Dreamwave Armada issue 9

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Publisher	Dreamwave Productions}}
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First published	March 19, 2003}}
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Script	Simon Furman}}
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Pencils	Guido Guidi}}
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Colors	Shaun Curtis, Alan Wang, David Cheung}}
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Editor	Roger Lee}}
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Continuity	Dreamwave Armada continuity}}
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{{#switch:{{#sub:xx|2|14}}|dark cybertron=}}

The Earthbound Mini-Cons find themselves as unwilling guests of the ones who crashed on the Moon.

Synopsis

Both the Autobots and Decepticons are frantic to figure out what happened to the Mini-Cons. Optimus Prime, as always, has the answer: they've gone to the Moon. Sparkplug told him that when they fled Cybertron, their ship crashed into the Moon and broke in two, with only a small part of it falling to Earth.

Up on the Moon, the captured Mini-Cons sit behind a forcefield in a holding cell, wondering who brought them. Leader-1 speculates that they've been deliberately removed from the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons because, as the sum total of Earthbound Mini-Cons, they represent the catalyst for the entire war. Their questions are answered soon, however, with the arrival of the Destruction Team, led by Dualor.

Dualor had them locked up because he wasn't sure how they'd react after being forced off of Earth. He leads Sparkplug, Leader-1, and Runway throughout the massive base that they've been constructing for the last million years. He explains that they've long been preparing for the eventuality that the Decepticons would come after them, and that their base is thoroughly defended. They too received the signal that emanated from Earth when Rad awoke Sparkplug and the Street Action Team, but Dualor confesses that he hesitated in bringing them back, thus allowing the war to begin anew. Sparkplug asks him what the difference between them and the Decepticons is, as both groups took them against their will. Dualor responds, "if you can't see the difference between this and living at Optimus Prime's beck and call, or being Megatron's slave, then you've been brainwashed more thoroughly than I realized."

Back at Silver Ridge, Thrust arrives from Cybertron through a space bridge portal, carrying a pair of thrusters for Megatron. The Decepticons take off into space, leaving Demolishor behind to guard their Silver Ridge base. They soon arrive at the Moon, where they run into the considerable defenses that the Mini-Cons have employed: floating mine fields, missile launchers, and auto-turrets all do their work, grounding the Decepticon attackers.

Meanwhile, in the Autobot base, Optimus Prime watches via Laserbeak as Hot Shot and Red Alert break into the Decepticon base, his finger hovering over the button that will activate a space bridge portal of their own.

Back on the Moon, Sparkplug asks if they'll be safe. Dualor assures them that they're completely covered by moonrock, reinforced tritanium, and forcefields, and that the Decepticons will never be able to break through. His words prove true, and the Decepticons fall back and regroup. Drill Bit wonders if they'll show the same gusto in fighting off the Autobots, and Dualor responds that they've got a trump card: Rad has been strapped into one of the mines!

Featured characters

{{#if:* Optimus Prime (2)

Red Alert (6)
Hot Shot (7)
Laserbeak (39)|

Autobots }}{{#if:* Megatron (5) Cyclonus (8) Demolishor (9) Starscream (10) Thrust (29)\|	Decepticons }}{{#if:{\|border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
Dualor (1) Bonecrusher (11) Sparkplug (12) Leader-1 (13) High Wire (14) Longarm (15) Jolt (16) Crumplezone (17) Swindle (18) Wreckage (19) Knock Out (20) Sonar (21) Jetstorm (22) Runway (23) Grindor (24) Sureshock (25)	Blackout (26) Buzzsaw (27) Drill Bit (28) Oval (30) Spiral (31) Dune Runner (32) Dirt Boss (33) Mirage (34) Astroscope (35) Payload (36) Sky Blast (37) Ransack (38) Comettor (40) Crosswise (41) Rook (42)

|

!! style="background:#fbefde;" | Mini-Cons }}{{#if:* Carlos (3)

Alexis (4)
Rad (43)|

!! style="background:#ffeeb8;" | Humans }}{{#if:| !! style="background:#d5e6d5;" | Misc }}{{#if:| !! style="background:#fedeb5;" | Misc }} |- {{#if:* Optimus Prime (2)

Red Alert (6)
Hot Shot (7)
Laserbeak (39)|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" |
Optimus Prime (2)
Red Alert (6)
Hot Shot (7)
Laserbeak (39) }}{{#if:* Megatron (5)
Cyclonus (8)
Demolishor (9)
Starscream (10)
Thrust (29)|

| style="background:#ededff;" valign="top" |

Megatron (5)
Cyclonus (8)
Demolishor (9)
Starscream (10)
Thrust (29) }}{{#if:{|border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"

|- |style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"|

Dualor (1)
Bonecrusher (11)
Sparkplug (12)
Leader-1 (13)
High Wire (14)
Longarm (15)
Jolt (16)
Crumplezone (17)
Swindle (18)
Wreckage (19)
Knock Out (20)
Sonar (21)
Jetstorm (22)
Runway (23)
Grindor (24)
Sureshock (25)

|style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"|

Blackout (26)
Buzzsaw (27)
Drill Bit (28)
Oval (30)
Spiral (31)
Dune Runner (32)
Dirt Boss (33)
Mirage (34)
Astroscope (35)
Payload (36)
Sky Blast (37)
Ransack (38)
Comettor (40)
Crosswise (41)
Rook (42)

|}| | style="background:#fbefde;" valign="top" |

Dualor (1)
Bonecrusher (11)
Sparkplug (12)
Leader-1 (13)
High Wire (14)
Longarm (15)
Jolt (16)
Crumplezone (17)
Swindle (18)
Wreckage (19)
Knock Out (20)
Sonar (21)
Jetstorm (22)
Runway (23)
Grindor (24)
Sureshock (25)

Blackout (26)
Buzzsaw (27)
Drill Bit (28)
Oval (30)
Spiral (31)
Dune Runner (32)
Dirt Boss (33)
Mirage (34)
Astroscope (35)
Payload (36)
Sky Blast (37)
Ransack (38)
Comettor (40)
Crosswise (41)
Rook (42)

}}{{#if:* Carlos (3)

Alexis (4)
Rad (43)|

| style="background:#ffeeb8;" valign="top" |

Carlos (3)
Alexis (4)
Rad (43) }}{{#if:|

| style="background:#d5e6d5;" valign="top" |

}}{{#if:|

| style="background:#fedeb5;" valign="top" |

}}

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Quotes

"Perhaps you'd care to join us..."
"Sure. What's the game?"
"The game...is hunt the Mini-Con!"
"Aw heck...my favorite!"

—Megatron gets Thrust to saddle-up

Notes

Errors

The fact that the Destruction Team are in charge of the Mini-Con Moonbase is a bit odd, considering that in the second issue of the series, they were still captives of Megatron when the other Mini-Cons escaped Cybertron.
Continuing a trend, Sparkplug's head design has changed from last issue.
In the group shot of the imprisoned Mini-Cons on page 7, Jolt's mouthplate is mis-colored red instead of white.
On page 8, Runway and Jetstorm have swapped color schemes in the first panel. What's more, Jetstorm speaks for the entire team and in a complete sentence, which is usually Runway's bit, so their word bubbles are likely swapped as well.
Demolishor is all SORTS of colored wrong on page 17. His upper torso is lacking its usual red, and his fingers and shoulder missiles are now red instead of gray.

Other trivia

In a nice artistic touch, most of the Land Military Team's weapons have been removed in imprisonment- notably, the mount that held Knock Out's shoulder cannon is visibly damaged. Bonecrusher's missile is still in place in his launcher in a single scene, though.
Optimus Prime's Super Mode head is briefly visible in his torso during his transformation on page 8.

Reprints

Transformers Armada: Volume 2: Fortress (September 17, 2003) ISBN 0973278641 / ISBN 978-0973278644

Collects issues #6–11.
Bonus material includes a cover gallery and the Armada mini-comic #2

Transformers Armada Vol. 2 (Japan ed.) (January, 2004) ISBN 4902314215 / ISBN 978-4902314212

Same content as Dreamwave's volume 2, translated to Japanese.

Transformers Armada Vol. 4 (Spain ed.) (April, 2007) ISBN 978-8498147438

Reprints issues 8–10, translated to Spanish.

Transformers Armada: Volume 2 (IDW reprint) (January 14, 2009) ISBN 160010357X / ISBN 978-1600103575

Straight reprint of the Dreamwave trade with same contents.

Transformers Armada: Omnibus (August 18, 2010) ISBN 160010715X / ISBN 978-1600107153

Contains issues 1–18.
Bonus material includes the Armada Preview issue.
Reissued in 2016 with a new cover.

Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 27: Worlds Collide Part 1 (November 13, 2019)

Collects issues #8–13 and select material from Dreamwave's Transformers: More than Meets the Eye: Armada
Includes a cover gallery and an intro by Simon Furman.