Howlback (G1)

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This article is about . For other uses of "Howlback", see Howlback (disambiguation)|The name or term "Howlback" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Howlback (disambiguation).}}
Howlback is a Decepticon Mini-Cassette from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Ain't no howlaback, girl.

Howlback (ハウルバック Haurubakku) is a member of the elite Cobalt Sentries, the "public safety unit" of the Decepticon Secret Police. Howlback takes her job and position as an enforcer very seriously and will brook no dissent from anyone, even a fellow Decepticon. She carries herself with an elegant air, which masks the ice-cold killer at the core of her spark.

As part of her job of quelling insurgencies and arresting (or assassinating) suspected rebels, she carries a set of "Multi-Track Missiles", but her real strength is in her "Feedbacker Shield", an energy barrier which absorbs energy attacks, allowing her to fire them back at the target of her choosing.

Fiction

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Legends comic

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With Soundwave and the other Decepticon cassettes, Howlback was part of an attack on the Ark to steal the new Transform Super Cog in the late 1980s. Slugslinger's Ambition

Lil Formers

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Howlback was one of the absurd amount of minions Soundwave ejected out of his chest, all in a row, in preparation for a fight. Lil Formers

Marvel Comics continuity

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Recordicons

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Incensed at Batbot's crusade against evil as it was an affront to the one true Megatron, Howlback tracked down the Recordicon, only for Nightprowler to come to Batbot's aid. Howlback protested that they were ganging up on her, but Nightprowler asserted that when heroes do it, it's just called "teamwork". Recordicons #21

Regeneration One

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Howlback was present on Cybertron when the Dark Matrix creature attacked the population and was converted into a shadow-leech alongside Soundwave, Beastbox, Slugfest, Squawktalk, Overkill, and Wingthing. Their combined form menaced Ravage before he was rescued by Shockwave and Starscream. King of Shadows The shadow-leeches ceased to be a threat once Rodimus Prime defeated the Dark Matrix creature. The War to End All Wars, Part 5

Ask Vector Prime

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One universe's version of Howlback was protoformed with a male chassis. Howlback referred to herself with female pronouns but felt no need for reformatting into a female chassis. The Arcee of Howlback's reality would mention her in a lecture Arcee gave in Axiom Nexus which Vector Prime attended. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/12/23

2005 IDW continuity

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Howlback was amongst the Decepticons that escaped from Garrus-9 in the company of Shockwave. Like the rest of Shockwave's companions, she was on The List, and had been intended to be handed over to the Decepticon Justice Division in exchange for the former Senator being allowed to go free, a deal Tarn rejected. The Ties That Bind

2019 IDW continuity

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Howlback was one of the many infiltration troopers Clench deployed during the Decepticon attack on the Senate. They rushed Grotusque and Roulette and easily defeated them. We Have Deceived You Howlback was part of the Decepticons Ratbat used to seize control of Iacon's energon supplies. War World: Hunt

Games

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Transformers Legends

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Seeking revenge for a prior loss, Flamewar led a team consisting of herself, Howlback, Shadowstalker, and Twirl against Autobot bases. Elita One sent Chromia and Moonracer to face them. Fatal Furies: Flamewar's Revenge

Transformers: Forged to Fight

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She'll fudge you up.

Howlback (via Soundblaster) was one of the Decepticons pulled from her universe by the Quintessons and forced to fight. She eventually joins the Commander. There are at least a few of her running around!

Howlback, along with Buzzsaw, is one of Soundblaster's special attacks, launching out of his chest. Forged to Fight

Transformers Roleplaying Game

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Howlback was one of many clones of Ravage Field Guide to Action and Adventure and a member of the Decepticon Secret Police. Armed with an advanced missile system and feedback shield, she was an efficient officer capable of incapacitating targets many times her size. Decepticon Directive

On Earth, Howlback and a number of other low-ranking Decepticons were recruited by Soundwave to keep an eye on Starscream's latest scheme and undermine his operation from within. After infiltrating his team, the group helped recover some Polarity gauntlets from an ancient Cybertronian shipwreck, and came into conflict with Rollbar after foiling Starscream's attempted doublecross. Catch a Falling Starscream

Toys

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Collector's Edition

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Cat Ballue
  • Cobalt Sentry (Multi-pack, 2005)
  • ID number: 69 (individual), 71 (Cobalt Sentries set)
  • Accessories: Left & right "Multi-Track Missiles", tape case
Collector's Edition Howlback is a redeco of the original Ravage mold, transforming from a mechanical jaguar into a microcassette tape that can fit in the chest compartment of the Soundwave or Blaster molds. Her blue coloration is based on the pre-Transformers individually-sold Micro Change "Microcassette Robo MC-02 Jaguar" toy. She also came with a clear-plastic cassette case, like early Takara releases of cassette Transformers.
Her "tape window" shows a readout of the Autobot Fortress Maximus, including a "weak point" that's revealed when Howlback is placed behind a clear-red piece of transparent plastic, particularly the "tape door" chestplate of the Soundblaster toy (which had just gotten re-released as part of The Transformers Collection!). But of course she will also work the various Twincast releases, or any other clear-red plastic such as the old Tech Spec decoders.
Howlback was only available in an e-HOBBY exclusive "Cobalt Sentry" two-pack with her teammate Garboil. The mold was later used to make another e-HOBBY exclusive, Glit, and Encore Stripes. Howlback's toy was repurposed as Shattered Glass Glit.
{{#if:The Transformers|The Transformers mold:|}} Ravage

{{#if:*Hasbro:

  • Linkin Park × Transformers Ravage
  • Milton Bradley:
  • TakaraTomy:
  • Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers 19 Jaguar

  • D-59 Jaguar (Transformers 2010)
  • D-104 Jaguar (The Headmasters)
  • The Transformers Collection 18 Jaguar
  • e-HOBBY:
  • Kiss Players Glit||-
 style="text-align:{{{align}}};"|}}|
  • Hasbro:
  • Linkin Park × Transformers Ravage
  • Milton Bradley:
  • TakaraTomy:
  • Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers 19 Jaguar

  • D-59 Jaguar (Transformers 2010)
  • D-104 Jaguar (The Headmasters)
  • The Transformers Collection 18 Jaguar
  • e-HOBBY:
  • Kiss Players Glit|}}

{{#if:Takashi Matsuda||-

Takashi Matsuda|}}

Notes

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Takara thought very hard about claiming only having a left-side weapon was making her "more accurate".
  • "Howlback" is actually an audio term, essentially a synonym for "feedback".
  • Howlback's coloration is based on the individually boxed pre-Transformers Micro Change version of the MC-02 "Microcassette Robo Jaguar" mold.
  • The Cobalt Sentries set had notoriously bad quality control in regards to Howlback's add-on weapons. There were numerous complaints of sets with two of the same-side weapon, leading to a lot of trading between fans and mailed-off replacement parts from Takara.
  • The Howlback in Recordicons, hailing from the Classics universe, has the distinction of being the first transgender Transformer to be so under her own terms, at least according to the author. As the Classics universe is a Marvel-derived continuity, Howlback's assigned sex is "neuter", but she identifies as female. Years later, the Facebook edition of Ask Vector Prime would declare this to be true of at least one universe's version of Howlback.
  • The Wings Universe incarnation of Ravage is described as a Cougaraider. This designation could arguably apply to all characters sharing Ravage's body-type.
  • The digital edition of the Field Guide to Action and Adventure expansion to the Transformers Roleplaying Game accidentally uses male pronouns for Howlback.
  • Howlback's Threat sheet in Field Guide to Action and Adventure describes her as a clone of the Mini-Con Ravage and puts her size as "Small"; Decepticon Directive states that she turns from a panther into a cassette, and notes that she is effective at taking down enemies many times her size. However, her pregenerated character sheet in "Catch a Falling Starscream" gives her the "Monstrosity" origin (i.e., she turns from a humanoid robot into an animal) and gives her a "Huge" size rating. It's especially odd given that Decepticon Directive has rules for playing as an independent Mini-Con!
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