The Permanent Revolution

2015-05-12T02:46:37Z

SGRietzey: Point in continuity notes erroneously attributes Borebit as one of Helex's kills, but Tarn is reviewing Tesarus's performance when this is mentioned.

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=39
|prev=Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide
|next=Our Steps Will Always Rhyme
|image=MTMTE39 subcvr.jpg
|title="The Permanent Revolution"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 8]], [[2015]]
|coverdate=March 2015
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Hayato Sakamoto]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}
'''A wearying Tarn finds himself granted new life when the Decepticon Justice Division discovers that Megatron has abandoned the cause.'''

==Synopsis==
===(1) Troika===
Times have been tough for the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. Eighteen months ago, when deep cover Decepticon agent [[Brainstorm]] alerted them to [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]'s imprisonment on the ''[[Lost Light]]'', they had initially agreed not to kill anyone else on the ship, only to lose control and go back on their deal when they discovered [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] was on board. After slaughtering the entire crew, they went on their way, until a month ago, when their newest member—diminutive female medic [[Nickel]]—insisted that they return to salvage the vessel's [[quantum generator]]s. Upon returning to the wreckage, floating above [[Ofsted XVII]], the DJD found themselves in the middle of a battle between the [[Galactic Council]] and the [[Black Block Consortia]], who proceeded to join forces against them. [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] and [[Vos (DJD)|Vos]] took the fight to the planet's surface, but [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] was forced to abandon them when enemy reinforcements arrived.

Now, Tarn, [[Helex (DJD)|Helex]] and [[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]] are continuing in their duties, working their way through their list of Decepticons who have betrayed "the cause". Their present victim: [[Blip]], condemned for practising religion by deifying [[sparkeater (creature)|sparkeaters]]. Blip catches Tarn off-guard when he uses his last words to ask him to remove his mask, accusing him of cowardice, so the DJD leader decides to refrain from killing him with his "weaponized conversation" ability, and lets Helex and Tesarus get their hands dirty. But secretly, Tarn looks away, tiring of violence and unwilling to watch.

Their job done, the team return to their ship the ''[[Peaceful Tyranny]]'', where Nickel gives them all a check-up and relentlessly criticizes their poor hygiene and maintenance habits. The DJD turns out to be exceptionally bureaucratic; Tarn orders performance reviews for the team, but he and Tesarus nearly come to blows during the latter's appraisal when Tesarus accuses him of being "un-Decepticon" for leaving Vos and Kaon behind. Calming himself, Tarn reveals that he has already ordered a return to Ofsted to collect their bodies... at which point Helex comes running in to tell them that their comrades are still alive, and have returned with a datapad containing some shocking news: Megatron has renounced Decepticonism and joined the [[Autobot]]s!

===(2) Troska===
Returning to the DJD headquarters on [[Messatine]] to ponder the world-shattering implications of this news, Tarn recharges himself with "[[Nuke]]"—the DJD's secret stash of super-fuel, found only in the planet's mines, created when the native [[nucleon]] was exposed to chronal energy millions of years go. Pushing himself towards lethal overdose, his life flashes before his eyes, and he finds himself disappointed by the experience. Opening his eyes to see a tearful Nickel banging on the fuelling capsule window, Tarn finds something stirring within him, and he smashes his way out of the capsule to announce a "change of plans" to his team-mates.

===(3) Perestroika===
The rest of the DJD are confused when Tarn arranges a meeting with noted Decepticon [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], who is on their list for removing himself from Megatron's command and stealing a [[Warworld]]. Deathsaurus welcomes them to his disorganized planet-ship, handing Tarn a crate of equipment to carry for him and apologizing for the mess with the explanation that their hyperdrive is being repaired. Tarn requests a conversation in private, but Deathsaurus isn't interested—having assumed that the DJD were coming to take him down, he immediately fires upon the crate in Tarn's arms, which turns out to be full of explosives that detonate right in Tarn's face. Though rocked by the blast, Tarn is still able to defend himself, insisting as he grapples with Deathsaurus that he is just here to talk. Deathsaurus deactivates his audio receptors to protect himself from Tarn's deadly voice, but Tarn simply speaks directly to him—and all his troops—through [[inter-Decepticon radio]], their private frequency having been hijacked by Vos. Tarn waxes lyrical on the history of the Decepticons and what he sees as their true cause: the ongoing mission to eliminate every threat to Cybertron, chiefly the "anti-mechanical bias" of a predominantly organic universe. He then introduces Nickel to Deathsaurus, explaining that she is the last of her kind, from a Cybertronian colony world settled by the [[Metrotitan (body-type)|Titan]] [[Prion]], her entire planet scoured of life by the Black Block Consortia. It was she who was truly Tarn's salvation: as one who heard the Decepticon word and became a believer, she is proof of the power and rightness of their cause—a cause so great that no ''one'' 'bot can embody it, least of all Megatron, the betrayer. Tarn invites Deathsaurus and his men to join him in return for being taken off the DJD's list, but Deathsaurus has one condition—that Tarn kill the rest of the DJD. Tarn refuses, only for the request to turn out to be a test from Deathsaurus, who cites his distaste for a commander who uses his men as fodder as the reason he split from Megatron. Deathsaurus agrees to the alliance and suggests they launch an immediate attack on a nearby Galactic Council facility together, but Tarn informs him that first, the Decepticon house must be put in order: priority number one is to find and kill Megatron, and the shipful of Autobots he now calls his allies.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*''[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'' (5)
*''[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'' (9)
*''[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]'' (10)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (13)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (30)
|c2=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Blip]] (1)
*[[Helex (DJD)|Helex]] (2)
*[[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] (3)
*[[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]] (4)
*[[Nickel]] (7)
*''[[Brainstorm]]'' (8)
*[[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] (12)
*''[[Lobe]]'' (14)
*''Lobe's assistant'' (15)
*[[Vos (DJD)|Vos]] (16)
*[[Gairyu]] (17)
*[[Yokuryu]] (18)
*[[Deathcobra (Victory)|Deathcobra]] (19)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Guyhawk]] (20)
*[[Jallguar]] (21)
*[[Killbison]] (22)
*[[Leozack]] (23)
*[[Goryu (Victory)|Goryu]] (24)
*[[Rairyu]] (25)
*[[Blue Bacchus]] (26)
*[[Drillhorn]] (27)
*[[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] (28)
*''[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'' (29)
*[[Browning]] (31)
*[[Kakuryu]] (32)
*[[Doryu]] (33)
{{!}}}
|c4=
*[[The Pet]] (6)
*''[[K'gard]]'' (11)
}}

==Quotes==

"Now then your '''Sparkeater cult.'''. It's—''(sigh)''—it's '''spectacularly''' at odds with Decepticon doctrine. Surely you '''know''' this. Surely this doesn't come as a '''surprise''' to you. Even someone with the most '''rudimentary''' grasp of Megatron's teaching must realize that a '''Decepticon utopia''' cannot accommodate '''any''' form of religion." 
"W-why?" 
"Why? Because religion is a form of '''control'''. It offers succor in return for docility and bestows power unto an authority '''other''' than Megatron. So when a Decepticon starts a '''new''' religion, it's... well... you say it's an attempt at finding peace of mind. I say it's an '''attempted coup.'''"
:—'''Tarn''' and '''Blip'''

"Not '''precisely''' sure what she means by that gesture, but I imagine it tilts towards the '''obscene.'''" 
"Disgusting! You fix Decepticons with those hands?!" 
"And... we seem to have an '''extended version''' of the first gesture. I— Goodness, now that really '''does''' leave no room for doubt."
:—'''Tarn''' and '''Helex''' bust '''Nickel's''' chops

"Tsk! Health and safety gone mad..." 
"Black mark!" 
"Aw, for— All I '''said''' was—" 
"'''Two''' black marks! One more and it's a written warning!"
:—'''Tesarus''' is reprimanded by '''Tarn''' for questioning bureaucracy

"I thought you'd be wearing an Autobot mask. I thought—''heh''—I thought you'd be running around the galaxy wearing an Autobot mask and '''apologizing to everyone''' on Megatron's behalf."
:—'''Deathsaurus''' to Tarn

"Let battle be joined, eh?" 
"Oh, this is more than a battle, Deathsaurus... we're going to '''war.'''"
:—'''Deathsaurus''' and '''Tarn'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*This issue's first chapter, "Troika", takes place roughly concurrently with [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|issue #34]], and details the exact timeline of the DJD's attack on the quantum duplicate ''[[Lost Light]]'', seen in [[slaughterhouse|issue #32]] and [[slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|#33]], and the subsequent battle with the [[Galactic Council]] and the [[Black Block Consortia]] that issue #34 alluded to.
*"[[The Empyrean Suite]]" has been mentioned several times at this point throughout ''More than Meets the Eye'', noted to have a sinister connotation that was common knowledge among Cybertronians. At last, as many fans had previously deduced, it is revealed to be the DJD's "theme". The song's composer is said to be [[Eucryphia]], who wrote it as an ode to [[Prima (G1)|Prima]]'s Citadel of Light; Eucryphia appeared, and was revealed to be a member of Primus's tribe and an inhabitant of the citadel, in [[The Crucible|''Robots in Disguise'' #34]].
*Blip was first mentioned in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|issue #3]]. He appeared in [[Before & After|issue #12]] and had a tiny cameo in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|issue #30]], where he sported a body based on the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]] [[Blot (G1)|Blot]]; he looks completely different here.
*Helex has put Blip's [[brain module]] in his mouth, which we learned was a trait of his in issue #32.
*The two statues of Megatron in the DJD's ship depict him in his original miner body, and in the Earth body he took on in ''[[The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation]]''; Sakamoto has drawn them in recreations of [[Atilio Rojo]] and [[Guido Guidi]]'s art style, respectively. Though quite an old body from our perspective as readers, the Earth form would be the last form the DJD knew Megatron in; comments later in the issue confirm that they never made contact with him after he returned from apparent death in his stealth bomber body in [[The Transformers (IDW)|the 2009-2011 ongoing series]].
*[[Borebit]] is listed among Tesarus's kills—he was a former member of the [[Primal Vanguard]] mentioned in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]].
*Former [[Warriors Elite|Warrior Elite]] [[Heretech]], who previously appeared in [[The Gloaming|issue #16]], was captured by the DJD at one point.
*The "burst of temporal energy" that turned nucleon into "Nuke" occurred in issue #34, when Brainstorm travelled back in time to Messatine.
*Though previously implied in [[Remembrance Day|issue #14]], we get explicit confirmation that Tarn is a [[Point One Percenter]], as he refers to his [[spark]] being green.
*As Tarn reflects on his life, we see an image of a young [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (we know he's young because he still got the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] tattoo he had in the past, seen before in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issues #11]] and [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|#36]]). Back in [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|issue #8]], we learned that Skids had "The Empyrean Suite" running through his head for unknown reasons, and with this issue's confirmation that the song is associated with the DJD, the idea that Tarn would have some connection to Skids does not come as a great surprise.
*The two 'bots rebuilding Tarn's body in his flashback are [[Lobe]] and his as-yet unnamed assistant, who previously appeared on the last page of issue #11 where they were performing [[empurata]] and [[shadowplay]] on [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|a certain senator]].
*The colony [[Metrotitan (body-type)|Titans]] were introduced in the [[The Transformers: Windblade|''Windblade'' mini-series]]. With the introduction of Nickel, it's established that [[female Transformer]]s have evolved on other worlds in addition to [[Caminus]]. Nickel is, of course, the first female Decepticon in IDW continuity.

===Transformers references===
[[File:Early liokasier.jpg|right|thumb]]
*Deathsaurus's [[Warworld]] is based directly on the design of [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s Warworld from the [[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic]].
*Deathsaurus's ranks include almost all his troops from the ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'' cartoon, and several crowdfillers who are all pre-existing characters, also mostly connected to ''Victory''.
**The [[Dinoforce]] are all present and correct, sprinkled throughout various scenes and grouped together on the final page
**The only absent member of the [[Breastforce]] is [[Hellbat (Victory)|Hellbat]], because he's been busy with his own stuff over in the [[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|''Drift - Empire of Stone'' mini-series]]. In his place is [[Deathcobra (Victory)|Deathcobra]], an additional member of the Breastforce featured in the ''Victory'' episode "[[Unite! Liokaiser]]", who was brought in to replace Hellbat even then!
**''Victory'' character [[Blue Bacchus]]
**In the top left of the final page, a generic from the ''Victory'' episode "[[Rescue! Guyhawk]]" who perished when he fell into a molten stream.
**To the right of that guy, a Transformer version of the "[[Solon Kitakaze (Victory)|King Solon]]" mecha from the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (manga)|''Victory'' manga]] (piloted by Deathsaurus's human son Solon in that story).
**On "Solon's" right is an unnamed character from some [[:File:Victory_concept_art.jpg|early ''Victory'' concept artwork]], a proposed Decepticon retool of Autobot [[Mega Pretender]] [[Vroom (G1)|Vroom]] that was never made.
**On Not-Vroom's right, a 'bot based on an early design for [[Liokaiser (Victory)|Liokasier]]. This design had never been seen by the public before; Sakamoto tweeted the original artwork shortly after the issue's publication (pictured, right).
**On Proto-Liokasier's shoulder is ''[[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Masterforce]]'' mini-Decepticon [[Browning]]
**Lastly, in the bottom right, another 'bot from the early ''Victory'' artwork who was evidently a prototypical version of the character who would become [[Greatshot (Victory)|Greatshot]]. His color scheme here is based on Shadowmaru, a redeco of Greatshot from the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] series ''{{w|Brave Police J-Decker}}''.
*While describing the Decepticons' early successes, Tarn says: "Victory after victory, Deathsaurus", which seems a lot like a sly nod to the franchise that Deathsaurus originated in.
*Deathsaurus's motivations for splitting from Megatron might not match his depiction in the ''Victory'' cartoon, where he was happy to leave the Dinoforce to die at his moment of triumph, but it jibes very well with the ''Victory'' '''manga''', in which he turned out all the fighting he had done had been to protect his and the other Decepticons' families.
*[[Deathcobra (Victory)|Deathcobra]]'s design is based on [[Ratbat (G1)|''Generations'' Deluxe Class Ratbat]].
*[[Kakuryu]] is holding the weedy little six-shooter he wielded in "[[The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber]]".
*[[Doryu]]'s design incorporates some large protruding plates on his shoulders that aren't a typical feature of the character; they're based on the foot pieces of the team's combined mode, [[Dinoking (Victory)|Dinoking]], and it's possible to attach them to the shoulders of Doryu's original toy like this.

===Real-life references===
*This issue takes its title from the Marxist term "{{w|permanent revolution}}", which refers to the strategy used by a revolutionary class to continue pursuing their goals despite the political strength of their opposition—essentially, what Tarn enacts for the DJD.
*"Troika" is a Russian word meaning a "group of three", referring to Tarn, Tesarus and Helex following their separation from Vos and Kaon.
*"Troska" is a Czech word meaning "wreckage" or "ruin", referring to the state of Tarn's beliefs after he learns of Megatron's defection.
*"Perestroika" was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party, another of the multiple analogies Roberts has drawn between Communism and the Decepticon movement, here referring to Tarn forging his own path and reshaping the movement separate from its founder. In Russian, the word means "restructuring".

===Errors===
*There's an unnecessary comma when Tarn talks about his "sea green, spark".
*Vos's dialogue has been consistently written using [[Cyberglyphics]] thus far. However, on the first page of Perestroika, it appears to be written in a completely different cipher with far less ornate characters. His only other line of dialogue still uses Cyberglyphics.

===Other trivia===
*Starting this month, ''More than Meets the Eye'' is reduced from 22 pages of story to 20.
*Tarn's justification for the continued slaughter of non-Cybertronian life is the slaughter of Nickel's colony world... which was done in retaliation for the slaughter of non-Cybertronian life Megatron preached and practiced. Ooookaaaaaaay.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNFi-nOZlAI The Village Green Preservation Society]" by {{w|Kate Rusby}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbEJW99_kZA The S.A.S. and the Glam that Goes with It]" by {{w|Earl Brutus}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2K7D-uMH2g I Giorni]" by {{w|Ludovico Einaudi}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Deathsaurus amid a field of corpses, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Tarn reflected in a datapad by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' The DJD in Communist propaganda poster style, by [[Sara Pitre-Durocher]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE39 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE39 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE39 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #40
*"[[Combiner Wars]]"
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*IDW ''[[Jem|Jem and the Holograms]]'' comic
*IDW ''Skylanders'' comic
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection'' Vol. 1 (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-39-2015 Preview]

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The Permanent Revolution