Editing The Primal Scream

{{disambig2|the comic issue|the Titan Books collection|Primal Scream (Titan)}}

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #61
|prev=Yesterday's Heroes!
|next=Bird of Prey!
|title=Primal Scream
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #259–261
|prev2=Perchance to Dream
|next2=Starting Over!
|image=MarvelUS-61.jpg
|caption=I am Oz! The great and powerful!
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=October 1989
|coverdate=Mid December 1989
|writer=[[Simon Furman|Simon Furman Maximus]]
|artist=[[Geoff Senior|Geoffire Senior]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov|Shrapnel Yomtov]]
|letterer=[[Jim Massara|Jim Lock Massara]]
|editor=[[Don Daley|Megadon Daley]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Don't wake the sleeping god... whatever you do! Plus: The Honest to Gosh Origin of the Transformers!'''

==Synopsis==
Well, yes. So it turns out that when Bludgeon sabotaged the [[Autobot|Autobots]]' trip to [[Earth]], everyone ended up instead in the middle of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. And it also turns out that this was where an old dude in metal robes called the Keeper lives. He was guarding, sorta, the head of Primus. Primus — the [[Transformer]]s' god.

Grimlock didn't think much of the Keeper, or Primus. He thought the whole thing was a load of bunk. So to prove to Grimlock that it was real, the Keeper recounted the origin of the Transformers. (It's this sort of logic that leads to telling the difference between a clone and the real thing by having a [[A Prime Problem|race]].)

The origin went a little something like this — at the dawn of time, two gods — Primus and Unicron — fought. Unicron beat the crap out of Primus on a physical plane, then on the astral plane. In a last desperate ploy, Primus escaped the astral plane into a massive metal asteroid. Unicron did the same, thinking Primus was onto something, and as a result they were both trapped.

Primus eventually learned to shape his prison, and made it into Cybertron. Unicron shaped his prison into a giant planet-devouring planet that could change into a robot. To combat this Primus made a race of little robots called the Transformers. And now Unicron searches the cosmos for Primus, while Primus sleeps to hide from his enemy.

The Keeper had just gotten to tell his whole story when suddenly the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] burst in. The Autobots beat them up to stop them from waking Primus. Then, at the last moment, Octopunch shoots Grimlock in the back and the shot ricochets into Primus' face. The shock was enough to wake Primus, causing him to scream. A scream that sent shock waves through the planet.

A scream that, out in deep space, Unicron heard.


==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (3)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (4)
* [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (5)
* [[Stakeout]] (6)
* [[Emirate Xaaron]] (7)
* [[Doubleheader]] (8)
* [[Seawatch]] (17)
* [[Red Hot]] (18)
|c2=
* [[Stranglehold]] (9)
* [[Octopunch]] (10)
* [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (11)
* [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] (14)
* [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] (15)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (16)
|c4=
* [[Keeper (Transformer)|Keeper]] (1)
* [[Primus]] (2)
* [[Unicron]] (12)
* [[Prima]] (13)
}}

==Errors==
*Doubleheader's right head speaks. According to his toy bio, his left head does the talking.
==Items of note==
* The credits listed above replicate the joke credits used for the US printing of this story. The UK printing did not use these pun names for the creative team.
* There are two unnamed red [[generic]] Autobots that are just a little bit too off model to be called [[Fastlane]] and [[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]].
* [[Seawatch]] has some really sparkling patter in this issue. Who knew [[Micromaster|Micromasters]] were so funny? Invite the guy to your parties. Seriously.
* This is one of three tellings of the origin of the Transformers that appeared throughout the Marvel US and Marvel UK comics series. Each one was told from a different point of view, and this was the only one told by someone who wasn't actually there. The other tellings of the story were by Primus and [[The Legacy of Unicron!|Unicron]]. None of the tellings are quite consistent with each other, despite all having been written by Simon Furman.
* While [[Dan Reed]] was the first UK artist to work on the US series (drawing the cover for issue [[Back from the Dead|#56]]), this is the first US issue to feature interior art by a UK artist. [[Geoff Senior]] penciled and inked the entire strip for this issue.
* This issue featured the final Transformers art to be produced for the series by long-time artist [[Don Perlin]], in the form of the issue's cover.
* ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]'' profiles for [[Triggerhappy]], [[Landfill (G1)|Landfill]], [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]] and [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] are found after the main story.
* According to [[Vector Prime: In the Beginning]] (published many years later,) Primus and Unicron's dual awakenings in this story in fact reverberated across the [[Continuity|Multiverse]], ending a long period of dormancy for both entities in every reality, and making this the single most cataclysmically important Transformers story, ever.

===References===
* Bumblebee contemplates his mortality in this issue, mentioning that he died once. This appears to be in reference to his death as Goldbug in US issue [[Dark Star (issue)|#50]]. Perhaps he doesn't consider his destruction at the hands of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]/''[[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]]'' (which led to his rebirth as Goldbug) a true death. 
* Mindwipe complains to Scorponok about Starscream almost killing the Decepticons twice, references to US issues [[Dark Star (issue)|#50]] and [[Skin Deep|#59]].

===Covers===
<gallery>
Image:MarvelUS-61.jpg|'''US issue #61''' - NOM NOM NOM.
Image:MarvelUK-259.jpg|'''UK issue #259''' - And that's why you don't insult Menasor's ear-things.
Image:MarvelUK-260.jpg|'''UK issue #260''' - If this was what ''actually'' happened, it would be magical.
Image:MarvelUK-261.jpg|'''UK issue #261''' - "Guns.  Lots of guns."
</gallery>
* '''US issue #61 cover:''' The Classic Pretenders in front of Primus's screaming face, by [[Don Perlin]].
* '''UK issue #259 cover:''' [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] vs. [[Superion (G1)|Superion]], by [[Andrew Wildman]].
* '''UK issue #260 cover:''' [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] with his Transformers chess set, by [[Geoff Senior]].
* '''UK issue #261 cover:''' [[Drag Strip]], [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]], [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] vs. [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], by [[Stephen Baskerville]].

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[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]