Cybertron's Most Wanted

2020-07-25T06:20:27Z

Sutoronga: /* Featured characters */ I think you meant "Stronger," not V3

{{comicstory|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]'' #11
|prev=Hoist the Flag
|next=Dawn of the Predacus
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]]''
|prev2=Collections
|next2=Transformers: Spacewarp's Log
|title="Cybertron's Most Wanted"
|image=Timelines11-BotConCover.jpg
|caption= "Why would you want to save Axiom Nexus?" <br> "Because I'm one of the idiots who lives in it!"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[June 18]], [[2015]] ([[BotCon 2015]])<br>[[January 13]], [[2016]] (Diamond Edition)
|writers=[[Jesse Wittenrich]] & [[Pete Sinclair]] (see Errors)
|pencils=[[Matt Frank]]
|inks=Matt Frank
|colors=[[Thomas Deer]] with [[Wade Alexander]]
|letters=Jesse Wittenrich
|managing editor=[[Pete Sinclair]]
|editor in chief=[[Brian Savage]]
|art direction=[[Lanny Lathem]]
|price=
|continuity=''[[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]]''
}}

'''When the Waruders threaten to consume TransTech Cybertron, its most infamous criminals must step up to save the planet.'''

==Synopsis==
''On almost every [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] throughout the multiverse, the inhabitants of the planet, the Transformers, have split into two or more factions raging war against one another, leaving Cybertron a withered husk of its former self. However, on one particular Cybertron, there exists a city that covers almost the entirety of a Cybertron that never had a war: [[Axiom Nexus]]. Its native inhabitants, the [[Transcendent Technomorph]]s, or "TransTech" for short, dedicated themselves to the sciences, discovering the secrets of the multiverse and pushing their evolution forward. They are not alone, however; as their understanding of the multiverse grew, their Cybertron became a hub for lost dimensional travelers, including Autobots and Decepticons, Maximals and Predacons, Transformer and alien, and more. These less advanced "Offworlders" are placed in the [[Offworlder Zone]], an under city separated from the higher zones inhabited by the TransTech. For the most part, the Offworlders live in peace with one another-but as with any society, it has its troublemakers. And on this particular day, five of those troublemakers will find themselves the ones that Axiom Nexus turns to when they need heroes most...''

In the Offworlder Zone, the normal traffic is interrupted when criminals [[Battletrap]] and [[Stepper (SG)|Stepper]], along with their smaller companions and mysterious ringleader, known only as "[[Megatron (Movie)|C-81]]" according to his counterfeit [[Identification bolt|i.d. bolt]], drive on through. The irate Battletrap, carrying the mysterious machine they've stolen, angrily honks at the pedestrians, trying to get them out of the way, but the three soon find themselves stuck in the crowded [[Seeker-Shinai]], unable to move forward. [[Nebulon (SG)|Nebulon]], the diminutive [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] partner of Stepper, tells his cowardly partner to transform and try to squeeze through. The [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] mostly ignore Stepper's ineffectual requests, causing C-81 to transform into robot mode, revealing the seeming visage of...Megatron! The imposing Decepticon threatens the Seekers, but his appearance causes many of them to freeze in terror, which isn't helped when his [[Mini-Con]] partner [[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]] starts musing on how the Seekers' similar body-types would serve as a good baseline for his "experiments," while the silent [[Boombox]] and [[Heavyweight]] stay in weapon form. Unfortunately for "C-81" and his gang, their pursuers, lead by [[Hound (G1)|Sgt Hound]], catch up with them. The police officer orders them to drop their weapons and declares that they are under arrest, and surprisingly, "C-81" complies.

Later, at the [[Offworlder Maximum Security Prison]], the gang are processed. In the room over, Sgt. Hound meets up his superior officers, the TransTech officers [[Stungun (TransTech)|Stungun]] and [[Cheetor (TransTech)|Cheetor]], along with [[Optimus Prime (G1)|General Optimus Prime]], the former Autobot commander of Sgt. Hound's home dimension who now serves as a member of the [[Convoy (group)|Convoy]], a group of Primes from throughout the multiverse gathered to keep the peace after the devastation wrought across the multiverse after [[Invasion (issue)|recent tragedies]]. General Optimus Prime is concerned as he reads Sgt. Hound's report, noting how various Seekers interviewed believed that "C-81" was Megatron, and observes the gangster, finding him all too familiar. The others all are confident that a Megatron never would have gotten to the Offworlder Zone, as all faction leaders are barred from entering Axiom Nexus under the law of [[Dux non Intruitus]]. And even if he was, Cheetor reasons, "C-81" gave himself up willingly; something he believes a Megatron would never do. Prime remains troubled, and Stungun tells him that he can have a committee convened by the Intelligence Directorate to confirm C-81's identity, but will remain held at the prison along with his cohorts for the time being.

Eventually, "C-81" and the others are released into the prison yard. Upon seeing "C-81," the other inmates all keep their distance, except for the surly [[Oilmaster]] who, having been told that "C-81" is Megatron, pushes over the others and roars in the gangster's face. However, the Maximal thief [[Packrat]] calls off the Double [[Pretender]], having sent him over to pick a fight with the new arrivals solely to get first dibs. After introducing themselves to one another, Packrat explains that Oilmaster was simply confused; due to his unique abilities as a Double Pretender, the guards were unsure of how to neutralize his abilities, and only placed restrainers on his two inner robot forms, severely limiting his cognition. Packrat turns the conversation back to "C-81," asking him how he got caught. "C-81" explains that he and his men were trying to build an interuniversal gate, so that they could send Offworlders wherever they wanted to go in the multiverse...for a price. However, the last piece they needed proved better guarded than anticipated. With introductions and explanations out of the way, the five soon come up with an escape plan. Sending the smaller of Oilmaster's two inner components out with a [[magne-current amplifier]], "C-81" instructs him to use to overload the prisons generator, allowing them to escapes. After waiting for a brief period, "C-81" thinks that Oilmaster has failed...when the lights go out! With the prisons systems down, the five most wanted criminals on Cybertron and their companions break free! Packrat leads the others through the hallways, but are soon confronted by the guards. Luckily for "C-81" and the others, the restraining and neutralizing systems have gone offline as well, providing them access to their weapons once more, allowing them to fight back. Eventually making their way to the door, Stepper tries entering the key code while the others fend off the guards, but with the power off, the doors are locked. Luckily, Packrat had planned for this, and pulls a bomb out of a secret compartment, blowing a hole through the wall. When the escaped convicts step outside, however, it's clear that its not just the prison has gone dark, but the entire city, deprived of the artificial sun simulating daytime. However, there's little time to contemplate this strange event, as "C-81" orders everyone to transform and head for the base in the tunnels, kept safe by rumors of "bot-eating monsters". Back at the prison, Sgt. Hound surveys as the other inmates begin rioting. General Optimus Prime contacts Cheetor, who reveals that the planet is under attack! Something has gotten into the main computer of the planet, sending out a surge that knocked out all the TransTech connected to the global net, with only those like Cheetor and Stungun, who were unconnected to the main network while at the prison, still online. Cheetor orders General Optimus Prime to head to the core, and Prime and Hound leave the other guards to take care of the prisoners, with the planet's future depending on them...

Down in the tunnels, the mysterious mechanoids [[Burn Out]] and [[Lift-Ticket (Diaclone)|Lift-Ticket]] have found traces of their adversaries' lair, but are interrupted by the arrival of "C-81" and the others. Believing that the two robots are members of the [[Axiom Nexus Security Administration|Offworlder Zone Security Administration]], the gang arms up with their hidden cache, and pursue. However, as they go deeper into the tunnel, the metal of Cybertron is slowly replaced with strange, organic material. Oilmaster, now back to full cognition, spots something...and a large, insectoid, [[Storm Rider|bot-eating monster]] attacks him! "C-81" knocks the insect back, dryly noting that fact is stranger than fiction sometimes. The insect isn't done yet, however, as it transforms into a humanoid configuration, and lets out a scream that awakens many more of the monsters. However, having regained their bearings, the gang quickly begins dispatching the insectoids. Battletrap decapitates one of the [[Paralyzer|bugs]]...but then, a smaller [[Buzzer (Diaclone)|insectoid]] bursts through its chest! Realizing the larger robots are just shells, Battletrap tells the others to aim for the chests. Scalpel is interested in the smaller robots, but his musings are interrupted when the group is confronted by the insect's leader, [[Zaptrap]]. Recognizing the intruders as "space robots", Zaptrap orders the [[Waruder]] hive to destroy them. Transforming to vehicle mode, the gang flees as the insects chase them down, as "C-81" leads them through the narrow tunnels in an attempt to bottleneck the Waruders. Inside him, meanwhile, Scalpel and Nebulon examine one of the smaller Waruders; the doctor discovers that, while they can transform, the Waruders aren't Cybertronian, as they have no sparks. Finding depleted [[Cybertonium]] in their systems, Scalpel deduces that they've been eating the older parts of Cybertron, chewing through power conduits and spreading their [[cyber-toxin]] through the global net. "C-81" quickly realizes their abilities would make the TransTech vulnerable...but Scalpel quickly points out that makes him and the other Offworlders even more so. Reaching the end of the tunnel, Packrat throws another bomb in and collapses the exit. However, the Waruders simply eat their way through the barrier, and the gang falls through the ground, into the Waruder hive.

Heavily damaged, the gang watches as Zaptrap descends and prepares to eliminate them...but back arrives in the form of General Optimus Prime and Sgt. Hound! Prime believes that "C-81" was looking for the hive, and the Decepticon, sensing an opportunity, agrees. "C-81" asks Prime if their "spies" gave away where his gang was, much to Prime's confusion. However, Burn Out and Lift-Ticket quickly reveal themselves, explaining that they too were looking for the Waruder hive. Lift-Ticket explains to them that this is the Waruders main hive. Producing an empty canister, Lift-Ticket explains that they can create an anti-toxin if they can get close enough to Zaptrap and extract a sample of the Waruder commander's venom. However, this will send the others into a rage; "C-81" is reluctant at first, believing not even the TransTech could stop the insects, but Prime, finally meeting the Decepticon face to face, confirms his suspicions, and eggs Megatron on, convincing the former Decepticon leader to at least try. Burn Out manages to keep the majority of the Waruders back, but Lift-Ticket is injured by one who gets through, shutting him down...and revealing that he's nothing more than a drone, piloted by the human [[Cline]]! Horrified, Burn Out exclaims that even if they got close enough, they'd be torn apart before they could manufacture a cure. This gives Megatron an idea; he sneaks up on Zaptrap, and tears through the drone...ripping the diminutive [[Beet-Chit]] out of him! A horrified Cline exclaims that, if Beet-Chit dies, the Waruders will kill everyone on the planet, and Beet-Chit prepares to give the order...but Megatron offers him a deal: a Cybertron with no one to fight on it. Interested, Beet-Chit initiates a parlay; Megatron tells the Waruder commander that, if he hands over some of his venom for a cure, they can find an abandoned Cybertron with plenty of metal for them to chow down on. Prime notes the TransTech would be resistant, but luckily, he knows one bot who was building a universal gate of his own, and they just need one more piece to do it off the books...

Retrieving the final component that his gang had tried to steal earlier, Megatron sends the Waruders on their way. Sgt. Hound confers with Cline and [[Dia]]; though the TransTech are unable to offer any more help due to their non-interference policy, and with the loss of Beet-Chit preventing them from futher studying the Waruders, Dia and Cline have learned of a substance to attract the alien insects, one that can hopefully end their war once and for all. Cline still has one question: they were only here for a couple of days, so how did the Waruders grow so massive? Sgt. Hound, examining the Zaptrap drone's i.d. bolt, explains that they arrived here 20,000 years, separated from Dia and Cline in [[transwarp]]. As the last of the Waruders enters the portal, Megatron asks Prime if there's anywhere he'd like to go, figuring that, in saving Axiom Nexus and the TransTechs, he clearly deserves some kind of reward. Prime tells him that they could work out a deal for Megatron's gate...if he were to give up where the evidence went, and Megatron's true name and location. Prime figures its easier to keep things on the down-low; after all, freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and if Megatron can stay out of trouble, that applies to him as well. Prime and Hound gather up the materials, and the General gives the strangely familiar Decepticon a final goodbye. Battletrap asks Megatron if he's alright, and the Decepticon notes that they were nearly killed, and no longer have their gate or hideout...but ultimately, he feels like he's come out ahead. Packrat concurs...revealing he nabbed one of the credit sticks of the cops, much to everybody's exasperation.

Later, after the TransTechs are cured, [[Starscream (TransTech)|Starscream]], [[Prowl (TransTech)|Prowl]], and Cheetor hold a meeting with the Convoy. General Optimus Prime explains to them that Cybertron's Most Wanted were the ones who saved the day, but claims they managed to slip away as the Waruders were sent elsewhere. Cheetor asks Prime if he still believes that "C-81" is Megatron, and Prime lies, claiming that the TransTech couldn't of possibly made such an error. Starscream pushes forth with the meeting, ordering the other members of the Convoy to various clean-up jobs. As the TransTech rattles on, [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Beast Prime]] tells the General that the other Convoy members have promised to leave Megatron be. General Prime thanks him, and as he heads out to observe the city he now calls home, Prime reflects: if there's one thing this city has proven, it's that everyone can change.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Autobot]]s / [[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Rhinox (TransTech)|''TransTech'' Rhinox]] (3)
*[[Silverbolt (TransTech)|''TransTech'' Silverbolt]] (4)
*[[Cheetor (TransTech)|''TransTech'' Cheetor]] (6)
*''Generation 1'' [[Fizzle]] (16)
*[[Stampy (BWN)|''Beast Wars Neo'' Stampy]] (17)
*''Beast Wars'' [[Ramulus]] (18)
*[[Grimlock (RID 2015)|''Robots in Disguise'' 2015 Grimlock]] (19)
*[[Clipper (Victory)|''Victory'' Clipper]] (20)
*[[Primal Prime]] (22)
*[[Tap-Out (Universe)|''Universe'' Tap-Out]] (23)
*[[Windblade (G1)#Thrilling_30|''Generations'' Windblade]] (25)
*[[Windblade (G1)#Legends|''Legends'' Windblade]] (28)
*[[Nebulon (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Nebulon]] (29)
*[[Stepper (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Stepper]] (30)
*[[Strongarm (RID)|''Robots in Disguise'' 2015 Strongarm]] (44)
*[[Prowl II|''Beast Wars'' Transmetal 2 Prowl]] (45)
*[[Hound (G1)#TransTech|Sergeant Hound]] (46)
*[[Prowl (RID)|''Robots in Disguise'' 2001 Prowl]] (48)
*[[Stungun (TransTech)|''TransTech'' Stungun]] (49)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)#General Optimus|General Optimus Prime]] (50)
*''Generation 1'' [[Doublecross]] (53)
*[[Packrat]] (57)
*[[Blastcharge Strika Drone]]s (58)
*''Kiss Players'' [[Autorooper]]s (59)
*[[Scrounge (G1)|''Kre-O'' Scrounge]] (64)
*[[Lio Convoy|Leo Prime]] (80)
*[[Sentinel Maximus]] (81)
*[[Nemesis Prime (Universe)|Nemesis Prime]] (82)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)#Hero Prime|Hero Prime]] (83)
*[[Optimus Prime (RID)|Ignition Prime]] (84)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)#Beast Prime|Beast Prime]] (85)
*[[Prowl (TransTech)|''TransTech'' Prowl]] (86)

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s/[[Predacon (disambiguation)|Predacon]]s|c2=
*[[Starscream (TransTech)|''TransTech'' Starscream]] (7)
*[[Hailstorm (TF 2010)|''Hunt for the Decepticons'' Hailstorm]] (9)
*''Alternators'' [[Decepticharge]] (10)
*[[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] (11)
*[[Lugnut (TF 2010)|''Reveal the Shield'' Lugnut]] (12)
*[[Scalpel (Animated)|''Animated'' Scalpel]] (13)
*[[Overbite (Classics)|''Classics'' Overbite]] (14)
*''Generation 1'' [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]] (15)
*[[Antagony (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Antagony]] (21)
*[[Battletrap]] (26)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/toys#Henkei.21_Henkei.21|''Henkei'' Skywarp]] (31)
*[[Nacelle (G1)|''Timelines'' Nacelle]] (32)
*[[Acid Storm (G1)|''Universe'' Acid Storm]] (33)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|"Action Master" Thundercracker]] (34)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#Timelines|''Timelines'' Thundercracker]] (35)
*[[Sunstorm (G1)|''Timelines'' Sunstorm]] (36)
*[[Hotlink (G1)|''Timelines'' Hotlink]] (37)
*[[Bitstream (G1)|''Timelines'' Bitstream]] (38)
*[[Megatron (Movie)#TransTech|"Movie series" Megatron]] (39)
*[[Red Wing]] (40)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/toys#Classics|''Classics'' Skywarp]] (41)
*[[Scalpel (ROTF)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' Scalpel]] (42)
*[[Boombox]] (43)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|"Police-Type" Ransack]] (47)
*[[Hellbat (Victory)|''Victory'' Hellbat]] (51)
*[[Oilmaster]] (56)
*[[Heavyweight]] (60)
*[[Bruticus (RID)|''Universe'' 2008 Bruticus]] (61)
*[[Blight (Prime)|''Beast Hunters'' Blight]] (62)
*[[Straxus (G1)|''Kre-O'' Straxus]] (63)
*[[Fearswoop (ROTF)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' Fearswoop]] (65)
*[[Undermine (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Undermine]] (67)

|h3=[[Waruder]]s|c3=
*[[Storm Rider]]s (71)
*[[Paralyzer]]s (72)
*[[Parasite]]s (73)
*[[Mudfighter]]s (74)
*[[Buzzer (Diaclone)|Buzzer]] (75)
*[[Zaptrap]] (76)
*[[Beet-Chit]] (78)

|h4=[[Diaclone (faction)|Diaclone]]|c4=
*[[Burn Out]] (68)
*[[Lift-Ticket (Diaclone)|Lift-Ticket]] (69)
*[[Spy-Eye]] (70)
*[[Cline]] (77)
*[[Dia]] (79)

|h5=Others|c5=
*''TransTech'' [[Andromeda (TransTech)|Andromeda]] (1)
*''TransTech'' [[Heinrad (TransTech)|Heinrad]] (2)
*"[[Dalung Master]]" (5)
*[[Rattrap (TransTech)|''TransTech'' Rattrap]] (8)
*[[:File:Anotheruniodentifiedoffworlder-CMW.jpg|Crowd member]] (24)
*[[:File:UnknownoffworlderandWindblade-CMW.jpg|Crowd member]] (27)
*[[:File:Offworlderprisoners-CMW.jpg|Thuggish looking prisoner]] (52)
*[[:File:Offworlderprisoners-CMW.jpg|Kamen Rider Stronger]] (54)
*[[:File:Offworlderprisoners-CMW.jpg|Kamen Rider Agito]] (55)
*Kamen Rider Amazon (66)
}}

==Quotes==

==Notes==
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (disambiguation)|Megatrons]], ''TransTech'' [[Cryotek (TransTech)|Cryotek]], [[Shockwave (disambiguation)|Shockwaves]], [[Ultra Magnus (disambiguation)|Ultra Magnuses]], [[Primus]], [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Primes]], [[Xal]], [[Constructicon (disambiguation)|Constructicons]], and [[Insecticon (disambiguation)|Insecticons]].
* Characters mentioned in General Optimus Prime's profile include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], Sgt. Hound, [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]], [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]], the Convoy, and Cheetor.
** General Optimus Prime's home dimension mostly involves toys either late or outright cancelled from the ''Generation 2'' toyline. Both he and Sgt. Hound are based on unreleased toys redecoed from [[Auto Roller (G2)|Auto Roller]]s [[Dirtbag]] and [[Roadblock (G2)|Roadblock]]. Megatron and Starscream are described as being in their "ATB" toys redecoed from [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] and [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]], which had only a ''very'' limited test market release. Jazz and Soundwave are described as being in their cancelled [[Laser Cycle]] bodies, redecoed from [[Road Rocket (G2)|Road Rocket]] and [[Road Pig (G2)|Road Pig]]. And Jetfire, Air Raid, and Strafe are all in their [[Cyberjet]] bodies. The Autobots mentioned in this profile are all part of the "Autobot Firestorm Squadron"; the Firestormers were a group of Autobots from the Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic.
** Sector 49G is named for Sector 7G from ''{{w|The Simpsons}}'', squared. (So "G2", get it?)
** Megatron had [[Destronium]] missiles; Destronium is a substance seen in ''Animated'' episode "[[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]".
** Prime and his Megatron's final battle took place on [[Mirtonia]]. Mirtonia was the home planet of ''G.I. Joe'' [[Lunartix|Lunartix Empire]] alien [[Carcass]]. The planet of Mirtonia is presumably connected to the [[Mirtonian constellation]], mentioned in the tech specs of ''Generation 2'' Laser Optimus Prime.
** Optimus has a Phazon heavy blaster; phazon is a substance from the ''{{w|Metroid}}'' video games.
* Characters mentioned in Battletrap's profile include: [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and Megatron.
** The idea that the Duocons were attempts by Shockwave to create Triple Changers comes from Dreamwave Productions' ''Generation 1'' comics...though the Triple Changers' history in that continuity was a bit contradictory and never particularly well explained.
** The [[Axiom Nexus Cybernet Infocore]] was previously mentioned in the ''[[Transformers I.Q.]]'' feature from the Club magazine, itself named for the [[Cybernet Space Cube]] from the ''Generation 2'' cartoon and the [[Cybertron InfoCore]] from ''Beast Machines''.
** Battletrap's sword is called a "Night-Fire Blade", name for Nightfire Island, an archaeological site where ancient stone arrowheads were found.
* Character's mentioned in Beet-Chit and Zaptrap's profile include: [[King Waruder]], [[Kuwagatrer]], and the [[Guts Blocker Multiforce]] team.
** The Warudres receive a faction symbol here, based on the one seen in the ''Diaclone'' catalogs.
** Zaptrap is revealed to actually be the ''Transformers'' incarnation of the character. Sold in a [[e-HOBBY]] three-pack, he was a "redeco" of [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], based on the original ''Diaclone'' Insecter Robot colorscheme. Zaptrap, in particular, was based on Kuwagatrer, who is mentioned in the profile.
** The Cymond cluster was originally mentioned in the Facebook run of ''[[Ask Vector Prime]]''.
** The leader of the Waruders, King Waruder, is mentioned, although technically the Waruder leaders is known as "Emperor Waruder".
** Beet-Chit is noted to fear the Guts Blocker Multiforce. Guts Blocker was a 14-component combiner from the ''Diaclone'' toyline. During Takara's initial attempts to sell ''Diaclone'' in the United States, Guts Blocker was re-released as the Multi-Force 14 Robot in ''[[Diakron]]''.

===Continuity notes===
* This comic takes place in the ''TransTech'' universe. Inspired by the aborted ''Beast Machines'' sequel line, scrapped in favor of ''Armada'', the "[[Transcendent]]" storyline published in the Club magazine and the online prose stories told the story of ''TransTech''; on this Cybertron, the war never escalated to an all out fight between factions, and the Transcendent Technomorphs, or "TransTech" devoted themselves to guarding the multiverse, picking up Cybertronians across the multiverse lost in [[transwarp]]. To prep for this, Fun Publications set up three Facebook pages-''[[Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter]]'', ''[[Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist]]'', and ''[[Axiom Nexus News Editor]]''-which told the story of Cybertron's most wanted criminals, and gave set up for the Waruder invasion. Additionally, a three-page mini-comic, "[[Collections]]", was published on BotCon's Twitter account, which told how Packrat made his way into Axiom Nexus.
* Most of the ''TransTech'' concepts seen her came from the "Transcendent" storylines and the prose stories, including: the idea that Primes, Megatrons, and any other leaders are banned from entering Axiom Nexus; ID bolts; the bureaucracy involved in returning to one's home universe; the split between the TransTech area of Axiom Nexus and the Offworlder Zone; and the universal stream concept. The specific name for the leader ban, "Dux non Intruitus", came from a post on the ''Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist'' page.
* The [[Convoy (group)|Convoy]] are a group of Primes brought in by the ''TransTech'' [[Optimus Prime (TransTech)|Optimus]] to help protect the multiverse. The group was introduced in "[[Invasion Prologue]]", where Hero Prime, Ignition Prime, Sentinel Maximus, Leo Prime, and Beast Prime all were shown to be part of the group. Those codenames were given in a post on ''Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter'', where it revealed that Black Convoy and Primal Prime were also members of the group. General Optimus Prime is introduced as a member of the group here.
* Cryotek, who is mentioned several times in the story, previously appeared in the ''TransTech'' prose stories.
* Nemesis Prime, also known as Black Convoy, is seen here visually after being mentioned in the aformentioned ''Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter'' post. He is the same Nemesis Prime seen in the "[[Transformers: Cybertron: Balancing Act|Balancing Act]]" and "Revelations" storyline, where he was imprisoned by the Autobots after attempting to kill Primus. A few years later, he would receive an ''Alternity'' toy, which told how he eventually was inducted into the [[Alternity]], the evolution to the higher-dimensional state healing his warped mind. After the events of "[[Alternation]]", most of the former Alternity members returned to their homes...but with no home to go to, it looks like Nemesis has continued to protect the multiverse.

===Transformers references===
* Aside from the toys available at BotCon 2015, offworlder cameos in this story include:
** ''Hunt for the Decepticons'' Decepticon Hailstorm.
** [[BotCon 2014]] exclusive Decepticon Flamewar.
** ''Alternators'' Decepticon Decepticharge.
** ''Reveal the Shield'' Decepticon Lugnut.
** ''Generation 1'' Autobot [[Sparkabot]] Fizzle.
** ''Classics'' Mini-Con Overbite.
** [[BotCon 1998]] exclusive Predacon Antagony.
** ''Robots in Disguise'' 2015 Autobot Grimlock.
** [[Micromaster]] Autobot Clipper, from the ''Victory'' anime.
** ''Beast Wars'' [[Transmetal 2]] Maximal Ramulus.
** [[BotCon 2002]] exclusive Autobot Tap-Out.
** ''Beast Wars Neo'' Maximal Stampy.
** ''Animated'' Decepticon Scalpel.
** ''Generation 1'' Decepticon Slugfest.
** Two Windblades, including her ''Generations'' "Thrilling 30" toy, and her ''Legends'' toy.
** ''Robots in Disguise'' 2015 Autobot Strongarm.
** ''Robots in Disguise'' 2001 Autobot Prowl.
** ''Beast Wars'' Transmetal 2 Maximal Prowl, in the colors of his white-feathered release.
** ''Cybertron'' Decepticon Ransack, in the colors of his ''Galaxy Force'' "Gasket Police-Type" toy.
** ''Generation 1'' Autobot [[Monsterbot (G1)|Monsterbot]] Doublecross.
** ''Victory'' Decepticon [[Breastforce]] member Hellbat.
** A group of Blastcharge Strika Drones (the customization class figure from BotCon 2013) and Autoroopers (semi-sentient Transformers employed by the [[Earth Defense Command]] from ''Kiss Players'').
** ''Robots in Disguise'' 2001 Bruticus, in the body of his ''Universe'' 2008 toy, redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]].
** ''Prime: Beast Hunters'' Predacon Blight.
** ''Kre-O'' Straxus and Scrounge, based on [[Straxus (G1)|their]] [[Scrounge (G1)|counterparts]] from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
** ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Decepticon Fearswoop, part of the [[Walmart]]-exclusive "The Fury of Fearswoop" three-pack.
** ''Cybertron'' Decepticon Undermine.
* There are, of course, a lot of Seekers in Seeker-Shinai (all from the ''Classics'' Seeker mold), including:
**''Henkei! Henkei!'' Skywarp. The versions of him and Thundercracker are recognizable by the colors of their missile launchers-in this case, Skywarp's are silver.
** [[Transformers Figure Subscription Service]] 3.0 exclusive Nacelle.
** 2008 ''Universe'' Acid Storm.
** BotCon 2011's ''Shattered Glass'' [[Thundercracker (SG)|Thundercracker]], representing the ''Generation 1'' character in his [[Action Master]] colors.
** BotCon 2007 Thundercracker, recognizable by his blue missile launchers with black tips.
** BotCon 2013 Sunstorm, Bitstream, and Hotlink.
** Red Wing, a character from the BotCon 2013 comic "[[Termination]]".
** ''Classics'' Skywarp, recognizable by his purple missile launcher.
* New faces visually depicted amongst the Convoy include:
** ''Beast Machines'' Primal Prime.
** ''Universe'' 2003 Nemesis Prime, in his ''Alternity'' body.
* On page 1, Starscream is seen walking with ''TransTech'' Rattrap, based on his ''Beast Machines'' [[Rattrap (BW)|counterpart]]; this is a reference to their relationship in IDW Publishing's [[2005 IDW continuity|original comic continuity]], where Rattrap was depicted as [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]]'s chief crony in the pages of the concurrently-running [[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|''The Transformers'']] and ''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'' comics.
* Primal Prime is seen hanging out with Ramulus and Tap-Out; the three were all members of the [[Wrecker]]s in 3H Productions' ''The Wreckers'' comic series.
* Also seen in the offworlder zone on the first page are two Seekers. They're in the Cybertronian "tetrajet" forms from the first Sunbow ''The Transformers'' episode, "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
* Packrat has a [[Matrix of Leadership]] in his stash, specifically based on the "twisted fractal" version seen in the live-action movies ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''.
* ''Robots in Disguise'' Bruticus is seen as a prison guard; he was characterized in his original tech specs as the warden of the Predacons's dungeon.
* During the riot, ''Kre-O'' versions of Straxus and Scrounge, original characters from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic, can be seen; Straxus has removed Scrounge's arm, as their counterparts did in issue [[The Smelting Pool!|#17]] of the comic. The two are based off of unused proposals for Kreon toys by Greg Sepelak. Straxus' pick-axe is made from a few building set parts, while his helmet is taken from the ''Kre-O'' ''G.I. Joe'' range, specifically that of [[Major Bludd]]. Scrounge, meanwhile, has the helmet for ''Kre-O'' [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], place on backwards with his two red eyes painted on, to simulate his odd, wedge-shaped head.
* Scalpel calls the smaller Waruder pilots "the little ones", the prejorative term he used when ordering [[Scrapmetal (ROTF)|Scrapmetal]] ripped apart for use as spare parts in the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' film.
* Cybertonium is an element found on Cybertron, vital to the construction and maintenance of Transformer bodies. It was seen in the two-part Sunbow ''The Transformers'' episodes, "[[Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1]]" and "[[Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2|Part 2]]".
* Scalpel uses vorns, a unit of time mentioned in issue #17 of the Marvel Comic that is equivalent to 83 Earth years.
* Dia remarks that she "hates quantum;" this was a running gag in the original ''TransTech'' prose stories, which itself was likely inspired by a similar running gag in the ''{{w|Discworld}}'' novel series.
* Battletrap swears by Xal, an entity mentioned in issue [[Swarm (issue)|#9]] of the Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic.

===Diaclone references===
* The big thing about this comic is that it's one of the first appearances in ''Transformers'' fiction of the ''[[Diaclone]]'' concept. ''Diaclone'' was one of two toylines, along with ''[[Micro Change]]'', from which the original ''The Transformers'' toylines were sourced. The Waruders, as told in the pack-in fiction sold with the toys, were the main villains of the line, voracious alien insects who invaded Earth. Three of the Waruder toys, the Insecter Robos, were sold in 1985 in America as the Decepticons [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]], and [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]], the three smaller [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]. This combination is evident here, with Beet-Chit's mech, Zaptrap, being based on the Insecticon clone sold by [[e-HOBBY]], itself in the colors of the original ''Diaclone'' release. Additionally, Starscream notes in the epilogue how some Insecticons have been emboldened by the Waruder invasion.
* Burn-Out and Lift-Ticket, meanwhile, are based on the ''Diaclone'' Car Robos, specifically the toys that would become Autobots [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]. Unlike the Transformers, the mechs in the ''Diaclone'' toyline were non-sentient, piloted by a small humanoid figure-either a human, or a Waruder.

===Real-life references===
* The basic concept of the story is obviously inspired by the then-recent 2014 film, ''{{w|Guardians of the Galaxy (film)|Guardians of the Galaxy}}'', where a group of criminals are required to save the day from an invading threat bent on destruction.
* Megatron's alias, C-81, is inspired by professional football player [[Megatron (human)|Calvin Johnson]], number #81 on the {{w|Detroit Lions}}. He received the nickname "Megatron" from his teammate {{w|Roy Williams (wide receiver)|Roy Williams}}, which quickly caught on with fans.
* On the first page in the TransTech portion of the city, a large, mechanical, ''[[Godzilla]]''-like creature is visible. This is "Dalung Master", a toy created by Leader Shrine that was...oh, how do you say, ''suspiciously'' similar to the original ''The Transformers'' toy of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], with organic parts to make him look like the infamous kaiju.
* Battletrap mentions "[[servo-snail]]s", which, according to Wittenrich, are named after the Silver Snail Comics store in Toronto.
* Seeker-Shinai's name comes from a slightly blunt transliteration of the Chinese word "Shì nèi", meaning "city", in the same vein as Chinatown.
* On page 4, prisoners based on the titular characters from ''{{w|Kamen Rider V3}}'' and ''{{w|Kamen Rider Agito}}'' are seen arm-wrestling. Later, on page 9, a prisoner based on the titular character from ''{{w|Kamen Rider Amazon}}'' is seen amongst the chaos. Artist Matt Frank previously drew a Cybertronian version of V3 in IDW Publishing's ''[[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]]''.
* The Blastcharge Strika Drones wield [[vibro-mace]]s, a type of weapon from ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]''.
* In a holdover from Sepelak and Troop's outline Zaptrap's and Beet-Chit's speech patterns are inspired by the early synthesized speech clips from arcade games such as ''{{w|Wizard of Wor}}'' and ''{{w|Gorf}}''.

===Other trivia===
*The story is narrated by Battletrap, something that's a bit hard to indicate in our summary above.
*The Primal Prime and Tap-Out on the first page of the story were originally intended to come from [[Primax 509.28 Epsilon]], the ''[[Transformers: Wings Universe|Wings Universe]]'', whose [[Wrecker]]s had last been seen falling into a wormhole anomaly in "[[Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur]]". Unfortunately, a coordination error resulted in Primal Prime's original body design being used in this story, necessitating that a tie-in ''Andromeda'' Facebook post identify them as hailing from [[Primax 700.0 Beta]], the reality of Primal Prime's ''Beast Machines'' toy bio.<ref>[https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/135573-wings-universecannonball-loose-ends/?p=3406288 Post by NightViper (Jesse Wittenrich) on the Allspark Forums, 2016/12/23]</ref>
* Stampy and Fizzle are hidden by text bubbles in the final comic.
* Since Sgt. Hound doesn't meet Dia and Cline until the end of the comic (and by all appearances they can't transform), he has no weapons of his own to wield. Instead, he's drawn with some of General Optimus Prime's weapons-specifcally, Prime's missile launcher and rifle.
* The Diamond Edition includes profiles for [[Optimus Prime (G1)#General Optimus|General Optimus Prime]], [[Battletrap]], and [[Zaptrap]] and [[Beet-Chit]].

===Errors===
* Though the comic credits the writing to "Greg Sepelak & S. Trent Troop with Jesse Wittenrich", the comic was actually written by Jesse Wittenrich and Pete Sinclair. Only the basic outline of the closing battle and various lines used within it remain from an earlier script written by Sepelak and Troop, whose credit as primary writers was kept in the comic against their wishes.
** The Diamond edition properly credited only Wittenrich and Sinclair.
* Hellbat is colored wrong on page 4; he's purple and teal, instead of blue and gray.
* On page 5, Battletrap calls Packrat Cybertron's "Number Five Mosted Wanted", although that could very well be intentional, given his speech pattern in the comic.
* Blight is colored solid black on page 9.
* In one instance on page 14, Scalpel's dialogue misspells cybertonium as "cybert'''r'''onium".

===Covers===
* '''BotCon Edition:''' Cybertron's Most Wanted are cornered by the Waruders.
* '''Diamond Edition:''' The [[Convoy (group)|Convoy]] observes a holographic display of Cybertron's Most Wanted.
<gallery>
File:Timelines11-BotConCover.jpg|"There. Y'happy? We're all standing up now. Bunch'a jackasses standing in a circle."
File:Timelines11-RetailCover.jpg|"What a bunch of a-holes."
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Timelines issues]]
[[Category:TransTech issues]]

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Cybertron's Most Wanted