MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

The One Where They Go to Earth

2021-03-07T14:11:31Z

Hergothical:

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=43
|prev=The Frail Gaze
|next=The Not Knowing
|image=MTMTE43_subcvr.jpg
|title="The One Where They Go to Earth"
|caption=Red Alert took one look at these guys and ''ran like hell''.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[July 29]], [[2015]]
|coverdate=July 2015
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|pencils by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=Alex Milne and [[Brian Shearer]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}

'''A dying Swerve's mind retreats to a holomatter replica of Earth constructed out of sitcom tropes, and his friends must transmit their own avatars down to the planet in order to find him and save his life. Can the ''Lost Light''ers survive... Swearth?'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Swearth the one where they go to earth.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2]]
Today is an even weirder day than usual for the ''[[Lost Light]]'', as the ship has suddenly found itself being chased by the planet [[Earth]]. Attempting to make contact, the only response the ship receives is a catchy song about "[[Swerve's]]", so [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] tries to call the bartender to the bridge, with no success. The reason why is soon made horrifyingly apparent: just as [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] is giving [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] a going-away present for his trip back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] bursts into the medibay with the comatose Swerve in his arms. A quick examination by First Aid and [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] can detect no surface wounds, but Swerve is so weak that exploratory surgery to find the cause of his condition will kill him. Everyone recalls that Swerve was fine just the previous day at his bar, but [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] deduces that the Swerve they all saw there, who disappeared, was actually a [[holomatter]] projection—and morever, so is the ''entire Earth'', all somehow being impossibly generated by Swerve, where his mind has taken refuge. Tailgate, Skids, [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]], [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] project their own avatars down to "[[Swearth]]" (as [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] dubs it) to set up a base of operations and begin searching for Swerve so he can tell them where he is injured, and his life can be saved.

The team finds that the facsimile Earth is constructed out of tropes from Earth sitcoms, a product of Swerve's recent consumption of the entirety of Earth's arts and literature. Setting up base in a [[New York City|New York]] apartment, Rung, Bluestreak, and Skids go out searching, but get waylaid dealing with the escapades of their wacky neighbours. Tailgate, meanwhile, busies himself reading the only piece of literature on the planet, ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'', a comic book version of the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s adventures. Just as he reaches a part of the story unfamiliar to the others—the fact that Swerve opened [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]]'s [[Time case|briefcase]] in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|issue #21]]—neighbours Ted the priest, Sheldon the dermatologist, and Jerry the stand-up comedian pay a visit to meet Cyclonus and Tailgate. They soon start bickering about past episodes, and Skids is grateful of the chance to shut them up when Rodimus calls in to check up. He, Megatron, Nightbeat, and [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] have also projected their avatars into the city to help with the search, and after getting up to speed with the farcical ways the planet functions—including its own laugh track—they begin searching nearby bars for any leads to Swerve's location.

[[File:TheOneWhereTheyGoToEarth-table.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Ted, Sheldon, and Jerry, it turns out, have locked themselves out of their apartment, and as Bluestreak works on opening their door for them, Skids confides to Rung that he did not even know what room Swerve lived in onboard the ship; he had only found him by remembering which hab-suite Swerve's old roommate [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] had lived in. Swerve had, he reveals, actually been locked in his room for ''months'', his body slowly degrading, interacting with others only through avatars, and nobody ever came to visit him. Hoping for a clue, Tailgate jumps to the newest issue of ''More than Meets the Eye'', where the recap page narrated by Swerve explains what happened: exposure to the energies of Brainstorm's time-machine briefcase have created a time-loop in Swerve's holomatter systems, giving him the notionally impossible ability to project something as complex as the planet, which has been shaped into a world of fiction-made-real due to the metafictional awareness Swerve has been increasingly suffering from since he was hit with Brainstorm's [[metafictional bomb|meta-bomb]]. Realizing that the comic is a case of Swerve's subconscious trying to reach out to them, Rung looks for more such subtle clues... and finds one staring him right in the face, as Ted, Sheldon, and Jerry's apartment turns out to have the same number as Swerve's hab-suite. Rung speaks Swerve's name aloud, and the three men ''all'' turn around, then suddenly blur together, condensing into Swerve's familiar—if very surprised-looking—avatar.

Rodimus's team is in a nearby bar, talking about Earth and humans; Megatron is struggling to get to grips with the human condition, never having used an avatar before, and is struck by the fragility of the body when he cuts his hand on a broken glass after Nautica tries to tickle him. Rodimus gets an update from Cyclonus's team, but it's not good news: Swerve is unable to tell them ''where'' his real body is injured, so that the life-saving surgery can be performed. Rung theorizes that the three avatars were a program glitch that split the different facets of his personality into separate individuals while Tailgate realizes that Swerve is suppressing his pain because he's found his "happy place" and doesn't want to leave. Swerve glumly explains that he has been thinking a lot about sitcoms lately, and how the "sitcom" of his life has changed since the beginning of "season 2", with him no longer playing the role of a "main character", causing him to retreat into isolation. Cyclonus saves the day by revealing that the ''entire crew'' of the ''Lost Light'' is actually helping to search "Swearth" for him—that while Swerve may not feel like a "main character", he is important to ''everyone''. Elated with this news, Swerve finds that his shoulder is suddenly beginning to bleed in the shape of an Autobot symbol, denoting the location of his real-life wound.

A little later, "Swearth" fades away after everyone has returned to the ''Lost Light'' and Swerve's injury—an infection in his [[energon]] stream from a years-old shoulder wound—is treated. Velocity reports on the successful surgery to First Aid over a radio, as the medical officer has already departed for Cybertron aboard [[O Fortuna|a shuttle]]. As they talk, First Aid looks through his present, a datapad of photos and other media put together by [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]], but stops when he finds a picture of Swerve in an older body design, standing with [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]. Suddenly putting two and two together, First Aid realizes that Swerve's infection was caused by a foreign object that still remains inside his body, which he has Velocity remove with all due haste: a message bullet from [[Dominus Ambus|Agent 113]], the Autobot mole within the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], fired years ago into the Autobot symbol that ''used'' to be on Swerve's shoulder!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (1)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] (3)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (4)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (5)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (6)
*[[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (8)
*[[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]] (9)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (10)
*[[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] (11)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (12)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (13)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] (14)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (18)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (19)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] (20)
*[[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] (21)
*[[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (22)
*[[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]] (23)
*[[Ambulon]] (photograph, 24)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] (photograph, 25)
*[[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]] (photograph, 27)
{{!}}}
|c4=
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]] (2)
*Ted (15)
*Sheldon (16)
*Jerry (17)
*[[Diagnostic Drone]] (photograph, 26)
}}

==Quotes==
"I suppose there's always the '''Wiki'''. Or Tumblr..." 
"I told you to stay off Tumblr." 
"You're right: spoilers."
:—'''Tailgate''' and '''Cyclonus''' grapple with resources to understand the continuity of ''MTMTE''

"TALK 2 ME. WHAT R U DOING? TIME IS RUNNING OUT. THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE OBV. HASHTAG PISSED." 
"Even '''I''' know you don't '''write''' hashtag."
:'''Rodimus''' sends a text, but '''Tailgate''' critiques his form

"'sup?" 
"We're being chased by a planet." 
"Cool." 
... 
"Sorry, what?"
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Megatron'''

"Makin' your way on a quest today takes everythin' you got 
Takin' a break from all that '''war stuff''' sure has helped a lot 
Maybe one day we'll find the knights 
But 'til then you wanna go 
Down to '''D Deck''' and to '''Swerve's''' 
You'll have more fun than you deserve 
You wanna go where Megs won't go 
Where the drinks all taste the same 
You wanna go where Ten can't even say your name."
:—The Swearth theme song

'''Brainstorm:''' "Please bear in mind that "Earth" is 400 miles away. Projecting over that sort of distance is likely to result in a rather '''disagreeable''' sensory experience." 
'''Rung:''' "Might this type of sensory experience be better described as 'pain'?" 
'''Brainstorm:''' "Pain, agony, torment, take your pick. Plus there's a slight risk of ''(cough cough)''" 
'''Skids:''' "A slight risk of...?" 
'''Brainstorm:''' "Excuse me?" 
'''Skids:''' "Just then, you said there was a slight risk of..." 
'''Brainstorm:''' "Of feedback-induced spark burnout." 
'''Skids:''' "'''Death''', in other words. A slight risk of death."

"I heard people laughing. Lots of people. Are you having a party?" 
"Oh wait—that'll be the '''canned laughter'''." 
"The what?" 
"'Swearth' isn't like normal planets. It's... how can I put this? It's got its own '''laughter''' track." 
"There it is again! I didn't even say anything funny!" 
"You probably made a face. '''Reactions''' get big laughs too. And don't be freaked out if you walk into a room and there's a round of applause and cheering." 
"Eh. That's what happens '''normally.'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Bluestreak'''

"They're all out there, spread out across the city, across the world, desperate to find you." 
"Really?" 
"Yes. They need to know where you keep the keys to the bar." 
... 
"Tetrahexian humor. Very dry."
:—'''Cyclonus''' and '''Swerve'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Rung is using the holomatter avatar design from the cover of [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]], rather than the less-glamorous version from inside the issue itself. The earlier design appears in the "title sequence". On the other hand, Ultra Magnus uses the avatar based on [[Verity Carlo]]'s [[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]]-era design he used in issue #13 and [[Twenty Plus One|issue #31]], instead of the ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' Verity design used on the issue #13 cover. Swerve's avatar is now wearing a white shirt instead of a red one, but that's for plot purposes so the bloodstain can show up properly on it.
*And speaking of Rung, poor ol' fella... even the title sequence spells his name "Rong"! This particular mis-spelling is a callback to [[Little Victories|issue #22]] and Rung's old I.D. card, where we first learned his full name...which is spelled wrong.
*Tailgate's avatar is a ''bigger'' baby than last time (bordering on toddler), reflecting that he's aged up a few years.
*Rodimus and Bluestreak discuss that the former sounds different "in human mode", indicating that Transformers will alter their voices to fit their avatars. This hadn't been stated either way before, raising questions; for example, if IDW Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity#Notes|sounded like Lindsey Lohan]] or if [[Dan Gilvezan]]'s voice came out of her holo-mouth.
*First Aid is departing to go and be in the "[[Combiner Wars (comic)|Combiner Wars]]" crossover over in ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'', which took place a couple of months before this issue was published. Though not mentioned in dialogue, we also see the sick Mirage go with him, and Groove is sitting on the shuttle too; the other [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]]-to-be are off-panel.
*Tailgate references the departures of [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Fortress Maximus]] and [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (both in [[The Sound of Breaking Glass|issue #21]]), [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] ([[The Gloaming|issue #16]]), [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] ([[Our Steps Will Always Rhyme|issue #41]]), and even [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]], who left in the big reshuffle after "[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron]]".
*Swerve opening Brainstorm's briefcase never happened on panel, but in issue #21's prose story "The Sound of Breaking Glass", Brainstorm did express concern (towards Swerve himself, of all people) that someone had opened the case after it had been blasted off his wrist the [[Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|previous issue]] (the spring-loaded clasps had previously been removed by [[Getaway]] to create makeshift tools for escaping the cell they had been trapped in). Swerve had previously vowed to see what was inside the case in issue #16.
*Ted, Sheldon, and Jerry (see "Pop-culture references", below) each reflect a fact of Swerve's personality: Ted the priest is an embodiment of his intermittently-mentioned religiosity (most prominently featured in [[Twenty Plus One|issue #31]]), Sheldon the dermatologist refers to his function as a metallurgist, the equivalent of "skin" for a Transformer (Tailgate knew the job by the title "skin specialist" all the way back in [[Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|issue #2]]), and Jerry the stand-up comedian is his joking slacker side. Jerry really lays into Ted and Sheldon, accusing the former's faith of not being strong enough and the latter of not doing anything important with his skills, encapsulating Swerve's self-worth issues.
[[File:Swerve DJD injury continuity.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|right|Foreshadowing galore.]]
*Swerve activated Brainstorm's meta-bomb back in [[Under Cold Blue Stars|issue #15]].
*Nightbeat mentions having been to Earth's orbit, back in ''[[The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation]]''. However, see "Errors", below.
*Swerve has been used for the "Previously" recaps since [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|issue #29]]. We now learn these pages are not just a joke but that Swerve has actually been delivering these in the world of the comic, a side effect of the meta-bomb. This would also explain the two pages of recap last issue: not just reminding us about them, but subtly telling us Swerve is getting worse. As an aside, these recap pages have usually been left out of the trade paperback collections, but the second story in volume 8 (which is issue #40) keeps its recap page, so that people who are only reading the trades still get the joke.
*Tailgate realizes that Swerve has used "Rungian Re-Experience Therapy" (aka "finding your happy place"), first mentioned in a discussion between the pair in [[Before & After|issue #12]].
*First Aid learned about Agent 113 and his method of delivering messages in "[[Bullets]]".
*Okay, step back a second. ALL THE WAY BACK in frigging "[[Chaos (IDW)|Chaos]]", the ''first time'' Roberts wrote Swerve in a comic scene (he'd written him earlier in the prose-only "Bullets"), Swerve's left shoulder had a piece of metal riveted over it. Nothing was made of it at the time, but later references were made to him having an "old injury" in [[The Sound of Breaking Glass|issue #21]] and issue #29—the issues, you'll note, in which we now know he opened Brainstorm's briefcase, and in which the "Swerve recap page" first appeared, respectively. We now know that metal patch was his own quick-and-dirty fix job for this wound. In addition to ''that'', back in [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]], Swerve mentioned (in response to Ultra Magnus asking where his badge was) that his insignia "got damaged". And on top of ''all that'', we were made aware that Swerve had encountered the D.J.D. in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]] when [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] mentioned it to Ratchet offhandedly. Phew. ''Pheeeeeeeeeeeew.''
*What's more, in issue #4, Pipes claimed that Swerve hadn't been able to ''speak'' for a whole six months following his encounter with the D.J.D. (a fact which Swerve had described to Pipes as "the worst thing that had ever happened to him"), yet in [[Chaos Part Four: Genesis|issue #30]] of the 2009-2011 ongoing, Swerve was pretty chatty with everyone, despite still sporting a patched-up shoulder. No wonder he contracted a rust infection if he didn't have his wound properly treated for that long!
*As a side note, Swerve's design throughout ''More than Meets the Eye'' has precluded him from having a symbol on his shoulder, since his shoulders are wheels. Milne makes sure to draw his old body with a distinct design of its own in the picture we see of it this issue, which tips First Aid off to the exact nature of his injury; when [[Guido Guidi]] drew a much younger Swerve in flashback in issue #13, it appears that the script for that issue specifically asked for the scene to be laid out so Swerve's shoulders would be subtly obscured when seen from the front, so the symbol's presence (and hence, present-day absence) wouldn't be obvious at the time. However, it further appears Guido was not fully aware of the exact significance of Swerve's shoulders, since he drew him in the same design as his present-day self (a view from the back even shows wheels on his shoulders!), rather than a design that would allow for an Autobot badge to be present on the left shoulder like the one Milne drew for this issue (or, for that matter, the design we saw back in issues [[Chaos Part Three: Kings|#28]] and #30 of the old ongoing, the one that depicted Swerve with the patched-up shoulder as mentioned above).
*When she first arrives on Swearth, Nautica waves directly at the reader, this is because she's a terrible actor as established in the previous two issues and doesn't know that TV actors aren't supposed to look at the camera.

{{-}}

===Pop-culture references===
''(cracks knuckles)''
*The title of this issue uses the same naming scheme as the TV show ''{{w|Friends}}'', where nearly every episode was "The One..." in which something happened. The apartment Cyclonus's team use as a home base is also the main ''Friends'' set, recreated with some stunning accuracy by Milne. While the street name and number ("495 Grove Street") is taken from the show, the apartment ''number'' is not.
*Swerve's apartment number and room number on the ship, 43, is the same as the number of this issue.
*The apartment used by Cyclonus's team is numbered 42, necessary for it to be opposite Swerve's apartment. It's also the number used for {{W|Phrases from The Hitchhiker%27s Guide to the Galaxy#Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life.2C the Universe.2C and Everything .2842.29|The Answer}} in ''{{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}''.
*One of the neighbors' outrageous activities sees settling an argument with a game of paintball, a reference to ''[[Community]]'', in which huge paintball games that got out of control were a running gag. Jerry wears a shirt emblazoned with the logo of the college from the series, Greendale.
*When last we saw it, Skids's avatar resembled the {{w|Eleventh Doctor|Eleventh incarnation}} of the [[Doctor]] from ''[[Doctor Who]]''. In this issue, it's based on the {{w|Ninth Doctor|Ninth}}.
*The font used on the "title sequence" is based on that used from the opening sequence of ''[[Cheers]]'', while the "theme song" transmission is based on the ''Cheers'' theme tune. ''Cheers'' was about a bar, so it's especially fitting.
*While listing off his knowledge of Earth, Bluestreak mentions the movie ''{{w|Inception}}'', the internet meme {{w|Double Rainbow (viral video)|Double Rainbow}}, {{w|Justin Bieber|beliebers}}, and {{w|mansplaining}}.
*Confused over the expression "Humanity 101" (the number being used in the manner of a university course, meaning "introductory") in reference to the "bluffer's guide" that Rewind puts together for them, Rung believes it refers to "Room 101" from the novel ''{{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four}}'', while Cyclonus thinks it's about the British TV series ''{{w|Room 101 (TV series)|Room 101}}'', which took its name from the novel. Bluestreak insists it comes from ''{{w|101 Dalmatians}}'' (which he calls "101 Damnations", perhaps getting it confused with the {{w|101 Damnations (album)|album}} by {{w|Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine}}); Tailgate isn't quite sure what a dog is.
*Each of Swerve's three personalities is a reference to a famous sitcom character in name and occupation, though not physical appearance. Ted the priest is {{w|Father Ted Crilly}} from ''{{w|Father Ted}}''; Sheldon the scientist (a bit of a push, but the comic lampshades it, as Sheldon corrects Bluestreak's claim that he is a scientist with a "Kind of.") is {{w|Sheldon Cooper}} from ''{{w|The Big Bang Theory}}''; and Jerry the stand-up comedian is {{w|Jerry Seinfeld (character)|Jerry Seinfeld}} from ''{{w|Seinfeld}}''.
*The clients that Sheldon and Ted refer to while arguing with Jerry are also references to sitcom characters; Sheldon mentions a "Mrs. Simpson", alluding to ''{{w|The Simpsons}}'' while Ted brings up "The Bluths", the family from ''{{w|Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development}}''.
*Rodimus's avatar is ''ungodly'' 1980s, a kind of mash-up of John Bender from ''{{w|The Breakfast Club}}'' (played by [[Judd Nelson]], who voiced Rodimus in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') and [[Marty McFly]] from the ''[[Back to the Future]]'' series (specifically, Marty's orange-red down vest).
*Rather than the Benedict Cumberbatch you may have expected, Nightbeat's avatar is based on Idris Elba's eponymous detective in ''{{w|Luther (TV series)|Luther}}''.
*The bar Rodimus's team visits is named "The Jumping Shark", after the phenomenon of {{w|jumping the shark}}, the point at which a piece of entertainment begins a decline in quality, appropriately derived from TV show ''{{w|Happy Days}}''. Perhaps something of a meta-commentary joke on the outlandish nature of this issue?
*The table (well, two tables pushed together) that Ultra Magnus, Chromedome, and Rewind's avatars are shown standing around when Cyclonus tells Swerve that everyone is looking for him is the table used by the study group from ''Community''. Magnus and Rewind are pretty deliberate choices for this scene, being a straight-laced rule-follower like {{w|Annie Edison}}, and a media-buff film-maker like {{w|Abed Nadir}}, respectively.

===Other real-life references===
*On page 2, the mugs hanging on the shelves are decorated with a caricature of colorist [[Josh Perez]]!
*Just above the mugs are boxes of "Jii Puffs" and "Andy-Os", references to Transformers podcasters [https://twitter.com/JiiDee Jii Dee] and [https://twitter.com/CCTFW Andy Millman] of the [http://moonbase2.libsyn.com/ Moonbase 2 Podcast].

===Errors===
[[File:MTMTE 43 First Aid Tailgate single vs trade.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|right|Fixing one error, adding a new one. Net result: Breakeven.]]
*First Aid claims he's going to "Earth and back"; he's actually going to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. This is corrected for the trade paperback.
*In the very same panel, the trade ''adds'' an error, as Tailgate's "photos" inexplicably becomes "photo'''t'''s".
*In panel 5 on page 8, the caption box reads: "The Earth is a made of holomatter too?!" This is also corrected for the TPB.
*Nightbeat says that he's only been to Earth's orbit, but he actually spent some time on the planet's surface in ''[[The Transformers: Devastation|Devastation]]''.
*Ambulon's photograph in First Aid's "leaving present" shows him with blue eyes, not their proper yellow.
{{-}}

===Crew Manifest===
*First Aid, Groove, [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]], [[Blades (G1)|Blades]], [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]], and Mirage leave the ''Lost Light'' to go star in a [[Combiner Wars (comic)|crossover]].
*According to First Aid in [[The Plotters' Club (Part 1): Full Circle|''Lost Light'' #11]], there were 214 crew members on board when he left.

===Other trivia===
*The first page of the issue (Cover E from [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|issue #1]], with a speech balloon from Tailgate remarking that he is "lost already") was missing from at least some regional copies of the digital version. Comixology updated the issue later on the day of release to include the missing page.
*Being made up entirely of re-used art, the first page of the issue, the two-page "title sequence", and the mid-story Swerve recap page all come in addition to the comic's 20 standard story pages.
*This issue's story is, fittingly, structured like a standard sitcom teleplay: a brief cold open, a title sequence, three basic 4-8 page acts (act one being the flashback to the ''Lost Light'', and act 2 culminating with the "ad-break cliffhanger" of Swerve's avatar consolidating), and a short "credits scene".

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb2_o7cxb6U I Love Pop Music]" by {{w|Ben Lee}}<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/623651828148924416 James Roberts on Twitter]</ref>
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMNVNRybluQ ''Cheers'' theme tune]<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/623652910640066560 James Roberts on Twitter]</ref>
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0303UwKLVbU There Will Always Be]" by {{w|Adem Ilhan}}<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/623653356033191936 James Roberts on Twitter]</ref>

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Cyclonus and his avatar, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Multiple Swerves act out another homage to ''Justice League'' #1, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]. Charting the homage's history, the cover is signed "Roche after Milne after Roche after Maguire".
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' One of a series of "[[Pan Cybertronian Spaceways]]" travel posters by [[James Biggie]] that make up the Retailer Incentive covers on IDW's July Transformers titles; this one promotes the [[Unicron]]'s head, which orbited Cybertron after ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*'''Convention cover:''' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] versus [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]], by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]], available exclusively at Texas Comicon.

<gallery>
File:MTMTE43 regcvr.jpg|You weren't expecting this, were you?
File:MTMTE43 subcvr.jpg|Guess what? Now you get to hunt down countless Swerve toys on eBay and Amazon to recreate this scene! Yay!
File:MTMTE43 cvrRI.jpg|Now, if you look ''overhead'', folks... *gets booed*
File:MTMTE43 concvr.jpg|"Digital!" "Paper!"
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #44
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[South of Heaven|#43]]
*''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'' [[Windblade vol. 2 issue 4|#4]]
*[[An Uneventful Night|''Combiner Hunters'' #1]]
*IDW's Transformers comics app for iOS
*''Walt Disney's Comics and Stories'' #721 (back cover)

===Reprints===
*'''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 8''''' ([[October 21]], [[2015]]) ISBN 1631404520 / ISBN 978-1631404528
:*Contains issues #39 to #44.
:*Bonus content includes covers of each issue.

* '''''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 9|The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 9]]''''' ([[June 19]], [[2019]]) ISBN 1684054842 / ISBN 978-1684054848
:* Contains ''More than Meets the Eye'' #41 to #44, ''Robots in Disguise'' #39 to #42, and ''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade vol.2]]'' issues #1 to #5.

* '''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]]: Volume 66: Speak, Memory''''' ([[December 25]], 2019)
:* Hardcover collection of ''More than Meets the Eye'' issues #43 to #49.
:* Bonus content includes a one-page article about the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]], a cover gallery and a forward by [[Simon Furman]].

<gallery>
File:MTMTE vol8.jpg|'''Volume 8'''; cover art by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
File:IDWCollectionP2V9.jpg|'''''The IDW Collection Phase Two: Vol. 9'''''; cover art by [[Marcelo Matere]]
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v66.jpg|'''''Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 66: Speak, Memory'''''; cover art by [[Dan Khanna]] (Getaway) and [[Hayato Sakamoto]] (retro)
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.newsarama.com/25337-transformers-exclusive-previews-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-43-transformers-combiner-hunters-special-one-shot-transformers-windblade-5.html Preview]

{{DEFAULTSORT:One Where They Go to Earth}}

The One Where They Go to Earth

2021-03-07T14:10:43Z

Hergothical:

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=43
|prev=The Frail Gaze
|next=The Not Knowing
|image=MTMTE43_subcvr.jpg
|title="The One Where They Go to Earth"
|caption=Red Alert took one look at these guys and ''ran like hell''.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[July 29]], [[2015]]
|coverdate=July 2015
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|pencils by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=Alex Milne and [[Brian Shearer]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}

'''A dying Swerve's mind retreats to a holomatter replica of Earth constructed out of sitcom tropes, and his friends must transmit their own avatars down to the planet in order to find him and save his life. Can the ''Lost Light''ers survive... Swearth?'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Swearth the one where they go to earth.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2]]
Today is an even weirder day than usual for the ''[[Lost Light]]'', as the ship has suddenly found itself being chased by the planet [[Earth]]. Attempting to make contact, the only response the ship receives is a catchy song about "[[Swerve's]]", so [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] tries to call the bartender to the bridge, with no success. The reason why is soon made horrifyingly apparent: just as [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] is giving [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] a going-away present for his trip back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] bursts into the medibay with the comatose Swerve in his arms. A quick examination by First Aid and [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] can detect no surface wounds, but Swerve is so weak that exploratory surgery to find the cause of his condition will kill him. Everyone recalls that Swerve was fine just the previous day at his bar, but [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] deduces that the Swerve they all saw there, who disappeared, was actually a [[holomatter]] projection—and morever, so is the ''entire Earth'', all somehow being impossibly generated by Swerve, where his mind has taken refuge. Tailgate, Skids, [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]], [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] project their own avatars down to "[[Swearth]]" (as [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] dubs it) to set up a base of operations and begin searching for Swerve so he can tell them where he is injured, and his life can be saved.

The team finds that the facsimile Earth is constructed out of tropes from Earth sitcoms, a product of Swerve's recent consumption of the entirety of Earth's arts and literature. Setting up base in a [[New York City|New York]] apartment, Rung, Bluestreak, and Skids go out searching, but get waylaid dealing with the escapades of their wacky neighbours. Tailgate, meanwhile, busies himself reading the only piece of literature on the planet, ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'', a comic book version of the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s adventures. Just as he reaches a part of the story unfamiliar to the others—the fact that Swerve opened [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]]'s [[Time case|briefcase]] in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|issue #21]]—neighbours Ted the priest, Sheldon the dermatologist, and Jerry the stand-up comedian pay a visit to meet Cyclonus and Tailgate. They soon start bickering about past episodes, and Skids is grateful of the chance to shut them up when Rodimus calls in to check up. He, Megatron, Nightbeat, and [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] have also projected their avatars into the city to help with the search, and after getting up to speed with the farcical ways the planet functions—including its own laugh track—they begin searching nearby bars for any leads to Swerve's location.

[[File:TheOneWhereTheyGoToEarth-table.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Ted, Sheldon, and Jerry, it turns out, have locked themselves out of their apartment, and as Bluestreak works on opening their door for them, Skids confides to Rung that he did not even know what room Swerve lived in onboard the ship; he had only found him by remembering which hab-suite Swerve's old roommate [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] had lived in. Swerve had, he reveals, actually been locked in his room for ''months'', his body slowly degrading, interacting with others only through avatars, and nobody ever came to visit him. Hoping for a clue, Tailgate jumps to the newest issue of ''More than Meets the Eye'', where the recap page narrated by Swerve explains what happened: exposure to the energies of Brainstorm's time-machine briefcase have created a time-loop in Swerve's holomatter systems, giving him the notionally impossible ability to project something as complex as the planet, which has been shaped into a world of fiction-made-real due to the metafictional awareness Swerve has been increasingly suffering from since he was hit with Brainstorm's [[metafictional bomb|meta-bomb]]. Realizing that the comic is a case of Swerve's subconscious trying to reach out to them, Rung looks for more such subtle clues... and finds one staring him right in the face, as Ted, Sheldon, and Jerry's apartment turns out to have the same number as Swerve's hab-suite. Rung speaks Swerve's name aloud, and the three men ''all'' turn around, then suddenly blur together, condensing into Swerve's familiar—if very surprised-looking—avatar.

Rodimus's team is in a nearby bar, talking about Earth and humans; Megatron is struggling to get to grips with the human condition, never having used an avatar before, and is struck by the fragility of the body when he cuts his hand on a broken glass after Nautica tries to tickle him. Rodimus gets an update from Cyclonus's team, but it's not good news: Swerve is unable to tell them ''where'' his real body is injured, so that the life-saving surgery can be performed. Rung theorizes that the three avatars were a program glitch that split the different facets of his personality into separate individuals while Tailgate realizes that Swerve is suppressing his pain because he's found his "happy place" and doesn't want to leave. Swerve glumly explains that he has been thinking a lot about sitcoms lately, and how the "sitcom" of his life has changed since the beginning of "season 2", with him no longer playing the role of a "main character", causing him to retreat into isolation. Cyclonus saves the day by revealing that the ''entire crew'' of the ''Lost Light'' is actually helping to search "Swearth" for him—that while Swerve may not feel like a "main character", he is important to ''everyone''. Elated with this news, Swerve finds that his shoulder is suddenly beginning to bleed in the shape of an Autobot symbol, denoting the location of his real-life wound.

A little later, "Swearth" fades away after everyone has returned to the ''Lost Light'' and Swerve's injury—an infection in his [[energon]] stream from a years-old shoulder wound—is treated. Velocity reports on the successful surgery to First Aid over a radio, as the medical officer has already departed for Cybertron aboard [[O Fortuna|a shuttle]]. As they talk, First Aid looks through his present, a datapad of photos and other media put together by [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]], but stops when he finds a picture of Swerve in an older body design, standing with [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]. Suddenly putting two and two together, First Aid realizes that Swerve's infection was caused by a foreign object that still remains inside his body, which he has Velocity remove with all due haste: a message bullet from [[Dominus Ambus|Agent 113]], the Autobot mole within the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], fired years ago into the Autobot symbol that ''used'' to be on Swerve's shoulder!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (1)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] (3)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (4)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (5)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (6)
*[[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (8)
*[[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]] (9)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (10)
*[[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] (11)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (12)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (13)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] (14)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (18)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (19)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] (20)
*[[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] (21)
*[[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (22)
*[[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]] (23)
*[[Ambulon]] (photograph, 24)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] (photograph, 25)
*[[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]] (photograph, 27)
{{!}}}
|c4=
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]] (2)
*Ted (15)
*Sheldon (16)
*Jerry (17)
*[[Diagnostic Drone]] (photograph, 26)
}}

==Quotes==
"I suppose there's always the '''Wiki'''. Or Tumblr..." 
"I told you to stay off Tumblr." 
"You're right: spoilers."
:—'''Tailgate''' and '''Cyclonus''' grapple with resources to understand the continuity of ''MTMTE''

"TALK 2 ME. WHAT R U DOING? TIME IS RUNNING OUT. THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE OBV. HASHTAG PISSED." 
"Even '''I''' know you don't '''write''' hashtag."
:'''Rodimus''' sends a text, but '''Tailgate''' critiques his form

"'sup?" 
"We're being chased by a planet." 
"Cool." 
... 
"Sorry, what?"
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Megatron'''

"Makin' your way on a quest today takes everythin' you got 
Takin' a break from all that '''war stuff''' sure has helped a lot 
Maybe one day we'll find the knights 
But 'til then you wanna go 
Down to '''D Deck''' and to '''Swerve's''' 
You'll have more fun than you deserve 
You wanna go where Megs won't go 
Where the drinks all taste the same 
You wanna go where Ten can't even say your name."
:—The Swearth theme song

'''Brainstorm:''' "Please bear in mind that "Earth" is 400 miles away. Projecting over that sort of distance is likely to result in a rather '''disagreeable''' sensory experience." 
'''Rung:''' "Might this type of sensory experience be better described as 'pain'?" 
'''Brainstorm:''' "Pain, agony, torment, take your pick. Plus there's a slight risk of ''(cough cough)''" 
'''Skids:''' "A slight risk of...?" 
'''Brainstorm:''' "Excuse me?" 
'''Skids:''' "Just then, you said there was a slight risk of..." 
'''Brainstorm:''' "Of feedback-induced spark burnout." 
'''Skids:''' "'''Death''', in other words. A slight risk of death."

"I heard people laughing. Lots of people. Are you having a party?" 
"Oh wait—that'll be the '''canned laughter'''." 
"The what?" 
"'Swearth' isn't like normal planets. It's... how can I put this? It's got its own '''laughter''' track." 
"There it is again! I didn't even say anything funny!" 
"You probably made a face. '''Reactions''' get big laughs too. And don't be freaked out if you walk into a room and there's a round of applause and cheering." 
"Eh. That's what happens '''normally.'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Bluestreak'''

"They're all out there, spread out across the city, across the world, desperate to find you." 
"Really?" 
"Yes. They need to know where you keep the keys to the bar." 
... 
"Tetrahexian humor. Very dry."
:—'''Cyclonus''' and '''Swerve'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Rung is using the holomatter avatar design from the cover of [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]], rather than the less-glamorous version from inside the issue itself. The earlier design appears in the "title sequence". On the other hand, Ultra Magnus uses the avatar based on [[Verity Carlo]]'s [[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]]-era design he used in issue #13 and [[Twenty Plus One|issue #31]], instead of the ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' Verity design used on the issue #13 cover. Swerve's avatar is now wearing a white shirt instead of a red one, but that's for plot purposes so the bloodstain can show up properly on it.
*And speaking of Rung, poor ol' fella... even the title sequence spells his name "Rong"! This particular mis-spelling is a callback to [[Little Victories|issue #22]] and Rung's old I.D. card, where we first learned his full name...which is spelled wrong.
*Tailgate's avatar is a ''bigger'' baby than last time (bordering on toddler), reflecting that he's aged up a few years.
*Rodimus and Bluestreak discuss that the former sounds different "in human mode", indicating that Transformers will alter their voices to fit their avatars. This hadn't been stated either way before, raising questions; for example, if IDW Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity#Notes|sounded like Lindsey Lohan]] or if [[Dan Gilvezan]]'s voice came out of her holo-mouth.
*First Aid is departing to go and be in the "[[Combiner Wars (comic)|Combiner Wars]]" crossover over in ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'', which took place a couple of months before this issue was published. Though not mentioned in dialogue, we also see the sick Mirage go with him, and Groove is sitting on the shuttle too; the other [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]]-to-be are off-panel.
*Tailgate references the departures of [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Fortress Maximus]] and [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (both in [[The Sound of Breaking Glass|issue #21]]), [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] ([[The Gloaming|issue #16]]), [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] ([[Our Steps Will Always Rhyme|issue #41]]), and even [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]], who left in the big reshuffle after "[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron]]".
*Swerve opening Brainstorm's briefcase never happened on panel, but in issue #21's prose story "The Sound of Breaking Glass", Brainstorm did express concern (towards Swerve himself, of all people) that someone had opened the case after it had been blasted off his wrist the [[Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|previous issue]] (the spring-loaded clasps had previously been removed by [[Getaway]] to create makeshift tools for escaping the cell they had been trapped in). Swerve had previously vowed to see what was inside the case in issue #16.
*Ted, Sheldon, and Jerry (see "Pop-culture references", below) each reflect a fact of Swerve's personality: Ted the priest is an embodiment of his intermittently-mentioned religiosity (most prominently featured in [[Twenty Plus One|issue #31]]), Sheldon the dermatologist refers to his function as a metallurgist, the equivalent of "skin" for a Transformer (Tailgate knew the job by the title "skin specialist" all the way back in [[Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|issue #2]]), and Jerry the stand-up comedian is his joking slacker side. Jerry really lays into Ted and Sheldon, accusing the former's faith of not being strong enough and the latter of not doing anything important with his skills, encapsulating Swerve's self-worth issues.
[[File:Swerve DJD injury continuity.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|right|Foreshadowing galore.]]
*Swerve activated Brainstorm's meta-bomb back in [[Under Cold Blue Stars|issue #15]].
*Nightbeat mentions having been to Earth's orbit, back in ''[[The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation]]''. However, see "Errors", below.
*Swerve has been used for the "Previously" recaps since [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|issue #29]]. We now learn these pages are not just a joke but that Swerve has actually been delivering these in the world of the comic, a side effect of the meta-bomb. This would also explain the two pages of recap last issue: not just reminding us about them, but subtly telling us Swerve is getting worse. As an aside, these recap pages have usually been left out of the trade paperback collections, but the second story in volume 8 (which is issue #40) keeps its recap page, so that people who are only reading the trades still get the joke.
*Tailgate realizes that Swerve has used "Rungian Re-Experience Therapy" (aka "finding your happy place"), first mentioned in a discussion between the pair in [[Before & After|issue #12]].
*First Aid learned about Agent 113 and his method of delivering messages in "[[Bullets]]".
*Okay, step back a second. ALL THE WAY BACK in frigging "[[Chaos (IDW)|Chaos]]", the ''first time'' Roberts wrote Swerve in a comic scene (he'd written him earlier in the prose-only "Bullets"), Swerve's left shoulder had a piece of metal riveted over it. Nothing was made of it at the time, but later references were made to him having an "old injury" in [[The Sound of Breaking Glass|issue #21]] and issue #29—the issues, you'll note, in which we now know he opened Brainstorm's briefcase, and in which the "Swerve recap page" first appeared, respectively. We now know that metal patch was his own quick-and-dirty fix job for this wound. In addition to ''that'', back in [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]], Swerve mentioned (in response to Ultra Magnus asking where his badge was) that his insignia "got damaged". And on top of ''all that'', we were made aware that Swerve had encountered the D.J.D. in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]] when [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] mentioned it to Ratchet offhandedly. Phew. ''Pheeeeeeeeeeeew.''
*What's more, in issue #4, Pipes claimed that Swerve hadn't been able to ''speak'' for a whole six months following his encounter with the D.J.D. (a fact which Swerve had described to Pipes as "the worst thing that had ever happened to him"), yet in [[Chaos Part Four: Genesis|issue #30]] of the 2009-2011 ongoing, Swerve was pretty chatty with everyone, despite still sporting a patched-up shoulder. No wonder he contracted a rust infection if he didn't have his wound properly treated for that long!
*As a side note, Swerve's design throughout ''More than Meets the Eye'' has precluded him from having a symbol on his shoulder, since his shoulders are wheels. Milne makes sure to draw his old body with a distinct design of its own in the picture we see of it this issue, which tips First Aid off to the exact nature of his injury; when [[Guido Guidi]] drew a much younger Swerve in flashback in issue #13, it appears that the script for that issue specifically asked for the scene to be laid out so Swerve's shoulders would be subtly obscured when seen from the front, so the symbol's presence (and hence, present-day absence) wouldn't be obvious at the time. However, it further appears Guido was not fully aware of the exact significance of Swerve's shoulders, since he drew him in the same design as his present-day self (a view from the back even shows wheels on his shoulders!), rather than a design that would allow for an Autobot badge to be present on the left shoulder like the one Milne drew for this issue (or, for that matter, the design we saw back in issues [[Chaos Part Three: Kings|#28]] and #30 of the old ongoing, the one that depicted Swerve with the patched-up shoulder as mentioned above).
{{-}}

===Pop-culture references===
''(cracks knuckles)''
*The title of this issue uses the same naming scheme as the TV show ''{{w|Friends}}'', where nearly every episode was "The One..." in which something happened. The apartment Cyclonus's team use as a home base is also the main ''Friends'' set, recreated with some stunning accuracy by Milne. While the street name and number ("495 Grove Street") is taken from the show, the apartment ''number'' is not.
*Swerve's apartment number and room number on the ship, 43, is the same as the number of this issue.
*The apartment used by Cyclonus's team is numbered 42, necessary for it to be opposite Swerve's apartment. It's also the number used for {{W|Phrases from The Hitchhiker%27s Guide to the Galaxy#Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life.2C the Universe.2C and Everything .2842.29|The Answer}} in ''{{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}''.
*One of the neighbors' outrageous activities sees settling an argument with a game of paintball, a reference to ''[[Community]]'', in which huge paintball games that got out of control were a running gag. Jerry wears a shirt emblazoned with the logo of the college from the series, Greendale.
*When last we saw it, Skids's avatar resembled the {{w|Eleventh Doctor|Eleventh incarnation}} of the [[Doctor]] from ''[[Doctor Who]]''. In this issue, it's based on the {{w|Ninth Doctor|Ninth}}.
*The font used on the "title sequence" is based on that used from the opening sequence of ''[[Cheers]]'', while the "theme song" transmission is based on the ''Cheers'' theme tune. ''Cheers'' was about a bar, so it's especially fitting.
*While listing off his knowledge of Earth, Bluestreak mentions the movie ''{{w|Inception}}'', the internet meme {{w|Double Rainbow (viral video)|Double Rainbow}}, {{w|Justin Bieber|beliebers}}, and {{w|mansplaining}}.
*Confused over the expression "Humanity 101" (the number being used in the manner of a university course, meaning "introductory") in reference to the "bluffer's guide" that Rewind puts together for them, Rung believes it refers to "Room 101" from the novel ''{{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four}}'', while Cyclonus thinks it's about the British TV series ''{{w|Room 101 (TV series)|Room 101}}'', which took its name from the novel. Bluestreak insists it comes from ''{{w|101 Dalmatians}}'' (which he calls "101 Damnations", perhaps getting it confused with the {{w|101 Damnations (album)|album}} by {{w|Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine}}); Tailgate isn't quite sure what a dog is.
*Each of Swerve's three personalities is a reference to a famous sitcom character in name and occupation, though not physical appearance. Ted the priest is {{w|Father Ted Crilly}} from ''{{w|Father Ted}}''; Sheldon the scientist (a bit of a push, but the comic lampshades it, as Sheldon corrects Bluestreak's claim that he is a scientist with a "Kind of.") is {{w|Sheldon Cooper}} from ''{{w|The Big Bang Theory}}''; and Jerry the stand-up comedian is {{w|Jerry Seinfeld (character)|Jerry Seinfeld}} from ''{{w|Seinfeld}}''.
*The clients that Sheldon and Ted refer to while arguing with Jerry are also references to sitcom characters; Sheldon mentions a "Mrs. Simpson", alluding to ''{{w|The Simpsons}}'' while Ted brings up "The Bluths", the family from ''{{w|Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development}}''.
*Rodimus's avatar is ''ungodly'' 1980s, a kind of mash-up of John Bender from ''{{w|The Breakfast Club}}'' (played by [[Judd Nelson]], who voiced Rodimus in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') and [[Marty McFly]] from the ''[[Back to the Future]]'' series (specifically, Marty's orange-red down vest).
*Rather than the Benedict Cumberbatch you may have expected, Nightbeat's avatar is based on Idris Elba's eponymous detective in ''{{w|Luther (TV series)|Luther}}''.
*The bar Rodimus's team visits is named "The Jumping Shark", after the phenomenon of {{w|jumping the shark}}, the point at which a piece of entertainment begins a decline in quality, appropriately derived from TV show ''{{w|Happy Days}}''. Perhaps something of a meta-commentary joke on the outlandish nature of this issue?
*The table (well, two tables pushed together) that Ultra Magnus, Chromedome, and Rewind's avatars are shown standing around when Cyclonus tells Swerve that everyone is looking for him is the table used by the study group from ''Community''. Magnus and Rewind are pretty deliberate choices for this scene, being a straight-laced rule-follower like {{w|Annie Edison}}, and a media-buff film-maker like {{w|Abed Nadir}}, respectively.
*When she first arrives on Swearth, Nautica waves directly at the reader, this is because she's a terrible actor as established in the previous two issues and doesn't know that TV actors aren't supposed to look at the camera.

===Other real-life references===
*On page 2, the mugs hanging on the shelves are decorated with a caricature of colorist [[Josh Perez]]!
*Just above the mugs are boxes of "Jii Puffs" and "Andy-Os", references to Transformers podcasters [https://twitter.com/JiiDee Jii Dee] and [https://twitter.com/CCTFW Andy Millman] of the [http://moonbase2.libsyn.com/ Moonbase 2 Podcast].

===Errors===
[[File:MTMTE 43 First Aid Tailgate single vs trade.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|right|Fixing one error, adding a new one. Net result: Breakeven.]]
*First Aid claims he's going to "Earth and back"; he's actually going to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. This is corrected for the trade paperback.
*In the very same panel, the trade ''adds'' an error, as Tailgate's "photos" inexplicably becomes "photo'''t'''s".
*In panel 5 on page 8, the caption box reads: "The Earth is a made of holomatter too?!" This is also corrected for the TPB.
*Nightbeat says that he's only been to Earth's orbit, but he actually spent some time on the planet's surface in ''[[The Transformers: Devastation|Devastation]]''.
*Ambulon's photograph in First Aid's "leaving present" shows him with blue eyes, not their proper yellow.
{{-}}

===Crew Manifest===
*First Aid, Groove, [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]], [[Blades (G1)|Blades]], [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]], and Mirage leave the ''Lost Light'' to go star in a [[Combiner Wars (comic)|crossover]].
*According to First Aid in [[The Plotters' Club (Part 1): Full Circle|''Lost Light'' #11]], there were 214 crew members on board when he left.

===Other trivia===
*The first page of the issue (Cover E from [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|issue #1]], with a speech balloon from Tailgate remarking that he is "lost already") was missing from at least some regional copies of the digital version. Comixology updated the issue later on the day of release to include the missing page.
*Being made up entirely of re-used art, the first page of the issue, the two-page "title sequence", and the mid-story Swerve recap page all come in addition to the comic's 20 standard story pages.
*This issue's story is, fittingly, structured like a standard sitcom teleplay: a brief cold open, a title sequence, three basic 4-8 page acts (act one being the flashback to the ''Lost Light'', and act 2 culminating with the "ad-break cliffhanger" of Swerve's avatar consolidating), and a short "credits scene".

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb2_o7cxb6U I Love Pop Music]" by {{w|Ben Lee}}<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/623651828148924416 James Roberts on Twitter]</ref>
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMNVNRybluQ ''Cheers'' theme tune]<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/623652910640066560 James Roberts on Twitter]</ref>
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0303UwKLVbU There Will Always Be]" by {{w|Adem Ilhan}}<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/623653356033191936 James Roberts on Twitter]</ref>

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Cyclonus and his avatar, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Multiple Swerves act out another homage to ''Justice League'' #1, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]. Charting the homage's history, the cover is signed "Roche after Milne after Roche after Maguire".
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' One of a series of "[[Pan Cybertronian Spaceways]]" travel posters by [[James Biggie]] that make up the Retailer Incentive covers on IDW's July Transformers titles; this one promotes the [[Unicron]]'s head, which orbited Cybertron after ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*'''Convention cover:''' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] versus [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]], by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]], available exclusively at Texas Comicon.

<gallery>
File:MTMTE43 regcvr.jpg|You weren't expecting this, were you?
File:MTMTE43 subcvr.jpg|Guess what? Now you get to hunt down countless Swerve toys on eBay and Amazon to recreate this scene! Yay!
File:MTMTE43 cvrRI.jpg|Now, if you look ''overhead'', folks... *gets booed*
File:MTMTE43 concvr.jpg|"Digital!" "Paper!"
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #44
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[South of Heaven|#43]]
*''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'' [[Windblade vol. 2 issue 4|#4]]
*[[An Uneventful Night|''Combiner Hunters'' #1]]
*IDW's Transformers comics app for iOS
*''Walt Disney's Comics and Stories'' #721 (back cover)

===Reprints===
*'''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 8''''' ([[October 21]], [[2015]]) ISBN 1631404520 / ISBN 978-1631404528
:*Contains issues #39 to #44.
:*Bonus content includes covers of each issue.

* '''''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 9|The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 9]]''''' ([[June 19]], [[2019]]) ISBN 1684054842 / ISBN 978-1684054848
:* Contains ''More than Meets the Eye'' #41 to #44, ''Robots in Disguise'' #39 to #42, and ''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade vol.2]]'' issues #1 to #5.

* '''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]]: Volume 66: Speak, Memory''''' ([[December 25]], 2019)
:* Hardcover collection of ''More than Meets the Eye'' issues #43 to #49.
:* Bonus content includes a one-page article about the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]], a cover gallery and a forward by [[Simon Furman]].

<gallery>
File:MTMTE vol8.jpg|'''Volume 8'''; cover art by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
File:IDWCollectionP2V9.jpg|'''''The IDW Collection Phase Two: Vol. 9'''''; cover art by [[Marcelo Matere]]
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v66.jpg|'''''Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 66: Speak, Memory'''''; cover art by [[Dan Khanna]] (Getaway) and [[Hayato Sakamoto]] (retro)
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.newsarama.com/25337-transformers-exclusive-previews-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-43-transformers-combiner-hunters-special-one-shot-transformers-windblade-5.html Preview]

{{DEFAULTSORT:One Where They Go to Earth}}

Storm Horizon Part 3

2021-03-07T14:06:27Z

Hergothical:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Galaxies]]'' #12
|prev=Storm Horizon Part 2
|next=Escape Part One
|caption=
|image=TFGalaxies 12 cvrA.jpg
|title="Storm Horizon Part 3"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[December 30]], 2020
|coverdate=October 2020
|written by=[[Brandon M. Easton|Brandon Easton]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Jake M. Wood]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]], [[Tom Waltz]], and [[Riley Farmer]]
|continuity=[[2019 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=
}}

'''It's a race against time as Ultra Magnus goes up against Soundblaster and an alien armada to rescue Alpha Trion from the Black Sphere.'''

==Synopsis==
Time's running out for [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]: not only are [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]] under siege from a [[Kworian]] armada, their battered starship is nearing the rim of the [[Black Sphere]]... and [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] reports that the gravitational space-time distortions they're experiencing could mean that they're ''already'' too late. As [[Victory Leo]] hauls the squabbling [[Octane]] and [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] away to the ship's brig, Chromedome explains the situation to Magnus, who's already donned a bulky suit of spaceworthy armor to make the rescue: by piggybacking off the holographic signal Soundblaster used to contact them on [[Obsidar]] and patching it directly into his new armor, Magnus will be able to find the ship using this improvised "homing beacon" and communicate with Alpha Trion. The general wastes no time as he leaps out of the nearest docking bay and blasts off straight towards the Kworian flotilla. Magnus is smaller and more agile than the massive battlecruisers, and uses his maneuverability to his advantage as he weaves in and out of their line of fire and gives them the chance to retreat from the danger zone by shooting out their weapons.

Although Magnus believes the Kworians to be enemies, Trion explains that this is not the case, and that the truth is far more complicated. Though he initially sought to cut a simple bargain with Soundblaster, Trion's would-be business partner grew consumed by greed and monomania, and his obsession with finding and selling old Cybertronian relics led to unsanctioned excavations that have soured the perception of the Transformers across many different worlds. Indeed, when Magnus asks if Trion could call off the aliens, he notes that it's unlikely the Kworians will see Magnus as anything but an enemy. Finally, Magnus reaches their vessel and blasts his way up through the hull and into the bridge but when he tells Trion that they have to leave, Soundblaster refuses and tells the general that the sage ''must'' fulfill his end of the bargain they cut. Indeed, Soundblaster's madness is such that, even amid the chaos of a burning starship, he offers Magnus a part in their impromptu "organization"... and when Trion tries to convince Soundblaster to release him from this insane contract, the angry relic hunter unleashes a blast that sends them both flying! As the concussive waves batter Magnus's armor, and Chromedome warns that their ship's nearing the event horizon, Magnus finds his second wind and pushes his way through Soundblaster's waves of sonic force and hurls a disorienting flashbang that stuns Soundblaster long enough for Magnus to scoop up Trion, activate the ship's emergency thrusters, then blasts open an exit with his shoulder missiles and gets ready to blast off. Soundblaster makes a final grab for the both of them before Magnus manages to kick their attacker free and takes off—seconds before Trion's ship vanishes into the black hole.

Back aboard the ''Fist of Iacon'', it's congratulations all around for the heroes of the hour as Trion thanks Magnus for saving him, and Magnus, in turn, thanks his friend for helping him to change his outlook all those years ago. Chromedome, however, has news, both good and bad: although they'll be in Cybertronian space soon, Victory Leo confirms that the space-time distortions during their last rescue mission have put them seventy cycles behind schedule. Worse yet, things have only further deteriorated in their absence, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] has overthrown the [[Senate]]. When Magnus tries to contact [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] on a private comms channel, he gets nothing; Chromedome confirms that the only message they can pick up is one of Megatron's recent speeches playing on loop. Magnus briefly despairs at the sight, and wonders if Spinister was right—if maybe the Cybertron he fought for really ''is'' gone. Alpha Trion offers some comfort; he sought those ancient relics not just out of abstract academic curiosity, but because the relics of the past—and the codes that they contain—may be the key to saving the future. All they need is some faith in their cause and the courage to forge ahead...

''Sixty-six cycles earlier: Soundblaster has survived his encounter with the black hole and returned to Cybertron ahead of Ultra Magnus to warn his master [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] of his recent defeat. The scientist is disappointed by this failures, but decides to let him live—after all, his splice-thieving operation have given the scientist enough raw materials to finish his latest project, and as Shockwave unveils an army of [[Insecticon clone]]s, he admits that he'd hate to deny Soundblaster his role in the new order''...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashback.) 

{{featuredcharacters
|c2=
* [[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]] (2)
* [[Octane]] (6)
* [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (7)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (8)
* ''[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'' (9)

|h4=Cybertronians|c4=
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] (3)
* [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (4)
* [[Victory Leo]] (5)
}}

==Quotes==
"Cease your '''whimpering''', Octane! I look forward to permanently silencing you the moment I get the chance." 
"How about I take these chains off and you threaten '''me''' in that tone of voice? What are the chances your head will be in the next quadrant before you complete that sentence?"
:—'''Spinister''' and '''Victory Leo'''

"Soundblaster... there's no profit to be gained from suicide. But you're right about one thing... I am '''persistent'''...I am '''valiant'''... I am a '''warrior''' of Cybertron!"
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' vs. Soundblaster

"I wish to extend a word of thanks." 
"For what?" 
"For never once making a comment about ''''the gravity of our situation.''''" 
"Chromedome, you realize that I can toss you into the Black Sphere?" 
"Heh. Good one, general. You're kidding, of course. Right? '''General?'''"
:—'''Chromedome''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''

"I've always needed a sense of direction... of perspective about matters of social progress. A warrior's mandate is clear, but simplistic. A functional world requires '''greater complexity''' than edge of a sword."
:—'''Ultra Magnus'''

"To kill you would be a phenomenal waste. And I'd hate for you to miss the storm approaching the horizon of the future. The '''Decepticon''' future."
:—'''Shockwave'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Megatron's prerecorded speech in this issue is the one he gave to the citizens of Iacon during [[Rise of the Decepticons: Tremors|''Transformers'' issue #21]].
* Spinister mentioned a "master" in [[Storm Horizon Part 2|the previous issue]]; it was a sure bet at the time that he was working for [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], who'd been put in charge of coordinating the activities of various banished Cybertronians as per [[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|''Transformers'' #15]], and this issue bears that theory out. That same issue also revealed that Shockwave had been experimenting with [[Exarchon]]'s old caches of technology, and that the leader of the Threefold Spark was very interested in [[cloning]]... although the comic remains ambiguous as to whether Soundblaster himself is a clone.
* Shockwave's [[Insecticon clone]]s will go on to play a role in the ''[[Transformers: Escape|Escape]]'' miniseries—indeed, [[Escape Part One|issue #1]], released on the same day as this comic, had [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] muse that they would need "more of themselves" to devour everything on Cybertron. We'll have to keep reading to find out if Trion's knowledge will somehow assist [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] in his hunt for the missing [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] ships!

===Transformers references===
* Ultra Magnus attempts to contact [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] on frequency "gee-wun", in reference to the [[GEEWUN|snarky moniker for overly-nostalgic ''Transformers'' fans]].
* Magnus describes Omega as one of many "city guardians" in what's probably a reference to the existence of multiple "[[Guardian robot]]s" from the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn]]".
* Alpha Trion's holograms of the past include a glimpse of an [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]-class ship—this one identical to the golden vessel from the original ''Transformers'' cartoon--and [[Vector Sigma]], the ancient supercomputer that's closely associated with Alpha Trion himself after the ''The Transformers'' episode "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1|The Key to Vector Sigma]]".
* Alpha Trion refers to Spinister and the other Decepticons as "Scavengers" when sending them to the brig, which is potentially a reference to Spinister's membership in the [[Scavenger (group)|group of the same name]] in the previous IDW continuity.

===Other trivia===
* One last delay for old time’s sake: originally solicited for October, then deliberately pushed back until November, the final issue of ''Galaxies'' arrives another whole month behind that, barely missing the end of 2020.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A''': Ultra Magnus versus the Kworians, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Thomas Deer]]
* '''Cover B''': Ultra Magnus flies through space, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover''': Soundblaster, by [[Livio Ramondelli]]

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

===Advertisements===
*''[[Star Trek]]: Picard''
*''[[Godzilla]]''
*''Invisible Men: The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books''
*''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection]]'' [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 11|#11]]
*''[[Transformers/Back to the Future]]''

===Reprints===
*'''''Transformers Volume 3: All Fall Down''''' ([[February 24]], [[2021]]) ISBN 1684057396 / ISBN 978-1684057399
**Hardcover.
**Collects ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' issues #19–24 and ''Galaxies'' issues #7–12.
**Bonus material currently unknown, most likely alternate covers.

<gallery>
File:TF-IDW-2019v3.jpg|'''''All Fall Down'''''; cover art by [[Cryssy Cheung]]
</gallery>

==External links==
* [http://majorspoilers.com/2020/12/29/preview-transformers-galaxies-12/ Preview]

[[Category:Galaxies issues]]

Storm Horizon Part 3

2021-03-07T14:06:08Z

Hergothical:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Galaxies]]'' #12
|prev=Storm Horizon Part 2
|next=Escape Part One
|caption=
|image=TFGalaxies 12 cvrA.jpg
|title="Storm Horizon Part 3"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[December 30]], 2020
|coverdate=October 2020
|written by=[[Brandon M. Easton|Brandon Easton]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Jake M. Wood]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]], [[Tom Waltz]], and [[Riley Farmer]]
|continuity=[[2019 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=
}}

'''It's a race against time as Ultra Magnus goes up against Soundblaster and an alien armada to rescue Alpha Trion from the Black Sphere.'''

==Synopsis==
Time's running out for [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]: not only are [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]] under siege from a [[Kworian]] armada, their battered starship is nearing the rim of the [[Black Sphere]]... and [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] reports that the gravitational space-time distortions they're experiencing could mean that they're ''already'' too late. As [[Victory Leo]] hauls the squabbling [[Octane]] and [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] away to the ship's brig, Chromedome explains the situation to Magnus, who's already donned a bulky suit of spaceworthy armor to make the rescue: by piggybacking off the holographic signal Soundblaster used to contact them on [[Obsidar]] and patching it directly into his new armor, Magnus will be able to find the ship using this improvised "homing beacon" and communicate with Alpha Trion. The general wastes no time as he leaps out of the nearest docking bay and blasts off straight towards the Kworian flotilla. Magnus is smaller and more agile than the massive battlecruisers, and uses his maneuverability to his advantage as he weaves in and out of their line of fire and gives them the chance to retreat from the danger zone by shooting out their weapons.

Although Magnus believes the Kworians to be enemies, Trion explains that this is not the case, and that the truth is far more complicated. Though he initially sought to cut a simple bargain with Soundblaster, Trion's would-be business partner grew consumed by greed and monomania, and his obsession with finding and selling old Cybertronian relics led to unsanctioned excavations that have soured the perception of the Transformers across many different worlds. Indeed, when Magnus asks if Trion could call off the aliens, he notes that it's unlikely the Kworians will see Magnus as anything but an enemy. Finally, Magnus reaches their vessel and blasts his way up through the hull and into the bridge but when he tells Trion that they have to leave, Soundblaster refuses and tells the general that the sage ''must'' fulfill his end of the bargain they cut. Indeed, Soundblaster's madness is such that, even amid the chaos of a burning starship, he offers Magnus a part in their impromptu "organization"... and when Trion tries to convince Soundblaster to release him from this insane contract, the angry relic hunter unleashes a blast that sends them both flying! As the concussive waves batter Magnus's armor, and Chromedome warns that their ship's nearing the event horizon, Magnus finds his second wind and pushes his way through Soundblaster's waves of sonic force and hurls a disorienting flashbang that stuns Soundblaster long enough for Magnus to scoop up Trion, activate the ship's emergency thrusters, then blasts open an exit with his shoulder missiles and gets ready to blast off. Soundblaster makes a final grab for the both of them before Magnus manages to kick their attacker free and takes off—seconds before Trion's ship vanishes into the black hole.

Back aboard the ''Fist of Iacon'', it's congratulations all around for the heroes of the hour as Trion thanks Magnus for saving him, and Magnus, in turn, thanks his friend for helping him to change his outlook all those years ago. Chromedome, however, has news, both good and bad: although they'll be in Cybertronian space soon, Victory Leo confirms that the space-time distortions during their last rescue mission have put them seventy cycles behind schedule. Worse yet, things have only further deteriorated in their absence, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] has overthrown the [[Senate]]. When Magnus tries to contact [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] on a private comms channel, he gets nothing; Chromedome confirms that the only message they can pick up is one of Megatron's recent speeches playing on loop. Magnus briefly despairs at the sight, and wonders if Spinister was right—if maybe the Cybertron he fought for really ''is'' gone. Alpha Trion offers some comfort; he sought those ancient relics not just out of abstract academic curiosity, but because the relics of the past—and the codes that they contain—may be the key to saving the future. All they need is some faith in their cause and the courage to forge ahead...

''Sixty-six cycles earlier: Soundblaster has survived his encounter with the black hole and returned to Cybertron ahead of Ultra Magnus to warn his master [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] of his recent defeat. The scientist is disappointed by this failures, but decides to let him live—after all, his splice-thieving operation have given the scientist enough raw materials to finish his latest project, and as Shockwave unveils an army of [[Insecticon clone]]s, he admits that he'd hate to deny Soundblaster his role in the new order''...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashback.) 

{{featuredcharacters
|c2=
* [[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]] (2)
* [[Octane]] (6)
* [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (7)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (8)
* ''[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'' (9)

|h4=Cybertronians|c4=
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] (3)
* [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (4)
* [[Victory Leo]] (5)
}}

==Quotes==
"Cease your '''whimpering''', Octane! I look forward to permanently silencing you the moment I get the chance." 
"How about I take these chains off and you threaten '''me''' in that tone of voice? What are the chances your head will be in the next quadrant before you complete that sentence?"
:—'''Spinister''' and '''Victory Leo'''

"Soundblaster... there's no profit to be gained from suicide. But you're right about one thing... I am '''persistent'''...I am '''valiant'''... I am a '''warrior''' of Cybertron!"
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' vs. Soundblaster

"I wish to extend a word of thanks." 
"For what?" 
"For never once making a comment about ''''the gravity of our situation.''''" 
"Chromedome, you realize that I can toss you into the Black Sphere?" 
"Heh. Good one, general. You're kidding, of course. Right? '''General?'''"
:—'''Chromedome''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''

"I've always needed a sense of direction... of perspective about matters of social progress. A warrior's mandate is clear, but simplistic. A functional world requires '''greater complexity''' than edge of a sword."
:—'''Ultra Magnus'''

"To kill you would be a phenomenal waste. And I'd hate for you to miss the storm approaching the horizon of the future. The '''Decepticon''' future."
:—'''Shockwave'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Megatron's prerecorded speech in this issue is the one he gave to the citizens of Iacon during [[Rise of the Decepticons: Tremors|''Transformers'' issue #21]].
* Spinister mentioned a "master" in [[Storm Horizon Part 2|the previous issue]]; it was a sure bet at the time that he was working for [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], who'd been put in charge of coordinating the activities of various banished Cybertronians as per [[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|''Transformers'' #15]], and this issue bears that theory out. That same issue also revealed that Shockwave had been experimenting with [[Exarchon]]'s old caches of technology, and that the leader of the Threefold Spark was very interested in [[cloning]]... although the comic remains ambiguous as to whether Soundblaster himself is a clone.
* Shockwave's [[Insecticon clone]]s will go on to play a role in the ''[[Transformers: Escape|Escape]]'' miniseries—indeed, [[Escape Part One|issue #1]], released on the same day as this comic, had [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] muse that they would need "more of themselves" to devour everything on Cybertron. We'll have to keep reading to find out if Trion's knowledge will somehow assist [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] in his hunt for the missing [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] ships!

===Transformers references===
* Ultra Magnus attempts to contact [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] on frequency "gee-wun", in reference to the [[GEEWUN|snarky moniker for overly-nostalgic ''Transformers'' fans]].
* Magnus describes Omega as one of many "city guardians" in what's probably a reference to the existence of multiple "[[Guardian robot]]s" from the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn]]".
* Alpha Trion's holograms of the past include a glimpse of an [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]-class ship—this one identical to the golden vessel from the original ''Transformers'' cartoon--and [[Vector Sigma]], the ancient supercomputer that's closely associated with Alpha Trion himself after the ''The Transformers'' episode "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1|The Key to Vector Sigma]]".
* Alpha Trion refers to Spinister and the other Decepticons as "Scavengers" when sending them to the brig, which is potentially a reference to Spinister's membership in the [[Scavenger (group)|Group of the same name]] in the previous IDW continuity.

===Other trivia===
* One last delay for old time’s sake: originally solicited for October, then deliberately pushed back until November, the final issue of ''Galaxies'' arrives another whole month behind that, barely missing the end of 2020.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A''': Ultra Magnus versus the Kworians, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Thomas Deer]]
* '''Cover B''': Ultra Magnus flies through space, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover''': Soundblaster, by [[Livio Ramondelli]]

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

===Advertisements===
*''[[Star Trek]]: Picard''
*''[[Godzilla]]''
*''Invisible Men: The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books''
*''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection]]'' [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 11|#11]]
*''[[Transformers/Back to the Future]]''

===Reprints===
*'''''Transformers Volume 3: All Fall Down''''' ([[February 24]], [[2021]]) ISBN 1684057396 / ISBN 978-1684057399
**Hardcover.
**Collects ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' issues #19–24 and ''Galaxies'' issues #7–12.
**Bonus material currently unknown, most likely alternate covers.

<gallery>
File:TF-IDW-2019v3.jpg|'''''All Fall Down'''''; cover art by [[Cryssy Cheung]]
</gallery>

==External links==
* [http://majorspoilers.com/2020/12/29/preview-transformers-galaxies-12/ Preview]

[[Category:Galaxies issues]]

Storm Horizon Part 3

2021-03-07T14:05:40Z

Hergothical:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Galaxies]]'' #12
|prev=Storm Horizon Part 2
|next=Escape Part One
|caption=
|image=TFGalaxies 12 cvrA.jpg
|title="Storm Horizon Part 3"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[December 30]], 2020
|coverdate=October 2020
|written by=[[Brandon M. Easton|Brandon Easton]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Jake M. Wood]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]], [[Tom Waltz]], and [[Riley Farmer]]
|continuity=[[2019 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=
}}

'''It's a race against time as Ultra Magnus goes up against Soundblaster and an alien armada to rescue Alpha Trion from the Black Sphere.'''

==Synopsis==
Time's running out for [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]: not only are [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]] under siege from a [[Kworian]] armada, their battered starship is nearing the rim of the [[Black Sphere]]... and [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] reports that the gravitational space-time distortions they're experiencing could mean that they're ''already'' too late. As [[Victory Leo]] hauls the squabbling [[Octane]] and [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] away to the ship's brig, Chromedome explains the situation to Magnus, who's already donned a bulky suit of spaceworthy armor to make the rescue: by piggybacking off the holographic signal Soundblaster used to contact them on [[Obsidar]] and patching it directly into his new armor, Magnus will be able to find the ship using this improvised "homing beacon" and communicate with Alpha Trion. The general wastes no time as he leaps out of the nearest docking bay and blasts off straight towards the Kworian flotilla. Magnus is smaller and more agile than the massive battlecruisers, and uses his maneuverability to his advantage as he weaves in and out of their line of fire and gives them the chance to retreat from the danger zone by shooting out their weapons.

Although Magnus believes the Kworians to be enemies, Trion explains that this is not the case, and that the truth is far more complicated. Though he initially sought to cut a simple bargain with Soundblaster, Trion's would-be business partner grew consumed by greed and monomania, and his obsession with finding and selling old Cybertronian relics led to unsanctioned excavations that have soured the perception of the Transformers across many different worlds. Indeed, when Magnus asks if Trion could call off the aliens, he notes that it's unlikely the Kworians will see Magnus as anything but an enemy. Finally, Magnus reaches their vessel and blasts his way up through the hull and into the bridge but when he tells Trion that they have to leave, Soundblaster refuses and tells the general that the sage ''must'' fulfill his end of the bargain they cut. Indeed, Soundblaster's madness is such that, even amid the chaos of a burning starship, he offers Magnus a part in their impromptu "organization"... and when Trion tries to convince Soundblaster to release him from this insane contract, the angry relic hunter unleashes a blast that sends them both flying! As the concussive waves batter Magnus's armor, and Chromedome warns that their ship's nearing the event horizon, Magnus finds his second wind and pushes his way through Soundblaster's waves of sonic force and hurls a disorienting flashbang that stuns Soundblaster long enough for Magnus to scoop up Trion, activate the ship's emergency thrusters, then blasts open an exit with his shoulder missiles and gets ready to blast off. Soundblaster makes a final grab for the both of them before Magnus manages to kick their attacker free and takes off—seconds before Trion's ship vanishes into the black hole.

Back aboard the ''Fist of Iacon'', it's congratulations all around for the heroes of the hour as Trion thanks Magnus for saving him, and Magnus, in turn, thanks his friend for helping him to change his outlook all those years ago. Chromedome, however, has news, both good and bad: although they'll be in Cybertronian space soon, Victory Leo confirms that the space-time distortions during their last rescue mission have put them seventy cycles behind schedule. Worse yet, things have only further deteriorated in their absence, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] has overthrown the [[Senate]]. When Magnus tries to contact [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] on a private comms channel, he gets nothing; Chromedome confirms that the only message they can pick up is one of Megatron's recent speeches playing on loop. Magnus briefly despairs at the sight, and wonders if Spinister was right—if maybe the Cybertron he fought for really ''is'' gone. Alpha Trion offers some comfort; he sought those ancient relics not just out of abstract academic curiosity, but because the relics of the past—and the codes that they contain—may be the key to saving the future. All they need is some faith in their cause and the courage to forge ahead...

''Sixty-six cycles earlier: Soundblaster has survived his encounter with the black hole and returned to Cybertron ahead of Ultra Magnus to warn his master [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] of his recent defeat. The scientist is disappointed by this failures, but decides to let him live—after all, his splice-thieving operation have given the scientist enough raw materials to finish his latest project, and as Shockwave unveils an army of [[Insecticon clone]]s, he admits that he'd hate to deny Soundblaster his role in the new order''...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashback.) 

{{featuredcharacters
|c2=
* [[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]] (2)
* [[Octane]] (6)
* [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (7)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (8)
* ''[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'' (9)

|h4=Cybertronians|c4=
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] (3)
* [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (4)
* [[Victory Leo]] (5)
}}

==Quotes==
"Cease your '''whimpering''', Octane! I look forward to permanently silencing you the moment I get the chance." 
"How about I take these chains off and you threaten '''me''' in that tone of voice? What are the chances your head will be in the next quadrant before you complete that sentence?"
:—'''Spinister''' and '''Victory Leo'''

"Soundblaster... there's no profit to be gained from suicide. But you're right about one thing... I am '''persistent'''...I am '''valiant'''... I am a '''warrior''' of Cybertron!"
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' vs. Soundblaster

"I wish to extend a word of thanks." 
"For what?" 
"For never once making a comment about ''''the gravity of our situation.''''" 
"Chromedome, you realize that I can toss you into the Black Sphere?" 
"Heh. Good one, general. You're kidding, of course. Right? '''General?'''"
:—'''Chromedome''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''

"I've always needed a sense of direction... of perspective about matters of social progress. A warrior's mandate is clear, but simplistic. A functional world requires '''greater complexity''' than edge of a sword."
:—'''Ultra Magnus'''

"To kill you would be a phenomenal waste. And I'd hate for you to miss the storm approaching the horizon of the future. The '''Decepticon''' future."
:—'''Shockwave'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Megatron's prerecorded speech in this issue is the one he gave to the citizens of Iacon during [[Rise of the Decepticons: Tremors|''Transformers'' issue #21]].
* Spinister mentioned a "master" in [[Storm Horizon Part 2|the previous issue]]; it was a sure bet at the time that he was working for [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], who'd been put in charge of coordinating the activities of various banished Cybertronians as per [[The Change In Your Nature Part Three|''Transformers'' #15]], and this issue bears that theory out. That same issue also revealed that Shockwave had been experimenting with [[Exarchon]]'s old caches of technology, and that the leader of the Threefold Spark was very interested in [[cloning]]... although the comic remains ambiguous as to whether Soundblaster himself is a clone.
* Shockwave's [[Insecticon clone]]s will go on to play a role in the ''[[Transformers: Escape|Escape]]'' miniseries—indeed, [[Escape Part One|issue #1]], released on the same day as this comic, had [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] muse that they would need "more of themselves" to devour everything on Cybertron. We'll have to keep reading to find out if Trion's knowledge will somehow assist [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] in his hunt for the missing [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] ships!

===Transformers references===
* Ultra Magnus attempts to contact [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] on frequency "gee-wun", in reference to the [[GEEWUN|snarky moniker for overly-nostalgic ''Transformers'' fans]].
* Magnus describes Omega as one of many "city guardians" in what's probably a reference to the existence of multiple "[[Guardian robot]]s" from the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn]]".
* Alpha Trion's holograms of the past include a glimpse of an [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]-class ship—this one identical to the golden vessel from the original ''Transformers'' cartoon--and [[Vector Sigma]], the ancient supercomputer that's closely associated with Alpha Trion himself after the ''The Transformers'' episode "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1|The Key to Vector Sigma]]".
* Alpha Trion refers to Spinister and the other Decepticons as "Scavengers" when sending them to the brig, which is potentially a refernce to Spinister's membership in the [[Scavenger (group)|Group of the same name]] in the previous IDW continuity.

===Other trivia===
* One last delay for old time’s sake: originally solicited for October, then deliberately pushed back until November, the final issue of ''Galaxies'' arrives another whole month behind that, barely missing the end of 2020.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A''': Ultra Magnus versus the Kworians, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Thomas Deer]]
* '''Cover B''': Ultra Magnus flies through space, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover''': Soundblaster, by [[Livio Ramondelli]]

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

===Advertisements===
*''[[Star Trek]]: Picard''
*''[[Godzilla]]''
*''Invisible Men: The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books''
*''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection]]'' [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 11|#11]]
*''[[Transformers/Back to the Future]]''

===Reprints===
*'''''Transformers Volume 3: All Fall Down''''' ([[February 24]], [[2021]]) ISBN 1684057396 / ISBN 978-1684057399
**Hardcover.
**Collects ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' issues #19–24 and ''Galaxies'' issues #7–12.
**Bonus material currently unknown, most likely alternate covers.

<gallery>
File:TF-IDW-2019v3.jpg|'''''All Fall Down'''''; cover art by [[Cryssy Cheung]]
</gallery>

==External links==
* [http://majorspoilers.com/2020/12/29/preview-transformers-galaxies-12/ Preview]

[[Category:Galaxies issues]]