The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle

|- {{#if: MTMTE55_regcvr.jpg | | colspan="2" style="font-size: 12px; background-color:#ffffff;" align="center" | {{#if: "I came here to build a bridge." |
"I came here to build a bridge."}}}} |-

|colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; background-color:#e7d492; color:black;font-weight:bold;" align="center" | "The Dying of the Light
Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle" {{#if: |

}}

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Synopsis

Aboard the Galactic Council vessel Retaliator, in orbit above Necroworld, ship's commander General Neech assesses the situation on the planet below. Following Megatron's recent actions in defense of organic life on Miliarium, the Council was forced to take action to save face. Conspiring with Getaway, they were provided with Megatron's location so they could dispatch their assassin, Overlord to slay him, only to find upon arrival that the Decepticon Justice Division had beaten them to the punch. Now, the infuriated Neech is prepared to renege on his promise to Getaway that the other Autobots will not be harmed, as he readies a geobomb for use...

Seconds before Tarn and Overlord open fire, Megatron activates Trailcutter's forcefield generator, which Ravage explains to the watching Autobots that he removed from Trailcutter's corpse months ago. The furious Tarn calls the rest of the DJD to his side, while instructing Deathsaurus to storm the fortress and wipe out the Autobots. Deathsaurus is then quite literally struck with an attack of conscience when Swerve and Rewind blast him with the same psychic weapon that originally drew them to the planet. As Deathsaurus is consumed by self-loathing and guilt for all the Decepticon lives lost on the mission, Nickel proposes they withdraw to prevent further deaths. Realizing now that Tarn's obsession with Megatron has always superseded his belief in the Decepticon cause, she calls for a full retreat, and the Decepticons all pull out—even Overlord, who believes the cowering and broken Megatron is no longer worthy of his attention. Left on their own, the remaining four DJD members pound on the field until it gives way and they are able to pass through it... and which point Megatron stands, his apparent defeat nothing but an act, and menacingly announces that trapping them inside the field with him has always been his plan.

*I led my men straight into a massacre*
*I witnessed their deaths firsthand*

Inside the fortress, Ravage tells a skeptical Brainstorm that Megatron has always been a master planner who covers all contingencies. Brainstorm scoffs and tries to prove that he's smarter by bringing up his time case—which Ravage reveals he stole the last piece of on Megatron's order. Unfortunately, the case cannot help solve the current crisis, as Megatron disposed of it months beforehand, having abandoned the idea of escaping his fate via time travel. A confused Whirl then interrupts the explanation with a strange discovery of his own: he has found his own severed arm in a nearby cupboard. Ravage excitedly realizes the significance of this bizarre find and explains another of Megatron's contingency plans. Using one of the interdimensional portals inside his body, he has successfully completed an old, failed plan from during the war and established a link to a black hole, in order to draw on antimatter for power. It was through this portal that Whirl's arm vanished when it was severed during his fight with Megatron a year ago, and over the last twelve months, Megatron has slowly reached out with his thoughts to draw the arm back, thereby completing the two-way link to the black hole. The presence of Whirl's recovered arm, Ravage realizes, means that Megatron has succeeded and can now draw upon antimatter... and that the forcefield is a means to protect the rest of the planet when it is unleashed.

Within the field, antimatter spills from Megatron's glaring eyes as he visits his rage upon the DJD. One by one, he slaughters them all, tearing their bodies apart with antimatter, stripping them of their aliases as he does so: first Vos—aka "Forestock"—then Helex—aka "Crucible"—then Tesarus—aka "Scissorsaw"—before finally turning on Tarn. At first begging for mercy only to realize he will be afforded none, Tarn snaps at Megatron to finish him, and Megatron is only too happy to oblige, snatching Tarn's Decepticon-sigil mask from his face and slapping it onto his own chest over his Autobot badge, so that they might both "die as Decepticons".

In the midst of the slaughter, the Autobots' eyes are torn away from the monitors by the sudden, surprising arrival of even more new players: a group of confused Cybertronians wander into the fortress's control room, chief among them Roller, who is holding the time case!

Megatron lifts the maskless Tarn, and names him at last: Glitch. With the final stinging barb that everything he did was for nothing, Megatron ends Tarn's life in an antimatter crescendo that now threatens to destroy the ex-Decepticon himself. At the last second, however, using the time case, Rodimus teleports inside the forcefield and offers his hand to Megatron—and after a moment's hesitation, Megatron accepts and he and Rodimus are transported back to the fortress just as the antimatter within the forcefield explodes. Megatron rushes to Ravage's side; seeing that his leader is safe, Ravage stops holding on, and with a final entreaty to Megatron that he not "change back", he quietly dies, his passing felt even across the galaxy by a heartbroken Soundwave. In silent fury, Megatron flips the med-bay table; when Ratchet offers to patch up his injuries, he whirls on the Autobots, even pointing his broken cannon at them. After a moment of silence, realizing what he has done, Megatron decides to leave... only for another figure to appear in the doorway: his old friend Terminus. Confused but elated, Megatron drops his cannon and embraces his friend, mourning how he has "lost his way", as Tarn's mask slips from his chest and is crushed underfoot.

The next day, Rodimus, Drift, and Minimus Ambus gather in front of the Necrobot's memorial to the "Disappeared" so that Rewind can share with them the information he has gathered from the Necrobot's journal. Following Nightbeat's forceful suggestion that he become more hands-on, the Necrobot saw an opportunity when he found the time case buried near Megatron's statue, hidden there by Megatron when he abandoned it during his previous visit to the planet. Using the case, the Necrobot traveled through time, saving the lives of those who history recorded as "Disappeared", like Roller and Terminus, bringing them to the present and placing them in induced comas so they could recover from the rigors of the less-stable form of time travel a single case allowed. These were the stasis tubes of "organics" the Autobots found, their true natures disguised by the same holographic camouflage used in the Necrobot's flowers. Rewind lays a flower by Dominus Ambus's name, while Rodimus and Drift wonder what has become of Nightbeat and Rung...

Down in the depths of Necroworld, Nightbeat and Rung come to the end of their journey as they emerge through the final hatch in the planet's "crust" that leads to the hollow void within. Examining the landscape, Rung spots a familiar-looking pattern: an inverted version of the Vinvissius Canals on Cybertron. With awe, Rung realizes that the hollow Necroworld is the mold that that the metal world of Cybertron was made in. The pair have no time to take in this revelation, however, as a sudden flash of light heralds the arrival of the Council's geobomb. Nightbeat recognizes the device moments before it detonates... and the world vanishes in an explosion of white.

Featured characters

{{#if:{|border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"

Megatron (4)
Velocity (5)
Drift (8)
Rodimus (9)
Ratchet (10)
Brainstorm (11)
Swerve (14)
Rewind (15)
Whirl (19)

Nautica (20)
Skids's corpse (21)
Tailgate (22)
Wavelength (24)
Syphon (25)
Chromedome (32)
Minimus Ambus (34)
Rung (36)
Nightbeat (37)

|

!! style="background:#ffdddd;" | Autobots }}{{#if:*Overlord (2)

Tarn (3)
Ravage (6)
Deathsaurus (12)
Nickel (13)
Helex (16)
Vos (17)
Tesarus (18)
"Disappeared" Decepticon (27)
Soundwave (28)|

!! style="background:#ededff" | Decepticons }}{{#if:| !! style="background:#fbefde;" | Humans }}{{#if:*General Neech (1)

Cyclonus (7)
Purple "Disappeared" bot (23)
Roller (26)
Terminus (29)
Ten (30)
Indistinct "Disappeared" bot (31)
Indistinct "Disappeared" bot (33)
Censere (flashback, 35)|

!! 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"|

Megatron (4)
Velocity (5)
Drift (8)
Rodimus (9)
Ratchet (10)
Brainstorm (11)
Swerve (14)
Rewind (15)
Whirl (19)

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

Nautica (20)
Skids's corpse (21)
Tailgate (22)
Wavelength (24)
Syphon (25)
Chromedome (32)
Minimus Ambus (34)
Rung (36)
Nightbeat (37)

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

Megatron (4)
Velocity (5)
Drift (8)
Rodimus (9)
Ratchet (10)
Brainstorm (11)
Swerve (14)
Rewind (15)
Whirl (19)

Nautica (20)
Skids's corpse (21)
Tailgate (22)
Wavelength (24)
Syphon (25)
Chromedome (32)
Minimus Ambus (34)
Rung (36)
Nightbeat (37)

}}{{#if:*Overlord (2)

Tarn (3)
Ravage (6)
Deathsaurus (12)
Nickel (13)
Helex (16)
Vos (17)
Tesarus (18)
"Disappeared" Decepticon (27)
Soundwave (28)|

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

Overlord (2)
Tarn (3)
Ravage (6)
Deathsaurus (12)
Nickel (13)
Helex (16)
Vos (17)
Tesarus (18)
"Disappeared" Decepticon (27)
Soundwave (28) }}{{#if:|

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

}}{{#if:*General Neech (1)

Cyclonus (7)
Purple "Disappeared" bot (23)
Roller (26)
Terminus (29)
Ten (30)
Indistinct "Disappeared" bot (31)
Indistinct "Disappeared" bot (33)
Censere (flashback, 35)|

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

General Neech (1)
Cyclonus (7)
Purple "Disappeared" bot (23)
Roller (26)
Terminus (29)
Ten (30)
Indistinct "Disappeared" bot (31)
Indistinct "Disappeared" bot (33)
Censere (flashback, 35) }}{{#if:|

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

}}{{#if:|

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

}}

|}

Quotes

"[Megatron's] not dangerous because he's stronger than everyone else. He's dangerous because he's smarter than everyone else."
"Present company excepted."
"You? Ha! You're not even the smartest person in this conversation."

—Even dying, Ravage delivers a sick burn to Brainstorm

"We're millions of miles away from Cybertron, stuck on a hollow planet that no one is supposed to know about. Can someone please explain to me what my arm is doing in one of the cupboards?"

—Whirl poses a very unusual question.

"I'd won. Finally—after five million years of fighting—of fighting myself—I'd won. I was prepared to accept my fate. I was at peace. I was happy. And then you came along and ruined EVERYTHING!"

—Megatron

"You'd have thought—given the compassion shown to me on the Lost Light—that I'd have learnt to be a little more forgiving. But I'm afraid Getaway had the right idea: no mercy."
"Do it, then. Do it! At least I'll die a Decepticon!"
(Megatron snatches Tarn's mask and places it on his chest)
"You and I both."

—Megatron and Tarn

"Goodbye, Glitch. I want you to die with one thought in your head: everything you did was for nothing."

—Megatron

"Don't...change...back"

—Ravage leaves Megatron with an ambiguous goodbye

"What's happened?"
"Nothing. Everything. I lost my way."

—Terminus and Megatron reunite

"Nightbeat! I rarely let my temper get the better of me, but I am this close to raising my voice."

—Rung

Notes

Continuity notes

Issue #50 made it appear that Getaway had always intended to deliver Megatron and the crew to the DJD, but we learn this issue that his co-conspirators were, in fact, the Galactic Council, the interplanetary governing body that the crew first encountered back in the 2012 annual. Getaway has had dealings with the council for years, having met them during his time working with Skids as part of the "Diplomatic Corps", as shown in issue #20. This doesn't make Getaway much less of a tool, but it certainly goes some way to validating his previously expressed belief that the other Autobots wouldn't be harmed, which seemed questionable at best when it was the DJD we thought he was dealing with.
Additionally, it would suggest that the initial signal from the Necrobot that brought Rodimus and Megatron's group to the planet—which the Necrobot only sent because he was under attack by the DJD—was not planned for by Getaway: he and the crew must have simply exploited the opening it granted them to carry out their plan, informing the council of Megatron's location. Thus, his remark in issue #50 for Rodimus to "say hello to the Necrobot for him" was not the cruel joke it seemed, as he honestly wouldn't have had any reason to think he was dead.
It was also in issue #50 that the Autobots saved Miliarium.
The council's planet-destroying geobomb was originally mentioned back in issue #46, in which it was noted it was based on a design created by Killmaster. It appears blue here, despite that issue telling us geobombs were red, but this is not an error.
Trailcutter used his panic bubble in issue #29. He sealed his own fate with it in issue #34 when he inadvertently trapped himself inside it with Kaon; fitting, then, that Megatron should take revenge on the whole DJD by trapping them in the same way.
Megatron was seen holding Trailcutter's severed hand, containing his forcefield generator, as he examined his body in issue #35. He was not shown to put it back down!
Ravage stole the last remaining time case for Megatron in issue #40. He is revealed to have abandoned it following the events of issue #44, burying it by his statue on Necroworld when the reality of the weight of his past caught up to him upon seeing the huge field of spark-flowers that represented those he had killed.
Megatron's purported antimatter powers (see "Transformers references" below) were originally mentioned in "Chaos Theory", and Ratchet made passing reference to them again in issue #29, when he started to ask Megatron about them. In this issue, we learn that they were actually just rumors; Megatron never succeeded in linking to a black hole before now. Ratchet shows knowledge of this fact, suggesting Megatron gave him an honest off-panel answer to his question in #29.
Megatron's "interdimensional injuries" were sustained during the "Dark Cybertron" crossover event. Whirl's arm was swallowed up by one of the portals these injuries left inside his body in issue #28.
In issue #32, when revealing that he had been watching Megatron for months, Ravage observed that all the ex-Decepticon seemed to do was "sit in his room with his eyes closed, and think, and think, and think". Following issue #38, Megatron retreated to his quarters, with characters observing over the next two issues that he had "barely left them"; he claimed he was "working" and "thinking". Now we know the truth: the "thinking" Ravage observed was Megatron focusing his thoughts seeking out and linking one of his portals to a black hole, while the thinking he did after #39 was him doing the same to locate Whirl's arm and draw it back.
All the gratuitous hinting from issue #36 turns out to be the red herring we warned you it might be: he disappeared at the end of that issue, but Roller is not Tarn! This deception was alluded to in the solicitation for this issue, which reminded readers of the "four terrible words, millions of years old, that gave the Decepticons their name". Those words, as any reader of More than Meets the Eye will likely remember, are: "You are being deceived." We certainly were!
In truth, the leader of the DJD is at last revealed to be Glitch, the other member of Orion Pax's rebel unit whose fate in the present day was unknown. Glitch originally appeared in issue #11, in which he was described as having the power to deactivate non-sentient machinery with a touch. It was noted by Senator Shockwave that his power had the potential to grow, and when he reappeared in issue #36, his skills had evolved to the point that he could use them at a distance. Coupled with Tarn's remark in issue #39 that his "weaponized conversation" ability was "slow to manifest", it's obvious that Glitch's powers eventually evolved to the point where he could deactivate sentient machines as well.
There's no dramatic "unmasked" panel, because Glitch has never had a face for us to recognize. In his previous appearances, he's been shown to be a victim of empurata, but he had his hands restored between issues #11 and #36, setting up the idea that his face could later be restored as well, as it obviously was at some point before he donned his Decepticon mask. Certainly, the implication of the story is that everyone already knew he was Glitch; back in issue #48, Skids recognized Tarn's voice when he first met him, having previously known Glitch during their academy days together. Skids's history with Tarn was also hinted at back in issue #33, when Skids recalled "a friend" who was capable of identifying the location of a Transformer's brain module while they were in alternate mode; a skill the issue indicated Tarn possessed. Little did we realise at the time that Tarn and Skids's friend were one and the same!
Also in issue #36, Glitch is prominently positioned between Orion Pax and Roller in the panel of the former encouraging the latter to read Megatron's work. Looks like someone took the idea to heart. In that same issue, when Chromedome gives his "mnemo-handshake" to erase everyone's memories, the art makes it clear that the memory wipe was less effective on Glitch than the others, probably due to his outlier abilities. We can probably guess what specific memories from that day Glitch held onto...
Terminus previously appeared in issue #34, his fate left a mystery and his erasure from history occasionally commented upon by others during "season 2".
The Autobots realize that the time case was the "portable apothecary" that legends of the Necrobot professed he carried, which we heard about in passing back in issue #30.

Transformers references

Megatron's antimatter powers are derived from information in his original bio, which explained that he could interdimensionally link up to a black hole and use its antimatter to power his fusion cannon. When Megatron's bio was condensed down into the truncated version printed alongside his tech specs, however, the simplified language made it sound like it was Megatron himself who could use antimatter, rather than his cannon. This shortened version influenced the UK Marvel comic, which depicted Megatron wielding antimatter, in the form of a starry black cloud, as a destructive weapon; in particular, issue #104 showed it streaming from his eyes (pictured at right), as it does in this story.

Real life references

One last time, we remind you that the title of this issue, and the larger multi-parter, are quotes from "[[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Do not go gentle into that good night|{{#if:||Do not go gentle into that good night}}]]", by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Dylan Thomas|{{#if:||Dylan Thomas}}]].
Just as Captain K'gard of the Galactic Council was a reference to the philosopher [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Søren Kierkegaard|{{#if:||Søren Kierkegaard}}]], General Neech is a reference to [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Friedrich Nietzsche|{{#if:||Friedrich Nietzsche}}]].
Whirl's quoted question sounds a lot like one asked by Lister in the [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Red Dwarf|{{#if:||Red Dwarf}}]] episode [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}The Last Day (Red Dwarf)|{{#if:The Last Day|The Last Day|The Last Day (Red Dwarf)}}]]. "We're on a mining ship, 3 million years into deep space. Can someone explain to me where the smeg I got this traffic cone?!"

Errors

On page 1, panel 2, the Retaliator is referred to as a "Galactic Councilclass B warship". There ought to be a space in there. (This is not corrected in the trade paperback.)
Before Terminus disappeared on Messatine (which we now know was down to the Necrobot), he was badly injured and missing his legs. Now he's fine and walking around.
Helex and Tesarus's real names have been swapped. The former, with his internal smelting chamber, is "Crucible", while the latter, who had a multi-bladed rotor-grinder in his chest, is "Scissorsaw", but they're interchanged between the panels of the characters' deaths. This is corrected in the trade paperback.
Rewind's explanation that the Necrobot made the robots in the pods look organic to hide them from the DJD rather contradicts Skids' contention, when the pods were first found, that the pods were at risk because they were organic—the DJD having learned hatred of organics from Megatron. This is perhaps less of an outright error and more of a [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Morton's fork|{{#if:||Morton's fork}}]]—whether organic or mechanical, the life in the pods was likely doomed once the DJD knew about it.

Other trivia

Today, you die by each other's birth names.

The title of the story is missing from this issue; Roberts notes there was no good place to include it. (The trade paperback adds it on the last page.)
As they retreat, one of the Decepticon troops transforms into a Cobra HISS tank.
In addition to Roller and Terminus, Rodimus identifies two of the "Disappeared" as Autobots named Wavelength and Syphon. Presumably these are the tall orange robot and short blue robot who appear in several panels (other "Disappeared" only appear in one apiece). Which is which is not specified, but as Rodimus states that he fought with Syphon during the Forced Flood, Syphon is probably the orange bot with a scuba diver-looking face.
Ravage notes that, in-universe, it's been twelve months since issue #28 (the start of "season 2" of the series).
This issue also contains the first part of the Revolution Prelude back-up strip, a four-page prequel laying the groundwork for September's "Revolution" crossover which appears in several of IDW's July titles.
Megatron says that the DJD will die by their "birth names", but "Glitch" isn't Tarn's birth name. Issue #11 made it clear it was an alias, and issue #36 revealed his real name was "Damus". (Roberts acknowledged this in earlier drafts of the script, but removed it as it "killed the moment".)<ref>{{#if: The important one isn't technically a birth name, but acknowledging that (as I did in early drafts) killed the moment. |"The important one isn't technically a birth name, but acknowledging that (as I did in early drafts) killed the moment."—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758199523185422336 |James Roberts|James Roberts}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2016 |, 2016{{#if: 07 |/{{#switch:{{#len:07}}|1=007|07}}{{#if: 27|/{{#switch:{{#len:27}}|1=027|27}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758199523185422336 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758199523185422336%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758199523185422336%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758199523185422336%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758199523185422336%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
Another birth name does not seem accurate—"Forestock" is a Neocybex word, a language that Vos doesn't speak. Neither of these names are technically errors, though: Roberts stated that they were the names Megatron knew them by when they joined the DJD.<ref>{{#if: Two names Megs used were not actual birth names - Vos's was one. He called them what he knew them as when they joined the DJD. |"Two names Megs used were not actual birth names - Vos's was one. He called them what he knew them as when they joined the DJD."—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758394268440551426 |James Roberts|James Roberts}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2016 |, 2016{{#if: 07 |/{{#switch:{{#len:07}}|1=007|07}}{{#if: 27|/{{#switch:{{#len:27}}|1=027|27}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758394268440551426 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758394268440551426%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758394268440551426%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758394268440551426%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/758394268440551426%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
The trade paperback makes a small change to one of Megatron's lines on page 10. Where he originally said "Given the compassion shown to me on the Lost Light", the trade has him saying "Given the compassion shown to me since boarding the Lost Light."
When Megatron flips the med-bay table following Ravage's death, the layout of the panel homages Prowl's famous table-flipping scene from issue 1.
The emotive emblems return!

Soundtrack

For all of "The Dying of the Light":

"Hurt" by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Johnny Cash|{{#if:||Johnny Cash}}]]

A song "to accompany the imaginary trailer" for the story:

"Daydream in Blue" by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}I Monster|{{#if:||I Monster}}]]<ref>{{#if: Still a few weeks 'til MTMTE #55. If there was a trailer for the season finale, this would be the soundtrack: https://t.co/RUa8rZKOAg |"Still a few weeks 'til MTMTE #55. If there was a trailer for the season finale, this would be the soundtrack: https://t.co/RUa8rZKOAg"—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/751514260669366273 |James Roberts|James Roberts}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2016 |, 2016{{#if: 07 |/{{#switch:{{#len:07}}|1=007|07}}{{#if: 08|/{{#switch:{{#len:08}}|1=008|08}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/751514260669366273 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/751514260669366273%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/751514260669366273%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/751514260669366273%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/751514260669366273%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>

For this issue alone:

"Here's Where the Story Ends" by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}The Sundays|{{#if:||The Sundays}}]]<ref>{{#if: Song 1 from MTMTE #55, appropriately enough, is 'Here's Where The Story Ends' by The Sundays: https://t.co/At3rArf977 |"Song 1 from MTMTE #55, appropriately enough, is 'Here's Where The Story Ends' by The Sundays: https://t.co/At3rArf977"—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756606870023012354 |James Roberts|James Roberts}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2016 |, 2016{{#if: 07 |/{{#switch:{{#len:07}}|1=007|07}}{{#if: 22|/{{#switch:{{#len:22}}|1=022|22}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756606870023012354 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756606870023012354%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756606870023012354%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756606870023012354%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756606870023012354%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
"Everything I Am Is Yours" by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Villagers(band)|{{#if:Villagers|Villagers|Villagers(band)}}]]<ref>{{#if: Next up, MTMTE #55's second song: 'Everything I Have Is Yours' by Villagers: https://t.co/Weo4W53EnT |"Next up, MTMTE #55's second song: 'Everything I Have Is Yours' by Villagers: https://t.co/Weo4W53EnT"—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756608832533659648 |James Roberts|James Roberts}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2016 |, 2016{{#if: 07 |/{{#switch:{{#len:07}}|1=007|07}}{{#if: 22|/{{#switch:{{#len:22}}|1=022|22}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756608832533659648 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756608832533659648%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756608832533659648%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756608832533659648%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756608832533659648%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
"Missing the War" by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Ben Folds Five|{{#if:||Ben Folds Five}}]]<ref>{{#if: MTMTE #55 penultimate song: 'Missing The War' by Ben Folds Five: https://t.co/QZ4qO8FWam |"MTMTE #55 penultimate song: 'Missing The War' by Ben Folds Five: https://t.co/QZ4qO8FWam"—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756610292348514305 |James Roberts|James Roberts}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2016 |, 2016{{#if: 07 |/{{#switch:{{#len:07}}|1=007|07}}{{#if: 22|/{{#switch:{{#len:22}}|1=022|22}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756610292348514305 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756610292348514305%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756610292348514305%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756610292348514305%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756610292348514305%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
"To the Rescue" by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}The Divine Comedy (band)|{{#if:The Divine Comedy|The Divine Comedy|The Divine Comedy (band)}}]]<ref>{{#if: Final MTMTE #55 song is To The Rescue by The Divine Comedy. 'Til the EPIC studio vrsn is released in Sept, take this https://t.co/gG4QR7b9fe |"Final MTMTE #55 song is To The Rescue by The Divine Comedy. 'Til the EPIC studio vrsn is released in Sept, take this https://t.co/gG4QR7b9fe"—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756612265080655876 |James Roberts|James Roberts}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2016 |, 2016{{#if: 07 |/{{#switch:{{#len:07}}|1=007|07}}{{#if: 22|/{{#switch:{{#len:22}}|1=022|22}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756612265080655876 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756612265080655876%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756612265080655876%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756612265080655876%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/756612265080655876%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>

Covers (3)

Regular cover: Megatron cradles a spark-flower, by Alex Milne and Josh Perez
Subscription cover: Rodimus and Rom, the Space Knight fist-bump, by Brendan Cahill and John-Paul Bove; part of a series of Rom-themed covers featured on numerous IDW titles in July, in celebration of the launch of the character's new ongoing series.
Retailer incentive cover: Megatron stands on a dais and holds his hands aloft as spark-flowers blow around him in the wind, by Nick Roche and Josh Burcham; a counterpart to Roche and Burcham's cover for issue #29.

Let me tell you what I wish I'd known
When I was young and dreamed of glory
You have no control
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?

Reprints

The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 10 (October 5, 2016) ISBN 1631407163 / ISBN 978-1631407161
- Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #50–55.
- Bonus material includes covers of each issue.
- Trade paperback format.

Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 72: The Dying of the Light (January 24, 2018)
- Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #50–55.
- Bonus material includes the bonus story "No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases", essential background material on the DJD, a cover gallery and a forward by Simon Furman.
- Hardcover format.

The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 11 (June 17, 2020) ISBN 1684056403 / ISBN 978-1684056408
- Collects The Transformers Holiday Special: Silent Light, Redemption, The Transformers (2012) issues #46–50 & "New Worlds Order", and More than Meets the Eye issues #50–55 & "No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases".
- Hardcover format.

More Than Meets the Eye Volume 10 – cover art by Alex Milne and Joana Lafuente
The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 72: The Dying of the Light – cover art by Don Figueroa (Cyclonus) and Alex Milne (retro)
The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 11 – cover art by Marcelo Matere

References

External links

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