Shattered Glass issue 4

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Publisher	IDW Publishing}}
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First published	December 1, 2021}}
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Cover date	November 2021}}
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Written by	Danny Lore}}
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Colors	John-Paul Bove}}
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Editor	David Mariotte and Riley Farmer}}
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{{#if: IDWSG 4 cvrA.jpg | {{#if: IDW Publishing | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: December 1, 2021 | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: November 2021 | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: Danny Lore | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: Dan Khanna | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: Priscilla Tramontano | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: John-Paul Bove | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: Neil Uyetake | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: David Mariotte and Riley Farmer | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: |

{{#switch:{{#sub:xx|2|14}}|dark cybertron=}}

An unproductive interrogation session with his new Decepticon prisoner pushes Goldbug's temper to its limit.

Synopsis

Ambitious, ruthless, and more than a little desperate for Optimus Prime's attention, Bumblebee spent the war for Earth clawing his way up through the Autobot ranks, and might've even gained the approval he sought so if a blast from Megatron's fusion cannon during the final battle hadn't brought him to the brink of deactivation. Using a spare protoform, Ratchet revived the little Autobot during their voyage back to Cybertron, and rebuilt him into the powerful Goldbug... but despite this new lease on life, Goldbug discovered that Optimus had only allowed Ratchet to rebuild him not out of any affection for his comrade, but simply because they had the materials on hand. Humiliated by his defeat, and resentful of his would-be leader, Goldbug's insecurities began to fester.

After capturing Starscream and imprisoning him in one of Gold City's torture chambers, Goldbug watches as Jetfire interrogates Starscream. Ever the pragmatist, Goldbug orders Jetfire to simply tear out Starscream's spark and be done with it, but Jetfire reminds him that they're attempting to extract any information regarding his recent attempt to communicate with the Titans: if Starscream dies, however, that data dies with him. At that moment, a proximity alarm alerts the two to an intruder—Goldbug leaves to deal with their visitor himself, but not before ordering Jetfire to find a way to make Starscream talk. That intruder, it turns out, is none other than Skywarp, whom Megatron has sent specifically to free his trusted lieutenant—although his teleportation powers allow him to easily gain access to the prisoner complex while eluding security, he's no match for Goldbug. Despite the size disparity, Goldbug is as vicious as he is unpredictable: in a matter of seconds, he overwhelms his larger opponent with a pair of electrified tonfas and delivers the killing blow by ripping Skywarp's head from his body. The rush is temporary, however: the moment the battle is over, Goldbug feels nothing but disappointment at the fact that Megatron didn't send a more worthy foe.

Although Optimus and his men returned to Cybertron triumphant, the brief peace didn't last—although Goldbug soon realized that Prowl intended to stage a coup against the Autobot leader and depose him, Optimus refused to heed his warnings. Goldbug snarls that that his leader has his head up his bumper, but this brief moment of insolence earns him a painful beating. Battered but still alive, the humiliated Autobot picks himself up off the ground just in time to hear a voice from a nearby alleyway: Prowl, who congratulates Goldbug for his perception, and offers him a place in his scheme...

Jetfire reluctantly continues the interrogation, urging his former comrade all the while to simply give up the information Goldbug desires—when Goldbug returns, he throws Skywarp's head at Starscream's feet in a calculated ploy to break Starscream's spirit and taunts that Megatron couldn't be bothered to send an important Decepticon to rescue him. Goldbug orders Slicer to round up and execute any suspected Decepticon sympathizers, and Jetfire to try and crack the encrypted files in Starscream's spark by any means necessary. Jetfire points out that it will take time, and Goldbug snaps at him to do what he's told: if he can't wake up the Titans, he'll use Starscream's body to draw out Megatron and his followers from the shadows. Starscream just laughs—he might be the ruler of his own city, but at his core Goldbug is still the same pathetically desperate Autobot he's always been: he's just transferred his obsession to Megatron. Goldbug screams for Starscream to shut up and lunges for the controls of the torture device until Jetfire holds him back: if they kill him, they lose their one chance to get a Titan. Anyway, Slicer points out, they've got bigger problems: Megatron's sent reinforcements.

Elsewhere in the Autobot facility, Tap-Out and Freeway are standing guard when a lone cerebro-shell bounces off Tap-Out's helmet, infects his comrade, and gives the heroic Insecticons the opening they need to launch their rescue mission. But although Venom and Skrapnel quickly make mincemeat of the Autobots, none of them can stand up to a furious Goldbug, who meets the invaders head-on. Despite the six-on-one odds, they don't stand a chance against Goldbug, who easily slaughters his way through the swarm, and flashes back to his failed attempt to assassinate Optimus Prime as he does so.

Despite his best efforts, Goldbug was unable to wound his former leader and beat an undignified retreat. But this defeat was merely a setback—as he steadily rebuilt his powerbase, and turned Gold City into his own personal fiefdom, Goldbug vowed that no one will ever think him a joke again.

As Goldbug crushes Venom's head underfoot, Jetfire raises Goldbug on his communicator... but, as he stalks back to the torture chamber, the Autobot warlord has had enough of his excuses. If Jetfire won't get Starscream to talk, then he'll do it. Aghast, Jetfire watches as Goldbug storms in and points his blaster directly at Starscream's face!

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in flashback.

{{#if:* Megatron (2)

Starscream (6)
Skywarp (8)
Kickback (14)
Venom (15)
Ransack (16)
Bombshell (17)
Skrapnel (18)|

{{#if:* Megatron (2)

Starscream (6)
Skywarp (8)
Kickback (14)
Venom (15)
Ransack (16)
Bombshell (17)
Skrapnel (18)|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" |
Megatron (2)
Starscream (6)
Skywarp (8)
Kickback (14)
Venom (15)
Ransack (16)
Bombshell (17)
Skrapnel (18) }}{{#if:* Bumblebee/Goldbug (1)
Prowl (3)
Ratchet (4)
Optimus Prime (5)
Jetfire (7)
Dual-gauge (9)
Nightstalker (10)
Slicer (11)
Tap-Out (12)
Freeway (13)
Wideload (19)
Searchlight (20)|

Decepticons }}{{#if:* Bumblebee/Goldbug (1) Prowl (3) Ratchet (4) Optimus Prime (5) Jetfire (7) Dual-gauge (9) Nightstalker (10) Slicer (11) Tap-Out (12) Freeway (13) Wideload (19) Searchlight (20)\|	Autobots }}{{#if:\|	Humans }}{{#if:\|	Others }}{{#if:\|	Misc }}{{#if:\|	Misc }}
Bumblebee/Goldbug (1) Prowl (3) Ratchet (4) Optimus Prime (5) Jetfire (7) Dual-gauge (9) Nightstalker (10) Slicer (11) Tap-Out (12) Freeway (13) Wideload (19) Searchlight (20) }}{{#if:\|	}}{{#if:\|	}}{{#if:\|	}}{{#if:\|	}}

Quotes

"I should have been a legendary Autobot after the war on Earth. I'd done more than enough to earn my place as Prime's second-in-command. But there was Megatron. Always Megatron. And Autobots do not reward failure."

—Goldbug

"I'm an Autobot warlord. Gold City is named after me. Optimus Prime himself doesn't dare come after me—and instead of being brave enough to face me, Megatron sends a second-rate Seeker? Perhaps he's just like Optimus after all."

—Goldbug

"Prowl can plot all he wants, and you can whine about it. But I need not concern myself with the plans of lesser Cybertronians. In the end, I can destroy you with a word. Leave you to the gutters. Because I am the one with power, Bumblebee."

—Optimus Prime

"...it's all about power here on Cybertron. Whether you use your form or your brain, that's all that matters."

—Prowl

"We should make a game—a shot of energon every time you say Megatron's name. Ha! Sorry, it's just... thought you would have learned more from years kneeling at Optimus'—"
"Shut up!"

—Starscream and Goldbug

"I will never... be a joke again."

—Goldbug

Notes

Continuity notes

The first flashback in the issue shows the final battle on Earth that occurred in issue #2 from Bumblebee's perspective. In that issue, Starscream recalled how a blast from Megatron's fusion cannon left him so badly damaged he required a full rebuild into his present-day Goldbug identity.

Transformers references

In the original Shattered Glass universe, Bumblebee voluntarily upgraded himself into Goldbug after the evil Autobot took Drench's place as the Seeker commander. This story, however, takes more inspiration from Goldbug's origins in the "Generation 1" cartoon and Marvel comics, in which he underwent an emergency rebuild after sustaining life-threatening battlefield damage. Goldbug's depiction as a treacherous but insecure backstabber has its roots in Fun Publications' prose stories, which set him up as a Starscream-type figure for Rodimus—himself the Starscream to Optimus Prime's Megatron—in both "Eye in the Sky" and "Blitzwing Bop".
Prowl previously appeared in issues #2 and #3 with a vibrant white, blue, and lime paint job. The second flashback in this issue, set at some point after the end of the war, shows that Prowl has adopted a more muted livery in the interim: his black, grey, and dark green color scheme brings him in line with how he appeared in Fun Publications' "Another Light" storyline.
Prowl's coup has echoes of John Barber's depiction of the character back in IDW's first Transformers universe, in which he went rogue during the "Combiner Wars" crossover and remained a free agent for the remainder of the continuity.
Several of Goldbug's goons are evil versions of his fellow Throttlebots: Freeway makes a cameo as a prison guard, while the Insecticons are later shown taking on Searchlight and Wideload in new color schemes. A non-Throttlebot guest appearance includes an evil Tap-Out; unusually for Shattered Glass, his turquoise colour scheme evokes his good counterpart. With the exception of Wideload, all of these Autobots appear to be "virtual" redecos of the Earthrise Cliffjumper mold, much like Goldbug himself. Tap-Out and Freeway at the very least were not named in the script, but were instead chosen by artist Dan Khanna; colorist John-Paul Bove, not aware they were intended as any characters in particular, invented colour schemes for them, and jokingly suggested they be given original names "Backdoor" and "Flapflaps".<ref>{{#if: Looks like Tapout and Freeway to me... |"Looks like Tapout and Freeway to me..."—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/DantheArtguy/status/1466064793891184648 |Dan Khanna|Dan Khanna}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2021 |, 2021{{#if: 12 |/{{#switch:{{#len:12}}|1=012|12}}{{#if: 01|/{{#switch:{{#len:01}}|1=001|01}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/DantheArtguy/status/1466064793891184648 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/DantheArtguy/status/1466064793891184648%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/DantheArtguy/status/1466064793891184648%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/DantheArtguy/status/1466064793891184648%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/DantheArtguy/status/1466064793891184648%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref><ref>{{#if: They are unnamed in the script and the artist didn't indicate who they were so I didn't have any particular characters in mind. They do resemble those characters though, so it will be up the the rampant speculations of the fandom to decide! Unless Hasbro make toys of them...? |"They are unnamed in the script and the artist didn't indicate who they were so I didn't have any particular characters in mind. They do resemble those characters though, so it will be up the the rampant speculations of the fandom to decide! Unless Hasbro make toys of them...?"—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466393976823549953 |John-Paul Bove|John-Paul Bove}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2021 |, 2021{{#if: 12 |/{{#switch:{{#len:12}}|1=012|12}}{{#if: 02|/{{#switch:{{#len:02}}|1=002|02}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466393976823549953 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466393976823549953%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466393976823549953%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466393976823549953%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466393976823549953%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref><ref>{{#if: No need to apologize! I would assume it is those guys but I can't speak definitively to that. Though don't Backdoor and Flapflaps sound like excellent names for them? What's that? They sound terrible you say? HOW DARE YOU! |"No need to apologize! I would assume it is those guys but I can't speak definitively to that. Though don't Backdoor and Flapflaps sound like excellent names for them? What's that? They sound terrible you say? HOW DARE YOU!"—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466401639200403468 |John-Paul Bove|John-Paul Bove}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2021 |, 2021{{#if: 12 |/{{#switch:{{#len:12}}|1=012|12}}{{#if: 02|/{{#switch:{{#len:02}}|1=002|02}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466401639200403468 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466401639200403468%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466401639200403468%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466401639200403468%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/1466401639200403468%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
The three Insecticons are joined by their lesser known "Deluxe" brethren: Ransack and Venom. They've been getting quite a lot of on-panel time recently at IDW, with cameos in both Transformers '84 and the first My Little Pony crossover. Unusually for IDW, which generally sticks with portraying Bombshell as the 'bot in charge, the comic depicts Skrapnel as team leader, perhaps harkening back to the original cartoon's tendency to have him ordering the others around.
In the final flashback, Optimus attacks Goldbug with a battleaxe based on the accessory that came with Siege Optimus Prime.

Other trivia

Throughout the comic, Goldbug and Jetfire are accompanied by a blue and bronze 'bot who resembles Wheeljack, as he appeared in the original Shattered Glass prose stories. However, Goldbug consistently refers to him as Slicer: an obscure Generation 1 Decepticon who began life as a redeco of Wheeljack's Action Master toy, who formed the basis for Shattered Glass Wheeljack's color scheme. Although his deal isn't entirely laid out in the comic itself, author Danny Lore later clarified on Twitter that, like Goldbug, Wheeljack adopted a new name for himself at some point<ref>{{#if: He is the tf formerly known as wheeljack! |"He is the tf formerly known as wheeljack!"—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/weredawgz/status/1466532346648096779 |Danny Lore|Danny Lore}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2021 |, 2021{{#if: 12 |/{{#switch:{{#len:12}}|1=012|12}}{{#if: 02|/{{#switch:{{#len:02}}|1=002|02}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/weredawgz/status/1466532346648096779 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/weredawgz/status/1466532346648096779%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/weredawgz/status/1466532346648096779%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/weredawgz/status/1466532346648096779%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/weredawgz/status/1466532346648096779%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>—perhaps a reference to the time when mirror Wheeljack disguised himself as normal Slicer's future self when he visited the Wings Universe timeline in "Generation 2: Redux".
Originally solicited for November 24th, the mass-market release of this issue arrives just one week late. However, as a result of various supply chain mixups, Hasbro Pulse shipped Goldbug well ahead of schedule, in late October—meaning that anyone who purchased Goldbug online got the comic more than a month ahead of its intended release date, and just before the release of issue 3.

Covers (4)

Cover A: A triumphant Goldbug homages Jim Lee's cover to Marvel US #67, by Alex Milne
Cover B: Goldbug ices Skywarp, by Beth McGuire-Smith
Retailer incentive cover: Goldbug, by Sara Pitre-Durocher
Hasbro Pulse exclusive cover: Goldbug jumps off the page, by Casey Coller. Included with orders of Shattered Glass Collection Goldbug.

Reprints

Transformers: Shattered Glass (July 27, 2022) ISBN 168405902X / ISBN 978-1684059027
- Collects Shattered Glass issues #1–5.
- Bonus material includes alternate covers.
- Trade paperback format.

Shattered Glass – cover art by Alex Milne

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Shattered Glass issue 4

Contents

Synopsis

Featured characters

Quotes

Notes

Continuity notes

Transformers references

Other trivia

Covers (4)

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Reprints

References

External links