Spotlight: Arcee - Revision history

Frenchfriedpotatoes: /* Covers (3) */ corrected RI description

2026-04-15T06:50:35Z

Covers (3): corrected RI description

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:50, 15 April 2026
Line 119:		Line 119:
	* '''Cover A:''' Arcee, [[Nova Prime]], the Pretender Monsters, Ultra Magnus, Fortress Maximus and some dead guy by Alex Milne and Josh Perez.		* '''Cover A:''' Arcee, [[Nova Prime]], the Pretender Monsters, Ultra Magnus, Fortress Maximus and some dead guy by Alex Milne and Josh Perez.
	* '''Cover B:''' Arcee being assembled by Alex Milne and Josh Perez.		* '''Cover B:''' Arcee being assembled by Alex Milne and Josh Perez.
	* '''Cover RI:''' Uncolored sketch of cover B.		* '''Cover RI:''' Uncolored sketch of cover A.

	<gallery>		<gallery>

Locoman: /* Later retcons */

2025-10-17T03:24:15Z

Later retcons

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:24, 17 October 2025
Line 101:		Line 101:
	* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics—and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way—author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.		* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics—and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way—author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.
	** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction. Subsequent instalments would establish Arcee as an ancient warrior, a contemporary of the [[Thirteen]] who predated the rise of the Autobots by several million years.		** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction. Subsequent instalments would establish Arcee as an ancient warrior, a contemporary of the [[Thirteen]] who predated the rise of the Autobots by several million years.
	** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers ~~naturally~~ coexisted. [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON\|'"The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]] revealed that ancient Cybertron ''did'' possess female Transformers and an understanding of gender; Jhiaxus's experiments on Arcee and ~~his creation~~ of [[Monstructor (G1)]] were ~~both part of a larger effort~~ to ''restore'' lost elements of ancient Cybertronian ~~society~~.		** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], a planet where female and male Transformers coexisted. Although ''Windblade'' implied that these developments were the result of speciation, [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON\|''"The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]] revealed that ancient Cybertron ''did'' possess both female Transformers and an understanding of gender; thus, Jhiaxus's experiments on Arcee (and the existence of [[Monstructor (G1)\|Monstructor]]) were attempts to ''restore'' lost elements of ancient Cybertronian civilization.
	** In ''[[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers\|Sins of the Wreckers]]'' [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|#3]], Arcee's internal monologue implied that she had, at least to some extent, consented to Jhiaxus's experiments, as she hadn't seen the malevolent scientist for who he truly was. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before the incident; narration from her point of view recognized ~~that~~ her prior self ~~was~~ a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and ~~that~~ her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> Flashbacks in ~~both~~ ''Optimus Prime'' and ''[[Transformers: Unicron\|Unicron]]'' showed ~~Arcee's~~ original body ~~more~~ closely resembled her brother [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Galvatron]]. Finally, [[Post\|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] laid out what had really happened between the two: Arcee explained she had been "forged male", and that she'd deliberately sought out Jhiaxus for assistance in transitioning. Her violent behavior was not a product of the transition itself, but instead stemmed from a combination of unforseen side effects and Jhiaxus's non-existent aftercare. Arcee's mental state in this issue was retroactively attributed to the recent disappearance of [[Anode]], a fellow transgender Cybertronian whom Arcee had befriended offscreen at some point after Jhiaxus abandoned her.		** In ''[[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers\|Sins of the Wreckers]]'' [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|#3]], Arcee's internal monologue implied that she had, at least to some extent, consented to Jhiaxus's experiments, as she hadn't seen the malevolent scientist for who he truly was. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before the incident; narration from her point of view recognized her prior self as a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and her current form as "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> Flashbacks in ''Optimus Prime'' and ''[[Transformers: Unicron\|Unicron]]'' didn't use gendered pronouns for Arcee, but showed that her original body closely resembled her brother [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Galvatron]]. Finally, [[Post\|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] laid out what had really happened between the two: Arcee explained she had been "forged male", and that she'd deliberately sought out Jhiaxus for assistance in transitioning. Her violent behavior was not a product of the transition itself, but instead stemmed from a combination of unforseen side effects and Jhiaxus's non-existent aftercare. Arcee's mental state in this issue was retroactively attributed to the recent disappearance of [[Anode]], a fellow transgender Cybertronian whom Arcee had befriended offscreen at some point after Jhiaxus abandoned her.

	===Transformers references===		===Transformers references===

Powermetal: /* Trivia */

2025-10-16T21:54:06Z

Trivia

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:54, 16 October 2025
Line 111:		Line 111:
	* Six years later, the comic caused a brief conflict between Furman and [[Mairghread Scott]], who developed IDW's second female Transformer, [[Windblade (G1)\|Windblade]]. Scott implied that Windblade wouldn't have a special origin for being female and when asked about ''Spotlight: Arcee'', she said she found the implications of Arcee's gender making her mad and a woman being the aberration "upsetting". She clarified that she didn't believe Furman was trying to make any gender comments, that "in a vacuum, Furman’s story is completely legitimate" (but sadly stories do not exist in a social & cultural vacuum), and pinned the blame on how rare female characters were in the brand; "Arcee’s origin is offensive because we don’t have any other female origins to balance it".<ref>[http://mscottwrites.tumblr.com/post/71325530812/what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-idw-arcee-origin-that Shotgun Mermaid (Mairghread Scott's tumblr), 27 December 2013]</ref> Furman considered this a personal attack, "accus[ing] me of apparently setting out to be offensive to women", and also took issue with another creator "sling[ing] mud", believing they had a duty to be respectful when discussing each other's work. "However ‘carefully’ Mrs. Scott chose her words, the message was the same: Spotlight Arcee was some derogatory and misguided portrait of all women and we’re going to fix that."<ref>[http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/response-to-mairghread-scott/ Furman Q&A: "Response to Maigrhead Scott" (and comments]</ref> Scott and Furman talked and "ironed out the bumps" a few days later.		* Six years later, the comic caused a brief conflict between Furman and [[Mairghread Scott]], who developed IDW's second female Transformer, [[Windblade (G1)\|Windblade]]. Scott implied that Windblade wouldn't have a special origin for being female and when asked about ''Spotlight: Arcee'', she said she found the implications of Arcee's gender making her mad and a woman being the aberration "upsetting". She clarified that she didn't believe Furman was trying to make any gender comments, that "in a vacuum, Furman’s story is completely legitimate" (but sadly stories do not exist in a social & cultural vacuum), and pinned the blame on how rare female characters were in the brand; "Arcee’s origin is offensive because we don’t have any other female origins to balance it".<ref>[http://mscottwrites.tumblr.com/post/71325530812/what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-idw-arcee-origin-that Shotgun Mermaid (Mairghread Scott's tumblr), 27 December 2013]</ref> Furman considered this a personal attack, "accus[ing] me of apparently setting out to be offensive to women", and also took issue with another creator "sling[ing] mud", believing they had a duty to be respectful when discussing each other's work. "However ‘carefully’ Mrs. Scott chose her words, the message was the same: Spotlight Arcee was some derogatory and misguided portrait of all women and we’re going to fix that."<ref>[http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/response-to-mairghread-scott/ Furman Q&A: "Response to Maigrhead Scott" (and comments]</ref> Scott and Furman talked and "ironed out the bumps" a few days later.
	* The issue contains bonus sketch art by Alex Milne, including color tests for Arcee.		* The issue contains bonus sketch art by Alex Milne, including color tests for Arcee.
	* Cover B was colored in a style that pays homage to the cover of [http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/40-180/Akira-Vol-1-TPB ''Akira Vol.1''.] <ref[http://dyemooch.deviantart.com/art/Spotlight-Arcee-alt-cover-72893344 Colorist at deviantART]</ref>		* Cover B was colored in a style that pays homage to the cover of [http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/40-180/Akira-Vol-1-TPB ''Akira Vol.1''.] <ref>[http://dyemooch.deviantart.com/art/Spotlight-Arcee-alt-cover-72893344 Colorist at deviantART]</ref>

	===Errors===		===Errors===

Powermetal: /* Trivia */

2025-10-16T21:53:52Z

Trivia

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:53, 16 October 2025
Line 111:		Line 111:
	* Six years later, the comic caused a brief conflict between Furman and [[Mairghread Scott]], who developed IDW's second female Transformer, [[Windblade (G1)\|Windblade]]. Scott implied that Windblade wouldn't have a special origin for being female and when asked about ''Spotlight: Arcee'', she said she found the implications of Arcee's gender making her mad and a woman being the aberration "upsetting". She clarified that she didn't believe Furman was trying to make any gender comments, that "in a vacuum, Furman’s story is completely legitimate" (but sadly stories do not exist in a social & cultural vacuum), and pinned the blame on how rare female characters were in the brand; "Arcee’s origin is offensive because we don’t have any other female origins to balance it".<ref>[http://mscottwrites.tumblr.com/post/71325530812/what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-idw-arcee-origin-that Shotgun Mermaid (Mairghread Scott's tumblr), 27 December 2013]</ref> Furman considered this a personal attack, "accus[ing] me of apparently setting out to be offensive to women", and also took issue with another creator "sling[ing] mud", believing they had a duty to be respectful when discussing each other's work. "However ‘carefully’ Mrs. Scott chose her words, the message was the same: Spotlight Arcee was some derogatory and misguided portrait of all women and we’re going to fix that."<ref>[http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/response-to-mairghread-scott/ Furman Q&A: "Response to Maigrhead Scott" (and comments]</ref> Scott and Furman talked and "ironed out the bumps" a few days later.		* Six years later, the comic caused a brief conflict between Furman and [[Mairghread Scott]], who developed IDW's second female Transformer, [[Windblade (G1)\|Windblade]]. Scott implied that Windblade wouldn't have a special origin for being female and when asked about ''Spotlight: Arcee'', she said she found the implications of Arcee's gender making her mad and a woman being the aberration "upsetting". She clarified that she didn't believe Furman was trying to make any gender comments, that "in a vacuum, Furman’s story is completely legitimate" (but sadly stories do not exist in a social & cultural vacuum), and pinned the blame on how rare female characters were in the brand; "Arcee’s origin is offensive because we don’t have any other female origins to balance it".<ref>[http://mscottwrites.tumblr.com/post/71325530812/what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-idw-arcee-origin-that Shotgun Mermaid (Mairghread Scott's tumblr), 27 December 2013]</ref> Furman considered this a personal attack, "accus[ing] me of apparently setting out to be offensive to women", and also took issue with another creator "sling[ing] mud", believing they had a duty to be respectful when discussing each other's work. "However ‘carefully’ Mrs. Scott chose her words, the message was the same: Spotlight Arcee was some derogatory and misguided portrait of all women and we’re going to fix that."<ref>[http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/response-to-mairghread-scott/ Furman Q&A: "Response to Maigrhead Scott" (and comments]</ref> Scott and Furman talked and "ironed out the bumps" a few days later.
	* The issue contains bonus sketch art by Alex Milne, including color tests for Arcee.		* The issue contains bonus sketch art by Alex Milne, including color tests for Arcee.
	* Cover B was colored in a style that pays homage to the cover of [http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/40-180/Akira-Vol-1-TPB ''Akira Vol.1''.] <ref>[http://dyemooch.deviantart.com/art/Spotlight-Arcee-alt-cover-72893344 Colorist at deviantART]</ref>		* Cover B was colored in a style that pays homage to the cover of [http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/40-180/Akira-Vol-1-TPB ''Akira Vol.1''.] <ref[http://dyemooch.deviantart.com/art/Spotlight-Arcee-alt-cover-72893344 Colorist at deviantART]</ref>

	===Errors===		===Errors===

Locoman: /* Later retcons */

2024-01-13T21:21:14Z

Later retcons

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:21, 13 January 2024
Line 99:		Line 99:

	====Later retcons====		====Later retcons====
	* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' ~~comics – and~~ introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the ~~way – author~~ [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.		* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics—and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way—author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.
	** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction. Subsequent instalments would establish Arcee as an ancient warrior, a contemporary of the [[Thirteen]] who predated the rise of the Autobots by several million years.		** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction. Subsequent instalments would establish Arcee as an ancient warrior, a contemporary of the [[Thirteen]] who predated the rise of the Autobots by several million years.
	** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. ~~This would lead into the idea~~ that ancient Cybertron ''did'' ~~have~~ female Transformers~~, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force~~ gender ~~on the species,~~ Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''~~reintroduce~~'' a lost ~~element~~ of Cybertronian society.		** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON\|'"The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]] revealed that ancient Cybertron ''did'' possess female Transformers and an understanding of gender; Jhiaxus's experiments on Arcee and his creation of [[Monstructor (G1)]] were both part of a larger effort to ''restore'' lost elements of ancient Cybertronian society.
	** ~~Glimpses of Arcee~~'~~s internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche~~'s [[Sins of the Wreckers ~~issue 3~~\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that ~~Arcee~~ had, to some extent, consented to ~~these~~ experiments ~~because~~ she ~~did not see Jhiaxus "~~for ~~what~~ he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before ~~falling in with Jhiaxus, noting~~ that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> ~~This was brought full circle~~ in [[Post\|~~the~~ ''Optimus Prime'' ~~finale issue~~]] ~~where~~ Arcee ~~would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having~~ been ~~born into a~~ male ~~body but identifying as female. It was also retconned~~ that she ~~volunteered~~ for ~~Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her~~ violent ~~behaviour~~ was ~~in large part motivated by~~ the side effects ~~compounded with~~ Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare~~, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode~~'s]] [[~~Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance~~]] ~~was what cued the start of~~ her ~~rampage~~.		** In ''[[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers\|Sins of the Wreckers]]'' [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|#3]], Arcee's internal monologue implied that she had, at least to some extent, consented to Jhiaxus's experiments, as she hadn't seen the malevolent scientist for who he truly was. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before the incident; narration from her point of view recognized that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> Flashbacks in both ''Optimus Prime'' and ''[[Transformers: Unicron\|Unicron]]'' showed Arcee's original body more closely resembled her brother [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Galvatron]]. Finally, [[Post\|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] laid out what had really happened between the two: Arcee explained she had been "forged male", and that she'd deliberately sought out Jhiaxus for assistance in transitioning. Her violent behavior was not a product of the transition itself, but instead stemmed from a combination of unforseen side effects and Jhiaxus's non-existent aftercare. Arcee's mental state in this issue was retroactively attributed to the recent disappearance of [[Anode]], a fellow transgender Cybertronian whom Arcee had befriended offscreen at some point after Jhiaxus abandoned her.

	===Transformers references===		===Transformers references===

Locoman at 20:52, 3 January 2024

2024-01-03T20:52:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:52, 3 January 2024
Line 100:		Line 100:
	====Later retcons====		====Later retcons====
	* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.		* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.
	** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction.		** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction. Subsequent instalments would establish Arcee as an ancient warrior, a contemporary of the [[Thirteen]] who predated the rise of the Autobots by several million years.
	** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.		** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.
	** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance]] was what cued the start of her rampage.		** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance]] was what cued the start of her rampage.

Locoman at 23:30, 1 January 2024

2024-01-01T23:30:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:30, 1 January 2024
Line 100:		Line 100:
	====Later retcons====		====Later retcons====
	* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.		* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.
			** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction.
	** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.		** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.
	** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance]] was what cued the start of her rampage.		** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance]] was what cued the start of her rampage.

Cyberlink420: /* Synopsis */

2024-01-01T10:03:32Z

Synopsis

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:03, 1 January 2024
Line 28:		Line 28:
	As Arcee comes to, Fortress Maximus explains that they're under siege from some of the toughest Decepticons around. Initially, Arcee has no interest in helping her captor, but Maximus explains that their newest prisoners owe their existence to Jhiaxus, and the Decepticons want to get their hands on this revolutionary combiner technology. Arcee immediately changes her tune, but Fortress warns her that she's been fitted with a synchronized g-force crusher to keep her in line—if she turns on her nominal allies, Maximus can terminate her by remotely crushing her [[spark]] chamber.		As Arcee comes to, Fortress Maximus explains that they're under siege from some of the toughest Decepticons around. Initially, Arcee has no interest in helping her captor, but Maximus explains that their newest prisoners owe their existence to Jhiaxus, and the Decepticons want to get their hands on this revolutionary combiner technology. Arcee immediately changes her tune, but Fortress warns her that she's been fitted with a synchronized g-force crusher to keep her in line—if she turns on her nominal allies, Maximus can terminate her by remotely crushing her [[spark]] chamber.

	As Jetfire and the Technobots struggle to hold the line against the encroaching Decepticons, [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] and [[Afterburner (G1)\|Afterburner]] prepare a contingency measure that will immediately kill the Monstructor Six and keep them out of Decepticon hands. At that moment, however, Arcee leaps into battle; although she easily fights her way through the Combaticons, she's too late to prevent [[Vortex (G1)\|Vortex]] from tripping an [[orbital jump\|orbital bounce]] that teleports their six targets of interest directly out from under the Autobots. Arcee proposes that she be released to hunt them down, as her own history has given her an uncanny ability to track down Jhiaxus and his creations. When Jetfire asks what really happened between the two, Arcee finally reveals that she was one of Jhiaxus's early experiments, an attempt to introduce gender into the Cybertronian species by altering her [[CNA]]; it is for this reason that the other Transformers around her unconsciously refer to her with female pronouns. Traumatized and ~~vengeful~~, all ~~she~~ can think of now is wiping out Jhiaxus and expunging his influence from the universe.		As Jetfire and the Technobots struggle to hold the line against the encroaching Decepticons, [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] and [[Afterburner (G1)\|Afterburner]] prepare a contingency measure that will immediately kill the Monstructor Six and keep them out of Decepticon hands. At that moment, however, Arcee leaps into battle; although she easily fights her way through the Combaticons, she's too late to prevent [[Vortex (G1)\|Vortex]] from tripping an [[orbital jump\|orbital bounce]] that teleports their six targets of interest directly out from under the Autobots. Arcee proposes that she be released to hunt them down, as her own history has given her an uncanny ability to track down Jhiaxus and his creations. When Jetfire asks what really happened between the two, Arcee finally reveals that she was one of Jhiaxus's early experiments, an attempt to introduce gender into the Cybertronian species by altering her [[CNA]]; it is for this reason that the other Transformers around her unconsciously refer to her with female pronouns. Traumatized from his mistreatment and subsequent abandonment, all the vengeful Autobot can think of now is wiping out Jhiaxus and expunging his influence from the universe.

	Fortress Maximus initially disagrees and threatens to trip Arcee's g-force crusher unless she returns to captivity, but Jetfire ultimately persuades his comrade to let her go—after all, at this point, they've got nothing to lose. As Arcee stalks away, Maximus comments that, if Jhiaxus really ''is'' still out there, he almost feels sorry for him...		Fortress Maximus initially disagrees and threatens to trip Arcee's g-force crusher unless she returns to captivity, but Jetfire ultimately persuades his comrade to let her go—after all, at this point, they've got nothing to lose. As Arcee stalks away, Maximus comments that, if Jhiaxus really ''is'' still out there, he almost feels sorry for him...

Locoman: /* Notes */

2024-01-01T03:26:54Z

Notes

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:26, 1 January 2024
Line 89:		Line 89:

	==Notes==		==Notes==
	~~===Production notes===~~
	* Part of Furman's work in early IDW was coming up with new, coherent reasons and rationals for various toy gimmicks. This Spotlight controversially aimed to give a reason for why Transformers have genders, something Furman thought didn't make sense for robots that don't produce sexually. <ref>[https://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/script-wrap-14/ Script (W)Rap at Furman's Wordpress]</ref> It was not considered by him to be a story about Arcee's gender being changed or touching on any trans issues (both things fans had brought up at the time) as, to him, there ''was'' no gender.<ref>[https://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/arcee-a-go-go/#comment-3247 Furman comment on Arcee-A-Go-Go post]</ref>

	===Continuity notes===		===Continuity notes===
	* Jhiaxus and talk of the Expansion is part of the growing [[Dead Universe]] storyline, which will pay off in [[Revelation (IDW)\|''Revelation'']], and then again in ''[[Chaos (IDW)\|Chaos]]'', and then ''again'' in ''[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)\|Dark Cybertron]]''.		* Jhiaxus and talk of the Expansion is part of the growing [[Dead Universe]] storyline, which will pay off in [[Revelation (IDW)\|''Revelation'']], and then again in ''[[Chaos (IDW)\|Chaos]]'', and then ''again'' in ''[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)\|Dark Cybertron]]''.
Line 110:		Line 107:

	===Trivia===		===Trivia===
	* Six years later the comic caused a brief conflict between Furman and [[Mairghread Scott]], who developed IDW's second female Transformer, [[Windblade (G1)\|Windblade]]. Scott implied that Windblade wouldn't have a special origin for being female and when asked about ''Spotlight: Arcee'', she said she found the implications of Arcee's gender making her mad and a woman being the aberration "upsetting". She clarified that she didn't believe Furman was trying to make any gender comments, that "in a vacuum, Furman’s story is completely legitimate" (but sadly stories do not exist in a social & cultural vacuum), and pinned the blame on how rare female characters were in the brand; "Arcee’s origin is offensive because we don’t have any other female origins to balance it".<ref>[http://mscottwrites.tumblr.com/post/71325530812/what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-idw-arcee-origin-that Shotgun Mermaid (Mairghread Scott's tumblr), 27 December 2013]</ref> Furman considered this a personal attack, "accus[ing] me of apparently setting out to be offensive to women", and also took issue with another creator "sling[ing] mud", believing they had a duty to be respectful when discussing each other's work. "However ‘carefully’ Mrs. Scott chose her words, the message was the same: Spotlight Arcee was some derogatory and misguided portrait of all women and we’re going to fix that."<ref>[http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/response-to-mairghread-scott/ Furman Q&A: "Response to Maigrhead Scott" (and comments]</ref> Scott and Furman talked and "ironed out the bumps" a few days later.		* Part of Furman's work in early IDW was coming up with new, coherent reasons and rationales for various toy gimmicks. This Spotlight controversially aimed to give a reason for why Transformers have genders, something Furman thought didn't make sense for robots that don't reproduce sexually. <ref>[https://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/script-wrap-14/ Script (W)Rap at Furman's Wordpress]</ref> It was not considered by him to be a story about Arcee's gender being changed or touching on any trans issues (both things fans had brought up at the time) as, to him, there ''was'' no gender.<ref>[https://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/arcee-a-go-go/#comment-3247 Furman comment on Arcee-A-Go-Go post]</ref>
			* Six years later, the comic caused a brief conflict between Furman and [[Mairghread Scott]], who developed IDW's second female Transformer, [[Windblade (G1)\|Windblade]]. Scott implied that Windblade wouldn't have a special origin for being female and when asked about ''Spotlight: Arcee'', she said she found the implications of Arcee's gender making her mad and a woman being the aberration "upsetting". She clarified that she didn't believe Furman was trying to make any gender comments, that "in a vacuum, Furman’s story is completely legitimate" (but sadly stories do not exist in a social & cultural vacuum), and pinned the blame on how rare female characters were in the brand; "Arcee’s origin is offensive because we don’t have any other female origins to balance it".<ref>[http://mscottwrites.tumblr.com/post/71325530812/what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-idw-arcee-origin-that Shotgun Mermaid (Mairghread Scott's tumblr), 27 December 2013]</ref> Furman considered this a personal attack, "accus[ing] me of apparently setting out to be offensive to women", and also took issue with another creator "sling[ing] mud", believing they had a duty to be respectful when discussing each other's work. "However ‘carefully’ Mrs. Scott chose her words, the message was the same: Spotlight Arcee was some derogatory and misguided portrait of all women and we’re going to fix that."<ref>[http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/response-to-mairghread-scott/ Furman Q&A: "Response to Maigrhead Scott" (and comments]</ref> Scott and Furman talked and "ironed out the bumps" a few days later.
	* The issue contains bonus sketch art by Alex Milne, including color tests for Arcee.		* The issue contains bonus sketch art by Alex Milne, including color tests for Arcee.
	* Cover B was colored in a style that pays homage to the cover of [http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/40-180/Akira-Vol-1-TPB ''Akira Vol.1''.] <ref>[http://dyemooch.deviantart.com/art/Spotlight-Arcee-alt-cover-72893344 Colorist at deviantART]</ref>		* Cover B was colored in a style that pays homage to the cover of [http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/40-180/Akira-Vol-1-TPB ''Akira Vol.1''.] <ref>[http://dyemooch.deviantart.com/art/Spotlight-Arcee-alt-cover-72893344 Colorist at deviantART]</ref>

AkibaSilver: /* Later retcons */

2024-01-01T02:15:12Z

Later retcons

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:15, 1 January 2024
Line 104:		Line 104:
	* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.		* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.
	** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.		** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.
	** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance ~~in 1516CE~~]] was what cued the start of her rampage~~, in part since Anode had been helping her with her medical issues~~.		** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance]] was what cued the start of her rampage.

	===Transformers references===		===Transformers references===

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:24, 17 October 2025
Line 101:		Line 101:
	* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics—and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way—author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.		* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics—and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way—author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.
	** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction. Subsequent instalments would establish Arcee as an ancient warrior, a contemporary of the [[Thirteen]] who predated the rise of the Autobots by several million years.		** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction. Subsequent instalments would establish Arcee as an ancient warrior, a contemporary of the [[Thirteen]] who predated the rise of the Autobots by several million years.
	** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers ~~naturally~~ coexisted. [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON\|'"The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]] revealed that ancient Cybertron ''did'' possess female Transformers and an understanding of gender; Jhiaxus's experiments on Arcee and ~~his creation~~ of [[Monstructor (G1)]] were ~~both part of a larger effort~~ to ''restore'' lost elements of ancient Cybertronian ~~society~~.		** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], a planet where female and male Transformers coexisted. Although ''Windblade'' implied that these developments were the result of speciation, [[Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON\|''"The Transformers'' vol. 2 #37]] revealed that ancient Cybertron ''did'' possess both female Transformers and an understanding of gender; thus, Jhiaxus's experiments on Arcee (and the existence of [[Monstructor (G1)\|Monstructor]]) were attempts to ''restore'' lost elements of ancient Cybertronian civilization.
	** In ''[[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers\|Sins of the Wreckers]]'' [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|#3]], Arcee's internal monologue implied that she had, at least to some extent, consented to Jhiaxus's experiments, as she hadn't seen the malevolent scientist for who he truly was. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before the incident; narration from her point of view recognized ~~that~~ her prior self ~~was~~ a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and ~~that~~ her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> Flashbacks in ~~both~~ ''Optimus Prime'' and ''[[Transformers: Unicron\|Unicron]]'' showed ~~Arcee's~~ original body ~~more~~ closely resembled her brother [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Galvatron]]. Finally, [[Post\|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] laid out what had really happened between the two: Arcee explained she had been "forged male", and that she'd deliberately sought out Jhiaxus for assistance in transitioning. Her violent behavior was not a product of the transition itself, but instead stemmed from a combination of unforseen side effects and Jhiaxus's non-existent aftercare. Arcee's mental state in this issue was retroactively attributed to the recent disappearance of [[Anode]], a fellow transgender Cybertronian whom Arcee had befriended offscreen at some point after Jhiaxus abandoned her.		** In ''[[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers\|Sins of the Wreckers]]'' [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|#3]], Arcee's internal monologue implied that she had, at least to some extent, consented to Jhiaxus's experiments, as she hadn't seen the malevolent scientist for who he truly was. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before the incident; narration from her point of view recognized her prior self as a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and her current form as "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> Flashbacks in ''Optimus Prime'' and ''[[Transformers: Unicron\|Unicron]]'' didn't use gendered pronouns for Arcee, but showed that her original body closely resembled her brother [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Galvatron]]. Finally, [[Post\|''Optimus Prime'' #25]] laid out what had really happened between the two: Arcee explained she had been "forged male", and that she'd deliberately sought out Jhiaxus for assistance in transitioning. Her violent behavior was not a product of the transition itself, but instead stemmed from a combination of unforseen side effects and Jhiaxus's non-existent aftercare. Arcee's mental state in this issue was retroactively attributed to the recent disappearance of [[Anode]], a fellow transgender Cybertronian whom Arcee had befriended offscreen at some point after Jhiaxus abandoned her.

	===Transformers references===		===Transformers references===

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:52, 3 January 2024
Line 100:		Line 100:
	====Later retcons====		====Later retcons====
	* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.		* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.
	** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction.		** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction. Subsequent instalments would establish Arcee as an ancient warrior, a contemporary of the [[Thirteen]] who predated the rise of the Autobots by several million years.
	** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.		** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.
	** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance]] was what cued the start of her rampage.		** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance]] was what cued the start of her rampage.

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:30, 1 January 2024
Line 100:		Line 100:
	====Later retcons====		====Later retcons====
	* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.		* After bringing Arcee to the fore in the ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)\|Optimus Prime]]'' comics – and introducing numerous other [[female Transformer]]s along the way – author [[John Barber]] would sporadically touch on the events surrounding Arcee's origin story, fleshing out background details and providing some subtle retcons.
			** ''Spotlight: Arcee'' depicts Arcee with an Autobot [[insignia]], implying that she was, at one point, an ordinary Autobot, presumably before her encounter with Jhiaxus. When Arcee became a prominent character in Barber's ''Robots in Disguise'' comic, this conceit was quietly dropped; [[Second Exodus\|''Robots in Disguise'' #18]] shows her carving an improvised Autobot [[insignia]] into her arm, and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity\|Bumblebee]] reacts with surprise when she announces her intent to join the faction.
	** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.		** ''[[The Transformers: Windblade\|Windblade]]'' would introduce the lost colony world of [[Caminus (planet)\|Caminus]], where female and male Transformers naturally coexisted. This would lead into the idea that ancient Cybertron ''did'' have female Transformers, but had lost them for unknown reasons. Rather than a Frankensteinian attempt to force gender on the species, Jhiaxus's experiments were an effort to ''reintroduce'' a lost element of Cybertronian society.
	** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance]] was what cued the start of her rampage.		** Glimpses of Arcee's internal thoughts provided some context for the otherwise troubling circumstances behind her transformation. Nick Roche's [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3\|''Sins of the Wreckers'' #3]] implied that Arcee had, to some extent, consented to these experiments because she did not see Jhiaxus "for what he was". Other dark mutterings mentioned that she had 'allowed' him to "do that" to her, suggesting that her troubled mental state following the change was the product of something other than the alteration of her CNA. Later issues suggested that Arcee was struggling with identity issues even before falling in with Jhiaxus, noting that her prior self was a "lie [she] told herself" <ref>"[[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost]]"</ref> and that her current form is "who she was always meant to be".<ref>[[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message]]</ref> This was brought full circle in [[Post\|the ''Optimus Prime'' finale issue]] where Arcee would explicitly refer to herself as being transgender, having been born into a male body but identifying as female. It was also retconned that she volunteered for Jhiaxus' extreme procedure and that her violent behaviour was in large part motivated by the side effects compounded with Jhiaxus' non-existent aftercare, and that moreover, fellow trans fembot [[Anode\|Anode's]] [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron\|disappearance]] was what cued the start of her rampage.