A Small War!

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This article is about the issue of the Generation 1 Marvel comic. For the mobile game event, see A Small War (Earth Wars).
« The Transformers (UK) #232–233 »
"A Small War!"
Publisher Marvel Comics
First published 19th August and 26th August 1989
Cover date 26th August and 2nd September 1989
Writer Simon Furman
Art Jeff Anderson (#232)
Geoff Senior (#233)
Letterer Glib
Cover Lee Sullivan and Jeff Anderson
Continuity Marvel Comics continuity (Marvel UK)
Chronology 1989

Enter: The Micromasters!

Synopsis

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On Cybertron, a Decepticon is interrupted from his guard duty by a small voice below him. He looks down, only to behold the tiniest Autobot he's ever seen! The little thing asks him to move out of the way, and the Decepticon just starts bellowing with laughter. He's still laughing when the little Autobot transforms into an assault vehicle and missile-blasts him right in the chest.

The Micromaster named Flak signals the rest of his team, the Autobot Battle Patrol. As they continue their infiltration mission, the small warriors brag to themselves about the usefulness of their unique designs—their low height and weight make covert missions a breeze, and they use much less precious energon than the larger Transformers. Add in the fact that their firepower is barely less than a full-sized Autobot, and the Micromasters are definitely the wave of the future.

It seems the Decepticons agreed with the Battle Patrol, as the Autobot uncover the "secret weapon" they were sent to spy on: Decepticon Micromasters, being constructed under Lord Thunderwing's direction. Unfortunately, the entire set-up was a trap, designed by the Decepticons to lure a group of Micromasters into their lair, so that their scientists can dissect and reverse-engineer the micro construction. Realizing they are in dire straits, team leader Big Shot prepares to press his suicide button, which would activate the explosive charges built into his team, designed to totally destroy the Micromasters in just such a situation. However, the Autobot fighting spirit is to never say die, so Big Shot ignores his orders and commands his team to go down fighting!

They do. And so, hours later, Emirate Xaaron sends Roadhandler out with the rest of the Micromasters to locate the Battle Patrol. Instead of rescuing them, however, Xaaron commands that the Patrol be destroyed so that their secrets cannot be pilfered by the Decepticons.

Stop that. You do not.

Outside Thunderwing's base, Roadhandler reluctantly reviews the plan with his fellow Micromasters: to set a series of explosive charges around the base, leveling it to the ground and hopefully destroying the Battle Patrol inside, along with all the data cultivated from their systems. After a few minutes wrestling with the decision, however, Roadhandler and the Micromasters decide to disobey orders and risk courtmartial, breaking into the base itself in an attempt to rescue their comrades.

With Stakeout's unit causing a disruption elsewhere on the base, Roadhandler and Powertrain break into the laboratory to free the Battle Patrol. Unfortunately, they discover they are too late to prevent the reverse-engineering process, as the Decepticon Air Strike Patrol are there to greet them. Roadhandler catches the new Micromasters off-guard with one of the deactivated bombs, and the Autobots overpower their opponents. The Battle Patrol are successfully rescued and brought back to Autobase.

Roadhandler hands himself over to Emirate Xaaron for punishment, taking full responsibility for the team under his command, but Xaaron declines to court-martial him. After all, even the wisest of men and machines can be in error, and Xaaron realizes he needs to treat the Micromasters more as fellow soldiers, and not as mere weapons.

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(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons

Quotes

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"Now, I advise you to stand aside before you really get me angry!"
"You've gotta be kidding! Haw! Haw! Watcha gonna do? Punch out my kneecaps? Tickle my feet? Haw!"
"Ah well...DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!"

—Flak giving the expendable guard the option of not being blasted to bits and getting turned down.


"Rescue is nigh-on impossible. To prevent our Micromaster secrets falling into Decepticon hands...I want you to destroy the Battle Patrol!"

—Emirate Xaaron being a bit scary.


"Is everyone clear what we have to do? Our leader, Emirate Xaaron, has judged the Battle Patrol to be beyond rescue. In order to prevent the Micromaster design falling into Decepticon hands, we blow the whole place...including our captive colleagues. Understand?"
<Long awkward silence>
"No, me neither."

—Roadhandler struggles with his motivation.


"Your actions have helped me see the folly of my own edicts. The war against the Decepticons has got so big, so out of hand, that I've lost sight of the smaller, but more important aspects. Namely the lives of those who serve under me! I've been playing god, forgetting that the Autobot vow to preserve life wherever possible extends to my own troops. It's time that changed. We lost a small war today...but a larger battle has been won!"

—Emirate Xaaron decides to stop being a bit scary.

Notes

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Artwork and technical errors

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  • When the Air Strike Patrol appear, Tailwind's head is completely off-model; lacking his mouthplate and Prime-like "helmet", he's recognisable only by default as the one who isn't Storm Cloud, Nightflight or Whisper.
  • On the second page of Part 2, the penultimate panel appears to show Tailspin standing immediately behind Roadhandler and starting to talk to him. The following panel continues to show Tailspin standing nearest to Roadhandler, posed as if talking, and Roadhandler addresses his reply to him...but the speech bubble for the remainder of the speech is pointing at Powertrain.
  • Although the context seems to suggest all remaining 12 Micromasters from the Race Car Patrol, Rescue Patrol, and Off Road Patrol are present for the raid, all the members are not clearly shown on the page.
  • Some would say Roadhandler is incorrectly depicted as the same size as Xaaron at the end of the first chapter, but Jeff Anderson has always drawn Xaaron much smaller compared to normal-sized Transformers. In the next issue, Geoff Senior depicts Xaaron just a little bit taller than the Micromasters.
  • The Rescue Patrol are displayed prominently on the cover of issue #232, although they don't appear until the second part of the story in issue #233 as supporting characters, and even then only two of them. Surely this should be the Battle Patrol's cover?

Colored reprints

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Continuity errors

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Continuity notes

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  • The Decepticon Sports Car Patrol are seen under construction in the second part.
  • Considering how much piss and vinegar the Micromasters give Optimus Prime in "King Con!", one has to wonder if Xaaron's change of heart really lasted.

Continuity fun times

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  • The story opens with a narration box stating the following events occurred "fourteen months ago". This was probably entered as a continuity reference, since "A Small War!" was first published in the UK packaged together with the US story "King Con!", where the Micromasters arrived on Earth and joined the Ark's crew. This then raises questions as Thunderwing's climb to power started in the previous UK story, "The Big Shutdown!", and ends with the later "Assault on the Ark!". This story has to take place either before them or after them, and if it's before then isn't Thunderwing presumably in charge anyway and if it's after... then, well, Optimus Prime's arrival as a Powermaster has to be happening in early summer of last year, which contradicts "Cold Comfort and Joy!"

Real-life references

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Other trivia

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  • Issue #229's editorial said "Prime's Rib!" would be the next UK strip. The strips likely got shifted around to get a UK-original Micromasters story out faster.

Back-up material

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Issue #232

Issue #233

Generics

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For further information, see: Thunderwing's expendable guard

This issue featured some notable generic Cybertronian Decepticons:

  • A Decepticon guard failed to notice the Battle Patrol (or at least pretended to).
    A Decepticon guard failed to notice the Battle Patrol (or at least pretended to).
  • The unsung scientist who created the Decepticon Micromasters.
    The unsung scientist who created the Decepticon Micromasters.

Foreign Localization

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Swedish

  • Title: "Ett litet krig!" ("A Small War!")
  • Thunderwing is given the rank of non-commissioned officer ("Underofficer") here, possibly as an attempt to smooth over the above contentious continuity.

Covers (2)

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  • Issue #232:
    Issue #232:
  • Issue #233:
    Issue #233:

Reprints

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  • Perchance to Dream (Titan Books, 2006)
    Perchance to Dream (Titan Books, 2006)
  • The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 17: Matrix Quest (Hachette Partworks, Ltd., 2018)
    The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 17: Matrix Quest (Hachette Partworks, Ltd., 2018)
  • Jakten på Matrixen (Ades Media, 2019)
    Jakten på Matrixen (Ades Media, 2019)
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