Editing The Plotters' Club (Part 1): Full Circle

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|The Transformers:<br>Lost Light]]'' #10
|prev=Chasing the Infinite
|next=The Plotters' Club (Part 2)
|image=LL10_cvrA.jpg
|title="The Plotters' Club (Part 1):<br>Full Circle"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 18]], [[2017]]
|coverdate=September 2017
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Jack Lawrence]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}
'''The Protectobots return to the ''Lost Light'', but a lot has changed in their absence.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Mirage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Mirage]] and the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] are on course to return to the ''[[Lost Light]]''—but it hasn't been a smooth flight, as their crippled [[O Fortuna|shuttle]] is on the verge of going offline completely. The team manage a controlled crash-landing into one of the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s shuttle bays, but when they emerge from the wreck, they find themselves staring down the gun barrels of the ship's security team. [[Getaway]] appears and orders the security team to lower their weapons, then warmly embraces [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]], welcoming him and the others back aboard. The returnees are quick to notice the absence of [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] and [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]], and are gobsmacked to learn that ''Getaway'' is now in charge of the ship. Getaway is quick to dodge his way around their many questions, instead pointing out the injuries that [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] has sustained in the crash and suggesting First Aid deal with them first.

In the medibay, First Aid tends to Blades's wounds, and the pair conclude that something fishy is going on. Blades is a little addled from the crash and starts panicking about the possibility that a plague has killed off members of the crew in their absence, and First Aid can't even reassure him because it turns out the computer's medical files have been password protected. Instead, he runs a [[spark]] check on the ship, which confirms that there are significantly fewer 'bots on board than there were when the Protectobots left... and moreover, the nearest spark is in the medibay with them, on the other side of a locked door. Blades leaves to try and get answers from someone while First Aid sets to the door with a [[laser scalpel]], whereupon Getaway enters and offers his help. The door opens at Getaway's touch—"wasn't even locked," the new captain claims—revealing that the 'bot on the other side is [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], comatose once more for reasons the acting medical officer, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], has been unable to discern. Getaway strides off to "sort out" the problem with the medical files, but First Aid jogs along after him, demanding some proper answers. The pair stop outside the door to the ship's oil reservoir; Getaway subtly fingers the door controls as he asks First Aid if he can trust him, pulling his hand away when the medic responds affirmatively. Megatron and Rodimus, Getaway tells First Aid, "abandoned" the ''Lost Light'' due to their frustration at the crew's lack of progress, taking a team of close friends off to find a shortcut to [[Cyberutopia]]. Getaway claims he didn't tell First Aid this right away because he is upset at having been left behind, then quickly changes the subject, urging the medic to go find Hoist and get the information he needs about Thunderclash. First Aid heads off in the direction of [[Swerve's]], but Getaway corrects him—that's not where the crew gathers to socialize anymore...

First Aid finds the rest of the crew in [["Visages"]], Mirage's old cocktail lounge, where the once and former owner has already found his way back behind the bar. First Aid finds several fellow drinkers side-eyeing him until he is called over by Hoist to join him and some of the friendlier 'bots in attendance. Among the group is Hound, who First Aid is a little surprised did not become the new captain, but Hound observes that the security team being pro-Getaway ruled that out—and that he can't complain ''that'' much, since they've made incredible progress and are only weeks away from finding Cyberutopia (even if it has meant that they've ceased stopping to help others on their way). The group goes on to fill First Aid in on Rodimus and Megatron's "departure," listing off all the 'bots who went with them... but something about the list seems to unsettle First Aid, and he excuses himself for the night.

First Aid proceeds to break into the shuttered and locked Swerve's and calls Mirage and the other Protectobots to meet him there. Sitting in the dark, First Aid expresses his concerns to the team: the number of absentee crew members he ascertained earlier is much greater than the number who "deserted" with Rodimus and Megatron, meaning that multiple 'bots are unaccounted for. Mirage takes great offense at First Aid's insinuation that the rest of the crew is lying to them, and blames Megatron for everything—he should have been executed, Mirage insists, and he knows that's not a controversial position to take because Getaway and [[Atomizer]] had approached him about getting rid of Megatron in the past. The other Protectobots have no memory of being approached themselves, but First Aid does—and he came to regret telling Getaway he would side with him. No sooner have those words passed First Aid's lips than [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] steps out the shadows, having been waiting for the right moment to make his entrance. He, too, has had second thoughts about the answer he gave Getaway when that same question was asked of him, and he now tells Mirage and the Protectobots the whole truth—Rodimus and company didn't desert; rather, Getaway staged a mutiny and exiled them. He starts to explain that Thunderclash is in a coma because he also disagreed with Getaway, but before he can say any more, Getaway himself, along with the ship's security team, casually struts into the bar. All pretense abandoned, Getaway takes up Riptide's story and explains that Thunderclash is not comatose; rather, he is trapped in a memory loop, unable to tell that he is living and re-living the same series of events over and over inside his mind. Just then, [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] finds the switch that turns on the lights... and the sight that comes into view as the bar is illuminated is a horrifying one: [[brain module]]s, torn from their bodies but still attached to their spinal columns, pocked with ''teeth-marks'', floating preserved in the bar's vats of [[engex]]! Realizing the point of no return has been crossed, Getaway readies his gun... but is suddenly ambushed by the invisible Mirage, who smashes a glass across his face. As Riptide holds the security team off, Mirage and the Protectobots flip the bar's large central table and use it as a battering ram/shield to charge their way out of the room, then leg it for the shuttle bay, intending to escape the ship and alert [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to what has transpired. Blades takes a bad hit as they flee, but the group makes it to their shuttle (which has been repaired with curious speed), and manages to blast off. In moments, however, a proton missile fired by the ''Lost Light'' cripples the shuttle, and a tractor beam starts pulling it back to the ship...

[[Mirage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Mirage]] and the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] are on course to return to the ''[[Lost Light]]''—but it hasn't been a smooth flight, as their crippled [[O Fortuna|shuttle]] is on the verge of going offline completely. The team manage a controlled crash-landing into one of the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s shuttle bays, but when they emerge from the wreck, they find themselves staring down the gun barrels of the ship's security team. [[Getaway]] appears and orders the security team to lower their weapons, then warmly embraces [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]], welcoming him and the others back aboard... all of them completely unaware that, like Thunderclash, their minds are also trapped in a memory loop...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Rook (Generations)|Rook]] (1)
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (2)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (3)
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (4)
*[[Mirage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Mirage]] (5)
*[[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (6)
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (7)
*[[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]] (8)
*[[Powerflash]] (9)
*[[Boss (G1)|Boss]] (10)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Doublecross]] (11)
*[[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] (12)
*[[Pointblank]] (13)
*[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]] (14)
*[[Aquabat]] (15)
*[[Atomizer]] (16)
*[[Grotusque]] (17)
*[[Getaway]] (18)
*[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (19)
*[[Waverider]] (20)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] (21)
*[[Rad (G1)|Rad]] (22)
*[[Dipstick]] (23)
*[[Rollout (G1)|Rollout]] (24)
*[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] (25)
*[[Siren (G1)|Siren]] (26)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (27)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (28)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (29)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (30)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (31)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (32)
*[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] (33)
*[[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] (34)
*[[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]] (35)
*[[Xaaron]] (36)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (37)
*[[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] (38)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (39)
*[[Ammo]] (40)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==
"D'you remember when [Rodimus] went '''door-to-door''' showing everyone his new '''roller-skates?''' Or the time he trod '''oil''' onto the bridge and Ultra Magnus had that '''seizure?'''"<br>
"I remember his plan to win the '''hide-and-seek final''' by painting himself '''space color''' and standing in front of a window..."
:—'''Blades''' and '''First Aid'''


"Question: Getaway. Do you like him?"<br>
"Do I like him. Do I '''like''' him. Yeah. Yeah, he's okay. You?"<br>
"I like him a lot. But I don't know if I trust him."
:—'''First Aid''' and '''Blades'''


"Give me your least pretentious drink."
:—'''First Aid''' doesn't think too highly of "Visages"


"'''Whirl?''' You're telling me '''Whirl''' was frustrated that you weren't making progress?"<br>
"I think he was just '''frustrated.''' You know Whirl: he's got no idea what he wants, but he sure as hell knows he hasn't got it."
:—'''First Aid''' and '''Mainframe'''


"Don't tell me: '''foul play''' — and '''everyone's''' implicated. Even you. Even me."<br>
"You're not taking this seriously, Rook."<br>
"Correct. Because '''locked doors and dodgy maths''' do not a conspiracy make."
:—'''Rook''' and '''First Aid'''


"Bomp '''that.'''"
:—'''Mirage''' glasses Getaway

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The Protectobots left the ''Lost Light'' in [[The One Where They Go to Earth|''More than Meets the Eye'' #43]] to take part in the [[Combiner Wars (comic)|''Combiner Wars'' crossover]], arriving in the story in-progress in [[The Possible Light|''The Transformers'' #40]]. During that story, in [[Mistakes and Mayhem|''Windblade'' vol. 2 #2]], Rook suddenly appeared among the team, despite being totally unmentioned in the script; the rather notorious end result of a rushed production and error-riddled artwork. The recap page for this issue quietly smooths this away by explaining that he was a civilian Autobot who—we're not kidding—just happened to be standing near the Protectobots when they got merged into [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. Oof.
*We return to the ''Lost Light'' for the first time since [[The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|''More than Meets the Eye'' #50]], published 18 months earlier, in which Getaway staged his mutiny and banished Megatron and his various "sympathizers" from the ship.
*Standing behind/above Getaway, right in the middle of page 3, is a character who has not appeared on-panel before. Given their bat-wing-like ear-fins, plus the pair of fully-sized wings on their back, they must be [[Aquabat]], the triple-changing [[Hydrobot (G1)|Hydrobot]] who transforms into a hovercraft and a "weird, winged creature," mentioned but once before in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|''More than Meets the Eye'' #28]].
*Blades calls to the idea of a plague sweeping the ''Lost Light'' as "[[Delphi]]: Mark 2," referring to the [[Red Rust]] virus that consumed the Autobot medical facility First Aid used to work at, as seen in [[Life After the Big Bang|More than Meets the Eye'' #4]]–[[How Ratchet Got His Hands Back|5]].
*Hoist is the acting medic; he was previously seen attempting (and presumably [[The Gloaming|failing]]) to repair [[Tripodeca]] at a triage station set up in Swerve's bar during [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]'s rampage in [[No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases|issue #50's back-up strip]].
*First Aid recalls the last time Thunderclash was in a coma, back in [[The Sensuous Frame|''More than Meets the Eye'' #41]]–[[The Frail Gaze|42]].
*When listing off 'bots who "left" with Rodimus and Megatron, Getaway refers to [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] only as "the psychiatrist," the latest in a long line of instance of people being unable to remember his name.
*Getaway may be lying with the truth when he laments he thought ''he'' was in the 'Rod Squad'. He had been an 'inner circle' character for ''Remain in Light'' and ''[[Dark Cybertron]]'', he'd been friendly with Nightbeat and old comrades with Skids (both of whom turned him down), and he had been angry at how he'd been treated, his limbs and voice stripped away, when he was arrested. 
*First Aid remarks that he always thought Hound would be next-in-line for captaincy. Hound has taken charge of the ship a few times in the past, during the absense of Magnus and Rodimus in the ''[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron]]'' crossover.
*Xaaron and Bluestreak refer to Magnus and Swerve, respectively, 'leaving' as a "blow"/"a shock". Xaaron and Magnus worked together in the law, and Bluestreak had been a friend of Swerve's and went to a lot of trouble trying to save him in "[[The One Where They Go to Earth]]". (That story had also established how everyone liked Swerve) Mainframe, meanwhile, is positively ''gleeful'' when discussing how Whirl is gone, and it was him in ''MTMTE'' #50 that ensured Whirl was taken off the ship. 
*Mirage tells the others how he was approached by Getaway and Atomizer before the ''Lost Light'' launched in the wake of Megatron's trial—something that we learned the two 'bots did to everyone from their own mouths in [[The Lopsided Triangle|''More than Meets the Eye'' #47]]. Groove, Streetwise, Hot Spot, and Blades believe they were not spoken to, but we can easily conclude that they ''were'', that they said they wouldn't side with Getaway in the event of a mutiny, and don't remember because Getaway erased their memory of the conversation with his [[nudge gun]].
*Riptide believes that Getaway "sent the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]" after Rodimus and company, which was the same misconception we as an audience labored under after ''MTMTE'' #50. As we know from [[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|issue #55]], he actually sent the [[Galactic Council]] after them, so why Riptide believes otherwise is unclear... unless Getaway really did do it?
*Speaking of the DJD, "teethmarks in a brain module" certainly calls to mind DJD member [[Helex (DJD)|Helex]]'s method of torturing his victims, in which he placed their brain module in their own mouth (as described in [[slaughterhouse|''More than Meets the Eye'' #31]] and seen in [[The Permanent Revolution|issue #39]]), but Helex was killed by Megatron in ''More than Meets the Eye'' #55 so that's likely just a misdirect...
*Getaway notes that Thunderclash once carried the [[Matrix of Leadership]], which was something we learned in [[Little Victories|''More than Meets the Eye'' #22]].
*First Aid calls the act of flipping a table "going Full Prowl," in reference to the [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Autobot security officer]]'s penchant for doing the same, as originally introduced back in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More than Meets the Eye'' #1]] and reiterated several times since.
*The ''Lost Light'' fires a proton missile at the Protectobots' shuttle, a rare use of the arsenal the ship was equipped with in [[Signal to Noise|''More than Meets the Eye'' #13]].

===Transformers references===
*On page 11, Smokescreen and Inferno are seen having a very intense conversation with each other over a drink.  In the Marvel UK comics, Smokescreen and Inferno were [[:File:Smokescreeninferno.jpg|very very very very PLATONICALLY close]], and in the Marvel G2 comics, [[Escalation!|Inferno essentially sacrifices himself once Smokescreen is killed in battle]].  Looks like that bond has hopped universes.
*Riptide's warning to the Protectobots starts with the words "You're being deceived", one of IDW Megatron's rallying cries which formed the basis of the Decepticon movement. Hard to imagine that that line was chosen at random.


===Real-life references===
*This issue's title appears to derive from the real-life "[http://www.thepottersclub.co.uk/ Potters' Club]," a prestigious private club in the [[United Kingdom]].

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in September, this issue arrives a few weeks late, in mid-October.
*Mirage mentions an unseen crewmember named "[[Tiretread]]" with whom he raced in the past.
*The time-loop the Protectobots are trapped in is illustrated by the story ending with a reprint of its first 4 pages, with a tweaked speech bubble in the final panel, the addition of the story title at the end, and curiously, the change of First Aid's "Oh." to an "Ah." These are in addition to the standard 20 story pages of the issue, meaning the story runs to 24 pages total.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYLpDeSxBac A Lack of Understanding]" by {{w|The Vaccines}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=aP9cA5BAwNk Yes]" by {{w|McAlmont and Butler}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzPLLyVl-x0 Introducing Angels]" by {{w|Destroyer (band)|Destroyer}}

===Covers (4)===
*'''Cover A:''' The mutineers act out another homage to Kevin Maguire's cover for 1987's ''Justice League'' #1, by [[Jack Lawrence]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]; this has become something of a series hallmark, with past homages featured as covers for [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More than Meets the Eye'' #1]], [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|#28]], and [[The One Where They Go to Earth|#43]]
*'''Cover B:''' Getaway punches Thunderclash off the ''Lost Light'' and into space, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover C:''' The mutineers versus the Protectobots, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] by [[Marcelo Matere]]; one of retailer incentive variants done by Matere for September's ''Transformers'' titles
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==External links==
*[https://www.newsarama.com/36944-the-lost-light-in-disarray-in-transformers-spin-off-s-10-preview.html Preview]

[[Category: Lost Light issues]]