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Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet

2015-02-05T17:04:42Z

Valgatron: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=37
|prev=Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays
|next=Elegant Chaos Part 3
|image=MTMTE37 regcvr.jpg
|title="Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 4]], [[2015]]
|coverdate=January 2015
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]] [[Josh Burcham]] (pgs 7–8)
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}

'''Rodimus's team continues their pursuit of Brainstorm through time, only to find that they are more involved in past events than expected—and that Brainstorm's goal is not what they believed it to be.'''

==Synopsis==

[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s team have followed [[Brainstorm]] back to [[Clampdown (event)|Clampdown]]-era [[Rodion]], and have spread out to search for the rogue scientist. While Rodimus watches for [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] at the police station alongside [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], he checks in with the others: [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] is surveying the city from his position on an airship; the bored [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] is watching the waterways; a nervous [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] is riding the rails to avoid the risk of running into his past self; and [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] look down on the city from a nearby cliff. Emotionally moved by the sight of the pristine planet, unblemished by war, to the point that he is struck dumb, Cyclonus doesn't respond to Rodimus, so Tailgate takes the communicator and quickly makes up a story about having set down for repairs. After a moment of silence, Cyclonus apologizes to Tailgate for physically abusing him in the past.

Rodimus then calls [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who expresses concern over the fact that Rewind's database is being overwritten, as it implies that Brainstorm's alteration to the timeline may have already happened, or is destined to. As such, if they cannot stop him, Perceptor must dismantle the time machine to undo the paradox, warning that many things could "go wrong". Reminded by those words that he had forgotten about [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], Rodimus contacts the psychotherapist, who is staking out [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's New Oil House]]. Unfortunately, Brainstorm is also watching the bar, and when he spots Rung building a model of the ''[[Lost Light]]'', he realizes that he has been followed back in time and abandons his plans. Brainstorm's flight is spotted by Rewind, and Cyclonus gives chase, but just before he can land a missile-hit, Brainstorm's [[briefcase]] activates and he time-jumps away. At Perceptor's instruction, the team re-groups at Maccadam's, and he sends them after their quarry.

Arriving one year further in the past, in 4th Cycle 499, the team are contacted by Perceptor and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]], who believe that Maccadam's is important, and that the deductions they made about Brainstorm's plans may have been hasty. Accordingly, the group splits in two: Chromedome, Rewind and Whirl keep watch over the police station, while the rest remain at the bar. But Brainstorm has gone to neither, and is, in fact, at a wellbeing clinic several miles away, where he ambushes and knocks out the Rung of the past...

At the police station, Chromedome and Rewind spend time stargazing, but Rewind is preoccupied with thoughts of the unknown fate of [[Dominus Ambus]]. He proposes using the time-case to finally discover what befell his former [[Conjunx Endura]], but Chromedome worries that he will want to change history and save Dominus's life, which would mean that his and Rewind's relationship would never happen. Before they can discuss those unfortunate ramifications too deeply, Whirl alerts them to the arrival of his own past self at the station. Recognizing the perp his past self is bringing in as [[Crossbar]], Whirl realizes what specific day it is—the day [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] is arrested.

Back at Maccadam's, the rest of the team watch the younger Megatron and [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] sitting at a nearby table. When Rung goes to fetch a curly straw for Tailgate, however, he accidentally knocks over a jumped-up cadet's drink, and winds up being thrown into Megatron and Impactor's table when he refuses to clean up the mess. This instigates the famous bar-room brawl that leads to Megatron's arrest, and as the ''Lost Light''ers make themselves scarce, Brainstorm, looking on from outside, grimaces at the realization his attempt to prevent it by incapacitating the past-Rung has failed.

A few hours later, at the police station, after Megatron has been arrested and subsequently released by Pax, the [[senate]]'s goon squad arrives for payback and kills officers [[Springarm]] and [[Wheelarch]]. Chromedome refuses to let Rewind intervene, regrettably understanding that history must be preserved, but is too slow to stop the deranged Whirl leaping into the fray when three new thugs come stomping up—including the [[Heavies]], who destroyed Whirl's life when they wrecked his watchmaking business. Hungry for revenge, Whirl takes the two huge 'bots down with violent ease; Chromedome intervenes before he can kill them, reminding Whirl that they ''have'' to live, so that Chromedome can have his own encounter with them in a year's time. Whirl justifies his actions by explaining his history with the Heavies... a history which is then elaborated upon by Hammer, who tells Whirl that the pair acted on the orders of the [[Functionist Council]], who wanted him punished him for abandoning his assigned job in the Aerial Corps, and who were also responsible for his later [[empurata]]. With icy detachment, Whirl vents his rage by shooting the third 'bot, who is unfamiliar to him, but whom he deems guilty by association.

Back in the present, on the ''Lost Light'', Perceptor discovers that time has ceased to flow in all other parts of the universe, indicating the imminent collapse of the original timeline. Studying the dates Rodimus's team has travelled to, Megatron realizes that they have been working on a flawed principle: the dates correspond to major events in ''Megatron's'' life, not Orion Pax's. It is Megatron's life that Brainstorm is trying to unmake... and even as Ultra Magnus's internal criminal database is overwritten, and Megatron disappears from his records, in the past, Brainstorm appears at the moment of Megatron's creation, and levels his weapons at the once and future Decepticon leader's half-built form...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (1)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (2)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (3)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (5)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (6)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (8)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (9)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (11)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (14)

|c2=
*[[Brainstorm]] (15)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Proteus]] (4, billboard)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (7)
*[[Quark]] (12)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (13)
*"[[Streaker]]" and "[[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]]" (16, 18)
*[[Sherma]]'s body (17)
*[[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]] (19)
*[[Crossbar]] (20)
*[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] (21)
*Cadets (22-23)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]]? (24)
*Senate thugs (25, 28, 30)
*[[Wheelarch]]'s head (26)
*[[Springarm]] (27)
*[[Heavies|Anvil]] (29)
*[[Heavies|Hammer]] (31)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"You said the station was always busy. You said—" 
"I '''said''' it was a '''non-stop cop shop'''. An' I only said '''that''' 'cos it '''rhymed'''." 
"I can't tell if you're joking." 
"Welcome to the club."
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Whirl'''

''Tailgate, after taking the communicator from Cyclonus and covering for his silence to Rodimus:'' 
"Is it the time travel? 'Cos I'm only just wrapping my head around it myself. I mean, '''think about it''': I'm somewhere out there right now, buried underground. Me! Underground! Right now! Me! The way I see it, you just have to accept what's happening as something that's... happening. And I think that's true of so many things in life." 
"It's beautiful." 
"Oh! Rodion." 
"Cybertron." 
"Yes, well, umm..drink it in, I guess." 
"It's been so '''long'''. So long since I saw it as it '''should''' be seen." 
''Both stare at the beauty of the city, then Cyclonus glances down at Tailgate'' 
"I'm sorry." 
"Noted." 

"No offense, but you couldn't draw attention to yourself if you '''tried'''. Even '''mirrors''' ignore you."
:—'''Rodimus''', to Rung

"Okay, as entrances go, that was only '''slightly''' less conspicuous than projecting "'''Your Attention Please'''" on a mushroom cloud."
:—'''Chromedome''' on the team's arrival in 4th Cycle 499

"Rodimus? It's Ultra Magnus speaking." 
"Listen, whatever I've done, it was an accident and I'm sorry." 
"The '''big picture:''' Brainstorm trying to kill Pax. We drew it at speed because we '''had to'''. But the more we look at it, the less it makes sense." 
"Magnus, the '''last''' thing I want to do is dissuade you from exploring the power of metaphor, but I really don't have the remotest idea what you're talking about."
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' and '''Rodimus'''

'''Rodimus:''' "The back door's this way. No one make eye contact with anybody. Especially not you, Tailgate." 
'''Tailgate:''' "Why especially not me?" 
'''Rodimus:''' "Because you've got one of those faces." 
'''Tailgate:''' "What's wrong with my face?" 
'''Rodimus:''' "It's basically a '''punch magnet.'''" 
'''Tailgate:''' "So '''rude!''' Cyclonus, did you hear that?" 
'''Cyclonus:''' "No. Was it about your face?"

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The first time period our heroes jump to is that of the first chapter of the "Shadowplay" trilogy, from [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|issue #9]], while the second is that of the first part of "Chaos Theory", from [[Chaos Theory Part 1|issue #21]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]]. Two pages from each issue are reprinted in context.
*The billboard-airship that Rewind hitches a lift on was seen in issue #9, and can be seen again in the reprinted pages.
*Cyclonus apologises for kicking Tailgate back in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*We get another look at "Magnus-vision", the way Magnus sees the world around him, seen before in [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the 2012 annual]].
*As Brainstorm flies away from Maccadam's, we see two 'bots carrying a body along the bridge below him. The corpse is that of [[Sherma|Senator Sherma]], who is about to be hung from the bridge, as we saw in issue #9; logically, it would follow that the two 'bots carrying it are the unnamed killers from [[Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|issue #10]], before their [[spark]]s are implanted in the bodies of [[Streaker]] and [[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]].
*Rung has previously been described as a "historical constant" by Rewind in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]], because of his presence at many important points in Cybertronian history. It now appears that this reputation is a product of the present-day Rung travelling back in time to these points in time, rather than his just happening to be there in the regular flow of history—we find out this issue that the Rung who appeared in the past sequences in "Chaos Theory" and "Shadowplay" were both the present-day Rung, in turn validating last issue's implication that the actions Rodimus's team are taking are and were always part of the timeline they knew.
*In-keeping with that, now we know why Rung didn't have any memory of the bar-room brawl when Megatron brought it up back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]] - for him, it hadn't happened yet.
*Previously, issue 9's scene of Rung assembling a model of the ''Lost Light'' seemed to imply a history to the ship, which was further hinted at when Nightbeat appeared to recognize the vessel in [[...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|''Dark Cybertron Finale'']]. Now we understand that Nightbeat was remembering the model and recognizing its anachronistic nature.
*Past-Rung's scooter is his wheeled backpack, which we learned was a separate attachment back in [[Little Victories|issue #22]].
*The song that past-Rung whistles as Brainstorm ambushes him is "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", the enigmatic piece of music with sinister connotations of which we are not yet aware, previously mentioned in issues [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]] and [[The Gloaming|#16]]. The notes in Rung's speech balloon match those when Swerve played the tune in #16.
*Chromedome and Rewind stargaze, imagining constellations in the shape of Prowl being beaten up, a habit of theirs mentioned in issue #16.
*Rewind brings up his and [[Dominus Ambus]]'s search for [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], originally discussed in [[Before & After|issue #12]].
*Rung groans "always the head" after he gets clobbered, hearkening back to the grave cranial injuries he took in [[Interiors|issue #6]].
*When the police arrive to break up the bar fight, the vehicle they arrive in appears to be [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]], or at least a 'bot with his alternate mode.
*The Heavies and their history with Whirl were originally introduced in issue #6. Chromedome's encounter with them took place in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]], in which they, [[Kroma]] and [[Macabre]] raided the police station in order to capture [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]. In the issue, [[Kroma]] noted in passing that Shockwave's whereabouts had been revealed through a tip-off from parties unknown; the Heavies go conspicuously ''un''-mindwiped at the end of this story, and hear Chromedome tell Whirl about the attack and Shockwave's presence. Could ''they'' have been the source of the information?
*Whirl kills the Heavies' unnamed cohort (who we've never seen before, for retroactively obvious reasons) with the curious weapon he took from Brainstorm's armory last issue.
*We learn that last issue's events, in 1st Cycle 502, took place on the same day as [[Megatron Origin issue 1|''Megatron Origin'' #1]].
*Megatron says that the 1st cycle 012 is when he was ''created'', not born, which might solve the mystery regarding how he came to be.
*Though he has always been unforthcoming about his origins, we know that Megatron, as a [[Point One Percenter]], should have a green spark, but the one seen inside his half-built frame on the final page of this issue is the traditional blue. However, we ''very'' much doubt that's an error...

===Transformers references===
*Rodimus keeps his eye on the Rodion police station using a telescopic visor that slides down out of his helmet over his eyes, just like the one he used to zoom in on the captured shuttle in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*A generic working the waterway is colored like [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]].
*The train track that Chromedome rides is labelled "C-131", the [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] of [[Raiden (Headmasters)|Raiden]], combined form of the [[Trainbot|''TRAIN''bots]].

===Real-life references===
*This issue's title, "Stet", is a Latin word meaning "let it stand", used in proofreading to indicate that a previously-marked change is to be ignored, much like Brainstorm's attempts to change time.
*When trying to recall Quark's name, Rung believes it might be "{{w|QWERTY|Qwerty}}", after the most common modern-day keyboard layout.
*The address of Rung's wellbeing clinic is NX-74205, the registry number of the [http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/USS_Defiant_(2370) USS Defiant] on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''.
*To add even more to the image of Jesus Christ established in #21 of this series in which he's literally crucified for the sins of others, Rodimus refers to the past in which he was not born yet as P.R: Pre-Rodimus, similar to how we refer to everything that happened before year 1 as B.C: Before Christ.

===Errors===
*The credits on the inside front cover mistakenly claim that the reprinted pages of Megatron and Rung's bar-room escapades are from [[Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|issue #20]] of the ongoing, rather than #22.
*On the same page, Kotteri's variant cover (see below) is listed as a "30th Anniversary cover", but the 30th anniversary is over; per the [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' #37]], the third variant should be back to being a "retailer incentive" cover.
*The bar brawl and Megatron's arrest are dated here to 4th Cycle 499; issue #28 previously gave a date of 4th Cycle 496 for those same events.

===Other trivia===
*Originally intended for release in January 2015, month-long delays afflicting multiple IDW titles saw this issue pushed to the first week of February.
*The pages reprinted from previous issues are included in addition to the regular 22 pages of story, making for a 26-page story.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WMjwlRhjGY Where Damage Isn't Already Done]" by {{w|The Radio Dept.}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPUrWmajIP4 The Certainty of Chance]" by {{w|The Divine Comedy (band)|The Divine Comedy}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2NaqB_aVgI The Psychiatrist Is In]" from {{w|God Help the Girl}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Impactor, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' The Heavies, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Skids, Cyclonus and a glum Trailgate enjoy a drink, by [[Kotteri]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE37 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE37 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE37 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #38
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|#37]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]'' [[Drift - Empire of Stone issue 3|#3]]
*''Machi Koro'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/comics-preview-the-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-issue-37/25786/news.html Preview]

Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet

2015-02-05T17:03:51Z

Valgatron: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=37
|prev=Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays
|next=Elegant Chaos Part 3
|image=MTMTE37 regcvr.jpg
|title="Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 4]], [[2015]]
|coverdate=January 2015
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]] [[Josh Burcham]] (pgs 7–8)
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2015)]]
}}

'''Rodimus's team continues their pursuit of Brainstorm through time, only to find that they are more involved in past events than expected—and that Brainstorm's goal is not what they believed it to be.'''

==Synopsis==

[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s team have followed [[Brainstorm]] back to [[Clampdown (event)|Clampdown]]-era [[Rodion]], and have spread out to search for the rogue scientist. While Rodimus watches for [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] at the police station alongside [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], he checks in with the others: [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] is surveying the city from his position on an airship; the bored [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] is watching the waterways; a nervous [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] is riding the rails to avoid the risk of running into his past self; and [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] look down on the city from a nearby cliff. Emotionally moved by the sight of the pristine planet, unblemished by war, to the point that he is struck dumb, Cyclonus doesn't respond to Rodimus, so Tailgate takes the communicator and quickly makes up a story about having set down for repairs. After a moment of silence, Cyclonus apologizes to Tailgate for physically abusing him in the past.

Rodimus then calls [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who expresses concern over the fact that Rewind's database is being overwritten, as it implies that Brainstorm's alteration to the timeline may have already happened, or is destined to. As such, if they cannot stop him, Perceptor must dismantle the time machine to undo the paradox, warning that many things could "go wrong". Reminded by those words that he had forgotten about [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], Rodimus contacts the psychotherapist, who is staking out [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's New Oil House]]. Unfortunately, Brainstorm is also watching the bar, and when he spots Rung building a model of the ''[[Lost Light]]'', he realizes that he has been followed back in time and abandons his plans. Brainstorm's flight is spotted by Rewind, and Cyclonus gives chase, but just before he can land a missile-hit, Brainstorm's [[briefcase]] activates and he time-jumps away. At Perceptor's instruction, the team re-groups at Maccadam's, and he sends them after their quarry.

Arriving one year further in the past, in 4th Cycle 499, the team are contacted by Perceptor and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]], who believe that Maccadam's is important, and that the deductions they made about Brainstorm's plans may have been hasty. Accordingly, the group splits in two: Chromedome, Rewind and Whirl keep watch over the police station, while the rest remain at the bar. But Brainstorm has gone to neither, and is, in fact, at a wellbeing clinic several miles away, where he ambushes and knocks out the Rung of the past...

At the police station, Chromedome and Rewind spend time stargazing, but Rewind is preoccupied with thoughts of the unknown fate of [[Dominus Ambus]]. He proposes using the time-case to finally discover what befell his former [[Conjunx Endura]], but Chromedome worries that he will want to change history and save Dominus's life, which would mean that his and Rewind's relationship would never happen. Before they can discuss those unfortunate ramifications too deeply, Whirl alerts them to the arrival of his own past self at the station. Recognizing the perp his past self is bringing in as [[Crossbar]], Whirl realizes what specific day it is—the day [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] is arrested.

Back at Maccadam's, the rest of the team watch the younger Megatron and [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] sitting at a nearby table. When Rung goes to fetch a curly straw for Tailgate, however, he accidentally knocks over a jumped-up cadet's drink, and winds up being thrown into Megatron and Impactor's table when he refuses to clean up the mess. This instigates the famous bar-room brawl that leads to Megatron's arrest, and as the ''Lost Light''ers make themselves scarce, Brainstorm, looking on from outside, grimaces at the realization his attempt to prevent it by incapacitating the past-Rung has failed.

A few hours later, at the police station, after Megatron has been arrested and subsequently released by Pax, the [[senate]]'s goon squad arrives for payback and kills officers [[Springarm]] and [[Wheelarch]]. Chromedome refuses to let Rewind intervene, regrettably understanding that history must be preserved, but is too slow to stop the deranged Whirl leaping into the fray when three new thugs come stomping up—including the [[Heavies]], who destroyed Whirl's life when they wrecked his watchmaking business. Hungry for revenge, Whirl takes the two huge 'bots down with violent ease; Chromedome intervenes before he can kill them, reminding Whirl that they ''have'' to live, so that Chromedome can have his own encounter with them in a year's time. Whirl justifies his actions by explaining his history with the Heavies... a history which is then elaborated upon by Hammer, who tells Whirl that the pair acted on the orders of the [[Functionist Council]], who wanted him punished him for abandoning his assigned job in the Aerial Corps, and who were also responsible for his later [[empurata]]. With icy detachment, Whirl vents his rage by shooting the third 'bot, who is unfamiliar to him, but whom he deems guilty by association.

Back in the present, on the ''Lost Light'', Perceptor discovers that time has ceased to flow in all other parts of the universe, indicating the imminent collapse of the original timeline. Studying the dates Rodimus's team has travelled to, Megatron realizes that they have been working on a flawed principle: the dates correspond to major events in ''Megatron's'' life, not Orion Pax's. It is Megatron's life that Brainstorm is trying to unmake... and even as Ultra Magnus's internal criminal database is overwritten, and Megatron disappears from his records, in the past, Brainstorm appears at the moment of Megatron's creation, and levels his weapons at the once and future Decepticon leader's half-built form...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (1)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (2)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (3)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (5)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (6)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (8)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (9)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (11)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (14)

|c2=
*[[Brainstorm]] (15)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Proteus]] (4, billboard)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (7)
*[[Quark]] (12)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (13)
*"[[Streaker]]" and "[[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]]" (16, 18)
*[[Sherma]]'s body (17)
*[[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]] (19)
*[[Crossbar]] (20)
*[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] (21)
*Cadets (22-23)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]]? (24)
*Senate thugs (25, 28, 30)
*[[Wheelarch]]'s head (26)
*[[Springarm]] (27)
*[[Heavies|Anvil]] (29)
*[[Heavies|Hammer]] (31)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"You said the station was always busy. You said—" 
"I '''said''' it was a '''non-stop cop shop'''. An' I only said '''that''' 'cos it '''rhymed'''." 
"I can't tell if you're joking." 
"Welcome to the club."
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Whirl'''

''Tailgate, after taking the communicator from Cyclonus and covering for his silence to Rodimus:'' 
"Is it the time travel? 'Cos I'm only just wrapping my head around it myself. I mean, '''think about it''': I'm somewhere out there right now, buried underground. Me! Underground! Right now! Me! The way I see it, you just have to accept what's happening as something that's... happening. And I think that's true of so many things in life." 
"It's beautiful." 
"Oh! Rodion." 
"Cybertron." 
"Yes, well, umm..drink it in, I guess." 
"It's been so '''long'''. So long since I saw it as it '''should''' be seen." 
''Both stare at the beauty of the city, then Cyclonus glances down at Tailgate'' 
"I'm sorry." 
"Noted." 

"No offense, but you couldn't draw attention to yourself if you '''tried'''. Even '''mirrors''' ignore you."
:—'''Rodimus''', to Rung

"Okay, as entrances go, that was only '''slightly''' less conspicuous than projecting "'''Your Attention Please'''" on a mushroom cloud."
:—'''Chromedome''' on the team's arrival in 4th Cycle 499

"Rodimus? It's Ultra Magnus speaking." 
"Listen, whatever I've done, it was an accident and I'm sorry." 
"The '''big picture:''' Brainstorm trying to kill Pax. We drew it at speed because we '''had to'''. But the more we look at it, the less it makes sense." 
"Magnus, the '''last''' thing I want to do is dissuade you from exploring the power of metaphor, but I really don't have the remotest idea what you're talking about."
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' and '''Rodimus'''

'''Rodimus:''' "The back door's this way. No one make eye contact with anybody. Especially not you, Tailgate." 
'''Tailgate:''' "Why especially not me?" 
'''Rodimus:''' "Because you've got one of those faces." 
'''Tailgate:''' "What's wrong with my face?" 
'''Rodimus:''' "It's basically a '''punch magnet.'''" 
'''Tailgate:''' "So '''rude!''' Cyclonus, did you hear that?" 
'''Cyclonus:''' "No. Was it about your face?"

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The first time period our heroes jump to is that of the first chapter of the "Shadowplay" trilogy, from [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|issue #9]], while the second is that of the first part of "Chaos Theory", from [[Chaos Theory Part 1|issue #21]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]]. Two pages from each issue are reprinted in context.
*The billboard-airship that Rewind hitches a lift on was seen in issue #9, and can be seen again in the reprinted pages.
*Cyclonus apologises for kicking Tailgate back in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*We get another look at "Magnus-vision", the way Magnus sees the world around him, seen before in [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the 2012 annual]].
*As Brainstorm flies away from Maccadam's, we see two 'bots carrying a body along the bridge below him. The corpse is that of [[Sherma|Senator Sherma]], who is about to be hung from the bridge, as we saw in issue #9; logically, it would follow that the two 'bots carrying it are the unnamed killers from [[Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|issue #10]], before their [[spark]]s are implanted in the bodies of [[Streaker]] and [[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]].
*Rung has previously been described as a "historical constant" by Rewind in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]], because of his presence at many important points in Cybertronian history. It now appears that this reputation is a product of the present-day Rung travelling back in time to these points in time, rather than his just happening to be there in the regular flow of history—we find out this issue that the Rung who appeared in the past sequences in "Chaos Theory" and "Shadowplay" were both the present-day Rung, in turn validating last issue's implication that the actions Rodimus's team are taking are and were always part of the timeline they knew.
*In-keeping with that, now we know why Rung didn't have any memory of the bar-room brawl when Megatron brought it up back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]] - for him, it hadn't happened yet.
*Previously, issue 9's scene of Rung assembling a model of the ''Lost Light'' seemed to imply a history to the ship, which was further hinted at when Nightbeat appeared to recognize the vessel in [[...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|''Dark Cybertron Finale'']]. Now we understand that Nightbeat was remembering the model and recognizing its anachronistic nature.
*Past-Rung's scooter is his wheeled backpack, which we learned was a separate attachment back in [[Little Victories|issue #22]].
*The song that past-Rung whistles as Brainstorm ambushes him is "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", the enigmatic piece of music with sinister connotations of which we are not yet aware, previously mentioned in issues [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]] and [[The Gloaming|#16]]. The notes in Rung's speech balloon match those when Swerve played the tune in #16.
*Chromedome and Rewind stargaze, imagining constellations in the shape of Prowl being beaten up, a habit of theirs mentioned in issue #16.
*Rewind brings up his and [[Dominus Ambus]]'s search for [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], originally discussed in [[Before & After|issue #12]].
*Rung groans "always the head" after he gets clobbered, hearkening back to the grave cranial injuries he took in [[Interiors|issue #6]].
*When the police arrive to break up the bar fight, the vehicle they arrive in appears to be [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]], or at least a 'bot with his alternate mode.
*The Heavies and their history with Whirl were originally introduced in issue #6. Chromedome's encounter with them took place in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]], in which they, [[Kroma]] and [[Macabre]] raided the police station in order to capture [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]. In the issue, [[Kroma]] noted in passing that Shockwave's whereabouts had been revealed through a tip-off from parties unknown; the Heavies go conspicuously ''un''-mindwiped at the end of this story, and hear Chromedome tell Whirl about the attack and Shockwave's presence. Could ''they'' have been the source of the information?
*Whirl kills the Heavies' unnamed cohort (who we've never seen before, for retroactively obvious reasons) with the curious weapon he took from Brainstorm's armory last issue.
*We learn that last issue's events, in 1st Cycle 502, took place on the same day as [[Megatron Origin issue 1|''Megatron Origin'' #1]].
*Megatron says that the 1st cycle 012 is when he was ''created'', not born, which might solve the mystery regarding his method of creation.
*Though he has always been unforthcoming about his origins, we know that Megatron, as a [[Point One Percenter]], should have a green spark, but the one seen inside his half-built frame on the final page of this issue is the traditional blue. However, we ''very'' much doubt that's an error...

===Transformers references===
*Rodimus keeps his eye on the Rodion police station using a telescopic visor that slides down out of his helmet over his eyes, just like the one he used to zoom in on the captured shuttle in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*A generic working the waterway is colored like [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]].
*The train track that Chromedome rides is labelled "C-131", the [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] of [[Raiden (Headmasters)|Raiden]], combined form of the [[Trainbot|''TRAIN''bots]].

===Real-life references===
*This issue's title, "Stet", is a Latin word meaning "let it stand", used in proofreading to indicate that a previously-marked change is to be ignored, much like Brainstorm's attempts to change time.
*When trying to recall Quark's name, Rung believes it might be "{{w|QWERTY|Qwerty}}", after the most common modern-day keyboard layout.
*The address of Rung's wellbeing clinic is NX-74205, the registry number of the [http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/USS_Defiant_(2370) USS Defiant] on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''.
*To add even more to the image of Jesus Christ established in #21 of this series in which he's literally crucified for the sins of others, Rodimus refers to the past in which he was not born yet as P.R: Pre-Rodimus, similar to how we refer to everything that happened before year 1 as B.C: Before Christ.

===Errors===
*The credits on the inside front cover mistakenly claim that the reprinted pages of Megatron and Rung's bar-room escapades are from [[Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|issue #20]] of the ongoing, rather than #22.
*On the same page, Kotteri's variant cover (see below) is listed as a "30th Anniversary cover", but the 30th anniversary is over; per the [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' #37]], the third variant should be back to being a "retailer incentive" cover.
*The bar brawl and Megatron's arrest are dated here to 4th Cycle 499; issue #28 previously gave a date of 4th Cycle 496 for those same events.

===Other trivia===
*Originally intended for release in January 2015, month-long delays afflicting multiple IDW titles saw this issue pushed to the first week of February.
*The pages reprinted from previous issues are included in addition to the regular 22 pages of story, making for a 26-page story.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WMjwlRhjGY Where Damage Isn't Already Done]" by {{w|The Radio Dept.}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPUrWmajIP4 The Certainty of Chance]" by {{w|The Divine Comedy (band)|The Divine Comedy}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2NaqB_aVgI The Psychiatrist Is In]" from {{w|God Help the Girl}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Impactor, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' The Heavies, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Skids, Cyclonus and a glum Trailgate enjoy a drink, by [[Kotteri]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE37 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE37 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE37 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #38
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|#37]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]'' [[Drift - Empire of Stone issue 3|#3]]
*''Machi Koro'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/comics-preview-the-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-issue-37/25786/news.html Preview]

Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet

2015-02-05T14:59:01Z

Valgatron: /* Real-life references */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=37
|prev=Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays
|next=Elegant Chaos Part 3
|image=MTMTE37 regcvr.jpg
|title="Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 4]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=January 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]] [[Josh Burcham]] (pgs 7-8)
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''Rodimus's team continues their pursuit of Brainstorm through time, only to find that they are more involved in past events than expected—and that Brainstorm's goal is not what they believed it to be.'''

==Synopsis==

[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s team have followed [[Brainstorm]] back to [[Clampdown (event)|Clampdown]]-era [[Rodion]], and have spread out to search for the rogue scientist. While Rodimus watches for [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] at the police station alongside [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], he checks in with the others: [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] is surveying the city from his position on an airship; the bored [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] is watching the waterways; a nervous [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] is riding the rails to avoid the risk of running into his past self; and [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] look down on the city from a nearby cliff. Emotionally moved by the sight of the pristine planet, unblemished by war, to the point that he is struck dumb, Cyclonus doesn't respond to Rodimus, so Tailgate takes the communicator and quickly makes up a story about having set down for repairs. After a moment of silence, Cyclonus apologizes to Tailgate for physically abusing him in the past.

Rodimus then calls [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who expresses concern over the fact that Rewind's database is being overwritten, as it implies that Brainstorm's alteration to the timeline may have already happened, or is destined to. As such, if they cannot stop him, Perceptor must dismantle the time machine to undo the paradox, warning that many things could "go wrong". Reminded by those words that he had forgotten about [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], Rodimus contacts the psychotherapist, who is staking out [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's New Oil House]]. Unfortunately, Brainstorm is also watching the bar, and when he spots Rung building a model of the ''[[Lost Light]]'', he realizes that he has been followed back in time and abandons his plans. Brainstorm's flight is spotted by Rewind, and Cyclonus gives chase, but just before he can land a missile-hit, Brainstorm's [[briefcase]] activates and he time-jumps away. At Perceptor's instruction, the team re-groups at Maccadam's, and he sends them after their quarry.

Arriving one year further in the past, in 4th Cycle 499, the team are contacted by Perceptor and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]], who believe that Maccadam's is important, and that the deductions they made about Brainstorm's plans may have been hasty. Accordingly, the group splits in two: Chromedome, Rewind and Whirl keep watch over the police station, while the rest remain at the bar. But Brainstorm has gone to neither, and is, in fact, at a wellbeing clinic several miles away, where he ambushes and knocks out the Rung of the past...

At the police station, Chromedome and Rewind spend time stargazing, but Rewind is preoccupied with thoughts of the unknown fate of [[Dominus Ambus]]. He proposes using the time-case to finally discover what befell his former [[Conjunx Endura]], but Chromedome worries that he will want to change history and save Dominus's life, which would mean that his and Rewind's relationship would never happen. Before they can discuss those unfortunate ramifications too deeply, Whirl alerts them to the arrival of his own past self at the station. Recognizing the perp his past self is bringing in as [[Crossbar]], Whirl realizes what specific day it is—the day [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] is arrested.

Back at Maccadam's, the rest of the team watch the younger Megatron and [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] sitting at a nearby table. When Rung goes to fetch a curly straw for Tailgate, however, he accidentally knocks over a jumped-up cadet's drink, and winds up being thrown into Megatron and Impactor's table when he refuses to clean up the mess. This instigates the famous bar-room brawl that leads to Megatron's arrest, and as the ''Lost Light''ers make themselves scarce, Brainstorm, looking on from outside, grimaces at the realization his attempt to prevent it by incapacitating the past-Rung has failed.

A few hours later, at the police station, after Megatron has been arrested and subsequently released by Pax, the [[senate]]'s goon squad arrives for payback and kills officers [[Springarm]] and [[Wheelarch]]. Chromedome refuses to let Rewind intervene, regrettably understanding that history must be preserved, but is too slow to stop the deranged Whirl leaping into the fray when three new thugs come stomping up—including the [[Heavies]], who destroyed Whirl's life when they wrecked his watchmaking business. Hungry for revenge, Whirl takes the two huge 'bots down with violent ease; Chromedome intervenes before he can kill them, reminding Whirl that they ''have'' to live, so that Chromedome can have his own encounter with them in a year's time. Whirl justifies his actions by explaining his history with the Heavies... a history which is then elaborated upon by Hammer, who tells Whirl that the pair acted on the orders of the [[Functionist Council]], who wanted him punished him for abandoning his assigned job in the Aerial Corps, and who were also responsible for his later [[empurata]]. With icy detachment, Whirl vents his rage by shooting the third 'bot, who is unfamiliar to him, but whom he deems guilty by association.

Back in the present, on the ''Lost Light'', Perceptor discovers that time has ceased to flow in all other parts of the universe, indicating the imminent collapse of the original timeline. Studying the dates Rodimus's team has travelled to, Megatron realizes that they have been working on a flawed principle: the dates correspond to major events in ''Megatron's'' life, not Orion Pax's. It is Megatron's life that Brainstorm is trying to unmake... and even as Ultra Magnus's internal criminal database is overwritten, and Megatron disappears from his records, in the past, Brainstorm appears at the moment of Megatron's creation, and levels his weapons at the once and future Decepticon leader's half-built form...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (1)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (2)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (3)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (5)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (6)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (8)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (9)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (11)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (14)

|c2=
*[[Brainstorm]] (15)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Proteus]] (4, billboard)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (7)
*[[Quark]] (12)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (13)
*"[[Streaker]]" and "[[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]]" (16, 18)
*[[Sherma]]'s body (17)
*[[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]] (19)
*[[Crossbar]] (20)
*[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] (21)
*Cadets (22-23)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]]? (24)
*Senate thugs (25, 28, 30)
*[[Wheelarch]]'s head (26)
*[[Springarm]] (27)
*[[Heavies|Anvil]] (29)
*[[Heavies|Hammer]] (31)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"You said the station was always busy. You said—" 
"I '''said''' it was a '''non-stop cop shop'''. An' I only said '''that''' 'cos it '''rhymed'''." 
"I can't tell if you're joking." 
"Welcome to the club."
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Whirl'''

''Tailgate, after taking the communicator from Cyclonus and covering for his silence to Rodimus:'' 
"Is it the time travel? 'Cos I'm only just wrapping my head around it myself. I mean, '''think about it''': I'm somewhere out there right now, buried underground. Me! Underground! Right now! Me! The way I see it, you just have to accept what's happening as something that's... happening. And I think that's true of so many things in life." 
"It's beautiful." 
"Oh! Rodion." 
"Cybertron." 
"Yes, well, umm..drink it in, I guess." 
"It's been so '''long'''. So long since I saw it as it '''should''' be seen." 
''Both stare at the beauty of the city, then Cyclonus glances down at Tailgate'' 
"I'm sorry." 
"Noted." 

"No offense, but you couldn't draw attention to yourself if you '''tried'''. Even '''mirrors''' ignore you."
:—'''Rodimus''', to Rung

"Okay, as entrances go, that was only '''slightly''' less conspicuous than projecting "'''Your Attention Please'''" on a mushroom cloud."
:—'''Chromedome''' on the team's arrival in 4th Cycle 499

"Rodimus? It's Ultra Magnus speaking." 
"Listen, whatever I've done, it was an accident and I'm sorry." 
"The '''big picture:''' Brainstorm trying to kill Pax. We drew it at speed because we '''had to'''. But the more we look at it, the less it makes sense." 
"Magnus, the '''last''' thing I want to do is dissuade you from exploring the power of metaphor, but I really don't have the remotest idea what you're talking about."
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' and '''Rodimus'''

'''Rodimus:''' "The back door's this way. No one make eye contact with anybody. Especially not you, Tailgate." 
'''Tailgate:''' "Why especially not me?" 
'''Rodimus:''' "Because you've got one of those faces." 
'''Tailgate:''' "What's wrong with my face?" 
'''Rodimus:''' "It's basically a '''punch magnet.'''" 
'''Tailgate:''' "So '''rude!''' Cyclonus, did you hear that?" 
'''Cyclonus:''' "No. Was it about your face?"

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The first time period our heroes jump to is that of the first chapter of the "Shadowplay" trilogy, from [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|issue #9]], while the second is that of the first part of "Chaos Theory", from [[Chaos Theory Part 1|issue #21]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]]. Two pages from each issue are reprinted in context.
*The billboard-airship that Rewind hitches a lift on was seen in issue #9, and can be seen again in the reprinted pages.
*Cyclonus apologises for kicking Tailgate back in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*We get another look at "Magnus-vision", the way Magnus sees the world around him, seen before in [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the 2012 annual]].
*As Brainstorm flies away from Maccadam's, we see two 'bots carrying a body along the bridge below him. The corpse is that of [[Sherma|Senator Sherma]], who is about to be hung from the bridge, as we saw in issue #9; logically, it would follow that the two 'bots carrying it are the unnamed killers from [[Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|issue #10]], before their [[spark]]s are implanted in the bodies of [[Streaker]] and [[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]].
*Rung has previously been described as a "historical constant" by Rewind in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]], because of his presence at many important points in Cybertronian history. It now appears that this reputation is a product of the present-day Rung travelling back in time to these points in time, rather than his just happening to be there in the regular flow of history—we find out this issue that the Rung who appeared in the past sequences in "Chaos Theory" and "Shadowplay" were both the present-day Rung, in turn validating last issue's implication that the actions Rodimus's team are taking are and were always part of the timeline they knew.
*In-keeping with that, now we know why Rung didn't have any memory of the bar-room brawl when Megatron brought it up back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]] - for him, it hadn't happened yet.
*Previously, issue 9's scene of Rung assembling a model of the ''Lost Light'' seemed to imply a history to the ship, which was further hinted at when Nightbeat appeared to recognize the vessel in [[...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|''Dark Cybertron Finale'']]. Now we understand that Nightbeat was remembering the model and recognizing its anachronistic nature.
*Past-Rung's scooter is his wheeled backpack, which we learned was a separate attachment back in [[Little Victories|issue #22]].
*The song that past-Rung whistles as Brainstorm ambushes him is "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", the enigmatic piece of music with sinister connotations of which we are not yet aware, previously mentioned in issues [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]] and [[The Gloaming|#16]]. The notes in Rung's speech balloon match those when Swerve played the tune in #16.
*Chromedome and Rewind stargaze, imagining constellations in the shape of Prowl being beaten up, a habit of theirs mentioned in issue #16.
*Rewind brings up his and [[Dominus Ambus]]'s search for [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], originally discussed in [[Before & After|issue #12]].
*Rung groans "always the head" after he gets clobbered, hearkening back to the grave cranial injuries he took in [[Interiors|issue #6]].
*When the police arrive to break up the bar fight, the vehicle they arrive in appears to be [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]], or at least a 'bot with his alternate mode.
*The Heavies and their history with Whirl were originally introduced in issue #6. Chromedome's encounter with them took place in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]], in which they, [[Kroma]] and [[Macabre]] raided the police station in order to capture [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]. In the issue, [[Kroma]] noted in passing that Shockwave's whereabouts had been revealed through a tip-off from parties unknown; the Heavies go conspicuously ''un''-mindwiped at the end of this story, and hear Chromedome tell Whirl about the attack and Shockwave's presence. Could ''they'' have been the source of the information?
*Whirl kills the Heavies' unnamed cohort (who we've never seen before, for retroactively obvious reasons) with the curious weapon he took from Brainstorm's armory last issue.
*We learn that last issue's events, in 1st Cycle 502, took place on the same day as [[Megatron Origin issue 1|''Megatron Origin'' #1]].
*Though he has always been unforthcoming about his origins, we know that Megatron, as a [[Point One Percenter]], should have a green spark, but the one seen inside his half-built frame on the final page of this issue is the traditional blue. However, we ''very'' much doubt that's an error...

===Transformers references===
*Rodimus keeps his eye on the Rodion police station using a telescopic visor that slides down out of his helmet over his eyes, just like the one he used to zoom in on the captured shuttle in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*A generic working the waterway is colored like [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]].
*The train track that Chromedome rides is labelled "C-131", the [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] of [[Raiden (Headmasters)|Raiden]], combined form of the [[Trainbot|''TRAIN''bots]].

===Real-life references===
*This issue's title, "Stet", is a Latin word meaning "let it stand", used in proofreading to indicate that a previously-marked change is to be ignored, much like Brainstorm's attempts to change time.
*When trying to recall Quark's name, Rung believes it might be "{{w|QWERTY|Qwerty}}", after the most common modern-day keyboard layout.
*The address of Rung's wellbeing clinic is NX-74205, the registry number of the [http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/USS_Defiant_(2370) USS Defiant] on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''.
*To add even more to the image of Jesus Christ established in #21 of this series in which he's literally crucified for the sins of others, Rodimus refers to the past in which he was not born yet as P.R: Pre-Rodimus, similar to how we refer to everything that happened before year 1 as B.C: Before Christ.

===Errors===
*The credits on the inside front cover mistakenly claim that the reprinted pages of Megatron and Rung's bar-room escapades are from [[Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|issue #20]] of the ongoing, rather than #22.
*On the same page, Kotteri's variant cover (see below) is listed as a "30th Anniversary cover", but the 30th anniversary is over; per the [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' #37]], the third variant should be back to being a "retailer incentive" cover.
*The bar brawl and Megatron's arrest are dated here to 4th Cycle 499; issue #28 previously gave a date of 4th Cycle 496 for those same events.

===Other trivia===
*Originally intended for release in January 2015, month-long delays afflicting multiple IDW titles saw this issue pushed to the first week of February.
*The pages reprinted from previous issues are included in addition to the regular 22 pages of story, making for a 26-page story.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WMjwlRhjGY Where Damage Isn't Already Done]" by {{w|The Radio Dept.}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPUrWmajIP4 The Certainty of Chance]" by {{w|The Divine Comedy (band)|The Divine Comedy}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2NaqB_aVgI The Psychiatrist Is In]" from {{w|God Help the Girl}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Impactor, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' The Heavies, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Skids, Cyclonus and a glum Trailgate enjoy a drink, by [[Kotteri]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE37 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE37 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE37 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #38
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|#37]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]'' [[Drift - Empire of Stone issue 3|#3]]
*''Machi Koro'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/comics-preview-the-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-issue-37/25786/news.html Preview]

Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet

2015-02-05T14:44:19Z

Valgatron: /* Real-life references */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=37
|prev=Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays
|next=Elegant Chaos Part 3
|image=MTMTE37 regcvr.jpg
|title="Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 4]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=January 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]] [[Josh Burcham]] (pgs 7-8)
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''Rodimus's team continues their pursuit of Brainstorm through time, only to find that they are more involved in past events than expected—and that Brainstorm's goal is not what they believed it to be.'''

==Synopsis==

[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s team have followed [[Brainstorm]] back to [[Clampdown (event)|Clampdown]]-era [[Rodion]], and have spread out to search for the rogue scientist. While Rodimus watches for [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] at the police station alongside [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], he checks in with the others: [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] is surveying the city from his position on an airship; the bored [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] is watching the waterways; a nervous [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] is riding the rails to avoid the risk of running into his past self; and [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] look down on the city from a nearby cliff. Emotionally moved by the sight of the pristine planet, unblemished by war, to the point that he is struck dumb, Cyclonus doesn't respond to Rodimus, so Tailgate takes the communicator and quickly makes up a story about having set down for repairs. After a moment of silence, Cyclonus apologizes to Tailgate for physically abusing him in the past.

Rodimus then calls [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who expresses concern over the fact that Rewind's database is being overwritten, as it implies that Brainstorm's alteration to the timeline may have already happened, or is destined to. As such, if they cannot stop him, Perceptor must dismantle the time machine to undo the paradox, warning that many things could "go wrong". Reminded by those words that he had forgotten about [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], Rodimus contacts the psychotherapist, who is staking out [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's New Oil House]]. Unfortunately, Brainstorm is also watching the bar, and when he spots Rung building a model of the ''[[Lost Light]]'', he realizes that he has been followed back in time and abandons his plans. Brainstorm's flight is spotted by Rewind, and Cyclonus gives chase, but just before he can land a missile-hit, Brainstorm's [[briefcase]] activates and he time-jumps away. At Perceptor's instruction, the team re-groups at Maccadam's, and he sends them after their quarry.

Arriving one year further in the past, in 4th Cycle 499, the team are contacted by Perceptor and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]], who believe that Maccadam's is important, and that the deductions they made about Brainstorm's plans may have been hasty. Accordingly, the group splits in two: Chromedome, Rewind and Whirl keep watch over the police station, while the rest remain at the bar. But Brainstorm has gone to neither, and is, in fact, at a wellbeing clinic several miles away, where he ambushes and knocks out the Rung of the past...

At the police station, Chromedome and Rewind spend time stargazing, but Rewind is preoccupied with thoughts of the unknown fate of [[Dominus Ambus]]. He proposes using the time-case to finally discover what befell his former [[Conjunx Endura]], but Chromedome worries that he will want to change history and save Dominus's life, which would mean that his and Rewind's relationship would never happen. Before they can discuss those unfortunate ramifications too deeply, Whirl alerts them to the arrival of his own past self at the station. Recognizing the perp his past self is bringing in as [[Crossbar]], Whirl realizes what specific day it is—the day [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] is arrested.

Back at Maccadam's, the rest of the team watch the younger Megatron and [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] sitting at a nearby table. When Rung goes to fetch a curly straw for Tailgate, however, he accidentally knocks over a jumped-up cadet's drink, and winds up being thrown into Megatron and Impactor's table when he refuses to clean up the mess. This instigates the famous bar-room brawl that leads to Megatron's arrest, and as the ''Lost Light''ers make themselves scarce, Brainstorm, looking on from outside, grimaces at the realization his attempt to prevent it by incapacitating the past-Rung has failed.

A few hours later, at the police station, after Megatron has been arrested and subsequently released by Pax, the [[senate]]'s goon squad arrives for payback and kills officers [[Springarm]] and [[Wheelarch]]. Chromedome refuses to let Rewind intervene, regrettably understanding that history must be preserved, but is too slow to stop the deranged Whirl leaping into the fray when three new thugs come stomping up—including the [[Heavies]], who destroyed Whirl's life when they wrecked his watchmaking business. Hungry for revenge, Whirl takes the two huge 'bots down with violent ease; Chromedome intervenes before he can kill them, reminding Whirl that they ''have'' to live, so that Chromedome can have his own encounter with them in a year's time. Whirl justifies his actions by explaining his history with the Heavies... a history which is then elaborated upon by Hammer, who tells Whirl that the pair acted on the orders of the [[Functionist Council]], who wanted him punished him for abandoning his assigned job in the Aerial Corps, and who were also responsible for his later [[empurata]]. With icy detachment, Whirl vents his rage by shooting the third 'bot, who is unfamiliar to him, but whom he deems guilty by association.

Back in the present, on the ''Lost Light'', Perceptor discovers that time has ceased to flow in all other parts of the universe, indicating the imminent collapse of the original timeline. Studying the dates Rodimus's team has travelled to, Megatron realizes that they have been working on a flawed principle: the dates correspond to major events in ''Megatron's'' life, not Orion Pax's. It is Megatron's life that Brainstorm is trying to unmake... and even as Ultra Magnus's internal criminal database is overwritten, and Megatron disappears from his records, in the past, Brainstorm appears at the moment of Megatron's creation, and levels his weapons at the once and future Decepticon leader's half-built form...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (1)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (2)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (3)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (5)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (6)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (8)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (9)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (11)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (14)

|c2=
*[[Brainstorm]] (15)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Proteus]] (4, billboard)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (7)
*[[Quark]] (12)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (13)
*"[[Streaker]]" and "[[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]]" (16, 18)
*[[Sherma]]'s body (17)
*[[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]] (19)
*[[Crossbar]] (20)
*[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] (21)
*Cadets (22-23)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]]? (24)
*Senate thugs (25, 28, 30)
*[[Wheelarch]]'s head (26)
*[[Springarm]] (27)
*[[Heavies|Anvil]] (29)
*[[Heavies|Hammer]] (31)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"You said the station was always busy. You said—" 
"I '''said''' it was a '''non-stop cop shop'''. An' I only said '''that''' 'cos it '''rhymed'''." 
"I can't tell if you're joking." 
"Welcome to the club."
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Whirl'''

''Tailgate, after taking the communicator from Cyclonus and covering for his silence to Rodimus:'' 
"Is it the time travel? 'Cos I'm only just wrapping my head around it myself. I mean, '''think about it''': I'm somewhere out there right now, buried underground. Me! Underground! Right now! Me! The way I see it, you just have to accept what's happening as something that's... happening. And I think that's true of so many things in life." 
"It's beautiful." 
"Oh! Rodion." 
"Cybertron." 
"Yes, well, umm..drink it in, I guess." 
"It's been so '''long'''. So long since I saw it as it '''should''' be seen." 
''Both stare at the beauty of the city, then Cyclonus glances down at Tailgate'' 
"I'm sorry." 
"Noted." 

"No offense, but you couldn't draw attention to yourself if you '''tried'''. Even '''mirrors''' ignore you."
:—'''Rodimus''', to Rung

"Okay, as entrances go, that was only '''slightly''' less conspicuous than projecting "'''Your Attention Please'''" on a mushroom cloud."
:—'''Chromedome''' on the team's arrival in 4th Cycle 499

"Rodimus? It's Ultra Magnus speaking." 
"Listen, whatever I've done, it was an accident and I'm sorry." 
"The '''big picture:''' Brainstorm trying to kill Pax. We drew it at speed because we '''had to'''. But the more we look at it, the less it makes sense." 
"Magnus, the '''last''' thing I want to do is dissuade you from exploring the power of metaphor, but I really don't have the remotest idea what you're talking about."
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' and '''Rodimus'''

'''Rodimus:''' "The back door's this way. No one make eye contact with anybody. Especially not you, Tailgate." 
'''Tailgate:''' "Why especially not me?" 
'''Rodimus:''' "Because you've got one of those faces." 
'''Tailgate:''' "What's wrong with my face?" 
'''Rodimus:''' "It's basically a '''punch magnet.'''" 
'''Tailgate:''' "So '''rude!''' Cyclonus, did you hear that?" 
'''Cyclonus:''' "No. Was it about your face?"

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The first time period our heroes jump to is that of the first chapter of the "Shadowplay" trilogy, from [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|issue #9]], while the second is that of the first part of "Chaos Theory", from [[Chaos Theory Part 1|issue #21]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]]. Two pages from each issue are reprinted in context.
*The billboard-airship that Rewind hitches a lift on was seen in issue #9, and can be seen again in the reprinted pages.
*Cyclonus apologises for kicking Tailgate back in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*We get another look at "Magnus-vision", the way Magnus sees the world around him, seen before in [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the 2012 annual]].
*As Brainstorm flies away from Maccadam's, we see two 'bots carrying a body along the bridge below him. The corpse is that of [[Sherma|Senator Sherma]], who is about to be hung from the bridge, as we saw in issue #9; logically, it would follow that the two 'bots carrying it are the unnamed killers from [[Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|issue #10]], before their [[spark]]s are implanted in the bodies of [[Streaker]] and [[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]].
*Rung has previously been described as a "historical constant" by Rewind in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]], because of his presence at many important points in Cybertronian history. It now appears that this reputation is a product of the present-day Rung travelling back in time to these points in time, rather than his just happening to be there in the regular flow of history—we find out this issue that the Rung who appeared in the past sequences in "Chaos Theory" and "Shadowplay" were both the present-day Rung, in turn validating last issue's implication that the actions Rodimus's team are taking are and were always part of the timeline they knew.
*In-keeping with that, now we know why Rung didn't have any memory of the bar-room brawl when Megatron brought it up back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]] - for him, it hadn't happened yet.
*Previously, issue 9's scene of Rung assembling a model of the ''Lost Light'' seemed to imply a history to the ship, which was further hinted at when Nightbeat appeared to recognize the vessel in [[...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|''Dark Cybertron Finale'']]. Now we understand that Nightbeat was remembering the model and recognizing its anachronistic nature.
*Past-Rung's scooter is his wheeled backpack, which we learned was a separate attachment back in [[Little Victories|issue #22]].
*The song that past-Rung whistles as Brainstorm ambushes him is "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", the enigmatic piece of music with sinister connotations of which we are not yet aware, previously mentioned in issues [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]] and [[The Gloaming|#16]]. The notes in Rung's speech balloon match those when Swerve played the tune in #16.
*Chromedome and Rewind stargaze, imagining constellations in the shape of Prowl being beaten up, a habit of theirs mentioned in issue #16.
*Rewind brings up his and [[Dominus Ambus]]'s search for [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], originally discussed in [[Before & After|issue #12]].
*Rung groans "always the head" after he gets clobbered, hearkening back to the grave cranial injuries he took in [[Interiors|issue #6]].
*When the police arrive to break up the bar fight, the vehicle they arrive in appears to be [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]], or at least a 'bot with his alternate mode.
*The Heavies and their history with Whirl were originally introduced in issue #6. Chromedome's encounter with them took place in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]], in which they, [[Kroma]] and [[Macabre]] raided the police station in order to capture [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]. In the issue, [[Kroma]] noted in passing that Shockwave's whereabouts had been revealed through a tip-off from parties unknown; the Heavies go conspicuously ''un''-mindwiped at the end of this story, and hear Chromedome tell Whirl about the attack and Shockwave's presence. Could ''they'' have been the source of the information?
*Whirl kills the Heavies' unnamed cohort (who we've never seen before, for retroactively obvious reasons) with the curious weapon he took from Brainstorm's armory last issue.
*We learn that last issue's events, in 1st Cycle 502, took place on the same day as [[Megatron Origin issue 1|''Megatron Origin'' #1]].
*Though he has always been unforthcoming about his origins, we know that Megatron, as a [[Point One Percenter]], should have a green spark, but the one seen inside his half-built frame on the final page of this issue is the traditional blue. However, we ''very'' much doubt that's an error...

===Transformers references===
*Rodimus keeps his eye on the Rodion police station using a telescopic visor that slides down out of his helmet over his eyes, just like the one he used to zoom in on the captured shuttle in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*A generic working the waterway is colored like [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]].
*The train track that Chromedome rides is labelled "C-131", the [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] of [[Raiden (Headmasters)|Raiden]], combined form of the [[Trainbot|''TRAIN''bots]].

===Real-life references===
*This issue's title, "Stet", is a Latin word meaning "let it stand", used in proofreading to indicate that a previously-marked change is to be ignored, much like Brainstorm's attempts to change time.
*When trying to recall Quark's name, Rung believes it might be "{{w|QWERTY|Qwerty}}", after the most common modern-day keyboard layout.
*The address of Rung's wellbeing clinic is NX-74205, the registry number of the [http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/USS_Defiant_(2370) USS Defiant] on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''.
*To add even more to the image of Jesus Christ established in #21 of this series in which he's literally crucified for the sins of others, Rodimus refers the past in which he was not born yet as P.R: Pre-Rodimus, similar to how we refer to everything that happened before year 1 as B.C: Before Christ.

===Errors===
*The credits on the inside front cover mistakenly claim that the reprinted pages of Megatron and Rung's bar-room escapades are from [[Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|issue #20]] of the ongoing, rather than #22.
*On the same page, Kotteri's variant cover (see below) is listed as a "30th Anniversary cover", but the 30th anniversary is over; per the [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|''The Transformers'' #37]], the third variant should be back to being a "retailer incentive" cover.
*The bar brawl and Megatron's arrest are dated here to 4th Cycle 499; issue #28 previously gave a date of 4th Cycle 496 for those same events.

===Other trivia===
*Originally intended for release in January 2015, month-long delays afflicting multiple IDW titles saw this issue pushed to the first week of February.
*The pages reprinted from previous issues are included in addition to the regular 22 pages of story, making for a 26-page story.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WMjwlRhjGY Where Damage Isn't Already Done]" by {{w|The Radio Dept.}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPUrWmajIP4 The Certainty of Chance]" by {{w|The Divine Comedy (band)|The Divine Comedy}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2NaqB_aVgI The Psychiatrist Is In]" from {{w|God Help the Girl}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Impactor, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' The Heavies, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Skids, Cyclonus and a glum Trailgate enjoy a drink, by [[Kotteri]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE37 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE37 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE37 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #38
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|#37]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]'' [[Drift - Empire of Stone issue 3|#3]]
*''Machi Koro'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/comics-preview-the-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-issue-37/25786/news.html Preview]

User talk:Valgatron

2015-02-05T14:26:49Z

Valgatron: Created page with "So either Megatron has never been a point-one percenter or he's about to become one in the next number?"

So either Megatron has never been a point-one percenter or he's about to become one in the next number?

Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays

2014-12-19T14:33:41Z

Valgatron: /* Other trivia */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=36
|prev=The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue
|next=Elegant Chaos Part 2
|image=MTMTE36 regcvr.jpg
|title="Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[December 17]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=December 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''A squad of ''Lost Light''ers led back through time by Rodimus aids Orion Pax's team of outlaws in defending a hot spot against the machinations of the Senate.'''

==Synopsis==

Four million years ago, in the [[Alyon]] region of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]], [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and their gang of [[Outlier]]s defend a recently-ignited [[hot spot]] against repeated incursions from [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]. As the Guardsmen flee from their latest failed attempt, Roller decides to help them on their way by transforming to vehicle mode and ramming them—but after doing so, his trailer section unexpectedly erupts with light, and opens to reveal [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]], [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]], [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]], [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]], [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]!

''A short time earlier—relatively speaking—aboard the ''[[Lost Light]]'' in the present day, Rodimus gathers his team together and explains, with help from [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], that [[Brainstorm]] has travelled into the past to kill Orion Pax. After travelling to [[Messatine]] as an apparent calibration exercise for his time machine, Brainstorm has now relocated himself to Cybertron; using autobiographical data on Optimus Prime from [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]'s database, the team concludes that he will be in Alyon, and they prepare to depart, with [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] gleefully raiding Brainstorm's armory for the mission.''

After a few moments of tense confusion, Rodimus's team establishes a cover story for themselves, pretending to be reinforcements teleported in to help Pax by [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta]]. Recognizing Chromedome from their previous meeting, Pax accepts the team and brings them back to his squad's dugout, where he explains their belief that Sentinel and the Senate are attempting to destroy the hot spot—the first to ignite in a million years, and curiously shaped like a hand—in order to prevent the [[Functionist Council]] from exploiting it as proof of [[Primus]] and strengthening their waning hold over the public. Cyclonus observes a mysterious platform floating over the hot spot, which Pax explains is apparently a monitoring station that arrived the previous evening; their conversation is chimed in on by [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], who has just risen from the camp's [[recharge slab]]. As everyone talks amongst themselves, Rodimus, taken aback by Trailbreaker's appearance, secretly takes him aside and, without telling him anything ''outright'', warns him of the circumstances of his future death on [[Ofsted XVII]] in order to prevent it from happening. Rung talks with Roller, tasting the "juicebox" the heavyweight 'bot always carries with him, only to realize Roller has added the [[circuit speeder]] [[C32]] to the drink. Roller solemnly claims he requires the boost to keep up with the Outliers, and that Pax only keeps him around because they're friends. [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] calls via the "[[time phone]]" communicator Rodimus has brought with him, but as Rodimus is busy with Trailbreaker, Orion is the one who answers. Pretending to be his younger self, Megatron has a conversation with the young police officer, whose optimism for the future is a mixed source of both affirmation and tragic amusement to Megatron. Rodimus returns from his talk with Trailbreaker and takes up the call, receiving a status update from Megatron that indicates a notable amount of background radiation is leaking through the [[quantum generator]]s from the past to the present. This causes Rodimus to believe that the senate's "monitoring station" is actually bombarding the hot spot with radiation in an attempt to sterilize it, but when he reveals this to the group, Rewind is able to use his database—altered to contain data from the alternate timeline that Brainstorm has created—to uncover the full story. The Senate are not trying to ''sterilize'' the hot spot with radiation: they're trying to ''mutate'' it, to find a way to artificially create [[Point One Percenter]]s.

Now aware of the true threat, everyone heads outside, where Orion has Trailbreaker shield the hot spot with a forcefield. In response, the floating platform unveils a weapons array and opens fire on them. While Whirl and Cyclonus take to the air to combat the platform, Roller storms into the middle of the hot spot, risking his life to use a small mobile teleporter to send each [[spark]], one by one, to a safehouse in [[Nyon]]. Amid the chaos, Perceptor calls Rodimus with the news that Brainstorm has time-jumped again, further into the past; Rodimus refuses to let his team be sent after the renegade scientist yet, intent on seeing the sparks saved. In preparation, though, he checks with Chromedome on the modifications he has been making to his [[mnemosurgery]] needles—which will allow him to wipe the last few sub-cycles of a 'bot's memories via a simple handshake—and orders him not to touch Trailbreaker. Just then, Roller is caught by a blast from the weapons platform, and Orion determines to end things immediately: he has Trailbreaker wrap a forcefield tight around him, then has [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] magnetically hurl him into the air, right through the weapons platform, crippling it and causing it to explode.

A short time later, the remaining sparks have all been teleported to safety, but Roller is still missing despite Pax's insistence that they continue searching for him. Their greater mission unable to be put off any longer, Rodimus's team says farewell, with a handshake from Chromedome wiping each 'bot's memory of the encounter. Trailbreaker refuses to let them leave without a handshake of his own, though, so despite the alarmed Rodimus's attempt to stop him, he too loses his memories, including the life-saving warning Rodimus gave him. Rodimus's team are forgotten as soon as they have time-jumped away... but they are not the only ones forgotten, as Trailbreaker picks up Roller's discarded juicebox, and, unable to remember the fate of its owner, suggests they all go for a drink.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (6)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (7)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (9)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (10)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (11)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (12)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (13)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (14)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (15)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (16)

|c4=
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] (1)
*[[Damus|Damus/Glitch]] (2)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] (4)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (5)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (8)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==

"Hold on. Let's be '''absolutely clear''' about this. You're just given me permission to take '''whatever I like''' from Brainstorm's forbidden toy box? Even the '''experimental stuff'''—the stuff that '''unsettles''' people?" 
"No, I--" 
"''Shhh.'' On second thought, let's keep it '''ambiguous.'''"
:—'''Whirl''' and '''Rodimus'''

"How '''was''' Messatine?" 
"I worry it '''changed me.'''" 
"I'm sure it did. We're all of us the sum of our experiences." 
"Yes, but "the sum" implies an accumulation—an '''aggregation.''' What if something gets '''taken away?''' And how would you know if it has?" 
"I'm not sure I follow." 
"I know who I am, Orion, but I don't necessarily know how I '''was.''' I find it hard to compare the two."
:—'''Orion Pax''' and '''Megatron'''

"If I may... before you go..." 
"What?" 
"You sound '''lost.'''" 
"Lost? Oh, it's far worse than that. Ha! No, no. No, I know '''exactly''' where I'm going. I don't know if I could turn back now even, if I wanted to." 
"You could always join us. Join me. Why is that funny?" 
"It's not funny at all. It's '''tragic.'''" 
"Well then? Will you join us?" 
"I think so. Eventually."
:—'''Orion Pax''' and '''Megatron'''

"If you're going to kill '''newborns''' you'd want to do it '''discreetly.'''" 
"Cyclonus! That's an '''awful''' thing to say!" 
"I'm not '''endorsing''' it!" 
"It's still awful."
:—'''Cyclonus''' and '''Tailgate'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The past era seen in this issue falls between "Shadowplay" (issues [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|#9]]-[[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|11]]) and ''[[The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron: Origin]]''. As noted at various points during the issue, Pax is now working with Zeta and on the run from [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] following the events of "Shadowplay", while Megatron has been relocated from [[Messatine]] (seen in [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|issue #34]]) to [[Mining Outpost C-12|Croteus 12]], ahead of the events of ''Megatron: Origin''.
*[[Empurata]] victim Glitch (here revealed to have the real name of "Damus") has had his claw-hands replaced with proper ones since we last saw him in issue #11.
*Roller is sucking on a [[Kremzeek]] juice box, which we saw him doing back in [[Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|issue #10]]; originally an idea for that issue by artist Alex Milne, James Roberts liked it so much he decided to work it into the development of Roller's character.
*The Elite Guardsmen that Pax and Windcharger wrestle with have the same design as the unpleasant fellow that Megatron kills in [[Megatron Origin issue 1|''Megatron: Origin'' #1]] as well as [[Gasket]]'s killers from [[The Transformers: Drift|''Drift'' #2]].
*As restated this issue, we learned last month that Brainstorm's time machine is coded to work only with his spark type. We've never been told Brainstorm's type, but most of the characters assembled are "Vitreous-Positive"; we learned that Rewind, Chromedome and Whirl shared this type in [[Before & After|issue #12]], and that Riptide shared it in [[Twenty Plus One|issue #31]]. Rodimus and Rung's types are unknown, ''but'', as we also learned in issue #31, Tailgate and Cylonus are "Ferrum-Negative". This means that characters of at least ''two'' spark types have somehow used the machine...
*Chromedome and Brainstorm's shared history at the [[Institute|New Institute]] has been touched upon before in [[Remembrance Day|issue #14]] and [[The Reluctant Specialist|''Spotlight: Trailcutter'']].
*Riptide expresses his dislike of exams, as introduced in issue #31.
*Rodimus makes a crack about "brain bullets"; this was a recurring phrase in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'', in reference to [[cerebro-sensitive bullet]]s.
*Upon seeing the Autobot symbol, Pax assumes Rodimus and the others work for the Senate; the Senate's enforcers were using the symbol as their own in ''Megatron: Origin'', though ''[[Omega's Conundrum|Spotlight: Orion Pax]]'' would later retcon it into being a symbol from ancient Cybertronian history.
*Prime met Chromedome in issue #10, though issue #14 would later reveal Chromedome was then known as Tumbler. This issue reveals the cause of Chromedome and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s "break-up", as Prowl decided to join Sentinel's security forces; Prowl was shown to be among the security forces in ''Megatron: Origin'' #1.
*The Skids of the past is quick to identify the hand-shaped hot spot as "the hand of Primus, pressing the planet into shape"—further evidence of the young theoretician's religiosity, previously evidenced back in issue #11 by the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] tattoo on his cheek, still visible in this issue.
*Prime remembers Megatron as "Megatron with an R"; when they first met in [[Chaos Theory Part 1|issue #21]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]], Pax mistakenly believed his name was "Megaton" and was quickly corrected.
*Tailgate's strong reaction to the subject of killing "newborns" is apt, since he could be considered one himself. He might be one of the oldest members of the crew chronologically, but before joining the Lost Light he'd only spent about two weeks conscious.
*The rescued sparks are sent to a clinic in Nyon to be nurtured. Given that ''[[The Transformers: Autocracy|Autocracy]]'' told us that Rodimus hails from Nyon, and further, that [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|issue #30]] told us he was around 4 million years old (4.2, "give or take"), and described him "waking up" in Nyon—an odd way of describing the birth of a spark which now makes more sense—the implication, then, seems to be that Rodimus himself is one of the saved sparks. This would imply the use of the old paradoxical time travel storytelling trick where, in going back to undo a change to their timeline, our heroes perform actions that are and somehow ''always were'' part of the established timeline. See our notes about Roller under "trivia", below for more; this is also in-line with both what we saw in issue #34, when Brainstorm's appearance in the past caused the evacuation of Messatine, freeing Megatron from Senate clutches, and [[Syndromica (2)|''Robots in Disguise'' #10]], which saw Orion Pax realise he was powerless to change events that had already transpired.
*The whereabouts in the past of several members of the "Time Team" were addressed above, but in full:
**Chromedome: Recently split from Prowl over his decision to join Sentinel Prime's security forces.
**Cyclonus: Trapped in the [[Dead Universe]] with the crew of the first ''Ark'' {{storylink|Spotlight: Cyclonus}}
**Rewind: Unconfirmed, but he and [[Dominus Ambus]] may have already left Cybertron to search for [[Luna 1]] {{storylink|Before & After}}
**Riptide: A warborn [[M.T.O.]], Riptide hasn't been constructed cold yet. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}}
**Rodimus: Unconfirmed (see previous note)
**Rung: Apparently shortly after Messatine, when he interrupted [[Froid]] and [[Trepan]]'s [[shadowplay]] on Megatron {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}}
**Tailgate: Lying unconscious under the [[Mitteous Plateau]] {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}}
**Whirl: Imprisoned in [[Garrus-1]] on Luna 2 {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}}

===Transformers references===
*As noted above, we've seen Kremzeek drinks in IDW continuity before, but they originated with [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Generation One comics]], specifically [[Skyfire (issue)|issue #4 of the 2004 ongoing]].
*The Senate's security forces are named the "[[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]" this issue, after the group from ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'', headed by that universe's [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]].

===Real-life references===
*This arc is named after the Julian Cope song, "An Elegant Chaos" (also part of this issue's soundtrack, see below). The song was part of Cope's album, ''{{w|World Shut Your Mouth (album)|World Shut Your Mouth}}'', which also lent its title to the opening three-parter of ''More than Meets the Eye'' season 2.
*When they originally appeared, the Outliers drew a clear parallel with [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s [[X-Men]], being super-powered "mutants" secretly taught to use their abilities at a school. In what is surely another nod this issue, Windcharger "throws" Orion Pax in a manner similar to the classic X-Men manoeuvre, the {{w|Fastball Special}}.

===Other trivia===
*The theory that underneath his mask, [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] might be Roller—whose present day status being unknown stood out as notable, given that he was a prominent new character close to Optimus Prime—has been a popular [[fandom|fan]] theory for much of the run of ''More than Meets the Eye''. Whether legitimate foreshadowing or deliberate leg-pulling, this issue is ''lousy'' with hints that imply it to be so: Roller is a Point One Percenter, Tarn was implied to be one in issue #14; Roller is seen crushing an Elite Guardman's head with a look of virtual disinterest, Tarn did the same to the alternate [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] in [[slaughterhouse |issue #32]]; Roller has an addictive personality, Tarn is addicted to [[transform]]ing; Roller feels outclassed by the Outliers, a good reason for him to undergo the upgrades that put him on the level of [[Phase Sixer]]s, as noted in issue #14; Orion encourages Roller to read Megatron's works this issue, Tarn is intimately familiar with Megatron's writings; Roller is familiar with Megatron's slogan "You are being deceived" which Tarn later quotes when confronted with the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]]' "coffin"; the left side of Roller's face is noticeably damaged this issue, Tarn has scarring around his left eye visible through his mask in closeups in [[Rules of Disengagement|issue #7]] and [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]]; and Roller is left "abandoned" by his friend as a result of the mind-wipe, a reason he may fall in with the opposite side.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDwgduDrtpY Soft Spot]" by {{w|Clem Snide}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2soLr-1tXY An Elegant Chaos]" by {{w|Julian Cope}}

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Roller by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Orion Pax broods, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' The second half of 30th anniversary celebration image by [[Alex Milne]] and Josh Perez, which connects to the 30th Anniversary cover to [[Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|''Robots in Disguise'' #36]] to complete the picture. The full image is a cross-continuity mash-up featuring thirty characters; this cover includes [[Unicron]], [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], [[Sky-Byte (RID)|''Robots in Disguise'' Sky-Byte]], [[Hot Shot (Animated)|''Animated'' Hot Shot]], [[Dinobot (BW)|''Beast Wars'' Dinobot]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|''Animated'' Bulkhead]], [[Devastator (G1)|G1 Devastator]], [[Impactor (G1)|IDW Impactor]], [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW Galvatron]], [[Megatron (G1)|''Generation 2'' Megatron]], [[Shockwave (WFC)|''War for Cybertron'' Shockwave]], [[Knock Out (Prime)|''Prime'' Knock Out]], [[Blackout (Movie)|live-action Blackout]], [[Drift (G1)|IDW Drift]], [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW Rodimus]], [[Lio Convoy (BWII)|''Beast Wars II'' Lio Convoy]], and [[Ratchet (WFC)|''Prime'' Ratchet]].
*'''SacAnime Exclusive cover:''' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] arm-wrestles with [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|''Beast Hunters'' Optimus Prime]], by [[Tony Fleecs]]

<gallery>
File:MTMTE36 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE36 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE36 cvrRI.jpg|
File:MTMTE36 cvrRE.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #37
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|#36]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]'' [[Drift - Empire of Stone issue 2|#2]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Form Follows Function|#4]]
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[Angry Birds Transformers (comic)|Angry Birds Transformers]]''
*Two new Micro-Comic Fun Packs!
*IDW ''Garbage Pail Kids'' comic (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/idw-comics-preview-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-36-elegant-chaos-part-1/25409/news.html Preview]

The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue

2014-11-27T21:38:01Z

Valgatron: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=35
|prev=Births, Deaths, and Interventions
|next=
|image=MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg
|title="The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 26]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=November 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=Alex Milne and [[Brian Shearer]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The ''Lost Lighters'' realise that Brainstorm has time-travelled into the past in order to change history... and it looks like he has succeeded, as present-day Cybertron has become a world under the totalitarian grip of Functionalism!'''

==Synopsis==

[[Minimus Ambus]] returns to Cybertron following a two-million-year service in the [[Primal Vanguard]], and is met at the spaceport by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]. Minimus is a little disappointed, hoping his brother [[Dominus Ambus]], Rewind's partner, would have come to greet him in person, especially given that he has not heard from him in months. Minimus's return home has come about due to the decommissioning of the [[Primal Vanguard]], occurring in the wake of the [[Functionist Council]]'s sale of [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] to the [[Black Box Consortia]] to end hostilities with the rest of the galaxy, which has also led to the "recall" of the now-obsolete spaceflight-capable [[Lunabot]]s. As the pair are attempting to leave, Minimus's outdated papers cause concern for a law-enforcement "[[Functionary]]", but just as he is scanning Minimus to confirm his function, a battered 'bot suddenly charges through the crowd, pursued by another officer. The two Functionaries gun down the fleeing 'bot, and report to the Functionst Council headquarters that they have just "recalled" the last Lunabot. Few 'bots even pay attention to the grisly scene, however... just another commonplace sight on ''present-day'' Cybertron.

Across the galaxy, on the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] smashes in Rewind's hab suite door when he hears him cry out, but the little archivist has merely been having a bad dream. Things are tense between the pair; Chromedome had hoped to pick up their relationship where they left off, but Rewind is mindful of the fact that neither of them is truly the same 'bot that the other one was with. Chromedome asks about Rewind's nightmare, and the archivist tells him he was remembering the "Dark Dawn" half-a-million years prior, when the Functionists recalled the laser pointers. Chromedome is baffled; such an event never occurred, as Functionism had long since been abandoned by that stage. Rewind pulls up the relevant information from his database, before realising that he too has no memory of it...

In the ''Lost Light'' morgue, [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] solemnly regards [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s dead body when [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] enters. Megatron expects a castigation, and Rodimus ''wants'' to deliver one, but more important matters demand their attention: namely, [[Brainstorm]]'s recent attempt to poison everyone on the ship by tainting the drinks at [[Swerve's]], which only left everyone unconscious instead of dead because [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] waters down his drinks. Rodimus reveals that Brainstorm has fled through means of a ''[[time travel|time machine]]'', a situation so ludicrous that Megatron has a mini-breakdown just trying to process it. Regaining his composure, Megatron concludes that rather than flee to escape repercussion for the poisoning, as [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] believes, rather, Brainstorm poisoned everyone so he would be ''free'' to travel back in time and change the outcome of the war.

On Cybertron, Rewind brings Minimus back to his and Dominus's home, where they watch pirated security footage of a protester being executed by the Functionist Council by means of the explosive [[obsolescence chip]]s that all Cybertronians are now implanted with. Minimus is slowly realising that Rewind and his brother are anti-Functionist rebels when Dominus appears, and the reason for his recent silence is revealed: the council has subjected him to the horrifying process that has supplanted [[empurata]], replacing his head with a screen, thereby robbing him of his face and voice and leaving him able only to communicate through on-screen text. Minimus is overwhelmed, but has to leave to meet with the other former members of the Primal Vanguard so they can receive their new job allocations.

Elsewhere on the planet, in their floating headquarters, "[[Cog (IDW)|The Cog]]", the Functionist Council meets to discuss the next mass recall, choosing their victims not based on functional value, but rather, on their ability to store data that could be used against the council. Thus it is decreeed that [[data slug]]s shall be recalled...

On the ''Lost Light'', [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] is explaining the means by which Brainstorm has time-travelled: his enigmatic [[briefcase]] is the control unit for a time machine made up of multiple other briefcases, linked to the ship's [[quantum engine]]s, and coded for use only by his [[spark]] type. Moreover, Brainstorm has found a way to circumvent the {{w|grandfather paradox}} inherent in attempts to change history, with the new timeline he has created already co-existing with and slowly "bedding in" around them before taking hold. The 'bots' only recourse is to use the quantum-duplicate control briefcase recovered from the other ''Lost Light'' to follow Brainstorm back in time and stop him, and Megatron believes he knows where the scientist has gone: to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]].

Minimus Ambus finds himself surrounded by chaos as he speeds back to his brother's home, data slug 'bots dying all around him as their obsolescence chips are remotely detonated. Worse yet, upon his return, he finds that Dominus has been remotely mind-wiped by the Council, now capable only of expressing and understanding the most basic words. Through the words on Dominus's screen, the Council speak directly to Minimus and Rewind, revealing that they discovered Dominus's treachery via cameras secretly installed in Minimus's eyes—a process all Primal Vanguard members were secretly subjected to on their return flight, as a first test of a new surveillance system that will soon become mandatory for all Cybertronians. Rewind vows to stop them, announcing that Dominus has deactivated his obsolescence chip... but alas, the Council reveal that his ''back-up'' chip is still active. Seconds later, Rewind is gone...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Minimus Ambus]]/[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (2)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (8)
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s corpse (10)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (11)
*''[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]'' (12)
*''[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'' (13)
*''[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]]'' (14)
*''[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]]'' (15)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (16)
*''[[Doublecross]]'' (17)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (33)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (34)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*''[[Brainstorm]]'' (18)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] (4)
*[[Functionary|Functionaries]] (5, 7)
*[[Lunabot]] fugitive (6)
*Female protester (19)
*[[Dominus Ambus]] (20)
*[[One-of-Twelve]] (21)
*[[Two-of-Twelve]] (22)
*[[Three-of-Twelve]] (23)
*[[Four-of-Twelve]] (24)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Five-of-Twelve]] (25)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (26)
*[[Seven-of-Twelve]] (27)
*[[Eight-of-Twelve]] (28)
*[[Nine-of-Twelve]] (29)
*[[Ten-of-Twelve]] (30)
*[[Eleven-of-Twelve]] (31)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (32)
*[[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (35)
*[[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (36)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"I'm fine. '''Bad dream''', that's all. My first flashback. These things'll happen when you've got a head full of history."
:—'''Rewind'''

"This conversation is ridiculous. '''You''' are ridiculous. Everything that's happened in the last few days is '''intensely''' ridiculous. Six months into this '''shambles of a quest'''—six months!—and not a day goes by—not an '''hour'''—when I don't have to stand back from this endless parade of '''nonsense''' and remind myself, by means of several blows to the head, that I am here of my '''own volition''', and not as a result of some—some '''elaborate trap''' set by Optimus Prime. Why bother looking for the Knights of Cybertron? Why postpone my trial? I've already been '''convicted'''—and '''this''' is my '''punishment. You!''' This '''ship!''' This '''life!'''" 
"Better?" 
"...Yes. I apologize." 
"Not at all. On this ship, a minor breakdown is practically a '''rite of passage.'''"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''

"Won't Brainstorm's meddling simply create a second timeline that runs alongside our own—like a '''parallel universe?''' Hello...?" 
... 
"Oh, so I'm not allowed to take an interest in magic? I don't just captain ships and build [[Rodpod]]s, you know!"
:—'''Rodimus'''

'''Ultra Magnus:''' "What do we do now? Take his machine apart? Blow it up?" 
'''Perceptor:''' "No, that would strand Brainstorm in the past—and quite possibly '''cement''' any changes he's made. Will make. Might make." 
'''Rodimus:''' "It's time travel, Percy. Leave your tenses at the door."

"They took his words!" 
"His what?" 
"His '''vocabulary!''' All he's got left are the '''basics:''' yes, no, up, down, big, small... and the words he's lost—when you speak to him, the words he's lost—he doesn't know what they '''mean''' anymore! And there are certain words, Minimus—'''tiny''' words—'''important''' words—there are certain words you can't afford to lose."
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Minimus Ambus'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*We are not informed that the opening scene is set in the present day until it ends, when ''More than Meets the Eye'' standard is to establish time periods through captions at the ''start'' of such scenes. Before this revelation, there's enough going on in the scene to make us think that it could just be set in the pre-war era, but there are also some clues sprinkled in: Minimus has been away for two million years, for instance, and as the pre-war era was at least four million years ago, that would place Minimus's departure at six million years ago, in [[Nova Prime]]'s era, and he's not that old. Mention is also made of how the intellectual class has been outlawed, and how "knock-offs" (Transformers who were [[reproduction|constructed cold]]) have been deported, scenarios incompatible with what we have seen of pre-war Cybertron in the past.
*Broadly speaking, the alternate timeline that Brainstorm has created is not one in which the Decepticons ''won'' the war, but one in which the war appears to have never even broken out. The Functionist Council was then subsequently never disbanded, and instead "unseated" the [[Senate]] and took complete control of Cybertron.
*As an effect of that, Pharma never went bonkers, and he and Ratchet are still friends, as they can be glimpsed chatting on page 3.
*In the alternate timeline, the "Black Box Consortia" have purchased Luna 2, evidently this timeline's version of—or perhaps just a typo of—the [[Black Block Consortia]], previously mentioned in [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|issues #34]] and [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|#24]].
*"Laser pointers" are among the decommissioned disposable class 'bots; laser pointers were mentioned in the same breath as data slugs when the disposable class was first discussed back in [[Before & After|issue #12]]. Chromedome and Rewind had a friend who was a laser pointer named [[Shimmerstick]].
*The "old" Rewind bought a souvenir replica of Hedonia's "Raging Prism" from a gift shop on the planet; the Autobots visited Hedonia in [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]], and the prism was mentioned in that issue and in [[Little Victories|issue #22]]. The gift shop appeared in issue #13's back-up prose story, "[[Signal to Noise]]".
*Someone has placed a [[Rodimus Star]] in the deceased Trailcutter's hand; his desire to earn the award was part of the story of his [[The Reluctant Specialist|self-titled ''Spotlight'' issue]].
*It just seemed like a passing remark back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|issue #30]] when Brainstorm noted he "always carried [his] own" drinks, but it takes on a whole new meaning with this issue's revelation that he's been spiking the proverbial punch bowl!
*The executed protester looks like a female version of Rung! Her bellowed rhetoric includes the phrase "All hail the Useless One"; it seems likely that she is talking about Rung himself, whose alternate mode is an unrecognizable, apparently-purposeless "ornament", and that she is some form of disciple or follower of his (or the idea he represents) in this alternate world, and has patterned her appearance after him.
*And of course, the fact that the protester is a female at all is point of interest, since in the regular timeline, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] was the only female 'bot known to exist before the [[Caminus|Caminean]]s came onto this scene. Did females "evolve" on Cybertron the way they did on Caminus in this alternate timeline?
*We previously met Functionist Authenticator [[Three-of-Twelve]] in [[Remembrance Day|issue #14]]. We now understand the meaning of his name, as he is the third member of the twelve-'bot Functionist council.
*The long-standing secret of Brainstorm's briefcase is revealed: as was hinted by the disruption of time that occurred when its quantum-duplicate was opened in [[slaughterhouse|issue #32]], it's the control unit of a time-machine. Presumably, the paradox-defying component of the time machine played some kind of role in how the duplicate case and duplicate Rewind survived the erasure of "their" ''Lost Light''.
*Rodimus gripes that he is "not allowed to take an interest in magic"; as we know from [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]], "magic=science that Rodimus doesn't understand".
*It is now explained that the "masterpiece" Brainstorm alluded to in #7 of the series was not a joke response to Chromedome's inquiry about his new project but a serious one, the only clue given at that time being the fact that "its success kinda depends on him catching the universe unawares".

===Transformers references===
*In the first panel of page 3, the spaceport is crammed with cameo appearances by [[Unicron Trilogy]] Autobots and Decepticons, including: [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Cybertron'' Jetfire]], [[Wing Saber (Energon)|''Energon'' Wing Saber]], [[Blurr (Armada)|''Armada'' Blurr]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Crumplezone]], [[Tow-Line (Energon)|''Energon'' Tow-Line]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Armada'' Cyclonus]], [[Sky Shadow (Energon)|''Energon'' Sky Shadow]], [[Ironhide (Energon)|''Energon'' Ironhide]], [[Sparkplug (Armada)|''Armada'' Sparkplug]], [[Prowl (Energon)|''Energon'' Prowl]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Energon'' Snow Cat]], [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Brakedown]], [[Smokescreen (Armada)|''Armada'' Hoist]], [[Bulkhead (Energon)|''Energon'' Bulkhead]], [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|''Energon'' Ultra Magnus]], [[Beachcomber (Energon)|''Energon'' Beachcomber]], [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Energon'' Hot Shot]] and [[Demolishor (Armada)|''Armada'' Demolishor]] (we're not listing them in the cast list because c'mon, they ''are'' just easter egg cameos). The Lunabot who tries to evade capture is [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Energon'' Jetfire]], who has the spaceship alternate mode that makes him appropriate for the role. Their appearance was a choice by artist Alex Milne, in celebration of his ten years drawing ''Transformers'' comics<ref>[https://twitter.com/markerguru/status/537641819568619520 Alex Milne (@markerguru) on Twitter]</ref> – [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s [[Transformers: Energon (comic)|''Energon'' comic]] was his first work on the franchise.
*Also, on page 4, a 'bot resembling [[Overcast (Movie)|Overcast]] from the [[Movie (toyline)|live-action film toyline]] is visible.
*On page 5, a [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]-colored 'bot similar to [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] is among the onlookers; while not an exact match for details, this is probably a reference to [[Shockwave (Cloud)|''Cloud'' Shockwave]], who is a [[redeco]] of [[Whirl (G1)#Generations|''Generations'' Whirl]].
*The word [[Pretender]] has a history in the franchise, of course, but in the alternate timeline, it's become a word used to describe 'bots who have fake [[kibble]] attached to themselves to try and pass themselves off as having different alternate modes. This also marks the first official in-fiction use of the fan term "kibble" to describe alternate mode parts evident in robot mode; it's been a passing plot point in ''More than Meets the Eye'' before, back in [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|issue #24]], where it was just referred to as "secondary anatomy".
*The functionary who reports on the Lunabot's death is number 664; that's "332" times two, 332 being the total number of issues of the original [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK series]].
*Chromedome notes that, half a million years ago, he and Rewind were fighting [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in the [[Manganese Mountains]]. The mountains have received a few references in IDW continutity before, but this reference is specifically to the Marvel ''[[The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters]]'' mini-series, which introduced the mountains, and in which Chromedome's unit did indeed fight Scorponok among the peaks.
*The 'bots coin the term "time jump" to describe Brainstorm's trip into the past; this was the term used for time travel in the Marvel UK series.
*On page 20, we get some more other-continuity cameos, but these guys ''do'' make it into the cast list because they're pre-existing characters within this continuity: [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Armada'' Hot Shot]], whose Generation 1 incarnation [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (his name taken from his ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (franchise)|Henkei!]]'' toy) has already appeared in IDW continuity in [[Drift issue 1|''Drift'' #1]], and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|''Prime'' Bulkhead]], whose [[Bulkhead (G1)|G1 self]] has shown up in both [[The Transformers: Monstrosity|''Monstrosity'']] and [[The Transformers: Primacy|''Primacy'']].

===Real-life references===
*The security officer who stops Minimus is designed after classic UK comic strip law-enforcer, {{w|Judge Dredd}}.

===Errors===
* On page 11, in panel 4, the three word balloons are offset to the right in a way that makes them all appear to come from Rodimus.
* The Council message on page 20, panel 3, alternates between the British English spelling ''offence'' and American English spelling ''offense''.

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn_IPaS7GFE Blue Skies]'' by {{w|Longpigs}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLiLUIpNvM No Surprises]'' by {{w|Radiohead}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' EVERYTHING IS FINE, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Three-of-Twelve, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' The third in November's series of three 30th Anniversary covers by [[Andrew Griffith]], depicting [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] riding [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] as they stomp [[Quintesson]]s, from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''
<gallery>
File:MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #36
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|#35]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 4|#4]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Form Follows Function|#4]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]''
*IDW ''Littlest Pet Shop'' comic
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[Angry Birds Transformers (comic)|Angry Birds Transformers]]'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/idw-comics-preview-the-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-35/25238/news.html Preview]

==References==
{{reflist}}

The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue

2014-11-27T21:26:38Z

Valgatron: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=35
|prev=Births, Deaths, and Interventions
|next=
|image=MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg
|title="The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 26]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=November 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=Alex Milne and [[Brian Shearer]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The ''Lost Lighters'' realise that Brainstorm has time-travelled into the past in order to change history... and it looks like he has succeeded, as present-day Cybertron has become a world under the totalitarian grip of Functionalism!'''

==Synopsis==

[[Minimus Ambus]] returns to Cybertron following a two-million-year service in the [[Primal Vanguard]], and is met at the spaceport by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]. Minimus is a little disappointed, hoping his brother [[Dominus Ambus]], Rewind's partner, would have come to greet him in person, especially given that he has not heard from him in months. Minimus's return home has come about due to the decommissioning of the [[Primal Vanguard]], occurring in the wake of the [[Functionist Council]]'s sale of [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] to the [[Black Box Consortia]] to end hostilities with the rest of the galaxy, which has also led to the "recall" of the now-obsolete spaceflight-capable [[Lunabot]]s. As the pair are attempting to leave, Minimus's outdated papers cause concern for a law-enforcement "[[Functionary]]", but just as he is scanning Minimus to confirm his function, a battered 'bot suddenly charges through the crowd, pursued by another officer. The two Functionaries gun down the fleeing 'bot, and report to the Functionst Council headquarters that they have just "recalled" the last Lunabot. Few 'bots even pay attention to the grisly scene, however... just another commonplace sight on ''present-day'' Cybertron.

Across the galaxy, on the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] smashes in Rewind's hab suite door when he hears him cry out, but the little archivist has merely been having a bad dream. Things are tense between the pair; Chromedome had hoped to pick up their relationship where they left off, but Rewind is mindful of the fact that neither of them is truly the same 'bot that the other one was with. Chromedome asks about Rewind's nightmare, and the archivist tells him he was remembering the "Dark Dawn" half-a-million years prior, when the Functionists recalled the laser pointers. Chromedome is baffled; such an event never occurred, as Functionism had long since been abandoned by that stage. Rewind pulls up the relevant information from his database, before realising that he too has no memory of it...

In the ''Lost Light'' morgue, [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] solemnly regards [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s dead body when [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] enters. Megatron expects a castigation, and Rodimus ''wants'' to deliver one, but more important matters demand their attention: namely, [[Brainstorm]]'s recent attempt to poison everyone on the ship by tainting the drinks at [[Swerve's]], which only left everyone unconscious instead of dead because [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] waters down his drinks. Rodimus reveals that Brainstorm has fled through means of a ''[[time travel|time machine]]'', a situation so ludicrous that Megatron has a mini-breakdown just trying to process it. Regaining his composure, Megatron concludes that rather than flee to escape repercussion for the poisoning, as [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] believes, rather, Brainstorm poisoned everyone so he would be ''free'' to travel back in time and change the outcome of the war.

On Cybertron, Rewind brings Minimus back to his and Dominus's home, where they watch pirated security footage of a protester being executed by the Functionist Council by means of the explosive [[obsolescence chip]]s that all Cybertronians are now implanted with. Minimus is slowly realising that Rewind and his brother are anti-Functionist rebels when Dominus appears, and the reason for his recent silence is revealed: the council has subjected him to the horrifying process that has supplanted [[empurata]], replacing his head with a screen, thereby robbing him of his face and voice and leaving him able only to communicate through on-screen text. Minimus is overwhelmed, but has to leave to meet with the other former members of the Primal Vanguard so they can receive their new job allocations.

Elsewhere on the planet, in their floating headquarters, "[[Cog (IDW)|The Cog]]", the Functionist Council meets to discuss the next mass recall, choosing their victims not based on functional value, but rather, on their ability to store data that could be used against the council. Thus it is decreeed that [[data slug]]s shall be recalled...

On the ''Lost Light'', [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] is explaining the means by which Brainstorm has time-travelled: his enigmatic [[briefcase]] is the control unit for a time machine made up of multiple other briefcases, linked to the ship's [[quantum engine]]s, and coded for use only by his [[spark]] type. Moreover, Brainstorm has found a way to circumvent the {{w|grandfather paradox}} inherent in attempts to change history, with the new timeline he has created already co-existing with and slowly "bedding in" around them before taking hold. The 'bots' only recourse is to use the quantum-duplicate control briefcase recovered from the other ''Lost Light'' to follow Brainstorm back in time and stop him, and Megatron believes he knows where the scientist has gone: to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]].

Minimus Ambus finds himself surrounded by chaos as he speeds back to his brother's home, data slug 'bots dying all around him as their obsolescence chips are remotely detonated. Worse yet, upon his return, he finds that Dominus has been remotely mind-wiped by the Council, now capable only of expressing and understanding the most basic words. Through the words on Dominus's screen, the Council speak directly to Minimus and Rewind, revealing that they discovered Dominus's treachery via cameras secretly installed in Minimus's eyes—a process all Primal Vanguard members were secretly subjected to on their return flight, as a first test of a new surveillance system that will soon become mandatory for all Cybertronians. Rewind vows to stop them, announcing that Dominus has deactivated his obsolescence chip... but alas, the Council reveal that his ''back-up'' chip is still active. Seconds later, Rewind is gone...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Minimus Ambus]]/[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (2)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (8)
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s corpse (10)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (11)
*''[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]'' (12)
*''[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'' (13)
*''[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]]'' (14)
*''[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]]'' (15)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (16)
*''[[Doublecross]]'' (17)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (33)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (34)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*''[[Brainstorm]]'' (18)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] (4)
*[[Functionary|Functionaries]] (5, 7)
*[[Lunabot]] fugitive (6)
*Female protester (19)
*[[Dominus Ambus]] (20)
*[[One-of-Twelve]] (21)
*[[Two-of-Twelve]] (22)
*[[Three-of-Twelve]] (23)
*[[Four-of-Twelve]] (24)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Five-of-Twelve]] (25)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (26)
*[[Seven-of-Twelve]] (27)
*[[Eight-of-Twelve]] (28)
*[[Nine-of-Twelve]] (29)
*[[Ten-of-Twelve]] (30)
*[[Eleven-of-Twelve]] (31)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (32)
*[[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (35)
*[[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (36)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"I'm fine. '''Bad dream''', that's all. My first flashback. These things'll happen when you've got a head full of history."
:—'''Rewind'''

"This conversation is ridiculous. '''You''' are ridiculous. Everything that's happened in the last few days is '''intensely''' ridiculous. Six months into this '''shambles of a quest'''—six months!—and not a day goes by—not an '''hour'''—when I don't have to stand back from this endless parade of '''nonsense''' and remind myself, by means of several blows to the head, that I am here of my '''own volition''', and not as a result of some—some '''elaborate trap''' set by Optimus Prime. Why bother looking for the Knights of Cybertron? Why postpone my trial? I've already been '''convicted'''—and '''this''' is my '''punishment. You!''' This '''ship!''' This '''life!'''" 
"Better?" 
"...Yes. I apologize." 
"Not at all. On this ship, a minor breakdown is practically a '''rite of passage.'''"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''

"Won't Brainstorm's meddling simply create a second timeline that runs alongside our own—like a '''parallel universe?''' Hello...?" 
... 
"Oh, so I'm not allowed to take an interest in magic? I don't just captain ships and build [[Rodpod]]s, you know!"
:—'''Rodimus'''

'''Ultra Magnus:''' "What do we do now? Take his machine apart? Blow it up?" 
'''Perceptor:''' "No, that would strand Brainstorm in the past—and quite possibly '''cement''' any changes he's made. Will make. Might make." 
'''Rodimus:''' "It's time travel, Percy. Leave your tenses at the door."

"They took his words!" 
"His what?" 
"His '''vocabulary!''' All he's got left are the '''basics:''' yes, no, up, down, big, small... and the words he's lost—when you speak to him, the words he's lost—he doesn't know what they '''mean''' anymore! And there are certain words, Minimus—'''tiny''' words—'''important''' words—there are certain words you can't afford to lose."
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Minimus Ambus'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*We are not informed that the opening scene is set in the present day until it ends, when ''More than Meets the Eye'' standard is to establish time periods through captions at the ''start'' of such scenes. Before this revelation, there's enough going on in the scene to make us think that it could just be set in the pre-war era, but there are also some clues sprinkled in: Minimus has been away for two million years, for instance, and as the pre-war era was at least four million years ago, that would place Minimus's departure at six million years ago, in [[Nova Prime]]'s era, and he's not that old. Mention is also made of how the intellectual class has been outlawed, and how "knock-offs" (Transformers who were [[reproduction|constructed cold]]) have been deported, scenarios incompatible with what we have seen of pre-war Cybertron in the past.
*Broadly speaking, the alternate timeline that Brainstorm has created is not one in which the Decepticons ''won'' the war, but one in which the war appears to have never even broken out. The Functionist Council was then subsequently never disbanded, and instead "unseated" the [[Senate]] and took complete control of Cybertron.
*As an effect of that, Pharma never went bonkers, and he and Ratchet are still friends, as they can be glimpsed chatting on page 3.
*In the alternate timeline, the "Black Box Consortia" have purchased Luna 2, evidently this timeline's version of—or perhaps just a typo of—the [[Black Block Consortia]], previously mentioned in [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|issues #34]] and [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|#24]].
*"Laser pointers" are among the decommissioned disposable class 'bots; laser pointers were mentioned in the same breath as data slugs when the disposable class was first discussed back in [[Before & After|issue #12]]. Chromedome and Rewind had a friend who was a laser pointer named [[Shimmerstick]].
*The "old" Rewind bought a souvenir replica of Hedonia's "Raging Prism" from a gift shop on the planet; the Autobots visited Hedonia in [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]], and the prism was mentioned in that issue and in [[Little Victories|issue #22]]. The gift shop appeared in issue #13's back-up prose story, "[[Signal to Noise]]".
*Someone has placed a [[Rodimus Star]] in the deceased Trailcutter's hand; his desire to earn the award was part of the story of his [[The Reluctant Specialist|self-titled ''Spotlight'' issue]].
*It just seemed like a passing remark back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|issue #30]] when Brainstorm noted he "always carried [his] own" drinks, but it takes on a whole new meaning with this issue's revelation that he's been spiking the proverbial punch bowl!
*The executed protester looks like a female version of Rung! Her bellowed rhetoric includes the phrase "All hail the Useless One"; it seems likely that she is talking about Rung himself, whose alternate mode is an unrecognizable, apparently-purposeless "ornament", and that she is some form of disciple or follower of his (or the idea he represents) in this alternate world, and has patterned her appearance after him.
*And of course, the fact that the protester is a female at all is point of interest, since in the regular timeline, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] was the only female 'bot known to exist before the [[Caminus|Caminean]]s came onto this scene. Did females "evolve" on Cybertron the way they did on Caminus in this alternate timeline?
*We previously met Functionist Authenticator [[Three-of-Twelve]] in [[Remembrance Day|issue #14]]. We now understand the meaning of his name, as he is the third member of the twelve-'bot Functionist council.
*The long-standing secret of Brainstorm's briefcase is revealed: as was hinted by the disruption of time that occurred when its quantum-duplicate was opened in [[slaughterhouse|issue #32]], it's the control unit of a time-machine. Presumably, the paradox-defying component of the time machine played some kind of role in how the duplicate case and duplicate Rewind survived the erasure of "their" ''Lost Light''.
*Rodimus gripes that he is "not allowed to take an interest in magic"; as we know from [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]], "magic=science that Rodimus doesn't understand".
*It is now explained that the "masterpiece" Brainstorm alluded to in #7 of the series was not a joke response to Chromedome's inquiry about his new project but a serious one, the only clue given at that time being the fact that "its success kinda depends on me catching the universe unawares".

===Transformers references===
*In the first panel of page 3, the spaceport is crammed with cameo appearances by [[Unicron Trilogy]] Autobots and Decepticons, including: [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Cybertron'' Jetfire]], [[Wing Saber (Energon)|''Energon'' Wing Saber]], [[Blurr (Armada)|''Armada'' Blurr]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Crumplezone]], [[Tow-Line (Energon)|''Energon'' Tow-Line]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Armada'' Cyclonus]], [[Sky Shadow (Energon)|''Energon'' Sky Shadow]], [[Ironhide (Energon)|''Energon'' Ironhide]], [[Sparkplug (Armada)|''Armada'' Sparkplug]], [[Prowl (Energon)|''Energon'' Prowl]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Energon'' Snow Cat]], [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Brakedown]], [[Smokescreen (Armada)|''Armada'' Hoist]], [[Bulkhead (Energon)|''Energon'' Bulkhead]], [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|''Energon'' Ultra Magnus]], [[Beachcomber (Energon)|''Energon'' Beachcomber]], [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Energon'' Hot Shot]] and [[Demolishor (Armada)|''Armada'' Demolishor]] (we're not listing them in the cast list because c'mon, they ''are'' just easter egg cameos). The Lunabot who tries to evade capture is [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Energon'' Jetfire]], who has the spaceship alternate mode that makes him appropriate for the role. Their appearance was a choice by artist Alex Milne, in celebration of his ten years drawing ''Transformers'' comics<ref>[https://twitter.com/markerguru/status/537641819568619520 Alex Milne (@markerguru) on Twitter]</ref> – [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s [[Transformers: Energon (comic)|''Energon'' comic]] was his first work on the franchise.
*Also, on page 4, a 'bot resembling [[Overcast (Movie)|Overcast]] from the [[Movie (toyline)|live-action film toyline]] is visible.
*On page 5, a [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]-colored 'bot similar to [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] is among the onlookers; while not an exact match for details, this is probably a reference to [[Shockwave (Cloud)|''Cloud'' Shockwave]], who is a [[redeco]] of [[Whirl (G1)#Generations|''Generations'' Whirl]].
*The word [[Pretender]] has a history in the franchise, of course, but in the alternate timeline, it's become a word used to describe 'bots who have fake [[kibble]] attached to themselves to try and pass themselves off as having different alternate modes. This also marks the first official in-fiction use of the fan term "kibble" to describe alternate mode parts evident in robot mode; it's been a passing plot point in ''More than Meets the Eye'' before, back in [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|issue #24]], where it was just referred to as "secondary anatomy".
*The functionary who reports on the Lunabot's death is number 664; that's "332" times two, 332 being the total number of issues of the original [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK series]].
*Chromedome notes that, half a million years ago, he and Rewind were fighting [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in the [[Manganese Mountains]]. The mountains have received a few references in IDW continutity before, but this reference is specifically to the Marvel ''[[The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters]]'' mini-series, which introduced the mountains, and in which Chromedome's unit did indeed fight Scorponok among the peaks.
*The 'bots coin the term "time jump" to describe Brainstorm's trip into the past; this was the term used for time travel in the Marvel UK series.
*On page 20, we get some more other-continuity cameos, but these guys ''do'' make it into the cast list because they're pre-existing characters within this continuity: [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Armada'' Hot Shot]], whose Generation 1 incarnation [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (his name taken from his ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (franchise)|Henkei!]]'' toy) has already appeared in IDW continuity in [[Drift issue 1|''Drift'' #1]], and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|''Prime'' Bulkhead]], whose [[Bulkhead (G1)|G1 self]] has shown up in both [[The Transformers: Monstrosity|''Monstrosity'']] and [[The Transformers: Primacy|''Primacy'']].

===Real-life references===
*The security officer who stops Minimus is designed after classic UK comic strip law-enforcer, {{w|Judge Dredd}}.

===Errors===
* On page 11, in panel 4, the three word balloons are offset to the right in a way that makes them all appear to come from Rodimus.
* The Council message on page 20, panel 3, alternates between the British English spelling ''offence'' and American English spelling ''offense''.

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn_IPaS7GFE Blue Skies]'' by {{w|Longpigs}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLiLUIpNvM No Surprises]'' by {{w|Radiohead}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' EVERYTHING IS FINE, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Three-of-Twelve, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' The third in November's series of three 30th Anniversary covers by [[Andrew Griffith]], depicting [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] riding [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] as they stomp [[Quintesson]]s, from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''
<gallery>
File:MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #36
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|#35]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 4|#4]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Form Follows Function|#4]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]''
*IDW ''Littlest Pet Shop'' comic
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[Angry Birds Transformers (comic)|Angry Birds Transformers]]'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/idw-comics-preview-the-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-35/25238/news.html Preview]

==References==
{{reflist}}

The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue

2014-11-27T21:23:30Z

Valgatron: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=35
|prev=Births, Deaths, and Interventions
|next=
|image=MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg
|title="The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 26]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=November 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=Alex Milne and [[Brian Shearer]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The ''Lost Lighters'' realise that Brainstorm has time-travelled into the past in order to change history... and it looks like he has succeeded, as present-day Cybertron has become a world under the totalitarian grip of Functionalism!'''

==Synopsis==

[[Minimus Ambus]] returns to Cybertron following a two-million-year service in the [[Primal Vanguard]], and is met at the spaceport by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]. Minimus is a little disappointed, hoping his brother [[Dominus Ambus]], Rewind's partner, would have come to greet him in person, especially given that he has not heard from him in months. Minimus's return home has come about due to the decommissioning of the [[Primal Vanguard]], occurring in the wake of the [[Functionist Council]]'s sale of [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] to the [[Black Box Consortia]] to end hostilities with the rest of the galaxy, which has also led to the "recall" of the now-obsolete spaceflight-capable [[Lunabot]]s. As the pair are attempting to leave, Minimus's outdated papers cause concern for a law-enforcement "[[Functionary]]", but just as he is scanning Minimus to confirm his function, a battered 'bot suddenly charges through the crowd, pursued by another officer. The two Functionaries gun down the fleeing 'bot, and report to the Functionst Council headquarters that they have just "recalled" the last Lunabot. Few 'bots even pay attention to the grisly scene, however... just another commonplace sight on ''present-day'' Cybertron.

Across the galaxy, on the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] smashes in Rewind's hab suite door when he hears him cry out, but the little archivist has merely been having a bad dream. Things are tense between the pair; Chromedome had hoped to pick up their relationship where they left off, but Rewind is mindful of the fact that neither of them is truly the same 'bot that the other one was with. Chromedome asks about Rewind's nightmare, and the archivist tells him he was remembering the "Dark Dawn" half-a-million years prior, when the Functionists recalled the laser pointers. Chromedome is baffled; such an event never occurred, as Functionism had long since been abandoned by that stage. Rewind pulls up the relevant information from his database, before realising that he too has no memory of it...

In the ''Lost Light'' morgue, [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] solemnly regards [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s dead body when [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] enters. Megatron expects a castigation, and Rodimus ''wants'' to deliver one, but more important matters demand their attention: namely, [[Brainstorm]]'s recent attempt to poison everyone on the ship by tainting the drinks at [[Swerve's]], which only left everyone unconscious instead of dead because [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] waters down his drinks. Rodimus reveals that Brainstorm has fled through means of a ''[[time travel|time machine]]'', a situation so ludicrous that Megatron has a mini-breakdown just trying to process it. Regaining his composure, Megatron concludes that rather than flee to escape repercussion for the poisoning, as [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] believes, rather, Brainstorm poisoned everyone so he would be ''free'' to travel back in time and change the outcome of the war.

On Cybertron, Rewind brings Minimus back to his and Dominus's home, where they watch pirated security footage of a protester being executed by the Functionist Council by means of the explosive [[obsolescence chip]]s that all Cybertronians are now implanted with. Minimus is slowly realising that Rewind and his brother are anti-Functionist rebels when Dominus appears, and the reason for his recent silence is revealed: the council has subjected him to the horrifying process that has supplanted [[empurata]], replacing his head with a screen, thereby robbing him of his face and voice and leaving him able only to communicate through on-screen text. Minimus is overwhelmed, but has to leave to meet with the other former members of the Primal Vanguard so they can receive their new job allocations.

Elsewhere on the planet, in their floating headquarters, "[[Cog (IDW)|The Cog]]", the Functionist Council meets to discuss the next mass recall, choosing their victims not based on functional value, but rather, on their ability to store data that could be used against the council. Thus it is decreeed that [[data slug]]s shall be recalled...

On the ''Lost Light'', [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] is explaining the means by which Brainstorm has time-travelled: his enigmatic [[briefcase]] is the control unit for a time machine made up of multiple other briefcases, linked to the ship's [[quantum engine]]s, and coded for use only by his [[spark]] type. Moreover, Brainstorm has found a way to circumvent the {{w|grandfather paradox}} inherent in attempts to change history, with the new timeline he has created already co-existing with and slowly "bedding in" around them before taking hold. The 'bots' only recourse is to use the quantum-duplicate control briefcase recovered from the other ''Lost Light'' to follow Brainstorm back in time and stop him, and Megatron believes he knows where the scientist has gone: to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]].

Minimus Ambus finds himself surrounded by chaos as he speeds back to his brother's home, data slug 'bots dying all around him as their obsolescence chips are remotely detonated. Worse yet, upon his return, he finds that Dominus has been remotely mind-wiped by the Council, now capable only of expressing and understanding the most basic words. Through the words on Dominus's screen, the Council speak directly to Minimus and Rewind, revealing that they discovered Dominus's treachery via cameras secretly installed in Minimus's eyes—a process all Primal Vanguard members were secretly subjected to on their return flight, as a first test of a new surveillance system that will soon become mandatory for all Cybertronians. Rewind vows to stop them, announcing that Dominus has deactivated his obsolescence chip... but alas, the Council reveal that his ''back-up'' chip is still active. Seconds later, Rewind is gone...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Minimus Ambus]]/[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (2)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (8)
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s corpse (10)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (11)
*''[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]'' (12)
*''[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'' (13)
*''[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]]'' (14)
*''[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]]'' (15)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (16)
*''[[Doublecross]]'' (17)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (33)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (34)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*''[[Brainstorm]]'' (18)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] (4)
*[[Functionary|Functionaries]] (5, 7)
*[[Lunabot]] fugitive (6)
*Female protester (19)
*[[Dominus Ambus]] (20)
*[[One-of-Twelve]] (21)
*[[Two-of-Twelve]] (22)
*[[Three-of-Twelve]] (23)
*[[Four-of-Twelve]] (24)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Five-of-Twelve]] (25)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (26)
*[[Seven-of-Twelve]] (27)
*[[Eight-of-Twelve]] (28)
*[[Nine-of-Twelve]] (29)
*[[Ten-of-Twelve]] (30)
*[[Eleven-of-Twelve]] (31)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (32)
*[[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (35)
*[[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (36)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"I'm fine. '''Bad dream''', that's all. My first flashback. These things'll happen when you've got a head full of history."
:—'''Rewind'''

"This conversation is ridiculous. '''You''' are ridiculous. Everything that's happened in the last few days is '''intensely''' ridiculous. Six months into this '''shambles of a quest'''—six months!—and not a day goes by—not an '''hour'''—when I don't have to stand back from this endless parade of '''nonsense''' and remind myself, by means of several blows to the head, that I am here of my '''own volition''', and not as a result of some—some '''elaborate trap''' set by Optimus Prime. Why bother looking for the Knights of Cybertron? Why postpone my trial? I've already been '''convicted'''—and '''this''' is my '''punishment. You!''' This '''ship!''' This '''life!'''" 
"Better?" 
"...Yes. I apologize." 
"Not at all. On this ship, a minor breakdown is practically a '''rite of passage.'''"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''

"Won't Brainstorm's meddling simply create a second timeline that runs alongside our own—like a '''parallel universe?''' Hello...?" 
... 
"Oh, so I'm not allowed to take an interest in magic? I don't just captain ships and build [[Rodpod]]s, you know!"
:—'''Rodimus'''

'''Ultra Magnus:''' "What do we do now? Take his machine apart? Blow it up?" 
'''Perceptor:''' "No, that would strand Brainstorm in the past—and quite possibly '''cement''' any changes he's made. Will make. Might make." 
'''Rodimus:''' "It's time travel, Percy. Leave your tenses at the door."

"They took his words!" 
"His what?" 
"His '''vocabulary!''' All he's got left are the '''basics:''' yes, no, up, down, big, small... and the words he's lost—when you speak to him, the words he's lost—he doesn't know what they '''mean''' anymore! And there are certain words, Minimus—'''tiny''' words—'''important''' words—there are certain words you can't afford to lose."
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Minimus Ambus'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*We are not informed that the opening scene is set in the present day until it ends, when ''More than Meets the Eye'' standard is to establish time periods through captions at the ''start'' of such scenes. Before this revelation, there's enough going on in the scene to make us think that it could just be set in the pre-war era, but there are also some clues sprinkled in: Minimus has been away for two million years, for instance, and as the pre-war era was at least four million years ago, that would place Minimus's departure at six million years ago, in [[Nova Prime]]'s era, and he's not that old. Mention is also made of how the intellectual class has been outlawed, and how "knock-offs" (Transformers who were [[reproduction|constructed cold]]) have been deported, scenarios incompatible with what we have seen of pre-war Cybertron in the past.
*Broadly speaking, the alternate timeline that Brainstorm has created is not one in which the Decepticons ''won'' the war, but one in which the war appears to have never even broken out. The Functionist Council was then subsequently never disbanded, and instead "unseated" the [[Senate]] and took complete control of Cybertron.
*As an effect of that, Pharma never went bonkers, and he and Ratchet are still friends, as they can be glimpsed chatting on page 3.
*In the alternate timeline, the "Black Box Consortia" have purchased Luna 2, evidently this timeline's version of—or perhaps just a typo of—the [[Black Block Consortia]], previously mentioned in [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|issues #34]] and [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|#24]].
*"Laser pointers" are among the decommissioned disposable class 'bots; laser pointers were mentioned in the same breath as data slugs when the disposable class was first discussed back in [[Before & After|issue #12]]. Chromedome and Rewind had a friend who was a laser pointer named [[Shimmerstick]].
*The "old" Rewind bought a souvenir replica of Hedonia's "Raging Prism" from a gift shop on the planet; the Autobots visited Hedonia in [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]], and the prism was mentioned in that issue and in [[Little Victories|issue #22]]. The gift shop appeared in issue #13's back-up prose story, "[[Signal to Noise]]".
*Someone has placed a [[Rodimus Star]] in the deceased Trailcutter's hand; his desire to earn the award was part of the story of his [[The Reluctant Specialist|self-titled ''Spotlight'' issue]].
*It just seemed like a passing remark back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|issue #30]] when Brainstorm noted he "always carried [his] own" drinks, but it takes on a whole new meaning with this issue's revelation that he's been spiking the proverbial punch bowl!
*The executed protester looks like a female version of Rung! Her bellowed rhetoric includes the phrase "All hail the Useless One"; it seems likely that she is talking about Rung himself, whose alternate mode is an unrecognizable, apparently-purposeless "ornament", and that she is some form of disciple or follower of his (or the idea he represents) in this alternate world, and has patterned her appearance after him.
*And of course, the fact that the protester is a female at all is point of interest, since in the regular timeline, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] was the only female 'bot known to exist before the [[Caminus|Caminean]]s came onto this scene. Did females "evolve" on Cybertron the way they did on Caminus in this alternate timeline?
*We previously met Functionist Authenticator [[Three-of-Twelve]] in [[Remembrance Day|issue #14]]. We now understand the meaning of his name, as he is the third member of the twelve-'bot Functionist council.
*The long-standing secret of Brainstorm's briefcase is revealed: as was hinted by the disruption of time that occurred when its quantum-duplicate was opened in [[slaughterhouse|issue #32]], it's the control unit of a time-machine. Presumably, the paradox-defying component of the time machine played some kind of role in how the duplicate case and duplicate Rewind survived the erasure of "their" ''Lost Light''.
*Rodimus gripes that he is "not allowed to take an interest in magic"; as we know from [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]], "magic=science that Rodimus doesn't understand".
*It is now explained that the "masterpiece" Brainstorm alluded to in #6 of the series was not a joke response to Chromedome's inquiry about his new project but a serious one, the only clue given at that time being the fact that "its success kinda depends on me catching the universe unawares".

===Transformers references===
*In the first panel of page 3, the spaceport is crammed with cameo appearances by [[Unicron Trilogy]] Autobots and Decepticons, including: [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Cybertron'' Jetfire]], [[Wing Saber (Energon)|''Energon'' Wing Saber]], [[Blurr (Armada)|''Armada'' Blurr]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Crumplezone]], [[Tow-Line (Energon)|''Energon'' Tow-Line]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Armada'' Cyclonus]], [[Sky Shadow (Energon)|''Energon'' Sky Shadow]], [[Ironhide (Energon)|''Energon'' Ironhide]], [[Sparkplug (Armada)|''Armada'' Sparkplug]], [[Prowl (Energon)|''Energon'' Prowl]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Energon'' Snow Cat]], [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Brakedown]], [[Smokescreen (Armada)|''Armada'' Hoist]], [[Bulkhead (Energon)|''Energon'' Bulkhead]], [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|''Energon'' Ultra Magnus]], [[Beachcomber (Energon)|''Energon'' Beachcomber]], [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Energon'' Hot Shot]] and [[Demolishor (Armada)|''Armada'' Demolishor]] (we're not listing them in the cast list because c'mon, they ''are'' just easter egg cameos). The Lunabot who tries to evade capture is [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Energon'' Jetfire]], who has the spaceship alternate mode that makes him appropriate for the role. Their appearance was a choice by artist Alex Milne, in celebration of his ten years drawing ''Transformers'' comics<ref>[https://twitter.com/markerguru/status/537641819568619520 Alex Milne (@markerguru) on Twitter]</ref> – [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s [[Transformers: Energon (comic)|''Energon'' comic]] was his first work on the franchise.
*Also, on page 4, a 'bot resembling [[Overcast (Movie)|Overcast]] from the [[Movie (toyline)|live-action film toyline]] is visible.
*On page 5, a [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]-colored 'bot similar to [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] is among the onlookers; while not an exact match for details, this is probably a reference to [[Shockwave (Cloud)|''Cloud'' Shockwave]], who is a [[redeco]] of [[Whirl (G1)#Generations|''Generations'' Whirl]].
*The word [[Pretender]] has a history in the franchise, of course, but in the alternate timeline, it's become a word used to describe 'bots who have fake [[kibble]] attached to themselves to try and pass themselves off as having different alternate modes. This also marks the first official in-fiction use of the fan term "kibble" to describe alternate mode parts evident in robot mode; it's been a passing plot point in ''More than Meets the Eye'' before, back in [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|issue #24]], where it was just referred to as "secondary anatomy".
*The functionary who reports on the Lunabot's death is number 664; that's "332" times two, 332 being the total number of issues of the original [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK series]].
*Chromedome notes that, half a million years ago, he and Rewind were fighting [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in the [[Manganese Mountains]]. The mountains have received a few references in IDW continutity before, but this reference is specifically to the Marvel ''[[The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters]]'' mini-series, which introduced the mountains, and in which Chromedome's unit did indeed fight Scorponok among the peaks.
*The 'bots coin the term "time jump" to describe Brainstorm's trip into the past; this was the term used for time travel in the Marvel UK series.
*On page 20, we get some more other-continuity cameos, but these guys ''do'' make it into the cast list because they're pre-existing characters within this continuity: [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Armada'' Hot Shot]], whose Generation 1 incarnation [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (his name taken from his ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (franchise)|Henkei!]]'' toy) has already appeared in IDW continuity in [[Drift issue 1|''Drift'' #1]], and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|''Prime'' Bulkhead]], whose [[Bulkhead (G1)|G1 self]] has shown up in both [[The Transformers: Monstrosity|''Monstrosity'']] and [[The Transformers: Primacy|''Primacy'']].

===Real-life references===
*The security officer who stops Minimus is designed after classic UK comic strip law-enforcer, {{w|Judge Dredd}}.

===Errors===
* On page 11, in panel 4, the three word balloons are offset to the right in a way that makes them all appear to come from Rodimus.
* The Council message on page 20, panel 3, alternates between the British English spelling ''offence'' and American English spelling ''offense''.

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn_IPaS7GFE Blue Skies]'' by {{w|Longpigs}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLiLUIpNvM No Surprises]'' by {{w|Radiohead}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' EVERYTHING IS FINE, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Three-of-Twelve, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' The third in November's series of three 30th Anniversary covers by [[Andrew Griffith]], depicting [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] riding [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] as they stomp [[Quintesson]]s, from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''
<gallery>
File:MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #36
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|#35]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 4|#4]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Form Follows Function|#4]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]''
*IDW ''Littlest Pet Shop'' comic
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[Angry Birds Transformers (comic)|Angry Birds Transformers]]'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/idw-comics-preview-the-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-35/25238/news.html Preview]

==References==
{{reflist}}

The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue

2014-11-27T21:22:58Z

Valgatron: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=35
|prev=Births, Deaths, and Interventions
|next=
|image=MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg
|title="The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 26]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=November 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=Alex Milne and [[Brian Shearer]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The ''Lost Lighters'' realise that Brainstorm has time-travelled into the past in order to change history... and it looks like he has succeeded, as present-day Cybertron has become a world under the totalitarian grip of Functionalism!'''

==Synopsis==

[[Minimus Ambus]] returns to Cybertron following a two-million-year service in the [[Primal Vanguard]], and is met at the spaceport by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]. Minimus is a little disappointed, hoping his brother [[Dominus Ambus]], Rewind's partner, would have come to greet him in person, especially given that he has not heard from him in months. Minimus's return home has come about due to the decommissioning of the [[Primal Vanguard]], occurring in the wake of the [[Functionist Council]]'s sale of [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] to the [[Black Box Consortia]] to end hostilities with the rest of the galaxy, which has also led to the "recall" of the now-obsolete spaceflight-capable [[Lunabot]]s. As the pair are attempting to leave, Minimus's outdated papers cause concern for a law-enforcement "[[Functionary]]", but just as he is scanning Minimus to confirm his function, a battered 'bot suddenly charges through the crowd, pursued by another officer. The two Functionaries gun down the fleeing 'bot, and report to the Functionst Council headquarters that they have just "recalled" the last Lunabot. Few 'bots even pay attention to the grisly scene, however... just another commonplace sight on ''present-day'' Cybertron.

Across the galaxy, on the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] smashes in Rewind's hab suite door when he hears him cry out, but the little archivist has merely been having a bad dream. Things are tense between the pair; Chromedome had hoped to pick up their relationship where they left off, but Rewind is mindful of the fact that neither of them is truly the same 'bot that the other one was with. Chromedome asks about Rewind's nightmare, and the archivist tells him he was remembering the "Dark Dawn" half-a-million years prior, when the Functionists recalled the laser pointers. Chromedome is baffled; such an event never occurred, as Functionism had long since been abandoned by that stage. Rewind pulls up the relevant information from his database, before realising that he too has no memory of it...

In the ''Lost Light'' morgue, [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] solemnly regards [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s dead body when [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] enters. Megatron expects a castigation, and Rodimus ''wants'' to deliver one, but more important matters demand their attention: namely, [[Brainstorm]]'s recent attempt to poison everyone on the ship by tainting the drinks at [[Swerve's]], which only left everyone unconscious instead of dead because [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] waters down his drinks. Rodimus reveals that Brainstorm has fled through means of a ''[[time travel|time machine]]'', a situation so ludicrous that Megatron has a mini-breakdown just trying to process it. Regaining his composure, Megatron concludes that rather than flee to escape repercussion for the poisoning, as [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] believes, rather, Brainstorm poisoned everyone so he would be ''free'' to travel back in time and change the outcome of the war.

On Cybertron, Rewind brings Minimus back to his and Dominus's home, where they watch pirated security footage of a protester being executed by the Functionist Council by means of the explosive [[obsolescence chip]]s that all Cybertronians are now implanted with. Minimus is slowly realising that Rewind and his brother are anti-Functionist rebels when Dominus appears, and the reason for his recent silence is revealed: the council has subjected him to the horrifying process that has supplanted [[empurata]], replacing his head with a screen, thereby robbing him of his face and voice and leaving him able only to communicate through on-screen text. Minimus is overwhelmed, but has to leave to meet with the other former members of the Primal Vanguard so they can receive their new job allocations.

Elsewhere on the planet, in their floating headquarters, "[[Cog (IDW)|The Cog]]", the Functionist Council meets to discuss the next mass recall, choosing their victims not based on functional value, but rather, on their ability to store data that could be used against the council. Thus it is decreeed that [[data slug]]s shall be recalled...

On the ''Lost Light'', [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] is explaining the means by which Brainstorm has time-travelled: his enigmatic [[briefcase]] is the control unit for a time machine made up of multiple other briefcases, linked to the ship's [[quantum engine]]s, and coded for use only by his [[spark]] type. Moreover, Brainstorm has found a way to circumvent the {{w|grandfather paradox}} inherent in attempts to change history, with the new timeline he has created already co-existing with and slowly "bedding in" around them before taking hold. The 'bots' only recourse is to use the quantum-duplicate control briefcase recovered from the other ''Lost Light'' to follow Brainstorm back in time and stop him, and Megatron believes he knows where the scientist has gone: to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]].

Minimus Ambus finds himself surrounded by chaos as he speeds back to his brother's home, data slug 'bots dying all around him as their obsolescence chips are remotely detonated. Worse yet, upon his return, he finds that Dominus has been remotely mind-wiped by the Council, now capable only of expressing and understanding the most basic words. Through the words on Dominus's screen, the Council speak directly to Minimus and Rewind, revealing that they discovered Dominus's treachery via cameras secretly installed in Minimus's eyes—a process all Primal Vanguard members were secretly subjected to on their return flight, as a first test of a new surveillance system that will soon become mandatory for all Cybertronians. Rewind vows to stop them, announcing that Dominus has deactivated his obsolescence chip... but alas, the Council reveal that his ''back-up'' chip is still active. Seconds later, Rewind is gone...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Minimus Ambus]]/[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (2)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (8)
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s corpse (10)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (11)
*''[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]'' (12)
*''[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'' (13)
*''[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]]'' (14)
*''[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]]'' (15)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (16)
*''[[Doublecross]]'' (17)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (33)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (34)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*''[[Brainstorm]]'' (18)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] (4)
*[[Functionary|Functionaries]] (5, 7)
*[[Lunabot]] fugitive (6)
*Female protester (19)
*[[Dominus Ambus]] (20)
*[[One-of-Twelve]] (21)
*[[Two-of-Twelve]] (22)
*[[Three-of-Twelve]] (23)
*[[Four-of-Twelve]] (24)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Five-of-Twelve]] (25)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (26)
*[[Seven-of-Twelve]] (27)
*[[Eight-of-Twelve]] (28)
*[[Nine-of-Twelve]] (29)
*[[Ten-of-Twelve]] (30)
*[[Eleven-of-Twelve]] (31)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (32)
*[[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (35)
*[[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (36)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"I'm fine. '''Bad dream''', that's all. My first flashback. These things'll happen when you've got a head full of history."
:—'''Rewind'''

"This conversation is ridiculous. '''You''' are ridiculous. Everything that's happened in the last few days is '''intensely''' ridiculous. Six months into this '''shambles of a quest'''—six months!—and not a day goes by—not an '''hour'''—when I don't have to stand back from this endless parade of '''nonsense''' and remind myself, by means of several blows to the head, that I am here of my '''own volition''', and not as a result of some—some '''elaborate trap''' set by Optimus Prime. Why bother looking for the Knights of Cybertron? Why postpone my trial? I've already been '''convicted'''—and '''this''' is my '''punishment. You!''' This '''ship!''' This '''life!'''" 
"Better?" 
"...Yes. I apologize." 
"Not at all. On this ship, a minor breakdown is practically a '''rite of passage.'''"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''

"Won't Brainstorm's meddling simply create a second timeline that runs alongside our own—like a '''parallel universe?''' Hello...?" 
... 
"Oh, so I'm not allowed to take an interest in magic? I don't just captain ships and build [[Rodpod]]s, you know!"
:—'''Rodimus'''

'''Ultra Magnus:''' "What do we do now? Take his machine apart? Blow it up?" 
'''Perceptor:''' "No, that would strand Brainstorm in the past—and quite possibly '''cement''' any changes he's made. Will make. Might make." 
'''Rodimus:''' "It's time travel, Percy. Leave your tenses at the door."

"They took his words!" 
"His what?" 
"His '''vocabulary!''' All he's got left are the '''basics:''' yes, no, up, down, big, small... and the words he's lost—when you speak to him, the words he's lost—he doesn't know what they '''mean''' anymore! And there are certain words, Minimus—'''tiny''' words—'''important''' words—there are certain words you can't afford to lose."
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Minimus Ambus'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*We are not informed that the opening scene is set in the present day until it ends, when ''More than Meets the Eye'' standard is to establish time periods through captions at the ''start'' of such scenes. Before this revelation, there's enough going on in the scene to make us think that it could just be set in the pre-war era, but there are also some clues sprinkled in: Minimus has been away for two million years, for instance, and as the pre-war era was at least four million years ago, that would place Minimus's departure at six million years ago, in [[Nova Prime]]'s era, and he's not that old. Mention is also made of how the intellectual class has been outlawed, and how "knock-offs" (Transformers who were [[reproduction|constructed cold]]) have been deported, scenarios incompatible with what we have seen of pre-war Cybertron in the past.
*Broadly speaking, the alternate timeline that Brainstorm has created is not one in which the Decepticons ''won'' the war, but one in which the war appears to have never even broken out. The Functionist Council was then subsequently never disbanded, and instead "unseated" the [[Senate]] and took complete control of Cybertron.
*As an effect of that, Pharma never went bonkers, and he and Ratchet are still friends, as they can be glimpsed chatting on page 3.
*In the alternate timeline, the "Black Box Consortia" have purchased Luna 2, evidently this timeline's version of—or perhaps just a typo of—the [[Black Block Consortia]], previously mentioned in [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|issues #34]] and [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|#24]].
*"Laser pointers" are among the decommissioned disposable class 'bots; laser pointers were mentioned in the same breath as data slugs when the disposable class was first discussed back in [[Before & After|issue #12]]. Chromedome and Rewind had a friend who was a laser pointer named [[Shimmerstick]].
*The "old" Rewind bought a souvenir replica of Hedonia's "Raging Prism" from a gift shop on the planet; the Autobots visited Hedonia in [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]], and the prism was mentioned in that issue and in [[Little Victories|issue #22]]. The gift shop appeared in issue #13's back-up prose story, "[[Signal to Noise]]".
*Someone has placed a [[Rodimus Star]] in the deceased Trailcutter's hand; his desire to earn the award was part of the story of his [[The Reluctant Specialist|self-titled ''Spotlight'' issue]].
*It just seemed like a passing remark back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|issue #30]] when Brainstorm noted he "always carried [his] own" drinks, but it takes on a whole new meaning with this issue's revelation that he's been spiking the proverbial punch bowl!
*The executed protester looks like a female version of Rung! Her bellowed rhetoric includes the phrase "All hail the Useless One"; it seems likely that she is talking about Rung himself, whose alternate mode is an unrecognizable, apparently-purposeless "ornament", and that she is some form of disciple or follower of his (or the idea he represents) in this alternate world, and has patterned her appearance after him.
*And of course, the fact that the protester is a female at all is point of interest, since in the regular timeline, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] was the only female 'bot known to exist before the [[Caminus|Caminean]]s came onto this scene. Did females "evolve" on Cybertron the way they did on Caminus in this alternate timeline?
*We previously met Functionist Authenticator [[Three-of-Twelve]] in [[Remembrance Day|issue #14]]. We now understand the meaning of his name, as he is the third member of the twelve-'bot Functionist council.
*The long-standing secret of Brainstorm's briefcase is revealed: as was hinted by the disruption of time that occurred when its quantum-duplicate was opened in [[slaughterhouse|issue #32]], it's the control unit of a time-machine. Presumably, the paradox-defying component of the time machine played some kind of role in how the duplicate case and duplicate Rewind survived the erasure of "their" ''Lost Light''.
*Rodimus gripes that he is "not allowed to take an interest in magic"; as we know from [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]], "magic=science that Rodimus doesn't understand".

===Transformers references===
*In the first panel of page 3, the spaceport is crammed with cameo appearances by [[Unicron Trilogy]] Autobots and Decepticons, including: [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Cybertron'' Jetfire]], [[Wing Saber (Energon)|''Energon'' Wing Saber]], [[Blurr (Armada)|''Armada'' Blurr]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Crumplezone]], [[Tow-Line (Energon)|''Energon'' Tow-Line]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Armada'' Cyclonus]], [[Sky Shadow (Energon)|''Energon'' Sky Shadow]], [[Ironhide (Energon)|''Energon'' Ironhide]], [[Sparkplug (Armada)|''Armada'' Sparkplug]], [[Prowl (Energon)|''Energon'' Prowl]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Energon'' Snow Cat]], [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Brakedown]], [[Smokescreen (Armada)|''Armada'' Hoist]], [[Bulkhead (Energon)|''Energon'' Bulkhead]], [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|''Energon'' Ultra Magnus]], [[Beachcomber (Energon)|''Energon'' Beachcomber]], [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Energon'' Hot Shot]] and [[Demolishor (Armada)|''Armada'' Demolishor]] (we're not listing them in the cast list because c'mon, they ''are'' just easter egg cameos). The Lunabot who tries to evade capture is [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Energon'' Jetfire]], who has the spaceship alternate mode that makes him appropriate for the role. Their appearance was a choice by artist Alex Milne, in celebration of his ten years drawing ''Transformers'' comics<ref>[https://twitter.com/markerguru/status/537641819568619520 Alex Milne (@markerguru) on Twitter]</ref> – [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s [[Transformers: Energon (comic)|''Energon'' comic]] was his first work on the franchise.
*Also, on page 4, a 'bot resembling [[Overcast (Movie)|Overcast]] from the [[Movie (toyline)|live-action film toyline]] is visible.
*On page 5, a [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]-colored 'bot similar to [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] is among the onlookers; while not an exact match for details, this is probably a reference to [[Shockwave (Cloud)|''Cloud'' Shockwave]], who is a [[redeco]] of [[Whirl (G1)#Generations|''Generations'' Whirl]].
*The word [[Pretender]] has a history in the franchise, of course, but in the alternate timeline, it's become a word used to describe 'bots who have fake [[kibble]] attached to themselves to try and pass themselves off as having different alternate modes. This also marks the first official in-fiction use of the fan term "kibble" to describe alternate mode parts evident in robot mode; it's been a passing plot point in ''More than Meets the Eye'' before, back in [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|issue #24]], where it was just referred to as "secondary anatomy".
*The functionary who reports on the Lunabot's death is number 664; that's "332" times two, 332 being the total number of issues of the original [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK series]].
*Chromedome notes that, half a million years ago, he and Rewind were fighting [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in the [[Manganese Mountains]]. The mountains have received a few references in IDW continutity before, but this reference is specifically to the Marvel ''[[The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters]]'' mini-series, which introduced the mountains, and in which Chromedome's unit did indeed fight Scorponok among the peaks.
*The 'bots coin the term "time jump" to describe Brainstorm's trip into the past; this was the term used for time travel in the Marvel UK series.
*On page 20, we get some more other-continuity cameos, but these guys ''do'' make it into the cast list because they're pre-existing characters within this continuity: [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Armada'' Hot Shot]], whose Generation 1 incarnation [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (his name taken from his ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (franchise)|Henkei!]]'' toy) has already appeared in IDW continuity in [[Drift issue 1|''Drift'' #1]], and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|''Prime'' Bulkhead]], whose [[Bulkhead (G1)|G1 self]] has shown up in both [[The Transformers: Monstrosity|''Monstrosity'']] and [[The Transformers: Primacy|''Primacy'']].

===Real-life references===
*The security officer who stops Minimus is designed after classic UK comic strip law-enforcer, {{w|Judge Dredd}}.

===Errors===
* On page 11, in panel 4, the three word balloons are offset to the right in a way that makes them all appear to come from Rodimus.
* The Council message on page 20, panel 3, alternates between the British English spelling ''offence'' and American English spelling ''offense''.

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn_IPaS7GFE Blue Skies]'' by {{w|Longpigs}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLiLUIpNvM No Surprises]'' by {{w|Radiohead}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' EVERYTHING IS FINE, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Three-of-Twelve, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' The third in November's series of three 30th Anniversary covers by [[Andrew Griffith]], depicting [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] riding [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] as they stomp [[Quintesson]]s, from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''
<gallery>
File:MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #36
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|#35]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 4|#4]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Form Follows Function|#4]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]''
*IDW ''Littlest Pet Shop'' comic
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[Angry Birds Transformers (comic)|Angry Birds Transformers]]'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/idw-comics-preview-the-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-35/25238/news.html Preview]

==References==
{{reflist}}

The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue

2014-11-27T21:19:52Z

Valgatron:

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=35
|prev=Births, Deaths, and Interventions
|next=
|image=MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg
|title="The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 26]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=November 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=Alex Milne and [[Brian Shearer]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The ''Lost Lighters'' realise that Brainstorm has time-travelled into the past in order to change history... and it looks like he has succeeded, as present-day Cybertron has become a world under the totalitarian grip of Functionalism!'''

==Synopsis==

[[Minimus Ambus]] returns to Cybertron following a two-million-year service in the [[Primal Vanguard]], and is met at the spaceport by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]. Minimus is a little disappointed, hoping his brother [[Dominus Ambus]], Rewind's partner, would have come to greet him in person, especially given that he has not heard from him in months. Minimus's return home has come about due to the decommissioning of the [[Primal Vanguard]], occurring in the wake of the [[Functionist Council]]'s sale of [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] to the [[Black Box Consortia]] to end hostilities with the rest of the galaxy, which has also led to the "recall" of the now-obsolete spaceflight-capable [[Lunabot]]s. As the pair are attempting to leave, Minimus's outdated papers cause concern for a law-enforcement "[[Functionary]]", but just as he is scanning Minimus to confirm his function, a battered 'bot suddenly charges through the crowd, pursued by another officer. The two Functionaries gun down the fleeing 'bot, and report to the Functionst Council headquarters that they have just "recalled" the last Lunabot. Few 'bots even pay attention to the grisly scene, however... just another commonplace sight on ''present-day'' Cybertron.

Across the galaxy, on the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] smashes in Rewind's hab suite door when he hears him cry out, but the little archivist has merely been having a bad dream. Things are tense between the pair; Chromedome had hoped to pick up their relationship where they left off, but Rewind is mindful of the fact that neither of them is truly the same 'bot that the other one was with. Chromedome asks about Rewind's nightmare, and the archivist tells him he was remembering the "Dark Dawn" half-a-million years prior, when the Functionists recalled the laser pointers. Chromedome is baffled; such an event never occurred, as Functionism had long since been abandoned by that stage. Rewind pulls up the relevant information from his database, before realising that he too has no memory of it...

In the ''Lost Light'' morgue, [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] solemnly regards [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s dead body when [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] enters. Megatron expects a castigation, and Rodimus ''wants'' to deliver one, but more important matters demand their attention: namely, [[Brainstorm]]'s recent attempt to poison everyone on the ship by tainting the drinks at [[Swerve's]], which only left everyone unconscious instead of dead because [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] waters down his drinks. Rodimus reveals that Brainstorm has fled through means of a ''[[time travel|time machine]]'', a situation so ludicrous that Megatron has a mini-breakdown just trying to process it. Regaining his composure, Megatron concludes that rather than flee to escape repercussion for the poisoning, as [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] believes, rather, Brainstorm poisoned everyone so he would be ''free'' to travel back in time and change the outcome of the war.

On Cybertron, Rewind brings Minimus back to his and Dominus's home, where they watch pirated security footage of a protester being executed by the Functionist Council by means of the explosive [[obsolescence chip]]s that all Cybertronians are now implanted with. Minimus is slowly realising that Rewind and his brother are anti-Functionist rebels when Dominus appears, and the reason for his recent silence is revealed: the council has subjected him to the horrifying process that has supplanted [[empurata]], replacing his head with a screen, thereby robbing him of his face and voice and leaving him able only to communicate through on-screen text. Minimus is overwhelmed, but has to leave to meet with the other former members of the Primal Vanguard so they can receive their new job allocations.

Elsewhere on the planet, in their floating headquarters, "[[Cog (IDW)|The Cog]]", the Functionist Council meets to discuss the next mass recall, choosing their victims not based on functional value, but rather, on their ability to store data that could be used against the council. Thus it is decreeed that [[data slug]]s shall be recalled...

On the ''Lost Light'', [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] is explaining the means by which Brainstorm has time-travelled: his enigmatic [[briefcase]] is the control unit for a time machine made up of multiple other briefcases, linked to the ship's [[quantum engine]]s, and coded for use only by his [[spark]] type. Moreover, Brainstorm has found a way to circumvent the {{w|grandfather paradox}} inherent in attempts to change history, with the new timeline he has created already co-existing with and slowly "bedding in" around them before taking hold. The 'bots' only recourse is to use the quantum-duplicate control briefcase recovered from the other ''Lost Light'' to follow Brainstorm back in time and stop him, and Megatron believes he knows where the scientist has gone: to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]].

Minimus Ambus finds himself surrounded by chaos as he speeds back to his brother's home, data slug 'bots dying all around him as their obsolescence chips are remotely detonated. Worse yet, upon his return, he finds that Dominus has been remotely mind-wiped by the Council, now capable only of expressing and understanding the most basic words. Through the words on Dominus's screen, the Council speak directly to Minimus and Rewind, revealing that they discovered Dominus's treachery via cameras secretly installed in Minimus's eyes—a process all Primal Vanguard members were secretly subjected to on their return flight, as a first test of a new surveillance system that will soon become mandatory for all Cybertronians. Rewind vows to stop them, announcing that Dominus has deactivated his obsolescence chip... but alas, the Council reveal that his ''back-up'' chip is still active. Seconds later, Rewind is gone...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Minimus Ambus]]/[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (2)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (8)
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]'s corpse (10)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (11)
*''[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]'' (12)
*''[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]'' (13)
*''[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]]'' (14)
*''[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]]'' (15)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (16)
*''[[Doublecross]]'' (17)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (33)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (34)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*''[[Brainstorm]]'' (18)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] (4)
*[[Functionary|Functionaries]] (5, 7)
*[[Lunabot]] fugitive (6)
*Female protester (19)
*[[Dominus Ambus]] (20)
*[[One-of-Twelve]] (21)
*[[Two-of-Twelve]] (22)
*[[Three-of-Twelve]] (23)
*[[Four-of-Twelve]] (24)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Five-of-Twelve]] (25)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (26)
*[[Seven-of-Twelve]] (27)
*[[Eight-of-Twelve]] (28)
*[[Nine-of-Twelve]] (29)
*[[Ten-of-Twelve]] (30)
*[[Eleven-of-Twelve]] (31)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (32)
*[[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (35)
*[[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (36)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==

"I'm fine. '''Bad dream''', that's all. My first flashback. These things'll happen when you've got a head full of history."
:—'''Rewind'''

"This conversation is ridiculous. '''You''' are ridiculous. Everything that's happened in the last few days is '''intensely''' ridiculous. Six months into this '''shambles of a quest'''—six months!—and not a day goes by—not an '''hour'''—when I don't have to stand back from this endless parade of '''nonsense''' and remind myself, by means of several blows to the head, that I am here of my '''own volition''', and not as a result of some—some '''elaborate trap''' set by Optimus Prime. Why bother looking for the Knights of Cybertron? Why postpone my trial? I've already been '''convicted'''—and '''this''' is my '''punishment. You!''' This '''ship!''' This '''life!'''" 
"Better?" 
"...Yes. I apologize." 
"Not at all. On this ship, a minor breakdown is practically a '''rite of passage.'''"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''

"Won't Brainstorm's meddling simply create a second timeline that runs alongside our own—like a '''parallel universe?''' Hello...?" 
... 
"Oh, so I'm not allowed to take an interest in magic? I don't just captain ships and build [[Rodpod]]s, you know!"
:—'''Rodimus'''

'''Ultra Magnus:''' "What do we do now? Take his machine apart? Blow it up?" 
'''Perceptor:''' "No, that would strand Brainstorm in the past—and quite possibly '''cement''' any changes he's made. Will make. Might make." 
'''Rodimus:''' "It's time travel, Percy. Leave your tenses at the door."

"They took his words!" 
"His what?" 
"His '''vocabulary!''' All he's got left are the '''basics:''' yes, no, up, down, big, small... and the words he's lost—when you speak to him, the words he's lost—he doesn't know what they '''mean''' anymore! And there are certain words, Minimus—'''tiny''' words—'''important''' words—there are certain words you can't afford to lose."
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Minimus Ambus'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*We are not informed that the opening scene is set in the present day until it ends, when ''More than Meets the Eye'' standard is to establish time periods through captions at the ''start'' of such scenes. Before this revelation, there's enough going on in the scene to make us think that it could just be set in the pre-war era, but there are also some clues sprinkled in: Minimus has been away for two million years, for instance, and as the pre-war era was at least four million years ago, that would place Minimus's departure at six million years ago, in [[Nova Prime]]'s era, and he's not that old. Mention is also made of how the intellectual class has been outlawed, and how "knock-offs" (Transformers who were [[reproduction|constructed cold]]) have been deported, scenarios incompatible with what we have seen of pre-war Cybertron in the past.
*Broadly speaking, the alternate timeline that Brainstorm has created is not one in which the Decepticons ''won'' the war, but one in which the war appears to have never even broken out. The Functionist Council was then subsequently never disbanded, and instead "unseated" the [[Senate]] and took complete control of Cybertron.
*As an effect of that, Pharma never went bonkers, and he and Ratchet are still friends, as they can be glimpsed chatting on page 3.
*In the alternate timeline, the "Black Box Consortia" have purchased Luna 2, evidently this timeline's version of—or perhaps just a typo of—the [[Black Block Consortia]], previously mentioned in [[Births, Deaths, and Interventions|issues #34]] and [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|#24]].
*"Laser pointers" are among the decommissioned disposable class 'bots; laser pointers were mentioned in the same breath as data slugs when the disposable class was first discussed back in [[Before & After|issue #12]]. Chromedome and Rewind had a friend who was a laser pointer named [[Shimmerstick]].
*The "old" Rewind bought a souvenir replica of Hedonia's "Raging Prism" from a gift shop on the planet; the Autobots visited Hedonia in [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]], and the prism was mentioned in that issue and in [[Little Victories|issue #22]]. The gift shop appeared in issue #13's back-up prose story, "[[Signal to Noise]]".
*Someone has placed a [[Rodimus Star]] in the deceased Trailcutter's hand; his desire to earn the award was part of the story of his [[The Reluctant Specialist|self-titled ''Spotlight'' issue]].
*It just seemed like a passing remark back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|issue #30]] when Brainstorm noted he "always carried [his] own" drinks, but it takes on a whole new meaning with this issue's revelation that he's been spiking the proverbial punch bowl!
*The executed protester looks like a female version of Rung! Her bellowed rhetoric includes the phrase "All hail the Useless One"; it seems likely that she is talking about Rung himself, whose alternate mode is an unrecognizable, apparently-purposeless "ornament", and that she is some form of disciple or follower of his (or the idea he represents) in this alternate world, and has patterned her appearance after him.
*And of course, the fact that the protester is a female at all is point of interest, since in the regular timeline, [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] was the only female 'bot known to exist before the [[Caminus|Caminean]]s came onto this scene. Did females "evolve" on Cybertron the way they did on Caminus in this alternate timeline?
*We previously met Functionist Authenticator [[Three-of-Twelve]] in [[Remembrance Day|issue #14]]. We now understand the meaning of his name, as he is the third member of the twelve-'bot Functionist council.
*The long-standing secret of Brainstorm's briefcase is revealed: as was hinted by the disruption of time that occurred when its quantum-duplicate was opened in [[slaughterhouse|issue #32]], it's the control unit of a time-machine. Presumably, the paradox-defying component of the time machine played some kind of role in how the duplicate case and duplicate Rewind survived the erasure of "their" ''Lost Light''.
*Rodimus gripes that he is "not allowed to take an interest in magic"; as we know from [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]], "magic=science that Rodimus doesn't understand".

===Transformers references===
*In the first panel of page 3, the spaceport is crammed with cameo appearances by [[Unicron Trilogy]] Autobots and Decepticons, including: [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Cybertron'' Jetfire]], [[Wing Saber (Energon)|''Energon'' Wing Saber]], [[Blurr (Armada)|''Armada'' Blurr]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Crumplezone]], [[Tow-Line (Energon)|''Energon'' Tow-Line]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Armada'' Cyclonus]], [[Sky Shadow (Energon)|''Energon'' Sky Shadow]], [[Ironhide (Energon)|''Energon'' Ironhide]], [[Sparkplug (Armada)|''Armada'' Sparkplug]], [[Prowl (Energon)|''Energon'' Prowl]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|''Energon'' Snow Cat]], [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Brakedown]], [[Smokescreen (Armada)|''Armada'' Hoist]], [[Bulkhead (Energon)|''Energon'' Bulkhead]], [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|''Energon'' Ultra Magnus]], [[Beachcomber (Energon)|''Energon'' Beachcomber]], [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Energon'' Hot Shot]] and [[Demolishor (Armada)|''Armada'' Demolishor]] (we're not listing them in the cast list because c'mon, they ''are'' just easter egg cameos). The Lunabot who tries to evade capture is [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Energon'' Jetfire]], who has the spaceship alternate mode that makes him appropriate for the role. Their appearance was a choice by artist Alex Milne, in celebration of his ten years drawing ''Transformers'' comics<ref>[https://twitter.com/markerguru/status/537641819568619520 Alex Milne (@markerguru) on Twitter]</ref> – [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s [[Transformers: Energon (comic)|''Energon'' comic]] was his first work on the franchise.
*Also, on page 4, a 'bot resembling [[Overcast (Movie)|Overcast]] from the [[Movie (toyline)|live-action film toyline]] is visible.
*On page 5, a [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]-colored 'bot similar to [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] is among the onlookers; while not an exact match for details, this is probably a reference to [[Shockwave (Cloud)|''Cloud'' Shockwave]], who is a [[redeco]] of [[Whirl (G1)#Generations|''Generations'' Whirl]].
*The word [[Pretender]] has a history in the franchise, of course, but in the alternate timeline, it's become a word used to describe 'bots who have fake [[kibble]] attached to themselves to try and pass themselves off as having different alternate modes. This also marks the first official in-fiction use of the fan term "kibble" to describe alternate mode parts evident in robot mode; it's been a passing plot point in ''More than Meets the Eye'' before, back in [[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|issue #24]], where it was just referred to as "secondary anatomy".
*The functionary who reports on the Lunabot's death is number 664; that's "332" times two, 332 being the total number of issues of the original [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK series]].
*Chromedome notes that, half a million years ago, he and Rewind were fighting [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in the [[Manganese Mountains]]. The mountains have received a few references in IDW continutity before, but this reference is specifically to the Marvel ''[[The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters]]'' mini-series, which introduced the mountains, and in which Chromedome's unit did indeed fight Scorponok among the peaks.
*The 'bots coin the term "time jump" to describe Brainstorm's trip into the past; this was the term used for time travel in the Marvel UK series.
*On page 20, we get some more other-continuity cameos, but these guys ''do'' make it into the cast list because they're pre-existing characters within this continuity: [[Hot Shot (Armada)|''Armada'' Hot Shot]], whose Generation 1 incarnation [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]] (his name taken from his ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (franchise)|Henkei!]]'' toy) has already appeared in IDW continuity in [[Drift issue 1|''Drift'' #1]], and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|''Prime'' Bulkhead]], whose [[Bulkhead (G1)|G1 self]] has shown up in both [[The Transformers: Monstrosity|''Monstrosity'']] and [[The Transformers: Primacy|''Primacy'']].
*It is now explained that the "masterpiece" Brainstorm alluded to in #6 of the series was not a joke response to Chromedome's inquiry about his new project, but a serious one, the only clue given at that time being the fact that "its success kinda depends on me catching the universe unawares".
===Real-life references===
*The security officer who stops Minimus is designed after classic UK comic strip law-enforcer, {{w|Judge Dredd}}.

===Errors===
* On page 11, in panel 4, the three word balloons are offset to the right in a way that makes them all appear to come from Rodimus.
* The Council message on page 20, panel 3, alternates between the British English spelling ''offence'' and American English spelling ''offense''.

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn_IPaS7GFE Blue Skies]'' by {{w|Longpigs}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLiLUIpNvM No Surprises]'' by {{w|Radiohead}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' EVERYTHING IS FINE, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Three-of-Twelve, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' The third in November's series of three 30th Anniversary covers by [[Andrew Griffith]], depicting [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] riding [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] as they stomp [[Quintesson]]s, from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''
<gallery>
File:MTMTE35 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE35 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #36
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|#35]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 4|#4]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Form Follows Function|#4]]
*''[[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone|Drift - Empire of Stone]]''
*IDW ''Littlest Pet Shop'' comic
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[Angry Birds Transformers (comic)|Angry Birds Transformers]]'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://tformers.com/idw-comics-preview-the-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-35/25238/news.html Preview]

==References==
{{reflist}}

Fatal Furies: Flamewar's Revenge

2014-09-26T14:52:08Z

Valgatron:

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends]]''
|prev=The Secret of Omega Supreme (Legends)
|next=Box Trap
|title=Fatal Furies: Flamewar's Revenge
|image=TFLegends-Flamewar'sRevenge.jpg
|caption=Best served cold.
|written by=?
|release date=[[May 28]], [[2014]]–[[June 3]], 2014
}}

'''Flamewar's Decepticon squad attempts to get revenge for their previous defeat.'''

==Synopsis==
Furious at their previous defeats at the hand of [[Elita One]]'s squad, [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] and her squad attack a number of Autobot bases in retaliation. Elita sends [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]], [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] and their team to halt the Decepticon rampage. The female Autobots are successful in halting the Decepticon attacks, though as her squad retreats, Flamewar promises future vengeance.

{{note|You play as the Autobots}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|nonumbering=true
|h1=Bosses
|c1=
*[[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]]
*[[Twirl (G1)|Twirl]]
*[[Howlback (G1)|Howlback]]
*[[Shadow Striker (Universe)|Shadowstalker]]

|h2=Raid cards
|c2=
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]]
*[[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]]
}}

==Notes==
*This is a raid event.
*It's a sequel to the previous "[[Fatal Furies]]" from just over a year before.
*Twirl is based on [[Twirl (Armada)|Twirl]], the ''Armada'' [[Mini-Con]] of the same name. Her artwork is pretty much ''exactly'' the ''Armada'' toy.

==External links==
*[http://transformers-legends.wikia.com/wiki/Fatal_Furies%3A_Flamewar%27s_Revenge Fatal Furies: Flamewar's Revenge] on the Transformers Legends Wiki

[[Category:Transformers Legends episodes]]

Slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken

2014-09-17T21:27:10Z

Valgatron: /* Errors */

{{lowercase}}
{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=33
|prev=slaughterhouse
|next=
|image=MTMTE33 regcvr.jpg
|title="slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken" 
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 17]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=September 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=[[Brian Shearer]] and [[John Wycough]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The mystery of the ''Lost Light's'' disappearance is solved, beginning a race against time to shut down the quantum engines and put things right.'''

==Synopsis==

As [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] lifts the unconscious [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] out of the [[Magnus Armor]] and lays him down, the little 'bot slowly awakens. [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] tries to make sure he's okay and talks him through the surprising sights that greet him—an [[Autobot]] Megatron, a living [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], and [[Nautica]] being ''female''—but Nightbeat butts in, desperate to find out what happened on the ship. The detective is fascinated by their recent discoveries, and a closer examination of the poster for "Information Creep" has revealed its release date to have been only a weeks after the ship's original launch, all standing in contradiction to the history they know—but Rewind dissolves into whimpering, able to give no verbal answer, instead offering up a [[data slug]] to the detective.

Meanwhile, across the room, Nautica observes the [[quantum engines]]' [[quantum drum]]s floating in the web of [[quantum foam]], prompting [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] to make fun of her by suggesting her profession just involves putting "quantum" in front of other words. She responds with a (failed) joke about the way all quantum objects exist in two superpositioned states—which gives her a sudden realization that explains everything. She presents her theory to the crew: that upon launch, the malfunction of the ''Lost Light's'' quantum engines caused the ship to undergo a quantum duplication, yielding an exact copy, just as valid as the original, which materialized in the region of the space the ship was ''supposed'' to appear in, rather than jumping to the random planet that "their" ''Lost Light'' did. Nightbeat confirms her theory is correct with the data provided by Rewind, which reveals that the [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] they found in the coffin perished during the [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] fiasco when his head was phased inside the engines instead of just his arms. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently took command, while Rodimus was interred by [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]; the coffin proceeded to fall from the ship when it broke up following the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]'s attack—brought on, Rewind claims, by the fact that someone onboard ''deliberately deactivated'' [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]'s cell, allowing the DJD to detect his signal. Rewind explains that he was forced to film the villains' murder spree because they promised to let [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] live if he did so, but for added psychological torture, they then tried to force the [[mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] to wipe his own memories of Rewind, killing him with his own finger-needles when he refused.

Riptide brings Rewind's grim tale to an end by pointing out that the quantum foam floating outside is beginning to spread; Nautica realizes that it could potentially destroy [[Ofsted XVII]] down below by causing a chain reaction in the thinned-out space-time of the region and proposes shutting down the quantum engines entirely, which should also theoretically erase the "duplicate" ''Lost Light'' and reinstate their own. Megatron has no interest in risking his own life for a planet of non-Cybertronians, but Skids makes it clear it's not a choice: he is an Autobot now, and for that to ''mean something'', Megatron must put his life on the line for others. Unfortunately, the quantum foam is meshed around the drums so tight that a 'bot of Megatron's size cannot make it through; Rewind volunteers, but as both drums must be deactivated simultaneously, a second small 'bot is needed. Skids recalls [[Brainstorm]]'s [[mass-displacement gun]], capable of shrinking someone for the job, so the group heads for his lab to see if the "duplicate" Brainstorm invented the weapon. While searching the wrecked lab, Nightbeat and Nautica discuss the minutiae of the quantum duplication process, realizing that the Rewind "data ghost" and his altered message to Chromedome were the result of quantum "cross-contamination", and concluding that the erasure of their ''Lost Light'' was triggered when it came into proximity with Rodimus's coffin, making the paradox too blatant for the universe to continue "ignoring". Their conversation is brought to a shuddering halt when they lift a piece of rubble and reveal Brainstorm's body underneath... a discovery made all the more horrifying when Nightbeat picks up Brainstorm's disconnected faceplate, lying on the floor beside him, and uncovers a Decepticon insignia painted inside it. The ghastly realization that Brainstorm—and by extension, ''their'' Brainstorm—was the Decepticon mole who deactivated Overlord's cell has to be tabled by the crew in the face of greater concerns, and when it becomes apparent that the mass-displacement gun is not there, Megatron finally offers up a solution: he can use his own [[size changing|mass displacement]] powers, added to his [[spark]] to enable his old handgun mode, to shrink himself down and join Rewind in shutting the engines down.

A short time later, Rewind and the shrunken Megatron carefully make their way through the foam web, successfully reaching the quantum drums. As Nautica begins to walk them through the shutdown procedure, Rewind pauses, seeking belated confirmation of the fact that deactivating the drums will mean he and "his" ''Lost Light'' will cease to be. Nautica verifies this, and Rewind calmly resigns himself to this fact, given that his Chromedome is dead, leaving him with nothing to live for. He asks Megatron if the "other" Rewind and Chromedome are still strong, and after a moment of silence, Megatron tells him they are inseparable. Satisfied, Rewind throws the shutdown switch, and a wave of white light consumes everything.

Time passes. The deactivation of the quantum engines proves successful: the alternate ''Lost Light'' vanishes, and crew members slowly start appearing aboard the [[Rodpod]] in reverse order. When Chromedome is returned, however, Skids thrusts a pair of [[Magno-clamp|magna-clamps]] into his hands and tells him to go onto the pod roof... because somehow, the alternate Rewind has survived, and is waiting for him. The two 'bots look at each other in silent shock; Chromedome sits down beside his "resurrected" lover, and after a wordless moment of staring out at the stars together, the two embrace. Back inside, meanwhile, [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] reports that the ''Lost Light'' has also reappeared, and as a course is locked in, Megatron requests that he open a secure channel so that he can inform Rodimus about Brainstorm. [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] points out that he is not likely to be welcomed by the crew, and offers to depart for Earth, but Megatron invites him to stay, asking if the horrors he has seen the DJD perpetrate are enough to make him question his dedication to the Decepticon cause. Nightbeat and Nautica wonder how Rewind could have survived; Nightbeat jokingly blames "the power of love"... though that doesn't explain how he has managed to keep ahold of the dead Brainstorm's [[briefcase]]...

Back on the returned ''Lost Light'', Brainstorm squeezes his way through the crowd of revellers at [[Swerve's]], sitting down to next to [[Atomizer]]. Over Atomizer's protests, Brainstorm breaks the rules of the bar by undoing the clasps on his briefcase and opening it... and everyone in the bar except him collapses...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Getaway]] (1)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (4)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (5)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (6)
*[[Nautica]] (7)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (8)
*[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] (poster, 9)
*''[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'' (11)
*''[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'' (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]'' (13)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (14)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (15)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (17)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (22)
*''[[Dipstick]]'' (24)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (25)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (27)
*[[Ammo]] (28)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (29)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (30)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (31)
*[[Doublecross]] (32)
*[[Aquafend]] (33)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (34)
*[[Joyride (G1)|Joyride]] (35)
*[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]] (36)
*[[Atomizer]] (37)
*Guy on bar (38)
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (39)
*Yellow guy (40)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (2)
*''[[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]]'' (16)
*''[[Vos (DJD)|Vos]]'' (18)
*''[[Helex (DJD)|Helex]]'' (20)
*''[[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]]'' (21)
*''[[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]]'' (23)
*[[Brainstorm]] (26)
|c4=
*''[[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]]'' (10)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (19)
}}

==Quotes==

"Such a '''fuss'''. Is he important?" 
"Come now, Ravage. '''Everyone's''' important these days."
:—'''Ravage''' and '''Megatron'''

"I've never seen the quantum drums outside of the quantum engines... even hidden behind all the '''quantum foam''', they're impressive..." 
"Nautica, to be a '''quantum mechanic''', all you have to do is put the word 'quantum' in front of other words. True or false?" 
"Both." 
"Eh?" 
"It's '''both''', simultaneously. True and false. It depends on the quantized energy state of each proposition." 
"Eh?" 
"It's a joke." 
"Oh. Are jokes not funny where you come from?"
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Riptide'''

"If that planet were teeming with '''Cybertronians''', then yes, there'd be an argument for going back into the breach. But I doubt that's the case." 
"Ah, your '''true colors'''. I'd forgotten how '''purple''' they were." 
"You've forgotten something else: I am your prisoner. I've been granted '''conditional bail''' while we look for the Knights of Cybertron. Where in my bail terms does it say—where '''precisely''' does it say—that I have to risk my life to save a handful of strangers? Where does it say '''that'''?" 
''(Skids taps Megatron's Autobot badge.)'' 
"Right. There. What does that badge even '''mean''' to you? How has wearing it forced you to '''modify''' your behaviour? I'm serious! How has being an Autobot '''in any way''' prevented you from doing '''exactly''' what you want? Because if the answer is "'''it hasn't'''"—then nothing you've said or done in the last six months counts for '''anything.'''"
:—'''Megatron''' is read the riot act by '''Skids'''

"Before you volunteer, Ravage, I'm sorry, but you lack the manual dexterity to perform the task." 
"Touch me again and I'll kill you."
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Ravage'''

"I don't know '''all''' our undercover agents. To be honest, he's not our usual type." 
"There's a type?" 
"Hm. Have you never been approached?"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Nightbeat'''

"Here's a '''survival tip:''' When everyone's lining up to make sacrifices... always get to the back of the queue."
:—'''Megatron'''

"You should go first. You're still slightly larger than me, so there's a greater chance of you touching the foam and exploding... and if that happens there's no point in me putting my own life at risk." 
"And everyone says you were the kindhearted one." 
"Were?"
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Megatron'''

"What's left for me here? Chromedome's dead—which is just another way of saying '''I''' am. In fact I wanted to ask you earlier, but... on your '''Lost Light''', me and Domey... are we still going strong?" 
''(beat)'' 
"Megatron?" 
"You're inseparable."
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Getaway seems overly interested in the well-being of Rewind given that he's never met him before. He seems to have a bit of a thing for "little guys", given up how he's been cozying up to Tailgate in recent issues.
*The Sparkeater affair took place in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|issue #3]]; [[Animus]] died in that issue, but on this alternate ''Lost Light'', he survived long enough to lure the Sparkeater to the engine room, taking the place of [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], who is noted to have been "lost" in the initial explosion on the "alternate" ship. This seems to be further implicit confirmation that Animus was a [[Point One Percenter]], if his spark (shown to be green in that issue) was strong enough to serve as a lure for the creature over all others on the ship.
*The DJD suddenly detected Overlord's signature in [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|issue #8]]; at last, we learn that they were able to do this because the slow cell on the alternate ''Lost Light'' was shut down.
*With this issue, all the Autobots on the [[Necrobot]]'s list are shown to have died on the second ''Lost Light''; we don't see [[Dipstick]]'s corpse but his being shocked to death by Kaon probably counts.
*Brainstorm's [[mass-displacement gun]] previously appeared in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 Annual]].
*Megatron recalls his old handgun transformation, which is an alternate form he hasn't had in IDW since ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]''.
*"No Briefcases" was established as one of the rules of Swerve's in [[Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|issue #18]].

===Transformers references===
*Brainstorm is revealed to have a mouth under his faceplate, leaving him evocative of his animation model for the [[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|''Headmasters'' cartoon]]. He also had his faceplate removed more recently in IDW's ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Natural Selection, Part Two|#87]].
*The alternate Ultra Magnus was rid of his Nanocon infection using domesticated [[scraplet]]s, a form of mechanical parasite that originated in [[Crater Critters|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel US series]]. There have been a few sparse references to them in Roberts-written IDW stories before now, including a one-panel appearance by one taken from Rewind's database in [[The Gloaming|issue #16]].

===Real-life references===
*This story's subtitle comes from the Robert Frost poem, ''{{w|The Road Not Taken}}''.
===Errors===
*An alternate scenario involving the Nanocons inside Ultra Magnus is described as having played out on the duplicate ''Lost Light''... buuuut the only reason the dormant Nanocons inside Magnus even became ''active'' was because of the influence of the [[Crystal City Metrotitan]], which the alternate ''Lost Light'' was never anywhere near.
*Megatron offers to go with Rewind to deactivate the quantum drums because he can shift into a gun and therefore become smaller, but the story then proceeds with him getting through the quantum foam in his robot mode, which is the biggest of all the ones present there. So he either got extremely lucky or he proved Nautica wrong and anyone would have been able to aid Rewind (he himself could have been replaced by someone else). Or both.

===Crew manifest===
* All the vanished members of the ship return
* The Rewind of the "alternate" ''Lost Light'' survives the quantum reset and joins the crew

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg8MvFNPC64 Teenage Spaceship]'' by {{w|Bill Callahan (musician)|Smog}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIPyAuuQwJM Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space]'' by {{w|Spiritualized}}

===Other trivia===
*It's never actually explained what happened to all the ''other'' 'bots who weren't part of the original crew when their shuttles disappeared, but they all appear to be fine now that everything's over.

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' A shadowed Rewind, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' In the manner of {{w|Lady Justice}}, Tarn holds aloft a set of scales on which the rest of the DJD members stand, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' Tarn looms over [[Fulcrum (G1)|Fulcrum]], dripping [[energon]], by [[Sarah Stone]]; the second in September's series of 30th Anniversary covers commemorating moments from IDW history, this one representing the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]]' meeting with the DJD in issue #8.
*'''Heroes and Fantasies Alamo City Comic Con exclusive cover:''' [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (in his ''[[Grimlock (WFC)|War for Cybertron]]'' design) roars in front of the Alamo, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]; a banner reading "When Dinobots Ruled the Earth" falls in front of him, paying homage to the climactic scene of ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' (and not for the [[:File:AHM13Apocalypse Cover.jpg|first time]]).
<gallery>
File:MTMTE33 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 cvrRI.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 cvrRE.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #34
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The World of Tomorrow|#33]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 2|#2]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Targetmasters (issue)|#2]]
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[My Little Pony]]'' Annual 2014 (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.newsarama.com/22128-megatron-s-autobots-uncover-secrets-in-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-33-preview.html Preview]

Slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken

2014-09-17T21:26:44Z

Valgatron: /* Errors */

{{lowercase}}
{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=33
|prev=slaughterhouse
|next=
|image=MTMTE33 regcvr.jpg
|title="slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken" 
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 17]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=September 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=[[Brian Shearer]] and [[John Wycough]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The mystery of the ''Lost Light's'' disappearance is solved, beginning a race against time to shut down the quantum engines and put things right.'''

==Synopsis==

As [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] lifts the unconscious [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] out of the [[Magnus Armor]] and lays him down, the little 'bot slowly awakens. [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] tries to make sure he's okay and talks him through the surprising sights that greet him—an [[Autobot]] Megatron, a living [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], and [[Nautica]] being ''female''—but Nightbeat butts in, desperate to find out what happened on the ship. The detective is fascinated by their recent discoveries, and a closer examination of the poster for "Information Creep" has revealed its release date to have been only a weeks after the ship's original launch, all standing in contradiction to the history they know—but Rewind dissolves into whimpering, able to give no verbal answer, instead offering up a [[data slug]] to the detective.

Meanwhile, across the room, Nautica observes the [[quantum engines]]' [[quantum drum]]s floating in the web of [[quantum foam]], prompting [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] to make fun of her by suggesting her profession just involves putting "quantum" in front of other words. She responds with a (failed) joke about the way all quantum objects exist in two superpositioned states—which gives her a sudden realization that explains everything. She presents her theory to the crew: that upon launch, the malfunction of the ''Lost Light's'' quantum engines caused the ship to undergo a quantum duplication, yielding an exact copy, just as valid as the original, which materialized in the region of the space the ship was ''supposed'' to appear in, rather than jumping to the random planet that "their" ''Lost Light'' did. Nightbeat confirms her theory is correct with the data provided by Rewind, which reveals that the [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] they found in the coffin perished during the [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] fiasco when his head was phased inside the engines instead of just his arms. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently took command, while Rodimus was interred by [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]; the coffin proceeded to fall from the ship when it broke up following the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]'s attack—brought on, Rewind claims, by the fact that someone onboard ''deliberately deactivated'' [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]'s cell, allowing the DJD to detect his signal. Rewind explains that he was forced to film the villains' murder spree because they promised to let [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] live if he did so, but for added psychological torture, they then tried to force the [[mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] to wipe his own memories of Rewind, killing him with his own finger-needles when he refused.

Riptide brings Rewind's grim tale to an end by pointing out that the quantum foam floating outside is beginning to spread; Nautica realizes that it could potentially destroy [[Ofsted XVII]] down below by causing a chain reaction in the thinned-out space-time of the region and proposes shutting down the quantum engines entirely, which should also theoretically erase the "duplicate" ''Lost Light'' and reinstate their own. Megatron has no interest in risking his own life for a planet of non-Cybertronians, but Skids makes it clear it's not a choice: he is an Autobot now, and for that to ''mean something'', Megatron must put his life on the line for others. Unfortunately, the quantum foam is meshed around the drums so tight that a 'bot of Megatron's size cannot make it through; Rewind volunteers, but as both drums must be deactivated simultaneously, a second small 'bot is needed. Skids recalls [[Brainstorm]]'s [[mass-displacement gun]], capable of shrinking someone for the job, so the group heads for his lab to see if the "duplicate" Brainstorm invented the weapon. While searching the wrecked lab, Nightbeat and Nautica discuss the minutiae of the quantum duplication process, realizing that the Rewind "data ghost" and his altered message to Chromedome were the result of quantum "cross-contamination", and concluding that the erasure of their ''Lost Light'' was triggered when it came into proximity with Rodimus's coffin, making the paradox too blatant for the universe to continue "ignoring". Their conversation is brought to a shuddering halt when they lift a piece of rubble and reveal Brainstorm's body underneath... a discovery made all the more horrifying when Nightbeat picks up Brainstorm's disconnected faceplate, lying on the floor beside him, and uncovers a Decepticon insignia painted inside it. The ghastly realization that Brainstorm—and by extension, ''their'' Brainstorm—was the Decepticon mole who deactivated Overlord's cell has to be tabled by the crew in the face of greater concerns, and when it becomes apparent that the mass-displacement gun is not there, Megatron finally offers up a solution: he can use his own [[size changing|mass displacement]] powers, added to his [[spark]] to enable his old handgun mode, to shrink himself down and join Rewind in shutting the engines down.

A short time later, Rewind and the shrunken Megatron carefully make their way through the foam web, successfully reaching the quantum drums. As Nautica begins to walk them through the shutdown procedure, Rewind pauses, seeking belated confirmation of the fact that deactivating the drums will mean he and "his" ''Lost Light'' will cease to be. Nautica verifies this, and Rewind calmly resigns himself to this fact, given that his Chromedome is dead, leaving him with nothing to live for. He asks Megatron if the "other" Rewind and Chromedome are still strong, and after a moment of silence, Megatron tells him they are inseparable. Satisfied, Rewind throws the shutdown switch, and a wave of white light consumes everything.

Time passes. The deactivation of the quantum engines proves successful: the alternate ''Lost Light'' vanishes, and crew members slowly start appearing aboard the [[Rodpod]] in reverse order. When Chromedome is returned, however, Skids thrusts a pair of [[Magno-clamp|magna-clamps]] into his hands and tells him to go onto the pod roof... because somehow, the alternate Rewind has survived, and is waiting for him. The two 'bots look at each other in silent shock; Chromedome sits down beside his "resurrected" lover, and after a wordless moment of staring out at the stars together, the two embrace. Back inside, meanwhile, [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] reports that the ''Lost Light'' has also reappeared, and as a course is locked in, Megatron requests that he open a secure channel so that he can inform Rodimus about Brainstorm. [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] points out that he is not likely to be welcomed by the crew, and offers to depart for Earth, but Megatron invites him to stay, asking if the horrors he has seen the DJD perpetrate are enough to make him question his dedication to the Decepticon cause. Nightbeat and Nautica wonder how Rewind could have survived; Nightbeat jokingly blames "the power of love"... though that doesn't explain how he has managed to keep ahold of the dead Brainstorm's [[briefcase]]...

Back on the returned ''Lost Light'', Brainstorm squeezes his way through the crowd of revellers at [[Swerve's]], sitting down to next to [[Atomizer]]. Over Atomizer's protests, Brainstorm breaks the rules of the bar by undoing the clasps on his briefcase and opening it... and everyone in the bar except him collapses...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Getaway]] (1)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (4)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (5)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (6)
*[[Nautica]] (7)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (8)
*[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] (poster, 9)
*''[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'' (11)
*''[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'' (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]'' (13)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (14)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (15)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (17)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (22)
*''[[Dipstick]]'' (24)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (25)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (27)
*[[Ammo]] (28)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (29)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (30)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (31)
*[[Doublecross]] (32)
*[[Aquafend]] (33)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (34)
*[[Joyride (G1)|Joyride]] (35)
*[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]] (36)
*[[Atomizer]] (37)
*Guy on bar (38)
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (39)
*Yellow guy (40)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (2)
*''[[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]]'' (16)
*''[[Vos (DJD)|Vos]]'' (18)
*''[[Helex (DJD)|Helex]]'' (20)
*''[[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]]'' (21)
*''[[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]]'' (23)
*[[Brainstorm]] (26)
|c4=
*''[[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]]'' (10)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (19)
}}

==Quotes==

"Such a '''fuss'''. Is he important?" 
"Come now, Ravage. '''Everyone's''' important these days."
:—'''Ravage''' and '''Megatron'''

"I've never seen the quantum drums outside of the quantum engines... even hidden behind all the '''quantum foam''', they're impressive..." 
"Nautica, to be a '''quantum mechanic''', all you have to do is put the word 'quantum' in front of other words. True or false?" 
"Both." 
"Eh?" 
"It's '''both''', simultaneously. True and false. It depends on the quantized energy state of each proposition." 
"Eh?" 
"It's a joke." 
"Oh. Are jokes not funny where you come from?"
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Riptide'''

"If that planet were teeming with '''Cybertronians''', then yes, there'd be an argument for going back into the breach. But I doubt that's the case." 
"Ah, your '''true colors'''. I'd forgotten how '''purple''' they were." 
"You've forgotten something else: I am your prisoner. I've been granted '''conditional bail''' while we look for the Knights of Cybertron. Where in my bail terms does it say—where '''precisely''' does it say—that I have to risk my life to save a handful of strangers? Where does it say '''that'''?" 
''(Skids taps Megatron's Autobot badge.)'' 
"Right. There. What does that badge even '''mean''' to you? How has wearing it forced you to '''modify''' your behaviour? I'm serious! How has being an Autobot '''in any way''' prevented you from doing '''exactly''' what you want? Because if the answer is "'''it hasn't'''"—then nothing you've said or done in the last six months counts for '''anything.'''"
:—'''Megatron''' is read the riot act by '''Skids'''

"Before you volunteer, Ravage, I'm sorry, but you lack the manual dexterity to perform the task." 
"Touch me again and I'll kill you."
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Ravage'''

"I don't know '''all''' our undercover agents. To be honest, he's not our usual type." 
"There's a type?" 
"Hm. Have you never been approached?"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Nightbeat'''

"Here's a '''survival tip:''' When everyone's lining up to make sacrifices... always get to the back of the queue."
:—'''Megatron'''

"You should go first. You're still slightly larger than me, so there's a greater chance of you touching the foam and exploding... and if that happens there's no point in me putting my own life at risk." 
"And everyone says you were the kindhearted one." 
"Were?"
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Megatron'''

"What's left for me here? Chromedome's dead—which is just another way of saying '''I''' am. In fact I wanted to ask you earlier, but... on your '''Lost Light''', me and Domey... are we still going strong?" 
''(beat)'' 
"Megatron?" 
"You're inseparable."
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Getaway seems overly interested in the well-being of Rewind given that he's never met him before. He seems to have a bit of a thing for "little guys", given up how he's been cozying up to Tailgate in recent issues.
*The Sparkeater affair took place in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|issue #3]]; [[Animus]] died in that issue, but on this alternate ''Lost Light'', he survived long enough to lure the Sparkeater to the engine room, taking the place of [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], who is noted to have been "lost" in the initial explosion on the "alternate" ship. This seems to be further implicit confirmation that Animus was a [[Point One Percenter]], if his spark (shown to be green in that issue) was strong enough to serve as a lure for the creature over all others on the ship.
*The DJD suddenly detected Overlord's signature in [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|issue #8]]; at last, we learn that they were able to do this because the slow cell on the alternate ''Lost Light'' was shut down.
*With this issue, all the Autobots on the [[Necrobot]]'s list are shown to have died on the second ''Lost Light''; we don't see [[Dipstick]]'s corpse but his being shocked to death by Kaon probably counts.
*Brainstorm's [[mass-displacement gun]] previously appeared in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 Annual]].
*Megatron recalls his old handgun transformation, which is an alternate form he hasn't had in IDW since ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]''.
*"No Briefcases" was established as one of the rules of Swerve's in [[Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|issue #18]].

===Transformers references===
*Brainstorm is revealed to have a mouth under his faceplate, leaving him evocative of his animation model for the [[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|''Headmasters'' cartoon]]. He also had his faceplate removed more recently in IDW's ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Natural Selection, Part Two|#87]].
*The alternate Ultra Magnus was rid of his Nanocon infection using domesticated [[scraplet]]s, a form of mechanical parasite that originated in [[Crater Critters|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel US series]]. There have been a few sparse references to them in Roberts-written IDW stories before now, including a one-panel appearance by one taken from Rewind's database in [[The Gloaming|issue #16]].

===Real-life references===
*This story's subtitle comes from the Robert Frost poem, ''{{w|The Road Not Taken}}''.
===Errors===
*An alternate scenario involving the Nanocons inside Ultra Magnus is described as having played out on the duplicate ''Lost Light''... buuuut the only reason the dormant Nanocons inside Magnus even became ''active'' was because of the influence of the [[Crystal City Metrotitan]], which the alternate ''Lost Light'' was never anywhere near.
*Megatron offers to go with Rewind to deactivate the quantum drums because he can shift into a gun and therefore become smaller, but the story then proceeds with him getting through the quantum foam in his robot mode, which is the biggest of all the ones present there. So he either got extremely lucky or he proved Nautica wrong and anyone would have been able to aid Rewind (he, he himself could have been replaced by someone else). Or both.

===Crew manifest===
* All the vanished members of the ship return
* The Rewind of the "alternate" ''Lost Light'' survives the quantum reset and joins the crew

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg8MvFNPC64 Teenage Spaceship]'' by {{w|Bill Callahan (musician)|Smog}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIPyAuuQwJM Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space]'' by {{w|Spiritualized}}

===Other trivia===
*It's never actually explained what happened to all the ''other'' 'bots who weren't part of the original crew when their shuttles disappeared, but they all appear to be fine now that everything's over.

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' A shadowed Rewind, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' In the manner of {{w|Lady Justice}}, Tarn holds aloft a set of scales on which the rest of the DJD members stand, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' Tarn looms over [[Fulcrum (G1)|Fulcrum]], dripping [[energon]], by [[Sarah Stone]]; the second in September's series of 30th Anniversary covers commemorating moments from IDW history, this one representing the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]]' meeting with the DJD in issue #8.
*'''Heroes and Fantasies Alamo City Comic Con exclusive cover:''' [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (in his ''[[Grimlock (WFC)|War for Cybertron]]'' design) roars in front of the Alamo, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]; a banner reading "When Dinobots Ruled the Earth" falls in front of him, paying homage to the climactic scene of ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' (and not for the [[:File:AHM13Apocalypse Cover.jpg|first time]]).
<gallery>
File:MTMTE33 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 cvrRI.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 cvrRE.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #34
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The World of Tomorrow|#33]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 2|#2]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Targetmasters (issue)|#2]]
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[My Little Pony]]'' Annual 2014 (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.newsarama.com/22128-megatron-s-autobots-uncover-secrets-in-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-33-preview.html Preview]

Slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken

2014-09-17T21:26:18Z

Valgatron: /* Errors */

{{lowercase}}
{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=33
|prev=slaughterhouse
|next=
|image=MTMTE33 regcvr.jpg
|title="slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken" 
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 17]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=September 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=[[Brian Shearer]] and [[John Wycough]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The mystery of the ''Lost Light's'' disappearance is solved, beginning a race against time to shut down the quantum engines and put things right.'''

==Synopsis==

As [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] lifts the unconscious [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] out of the [[Magnus Armor]] and lays him down, the little 'bot slowly awakens. [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] tries to make sure he's okay and talks him through the surprising sights that greet him—an [[Autobot]] Megatron, a living [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], and [[Nautica]] being ''female''—but Nightbeat butts in, desperate to find out what happened on the ship. The detective is fascinated by their recent discoveries, and a closer examination of the poster for "Information Creep" has revealed its release date to have been only a weeks after the ship's original launch, all standing in contradiction to the history they know—but Rewind dissolves into whimpering, able to give no verbal answer, instead offering up a [[data slug]] to the detective.

Meanwhile, across the room, Nautica observes the [[quantum engines]]' [[quantum drum]]s floating in the web of [[quantum foam]], prompting [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] to make fun of her by suggesting her profession just involves putting "quantum" in front of other words. She responds with a (failed) joke about the way all quantum objects exist in two superpositioned states—which gives her a sudden realization that explains everything. She presents her theory to the crew: that upon launch, the malfunction of the ''Lost Light's'' quantum engines caused the ship to undergo a quantum duplication, yielding an exact copy, just as valid as the original, which materialized in the region of the space the ship was ''supposed'' to appear in, rather than jumping to the random planet that "their" ''Lost Light'' did. Nightbeat confirms her theory is correct with the data provided by Rewind, which reveals that the [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] they found in the coffin perished during the [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] fiasco when his head was phased inside the engines instead of just his arms. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently took command, while Rodimus was interred by [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]; the coffin proceeded to fall from the ship when it broke up following the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]'s attack—brought on, Rewind claims, by the fact that someone onboard ''deliberately deactivated'' [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]'s cell, allowing the DJD to detect his signal. Rewind explains that he was forced to film the villains' murder spree because they promised to let [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] live if he did so, but for added psychological torture, they then tried to force the [[mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] to wipe his own memories of Rewind, killing him with his own finger-needles when he refused.

Riptide brings Rewind's grim tale to an end by pointing out that the quantum foam floating outside is beginning to spread; Nautica realizes that it could potentially destroy [[Ofsted XVII]] down below by causing a chain reaction in the thinned-out space-time of the region and proposes shutting down the quantum engines entirely, which should also theoretically erase the "duplicate" ''Lost Light'' and reinstate their own. Megatron has no interest in risking his own life for a planet of non-Cybertronians, but Skids makes it clear it's not a choice: he is an Autobot now, and for that to ''mean something'', Megatron must put his life on the line for others. Unfortunately, the quantum foam is meshed around the drums so tight that a 'bot of Megatron's size cannot make it through; Rewind volunteers, but as both drums must be deactivated simultaneously, a second small 'bot is needed. Skids recalls [[Brainstorm]]'s [[mass-displacement gun]], capable of shrinking someone for the job, so the group heads for his lab to see if the "duplicate" Brainstorm invented the weapon. While searching the wrecked lab, Nightbeat and Nautica discuss the minutiae of the quantum duplication process, realizing that the Rewind "data ghost" and his altered message to Chromedome were the result of quantum "cross-contamination", and concluding that the erasure of their ''Lost Light'' was triggered when it came into proximity with Rodimus's coffin, making the paradox too blatant for the universe to continue "ignoring". Their conversation is brought to a shuddering halt when they lift a piece of rubble and reveal Brainstorm's body underneath... a discovery made all the more horrifying when Nightbeat picks up Brainstorm's disconnected faceplate, lying on the floor beside him, and uncovers a Decepticon insignia painted inside it. The ghastly realization that Brainstorm—and by extension, ''their'' Brainstorm—was the Decepticon mole who deactivated Overlord's cell has to be tabled by the crew in the face of greater concerns, and when it becomes apparent that the mass-displacement gun is not there, Megatron finally offers up a solution: he can use his own [[size changing|mass displacement]] powers, added to his [[spark]] to enable his old handgun mode, to shrink himself down and join Rewind in shutting the engines down.

A short time later, Rewind and the shrunken Megatron carefully make their way through the foam web, successfully reaching the quantum drums. As Nautica begins to walk them through the shutdown procedure, Rewind pauses, seeking belated confirmation of the fact that deactivating the drums will mean he and "his" ''Lost Light'' will cease to be. Nautica verifies this, and Rewind calmly resigns himself to this fact, given that his Chromedome is dead, leaving him with nothing to live for. He asks Megatron if the "other" Rewind and Chromedome are still strong, and after a moment of silence, Megatron tells him they are inseparable. Satisfied, Rewind throws the shutdown switch, and a wave of white light consumes everything.

Time passes. The deactivation of the quantum engines proves successful: the alternate ''Lost Light'' vanishes, and crew members slowly start appearing aboard the [[Rodpod]] in reverse order. When Chromedome is returned, however, Skids thrusts a pair of [[Magno-clamp|magna-clamps]] into his hands and tells him to go onto the pod roof... because somehow, the alternate Rewind has survived, and is waiting for him. The two 'bots look at each other in silent shock; Chromedome sits down beside his "resurrected" lover, and after a wordless moment of staring out at the stars together, the two embrace. Back inside, meanwhile, [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] reports that the ''Lost Light'' has also reappeared, and as a course is locked in, Megatron requests that he open a secure channel so that he can inform Rodimus about Brainstorm. [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] points out that he is not likely to be welcomed by the crew, and offers to depart for Earth, but Megatron invites him to stay, asking if the horrors he has seen the DJD perpetrate are enough to make him question his dedication to the Decepticon cause. Nightbeat and Nautica wonder how Rewind could have survived; Nightbeat jokingly blames "the power of love"... though that doesn't explain how he has managed to keep ahold of the dead Brainstorm's [[briefcase]]...

Back on the returned ''Lost Light'', Brainstorm squeezes his way through the crowd of revellers at [[Swerve's]], sitting down to next to [[Atomizer]]. Over Atomizer's protests, Brainstorm breaks the rules of the bar by undoing the clasps on his briefcase and opening it... and everyone in the bar except him collapses...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Getaway]] (1)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (4)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (5)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (6)
*[[Nautica]] (7)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (8)
*[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] (poster, 9)
*''[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'' (11)
*''[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'' (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]'' (13)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (14)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (15)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (17)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (22)
*''[[Dipstick]]'' (24)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (25)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (27)
*[[Ammo]] (28)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (29)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (30)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (31)
*[[Doublecross]] (32)
*[[Aquafend]] (33)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (34)
*[[Joyride (G1)|Joyride]] (35)
*[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]] (36)
*[[Atomizer]] (37)
*Guy on bar (38)
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (39)
*Yellow guy (40)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (2)
*''[[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]]'' (16)
*''[[Vos (DJD)|Vos]]'' (18)
*''[[Helex (DJD)|Helex]]'' (20)
*''[[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]]'' (21)
*''[[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]]'' (23)
*[[Brainstorm]] (26)
|c4=
*''[[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]]'' (10)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (19)
}}

==Quotes==

"Such a '''fuss'''. Is he important?" 
"Come now, Ravage. '''Everyone's''' important these days."
:—'''Ravage''' and '''Megatron'''

"I've never seen the quantum drums outside of the quantum engines... even hidden behind all the '''quantum foam''', they're impressive..." 
"Nautica, to be a '''quantum mechanic''', all you have to do is put the word 'quantum' in front of other words. True or false?" 
"Both." 
"Eh?" 
"It's '''both''', simultaneously. True and false. It depends on the quantized energy state of each proposition." 
"Eh?" 
"It's a joke." 
"Oh. Are jokes not funny where you come from?"
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Riptide'''

"If that planet were teeming with '''Cybertronians''', then yes, there'd be an argument for going back into the breach. But I doubt that's the case." 
"Ah, your '''true colors'''. I'd forgotten how '''purple''' they were." 
"You've forgotten something else: I am your prisoner. I've been granted '''conditional bail''' while we look for the Knights of Cybertron. Where in my bail terms does it say—where '''precisely''' does it say—that I have to risk my life to save a handful of strangers? Where does it say '''that'''?" 
''(Skids taps Megatron's Autobot badge.)'' 
"Right. There. What does that badge even '''mean''' to you? How has wearing it forced you to '''modify''' your behaviour? I'm serious! How has being an Autobot '''in any way''' prevented you from doing '''exactly''' what you want? Because if the answer is "'''it hasn't'''"—then nothing you've said or done in the last six months counts for '''anything.'''"
:—'''Megatron''' is read the riot act by '''Skids'''

"Before you volunteer, Ravage, I'm sorry, but you lack the manual dexterity to perform the task." 
"Touch me again and I'll kill you."
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Ravage'''

"I don't know '''all''' our undercover agents. To be honest, he's not our usual type." 
"There's a type?" 
"Hm. Have you never been approached?"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Nightbeat'''

"Here's a '''survival tip:''' When everyone's lining up to make sacrifices... always get to the back of the queue."
:—'''Megatron'''

"You should go first. You're still slightly larger than me, so there's a greater chance of you touching the foam and exploding... and if that happens there's no point in me putting my own life at risk." 
"And everyone says you were the kindhearted one." 
"Were?"
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Megatron'''

"What's left for me here? Chromedome's dead—which is just another way of saying '''I''' am. In fact I wanted to ask you earlier, but... on your '''Lost Light''', me and Domey... are we still going strong?" 
''(beat)'' 
"Megatron?" 
"You're inseparable."
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Getaway seems overly interested in the well-being of Rewind given that he's never met him before. He seems to have a bit of a thing for "little guys", given up how he's been cozying up to Tailgate in recent issues.
*The Sparkeater affair took place in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|issue #3]]; [[Animus]] died in that issue, but on this alternate ''Lost Light'', he survived long enough to lure the Sparkeater to the engine room, taking the place of [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], who is noted to have been "lost" in the initial explosion on the "alternate" ship. This seems to be further implicit confirmation that Animus was a [[Point One Percenter]], if his spark (shown to be green in that issue) was strong enough to serve as a lure for the creature over all others on the ship.
*The DJD suddenly detected Overlord's signature in [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|issue #8]]; at last, we learn that they were able to do this because the slow cell on the alternate ''Lost Light'' was shut down.
*With this issue, all the Autobots on the [[Necrobot]]'s list are shown to have died on the second ''Lost Light''; we don't see [[Dipstick]]'s corpse but his being shocked to death by Kaon probably counts.
*Brainstorm's [[mass-displacement gun]] previously appeared in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 Annual]].
*Megatron recalls his old handgun transformation, which is an alternate form he hasn't had in IDW since ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]''.
*"No Briefcases" was established as one of the rules of Swerve's in [[Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|issue #18]].

===Transformers references===
*Brainstorm is revealed to have a mouth under his faceplate, leaving him evocative of his animation model for the [[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|''Headmasters'' cartoon]]. He also had his faceplate removed more recently in IDW's ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Natural Selection, Part Two|#87]].
*The alternate Ultra Magnus was rid of his Nanocon infection using domesticated [[scraplet]]s, a form of mechanical parasite that originated in [[Crater Critters|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel US series]]. There have been a few sparse references to them in Roberts-written IDW stories before now, including a one-panel appearance by one taken from Rewind's database in [[The Gloaming|issue #16]].

===Real-life references===
*This story's subtitle comes from the Robert Frost poem, ''{{w|The Road Not Taken}}''.
===Errors===
*An alternate scenario involving the Nanocons inside Ultra Magnus is described as having played out on the duplicate ''Lost Light''... buuuut the only reason the dormant Nanocons inside Magnus even became ''active'' was because of the influence of the [[Crystal City Metrotitan]], which the alternate ''Lost Light'' was never anywhere near.
*Megatron offers to go with Rewind to deactivate the quantum drums because he can shift into a gun and therefore become smaller, but the story then proceeds with him getting through the quantum foam in his robot more, which is the biggest of all the ones present there. So he either got extremely lucky or he proved Nautica wrong and anyone would have been able to aid Rewind (he, he himself could have been replaced by someone else). Or both.

===Crew manifest===
* All the vanished members of the ship return
* The Rewind of the "alternate" ''Lost Light'' survives the quantum reset and joins the crew

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg8MvFNPC64 Teenage Spaceship]'' by {{w|Bill Callahan (musician)|Smog}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIPyAuuQwJM Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space]'' by {{w|Spiritualized}}

===Other trivia===
*It's never actually explained what happened to all the ''other'' 'bots who weren't part of the original crew when their shuttles disappeared, but they all appear to be fine now that everything's over.

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' A shadowed Rewind, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' In the manner of {{w|Lady Justice}}, Tarn holds aloft a set of scales on which the rest of the DJD members stand, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' Tarn looms over [[Fulcrum (G1)|Fulcrum]], dripping [[energon]], by [[Sarah Stone]]; the second in September's series of 30th Anniversary covers commemorating moments from IDW history, this one representing the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]]' meeting with the DJD in issue #8.
*'''Heroes and Fantasies Alamo City Comic Con exclusive cover:''' [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (in his ''[[Grimlock (WFC)|War for Cybertron]]'' design) roars in front of the Alamo, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]; a banner reading "When Dinobots Ruled the Earth" falls in front of him, paying homage to the climactic scene of ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' (and not for the [[:File:AHM13Apocalypse Cover.jpg|first time]]).
<gallery>
File:MTMTE33 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 cvrRI.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 cvrRE.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #34
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The World of Tomorrow|#33]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 2|#2]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Targetmasters (issue)|#2]]
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[My Little Pony]]'' Annual 2014 (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.newsarama.com/22128-megatron-s-autobots-uncover-secrets-in-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-33-preview.html Preview]

Slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken

2014-09-17T21:25:59Z

Valgatron: /* Errors */

{{lowercase}}
{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=33
|prev=slaughterhouse
|next=
|image=MTMTE33 regcvr.jpg
|title="slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken" 
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 17]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=September 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=[[Brian Shearer]] and [[John Wycough]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The mystery of the ''Lost Light's'' disappearance is solved, beginning a race against time to shut down the quantum engines and put things right.'''

==Synopsis==

As [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] lifts the unconscious [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] out of the [[Magnus Armor]] and lays him down, the little 'bot slowly awakens. [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] tries to make sure he's okay and talks him through the surprising sights that greet him—an [[Autobot]] Megatron, a living [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], and [[Nautica]] being ''female''—but Nightbeat butts in, desperate to find out what happened on the ship. The detective is fascinated by their recent discoveries, and a closer examination of the poster for "Information Creep" has revealed its release date to have been only a weeks after the ship's original launch, all standing in contradiction to the history they know—but Rewind dissolves into whimpering, able to give no verbal answer, instead offering up a [[data slug]] to the detective.

Meanwhile, across the room, Nautica observes the [[quantum engines]]' [[quantum drum]]s floating in the web of [[quantum foam]], prompting [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] to make fun of her by suggesting her profession just involves putting "quantum" in front of other words. She responds with a (failed) joke about the way all quantum objects exist in two superpositioned states—which gives her a sudden realization that explains everything. She presents her theory to the crew: that upon launch, the malfunction of the ''Lost Light's'' quantum engines caused the ship to undergo a quantum duplication, yielding an exact copy, just as valid as the original, which materialized in the region of the space the ship was ''supposed'' to appear in, rather than jumping to the random planet that "their" ''Lost Light'' did. Nightbeat confirms her theory is correct with the data provided by Rewind, which reveals that the [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] they found in the coffin perished during the [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] fiasco when his head was phased inside the engines instead of just his arms. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] subsequently took command, while Rodimus was interred by [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]; the coffin proceeded to fall from the ship when it broke up following the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]'s attack—brought on, Rewind claims, by the fact that someone onboard ''deliberately deactivated'' [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]'s cell, allowing the DJD to detect his signal. Rewind explains that he was forced to film the villains' murder spree because they promised to let [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] live if he did so, but for added psychological torture, they then tried to force the [[mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] to wipe his own memories of Rewind, killing him with his own finger-needles when he refused.

Riptide brings Rewind's grim tale to an end by pointing out that the quantum foam floating outside is beginning to spread; Nautica realizes that it could potentially destroy [[Ofsted XVII]] down below by causing a chain reaction in the thinned-out space-time of the region and proposes shutting down the quantum engines entirely, which should also theoretically erase the "duplicate" ''Lost Light'' and reinstate their own. Megatron has no interest in risking his own life for a planet of non-Cybertronians, but Skids makes it clear it's not a choice: he is an Autobot now, and for that to ''mean something'', Megatron must put his life on the line for others. Unfortunately, the quantum foam is meshed around the drums so tight that a 'bot of Megatron's size cannot make it through; Rewind volunteers, but as both drums must be deactivated simultaneously, a second small 'bot is needed. Skids recalls [[Brainstorm]]'s [[mass-displacement gun]], capable of shrinking someone for the job, so the group heads for his lab to see if the "duplicate" Brainstorm invented the weapon. While searching the wrecked lab, Nightbeat and Nautica discuss the minutiae of the quantum duplication process, realizing that the Rewind "data ghost" and his altered message to Chromedome were the result of quantum "cross-contamination", and concluding that the erasure of their ''Lost Light'' was triggered when it came into proximity with Rodimus's coffin, making the paradox too blatant for the universe to continue "ignoring". Their conversation is brought to a shuddering halt when they lift a piece of rubble and reveal Brainstorm's body underneath... a discovery made all the more horrifying when Nightbeat picks up Brainstorm's disconnected faceplate, lying on the floor beside him, and uncovers a Decepticon insignia painted inside it. The ghastly realization that Brainstorm—and by extension, ''their'' Brainstorm—was the Decepticon mole who deactivated Overlord's cell has to be tabled by the crew in the face of greater concerns, and when it becomes apparent that the mass-displacement gun is not there, Megatron finally offers up a solution: he can use his own [[size changing|mass displacement]] powers, added to his [[spark]] to enable his old handgun mode, to shrink himself down and join Rewind in shutting the engines down.

A short time later, Rewind and the shrunken Megatron carefully make their way through the foam web, successfully reaching the quantum drums. As Nautica begins to walk them through the shutdown procedure, Rewind pauses, seeking belated confirmation of the fact that deactivating the drums will mean he and "his" ''Lost Light'' will cease to be. Nautica verifies this, and Rewind calmly resigns himself to this fact, given that his Chromedome is dead, leaving him with nothing to live for. He asks Megatron if the "other" Rewind and Chromedome are still strong, and after a moment of silence, Megatron tells him they are inseparable. Satisfied, Rewind throws the shutdown switch, and a wave of white light consumes everything.

Time passes. The deactivation of the quantum engines proves successful: the alternate ''Lost Light'' vanishes, and crew members slowly start appearing aboard the [[Rodpod]] in reverse order. When Chromedome is returned, however, Skids thrusts a pair of [[Magno-clamp|magna-clamps]] into his hands and tells him to go onto the pod roof... because somehow, the alternate Rewind has survived, and is waiting for him. The two 'bots look at each other in silent shock; Chromedome sits down beside his "resurrected" lover, and after a wordless moment of staring out at the stars together, the two embrace. Back inside, meanwhile, [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] reports that the ''Lost Light'' has also reappeared, and as a course is locked in, Megatron requests that he open a secure channel so that he can inform Rodimus about Brainstorm. [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] points out that he is not likely to be welcomed by the crew, and offers to depart for Earth, but Megatron invites him to stay, asking if the horrors he has seen the DJD perpetrate are enough to make him question his dedication to the Decepticon cause. Nightbeat and Nautica wonder how Rewind could have survived; Nightbeat jokingly blames "the power of love"... though that doesn't explain how he has managed to keep ahold of the dead Brainstorm's [[briefcase]]...

Back on the returned ''Lost Light'', Brainstorm squeezes his way through the crowd of revellers at [[Swerve's]], sitting down to next to [[Atomizer]]. Over Atomizer's protests, Brainstorm breaks the rules of the bar by undoing the clasps on his briefcase and opening it... and everyone in the bar except him collapses...

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Getaway]] (1)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (4)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (5)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (6)
*[[Nautica]] (7)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (8)
*[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] (poster, 9)
*''[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'' (11)
*''[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]'' (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]'' (13)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (14)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (15)
*''[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]]'' (17)
*''[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]'' (22)
*''[[Dipstick]]'' (24)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (25)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (27)
*[[Ammo]] (28)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (29)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (30)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (31)
*[[Doublecross]] (32)
*[[Aquafend]] (33)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (34)
*[[Joyride (G1)|Joyride]] (35)
*[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]] (36)
*[[Atomizer]] (37)
*Guy on bar (38)
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (39)
*Yellow guy (40)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (2)
*''[[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]]'' (16)
*''[[Vos (DJD)|Vos]]'' (18)
*''[[Helex (DJD)|Helex]]'' (20)
*''[[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]]'' (21)
*''[[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]]'' (23)
*[[Brainstorm]] (26)
|c4=
*''[[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]]'' (10)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (19)
}}

==Quotes==

"Such a '''fuss'''. Is he important?" 
"Come now, Ravage. '''Everyone's''' important these days."
:—'''Ravage''' and '''Megatron'''

"I've never seen the quantum drums outside of the quantum engines... even hidden behind all the '''quantum foam''', they're impressive..." 
"Nautica, to be a '''quantum mechanic''', all you have to do is put the word 'quantum' in front of other words. True or false?" 
"Both." 
"Eh?" 
"It's '''both''', simultaneously. True and false. It depends on the quantized energy state of each proposition." 
"Eh?" 
"It's a joke." 
"Oh. Are jokes not funny where you come from?"
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Riptide'''

"If that planet were teeming with '''Cybertronians''', then yes, there'd be an argument for going back into the breach. But I doubt that's the case." 
"Ah, your '''true colors'''. I'd forgotten how '''purple''' they were." 
"You've forgotten something else: I am your prisoner. I've been granted '''conditional bail''' while we look for the Knights of Cybertron. Where in my bail terms does it say—where '''precisely''' does it say—that I have to risk my life to save a handful of strangers? Where does it say '''that'''?" 
''(Skids taps Megatron's Autobot badge.)'' 
"Right. There. What does that badge even '''mean''' to you? How has wearing it forced you to '''modify''' your behaviour? I'm serious! How has being an Autobot '''in any way''' prevented you from doing '''exactly''' what you want? Because if the answer is "'''it hasn't'''"—then nothing you've said or done in the last six months counts for '''anything.'''"
:—'''Megatron''' is read the riot act by '''Skids'''

"Before you volunteer, Ravage, I'm sorry, but you lack the manual dexterity to perform the task." 
"Touch me again and I'll kill you."
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Ravage'''

"I don't know '''all''' our undercover agents. To be honest, he's not our usual type." 
"There's a type?" 
"Hm. Have you never been approached?"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Nightbeat'''

"Here's a '''survival tip:''' When everyone's lining up to make sacrifices... always get to the back of the queue."
:—'''Megatron'''

"You should go first. You're still slightly larger than me, so there's a greater chance of you touching the foam and exploding... and if that happens there's no point in me putting my own life at risk." 
"And everyone says you were the kindhearted one." 
"Were?"
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Megatron'''

"What's left for me here? Chromedome's dead—which is just another way of saying '''I''' am. In fact I wanted to ask you earlier, but... on your '''Lost Light''', me and Domey... are we still going strong?" 
''(beat)'' 
"Megatron?" 
"You're inseparable."
:—'''Rewind''' and '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Getaway seems overly interested in the well-being of Rewind given that he's never met him before. He seems to have a bit of a thing for "little guys", given up how he's been cozying up to Tailgate in recent issues.
*The Sparkeater affair took place in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|issue #3]]; [[Animus]] died in that issue, but on this alternate ''Lost Light'', he survived long enough to lure the Sparkeater to the engine room, taking the place of [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], who is noted to have been "lost" in the initial explosion on the "alternate" ship. This seems to be further implicit confirmation that Animus was a [[Point One Percenter]], if his spark (shown to be green in that issue) was strong enough to serve as a lure for the creature over all others on the ship.
*The DJD suddenly detected Overlord's signature in [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|issue #8]]; at last, we learn that they were able to do this because the slow cell on the alternate ''Lost Light'' was shut down.
*With this issue, all the Autobots on the [[Necrobot]]'s list are shown to have died on the second ''Lost Light''; we don't see [[Dipstick]]'s corpse but his being shocked to death by Kaon probably counts.
*Brainstorm's [[mass-displacement gun]] previously appeared in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 Annual]].
*Megatron recalls his old handgun transformation, which is an alternate form he hasn't had in IDW since ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]''.
*"No Briefcases" was established as one of the rules of Swerve's in [[Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|issue #18]].

===Transformers references===
*Brainstorm is revealed to have a mouth under his faceplate, leaving him evocative of his animation model for the [[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|''Headmasters'' cartoon]]. He also had his faceplate removed more recently in IDW's ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Natural Selection, Part Two|#87]].
*The alternate Ultra Magnus was rid of his Nanocon infection using domesticated [[scraplet]]s, a form of mechanical parasite that originated in [[Crater Critters|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel US series]]. There have been a few sparse references to them in Roberts-written IDW stories before now, including a one-panel appearance by one taken from Rewind's database in [[The Gloaming|issue #16]].

===Real-life references===
*This story's subtitle comes from the Robert Frost poem, ''{{w|The Road Not Taken}}''.
===Errors===
*An alternate scenario involving the Nanocons inside Ultra Magnus is described as having played out on the duplicate ''Lost Light''... buuuut the only reason the dormant Nanocons inside Magnus even became ''active'' was because of the influence of the [[Crystal City Metrotitan]], which the alternate ''Lost Light'' was never anywhere near.
*Megatron offers to go with Rewind to deactive the quantum drums because he can shift into a gun and therefore become smaller, but the story then proceeds with him getting through the quantum foam in his robot more, which is the biggest of all the ones present there. So he either got extremely lucky or he proved Nautica wrong and anyone would have been able to aid Rewind (he, he himself could have been replaced by someone else). Or both.

===Crew manifest===
* All the vanished members of the ship return
* The Rewind of the "alternate" ''Lost Light'' survives the quantum reset and joins the crew

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg8MvFNPC64 Teenage Spaceship]'' by {{w|Bill Callahan (musician)|Smog}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIPyAuuQwJM Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space]'' by {{w|Spiritualized}}

===Other trivia===
*It's never actually explained what happened to all the ''other'' 'bots who weren't part of the original crew when their shuttles disappeared, but they all appear to be fine now that everything's over.

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' A shadowed Rewind, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' In the manner of {{w|Lady Justice}}, Tarn holds aloft a set of scales on which the rest of the DJD members stand, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' Tarn looms over [[Fulcrum (G1)|Fulcrum]], dripping [[energon]], by [[Sarah Stone]]; the second in September's series of 30th Anniversary covers commemorating moments from IDW history, this one representing the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]]' meeting with the DJD in issue #8.
*'''Heroes and Fantasies Alamo City Comic Con exclusive cover:''' [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (in his ''[[Grimlock (WFC)|War for Cybertron]]'' design) roars in front of the Alamo, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]; a banner reading "When Dinobots Ruled the Earth" falls in front of him, paying homage to the climactic scene of ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' (and not for the [[:File:AHM13Apocalypse Cover.jpg|first time]]).
<gallery>
File:MTMTE33 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 cvrRI.jpg|
File:MTMTE33 cvrRE.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #34
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The World of Tomorrow|#33]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 2|#2]]
*''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]'' [[Targetmasters (issue)|#2]]
*IDW ''Transformers'' graphic novel library
*''[[My Little Pony]]'' Annual 2014 (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.newsarama.com/22128-megatron-s-autobots-uncover-secrets-in-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-33-preview.html Preview]

Slaughterhouse

2014-08-27T21:59:31Z

Valgatron:

{{lowercase}}
{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=32
|prev=Twenty Plus One
|next=
|image=MTMTE32 regcvr.jpg
|title="slaughterhouse" 
|caption=Wait a minute, [[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe's]] on the cover? How did that happen?
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[August 27]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=August 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''Horrors await the small group of Autobots as they explore the wreckage of the ''Lost Light'', but all is not as it appears...'''

==Synopsis==

Overcoming their shock at the sight of the ruined ''[[Lost Light]]'', torn into three chunks and bleeding quantum foam, the remaining crew of the [[Rodpod]] conclude that, somehow, this is the time-displaced future version of the ship from which the coffin containing [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s dead body originated. Setting down inside the wreckage to investigate, they soon realise that their impromptu landing pad appears to be [[Swerve's]], only it seems to have been refashioned as a playhouse, rather than a bar; a poster for a showing of "Information Creep", the play [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] is currently working on, seems to confirm that the ship is from the future. [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] brings out [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to help in sniffing out the crew, though no-one is particularly pleased to see the cat-bot allowed to roam free. [[Nautica]] tries to be friendly, but makes the cardinal mistake of treating Ravage like a pet, and, suitably chastized by a swipe of his claws, decides to head off with [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] to fix the [[quantum generator]]s and stop the foam leakage. Presently, Ravage locates [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]—or rather, [[Minimus Ambus]], slaughtered and stripped of the [[Magnus Armor]] post-mortem, which lies nearby. [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] identifies the fatal blast-wound in Ambus's side as having been caused by a [[fusion cannon]], and immediately turns on Megatron; the former Decepticon retorts that his fusion cannon was destroyed following his change of allegiance, and that furthermore, he had no knowledge of Minimus Ambus within the armor. But as Skids points out, as the ship is from their future, he now ''does'' possess that knowledge and could potentially act on it in that future. Shaken, Megatron realizes that it is actually not impossible for him to be responsible for the death and devastation, and suggests that he and Ravage be locked up until more answers are forthcoming.

In another section of the ship, Nightbeat and Nautica make their way to the engine rooms, talking about the strangeness of recent events. Recalling the appearance of the deceased [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]'s "data ghost" leads Nightbeat to ask Nautica about her own romantic past, and from there to the topic of pair-bonding in general on [[Caminus]] in general; the engineer is amused by his bluntness, and asks the same questions of him. As they enter an elevator, extra gizmos added to Nautica's wrench by [[Brainstorm]] deliver a report on the local surroundings, identifying local space as "worn down", with many signs of extensive recent [[transwarp|teleportation activity]]. At that point, Nautica's foot bumps into something on the floor... ''Brainstorm's [[briefcase]].''

Locked in a cupboard together, an angry Ravage attacks Megatron, accusing him of betrayal and hoping that [[shadowplay]] is responsible for his change of heart, which Megatron denies. Ravage tells him that [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] is now in charge of the Decepticons, but that he will be abandoned immediately if Megatron but gives the word; Megatron despairs over the toxicity of Decepticon loyalty, and correctly deduces that Ravage was sent to spy on him by [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], and that he was responsible for the attempted jailbreak during his trial. In response to Ravage's allegation that Megatron is unsure of his identity for the first time in his life, Megatron explains that his change of heart was motivated by the fact that, during his last talk with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] prior to the [[Chaos (IDW)|Chaos event]], he had spoken harsh words that he had intended only to wound Prime... only to realize that he ''believed'' them, and that he hated the person he had become. Ravage claims that in years to come, Megatron will laugh at this notion, but Megatron admits to feeling old, and believes that the Megatron he once was is dead. Before the conversation can go any deeper, the lights flick on, repaired by the other Autobots... illuminating the dead bodies of [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] in the cupboard's corner! Examining the bodies, Megatron finds their [[brain module]]s torn out and stuffed into their mouths, which gives him all the information he needs to identify the murderers...

Nightbeat opens Brainstorm's briefcase, only to find it empty, leading him and Nautica to theorize everything from invisible gas to a cloaking device to outright theft to explain the lack of contents... to the point that they fail to notice local space/time warping around them, causing their conversation to occur out of sequence. The elevator opens to a gruesome sight: [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]'s dead body, impaled on a bulkhead! But Nightbeat's attention is drawn by a greater mystery: a flight of stairs leading to a lower level, when they are already supposed to be on the lowest deck of the ship.

Skids and [[Getaway]] continue their exploration of the ship, talking about Megatron and their changing attitude toward him as they go. They catch up to Riptide just as he has made an horrific discovery—a room full of corpses, every one in [[alternate mode]], with two puncture holes in each of them. Reminded of the practise of [[cerebral dowsing]]—the ability to deduce the location of a Transformer's brain module while they are in alt mode—Skids realizes that all the dead have been shot in the "head", and that the secondary holes were bored in order to remove their [[transformation cog]]s. Just as Skids is getting to grips with this discovery, Nightbeat contacts him over the comm, and reveals that they have found [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]'s dead body in the [[slow cell]] beneath the ship. Megatron then joins the call, and everyone pools their knowledge and realizes they have come to the same conclusion: the ''Lost Light'' has been attacked by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]].

Everyone regroups in Swerve's and prepares to depart with all due haste, though first, they have to bring the befuddled Nautica up to speed: the brain modules in the corpse mouths were the work of [[Helex (DJD)|Helex]], while the fusion cannon that slew Magnus belonged to [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]], who also removed the transformation cogs of the dead to feed his transformation addiction. Megatron believes the DJD are acting in response to his denouncement of the Decepticon cause, but Nightbeat points out that evidence suggests that the ship is ''not'' simply from the future: Overlord and the cell containing were jettisoned from the ship some time in the past, and should not ''be'' there any more, suggesting that past events somehow played out differently on this version of the ship. A surge of energy and tremor caused by the ship's reaction to the quantum foam rocks the team, but Nautica refuses to leave as they haven't finished searching for survivors. Megatron is certain that the DJD will have left none... until Ravage picks up a new scent, and, huddled within the Magnus Armor... Megatron finds the still-living form of Rewind.

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. Those who appear in the present as corpses are marked with asterisks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Nautica]] (1)
*[[Getaway]] (2)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (3)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (5)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (6)
*[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] (poster, 7)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]* (9)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'' (10)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]'' (11)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]]* (12)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]* (13)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]* (14)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]* (15)
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]]* (16)
*[[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]]* (17)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]* (18)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]* (19)
*[[Rad]]* (20)
*[[Powerflash]]* (21)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]* (22)
*[[Waverider]]* (23)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]* (24)
*[[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]]* (25)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]* (26)
*[[Rollout (G1)|Rollout]]* (27)
*[[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]]* (28)
*''[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]'' (36)
*''[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'' (37)
*''[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]'' (38)
*''[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]]'' (39)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (40)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (8)
*[[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]* (29)
*''[[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]]'' (30)
*''[[Helex (DJD)|Helex]]'' (31)
*''[[Vos (DJD)|Vos]]'' (32)
*''[[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]]'' (33)
*''[[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]]'' (35)
|c4=
*''[[The Pet]]'' (34)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Nautica:''' "Okay, so it's '''been ripped apart''', but—that's our ship!" 
'''Getaway:''' "Er—the ship we just saw disappear..." 
'''Riptide:''' "Two words: '''paradox.'''" 
'''Skids:''' "Riptide's right, even if his spelling isn't."

"Nuh-uh! It's '''not''' Ultra Magnus, which makes this a '''fail'''... I'm just waiting for confirmation from the judges and... oh! Not only is it a fail, but it's been placed in the '''epic''' category."
:—'''Riptide''' on Ravage's tracking ability

"Do you have a ''Conjunx Endura''? Or any ''Amica Endurae''? Do they practise any form of elective kinship on Caminus? Why are you smiling?" 
"Because '''you'''! Your '''questions'''! Anyone else would '''sidle up''' to a subject like that..." 
"Gah, who's got time to tiptoe?" 
"Well, the answers are no, yes, and yes. What about you? Ever had a sparkmate?" 
"Nah. But then, I '''am''' pretty insufferable." 
... 
"Silent howls of protest."
:—'''Nightbeat''' and '''Nautica'''

"I love my wrench." 
"'''Is''' it technically a wrench?" 
"It's a wrench-slash-scanner-slash-'''everything'''. Brainstorm added a billion extras. See? There's even a light that goes on when I'm exaggerating." 
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Nightbeat'''

"I once told Optimus I killed for the sake of killing. I wanted to make him '''hurt me''', you see—because when he hurts others, he hurts '''himself'''. And the thing is, when the words were in my head I didn't think I meant them; but when they left my mouth, I realized that I '''did'''. If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is '''wrong'''. But when you start to think of '''yourself''' as a monster... I came to hate the person I'd become. And I decided that the best way to leave that person behind—perhaps the easiest way—was to become an Autobot."
:—'''Megatron''' on his change of allegiance

"Look at me, Ravage. I'm '''old'''. Old and weak. Their poison makes me '''brittle''', but even at full strength, I'm long past my prime. My spark '''flickers''' where once it '''flared'''. And this body... oh, this nonsense body. It doesn't graft to the spark like the others. There's no purchase. No '''bite'''." 
"I don't like to hear you talk like this." 
"Why?" 
"Because it's not '''you'''! The Megatron who tore down the Senate—who emancipated millions; the Megatron we followed; the Megatron we '''loved'''... what happened to '''him'''?" 
"I don't know. I think he's dead." 
"Dead? Or just resting?" 
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Ravage'''

"Well done for '''Megatron'''. That was bomp-worthy." 
"It's weird, though. I almost wanted to apologize for locking him in... I worry I'm going to stop hating him." 
"A Decepticon kills an Autobot, you hate him. But a million Autobots? A '''billion'''? It's meaningless. That's the problem: the greater the crime, the harder it is to process a response."
:—'''Getaway''' and '''Skids'''

"It's a game, Nautica—an old wartime favorite. When someone shouts '''D.J.D.''' you have to find your friends and run like hell."
:—'''Getaway'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Though nobody points it out, the web of red quantum foam looks an aaaaawful lot like blood. This is not first "bleeding spaceship" we've seen in ''More than Meets the Eye''—there was the ''[[Worldsweeper]]'' back in [[Rules of Disengagement|issue #7]], though that was ''actually'' blood.
*We learned about Crosscut's play "Information Creep" last issue.
*A one-panel flashback shows Megatron being made to melt his fusion cannon in a vat of acid under the watchful eyes of Jetfire and Optimus Prime; there's a similarity here to an imaginary sequence seen in issue #7 (again) in which, after the hypothetical end of conflict, Megatron prepares to dispose of his weapon in a similar bubbling vat.
*We learn about another form of Transformer pair-bonding in addition to the [[Conjunx Endura]] this issue, the "[[Amica Endura]]". Though Nightbeat doesn't expand on the concept, it seems logical to assume that this is a Transformery version of a "best friend"- this was later confirmed by James Roberts<ref>https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/504551830937165824 James Roberts on Amica Endura</ref>.
*Ravage mentions [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'s stewardship of the Decepticons, which is playing out over in sister title ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]''.
*Ravage is also revealed to be responsible for freeing the Decepticons from the ''Lost Light'' brig in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]].
*When Megatron recalls his talk with Optimus Prime, he is remembering the events of "[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]" and the notable speech he gave in that issue.
*As starts to become apparent as the issue builds towards its climax, there's clearly some timey-wimeyness at play here, and this is not simply a future version of the ''Lost Light''—the slow cell, Overlord and Rewind were all, ah, ''dispatched'' one way or another in [[Under Cold Blue Stars|issue #15]] and should no longer be on the ship. Note the... ''tactful'' positioning of Tailgate's dead body so as not to give this away ahead of time: he has been impaled through the chest, so we can't see if he's got the Autobot insignia he received shortly before issue #28, and only "Disposal" can be glimpsed on his right arm—we can't tell if it says "Bomb" or "Waste", the switch between the two having taken place in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|issue #21]]—thereby eliminating the markings that we would be able to use to identify a future version of Tailgate as he is now. We do, however, get one small hint at the truth: the energon splattered around Tailgate's corpse is green, curdled as a result of the cybercrosis that he was cured of in issue #21.
*We can probably safely presume that it was to this "alternate" ''Lost Light'' that the DJD went following their detection of Overlord's signal at the conclusion of [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|issue #8]], explaining why they never appeared to vex our heroes in the course of regular events.
*And speaking of issue #8, it's logical to wonder if the deaths on the [[Necrobot]]'s list back in that story might not be recordings of the passings of these "alternate" 'bots.

===Transformers references===
*Skids exclaims "By the [[Celestial Spires]]", an exclamation commonly seen in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|Marvel UK]] comics.

===Real-world references===
*{{w|Quantum foam}} is a real concept in quantum mechanics.
*Nautica's upgraded wrench is a pretty clear take-off on the {{w|sonic screwdriver}} of ''[[Doctor|Doctor Who]]'' fame, in particular the highly multifunctional version of the device seen in the 2005 series.

===Crew manifest===
*ARE ALL DEAD

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zsDdNvoqiI Dark]'' by {{w|Low (band)|Low}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML3G1MykdnM Dirge]'' by {{w|Death in Vegas}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EODw7eH5u7Q Waiting Rooms]'' by {{w|Simon Warner}}

===Other trivia===
*Page 20 shows "what happens next" after the events shown on the issue's regular cover. Cute! Well, horrifying.
*Many of the dead characters appear in vehicle mode for the first time in the series, making it hard to identify them! In particular, once-and-former [[Action Master]]s Rad, Rollout and Powerflash get alternate modes for the first time in Transformers fiction; fellow Action Master Jackpot—sitting to the right of Blades above the door—has been covered by a speech balloon.
*On the page Nightbeat and Nautica are examining the contents, or rather lack thereof, of Brainstorm's briefcase, the images are scrambled and it's up to the readers to figure out the correct order, making it a small mini-puzzle within the issue.
===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Ultra Magnus, Whirl, Ratchet, Perceptor and Mainframe in battle, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Nightbeat and Nautica atop Brainstorm's briefcase, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]], in homage to a classic ''[[The X-Files: Conspiracy: The Transformers|X-Files]]'' promotional image.
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' The fused Megatron/Ratchet monstrosity from [[The Pri¢e of Life!|issue #70]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel Comics series]], by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]], continuing this month's 30th Anniversary cover theme of Marvel moments. Slightly less horrifying than the contents of the issue.
<gallery>
File:MTMTE32 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE32 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE32 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #33
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Earthfall Chapter 5: I Dream of Wires|#32]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]''
*IDW ''Transformers'' trade paperback library
*''Spirit Animals''
* ''Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://issuu.com/idwpublishing/docs/tf_mtmte_32-pr Preview]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Slaughterhouse

2014-08-27T16:26:26Z

Valgatron:

{{lowercase}}
{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=32
|prev=Twenty Plus One
|next=
|image=MTMTE32 regcvr.jpg
|title="Slaughterhouse"
|caption=Wait a minute, [[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe's]] on the cover? How did that happen?
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[August 27]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=August 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''Horrors await the small group of Autobots as they explore the wreckage of the ''Lost Light'', but all is not as it appears...'''

==Synopsis==

Overcoming their shock at the sight of the ruined ''[[Lost Light]]'', torn into three chunks and bleeding quantum foam, the remaining crew of the [[Rodpod]] conclude that, somehow, this is the time-displaced future version of the ship from which the coffin containing [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s dead body originated. Setting down inside the wreckage to investigate, they soon realise that their impromptu landing pad appears to be [[Swerve's]], only it seems to have been refashioned as a playhouse, rather than a bar; a poster for a showing of "Information Creep", the play [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] is currently working on, seems to confirm that the ship is from the future. [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] brings out [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to help in sniffing out the crew, though no-one is particularly pleased to see the cat-bot allowed to roam free. [[Nautica]] tries to be friendly, but makes the cardinal mistake of treating Ravage like a pet, and, suitably chastized by a swipe of his claws, decides to head off with [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] to fix the [[quantum generator]]s and stop the foam leakage. Presently, Ravage locates [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]—or rather, [[Minimus Ambus]], slaughtered and stripped of the [[Magnus Armor]] post-mortem, which lies nearby. [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] identifies the fatal blast-wound in Ambus's side as having been caused by a [[fusion cannon]], and immediately turns on Megatron; the former Decepticon retorts that his fusion cannon was destroyed following his change of allegiance, and that furthermore, he had no knowledge of Minimus Ambus within the armor. But as Skids points out, as the ship is from their future, he now ''does'' possess that knowledge and could potentially act on it in that future. Shaken, Megatron realizes that it is actually not impossible for him to be responsible for the death and devastation, and suggests that he and Ravage be locked up until more answers are forthcoming.

In another section of the ship, Nightbeat and Nautica make their way to the engine rooms, talking about the strangeness of recent events. Recalling the appearance of the deceased [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]'s "data ghost" leads Nightbeat to ask Nautica about her own romantic past, and from there to the topic of pair-bonding in general on [[Caminus]] in general; the engineer is amused by his bluntness, and asks the same questions of him. As they enter an elevator, extra gizmos added to Nautica's wrench by [[Brainstorm]] deliver a report on the local surroundings, identifying local space as "worn down", with many signs of extensive recent [[transwarp|teleportation activity]]. At that point, Nautica's foot bumps into something on the floor... ''Brainstorm's [[briefcase]].''

Locked in a cupboard together, an angry Ravage attacks Megatron, accusing him of betrayal and hoping that [[shadowplay]] is responsible for his change of heart, which Megatron denies. Ravage tells him that [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] is now in charge of the Decepticons, but that he will be abandoned immediately if Megatron but gives the word; Megatron despairs over the toxicity of Decepticon loyalty, and correctly deduces that Ravage was sent to spy on him by [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], and that he was responsible for the attempted jailbreak during his trial. In response to Ravage's allegation that Megatron is unsure of his identity for the first time in his life, Megatron explains that his change of heart was motivated by the fact that, during his last talk with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] prior to the [[Chaos (IDW)|Chaos event]], he had spoken harsh words that he had intended only to wound Prime... only to realize that he ''believed'' them, and that he hated the person he had become. Ravage claims that in years to come, Megatron will laugh at this notion, but Megatron admits to feeling old, and believes that the Megatron he once was is dead. Before the conversation can go any deeper, the lights flick on, repaired by the other Autobots... illuminating the dead bodies of [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] in the cupboard's corner! Examining the bodies, Megatron finds their [[brain module]]s torn out and stuffed into their mouths, which gives him all the information he needs to identify the murderers...

Nightbeat opens Brainstorm's briefcase, only to find it empty, leading him and Nautica to theorize everything from invisible gas to a cloaking device to outright theft to explain the lack of contents... to the point that they fail to notice local space/time warping around them, causing their conversation to occur out of sequence. The elevator opens to a gruesome sight: [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]'s dead body, impaled on a bulkhead! But Nightbeat's attention is drawn by a greater mystery: a flight of stairs leading to a lower level, when they are already supposed to be on the lowest deck of the ship.

Skids and [[Getaway]] continue their exploration of the ship, talking about Megatron and their changing attitude toward him as they go. They catch up to Riptide just as he has made an horrific discovery—a room full of corpses, every one in [[alternate mode]], with two puncture holes in each of them. Reminded of the practise of [[cerebral dowsing]]—the ability to deduce the location of a Transformer's brain module while they are in alt mode—Skids realizes that all the dead have been shot in the "head", and that the secondary holes were bored in order to remove their [[transformation cog]]s. Just as Skids is getting to grips with this discovery, Nightbeat contacts him over the comm, and reveals that they have found [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]'s dead body in the [[slow cell]] beneath the ship. Megatron then joins the call, and everyone pools their knowledge and realizes they have come to the same conclusion: the ''Lost Light'' has been attacked by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]].

Everyone regroups in Swerve's and prepares to depart with all due haste, though first, they have to bring the befuddled Nautica up to speed: the brain modules in the corpse mouths were the work of [[Helex (DJD)|Helex]], while the fusion cannon that slew Magnus belonged to [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]], who also removed the transformation cogs of the dead to feed his transformation addiction. Megatron believes the DJD are acting in response to his denouncement of the Decepticon cause, but Nightbeat points out that evidence suggests that the ship is ''not'' simply from the future: Overlord and the cell containing were jettisoned from the ship some time in the past, and should not ''be'' there any more, suggesting that past events somehow played out differently on this version of the ship. A surge of energy and tremor caused by the ship's reaction to the quantum foam rocks the team, but Nautica refuses to leave as they haven't finished searching for survivors. Megatron is certain that the DJD will have left none... until Ravage picks up a new scent, and, huddled within the Magnus Armor... Megatron finds the still-living form of Rewind.

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. Those who appear in the present as corpses are marked with asterisks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Nautica]] (1)
*[[Getaway]] (2)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (3)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (5)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (6)
*[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] (poster, 7)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]* (9)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'' (10)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]'' (11)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]]* (12)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]* (13)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]* (14)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]* (15)
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]]* (16)
*[[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]]* (17)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]* (18)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]* (19)
*[[Rad]]* (20)
*[[Powerflash]]* (21)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]]* (22)
*[[Waverider]]* (23)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]* (24)
*[[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]]* (25)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]* (26)
*[[Rollout (G1)|Rollout]]* (27)
*[[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]]* (28)
*''[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]'' (36)
*''[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'' (37)
*''[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]'' (38)
*''[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]]'' (39)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (40)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (8)
*[[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]* (29)
*''[[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]]'' (30)
*''[[Helex (DJD)|Helex]]'' (31)
*''[[Vos (DJD)|Vos]]'' (32)
*''[[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]]'' (33)
*''[[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]]'' (35)
|c4=
*''[[The Pet]]'' (34)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Nautica:''' "Okay, so it's '''been ripped apart''', but—that's our ship!" 
'''Getaway:''' "Er—the ship we just saw disappear..." 
'''Riptide:''' "Two words: '''paradox.'''" 
'''Skids:''' "Riptide's right, even if his spelling isn't."

"Nuh-uh! It's '''not''' Ultra Magnus, which makes this a '''fail'''... I'm just waiting for confirmation from the judges and... oh! Not only is it a fail, but it's been placed in the '''epic''' category."
:—'''Riptide''' on Ravage's tracking ability

"Do you have a ''Conjunx Endura''? Or any ''Amica Endurae''? Do they practise any form of elective kinship on Caminus? Why are you smiling?" 
"Because '''you'''! Your '''questions'''! Anyone else would '''sidle up''' to a subject like that..." 
"Gah, who's got time to tiptoe?" 
"Well, the answers are no, yes, and yes. What about you? Ever had a sparkmate?" 
"Nah. But then, I '''am''' pretty insufferable." 
... 
"Silent howls of protest."
:—'''Nightbeat''' and '''Nautica'''

"I love my wrench." 
"'''Is''' it technically a wrench?" 
"It's a wrench-slash-scanner-slash-'''everything'''. Brainstorm added a billion extras. See? There's even a light that goes on when I'm exaggerating." 
:—'''Nautica''' and '''Nightbeat'''

"I once told Optimus I killed for the sake of killing. I wanted to make him '''hurt me''', you see—because when he hurts others, he hurts '''himself'''. And the thing is, when the words were in my head I didn't think I meant them; but when they left my mouth, I realized that I '''did'''. If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is '''wrong'''. But when you start to think of '''yourself''' as a monster... I came to hate the person I'd become. And I decided that the best way to leave that person behind—perhaps the easiest way—was to become an Autobot."
:—'''Megatron''' on his change of allegiance

"Look at me, Ravage. I'm '''old'''. Old and weak. Their poison makes me '''brittle''', but even at full strength, I'm long past my prime. My spark '''flickers''' where once it '''flared'''. And this body... oh, this nonsense body. It doesn't graft to the spark like the others. There's no purchase. No '''bite'''." 
"I don't like to hear you talk like this." 
"Why?" 
"Because it's not '''you'''! The Megatron who tore down the Senate—who emancipated millions; the Megatron we followed; the Megatron we '''loved'''... what happened to '''him'''?" 
"I don't know. I think he's dead." 
"Dead? Or just resting?" 
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Ravage'''

"Well done for '''Megatron'''. That was bomp-worthy." 
"It's weird, though. I almost wanted to apologize for locking him in... I worry I'm going to stop hating him." 
"A Decepticon kills an Autobot, you hate him. But a million Autobots? A '''billion'''? It's meaningless. That's the problem: the greater the crime, the harder it is to process a response."
:—'''Getaway''' and '''Skids'''

"It's a game, Nautica—an old wartime favorite. When someone shouts '''D.J.D.''' you have to find your friends and run like hell."
:—'''Getaway'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Though nobody points it out, the web of red quantum foam looks an aaaaawful lot like blood. This is not first "bleeding spaceship" we've seen in ''More than Meets the Eye''—there was the ''[[Worldsweeper]]'' back in [[Rules of Disengagement|issue #7]], though that was ''actually'' blood.
*We learned about Crosscut's play "Information Creep" last issue.
*A one-panel flashback shows Megatron being made to melt his fusion cannon in a vat of acid under the watchful eyes of Jetfire and Optimus Prime; there's a similarity here to an imaginary sequence seen in issue #7 (again) in which, after the hypothetical end of conflict, Megatron prepares to dispose of his weapon in a similar bubbling vat.
*We learn about another form of Transformer pair-bonding in addition to the [[Conjunx Endura]] this issue, the "[[Amica Endura]]". Though Nightbeat doesn't expand on the concept, it seems logical to assume that this is a Transformery version of a "best friend"- this was later confirmed by James Roberts<ref>https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/504551830937165824 James Roberts on Amica Endura</ref>.
*Ravage mentions [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'s stewardship of the Decepticons, which is playing out over in sister title ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]''.
*Ravage is also revealed to be responsible for freeing the Decepticons from the ''Lost Light'' brig in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]].
*When Megatron recalls his talk with Optimus Prime, he is remembering the events of "[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]" and the notable speech he gave in that issue.
*As starts to become apparent as the issue builds towards its climax, there's clearly some timey-wimeyness at play here, and this is not simply a future version of the ''Lost Light''—the slow cell, Overlord and Rewind were all, ah, ''dispatched'' one way or another in [[Under Cold Blue Stars|issue #15]] and should no longer be on the ship. Note the... ''tactful'' positioning of Tailgate's dead body so as not to give this away ahead of time: he has been impaled through the chest, so we can't see if he's got his Autobot insignia or not (which he didn't receive until shortly before issue #28); and only "Disposal" can be glimpsed on his right arm—we can't tell if it says "Bomb" or "Waste", the switch between the two having taken place in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|issue #21]]—thereby eliminating the markings that we would be able to use to identify a future version of Tailgate as he is now.
*We can probably safely presume that it was to this "alternate" ''Lost Light'' that the DJD went following their detection of Overlord's signal at the conclusion of [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|issue #8]], explaining why they never appeared to vex our heroes in the course of regular events.
*And speaking of issue #8, it's logical to wonder if the deaths on the [[Necrobot]]'s list back in that story might not be recordings of the passings of these "alternate" 'bots.

===Transformers references===
*Skids exclaims "By the [[Celestial Spires]]", an exclamation commonly seen in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|Marvel UK]] comics.

===Real-world references===
*{{w|Quantum foam}} is a real concept in quantum mechanics.
*Nautica's upgraded wrench is a pretty clear take-off on the {{w|sonic screwdriver}} of ''[[Doctor|Doctor Who]]'' fame, in particular the highly multifunctional version of the device seen in the 2005 series.

===Crew manifest===
*ARE ALL DEAD

===Soundtrack===
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zsDdNvoqiI Dark]'' by {{w|Low (band)|Low}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML3G1MykdnM Dirge]'' by {{w|Death in Vegas}}
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EODw7eH5u7Q Waiting Rooms]'' by {{w|Simon Warner}}

===Other trivia===
*Page 20 shows "what happens next" after the events shown on the issue's regular cover. Cute! Well, horrifying.
*Many of the dead characters appear in vehicle mode for the first time in the series, making it hard to identify them! In particular, once-and-former [[Action Master]]s Rad, Rollout and Powerflash get alternate modes for the first time in Transformers fiction; fellow Action Master Jackpot—sitting to the right of Blades above the door—has been covered by a speech balloon.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Ultra Magnus, Whirl, Ratchet, Perceptor and Mainframe in battle, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Nightbeat and Nautica atop Brainstorm's briefcase, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]], in homage to a classic ''[[The X-Files: Conspiracy: The Transformers|X-Files]]'' promotional image.
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' The fused Megatron/Ratchet monstrosity from [[The Pri¢e of Life!|issue #70]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel Comics series]], by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]], continuing this month's 30th Anniversary cover theme of Marvel moments.
<gallery>
File:MTMTE32 regcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE32 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE32 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #33
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Earthfall Chapter 5: I Dream of Wires|#32]]
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]''
*IDW ''Transformers'' trade paperback library
*''Spirit Animals''
* ''Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland'' (back cover)

===External links===
*[http://issuu.com/idwpublishing/docs/tf_mtmte_32-pr Preview]

{{Reflist}}

MediaWiki:TFWiki.net 2014 Transformers Hall of Fame Auditions/Entries

2014-05-31T13:38:22Z

Valgatron: /* Poll entries */

This is the page for the '''TFWiki.net Transformers Hall of Fame Auditions''' entries. The rules are as follows:

#You must pick your top five ''Transformers'' characters, from any era. They must actually '''be''' Transformers; sorry, but no humans, non-Transformer aliens, non-Transformer robots, or anything else of the sort are being considered for the Hall of Fame. Any votes for such entities will '''not''' be tabulated. It is the sole discretion of the contest organizers to decide what does and does not count.
#Take your top five list and '''put it in alphabetical order'''. Order of preference does not matter. Feel free to denote the character's franchise of origin, although these distinctions may or may not figure into the final results.
#You '''cannot''' vote for a specific version of '''Bumblebee, Dinobot, Grimlock, Ironhide, Jazz, Megatron, ''Beast Wars'' Megatron, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Shockwave, Soundwave, Starscream, Ultra Magnus, Waspinator, or Wheeljack.''' They've already been inducted!
#However, '''you CAN vote''' for [[Optimus Primal]]'''! Hasbro considers him separate!
#Only one entry per user.

Please put your characters of choice and user name below in the following manner:

*Bulkhead, Emirate Xaaron, Hot Shot, Terrorsaur (BW), X-Brawn --<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Poll entry period ends at 4pm on '''[[June 2]]nd, 2014'''. [[User:Monzo|Monzo]] ([[User talk:Monzo|talk]]) 17:10, 28 May 2014 (EDT)

==Poll entries==


*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Bulkhead, Lockdown, Sky-Byte. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 17:12, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Sky-Byte --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] ([[User talk:FortMax|talk]]) 17:15, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Barricade, Devastator, Lockdown, Ravage, Sideways -[[User:LV|LV]] ([[User talk:LV|talk]]) 17:16, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bludgeon, Overlord, Scorponok (G1), Thunderwing, Unicron -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 17:18, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Impactor, Mindwipe, Ratbat, Scrounge. --[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 17:19, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bulkhead, Devastator, Hot Shot, Ratbat, Rattrap - [[User:RolonBolon|RolonBolon]] ([[User talk:RolonBolon|talk]]) 17:22, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Hot Shot, Nightbeat, Shokaract, Ravage --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 17:28, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Devastator, Hot Shot, Ravage, Sky-Byte -- [[User:Shellspark|Shellspark]] ([[User talk:Shellspark|talk]]) 17:30, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Cyclonus, Lockdown, Prowl, Rodimus -- [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 17:33, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Rodimus, Scorponok, Scrounge, Sky-Byte, Swerve --[[User:G.B. Blackrock|G.B. Blackrock]] ([[User talk:G.B. Blackrock|talk]]) 17:36, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Lockdown, Sky-Byte, Windblade --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 17:36, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Cheetor, Ginrai, Optimus Primal, Sky-Byte, Springer --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 17:38, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bruticus, Gimlet, Predaking, Sky-Byte --[[User:Fritz|Fritz]] ([[User talk:Fritz|talk]]) 17:39, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Hot Shot, Laserbeak, Ravage -- [[User:Bobpiecheese|Bobpiecheese]] ([[User talk:Bobpiecheese|talk]]) 17:47, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Hot Rod, Optimus Primal, Sky-Byte, Smokescreen -- [[User:Antimatter|Antimatter]] ([[User talk:Antimatter|talk]]) 17:51, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Barricade(Bayverse), Prowl, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Thundercracker--regdog
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Hot Shot, Optimus Primal, Sunstreaker -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|Use this!]] 17:59, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bruticus, Devastator, Lockdown, Prowl, Scourge-- [[User:Quadropl|Quadropl]] ([[User talk:Quadropl|talk]]) 18:02, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Cosmos, Sky-Byte, Sky Lynx, Thundercracker, Warpath --[[User:Sockie|Sockie]] ([[User talk:Sockie|talk]]) 18:05, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee (Prime), Blackarachnia (BW), Bulkhead (Animated or Prime), Optimus Primal, Rhinox. -- [[User:MetalShadowX|MetalShadowX]] ([[User talk:MetalShadowX|talk]]) 18:11, 28 May 2014 (EST)
*Arcee, Omega Supreme, Ratbat, Rumble, Sky-Byte - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] ([[User talk:Chris McFeely|talk]]) 18:16, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Elita-One, Perceptor, Windblade --[[User:WhirlyBird|WhirlyBird]] ([[User talk:WhirlyBird|talk]]) 18:29, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Devastator, Optimus Primal, Rodimus, Unicron - [[User:Protoman|Protoman]] ([[User talk:Protoman|talk]]) 18:45, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Cyclonus, Optimus Primal, Rodimus Prime --[[User:Garrulous9|Garrulous9]] ([[User talk:Garrulous9|talk]]) 19:05, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
* Arcee, Blackarachnia, Drift, Optimus Primal, Rattrap --[[User:Detour|Detour]] ([[User talk:Detour|talk]]) 19:32, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
* Arcee, Drift, Lockdown, Rodimus (Hot Rod or Rodimus Prime or Rodimus Major or whatever Hasbro wants to call him), Sideways (Armada). -- [[User:Sky Shadow|Sky Shadow]] ([[User talk:Sky Shadow|talk]])
*Arcee, Blitzwing, Devastator, Ravage, Rodimus--[[User:Riddlerj|Riddlerj]] ([[User talk:Riddlerj|talk]]) 20:06, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Prowl (Animated), Rodimus (Animated), Thundercracker, Windblade--[[User:Crowork|Crowork]] ([[User talk:Crowork|talk]]) 20:35, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Rodimus, Slipstream, Thundercracker --[[User:Karanseraph|Karanseraph]] ([[User talk:Karanseraph|talk]]) 20:58, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bulkhead, Knock Out, Sky-Byte, Swerve, Whirl--[[User:ScreamerFan|ScreamerFan]] ([[User talk:ScreamerFan|talk]]) 20:22, 28 May 2014 (CST)
*Ratbat, Rattrap, Straxus, Swindle, Terrorsaur -- [[User:Stevo|Stevo]] ([[User talk:Stevo|talk]]) 21:35, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Devastator, Rattrap, Ravage, Sky-Byte. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] ([[User talk:Hooper X|talk]]) 21:43, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bludgeon, Galvatron, Prowl, Rhinox, Rodimus -- [[User:Kyojikasshu|Kyojikasshu]] ([[User talk:Kyojikasshu|talk]]) 22:10, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Perceptor, Prowl, Rodimus, Sideswipe -- [[User:Trixter|Trixter]] ([[User talk:Trixter|talk]]) 22:26, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Knock Out, Sky-Byte, Slipstream --[[User:Professor Icepick|Professor Icepick]] ([[User talk:Professor Icepick|talk]]) 22:31, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Cyclonus, Prowl, Scorponok, Sunstreaker, Swindle - [[User:Cattleprod|Cattleprod]] ([[User talk:Cattleprod|talk]]) 00:53, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Sideswipe, Smokescreen, Springer --[[User:Inkblot|Inkblot]] ([[User talk:Inkblot|talk]]) 01:17, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blitzwing (Animated), Galvatron, Laserbeak, Ravage, Sky-Byte --[[User:Flicky1991|flicky]][[User talk:Flicky1991|1991]] 02:50, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Devastator, Hot Rod, Prowl, Sideswipe, Springer -- [[User:Mister Jazzz|Mister Jazz]] ([[User talk:Mister Jazzz|talk]]) 06:43, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Hot Rod, Optimus Primal, Ravage -- [[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 09:13, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*G1 Blades, G1 First Aid, G1 Groove, G1 Hot Spot, G1 Streetwise [[User:Ironhold|Ironhold]] ([[User talk:Ironhold|talk]]) 15:30, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bluestreak, Devastator, Gears, Rattrap, Sky-Byte --[[User:Bluestreak7|Bluestreak7]] ([[User talk:Bluestreak7|talk]]) 15:51, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Demolishor, Hot Shot, Override, Red Alert (Armada), Sideways --[[User:Stardust262|Stardust262]] ([[User talk:Stardust262|talk]]) 15:53, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bulkhead, Fortress Maximus, Ginrai, Prowl, Star Saber --[[User:Ookalf|Ookalf]] ([[User talk:Ookalf|talk]]) 15:56, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bulkhead, Ironfist, Pharma, Straxus, Wreck-Gar (Animated) --[[User:HunterCham|HunterCham]] ([[User talk:HunterCham|talk]]) 16:06, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Ravage, Windblade, Wreck-Gar --[[User:Wednesday|wednesday]] ([[User talk:Wednesday|talk]]) 17:30, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Ginrai, Skids, Swerve, Trypticon --[[User:Zycrow|Zycrow]] ([[User talk:Zycrow|talk]]) 17:44, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Cosmos, Elita One, Hot Shot, Tailgate --[[User:TheTFGeek]]
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Lockdown, Sky-Byte, Swerve --[[User:SamuraiMarmoset]] 18:47, 29th May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Cyclonus, Jetfire, Swerve, Thunderwing --[[User:Astrakhan]] 19:37, 29 May 2014
*Arcee, Drift, Mirage, Perceptor, Thundercracker --[[User:TwistersIndigo|Twister]] ([[User talk:TwistersIndigo|talk]]) 19:52, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Galvatron, Optimus Primal, Prima, Swindle--[[User:TimeLord11|TimeLord11]] ([[User talk:TimeLord11|talk]]) 19:57 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Cyclonus, Galvatron, Rodimus, Whirl -[[User:KrytenKoro|KrytenKoro]] ([[User talk:KrytenKoro|talk]]) 20:07, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Ironfist, Lockdown, Rodimus, Rung --[[User:JediFlaherty|JediFlaherty]] ([[User talk:JediFlaherty|talk]]) 20:44, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Bulkhead, Optimus Primal, Predaking (Prime), Windblade -- [[User:Nemesis Primal|Nemesis Primal]] ([[User talk:Nemesis Primal|talk]]) 20:52, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Blaster, Jhiaxus, Prowl, Rattrap --[[User:MattR42|MattR42]]
*Arcee, Blaster, Cyclonus, Optimus Primal, Rodimus --[[User:Sharpless|Sharpless]]
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Cyclonus, Elita One, Optimus Primal --[[User:SpaceHusband|SpaceHusband]]
*Airazor, Arcee, Galvatron, Rodimus, Windblade --[[User:DissMech|DissMech]]
*Arcee, Heatwave, Prowl, Rhinox, Sky-Byte --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 01:50, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Cyclonus, Lockdown, Sky-Byte, Windblade --[[User:Boy Blunderous|Boy Blunderous]] ([[User talk:Boy Blunderous|talk]]) 02:24, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Cyclonus (G1), Kup, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Sky-Byte --[[User:LordTacos|LordTacos]]
*Predaking, Primus, Sentinel Prime, The Fallen, Unicron --[[User:AlienProfano|AlienProfano]] ([[User talk:AlienProfano|talk]]) 04:33, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Galvatron, Rodimus, Sideswipe, Tarn, Whirl -- [[User:Valgatron|Valgatron]] 13:13, 30 May 2014
*Arcee, Devastator, Optimus Primal, Overload, Rodimus -- Marv 07:28, 30 May 2014
*Arcee, Lockdown, Omega Supreme, Perceptor, Rodimus -- [[User:Cydra|Cydra]] ([[User talk:Cydra|talk]]) 11:36, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Hound, Sideswipe, Sky-Byte, Smokescreen -- [[User:Erosion271|Erosion271]] ([[User talk:Eeosion21|talk]])
*Arcee,Barricade,Jetfire,Rampage,Star Saber--[[User:TulioDude|TulioDude]] ([[User talk:TulioDude|talk]]) 19:42, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Skywarp, Tigatron, Windblade [[User:Crockalley|Crockalley]] ([[User talk:Crockalley|talk]]) 19:43, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Chromedome, Cyclonus, Rewind, Rodimus, Rung - [[User:Queso|¡Usa El Queso!]] [[User talk:Queso|Complain here]] 21:35, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Alpha Trion, Arcee, Hound, Jetfire, Unicron - [[User:Day54dotsee-a|Day54dotsee-a]] ([[User talk:Day54dotsee-a|talk]]) 23:49, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Brawl, Chromedome, Frenzy, Rotorstorm, Sixshot --[[User:Apoc|Apoc]] ([[User talk:Apoc|talk]]) 06:36, 31 May 2014 (EDT)
*Alpha Trion, Arcee, Devastator, Omega Supreme, Prowl [[User:Alientraveller|Alientraveller]] ([[User talk:Alientraveller|talk]]) 08:34, 31 May 2014 (EDT)
*Nightbeat, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Rodimus, Springer -- [[User:Danja|Danja]] ([[User talk:Danja|talk]]) 08:57, 31 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blitzwing, Devastator, Elita One, Rodimus Prime, Strika -- [[User:lunatron|lunatron]] ([[User:lunatron|talk]]) 09:07, 31 May 2014 (EDT)


[[Category: TFWiki.net]]

MediaWiki:TFWiki.net 2014 Transformers Hall of Fame Auditions/Entries

2014-05-30T10:13:14Z

Valgatron: /* Poll entries */

This is the page for the '''TFWiki.net Transformers Hall of Fame Auditions''' entries. The rules are as follows:

#You must pick your top five ''Transformers'' characters, from any era. They must actually '''be''' Transformers; sorry, but no humans, non-Transformer aliens, non-Transformer robots, or anything else of the sort are being considered for the Hall of Fame. Any votes for such entities will '''not''' be tabulated. It is the sole discretion of the contest organizers to decide what does and does not count.
#Take your top five list and '''put it in alphabetical order'''. Order of preference does not matter. Feel free to denote the character's franchise of origin, although these distinctions may or may not figure into the final results.
#You '''cannot''' vote for a specific version of '''Bumblebee, Dinobot, Grimlock, Ironhide, Jazz, Megatron, ''Beast Wars'' Megatron, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Shockwave, Soundwave, Starscream, Ultra Magnus, Waspinator, or Wheeljack.''' They've already been inducted!
#However, '''you CAN vote''' for [[Optimus Primal]]'''! Hasbro considers him separate!
#Only one entry per user.

Please put your characters of choice and user name below in the following manner:

*Bulkhead, Emirate Xaaron, Hot Shot, Terrorsaur (BW), X-Brawn --<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>

Poll entry period ends at 4pm on '''[[June 2]]nd, 2014'''. [[User:Monzo|Monzo]] ([[User talk:Monzo|talk]]) 17:10, 28 May 2014 (EDT)

==Poll entries==


*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Bulkhead, Lockdown, Sky-Byte. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 17:12, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Sky-Byte --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] ([[User talk:FortMax|talk]]) 17:15, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Barricade, Devastator, Lockdown, Ravage, Sideways -[[User:LV|LV]] ([[User talk:LV|talk]]) 17:16, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bludgeon, Overlord, Scorponok (G1), Thunderwing, Unicron -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 17:18, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Impactor, Mindwipe, Ratbat, Scrounge. --[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 17:19, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bulkhead, Devastator, Hot Shot, Ratbat, Rattrap - [[User:RolonBolon|RolonBolon]] ([[User talk:RolonBolon|talk]]) 17:22, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Hot Shot, Nightbeat, Shokaract, Ravage --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 17:28, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Devastator, Hot Shot, Ravage, Sky-Byte -- [[User:Shellspark|Shellspark]] ([[User talk:Shellspark|talk]]) 17:30, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Cyclonus, Lockdown, Prowl, Rodimus -- [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 17:33, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Rodimus, Scorponok, Scrounge, Sky-Byte, Swerve --[[User:G.B. Blackrock|G.B. Blackrock]] ([[User talk:G.B. Blackrock|talk]]) 17:36, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Lockdown, Sky-Byte, Windblade --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 17:36, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Cheetor, Ginrai, Optimus Primal, Sky-Byte, Springer --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 17:38, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bruticus, Gimlet, Predaking, Sky-Byte --[[User:Fritz|Fritz]] ([[User talk:Fritz|talk]]) 17:39, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Hot Shot, Laserbeak, Ravage -- [[User:Bobpiecheese|Bobpiecheese]] ([[User talk:Bobpiecheese|talk]]) 17:47, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Hot Rod, Optimus Primal, Sky-Byte, Smokescreen -- [[User:Antimatter|Antimatter]] ([[User talk:Antimatter|talk]]) 17:51, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Barricade(Bayverse), Prowl, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Thundercracker--regdog
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Hot Shot, Optimus Primal, Sunstreaker -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|Use this!]] 17:59, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bruticus, Devastator, Lockdown, Prowl, Scourge-- [[User:Quadropl|Quadropl]] ([[User talk:Quadropl|talk]]) 18:02, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Cosmos, Sky-Byte, Sky Lynx, Thundercracker, Warpath --[[User:Sockie|Sockie]] ([[User talk:Sockie|talk]]) 18:05, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee (Prime), Blackarachnia (BW), Bulkhead (Animated or Prime), Optimus Primal, Rhinox. -- [[User:MetalShadowX|MetalShadowX]] ([[User talk:MetalShadowX|talk]]) 18:11, 28 May 2014 (EST)
*Arcee, Omega Supreme, Ratbat, Rumble, Sky-Byte - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] ([[User talk:Chris McFeely|talk]]) 18:16, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Elita-One, Perceptor, Windblade --[[User:WhirlyBird|WhirlyBird]] ([[User talk:WhirlyBird|talk]]) 18:29, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Devastator, Optimus Primal, Rodimus, Unicron - [[User:Protoman|Protoman]] ([[User talk:Protoman|talk]]) 18:45, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Cyclonus, Optimus Primal, Rodimus Prime --[[User:Garrulous9|Garrulous9]] ([[User talk:Garrulous9|talk]]) 19:05, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
* Arcee, Blackarachnia, Drift, Optimus Primal, Rattrap --[[User:Detour|Detour]] ([[User talk:Detour|talk]]) 19:32, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
* Arcee, Drift, Lockdown, Rodimus (Hot Rod or Rodimus Prime or Rodimus Major or whatever Hasbro wants to call him), Sideways (Armada). -- [[User:Sky Shadow|Sky Shadow]] ([[User talk:Sky Shadow|talk]])
*Arcee, Blitzwing, Devastator, Ravage, Rodimus--[[User:Riddlerj|Riddlerj]] ([[User talk:Riddlerj|talk]]) 20:06, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Prowl (Animated), Rodimus (Animated), Thundercracker, Windblade--[[User:Crowork|Crowork]] ([[User talk:Crowork|talk]]) 20:35, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Rodimus, Slipstream, Thundercracker --[[User:Karanseraph|Karanseraph]] ([[User talk:Karanseraph|talk]]) 20:58, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bulkhead, Knock Out, Sky-Byte, Swerve, Whirl--[[User:ScreamerFan|ScreamerFan]] ([[User talk:ScreamerFan|talk]]) 20:22, 28 May 2014 (CST)
*Ratbat, Rattrap, Straxus, Swindle, Terrorsaur -- [[User:Stevo|Stevo]] ([[User talk:Stevo|talk]]) 21:35, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Devastator, Rattrap, Ravage, Sky-Byte. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] ([[User talk:Hooper X|talk]]) 21:43, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bludgeon, Galvatron, Prowl, Rhinox, Rodimus -- [[User:Kyojikasshu|Kyojikasshu]] ([[User talk:Kyojikasshu|talk]]) 22:10, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Perceptor, Prowl, Rodimus, Sideswipe -- [[User:Trixter|Trixter]] ([[User talk:Trixter|talk]]) 22:26, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Knock Out, Sky-Byte, Slipstream --[[User:Professor Icepick|Professor Icepick]] ([[User talk:Professor Icepick|talk]]) 22:31, 28 May 2014 (EDT)
*Cyclonus, Prowl, Scorponok, Sunstreaker, Swindle - [[User:Cattleprod|Cattleprod]] ([[User talk:Cattleprod|talk]]) 00:53, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Sideswipe, Smokescreen, Springer --[[User:Inkblot|Inkblot]] ([[User talk:Inkblot|talk]]) 01:17, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blitzwing (Animated), Galvatron, Laserbeak, Ravage, Sky-Byte --[[User:Flicky1991|flicky]][[User talk:Flicky1991|1991]] 02:50, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Devastator, Hot Rod, Prowl, Sideswipe, Springer -- [[User:Mister Jazzz|Mister Jazz]] ([[User talk:Mister Jazzz|talk]]) 06:43, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Hot Rod, Optimus Primal, Ravage -- [[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 09:13, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*G1 Blades, G1 First Aid, G1 Groove, G1 Hot Spot, G1 Streetwise [[User:Ironhold|Ironhold]] ([[User talk:Ironhold|talk]]) 15:30, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bluestreak, Devastator, Gears, Rattrap, Sky-Byte --[[User:Bluestreak7|Bluestreak7]] ([[User talk:Bluestreak7|talk]]) 15:51, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Demolishor, Hot Shot, Override, Red Alert (Armada), Sideways --[[User:Stardust262|Stardust262]] ([[User talk:Stardust262|talk]]) 15:53, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bulkhead, Fortress Maximus, Ginrai, Prowl, Star Saber --[[User:Ookalf|Ookalf]] ([[User talk:Ookalf|talk]]) 15:56, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Bulkhead, Ironfist, Pharma, Straxus, Wreck-Gar (Animated) --[[User:HunterCham|HunterCham]] ([[User talk:HunterCham|talk]]) 16:06, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Ravage, Windblade, Wreck-Gar --[[User:Wednesday|wednesday]] ([[User talk:Wednesday|talk]]) 17:30, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Ginrai, Skids, Swerve, Trypticon --[[User:Zycrow|Zycrow]] ([[User talk:Zycrow|talk]]) 17:44, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Cosmos, Elita One, Hot Shot, Tailgate --[[User:TheTFGeek]]
*Arcee, Bulkhead, Lockdown, Sky-Byte, Swerve --[[User:SamuraiMarmoset]] 18:47, 29th May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Cyclonus, Jetfire, Swerve, Thunderwing --[[User:Astrakhan]] 19:37, 29 May 2014
*Arcee, Drift, Mirage, Perceptor, Thundercracker --[[User:TwistersIndigo|Twister]] ([[User talk:TwistersIndigo|talk]]) 19:52, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Galvatron, Optimus Primal, Prima, Swindle--[[User:TimeLord11|TimeLord11]] ([[User talk:TimeLord11|talk]]) 19:57 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Cyclonus, Galvatron, Rodimus, Whirl -[[User:KrytenKoro|KrytenKoro]] ([[User talk:KrytenKoro|talk]]) 20:07, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Ironfist, Lockdown, Rodimus, Rung --[[User:JediFlaherty|JediFlaherty]] ([[User talk:JediFlaherty|talk]]) 20:44, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Bulkhead, Optimus Primal, Predaking (Prime), Windblade -- [[User:Nemesis Primal|Nemesis Primal]] ([[User talk:Nemesis Primal|talk]]) 20:52, 29 May 2014 (EDT)
*Blackarachnia, Blaster, Jhiaxus, Prowl, Rattrap --[[User:MattR42|MattR42]]
*Arcee, Blaster, Cyclonus, Optimus Primal, Rodimus --[[User:Sharpless|Sharpless]]
*Arcee, Blackarachnia, Cyclonus, Elita One, Optimus Primal --[[User:SpaceHusband|SpaceHusband]]
*Airazor, Arcee, Galvatron, Rodimus, Windblade --[[User:DissMech|DissMech]]
*Arcee, Heatwave, Prowl, Rhinox, Sky-Byte --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 01:50, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Arcee, Cyclonus, Lockdown, Sky-Byte, Windblade --[[User:Boy Blunderous|Boy Blunderous]] ([[User talk:Boy Blunderous|talk]]) 02:24, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Cyclonus (G1), Kup, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Sky-Byte --[[User:LordTacos|LordTacos]]
*The Fallen, Sentinel Prime, Primus, Unicron, Predaking --[[User:AlienProfano|AlienProfano]] ([[User talk:AlienProfano|talk]]) 04:33, 30 May 2014 (EDT)
*Cyclonus, Galvatron, Rodimus, Sideswipe, Whirl -- [[User:Valgatron|Valgatron]] 13:13, 30 May 2014


[[Category: TFWiki.net]]

Syndromica (2)

2014-04-22T09:49:52Z

Valgatron: /* Notes */

{{Comicstory|
|series=rid|issueno=10
|prev=Primus: All Good Things
|next=The End of the Beginning of the World
|seriesissue2="Syndromica"
|prev2=Syndromica (1)
|next2=Homecoming (IDW)
|caption=
|image=RID10 cvrB.jpg
|title="Syndromica (2)"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 10]], [[2012]]
|coverdate=October 2012
|story by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Livio Ramondelli]]
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2012)]]
}}

'''Orion Pax's pursuit of Jhiaxus takes him not just to LV-117, but through time itself.'''

==Synopsis==

In deep space, aboard [[Turmoil]]'s captured spaceship, [[Spectro]] gripes about the assignment [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] has given to him, [[Spyglass]] and [[Viewfinder]], suggesting that after weeks of nothing, they just pick a random planet from which to gather the data Shockwave wants. Suddenly, however, the very planet they are looking for materializes out of nowhere right in front of them, and as they hit its atmosphere, all aboard have a vision of Viewfinder's death. Although lasting only an eye-blink, once the vision is over all the ship's fuel has disappeared, and it begins to crash.

[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]'s plight is detected by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]], [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] and [[Garnak]], who have come to this region of space in pursuit of [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] and his minions. Garnak deduces from Wheelie's panicked reaction to the planet's sudden appearance that it must be [[LV-117]], the world on which Wheelie was stranded for millions of years, and where they know Jhiaxus is heading. On approach, they too see a vision, of themselves down on the planet's surface, discovering the wreckage of Turmoil's craft. Both this vision and Reflector's come true in short order, as after setting down, the Autobots discover Viewfinder's dead body in the ship's remains... except that all signs indicate the craft has been there for ''over seventy years''. Orion explores the ship further and discovers the time machine at its core, but when he touches it, he finds himself shunted through time. In the new time period he finds himself in, Orion witnesses Jhiaxus escaping aboard Turmoil's ship, as [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] completes a battle with a pair of native creatures before following its master. The confused Pax is confronted by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], who baffles him further by explaining that they have followed him there, and speaking of a meeting between the two that has not happened yet...

In a white flash, Orion finds himself thrown back into LV-117's past, where he discovers Turmoil, sent there by Shockwave to gather data on the effect his [[Regenesis]] [[Ore-1|ore]] has had on the planet, rounding up the planet's native population. Turmoil sees particular promise in the fact that access to Shockwave's missile has made the natives extremely technologically adept, and has begun to enslave them, which naturally prompts Pax to action. The sudden appearance of Bludgeon, who steals a device from one of the natives and quickly departs, distracts Pax long enough that Turmoil is able to grab another of the aliens named [[Varta]] and threaten him. Pax's rage proves enough to overpower the Decepticon and save the alien, at which point another time-jolt jumps the pair further into the future. Varta turns on Pax, thinking him one of the Decepticons; some tactful rhyming allows Orion to communicate with and placate the enraged alien, who explains that LV-117 was granted the ability to transcend time by the Regenesis missile, and that his race steers it through the seas of history. The pair's attention is drawn above by the arrival of a ship: Pax recognizes it as Reflector's vessel, and realizes that visitors to LV-117 are transported to random points in time upon arrival. Varta leaves to investigate, against Pax's warnings.

Time shifts around him again, almost imperceptibly, and Orion again finds himself attacked by Bludgeon, who explains that Pax's contact with the time machine has set them both adrift in time. As they battle, the world around them begins to come apart, the planet itself being destroyed by unknown forces. The Wheelie and Varta of this era appear, but Bludgeon promptly kills Varta, at which point Jhiaxus makes his presence known, standing atop the [[Quintesson Cruiser|spacecraft]] Wheelie and his friend had been intending to use to flee the doomed planet. Jhiaxus denies responsibility for LV-117's destruction, and when asked by Pax why he was screaming his name, Jhiaxus corrects him—his screams of "Prime" and "Pax" were screams for [[Gorlam Prime]] and "Pax Cybertronia". Like [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], Jhiaxus also saw a vision of the future at the moment of Cybertron's reformatting, of Gorlam Prime as the center of a Cybertronian empire, and recognized it as the fulfilment of [[Nova Prime]]'s dream. "True chaos" is coming, Jhiaxus warns, but using the mutated soil of LV-117, he plans to teleport the prosperous past-self of Gorlam Prime through time, to replace the dead world the planet has become today... and claims that Orion will help him! To stop Jhiaxus, Wheelie unleashes a [[Chaosteros]] and an [[Arachnosaur]] from within his ship, which he had planned to take with him, keeping Monstructor busy while Pax and Wheelie try to recover the control device. Wheelie knocks it from Jhiaxus's hand with his slingshot and Pax seizes it... but at that point, everything clicks into place for the former Autobot leader. He and Bludgeon have been travelling in ''opposite directions'' in time, encountering each other in the wrong order, meaning that Bludgeon has already gone on to obtain from the past a replacement control device for the one now held by Orion. Using that device, Jhiaxus's team were able to follow Pax to the era he first jumped to... the era where they escaped on Turmoil's ship. And since he has already seen that happen, Pax realizes... he cannot stop them.

One final jump returns Orion to the relative present, outside his ship, as Wheelie, Hardhead and Garnak run out to meet him. Hardhead explains that Jhiaxus did indeed appear and capture Turmoil's ship after Orion disappeared, and that he has been missing for a month, but that Wheelie would not let them leave without him. Still holding the control device, Orion tells them all he can of his ordeal, and they depart the planet. Orion knows that Jhiaxus must be stopped, but another concern now gnaws at his mind... in that glimpse of the future he saw, ''what'' destroyed LV-117?

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] (4)
*[[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] (5)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (7)

|c2=
*[[Spectro]] (1)
*[[Spyglass]] (2)
*[[Viewfinder]] (3)
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (8)
*[[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] (10)
*[[Turmoil]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Garnak]] (6)
*[[Chaosteros]] (9)
*[[Arachnosaur]] (11)
*[[Varta]] (13)
*[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] (14)
}}

==What the f—?==

A tricky issue, this one. It jumps through many different time periods on LV-117 in a jumbled-up order, so here's a quick chronological list to try and explain what our synopsis struggles to. Aside from the actual galactic-relative "present" that Pax and the Reflectors occupy before setting down on LV-117, the time periods they experience are:

#'''Pages 9-12:''' Thousands of years ago. Turmoil and his crew arrive on the planet and enslave Varta's people.
#'''Pages 13-14:''' Reflector arrives on LV-117 in Turmoil's ship.
#'''Pages 3-5:''' More than seventy years later. Orion Pax and his team arrive.
#'''Pages 6-8:''' Very soon after Orion's arrival. Jhiaxus seizes control of Turmoil's ship and escapes.
#'''Page 22:''' One month after Orion's team arrives. They depart the planet.
#'''Pages 14-21:''' Further into the future, beginning at an uneventful point and leading up to the destruction of the planet.

Era #6 at first appears to be two separate time periods, given the sudden shift in color to red and the onset of destruction that occurs across pages 15 and 16, but the fact that Bludgeon continues his conversation with Orion across this shift when the pair are supposed to be jumping in opposite directions through time indicates that no jump occurs at this point. We can instead identify the jump as having happened in the last panel of page 14 via the major "landmark" in the background that shifts and changes throughout the story: the number and condition of the creature corpses in the background. A single corpse is visible by Turmoil's ship in era #1 (page 9, panel 3), which has decayed to a skeleton by era #2 (page 13, panel 1), and is still there in era #3 (page 3, panel 1). Monstructor then kills two creatures in era #4 (page 5), whose corpses remain alongside the first skeleton in era #5 (page 22, panel 1), and have decayed significantly by era #6 (page 15, panel 1).

Orion experiences the issue in the following order: 3, 4, 1, 2, 6, 5.

Bludgeon goes through the issue in this order: 6, 1, 4. Presumably he has already travelled through other unseen eras, since he knows they are already jumping through time when he meets Orion in era #6. Monstructor and Jhiaxus do not travel alongside him: they are only seen to jump straight from era #6 to era #4, deliberately brought there by Bludgeon, using the control device he obtains in era #1.

Going back a bit further (see notes below), ''[[Spotlight: Wheelie]]'' began somewhere between periods 1 and 2, and Wheelie's time on LV-117 extended all the way up to period 6 (the Wheelie and Varta of that era briefly meeting Orion while he was time-jumping), after which he fled the dying planet and relocated to [[LV-118]] prior to the beginning of "[[Space Opera Part 1: The Stars My Destination|Space Opera]]".

==Notes==

*This issue picks up the story of Orion and his pursuit of Jhiaxus from where it was left at the end of [[Syndromica (1)|issue #6]].
*In large part, this issue revolves around rectifying and significantly building upon a notable continuity error from several years prior. Published in 2008, ''[[Spotlight: Wheelie]]'' showed the Reflector trio dying on LV-117, only for the characters to turn up alive a few months later in [[All Hail Megatron issue 3|''All Hail Megatron'' #3]]. Events in the [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing series]] would eventually rule out the possibility that they had gone on to meet their fates on LV-117 after ''All Hail Megatron''. And now we know how it worked out!
*The planet with the erratic orbit pointed out by Spectro at the start of the issue is [[LV-118]], the planet Wheelie had relocated to by the time of "[[Space Opera Part 1: The Stars My Destination|Space Opera]]".
*Although not explored any more deeply here than in ''Spotlight: Wheelie'', the [[Quintesson]] connection to the planet that the original story implied with the appearance of a hieroglyph of the aliens' Face of Death is reiterated here, as a similar drawing is seen scrawled onto the casing of the Regenesis missile in the distant past.
*Turmoil appears in this issue from a point in time between his debut in ''[[Spotlight: Drift]]'' and return in [[Interference Patterns|issue #7]]. Issue #7 showed that he had replaced his left eye with a patch in the intervening time; this issue shows what happened, as Orion punches out the eye in question.
*Varta originally appeared in ''Spotlight: Wheelie'', but was curiously absent when Wheelie reappeared in "Space Opera". This issue reveals what happened to him in between stories.
*Further light is shed on issue #7's plot point that Varta's species created Turmoil's time machine; it makes sense that they would be capable of mastering time travel, given their stewardship of a time-travelling planet.
*"Space Opera" showed that Wheelie moved from LV-117 to 118 using the ship of Quintesson spiral design that Jhiaxus briefly takes control of in this issue. In addition to finding out why he relocated—the destruction of LV-117—we also find out that he attempted to bring a Chaosteros and an Arachnosaur with him, local fauna that originally appeared in ''Spotlight: Wheelie'' and made an illogical appearance on LV-118 in "Space Opera". As these particular examples are time-jumped back to the relative present with Monstructor and proceed to die, we guess he must have rounded up some more.
*Jhiaxus is revealed to have seen the same vision during the Chaos event as recent ''Robots in Disguise'' issues have established [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] did—the glimpse of the far future seen in the [[Pax Cybertronia (issue)|last issue]] of the ongoing series.
*Jhiaxus calls Orion the "one true [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]-bearer", further substantiating the suggestion of recent issues of ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' and the [[Primus: All Good Things|''Robots in Disguise'' annual]] that none of the Primes prior to Optimus actually carried the Matrix.
*In the aforementioned final ongoing issue, a passing reference was made to how Wheelie was the first of the Transformers to see the "great destroyer". That sobriquet, of course, immediately suggested the chaos-bringer himself, the planet-munching [[Unicron]], who has been absent from IDW's continuity thus far... and now we know that ''something'' capable of destroying planets is roaming the universe... and that, as Jhiaxus says in this issue, "true chaos" is coming...

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A:''' Bludgeon close-up, by Livio Ramondelli
* '''Cover B:''' Orion Pax faces off against Monstructor, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
* '''Cover RI:''' Orion Pax and Wheelie, by [[Marcelo Matere]] and Joana Lafuente

<gallery>
Image:RID10 cvrA.jpg|Boogabooga!
Image:RID10 cvrB.jpg|
Image:RID10 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===

*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' #10
*''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|''Regeneration One'']] [[Loose Ends, Part 4|#84]]
*''Mars Attacks the Holidays''
*''Magic: The Gathering - Path of Vengeance''
*''Ghostbuers 100-page Spooktacular''
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' Annual 2012
[[Category:Dark Cybertron issues]]

The Transformers: Infestation issue 1

2014-04-19T20:59:11Z

Valgatron: /* Notes */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[Infestation (IDW)|The Transformers: Infestation]]'' #1
|prev=Classified Secrets of Infestation
|next=The Transformers: Infestation issue 2
|title=
|image=Transformers Infestation 1A.jpg
|caption="Prime, does it have to be a headshot if you're using a huge laser cannon?" "I don't know, but ''I'm'' looking forward to finding out!"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 2]], [[2011]]
|coverdate=February 2011
|written by=[[Dan Abnett]] and [[Andy Lanning]]
|art by=[[Nick Roche]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Robbie Robbins]]
|assistant editor=[[Bobby Curnow]]
|edited by=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2011)]]
}}
'''Galvatron's here to stop interdimensional zombies, whether the Autobots want it or not.'''

==Synopsis==
A Cybertronian shuttle crash-lands on the [[Las Vegas]] strip. Coming out of the shuttle is a swarm of [[zombie]]fied [[human]]s, giant robots, and [[Sweep]]s that make short work of the local police. Coming out of the shuttle as well are former [[Dead Universe]] inhabitants [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]], [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]], [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], and the mysterious Bayonet. Galvatron screams for [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] and his [[Autobot]]s to come… and they do, along with [[Skywatch]] agents. Galvatron demands that the Autobots surrender command to him, riling Optimus Prime and [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] to attack Galvatron. Bayonet, Cyclonus and Scourge attack the Autobots, telling them that while their primary mission is to destroy the curse of unlife, the Autobots are in their way.

While fighting, Optimus Prime asks Galvatron to explain himself, but Galvatron orders Optimus to bow down before him. [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] leads the Skywatch [[crash suit|crash-suits]] to battle the zombies, but a horrifying memory brings Kup back to [[Spotlight: Kup|the time when he was stranded and was assaulted by monsters]], causing him to lose his cool and sanity, and drop his [[cy-gar]]. In battle, several of the Skywatch agents are infected and turned into zombies themselves. Bumblebee and several other Skywatch crash-suits manage to latch three inhibitors to Galvatron, forcing him to transform into his alternate mode. Cyclonus surrenders, but tells the Autobots that they are not their enemy this time. Noticing the Infestation as the larger threat, Optimus Prime orders the Autobots to seal the city, and [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] suggests a force dome. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] sets it up, sealing Las Vegas, but the dome can only hold for twenty hours.

Prowl and Optimus Prime interrogate Galvatron, who explains that they had found a mass of frozen remains of organics and machines with the telltale energies of the Dead Universe, coming out of a distortion in space-time. They had brought it aboard their ship, until the dead mass awoke with unlife. During the ensuing battle, the ship was damaged, causing them to plummet to [[Earth]]. Galvatron had then determined that only with Optimus' help can they end the plague. A crazed Kup stumbles towards them, screaming incoherently that nothing makes sense, that the truth is in disguise, and begins to point a finger at Bayonet, asking where she popped out from. Kup screams that the threat is right in front of them… and Bayonet thrusts her hand through Kup's torso. She opens her face mask to reveal an organic face and calls herself "[[Britt]]", giving the Transformers a greeting from the [[Undermind]].

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (9)
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (10)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (11)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (12)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (15)

|c2=
*[[Zombie]] [[Sweep]]s (2)
*[[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] (3)
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] (4)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (5)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (13)
*[[Larson]] (14)

|c4=
*[[Zombie]]s (1)
*Bayonet/[[Britt]] (6)
}}

==Notes==
* Wheeljack shows up for one panel to do his thing. There's no sign of him elsewhere in the issue.
* Galvatron shows ''amazing'' restraint. He turns up to enlist the Autobots help, and they spend the first part of the issue demanding his surrender, attacking him, shooting him, throwing Inhibitors on him, and all he ever does in return is knock Optimus away and shoot the ground in front of the Autobots to get them to retreat. ''He even tells the humans to get out of their cars before he throws the vehicles at the zombies.''

===Reference===
* Optimus declares that he "Put [Galvatron] down once before", referring to [[Spotlight: Sideswipe]]
* Kup experiences flashbacks to the events of his [[Spotlight: Kup|Spotlight]] issue. Roche reuses the art style he used in that issue for Kup's POV.
* Kup says there is "More Than Meets The Eye" to current events.

===Errors===
* Spike refers to Galvatron as a Decepticon, when Galvatron and his crew are actually unaffiliated. While this ''may'' have simply been a case of generalization on Spike's part, the next issue would feature the Autobots themselves using the term to refer to the Dead Universe characters, and the classification would persist all the way through ''[[The Transformers: Heart of Darkness]]'' and "[[Chaos (IDW)|Chaos]]", until Cyclonus finally began refuting it in "[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]" and ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]''.

===Covers (4)===
* '''Cover A:''' The Autobots stand off against Zombies; art by [[Nick Roche]] with [[Joana Lafuente]] on colors.
* '''Cover B:''' Optimus Prime holds an unconscious woman while Bumblebee trashes a car and humans look frightened; art by [[John K. Snyder III]].
* '''Cover RI A:''' A zombie hand "rips" the cover; art by [[Gabriel Rodriguez]].
* '''Cover RI B:''' Cover RI-A with added unique sketch of either Optimus Prime, Starscream, Megatron, Galvatron, Bumblebee, Prowl, Jazz, Kup, Rodimus Prime, or Soundwave by [[Dan Khanna]].

<gallery>
Image:Transformers Infestation 1A.jpg|The cowboy in the background is laughing at Bumblebee.
Image:Transformers Infestation 1B.jpg|Attack of the 50-foot Autobots
Image:Transformers Infestation 1RIA.jpg|Dammit, you're ruining the re-sale value!
Image:Transformers Infestation 1RIB.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* ''[[Infestation (IDW)|The Transformers: Infestation]]'' [[The Transformers: Infestation issue 2|#2]]
* Previews of other ''[[Infestation (IDW)|Infestation]]'' comics
* ''Infestation'' comics checklist (back cover)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers: Infestation issue 1}}
[[Category:Infestation issues]]

Talk:All Hail Megatron issue 15

2014-04-17T22:58:16Z

Valgatron: /* Lost & Found */

==Story Redirects==
Seeing as how "Lost & Found" redirects to "Lost and Found (episode)", and there's also a "Lost and Found (issue)", would this be "Lost & Found (story)"? --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 11:27, 19 September 2009 (EDT)
:I'd say "Lost and Found (IDW)" --[[User:MistaTee|MistaTee]] 13:44, 20 September 2009 (EDT)
::Actually, [[User:Interrobang|Interrobang]] already took care of it. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 13:48, 20 September 2009 (EDT)

== Lost & Found ==

Oh what a continuity conundrum this summary makes it out to be. --[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 15:18, 20 September 2009 (EDT)
:I just couldn't grasp why they were playing an Earth game when none of the crew had ever been planetside.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 15:19, 20 September 2009 (EDT)
::By the way, did Shane McCarthy write that? --[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 15:26, 20 September 2009 (EDT)
:::No, this was Denton's work.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 15:26, 20 September 2009 (EDT)
::::How did he manage to create so many conundrums in 11 pages? --[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 15:30, 20 September 2009 (EDT)
:::::Same way his talents as an editor led to the gigantic amounts of plot holes and continuity errors in All Hail Megatron, I'd wager. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 15:34, 20 September 2009 (EDT)
::::::Based on his behavior on the IDW forums, the guy's a clueless idiot, plain and simple. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 15:35, 20 September 2009 (EDT)
: Come on, guys. Are we really so desensitized to abrupt continuity changes that we go into a fuss every single time that something even remotely off from what has come before happens, even when it can be (and will be) explained? Here's my rundown of the errors section based on what I know about the comics:
: -Re: Go being played. This probably wasn't intended as a continuity gaffe, just a harmless in-joke. Besides, is it really so out-of-the ordinary to assume that, if the Transformers have spoken English for millions of years (they've never stated that their conversations were being translated, even if they were) that they might also have a game called "Go"?
: -Re: Bludgeon's appearance. Admittedly, I was confused as well, but THIS WILL BE EXPLAINED! '''Just because something hasn't been explained yet doesn't mean that it won't be.''' Besides, there are an abundance of ways that it can be explained. For example, wasn't Sixshot, who had performed a bit of a heel-face-turn prior to being deactivated and abducted, let back into the Decepticons in exchange for valuable information? The same could, to an extent, be true here.
: -Re: the Decepticon retreat. This is just pure speculation on the part of whoever added it. The only Decepticon Pretenders so far have been Thunderwing and Bludgeon, and only the former has been anything near all-powerful. All Bludgeon has done since becoming a Pretender is kill Iguanus (whom he caught by surprise), lose his mind, and slash through a wall with his big-ass sword. We have received no confirmation that Bludgeon is capable of what Thunderwing did. Also, isn't Kup also a Pretender? He's ''far'' from being nigh-unstoppable. Also, has anyone considered that he may have retreated in order to lure the Trion's crew into an ambush above Cybertron? Or because he had wounded troops and actually saw that it wouldn't be a smart move to even risk defeat, possibly allowing the combiner tech to fall into Autobot hands? --[[Special:Contributions/199.94.74.239|199.94.74.239]] 18:57, 22 September 2009 (EDT)
::Re, Go being played: Because it's an in-joke that plays into Drift's ridiculous Japanophile personality.
::Re, Bludgeon's appearance: Until it ''does'' get explained, it's a continuity error based on what we already know. Especially since once again IDW does something that makes no sense in continuity when they could have very easily done something that would--in this case, just using Banzai-tron instead. (I really don't envy Roche having to explain all these continuity gaffes that could have easily been avoided with an editor who actually knew what he was doing...)
::Re: the Decepticon retreat: As was already said, the entire ''point'' of the Pretenders is that they're supposed to be extremely powerful, especially since Bludgeon duplicated Thunderwing's work. As for why Kup isn't super-powerful, it's because the process ''he'' went through is a modification on the underlying concept (specifically the "cerebral interface") rather than duplicating the full physical effect. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 20:36, 22 September 2009 (EDT)
:::Pretty much agree. Having the second story of the issue introduce new continuity gaffes, when the whole issue's purpose is to answer questions and close gaps, was just bad form.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 20:40, 22 September 2009 (EDT)
::::Heh. At this point, I'm not even sure what the point of Coda was really supposed to be, as Roche is the only writer so far to actually bother trying to bridge the discrepancies between -ations and AHM (and god, what a glorious job he does of it). --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 20:47, 22 September 2009 (EDT)
:::::Oh come on! There's one good thing about Denton right now: he's giving me another reason to pay attention to the Last Stand of the Wreckers. Not only are Overlord and Skyquake going to be in it, we also get to find out the reasons for a huge plothole in this issue! --[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 14:59, 23 September 2009 (EDT)

::: The only explanation that I can think of is that when Shockwave is released from Garrus-9 by Overlord, he takes Bludgeon, rather offscreen, with him. With that in mind, it seems as little to no coincidence at all that Bludgeon ends up on the same team as the Monstructor-six, given how they all end up working for Shockwave in the Dark Cybertron series. --[[User:-Valgatron-|Valgatron]] 01:55, 18.04.2014

Cause and Effect

2014-04-16T18:20:16Z

Valgatron: /* Errors */

{{Comicstory
|series=autocracy|issueno=4
|prev=The Hunt for Soundwave
|next=Ruins
|next2=
|caption=
|image=Autocracy 4.jpg
|title="Cause and Effect"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 29]], [[2012]]
|coverdate=
|story by=[[Chris Metzen]] & [[Flint Dille]]
|art by=[[Livio Ramondelli]]
|letters by=[[Robbie Robbins]]
|editor=[[John Barber]] & [[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Before the war]]
}}

'''Megatron attempts to recruit Orion Pax to the Decepticon cause.'''

==Synopsis==
At the [[Jump Joint]] in [[Kaon]], [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] is telling [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] how impressed he was with Orion [[Chaos Theory Part 2|challenging]] the corrupted [[Senate]] and proposes that they work together. Orion doesn't care for his offer, but keeps the conversation going to stall for time until reinforcements can retrieve him and [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]]. Megatron reveals that the reason Orion's team was attacked in [[Nyon]] was that [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] had information leaked to the insurgents so that he could use their deaths as a pretext for attacking the city, backing it up with [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s recording of the recent security meeting.

Just as Orion Pax loses patience with Megatron, the rest of his team attack the Decepticons and rescue Bumblebee before escaping on board the Autobot transport, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]]. Megatron lets them go, believing that Orion will damage the Autobot cause himself with the information he has learned.

Back at [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], Orion asks Zeta Prime about his plans to attack Nyon, only to be ignored and accused of repeatedly leading his team into ambushes. Zeta gives him a chance to make up for his failures by capturing the insurgent who attempted to bomb them in Nyon: a neutral Transformer named [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]].

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] (6)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] (10)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (11)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (13)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (14)
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (15)

|c2=
*[[Blackwall]] (1)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (2)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (5)
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (7)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (9)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (12)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (16)

|c4=
*[[Slinger]] (3)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]] (17)
}}

==Notes==
*According to [[Simon Furman]], one [[Units of time|cycle]] is about 1 hour 15 minutes in IDW continuity, but the way cycles are used in this issue appears to mark them as a much longer time period. For example, Orion Pax has been trying to bring Megatron to justice for three cycles.
*"[[Omega's Conundrum]]" and the previous "Shadowplay" story had Orion and Zeta knowing each other before Zeta became Prime, and having a casual relationship. Things have deteriorated badly since then.

===Errors===
*On page 5, panel 2, Sky Lynx's name is misspelled as "Skylynx".
*On page 8, panel 2, "you're" is misspelled as "your".
*Back in "[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]", when asked about the first time he and Optimus met, Megatron immediately recalls "[[Sherma Bridge|the Battle for Sherma Bridge]]", a head-to-head battle with full armies warring on both sides. Prime then has to prompt him to remember their original meeting at the "Rydion" police headquarters. Beginning with this issue, ''Autocracy'' details a series of meetings between the two - including an alliance, a memorable betrayal, the first stirrings of the Autobot army, and a one-on-one battle - all of which clearly predate Sherma Bridge, and all apparently forgotten by Megatron, but proven otherwise when he corrects Optimus by saying it was [[Rodion]], not Rydion, and by using a line similar to what Whirl said to him when he got beaten by him while he was in custody.

===Advertisements===

{{issuestub}}

Cause and Effect

2014-04-16T18:18:04Z

Valgatron:

{{Comicstory
|series=autocracy|issueno=4
|prev=The Hunt for Soundwave
|next=Ruins
|next2=
|caption=
|image=Autocracy 4.jpg
|title="Cause and Effect"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 29]], [[2012]]
|coverdate=
|story by=[[Chris Metzen]] & [[Flint Dille]]
|art by=[[Livio Ramondelli]]
|letters by=[[Robbie Robbins]]
|editor=[[John Barber]] & [[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Before the war]]
}}

'''Megatron attempts to recruit Orion Pax to the Decepticon cause.'''

==Synopsis==
At the [[Jump Joint]] in [[Kaon]], [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] is telling [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] how impressed he was with Orion [[Chaos Theory Part 2|challenging]] the corrupted [[Senate]] and proposes that they work together. Orion doesn't care for his offer, but keeps the conversation going to stall for time until reinforcements can retrieve him and [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]]. Megatron reveals that the reason Orion's team was attacked in [[Nyon]] was that [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] had information leaked to the insurgents so that he could use their deaths as a pretext for attacking the city, backing it up with [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s recording of the recent security meeting.

Just as Orion Pax loses patience with Megatron, the rest of his team attack the Decepticons and rescue Bumblebee before escaping on board the Autobot transport, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]]. Megatron lets them go, believing that Orion will damage the Autobot cause himself with the information he has learned.

Back at [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], Orion asks Zeta Prime about his plans to attack Nyon, only to be ignored and accused of repeatedly leading his team into ambushes. Zeta gives him a chance to make up for his failures by capturing the insurgent who attempted to bomb them in Nyon: a neutral Transformer named [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]].

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] (6)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] (10)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (11)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (13)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (14)
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (15)

|c2=
*[[Blackwall]] (1)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (2)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (5)
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (7)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (9)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (12)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (16)

|c4=
*[[Slinger]] (3)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]] (17)
}}

==Notes==
*According to [[Simon Furman]], one [[Units of time|cycle]] is about 1 hour 15 minutes in IDW continuity, but the way cycles are used in this issue appears to mark them as a much longer time period. For example, Orion Pax has been trying to bring Megatron to justice for three cycles.
*"[[Omega's Conundrum]]" and the previous "Shadowplay" story had Orion and Zeta knowing each other before Zeta became Prime, and having a casual relationship. Things have deteriorated badly since then.

===Errors===
*On page 5, panel 2, Sky Lynx's name is misspelled as "Skylynx".
*On page 8, panel 2, "you're" is misspelled as "your".
*Back in "[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]", when asked about the first time he and Optimus met, Megatron immediately recalls "[[Sherma Bridge|the Battle for Sherma Bridge]]", a head-to-head battle with full armies warring on both sides. Prime then has to prompt him to remember their original meeting at the [[Rydion]] police headquarters. Beginning with this issue, ''Autocracy'' details a series of meetings between the two - including an alliance, a memorable betrayal, the first stirrings of the Autobot army, and a one-on-one battle - all of which clearly predate Sherma Bridge, and all apparently forgotten by Megatron, but proven otherwise when he corrects Optimus by saying it was Rodion, not Rydion, and by using a line similar to what Whirl said to him when he got beaten by him while he was in custody.

===Advertisements===

{{issuestub}}

Talk:No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6

2014-01-20T09:39:31Z

Valgatron: /* Hardhead's death */

== Sludge ==

So Sludge being with the Autobots is listed as an error here because he went back to the camp for reinforcements, but didn't he come back in between scenes in Chapter 2? I seem to remember him being in the final last pages of that chapter, along with a bunch of other generic Autobots, and he was also back with the Autobots in other chapters after that. --[[User:Sockie|Sockie]] ([[User talk:Sockie|talk]]) 16:54, 16 January 2014 (EST)
: The other characters call him "Snarl." --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 17:05, 16 January 2014 (EST)

== Hardhead's death ==

So Nova Prime crushed his forcefield generator and he turned to dust in a matter of seconds. All fine and dandy, if it weren't for Cyclonus sitting behind him with a broken one and being just "tainted" and "claimed by the dead universe". Given how they both were previously in the dead universe, and the rebirth of Cyberton basically resetting their sparks/lives and whatnot, can anyone explain to me why one just bleeds dark energon and the other turns to dust?
::Well, first off, it's not as if the entire story has been told. But also, the Dead Universe is contracting rapidly at this point. Perhaps it has simply more severe effects to the exposed now. Or perhaps Nova Prime is able to exert some manner of control over it still. Like I said...story isn't over yet. --[[User:Nu-Priest|Nu-Priest]] ([[User talk:Nu-Priest|talk]]) 22:42, 19 January 2014 (EST)

Ok, I suppose the story isn't over and there's still room for clarification, but I won't settle for the Dead Universe contracting rapidly because Hardhead and Cyclonus are there at the same time, so what happens to one must happen to the other as well. One could argue that the containment cube might alter the effects of this contration, but since they stood in it for just a couple of lines, I find the difference between bleeding dark energon and turning to dust a bit too big for that time window. I'll just settle with Nova Prime amplifying its effects until the story further develops.

Talk:No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6

2014-01-20T02:10:42Z

Valgatron: /* Hardhead's death */ new section