New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen
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|colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; background-color:#e7d492; color:black;font-weight:bold;" align="center" | "New Cybertron Part 1:
To Walk Among the Chosen" {{#if: |
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|}{{#switch:{{#sub:reconstruction|2|14}}|dark cybertron=}}
As Optimus Prime recalls a case of corruption from his youth, in the present day, the need for Earth to step forward and join the Council of Worlds becomes ever greater.
Synopsis
[edit]Four million years ago, on Cybertron, Orion Pax finds himself investigating the troubling case of suspected gun-runner Hefter, who has died in police custody. Pax promises Hefter's friend Tappet that he will investigate, but Tappet, emotional, angry, and unconvinced by Pax's assurances, believes he knows the truth already: police officer Outback killed Hefter for being a Decepticon. After Tappet leaves, Pax is met by Zeta Prime to discuss the situation. As the pair talk about the fake Matrix of Leadership Zeta carries in his chest, and watch as a protest outside turns violent, Zeta's carefully-chosen words and presupposition of Hefter's guilt make Orion wonder if the Prime he once thought of as his friend is truly any different to the lineage of corrupt 'bots who have gone before him...
In the present day, in Mexico City, the future parallels the past as an anti-Cybertronian protest descends into a riot. Aileron and a team of new Autobot recruits from Cybertron's various colonies—Slide and Oiler from Devisiun, Gimlet and Bump from Eukaris, Roulette from Velocitron, and Midnight Express from Caminus—attempt to intercede, but one rioter produces an elaborate-looking weapon and blasts Midnight Express off his feet. The others are prepared to strike back in force, but Aileron gets between them and grabs the shooter. From Autobot City, floating in the air overhead, Optimus Prime, Soundwave, Arcee, and Jazz descend to help calm the panicking crowd; Jazz tries offering medical assistance to an injured woman, only to be rebuffed; Arcee checks on Midnight Express and finds that he is fine, but is concerned to observe that he and the colonists are all wearing mouthplates in order to emulate the idolized Optimus; and Optimus examines the gun recovered by Aileron, which he recognizes as an Earth Defense Command weapon reverse-engineered from Cybertronian technology.
Pax follows Outback to a bar in order to question him further on the shooting, only to have Outback pull a gun on him and start ranting about the need to defend oneself against the Decepticons. Pax quickly disarms Outback and slams him into the bar, warning him that he is not his enemy and to stop acting as if he is. As Pax leaves, Outback spits after him that the world is only getting more dangerous, and a squeaky-clean hero cop like Pax isn't up to the challenges the change will bring.
As Autobot City relocates to Washington, D.C., the colonists all talk among themselves about how incredible Optimus is, which even the once-idealistic Aileron finds tiring. She asks Jetfire if Optimus used to act this way four million years ago, before the war, but Jetfire remarks that Prime didn't even act like this last year, and blames all this "True Prime" business for affecting Optimus's opinion of himself. As if on cue, Pyra Magna enters with D.0.C. to report that a large, unknown spacecraft is approaching the Earth...
Down below, outside the White House, Optimus talks with the President, who prickles at his presence on American soil without permission and meets him with a G.I. Joe arsenal as backup. The President considers Optimus's hope that humanity can work together to join the Council of Worlds as one to be impossible, but Optimus tells her it must come to pass, and presents her with the recovered EDC weapon as proof. The weapon, he explains, is a breach of the Tyrest Accord, and will prompt a severe political and military response from Cybertron if Earth continues to remain unaffiliated. Before a conclusion can be reached, however, Soundwave interrupts the discussion to report on the mysterious spaceship's approach.
Off the record, Orion takes Hefter's body to the Ultirex Technoversity so it can be examined by his old friend Ratchet, who quickly discerns that the deceased 'bots' injuries do not match what the official report says. Ratchet is less surprised than Pax to find that the system is still corrupt under Zeta; as they talk about the state of the world, Ratchet even notes that the shadow of Functionism is still a problem, offering as proof his graduate student, Jetfire—a 'bot with an aerial alternate mode that Ratchet has faced extreme difficulty in getting assigned to scientific duties. Jetfire doesn't make a good first impression on Orion, though... as he immediately attacks him! Orion quickly subdues Jetfire and discovers the reason for the attack when he removes a plate on Jetfire's chest, revealing a certain purple insignia beneath. Jetfire is a Decepticon!
Optimus, Soundwave, Arcee, Aileron, and the Torchbearers gather at the spaceship's projected landing point on the Matterhorn. As they await its arrival, Optimus contemplates the drained and lifeless Matrix of Leadership, and is surprised when it suddenly surges with light! The Torchbearers react with reverence and awe, save for Pyra Magna; as Optimus marvels at the Matrix with no explanation for its activity, she digs her hands in into the ground and pulls out a few shards of Ore-13, explaining that the Matrix is reacting to the ore deposit in the rock below. As she none-too-subtly expresses her belief that the true Prime must know the Matrix, rather than allow themselves to be blinded by it like others, Optimus recalls Magna's belief that she should be the holder of the Matrix, and wonders if she is right. Just then, the strange corkscrew spaceship pierces the clouds... but rather than land gently, it decimates the mountain range as it burrows into the ground!
Featured characters
[edit]Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
{{#if: ||(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)}}
|
|
!! style="background:#ffdddd;" | Autobots }}{{#if:* Hefter (1)
- Soundwave (30)|
!! style="background:#ededff" | Decepticons }}{{#if:* Sofía Orozco (28)
- The President (36)|
!! style="background:#fbefde;" | Humans }}{{#if:{|border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent" |- |style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"|
- Tappet (2)
- Grotusque (6)
- Repugnus (7)
- Blackout (8)
- Warpath (9)
- Demolisher (10)
- ? (11)
- Zaur (12)
- Flip Sides (13)
- Rosanna (14)
|style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"|
- Steeljaw (15)
- Ramhorn (17)
- Doublecross (18)
- Hooligan (19)
- Sandstorm (20)
- Metrotitan (29)
- D.0.C. (35)
- Ratchet (37)
|}| !! style="background:#ffeeb8;" | Others }}{{#if:| !! style="background:#d5e6d5;" | Misc }}{{#if:| !! style="background:#fedeb5;" | Misc }} |- {{#if:{|border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent" |- |style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"|
- Optimus Prime (3)
- Outback (4)
- Zeta Prime (5)
- Mirage? (16)
- Aileron (21)
- Oiler (22)
- Slide (23)
- Gimlet (24)
- Roulette (25)
- Bump (26)
|style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"|
- Midnight Express (27)
- Arcee (31)
- Jazz (32)
- Jetfire (33)
- Pyra Magna (34)
- Rust Dust (38)
- Stormclash (39)
- Skyburst (40)
- Dust Up (41)
- Jumpstream (42)
|}|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" |
|
|
- Soundwave (30)|
| style="background:#ededff;" valign="top" |
- Hefter (1)
- Soundwave (30) }}{{#if:* Sofía Orozco (28)
- The President (36)|
| style="background:#fbefde;" valign="top" |
- Sofía Orozco (28)
- The President (36) }}{{#if:{|border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
|- |style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"|
- Tappet (2)
- Grotusque (6)
- Repugnus (7)
- Blackout (8)
- Warpath (9)
- Demolisher (10)
- ? (11)
- Zaur (12)
- Flip Sides (13)
- Rosanna (14)
|style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"|
- Steeljaw (15)
- Ramhorn (17)
- Doublecross (18)
- Hooligan (19)
- Sandstorm (20)
- Metrotitan (29)
- D.0.C. (35)
- Ratchet (37)
|}| | style="background:#ffeeb8;" valign="top" |
|
|
| style="background:#d5e6d5;" valign="top" |
}}{{#if:|
| style="background:#fedeb5;" valign="top" |
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Quotes
[edit]"Before I was Optimus Prime... I was part of the problem. Things were changing on Cybertron... too fast for some... and far too slowly for the rest."
"I thought Zeta was different. I told myself Zeta was different."
"Things were getting better. I told myself that, too."
- —Select portions of Optimus Prime's narration
"I respect your dedication to the truth, Orion... the people deserve to know the truth that Lifter was a Decepticon and a traitor, who got what was coming to him. They deserve to have anarchy staved off for one more day. And that, my friend... is the precise value of truth."
"Hefter... his name was Hefter."
- —Zeta Prime gives Orion Pax a subtle look at his true colors
"What do you do? Somebody has a gun—do you act or let them shoot you? Or your partner? That's what being a cop means. Decepticons running around—they want us all dead. You want to investigate me? Investigate yourself. Well, Mister Orion Pax, Autobot-at-Large? What do you do?"
(Orion disarms Outback and body-slams him)
"I make sure. That's my job."
- —Outback and Orion Pax
"I don't want to sound crazy, but this was all worth it. On my colony, on Caminus, we were so cold, so alone. The Primes so distant. To learn one is real- alive...
"My colony's all about speed, about forward progress. So it was the idea of discovering the lost colony that got me to join him. To bring this planet out of the dark ages, into the Cybertronian Era....plus, for a truck, the Prime is really fast. I admire that.
- —Midnight Express and Roulette have very different reasons for joining Optimus' cause.
"Aileron... (Optimus) wasn't like this last year, let alone four million years ago."
"What changed?"
"Someone told him he was a space messiah one too many times..."
(Jetfire side-eyes Pyra Magna)
"...so he started to believe it."
- —Jetfire and Aileron
"Things are better, aren't they? Better than under Nominus or Sentinel?"
"Maybe. They used to put the bigotry out in the open. Now, it's under the surface and we're fanning the flames of a war."
"So I've heard."
"You hear if we're on the right side?"
- —Orion Pax and Ratchet
Notes
[edit]Continuity notes
[edit]- First appearances: Oiler, Slide, Gimlet, Roulette, Bump, Midnight Express, Hefter, a conspiculously unnamed Mexican woman, Blackout, Zaur, Ramhorn, Hooligan
- Earliest chronological appearances: Tappet, Grotusque, Repugnus, Warpath, Demolishor, Steeljaw, Doublecross, Sandstorm
- Tappet has had an axe to grind against Optimus Prime (whose change of name he didn't recognize, always calling him "Orion Pax") since he was first introduced in The Death of Optimus Prime, and now we know why.
- Outback's vicious actions shouldn't come as too surprising; we've already witnessed him attempt to publicly assassinate a purported Decepticon in Ironhide #2, and that was before he became a cop with a badge to hide behind.
- Zeta references the time Orion saved the Primal Basilica, as seen in More than Meets the Eye #11. It was in that same issue that the phoney Matrix carried by Nominus Prime was destroyed; the counterfeit Zeta is carrying is a new one, presumably to keep up appearances. Though always implicit, this is the first direct in-story acknowledgement we've had of the fact Zeta's Prime-hood was a sham propped up by a fake Matrix.
- Orion refers to the time he saved Zeta's life, a reference to Spotlight: Blurr, in which a unit led by Orion fended off a team of Decepticon assassins targeting Zeta.
- The appearance of female Transformers Flip Sides and Rosanna in the crowd may raise an eyebrow, as female Transformers weren't supposed to exist on Cybertron at this point, but they are actually reappearing after showing up in another crowd scene in More than Meets the Eye #12. As later outlined in issue #8 of Lost Light, they are probably Transformers who changed their gender expression following contact with gendered alien races.
- Sandstorm appears in his body design from The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers, which is chronologically correct for this era of his personal history.
- Optimus recounts the legend of the Matrix, which claims it was originally the crystal prison of Solomus (related in the More than Meets the Eye 2012 annual) and once rested on the hilt of Prima's Star Saber (attested in Windblade vol. 2 #1).
- The Earth Defense Command (or more precisely, its predecessor Skywatch, which isn't mentioned here) were revealed to have acquired Cybertronian weaponry from Swindle in issue #29 of the 2009-2011 ongoing series. Optimus notes the human acquisition of this tech is a breach of the Tyrest Accord, which was introduced way back in Spotlight: Ultra Magnus, and which was most recently referred to in issue #46 of More Than Meets The Eye, when Fortress Maximus (in his role as the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord) killed Demus for trafficking in Cybertronian technology to non-Cybertronians.
- Outback refers back to the deaths of the original Senate and Sentinel Prime, as seen in Megatron Origin #4.
- Though none of the soldiers who flank the president as she meets with Optimus are recognizable as members of the team, the tracked missile launchers that back them up are G.I. Joe Wolverines. That's how this works now, kids!
- The technoversity of Ultirex previously appeared in Autocracy #11, in which Ratchet and Jetfire were both shown to work there. Ratchet notes that Zeta offered him the position at the university, explaining his move from the drop-in clinic he used to run in the Dead End, as seen in More than Meets the Eye #8.
- Jumpstream recalls how the seemingly-lifeless Matrix glowed once before on Caminus, an event that took place in Windblade vol. 2 #1.
- Optimus notes that Pyra Magna believes she should hold the Matrix; that belief was first expressed by the Torchbearers' combined form of Victorion in The Transformers vol. 2 #47.
Transformers references
[edit]- For this series, Optimus Prime has been redesigned into a new form. We wouldn't know until over half a year after the comic was released, but this new design is the "evergreen" character design created by Hasbro for use on licensed media not tied to any particular toyline or film/animation project. Starscream was similarly shifted to his "evergreen" design in this same month's issue of Till All Are One.
- Hefter's colors are based on those of Armada Smokescreen.<ref>{{#if: (Totally based the dudes color scheme on Armada Smokescreen, just cuz I liked it, but the bots got a different name. I know ppl be wonderin) |"(Totally based the dudes color scheme on Armada Smokescreen, just cuz I liked it, but the bots got a different name. I know ppl be wonderin)"—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/786676459897102336 |Josh Burcham|Josh Burcham}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2016 |, 2016{{#if: 10 |/{{#switch:{{#len:10}}|1=010|10}}{{#if: 13|/{{#switch:{{#len:13}}|1=013|13}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/786676459897102336 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/786676459897102336%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/786676459897102336%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/786676459897102336%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/786676459897102336%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
- In addition, Zeta misremembering his name as "Lifter" and his forklift alt-mode are likely nods to Smokescreen's Mini-Con partner, Liftor.
- The red grid with yellow sunburst that serves as a background for Hefter's picture on page 1, panel 1 is based on the classic Generation 1 toyline packaging.
- Among the recognizable Generation 1 characters in the crowd is live-action movieverse Blackout. Hey guy! What'cha doin' there?
- Also present in the crowd is Demolisher, a Generation 1 analogue of the Unicron Trilogy character who by coincidence previously cameoed in the IDW continuity in More than Meets the Eye #35.
- The new colonist recruits are all pre-existing Transformers characters of varying levels of obscurity. Oiler and Slide are Micromaster Combiners from the final year of the Generation 1 toyline. Gimlet and Bump are imports from the Japanese Beast Wars series; Beast Wars II and Neo, respectively. Roulette was a 2003 convention-exclusive toy, while Midnight Express hops continuities from the 2001 Robots in Disguise series, as so many of his RiD brethren have in recent years.
- Midnight Express is an unusual case; while he's based on his RiD counterpart – notably visible in his head and shoulders – he incorporates aspects from the other two members of Team Bullet Train; his vehicle mode seems to be inspired by Railspike, while his transformation leaves his train front on his chest like that of Rapid Run.
- For over twenty-five years, Slide's only fictional appearance was in the pages of Dreamwave's More than Meets the Eye profile books, which established the character as male in its biographical information. For this series, however, artist Kei Zama tweeted that the IDW incarnation of Slide would be a gal.<ref>{{#if: |""—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/Golby_mkII/status/811989543322693632 |Kei Zama|Kei Zama}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2016 |, 2016{{#if: 12 |/{{#switch:{{#len:12}}|1=012|12}}{{#if: 22|/{{#switch:{{#len:22}}|1=022|22}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/Golby_mkII/status/811989543322693632 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/Golby_mkII/status/811989543322693632%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/Golby_mkII/status/811989543322693632%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/Golby_mkII/status/811989543322693632%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/Golby_mkII/status/811989543322693632%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: y | (dead link)}}</ref>
- Roulette's vehicle mode is a late-model (2013-2017) Dodge Viper, a callback to the fact that her toy is an officially licensed version of that car, though the toy is of the 1996-2002 generation of the Viper.
- The bartender is colored in homage to the Transmetal "Fox Kids" Rhinox toy.
- Jetfire having been a Decepticon before joining the Autobots is a hallmark of the character's history, introduced in the Generation 1 cartoon episode "Fire in the Sky" and reflected in all major incarnations of the character (including even his live-action movie counterpart). It's been notably absent from Jetfire's IDW history until now.
- The spaceship that arrives on the final page of the issue is, of course, a Quintesson cruiser of the unique and memorable "corkscrew" design originally seen in The Transformers: The Movie. The Quintessons have had a sparse presence in IDW continuity up to now, but perhaps things are about to change...
Real-life references
[edit]- As with all chapters of "New Cybertron", this issue's subtitle is taken from the lyrics to the [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Covenant (band)|{{#if:Covenant|Covenant|Covenant (band)}}]] song, "Babel".
- While the original incarnation of Midnight Express transformed into an [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}E4 Series Shinkansen|{{#if:||E4 Series Shinkansen}}]], he was given an [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}E7 Series Shinkansen|{{#if:E7 Series|E7 Series|E7 Series Shinkansen}}]] alt-mode by Kei Zama for this continuity.<ref>Since-deleted tweet by Kei Zama</ref>
- There's a little screen-faced waiter-droid in the bar Pax and Outback visit who looks to be inspired by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Judge Dredd|{{#if:||Judge Dredd}}]]'s [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Walter the Wobot|{{#if:||Walter the Wobot}}]]. Artist Kei Zama is a big [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}2000 AD (comics)|{{#if:2000 AD|2000 AD|2000 AD (comics)}}]] fan.
- Heh heh. Hooligan is one of the rioters. Get it? Because soccer hooligans and... oh, forget it.
Errors
[edit]- Supposedly, the Ript Apparel exclusive cover to this issue was planned at a point before it was decided to change the title of the series from The Transformers to Optimus Prime. Thus, what would have been a funny homage to the legendary cover of issue 5 of the original Transformers comic series by Marvel, "The Transformers are all one" instead of "The Transformers are all dead", becomes a grammatically-challenged "Optimus Prime are all one".
- Pyra Magna has green "lipstick" on page 13, but an erroneous red on page 19. This was corrected in the trade.
- Zaur is colored green instead of his original blue, perhaps because of confusion with his partner, Dile.
- Soundwave's Decepticon symbol disappears and reappears throughout the issue.
- Oiler and Slide are huge compared to other Devisen colonists. While we can't explicitly call this out as an error per se given their tanker truck altmode, it does run contrary to what we've seen so far.
- Optimus Prime has some ungrammatical Spanish: "El armamento cybertronian o no es seguro". This should translate as "The Cybertronian weaponry isn't safe", but "o" means "or". Most likely the space between "cybertronian" and "o" is a typo and the adjective should've been "cybertroniano". This was corrected in the trade.
- In the first panel on page 17, "tries to keep" is misspelled as "tries to keeps". This was corrected in the trade.
Other trivia
[edit]- Optimus Prime takes the place of The Transformers on the IDW schedule, and remains written by John Barber, continuing on the story begun in the previous title's pages. Originally solicited for release in November, this issue arrives several weeks late, halfway through December.
- Most characters appearing in the crowd scene in the flashback are recognizable as being Autobots or Decepticons we know today, but their allegiances are not clear at the time this part of story is set, so we've put them under "Others" in our list above. The Decepticons present may be Decepticons (though they likely wouldn't flaunt it), but it's unlikely the Autobots are Autobots given they're protesting actions by the Autobot security force. Only the figure who appears to be Mirage (with a toy-accurate head, page 2, panel 2, extreme right) is shown wearing an Autobot insignia.
- Speaking of character alignments, the new colonist soldiers are not shown wearing Autobrands this issue, but a set are visible on Slide in the next issue. Adding this to their zealous following of Optimus, we're taking it as read that they are Autobots.
- Optimus is trying to show good faith by asking the President's permission to go on human soil and stop the alien ship. He also shows he hasn't really listened to her point about only being an influence on America, as he's asking that permission for European soil.
Covers (10)
[edit]- Regular cover: The big boss 'bot himself, by Kei Zama and David García Cruz
- Subscription cover A: Optimus, Soundwave, and Arcee, by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente
- Subscription cover B: Optimus, Soundwave, Arcee, and Aileron, by Andrew Griffith and Joana Lafuente
- Subscription cover C: Blank cover for sketches
-
Finally, my OWN comic! -
The main cast -
Oops, we forgot Aileron. -
Fill in the blank
- Retailer incentive cover A: Graffiti of Optimus, Soundwave, and Aileron by Sara Pitre-Durocher; part of a series of "graffiti" variants by Pitre-Durocher which combines with covers from Lost Light #1, Revolutionaries #1, M.A.S.K. #1, and G.I. Joe #1 to form a complete image.
- Retailer incentive cover B: Optimus Prime by Sonny Liew; one in a series of variants by Liew on the above-mentioned issues.
- Retailer incentive cover C: Optimus Prime by Paul Pope; one in a series of variants by Pope on the above-mentioned issues.
- Ript Apparel exclusive cover: OPTIMUS PRIME ARE ALL ONE by Timothy Lim, a grammatically-challenged homage to the cover of Marvel's The Transformers #5; available exclusively from Ript Apparel.
- Diamond UK Previews exclusive cover: Zama and Cruz's regular cover with a Union Jack background, and new red feet for Optimus, in reference to the red-footed variant of the original Generation 1 Optimus toy available in the UK and France. Available only to retailers who attended Diamond UK's October 2016 retailer event.
- McFarlane Toys Page Punchers: Almost identical to the regular cover, except the IDW logo is missing from the front, the indicia is missing, and all advertisements have been replaced with ads for McFarlane Toys. This came packaged in with Optimus's Page Punchers toy.
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Edgy wall art! -
Prime funks up someone's day. -
Cool as ice. -
Prime fills in for Shockwave. -
Yeah, baby! -
Cheap PVC figures are the right of all sentient beings
Advertisements
[edit]- Optimus Prime #2
- Till All Are One #5
- Lost Light #1
- "Hasbro Tribune" promoting November's Hasbro Universe "Reconstruction" titles, including this issue
Reprints
[edit]- Optimus Prime Volume 1 (June 21, 2017) ISBN 1631409697 / ISBN 978-1631409691
- Collects Optimus Prime issues #1–6.
- Bonus material includes art from most covers.
- Trade paperback format.
- Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 78: New Cybertron (November 14, 2019)
- Collects Optimus Prime issues #1–8.
- Bonus material includes a sketch gallery by Kei Zama, a cover gallery and an intro by Simon Furman.
- Hardcover format.
- The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Three: Volume 2 (April 6, 2022) ISBN 1684058775 / ISBN 978-1684058778
- Collects Till All Are One issues #9–12, Optimus Prime issues #1–6, and Lost Light issues #1–7.
- Hardcover format.
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Volume 1 – cover art by Kei Zama and David García Cruz -
The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 78: New Cybertron – cover art by Don Figueroa and Casey Coller -
The IDW Collection Phase Three: Volume 2 – cover art by Sara Pitre-Durocher
