Editing DIS-Integrated Circuits!

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #9
|prev=Repeat Performance!
|next=The Next Best Thing to Being There!
|title="DIS-Integrated Circuits!"
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #33–34
|prev2=The Wrath of Grimlock!
|next2=The Next Best Thing to Being There!
|image=MarvelUS-09.jpg
|caption=Decepticon sexual harassment violates you. And it violates the law.
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=[[June 25]], [[1985]] ("on sale" [[July 16]], 1985)
|coverdate=October 1985
|writer=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|penciler=[[Mike Manley]]
|inks="[[M. Hands]]"
|colors=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]
|letters=[[Rick Parker]]
|editor=[[Christopher J. Priest|Jim Owsley]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''The Autobots, now restored, strike a deal with G.B. Blackrock. But one of his former employees has other plans.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Anti-robotphotonicmulti-cannon.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.7|"Jack Kirby's Sybian City Saga" never got the attention it deserved, really.]]
[[G.B. Blackrock]], driving practice laps on a race track, is interrupted by General [[Capshaw]], who expresses concern over Blackrock's plans to unveil a new weapon designed to destroy the [[Transformer]]s. Blackrock shrugs him off, and goes to visit [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Josie Beller]] in her hospital room to update her on the situation. She, in turn, shows Blackrock some technology she's been working on from her hospital bed, causing Blackrock to worry that she may put herself in another dangerous situation in her desire for revenge against the robots who crippled her.

These fears are warranted when Josie escapes from her hospital room, and shows up in Blackrock's office that night, revealing herself as Circuit Breaker, wearing a metal suit designed to compensate for her damaged nervous system and granting her offensive capability against any mechanical form. Blackrock orders her to forget the whole thing and get back to the hospital; Circuit Breaker ignores him and says she's going to do what she has to.

The [[Autobot]]s have been revived after their imprisonment aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], with [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] in command. They seek a new solution to their fuel shortage, and [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] takes [[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] and goes to strike a deal with G.B. Blackrock. Kidnapping the billionaire, Jazz offers to provide him with protection from the [[Decepticon]]s in exchange for fuel. After a few confused moments, Blackrock agrees.

[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] is feeling mutinous after receiving word that the Autobots are online again and that [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] has disappeared. [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] sends him and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] to destroy Blackrock's weapon, allowing them to blow off some steam.

[[File:DisintegratedCircuits buster uses matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
[[Sparkplug Witwicky]]'s customers are also feeling mutinous, as [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]] can only offer fumbling excuses and delays while his father remains in the hospital. Despite tinkering with the automobiles in for repairs, it's all a mystery to him. But another headache-seizure grips him, and in a flash, everything becomes clear—the structure, the problem, everything. Buster repairs an engine block with merely a thought.

Later that day, the unveiling of Blackrock's [[Anti-Robot Photonic Multi-Cannon]] is sabotaged by Circuit Breaker, in an effort to get him to announce '''her''' as his intended weapon. The Decepticons attack just then. Jazz and Wheeljack transform, intending to make good on their promise to provide Blackrock with protection; but Circuit Breaker, unable to discern between Autobot and Decepticon, severely injures Wheeljack. Between her and Jazz, the Decepticons are driven off, though Jazz is damaged. Although Circuit Breaker spares Jazz at Blackrock's pleading, she destroys his weapon, and severs her ties with him. Blackrock fears she is the only one to have truly lost the day's battle...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (6)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] (7)
*[[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] (8)
*[[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] (9)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (10)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] (11)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ironhide]] (12)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (13)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (14)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] (15)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (16)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] (17)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (18)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (19)
*[[Mirage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Mirage]] (20)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (21)
}}
|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] (22)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (23)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] (24)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (25)
|c3=
*[[Chuck (G1)|Chuck]] (1)
*[[Ames (G1)|Ames]] (2)
*[[Capshaw]] (3)
*[[G.B. Blackrock]] (4)
*[[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] (5)
*[[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] (26)
}}

==Quotes==
"Getting fuel is a piece of cake!"<br>
"Cake is fuel?"
:-'''Jazz''' and '''Prowl''' - different strokes, man.


"Now, with your okay, I'm going to pay a visit to Mr. Blackrock. We have a deal to negotiate."<br>
"As my Special Operations officer, you have my complete trust, Jazz. Permission granted. Take '''Wheeljack''' with you as a back-up. I only wish I knew what I just gave you permission '''for!'''"
:-'''Jazz''' and '''Prowl''' 


"Or else... fall before the sonic fury of... '''Frenzy!!''' Ha ha ha!! Ha! Ha-ha-ha! ...An Autobot -- '''here!''' No matter -- you'll be a flaming piece of junk when I'm done with you! Ha ha ha!"
:-'''Frenzy''', smashing stuff and happy as a clam.

==Notes==
===Production notes===
[[File:SecretWarsII-Circuitbreaker.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.75]]
*This issue marks the introduction of Josie Beller's superhuman identity, Circuit Breaker. Conceived and designed by Budiansky to resemble Marvel colorist Janet "Jay Jay" Jackson, Circuit Breaker will go on to become easily the most famous of the comic's original characters, but this would not translate to roles in wider Transformers fiction—because Budiansky and Marvel orchestrated it so that ''they'' would own her, not Hasbro. Hasbro's licensing agreement with Marvel stated that any new characters debuting within ''The Transformers'' would be their property, so, to circumvent this, Budiansky requested that Marvel insert Circuit Breaker into the pages of their crossover event ''{{w|Secret Wars II}}'' prior to her appearance in the comic. So it was that Circuit Breaker debuted in ''Secret Wars II'' #3 (right), released a month before ''The Transformers'' #9, securing Marvel ownership of the character. The issue contained a capsule summary of Circuit Breaker's origin and her hatred of robots (with a footnote directing readers to pick up ''Transformers'' #9 for more); in fact, it was her disgust of such "soulless mockeries of life" that "had no true free will" that convinced the antagonist of the series, {{w|Beyonder (comics)|the Beyonder}}, to release Earth from the mind-control he had placed it under, as he realized he had reduced humanity to a comparable state.

===Continuity notes===
*If the circumstances surrounding Circuit Breaker didn't make it clear enough, this issue was still being written from the perspective that ''The Transformers'' was set within the wider Marvel Unvierse, as is further evidenced by the newspaper in which [[Capshaw|General Capshaw]] reads about Blackrock's upcoming weapons test: it's the [[Daily Bugle]], the publication that pays [[Spider-Man]]'s bills, which previously appeared in [[Prisoner of War!|issue #3]].
*As footnotes reminds us, Josie Beller was injured by Shockwave in [[The Worse of Two Evils!|issue #6]], and has been working towards her recovery for the last two issues, with additional checks in on her ongoing subplot in the interspersed UK-original stories, "[[Decepticon Dam-Busters!]]" and "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]".
*As the Autobots finish their performance examinations, [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] is absent from the group. He was blasted point blank by Shockwave in [[The New Order|issue #5]], and next issue is shown to still be inoperative, with Ratchet uncertain of his prospects for recovery.
*It is revealed that the "electric shock" Optimus Prime gave Buster in issue #6 was him transferring the Creation Matrix into the human's mind. Buster has been having "headaches" since [[Warrior School!|issue #7]], in which his control over metal and machines began to manifest. The UK series got out ahead of this subplot, revealing this truth ahead of its reprinting of this story, in "[[The Wrath of Guardian!]]"
*This is the first time US audiences are seeing Blackrock's photonic multi-cannon, but again, the UK reprints of the series got ahead of this plotline and actually seeded it a few issues in advance in "Decepticon Dam-Busters!"
*'''Bot Roster:'''
**''Autobots'': 21 active, as Ratchet revives all but one of the captive Autobots; Sunstreaker inactive; Optimus Prime held captive (23 total)
**''Decepticons:'' 10 active; Megatron missing in action (11 total)

===Real-life references===
*A sponsor logo for the real-life {{w|Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company}} can be seen on the side of Blackrock's racetrack.
*Alluding to then-current political tensions, the general worries that "[[Soviet Union|Communists]]" might behind the ongoing robot plague.
*Jazz likes [[Madonna]], blasting her song "{{w|Material Girl}}" during the Autobots' test drive.
*The guard at Blackrock's offices is totally reading [[Playboy]].
*The "next issue" box reads "CONSTRUCTICONS--PHONE HOME!" quoting the movie ''{{w|E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial}}''

===Artwork and technical errors===
*The latest change of artists has Josie Beller looking quite a bit different than previous issues. In particular, her hair's wavier, shorter and brighter now (and more in line with the Marvel employee that Budiansky modeled her after.) After she becomes Circuit Breaker, it changes into a ponytailed mullet.
*Prowl's forehead crest is consistently colored white instead of red throughout this issue, and he is lacking in portions of blue-black trim, including on his chest and thighs.
*After settling into his finalized colour scheme last issue, Shockwave goes off-model again with blue shoulders instead of purple.
*Cover: Starscream's helmet is colored white instead of blue, and his cockpit grey instead of orange.
[[File:Autobots-disintegratedcircuits1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75]]
*Page 4 (pictured at right):
**Panel 3: Huffer is red instead of orange, the red and white on Wheeljack's chest are inverted, and Jazz is missing the blue on his hood.
**Panel 4: Gears's face is red instead of white, while his helmet is blue instead of red; Cliffjumper's face is yellow; Jazz is still missing the blue on his hood; Sideswipe's helmet is white instead of blue. As all the formerly-injured Autobots bar Sunstreaker are supposed to be in this scene, Trailbreaker should be visible, but he's the only one who's missing.
*Page 5:
**Panel 5: The arms and torso of Optimus Prime's headless body are colored white instead of red.
**Panel 6: Ratchet is drawn finishing Prowl's line about rescuing Optimus and acquiring fuel. This leads to the peculiar sight of Ratchet stating that he is in command of the Autobots!
*Page 6, panel 2-3: Wheeljack has a blue-black pelvis and white thighs instead of the other way around. He's missing the red on his torso, the blue-black on his shoulders, and his shoulder-fins are blue-black instead of white.
*Page 6, panel 6: Starscream is missing his shoulder intakes, and his cockpit is red instead of orange. Buzzsaw is colored like Laserbeak.
*Page 7, panel 2: Buzzsaw is still colored like Laserbeak.
*Page 8: Continuing an error introduced by the artist of the previous two issues, Optimus Prime's head is drawn missing its antenna-ears.
*Page 8, panel 7: The sign on Sparkplug's garage reads "Witwicky Auto Repair," but per [[The Transformers (issue)|issue #1]] and [[Power Play!|#2]], it ought to say "'''S.''' Witwicky Auto Repair."
*Page 10, panel 14: The sign on G.B. Blackrock's office door reads "JB BLACKROCK."
*Page 16:
**Panel 7: "You really are a robot" is missing its punctuation.
**Panel 8: Jazz says "If I were a Decepticon I would've let you bounce me a couple of times before scraping you off the ground!" The "me" probably shouldn't be there.
*Page 19, panel 5: Starscream should probably be saying "''Un''fortunately for you", as Jazz likely doesn't consider getting shot with cluster bombs to be very fortunate.
*Page 20: Wheeljack's colored incorrectly again, still missing the red on his torso, and still with a blue pelvis (now in addition to his corrected blue thighs). His shoulder-fins have become red (except in panel 5, where they're colored like part of the background, and panel 6, in which they disappear altogether), and his shoulder-cannon is purple instead of blue. These panels were evidently used as reference for the coloring of the UK strips "The Wrath of Guardian!" and "The Wrath of Grimlock!" 
*Page 21:
**Panel 6: The interior of Starscream's shoulder-intake is colored pink like the background. His null ray is colored pale purple. The narration bizarrely refers to Starscream's robot form as his "secret mode".
**Panel 7: Starscream's wings are missing. His one visible null-ray remains miscolored, except for its rearmost segment, but only because the coloring misinterprets it as part of Starscream's shoulder.

===UK printing===
'''Issue #33:'''
*'''Published:''' [[October 26|26th October]], 1985
*'''Cover date:''' [[November 2|2nd November]], 1985
*'''[[Back-up strips]]:''' ''Machine Man'' ("If This Be Sanctuary?!" Part 3), ''[[Robo-Capers]]'' and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''November calendar:''' Prowl

'''Issue #34:'''
*'''Published:''' [[November 2|2nd November]], 1985
*'''Cover date:''' [[November 9|9th November]], 1985
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Machine Man'' ("If This Be Sanctuary?!" Part 4), ''Robo-Capers'' and ''Matt and the Cat''

===Other trivia===
*The inker of this issue is credited as "[[M. Hands]]". This isn't a person, but a pseudonym (short for "Many Hands") used to cover multiple inkers working on a rush-job.
*The presence of Marvel-owned character Circuit Breaker meant that when [[IDW Publishing]] was first reprinting the Marvel comic for their ''[[Classic Transformers]]'' series, this was another issue (like issue #3 before it) that they could not secure the license to reproduce, and were forced instead to replace it with a text summary. This was later resolved and the issue was included in the later reprint volume [[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 1|''The Transformers Classics,'' Vol. 1]]—but only in the print copy of the book, not the digital version.
*Judge Reinhold's character is shown reading pages from this issue in the film Vice Versa (1988). Though when the comic is closed issue 8's cover can be seen poking out from the newspaper that was used as a cover.

===Covers (3)===
*'''US issue #9:''' Circuit Breaker and Starscream, by [[Mike Manley]].
*'''UK issue #33:''' Circuit Breaker, Wheeljack and Frenzy, by [[John Higgins]].
*'''UK issue #34:''' reuse of art from US cover, modified to fit the UK aspect ratio.
<gallery>
File:MarvelUS-09.jpg|'''US issue #9''' - Thanks Marvel. ''Thanks''
File:MarvelUK-033.jpg|'''UK issue #33''' - Introducing: DAVID BOWIE
File:MarvelUK-034.jpg|'''UK issue #34''' - Starscream has a really sweet cycling helmet
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Transformers Digest 05-cover.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Comics Magazine issue 5|''The Transformers Comics Magazine'' #5]]''' (Marvel US, 1987)
File:Titan-NewOrderSC.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: New Order]]'' paperback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Titan-NewOrderHC.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: New Order]]'' hardback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:TFClassicsVol1.JPG|'''[[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 1|''The Transformers Classics,'' Vol. 1]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2011)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v2.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]], Vol. 2: New Order''''' (Hachette Partworks Ltd, 2018)
File:HXClassicsVol3.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers Classics#Japanese reprints|The Transformers Classics]], Vol. 3''''' ([[Mediaboy Mook]], 2019)
</gallery>

====IDW ''Transformers Classics'' edits====
[[File:DISintegratedCircuits-WheeljackIDWreprint.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|wheeljack's got green, right, here's some dang green then, wherevs]]
For ''[[The Transformers Classics]]'' series of trade paperbacks, IDW Publishing "remastered" the coloring of the series with varying degrees of success. These changes were sometimes to fix errors, but often to alter characters' color schemes to make them resemble their toy and/or cartoon selves, and were rarely applied with consistency. IDW's recolored version was also used for Hachette's ''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|Definitive G1 Collection]]''.
*Cover: Starscream's head is changed from the incorrect white to a cartoon-based grey-black, with cartoon red eyes. His cockpit becomes the correct orange.
*Page 4, panel 4: Cliffjumper's miscolored face is the only error corrected on this page.
*Page 5, panel 5: The colors of Optimus Prime's headless body are corrected.
*Page 6:
**Panels 2-3: Spots of green are added to Wheeljack to emulate his toy/cartoon model.
**Panel 6: Shockwave's shoulders are corrected for this panel alone, but his Decepticon insignia and highlights on his chest-nubbins somehow become orange.
*Page 8, panel 1: Shockwave's right shoulder is corrected, but his left shoulder is not.
*Page 20: Green trim is again added to Wheeljack's chest and legs as well, and his blue shoulders are changed to white (pictured at right).

===Advertisements===
*Young Astronaut Program (inside front cover)
*Newtons Fruit Chewy Cookies - between pages 4 & 5
*Twizzlers - between pages 5 & 6
*''The Heavenly Kid'' (live-action film) - between pages 7 & 8
*[[Nestlé]] Quik - between pages 8 & 9
*Tootsie Roll - between pages 16 & 17
*''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' on videocassette - between pages 17 & 18
*Mile High Comics - between pages 19 & 20
*Bullpen Belletins - between pages 20 & 21
*''The West Coast Avengers'' and ''The Vision and the Scarlet Witch''
*Marvel subscriptions
*''Secret Wars II'' #5, ''The [[Thing]]'' #30, ''Dr. Strange'' #74, and ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' #285 (inside back cover)
*Rip-Off's shoes (back cover)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dis-Integrated Circuits!}}
[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]