Editing All Hail Megatron issue 12

{{picsneeded|cover RI and panels}}

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[All Hail Megatron|The Transformers: All Hail Megatron]]''&nbsp;#12
|prev=All Hail Megatron issue 11
|next=All Hail Megatron issue 13
|image=All Hail Megatron 12a.jpg
|caption=Unlike issue 1, this ''sorta'' happened.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[June 24]], [[2009]]
|coverdate=June 2009
|written by=[[Shane McCarthy]]
|art by=[[Guido Guidi]]
|colors by=[[James Brown]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Chris Mowry]]
|edits by=[[Andy Schmidt]] and [[Denton J. Tipton]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|All Hail Megatron]]
}}

'''There's a nuclear bomb coming to blow up a city as Prime and Megatron trade blows and viewpoints, and somebody has to fly up and stop it!  [[Prime Directive issue 6|Haven't we been here before?]]'''

==Synopsis==

In [[New York City]], the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s continue to battle. [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] swats [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] with a broken street light, wanting to avenge [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]'s death. Suddenly, [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] surprises him and reveals that he was the one responsible for Sunstreaker's actions by toying with the mind of his former [[Headmaster]] partner, [[Hunter O'Nion]]. Before Bombshell can kill Sideswipe, though, [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] punches him in the face. However, he, too, gets taken by surprise by [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]. Skywarp is incredulous about Kup's presence, since he had heard that [[Spotlight: Kup|Kup had gone crazy]]. Kup, insulted by Skywarp's "scrap heap" joke, fires at his chest, and falls near the [[Statue of Liberty]], where [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] struggle. Devastator claims that nothing can stop him, but Omega proves otherwise by blasting straight through his chest (along with Lady Liberty), and Devastator falls into the ocean.

At Central Park, [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], [[Colonel Hawke]], and the remaining army troops fire at [[Dropshot (Universe)|Dropshot]], but without success. Sparkplug orders Hawke to leave, with the [[European Union]] plane (secretly the Decepticon [[Octane|Tankor]]) heading its way to drop the nuke at the city. Hawke protests, but Sparkplug persists, saying that he might lose his son, and that he doesn't want any of his men to join him. Meanwhile, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and his "team" make it to the rooftop of a building and stay low, witnessing two of the large robots begin their duel. Armed with the secret weapon [[All Hail Megatron issue 9|he stole]], Spike decides to target the silver one. [[Bridge]] asks Spike if the other one is on their side, and Spike replies that he hopes so, considering how big it is.

[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] continue to grapple, Megatron relentlessly questioning Prime on why he cares about the [[human]]s after they've tortured an Autobot and put plans in motion to kill millions of their own people in a nuclear strike against the Transformers.  Prime retorts that it's not only about protecting the humans; it's about also about the difference between himself and Megatron – what makes one a Decepticon and one an Autobot.

In [[Central Park]], Sparkplug fires a bazooka at Dropshot, who briefly staggers. Enraged and hurt, Dropshot declares that after having been stuck spying on the humans for so long, there's nothing that can stop him from tearing them all apart now.  But in a silent, ironic counterpoint, Kup emerges from the water behind him.

Meanwhile, Prime and Megatron continue to exchange blows, but Megatron gets the upper hand by head-butting Prime and throwing him into a building.  Megatron stands over Prime and tells him he respects him for his contined struggle.  Nevertheless, Megatron orders Tankor to proceed with the bombing, and Tankor, shedding his European Union disguise, obliges.  Bridge tells Spike to shoot fast, but Spike can only wait for it to charge up.  Megatron orders the Decepticons to leave, but Blitzwing bemoans the loss of the [[space bridge]] and the city.  Megatron replies that the Decepticons have other planets, and starting again is a price worth paying for the death of the Autobots alongside the humans.  Bridge warns Spike that the Decepticons are about to flee, and Spike at last pulls the trigger.

Just as Megatron is telling Prime that he's going to take the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] with him, the blast from Spike's gun hits him square in the face.  Seizing the opportunity, Prime grabs Megatron's [[fusion cannon]] off the ground and smashes it ''hard'' against Megatron's head. Megatron, crackling with electricity, falls to the ground, defeated and broken. The Autobots begin to celebrate, but as Optimus advances towards Megatron, a voice stops him; it's [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]! Optimus asks him what he's doing, and Starscream replies that he is fulfilling his role as a [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] by "protecting the leader of the Decepticon Empire."  Prime tells Starscream that this isn't like him; he could leave Megatron and assume leadership of the Decepticons himself.  But Starscream, repeating what Megatron [[All Hail Megatron issue 11|had told him]], says that leadership must be taken, not magically given by chance, which Prime would never understand.

Optimus asks Starscream if he's running, to which he replies that he's merely done playing.  He claims the Decepticons outnumber the Autobots across the galaxy, the Autobot army is in tatters, and the Decepticons are victorious.  Prolonging the battle would gain them nothing, and the Autobots wouldn't waste their time pursuing them when there's a nuclear bomb on the way.  As the Decepticons lift off, the Autobots ponder how to stop the bomb.  They realize that someone needs to fly up to it, and they're shocked to hear Thundercracker volunteer.

Thundercracker declares that none of the Autobots can fly in robot mode, and when Optimus brings up Omega Supreme, Thundercracker dismisses him as lacking the necessary finesse.  Ironhide asks why a Decepticon would help, and Thundercracker explains that there is no honor in the bomb.  Drift, a former Decepticon, tries to welcome Thundercracker into the Autobot ranks, but Thundercracker swats his offered hand aside, refusing to speak to a traitor.  Thundercracker says that the humans were unworthy adversaries, that the Decepticons are creatures of combat, not slaughter, and that all of their actions on Earth have been dishonorable.  With that, Thundercracker takes off and grabs the nuclear weapon as it falls, then flies it into space and fires at it, detonating it safely.

[[image:AHM12 Betrayer.jpg|thumb|left|200px|No one gets character development in ''All Hail Megatron'' and lives to tell about it!]]
The Autobots finally celebrate their victory, and Hound introduces Prime to the mystery sniper, Spike Witwicky. Prime praises Spike's remarkable skills, but Spike passes the credit to his "remarkable weapon."  In Central Park, Sparkplug and Kup have a chat about outer space and Kup's "[[cigar]]" while sitting on the fallen body of Dropshot. Meanwhile, Thundercracker is en route to join the Decepticons when Skywarp teleports behind him and accuses him of betrayal.  Thundercracker tries to tell Skywarp that Megatron had lost his way, but the furious Skywarp shoots him point-blank in the face.

Optimus Prime tells Spike that his people are free, but they must rebuild and recover.  He says that the humans will need leaders like Spike and his comrades, heroes they can turn to in desperate times.  The Autobots had traveled from their homeworld of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to free the humans from the Decepticons' tyranny, and Prime offers whatever help he and the Autobots can give.  Spike, while professing appreciation, says that he doesn't think humanity is going to accept them, given that the Transformers had brought their own war to Earth.  As Spike declares the impossibility of a "union" between humans and Autobots, Sideswipe puts deed to word in Bombshell's lab:  Stricken with horror at the sight of Hunter O'Nion's ravaged physical state, Sideswipe turns off the machines supporting his tortured life.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe ]] (1)
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (4)
*[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] (6)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (15)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (21)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (22)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (23)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (29)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (30)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (31)
*[[Roadbuster]] (32)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (33)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (34)
|c2=
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] (2)
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] (3)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (5)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (7)
*[[Dropshot (Universe)|Dropshot]] (8)
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (16)
*[[Octane|Tankor]] (17)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (18)
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (19)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (20)
*[[Spectro]] (?) (24)
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (25)
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (26)
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] (27)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (28)
|c3=
*[[Sparkplug Witwicky|Daniel "Sparkplug" Witwicky]] (9)
*[[Colonel Hawke]] (10)
*[[Bridge]] (11)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (12)
*[[Sarah]] (13)
*[[Charles]] (14)
*[[Hunter O'Nion]] (35)
}}

== Quotes ==
"Word is you went ''crazy.''  Figured you'd be in the ''scrap heap'' by now, Kup."
:—'''Skywarp''' read ''[[Spotlight: Kup]]'' just like the rest of us.


"No!  You will ''not'' defeat Devastator!  You are ''nothing!''"<br />
"Wrong.  I am ''Omega Supreme!''"
:—'''Devastator''' and '''Omega Supreme's''' final exchange, wherein Omega continues to push his Transformer equivalent of "I'm Batman."


"Leadership of the Decepticons must be ''taken,'' Prime.  Not ''magically'' offered up by ''chance.'' Something your kind will ''never'' understand."
:—'''Starscream''' disses the Matrix while also stealing it.


"Brother.  I'm glad you have seen the way, your choice is—"<br />
"Do not ''speak'' to me.  I'm no ''traitor'' to my ''kind.''"
:—'''Drift''' gets no love from '''Thundercracker''', either.


"So what's with the [[cigar]]?"<br />
"What's a 'cigar'?"
:—'''Sparkplug''' and '''Kup''' talk about Kup's "sparkplug," appropriately enough.

==Notes==
* While it has been obliquely hinted at [[Spotlight: Drift|before]], Kup's brush with insanity is finally acknowledged directly, though not in a way that actually ''addresses'' the disconnect.
* Omega Supreme barely held his own against [[Monstructor]], the first IDWverse [[combiner]] in "[[Spotlight: Optimus Prime]]". However, in this issue, he easily defeats Devastator, who barely puts up much of a fight.  Either a) perfecting [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s gestalt technology has the drawback of a weaker gestalt, b) Omega has been pumping up, or c) McCarthy did not properly take the ''Spotlight'' into account.
* The Statue of Liberty has been the site of [[Cosmic Rust (episode)|battle]] and [[Decepticon Graffiti!|defacement]] in the [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'']] [[continuity|multiverse]], but this is the first time it's been massively damaged — and certainly never before by an Autobot.  Even in [[Galvatron II|Galvatron]]'s [[Rhythms of Darkness!|dystopian future]], it looked fine from a distance.  ''Damn,'' Omega.
* [[Octane]], like his ''[[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' toy, now goes by the name of Tankor. Poor guy.
* It was [[All Hail Megatron issue 9|previously established]] that Spike's weapon was reverse-engineered from [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s gun-arm.  Its use in felling Megatron is therefore loaded with thematic significance, given the intense rivalry between the two Decepticon leaders in [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|previous]] [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|comic series]].
* ''All Hail Megatron'' has relied heavily on characters' original [[bio]]s for their portrayals: [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]'s questionable loyalty, Sunstreaker's cold-bloodedness, Skywarp's simple-minded reliance upon Megatron, etc.  But Thundercracker's "betrayal" has less to do with his original bio (which establishes him as unsure of the Decepticon cause but able to be convinced by his fellows) than it does his ''[[Machine Wars]]'' bio (which describes his sense of the Decepticon cause as actually stronger than his loyalty to any individual).
* Meanwhile, Skywarp's devotion to Megatron and execution of Thundercracker, while consistent with his bio, is  surprising within this continuity, since he has gone against Megatron on several occasions:  He was among those who went rogue in the initial [[infiltration]] operation, he met secretly with [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] and humored his treacherous plans, and he kept mum while Astrotrain and Blitzwing covertly revived Starscream in response to Megatron employing the unpredictably dangerous [[Sixshot]].
* Sideswipe's choice to pull the plug on Hunter is rather unilateral (though, assuming "[[Hail and Farewell]]" is fully non[[canon]]ical and Hunter has no surviving relatives, Sideswipe ''could'' qualify as his next of kin), not to mention callous, especially given his [[All Hail Megatron issue 9|earlier harangue]] about the "sanctity of life, ''all'' life".  Perhaps more significantly, Hunter's death poignantly manifests McCarthy's rejection of [[Simon Furman]]'s intent.  Furman had introduced the world of the [[Transformer]]s through Hunter's eyes, put him through the initial paces of an [[Wikipedia:Monomyth|archetypal heroic journey]], and forecasted his future adventures in the aforementioned [[Transformers: Mosaic|Mosaic]] story.  But McCarthy's tale cuts that mythic development short and negates Hunter's anticipated future, using him instead as a plot device and emotional endnote. Thereby proving that [http://oneshallstand.com/articles/shane-mccarthy.html he really does respect everything Simon Furman has ever done and wouldn't piss all over his work.]
* This issue was released on the same day as the American release of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''.
* The [[Decepticomments]] section describes the ''Coda'' issues and provides art from some of the covers.

===Errors===
* In the description of the ''Coda'' issues, #16 has [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s story as a second "Story 1" rather than "Story 2". Also, Guido Guidi is mispelled as "Guido Guido". 
* When Prime talks to Spike on page 21, he's probably supposed to start with "Your people are free," not "Our people".

==Covers (3)==
* '''Cover A:''' A "reverse" of issue 1's cover, with Prime holding an waving American flag and Megatron's fusion cannon; art by [[Casey Coller]] with colors by [[Joana Lafuente]].
* '''Cover B:''' Prime vs Megatron; art and colors by [[Trevor Hutchison]].
* '''Apocalypse Comics Exclusive Cover:''' Homage to ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #50, with Megatron in place of Spidey; art by Casey Coller with colors by Joana Lafuente.
<gallery>
Image:All Hail Megatron 12a.jpg|America loves Prime like France loves Jerry Lewis.
Image:All Hail Megatron 12b.jpg|All Hail Prime!
Image:All Hail Megatron 12ri.jpg|Who are you then, [[Frank Welker]]?
</gallery>

==Advertisements==
* [[All Hail Megatron issue 13|''All Hail Megatron'' #13]]
* Transformers TPBs
* ''Astro Boy The Movie Official Movie Prequel''
* ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' TPBs
* ''[[The Arrival]]'' TPB
* Dynamic Forces exclusive variants
* ''Comic Books 101''
* ''[[Revenge of the Fallen Movie Adaptation]]'' (back cover)

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 issues]]