], revealed to have survived Bludgeon's attack on [[Sanctuary Station]]. At Mount Rushmore, Marissa believes Thundercracker must surely have perished, but Buster thinks otherwise, and is proven right seconds later when Thundercracker descends from the sky, carrying the damaged but also-still-living Skywarp with him. At Thundercracker is welcomed by his friends, Skywarp laughs at the ridiculousness of the situation, but recognizes his brother-in-arms as a true Seeker. Prowl and Stardrive take a despondent Shockwave into custody; [[Rom]] and [[Livia]] console a young [[Elonian]] orphan; [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] thinks of [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|his brother]] as he watches Buster, [[D.0.C.]], and [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] play; Windblade and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] discuss Windblade's future as the leader of Cybertron on Earth; [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] digs the lone surviving Dinobots, Swoop and [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], from the wreckage of the Worldsweeper; and with the survivors of Cybertron and its colonies now destined to be permanent residents of Earth, the President starts making plans for their future together.

Pyra Magna recovers the [[Mistress of Flame]]'s [[Forgehammer]] from where she left it, wedged in Metroplex's armor, and realizes now that "faith" is not what ''others'' tell you to believe, but what you believe in your own heart. Pyra takes the mantle of Mistress of Flame upon herself, and invites Slide to join the Torchbearers full-time; Slide, overjoyed to know belonging once again, and realizing that she and Pyra were wrong about Optimus Prime all along—that he never wanted to ''rule'' them, but to build a better world for them to live in—tearfully accepts.

With Earth now lit by twin stars of light and darkness—the [[sun]] and Unicron's black hole in perfect balance—the Transformers enter a new era on a new homeworld, an era without Primes, without Autobots or Decepticons, without even the distinction between Cybertronian, colonist, or Earthling. Thanks to Optimus Prime, his sacrifice, and his belief in those who followed him...

...all are one.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic'' text appear only in spirit form. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]? (4)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (5)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]]? (6)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (7)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (8)
*[[Alpha Bravo]] (9)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]? (10)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (15)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (16)
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (19)
*[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]] (20)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] (23)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (25)
*? (27)
*[[Slide]] (28)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (29)
*[[Bump]] (30)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]]? (31)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (33)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (34)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (36)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slug]] (37)
*[[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] (38)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (39)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (40)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (44)
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (46)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (47)
*[[Strongarm (BW)|Strongarm]] (62)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (81)
*[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (88)
*[[Dust Up]] (90)
*[[Jumpstream]] (91)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (92)
*[[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (93)
*[[Rust Dust]] (94)
*[[Victorion]] (95)
*''[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'' (96)
*''[[Ambulon]]'' (99)
*''[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'' (101)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (103)
*''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'' (104)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (105)
*''[[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]]'' (106)
*''[[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]]'' (108)
*''[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]'' (109)
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (110)
*''[[Fastlane]]'' (111)
*''[[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]]'' (112)
*''[[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]]'' (113)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (120)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (121)
*''[[Gimlet]]'' (123)
*[[Goldbug (IDW)|Goldbug]] (133)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (134)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (21)
*[[Octane|Tall Tankor]] (22)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (26)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (43)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (52)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (63)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (64)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] (70)
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (72)
*[[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] (73)
*[[Broadside (Classics)|Broadside]] (74)
*''[[Horri-Bull]]'' (98)
*''[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]'' (107)
*''[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]'' (114)
*''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'' (115)
*''[[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]]'' (116)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (131)

|c3=
'''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'''
*[[Scarlett]] (56)
*[[Matt Trakker]] (57)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (58)
*[[Zilong Qian|Talon]] (59)
*[[Ayana Jones|Mayday]] (65)
*[[Snake-Eyes|Snake Eyes]] (67)
*[[Agent Helix]] (69)
*[[Cover Girl]] (84)
*''[[Mainframe (G.I. Joe)|Mainframe]]'' (119)
*[[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] (125)
*[[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]] (126)

'''[[Cobra]]'''
*[[Red Shadows]] (51)
*[[Tempest (Cobra)|Tempest]] (68)

'''[[VENOM]]'''
*[[Miles Mayhem]] (48)
*[[Sly Rax]] (53)

'''[[Iron Ring]]'''
*[[Iron Klaw]] (49)
*[[Doctor X]] (50)

'''[[Action Man Programme|AMP]]'''
*[[Action Man]] (54)
*[[Terrence Salmons]] (55)

'''Others'''
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (1)
*[[President of the United States|President of the US]] (124)

|h4=Other Cybertronians|c4=
'''[[Maximal]]s'''
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] (66)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (71)
*[[Rampage (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Rampage]] (75)
*[[Archadis]] (76)
*[[Icebird]] (see Errors, 77)
*[[Apache]] (78)
*? (79)
*[[Inferno (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Inferno]] (80)
*[[Transquito]]/[[Bigmos]] (see Errors, 82)
*[[Soundwave (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Soundwave]]? (83)
*[[Tasmania Kid]] (see Errors, 85)
*[[Coelagon]] (127)

'''[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]'''
*[[Rum-Maj]] (129)
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (130)

'''Others'''
*[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] (11)
*[[Swift (G1)|Swift]] (14)
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (35)
*[[Centurion (IDW)|Centurion]] (41)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (42)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] (45)
*[[Stardrive]] (86)
*''[[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]]'' (97)
*''[[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'' (100)
*''[[Mistress of Flame]]'' (102)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] (128)

|h5=Others|c5=

'''Space Knights'''
*[[Rom]] (17)
*[[Livia]] (18)
*''[[Maur]]'' (117)
*''[[Prim]]'' (118)

'''Others'''
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
*[[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] (24)
*[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] (32)
*[[Dire Wraith]]s (60)
*Wraith [[Countdown (G.I. Joe)|Countdown]] (61)
*[[D.0.C.]] (87)
*''[[Unicron's creator]]'' (89)
*[[Garnak]] (132)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faith. The last refuge of those '''left behind.'''"
:—'''Marissa Faireborn'''

"Never before have I thought this... but that is a big one." 
"Imagine how '''I''' feel. You're the size of a '''city'''—I'm only '''six feet tall.'''" 
"You are 5'10<nowiki>''</nowiki>, Garrison."
:—'''Metroplex''' and '''Garrison Blackrock''' discuss the size of Unicron

"I never imagined the fate of '''everything''' would end up in '''your''' hands, Starscream." 
"That's funny, because '''I''' always knew it '''would.'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Starscream'''

"Tell '''Windblade''' to take good care of '''Earth''', will you? Aw, who am I kidding? She probably won't even '''try''' to conquer the place."
:—'''Starscream''''s last words

"[Orion] thinks the '''shadowplay''' that stripped me of emotion changed me '''fundamentally.''' But as Rhinox said, I was '''always''' pulling strings. '''I''' gave Orion the capacity to carry a '''Matrix.''' I '''made''' him into '''Optimus Prime'''. He was the one who changed... when he stopped viewing my actions as '''just.'''"
:—'''Shockwave'''

"Slug—you won't last a '''minute.'''" 
"Then we'll get this done in '''forty-five seconds.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''' gives '''Slug''' some "encouragement"

"Faith is a '''lie!''' I '''invented''' it! '''Faith''' will not stop the '''uncreator!'''" 
"You '''still''' don't see. Soundwave believes in a '''higher power''', sure. But guys like '''you''' and '''me'''—we don't '''have''' to. All we need to believe in is the inherent '''good''' of '''doing good'''... and that someday, '''ultimately,''' that will be enough to stop '''evil.'''" 
"'''Logic''' is neither good '''nor''' evil. '''None''' of us are. We contain the capacity for '''both.'''" 
"Faith is just '''one path''' to the '''ultimate trick:''' '''confronting''' the evil in '''ourselves'''... and defeating '''that.'''"
:—'''Shockwave''' and '''Prowl''' discuss belief

"Operation: '''Absolution.'''"
:—'''Soundwave'''s last words

"I am '''not''' a piece of '''your''' history... I am the '''end''' of my '''own!'''"
:—'''Unicron's creator'''

"I was forged '''Orion Pax.''' As war began, I was called '''Optimus Prime.''' Now some call me The '''Arisen''', the Thirteenth Prime. But the '''masks''' are gone now. I am '''Orion Pax'''. Before this... who were '''you?'''" 
"So long ago... I can't '''remember.''' But I know the name of my '''daughter''', who your kind '''murdered'''..." 
"Then that shall be the '''word.''' Rather than the fire of '''hatred'''... let her name—her '''memory'''—'''light''' this dark hour."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' allows '''Unicron's creator''' to die knowing compassion

"I thought... I would make us '''strong...'''" 
"Take it from me: strong doesn't mean '''right.'''"
:—A defeated '''Shockwave''' is carted away by '''Stardrive'''

"'''Optimus Prime''' is gone... and with him ends the era of Autobot and Decepticon, Cybertronian and colonist, human and machine. What survives is his '''faith.''' Perhaps he never believed in any '''higher power''' guiding our hands... but he believed in '''us.''' I am '''Pyra Magna'''... the '''Mistress of Flame'''. '''Spiritual leader''' of my people; defender of my homeworld... '''Earth.''' And we will light our way against '''all''' our '''darkest hours'''... as '''one.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''''s closing monologue

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*In the montage of heroes and villains fighting around the Earth, Predaking is seen in the service of Iron Klaw. The Predacons have been under his control since before the events of [[The Iron Klaw|''Revolutionaries'' #4]]; it seems he's managed to repair [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] after Kup blew his head off in that story.
*Action Man declares "This is for Kup" as he blasts a Maximal; the pair were buddies in ''Revolutionaries'', until Kup's death in [[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]].
*Terrence Salmons is now wearing the Action Man uniform too. As seen in the {{i|''Action Man'' comic}}, he was considered next-in-line for the position until Ian Noble, the current Action Man, slipped in ahead of him, but it looks like extenuating circumstances have seen him take up the mantle alongside Ian.
*Scarlett has joined Matt Trakker in Detroit, where his team were located when we last saw them in [[Our Finest|issue #3]]'s {{i|back-up strip}}.
*Last issue, as the battle with the Maximals concluded, it was abruptly noted that Mayday was now in command of the human forces, despite the fact that nothing had been shown to happen to previously-established leaders Spike and Talon on-panel. This issue shows that Spike got shot down by the Maximals, and unintentionally took Talon down with him, but both men have survived and are stranded in a jungle somewhere. Spike notes that he "always figured [he'd] have a bigger role" in the final battle; while most IDW readers are no doubt glad he doesn't, this hearkens back to the fact Spike leads his life like he's "the star of an action movie," as originally observed in [[Police Action Part 2: Only Forward|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #27]].
*Pressed into fighting alongside Strongarm in defense of Earth, Rumble and Frenzy grumble that they "shoulda unionized," a joking reference to the recent success the pair have found in Hollywood, as seen in [[Starscream: The Movie (comic)|the 2018 ''Optimus Prime'' annual]].
*Starscream uses the Talisman to burrow through Unicron's surface, in the same manner as it burrowed its way down through Cybertron in ''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]''.
*Slug and the Dinobots continue to clash with Slide following the events of [[Time Will Rust|''Optimus Prime'' #23]]-[[A Sunrise Dark|24]], which included the death of her fellow colonist soldier [[Gimlet]].
*Rhinox provided Shockwave with his new gun-arm in [[Road's End|issue #4]]. He evidently built it himself, indicating this Rhinox shares the engineering abilities of his counterpart in the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]].
*Shockwave notes that he didn't simply become evil when subjected to Shadowplay, having always been a manipulator with dodgy leanings. He illustrates this with the specific example that he was the one who gave Optimus a Matrix chamber (which we learned in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #23]]), but the darker side of his pre-Shadowplay life was previously emphasized in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More than Meets the Eye'' #11]] when [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] dug up some intel on him and learned about the various covert projects he was investing in, which he was keeping secret from his allies.
*Soundwave got the Enigma of Combination out of storage in issue #3.
*Galvatron turned Earth into a large-scale Enigma of Combination in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #53]]. Superion absorbed the Earth Enigma code to prevent it from working in [[All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #54]]; this is the first time the team have combined since then.
*Optimus Prime returns to Infraspace by entering the black hole at the heart of Unicron, the same way he did by entering the singularity in Crystal City in [[The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|''Optimus Prime'' #19]].
*The Dinobots settle their recurring rivalry with Bludgeon, begun in ''[[The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption]]'' and continuing through ''[[The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation]]'' and [[The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|''Optimus Prime'' #13]]-[[The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|14]].
*Bludgeon previously used his Void Scepter to control Trypticon in ''Salvation''.
*The ability of the Enigma to combine not just bodies, but hearts and minds, has always been implicit in the way combiners work, with a gestalt personality emerging as Transformers' bodies are merged together. However, it was previously established that it was possible for it to work in a more spiritual way, combining minds ''without'' combining bodies, back in [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]], when it was credited with subtly uniting the thoughts and ideas of early humans, leading to the development of human cities and civilizations.
*The spirits who appear before Soundwave specifically include all those notables who have died throughout the ''Unicron'' mini-series itself (Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and the Solstar Knights from [[Our Darkest|issue #0]], Dirge and the Mistress of Flame from [[Unicron issue 1|issue #1]], Omega Supreme from [[Stranger Eons|issue #2]], Scattershot, Fastlane, and Cloudraker from [[Our Finest|issue #3]], Blurr, Elita One, Cosmos, Sky-Byte, and Laserbeak from [[Road's End|issue #4]], and Ironhide from this issue) and its tie-in issues in ''Optimus Prime'' (Mainframe and Gimlet), along with other significant characters who have died during "Phase 2" of the IDW Universe: Alpha Trion ([[The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|''Optimus Prime'' #16]]), Ambulon ([[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|''More than Meets the Eye'' #19]]), Horri-Bull ([[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|''Robots in Disguise'' #1]]), Kup ([[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]]), Metalhawk ([[Heavy Is the Head|''Robots in Disguise'' #16]]), Pipes ([[Under Cold Blue Stars|''More than Meets the Eye'' #15]]), Ravage ([[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|''More than Meets the Eye'' #55]]), Rung ([[Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|Lost Light #24]]), Sideswipe ([[The Life of Sideswipe|''Optimus Prime'' #10]]), Skids ([[The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|''More than Meets the Eye'' #54]]), and Trailcutter ([[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|''More than Meets the Eye'' #34]]).
*The president notes that the White House has been reinforced since the "last attack," referring to the [[Dire Wraith]] attack in ''[[Thundercracker & Buster Save the World|The Transformers: Revolution]]'' one shot.
*Optimus Prime had a vision of a Worldsweeper crashing into the White House in [[All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #50]].
*Buzzsaw was implied to have perished in issue #3, but is here revealed to have survived his brush with death.
*The Elonian girl and her [[Mutt (IDW)|pet creature]] are presumably the same ones that appeared in [[Our Darkest|''Unicron'' #0]], and on the last page they're drawn posed as they were on the first page of issue #0.
*It's the end of ''Transformers: Unicron'', but not quite the end of the universe; the story continues into [[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]], the final issue and epilogue to the entire [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]].

===Transformers references===
*The Maximal who kills Ironhide is [[Icebird]], one of the [[Mutant (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Mutants]], who had two beast modes, but no robot mode, save for a robot head hidden inside their bodies. Icebird is here drawn with his robot head deployed. But, see "Errors" below.
*Sky Lynx recalls an adventure on [[Regulon Four|Regulon IV]], a planet with several previous mentions in Transformers media, originating in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]."
*After Ironhide's death, Aileron rallies the others with a variation on a well-used [[Furmanism#CAN_I_DO_LESS.3F|Furmanism]].

===Real world references===
*Wreck-Gar's classic habit of peppering his speech with snippets of pop culture continues:
**He greets the humans in the White House with the cry of "Hi-ho, True Believers and Believerettes," the blusterous term {{w|Stan Lee}} regularly used to refer to faithful fans of [[Marvel Comics]].
**He quotes the opening theme to ''{{w|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood}}'', declaring it a "beautiful day in the neighborhood," and hoping they'll "be [the Junkions'] neighbors."
**He paraphrases the title of the 1987 movie ''{{w|Good Morning, Vietnam}}'' with a whoop of "Goooood Morning, Planet Earth!"
*The Action Men are fighting Maximals outside {{w|London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross station}}, one of London's major train stations.

===Errors===
*As a helicopter, Alpha Bravo is easily identifiable among the Aerialbots arrived on page 1, panel 3, and Air Raid appears roughly-on model as well, but the other Aerialbots don't seem to match their ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' designs, and aren't really recognizable as any particular members of the group, hence the "?"s in our list above.
*Trypticon is credited as a "Decepticon Titan," but he hasn't been a Decepticon for ages.
*Rumble and Frenzy's ID captions (or colors!) are [[FIRRIB|swapped]].
*Icebird was among the dead Maximals seen in [[The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|''Optimus Prime'' #20]]. This is about to become a theme.
*A Maximal with the body-type shared by Transquito and his Japanese counterpart Bigmos appeared on page 17, panel 1. While the block-coloring used in the pages of ''Optimus Prime'' made identifying Maximals and discerning between American and Japanese characters tricky, in this case, ''both'' these characters should be dead, with the remains of one appearing in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other dying on-panel in [[The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|''Optimus Prime'' #21]].
*Likewise, a Maximal sharing the body type of [[Snarl (BW)|Snarl]] and Tasmania Kid appears in the same panel. Both these characters are also accounted for; one was also among dead remains seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other is a native Eukarian, not a Maximal, who was seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #23.
*Perhaps not an ''error'', but narration and dialogue consistently calls Bludgeon's ship a "symbol ship," which is an odd way of referring to something that's got a proper name: it's a [[Worldsweeper]].
*Starscream's absence from the spirits of the dead is so pronounced it ''can't'' be an error, but the fact that ''Stormclash'' isn't among them (given the inclusion of nobodies like Fastlane, Cloudraker, and the dead Space Knights) feels like an oversight.
*One last time, the chart at the end of the issue misspells "[[Devisiun]]" as "Divisiun."

===Deathlist===
*Trypticon; killed by one of Unicron's eye-beams
*Starscream; sacrifices himself activating the Talisman
*Ironhide; dies from injuries inflicted by Icebird
*Rhinox; killed by Prowl
*Optimus Primal; finished off by Stardrive and Snake Eyes
*Monstructor; killed by Victorion and Superion
*Broadside; roasted by Strafe
*Soundwave; gives up his life to combine the spirits of the dead with the Enigma of Combination
*Sludge and Snarl; die in the battle aboard the Worldsweeper
*Slug and Bludgeon; die in the crash of the Worldsweeper
*Unicron; consumed by the black hole at its own heart
*Optimus Prime; sacrifices himself to destroy Unicron

===Other trivia===
*Intended for release in October, this issue arrived late in the middle of November. ''Optimus Prime'' #25 was consequently pushed back to ensure it was released afterward.
*This super-sized final issue is 48 pages in length, with 40 pages of story. In addition to the the sixth and final installment in a series of interviews with creators from IDW history, this time with ''Unicron'' writer and artist [[John Barber]] and [[Alex Milne]], backmatter for this issue also includes a complete listing of all thirteen [[Cybertronian colonies]], complete with Prime, [[Regenesis]] ore, Titan, current status, and (if applicable) representative on the [[Council of Worlds]], filling in several pieces of information that have never been revealed on-panel (like which Prime goes with which planet, and the names of previously-unidentified ores and Titans).

===Covers (6)===
*'''Cover A:''' Unicron surrounded by shards of reality depicting images from throughout IDW history, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Sebastian Cheng]]
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, Doctor X, and [[Baroness|Cobra Commander]], by [[James Raiz]] and [[David Garcia Cruz]]; connects to Raiz's other covers for the series to form [[:File:Unicron-Bcovers-JamesRaiz.jpg|a larger image]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover A:''' Optimus Prime, Starscream, Bumblebee, Soundwave, Windblade, and Unicron, by [[E. J. Su]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover B:''' Jetfire by [[Francesco Francavilla]]; connects to Francavilla's other covers for the series to form a larger image
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover A:''' Unicron takes the place of Thanos in an homage to the cover of [https://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet_Vol_1_4 ''The Infinity Gauntlet'' #4], beckoning unseen parties toward him and declaring "You belong to me!" (a line from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') by [[John Paras]]
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover B:''' Paras's ''Infinity Gauntlet'' homage, but with a blank white background and a blank speech bubble

<gallery>
File:TFUnicron6_cvrA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrB.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIB.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrREA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrREB.jpg|
</gallery>

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*[[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] and [[How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2|''Lost Light'' #25]], with a tagline that reads: "THE TRANSFORMERS WILL RETURN IN 2019."
*''Go-Bots'' #1
*''Unicron'' checklist

==External links==
*[https://www.comiccrusaders.com/exclusive-preview-transformers-unicron-6-of-6/ Preview]

[[Category:Unicron issues]]

Ceremony

2018-11-14T17:15:54Z

Guntrip: /* Real world references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Unicron]]'' #6
|prev=Unicron issue 5
|next=Post
|image=TFUnicron6_cvrA.jpg
|caption="What did it cost?" "''Everything.''"
|title=Ceremony
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 14]], [[2018]]
|coverdate=October, 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Sara Pitre-Durocher]] (pg 1-10), [[Andrew Griffith]] (pg 11-14, 17, 32, 36) [[Alex Milne]] (pg 15-16, 20, 26-29, 33-35, 37-40), [[Kei Zama]] (pg 18-19, 21-25, 30-31)
|colors by=[[David Garcia Cruz]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''In the final battle against Unicron and his servants, many of our heroes are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to prove that faith and compassion can triumph over the fear and chaos born from the legacy of the Primes.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Mount Rushmore]] has become the new home of all the [[spark]]s that were being nurtured within [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], having been removed from the [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] to keep them safe during the battle that now rages in [[Earth]] orbit. As [[Marissa Faireborn]] comforts [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]], [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] arrive with the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], who have been brought at the request of [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] to help with a plan that may yet save the day...

Chaos reigns above the Earth as an army of [[Autobot]]s, [[Decepticon]]s, and everyone in-between—transported into space by Trypticon and [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]—attack [[Unicron]] and its servants, keeping them occupied in order to allow [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], and [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] to transport [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]], and the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] down to Unicron's surface. The stubborn [[Slide]] is reluctant to join the battle, unwilling to fight and die in the name of Optimus Prime. Punctuating her words, Trypticon becomes the first to fall, slain by one of Unicron's eye-beams.

Down below, all across the Earth, from [[Venice]] to [[Sao Paolo]], the planet's heroes and villains fight alongside their alien allies to defend their world against Unicron's [[Maximal]]s. In [[Toronto]], [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] watch from the [[CN Tower]] as [[Stardrive]] and [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] battle the Maximals in the streets below. Shockwave deems the fight a lost cause, and contacts [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], ordering him to bring his [[Worldsweeper]] down from orbit to collect Shockwave and Rhinox so that they may leave the Earth to its fate, and deal with Unicron another day. Bludgeon, however, refuses; always a servant of chaos, he has thrown in his lot with Unicron, rapturous at the notion that he will be able to watch the entire universe be uncreated at the planet-eater's hands. Shockwave is dumbfounded at the very idea, but barely has time to process Bludgeon's betrayal before he is attacked from behind by Rhinox; this once-loyal Maximal has also decided to side with Unicron after learning that the divine "Onyx Prime" whom he once believed in was nothing but a trick played by Shockwave. Shockwave attempts to fire on Rhinox, only to discover that the new cannon-arm the Maximal provided him with will not work on the Maximals. Rhinox overpowers Shockwave and tears the cannon-arm off, preparing to turn it on his former master... only for his head to suddenly be blown off by a blast from behind, fired by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]!

Up in orbit, Thundercracker is hit by Maximal fire and falls behind the rest of his group, finding himself surrounded by enemy forces. After depositing Arcee on Unicron with Starscream and Optimus, Skywarp reluctantly goes to his fellow [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]'s aid, teleporting into the path of a Maximal blade to save Thundercracker's life so that he can get the Talisman to the others. Refusing to leave Skywarp behind, Thundercracker tosses the Talisman to Starscream down on Unicron's surface and dives into the fight. It doesn't seem possible that the two can survive, and that poses a problem to the rest of the group: without Skywarp's teleporting powers, they can't get through Unicron's miles-thick armor. Starscream hits upon a solution and implements it before anyone can object; with one last egotistical grin born of the knowledge that he was the one to save the day, he asks Prime and Arcee to give Windblade his best, then activates the Talisman, sacrificing his life as its magical energies consume him and begin burning their way down into Unicron.

Watching from the battlefield, [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] and [[Aileron]] are stunned by Starscream's sacrifice, but [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] always knew he had it in him. [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] isn't interested in debating Starscream's merits right now, as the Maximals continue to attack; a moment later, [[Icebird|one of the beasts]] rakes Ironhide with its claws, fatally wounding him. As Bumblebee fends the Maximal off, Jazz rushes to Ironhide's side, assuring him that he will make it through—but Ironhide is too far gone, and dies in peace in his friend's arms, feeling that he finally understands the meaning of the phrase "[['Til all are one|'til all are one.]]"

Nearby, Slide continues to find other things to complain and argue about rather than the actual threat at hand when the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] approach her. She and [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] immediately start fighting over the tragic outcome of [[Time Will Rust|their recent clash on Earth]], but [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] interrupts them, motioning toward Bludgeon's Worldsweeper as it heads down to Earth to rain devastation on the planet. Slide relents, and she, the colonists, and the Dinobots head down to the planet to lend their aid.

Following the path the Talisman is burning through Unicron, Optimus Prime and Arcee venture into the depths of the planet-eater once more, fighting their way through its [[Unicron's antibodies|antibody monsters]]. Arcee proposes that Prime leave the mission to her, that she may make amends for her part in the devastation of [[Antilla]] that began this nightmare, but Prime refuses; as "[[The Arisen]]," one of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], he ultimately traces all their misfortunes to the failures of himself and his lineage. Arcee is confused; she ''knew'' the Thirteen, and ''knows'' that Optimus wasn't one of them, but before she can press the issue, the pair arrive at Unicron's heart, where the supermassive black hole around which the monster planet once orbited now rests. As they watch, the Talisman disappears into the singularity... and a moment later, Optimus bids Arcee farewell and leaps in after it. His physical body is compressed to pure information, and Prime once again finds himself in [[Infraspace]], the transitional limbo between life and death, with the Talisman at his feet. But he is not alone in this twilight realm: from out of the darkness appears the form of the [[Unicron's creator|Antillan scientist]] who created the Talisman, whose rage and desire for vengeance is what is driving Unicron from beyond the veil. Prime attempts to talk to the scientist, telling him that his anger toward the Cybertronians is justified, but the alien is not interested in words and lashes out at him.

Prowl drags Shockwave out into the street, where Stardrive stands ready to play her part in the complex plan Prowl and Soundwave have assembled. While Stardrive uses her Wraith magicks to invade Shockwave's body and mind, across the continent, [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] follows Soundwave's instructions, remotely linking Stardrive into the [[Enigma of Combination]]—saved from Cybertron by Soundwave—via their communications systems. Next, the Aerialbots combine into [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] for the first time since absorbing the duplicate Enigma created by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] out of Earth's communications network years ago. The energies of the Earth Enigma fill the air—but they're not ''all'' that are in the air, as Bludgeon's Worldsweeper appears overhead, and [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] leaps out to attack Superion! As the two combiners clash, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] arrives with the Dinobots and colonists. The Dinobots all leap aboard the Worldsweeper, intent on taking the ship down, while Slide and the colonists argue about what to do. Some unexpected help arrives in the form of [[Pyra Magna]] and the surviving [[Torchbearer]]s, who have been clinging to the hull of Bludgeon's ship, and who now boldly attempt to form [[Victorion]], despite the loss of [[Stormclash]], to buy the Dinobots the time need to enter the ship and defeat Bludgeon. As a partial combiner herself, Slide feels the energies of the Earth Enigma running wild around her, and embraces them, joining with the Torchbearers as they merge, becoming the new leg of Victorion. Together, Victorion and Superion overpower and finally destroy Monstructor.

Meanwhile, the Dinobots fight their way onto the Worldsweeper's bridge and seize the [[Void Scepter]] Bludgeon is using to control the vessel, sending the ship flying away in the direction of [[Washington, D.C.]], in order to give Soundwave time to execute his plan. [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] are slain in the subsequent fight; as Bludgeon and Slug grapple, the Decepticon tells Slug that their deaths mean nothing, as Unicron will still destroy them all. Slug disagrees; he has faith that Unicron will be stopped, and moreover, he knows the Dinobots are relics of the war, unable to let go of their old hatred, and so they ''must'' die if the Cybertronian race is to move forward unburdened by them. With that, both Bludgeon and Slug die as the Worldsweeper crashes into the [[White House]]. Some of the Maximals aboard survive and emerge to menace the [[President of the United States|President]] and her G.I. Joe bodyguards [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]], but at the last minute, [[Rum-Maj]] and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] arrive with their [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] to finish off the beasts and save the humans.

Back at Mount Rushmore, Soundwave senses that the time is right to execute the final step of his plan. The Enigma of Combination has always had the power to combine not just ''bodies'', but hearts, minds, and ''spirits''—and now, by the power of ''two'' Enigmas, using his own faith as an anchor, Soundwave is able to make contact with and unite the spirits of all those who have died in the war against Unicron, and more. In Toronto, via Stardrive, Shockwave can feel what is happening and begs Prowl to convince Soundwave the plan will not work—that "faith" is a fabrication invented by Shockwave himself millions of years ago, incapable of accomplishing anything. But Prowl disagrees; "faith," he says, is just another name for having the strength to conquer the fears within yourself. And Shockwave... the original false Prime, progenitor of a corrupt lineage that has loomed over Optimus Prime all his life and been the root cause of every conflict that has brought Cybertronian history to this climactic moment... Shockwave represents everything that Optimus Prime has ever feared. Soundwave disintegrates as the combined spirits of the dead are united with Shockwave's thoughts via Stardrive, and sent by her Wraith magicks, linked to the Talisman, to Optimus Prime.

In Infraspace, all this wonder and terror floods into Optimus; every fear he has ever known, embodied in Shockwave's thoughts, and the memory of everyone who has ever stood behind him, which gives him the strength to face those fears and overcome them. As the Talisman surges back to life and the landscape of Infraspace begins to crumble away under its power, Prime now knows what he must do: rather than attempting to ''defeat'' the spirit of Unicron's creator, he instead extends a hand toward him in peace, and asks him his name. Confused and in pain, the scientist admits that he can no longer remember... but he does remember the name of his daughter, who died during Antilla's war with Cybertron, setting him on this path of death and revenge. Prime pulls the alien into an embrace, and calls upon him to remember that name now, at the end. Thus do they die in peace together, the last of the Primes overcoming the legacy of his ancestors by showing compassion to the monster birthed by their crimes, as the power of the Talisman collapses Unicron's body into the black hole at its own heart.

As Unicron collapses, all the combatants in Earth orbit make for the planet's surface, save for Bumblebee and Aileron, who fly through the maelstrom to rescue Arcee before she is sucked into the singularity. The trio set down on Earth's moon, where Aileron and Arcee joyously reunite, and they are presently joined by [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], revealed to have survived Bludgeon's attack on [[Sanctuary Station]]. At Mount Rushmore, Marissa believes Thundercracker must surely have perished, but Buster thinks otherwise, and is proven right seconds later when Thundercracker descends from the sky, carrying the damaged but also-still-living Skywarp with him. At Thundercracker is welcomed by his friends, Skywarp laughs at the ridiculousness of the situation, but recognizes his brother-in-arms as a true Seeker. Prowl and Stardrive take a despondent Shockwave into custody; [[Rom]] and [[Livia]] console a young [[Elonian]] orphan; [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] thinks of [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|his brother]] as he watches Buster, [[D.0.C.]], and [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] play; Windblade and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] discuss Windblade's future as the leader of Cybertron on Earth; [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] digs the lone surviving Dinobots, Swoop and [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], from the wreckage of the Worldsweeper; and with the survivors of Cybertron and its colonies now destined to be permanent residents of Earth, the President starts making plans for their future together.

Pyra Magna recovers the [[Mistress of Flame]]'s [[Forgehammer]] from where she left it, wedged in Metroplex's armor, and realizes now that "faith" is not what ''others'' tell you to believe, but what you believe in your own heart. Pyra takes the mantle of Mistress of Flame upon herself, and invites Slide to join the Torchbearers full-time; Slide, overjoyed to know belonging once again, and realizing that she and Pyra were wrong about Optimus Prime all along—that he never wanted to ''rule'' them, but to build a better world for them to live in—tearfully accepts.

With Earth now lit by twin stars of light and darkness—the [[sun]] and Unicron's black hole in perfect balance—the Transformers enter a new era on a new homeworld, an era without Primes, without Autobots or Decepticons, without even the distinction between Cybertronian, colonist, or Earthling. Thanks to Optimus Prime, his sacrifice, and his belief in those who followed him...

...all are one.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic'' text appear only in spirit form. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]? (4)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (5)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]]? (6)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (7)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (8)
*[[Alpha Bravo]] (9)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]? (10)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (15)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (16)
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (19)
*[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]] (20)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] (23)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (25)
*? (27)
*[[Slide]] (28)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (29)
*[[Bump]] (30)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]]? (31)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (33)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (34)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (36)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slug]] (37)
*[[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] (38)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (39)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (40)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (44)
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (46)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (47)
*[[Strongarm (BW)|Strongarm]] (62)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (81)
*[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (88)
*[[Dust Up]] (90)
*[[Jumpstream]] (91)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (92)
*[[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (93)
*[[Rust Dust]] (94)
*[[Victorion]] (95)
*''[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'' (96)
*''[[Ambulon]]'' (99)
*''[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'' (101)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (103)
*''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'' (104)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (105)
*''[[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]]'' (106)
*''[[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]]'' (108)
*''[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]'' (109)
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (110)
*''[[Fastlane]]'' (111)
*''[[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]]'' (112)
*''[[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]]'' (113)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (120)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (121)
*''[[Gimlet]]'' (123)
*[[Goldbug (IDW)|Goldbug]] (133)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (134)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (21)
*[[Octane|Tall Tankor]] (22)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (26)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (43)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (52)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (63)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (64)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] (70)
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (72)
*[[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] (73)
*[[Broadside (Classics)|Broadside]] (74)
*''[[Horri-Bull]]'' (98)
*''[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]'' (107)
*''[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]'' (114)
*''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'' (115)
*''[[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]]'' (116)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (131)

|c3=
'''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'''
*[[Scarlett]] (56)
*[[Matt Trakker]] (57)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (58)
*[[Zilong Qian|Talon]] (59)
*[[Ayana Jones|Mayday]] (65)
*[[Snake-Eyes|Snake Eyes]] (67)
*[[Agent Helix]] (69)
*[[Cover Girl]] (84)
*''[[Mainframe (G.I. Joe)|Mainframe]]'' (119)
*[[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] (125)
*[[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]] (126)

'''[[Cobra]]'''
*[[Red Shadows]] (51)
*[[Tempest (Cobra)|Tempest]] (68)

'''[[VENOM]]'''
*[[Miles Mayhem]] (48)
*[[Sly Rax]] (53)

'''[[Iron Ring]]'''
*[[Iron Klaw]] (49)
*[[Doctor X]] (50)

'''[[Action Man Programme|AMP]]'''
*[[Action Man]] (54)
*[[Terrence Salmons]] (55)

'''Others'''
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (1)
*[[President of the United States|President of the US]] (124)

|h4=Other Cybertronians|c4=
'''[[Maximal]]s'''
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] (66)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (71)
*[[Rampage (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Rampage]] (75)
*[[Archadis]] (76)
*[[Icebird]] (see Errors, 77)
*[[Apache]] (78)
*? (79)
*[[Inferno (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Inferno]] (80)
*[[Transquito]]/[[Bigmos]] (see Errors, 82)
*[[Soundwave (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Soundwave]]? (83)
*[[Tasmania Kid]] (see Errors, 85)
*[[Coelagon]] (127)

'''[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]'''
*[[Rum-Maj]] (129)
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (130)

'''Others'''
*[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] (11)
*[[Swift (G1)|Swift]] (14)
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (35)
*[[Centurion (IDW)|Centurion]] (41)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (42)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] (45)
*[[Stardrive]] (86)
*''[[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]]'' (97)
*''[[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'' (100)
*''[[Mistress of Flame]]'' (102)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] (128)

|h5=Others|c5=

'''Space Knights'''
*[[Rom]] (17)
*[[Livia]] (18)
*''[[Maur]]'' (117)
*''[[Prim]]'' (118)

'''Others'''
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
*[[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] (24)
*[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] (32)
*[[Dire Wraith]]s (60)
*Wraith [[Countdown (G.I. Joe)|Countdown]] (61)
*[[D.0.C.]] (87)
*''[[Unicron's creator]]'' (89)
*[[Garnak]] (132)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faith. The last refuge of those '''left behind.'''"
:—'''Marissa Faireborn'''

"Never before have I thought this... but that is a big one." 
"Imagine how '''I''' feel. You're the size of a '''city'''—I'm only '''six feet tall.'''" 
"You are 5'10<nowiki>''</nowiki>, Garrison."
:—'''Metroplex''' and '''Garrison Blackrock''' discuss the size of Unicron

"I never imagined the fate of '''everything''' would end up in '''your''' hands, Starscream." 
"That's funny, because '''I''' always knew it '''would.'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Starscream'''

"Tell '''Windblade''' to take good care of '''Earth''', will you? Aw, who am I kidding? She probably won't even '''try''' to conquer the place."
:—'''Starscream''''s last words

"[Orion] thinks the '''shadowplay''' that stripped me of emotion changed me '''fundamentally.''' But as Rhinox said, I was '''always''' pulling strings. '''I''' gave Orion the capacity to carry a '''Matrix.''' I '''made''' him into '''Optimus Prime'''. He was the one who changed... when he stopped viewing my actions as '''just.'''"
:—'''Shockwave'''

"Slug—you won't last a '''minute.'''" 
"Then we'll get this done in '''forty-five seconds.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''' gives '''Slug''' some "encouragement"

"Faith is a '''lie!''' I '''invented''' it! '''Faith''' will not stop the '''uncreator!'''" 
"You '''still''' don't see. Soundwave believes in a '''higher power''', sure. But guys like '''you''' and '''me'''—we don't '''have''' to. All we need to believe in is the inherent '''good''' of '''doing good'''... and that someday, '''ultimately,''' that will be enough to stop '''evil.'''" 
"'''Logic''' is neither good '''nor''' evil. '''None''' of us are. We contain the capacity for '''both.'''" 
"Faith is just '''one path''' to the '''ultimate trick:''' '''confronting''' the evil in '''ourselves'''... and defeating '''that.'''"
:—'''Shockwave''' and '''Prowl''' discuss belief

"Operation: '''Absolution.'''"
:—'''Soundwave'''s last words

"I am '''not''' a piece of '''your''' history... I am the '''end''' of my '''own!'''"
:—'''Unicron's creator'''

"I was forged '''Orion Pax.''' As war began, I was called '''Optimus Prime.''' Now some call me The '''Arisen''', the Thirteenth Prime. But the '''masks''' are gone now. I am '''Orion Pax'''. Before this... who were '''you?'''" 
"So long ago... I can't '''remember.''' But I know the name of my '''daughter''', who your kind '''murdered'''..." 
"Then that shall be the '''word.''' Rather than the fire of '''hatred'''... let her name—her '''memory'''—'''light''' this dark hour."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' allows '''Unicron's creator''' to die knowing compassion

"I thought... I would make us '''strong...'''" 
"Take it from me: strong doesn't mean '''right.'''"
:—A defeated '''Shockwave''' is carted away by '''Stardrive'''

"'''Optimus Prime''' is gone... and with him ends the era of Autobot and Decepticon, Cybertronian and colonist, human and machine. What survives is his '''faith.''' Perhaps he never believed in any '''higher power''' guiding our hands... but he believed in '''us.''' I am '''Pyra Magna'''... the '''Mistress of Flame'''. '''Spiritual leader''' of my people; defender of my homeworld... '''Earth.''' And we will light our way against '''all''' our '''darkest hours'''... as '''one.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''''s closing monologue

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*In the montage of heroes and villains fighting around the Earth, Predaking is seen in the service of Iron Klaw. The Predacons have been under his control since before the events of [[The Iron Klaw|''Revolutionaries'' #4]]; it seems he's managed to repair [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] after Kup blew his head off in that story.
*Action Man declares "This is for Kup" as he blasts a Maximal; the pair were buddies in ''Revolutionaries'', until Kup's death in [[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]].
*Terrence Salmons is now wearing the Action Man uniform too. As seen in the {{i|''Action Man'' comic}}, he was considered next-in-line for the position until Ian Noble, the current Action Man, slipped in ahead of him, but it looks like extenuating circumstances have seen him take up the mantle alongside Ian.
*Scarlett has joined Matt Trakker in Detroit, where his team were located when we last saw them in [[Our Finest|issue #3]]'s {{i|back-up strip}}.
*Last issue, as the battle with the Maximals concluded, it was abruptly noted that Mayday was now in command of the human forces, despite the fact that nothing had been shown to happen to previously-established leaders Spike and Talon on-panel. This issue shows that Spike got shot down by the Maximals, and unintentionally took Talon down with him, but both men have survived and are stranded in a jungle somewhere. Spike notes that he "always figured [he'd] have a bigger role" in the final battle; while most IDW readers are no doubt glad he doesn't, this hearkens back to the fact Spike leads his life like he's "the star of an action movie," as originally observed in [[Police Action Part 2: Only Forward|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #27]].
*Pressed into fighting alongside Strongarm in defense of Earth, Rumble and Frenzy grumble that they "shoulda unionized," a joking reference to the recent success the pair have found in Hollywood, as seen in [[Starscream: The Movie (comic)|the 2018 ''Optimus Prime'' annual]].
*Starscream uses the Talisman to burrow through Unicron's surface, in the same manner as it burrowed its way down through Cybertron in ''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]''.
*Slug and the Dinobots continue to clash with Slide following the events of [[Time Will Rust|''Optimus Prime'' #23]]-[[A Sunrise Dark|24]], which included the death of her fellow colonist soldier [[Gimlet]].
*Rhinox provided Shockwave with his new gun-arm in [[Road's End|issue #4]]. He evidently built it himself, indicating this Rhinox shares the engineering abilities of his counterpart in the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]].
*Shockwave notes that he didn't simply become evil when subjected to Shadowplay, having always been a manipulator with dodgy leanings. He illustrates this with the specific example that he was the one who gave Optimus a Matrix chamber (which we learned in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #23]]), but the darker side of his pre-Shadowplay life was previously emphasized in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More than Meets the Eye'' #11]] when [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] dug up some intel on him and learned about the various covert projects he was investing in, which he was keeping secret from his allies.
*Soundwave got the Enigma of Combination out of storage in issue #3.
*Galvatron turned Earth into a large-scale Enigma of Combination in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #53]]. Superion absorbed the Earth Enigma code to prevent it from working in [[All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #54]]; this is the first time the team have combined since then.
*Optimus Prime returns to Infraspace by entering the black hole at the heart of Unicron, the same way he did by entering the singularity in Crystal City in [[The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|''Optimus Prime'' #19]].
*The Dinobots settle their recurring rivalry with Bludgeon, begun in ''[[The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption]]'' and continuing through ''[[The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation]]'' and [[The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|''Optimus Prime'' #13]]-[[The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|14]].
*Bludgeon previously used his Void Scepter to control Trypticon in ''Salvation''.
*The ability of the Enigma to combine not just bodies, but hearts and minds, has always been implicit in the way combiners work, with a gestalt personality emerging as Transformers' bodies are merged together. However, it was previously established that it was possible for it to work in a more spiritual way, combining minds ''without'' combining bodies, back in [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]], when it was credited with subtly uniting the thoughts and ideas of early humans, leading to the development of human cities and civilizations.
*The spirits who appear before Soundwave specifically include all those notables who have died throughout the ''Unicron'' mini-series itself (Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and the Solstar Knights from [[Our Darkest|issue #0]], Dirge and the Mistress of Flame from [[Unicron issue 1|issue #1]], Omega Supreme from [[Stranger Eons|issue #2]], Scattershot, Fastlane, and Cloudraker from [[Our Finest|issue #3]], Blurr, Elita One, Cosmos, Sky-Byte, and Laserbeak from [[Road's End|issue #4]], and Ironhide from this issue) and its tie-in issues in ''Optimus Prime'' (Mainframe and Gimlet), along with other significant characters who have died during "Phase 2" of the IDW Universe: Alpha Trion ([[The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|''Optimus Prime'' #16]]), Ambulon ([[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|''More than Meets the Eye'' #19]]), Horri-Bull ([[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|''Robots in Disguise'' #1]]), Kup ([[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]]), Metalhawk ([[Heavy Is the Head|''Robots in Disguise'' #16]]), Pipes ([[Under Cold Blue Stars|''More than Meets the Eye'' #15]]), Ravage ([[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|''More than Meets the Eye'' #55]]), Rung ([[Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|Lost Light #24]]), Sideswipe ([[The Life of Sideswipe|''Optimus Prime'' #10]]), Skids ([[The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|''More than Meets the Eye'' #54]]), and Trailcutter ([[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|''More than Meets the Eye'' #34]]).
*The president notes that the White House has been reinforced since the "last attack," referring to the [[Dire Wraith]] attack in ''[[Thundercracker & Buster Save the World|The Transformers: Revolution]]'' one shot.
*Optimus Prime had a vision of a Worldsweeper crashing into the White House in [[All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #50]].
*Buzzsaw was implied to have perished in issue #3, but is here revealed to have survived his brush with death.
*The Elonian girl and her [[Mutt (IDW)|pet creature]] are presumably the same ones that appeared in [[Our Darkest|''Unicron'' #0]], and on the last page they're drawn posed as they were on the first page of issue #0.
*It's the end of ''Transformers: Unicron'', but not quite the end of the universe; the story continues into [[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]], the final issue and epilogue to the entire [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]].

===Transformers references===
*The Maximal who kills Ironhide is [[Icebird]], one of the [[Mutant (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Mutants]], who had two beast modes, but no robot mode, save for a robot head hidden inside their bodies. Icebird is here drawn with his robot head deployed. But, see "Errors" below.
*Sky Lynx recalls an adventure on [[Regulon Four|Regulon IV]], a planet with several previous mentions in Transformers media, originating in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]."
*After Ironhide's death, Aileron rallies the others with a variation on a well-used [[Furmanism#CAN_I_DO_LESS.3F|Furmanism]].

===Real world references===
*Wreck-Gar's classic habit of peppering his speech with snippets of pop culture continues:
**He greets the humans in the White House with the cry of "Hi-ho, True Believers and Believerettes," the blusterous term {{w|Stan Lee}} regularly used to refer to faithful fans of [[Marvel Comics]].
**He quotes the opening theme to ''{{w|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood}}'', declaring it a "beautiful day in the neighborhood," and hoping they'll "be [the Junkions'] neighbors."
**He paraphrases the title of the 1987 movie ''{{w|Good Morning, Vietnam}}'' with a whoop of "Goooood Morning, Planet Earth!"
**The Action Men are fighting Maximals outside {{w|London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross station}}, one of London's major train stations.

===Errors===
*As a helicopter, Alpha Bravo is easily identifiable among the Aerialbots arrived on page 1, panel 3, and Air Raid appears roughly-on model as well, but the other Aerialbots don't seem to match their ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' designs, and aren't really recognizable as any particular members of the group, hence the "?"s in our list above.
*Trypticon is credited as a "Decepticon Titan," but he hasn't been a Decepticon for ages.
*Rumble and Frenzy's ID captions (or colors!) are [[FIRRIB|swapped]].
*Icebird was among the dead Maximals seen in [[The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|''Optimus Prime'' #20]]. This is about to become a theme.
*A Maximal with the body-type shared by Transquito and his Japanese counterpart Bigmos appeared on page 17, panel 1. While the block-coloring used in the pages of ''Optimus Prime'' made identifying Maximals and discerning between American and Japanese characters tricky, in this case, ''both'' these characters should be dead, with the remains of one appearing in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other dying on-panel in [[The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|''Optimus Prime'' #21]].
*Likewise, a Maximal sharing the body type of [[Snarl (BW)|Snarl]] and Tasmania Kid appears in the same panel. Both these characters are also accounted for; one was also among dead remains seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other is a native Eukarian, not a Maximal, who was seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #23.
*Perhaps not an ''error'', but narration and dialogue consistently calls Bludgeon's ship a "symbol ship," which is an odd way of referring to something that's got a proper name: it's a [[Worldsweeper]].
*Starscream's absence from the spirits of the dead is so pronounced it ''can't'' be an error, but the fact that ''Stormclash'' isn't among them (given the inclusion of nobodies like Fastlane, Cloudraker, and the dead Space Knights) feels like an oversight.
*One last time, the chart at the end of the issue misspells "[[Devisiun]]" as "Divisiun."

===Deathlist===
*Trypticon; killed by one of Unicron's eye-beams
*Starscream; sacrifices himself activating the Talisman
*Ironhide; dies from injuries inflicted by Icebird
*Rhinox; killed by Prowl
*Optimus Primal; finished off by Stardrive and Snake Eyes
*Monstructor; killed by Victorion and Superion
*Broadside; roasted by Strafe
*Soundwave; gives up his life to combine the spirits of the dead with the Enigma of Combination
*Sludge and Snarl; die in the battle aboard the Worldsweeper
*Slug and Bludgeon; die in the crash of the Worldsweeper
*Unicron; consumed by the black hole at its own heart
*Optimus Prime; sacrifices himself to destroy Unicron

===Other trivia===
*Intended for release in October, this issue arrived late in the middle of November. ''Optimus Prime'' #25 was consequently pushed back to ensure it was released afterward.
*This super-sized final issue is 48 pages in length, with 40 pages of story. In addition to the the sixth and final installment in a series of interviews with creators from IDW history, this time with ''Unicron'' writer and artist [[John Barber]] and [[Alex Milne]], backmatter for this issue also includes a complete listing of all thirteen [[Cybertronian colonies]], complete with Prime, [[Regenesis]] ore, Titan, current status, and (if applicable) representative on the [[Council of Worlds]], filling in several pieces of information that have never been revealed on-panel (like which Prime goes with which planet, and the names of previously-unidentified ores and Titans).

===Covers (6)===
*'''Cover A:''' Unicron surrounded by shards of reality depicting images from throughout IDW history, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Sebastian Cheng]]
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, Doctor X, and [[Baroness|Cobra Commander]], by [[James Raiz]] and [[David Garcia Cruz]]; connects to Raiz's other covers for the series to form [[:File:Unicron-Bcovers-JamesRaiz.jpg|a larger image]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover A:''' Optimus Prime, Starscream, Bumblebee, Soundwave, Windblade, and Unicron, by [[E. J. Su]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover B:''' Jetfire by [[Francesco Francavilla]]; connects to Francavilla's other covers for the series to form a larger image
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover A:''' Unicron takes the place of Thanos in an homage to the cover of [https://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet_Vol_1_4 ''The Infinity Gauntlet'' #4], beckoning unseen parties toward him and declaring "You belong to me!" (a line from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') by [[John Paras]]
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover B:''' Paras's ''Infinity Gauntlet'' homage, but with a blank white background and a blank speech bubble

<gallery>
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File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIB.jpg|
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File:TFUnicron6_cvrREB.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*[[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] and [[How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2|''Lost Light'' #25]], with a tagline that reads: "THE TRANSFORMERS WILL RETURN IN 2019."
*''Go-Bots'' #1
*''Unicron'' checklist

==External links==
*[https://www.comiccrusaders.com/exclusive-preview-transformers-unicron-6-of-6/ Preview]

[[Category:Unicron issues]]

Ceremony

2018-11-14T17:13:37Z

Guntrip: /* Transformers references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Unicron]]'' #6
|prev=Unicron issue 5
|next=Post
|image=TFUnicron6_cvrA.jpg
|caption="What did it cost?" "''Everything.''"
|title=Ceremony
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 14]], [[2018]]
|coverdate=October, 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Sara Pitre-Durocher]] (pg 1-10), [[Andrew Griffith]] (pg 11-14, 17, 32, 36) [[Alex Milne]] (pg 15-16, 20, 26-29, 33-35, 37-40), [[Kei Zama]] (pg 18-19, 21-25, 30-31)
|colors by=[[David Garcia Cruz]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''In the final battle against Unicron and his servants, many of our heroes are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to prove that faith and compassion can triumph over the fear and chaos born from the legacy of the Primes.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Mount Rushmore]] has become the new home of all the [[spark]]s that were being nurtured within [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], having been removed from the [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] to keep them safe during the battle that now rages in [[Earth]] orbit. As [[Marissa Faireborn]] comforts [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]], [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] arrive with the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], who have been brought at the request of [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] to help with a plan that may yet save the day...

Chaos reigns above the Earth as an army of [[Autobot]]s, [[Decepticon]]s, and everyone in-between—transported into space by Trypticon and [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]—attack [[Unicron]] and its servants, keeping them occupied in order to allow [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], and [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] to transport [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]], and the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] down to Unicron's surface. The stubborn [[Slide]] is reluctant to join the battle, unwilling to fight and die in the name of Optimus Prime. Punctuating her words, Trypticon becomes the first to fall, slain by one of Unicron's eye-beams.

Down below, all across the Earth, from [[Venice]] to [[Sao Paolo]], the planet's heroes and villains fight alongside their alien allies to defend their world against Unicron's [[Maximal]]s. In [[Toronto]], [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] watch from the [[CN Tower]] as [[Stardrive]] and [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] battle the Maximals in the streets below. Shockwave deems the fight a lost cause, and contacts [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], ordering him to bring his [[Worldsweeper]] down from orbit to collect Shockwave and Rhinox so that they may leave the Earth to its fate, and deal with Unicron another day. Bludgeon, however, refuses; always a servant of chaos, he has thrown in his lot with Unicron, rapturous at the notion that he will be able to watch the entire universe be uncreated at the planet-eater's hands. Shockwave is dumbfounded at the very idea, but barely has time to process Bludgeon's betrayal before he is attacked from behind by Rhinox; this once-loyal Maximal has also decided to side with Unicron after learning that the divine "Onyx Prime" whom he once believed in was nothing but a trick played by Shockwave. Shockwave attempts to fire on Rhinox, only to discover that the new cannon-arm the Maximal provided him with will not work on the Maximals. Rhinox overpowers Shockwave and tears the cannon-arm off, preparing to turn it on his former master... only for his head to suddenly be blown off by a blast from behind, fired by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]!

Up in orbit, Thundercracker is hit by Maximal fire and falls behind the rest of his group, finding himself surrounded by enemy forces. After depositing Arcee on Unicron with Starscream and Optimus, Skywarp reluctantly goes to his fellow [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]'s aid, teleporting into the path of a Maximal blade to save Thundercracker's life so that he can get the Talisman to the others. Refusing to leave Skywarp behind, Thundercracker tosses the Talisman to Starscream down on Unicron's surface and dives into the fight. It doesn't seem possible that the two can survive, and that poses a problem to the rest of the group: without Skywarp's teleporting powers, they can't get through Unicron's miles-thick armor. Starscream hits upon a solution and implements it before anyone can object; with one last egotistical grin born of the knowledge that he was the one to save the day, he asks Prime and Arcee to give Windblade his best, then activates the Talisman, sacrificing his life as its magical energies consume him and begin burning their way down into Unicron.

Watching from the battlefield, [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] and [[Aileron]] are stunned by Starscream's sacrifice, but [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] always knew he had it in him. [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] isn't interested in debating Starscream's merits right now, as the Maximals continue to attack; a moment later, [[Icebird|one of the beasts]] rakes Ironhide with its claws, fatally wounding him. As Bumblebee fends the Maximal off, Jazz rushes to Ironhide's side, assuring him that he will make it through—but Ironhide is too far gone, and dies in peace in his friend's arms, feeling that he finally understands the meaning of the phrase "[['Til all are one|'til all are one.]]"

Nearby, Slide continues to find other things to complain and argue about rather than the actual threat at hand when the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] approach her. She and [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] immediately start fighting over the tragic outcome of [[Time Will Rust|their recent clash on Earth]], but [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] interrupts them, motioning toward Bludgeon's Worldsweeper as it heads down to Earth to rain devastation on the planet. Slide relents, and she, the colonists, and the Dinobots head down to the planet to lend their aid.

Following the path the Talisman is burning through Unicron, Optimus Prime and Arcee venture into the depths of the planet-eater once more, fighting their way through its [[Unicron's antibodies|antibody monsters]]. Arcee proposes that Prime leave the mission to her, that she may make amends for her part in the devastation of [[Antilla]] that began this nightmare, but Prime refuses; as "[[The Arisen]]," one of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], he ultimately traces all their misfortunes to the failures of himself and his lineage. Arcee is confused; she ''knew'' the Thirteen, and ''knows'' that Optimus wasn't one of them, but before she can press the issue, the pair arrive at Unicron's heart, where the supermassive black hole around which the monster planet once orbited now rests. As they watch, the Talisman disappears into the singularity... and a moment later, Optimus bids Arcee farewell and leaps in after it. His physical body is compressed to pure information, and Prime once again finds himself in [[Infraspace]], the transitional limbo between life and death, with the Talisman at his feet. But he is not alone in this twilight realm: from out of the darkness appears the form of the [[Unicron's creator|Antillan scientist]] who created the Talisman, whose rage and desire for vengeance is what is driving Unicron from beyond the veil. Prime attempts to talk to the scientist, telling him that his anger toward the Cybertronians is justified, but the alien is not interested in words and lashes out at him.

Prowl drags Shockwave out into the street, where Stardrive stands ready to play her part in the complex plan Prowl and Soundwave have assembled. While Stardrive uses her Wraith magicks to invade Shockwave's body and mind, across the continent, [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] follows Soundwave's instructions, remotely linking Stardrive into the [[Enigma of Combination]]—saved from Cybertron by Soundwave—via their communications systems. Next, the Aerialbots combine into [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] for the first time since absorbing the duplicate Enigma created by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] out of Earth's communications network years ago. The energies of the Earth Enigma fill the air—but they're not ''all'' that are in the air, as Bludgeon's Worldsweeper appears overhead, and [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] leaps out to attack Superion! As the two combiners clash, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] arrives with the Dinobots and colonists. The Dinobots all leap aboard the Worldsweeper, intent on taking the ship down, while Slide and the colonists argue about what to do. Some unexpected help arrives in the form of [[Pyra Magna]] and the surviving [[Torchbearer]]s, who have been clinging to the hull of Bludgeon's ship, and who now boldly attempt to form [[Victorion]], despite the loss of [[Stormclash]], to buy the Dinobots the time need to enter the ship and defeat Bludgeon. As a partial combiner herself, Slide feels the energies of the Earth Enigma running wild around her, and embraces them, joining with the Torchbearers as they merge, becoming the new leg of Victorion. Together, Victorion and Superion overpower and finally destroy Monstructor.

Meanwhile, the Dinobots fight their way onto the Worldsweeper's bridge and seize the [[Void Scepter]] Bludgeon is using to control the vessel, sending the ship flying away in the direction of [[Washington, D.C.]], in order to give Soundwave time to execute his plan. [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] are slain in the subsequent fight; as Bludgeon and Slug grapple, the Decepticon tells Slug that their deaths mean nothing, as Unicron will still destroy them all. Slug disagrees; he has faith that Unicron will be stopped, and moreover, he knows the Dinobots are relics of the war, unable to let go of their old hatred, and so they ''must'' die if the Cybertronian race is to move forward unburdened by them. With that, both Bludgeon and Slug die as the Worldsweeper crashes into the [[White House]]. Some of the Maximals aboard survive and emerge to menace the [[President of the United States|President]] and her G.I. Joe bodyguards [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]], but at the last minute, [[Rum-Maj]] and [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] arrive with their [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] to finish off the beasts and save the humans.

Back at Mount Rushmore, Soundwave senses that the time is right to execute the final step of his plan. The Enigma of Combination has always had the power to combine not just ''bodies'', but hearts, minds, and ''spirits''—and now, by the power of ''two'' Enigmas, using his own faith as an anchor, Soundwave is able to make contact with and unite the spirits of all those who have died in the war against Unicron, and more. In Toronto, via Stardrive, Shockwave can feel what is happening and begs Prowl to convince Soundwave the plan will not work—that "faith" is a fabrication invented by Shockwave himself millions of years ago, incapable of accomplishing anything. But Prowl disagrees; "faith," he says, is just another name for having the strength to conquer the fears within yourself. And Shockwave... the original false Prime, progenitor of a corrupt lineage that has loomed over Optimus Prime all his life and been the root cause of every conflict that has brought Cybertronian history to this climactic moment... Shockwave represents everything that Optimus Prime has ever feared. Soundwave disintegrates as the combined spirits of the dead are united with Shockwave's thoughts via Stardrive, and sent by her Wraith magicks, linked to the Talisman, to Optimus Prime.

In Infraspace, all this wonder and terror floods into Optimus; every fear he has ever known, embodied in Shockwave's thoughts, and the memory of everyone who has ever stood behind him, which gives him the strength to face those fears and overcome them. As the Talisman surges back to life and the landscape of Infraspace begins to crumble away under its power, Prime now knows what he must do: rather than attempting to ''defeat'' the spirit of Unicron's creator, he instead extends a hand toward him in peace, and asks him his name. Confused and in pain, the scientist admits that he can no longer remember... but he does remember the name of his daughter, who died during Antilla's war with Cybertron, setting him on this path of death and revenge. Prime pulls the alien into an embrace, and calls upon him to remember that name now, at the end. Thus do they die in peace together, the last of the Primes overcoming the legacy of his ancestors by showing compassion to the monster birthed by their crimes, as the power of the Talisman collapses Unicron's body into the black hole at its own heart.

As Unicron collapses, all the combatants in Earth orbit make for the planet's surface, save for Bumblebee and Aileron, who fly through the maelstrom to rescue Arcee before she is sucked into the singularity. The trio set down on Earth's moon, where Aileron and Arcee joyously reunite, and they are presently joined by [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], revealed to have survived Bludgeon's attack on [[Sanctuary Station]]. At Mount Rushmore, Marissa believes Thundercracker must surely have perished, but Buster thinks otherwise, and is proven right seconds later when Thundercracker descends from the sky, carrying the damaged but also-still-living Skywarp with him. At Thundercracker is welcomed by his friends, Skywarp laughs at the ridiculousness of the situation, but recognizes his brother-in-arms as a true Seeker. Prowl and Stardrive take a despondent Shockwave into custody; [[Rom]] and [[Livia]] console a young [[Elonian]] orphan; [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] thinks of [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|his brother]] as he watches Buster, [[D.0.C.]], and [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] play; Windblade and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] discuss Windblade's future as the leader of Cybertron on Earth; [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] digs the lone surviving Dinobots, Swoop and [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], from the wreckage of the Worldsweeper; and with the survivors of Cybertron and its colonies now destined to be permanent residents of Earth, the President starts making plans for their future together.

Pyra Magna recovers the [[Mistress of Flame]]'s [[Forgehammer]] from where she left it, wedged in Metroplex's armor, and realizes now that "faith" is not what ''others'' tell you to believe, but what you believe in your own heart. Pyra takes the mantle of Mistress of Flame upon herself, and invites Slide to join the Torchbearers full-time; Slide, overjoyed to know belonging once again, and realizing that she and Pyra were wrong about Optimus Prime all along—that he never wanted to ''rule'' them, but to build a better world for them to live in—tearfully accepts.

With Earth now lit by twin stars of light and darkness—the [[sun]] and Unicron's black hole in perfect balance—the Transformers enter a new era on a new homeworld, an era without Primes, without Autobots or Decepticons, without even the distinction between Cybertronian, colonist, or Earthling. Thanks to Optimus Prime, his sacrifice, and his belief in those who followed him...

...all are one.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic'' text appear only in spirit form. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]? (4)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (5)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]]? (6)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (7)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (8)
*[[Alpha Bravo]] (9)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]? (10)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (15)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (16)
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (19)
*[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]] (20)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] (23)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (25)
*? (27)
*[[Slide]] (28)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (29)
*[[Bump]] (30)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]]? (31)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (33)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (34)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (36)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slug]] (37)
*[[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] (38)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (39)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (40)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (44)
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (46)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (47)
*[[Strongarm (BW)|Strongarm]] (62)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (81)
*[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (88)
*[[Dust Up]] (90)
*[[Jumpstream]] (91)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (92)
*[[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (93)
*[[Rust Dust]] (94)
*[[Victorion]] (95)
*''[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'' (96)
*''[[Ambulon]]'' (99)
*''[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'' (101)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (103)
*''[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'' (104)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (105)
*''[[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]]'' (106)
*''[[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]]'' (108)
*''[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]'' (109)
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (110)
*''[[Fastlane]]'' (111)
*''[[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]]'' (112)
*''[[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]]'' (113)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (120)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (121)
*''[[Gimlet]]'' (123)
*[[Goldbug (IDW)|Goldbug]] (133)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (134)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (21)
*[[Octane|Tall Tankor]] (22)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (26)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (43)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (52)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (63)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (64)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] (70)
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (72)
*[[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] (73)
*[[Broadside (Classics)|Broadside]] (74)
*''[[Horri-Bull]]'' (98)
*''[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]'' (107)
*''[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]'' (114)
*''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'' (115)
*''[[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]]'' (116)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (131)

|c3=
'''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'''
*[[Scarlett]] (56)
*[[Matt Trakker]] (57)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (58)
*[[Zilong Qian|Talon]] (59)
*[[Ayana Jones|Mayday]] (65)
*[[Snake-Eyes|Snake Eyes]] (67)
*[[Agent Helix]] (69)
*[[Cover Girl]] (84)
*''[[Mainframe (G.I. Joe)|Mainframe]]'' (119)
*[[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] (125)
*[[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]] (126)

'''[[Cobra]]'''
*[[Red Shadows]] (51)
*[[Tempest (Cobra)|Tempest]] (68)

'''[[VENOM]]'''
*[[Miles Mayhem]] (48)
*[[Sly Rax]] (53)

'''[[Iron Ring]]'''
*[[Iron Klaw]] (49)
*[[Doctor X]] (50)

'''[[Action Man Programme|AMP]]'''
*[[Action Man]] (54)
*[[Terrence Salmons]] (55)

'''Others'''
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (1)
*[[President of the United States|President of the US]] (124)

|h4=Other Cybertronians|c4=
'''[[Maximal]]s'''
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] (66)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (71)
*[[Rampage (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Rampage]] (75)
*[[Archadis]] (76)
*[[Icebird]] (see Errors, 77)
*[[Apache]] (78)
*? (79)
*[[Inferno (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Inferno]] (80)
*[[Transquito]]/[[Bigmos]] (see Errors, 82)
*[[Soundwave (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Soundwave]]? (83)
*[[Tasmania Kid]] (see Errors, 85)
*[[Coelagon]] (127)

'''[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]'''
*[[Rum-Maj]] (129)
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (130)

'''Others'''
*[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] (11)
*[[Swift (G1)|Swift]] (14)
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (35)
*[[Centurion (IDW)|Centurion]] (41)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (42)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] (45)
*[[Stardrive]] (86)
*''[[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]]'' (97)
*''[[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'' (100)
*''[[Mistress of Flame]]'' (102)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] (128)

|h5=Others|c5=

'''Space Knights'''
*[[Rom]] (17)
*[[Livia]] (18)
*''[[Maur]]'' (117)
*''[[Prim]]'' (118)

'''Others'''
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
*[[Bob (IDW)|Bob]] (24)
*[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] (32)
*[[Dire Wraith]]s (60)
*Wraith [[Countdown (G.I. Joe)|Countdown]] (61)
*[[D.0.C.]] (87)
*''[[Unicron's creator]]'' (89)
*[[Garnak]] (132)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faith. The last refuge of those '''left behind.'''"
:—'''Marissa Faireborn'''

"Never before have I thought this... but that is a big one." 
"Imagine how '''I''' feel. You're the size of a '''city'''—I'm only '''six feet tall.'''" 
"You are 5'10<nowiki>''</nowiki>, Garrison."
:—'''Metroplex''' and '''Garrison Blackrock''' discuss the size of Unicron

"I never imagined the fate of '''everything''' would end up in '''your''' hands, Starscream." 
"That's funny, because '''I''' always knew it '''would.'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Starscream'''

"Tell '''Windblade''' to take good care of '''Earth''', will you? Aw, who am I kidding? She probably won't even '''try''' to conquer the place."
:—'''Starscream''''s last words

"[Orion] thinks the '''shadowplay''' that stripped me of emotion changed me '''fundamentally.''' But as Rhinox said, I was '''always''' pulling strings. '''I''' gave Orion the capacity to carry a '''Matrix.''' I '''made''' him into '''Optimus Prime'''. He was the one who changed... when he stopped viewing my actions as '''just.'''"
:—'''Shockwave'''

"Slug—you won't last a '''minute.'''" 
"Then we'll get this done in '''forty-five seconds.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''' gives '''Slug''' some "encouragement"

"Faith is a '''lie!''' I '''invented''' it! '''Faith''' will not stop the '''uncreator!'''" 
"You '''still''' don't see. Soundwave believes in a '''higher power''', sure. But guys like '''you''' and '''me'''—we don't '''have''' to. All we need to believe in is the inherent '''good''' of '''doing good'''... and that someday, '''ultimately,''' that will be enough to stop '''evil.'''" 
"'''Logic''' is neither good '''nor''' evil. '''None''' of us are. We contain the capacity for '''both.'''" 
"Faith is just '''one path''' to the '''ultimate trick:''' '''confronting''' the evil in '''ourselves'''... and defeating '''that.'''"
:—'''Shockwave''' and '''Prowl''' discuss belief

"Operation: '''Absolution.'''"
:—'''Soundwave'''s last words

"I am '''not''' a piece of '''your''' history... I am the '''end''' of my '''own!'''"
:—'''Unicron's creator'''

"I was forged '''Orion Pax.''' As war began, I was called '''Optimus Prime.''' Now some call me The '''Arisen''', the Thirteenth Prime. But the '''masks''' are gone now. I am '''Orion Pax'''. Before this... who were '''you?'''" 
"So long ago... I can't '''remember.''' But I know the name of my '''daughter''', who your kind '''murdered'''..." 
"Then that shall be the '''word.''' Rather than the fire of '''hatred'''... let her name—her '''memory'''—'''light''' this dark hour."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' allows '''Unicron's creator''' to die knowing compassion

"I thought... I would make us '''strong...'''" 
"Take it from me: strong doesn't mean '''right.'''"
:—A defeated '''Shockwave''' is carted away by '''Stardrive'''

"'''Optimus Prime''' is gone... and with him ends the era of Autobot and Decepticon, Cybertronian and colonist, human and machine. What survives is his '''faith.''' Perhaps he never believed in any '''higher power''' guiding our hands... but he believed in '''us.''' I am '''Pyra Magna'''... the '''Mistress of Flame'''. '''Spiritual leader''' of my people; defender of my homeworld... '''Earth.''' And we will light our way against '''all''' our '''darkest hours'''... as '''one.'''"
:—'''Pyra Magna''''s closing monologue

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*In the montage of heroes and villains fighting around the Earth, Predaking is seen in the service of Iron Klaw. The Predacons have been under his control since before the events of [[The Iron Klaw|''Revolutionaries'' #4]]; it seems he's managed to repair [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] after Kup blew his head off in that story.
*Action Man declares "This is for Kup" as he blasts a Maximal; the pair were buddies in ''Revolutionaries'', until Kup's death in [[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]].
*Terrence Salmons is now wearing the Action Man uniform too. As seen in the {{i|''Action Man'' comic}}, he was considered next-in-line for the position until Ian Noble, the current Action Man, slipped in ahead of him, but it looks like extenuating circumstances have seen him take up the mantle alongside Ian.
*Scarlett has joined Matt Trakker in Detroit, where his team were located when we last saw them in [[Our Finest|issue #3]]'s {{i|back-up strip}}.
*Last issue, as the battle with the Maximals concluded, it was abruptly noted that Mayday was now in command of the human forces, despite the fact that nothing had been shown to happen to previously-established leaders Spike and Talon on-panel. This issue shows that Spike got shot down by the Maximals, and unintentionally took Talon down with him, but both men have survived and are stranded in a jungle somewhere. Spike notes that he "always figured [he'd] have a bigger role" in the final battle; while most IDW readers are no doubt glad he doesn't, this hearkens back to the fact Spike leads his life like he's "the star of an action movie," as originally observed in [[Police Action Part 2: Only Forward|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #27]].
*Pressed into fighting alongside Strongarm in defense of Earth, Rumble and Frenzy grumble that they "shoulda unionized," a joking reference to the recent success the pair have found in Hollywood, as seen in [[Starscream: The Movie (comic)|the 2018 ''Optimus Prime'' annual]].
*Starscream uses the Talisman to burrow through Unicron's surface, in the same manner as it burrowed its way down through Cybertron in ''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]''.
*Slug and the Dinobots continue to clash with Slide following the events of [[Time Will Rust|''Optimus Prime'' #23]]-[[A Sunrise Dark|24]], which included the death of her fellow colonist soldier [[Gimlet]].
*Rhinox provided Shockwave with his new gun-arm in [[Road's End|issue #4]]. He evidently built it himself, indicating this Rhinox shares the engineering abilities of his counterpart in the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]].
*Shockwave notes that he didn't simply become evil when subjected to Shadowplay, having always been a manipulator with dodgy leanings. He illustrates this with the specific example that he was the one who gave Optimus a Matrix chamber (which we learned in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|''The Transformers'' vol. 1 #23]]), but the darker side of his pre-Shadowplay life was previously emphasized in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More than Meets the Eye'' #11]] when [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] dug up some intel on him and learned about the various covert projects he was investing in, which he was keeping secret from his allies.
*Soundwave got the Enigma of Combination out of storage in issue #3.
*Galvatron turned Earth into a large-scale Enigma of Combination in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #53]]. Superion absorbed the Earth Enigma code to prevent it from working in [[All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #54]]; this is the first time the team have combined since then.
*Optimus Prime returns to Infraspace by entering the black hole at the heart of Unicron, the same way he did by entering the singularity in Crystal City in [[The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|''Optimus Prime'' #19]].
*The Dinobots settle their recurring rivalry with Bludgeon, begun in ''[[The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption]]'' and continuing through ''[[The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation]]'' and [[The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|''Optimus Prime'' #13]]-[[The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|14]].
*Bludgeon previously used his Void Scepter to control Trypticon in ''Salvation''.
*The ability of the Enigma to combine not just bodies, but hearts and minds, has always been implicit in the way combiners work, with a gestalt personality emerging as Transformers' bodies are merged together. However, it was previously established that it was possible for it to work in a more spiritual way, combining minds ''without'' combining bodies, back in [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]], when it was credited with subtly uniting the thoughts and ideas of early humans, leading to the development of human cities and civilizations.
*The spirits who appear before Soundwave specifically include all those notables who have died throughout the ''Unicron'' mini-series itself (Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and the Solstar Knights from [[Our Darkest|issue #0]], Dirge and the Mistress of Flame from [[Unicron issue 1|issue #1]], Omega Supreme from [[Stranger Eons|issue #2]], Scattershot, Fastlane, and Cloudraker from [[Our Finest|issue #3]], Blurr, Elita One, Cosmos, Sky-Byte, and Laserbeak from [[Road's End|issue #4]], and Ironhide from this issue) and its tie-in issues in ''Optimus Prime'' (Mainframe and Gimlet), along with other significant characters who have died during "Phase 2" of the IDW Universe: Alpha Trion ([[The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|''Optimus Prime'' #16]]), Ambulon ([[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|''More than Meets the Eye'' #19]]), Horri-Bull ([[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|''Robots in Disguise'' #1]]), Kup ([[Schismatic|''Transformers vs. Visionaries'' #1]]), Metalhawk ([[Heavy Is the Head|''Robots in Disguise'' #16]]), Pipes ([[Under Cold Blue Stars|''More than Meets the Eye'' #15]]), Ravage ([[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|''More than Meets the Eye'' #55]]), Rung ([[Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|Lost Light #24]]), Sideswipe ([[The Life of Sideswipe|''Optimus Prime'' #10]]), Skids ([[The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|''More than Meets the Eye'' #54]]), and Trailcutter ([[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|''More than Meets the Eye'' #34]]).
*The president notes that the White House has been reinforced since the "last attack," referring to the [[Dire Wraith]] attack in ''[[Thundercracker & Buster Save the World|The Transformers: Revolution]]'' one shot.
*Optimus Prime had a vision of a Worldsweeper crashing into the White House in [[All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #50]].
*Buzzsaw was implied to have perished in issue #3, but is here revealed to have survived his brush with death.
*The Elonian girl and her [[Mutt (IDW)|pet creature]] are presumably the same ones that appeared in [[Our Darkest|''Unicron'' #0]], and on the last page they're drawn posed as they were on the first page of issue #0.
*It's the end of ''Transformers: Unicron'', but not quite the end of the universe; the story continues into [[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]], the final issue and epilogue to the entire [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]].

===Transformers references===
*The Maximal who kills Ironhide is [[Icebird]], one of the [[Mutant (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Mutants]], who had two beast modes, but no robot mode, save for a robot head hidden inside their bodies. Icebird is here drawn with his robot head deployed. But, see "Errors" below.
*Sky Lynx recalls an adventure on [[Regulon Four|Regulon IV]], a planet with several previous mentions in Transformers media, originating in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]."
*After Ironhide's death, Aileron rallies the others with a variation on a well-used [[Furmanism#CAN_I_DO_LESS.3F|Furmanism]].

===Real world references===
*Wreck-Gar's classic habit of peppering his speech with snippets of pop culture continues:
**He greets the humans in the White House with the cry of "Hi-ho, True Believers and Believerettes," the blusterous term {{w|Stan Lee}} regularly used to refer to faithful fans of [[Marvel Comics]].
**He quotes the opening theme to ''{{w|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood}}'', declaring it a "beautiful day in the neighborhood," and hoping they'll "be [the Junkions'] neighbors."
**He paraphrases the title of the 1987 movie ''{{w|Good Morning, Vietnam}}'' with a whoop of "Goooood Morning, Planet Earth!"

===Errors===
*As a helicopter, Alpha Bravo is easily identifiable among the Aerialbots arrived on page 1, panel 3, and Air Raid appears roughly-on model as well, but the other Aerialbots don't seem to match their ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' designs, and aren't really recognizable as any particular members of the group, hence the "?"s in our list above.
*Trypticon is credited as a "Decepticon Titan," but he hasn't been a Decepticon for ages.
*Rumble and Frenzy's ID captions (or colors!) are [[FIRRIB|swapped]].
*Icebird was among the dead Maximals seen in [[The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|''Optimus Prime'' #20]]. This is about to become a theme.
*A Maximal with the body-type shared by Transquito and his Japanese counterpart Bigmos appeared on page 17, panel 1. While the block-coloring used in the pages of ''Optimus Prime'' made identifying Maximals and discerning between American and Japanese characters tricky, in this case, ''both'' these characters should be dead, with the remains of one appearing in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other dying on-panel in [[The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|''Optimus Prime'' #21]].
*Likewise, a Maximal sharing the body type of [[Snarl (BW)|Snarl]] and Tasmania Kid appears in the same panel. Both these characters are also accounted for; one was also among dead remains seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #20, and the other is a native Eukarian, not a Maximal, who was seen in ''Optimus Prime'' #23.
*Perhaps not an ''error'', but narration and dialogue consistently calls Bludgeon's ship a "symbol ship," which is an odd way of referring to something that's got a proper name: it's a [[Worldsweeper]].
*Starscream's absence from the spirits of the dead is so pronounced it ''can't'' be an error, but the fact that ''Stormclash'' isn't among them (given the inclusion of nobodies like Fastlane, Cloudraker, and the dead Space Knights) feels like an oversight.
*One last time, the chart at the end of the issue misspells "[[Devisiun]]" as "Divisiun."

===Deathlist===
*Trypticon; killed by one of Unicron's eye-beams
*Starscream; sacrifices himself activating the Talisman
*Ironhide; dies from injuries inflicted by Icebird
*Rhinox; killed by Prowl
*Optimus Primal; finished off by Stardrive and Snake Eyes
*Monstructor; killed by Victorion and Superion
*Broadside; roasted by Strafe
*Soundwave; gives up his life to combine the spirits of the dead with the Enigma of Combination
*Sludge and Snarl; die in the battle aboard the Worldsweeper
*Slug and Bludgeon; die in the crash of the Worldsweeper
*Unicron; consumed by the black hole at its own heart
*Optimus Prime; sacrifices himself to destroy Unicron

===Other trivia===
*Intended for release in October, this issue arrived late in the middle of November. ''Optimus Prime'' #25 was consequently pushed back to ensure it was released afterward.
*This super-sized final issue is 48 pages in length, with 40 pages of story. In addition to the the sixth and final installment in a series of interviews with creators from IDW history, this time with ''Unicron'' writer and artist [[John Barber]] and [[Alex Milne]], backmatter for this issue also includes a complete listing of all thirteen [[Cybertronian colonies]], complete with Prime, [[Regenesis]] ore, Titan, current status, and (if applicable) representative on the [[Council of Worlds]], filling in several pieces of information that have never been revealed on-panel (like which Prime goes with which planet, and the names of previously-unidentified ores and Titans).

===Covers (6)===
*'''Cover A:''' Unicron surrounded by shards of reality depicting images from throughout IDW history, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Sebastian Cheng]]
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, Doctor X, and [[Baroness|Cobra Commander]], by [[James Raiz]] and [[David Garcia Cruz]]; connects to Raiz's other covers for the series to form [[:File:Unicron-Bcovers-JamesRaiz.jpg|a larger image]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover A:''' Optimus Prime, Starscream, Bumblebee, Soundwave, Windblade, and Unicron, by [[E. J. Su]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover B:''' Jetfire by [[Francesco Francavilla]]; connects to Francavilla's other covers for the series to form a larger image
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover A:''' Unicron takes the place of Thanos in an homage to the cover of [https://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet_Vol_1_4 ''The Infinity Gauntlet'' #4], beckoning unseen parties toward him and declaring "You belong to me!" (a line from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') by [[John Paras]]
*'''KRS Comics exclusive cover B:''' Paras's ''Infinity Gauntlet'' homage, but with a blank white background and a blank speech bubble

<gallery>
File:TFUnicron6_cvrA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrB.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrRIB.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrREA.jpg|
File:TFUnicron6_cvrREB.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*[[Post|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] and [[How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2|''Lost Light'' #25]], with a tagline that reads: "THE TRANSFORMERS WILL RETURN IN 2019."
*''Go-Bots'' #1
*''Unicron'' checklist

==External links==
*[https://www.comiccrusaders.com/exclusive-preview-transformers-unicron-6-of-6/ Preview]

[[Category:Unicron issues]]

Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers

2018-09-26T17:22:04Z

Guntrip: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|The Transformers: Lost Light]]'' #24
|prev=Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering
|next=
|image=LL24_cvrA.jpg
|title="Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 26]], 2018
|coverdate=September 2018
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Brendan Cahill]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}
'''With twelve Matrices in hand, our heroes must embrace the best parts of themselves if they want to use them to stop the Functionist Council once and for all in the penultimate chapter of their adventure.'''

==Synopsis==
As the ''[[Lost Light]]'' makes straight for the Functionists' effigy of [[Primus]], darting between the giant robot's fingers, [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] hesitantly raises a question: they're planning to attack [[Vector Sigma]] by simultaneously unleashing the energies of twelve [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrices]] through the planet's twelve [[hot spot]]s... but aren't the connections between the hot spots and Vector Sigma severed thanks to the [[Functionist Council]] changing [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] into a robot mode? [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] realizes too late that they have made a huge mistake—but fortunately, a solution to their problem arrives a moment later when the [[Warren]] opens, and [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]] comes flying out. At [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]]'s instruction, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] flies the moon straight into the back of "Primus's" neck, triggering an involuntary transformation back to planet mode.

Concurrently, elsewhere on the ''Lost Light,'' [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] and [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] accompany [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] to his quarters. Rung bids them to wait outside—wistfully remarking that the couple are lucky to have each other, and that they must learn to forgive themselves—then enters his room and shuts the door. Aware of the consequences of what he is about to do, Rung deletes all his patient files, and take a moment to think back on his first meeting with the departed [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] one last time. Finally, he transforms into his alternate mode, the true function of which is finally revealed as it flares to life: it is a Matrix-maker. A little later, Rodimus opens the door to Rung's quarters to discover twelve Matrices... lying amidst the dust that is the remains of Rung's body, dissolved into inert [[living metal|sentio metallico]], the exertion having killed him.

Rodimus presents the Matrices to the rest of the crew, with some bad news: like the original, they are all sealed by the "[[morality lock]]" that means only those who are "pure of spirit" can open them. Even the spiritual [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] is at a bit of loss to explain exactly what that ''means,'' and the crew all start chiming in with their views on the relativity of "goodness." But there's no time for a debate; Rodimus distributes the Matrices, and each carrier is quickly flown to a hot spot on the surface of Functionist Cybertron by the [[Infinite]]s, along with some muscle to cover them. Tailgate goes to [[Rivets Field]] with [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]; [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] to [[Vespertine Blue]] with Drift, where they confess they both feel the same way about each other; [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] to [[Automica]] with [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]]; [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] to the [[Pious Pools]] with [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]]; [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] to [[Vauvaire]] with [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]], who joins hands with her; [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] to [[Sansaw Sanserre]] with [[Anode]] (with whom she shares a kiss and a declaration of love) and [[Wipe-Out]]; [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] to [[Warrior's Gate]] with [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]]; [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] to [[Port Residua]] with Chromedome and Rewind; [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] to [[Eugenesis]] with [[Krok (G1)|Krok]]; [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] to [[Alyon]] with [[Nickel]] and [[Fulcrum]]; [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to [[Mesmerica]] with [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]; and lastly, Rodimus to [[Nova Point]] with [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]].

Unfortunately, as the [[Functionary]] armies of the Functionist Council descend and chaos erupts, none of the Matrix-carriers are able to open their Matrix. Rodimus is at a loss; he ''knows'' his crew are good people, but Megatron explains that the ''crew themselves'' don't truly believe that, and urges Rodimus to tell them so over their shared comm-line. Rodimus begins a final speech, extolling the virtues of the wonderful, screwed-up family that the crew have become, and assuring them that they are ''good enough'', but it seems it may be too late. All across Functionist Cybertron, our heroes are worn down; [[Minimus Ambus]] is blasted out of the [[Magnus Armor]]... Swerve loses an arm, requiring Misfire to hold his Matrix with him... Whirl's legs are blown off... but little by little, as Rodimus's words hit home, the Matrices begin to glow in their hands and slowly start to open. Just then, however, Rodimus is hit with a blast that take off his left hand, requiring Megatron to take over opening his Matrix—but for all the great changes Megatron has made in his life, still the Matrix will not open for him. Out of time and options, Rodimus uses his remaining hand and his ''teeth'' to pull the Matrix open, and its energies join those of the other eleven, flooding through Cybertron, straight into Vector Sigma, obliterating the Functionist Council for good. The blast of life-energy radiates back outward from Vector Sigma, striking Luna 1 and igniting the long-dormant hot spot on its surface. Rodimus looks up at the moon, and sees, written among the light of the newborn sparks, a final message from the departed Rung: "DON'T FORGET ME."

In the aftermath of the victory, our heroes regroup, and Rodimus asks Fortress Maximus how his team even knew to come to the [[Benzene Cluster]] to aid them. Max explains that they were following instructions from ''Rodimus himself''; they have actually come from the near-future, following instructions that Rodimus is going to send to them shortly that directed them to use the Warren to travel back in time using the [[Mortilus|Necrobot]]'s cloak as a map, and crash Luna 1 into Primus's neck. Rodimus is a little confused, but happy it all worked out—whereupon Tailgate asks another question. Now that it ''has'' all worked out... now that they've finished their quest, recovered the ''Lost Light'', defeated the baddies, and ''saved the universe''... is this the end?

"Nah," Swerve pipes up. "Not quite."

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (2)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (4)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus]] (5)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (6)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (7)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (9)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (10)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (11)
*[[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]/[[Primus]] (13)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (14)
*[[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]] (19)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (20)
*[[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] (21)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (22)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]] (23)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (31)
*[[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] (33)
*[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (36)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (39)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] (15)
*[[Krok (G1)|Krok]] (34)
*[[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] (35)
*[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (38)
*[[Nickel]] (42)
*[[Fulcrum]] (43)

|h3=[[Functionist Council]]|c3=
*[[Five-of-Twelve]] (27)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (28)
*[[Three-of-Twelve]] (29)
*[[One-of-Twelve]] (30)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (44)
*[[Eleven-of-Twelve]] (45)
*[[Two-of-Twelve]] (46)

|c4=
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (3)
*[[Clicker]] (16)
*[[Beak]] (17)
*[[Outrigger]] (18)
*[[Anode]] (24)
*[[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] (25)
*[[Wipe-Out]] (26)
*[[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]] (32)
*Multiple [[Infinite]]s (37)
*Multiple [[Functionary|Functionaries]] (40)
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] (41)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faster, '''Crankcase!''' Get us '''clear!'''" 
"If 'get us clear' is a heroic way of saying 'let's run away,' can I just say I am '''all for that?'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Brainstorm'''

"I've done good things." 
"You done bad things, too." 
"Oh, God, loads."
:—'''Misfire''' and '''Krok''' discuss the former's potential for opening the Matrix

"We're '''Autobots.''' Being good's '''what we do.''' It's what '''sets us apart.'''" 
"I don't know if it's as simple as that any more—I don't know if it ever '''was.'''"
:—'''Thunderclash''' and '''Rodimus'''

"This is your co-captain speaking—and I've got a '''question.''' Have you ever wondered how we made it this far? I mean—we're not the '''smartest''' or the '''strongest''' or the '''bravest''' or the '''best.''' We don't have the '''most firepower''' or the '''largest army''' or the '''fastest ships.''' And God knows we're not '''natural bedfellows.''' I mean '''think about it'''—an archivist, a retired mnemosurgeon, a gunsmith, an archaeologist, a waste disposal expert, a quantum mechanic, a poet, a watchmaker, a barkeep... it shouldn't work—but it does. And it works because we've got '''one thing''' in common. '''Each other.''' Think of who's listening to this message and I bet you'll think of someone you '''respect.''' Someone whose judgement you '''trust.''' Someone who makes you '''laugh.''' Someone who makes you '''happy.''' Someone who makes you feel its okay to be exactly who you are. And I '''promise'''—in fact, I '''guarantee'''—that someone listening to this is thinking about '''you''' in exactly the same way. Okay, so you've made some '''bad decisions'''. You've '''hurt''' people. You've hurt '''yourself.''' You've stumbled through life from one '''self-inflicted disaster''' to the next without anything even '''approaching''' a plan. To which I say—'''welcome aboard.''' Maybe you're not good... but you're sure as hell '''good enough.'''"
:—'''Rodimus'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s final speech to the crew

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The idea that a blow to the back of the neck can trigger an involuntary transformation was introduced in [[Little Victories|''More than Meets the Eye'' #22]], when Swerve tried to do it to Rung (the ''real'' Primus, rather than the fake Primus it's used on here!).
*Rung remembers his first meeting with Skids, when the theoretician hauled him into the ceiling vents to escape the [[sparkeater (creature)|sparkeater]] back in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|''More than Meets the Eye'' #3]].
*Whirl calls Ultra Magnus "Chunky" again, a nickname he coined for him in [[The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|issue #18]].
*In addition to previously-established hot spots [[Rivets Field]] (first seen in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More than Meets the Eye'' #1]], first named in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|''More than Meets the Eye'' #21]]), [[Vespertine Blue]], [[Port Residua]] (both first named in [[Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|''Robots in Disguise'' #27]]) and [[Alyon]] (visited in [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|''More than Meets the Eye'' #36]]), Cybertron's other eight hot spots are established to be: the [[Pious Pools]], [[Warrior's Gate]], [[Mesmerica]] (three ancient features of Cybertron first mentioned in ''More than Meets the Eye'' #1), [[Nova Point]] (in the mines of which Megatron once worked, mentioned many times), and the never-previously-heard-of [[Automica]], [[Vauvaire]], [[Sansaw Sanserre]], and [[Eugenesis]] (see "Transformers references," below).
*Luna 1's hot spot has been dormant since briefly flaring to life back in [[Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|''More than Meets the Eye'' #17]]. At the time, the characters presumed that the flare-up was due to Rodimus (carrying half the Matrix within him) touching the moon's surface, but many eagle-eyed readers spotted that Rung touched down at the same moment Rodimus did, and though it is not directly addressed, it seems safe to conclude it was Rung's presence, rather than Rodimus's, that caused the hot spot to light up.
*Fortress Maximus and Red Alert recovered the Necrobot's cloak and discovered that its starmap-surface showed the Benzene Cluster back in [[Sardines|issue #13]].
*Luna 1 emerging and hitting Primus is a {{w|Causal loop|causal loop}}; it only happened because Rodimus saw it happen, and then caused it to happen via time travel shenanigans. This isn't the first time this has happened in the series. Back in [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|''More than Meets the Eye'' #38]], the Lost Light's quantum engines were upgraded in the past based on their specifications in the future.

===Transformers references===
*The hot spot "Eugenesis" shares its name with James Roberts's unofficial 2001 ''Transformers'' novel.

===Real-world references===
*It might just be coincidence, but the way Rodimus's crew-affirming speech pauses to list off simple descriptors of the crew ("an archivist, a retired mnemosurgeon, a gunsmith, an archaeologist, a waste disposal expert...") feels very evocative of the closing speech from the 1985 movie ''{{w|The Breakfast Club}}'', in which lead character John Bender does the same ("a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, a criminal..."). Bender was played by [[Judd Nelson]], the original voice of Rodimus in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', and Rodimus has been directly likened to him before (via his holomatter avatar in [[The One Where They Go to Earth|''More than Meets the Eye'' #43]]). Add that to the parallel between Rung's final message and the famous song that plays alongside Bender's speech—{{w|Simple Minds}}' "{{w|Don't You (Forget About Me)}}"—and it feels kinda deliberate.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDfAWuZP5go The Shepherd's Boy]" from the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' {{w|Doctor_Who:_Series_9_(soundtrack)|series 9 OST}}.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Minimus Ambus bursts out of the Magnus armor, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Rung is going to give someone ''such'' a finger-wagging, by [[Geoff Senior]] and [[Josh Burcham]]; an homage to Senior's cover for [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK]] [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|issue #113]], which was famously the first issue James Roberts read, and to which he has made [[113 (disambiguation)|many references]] over the last seven years.
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Roche's black and white lineart from Cover A
<gallery>
File:LL24 cvrA.jpg|
File:LL24 cvrB.jpg|
File:LL24 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Lost Light'' #25
*''Unicron'' #5
*''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]'' TPB
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee Movie Prequel|Bumblebee: From Cybertron with Love]]'' TPB
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee - Win If You Dare]]'' graphic novel
*''[[G.I. Joe (comic)|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]] vs. the Six Million Dollar Man'' TPB
*''G.I. Joe: Silent Option'' #1
*''Femme Manifique''
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*IDW ''Dick Tracy'' series

==External links==
*[https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL180823 Preview]

[[Category: Lost Light issues]]

Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers

2018-09-26T17:21:15Z

Guntrip: /* Notes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|The Transformers: Lost Light]]'' #24
|prev=Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering
|next=
|image=LL24_cvrA.jpg
|title="Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 26]], 2018
|coverdate=September 2018
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Brendan Cahill]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}
'''With twelve Matrices in hand, our heroes must embrace the best parts of themselves if they want to use them to stop the Functionist Council once and for all in the penultimate chapter of their adventure.'''

==Synopsis==
As the ''[[Lost Light]]'' makes straight for the Functionists' effigy of [[Primus]], darting between the giant robot's fingers, [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] hesitantly raises a question: they're planning to attack [[Vector Sigma]] by simultaneously unleashing the energies of twelve [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrices]] through the planet's twelve [[hot spot]]s... but aren't the connections between the hot spots and Vector Sigma severed thanks to the [[Functionist Council]] changing [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] into a robot mode? [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] realizes too late that they have made a huge mistake—but fortunately, a solution to their problem arrives a moment later when the [[Warren]] opens, and [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]] comes flying out. At [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]]'s instruction, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] flies the moon straight into the back of "Primus's" neck, triggering an involuntary transformation back to planet mode.

Concurrently, elsewhere on the ''Lost Light,'' [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] and [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] accompany [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] to his quarters. Rung bids them to wait outside—wistfully remarking that the couple are lucky to have each other, and that they must learn to forgive themselves—then enters his room and shuts the door. Aware of the consequences of what he is about to do, Rung deletes all his patient files, and take a moment to think back on his first meeting with the departed [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] one last time. Finally, he transforms into his alternate mode, the true function of which is finally revealed as it flares to life: it is a Matrix-maker. A little later, Rodimus opens the door to Rung's quarters to discover twelve Matrices... lying amidst the dust that is the remains of Rung's body, dissolved into inert [[living metal|sentio metallico]], the exertion having killed him.

Rodimus presents the Matrices to the rest of the crew, with some bad news: like the original, they are all sealed by the "[[morality lock]]" that means only those who are "pure of spirit" can open them. Even the spiritual [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] is at a bit of loss to explain exactly what that ''means,'' and the crew all start chiming in with their views on the relativity of "goodness." But there's no time for a debate; Rodimus distributes the Matrices, and each carrier is quickly flown to a hot spot on the surface of Functionist Cybertron by the [[Infinite]]s, along with some muscle to cover them. Tailgate goes to [[Rivets Field]] with [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]; [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] to [[Vespertine Blue]] with Drift, where they confess they both feel the same way about each other; [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] to [[Automica]] with [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]]; [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] to the [[Pious Pools]] with [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]]; [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] to [[Vauvaire]] with [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]], who joins hands with her; [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] to [[Sansaw Sanserre]] with [[Anode]] (with whom she shares a kiss and a declaration of love) and [[Wipe-Out]]; [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] to [[Warrior's Gate]] with [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]]; [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] to [[Port Residua]] with Chromedome and Rewind; [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] to [[Eugenesis]] with [[Krok (G1)|Krok]]; [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] to [[Alyon]] with [[Nickel]] and [[Fulcrum]]; [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to [[Mesmerica]] with [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]; and lastly, Rodimus to [[Nova Point]] with [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]].

Unfortunately, as the [[Functionary]] armies of the Functionist Council descend and chaos erupts, none of the Matrix-carriers are able to open their Matrix. Rodimus is at a loss; he ''knows'' his crew are good people, but Megatron explains that the ''crew themselves'' don't truly believe that, and urges Rodimus to tell them so over their shared comm-line. Rodimus begins a final speech, extolling the virtues of the wonderful, screwed-up family that the crew have become, and assuring them that they are ''good enough'', but it seems it may be too late. All across Functionist Cybertron, our heroes are worn down; [[Minimus Ambus]] is blasted out of the [[Magnus Armor]]... Swerve loses an arm, requiring Misfire to hold his Matrix with him... Whirl's legs are blown off... but little by little, as Rodimus's words hit home, the Matrices begin to glow in their hands and slowly start to open. Just then, however, Rodimus is hit with a blast that take off his left hand, requiring Megatron to take over opening his Matrix—but for all the great changes Megatron has made in his life, still the Matrix will not open for him. Out of time and options, Rodimus uses his remaining hand and his ''teeth'' to pull the Matrix open, and its energies join those of the other eleven, flooding through Cybertron, straight into Vector Sigma, obliterating the Functionist Council for good. The blast of life-energy radiates back outward from Vector Sigma, striking Luna 1 and igniting the long-dormant hot spot on its surface. Rodimus looks up at the moon, and sees, written among the light of the newborn sparks, a final message from the departed Rung: "DON'T FORGET ME."

In the aftermath of the victory, our heroes regroup, and Rodimus asks Fortress Maximus how his team even knew to come to the [[Benzene Cluster]] to aid them. Max explains that they were following instructions from ''Rodimus himself''; they have actually come from the near-future, following instructions that Rodimus is going to send to them shortly that directed them to use the Warren to travel back in time using the [[Mortilus|Necrobot]]'s cloak as a map, and crash Luna 1 into Primus's neck. Rodimus is a little confused, but happy it all worked out—whereupon Tailgate asks another question. Now that it ''has'' all worked out... now that they've finished their quest, recovered the ''Lost Light'', defeated the baddies, and ''saved the universe''... is this the end?

"Nah," Swerve pipes up. "Not quite."

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (2)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (4)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus]] (5)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (6)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (7)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (9)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (10)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (11)
*[[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]/[[Primus]] (13)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (14)
*[[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]] (19)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (20)
*[[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] (21)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (22)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]] (23)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (31)
*[[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] (33)
*[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (36)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (39)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] (15)
*[[Krok (G1)|Krok]] (34)
*[[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] (35)
*[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (38)
*[[Nickel]] (42)
*[[Fulcrum]] (43)

|h3=[[Functionist Council]]|c3=
*[[Five-of-Twelve]] (27)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (28)
*[[Three-of-Twelve]] (29)
*[[One-of-Twelve]] (30)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (44)
*[[Eleven-of-Twelve]] (45)
*[[Two-of-Twelve]] (46)

|c4=
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (3)
*[[Clicker]] (16)
*[[Beak]] (17)
*[[Outrigger]] (18)
*[[Anode]] (24)
*[[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] (25)
*[[Wipe-Out]] (26)
*[[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]] (32)
*Multiple [[Infinite]]s (37)
*Multiple [[Functionary|Functionaries]] (40)
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] (41)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faster, '''Crankcase!''' Get us '''clear!'''" 
"If 'get us clear' is a heroic way of saying 'let's run away,' can I just say I am '''all for that?'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Brainstorm'''

"I've done good things." 
"You done bad things, too." 
"Oh, God, loads."
:—'''Misfire''' and '''Krok''' discuss the former's potential for opening the Matrix

"We're '''Autobots.''' Being good's '''what we do.''' It's what '''sets us apart.'''" 
"I don't know if it's as simple as that any more—I don't know if it ever '''was.'''"
:—'''Thunderclash''' and '''Rodimus'''

"This is your co-captain speaking—and I've got a '''question.''' Have you ever wondered how we made it this far? I mean—we're not the '''smartest''' or the '''strongest''' or the '''bravest''' or the '''best.''' We don't have the '''most firepower''' or the '''largest army''' or the '''fastest ships.''' And God knows we're not '''natural bedfellows.''' I mean '''think about it'''—an archivist, a retired mnemosurgeon, a gunsmith, an archaeologist, a waste disposal expert, a quantum mechanic, a poet, a watchmaker, a barkeep... it shouldn't work—but it does. And it works because we've got '''one thing''' in common. '''Each other.''' Think of who's listening to this message and I bet you'll think of someone you '''respect.''' Someone whose judgement you '''trust.''' Someone who makes you '''laugh.''' Someone who makes you '''happy.''' Someone who makes you feel its okay to be exactly who you are. And I '''promise'''—in fact, I '''guarantee'''—that someone listening to this is thinking about '''you''' in exactly the same way. Okay, so you've made some '''bad decisions'''. You've '''hurt''' people. You've hurt '''yourself.''' You've stumbled through life from one '''self-inflicted disaster''' to the next without anything even '''approaching''' a plan. To which I say—'''welcome aboard.''' Maybe you're not good... but you're sure as hell '''good enough.'''"
:—'''Rodimus'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s final speech to the crew

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The idea that a blow to the back of the neck can trigger an involuntary transformation was introduced in [[Little Victories|''More than Meets the Eye'' #22]], when Swerve tried to do it to Rung (the ''real'' Primus, rather than the fake Primus it's used on here!).
*Rung remembers his first meeting with Skids, when the theoretician hauled him into the ceiling vents to escape the [[sparkeater (creature)|sparkeater]] back in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|''More than Meets the Eye'' #3]].
*Whirl calls Ultra Magnus "Chunky" again, a nickname he coined for him in [[The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|issue #18]].
*In addition to previously-established hot spots [[Rivets Field]] (first seen in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More than Meets the Eye'' #1]], first named in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|''More than Meets the Eye'' #21]]), [[Vespertine Blue]], [[Port Residua]] (both first named in [[Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|''Robots in Disguise'' #27]]) and [[Alyon]] (visited in [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|''More than Meets the Eye'' #36]]), Cybertron's other eight hot spots are established to be: the [[Pious Pools]], [[Warrior's Gate]], [[Mesmerica]] (three ancient features of Cybertron first mentioned in ''More than Meets the Eye'' #1), [[Nova Point]] (in the mines of which Megatron once worked, mentioned many times), and the never-previously-heard-of [[Automica]], [[Vauvaire]], [[Sansaw Sanserre]], and [[Eugenesis]] (see "Transformers references," below).
*Luna 1's hot spot has been dormant since briefly flaring to life back in [[Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|''More than Meets the Eye'' #17]]. At the time, the characters presumed that the flare-up was due to Rodimus (carrying half the Matrix within him) touching the moon's surface, but many eagle-eyed readers spotted that Rung touched down at the same moment Rodimus did, and though it is not directly addressed, it seems safe to conclude it was Rung's presence, rather than Rodimus's, that caused the hot spot to light up.
*Fortress Maximus and Red Alert recovered the Necrobot's cloak and discovered that its starmap-surface showed the Benzene Cluster back in [[Sardines|issue #13]].
*Luna 1 emerging and hitting Primus is a {{w|Causal loop|causal loop}}; it only happened because Rodimus saw it happen, and then caused it to happen via time travel shenanigans. This isn't the first time this has happened in the series. Back in [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|''More than Meets the Eye'' #38]] the Lost Light's quantum engines were upgraded in the past based on their specifications in the future.

===Transformers references===
*The hot spot "Eugenesis" shares its name with James Roberts's unofficial 2001 ''Transformers'' novel.

===Real-world references===
*It might just be coincidence, but the way Rodimus's crew-affirming speech pauses to list off simple descriptors of the crew ("an archivist, a retired mnemosurgeon, a gunsmith, an archaeologist, a waste disposal expert...") feels very evocative of the closing speech from the 1985 movie ''{{w|The Breakfast Club}}'', in which lead character John Bender does the same ("a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, a criminal..."). Bender was played by [[Judd Nelson]], the original voice of Rodimus in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', and Rodimus has been directly likened to him before (via his holomatter avatar in [[The One Where They Go to Earth|''More than Meets the Eye'' #43]]). Add that to the parallel between Rung's final message and the famous song that plays alongside Bender's speech—{{w|Simple Minds}}' "{{w|Don't You (Forget About Me)}}"—and it feels kinda deliberate.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDfAWuZP5go The Shepherd's Boy]" from the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' {{w|Doctor_Who:_Series_9_(soundtrack)|series 9 OST}}.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Minimus Ambus bursts out of the Magnus armor, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Rung is going to give someone ''such'' a finger-wagging, by [[Geoff Senior]] and [[Josh Burcham]]; an homage to Senior's cover for [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK]] [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|issue #113]], which was famously the first issue James Roberts read, and to which he has made [[113 (disambiguation)|many references]] over the last seven years.
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Roche's black and white lineart from Cover A
<gallery>
File:LL24 cvrA.jpg|
File:LL24 cvrB.jpg|
File:LL24 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Lost Light'' #25
*''Unicron'' #5
*''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]'' TPB
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee Movie Prequel|Bumblebee: From Cybertron with Love]]'' TPB
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee - Win If You Dare]]'' graphic novel
*''[[G.I. Joe (comic)|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]] vs. the Six Million Dollar Man'' TPB
*''G.I. Joe: Silent Option'' #1
*''Femme Manifique''
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*IDW ''Dick Tracy'' series

==External links==
*[https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL180823 Preview]

[[Category: Lost Light issues]]

Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers

2018-09-26T17:01:58Z

Guntrip:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|The Transformers: Lost Light]]'' #24
|prev=Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering
|next=
|image=LL24_cvrA.jpg
|title="Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 26]], 2018
|coverdate=September 2018
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Brendan Cahill]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}
'''With twelve Matrices in hand, our heroes must embrace the best parts of themselves if they want to use them to stop the Functionist Council once and for all in the penultimate chapter of their adventure.'''

==Synopsis==
As the ''[[Lost Light]]'' makes straight for the Functionists' effigy of [[Primus]], darting between the giant robot's fingers, [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] hesitantly raises a question: they're planning to attack [[Vector Sigma]] by simultaneously unleashing the energies of twelve [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrices]] through the planet's twelve [[hot spot]]s... but aren't the connections between the hot spots and Vector Sigma severed thanks to the [[Functionist Council]] changing [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] into a robot mode? [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] realizes too late that they have made a huge mistake—but fortunately, a solution to their problem arrives a moment later when the [[Warren]] opens, and [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]] comes flying out. At [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]]'s instruction, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] flies the moon straight into the back of "Primus's" neck, triggering an involuntary transformation back to planet mode.

Concurrently, elsewhere on the ''Lost Light,'' [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] and [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] accompany [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] to his quarters. Rung bids them to wait outside—wistfully remarking that the couple are lucky to have each other, and that they must learn to forgive themselves—then enters his room and shuts the door. Aware of the consequences of what he is about to do, Rung deletes all his patient files, and take a moment to think back on his first meeting with the departed [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] one last time. Finally, he transforms into his alternate mode, the true function of which is finally revealed as it flares to life: it is a Matrix-maker. A little later, Rodimus opens the door to Rung's quarters to discover twelve Matrices... lying amidst the dust that is the remains of Rung's body, dissolved into inert [[living metal|sentio metallico]], the exertion having killed him.

Rodimus presents the Matrices to the rest of the crew, with some bad news: like the original, they are all sealed by the "[[morality lock]]" that means only those who are "pure of spirit" can open them. Even the spiritual [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] is at a bit of loss to explain exactly what that ''means,'' and the crew all start chiming in with their views on the relativity of "goodness." But there's no time for a debate; Rodimus distributes the Matrices, and each carrier is quickly flown to a hot spot on the surface of Functionist Cybertron by the [[Infinite]]s, along with some muscle to cover them. Tailgate goes to [[Rivets Field]] with [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]; [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] to [[Vespertine Blue]] with Drift, where they confess they both feel the same way about each other; [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] to [[Automica]] with [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]]; [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] to the [[Pious Pools]] with [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]]; [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] to [[Vauvaire]] with [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]], who joins hands with her; [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] to [[Sansaw Sanserre]] with [[Anode]] (with whom she shares a kiss and a declaration of love) and [[Wipe-Out]]; [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] to [[Warrior's Gate]] with [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]]; [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] to [[Port Residua]] with Chromedome and Rewind; [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] to [[Eugenesis]] with [[Krok (G1)|Krok]]; [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] to [[Alyon]] with [[Nickel]] and [[Fulcrum]]; [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to [[Mesmerica]] with [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]; and lastly, Rodimus to [[Nova Point]] with [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]].

Unfortunately, as the [[Functionary]] armies of the Functionist Council descend and chaos erupts, none of the Matrix-carriers are able to open their Matrix. Rodimus is at a loss; he ''knows'' his crew are good people, but Megatron explains that the ''crew themselves'' don't truly believe that, and urges Rodimus to tell them so over their shared comm-line. Rodimus begins a final speech, extolling the virtues of the wonderful, screwed-up family that the crew have become, and assuring them that they are ''good enough'', but it seems it may be too late. All across Functionist Cybertron, our heroes are worn down; [[Minimus Ambus]] is blasted out of the [[Magnus Armor]]... Swerve loses an arm, requiring Misfire to hold his Matrix with him... Whirl's legs are blown off... but little by little, as Rodimus's words hit home, the Matrices begin to glow in their hands and slowly start to open. Just then, however, Rodimus is hit with a blast that take off his left hand, requiring Megatron to take over opening his Matrix—but for all the great changes Megatron has made in his life, still the Matrix will not open for him. Out of time and options, Rodimus uses his remaining hand and his ''teeth'' to pull the Matrix open, and its energies join those of the other eleven, flooding through Cybertron, straight into Vector Sigma, obliterating the Functionist Council for good. The blast of life-energy radiates back outward from Vector Sigma, striking Luna 1 and igniting the long-dormant hot spot on its surface. Rodimus looks up at the moon, and sees, written among the light of the newborn sparks, a final message from the departed Rung: "DON'T FORGET ME."

In the aftermath of the victory, our heroes regroup, and Rodimus asks Fortress Maximus how he even knew to come to the [[Benzene Cluster]] to aid them. Max explains that he was following instructions from ''Rodimus himself''; shortly, Rodimus is going to send a message to them, directing Max to use the [[Mortilus|Necrobot]]'s cloak as a map to Benzene, and telling them that the Warren will allow them travel ''back in time'', and to crash Luna 1 into Primus's neck. Rodimus is a little confused, but happy it all worked out—whereupon Tailgate asks another question. Now that it ''has'' all worked out... now that they've finished their quest, recovered the ''Lost Light'', defeated the baddies, and ''saved the universe''... is this the end?

"Nah," Swerve pipes up. "Not quite."

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (2)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (4)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus]] (5)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (6)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (7)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (9)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (10)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (11)
*[[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]/[[Primus]] (13)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (14)
*[[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]] (19)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (20)
*[[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] (21)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (22)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]] (23)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (31)
*[[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] (33)
*[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (36)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (39)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] (15)
*[[Krok (G1)|Krok]] (34)
*[[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] (35)
*[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (38)
*[[Nickel]] (42)
*[[Fulcrum]] (43)

|h3=[[Functionist Council]]|c3=
*[[Five-of-Twelve]] (27)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (28)
*[[Three-of-Twelve]] (29)
*[[One-of-Twelve]] (30)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (44)
*[[Eleven-of-Twelve]] (45)
*[[Two-of-Twelve]] (46)

|c4=
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (3)
*[[Clicker]] (16)
*[[Beak]] (17)
*[[Outrigger]] (18)
*[[Anode]] (24)
*[[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] (25)
*[[Wipe-Out]] (26)
*[[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]] (32)
*Multiple [[Infinite]]s (37)
*Multiple [[Functionary|Functionaries]] (40)
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] (41)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faster, '''Crankcase!''' Get us '''clear!'''" 
"If 'get us clear' is a heroic way of saying 'let's run away,' can I just say I am '''all for that?'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Brainstorm'''

"I've done good things." 
"You done bad things, too." 
"Oh, God, loads."
:—'''Misfire''' and '''Krok''' discuss the former's potential for opening the Matrix

"We're '''Autobots.''' Being good's '''what we do.''' It's what '''sets us apart.'''" 
"I don't know if it's as simple as that any more—I don't know if it ever '''was.'''"
:—'''Thunderclash''' and '''Rodimus'''

"This is your co-captain speaking—and I've got a '''question.''' Have you ever wondered how we made it this far? I mean—we're not the '''smartest''' or the '''strongest''' or the '''bravest''' or the '''best.''' We don't have the '''most firepower''' or the '''largest army''' or the '''fastest ships.''' And God knows we're not '''natural bedfellows.''' I mean '''think about it'''—an archivist, a retired mnemosurgeon, a gunsmith, an archaeologist, a waste disposal expert, a quantum mechanic, a poet, a watchmaker, a barkeep... it shouldn't work—but it does. And it works because we've got '''one thing''' in common. '''Each other.''' Think of who's listening to this message and I bet you'll think of someone you '''respect.''' Someone whose judgement you '''trust.''' Someone who makes you '''laugh.''' Someone who makes you '''happy.''' Someone who makes you feel its okay to be exactly who you are. And I '''promise'''—in fact, I '''guarantee'''—that someone listening to this is thinking about '''you''' in exactly the same way. Okay, so you've made some '''bad decisions'''. You've '''hurt''' people. You've hurt '''yourself.''' You've stumbled through life from one '''self-inflicted disaster''' to the next without anything even '''approaching''' a plan. To which I say—'''welcome aboard.''' Maybe you're not good... but you're sure as hell '''good enough.'''"
:—'''Rodimus'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s final speech to the crew

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The idea that a blow to the back of the neck can trigger an involuntary transformation was introduced in [[Little Victories|''More than Meets the Eye'' #22]], when Swerve tried to do it to Rung (the ''real'' Primus, rather than the fake Primus it's used on here!).
*Rung remembers his first meeting with Skids, when the theoretician hauled him into the ceiling vents to escape the [[sparkeater (creature)|sparkeater]] back in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|''More than Meets the Eye'' #3]].
*Whirl calls Ultra Magnus "Chunky" again, a nickname he coined for him in [[The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|issue #18]].
*In addition to previously-established hot spots [[Rivets Field]] (first seen in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More than Meets the Eye'' #1]], first named in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|''More than Meets the Eye'' #21]]), [[Vespertine Blue]], [[Port Residua]] (both first named in [[Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|''Robots in Disguise'' #27]]) and [[Alyon]] (visited in [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|''More than Meets the Eye'' #36]]), Cybertron's other eight hot spots are established to be: the [[Pious Pools]], [[Warrior's Gate]], [[Mesmerica]] (three ancient features of Cybertron first mentioned in ''More than Meets the Eye'' #1), [[Nova Point]] (in the mines of which Megatron once worked, mentioned many times), and the never-previously-heard-of [[Automica]], [[Vauvaire]], [[Sansaw Sanserre]], and [[Eugenesis]] (see "Transformers references," below).
*Luna 1's hot spot has been dormant since briefly flaring to life back in [[Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|''More than Meets the Eye'' #17]]. At the time, the characters presumed that the flare-up was due to Rodimus (carrying half the Matrix within him) touching the moon's surface, but many eagle-eyed readers spotted that Rung touched down at the same moment Rodimus did, and though it is not directly addressed, it seems safe to conclude it was Rung's presence, rather than Rodimus's, that caused the hot spot to light up.
*Fortress Maximus and Red Alert recovered the Necrobot's cloak and discovered that its starmap-surface showed the Benzene Cluster back in [[Sardines|issue #13]].

===Transformers references===
*The hot spot "Eugenesis" shares its name with James Roberts's unofficial 2001 ''Transformers'' novel.

===Real-world references===
*It might just be coincidence, but the way Rodimus's crew-affirming speech pauses to list off simple descriptors of the crew ("an archivist, a retired mnemosurgeon, a gunsmith, an archaeologist, a waste disposal expert...") feels very evocative of the closing speech from the 1985 movie ''{{w|The Breakfast Club}}'', in which lead character John Bender does the same ("a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, a criminal..."). Bender was played by [[Judd Nelson]], the original voice of Rodimus in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', and Rodimus has been directly likened to him before (via his holomatter avatar in [[The One Where They Go to Earth|''More than Meets the Eye'' #43]]). Add that to the parallel between Rung's final message and the famous song that plays alongside Bender's speech—{{w|Simple Minds}}' "{{w|Don't You (Forget About Me)}}"—and it feels kinda deliberate.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDfAWuZP5go The Shepherd's Boy]" from the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' {{w|Doctor_Who:_Series_9_(soundtrack)|series 9 OST}}.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Minimus Ambus bursts out of the Magnus armor, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Rung is going to give someone ''such'' a finger-wagging, by [[Geoff Senior]] and [[Josh Burcham]]; an homage to Senior's cover for [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK]] [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|issue #113]], which was famously the first issue James Roberts read, and to which he has made [[113 (disambiguation)|many references]] over the last seven years.
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Roche's black and white lineart from Cover A
<gallery>
File:LL24 cvrA.jpg|
File:LL24 cvrB.jpg|
File:LL24 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Lost Light'' #25
*''Unicron'' #5
*''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]'' TPB
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee Movie Prequel|Bumblebee: From Cybertron with Love]]'' TPB
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee - Win If You Dare]]'' graphic novel
*''[[G.I. Joe (comic)|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]] vs. the Six Million Dollar Man'' TPB
*''G.I. Joe: Silent Option'' #1
*''Femme Manifique''
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*IDW ''Dick Tracy'' series

==External links==
*[https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL180823 Preview]

[[Category: Lost Light issues]]

Starscream: The Movie (comic)

2018-03-01T20:37:27Z

Guntrip: /* Continuity notes */

{{disambig2|the comic book|the in-fiction film it covers|Starscream: The Movie (film)}}

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' Annual 2018
|prev=The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)
|next=The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes
|image=OPAnnual2018_cvrA.jpg
|caption=
|title=Thundercracker in: "Starscream: The Movie"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 28]], 2018
|coverdate=February 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Priscilla Tramontano]] (pg. 1-12, 15-35, 38-40), [[Andrew Griffith]] (pg. 13-14, 36-37)
|colors by=[[John-Paul Bove]] (Tramontano pages), [[Josh Burcham]] (Griffith pages)
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''Thundercracker's dream comes true when Starscream hires him to make a movie about his life.'''

==Synopsis==
From the top of his tower, [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] sneers down at the sight of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] meeting with a crowd of supporters in the streets below. On screens behind him, the the classic film ''[[The Birth of Cybertron]]'' plays; Starscream is rewatching this story of the foundation of Cybertronian civilization in hopes of picking up some decent empire-building tips and tricks. [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] doubts it will help much, but he is proven wrong when Starscream suddenly has an unexpected brainwave...

At the [[Trypticon (G1)|Earth embassy on Cybertron]], Thundercracker is working on the screenplay to his biopic about [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] operative [[Chuckles]]. Ambassador [[Marissa Faireborn]] is too busy with paperwork to have time to answer his questions about human biology, but paperwork has to take a back seat when someone starts knocking loudly on the door. Starscream sweeps in, drinks in hand, but he's not here to see Marissa—he's here with a job offer for Thundercracker. He wants him to make a film about his life!

Thrilled at the prospect, Thundercracker quickly assembles a production team: [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] builds the sets, [[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]] handles cinematography, while [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] handles "make-up," painting lead actor [[Acid Storm]] grey so he can play Starscream. Unfortunately, there are script problems almost immediately; the uncharacteristically heroic-sounding accounts Starscream relates of adventures from his past—how he rescued [[Scrounge (G1)|a helpless 'bot]] from brutal Autobot thugs, his first meeting with Thundercracker and [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], and how he watched with remorse as [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] destroyed [[Air Force One]] during the Decepticons' [[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|Earth invasion]]—ring false to Thundercracker, so he decides to talk with other 'bots to gather more reference, so he can write a more accurate screenplay.

First, he meets with ex-[[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] at [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]], who hasn't trusted Starscream ever since [[All Hail Megatron issue 7|that time]] they captured the Autobots and sent them through the [[space bridge]] to [[Insecticon swarm|Insecticon]]-infested Cybertron, when Starscream suggested Dirge go through the bridge first instead of him—a change in places that led to Dirge being stranded on the planet. Next, Thundercracker heads to G.I. Joe base ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Lemuria]]'' on [[Earth]] for a long-overdue reunion with [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], with whom he is willing to bury the hatchet, despite Skywarp shooting him [[All Hail Megatron issue 12|the last time they saw each other]]. Skywarp remembers how he and Thundercracker ''actually'' met Starscream; they were both underappreciated students at the [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology]] when he turned up to recruit them. Soon after, he suggested the pair rebuild themselves to look like him, after which they joined the Decepticons; a move that, today, Skywarp reckons was purely to cause confusion over his own identity so he could hide from defrauded taxpayers.

Armed with this new knowledge, Thundercracker decides to question Starscream on what being a Decepticon really meant to him. Starscream declares that for him, being a Decepticon meant having his greatness be ''ignored'', until [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] appeared and declared him the "Chosen One," finally meaning everyone had to listen to him. Hoping to gain more insight on Metrotitan and his prophecy, Thundercracker consults [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], who expresses doubt that the prophecy was anything more than a damaged 'bot telling a random story. Still, Trion notes, stories have power, and a ''real'' storyteller uses that power to present ''truths,'' instead of exploiting it to spread lies.

Inspired by Trion's words, Thundercracker's desire to make his movie all about the "truth" turns him into a bit of a dictator on-set, with the cast (now including [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] as [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]!) and crew growing more and more frustrated. Thundercracker visits Marissa to talk through his problems: he wants to tell a true story, but it's obvious that Starscream won't want his ''actual personality'' accurately portrayed on-screen. Thundercracker really wants to make the film, hoping for it to be his big break into Hollywood... but if he can't tell the story ''truthfully'', is he just selling out? Marissa sighs and calls for her assistant [[Rashid Nasir]] to fetch her the phone number of a man who can help: former superhero and current actor, [[Bulletman|Richard "Bulletman" Ruby]].

On Earth, Thundercracker screens a completed portion of his film—showing Starscream meeting with Megatron [[The Verge|shortly after his return from the planet's wilderness]]—for Ruby, who judges it to be too heavy on "talking heads" and "historical stuff," suggesting that what human audiences want out of a movie about giant robots is explosions and excitement. Thundercracker initially scoffs at the the notion, remembering all the old message board arguments that sprang up over changes made to his favorite sitcom ''[[Nurse Whitney]]'' and how they seemed to prove people don't know ''what'' they want. Still, that show inspired inspired Thundercracker onto his current path, and ''that'', he concludes, is what people really want: to be inspired!

Fueled by his new revelation, Thundercracker re-writes the movie's script again, which is the last straw for Acid Storm, who quits the production. Encouraged by [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]], Thundercracker decides to play the lead role himself... but as soon as he has made the decision, [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] arrives on set to announce that Starscream has been arrested and impeached following [[The Chosen One|a confession of all his crimes at the electoral debate]]. Thundercracker is not dissuaded, however—it'll make for a fantastic ending!

Thundercracker completes the film, managing to portray Starscream's rise and fall fairly accurately, "warts and all." He visits the incarcerated Starscream in his cell to show him the finished product; Starscream puts on a brave face, dubbing it "delightful but irrelevant," and pointing out that he no longer has any need for it, now that he's in prison. He urges Thundercracker to forget the whole thing, but Thundercracker is determined to see the film released... and Starscream just can't have that. Starscream requests that prison guard [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] deliver a message to a "friend" for him—a message that instructs two [[Badgeless]] officers to intercept Thundercracker as he takes the space bridge back to Earth, redirecting the bridge to the dead colony of [[Prion]], where they intend to kill him to prevent the film from getting out. Unfortunately for them, just because he's become an artist doesn't mean Thundercracker's lost any of his elite Seeker skills: he kills his two attackers in a matter of seconds.

Continuing on to [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] on Earth, Thundercracker is given a message from Richard Ruby by [[Aileron]]. Visiting Ruby at his office, Thundercracker is dismayed to learn that, while he was making ''his'' film, [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] were making an action movie of their own, which has already been released! Worse yet, it completely bombed, souring audiences on "Cybertronian cinema." Thundercracker's film winds up getting dumped on some obscure direct-to-digital-distribution platform, and the ex-Decepticon is left dejected, thinking himself a failure who has been kidding himself about his new direction in life. He returns to Cybertron to share his woes with Marissa, but while visiting the embassy, he receives a phone call from ''[[Space Battle]]'' director [[J.J. Hackensack]]. Hackensack has watched Thundercracker's film, and he sees potential in it. He invites Thundercracker to go into business on a new movie with him, and Thundercracker gleefully accepts.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic'' text appear only in flashbacks or imaginary sequences. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*''[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'' (13)
*''[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]'' (14)
*''[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]]'' (15)
*''[[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]'' (16)
*[[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]] (20)
*''[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]]'' (25)
*''[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'' (26)
*''[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]]'' (27)
*''[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (28)
*''[[Mirage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Mirage]]'' (29)
*''[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'' (30)
*''[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]'' (31)
*''[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]]'' (32)
*''[[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]]'' (33)
*[[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] (38)
*[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] (39)
*[[Aileron]]/"[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]]" (54)
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (55)

|c2=
*[[Acid Storm]] (18)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (19)
*''[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'' (21)
*''[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]'' (23)
*''[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'' (24)
*''[[Viewfinder]]'' (34)
*''[[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]]'' (35)
*[[Swift (G1)|Swift]] (44)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (45)
*''[[Apeface]]'' (46)
*''[[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]]'' (47)
*''[[Battletrap]]'' (48)
*''[[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]'' (49)
*''[[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]]'' (50)
*''[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]]'' (51)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (52)
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]/"[[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]]" (53)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (58)
*[[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] (59)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (60)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (61)

|c3=
*''[[Chuckles]]'' (6)
*''[[Cobra Commander]]'' (7)
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (9)
*[[Rashid Nasir]] (11)
*[[Baker]] (12)
*[[Sanjay Bharwaney|Hi-Tech]] (37)
*[[Bulletman|Richard Ruby]] (43)
*[[J.J. Hackensack]] (62)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (2)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (3)
*"[[Onyx Prime]]" actor (4)
*"[[Prima]]" actor (5)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (8)
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (10)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] (17)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (22)
*''[[Insecticon swarm]]'' (36)
*[[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] (40)
*[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]] (41)
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (42)
*Two [[Badgeless]] (56-57)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==
"Hey, '''Marissa'''. How come '''humans''' don't grow to '''giant size''' when they get hit by '''nuclear explosions,''' you know, the way '''ants''' and '''lizards''' do?"
:—'''Thundercracker''' mixes reality and fantasy

"The '''paint''' will come off, right? I don't want to go out on the '''streets''' looking like this. I'm a '''green guy'''—that's like literally my '''whole thing.'''"
:—'''Acid Storm''' isn't wrong

"Last time I saw you, you shot me in the face." 
"Eh. You deserved it."
:—'''Thundercracker''' and '''Skywarp''' reunite

"As for the so-called '''Dark Cybertron prophecy'''... tales repeat, and we see ourselves in them. You are a '''storyteller''', are you not? One must consider '''all''' the pieces of the story one tells. Every '''small element''' has meaning. Every fragment creates '''worlds'''. Starscream realizes this, and uses narrative to his '''advantage.''' A '''real''' storyteller uses the power of '''myth''' to present '''truths.'''"
:—'''Alpha Trion''' on the power of stories

"I really '''love''' the '''big dinosaur''' you moved into. It's classy."
:—'''Thundercracker''' on Trypticon's use as the Earth embassy

"<nowiki>'</nowiki>'''You're''' what made me what I am, Megatron. The whole time I was a '''Seeker''', what I was '''really''' seeking—was your love..'" 
... 
"People don't '''talk''' like that."
:—'''Acid Storm''' critiques Thundercracker's work

'''Thundercracker:''' "Where on '''Cybertron''' will we find somebody that knows all the '''lines''', understands the '''material''', and is the correct '''shape''' to play Starscream?" 
'''Buster:''' "'''ARF!'''" 
'''Thundercracker:''' "No, I could '''never...''' well, I suppose I '''could.''' In fact, I guess I'm the '''only''' choice that makes sense. Should we '''paint''' me?" 
'''Proxima:''' "How about I just '''digitally''' change your '''color''' in post-production?" 
'''Acid Storm:''' "'''What?!''' I spent every day getting painted and '''now''' you bring that up?!" 
'''Thundercracker:''' "You already '''quit''', Acid Storm! '''Go home!'''"

"This will be the next '''''Birth of Cybertron''''', except, you know, not '''hella-racist.'''"
:—'''Thundercracker''' on his finished movie

"Two guys try to '''kill''' me, and I take them down in '''seconds.''' Meanwhile, the '''king of the world''' gives me resources to make a '''movie''', and I can't even tell you how to '''watch''' it. I think you need a '''video game console''' or a '''subscription''' to something."
:—'''Thundercracker''' laments

"You must a '''hot ticket''' over there—a real '''triple threat.'''" 
"You're thinking of my friend '''[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]].'''"
:—'''J.J. Hackensack''' and '''Thundercracker'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Though released on the same day as [[The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|''Optimus Prime'' #16]], the events of this story take place between [[The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|issue #14]] and [[The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|issue #15]], running parallel with [[The Chosen One|the 2017 ''Till All Are One'' annual]], in which Starscream's confession and incarceration take place.
*The movie Starscream watches, "[[The Birth of Cybertron]]," was previously mentioned in [[New Cybertron Part 4: Dance Among the Shadows|issue #4]].
*Thundercracker's been working on his Chuckles biopic since learning about him from [[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]] in [[New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|issue #3]]. Here, we see an imaginary sequence based on a portion of the screenplay, which is Thundercracker's re-imagining of the events that took place in 2011's {{i|King Cobra (issue)|''Cobra II'' #13}}, when Chuckles killed himself blowing up Cobra's {{w|Section Twenty}} island base with their own nuclear missiles. Thundercracker's pretty off-base when he says that the way he's written it must be just how it happened in real life; rather than a dramatic face-off with Cobra Commander, Chuckles was with [[Tomax and Xamot|Xamot Paoli]] at the time, having already killed Cobra Commander with a headshot. Also, the missiles weren't Cobra weapons aimed at the world; they were the payload of a docked Cobra submarine that Chuckles used to blow the island up without any greater world-saving objective.
*Additionally, how they look in this sequence isn't how the characters looked in "real life"—but then, it's not as if Thundercracker has any way of knowing this. Chuckles sports the trademark Hawaiian shirt of his classic ''G.I. Joe'' appearance and seems to be modeled on the {{i|Howard Chaykin}} {{i|File:Cobra 1 cover Chuckles.jpg|cover art}} of the ''Cobra'' series rather than how he looked in the {{i|Antonio Fuso}} {{i|File:Cobra 3 chuckles shoots jinx.jpg|interiors}}; Cobra Commander, meanwhile is wearing the uniform of his ''successor'', {{i|Krake}}. Of course, Krake was the only Commander known to the world at large, so it makes sense that's how Thundercracker would picture him.
*Rashid Nasir used to work at the White House; we met him when [[Dire Wraith]]s attacked it, as seen in [[Thundercracker & Buster Save the World|''The Transformers: Revolution'' one-shot]], the events of which Thundercracker refers to in this issue.
*[[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]] is a [[Caminus|Camien]] introduced in [[The Sensuous Frame|''More than Meets the Eye'' #41]]-[[The Frail Gaze|42]]. When last we saw her aboard the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'', the ship was returning to Caminus; presumably it did, and she then came to Cybertron via the [[space bridge]].
*One of the imaginary sequences Starscream dictate to Thundercracker retells the events of [[All Hail Megatron issue 3|''All Hail Megatron'' #3]], in which Air Force One was shot down. In the ''actual'' story, it was ''Starscream'' who shot the plane down, not Megatron, as in his retelling!
*Dirge recalls the events of [[All Hail Megatron issue 7|''All Hail Megatron'' #7]], when he and [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] were stranded on Cybertron with the Autobots and let at the mercy of the Insecticon swarm. He previously recounted how he escaped the beasts back in [[Stick Together|''Robots in Disguise'' #3]].
*Hi-Tech is sad to hear Thundercracker has given up on his "[[Susan Journeyer]]" screenplay, proving that he wasn't just humoring Thundercracker back in [[The Nothing Man|''The Transformers'' #45]] when he was attentively listening as he read it out—he really did like it!
*Skywarp and Thundercracker meet for the first time since [[All Hail Megatron issue 12|''All Hail Megatron'' #12]].
*Skywarp and Thundercracker are revealed to have attended the Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology, which was secretly where [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] trained super-powered [[Outlier]]s, as seen in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More than Meets the Eye'' #11]]. The pair's "Outlier" status was first confirmed in their profiles in the ''[[Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook]]''; Skywarp notes he wasn't allowed on the "away team" while [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] was, referring to the team who aided Optimus Prime on his mission in ''More than Meets the Eye'' #11.
*Starscream is noted to have "conned his way into" a job as a "precinct senator" when he met Thundercracker and Skywarp; we previously saw Starscream working in a senatorial capacity in [[Parasites|''Autocracy'' #2]], set some time after these events.
*Skywarp recounts how he and Thundercracker rebuilt themselves to look like Starscream, at Starscream's suggestion. Their physical similarity had previously been remarked on in [[All Hail Megatron issue 6|''All Hail Megatron'' #6]], in which Skywarp explained that the Seekers' shared body-type was taken to "honor their commander."
*Starscream remembers the events of [[Primus: All Good Things|the 2012 ''Robots in Disguise'' annual]], in which Metrotitan dubbed him the Chosen One. The mystery surrounding Metrotitan—who appeared to die at the end of that story, only to turn up alive, inexplicably buried on Earth, in [[All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|''The Transformers'' #54]]—is acknowledged but not actually explained; Alpha Trion appears to be positing that the Titan from the annual was ''not'' Metrotitan, but that makes little sense, since Starscream and Rattrap recognized them as being the same in [[All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|''The Transformers'' #55]].
*Alpha Trion opines that good storytellers use the power of myths and legends to present truth, a callback to [[Origin Myths|''Optimus Prime'' #10]] where Trion shared this wisdom with [[Onyx Prime]].
*Trypticon was established as the Earth embassy on Cybertron in [[The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|issue #14]]. The [[protoform]] dubbed "[[Sideswipe (IDW)|Sideswipe]]" by [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] in that issue has physically developed a lot more since we last saw him, having taken on physical features similar to [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|his namesake]].
*Marissa gets Richard Ruby's phone number from [[Ayana Jones]], who has it after meeting him in [[The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb|''Revolutionaries'' #3]].
*The portion of his film that Thundercracker shows Ruby is a dramatization of events seen in [[The Verge|''Robots in Disguise'' #13]]. Thundercracker notes that Megatron had a different body (his stealth bomber form) in "real life," but he's changed it to a more traditional Megatron-looking appearance for the movie to keep things simple.
*To portray the Decepticon uprising from later in issue #13, a panel is just lifted from the issue itself, rather than redrawn with "actors."
*Scenes from the finished film that Thundercracker shows Starscream includes dramatizations of the events of [[Heavy Is the Head|''Robots in Disguise'' #16]] (with Sky-Byte playing Metalhawk) and the ''Till All Are One'' annual (with Aileron playing Windblade).
*The repercussions of Beachcomber helping Starscream play out over in ''Optimus Prime'' #16.
*The dead colony of Prion is, of course, where [[Nickel]] hails from. It first introduced in [[The Permanent Revolution|''More than Meets the Eye'' #39]], where [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] explained how and why it was razed. It was first shown, however, in ''The Transformers'' #57.

===Transformers references===
*Skywarp notes that Starscream ripped off taxpayers in the city of [[Vos (polity)|Vos]], which seems to indicate that to be the previously-unidentified city he represented as senator. Starscream was also the political figurehead of Vos in [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|the Marvel UK Generation 1 comic book]].
*The ''Space Battle'' film series was first mentioned in IDW's companion comic book for the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)|2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' series]], but it later made the jump to mainstream IDW continuity through a mention in Richard Ruby's profile in [[Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook issue 1|''Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook'' #1]]. An obvious riff on ''{{w|Star Wars}}'', the film stars [[Karen Fishook]] as "Queen Spacula"; Fishook was an actress from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[Hoist Goes Hollywood (episode)|Hoist Goes Hollywood]]," and is a reference to ''Star Wars'' actress {{w|Carrie Fisher}}.
*Flamewar is a character created as a convention-exclusive toy at [[BotCon 2005]]. Her appearance in this issue—color-wise, at least—is based on the second toy she received, at [[BotCon 2014]]. While both of her toys are branded as Decepticons, this version of Flamewar isn't shown to have an insignia of either faction, indicating that she's likely from one of the Cybertronian colonies with vehicle modes.
*"Lighting" for the film is credited to an unseen character named "[[Flash Bang (G1)|Flash Bang]]," named after [[Flash Bang|a toy flashlight from the live-action ''Transformers'' movie toyline]].

===Hasbro references===
*One of the posters in Richard Ruby's office is for a movie named ''Sigma 6''. Named after the mid-2000s anime-influenced version of [[G.I. Joe (franchise)|''G.I. Joe'']], it was previously established that Ruby had starred in the ''sequel'' to this movie (''Sigma 6 2: Retribution'') in ''Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook'' #1. Looks like he must have been in the original as well.
*Aileron mistakenly calls Ruby "[[Jem]]."
*J.J. Hackensack is a character from the Parker Brothers board game "International Movie Maker," who Richard Ruby was previously noted to have worked with back in the 80s in ''Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook'' #1. Making Hackensack the director of ''Space Battle'' turns him into a reference to {{w|J. J. Abrams}}, director of ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', though ''visually'', he's based on ''original'' ''Star Wars'' director {{w|George Lucas}}, with his silver hair and beard and propensity for plaid shirts.

===Real-life references===
*Hi-Tech compares Thundercracker's "Susan Journeyer" screenplay to ''{{w|Dogville}}'', a 2003 avante-gard film alternately considered both a masterpiece and "pretentious and exasperating."
*Hackensack compares Thundercracker to [[Orson Welles]], who was also a writer-director-actor "triple threat."
*Richard Ruby points out that when humans associate Cybertronians on the big screen with explosions and excitement... which [[Live-action film series|surely can't be a reference to anything, can it?]]
*Thundercracker derides ''The Birth of Cybertron'' as being "hella racist;" as mentioned elsewhere, the film seems to derive its title from the 1915 film ''{{w|The Birth of a Nation}},'' which was also... well, hella racist.

===Errors===
*In Dirge's flashback to ''All Hail Megatron'' #7 on page 10, [[Viewfinder]] has been drawn based on his Generation 1 toy, rather than the cartoon-based appearance he had in the actual comic.
*On page 13, the sign outside the Academy calls it the "Jhiaxus Academy," rather than the "Jhiaxian Academy."
*On page 22, while thinking back on ''Nurse Whitney'', Thundercracker says the title character's mother was played by "Karen Fish''net''," instead of "Fis''hook.''" That can't be deliberate, surely!
*On the final page. J.J. Hackensack identifies himself as the director of the "Space ''Wars''" films, rather than "Space ''Battle.''"

===Other trivia===
*The story is followed by a "credits" page, listing all the Transformers who worked on the film, and giving "special thanks" not just to the other fictional characters involved, but to the many real-life artists and writers who worked on the comics that inspired and informed the story—not just the ''Transformers'' titles, but the ''G.I. Joe'' comics that told the stories of Chuckles and Richard Ruby, and Skywarp's time on the team.

===Soundtrack===
* "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwpn14IE7E Danger Zone]" by {{w|Kenny Loggins}}
* "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcm-tOGiva0 We Don't Need Another Hero]" by {{w|Tina Turner}}
* "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSFLZ-MzIhM Rainbow Conenction]" by {{w|Kermit the Frog}}
* "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=355Fk8drgZE Gloria]" by {{w|Laura Branigan}}
* "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVjU7g6zWcw I'm Alright]" by Kenny Loggins

===Covers (2)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Starscream and Thundercracker on the red carpet, by [[Priscilla Tramontano]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Thundercracker holds a press conference to announce the movie, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Burcham]]; based on the iconic shot from ''{{w|Citizen Kane}}'' of Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane in front of a poster of his own likeness.

<gallery>
File:OPAnnual2018 cvrA.jpg|
File:OPAnnual2018 cvrB.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*[[The Falling, Chapter 1: A Surfeit of Primes|''Optimus Prime'' #15]]-17
*''[[First Strike]]'' TPB
*''[[Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor]]'' TPB
*''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade: The Last City]]'' hardcover
*''Clue'' TPB
*IDW at NC Comicon 2018
*[[Free Comic Book Day]] 2018

==External links==
*[https://www.comiccrusaders.com/exclusive-preview-optimus-prime-annual-2018/ Preview]

[[Category: IDW Generation 1 issues]]

Main Page/schedule

2017-11-13T21:08:58Z

Guntrip: Updated IDW release dates in line with Comixology.

* '''[[November 14|Nov 14]] —''' The first two episodes of ''[[Transformers: Titans Return (cartoon)|Transformers: Titans Return]]'' premiere on [[go90]].
* '''[[November 22|Nov 22]] —''' ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 13|#13]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[November 24|Nov 24]] —''' [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#MP12+|MP-12+ Lambor]].
* '''[[November 25|Nov 25]] —''' [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Sixshot#Legends|LG-50 Sixshot]], [[Doublecross#Legends|LG-51 Targetmaster Doublecross]] (with [[Haywire#Legends|Haywire]]), [[Misfire (G1)#Legends|LG-52 Targetmaster Misfire]] (with [[Aimless (G1)#Legends|Aimless]]), and [[Broadside (G1)#Legends|LG-53 Broadside]].
* '''[[November 29|Nov 29]] —''' ''[[G.I. Joe vol. 5|G.I. Joe]]'' Vol. 2 TPB, ''[[Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor]]'' [[Shining Armor issue 5|#5]], ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' [[Lost Light issue 11|#11]] and ''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe Quintessential Collection]]'' HC are released by [[IDW Publishing]].

* '''[[December 6|Dec 6]] —''' ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|The Complete All Hail Megatron]]'' TPB and the ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'' [[Till All Are One Annual|Annual]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[December 13|Dec 13]] —''' The ''[[Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook]]'' TPB is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[December 20|Dec 20]] —''' ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 14|#14]], ''[[Micronauts: Wrath of Karza]]'' TPB, and ''[[Scarlett's Strike Force]]'' [[Scarlett's Strike Force issue 1|#1]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[December 22|Dec 22]] —''' [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-39 Sunstreaker]].
* '''[[December 27|Dec 27]] —''' ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' [[Lost Light issue 12|#12]], ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' [[Lost Light issue 13|#13]], and ''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]'' [[Transformers vs. Visionaries issue 1|#1]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[December 30|Dec 30]] —''' [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-54 Bumble]] & [[Spike Witwicky (G1)#Legends|Excel Suit Spike]], [[Slugslinger (G1)#Legends|LG-55 Targetmaster Slugslinger]] (with [[Caliburst (G1)#Legends|Caliburst]]), [[Perceptor (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-56 Perceptor]] (with [[Ramhorn (G1)#Legends|Ramhorn]]), and [[Octane#Legends|LG-57 Octone]] (with [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Legends|Ghost Starscream]]).
* '''[[December 31|Dec 31]] —''' Last day the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]] is scheduled to be available for download.
===2018===

* '''[[January 10|Jan 10]] —''' ''[[Transformers: The Wreckers Saga]]'' TPB, ''[[The Transformers: Autocracy Trilogy]]'' TPB and ''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 6|Classics UK Volume 6]]'' TPB are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[January 24|Jan 24]] —''' ''[[Scarlett's Strike Force]]'' [[Scarlett's Strike Force issue 2|#2]] and ''[[Transformers Drift: Origins & Empires]]'' TPB is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[January 28|Jan 28]] —''' [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Fastlane#Legends|LG-58 Clone]][[Cloudraker (G1)#Legends|bots]], [[Blitzwing (G1)#Legends|LG-59 Blitzwing]], and [[Overlord (Masterforce)#Legends|LG-60 Overlord]].
* '''[[January 31|Jan 31]] —''' ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 15|#15]], ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' [[Lost Light issue 14|#14]], and ''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]'' [[Transformers vs. Visionaries issue 2|#2]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].

* '''[[February 14|Feb 14]] —''' ''[[Transformers Windblade: The Last City]]'' TPB is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[February 21|Feb 21]] —''' ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]] Vol. 2'' TPB and ''[[First Strike|Transformers/G.I. JOE: First Strike]]'' TPB are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[February 24|Feb 24]] —''' [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#MP40|MP-40 Targetmaster Hot Rodimus]] and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Pounce#Legends|LG-61 Clone]][[Wingspan#Legends|trons]], [[Windblade (G1)#LG62|LG-62 Targetmaster Windblade]] (with [[Pinpointer (G1)#Legends|Pointech]]), and [[Megatron (G1)/toys#LG63|LG-63 G2 Megatron]].
* '''[[February 28|Feb 28]] —''' ''[[First Strike|Transformers/G.I. JOE: First Strike - Champions]]'' TPB is released by [[IDW Publishing]].

* '''[[March 28|Mar 28]] —''' ''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7|The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7]]'' Hardcover is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[March 31|Mar 31]] —''' [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Seaspray (G1)#Legends|LG-64 Seaspray]] & [[Lione#Legends|Lione]], [[Twin Twist#Legends|LG-65 Targetmaster Twin Twist]] (with [[Spoilsport#Legends|Spoil]]), [[Topspin (G1)#Legends|LG-66 Targetmaster Topspin]] (with [[Peacemaker#Legends|Peaceman]]) and [[Greatshot#Legends|LG-EX Greatshot]]. ''Legends'' [[Grand Maximus#Legends|LG-EX Grand Maximus]] will also start shipping out.

* '''[[July 21|Jul 21]] —''' [[Takaratomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Dinobot (BW)#Masterpiece|MP-41 Dinobot (Beast Wars)]].

* '''[[December 21|Dec 21]] —''' ''[[Transformers Universe: Bumblebee]]'' is currently scheduled to release.

===2019===
* '''[[June 28|Jun 28]] —''' ''[[Transformers 7]]'' is currently scheduled to release.

<noinclude>[[Category:Main Page templates]]</noinclude>

Transformers: The Last Knight (film)

2017-06-26T18:00:48Z

Guntrip: /* Geographic discontinuities */

{{Nav-tlk}}
[[File:TLK Poster.JPG|thumb|upright=1.67|So forget any ideas you've got about lost cities, exotic travel, and digging up the world. We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and "X" never, ever marks the spot.]]
'''''Transformers: The Last Knight''''' is the fifth film in the [[live-action film series]], and was released on [[June 21]], [[2017]].<ref name="datemove">[http://variety.com/2017/film/news/mark-wahlberg-transformers-the-last-knight-1202410380/ 'Transformers: The Last Knight' Moves Forward Two Days]</ref> The film serves as a sequel to ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Transformers: Age of Extinction]]'', and is directed by [[Michael Bay]],<ref name="rollingstone">[http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/13-hours-can-michael-bay-pull-off-a-gritty-movie-about-benghazi-20160104 '13 Hours': Can Michael Bay Pull Off a Gritty Movie About Benghazi?] on Rolling Stone</ref> and is written by [[Art Marcum]], [[Matt Holloway]], and [[Ken Nolan]]. As with the previous films, it is a [[Paramount Pictures]] production.<ref>[http://investor.hasbro.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=916611 Meghan McCarthy Joins Hasbro as Head of Storytelling]</ref>

==Synopsis==
==Quotes==

"Go to hell!" 
"'This planet ''is'' hell!"
:—'''Izabella''' and '''Megatron''' exchange smack talk

"The end is near, my old treacherous friend...what a shame you'll be unable to see it."
:-'''Megatron''' musing to the decapitated head of Starscream

"Don't kill the messenger... or the messenger will kill ''you''."
:-'''Cogman'''

"We were brothers once!" 
"''Once.''"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

==Characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] ([[Erik Aadahl]])
*[[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] ([[Omar Sy]])
*[[Hound (Movie)|Hound]] ([[John Goodman]])
*[[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] ([[Ken Watanabe]])
*[[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Cogman]] ([[Jim Carter]])
*[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]
*[[Slug (AOE)|Slug]]
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Sqweeks]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Daytrader]] ([[Steve Buscemi]])
*[[Canopy]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Excavator Autobot]]
*Mini Dinobots
**Mini Slug
**Mini Strafe
**Mini Grimlock
*[[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]] ([[Steven Barr]])
*[[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]]
*"[[Bulldog (TLK)|Bulldog]]" ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Hurricane Autobot]]
*[[Northrop Autobot]]
*[[HMS Alliance|HMS ''Alliance'']] Autobot

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] (Frank Welker)
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] ([[Jess Harnell]])
*[[Nitro Zeus]] (John DiMaggio)
*[[Mohawk]] (Reno Wilson)
*[[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] (John DiMaggio)
*[[Dreadbot]]
*[[Berserker]] (Steven Barr)
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head

|h3=[[Human]]s|c3=
*[[Cade Yeager]] ([[Mark Wahlberg]])
*[[Viviane Wembly]] ([[Laura Haddock]])
*[[William Lennox]] ([[Josh Duhamel]])
*[[Izabella]] ([[Isabela Moner]])
*[[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]] ([[Anthony Hopkins]])
*[[Seymour Simmons]] ([[John Turturro]])
*[[Santos]] ([[Santiago Cabrera]])
*[[Jimmy (TLK)|Jimmy]] ([[Jerrod Carmichael]])
*[[Morshower]] ([[Glenn Morshower]])
*[[Merlin]] ([[Stanley Tucci]])
*[[King Arthur|King Arthur]] ([[Liam Garrigan]])
*[[JPL Engineer]] ([[Tony Hale]])

|h4=[[Knights of Iacon]]|c4=
*[[Dragonstorm]]
**[[Dragonicus]]
**[[Stormreign]]
**[[Skullitron]]
**[[Steelbane]]

|h5=Others|c5=
*[[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]] ([[Gemma Chan]])
*[[Infernocus]]
**[[Infernocon]]s
*[[Unicron]]
*The [[watch that killed Hitler]]
*[[Vatti Transformer]]
|nonumbering=true
}}

==Errors==
===Continuity errors===
*How does Daytrader have [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head if it was destroyed in the [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|third film]]?
*When the Decepticons invade the junkyard, Sqweeks is seen trying to escape, with both of his original arms intact, despite having been shown with Izabella welding a scavenged Decepticon arm onto him to replace the arm lost earlier in the film. The next time Sqweeks is seen, the Decepticon arm is back, and remains for the entirety of the film.
*Ironhide is depicted in a historical painting, but he was clearly seen arriving on Earth in the [[Transformers (film)|first film]].
*Optimus remarks that he has not heard Bumblebee's voice "since Cybertron fell". Bumblebee actually spoke with his real voice briefly at the end of the [[Transformers (film)|first film]], albeit it with a different voice actor.
*How does Hot Rod have the Lamborgini chest in an old war photo if he selected the new disguise merely seconds ago?

===Technical/animation errors===
*Topspin is depicted with Leadfoot's head instead of his own.
*In at least one of the alternate dialogue versions of the film, when Barricade speaks at StoneHenge, his voice sounds much more like one of the Knights rather than his own. This may be why the lines were removed from the finalized version.

===Geographic discontinuities===
*When the authorities arrive at Burton's mansion, it is noted that "TRF and MI6" are in pursuit. In real life, MI6 is the UK's ''external'' intelligence agency; it is more likely that {{w|MI5}}, the UK's domestic intelligence agency, would be the British central government's agency present.
*American street signs of the hanging green-coloured variety can be seen during the chase scene in London.

==Transformers references==
* Quintessa is a loose adaptation of the [[Quintesson]]s - the recurring race of antagonistic extraterrestrials who terrorized both the Autobots and Decepticons in season 3 of the original 1980's cartoon. In the cartoon continuity, the Quintessons were the creators of the Transformers, in the same way that Quintessa claims to be in the film. Here, though, Quintessa seems to be physically based off of [[Quintus Prime]], a relatively new character introduced through 2013's ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]''; the decision to make the character female is something wholly new, although it may speak to some influence from [[Solus Prime]].
* Unicron having a connection to the Earth seems inspired by the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' cartoon; in that series, Unicron's alternate mode ''was'' the core of the Earth, with the rest of the planet having formed around his dormant body during his hibernation. Whether or not this corporeality holds true for this incarnation of Unicron remains to be seen.
* When Optimus Prime falls under Quintessa's control, he is dubbed "[[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|Nemesis Prime]]", an obvious reference to the evil clone of Optimus Prime that has appeared in many [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|conti]][[Nemesis Prime (G1)|nui]][[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|ties]].
* Edmund Burton claims Cogman is a [[Headmaster (technology)|"headmaster"]], which is typically a human-sized bot that transforms into the head of a larger bot. While this reference ''is'' borne out by his [[Cogman#Toys|toy]], which features a larger vehicle body and a detachable head, we don't actually see Cogman do anything like that in the movie itself.
*This is not the first time the Transformers have been [[A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)|associated with Arthurian times]].

==Other references==
*Crosshairs calls Cogman a "[[Star_Wars_(film)|C-3PO]] ripoff".

==Other editions==
*There appears to be at least two versions of the film, with dialogue being altered in certain places. One seems to be the "finished" version screened in English-speaking countries, while the other is an earlier version show subtitled internationally.
**During [[Nitro Zeus]]' introduction, the "finished" version has him say: "I know where you live, Enrique, say hello to your wife for me!" while the other (in which he is voiced by Stephen Barr rather than John DiMaggio) has him say: "By the way, Enrique, Jeff's sleeping with your wife!". He is also given alternate dialogues when he arrives at the scrap yard and abandoned town.
**In the Final film, when the Autobots discover Bees tracker, Crosshairs asks him "when you gonna grow up" but in the alternate version, he complains about Bee leading their enemies right to them.
**When Megatron steals the staff from Optimus, the "finished" film features Nitro Zeus saying: "You blew your chance to kill Unicron!" followed by Megatron saying: "I knew you couldn't do it. Your time is over, Prime! You failed!" The other has no Nitro Zeus dialogue, and instead features Megatron saying: "Quintessa, the most ruthless of our Gods, knew you couldn't do it. She knows I'm strong and you're weak."
*The alternate version adds an extra line between Cade and Lennox on Cybertron about Optimus never having made it to the Ignition chamber, while the finished version never acknowledges his absence.
*The Chinese release add roughly 2 minutes of content just for soft-advertising.

==Adaptations==
==Music==
==Score==
==Home video releases==
==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery>
File:TLK Poster wide Dragonstorm.jpg
File:TLK Poster Rethink Heroes.jpg
File:TLK Poster.JPG
File:TLK Poster Stonehenge.jpg
File:TLK Poster Legend Secret.jpg|No, those are [[Pretender]]s, [[Legends Class (2005)|Legends]] are too small.
File:TLK Poster Here Forever.jpg
File:TLK Poster IMAX 3D.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Optimus Prime.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Megatron.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Bumblebee.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Hound.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Hot Rod.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Cogman.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Burton.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Lennox.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Yeager.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Izabella.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Jimmy.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Wembly.jpg
</gallery></center>

==Reception==

{{quote|[sighs] Here we go again.|BBC Radio 5 critic Mark Kermode on ''The Last Knight''<ref>[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ee6xh5AmQo Mark Kermode review]</ref>}}

After four films where critics hated it but the audience showered it with money, ''The Last Knight'' broke the trend by ''not'' being showered with money. It had been projected to make $70-75m in its first days in North America, itself the lowest opening<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/spider-man-homecoming-hoping-to-catch-opening-in-the-100m-vicinity-1202114641/ Deadline, June 15th 20917: "‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Hoping To Catch Opening In The $100M Vicinit"]</ref>, but that was downgraded to $63m after the first few days were even lower than the lowest expected.<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ "Deadline: ‘Transformers’ Still Rusty At $63M+"]</ref> In the end it made almost $70m over the first five days, better than the revised projection but lower than all of the previous films. <ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ Deadline: "Why ‘Transformers’ Is Screaming For Reboot After $69M Start; ‘Wonder Woman’ & ‘Cars 3’ Fight Over 2nd Place"], 25th June 2017</ref> This meant a lot of critics began to zero in on the sluggish profit, taking the view that American audiences were just getting bored of Bay's version of the franchise.

Internationally, however, the film did $196.2m in the same first five days and a whopping $123.4m of that came from [[China]] alone<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ Deadline: "Why ‘Transformers’ Is Screaming For Reboot After $69M Start; ‘Wonder Woman’ & ‘Cars 3’ Fight Over 2nd Place"], 25th June 2017</ref>(who love the franchise so much delaying ''The Last Knight'' reduced 2016 cinema growth to 3%, down from 48% in 2015!)<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/06/11/transformers-gears-up-for-another-1-billion-box-office-bounty/#659ff09e2325 Forbes: "'Transformers' Gears Up For Another $1 Billion Box Office Bounty"]</ref> The Chinese were expected to spend up to ''$290m'' on the film's run. <ref>[http://variety.com/2017/film/asia/chinas-weying-boards-paramounts-transformers-the-last-knight-1202465635/ Variety:"China’s Weying Boards Paramount’s ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’"]</ref>

==Production staff==
==Development details==
[[File:Transformers 5 provisional logo.png|thumb|right|143px|Transfivemers doesn't have the same ring to it.]]
*December 18, 2014 — [[Mark Wahlberg]] confirms to MTV that he is signed on for the next two Transformers films.<ref>[http://www.mtv.com/news/2030612/mark-wahlberg-transformers-5/ Mark Wahlberg Just Found A 'Transformers' Sequel] on MTV.com</ref>
*March 27, 2015 — [[Paramount Pictures]] negotiates with [[Akiva Goldsman]], hiring him to create a "writer's room" with the intention of building a cinematic universe.<ref name="goldsman">[http://deadline.com/2015/03/transformers-akiva-goldsman-paramount-sequels-spinoffs-1201400027/ Paramount Enlisting Akiva Goldsman To Ramp Up 'Transformers' Output] on deadline.com</ref> Goldsman goes on to hire a number of writers over the next few months: [[Steven DeKnight]] (''Daredevil''),<ref>[http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/transformers-cinematic-universe/35696/transformers-cinematic-details-more-writers-over-10-films Transformers cinematic details]</ref> [[Robert Kirkman]] (''The Walking Dead''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom">[http://deadline.com/2015/05/transformers-writers-robert-kirkman-zak-penn-art-marcum-matt-holloway-jeff-pinkner-1201430601/ 'Transformers' Spinoff & Sequel Scribes Set] on Deadline.com</ref> [[Art Marcum]] and [[Matt Holloway]] (''Iron Man''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Christina Hodson]] (''Shut In'', ''The Fugitive''),<ref name="hodsonbeer">[http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/446175-christina-hodson-and-lindsey-beer-join-transformers-writing-team Christina Hodson and Lindsey Beer Join the Transformers Writing Team]</ref> [[Lindsey Beer]] (''Dig''),<ref name="hodsonbeer" /> [[Zak Penn]] (''Pacific Rim 2''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Jeff Pinkner]] (''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'', ''Lost''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Andrew Barrer]] and [[Gabriel Ferrari]] (''Ant-Man''),<ref name="barrerferrari">[http://deadline.com/2015/05/transformers-ant-man-andrew-barrer-gabriel-ferrari-cybertron-1201433402/ 'Ant-Man' Scribes Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari Join 'Transformers' Writers Room] on Deadline</ref> [[Ken Nolan]] (''Black Hawk Down''), and [[Geneva Robertson-Dworet]].<ref name="nolandworet">[http://www.slashfilm.com/transformers-writers-room/ Akiva Goldsman Teases 'Transformers' Franchise Plans]</ref> Involved in the pitching process are [[Steven Spielberg]], [[Michael Bay]], [[Brian Goldner]], [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]], [[Mark Vahradian]], and [[Don Murphy]].<ref name="deadlinereveal">[http://deadline.com/2015/09/transformers-writers-room-akiva-goldsman-transformers-5-1201531918/ 'Transformers' Writers Room Wraps] on Deadline</ref>
*May 27, 2015 — As part of the news surrounding Barrer and Ferrari joining the room, it's revealed that another pitch is an animated prequel movie set on Cybertron, with the working title of ''Transformers One''.<ref name="barrerferrari" />
*June 8, 2015 — The writers meet on the Paramount lot for the writer's room.<ref name="nolandworet" /> The writers work for the next three months to plot out the next ten years of ''Transformers'' films.<ref name="stephendaviskeynote">[https://youtu.be/F_P2fw_DlS4?t=812 Stephen Davis's keynote speech] at MIPJunior.</ref>
*July 28, 2015 — DeKnight reports that as a result of the gathering of writers, Goldsman and Pinkner will be co-writing Transformers 5.<ref name="deknightreveals">[http://au.ign.com/articles/2015/07/28/daredevils-steven-deknight-on-the-transformers-writers-room-and-planning-ahead Daredevil's Steven DeKnight on the Transformers Writers Room and Planning Ahead] on IGN</ref>
*September 17, 2015 — Deadline reveals more about the writer's room process and reports that Barrer and Ferrari will write the animated feature, with Pinkner and Beer writing later films.<ref name="deadlinereveal" /> Bay remains uncommitted to directing.<ref>[https://twitter.com/michaelbay/status/644622092110032896 Tweet by Michael Bay]</ref>
*October 3, 2015 — [[Hasbro Studios]]'s [[Stephen J. Davis]] relates more details of the writing process in a keynote speech at the MIP Junior Conference.<ref name="stephendaviskeynote" />
*November 20, 2015 — With Goldsman now enlisted to create a writer's room for ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' and ''[[Microman|Micronauts]]'', Paramount begins negotiating with Marcum, Holloway and Nolan to write the film.<ref>[http://deadline.com/2015/11/transformers-g-i-joe-micronauts-akiva-goldsman-paramount-hasbro-1201632388/ Akiva Goldsman 'Transformers' Writers Room Leads Paramount & Hasbro To Set One For 'G.I. Joe', 'Micronauts'] on Deadline</ref>
*December 14, 2015 — Wahlberg re-confirms in an interview with CinePop that he'll be back in Transformers 5.<ref>[http://cinepop.com.br/exclusivo-mark-wahlberg-confirma-ao-cinepop-que-estara-em-transformers-5-109295 Mark Wahlberg interview with CinePop]</ref>
*January 4, 2016 — Bay confirms he will be returning to direct.<ref name="rollingstone" />
*January 12, 2016 — It's totally definitely the last ''Transformers'' film for him this time though.<ref>[https://youtu.be/Yn9bkPNV4JA?t=472 Michael Bay interview with Collider]</ref>
*February 12, 2016 — Transformers 5 is now being released on June 23, 2017. In addition, [[Transformers Universe: Bumblebee|Transformers 6]], acting as a [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] spin-off, and [[Transformers 7]] are set to be released respectively on [[June 8]], 2018 and [[June 28]], 2019.<ref name="toyfairreveal">[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/02/12/transformers-5-transformers-6-bumblebee-spin-off-movie-revealed-309503 Transformers 5, Transformers 6 And Bumblebee Spin-Off Movie Revealed] ToyFair news at TFW2005</ref><ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/02/12/transformers-6-tentative-title-revealed-bumblebee-movie-309597 Transformers 6 Tentative Title Revealed – The Bumblebee Movie] at TFW2005</ref>
*February 18, 2016 — Casting calls go out for June filming in [[London]] and [[Detroit]], also confirming [[Peter Cullen]]'s return as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]].<ref>[http://www.acting-auditions.org/2016/02/transformers-5-casting-calls-for-new-lead-roles.html Transformers 5 casting call for new lead roles] on acting-auditions.org</ref>
*February 26, 2016 — After negotiations, it's announced that Michigan will provide $21 million in incentives towards the film.<ref>[http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIEDC/bulletins/138dd29 'Transformers 5' lands in Detroit] from the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office</ref>
[[File:TLK Optiface Prime.jpg|thumb|right|300px|5 movies in and [[Michael Bay]] is still finding ways to make my face even more ridiculously detailed. Pretty soon I'm going to look like [[Deceptigod]].]]
*April 6, 2016 — Cinematographer [[Jonathan Sela]] is reported as being booked to work on the film.<ref>[http://variety.com/2016/artisans/news/agencies-book-artisans-on-fast-8-transformers-5-to-the-bone-macgyver-and-altered-carbon-1201747892/ Agencies Book Artisans on 'Fast 8,' 'Transformers 5,' 'To the Bone,' 'MacGyver' and 'Altered Carbon'] on Variety</ref>
*April 13, 2016 — Filming dates are revealed via a casting call on acting-auditions.org.<ref>[http://www.acting-auditions.org/2016/04/transformers-5-casting-calls-auditions-information.html 'Transformers 5' Casting Calls and Auditions Information] on acting-auditions.org</ref>
*May 12, 2016 — [[Isabela Moner]] tweets that she's been cast in the movie.<ref>[https://twitter.com/isabelamoner/status/730835465163530241 Tweet by Isabela Moner]</ref>
*May 14, 2016 — Bay suggests [[Tyrese Gibson]] is under consideration to return.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BFXbTA2IWpr/]</ref>
*May 16, 2016 — The film's title is officially revealed to be ''Transformers: The Last Knight'' in [https://www.instagram.com/p/BFfCGhRoMmW/?taken-by=transformersmoviea teaser trailer] posted on a newly-launched Transformers Movie Instagram.
*May 17, 2016 — [[Josh Duhamel]] announced to be returning for ''Transformers: The Last Knight''.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BFg6ffIoMvx/]</ref>
*May 25, 2016 — Michael Bay posts a [https://www.instagram.com/p/BF1sPamoWtc/?taken-by=michaelbay photo] as production begins in Cuba.
*May 27, 2016 — A [https://twitter.com/transformers/status/736286302870605824 teaser] is posted containing morse code which translates to "I'm coming for you May 31st."
*May 31, 2016 — Michael Bay posts [https://www.instagram.com/p/BGFEZ9vIWv1/a video] of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and announces production is about to start.
*June 3, 2016 — [[Anthony Hopkins]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/anthony-hopkins-joins-transformers-5-899343]</ref>
*June 4, 2016 — [https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPsjYZoMpq/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en First look] at [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]'s vehicle mode, which is a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPsjYZoMpq/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en Bumblebee vehicle mode reveal]</ref>
*June 4, 2016 — The [[Freya|World's Loneliest Dog]] is cast.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2016/06/04/freya/ MichaelBay.com - Freya]</ref>
*June 10, 2016 — [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] is confirmed to return as a 2016 Ford Mustang.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BGes1IfoMqf/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en]</ref>
*June 18, 2016 — [[Mitch Pileggi]] reveals he has a role.<ref>[https://twitter.com/mitchpileggi1/status/743667068138979329 Tweet from Mitch Pileggi]</ref>
[[File:TLK Bumblebee profile.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Back to the basics.]]
*June 20, 2016 — [[Laura Haddock]] joins the cast.<ref>[https://twitter.com/laurajhaddock/status/744915023299026944 Tweet from Laura Haddock]</ref>
*June 22, 2016 — New robot character [[Sqweeks]] is revealed.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BG-IEBroWgA/ Michael Bay on Instagram]</ref>
*June 28, 2016 — Tyrese Gibson is confirmed to return.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BHLBipSDqcO/ Tyrese on Instagram]</ref>
*June 30, 2016 — [[Santiago Cabrera]] joins the cast.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BHSfP9EAIi_/ Official movie Instagram reveal of Santiago Cabrera]</ref>
*July 1, 2016 — [[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] is confirmed to return with a new Mercedes alt-mode.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2016/07/01/drift/ Drift - MichaelBay.com]</ref>
*July 27, 2016 — [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] is confirmed to appear in the film.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1112021768833269/?type=3&theater Onslaught photo] on the official Transformers movie Facebook page.</ref>
*August 4–13, 2016 — A series of character profiles are released on the official movie Facebook. New character [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1116775651691214/?type=3&theater Hot Rod Facebook reveal]</ref> is first to be revealed, and [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1119387291430050/?type=3&theater Crosshairs Facebook reveal]</ref> and [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1120161021352677/?type=3&theater Hound Facebook reveal]</ref> are confirmed to return. Also shown are profiles for Drift,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1117988908236555/?type=3&theater Drift Facebook reveal]</ref> Sqweeks,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1118574891511290/?type=3&theater Sqweeks Facebook reveal]</ref> Barricade,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1120871694614943/?type=3&theater Barricade Facebook reveal]</ref> Megatron,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1121491451219634/?type=3&theater Megatron Facebook reveal]</ref> and Bumblebee.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1122785391090240/?type=3&theaterBumblebee Facebook reveal]</ref>
*August 9, 2016 — Members of a number of ''Transformers'' fan sites, including TFWiki, are treated to [[Transformers 5 set visit|a set visit]].
*September 4, 2016 — [[Stanley Tucci]] is back as [[Joshua Joyce]].<ref>[http://variety.com/2016/film/global/stanley-tucci-to-reprise-transformers-role-in-the-last-knight-1201852108/ Stanley Tucci to Reprise 'Transformers' Role in 'The Last Knight'] on Variety</ref>
[[File:TLK Izabella trailer speech.jpg|thumb|right|250px|True fact: Isabela had to beat Megatron in an arm wrestling contest to get this part.]]
*September 24, 2016 — Location shooting at Blenheim Palace in England proved controversial as [[Winston Churchill]]'s birthplace became draped in Nazi banners. Bay told BBC News that veterans shouldn't be too upset as Churchill is a "big hero" in the film.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-37453284 Transformers' Blenheim Palace 'Nazi' scenes defended] from the BBC</ref>
*October 14, 2016 — Bay announces via Facebook that [[John Turturro]] will be back as [[Seymour Simmons]] & [[John Goodman]] back to voice [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/videos/1174984035870375/ Michael Bay video on Facebook]</ref>
*December 5, 2016 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyVKK87hYYM teaser trailer] is released.
*February 3, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npaVgxxtKxQ "Big Game Spot"] is released on YouTube.
*March 12, 2017 — The [https://twitter.com/transformers/status/840751026693062656 Kid's Choice Award Clip] is revealed.
*March 17, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVYSyiL4iis "Izzy Stays and Fights" preview], a family-aimed trailer attached to ''{{w|Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)|Beauty and the Beast}}'', is released.
*March 22, 2017 — Eight [http://ew.com/movies/2017/03/22/transformers-last-knight-motion-posters/ "motion posters"] for the film's robot cast are released.
*April 12, 2017 — Another [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FIH1TeIS9Q trailer] is released.
*April 24, 2017 — As part of the "[[Reveal Your Shield]]" promotion, Hasbro releases [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWXj0JSZQjE a video] featuring [[Peter Cullen]] and [[Frank Welker]] credited as the voices of Optimus and Megatron.
*May 5, 2017 — Variety reports that the film's release is being moved forward two days to June 21.<ref name="datemove" />
*May 7, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7toS4s_79ZA "Optimus Prime Dialog Coach" teaser] is released.
*May 9, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVZhsL3vV8M "Secret Past" TV spot] is released.
*May 15, 2017 — A preview of an Empire Magazine feature on the film includes the news that [[Jim Carter]] has been cast as Cogman.<ref>[http://www.empireonline.com/movies/transformers-last-knight/exclusive-explosive-new-look-bumblebee-transformers-last-knight/ Exclusive, Explosive New Look At Bumblebee In Transformers: The Last Knight] on Empire Online</ref>
*May 17, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue7cNNfjCyc International Trailer] is released.
{{--}}

==Notes==
*Tyrese Gibson was intended to return as [[Robert Epps]], but the logistics of filming in Europe resulted in him being unable to take part.<ref>[http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/1104536/tyrese-gibson-transformers-the-last-knight-robert-epps-josh-duhamel-mark-wahlberg-michael-bay Tyrese Gibson exclusively admits he was 'p****d' to miss out on filming Transformers: The Last Knight alongside original co-star Josh Josh Duhamel] on OK! Online</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Italian:'' '''''Transformers - L'ultimo cavaliere''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Japanese:'' '''''Toransufōmā Saigo no Kishi-ō''''' (トランスフォーマー最後の騎士王, "Transformers: The Last Knight King")
*''Korean:'' '''''Teulaenseupomeo: Choehuui Gisa''''' (트랜스포머: 최후의 기사, "Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng 5: Zuìhòu de Qíshì''''' (Taiwan, 變形金剛5：最後的騎士, "Transformers 5: The Last Knight"), '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng 5: Zuìhòu de Qíshì''''' (China, 变形金刚5：最后的骑士, "Transformers 5: The Last Knight")
*''Portuguese:'' '''''Transformers: O Último Cavaleiro''''' (Brazil, "Transformers: The Last Knight"), '''''Transformers 5''''' (Portugal)
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Posledniy rytsar' ''''' (Трансформеры: Последний рыцарь, "Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Spanish:'' '''''Transformers: El último caballero''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''''Трансформери - Останній лицар''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Knight(film)}}
[[Category:Real world films]]
[[Category:The Last Knight| Last Knight (film)]]

New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets

2017-04-27T06:25:19Z

Guntrip: /* Real-life references */

{{Comicstory
|series=op|issueno=6
|prev=New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost
|next=Ghost Stories
|caption=
|image=OP6 regcvr.jpg
|title="New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 26]], 2017
|coverdate=April 2017
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Kei Zama]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''Millennia ago, Orion Pax was forced to choose between the open hand and the closed fist. Today, Optimus Prime faces that same decision... but will his answer have changed?'''

==Synopsis==
Within the [[Junkion (species)|Junkion]]s' [[Quintesson Cruiser|space cruiser]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] are certain they are about to meet their end in the jaws of the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] when suddenly, the monstrous robots all lose interest and shamble off. The two confused [[Decepticon]]s go on to make their way through the ship's corridors and soon come upon [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]], who is attempting to force [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] to hand over the [[positron core]] she needs to save [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sideswipe]], but the pair elect to watch the fight rather than get involved.

Outside, the Junkion ship remains held fast in the grip of [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]]. [[Aileron]] evacuates the [[President of the United States]] to the [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] camp on the [[Matterhorn]] below, there to await the arrival of Joe reinforcements, as all around the world, the Sharkticons break off their attacks to gather above the mountain and help [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] and his [[Autobot]]s in battling the Junkion horde. In Italy, [[Marissa Faireborn]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] watch them leave; Thundercracker is surprised that Marissa doesn't want to go with [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|her father]] to help, but Marissa isn't interested in fighting any more.

''Four million years ago, Orion Pax and [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] burst in on the arms deal Decepticons [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]], [[Horri-Bull]], and their two enforcers are conducting with Pax and Prowl's mole, [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]]. When one of the enforcers pull his gun, Pax shoots him dead on the spot. Pax and Prowl take off after the fleeing Needlenose and Horri-Bull, and when the second enforcer tries to shoot them, Jetfire is the one to take up arms and kill him before he can get off a shot. Jetfire does not have long to let his actions sink in: suddenly, the Decepticons' entire cache of weapons explodes in the Autobots' faces, courtesy of a remote detonator planted by [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] for just such an emergency. Soundwave is repulsed by Starscream's violent and duplicitous tactics, but Starscream assures him that [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] believes the ends justify such means.''

The Sharkticons flood into the Junkion ship, right into the middle of Arcee and Wreck-Gar's battle, with Prime and the rest of the Autobots right behind them. Colonist soldier [[Slide]] is particularly hungry for vengeance for the death of her partner [[Oiler]], and her bloodthirstiness gives Optimus pause. Then, amid the fighting, a stray shot hits the positron core, which explodes dramatically, reducing Wreck-Gar to a disembodied (but still-living) head. The blast takes the remaining fight out of [[Rum-Maj]], who cradles Wreck-Gar's head and laments their failure to build a new future for their race.

''Orion and Prowl cordon off the crime scene, and are soon joined by [[Outback (G1)|Outback]], the officer who kicked off their investigation when he killed [[Hefter]]. The traumatized Jetfire renounces his Decepticon allegiance, but is still ready to throw a punch at the callous Outback until Orion stops him. Orion invites Jetfire to continue working with him to stop the threat of the Decepticons; Jetfire observes that not ''everything'' the Decepticons are attempting to do ''should'' be stopped, but Orion has been convinced by the day's events that violence is the only way to deal with them.''

''A safe distance away, Needlenose and Horri-Bull emerge from the sewers and are met by Soundwave, who Needlenose immediately rails against for the detonation of the weapons cache. After a moment's pause, Soundwave quietly accepts the truth of Starscream's words, and lies to the pair, telling them that the explosion was the work of the Autobots, meant to foment distrust among the Decepticons, and that they must fight back.''

Optimus Prime has Soundwave order the Sharkticons to stand down, then lays down his own weapon. [[Victorion]] believes he is surrendering, but Optimus, [[Matrix of Leadership]] glowing brightly for all to see, explains that he is choosing the path that will save the most lives. He hopes the Cybertronians, Sharkticons, and Junkions can all find some way to live peacefully, and Rum-Maj, moved by the display, agrees to help find that way. As Aileron, Jetfire, and the President watch Metrotitan set the Junkion ship down, Marissa flies in aboard Thundercracker, and announces to the President that she believes she has the solution they all need...

In [[Mexico City]], in the wake of [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]]'s defense of the city against the Sharkticons, the human woman he has been following approaches him. She explains that she works in television, and that Jazz's actions have convinced her to comply with her bosses' requests: she invites Jazz to tell his story on television!

A week later, the Autobots, Decepticons, Sharkticons, Junkions, and humans are working together on Marissa's plan: the construction of a refugee camp on the site of the [[Earth Defense Command]]'s old [[Bikini Atoll]] facility. Most of them seem to be getting along okay, except for Slide; she still seeks justice for Oiler's death, and [[Pyra Magna]] exploits her anger to sow the seeds of dissent. As Jetfire and Aileron oversee things, Jetfire smiles, happy to know that Optimus has made the opposite choice to the one Jetfire saw him make so long ago, finding a new way forward in peace, instead of meeting violence with violence. Still, one life still remains in danger: the means to save Sideswipe have been lost...

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (4)
*[[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] (5)
*[[Aileron]] (7)
*[[Victorion]] (9)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime/''Orion Pax'']] (11)
*[[Gimlet]] (12)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (13)
*[[Slide]] (14)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (15)
*[[Oiler]] (16)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (25)
*''[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'' (26)
*[[Bump]] (29)
*''[[Outback (G1)|Outback]] (30)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (31)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (33)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sideswipe]] (34)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (1)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (2)
*''[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]]'' (23)
*''[[Horri-Bull]]'' (24)
*''[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (27)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] (28)

|h3=[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]|c3=
*[[Zilong Qian|Talon]] (9)
*[[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] (18)
*[[Chameleon (G.I. Joe)|Chameleon]] (19)

|c4=
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] (3)
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] (6)
*[[President of the United States]] (8)
*Various [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] (10)
*[[Rum-Maj]] (17)
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (20)
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (21)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (22)
*Conspicuously Unnamed Mexican Woman (32)
*[[D.0.C.]] (35)
}}

==Quotes==
"This is '''it''', bro—'''no regrets!'''" 
"Well, I kinda wish we'd '''killed''' more '''Autobots.'''"
:—'''Frenzy''' and '''Rumble'''

"You're like a [[manifold-tick]]. '''Nothing''' kills you." 
"I had a manifold-tick once—'''nervous''' guy."
:—'''Arcee''' and '''Wreck-Gar'''

'''Slide:''' "Do like the '''Prime''' did to '''Galvatron!''' End this '''hard''' and '''permanent!'''" 
'''Wreck-Gar''' "Should I ask who '''Galvatron''' is or what the Prime '''did?'''" 
'''Frenzy:''' "Bad guy. Not like us." 
'''Rumble:''' "Optimus '''shot him''' and '''ripped off''' his '''head.'''" 
'''Wreck-Gar:''' "Oh thank '''goodness,''' I thought you were going to say something '''serious.'''"

"I have been complicit in the destruction of my world. My enemies have done wrong. As have I. We must not be shackled by the past. Sometimes we have to '''stand up''' and '''protect life.''' But other times, we must '''stand down''' to do the same. It the role of a '''Prime''' to know the '''difference.'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

"The Junkions killed '''Oiler.''' They got away with '''murder'''. That's not '''justice.'''" 
"You must ask yourself... what does a Prime '''stand for''', if not justice?" 
:—'''Slide''' and '''Pyra Magna'''

"In the end, it doesn't matter '''who''' shoots first. It doesn't matter who shoots '''last.''' It's the '''bullets''' that matter. The bullets... and what's in their '''path.'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Rumble quips that Cosmos is as "dead as Chic Chips," referring to the old "fashion trend" started by Needlenose, as seen in [[The Transgressors|''The Transformers'' #44]].
*Talon reports that [[Scarlett]] is planning to send reinforcements to help in the battle; presumably, as the Joes themselves aren't likely to be able to accomplish much, this refers to [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who has joined G.I. Joe and is a regular character appearing over in [[G.I. Joe vol. 5|their own comic]]. He never actually shows up to help, though.
*Rumble provides a short but detailed account of Optimus Prime's execution of Galvatron, which occurred in [[All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|''The Transformers'' #55]].
*Outback's an asshole but [[Spotlight: Kup|he's gonna die]] so don't feel bad.
*Jazz remembers being "thrown in a pit with some liquid-carbon thinamajig" the last time he got too close to humans, which took place in [[Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|''The Transformers'' #46]].
*The Earth Defense Command's Bikini Atoll facility was a fixture throughout the second "season" of ''The Transformers''. It was inherited by [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] when they took over the EDC's job, but was shuttered following the events of [[D.T.A.|the ''G.I. Joe: Revolution'' one-shot]], in which it had to be liberated from [[Dire Wraith]] control.

===Transformers references===
*Needlenose uses the swear "leaking lubricants," a phrase originally coined in [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]'s original [[bio]] to refer to "excessive talking," but which was most famously used by the character in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" as a generic expression of frustration, which is how it is used here. It's also mocked by Horri-Bull as being childish, which, well, is appropriate given the source of the phrase.

===Real-life references===
*As with all chapters of "New Cybertron," this issue's subtitle is taken from the lyrics to the {{w|Covenant (band)|Covenant}} song, "Babel."
*Jazz is described as "kind of blue". This is, of course, a reference to the {{w|Kind of Blue|Miles Davis album of the same name}}.

===Errors===
*On page 9, in Wreck-Gar's line (quoted above) "thought" is misspelled "though."
*On page 19, the President's line is bolded as "the '''old Earth Defense''' Command headquarters" where it should be "the old '''Earth Defense Command''' headquarters".

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Optimus Prime rides [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] into action with Metrotitan, by [[Kei Zama]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Subscription cover A:''' Optimus versus Rum-Maj, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Subscription cover B:''' A pillar of Sharkticons, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Prime, Jetfire, Arcee, and Aileron, by [[Jin Kim]]; part of a series of incentive covers by Kim for April's ''Transformers'' titles.

<gallery>
File:OP6 regcvr.jpg|
File:OP6 subcvrA.jpg|
File:OP6 subcvrB.jpg|
File:OP6 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Optimus Prime'' #7
*"The Hasbro Tribune" editorial page promoting April's [[Hasbro Universe]] titles, including this issue, [[G.I. Joe vol. 5 issue 5|''G.I. Joe'' #5]], ''Revolutionaries'' #5, [[Dissolution Part 5|''Lost Light'' #5]], and ''Till All Are One'' #9.
*''[[Jem|Jem and the Holograms]]'' #26
*''[[Micronauts]]: Wrath of Karza''
*[[Free Comic Book Day]] 2017
*IDW ''Funko Universe'' one-shots

==External links==
*[http://www.cbr.com/optimus-prime-6/ Preview]

[[Category:Optimus Prime issues]]

Main Page/schedule

2017-01-04T11:28:25Z

Guntrip: 11/01 IDW listings from Previews, later from Comixology (and may change!)

*'''[[January 4|Jan 4]]''' — ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 2|#2]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[January 11|Jan 11]]''' — The ''[[Titans Return (comic)|Titans Return]]'' trade paperback and the ''[[The Transformers: Autocracy|Autocracy Trilogy]]'' hardback are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[January 18|Jan 18]]''' — ''[[Revolutionaries]]'' [[Revolutionaries issue 1|#1]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[January 24|Jan 24]]''' — ''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 6]]'' is currently scheduled to release by [[IDW Publishing]] (Amazon date - likely earlier by retailers).
*'''[[January 25|Jan 25]]''' — ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' [[The Transformers: Lost Light issue 2|#2]] and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 3|#3]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[January 28|Jan 28]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Astrotrain (G1)#Legends|LG-40 Astrotrain]].
*'''[[January 31|Jan 31]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Megatronia|UW-EX Megatronia]].

*'''[[February 17|Feb 17]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Lio Convoy#Legends|LG-41 Lio Convoy]].
*'''[[February 25|Feb 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-34 Cheetus (Beast Wars)]] and [[Grapple (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-35 Grapple]].

*'''[[March 25|Mar 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Ruination (RID)#Unite Warriors 2|Baldigus]].

*'''[[April 1|Apr 1]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#MP-36|MP-36 Megatron]].

*'''[[Template: May|May ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Artfire#Masterpiece|MP-37 Artfire]] and [[Dirge (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|MP 11-ND Dirge]] and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Godbomber#Legends|LG-42 Godbomber]].

*'''[[June 23|Jun 23]]''' — ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]'' is currently scheduled to release.






*'''[[December 31|Dec 31]]''' — Last day the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]] is scheduled to be available for download.

===2018===
*'''[[June 8|Jun 08]]''' — ''[[Transformers 6]]'', otherwise known as the [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] movie, is currently scheduled to release.

===2019===
*'''[[June 28|Jun 28]]''' — ''[[Transformers 7]]'' is currently scheduled to release.

<noinclude>[[Category:Main Page templates]]</noinclude>

Main Page/schedule

2016-12-22T11:21:44Z

Guntrip: Added OP#2 back in as Comixology have it for the 4th and there's a 3-page preview out now

*'''[[December 28|Dec 28]]''' — ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'' [[Till All Are One issue 6|#6]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]]. [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Ginrai (human)#Legends|LG-35 Super Ginrai]], [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-36 Soundwave]], [[Ravage (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-37 Jaguar]] & [[Bullhorn (Masterforce)#Legends|Bullhorn]], [[Laserbeak (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-38 Condor]] & [[Apeface#Legends|Apeface]], and [[Brainstorm (G1)#Legends|LG-39 Brainstorm]].
===2017===

*'''[[January 4|Jan 4]]''' — ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 2|#2]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[January 24|Jan 24]]''' — ''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 6]]'' is currently scheduled to release by [[IDW Publishing]] (Amazon date - likely earlier by retailers).
*'''[[January 28|Jan 28]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-34 Cheetus]], and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Astrotrain (G1)#Legends|LG-40 Astrotrain]].
*'''[[January 31|Jan 31]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Megatronia|UW-EX Megatronia]].

*'''[[February 17|Feb 17]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Lio Convoy#Legends|LG-41 Lio Convoy]].
*'''[[February 25|Feb 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Grapple (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-35 Grapple]].

*'''[[March 25|Mar 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Ruination (RID)#Unite Warriors 2|Baldigus]].

*'''[[April 1|Apr 1]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#MP-36|MP-36 Megatron]].

*'''[[Template: May|May ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Artfire#Masterpiece|MP-37 Artfire]] and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Godbomber#Legends|LG-42 Godbomber]].

*'''[[June 23|Jun 23]]''' — ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]'' is currently scheduled to release.






*'''[[December 31|Dec 31]]''' — Last day the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]] is scheduled to be available for download.

===2018===
*'''[[June 8|Jun 08]]''' — ''[[Transformers 6]]'', otherwise known as the [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] movie, is currently scheduled to release.

===2019===
*'''[[June 28|Jun 28]]''' — ''[[Transformers 7]]'' is currently scheduled to release.

<noinclude>[[Category:Main Page templates]]</noinclude>

Main Page/schedule

2016-12-14T15:02:52Z

Guntrip:

*'''[[December 7|Dec 7]]''' — ''[[Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!|More than Meets the Eye: Revolution]]'' is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 14|Dec 14]]''' — ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|#1]] and ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|#1]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 20|Dec 20]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Ginrai (human)#Legends|LG-35 Super Ginrai]], [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-36 Soundwave]], [[Ravage (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-37 Jaguar]] & [[Bullhorn (Masterforce)#Legends|Bullhorn]], [[Laserbeak (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-38 Condor]] & [[Apeface#Legends|Apeface]], and [[Brainstorm (G1)#Legends|LG-39 Brainstorm]].
*'''[[December 21|Dec 21]]''' — ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 2|#2]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 28|Dec 28]]''' — ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'' [[Till All Are One issue 6|#6]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
===2017===

*'''[[January 24|Jan 24]]''' — ''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 6]]'' is currently scheduled to release by [[IDW Publishing]] (Amazon date - likely earlier by retailers).
*'''[[January 28|Jan 28]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-34 Cheetus]], ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Astrotrain (G1)#Legends|LG-40 Astrotrain]], and ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Megatronia]].

*'''[[February 17|Feb 17]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Lio Convoy#Legends|LG-41 Lio Convoy]].
*'''[[February 25|Feb 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Grapple (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-35 Grapple]].

*'''[[March 25|Mar 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Ruination (RID)#Unite Warriors 2|Baldigus]].

*'''[[April 1|Apr 1]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#MP-36|MP-36 Megatron]].

*'''[[Template: May|May ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Artfire#Masterpiece|MP-37 Artfire]] and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Godbomber#Legends|LG-42 Godbomber]].

*'''[[June 23|Jun 23]]''' — ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]'' is currently scheduled to release.






*'''[[December 31|Dec 31]]''' — Last day the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]] is scheduled to be available for download.

===2018===
*'''[[June 8|Jun 08]]''' — ''[[Transformers 6]]'', otherwise known as the [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] movie, is currently scheduled to release.

===2019===
*'''[[June 28|Jun 28]]''' — ''[[Transformers 7]]'' is currently scheduled to release.

<noinclude>[[Category:Main Page templates]]</noinclude>

Main Page/schedule

2016-12-14T08:26:00Z

Guntrip:

*'''[[December 7|Dec 7]]''' — ''[[Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!|More than Meets the Eye: Revolution]]'' is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 14|Dec 14]]''' — ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 1|#1]] and ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' [[Lost Light issue 1|#1]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 20|Dec 20]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Ginrai (human)#Legends|LG-35 Super Ginrai]], [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-36 Soundwave]], [[Ravage (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-37 Jaguar]] & [[Bullhorn (Masterforce)#Legends|Bullhorn]], [[Laserbeak (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-38 Condor]] & [[Apeface#Legends|Apeface]], and [[Brainstorm (G1)#Legends|LG-39 Brainstorm]].
*'''[[December 21|Dec 21]]''' — ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 2|#2]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 28|Dec 28]]''' — ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'' [[Till All Are One issue 6|#6]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
===2017===

*'''[[January 24|Jan 24]]''' — ''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 6]]'' is currently scheduled to release by [[IDW Publishing]] (Amazon date - likely earlier by retailers).
*'''[[January 28|Jan 28]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-34 Cheetus]], ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Astrotrain (G1)#Legends|LG-40 Astrotrain]], and ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Megatronia]].

*'''[[February 17|Feb 17]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Lio Convoy#Legends|LG-41 Lio Convoy]].
*'''[[February 25|Feb 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Grapple (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-35 Grapple]].

*'''[[March 25|Mar 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Ruination (RID)#Unite Warriors 2|Baldigus]].

*'''[[April 1|Apr 1]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#MP-36|MP-36 Megatron]].

*'''[[Template: May|May ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Artfire#Masterpiece|MP-37 Artfire]] and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Godbomber#Legends|LG-42 Godbomber]].

*'''[[June 23|Jun 23]]''' — ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]'' is currently scheduled to release.






*'''[[December 31|Dec 31]]''' — Last day the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]] is scheduled to be available for download.

===2018===
*'''[[June 8|Jun 08]]''' — ''[[Transformers 6]]'', otherwise known as the [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] movie, is currently scheduled to release.

===2019===
*'''[[June 28|Jun 28]]''' — ''[[Transformers 7]]'' is currently scheduled to release.

<noinclude>[[Category:Main Page templates]]</noinclude>

Main Page/schedule

2016-12-12T08:38:44Z

Guntrip:

*'''[[December 7|Dec 7]]''' — ''[[Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!|More than Meets the Eye: Revolution]]'' is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 14|Dec 14]]''' — ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 1|#1]] and ''[[Transformers: Lost Light]]'' [[Lost Light issue 1|#1]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 20|Dec 20]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Ginrai (human)#Legends|LG-35 Super Ginrai]], [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-36 Soundwave]], [[Ravage (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-37 Jaguar]] & [[Bullhorn (Masterforce)#Legends|Bullhorn]], [[Laserbeak (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-38 Condor]] & [[Apeface#Legends|Apeface]], and [[Brainstorm (G1)#Legends|LG-39 Brainstorm]].
*'''[[December 21|Dec 21]]''' — ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 2|#2]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
===2017===

*'''[[January 24|Jan 24]]''' — ''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 6]]'' is currently scheduled to release by [[IDW Publishing]] (Amazon date - likely earlier by retailers).
*'''[[January 28|Jan 28]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-34 Cheetus]], ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Astrotrain (G1)#Legends|LG-40 Astrotrain]], and ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Megatronia]].

*'''[[February 17|Feb 17]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Lio Convoy#Legends|LG-41 Lio Convoy]].
*'''[[February 25|Feb 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Grapple (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-35 Grapple]].

*'''[[March 25|Mar 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Ruination (RID)#Unite Warriors 2|Baldigus]].

*'''[[April 1|Apr 1]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#MP-36|MP-36 Megatron]].

*'''[[Template: May|May ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Artfire#Masterpiece|MP-37 Artfire]] and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Godbomber#Legends|LG-42 Godbomber]].

*'''[[June 23|Jun 23]]''' — ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]'' is currently scheduled to release.






*'''[[December 31|Dec 31]]''' — Last day the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]] is scheduled to be available for download.

===2018===
*'''[[June 8|Jun 08]]''' — ''[[Transformers 6]]'', otherwise known as the [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] movie, is currently scheduled to release.

===2019===
*'''[[June 28|Jun 28]]''' — ''[[Transformers 7]]'' is currently scheduled to release.

<noinclude>[[Category:Main Page templates]]</noinclude>

Main Page/schedule

2016-12-07T08:10:22Z

Guntrip:

*'''[[December 7|Dec 7]]''' — ''[[Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!|More than Meets the Eye: Revolution]]'' is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 14|Dec 14]]''' — ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 1|#1]] and ''[[Transformers: Lost Light]]'' [[Lost Light issue 1|#1]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 20|Dec 20]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Ginrai (human)#Legends|LG-35 Super Ginrai]], [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-36 Soundwave]], [[Ravage (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-37 Jaguar]] & [[Bullhorn (Masterforce)#Legends|Bullhorn]], [[Laserbeak (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-38 Condor]] & [[Apeface#Legends|Apeface]], and [[Brainstorm (G1)#Legends|LG-39 Brainstorm]].
===2017===

*'''[[January 24|Jan 24]]''' — ''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 6]]'' is currently scheduled to release by [[IDW Publishing]] (Amazon date - likely earlier by retailers).
*'''[[January 28|Jan 28]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-34 Cheetus]], ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Astrotrain (G1)#Legends|LG-40 Astrotrain]], and ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Megatronia]].

*'''[[February 17|Feb 17]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Lio Convoy#Legends|LG-41 Lio Convoy]].
*'''[[February 25|Feb 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Grapple (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-35 Grapple]].

*'''[[March 25|Mar 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Ruination (RID)#Unite Warriors 2|Baldigus]].

*'''[[April 1|Apr 1]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#MP-36|MP-36 Megatron]].

*'''[[Template: May|May ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Artfire#Masterpiece|MP-37 Artfire]] and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Godbomber#Legends|LG-42 Godbomber]].

*'''[[June 23|Jun 23]]''' — ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]'' is currently scheduled to release.






*'''[[December 31|Dec 31]]''' — Last day the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]] is scheduled to be available for download.

===2018===
*'''[[June 8|Jun 08]]''' — ''[[Transformers 6]]'', otherwise known as the [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] movie, is currently scheduled to release.

===2019===
*'''[[June 28|Jun 28]]''' — ''[[Transformers 7]]'' is currently scheduled to release.

<noinclude>[[Category:Main Page templates]]</noinclude>

Ping

2016-11-24T09:37:17Z

Guntrip: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|The Transformers: Till All Are One]]'' #5
|prev=Informed
|next=Til All Are One issue 6
|seriesissue2=''[[Titans Return (comic)|Titans Return]]''
|prev2=Last Light
|next2=
|image=TAAO5 subcvr.jpg
|caption=
|title="Ping"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 23]], [[2016]]
|coverdate=November 2016
|written by=[[Mairghread Scott]]
|art by=[[Sara Pitre-Durocher]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]] and [[Priscilla Tramontano]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]] and [[Chris Mowry]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''When the Titans return, Cybertron fights back!'''

==Synopsis==
Out in the depths of space, aboard the [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] [[Carcer]], [[Lancer]] and [[Greenlight]] pick up something alarming on their scanners...

[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] returns to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] following the [[Revolution|recent events on Earth]], where she is greeted by [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]]. Feeling very downtrodden after recent failures, Windblade believes she may no longer have a part to play in the future of Cybertron, but Obsidian tries to raise her spirits, pointing out all the good work that they can yet do. All those future plans immediately become secondary concerns, however, when Obsidian's communicator chimes...

Across town, [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] is meeting with [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]], who, as new director of security for [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], demands that custody of the oft-stolen [[Enigma of Combination]] be turned over to him. Starscream is resistant, more interested instead in seeing the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] prosecuted for their crimes, but Ironhide is not willing so long as they are suffering brain-damage since de-combining. Starscream accuses Ironhide of working against him, but Ironhide denies it; in fact, he says, he believes it is time for Starscream to stop playing games and properly, genuinely ''lead'' the planet, and that he'll stand behind him if he does. Before they can talk any further, their communicators also go off.

A short time later, the [[Council of Worlds]] assembles at the [[Spire]], where Windblade and Obsidian reveal what Carcer's sensors have detected: a fleet of undead Titans, bearing down on Cybertron and due to arrive in six hours. The council flies into a panic, with [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] ready to flee immediately, but Starscream—taking Ironhide's advice—sternly snaps them all into shape. Preparations are made for all of Cybertron fight back against the approaching threat: sick and injured 'bots are quickly relocated to [[Caminus]]; Ironhide's security forces organize the evacuation of Iacon; and every available ship is drafted to take part in the looming combat. This last order in particular proves distressing for cargo hauler [[Razorbeast]], who tries to convince his partner [[Fizzle]] that they should just make a run for it, but a stirring speech from Starscream that is transmitted to all ships convinces them to stay and fight.

As the Titans arrive overhead, Windblade transforms [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] to battle his zombified brethren on the ground, while the ships, with Carcer at the fore, try to eliminate as many as they can before they hit the ground. Down among the city streets, Knock Out uses his speed to evade the giants, luring them into a barrage of fire, while [[Tigatron]] and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] rip at the giants with fang and claw. But as the fight wears on, more and more Titans arrive, and Metroplex is steadily overpowered and wrestled to the ground. Observing this, Starscream contacts [[Elita One]] aboard Carcer and, shelving his characteristic pride, requests that she bring Carcer down to the surface of the planet and transform him to help in the fight. Elita listens to him silently, and after a moment... politely refuses and shuts off her comm line!

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (3)
*''[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]]'' (5)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]'' (6)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] (7)
*[[Fizzle]] (23)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (hallucination, 25)
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (26)

|c2=
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (19)
*[[Octane|Tall Tankor]] (20)
*[[Sparkstalker]] (21)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Lancer]] (1)
*[[Greenlight]] (2)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (4)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (8)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (9)
*[[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] (10)
*[[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] (11)
*[[Tigatron]] (12)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (13)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]] (14)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (15)
*Multiple [[Titan (IDW)|Titans]] (16)
*[[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]] (17)
*[[Mistress of Flame]] (18)
*[[Zetca]] (22)
*[[Razorbeast]] (24)
*[[Breakdown (IDW)|Knock Out's Conjunx Endura]] (27)
*[[Elita One]] (28)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==
"There's a saying on Earth, where Optimus is now, 'there's no rest for the wicked.'" 
"There is a similar saying among my people. There is no rest for the '''just.'''"
:—'''Windblade''' and '''Obsidian'''

"Now, will the Justice Committee, the most annoying of committees if I may add, please tell us why we're here?"
:—'''Starscream'''

"Always knew that guy was a manipulative ass-gasket. I just never thought he'd be so damn inspiring."
:—'''Fizzle,''' on Starscream

"Think we'll make it out of this?" 
"Yes, but look where optimism got me." 
"Fair enough. On the bright side, if we lose, maybe I'll get to haunt Megatron. Annoy him as much as you annoy me."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Bumblebee's "ghost"'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Windblade returns from her participation in the ''[[Revolution]]'' crossover, which she was seen leaving Cybertron to take part in in the [[Informed|''Till All Are One: Revolution'' tie-in one-shot]], and which, due to delays, hadn't actually wrapped up by the time this issue was released.
*Obsidian notes that "[[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]] must be resettled." The former Decepticon capital, previously believed destroyed in Cybertron's reformatting, was discovered still standing in the [[The Last Autobot|''Titans Return'' one-shot]].
*In what has become an ongoing trend, Starscream has again adopted a new body, the third time he has done so since becoming leader. For a point of comparison, note that Ironhide still sports the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]''-inspired design he acquired back at the start of [[2012]].
*Ironhide refers to the Enigma of Combination's distressing history of being very easily stolen since it fell into Starscream's hands, which has happened in [[You, Me, and the Universe|''The Transformers'' #41]], ''[[An Uneventful Night|Combiner Hunters]]'', and just [[The Line Between Us|last issue]].
*We are also reminded that the [[Drunkatron|murder]] that took place back in [[07:00:00|issue #1]] has not yet been solved; the implication has always been that [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]], disguised as a [[Badgeless]], did it.
*The undead Titans were reanimated by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] on [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]] in [[Last Light|''More than Meets the Eye'' #57]].
*Despite the [[Ten_to_Midnight|''More than Meets the Eye'' issues]] [[Last_Light|of the crossover]] establishing that there is regular contact between the two, apparently nobody on Luna 1 thought to forewarn Cybertron of the incoming Titans.
*Zetca is seen running the Cybertron spaceport, a job he was shown to have taken up in [[Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|''The Transformers'' #47]].
*Fizzle was last seen [[A 'Bot and Her City|issue #1]] of the [[The Transformers: Windblade|''Windblade'' mini-series]], hanging around in Maccadam's. Looks like he's found himself a job since then!
*Elita's refusal to let Carcer transform and join the fight on Cybertron is alarming enough ''without'' context, but it's important to remember we've known since [[The Will of the Few|''Windblade'' vol. 2 #7]] that there's ''something'' suspicious about her Titan, and that it may not be exactly who or what she claims it is.

===Errors===
*On page 2, Windblade sadly notes Optimus doesn't listen to "her council"; that ought to be "counsel."

===Other trivia===
*''Till All Are One'' gets a new logo this issue, shifting the subtitle to below the "Transformers" logo and enlarging it to span the width of the cover.
*This is the first part of ''Till All Are One''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s sequel/follow-up to the ''[[Titans Return (comic)|Titans Return]]'' event. It's not branded as part of the event itself—a bit ironic, given that this is the story in which the Titans actually ''return!'' The launch of ''Till All Are One'' was apparently held back by delays on [[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers|''Sins of the Wreckers'']]; had it come out on its originally promoted launch date, ''Till All Are One'' would presumably have had a more interconnected set of crossover issues that would have run concurrently with the other ''Titans Return'' chapters in ''The Transformers'' and ''More than Meets the Eye''. But hey, things changes, and so this story has been actively been written to fall after ''Revolution'', clocking in at four parts in length (the entirety of the second ''Till All Are One'' trade paperback).

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Metroplex rises, by [[Sara Pitre-Durocher]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Split-screen of Windblade, Starscream, and our cast as the Titans draw near, by [[Priscilla Tramontano]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Knock Out and his Conjunx, by [[Jack Lawrence]] and [[Thomas Deer]]

<gallery>
File:TAAO5 regcvr.jpg|
File:TAAO5 subcvr.jpg|
File:TAAO5 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Till All Are One'' #6
*"The Hasbro Tribune" editorial page promoting "[[Reconstruction]]" and the new [[Hasbro Universe]] titles, including this issue and [[Optimus Prime issue 1|''Optimus Prime'' #1]].
*''Till All Are One'' Vol. 1 trade paperback
*''Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures'' mini-series

==External links==
*[http://www.newsarama.com/32066-cybertron-prepares-for-war-in-transformers-till-all-are-one-5.html Preview]

[[Category:Till All Are One issues]]

Main Page/schedule

2016-11-23T09:41:36Z

Guntrip:

*'''[[November 23|Nov 23]]''' — ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'' [[Till All Are One issue 5|#5]], and ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)|Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'': ''More than Meets the Eye'' TPB are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[November 26|Nov 26]]''' — The ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' episode "[[Worthy]]" premieres on Cartoon Network in the U.S. [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Inferno (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-33 Inferno]], ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Chromedome (G1)#Legends|LG-32 Chromedome]], [[Highbrow (G1)#Legends|LG-33 Highbrow]], and [[Mindwipe (G1)#Legends|LG-34 Wipe]], and ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 toyline)#Japanese toy line|Adventure]]'' [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#TAV61|TAV 61 God Optimus Prime Micron Set]] and [[Starscream (WFC)#Warrior|TAV 62 Starscream]].
*'''[[November 30|Nov 30]]''' — ''[[Revolution]]'' [[Revolution issue 5|#5]] and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[Optimus Prime issue 1|#1]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].


*'''[[December 7|Dec 7]]''' — ''[[More than Meets the Eye: Revolution]]'' is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[December 14|Dec 14]]''' — ''[[Transformers: Lost Light]]'' [[Lost Light issue 1|#1]] is released by [[IDW Publishing]].
*'''[[Template: December|Dec ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Ginrai (human)#Legends|LG-35 Super Ginrai]], [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-36 Soundwave]], [[Ravage (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-37 Jaguar]] & [[Bullhorn (Masterforce)#Legends|Bullhorn]], [[Laserbeak (G1)/toys#Legends|LG-38 Condor]] & [[Apeface#Legends|Apeface]], and [[Brainstorm (G1)#Legends|LG-39 Brainstorm]].
===2017===
*'''[[January 24|Jan 24]]''' — ''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 6]]'' is currently scheduled to release by [[IDW Publishing]] (Amazon date - likely earlier by retailers).
*'''[[January 28|Jan 28]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-34 Cheetus]], ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Astrotrain (G1)#Legends|LG-40 Astrotrain]], and ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Megatronia]].
*'''[[February 25|Feb 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Grapple (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-35 Grapple]] and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Lio Convoy#Legends|LG-41 Lio Convoy]].
*'''[[March 25|Mar 25]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Ruination (RID)#Unite Warriors 2|Baldigus]].
*'''[[April 29|Apr 29]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#MP-36|MP-36 Megatron]].
*'''[[June 23|Jun 23]]''' — ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]'' is currently scheduled to release.
*'''[[December 31|Dec 31]]''' — Last day the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]] is scheduled to be available for download.

===2018===
*'''[[June 8|Jun 08]]''' — ''[[Transformers 6]]'', otherwise known as the [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] movie, is currently scheduled to release.

===2019===
*'''[[June 28|Jun 28]]''' — ''[[Transformers 7]]'' is currently scheduled to release.

<noinclude>[[Category:Main Page templates]]</noinclude>

Saren Stone

2015-11-23T11:30:57Z

Guntrip: /* Comic art */

'''Sarah Stone''' is a comic book illustrator. She has previously been a storyboard intern on ''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'', and art director at video game developer Barking Lizards Technologies. She is currently a Senior Art Director at Gaia Interactive, for whom she develops clothing and items for ''Gaia Online'', and also works as a freelance illustrator.

==Comic art==
*''[[The Transformers: Windblade]]'' - Vol. 1 #1-4, Vol. 2 #1
*''[[The_Transformers: The IDW Collection|The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two]]'' - volumes [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume_1|1]], [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume_2|2]] & [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume_3|3]] (covers)
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The World of Tomorrow|#33]]

==External links==
*[http://monsterboysandrobots.com/ Monster Boys & Robots]
*[http://fayrenpickpocket.deviantart.com/ Fayren Pickpocket] on DeviantArt

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Sarah}}
[[Category:IDW Publishing]]
[[Category:Illustrators]]

Saren Stone

2015-11-23T11:30:42Z

Guntrip: /* Comic art */

'''Sarah Stone''' is a comic book illustrator. She has previously been a storyboard intern on ''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'', and art director at video game developer Barking Lizards Technologies. She is currently a Senior Art Director at Gaia Interactive, for whom she develops clothing and items for ''Gaia Online'', and also works as a freelance illustrator.

==Comic art==
*''[[The Transformers: Windblade]]'' - Vol. 1 #1-4, Vol. 2 #1
*''[[The_Transformers: The IDW Collection|The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two]]'' - volumes [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume_1|1]]. [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume_2|2]] & [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume_3|3]] (covers)
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The World of Tomorrow|#33]]

==External links==
*[http://monsterboysandrobots.com/ Monster Boys & Robots]
*[http://fayrenpickpocket.deviantart.com/ Fayren Pickpocket] on DeviantArt

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Sarah}}
[[Category:IDW Publishing]]
[[Category:Illustrators]]

Main Page/schedule

2015-11-23T09:52:35Z

Guntrip:

* '''[[November 25|Nov 25]]''' — ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye issue 47|#47]] and ''[[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers|Sins of the Wreckers]]'' [[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers issue 1|#1]] are released by [[IDW Publishing]].
* '''[[Template:November|Nov ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#MP-11T|MP-11T Thundercracker]].

* '''[[December 19|Dec 19]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''Q-Collaboration'' [[Snoopy|QTC05 Snoopy]].
* '''[[December 26|Dec 26]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Road Rage (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-26 Road Rage]] and ''[[Q-Transformers]]'' QTFS-01 Anime Protagonists 3-Figure Set, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Q-Transformers|QTF-01 Optimus Prime]], [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Q-Transformers|QTF-02 Bumblebee]], [[Lockdown (ROTF)#Q-Transformers|QTF-03 Lockdown]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|QTF-04 Convoy]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|QTF-05 Ultra Magnus]] and [[Arcee (G1)#Q-Transformers|QTF-06 Arcee]] and ''Q-Collaboration'' [[My Melody|QTC06 My Melody]].
* '''[[Template:December|Dec ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#MasterpieceRedBumble|MP-21R Bumble Red Body]] and [[Clamp Down#Masterpiece|MP-14C Clamp Down]].

* '''[[January 23|Jan 23]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''Q-Collaboration'' [[Evangelion Unit-01#Q-Transformers|Evangelion Unit-01 Awakened Ver.]]
* '''[[January 31|Jan 31]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Starscream (Armada)#Legends|LG-18 Starscream Super Mode]] and ''[[Q-Transformers]]'' QTFS-02 Decepticons 3-Figure Set, [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|QTF-07 Ironhide]] and [[Jetfire (G1)#Q-Transformers|QTF-08 Jetfire]].
* '''[[Template:January|Jan ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-27 Ironhide]].

* '''[[Template:February|Feb ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Hot Rod/toys#MasterpieceHotRodimus|MP-28 Hot Rodimus]] and [[Ramjet (G1)#Masterpiece|MP-11NR Ramjet]] and ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Springer (G1)#Legends|LG-19 Springer]].

* '''[[Template:March|Mar ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-29 Destron Laserwave]].

* '''[[Template:April|Apr ??]]''' — [[TakaraTomy]] releases ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Ratchet (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-30 Ratchet]].
<noinclude>[[Category:Main Page templates]]</noinclude>
* '''2017''' — [[Transformers 5]] is tentatively scheduled to release.

Ruined FOREVER

2015-07-23T22:39:29Z

Guntrip: /* Things that have Ruined Transformers Forever in the past */

[[Image:Ruined forever.jpg|right|250px|thumb|We believe in regular Preparedness Drills.]]
[[Fandom|Fans]] realize something [[Hasbro]] does not: that [[Transformers brand|robust {{#expr: {{CURRENTYEAR}}-1984}}-year-old billion-dollar franchises]], while seemingly healthy, are in actuality as fragile as two [[Brick (term)|brick]]s tied together with tissue paper. One mistake, one bad mis-step will cause the entire thing to [[Gold Plastic Syndrome|shatter]] and fall apart; and '''Transformers would be ruined forever'''.

Fortunately, there ''is'' hope. The Transformers fanbase has resolved to remain ''ever vigilant'' against something that could Ruin Transformers Forever, and call out a warning if they see something that could potentially do so.

Some Transformers conservationists suggest a more extreme approach, that Transformers should [[Mickey Mouse|abandon all attempts at re-invention]] and instead [[wikipedia:Masters of the Universe#Masters of the Universe Classics|cater exclusively to the old-school collectors]]. Though attractive, this approach may prove [[G.I. Joe (franchise)|impractical as a long-term solution]].

Ruined Forever remains a serious threat to Transformers now and in the foreseeable future, though it's possible a proposed initiative requiring all Transformers fans to purchase an annual [[wikipedia:Carbon offset|plastic offset]] could ensure our fragile brand's existence through the mid-21st century.

==Things that have '''Ruined Transformers Forever''' in the past==
* [[The Transformers: The Movie|Killing Optimus Prime]]
* [[Action Master|Transformers that don't transform]]
* [[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Munkies]]
* [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|Hippies]]
* [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Reboots]]
* [[3H Productions|Divorce]]
* [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Pokéformers]]
* [[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Perverts]]
* [[Fun Publications|Exclusives]]
* [[Live-action film series|Bayformers]]
* [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Teen Titans]]
* [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|Bees]]
* [[Female Transformer|Radical Feminist SJWs]]
* [[The_Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|Sitcom references]]

==See also==
*[[GEEWUN]]
*[[Pokeformers]]
*[[Trukk not munky]]
*[[Chin]]

==External links==
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/DarthWiki/RuinedFOREVER Ruined FOREVER] on TVTropes (because ''we'' are the trope namer)
* [http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?s=fe56a06d58c59bdba8c908e4e3641e81&p=65297&postcount=8 Wave 2 of the ''Transformers'' toys in 1984 ruined the brand forever (short essay)]
[[Category:Fan terminology]]
[[Category:Fandom]]

Our Steps Will Always Rhyme

2015-04-29T19:26:36Z

Guntrip: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=40
|prev=The Permanent Revolution
|next=
|image=MTMTE40_regcvr.jpg
|title=Chief Medical Officer Ratchet in: "Our Steps Will Always Rhyme"
|caption=Looks like Ratchet has been collecting [[Cyberverse]].
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 29]], [[2015]]
|coverdate=April 2015
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Brendan Cahill]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}

'''A hearing is convened to decide Brainstorm's punishment, which inspires Ratchet to venture off on a mission of his own—but not before he says his farewells properly.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] has never been very good at saying goodbye, whether to [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]], to [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], or even to [[Hunter O'Nion]]. Such thoughts are on his mind today, as he enjoys a drink in the deserted [[Swerve's]], while the [[Swerve (G1)|bartender himself]] and [[Ten]] pass the time arranging a huge pyramid of glasses. The pyramid is lucky to be spared what happens next; Ratchet is not so fortunate, and is knocked head over heels as [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] comes careening into the bar on a new hoverboard that he has purchased in [[Fortuna]], capital city of the planet [[Scarvix]], where the ''[[Lost Light]]'' is currently berthed while its [[quantum generator]]s recharge. Tailgate apologizes, but notes how empty the bar is, which Swerve whines is the result of [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] opening a competing establishment, [["Visages"]] (quotation marks included!), after the recent poisoning incident at Swerve's. While Swerve laments, Tailgate tells Ratchet he's going fishing for [[Legislator]] body-parts in the [[oil reservoir]] with [[Getaway]]; this turns the subject of conversation towards the put-upon Ten, who [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] has been trying to convince Swerve to treat better. Realising he is running late, Ratchet departs...

...in order to attend the first meeting of the [[Lost Light Internal Legal Affairs Committee]], who are holding a hearing to decide what [[Brainstorm]]'s punishment will be following his recent deceptions. Brainstorm queries why [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] is not on trial, having been the 'bot who actually fired the fatal shot on their time travel adventure, but [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] has already plead Rewind's case in private. When confronted with the [[Decepticon]] symbol within his faceplate, Brainstorm does not deny the implication; [[Nautica]] storms out as Brainstorm details how he chose to become an undercover agent in order to obtain from the Decepticons the resources necessary to build his [[briefcase|time machine]], but notes that he never provided his handlers with any information that would harm the [[Autobot]]s. When the subject of the alternate ''Lost Light'' and the act of treachery by its Brainstorm that resulted in the death of the entire crew is raised, Brainstorm takes a stand, refusing to be held accountable for actions that were not his own—a stand that earns him a solo round of applause from [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]. Committee heads Ultra Magnus, [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] and [[Xaaron]] begrudgingly admit that this is true, but conclude he must still be punished for his attempts to alter history; his time machine is to be destroyed, and his access to his lab is to be cut off, but much to Brainstorm's surprise—and Ratchet's silent but visible dissatisfaction—he is ''not'' going to be kicked off the ship.

Following the hearing, Magnus checks in on the melancholy [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]], who was absent from the proceedings, to see if he has taken a missing datapad belonging to Magnus. Ratchet, meanwhile, heads to "Visages" to borrow Tailgate's hoverboard; the little 'bot is in the bar with Getaway, and grows confused and upset as the escapologist continues to ply him with drink and 'negative compliments', and claims that [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] has been talking about Tailgate behind his back.

Under the patently phoney ruse that Tailgate's board is infected with teleporting "super-[[scraplet]]s", Ratchet has [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] round up a select few of the crew for "examination". He uses the short, one-on-one sessions to talk candidly with each of them: he scolds Rodimus for the inconsistent treatment Brainstorm has received in comparison with exiled [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]; he gives [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]'s number to [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] in order to get him counselling; he asks [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] to be a friend to Rung outside of officer hours; he helps [[Nautica]] understand that Brainstorm's actions were truly selfless, as he was an [[M.T.O.]] and would have been erased from history had his mission succeeded; he suggests that Swerve try getting Megatron to perform some of his poetry to reinvigorate his bar; and he tries to console Ultra Magnus, who has come to believe that the rest of the crew does not respect him after finding a tiny figurine of his true self, [[Minimus Ambus]], outside his hab-suite door. Once the examinations are done (and First Aid has made it clear he knows Ratchet was making up the "super-scraplets"), Ratchet is once again clobbered by Tailgate on his ''new'' hoverboard, which Tailgate explains was built by Ten. His curiosity piqued, Ratchet visits Ten's makeshift "quarters", where he discovers that the soul of an artist glows within the vocally-impaired robot: Ten has drawn a beautiful mural of the ship's crew on his wall, and built a diorama and figurines. Noticing that there's a display dedicated to Ultra Magnus, Ratchet realizes that Magnus is Ten's "favorite", and that Ten, wanting something of his, secretly took the missing datapad in exchange for the Minimus figure. Examining the pad, Ratchet discovers why Magnus was so eager to get it back: it contains a poem he is trying to write! Ratchet encourages Ten to return the pad, and types a message for Magnus into it to explain the situation.

A little later, with his new friend Ten at his side, Minimus Ambus enters Swerve's, which is now the popular spot once again after Swerve had Megatron perform... at "Visages"! While Minimus talks about the strange message Ratchet left him, brief moments play out across the ship: Brainstorm and Nautica reconcile; Getaway and Tailgate fish; Cyclonus broods; Rodimus and Perceptor burn Brainstorm's briefcases... save one, which is secretly recovered for Megatron by [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]; and First Aid finds Ratchet's quarters deserted, with a communicator and a note at long last appointing First Aid the ship's chief medical officer. As the ''Lost Light'' departs Scarvix, Ratchet watches it go from a small shuttle of his own, before he too takes off... in search of Drift.

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (1)
*''[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]]'' (2)
*''[[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]'' (3)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (6)
*[[Siren]] (7)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (8)
*[[Hosehead (G1)|Hosehead]] (9)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (10)
*[[Xaaron]] (12)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (13)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]/ [[Minimus Ambus]] (14)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (15)
*[[Nautica]] (16)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (17)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (18)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (19)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (21)
*[[Brainstorm]] (22)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (24)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (26)
*[[Getaway]] (27)
*[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] (28)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (29)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (30)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (31)
*? (32)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (33)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (34)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (35)
*[[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] (36)
*[[Grotusque]] (mural, 37)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]] (mural, 38)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (figurine, 39)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (40)
*[[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]] (41)
*[[Atomizer]] (42)
*[[Rad]] (43)
*[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] (44)
*[[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (45)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (figurine, 46)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*''[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'' (5)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (23)

|c3=
*''[[Hunter O'Nion]]'' (4)
|c4=
*[[Ten]] (11)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (20)
}}

==Quotes==

"I '''hate''' it. I ''(muffled)'' everything about it. It sounds ''(muffled)'' '''awful.'''"
:—'''Swerve''', on "Visages"

'''Brainstorm:''' "Everyone who's ever built a '''fully functioning time machine''', stand up." 
''(Riptide stands up.)'' 
''(beat)'' 
'''Riptide:''' "Oh, a '''time''' machine...! Sorry." 
''(Riptide sits down.)''

"The Decepticons have had their suspicions about me for '''ages.''' I'm the worst double agent '''ever'''. Worse than '''Rung.'''" 
''(beat)'' 
"Joke. Not funny."
:—'''Brainstorm'''

"If I had sarcasm-powered legs, I'd do a '''happy dance'''...!"
:—'''Nautica''' takes the news of a potential scraplet infection poorly

"How do I feel. How do I 'feel'." 
"It's not meant to be a trick question."
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' and '''Ratchet'''

"Are these your '''favorites'''?" 
"Ten." 
"Yeah. Mine too. You're '''missing someone''', though. Not your fault: you joined after he left. After we '''sent him away.''' You'd have liked him. '''I''' did—probably a lot more than either of us realized."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Ten''' talk about Drift

"I don't trust poetry. What's the point? All these people trying to say something by hiding it behind something else." 
"Someone once said that poetry is a hazardous attempt at self-understanding. It's certainly '''difficult'''..."
:—'''Swerve''' and '''Minimus Ambus'''

'''Brainstorm:''' "I added a new button:" 
'''Nautica's wrench:''' "Brainstorm is an ass!" 
'''Nautica:''' "It's my new favorite."

"This ship is a refuge for the '''emotionally inarticulate'''. Oh, people talk. People talk '''all the time'''. They just don't '''say''' very much. They're too worried about people knowing how they '''feel'''. Too worried about being '''found out'''. For better or worse, we're judged by what we do, and not what we '''say'''. And if it takes us a while to get around to doing something '''important''', well... better late than never."
:—'''Ratchet's''' farewell message

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Ratchet's first flashback shows his parting with [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]], which chronologically takes places between the scenes of the past shown in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issues #11]] and [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|issue #36]].
*His second flashback is set before his departure for Earth, prior to [[Infiltration issue 0|''Infiltration'' #0]], IDW's first ''Transformers'' issue. We also learn that Ratchet's departure was what convinced Pharma to transfer to [[Delphi]], where we met him in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*The third flashback shows Ratchet (in his "-ations"-era body, complete with [[holomatter]] avatar and even speech-bubble and font design from that time) returning [[Hunter O'Nion]] home following his separation from [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], set in the missing year between [[Maximum Dinobots issue 5|''Maximum Dinobots'' #5]] and [[All Hail Megatron issue 1|''All Hail Megatron'' #1]]. [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] is shown watching Hunter, alluding to his eventual capture of the boy and the pillaging of his mind, revealed in [[All Hail Megatron issue 8|''All Hail Megatron'' #8]].
*Tailgate's been inspired to get a hoverboard after watching ''Back to the Future Part II'' in [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|issue #38]].
*The oil reservoir is full of Legislator body parts after Skids tore an entire battalion of them apart down there back in [[Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|issue #18]].
*Someone has written "I failed the [[Ambus Test]]" on Ten's back; the test, an indicator of sentience, was previously mentioned in [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|issue #24]].
*Getaway's behaviour towards Tailgate has grown noticeably more creepy from when we first saw it in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|issue #30]].
*Ratchet feels Hoist needs "someone to talk to"; that's likely because of his isolation issues, which we saw illustrated in [[The Waiting Game|''Spotlight: Hoist'']]. It also likely relates to [[Trailbreaker (G1)|his roommate]] suffering a horrible death in [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|issue #34]], chronologically very close to this issue.
*We've known that "Brainstorm" isn't Brainstorm's real name since [[The Reluctant Specialist|''Spotlight: Trailcutter'']]; here, Nautica reveals that it is "Genitus of Operation: Solar Storm".
*Ratchet encourages Skids to get the "puncture wounds" on his neck fixed; those would be the [[mnemosurgery]] holes Chromedome left after [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|issue #8]].
*Ratchet's departure leads into his role in the [[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|''Drift - Empire of Stone'']] mini-series, already published in full by the time of this issue's release.
* Speaking of departures, First Aid's tenure as Chief Medical Officer will be brief, as he and several others will be leaving the ship shortly in order to be part of the "[[Combiner Wars]]". In fact, the comic showing his departure, "[[The Possible Light]]", had been published two weeks prior.

===Transformers references===
*The planet Scarvix appeared in [[Headhunt|issue #133]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|Marvel UK Generation 1 comic]].
*The 'bots who Tailgate nearly knocks down while on his board are Siren, Nightbeat and Hosehead, the full roster of 1988 Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. As a cute reference, Hosehead claims Tailgate "nearly took [his] head off".
*As Swerve directs Ten around, he says: "A little to the left... a little bit more", a verbatim quote from [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' as he arranges the positioning of a roadblock, right before Hot Rod comes crashing through.
*The rise and fall of Mirage's bar was first mentioned in [[The Possible Light|''The Transformers'' #40]], just a few weeks before this issue was published.
*When Ratchet describes the "super-scraplets", he uses the onomatopoeia "Vop!" to illustrate their teleportation abilities. That's the sound effect IDW uses for [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]'s teleports.

===Real-life references===
*This issue's title is a lyric from the {{w|Leonard Cohen}} song, "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye", a pretty self-explanatory reference.
*Siren's exclamation of "I'm walkin' here!" is an oft-quoted line of Dustin Hoffman's from the 1969 film ''Midnight Cowboy''.
*When Ratchet leaves Hunter home, the human notes he is going to catch up on a lot of television, listing off the hot-name shows that were airing at the time the scene is set, in the late 2000s: ''{{w|Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica}}'', ''{{w|Doctor Who}}'' and ''{{w|Heroes (TV series)|Heroes}}''.
*After Tailgate smacks into Ratchet for the second time, Ratchet returns his hoverboard and says "Hey, kid, thanks", paraphrasing similar lines from ''Back to the Future'' and its sequel when Marty returns borrowed boards to their owners.
*The individual mentioned in Minimus's remark on the nature of poetry, quoted above, was {{w|Robert Penn Warren}}, who wrote: "For what is a poem but a hazardous attempt at self-understanding: it is the deepest part of autobiography."

===Other trivia===
*After running a month behind for the first quarter of 2015, ''More than Meets the Eye'' gets back on schedule with this issue, the second of two released in April.
*There are plenty of ''Lost Light'' regulars who aren't part of Ten's mural, but it's pretty telling that Ten has left Swerve himself out of the artwork.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgb8am3NQU0 Nobody's Empire]" by {{w|Belle and Sebastian}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYRoZELZY3w Love Expression]" by {{w|It's Jo and Danny}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' The ''Lost Light'' crew in Ratchet's tender hands, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Tailgate on his hoverboard as Getaway, Cyclonus and Ultra Magnus look on, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Brainstorm in the spotlight, with Nautica, Ratchet, and Ultra Magnus silently judging, by [[Brendan Cahill]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE40 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE40 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE40 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #41
*"[[Combiner Wars]]"
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Expelled from the Garden|#6]]
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters'' trade paperback
*IDW ''Skylanders'' comic
*IDW ''[[Jem|Jem and the Holograms]]'' comic
*''[[My Little Pony]]: FIENDship Is Magic'' comic book event
*Disney comics are back! (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-40-idw-2015 Preview]

Our Steps Will Always Rhyme

2015-04-29T19:24:06Z

Guntrip: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=40
|prev=The Permanent Revolution
|next=
|image=MTMTE40_regcvr.jpg
|title=Chief Medical Officer Ratchet in: "Our Steps Will Always Rhyme"
|caption=Looks like Ratchet has been collecting [[Cyberverse]].
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 29]], [[2015]]
|coverdate=April 2015
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Brendan Cahill]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}

'''A hearing is convened to decide Brainstorm's punishment, which inspires Ratchet to venture off on a mission of his own—but not before he says his farewells properly.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] has never been very good at saying goodbye, whether to [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]], to [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], or even to [[Hunter O'Nion]]. Such thoughts are on his mind today, as he enjoys a drink in the deserted [[Swerve's]], while the [[Swerve (G1)|bartender himself]] and [[Ten]] pass the time arranging a huge pyramid of glasses. The pyramid is lucky to be spared what happens next; Ratchet is not so fortunate, and is knocked head over heels as [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] comes careening into the bar on a new hoverboard that he has purchased in [[Fortuna]], capital city of the planet [[Scarvix]], where the ''[[Lost Light]]'' is currently berthed while its [[quantum generator]]s recharge. Tailgate apologizes, but notes how empty the bar is, which Swerve whines is the result of [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] opening a competing establishment, [["Visages"]] (quotation marks included!), after the recent poisoning incident at Swerve's. While Swerve laments, Tailgate tells Ratchet he's going fishing for [[Legislator]] body-parts in the [[oil reservoir]] with [[Getaway]]; this turns the subject of conversation towards the put-upon Ten, who [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] has been trying to convince Swerve to treat better. Realising he is running late, Ratchet departs...

...in order to attend the first meeting of the [[Lost Light Internal Legal Affairs Committee]], who are holding a hearing to decide what [[Brainstorm]]'s punishment will be following his recent deceptions. Brainstorm queries why [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] is not on trial, having been the 'bot who actually fired the fatal shot on their time travel adventure, but [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] has already plead Rewind's case in private. When confronted with the [[Decepticon]] symbol within his faceplate, Brainstorm does not deny the implication; [[Nautica]] storms out as Brainstorm details how he chose to become an undercover agent in order to obtain from the Decepticons the resources necessary to build his [[briefcase|time machine]], but notes that he never provided his handlers with any information that would harm the [[Autobot]]s. When the subject of the alternate ''Lost Light'' and the act of treachery by its Brainstorm that resulted in the death of the entire crew is raised, Brainstorm takes a stand, refusing to be held accountable for actions that were not his own—a stand that earns him a solo round of applause from [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]. Committee heads Ultra Magnus, [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] and [[Xaaron]] begrudgingly admit that this is true, but conclude he must still be punished for his attempts to alter history; his time machine is to be destroyed, and his access to his lab is to be cut off, but much to Brainstorm's surprise—and Ratchet's silent but visible dissatisfaction—he is ''not'' going to be kicked off the ship.

Following the hearing, Magnus checks in on the melancholy [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]], who was absent from the proceedings, to see if he has taken a missing datapad belonging to Magnus. Ratchet, meanwhile, heads to "Visages" to borrow Tailgate's hoverboard; the little 'bot is in the bar with Getaway, and grows confused and upset as the escapologist continues to ply him with drink and 'negative compliments', and claims that [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] has been talking about Tailgate behind his back.

Under the patently phoney ruse that Tailgate's board is infected with teleporting "super-[[scraplet]]s", Ratchet has [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] round up a select few of the crew for "examination". He uses the short, one-on-one sessions to talk candidly with each of them: he scolds Rodimus for the inconsistent treatment Brainstorm has received in comparison with exiled [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]; he gives [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]'s number to [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] in order to get him counselling; he asks [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] to be a friend to Rung outside of officer hours; he helps [[Nautica]] understand that Brainstorm's actions were truly selfless, as he was an [[M.T.O.]] and would have been erased from history had his mission succeeded; he suggests that Swerve try getting Megatron to perform some of his poetry to reinvigorate his bar; and he tries to console Ultra Magnus, who has come to believe that the rest of the crew does not respect him after finding a tiny figurine of his true self, [[Minimus Ambus]], outside his hab-suite door. Once the examinations are done (and First Aid has made it clear he knows Ratchet was making up the "super-scraplets"), Ratchet is once again clobbered by Tailgate on his ''new'' hoverboard, which Tailgate explains was built by Ten. His curiosity piqued, Ratchet visits Ten's makeshift "quarters", where he discovers that the soul of an artist glows within the vocally-impaired robot: Ten has drawn a beautiful mural of the ship's crew on his wall, and built a diorama and figurines. Noticing that there's a display dedicated to Ultra Magnus, Ratchet realizes that Magnus is Ten's "favorite", and that Ten, wanting something of his, secretly took the missing datapad in exchange for the Minimus figure. Examining the pad, Ratchet discovers why Magnus was so eager to get it back: it contains a poem he is trying to write! Ratchet encourages Ten to return the pad, and types a message for Magnus into it to explain the situation.

A little later, with his new friend Ten at his side, Minimus Ambus enters Swerve's, which is now the popular spot once again after Swerve had Megatron perform... at "Visages"! While Minimus talks about the strange message Ratchet left him, brief moments play out across the ship: Brainstorm and Nautica reconcile; Getaway and Tailgate fish; Cyclonus broods; Rodimus and Perceptor burn Brainstorm's briefcases... save one, which is secretly recovered for Megatron by [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]; and First Aid finds Ratchet's quarters deserted, with a communicator and a note at long last appointing First Aid the ship's chief medical officer. As the ''Lost Light'' departs Scarvix, Ratchet watches it go from a small shuttle of his own, before he too takes off... in search of Drift.

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (1)
*''[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]]'' (2)
*''[[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]'' (3)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (6)
*[[Siren]] (7)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (8)
*[[Hosehead (G1)|Hosehead]] (9)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (10)
*[[Xaaron]] (12)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (13)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]/ [[Minimus Ambus]] (14)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (15)
*[[Nautica]] (16)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (17)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (18)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (19)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (21)
*[[Brainstorm]] (22)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (24)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (26)
*[[Getaway]] (27)
*[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] (28)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (29)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (30)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (31)
*? (32)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (33)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (34)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (35)
*[[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] (36)
*[[Grotusque]] (mural, 37)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]] (mural, 38)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (figurine, 39)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (40)
*[[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]] (41)
*[[Atomizer]] (42)
*[[Rad]] (43)
*[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] (44)
*[[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (45)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (figurine, 46)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*''[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'' (5)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (23)

|c3=
*''[[Hunter O'Nion]]'' (4)
|c4=
*[[Ten]] (11)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (20)
}}

==Quotes==

"I '''hate''' it. I ''(muffled)'' everything about it. It sounds ''(muffled)'' '''awful.'''"
:—'''Swerve''', on "Visages"

'''Brainstorm:''' "Everyone who's ever built a '''fully functioning time machine''', stand up." 
''(Riptide stands up.)'' 
''(beat)'' 
'''Riptide:''' "Oh, a '''time''' machine...! Sorry." 
''(Riptide sits down.)''

"The Decepticons have had their suspicions about me for '''ages.''' I'm the worst double agent '''ever'''. Worse than '''Rung.'''" 
''(beat)'' 
"Joke. Not funny."
:—'''Brainstorm'''

"If I had sarcasm-powered legs, I'd do a '''happy dance'''...!"
:—'''Nautica''' takes the news of a potential scraplet infection poorly

"How do I feel. How do I 'feel'." 
"It's not meant to be a trick question."
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' and '''Ratchet'''

"Are these your '''favorites'''?" 
"Ten." 
"Yeah. Mine too. You're '''missing someone''', though. Not your fault: you joined after he left. After we '''sent him away.''' You'd have liked him. '''I''' did—probably a lot more than either of us realized."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Ten''' talk about Drift

"I don't trust poetry. What's the point? All these people trying to say something by hiding it behind something else." 
"Someone once said that poetry is a hazardous attempt at self-understanding. It's certainly '''difficult'''..."
:—'''Swerve''' and '''Minimus Ambus'''

'''Brainstorm:''' "I added a new button:" 
'''Nautica's wrench:''' "Brainstorm is an ass!" 
'''Nautica:''' "It's my new favorite."

"This ship is a refuge for the '''emotionally inarticulate'''. Oh, people talk. People talk '''all the time'''. They just don't '''say''' very much. They're too worried about people knowing how they '''feel'''. Too worried about being '''found out'''. For better or worse, we're judged by what we do, and not what we '''say'''. And if it takes us a while to get around to doing something '''important''', well... better late than never."
:—'''Ratchet's''' farewell message

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Ratchet's first flashback shows his parting with [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]], which chronologically takes places between the scenes of the past shown in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issues #11]] and [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|issue #36]].
*His second flashback is set before his departure for Earth, prior to [[Infiltration issue 0|''Infiltration'' #0]], IDW's first ''Transformers'' issue. We also learn that Ratchet's departure was what convinced Pharma to transfer to [[Delphi]], where we met him in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*The third flashback shows Ratchet (in his "-ations"-era body, complete with [[holomatter]] avatar and even speech-bubble and font design from that time) returning [[Hunter O'Nion]] home following his separation from [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], set in the missing year between [[Maximum Dinobots issue 5|''Maximum Dinobots'' #5]] and [[All Hail Megatron issue 1|''All Hail Megatron'' #1]]. [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] is shown watching Hunter, alluding to his eventual capture of the boy and the pillaging of his mind, revealed in [[All Hail Megatron issue 8|''All Hail Megatron'' #8]].
*Tailgate's been inspired to get a hoverboard after watching ''Back to the Future Part II'' in [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|issue #38]].
*The oil reservoir is full of Legislator body parts after Skids tore an entire battalion of them apart down there back in [[Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|issue #18]].
*Someone has written "I failed the [[Ambus Test]]" on Ten's back; the test, an indicator of sentience, was previously mentioned in [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|issue #24]].
*Getaway's behaviour towards Tailgate has grown noticeably more creepy from when we first saw it in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|issue #30]].
*Ratchet feels Hoist needs "someone to talk to"; that's likely because of his isolation issues, which we saw illustrated in [[The Waiting Game|''Spotlight: Hoist'']]. It also likely relates to [[Trailbreaker (G1)|his roommate]] recently suffering [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|a horrible death]] a few issues back.
*We've known that "Brainstorm" isn't Brainstorm's real name since [[The Reluctant Specialist|''Spotlight: Trailcutter'']]; here, Nautica reveals that it is "Genitus of Operation: Solar Storm".
*Ratchet encourages Skids to get the "puncture wounds" on his neck fixed; those would be the [[mnemosurgery]] holes Chromedome left after [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|issue #8]].
*Ratchet's departure leads into his role in the [[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|''Drift - Empire of Stone'']] mini-series, already published in full by the time of this issue's release.
* Speaking of departures, First Aid's tenure as Chief Medical Officer will be brief, as he and several others will be leaving the ship shortly in order to be part of the "[[Combiner Wars]]". In fact, the comic showing his departure, "[[The Possible Light]]", had been published two weeks prior.

===Transformers references===
*The planet Scarvix appeared in [[Headhunt|issue #133]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|Marvel UK Generation 1 comic]].
*The 'bots who Tailgate nearly knocks down while on his board are Siren, Nightbeat and Hosehead, the full roster of 1988 Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. As a cute reference, Hosehead claims Tailgate "nearly took [his] head off".
*As Swerve directs Ten around, he says: "A little to the left... a little bit more", a verbatim quote from [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' as he arranges the positioning of a roadblock, right before Hot Rod comes crashing through.
*The rise and fall of Mirage's bar was first mentioned in [[The Possible Light|''The Transformers'' #40]], just a few weeks before this issue was published.
*When Ratchet describes the "super-scraplets", he uses the onomatopoeia "Vop!" to illustrate their teleportation abilities. That's the sound effect IDW uses for [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]'s teleports.

===Real-life references===
*This issue's title is a lyric from the {{w|Leonard Cohen}} song, "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye", a pretty self-explanatory reference.
*Siren's exclamation of "I'm walkin' here!" is an oft-quoted line of Dustin Hoffman's from the 1969 film ''Midnight Cowboy''.
*When Ratchet leaves Hunter home, the human notes he is going to catch up on a lot of television, listing off the hot-name shows that were airing at the time the scene is set, in the late 2000s: ''{{w|Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica}}'', ''{{w|Doctor Who}}'' and ''{{w|Heroes (TV series)|Heroes}}''.
*After Tailgate smacks into Ratchet for the second time, Ratchet returns his hoverboard and says "Hey, kid, thanks", paraphrasing similar lines from ''Back to the Future'' and its sequel when Marty returns borrowed boards to their owners.
*The individual mentioned in Minimus's remark on the nature of poetry, quoted above, was {{w|Robert Penn Warren}}, who wrote: "For what is a poem but a hazardous attempt at self-understanding: it is the deepest part of autobiography."

===Other trivia===
*After running a month behind for the first quarter of 2015, ''More than Meets the Eye'' gets back on schedule with this issue, the second of two released in April.
*There are plenty of ''Lost Light'' regulars who aren't part of Ten's mural, but it's pretty telling that Ten has left Swerve himself out of the artwork.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgb8am3NQU0 Nobody's Empire]" by {{w|Belle and Sebastian}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYRoZELZY3w Love Expression]" by {{w|It's Jo and Danny}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' The ''Lost Light'' crew in Ratchet's tender hands, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Tailgate on his hoverboard as Getaway, Cyclonus and Ultra Magnus look on, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Brainstorm in the spotlight, with Nautica, Ratchet, and Ultra Magnus silently judging, by [[Brendan Cahill]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE40 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE40 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE40 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #41
*"[[Combiner Wars]]"
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Expelled from the Garden|#6]]
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters'' trade paperback
*IDW ''Skylanders'' comic
*IDW ''[[Jem|Jem and the Holograms]]'' comic
*''[[My Little Pony]]: FIENDship Is Magic'' comic book event
*Disney comics are back! (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-40-idw-2015 Preview]

Mistakes and Mayhem

2015-04-23T06:41:56Z

Guntrip: /* Errors */

{{Comicstory
|series=windblade2|issueno=2
|prev=The Sum and Its Parts
|next=Combiner Wars Conclusion
|seriesissue2=[[Combiner Wars]] Part 3
|prev2=The Possible Light
|next2=Combiner Wars Part 4
|image=Windbladev2_2_regcvr.jpg
|caption=
|title="Mistakes and Mayhem"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 22]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=April 2015
|story by=[[Mairghread Scott]] and [[John Barber]]
|written by=[[Mairghread Scott]]
|art by=[[Livio Ramondelli]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}

'''When Prowl attempts to use Devastator to destroy the space bridge and sever contact between Cybertron and Caminus, Starscream retaliates by creating the newest Autobot combiner: Defensor!'''

==Synopsis==

As the clean-up on [[Caminus]] continues, [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] watches [[Sparkstalker]] aid [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] and remarks with some surprise on how helpful the [[Decepticon]]s are being. [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] responds with some of her trademark passive-aggression, prompting Ironhide to call her on her attitude, and to reveal that he knows she was responsible for the recent bombing in [[Acrolight]]. Chromia expresses regret, but makes it clear that the fate of Caminus is more important to her than the deaths she caused; Ironhide admits that he did not turn her in because he could see in her the same level of faith in Windblade and her cause as he has in [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] and his, and knows that many a 'bot has done terrible things in the name of such a cause. The pair start to bond over their shared love of problems that are solved by punching stuff, and the fates choose that moment to deliver just such a problem to them: [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] appears through the [[space bridge]] and orders all [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronians]] to return to their homeworld. When Sparkstalker refuses, Devastator opens fire.

The shuttle ''[[O Fortuna]]'' sets down on Cybertron, and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] immediately bounds out of it, intent on delivering news of his prophetic vision to Optimus Prime, over [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'s protestations. Directions from [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] steer Mirage and his "[[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobot]]" guardians to the summit going on in a nearby tower, where Optimus, [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] and the representatives from Caminus are heatedly discussing the formation of their council. Just as Mirage bursts in, a communication from Chromia alerts everyone to Devastator's attack on Caminus, and Optimus, fearing what [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] has planned, invites the Protectobots to join him in securing the space bridge.

Devastator continues his rampage on Caminus, but is soon opposed by [[Superion (G1)|Superion]]. The Autobot combiner's versatility seems to give him the upper hand in the fight: when one of his arms is wrenched off by Devastator, it merely flies back into place, and when Devastator pins him, he is able to transform one of his legs into a third arm to tear a hole in the armor on Devastator's back. Unfortunately, Devastator's brute strength wins out, and Superion is soon rendered unconscious and dragged back through the space bridge to Cybertron. Prime, Windblade, Starscream and the others are waiting in the space bridge chamber, and demand that Prowl/Devastator explain himself; the giant claims that the unification of Cybertron and Caminus can only lead to mutual destruction, and begins to tear the space bridge apart to separate the two worlds for good. Optimus tries to reason with him, but Starscream and Windblade agree that he must be destroyed. Chromia, Ironhide and the Decepticons burst through the bridge and occupy Devastator long enough for Starscream to use the [[Enigma of Combination]]—hidden in the chest compartment of his new body—to heal Superion, but, realizing that the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]] combiner will not be enough, he also uses the Enigma on the confused Protectobots, merging them into a new Autobot combiner: [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]! The three-way battle that follows is brutal, but finally brought to a close when Defensor launches [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] from his shoulder-socket like a missile, blasting him right through the weakened spot on Devastator's back and out the rampaging combiner's chest. Catastrophically wounded, Devastator disintegrates back into Prowl and the Constructicons.

Starscream is ready to kill Prowl on the spot, but the intervention of Optimus and Windblade saves his life and sees him arrested. Prowl's actions and his impotent raging as he is dragged off afford Chromia a moment of self-reflection, as she sees something of herself in him, while Optimus admits that Prowl's concerns are not unfounded... as the group looks over at Starscream, who has once again emerged on top, and is even now arranging with the Camien representatives to station one of his combiners on Caminus...

==Featured characters==

{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (3)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (7)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (11)
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (13, see "Errors")
*[[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (14)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (15)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (16)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (17)
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (18)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (19, see "Errors")
*[[Rook (Generations)|Rook]] (20, see "Errors")
*[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (22)
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (23)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (24)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (25)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] (26)
*[[Alpha Bravo]] (27)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (28)
*[[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] (29)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (30)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Sparkstalker]] (2)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (10)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] (1)
*"[[Red Leader (Caminus)|Red Leader]]" (5)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (8)
*"[[Yellow Leader]]" (9)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (21)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (31)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]]? (32)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (33)
}}

==Quotes==

"I bring him down first: I'm officially changing my name to 'Better Tankor'!"
:—'''Fat Tankor''', on battling Devastator

"Gotcha Waspy! They don't call me 'Fast Tankor' for nothing'." 
"Hate to break it to you, bud, but they don't call you 'Fast Tankor' at all!"
:—'''Fat Tankor''' and '''Ironhide'''

"Windblade.... Did they forget to tell you how many times Cybertronians have brought our world to the brink of annihilation? Or were you so '''desperate''' that you would join with a race doomed to destroy itself?" 
"We're not desperate, Devastator; we're '''hopeful'''. Together, Caminus and Cybertron will be stronger." 
"Together we will both die."
:—'''Devastator''' and '''Windblade'''

"Thank you for your mercy, Windblade. It would seem the '''war''' has warped Prowl's mind." 
"It's not war... it's '''fear'''... it's the fear of something you can't see, some '''threat''', that no one else does. It eats at you. Until it becomes so clear, so certain, it's easier to think that '''everyone else''' is wrong."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Chromia'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*When telling Chromia he is aware of her deeds, Ironhide mentions an "earthquake", which was the tremor caused by the activation of Metroplex's space bridge in [[Windblade issue 4|issue #4]] of the original ''Windblade'' mini-series. Chromia's loss of an arm to Starscream's blades in that issue is also referenced.
*Sunstreaker is revealed to have left the ''[[Lost Light]]'' and remained on Cybertron.
*Ironhide refers to the last time he defeated Prowl/Devastator, in [[Heavy Is the Head|issue #16]].
*Back in [[A 'Bot and Her City|the original ''Windblade'' #1]], it was noted that nobody calls "Fat Tankor" by that nickname to his face, but it's been seeing use recently. Here, we find out that people have been getting away with it because he thinks they're calling him "''Fast'' Tankor"!

===Errors===
*On the recap page, First Aid is incorrectly referred to as "[[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]]", and "so-called" is misspelled as "co-called".
*On the cast page, Prowl's headshot features his name printed twice beneath it, instead of his name and a descriptor. It could be said that his descriptor was poking fun at "Prowl just being himself", but the extensive mislabeling and errors don't necessarily support this.
*Also on the cast page, Menasor's headshot instead features a picture of Motormaster.
*As Starscream and Windblade argue, Windblade says: "Only the very stupid or very blunt speak everything they say, Lord Starscream". Uh, presumably that was supposed to be "speak everything they ''think''."
*The errors surrounding the Protectobots from the previous chapter carry over into this one, as [[Grotusque]] and [[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] continue to be drawn in the places of Streetwise and Blades all through the issue before the team combines. It turns out artist Livio Ramondelli was sent incorrect referencing material from IDW<ref>[http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/viewtopic.php?p=392115#p392115 IDW Publishing forums]</ref>.
*Additionally, [[Rook (Generations)|Rook]], the new member of the Protectobots added to the team for the ''Combiner Wars'' toyline, has suddenly appeared among the group. However, his presence is completely unacknowledged by the script—Starscream addresses the Protectobots as "you five" when there are now six of them—and he appears in only three panels, with only his head visible peeping over someone else's shoulder every time. This makes it look very much like he was added to the art after the fact because he's an integral component of the new ''Combiner Wars'' Defensor design—except the issue has been written as if Defensor is formed from the traditional five Protectobots. Furthermore, when Defensor is formed, Groove is not attached as his chestplate.

===Other trivia===
[[File:Combiner_wars_3_roll_call_prowl.jpg|right|thumb|PROWL]]
*While ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' and ''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' are reduced from 22 story pages to 20 starting this month, this issue still clocks in at 22, presumably because it was produced some time ago as part of the ''Combiner Wars'' toyline tie-in.
*Superion utilizes some of his toy-derived abilities including transforming a leg directly into an arm. This can be done for all Combiner Wars toys (even without removing the limb from the socket first!).
*On the cast page, Prowl's headshot features his name printed twice beneath it, instead of his name and a descriptor. The jury's still out on whether this is an error or just a joke.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Windblade on Defensor's shoulder, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Devastator by [[Livio Ramondelli]]; combines with subscription cover to [[The Possible Light|''The Transformers'' #40]]to form a complete image
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' ''Combiner Wars'' Superion [[package art]] by [[Marcelo Matere]], "courtesy of [[Hasbro]]"
<gallery>
File:Windbladev2_2 regcvr.jpg|
File:Windbladev2_2_subcvr.jpg|
File:Windbladev2_2_cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' #41 - Combiner Wars, Part 4
*''Windblade'' #3 - Combiner Wars Conclusion
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets The Eye]]'' #40
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' #6
*''[[My Little Pony]]: FIENDship Is Magic'' comic book event
*Disney comics are back! (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/transformers-windblade-2-idw-2015 Preview]

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Windblade issues]]

Mistakes and Mayhem

2015-04-23T06:41:26Z

Guntrip:

{{Comicstory
|series=windblade2|issueno=2
|prev=The Sum and Its Parts
|next=Combiner Wars Conclusion
|seriesissue2=[[Combiner Wars]] Part 3
|prev2=The Possible Light
|next2=Combiner Wars Part 4
|image=Windbladev2_2_regcvr.jpg
|caption=
|title="Mistakes and Mayhem"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 22]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=April 2015
|story by=[[Mairghread Scott]] and [[John Barber]]
|written by=[[Mairghread Scott]]
|art by=[[Livio Ramondelli]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}

'''When Prowl attempts to use Devastator to destroy the space bridge and sever contact between Cybertron and Caminus, Starscream retaliates by creating the newest Autobot combiner: Defensor!'''

==Synopsis==

As the clean-up on [[Caminus]] continues, [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] watches [[Sparkstalker]] aid [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] and remarks with some surprise on how helpful the [[Decepticon]]s are being. [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] responds with some of her trademark passive-aggression, prompting Ironhide to call her on her attitude, and to reveal that he knows she was responsible for the recent bombing in [[Acrolight]]. Chromia expresses regret, but makes it clear that the fate of Caminus is more important to her than the deaths she caused; Ironhide admits that he did not turn her in because he could see in her the same level of faith in Windblade and her cause as he has in [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] and his, and knows that many a 'bot has done terrible things in the name of such a cause. The pair start to bond over their shared love of problems that are solved by punching stuff, and the fates choose that moment to deliver just such a problem to them: [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] appears through the [[space bridge]] and orders all [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronians]] to return to their homeworld. When Sparkstalker refuses, Devastator opens fire.

The shuttle ''[[O Fortuna]]'' sets down on Cybertron, and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] immediately bounds out of it, intent on delivering news of his prophetic vision to Optimus Prime, over [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'s protestations. Directions from [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] steer Mirage and his "[[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobot]]" guardians to the summit going on in a nearby tower, where Optimus, [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] and the representatives from Caminus are heatedly discussing the formation of their council. Just as Mirage bursts in, a communication from Chromia alerts everyone to Devastator's attack on Caminus, and Optimus, fearing what [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] has planned, invites the Protectobots to join him in securing the space bridge.

Devastator continues his rampage on Caminus, but is soon opposed by [[Superion (G1)|Superion]]. The Autobot combiner's versatility seems to give him the upper hand in the fight: when one of his arms is wrenched off by Devastator, it merely flies back into place, and when Devastator pins him, he is able to transform one of his legs into a third arm to tear a hole in the armor on Devastator's back. Unfortunately, Devastator's brute strength wins out, and Superion is soon rendered unconscious and dragged back through the space bridge to Cybertron. Prime, Windblade, Starscream and the others are waiting in the space bridge chamber, and demand that Prowl/Devastator explain himself; the giant claims that the unification of Cybertron and Caminus can only lead to mutual destruction, and begins to tear the space bridge apart to separate the two worlds for good. Optimus tries to reason with him, but Starscream and Windblade agree that he must be destroyed. Chromia, Ironhide and the Decepticons burst through the bridge and occupy Devastator long enough for Starscream to use the [[Enigma of Combination]]—hidden in the chest compartment of his new body—to heal Superion, but, realizing that the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]] combiner will not be enough, he also uses the Enigma on the confused Protectobots, merging them into a new Autobot combiner: [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]! The three-way battle that follows is brutal, but finally brought to a close when Defensor launches [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] from his shoulder-socket like a missile, blasting him right through the weakened spot on Devastator's back and out the rampaging combiner's chest. Catastrophically wounded, Devastator disintegrates back into Prowl and the Constructicons.

Starscream is ready to kill Prowl on the spot, but the intervention of Optimus and Windblade saves his life and sees him arrested. Prowl's actions and his impotent raging as he is dragged off afford Chromia a moment of self-reflection, as she sees something of herself in him, while Optimus admits that Prowl's concerns are not unfounded... as the group looks over at Starscream, who has once again emerged on top, and is even now arranging with the Camien representatives to station one of his combiners on Caminus...

==Featured characters==

{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (3)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (7)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (11)
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (13, see "Errors")
*[[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (14)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (15)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (16)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (17)
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (18)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (19, see "Errors")
*[[Rook (Generations)|Rook]] (20, see "Errors")
*[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (22)
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (23)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (24)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (25)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] (26)
*[[Alpha Bravo]] (27)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (28)
*[[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] (29)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (30)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Sparkstalker]] (2)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (10)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] (1)
*"[[Red Leader (Caminus)|Red Leader]]" (5)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (8)
*"[[Yellow Leader]]" (9)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (21)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (31)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]]? (32)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (33)
}}

==Quotes==

"I bring him down first: I'm officially changing my name to 'Better Tankor'!"
:—'''Fat Tankor''', on battling Devastator

"Gotcha Waspy! They don't call me 'Fast Tankor' for nothing'." 
"Hate to break it to you, bud, but they don't call you 'Fast Tankor' at all!"
:—'''Fat Tankor''' and '''Ironhide'''

"Windblade.... Did they forget to tell you how many times Cybertronians have brought our world to the brink of annihilation? Or were you so '''desperate''' that you would join with a race doomed to destroy itself?" 
"We're not desperate, Devastator; we're '''hopeful'''. Together, Caminus and Cybertron will be stronger." 
"Together we will both die."
:—'''Devastator''' and '''Windblade'''

"Thank you for your mercy, Windblade. It would seem the '''war''' has warped Prowl's mind." 
"It's not war... it's '''fear'''... it's the fear of something you can't see, some '''threat''', that no one else does. It eats at you. Until it becomes so clear, so certain, it's easier to think that '''everyone else''' is wrong."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Chromia'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*When telling Chromia he is aware of her deeds, Ironhide mentions an "earthquake", which was the tremor caused by the activation of Metroplex's space bridge in [[Windblade issue 4|issue #4]] of the original ''Windblade'' mini-series. Chromia's loss of an arm to Starscream's blades in that issue is also referenced.
*Sunstreaker is revealed to have left the ''[[Lost Light]]'' and remained on Cybertron.
*Ironhide refers to the last time he defeated Prowl/Devastator, in [[Heavy Is the Head|issue #16]].
*Back in [[A 'Bot and Her City|the original ''Windblade'' #1]], it was noted that nobody calls "Fat Tankor" by that nickname to his face, but it's been seeing use recently. Here, we find out that people have been getting away with it because he thinks they're calling him "''Fast'' Tankor"!

===Errors===
*On the recap page, First Aid is incorrectly referred to as "[[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]]", and "so-called" is misspelled as "co-called".
*On the cast page, Prowl's headshot features his name printed twice beneath it, instead of his name and a descriptor. It could be said that his descriptor was poking fun at "Prowl just being himself", but the extensive mislabeling and errors don't necessarily support this.
*Also on the cast page, Menasor's headshot instead features a picture of Motormaster.
*As Starscream and Windblade argue, Windblade says: "Only the very stupid or very blunt speak everything they say, Lord Starscream". Uh, presumably that was supposed to be "speak everything they ''think''."
*The errors surrounding the Protectobots from the previous chapter carry over into this one, as [[Grotusque]] and [[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] continue to be drawn in the places of Streetwise and Blades all through the issue before the team combines. It turns out artist Livio Ramondelli was sent incorrect referencing material from IDW <ref>[http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/viewtopic.php?p=392115#p392115 IDW Publishing forums]</ref>.
*Additionally, [[Rook (Generations)|Rook]], the new member of the Protectobots added to the team for the ''Combiner Wars'' toyline, has suddenly appeared among the group. However, his presence is completely unacknowledged by the script—Starscream addresses the Protectobots as "you five" when there are now six of them—and he appears in only three panels, with only his head visible peeping over someone else's shoulder every time. This makes it look very much like he was added to the art after the fact because he's an integral component of the new ''Combiner Wars'' Defensor design—except the issue has been written as if Defensor is formed from the traditional five Protectobots. Furthermore, when Defensor is formed, Groove is not attached as his chestplate.

===Other trivia===
[[File:Combiner_wars_3_roll_call_prowl.jpg|right|thumb|PROWL]]
*While ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' and ''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' are reduced from 22 story pages to 20 starting this month, this issue still clocks in at 22, presumably because it was produced some time ago as part of the ''Combiner Wars'' toyline tie-in.
*Superion utilizes some of his toy-derived abilities including transforming a leg directly into an arm. This can be done for all Combiner Wars toys (even without removing the limb from the socket first!).
*On the cast page, Prowl's headshot features his name printed twice beneath it, instead of his name and a descriptor. The jury's still out on whether this is an error or just a joke.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Windblade on Defensor's shoulder, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Devastator by [[Livio Ramondelli]]; combines with subscription cover to [[The Possible Light|''The Transformers'' #40]]to form a complete image
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' ''Combiner Wars'' Superion [[package art]] by [[Marcelo Matere]], "courtesy of [[Hasbro]]"
<gallery>
File:Windbladev2_2 regcvr.jpg|
File:Windbladev2_2_subcvr.jpg|
File:Windbladev2_2_cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' #41 - Combiner Wars, Part 4
*''Windblade'' #3 - Combiner Wars Conclusion
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets The Eye]]'' #40
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' #6
*''[[My Little Pony]]: FIENDship Is Magic'' comic book event
*Disney comics are back! (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/transformers-windblade-2-idw-2015 Preview]

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Windblade issues]]

Mistakes and Mayhem

2015-04-23T06:40:40Z

Guntrip: /* Errors */

{{Comicstory
|series=windblade2|issueno=2
|prev=The Sum and Its Parts
|next=Combiner Wars Conclusion
|seriesissue2=[[Combiner Wars]] Part 3
|prev2=The Possible Light
|next2=Combiner Wars Part 4
|image=Windbladev2_2_regcvr.jpg
|caption=
|title="Mistakes and Mayhem"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 22]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=April 2015
|story by=[[Mairghread Scott]] and [[John Barber]]
|written by=[[Mairghread Scott]]
|art by=[[Livio Ramondelli]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}

'''When Prowl attempts to use Devastator to destroy the space bridge and sever contact between Cybertron and Caminus, Starscream retaliates by creating the newest Autobot combiner: Defensor!'''

==Synopsis==

As the clean-up on [[Caminus]] continues, [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] watches [[Sparkstalker]] aid [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] and remarks with some surprise on how helpful the [[Decepticon]]s are being. [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] responds with some of her trademark passive-aggression, prompting Ironhide to call her on her attitude, and to reveal that he knows she was responsible for the recent bombing in [[Acrolight]]. Chromia expresses regret, but makes it clear that the fate of Caminus is more important to her than the deaths she caused; Ironhide admits that he did not turn her in because he could see in her the same level of faith in Windblade and her cause as he has in [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] and his, and knows that many a 'bot has done terrible things in the name of such a cause. The pair start to bond over their shared love of problems that are solved by punching stuff, and the fates choose that moment to deliver just such a problem to them: [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] appears through the [[space bridge]] and orders all [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronians]] to return to their homeworld. When Sparkstalker refuses, Devastator opens fire.

The shuttle ''[[O Fortuna]]'' sets down on Cybertron, and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] immediately bounds out of it, intent on delivering news of his prophetic vision to Optimus Prime, over [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'s protestations. Directions from [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] steer Mirage and his "[[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobot]]" guardians to the summit going on in a nearby tower, where Optimus, [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] and the representatives from Caminus are heatedly discussing the formation of their council. Just as Mirage bursts in, a communication from Chromia alerts everyone to Devastator's attack on Caminus, and Optimus, fearing what [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] has planned, invites the Protectobots to join him in securing the space bridge.

Devastator continues his rampage on Caminus, but is soon opposed by [[Superion (G1)|Superion]]. The Autobot combiner's versatility seems to give him the upper hand in the fight: when one of his arms is wrenched off by Devastator, it merely flies back into place, and when Devastator pins him, he is able to transform one of his legs into a third arm to tear a hole in the armor on Devastator's back. Unfortunately, Devastator's brute strength wins out, and Superion is soon rendered unconscious and dragged back through the space bridge to Cybertron. Prime, Windblade, Starscream and the others are waiting in the space bridge chamber, and demand that Prowl/Devastator explain himself; the giant claims that the unification of Cybertron and Caminus can only lead to mutual destruction, and begins to tear the space bridge apart to separate the two worlds for good. Optimus tries to reason with him, but Starscream and Windblade agree that he must be destroyed. Chromia, Ironhide and the Decepticons burst through the bridge and occupy Devastator long enough for Starscream to use the [[Enigma of Combination]]—hidden in the chest compartment of his new body—to heal Superion, but, realizing that the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]] combiner will not be enough, he also uses the Enigma on the confused Protectobots, merging them into a new Autobot combiner: [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]! The three-way battle that follows is brutal, but finally brought to a close when Defensor launches [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] from his shoulder-socket like a missile, blasting him right through the weakened spot on Devastator's back and out the rampaging combiner's chest. Catastrophically wounded, Devastator disintegrates back into Prowl and the Constructicons.

Starscream is ready to kill Prowl on the spot, but the intervention of Optimus and Windblade saves his life and sees him arrested. Prowl's actions and his impotent raging as he is dragged off afford Chromia a moment of self-reflection, as she sees something of herself in him, while Optimus admits that Prowl's concerns are not unfounded... as the group looks over at Starscream, who has once again emerged on top, and is even now arranging with the Camien representatives to station one of his combiners on Caminus...

==Featured characters==

{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (3)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (7)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (11)
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (13, see "Errors")
*[[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (14)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (15)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (16)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (17)
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (18)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (19, see "Errors")
*[[Rook (Generations)|Rook]] (20, see "Errors")
*[[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (22)
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (23)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (24)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (25)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] (26)
*[[Alpha Bravo]] (27)
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] (28)
*[[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] (29)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (30)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Sparkstalker]] (2)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (10)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Fat Tankor]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] (1)
*"[[Red Leader (Caminus)|Red Leader]]" (5)
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (8)
*"[[Yellow Leader]]" (9)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (21)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (31)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]]? (32)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (33)
}}

==Quotes==

"I bring him down first: I'm officially changing my name to 'Better Tankor'!"
:—'''Fat Tankor''', on battling Devastator

"Gotcha Waspy! They don't call me 'Fast Tankor' for nothing'." 
"Hate to break it to you, bud, but they don't call you 'Fast Tankor' at all!"
:—'''Fat Tankor''' and '''Ironhide'''

"Windblade.... Did they forget to tell you how many times Cybertronians have brought our world to the brink of annihilation? Or were you so '''desperate''' that you would join with a race doomed to destroy itself?" 
"We're not desperate, Devastator; we're '''hopeful'''. Together, Caminus and Cybertron will be stronger." 
"Together we will both die."
:—'''Devastator''' and '''Windblade'''

"Thank you for your mercy, Windblade. It would seem the '''war''' has warped Prowl's mind." 
"It's not war... it's '''fear'''... it's the fear of something you can't see, some '''threat''', that no one else does. It eats at you. Until it becomes so clear, so certain, it's easier to think that '''everyone else''' is wrong."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Chromia'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*When telling Chromia he is aware of her deeds, Ironhide mentions an "earthquake", which was the tremor caused by the activation of Metroplex's space bridge in [[Windblade issue 4|issue #4]] of the original ''Windblade'' mini-series. Chromia's loss of an arm to Starscream's blades in that issue is also referenced.
*Sunstreaker is revealed to have left the ''[[Lost Light]]'' and remained on Cybertron.
*Ironhide refers to the last time he defeated Prowl/Devastator, in [[Heavy Is the Head|issue #16]].
*Back in [[A 'Bot and Her City|the original ''Windblade'' #1]], it was noted that nobody calls "Fat Tankor" by that nickname to his face, but it's been seeing use recently. Here, we find out that people have been getting away with it because he thinks they're calling him "''Fast'' Tankor"!

===Errors===
*On the recap page, First Aid is incorrectly referred to as "[[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]]", and "so-called" is misspelled as "co-called".
*On the cast page, Prowl's headshot features his name printed twice beneath it, instead of his name and a descriptor. It could be said that his descriptor was poking fun at "Prowl just being himself", but the extensive mislabeling and errors don't necessarily support this.
*Also on the cast page, Menasor's headshot instead features a picture of Motormaster.
*As Starscream and Windblade argue, Windblade says: "Only the very stupid or very blunt speak everything they say, Lord Starscream". Uh, presumably that was supposed to be "speak everything they ''think''."
*The errors surrounding the Protectobots from the previous chapter carry over into this one, as [[Grotusque]] and [[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] continue to be drawn in the places of Streetwise and Blades all through the issue before the team combines. It turns out artist Livio Ramondelli was sent incorrect referencing material from IDW <ref>[http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/viewtopic.php?p=392115#p392115 IDW Publishing forums]</ref>.
*Additionally, [[Rook (Generations)|Rook]], the new member of the Protectobots added to the team for the ''Combiner Wars'' toyline, has suddenly appeared among the group. However, his presence is completely unacknowledged by the script—Starscream addresses the Protectobots as "you five" when there are now six of them—and he appears in only three panels, with only his head visible peeping over someone else's shoulder every time. This makes it look very much like he was added to the art after the fact because he's an integral component of the new ''Combiner Wars'' Defensor design—except the issue has been written as if Defensor is formed from the traditional five Protectobots. Furthermore, when Defensor is formed, Groove is not attached as his chestplate.

===Other trivia===
[[File:Combiner_wars_3_roll_call_prowl.jpg|right|thumb|PROWL]]
*While ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' and ''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' are reduced from 22 story pages to 20 starting this month, this issue still clocks in at 22, presumably because it was produced some time ago as part of the ''Combiner Wars'' toyline tie-in.
*Superion utilizes some of his toy-derived abilities including transforming a leg directly into an arm. This can be done for all Combiner Wars toys (even without removing the limb from the socket first!).
*On the cast page, Prowl's headshot features his name printed twice beneath it, instead of his name and a descriptor. The jury's still out on whether this is an error or just a joke.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Windblade on Defensor's shoulder, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Devastator by [[Livio Ramondelli]]; combines with subscription cover to [[The Possible Light|''The Transformers'' #40]]to form a complete image
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' ''Combiner Wars'' Superion [[package art]] by [[Marcelo Matere]], "courtesy of [[Hasbro]]"
<gallery>
File:Windbladev2_2 regcvr.jpg|
File:Windbladev2_2_subcvr.jpg|
File:Windbladev2_2_cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' #41 - Combiner Wars, Part 4
*''Windblade'' #3 - Combiner Wars Conclusion
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets The Eye]]'' #40
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' #6
*''[[My Little Pony]]: FIENDship Is Magic'' comic book event
*Disney comics are back! (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/transformers-windblade-2-idw-2015 Preview]

[[Category:Windblade issues]]

Prion (Titan)

2015-04-20T13:18:26Z

Guntrip: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

:''Prion is a [[Metrotitan (body-type)|Metrotitan]] from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
{{faceless}}

'''Prion''' was one of the [[Metrotitan (body-type)|Titans]] created by the [[Knights of Cybertron]] millions of years ago to act as a living ship.

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
Prion settled on a planet far away from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The colony established was later attacked by the [[Black Block Consortia]], leaving no survivors but [[Nickel]], who was found by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] days after the attack. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

[[Category:Comic-only Transformers]]
[[Category:Metrotitans]]

The Crucible

2015-04-20T13:14:48Z

Guntrip: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory|
|series=rid|issueno=34
|prev=The World of Tomorrow
|next=Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches
|caption=
|image=RID34 regcvr.jpg
|title="The Crucible"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 22]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=October 2014
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Livio Ramondelli]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''Alpha Trion reveals the story of Cybertron's past—the fall of the Thirteen Primes, the rise of Nova, and the quest to unlock the Enigma of Combination...'''

==Synopsis==

Aboard the ''[[Ark-7]]'', in orbit around [[Earth]]'s [[Moon (moon)|moon]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] and [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] race to the hangar bay in response to an alarm signalling that the airlock has been opened. Upon entering, they are met by [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]], who rather grumpily explains that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] have just departed in the ''[[Skyroller]]'' without so much as a by-your-leave. [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] tracks the shuttle's trajectory to the far side of the moon, where Prime and Trion have withdraw to prevent the other Autobots from potentially eavesdropping on the story Trion has to tell Optimus. It was [[Regenesis]] ore that led the Transformers to Earth, Trion explains, but [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] did not pick Earth as a home for one of his ores at random...

''Ten million years ago, during the first [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] civil war between the [[Thirteen Tribes]], the bestial forces of [[Onyx Prime (G1)|Onyx Prime]] lay siege to [[Prima (G1)|Prima]]'s [[Citadel of Light]]. But Prima has fled, and all but two of his soldiers have fallen: [[Nova Prime|Nova Major]] and [[Eucryphia]]. The latter soon perishes, and Nova prepares to meet his own end, until he is suddenly joined by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] the barbarian. Recognizing his new ally as the one who bested [[Nexus Prime (Classics)|Nexus Prime]]'s [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]], Nova hopes that Galvatron has solved Nexus's [[Enigma of Combination]] and brings combiners to aid them, but Galvatron informs him that Nexus has disappeared and taken those secrets with him. With no secret weapons and no other warriors to aid them, the two fight on... and, in a battle that would be spoken of down the ages as the epitome of Cybertronian heroism, triumph against Onyx's beast army. Amid the wreckage of the battlefield, the two are approached by the 'bot who brought them together; Nova is surprised by Galvatron's belief that he is a servant of this cloaked figure, and angrily demands that their mysterious benefactor reveal his identity. The stranger complies, revealing himself to be Alpha Trion, the last of the Thirteen Primes left on Cybertron.''

Optimus interrupts Trion's story, shocked to discover his old friend is one of the original Primes. Trion jokes about his deception, hoping that it does not mean he and Optimus are going to have to fight, and explains that he did not ''conceal'' his identity—rather, the fall of the Primes brought to an end his role as the chronicler of Cybertronian history, and he allowed himself to be forgotten as time and tide wore away the memories of the world's population.

''The disbelieving Nova soon comes to accept the truth when he attacks Alpha Trion, and finds himself pummelled into submission by the power of a true Prime. Galvatron jokes that Nova could never have beaten him, as it is said that a Prime can only be defeated by another Prime, but Trion corrects him—a Prime can only be ''killed'' by another Prime, but there are no other Primes left. Seeking proof of Trion's claim, Nova proposes that they visit Onyx Prime's castle in [[Kalis]], to see if he really has disappeared. The trip there takes months, but upon arrival at the castle, the trio find their way barred by the gatekeeper, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox of the Mournsong]]. Galvatron quickly intimidates the beast into letting them pass, but Rhinox does so knowing they will find nothing within, as Onyx truly has vanished. As Rhinox wonders aloud what the future holds for him, Nova announces his intent to build a new consolidated civilization, with no tribes, in which there shall be a place for everyone.''

Alpha Trion breaks from his story a moment to sadly reflect on the truth of Nova's words, and how they represented the birth of [[Functionism]]. Optimus, on the other hand, is growing angrier, as he realizes that Alpha Trion allowed Nova to take the title of Prime, and to bring his so-called "Golden Age" into being. Trion brushes off the recriminations: he takes no pride in it ''now'', but at the time, he felt he was doing what was best for Cybertron. Optimus rejects the notion of peace through tyranny that Nova embodied, but Alpha merely declares that to be the difference between them both and resumes his tale...

''With Cybertron now united and ruled over by Nova Prime, attentions turn back to solving the mysteries of the lost Primes—chiefly, Nexus's secret combiner technology. Galvatron, on the other hand, would rather see the old ways stay buried, and decries the "magicks" of Nova's newest scientific ally, [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]. Jhiaxus insists that solving the riddle of the Enigma of Combination will lay bare all the secrets of the Cybertronian race, but Galvatron insists that the Enigma is gone, vanished with Nexus. His words make Alpha Trion curious; all present have been working on the assumption that the "Enigma" is merely a ''concept'', but Galvatron speaks of it as though it were a physical object. Looking into Galvatron's eyes, Trion suddenly knows the truth...''

''Years before, Galvatron stands before Nexus Prime's castle and calls for the Prime to show himself. Nexus appears on a balcony above, and blames the leader of Galvatron's tribe, [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], for beginning the war when he conspired with [[Liege Maximo (G2)|Liege Maximo]] and betrayed [[Solus Prime (G1)|Solus Prime]] and Prima. Seething with fury, Galvatron retorts that he serves ''no'' master, and bounds to the balcony, cleaving his way through the beast-bot combinations Nexus's Engima has created. Nexus stands in front of the Enigma—a tangible object—and vows that Galvatron will never have it, since he is not a Prime, and thus will be unable to kill him. With a defiant cry, Galvatron proclaims that he does not ''believe'' in Primes, thrusts his cannon into Nexus's chest, and sets him ablaze from within. Stepping over the Prime's smouldering corpse, Galvatron takes the Enigma.''

Optimus is puzzled; why would Galvatron take the Enigma if he hates combiners? More troubling is the mention of "Megatronus", whose name is undeniably similar to [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s, yet as far as Optimus knows, Megatron did not choose his name from any other source, be it legend or fact. Trion ponders the notion of a pattern repeating through history, but has a more concrete answer regarding Galvatron's theft of the Enigma: he took it in order to put it beyond the reach of other Cybertronians, firing it into space when Trion became suspicious. It crashed on Earth seven million years ago, and when Shockwave chose the worlds that would become home to his Regenesis ores, the thirteen he selected were the resting places of the Enigma and the other twelve surviving Primes. Trion does not know if the Enigma landed on Earth by coincidence or design, nor does he know if Galvatron is aware it is on Earth, but is concerned of what it can do in ''anyone's'' hands, Autobot or Decepticon. Trion inquires whether Prime will share what he has told him with [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]], given that he is in control of the only successful combiner that has been created; Prime doesn't know why he ''wouldn't'' tell his friend. Unbeknownst to the pair, however, Prowl already knows everything, as a stealth-painted [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] has been beaming their whole conversation back to him over a secure line...

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in the extended flashback portion of the story. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (2)
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] (3)
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] (6)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (14)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (17)
|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[D.O.C.]] (1)
*''[[Nova Prime|Nova Major]]'' (7)
*''[[Eucryphia]]'' (8)
*''[[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'' (9)
*''[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]'' (10)
*''[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'' (11)
*''[[Nexus Prime (Classics)|Nexus Prime]]'' (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (hologram, 13)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (15)
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (16)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (18)
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (19)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (20)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"'''Hands up if you want to live!'''" 
"I don't '''have''' any hands! But I most certainly do '''not''' wish to die!"
:—'''Arcee''' bursts into the hangar and alarms '''Sky Lynx'''

"They hopped in Prime's '''personal shuttle''' and opened the hatch—'''nary''' with a 'good '''evening''', Sky Lynx, you're looking '''fine''' today and may we '''refill''' your '''Engex bowl''', kind sir'—and '''off''' they went, blowing what was '''left''' in my '''bowl''' out into the '''vaccuum''' of—"
:—'''Sky Lynx'''

"Must '''we''' fight, Optimus? In my '''weakened state''', I'm not sure I could '''keep''' up with you." 
"Alpha—we've known each other for '''millions''' of '''years'''. At your '''best''', you wouldn't stand a chance."
:—'''Alpha Trion''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Arcee remarks that she's "been stuck" with the Constructicons before; she's had a couple of run-ins with the team in the past, battling them in issues [[Devisive|#4]] and [[Second Exodus|#18]].
*Optimus mentions "[[Information Creep]]", the neurological condition that causes robotic brains to reinterpret old data, introduced in [[Twenty Plus One|''More than Meets the Eye'' #31]]. Here, it is explicitly used as an explanation for why Transformers who existed in the distant past seem to lack detailed memories of that time, and why notions such as the [[Guiding Hand]] are considering only myths, compared to the way that other continuities treat mystical figures like [[Primus]] as provable fact. Though probably not a direct reference, the idea of Cybertronians losing their memories of older eras as the brain compartmentalizes and suppresses old data was also a plot point in the novel, ''[[Transformers: Retribution]]''.
*Galvatron mentions having killed Nexus Prime's forces "across all of known space". This calls back to ''[[The Transformers: Heart of Darkness|Heart of Darkness]]'', where [[Thinkbox]], whose inexplicable appearance would inspire the concept of ancient Headmasters, was found offline on the planet [[Spindrift]].
*Nova requests that Jhiaxus not refer to him as a superior. This alludes to events in [[Primus: All Good Things]], where Nova will make the same request. In keeping with the annual, it seems likely that Alpha Trion was the old one Nova referred to and that he wanted Galvatron to stop Monstructor due to his previous experience in fighting combiners. This issue also shows the six "volunteers' who will form the monster.
*Rhinox is right to wonder about a place for the beast Transformers: [[Shockpoint|Previous]] [[Soundwaves (issue)|issues]] showed that beasts were treated as second-class and considered barely sentient up to the start of the Decepticon revolt.

===Transformers references===
*Before taking the title of Prime, Nova is revealed to have been "Nova Major". The "Major" title was used in the ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' continuity, denoting an individual below the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] rank, but above [[Minor (rank)|Minor]].
*As was implied by the mention of "Nexus" back in [[Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|issue #30]], the Thirteen Tribes of Cybertron are here revealed to be led by this universe's version of the [[Thirteen|original thirteen Transformers]]. Seven of the Thirteen are name-checked, and described as having qualities and life-experiences similar to those laid out for the [[Aligned continuity family]] versions of the characters by the ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus]]'': [[Nexus Prime (Classics)|Nexus Prime]], owner of the [[Enigma of Combination]] which creates [[combiner]]s; [[Onyx Prime (G1)|Onyx Prime]], master of beasts; [[Prima (G1)|Prima]], "greatest of all Primes"; [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] and the [[Liege Maximo (G2)|Liege Maximo]], who conspired together; [[Solus Prime (G1)|Solus Prime]], betrayed by Megatronus; and of course Alpha Trion himself, who is here described as being the chronicler of Cybertronian history—not something that has been part of his backstory in IDW before, but the primary role of the character in Aligned fiction. The notion that Shockwave selected the planets for his [[Regenesis]] program based on the fact that they were the locations of the departed Primes, though, would ''seem'' to suggest that the Aligned continuity's [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] being one of the Thirteen is not true for IDW Optimus. Also Nexus claims that Galvatron's master (Megatronus) has ''fallen''.
*The idea that only a Prime can kill a Prime originated with ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''.
*[[Megatron (WFC)|The Aligned Megatron]] ''did'' take his name from Megatronus.

===Real-life references===
*Eucryphia's name derives from the Greek for "Well Hidden".

===Errors===
*At the beginning of the issue, Arcee is drawn in her Cybertronian body instead of the earth-based form in which she appears in.
*In a common mistake, the lunar lander near Optimus Prime and Alpha Trion is drawn with its ascent module still attached when it should have been used to bring the astronauts back into orbit.
*Alpha Trion claims he left Cybertron on his quest "four million years ago"—per [[Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|issue #28]], which was in accordance with ''[[Spotlight: Shockwave]]'', it was only half-a-million years ago.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Galvatron, Alpha Trion and Rhinox, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Galvatron and Nova Major beset by a legion of bestial opponents, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[Priscilla Tramontano]], in homage to [[:File:Spotlight Galvatron b.jpg|Cover B]] of ''[[Spotlight: Galvatron]]''
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' The second in October's series of three 30th Anniversary covers by [[Ken Christiansen]], which combines with the covers to ''Primacy'' #3 and ''More than Meets the Eye'' #34 to form an image depicting the major eras of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]]. This cover encapsulates the events of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
<gallery>
File:RID34 regcvr.jpg|
File:RID34 subcvr.jpg|
File:RID34 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===

*''Robots in Disguise'' #35
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|#34]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 3|#3]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Funeral for a Friend|#3]]
*IDW ''Edward Scissorhands'' comic
*IDW ''Angry Birds'' hardcover (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.newsarama.com/22484-transformers-previews-primacy-3-robots-in-disguise-34.html Preview]