Stormbringer issue 4

2023-01-15T15:38:41Z

Ryderborg: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory
|series=stormbringer|issueno=4
|prev=Stormbringer issue 3
|next=Escalation issue 1
|image=Stormbringer 4a.jpg
|caption=Everyone vs Thunderwing. Everyone is outnumbered.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 18]], [[2006]]
|coverdate=October 2006
|story by=[[Simon Furman]]
|art by=[[Don Figueroa]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Sulaco Studios]]
|edits by=[[Chris Ryall]] & [[Dan Taylor (IDW)|Dan Taylor]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline#2006-7|2006-7]]
}}

'''Thunderwing is coming home, and now it's up to the Autobots and Decepticons to atone for their mistakes.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Stormbringer4 JetfirePrime plainlanguage.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.95]]
From [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s command bunker, the [[Wrecker]]s and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] watch as the rogue [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] enters [[unspace|transwarp space]], powering home to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] has a theory of his own: without the guiding influence of the [[axis cradle]], Thunderwing is operating under his own power again, and though he still has no conscious mind to speak of, his body is operating by rote and is intent on finishing what he started. The Autobot flier digs into Bludgeon's files, trying to learn more about the mysterious "[[Ore-13|Ultra-Energon]]" that the Decepticon used in the first place.

As he does so, Prime and the Wreckers gear up for action: Prime is adamant that Thunderwing ''must'' be stopped by any means necessary, gravely noting to an incredulous [[Springer (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Springer]] that, if it comes down to it, he'll destroy Cybertron itself to stop the abomination. The Autobots aren't the only ones preparing for the coming conflict; under [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]'s orders, the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s aboard the [[Decepticon]] warship ''[[Thanatos]]'' prepare to bombard Cybertron from orbit in order to destroy Thunderwing once and for all. [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] harbors reservations, and orders his crew to hold off the bombardment, just in time to see Thunderwing rematerialize in low orbit.

Thunderwing crashes down onto the surface of Cybertron, but as the Wreckers watch on, Thunderwing stands motionless. Some part of Thunderwing's ravaged mind flashes back to the days before the destruction of Cybertron—when a disgusted Megatron terminated his experiments into polydermal grafting, forcing him to go rogue and commit greater and greater atrocities in the name of survival—and, as those memories surface once more, the mindless monster that was once Thunderwing suddenly unleashes a crackling torrent of energy on the Autobots! The Wreckers regroup to launch a joint assault on the beast, but neither their airborne barrage or [[Twin Twist]]'s up-close assault have any effect.

As the [[Autobot]]s engage Thunderwing, Razorclaw watches their efforts, and the conflicted Decepticon reaches an internal compromise: he orders [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] to lead two assault teams down to [[Thunderhead Pass]], but once their cannons are charged, they'll fire regardless of who's on the ground.

In Bludgeon's Base, Optimus paces as Jetfire decrypts another piece of Bludgeon's files. This data, Jetfire believes, may be the key to defeating Thunderwing; the Ultra-Energon he runs on is powerful but short-lived, and the more energy he expends, the faster he burns himself out. This vital knowledge isn't passed on to the Wreckers, however, who fight a desperate rearguard action until Springer is caught off-guard by an exploding pocket of natural gas... only to be saved by Divebomb! Divebomb's assault teams arrive and open fire on Thunderwing, buying time for Optimus Prime and a legion of reprogrammed [[Centurion droid|Centurion]]s to arrive and wade into the fray.

The combined onslaught seems to weaken Thunderwing—a respite that's only temporary, as the Pretender transforms into an intimidating "[[Super mode|ultra mode]]" to continue the fight, wiping out the Centurions. As the ''Thanatos''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s firing timer ticks down to the point of no return, Razorclaw orders his Decepticons back, ready to destroy Cybertron for the greater good, until Optimus steps up to finish the fight.

Optimus opens fire on the monster, bringing his entire arsenal to bear as he expounds on what's led them to this point: ''every'' Cybertronian is complicit in what happened to Cybertron, and while Thunderwing was more forward thinking than most, his "solution" to the problem was what led to the destruction of Cybertron. While Optimus has long ruminated on his failure to save his world, stopping Thunderwing, he declares, is the first step towards absolving his guilt and healing his world. As Optimus pours on the firepower, the timer towards the Decepticon bombing run ticks ever downward... until a spent Thunderwing runs out of fuel and collapses, allowing Razorclaw to abort the bombing run at the last second.

The Autobots gather around Thunderwing's prone body to make sure he's really offline. Optimus is still uneasy, wondering ''where'' Bludgeon got the mysterious Ultra-Energon in the first place, and orders Jetfire to scour Bludgeon's files for any more information. Returning to the Autobot command hub aboard ''[[Ark-27]]'', Optimus Prime receives a communiqué from Jetfire, who has uncovered further information in Bludgeon's files—a Decepticon plan, [[Regenesis]], involving a planet called [[Earth]]. Connecting this information with the update he received from [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]'s unit, Prime orders a change of course.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] (2)
*[[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] (3)
*[[Twin Twist]] (4)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (5)
*[[Springer (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Springer]] (6)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] (7)
*[[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] (9)
*[[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]] (10)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Lightspeed (G1 Technobot)|Lightspeed]] (11)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (12)
*[[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] (13)
*[[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]] (14)
*[[Dogfight (G1)|Dogfight]] (29)
*[[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] (30)
*[[Pointblank]] (31)
*[[Override (G1)|Override]] (32)
{{!}}}
|c2=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] (1)
*[[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (15)
*[[Windsweeper]] (16)
*[[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]] (17)
*[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (18)
*[[Quake (G1)|Quake]] (19)
*[[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] (20)
*[[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] (21)
*[[Headstrong (G1)|Headstrong]] (22)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] (23)
*[[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]] (24)
*[[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] (25)
*[[Triggerhappy (G1)|Triggerhappy]] (26)
*[[Barrage (Insecticon)|Barrage]] (27)
*[[Centurion droid|Centurion Drones]] (28)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==
"That thing's its own personal ground zero!"
:—'''Roadbuster''' on Thunderwing

"This planet — or at least, what's '''left''' of it — remains a '''testament''' to our short-sightedness. A reminder that in war... there '''are''' no real winners. Part of me feared coming back here, but in truth I never left. At long last, I can confront my own demons, acknowledge once and for all my fallibility, my accountability... and let the healing begin."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' pontificates as he blasts Thunderwing

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*So how ''did'' Bludgeon find out about [[Regenesis]] and [[Ore-13]]? Check out "[[Spotlight: Shockwave]]" and "[[Spotlight: Soundwave]]" to get the full story!
*Optimus Prime's last appearance has him heading to Earth—partially due to his desire to figure out the mystery of Ore-13, and partially because of [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]]'s transmission that he received in [[Stormbringer issue 1|issue #1]] of the miniseries—setting up his debut in ''[[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]]'' [[Infiltration issue 6|issue #6]] and leading directly into the events of ''[[The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation]].''
*'''First appearances:''' The entire Decepticon cast, apart from Thunderwing, Megatron and Razorclaw.

===Transformers references===
* Thunderwing's "ultra mode" seems loosely adapted from the 1988 [[Mega Pretender]]s, of which Thunderwing was a part of, who could combine with their outer shells to form a sort of powered-up "[[super mode]]".

===Real-life references===
* The Decepticon warship ''[[Thanatos]]'' is named after {{w|Thanatos|Thanatos}}, the Greek deity of death.
* "There's no place like home," quips Razorclaw, quoting the iconic line from the original ''{{w|The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|Wizard of Oz}}''. film.
* As he speeds towards Thunderwing, Topspin proudly declares that when people ask him why he fought Thunderwing one-on-one, he'll say "because it was there," paraphrasing mountaineer {{w|George Mallory}}'s famous quote about scaling Mt. Everest. (''Not'' Edmund Hillary!) Of course, this declaration also fits Topspin's usual "bot against nature" mentality perfectly.

===Other trivia===
*The A covers of each issue can be combined into a giant image which was later shrunken down for the trade paperback.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Battle against Thunderwing wraparound cover by Don Figueroa. This cover can be combined with similar ones from the other three issues to form a giant battle scene.
*'''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime sketch cover by Don Figueroa
*'''Cover RI:''' Cover A uncolored
<gallery>
File:Stormbringer 4a full.jpg|Mega Pretender taken to the next level.
File:Stormbringer 4b.jpg|This bot's a bad mutha... Shut your mouth! I'm just talkin' 'bout Prime!
File:Stormbringer 4ria.jpg|Cover RI-A.
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*Optimus Prime [[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]] toy
*''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' series
*[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] with Kung Fu Grip toy
*''[[The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation]]'', including a 3-page preview
*IDW trade paperbacks (''[[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]]'', ''[[The Transformers: Stormbringer|Stormbringer]]'', ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'', ''[[Prime Directive]]'', ''[[War and Peace]]'', ''[[The Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'')
*''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' 20th Anniversary DVD
*Transformers posters
*??? (back of cover B)

===Reprints===
In addition to [[The Transformers: Stormbringer#Collections|collections of the full series]].
*'''''[[The Transformers: The Best of Don Figueroa]]''''' HC ([[August 1]], [[2007]]) ISBN 1600100813 / ISBN 978-1600100819
*'''''[[The Transformers: Best of Optimus Prime]]''''' TPB ([[June 2]], [[2010]]) ISBN 1600106668 / ISBN 978-1600106668
<gallery>
File:BestofDon.jpg|'''''Best of Don Figueroa'''''; art by [[Don Figueroa]] (duh) and [[Alan Wang]]
File:BestofOptimus.jpg|'''''Best of Optimus Prime'''''; art by [[Livio Ramondelli]]
</gallery>

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Stormbringer issue 4