Editing Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Lost Light]]'' #1
|prev=Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!
|next=Dissolution Part 2
|image=LL1_regcvr.jpg
|title="Dissolution Part 1:<br>Some Other Cybertron"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[December 14]], [[2016]]
|coverdate=December 2016
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Jack Lawrence]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]] (pg. 1-4) and [[John-Paul Bove]] (pg. 5-20)
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2016)]]
}}

'''The stranded ''Lost Light''ers take stock following their victory.'''

==Synopsis==
On [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]], [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] treasure-hunters [[Anode]] and [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] find themselves under attack by a [[Decepticon]] [[Cybernought]]. Anode activates a forcefield to protect them while she digs up the artifact they've come looking for, but Lug is quite convinced they are about to die. Fortunately for them, moments before the Cybernought breaks through the forcefield, the [[Censere|Necrobot]] appears before them and spirits them away to the future.

Five hundred years later, Anode and Lug awaken from their stasis capsules on [[Necroworld]], just two of the many believed-dead 'bots the Necrobot has rescued from throughout time. The last to wake, they belatedly join a "debriefing" held by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]], who gets them up to speed, explaining what has happened to them, and about the Autobots' recent battle with and victory over the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]—though he and the energetic Anode immediately butt heads when she complains about his dry delivery. Anode and Lug head out to mingle, where they are intercepted by [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]], who has allegedly been assigned to carry out "background checks." Anode begins to suspect otherwise as the little bartender's questions become more and more ludicrous, so she changes the subject to ask about his [[Autobot]] [[insignia]], now black in color. Swerve explains he and the others are in mourning for [[Skids (G1)|Skids]]; Anode remarks that he doesn't ''seem'' very upset, to which Swerve rightly takes umbrage, and stomps off, sarcastically remarking that Anode should have [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] check her for "timesickness." Anode realizes too late the harshness of her words, but is immediately more concerned to hear Velocity's name...

Elsewhere in the crowd, [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] introduces [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] to Velocity and [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], but the medic has to rush off and drags Nautica with her. Nearby, Decepticons [[Rapidfire]] and [[Fangry]] watch this exchange, suspicious and discontented with the news that the war is over, and spoiling for a fight. Fangry suggests they pick a fight with the toughest 'bot in the room to establish dominance, and eyes the super-strong [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] as he shows off for the crowd, lifting Roller over his head and describing his various feats in the recent battle. As the wary [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] drags Tailgate aside to tell him off for grandstanding, Fangry saunters over and deliberately shoulders them as he goes past.

Meanwhile, [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] applies a new paintjob to [[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]], replacing his reds, yellows, and oranges with black, blue, and purple—colors that, in the Spectralism doctrine, express both grief for a fallen comrade, and a "promise to kill." Rodimus implies this dual intent is intentional and that he is quite willing to kill [[Getaway]] for everything he has done to them when they get back to the ''[[Lost Light]]'', but before he can say it aloud, a tremor shakes the whole fortress.

The quake is also felt out in the Necrobot's flower fields by [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]], who has been telling his old friend [[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]] about the war, much as he might doubt his own objectivity on the matter. Before heading back, Megatron pauses at the plinth of [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]'s now-deactivated holographic statue, and bids his departed friend farewell... whereupon [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] and [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] suddenly burst out of the ground beneath his feet! They all return to the fortress, where [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] explains that he teleported the pair back from the depths of the planet (just not ''quite'' all the way to the surface!) using the Necrobot's teleportation chamber, which he has rebuilt back out of the [[fusion cannon]] he turned it into. Nightbeat relates what he and Rung discovered, as well as the appearance of the [[Galactic Council]]'s [[geobomb]]—which apparently just burned out without effect, causing the earlier tremor. Rung, meanwhile, learns of Skids's fate from [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]], and sorrowfully goes to pay his last respects to his friend. As he grieves by Skids's bedside, however, a shaft of light unexpectedly bursts out of Rung's chest and he retches into his hand...

Tailgate awakens from a recharge to find that Cyclonus has been badly beaten. Suspecting Fangry is to blame, Tailgate storms off to find him, despite Cyclonus's pleas to the contrary. Concurrently, Anode and Lug attempt to use the teleporter; though Lug doesn't know the story behind it, Anode and Velocity apparently know one another, and Anode needs to get away from her as fast as possible. They are caught in the act by Rodimus and Drift, who explain that there's only enough energy for one use of the device... but Anode has already gone off on another tangent, fascinated by Drift's [[Great Sword]]. When she attempts to analyze it, he pushes her away, but the instant he makes contact, Drift collapses to the ground, and sees a terrifying vision of [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] leading an army of [[sparkeater (creature)|sparkeaters]] and [[Worldsweeper]]s, all bearing down on himself, Rodimus, and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], and a mysterious message etched in the ground!

Keeping his vision a secret, Drift subsequently joins the rest of the selected team—Rodimus, [[Minimus Ambus]], Ratchet, [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], Rewind, Megatron, Terminus, and Roller—in using the teleporter to return to Cybertron so they can obtain a ship and then go back and collect everyone else. The machine appears to function perfectly, though it doesn't survive the trip... but as the group looks out over where [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] should be and sees a glittering metropolis, rather than the half-rebuilt city they left behind, they begin to suspect that something has gone wrong. A moment later, they are confronted by [[Twelve-of-Twelve]] of the [[Functionist Council]] and his [[Functionary]] enforcers, and Rewind realizes what has happened—they ''are'' on Cybertron... but they're in an [[Functionist Universe|alternate universe]]!

==Featured characters==
Character in ''italic text'' appear only in Drift's vision.<br>
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus]] (5)
*[[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] (8)
*[[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] (9)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (10)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (13)
*[[Wavelength (G1)|Wavelength]] (14)
*[[Syphon]] (16)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (17)
*[[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (18)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (19)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (21)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (22)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (23)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (24)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (25)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'s body (27)
*''[[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]'' (28)
*''[[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]]'' (30)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (31)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (32)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Rapidfire]] (11)
*[[Fangry]] (12)
|c4=
*[[Anode]] (1)
*[[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] (2)
*[[Cybernought]] pilot (3)
*[[Censere]] (4)
*Miscellaneous unnamed "Disappeared" (6)
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] (7)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (15)
*[[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]] (20)
*[[Ten]] (26)
*''Multiple [[Sparkeater (creature)|sparkeaters]] (29)
*Multiple [[Functionary|Functionaries]] (33)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (34)
}}

==Quotes==
"In my experience, no matter how bad the problem, no matter how insurmountable the odds, if you '''stand around''' long enough, someone else will sort it out."
:—'''Anode'''



"I think I speak for everyone here—particularly those of us who've spent the last 50 slides trying to '''punch ourselves to death'''—when I say: next time, just skip to that bit. The bit you said just now. The end bit. And maybe a few '''jokes''' to spice things up. Because that was so '''dull''' it made my '''life''' cry."<br>
"Those were '''statements''', not questions. I asked for questions. Do you have any?"<br>
"Does this count?"
:—'''Anode''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''



"'''Magnus?''' Last time he gave a speech, people '''died'''."<br>
"I know. The only winner that day was '''medical science'''. We finally know what happens when the brain is totally deprived of stimulus."
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Drift'''



"Goodbye, dear friend. The universe is emptier now, but you live on in its echoes."
:—'''Megatron''' bids farewell to Ravage



'''Brainstorm:''' "'kay, so, bear in mind that when you turn something into something else and then '''reverse''' the process you have to make some... '''aesthetic compromises.'''"<br>
''(The teleport chamber is revealed to be a ramshackle half-pipe lying on the floor.)''<br>
'''Rodimus:''' "It's a '''den''', Brainstorm. You've built a '''den.'''"<br>
'''Ultra Magnus:''' "Does it work? As a teleporter, I mean. Not a den. I'm not qualified to pass judgement on a den."



"Whirl, I'm—"<br>
"—putting me in charge? '''Finally'''."<br>
"'''You'''? I wouldn't put you in charge of your own '''legs.'''"<br>
"Ouch. Lucky for you I respect people who hurt my feelings."
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Whirl'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*After a five-month gap in real-world time, we rejoin Team Rodimus on the Necroworld directly following on from the end of [[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|''More than Meets the Eye'' #55]]. That issue saw the defeat of the DJD, the death of Ravage, the return of the "Disappeared" Transformers, recovered from throughout time by the Necrobot (including Roller and Terminus), and the ''apparent'' detonation of the Galactic Council's geobomb.
*Cybernought battle suits were introduced in [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|''More than Meets the Eye'' #8]].
*Anode suspects Swerve's questions aren't genuine; of course, he's holding his own self-governed "Crewditions" again, asking silly questions, like he did back in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|''More than Meets the Eye'' #28]].
*The crew are all wearing black Autobot insignias in memory of Skids, who died in [[The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|''More than Meets the Eye'' #54]].
*Rung's reaction to Skids's death is understandable, if due a little more exploration; he and Skids had grown closer over the last year of ''More than Meets the Eye'', and they shared a notably awkward parting for unclear reasons in [[The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|issue #53]].
*Drift's vision includes features various separate but interlinked components of the primary over-arcing mystery of ''More than Meets the Eye''. Grimlock was found aboard a Worldsweeper in [[Rules of Disengagement (issue)|issue #7]], and it was revealed in [[Animals|issue #46]] that the ships are connected to a group of robots who wear the mysterious gear-like hieroglyph that has repeatedly appeared throughout the series, including on the surface of Luna-2, and on [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]]'s map to [[Cyberutopia]]. This symbol was identified in [[The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|issue #50]] as a coat-of-arms linked to the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. Pharma, meanwhile, was last seen in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|issue #21]] when his dead body was dragged through a portal by forces unknown; on the other side of this portal was a gigantic [[spark]] that spoke only in images, which included the symbol. Finally, the message Drift finds etched into the ground (see "Transformers references," below) translates to "PREPARE, CONFRONT, REPEL"—the same message Grimlock was shown to have written under a drawing of the glyph in issue #46.
*Drift refers to the "last time" he has a vision. We never saw it happen, but, as revealed in the prose backup story from issue #21, "[[The Sound of Breaking Glass]]," this occurred when he stabbed himself with his [[Great Sword]] in [[Chaos Part Three: Kings|issue #28]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]], giving him a vague glimpse of the future that inspired his dedicated to Rodimus.
*Our heroes have wound up in the parallel [[Functionist Universe]], an alternate timeline where Megatron never lived to start the war, introduced in [[The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|''More than Meets the Eye'' #35]]. That issue featured the debut of [[Twelve-of-Twelve]], the [[Functionist Council]]'s [[Functionary]] enforcers, and the advanced form of [[Empurata]] that sees a 'bot's head replaced with a screen, as one of the councilman's retinue seen here has been subjected to. A "chest cavity search" is mentioned which was also seen in that issue, consisting of an examination of a 'bot's [[transformation cog]]. Rewind recognizes the universe from his previous glimpse of it, granted when his database was slowly overwritten when history was changed.
*The Empurata-afflicted 'bot is holding captive three other smaller robots, who are evidently protesters of the same kind as seen in issue #35—ones who have modified the appearance of their bodies to look like Rung, an individual who the disenfranchised in Functionist society have rallied around for his mysterious, apparently purposeless alternate mode. In [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|issue #39]], however, Functionist council member [[One-of-Twelve]] told that universe's captive Rung that they had figured out the mystery of his alt mode at last... which, coupled with Rung's intriguing physical reactions to the death of Skids this issue, indicates this long-standing puzzle may soon be solved!

===Transformers references===
*Lug's turns into Anode's backpack. Their transformation scheme is based on that of the ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] toy.
*A few of the generic "Disappeared" Transformers look to have stolen the color schemes of other characters, including [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]], [[Smokescreen (Prime)|''Beast Hunters'' Smokescreen]]/"[[Bluestreak (G1)|Blue Bluestreak]]", and perhaps [[Demolishor (Armada)|''Armada'' Demolishor]].
*Rodimus's new color scheme is based on the [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive character, [[Black Rodimus Convoy]].
*The sword Grimlock is holding in Drift's vision is the [[Grimlock (WFC)|''Fall of Cybertron'' Grimlock]] toy's.
*The message Drift sees in his vision is written in "[[Cybertronian language|Ancient Autobot]]," a substitution cypher/font created by [[Jim Sorenson]], based loosely on the hieroglyphics seen in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "[[Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust]]."
*Upon arrival in the Functionist Universe, the Autobots are met by what Twelve-of-Twelve calls a [[Sky Spy|Sky-Spy]], after the Autobot satellite from the Generation 1 cartoon. Rather than share its design with that device, though, (as the Sky Spies that appeared in [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More than Meets the Eye'' #11]] did), its appearance is that of a ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' [[Diagnostic Drone]], a design previously used by the ''Lost Light's'' medical drone, seen in multiple issues.

===Real life references===
*Any significance it might have to the story going forward notwithstanding, the "treasure" Anode digs up on Luna 2 sure looks like a [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Special%20Snowflake%20Syndrome special snowflake].

===Other trivia===
*''Lost Light'' takes the place of ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' on the IDW schedule, and remains written by James Roberts, continuing on the story begun in the previous title's pages. This issue's story is followed by a five-page recap of the ''More than Meets the Eye'' story so far.
*Would you believe this is Fangry's first appearance in IDW continuity? I know! Talk about overdue!

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rFfRo0SRAg This Is Why We Fight]" by {{w|The Decemberists}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxT0cUFbJyw Magic In Here]" by {{w|The Go-Betweens}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcE8YWdGtnI Water From the Same Source]" by {{w|Rachel's}}

===Covers (9)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Rodimus, Ratchet, Drift, and Nautica, by [[Jack Lawrence]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
*'''Subscription cover A:''' Rodimus and the ''Lost Light'', by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Subscription cover B:''' [[Getaway]] and the mutineers, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Subscription cover C:''' Blank cover for sketches

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*'''Retailer incentive cover A:''' Graffiti of Megatron, Rodimus, and Nautica by [[Sara Pitre-Durocher]]; part of a series of "graffiti" variants by Pitre-Durocher which combines with covers from [[New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|''Optimus Prime'' #1]], [[Revolutionaries issue 1|''Revolutionaries'' #1]], {{i|M.A.S.K. issue 1|''M.A.S.K.'' #1}}, and {{i|G.I. Joe Vol 5 issue 1|''G.I. Joe'' #1}} to form a complete image.
*'''Retailer incentive cover B:''' Megatron by [[Sonny Liew]]; one in a series of variants by Liew on the above-mentioned issues.
*'''Retailer incentive cover C:''' Megatron by [[Paul Pope]]; one in a series of variants by Pope on the above-mentioned issues.
*'''Bad Wolf Comics exclusive cover:''' Rodimus and the spectre of Megatron's past self, by [[Sajad Shah]] and [[Juan Fernandez]]; available exclusively from [http://www.badwolfcomics.com/ Bad Wolf Comics].
*'''Ript Apparel exclusive cover:''' the cast recreate the movie poster for ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', by [[Ninjaink|Timothy Lim]]. In a cute touch, Rodimus and Magnus's spots are swapped, meaning Rodimus gets to stand front and center while Magnus is way off to the side, in the distance, in vehicle mode. Available exclusively from [https://www.riptapparel.com/ Ript Apparel].

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===Advertisements===
*''Lost Light'' #2
*"Hasbro Tribune" promoting November's [[Hasbro Universe]] "[[Reconstruction]]" titles, including this issue

==External links==
*[http://www.cbr.com/transformers-lost-light-1/ Preview]

[[Category: Lost Light issues]]