Editing All Hail Megatron issue 15

{{disambigr|Lost & Found|other stories with that title|Lost and Found (disambiguation)}}
{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron]]''&nbsp;#15
|prev=All Hail Megatron issue 14
|next=All Hail Megatron issue 16
|image=AllHailMegatron15 CoverA.jpg
|caption=Insert ''Saving Private Ryan'' quote here for maximum effect.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 16]], [[2009]]
|coverdate=September 2009
|written by=[[Nick Roche]] with assistance from [[James Roberts]] <span style=font-size:10px>"Everything in Its Right Place"</span><br>[[Denton J. Tipton]] <span style=font-size:10px>"Lost & Found"</span>
|art by=[[Nick Roche]] <span style=font-size:10px>"Everything in Its Right Place"</span><br>[[Casey Coller]] <span style=font-size:10px>"Lost & Found"</span>
|colors by=[[Kris Carter]] <span style=font-size:10px>"Everything in Its Right Place"</span><br>[[Joana Lafuente]] <span style=font-size:10px>"Lost & Found"</span>
|letters by=[[Chris Mowry]]
|assistant editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|associate editor=[[Denton J. Tipton]]
|editor=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=pre-''[[IDW timeline|All Hail Megatron]]''
}}
'''Kup and Perceptor get a second lease on life.'''

=="Everything in Its Right Place"==
===Synopsis===
[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] admits to himself that [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]'s arrival on ''[[Ark-17]]'' could not have begun any other way. Indeed, the [[Autobot]] tactician had predicted Springer's reaction to finding the convalescent veteran [[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]] missing from the Autobot ship: a sudden uppercut to Prowl's jaw. Letting Springer vent, Prowl rights himself while he internally laments that so many of the Autobot forces follow the [[Wrecker]] commander's example and have become mavericks and loose cannons. Seeing his opportunity, Prowl silences Springer with the revelation of ''why'' Kup is not on the ship, the fact that [[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] and his team of scientists have gotten the old codger up and running again. Springer expresses doubt, having seen the emaciated madman that Kup had been reduced to. Prowl counters by revealing that Perceptor had teamed with the talented Autobots of the [[Kimia Facility]] and had achieved a technological breakthrough with some rather unusual procedures. Springer is wary, as due to his role as Wrecker leader his primary experience with the facility has been in testing experimental weaponry. Prowl reminds Springer that the facility was also where the successful refinement of the [[Pretender]] process reverse-engineered from Decepticon technology was accomplished. He then explains that the same principles were applied to resolve Kup's technological incompatibility with modern upgrades, with Kup's cerebro-cortex interfacing with his new body in a nearly identical manner, though he cannot separate from his Pretender carapace.

Springer's reactions are still mixed until Prowl shows him footage of Kup's new body in combat trials. Indeed, it appears that Springer's old commanding officer is fully rehabilitated, in a body that moves like it's in the prime of youth. Springer however notices a foreign object in Kup's mouth, a [[cy-gar]]. Asking why Kup has such a relic of the decadent pre-war days of Cybertron, Springer is told by Prowl that this is how Perceptor keeps the veteran from lapsing into flashbacks of his time stranded on the alien world. Emitting a synthetic replica of the radiation Kup had become addicted to, the cy-gar manages his cravings and keeps him mentally stable. Internally, Prowl notes that without Kup's continued mental stability his ''own'' plans for the veteran would be for naught. Reassuring Springer, he notes that Kup is a potent symbol to rally the Autobot troops behind.

[[File:AHM Kup nightmare.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|left|Don't do drugs, Kup.]]
Finally allowed to see Kup in person, Springer's doubts are nearly all laid to rest. Kup is undergoing a final diagnostic disassembly before resuming field duty, and is jovial, joking with his former subordinate. However when seeing his own arm laying on the nearby table, Kup briefly begins to have a flashback, only snapped out of it by Perceptor supplying his cy-gar to him. Stabilized, his friendly demeanor returns and a still-nervous Springer expresses gratitude to see him rejoining their ranks.

Prowl recalls his meetings with Perceptor and the scientist's reluctance to be assigned directly to Kup in the field. He had to remind Perceptor that the Autobot ranks look up to Kup, and that if their secret actions at reforming the way Autobots look at tactics were to be successful they needed the veteran stable and able to capably lead others by example. In so doing, they might turn the tide of the war and have the Autobots fighting more effectively overall, bringing about peace sooner.

Meanwhile, Prowl and Springer discuss that Kup will never be told what he did while stranded on that remote planet. Prowl addresses Springer's concerns, stating that all involved have been contacted and sworn to silence.

After Springer departs, Prowl muses further on the streak of individuality and insubordination that inevitably undermines all Autobot tactics. Even [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], he notes, seems more inclined to listen to the bellicose plans of [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] than his own more sound battle strategies. That is all about to change, if the personality subroutines installed in Kup take hold. Personality subroutines that will have Kup give the advice that ''Prowl'' wants him to give...

He recalls another conversation with Perceptor, in which the scientist noted with no small amount of irony that in doing this Prowl had gone maverick himself, conducting secret plans beyond the chain of command. Prowl felt no contradiction in this, as what separated him from an individual like Hot Rod was the fact that none of what he was doing was something he sought recognition or admiration for. Instead, his only concern was the shared success of the Autobot forces and the final resolution of the [[Great War (G1)|Cybertronian civil war]].

===Featured characters===
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.<br>
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (1)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Outback (G1)|Outback]] (3) 
*[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]] (4)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (5)
*[[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] (6)
*[[Waverider]] (7)
*[[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] (8)
*[[Cloudburst]] (9)
*[[Groundbreaker]] (10)
*[[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]] (11)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (12)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (13)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] (14)
|c2=
*''[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'' (15)
*''[[Scorponok (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Scorponok]]'' (16)
*''[[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'' (17)
*''[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]]'' (18)
*''[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'') (19)
*''[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]]'' (20)
}}

===Quotes===
"Tell me you didn't just drag Kup here to reverse-engineer some kind of weapon that can inflict that sort of radiation damage on a Decepticon?"<br>
"No, Springer--"<br>
''But don't think I didn't consider it.''
:—'''Springer''', '''Prowl''', and '''Prowl's narration'''


"The average Autobot default setting is daredevil, maverick. That's not ''us'', Perceptor. ''We'' can subdivide this war into its purest mathematical form and generate solutions all we want, but unless we happen to be ''surfing'' on a ''meteoroid'' at the time, ''no one'' will pay attention."
:—'''Prowl'''


"Kup can never know what happened on that planet, or what we did--"<br>
"What you did."<br>
"--what was done to get him back. If he knew that ''his'' life was valued over the dozens we sent to die at his hands, then he'll just go and throw himself into the nearest ''sun'' and have done with it."
:-'''Springer''' and '''Prowl'''


"But with Kup, ''everyone'' wants to hear what he has to say. So now, when he ''speaks''... you won't even see my lips move."
:—'''Prowl'''

===Notes===
====Continuity notes====
*The implication of page 10 is that Optimus was listening to people like Ironhide during ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' and ''that's'' how the Autobots blundered into a trap.
*Thunderwing is depicted as his pre-Pretender self.
*This is not the [[Devastation issue 5|first time]] Prowl has shown annoyance with his situation. 
*Prowl has been labelled a prick before because he's a bit of a jerk to [[Grimlock (G1)|the cool characters]]. Now he's an all-out ambiguous figure, willing to do highly amoral and ''im''moral actions in order to win the war quickly and efficiently, and all without an interest in getting credit for doing it. Which makes him... well, frakking ''scary'', to be honest. Writer [[Mike Costa]] has said these eleven pages "defined" the IDW version of the character.<ref>[http://moonbase2.libsyn.com/webpage/the-underbase-reviews-ongoing-31 Moonbase 2 interview with Mike Costa ("Special Guest")]</ref> Then he [[Ride-Along|changed him]]. But aside from that, Prowl here becomes the Prowl you see in every later IDW story, starting with ''Last Stand''.
*The subroutines Prowl installed in Kup's mind would ultimately go unused throughout the remainder of the war, until he was forced to activate them to speak through Kup in the second issue of [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 2|Sins of the Wreckers]], which at the same time exposed the act to the disapproving eyes of Autobot allies.

====Transformers references====
*"Surfing on a meteoroid" may be a nod to ''[[Spotlight: Hot Rod]]'', which Roche also drew.
*Grimlock has [[113 (disambiguation)|113]] files devoted to his insubordination. The number is likely a reference to [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|issue #113]] of the Marvel UK ''Transformers'' comic, the issue which got James Roberts hooked on the series. It reappears multiple times in the Roberts-written ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' and [[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]].
*Prowl refers to Springer's repeated turns of phrase as ''[[Furmanism|Springerisms]]''.

====Real-world references====
*"{{w|Everything in its Right Place}}" is the title of a song by English rock band {{w|Radiohead}}. This is not the [[Maximum Dinobots issue 1|first time]] a Radiohead reference would be found in Roche's work.

====Errors====
*In panel 4 on page 4, the markings on Prowl's door read "Highway Patrol ''Patrol''" instead of "Highway Patrol Police".
*While the presence of Hot Rod in the "insubordination files" is not out of place by itself, one of the reported instances is quite odd, as it seems to refer to the events shown in [[Spotlight: Hot Rod]], which specifically displays him following, for once, the protocols of the mission by prioritizing the securing of the [[Epistemus|Magnificence]] first, a key-essential artifact in the conflict, rather than playing hero and come back to rescue [[Doubledealer|Dealer]] instead. This can hardly be considered "Loss of lives under his command while '''on non-essential missions'''" or even be classified as insubordination. Maybe the file refers to a different event, but in this case, we haven't yet seen Hot Rod display the kind of guilt he had experienced over the retrieving of the Magnificence.

=="Lost & Found"==
===Synopsis===
Aboard the starship ''[[Trion]]'', [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] has managed to teach patience to [[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]] through the use of the [[Earth]] game "[[Go (game)|Go]]". The two of them muse on their lives before the war, while [[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]]'s damaged body looms above them in a [[CR chamber]].

[[File:AHM bludgeoniseeevill.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Bludgeon has goo for a face.]]
One hundred games later, [[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]] is haranguing [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] over his inability to hail any other Autobot outposts. Drift admonishes his impatience, and Kup explains that all the Autobot distress signals have him antsy. Blurr arrives and announces that Perceptor is online once more.

The crew goes to see Perceptor in his lab, where he is fervently working on reinforcements and refinements to his body. Among them is a new chest panel that will presumably prevent the grievous wound that sidelined him from ever occurring again. Shortly afterward, he installs stabilizers in his arms to improve his aim. Kup objects, as Perceptor is more valuable in the lab than on the field. Perceptor however feels he can be more useful in battle, and thus repay the debt he feels he owes for the saving of his life. Kup lectures him, but is interrupted by Blaster, who has received a patchy transmission from [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]. The hotheaded Autobot is being pursued by a [[Decepticon]] ship under the command of [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]. The ''Trion'' moves to intercept, but Perceptor is warned to stay behind.

At the crash site of Hot Rod's shuttlecraft, Bludgeon orders the [[Pretender Monster|Monstructor Six]] to execute the Autobot. Kup's crew arrive via [[orbital jump]] to even the odds. However the Autobots are quickly overwhelmed by the formation of [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]], and the odds of the battle seem bleak. In the nick of time, a precise burst of laser fire hits the vulnerable connector joint of the immense combiner, reducing Monstructor back into its component Decepticons. The stunned Autobot crew turns to find that their savior is Perceptor himself. Blaster expresses vehement misgivings on Perceptor having "defiled" himself by repurposing his body to combat specifications. Kup deflects this by telling Blaster to tend to the wounded [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], and takes Perceptor along to give chase to the fleeing Decepticons.

===Featured characters===
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]] (1)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (2)
*[[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] (3)
*[[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] (4)
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (5)
*[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]] (6)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (7)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]] (8)
|c2=
*[[Birdbrain]] (9)
*[[Bristleback]] (10)
*[[Slog (G1)|Slog]] (11)
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (12)
*[[Wildfly]] (13)
*[[Scowl (G1)|Scowl]] (14)
*[[Icepick (G1)|Icepick]] (15)
*[[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] (16)
}}

===Quotes===
"He sends the most charming transmissions that describe how I'll 'burn in the purifying flames' or 'be turned into a cinder.'" 
: - '''Hot Rod''', on Bludgeon

===Notes===
====Continuity notes====
*Hot Rod was seen piloting the Decepticon ship he acquired in [[Spotlight: Hot Rod|his ''Spotlight'']], given a fresh coat of paint to match its new owner.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110823092839/http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=6643&start=60</ref>
*The Decepticons appear to have reverse-engineered and now drafted the Monstructor Six.
*The ending appears to lead into Hot Rod's flashback tale in [[All Hail Megatron issue 5|''All Hail Megatron'' #5]].

====Errors====
*Why are Drift and Blurr playing an Earth game? None of the team were ''on Earth'' until ''All Hail Megatron''. (Psst—it's because {{w|Go (game)|Go}}, an ancient Chinese game, is commonly thought to be Japanese. IDW is just reminding us, in case we ever forgot, that Drift is Japanese.)
*If Decepticon Pretenders are presented as supremely powerful horrors, ''why is Bludgeon retreating'' because Monstructor is down? He ''alone'' should be capable of wiping out the Autobots.
*Speaking of Bludgeon, why is he not in [[Garrus-9]]? And when did he get his mind back?! And why is he suddenly loyal and working with the other Decepticons?! [[Denton J. Tipton]] said we'd find out what happened at Garrus-9 in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'',<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110814162730/http://forum.idwpublishing.com:80/viewtopic.php?t=6643&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30</ref> but as it turned out, Bludgeon was not seen or mentioned at all in that series, and in any case the events that took place would not explain Bludgeon's sudden sanity. Yes, Denton, we know we're not supposed to be concerned with continuity.<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=205076#205076 Comment made on the IDW message boards on September 22nd, 2010.]</ref>

====Trivia====
*Perceptor has two different bodies in this story; his G1 look (from "[[Spotlight: Blaster]]" and "[[Spotlight: Drift]]") and his semi-updated look from ''All Hail Megatron''.

==Notes==
===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Kup, Prowl, and Springer, art by [[Nick Roche]] and colors by [[Kris Carter]].
*'''Cover B:''' Schematic of a newly-rebuilt Perceptor (an homage to {{w|Vitruvian Man|da Vinci's Vitruvian Man}}), art by [[Casey Coller]] and colors by [[Joana Lafuente]]. The cover also sports a large portion of text originating from this very wiki's [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] article copied and pasted at the top and bottom (lifted without permission, of course). This has created panic [http://www.shortpacked.com/2009/comic/book-10/01-this-man-this-manhattan/takeabreak/ among some]. Others couldn't care less.
*'''Cover RI:''' Art deco of Perceptor looking brooding; art and colors by [[Trevor Hutchison]].
<gallery>
File:AllHailMegatron15 CoverA.jpg|Prepare for trouser-shattering.
File:AHM15casey.jpg|See that text down in the bottom-left hand side? Well, IDW's lawyers sure wish THEY had.
File:AHM15trevhutch.jpg|Rambo.
</gallery>

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===Reprints===
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==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:All Hail Megatron issues]]