Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb

This article is about the Robots in Disguise issue. For the ROM issue, see Earthfall, Part 3{{#switch:{{#sub:Earthfall, Part 3|-1}}|!=|.=|?=|.}} For a list of other meanings, see Earthfall (disambiguation).

This article is about the real-world comic story. For the title weapon, see Mindbomb{{#switch:{{#sub:Mindbomb|-1}}

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|- {{#if: RID30 regcvr.jpg | | colspan="2" style="font-size: 12px; background-color:#ffffff;" align="center" | {{#if: Look Ma, I caught a Fraggle! |
Look Ma, I caught a Fraggle!}}}} |-

|colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; background-color:#e7d492; color:black;font-weight:bold;" align="center" | "Earthfall Part 3:
The Mind Bomb" {{#if: |

}}

|- {{#if: IDW Publishing | |Publisher || IDW Publishing}} |- {{#if: | |Published by || }} |- {{#if: | |Imprint || }} |- {{#if: | |Published in || }} |- {{#if: June 11, 2014 | |First published || June 11, 2014}} |- {{#if: | |Shipping date || }} |- {{#if: | |On-sale date || }} |- {{#if: June 2014 | |Cover date || June 2014}} |- {{#if: | |Credits || }} |- {{#if: | |By || }} |- {{#if: | |Manga || }} |- {{#if: | |Manga by || }} |- {{#if: | |Original story || }} |- {{#if: | |Story & art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Story and color art || }} |- {{#if: | |Story || }} |- {{#if: | |Story by || }} |- {{#if: | |Story consultants || }} |- {{#if: | |Story concept || }} |- {{#if: | |Screenplay by || }} |- {{#if: | |Screenplay || }} |- {{#if: | |Adaptation by || }} |- {{#if: | |Adapted by || }} |- {{#if: | |Adaptation || }} |- {{#if: | |Based on || }} |- {{#if: | |Writer || }} |- {{#if: | |Writers || }} |- {{#if: | |Writing || }} |- {{#if: John Barber | |Written by || John Barber}} |- {{#if: | |Written & art || }} |- {{#if: | |Plotter || }} |- {{#if: | |Plotters || }} |- {{#if: | |Plot || }} |- {{#if: | |Plot by || }} |- {{#if: | |Plot/Script || }} |- {{#if: | |Scripter || }} |- {{#if: | |Scripters || }} |- {{#if: | |Script || }} |- {{#if: | |Scripting || }} |- {{#if: | |Script by || }} |- {{#if: | |Script and art || }} |- {{#if: | |Sript [sic] consultant || }} |- {{#if: | |Translation by || }} |- {{#if: | |Artist || }} |- {{#if: | |Comic artist || }} |- {{#if: | |Artists || }} |- {{#if: | |Art || }} |- {{#if: Andrew Griffith (present day)
Casey Coller (flashback pgs 1-6)
Brendan Cahill (flashback pgs 16-18) | |Art by || Andrew Griffith (present day)
Casey Coller (flashback pgs 1-6)
Brendan Cahill (flashback pgs 16-18)}} |- {{#if: | |Additional art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Flashback art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Art assistant || }} |- {{#if: | |Art assist by || }} |- {{#if: | |Line-art || }} |- {{#if: | |Line-art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Line art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Penciller || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencillers || }} |- {{#if: | |Penciler || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencilers || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencil art || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencils || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencils by || }} |- {{#if: | |Penciled by || }} |- {{#if: | |Penciling || }} |- {{#if: | |Guest penciler || }} |- {{#if: | |Layouts || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencil breakdowns || }} |- {{#if: | |Breakdowns || }} |- {{#if: | |Breakdowns by || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustration || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustrations || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustrator || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustrated by || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustration by || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustrations by || }} |- {{#if: | |Finished pencils || }} |- {{#if: | |Finishes || }} |- {{#if: | |Finished art || }} |- {{#if: | |Finishes by || }} |- {{#if: | |Inker || }} |- {{#if: | |Guest inker || }} |- {{#if: | |Inkers || }} |- {{#if: | |Inks || }} |- {{#if: | |Inks by || }} |- {{#if: | |Ink finishes || }} |- {{#if: | |Ink assist by || }} |- {{#if: | |Additional inks || }} |- {{#if: | |Inking || }} |- {{#if: | |Backgrounds || }} |- {{#if: | |Backgrounds by || }} |- {{#if: | |Colorist || }} |- {{#if: | |Colorists || }} |- {{#if: | |Colourist || }} |- {{#if: | |Colourists || }} |- {{#if: | |Color || }} |- {{#if: | |Colors || }} |- {{#if: | |Color art || }} |- {{#if: | |Colour || }} |- {{#if: | |Colours || }} |- {{#if: | |Colored by || }} |- {{#if: | |Color by || }} |- {{#if: Josh Perez (present day)
Joana Lafuente (flashbacks) | |Colors by || Josh Perez (present day)
Joana Lafuente (flashbacks)}} |- {{#if: | |Color art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Colors assist by || }} |- {{#if: | |Color assists || }} |- {{#if: | |Color assistance by || }} |- {{#if: | |Additional colors || }} |- {{#if: | |Additional colors by || }} |- {{#if: | |Color assist by || }} |- {{#if: | |Colour/Computer FX || }} |- {{#if: | |Computer coloring/effects || }} |- {{#if: | |Color Reconstruction || }} |- {{#if: | |Flats || }} |- {{#if: | |Flats by || }} |- {{#if: | |MTMTE Profiles || }} |- {{#if: | |Letterer || }} |- {{#if: | |Letterers || }} |- {{#if: | |Lettering || }} |- {{#if: | |Letters || }} |- {{#if: Tom B. Long | |Letters by || Tom B. Long}} |- {{#if: | |Lettered by || }} |- {{#if: | |Lettering|Production || }} |- {{#if: | |Special Thanks{{#if: | To}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Collaborators || }} |- {{#if: | |Contributors || }} |- {{#if: Carlos Guzman | |Editor || Carlos Guzman}} |- {{#if: | |Editors || }} |- {{#if: | |Editing || }} |- {{#if: | |Edits by || }} |- {{#if: | |Compiled and Edited by || }} |- {{#if: | |Original series editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Original Edits by || }} |- {{#if: | |Deputy editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Assistant editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Editorial assistant{{#if: |s}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Editorial Assistance
provided by || }} |- {{#if: | |Senior editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Associate editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Story consultant || }} |- {{#if: | |Project manager || }} |- {{#if: | |Production by || }} |- {{#if: | |Designer || }} |- {{#if: | |Design by || }} |- {{#if: | |Designed by || }} |- {{#if: | |Design/editorial || }} |- {{#if: | |Book design by || }} |- {{#if: | |Collection designer || }} |- {{#if: | |Collection editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Collection Edits by || }} |- {{#if: | |Graphic design || }} |- {{#if: | |Graphic design by || }} |- {{#if: | |Collection Design by || }} |- {{#if: | |Creative Director{{#if: | / Layout}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Contributing editors || }} |- {{#if: | |Research editor{{#if: |s}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Managing editor || }} |- {{#if: | |{{#if: |Editor-in-chief|Editor in chief}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Editorial consultant || }} |- {{#if: | |Dinosaur consultant || }} |- {{#if: | |Publishing manager || }} |- {{#if: | |Cover || }} |- {{#if: | |Cover art{{#if: |ist}}{{#if: | by}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Cover Design {{#if: |and Elements }}by || }} |- {{#if: | |Inside cover || }} |- {{#if: | |Apologies to || }} |- {{#if: 2005 IDW continuity | |Continuity || 2005 IDW continuity}} |- {{#if: Current era (2014) | |Chronology || Current era (2014)}} |- {{#if: | |ISBN || }} |- {{#if: | |TPB ISBN || ISBN }} |- {{#if: | |UPC || }} |- {{#if: | |Page count || }} |- {{#if: | |Price || }} |- {{#if: | |Packaged with || }} |- {{#if: | |Printed in || }} |- {{#if: | |Animation || }} |- {{#if: | |Music || }} |}{{#switch:{{#sub:xx|2|14}}|dark cybertron=}} It's Devastator versus Galvatron as Prowl's dangerous gambit plays out, forcing the Earth Defense Command to tip their hand.

Synopsis

Ten million years ago, during the First Cybertronian Civil War, Galvatron fights the Battle of Aegiax against the ancient Headmasters, slaughtering his way through the entire tribe until only two remain. As one falls to his cannon, the last, Myskrion, is able to run Galvatron through with his polearm, but the wound has no effect—Galvatron simply charges his opponent with the weapon still sticking out of his body, fatally impaling him with it. Myskrion's furious Headmaster partner disconnects and tries to maul Galvatron, but winds up being torn in half. As he surveys the field of corpses, Galvatron is approached by a stranger who introduces himself as Alpha Trion, and offers to bestow upon Galvatron everything he has ever wanted...

Four months ago, the Decepticons return to their spacecraft in orbit above Earth following their meeting with the Earth Defense Command. With Galvatron's disgust over the alliance they have forged with the humans nakedly apparent, Soundwave explains his position—his fascination with the fact that it was Earth that brought about the end of the Transformers' war, and his belief that without Megatron leading the Decepticons down a destructive path, humanity will naturally side with them against the Autobots. Galvatron has little time for the argument, as he did not live through the era of Autobot oppression, but when Rumble scoffs, the enraged Galvatron slams him off a wall. Soundwave remains stoic, and insists they will gain the resources they need through truth and cooperation, rather than deceit and violence.

In the town of Poverty Flat, Devastator drives Galvatron into the ground with one strike, then turns to swiping the attacking Decepticons out of the air. Galvatron is quick to recover, however, and resumes his battle with Devastator over Soundwave's protests. The outraged Marissa Faireborn finds her communication with General Witwicky cut off as Soundwave erects a jamming field around the town to prevent any information making it out, forcing the EDC to withdraw outside his range so that contact can be established with the orchestrator of their contingency plan in the event of the Decepticons going off-mission: Dr. Sanjay Bharwaney. The doctor activates a brainwave-scrambling "mind bomb" that incapacitates the Decepticons, allowing Faireborn to call up Skywarp—whose damaged form is integrated with the Decepticons' orbiting ship—and have him remotely teleport all the Decepticons back to their craft. Devastator disengages back into Prowl and the Constructicons and they and the other Autobots quickly depart aboard Sky Lynx, leaving the EDC too busy with damage control to follow. Wiping away an energon "nosebleed", Prowl explains to an angry Optimus Prime that it had been obvious to him from the outset that the EDC had wanted the presence of Cybertronians on Earth to remain a secret, so he chose to take things public with Devastator in order to make their enemies' lives difficult. As Cosmos radios in with an update on the EDC's cover measures, Prowl horrifies his leader with his pleasant surprise at the fact the organization isn't just killing everyone in town.

One month ago, Arcee, Prowl, and Sideswipe watch as Windblade gives Alpha Trion's message to Optimus. Prowl is curious about Arcee's reaction to the appearance of new female Transformers, but Arcee is surprised to find she feels nothing at all. Prowl opines that, as Camiens, Windblade and her fellow new arrivals are as different from Arcee as they are from any other "regular" Cybertronian; Sideswipe puts his foot in it, however, when he grumbles about missing the simple old days of Autobots versus Decepticons, before nobody knew who they could trust. Arcee takes offense and leaves the group to talk to Optimus, wishing to find out more about the recent passing of her friend Hardhead. Prime assures her that he died trying to save everyone, and that his killer has been disposed of; satisfied, Arcee voices her second request, asking to join Prime's mission to Earth.

Prowl and Optimus argue all the way back to the Ark-7, with Prime refuting the idea that the humans are their enemies, and Prowl pointing out that they had a weapon capable of disabling a Cybertronian brain. Jetfire regretfully offers evidence that backs up Prowl's hypothesis: he detected a Cybertronian brain pattern behind the "mind bomb", and the microbots that attacked the Ark were based on Cybertronian neurology, suggesting that the EDC has access to a Cybertronian brain for study... a brain belonging, Prowl is sure, to Alpha Trion. As the team sets course for the origin point of the mind bomb's signal, traced to the Marshall Islands, Scavenger sneaks away and opens up a comm channel...

In the Decepticons' spaceship, Galvatron takes out his rage on the fittings and fixtures until Astrotrain tells him to stop and becomes a target for his rage instead. Galvatron insists they take revenge on the humans, but Soundwave refuses, deeming "the mission" too important; Galvatron dismisses his goals as a farce, but Soundwave calmly informs him that he has found the location of Galvatron's goal... Scavenger, his spy among the Autobots, has provided them with the location of Alpha Trion!

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
{{#if: ||(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)}}

{{#if:* Arcee (10)

Optimus Prime (11)
Jazz (12)
Kup (13)
Sideswipe (21)
Prowl (23)
Sky Lynx (25)
Cosmos (29)
Windblade (30)
Jetfire (31)|

{{#if:* Arcee (10)

Optimus Prime (11)
Jazz (12)
Kup (13)
Sideswipe (21)
Prowl (23)
Sky Lynx (25)
Cosmos (29)
Windblade (30)
Jetfire (31)|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" |
Arcee (10)
Optimus Prime (11)
Jazz (12)
Kup (13)
Sideswipe (21)
Prowl (23)
Sky Lynx (25)
Cosmos (29)
Windblade (30)
Jetfire (31) }}{{#if:* Galvatron (1)
Skywarp (5)
Soundwave (6)
Frenzy (7)
Rumble (8)
Brawl (14)
Blitzwing (15)
Needlenose (16)
Buzzsaw (17)
Astrotrain (33)|

Autobots }}{{#if:* Galvatron (1)

Skywarp (5)
Soundwave (6)
Frenzy (7)
Rumble (8)
Brawl (14)
Blitzwing (15)
Needlenose (16)
Buzzsaw (17)
Astrotrain (33)|

Decepticons }}{{#if:|

Humans }}{{#if:* Marissa Faireborn (18)

Daniel Witwicky (19)
Sanjay Bharwaney (20)|

Humans }}{{#if:* Myskrion (2)

Myskrion's partner (3)
Alpha Trion (4)
Devastator (9)
Long Haul (22)
Scavenger (24)
Bonecrusher (26)
Hook (27)
Mixmaster (28)
D.0.C. (32)|

Others }}{{#if:|

Misc }}

Galvatron (1)
Skywarp (5)
Soundwave (6)
Frenzy (7)
Rumble (8)
Brawl (14)
Blitzwing (15)
Needlenose (16)
Buzzsaw (17)
Astrotrain (33) }}{{#if:|

}}{{#if:* Marissa Faireborn (18)

Daniel Witwicky (19)
Sanjay Bharwaney (20)|

Marissa Faireborn (18)
Daniel Witwicky (19)
Sanjay Bharwaney (20) }}{{#if:* Myskrion (2)
Myskrion's partner (3)
Alpha Trion (4)
Devastator (9)
Long Haul (22)
Scavenger (24)
Bonecrusher (26)
Hook (27)
Mixmaster (28)
D.0.C. (32)|

Myskrion (2)
Myskrion's partner (3)
Alpha Trion (4)
Devastator (9)
Long Haul (22)
Scavenger (24)
Bonecrusher (26)
Hook (27)
Mixmaster (28)
D.0.C. (32) }}{{#if:|

}}

Quotes

"Calm yourself, warrior. I come in peace. Perhaps you know the term? It means the absence of war."
"I am aware of the word. In my land, we pronounced it "conquest"."

—Alpha Trion and Galvatron

"Are you prepared to die, Galvatron?"
"Always. But that has never been a real concern."

—Devastator and Galvatron

"Did Prowl just get, like, way dumber?"
"It's the mass-displacement. Even Prowl's fat head can't handle the brain/size ratio of Devastator."

—Jazz and Arcee

"When I smash you, you geriatric insect—you know what they'll call my fist? They'll name it progress!"

—Devastator

"The humans betrayed us!"
"Stop smashing things."
"Did you just issue me an order, Spacebus?"
"Uh, my name's Astrotrain... and, uh... it was more a suggestion..."

—Galvatron and Astrotrain

Notes

Continuity notes

Galvatron's conquest of the "Ancient Headmasters" was first mentioned in issue #21. At the time, it was merely patching over a continuity error that was created with the introduction of the first of these Headmasters, Thinkbox, in The Transformers: Heart of Darkness #3. How times change!
After Galvatron rips Myskrion's partner in half, Alpha Trion wonders if he enjoys the action, alluding to his future tearing in half of Megatron in issue #24.
Skywarp is evidently still recovering from the malfunction of his teleporting powers that happened back in issue #24, and seems to have been wired into the Decepticon ship's system to direct his power and even enable heretofore unseen remote teleportation of others.
The "Thirteen Tribes" were first mentioned in More than Meets the Eye #27. See "Transformers references", below, for some further analysis of what we learn about them in this issue.
Sanjay Bharwaney originally appeared in the Bumblebee mini-series, and most recently made a return in Spotlight: Bumblebee.
The flashback to one month ago follows directly from the similar scene in issue #28, even repeating part of Optimus and Windblade's conversation from that sequence.
Hardhead died in More than Meets the Eye #25. Reference is made to the time he and Arcee spent together on Gorlam Prime, between Revelation and Heart of Darkness.
Following the revelation of his "bad eyes" in More than Meets the Eye #25, Astrotrain has replaced (or covered) his individual optics—a product of his original Generation 1 character model—with a visor like that sported by his original Generation 1 toy.
This issue has Faireborn refer to the President of the United States as "he". When the sitting President finally appeared in issue #50, however, the President was depicted as a woman.

Transformers references

Galvatron's ancient "barbarian" body draws particular inspiration from his original Generation 1 toy. In particular, his arm cannon is based on the hand-held gun the toy came with.
The significance of the thirteen tribes should be lost on no-one, hearkening as they do to the thirteen original Transformers. That link is solidified further this issue, as the leader of the tribe of Ancient Headmasters is named as "Nexus"—short for Nexus Prime, one of the thirteen in other continuities. Strengthening the allusion, Galvatron refers to "Nexus' enigma"; per The Covenant of Primus, Nexus Prime possessed an object known as the Enigma of Combination, which granted him the power to divide and re-combine his body. And Headmasters are certainly a form of combination... Issue #34 would subsequently provide more information about the IDW Enigma.
Alpha Trion's alternate mode in ancient times is the hovercraft form Coller designed for him while working on the Ironhide mini-series, which previously appeared only in concept art.
The design of the Decepticons' spacecraft is inspired by the Revenge, the ship Unicron bestowed on Galvatron in The Transformers: The Movie, with its distinctive arced side protrusions.

Errors

The flashback to one month ago on Cybertron is mistakenly labeled as being six months into the past. This is fixed in the trade.
Unsurprisingly, some scale issues with Devastator. When he first appears in the issue, the buildings of Poverty Flat rise about halfway up to his knees. Two pages later, he's massively inflated — from the EDC's vantage point, we see that the tallest buildings in the town hardly reach his ankles.

Other trivia

Where the previous two issues were "Parts" 1 and 2, from this issue onwards, "Earthfall"'s titles switch to "Chapters". (The trade changes it back to "Part 3".)
After last issue appeared to imply a [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}floating timescale|{{#if:||floating timescale}}]] that placed the events of All Hail Megatron in 2011, concurrent with the [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Occupy Wall Street|{{#if:Occupy movement|Occupy movement|Occupy Wall Street}}]], this issue has General Witwicky state that the events of that series took place eight years ago, which would place it in roughly the correct chronological placement for when we have always understood it to occur. Future stories would provide more contradictory information; issue #50, published nearly two years after this one, would claim it had only been five years since All Hail Megatron (fitting in with the real-life "Occupy" timeline), while a Hasbro Universe timeline published in Revolutionaries #1 places All Hail Megatron in 2008 (its year of publication) and IDW's Revolution event, which took place months after issue #50, in 2016 (also its year of publication).

Foreign Localization

Swedish

Title: "Fritt fall Del 3: Hjärnbomben" ("Free Fall Part 3: The Brain Bomb")

Covers (4)

Regular cover: Galvatron in Devastator's clutches, by Andrew Griffith and Joana Lafuente
Subscription cover: Galvatron the Barbarian, by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente
30th Anniversary cover: Optimus Prime and Megatron battle atop Sherman Dam, as seen in "More than Meets the Eye, Part 2", by Guido Guidi and John-Paul Bove
BotCon cover: Black-and-white lineart version of the 30th Anniversary cover, available exclusively at BotCon 2014

Devastator enjoys his Galvatron toy.
"Hahah, 'Cron laughs at yah Four Windblades!"
This seems to happen a lot.
We told ya!

Reprints

The Transformers: Robots in Disguise Volume 6 (November 19, 2014) ISBN 1631401645 / ISBN 978-1631401640
- Collects Robots in Disguise issues #28–32.
- Bonus material includes covers from each issue.
- Trade paperback format.

The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7 (March 21, 2018) ISBN 1684051495 / ISBN 978-1684051496
- Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #28–30, #31–33 & #34, and Robots in Disguise issues #28–32 & #33–34.
- Hardcover format.

Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 62: Earthfall (August 8, 2018)
- Collects Robots in Disguise issues #28–34.
- Bonus material includes the lowdown on the (new) human cast and rare promotional posters for the Dawn of the Autobots event.
- Hardcover format.

Transformers: Optimus Prime - Tillbaka till jorden (February 15, 2023)
- Collects Robots in Disguise issues #28–32 & #34–38, and Punishment issues #1–5.
- Swedish reprint. Hardcover format.

Robots in Disguise Volume 6 – cover art by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente
The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7 – cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long
The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 62: Earthfall – cover art by Don Figueroa (Galvatron) and Andrew Griffith (retro)
Tillbaka till jorden – cover art by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente

External links

Preview

Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb

Contents

Synopsis

Featured characters

Quotes