The Gathering issue 1

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Publisher	IDW Publishing}}
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First published	February 15, 2006}}
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Cover date	February 2006}}
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Written by	Simon Furman}}
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Art by	Don Figuroa}}
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Colors by	Josh Burcham}}
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Letters by	Tom B. Long}}
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Edits by	Chris Ryall & Dan Taylor}}
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ist}}{{#if: \| by}}	}}
and Elements }}by	}}
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Continuity	Beast Wars cartoon continuity}}
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Packaged with	Optimus Primal, Megatron}}
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{{#switch:{{#sub:xx|2|14}}|dark cybertron=}}

Magmatron initializes his plans to build an army to conquer Cybertron, and the Maximal Razorbeast must stop him.

Synopsis

Magmatron and his Predacons set down on prehistoric Earth, in the midst of the Beast Wars, to capture Megatron for the Tripredacus Council. Or at least, that was his order. Instead, Razorbeast sets up a transmitter array which will activate the Axalon's abandoned stasis pods and convert them into an army of Predacons!

Depth Charge suddenly appears, but Magmatron reminds Drill Bit that his team has been chronally displaced, rendering them invisible to the rest of the beast warriors.

Flashing back to Cybertron, Magmatron is officially a retired warlord who sits on bipartisan committees with his old foes, and unofficially helping the Tripredacus Council with their dark schemes. But behind the Council's back, he has gathered a group of disenchanted Predacons: he promises victory over the oppressive Maximal Imperium as well as the stagnant Tripredacus Council. Even the Tripredacus agent Ravage was secretly with him, sending tactical planetary scans to of ancient Earth, as both agree the Council are taking too long to make a move.

What Magmatron doesn't know is that his henchman Razorbeast is an undercover Maximal agent, sent by Lio Convoy to find out what's going on. If caught, the Maximals will disavow him and claim no knowledge...

Back on Earth, in the "present", Razorbeast has been delaying the signal so he can slip his own plan in. He eventually sends it, waking up the multitude of Maximal stasis pods scattered across Earth. Most of Magmatron's troops report in, confirming that the new Transformers are indeed Predacons. Spittor, however, is attacked by a newly roused Maximal, Polar Claw. This reveals Razorbeast as a traitor, and the Maximal rushes off to gather his own troops with a wide-field sonic call. Elsewhere, other Maximals begin to gather in informal militias.

Magmatron, eager to complete his plan, separates into his three dinosaur forms and declares war!

Featured characters

(Characters in italics appear only in flashbacks)

{{#if:{{ #if: {{#ifexpr: 2 }} {{#if:{{ #if: {{#ifexpr: 2 }}

2

Rattrap (1)
Optimus Primal (2)
Dinobot (3)
Cheetor (5)
Rhinox (8)
Airazor (9)
Tigatron (10)
Silverbolt (15)
Razorbeast (25)
Depth Charge (26)
Lio Convoy (32)
Heinrad (33)
Big Convoy (34)
Polar Claw (38)
Ramulus (39)
Snarl (40)
Bonecrusher (41)
B'Boom (42)
Cybershark (43)
Optimus Minor (44)
Wolfang (45)
Torca (47)
Bantor (48)
Armordillo (49)
Noctorro (50)
Stinkbomb (51)
K-9 (52)

}}|

Maximals }}{{#if:{{ #if: {{#ifexpr: 2 }}

2

Terrorsaur (4)
Megatron (6)
Tarantulas (7)
Waspinator (12)
Inferno (13)
Blackarachnia (14)
Quickstrike (16)
Ravage (17)
Magmatron (19)
Drill Bit (20)
Iguanus (21)
Spittor (22)
Transquito (23)
Manterror (24)
Killer Punch (27)
Dead End (28)
Sea Clamp (29)
Cicadacon (30)
Ram Horn (31)
Retrax (35)
Snapper (36)
Jetstorm (37)
Insecticon (46)

}}|

Predacons }}{{#if:|

Humans }}{{#if:*Starscream (11)

Optimus Prime (18)|

Others }}{{#if:|

Misc }}{{#if:|

Misc }}

2

Rattrap (1)
Optimus Primal (2)
Dinobot (3)
Cheetor (5)
Rhinox (8)
Airazor (9)
Tigatron (10)
Silverbolt (15)
Razorbeast (25)
Depth Charge (26)
Lio Convoy (32)
Heinrad (33)
Big Convoy (34)
Polar Claw (38)
Ramulus (39)
Snarl (40)
Bonecrusher (41)
B'Boom (42)
Cybershark (43)
Optimus Minor (44)
Wolfang (45)
Torca (47)
Bantor (48)
Armordillo (49)
Noctorro (50)
Stinkbomb (51)
K-9 (52)

}}|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" | {{ #if: {{#ifexpr: 2 }}

2

Rattrap (1)
Optimus Primal (2)
Dinobot (3)
Cheetor (5)
Rhinox (8)
Airazor (9)
Tigatron (10)
Silverbolt (15)
Razorbeast (25)
Depth Charge (26)
Lio Convoy (32)
Heinrad (33)
Big Convoy (34)
Polar Claw (38)
Ramulus (39)
Snarl (40)
Bonecrusher (41)
B'Boom (42)
Cybershark (43)
Optimus Minor (44)
Wolfang (45)
Torca (47)
Bantor (48)
Armordillo (49)
Noctorro (50)
Stinkbomb (51)
K-9 (52)

}} }}{{#if:{{ #if: {{#ifexpr: 2 }}

2

Terrorsaur (4)
Megatron (6)
Tarantulas (7)
Waspinator (12)
Inferno (13)
Blackarachnia (14)
Quickstrike (16)
Ravage (17)
Magmatron (19)
Drill Bit (20)
Iguanus (21)
Spittor (22)
Transquito (23)
Manterror (24)
Killer Punch (27)
Dead End (28)
Sea Clamp (29)
Cicadacon (30)
Ram Horn (31)
Retrax (35)
Snapper (36)
Jetstorm (37)
Insecticon (46)

}}|

{{ #if: {{#ifexpr: 2 }}

2

Terrorsaur (4)
Megatron (6)
Tarantulas (7)
Waspinator (12)
Inferno (13)
Blackarachnia (14)
Quickstrike (16)
Ravage (17)
Magmatron (19)
Drill Bit (20)
Iguanus (21)
Spittor (22)
Transquito (23)
Manterror (24)
Killer Punch (27)
Dead End (28)
Sea Clamp (29)
Cicadacon (30)
Ram Horn (31)
Retrax (35)
Snapper (36)
Jetstorm (37)
Insecticon (46)

}} }}{{#if:|

}}{{#if:*Starscream (11)

Optimus Prime (18)|

Starscream (11)
Optimus Prime (18) }}{{#if:|

}}{{#if:|

}}

Quotes

"In your case, Spittor... hop to it!"
"PTTU"

—Manterror's puns will not be tolerated by Spittor

"You must realize, Razorbeast, once you're in... you're on your own! Our unit doesn't exist. This discussion never took place. Your mission is not sanctioned by the Maximal Imperium."

—Lio Convoy

"Forget Megatron, he's a loose cannon. The real enemy sits on the bi-partate Committee for State Affairs."

—Lio Convoy is half right

"I say...
"Unleash--
"The--
"BEAST WARS!"

—Magmatron in his beast modes

Notes

Production notes

Many scenes and lines of dialog are recycled from the script written for the first issue of Dreamwave's Beast Wars: Shell Game miniseries. The major change is that Magmatron's forces are out of chronal synch with the show cast and so won't be running into them, and they've instead arrived at the end of the show rather than during Season 3. Other significant changes:
- The exposition about the events of Beast Wars is moved to the first three pages, a recap of what Magmatron's aware of, instead of Optimus Primal's crew mentioning it on pages 6 and 7. Instead, Magmatron's plans to create a Predacon army were the first few pages in the original script.
- Transquito was off on a solo mission to bump off Waspinator, which would presumably have been a subplot in the miniseries
- Razorbeast's plan involves signalling to Primal's crew to turn back: this is the explanation for why Rattrap is dreaming of Maximals in "Ain't No Rat". The move to IDW means Furman doesn't have to explain that strip.
- Razorbeast's undercover plans are reordered, coming midway and tying into his flashback.
- Magmatron is given to grand speeches in The Gathering but he's a lot gobbier in parts of the original Shell Game.
- Magmatron's meeting with the Council was originally done via a teleconference and not an in-person meeting.
- Both Magmatron's flashback to the Council/Ravage and Razorbeast's to Lio Convoy were originally one page: with the extra space from cutting Rattrap and chums out, Furman expands it to two so Magmatron can more fully brood. He can also here refer to the Maximals increasing "their stranglehold on this planet, tossing us conciliatory crumbs", a political bit of worldbuilding that there was no space for in Shell Game. Razorbeat's scene simply has more art space and an actual visual of the Bi-Partate Committee. Razorbeast actually loses some dialogue, a quip cut so he's taking things more seriously; and Lio Convoy goes unnamed.
- The Predacons emerging from stasis pods is expanded, so their appearance gets its own page.
- The ending is entirely different: the discovery of Maximals emerging worldwide, the gathering signal being sent, and the general setup of a Beast War.
The "Decepticomments" section featured mail answered by Chris Ryall and advertisements for Infiltration #3, The Gathering #2, Generations #1 and War and Peace.
The first few pages of this story were reprinted as part of a Free Comic Book Day issue by IDW Publishing on May 6th, 2006.

Continuity notes

The main story takes place early on in the third season Beast Wars cartoon, specifically a few days before "Changing of the Guard", but still after "Deep Metal" since Depth Charge is on Earth. While Depth Charge's emergence from the water early on in this story seems to resemble a similar scene in "Changing of the Guard", there is no sign of either Silverbolt, Rattrap, Rampage, or Quickstrike, who were all near Depth Charge in that scene. Issue #4 will later confirm that "days" have passed since this issue, and both it and Issue #3 are set between the last two scenes of "Changing of the Guard".
The flashback sequences of this story all take place on Cybertron sometime after the Tripredacus Council dispatched Ravage to Earth, which occurred in "The Agenda (Part 1)".
There is no apparent reason for Magmatron's men to take beast modes since Energon radiation was not a factor during season 3 of the cartoon. They do look super-cool though!
The Maximal Imperium is mentioned for the first time, in reference to the Maximal-governed nation-state on Cybertron presided by the Maximal Elders.
While not explicitly said, Magmatron's status as a 'retired' warlord is in reference to his backstory given later in the Beast Wars Sourcebook, in which events akin to the Beast Wars Neo cartoon are placed in the Beast Wars' cartoon's past. Similarly, he sits on the Bi-Partate Committee with his former foe Big Convoy.
Lio Convoy dismisses Megatron as an irrelevance, because the Maximals have no knowledge of what's going on in the Beast Wars.

Errors

Furman probably meant Bipartisan Committee for State Affairs.

Continuity errors

Despite the specific origins given for the Transmetals, Fuzors, and Transmetal 2 in the show, all three types of beast warrior will be merrily living alongside regular Maximals and Predacons during this miniseries. This is especially odd for Transmetal 2's, who were specifically created by Megatron!

Covers (10)

Cover A: Cybertronian mode Magmatron; art by Don Figueroa.
Cover B: 3 versions of BW Megatron; art by Don Figueroa.
Cover C: 3 versions of Optimus Primal; art by Don Figueroa.
Cover D: Gatefold wraparound battle cover; art by Don Figueroa.
Cover RI-A: foil stamped cover A
Cover RI-B: foil stamped cover C
Cover RI-C: foil stamped cover B
Graham Crackers Exclusive Cover: Sexy Blackarachnias; art by Nick Roche.
ND Comics Exclusive Cover: Maximals, done in homage to [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Teen Titans|{{#if:The New Teen Titans|The New Teen Titans|Teen Titans}}]] issue #1 by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}George Pérez|{{#if:||George Pérez}}]]; art by Don Figueroa (also used for the manga cover). The reverse had a special open area for sketches.
Bonus Gate-Fold Out Cover: Larger fold out version of cover D