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[[File:OmegaSupremeintro.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Megatron's carefully laid plans come to fruition.]]
Outside the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] presents to the [[Autobot]]s their newest member: the titanic [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], constructed by [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] and brought to life by the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]]. Omega is to serve as protector of the Ark, and with his construction, the [[Autobot]]s are free to mount a raid on the [[Wyoming base|Decepticons' coal mine base]]. The purpose of the mission is not combat, however, but to stay only long enough to lure out [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], in order to scan him and duplicate the technology used to create [[Combiner|combining robots]]. Long denied the chance for action, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] refuse to take part in a mission in which they cannot fight their enemies, and, convinced of Optimus Prime's worthlessness as a leader, [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and his men secede from the Autobot ranks, marching off into the [[Oregon]] wilderness to seek their own path.
Outside the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] presents to the [[Autobot]]s their newest member, the titanic [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. With his completion, the [[Autobot]]s are free to mount a raid on the [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]] in order to steal the technology required to create [[Combiner|combining robots]]. While nearly the entire Autobot force goes on the mission, Omega Supreme is left behind to guard the Ark.
Still bickering with his temporary co-leader [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]], [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] takes most of his original crew to greet the Decepticons of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], who are anticipated to be arriving shortly via the [[space bridge]].
Meanwhile, at the coal mine, the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]—recently found and brought back into the fold by Shockwave—complete the installation of armed fortifications to turn the encampment into a proper base of operations. Co-leaders [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] continue to bicker, with Shockwave mocking the perceived pointlessness of Megatron's exploitation of [[Donny Finkleberg]]'s "Robot-Master" hoax, until Megatron departs with [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]], [[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] to greet the Decepticons from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] who are expected to be arriving shortly via the [[space bridge]].
During their journey to the Decepticon base, [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] runs afoul of [[Jake Dalrymple|a human driving an expensive Lamborghini]], but Prime orders him to continue on. The Autobots arrive at the Decepticons' base and attack.
[[File:Omega comics.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.75|I am the terror that FLAPS in the NIGHT!]]
The Autobots roll out for the Decepticon base, deploying their stealth measures as they pass through the streets of Wyoming to ensure they draw no unwarranted attention. [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], however, is distracted by the wonders of the human world around him, from the music on his radio to the sights on the streets, and accidentally clips irate motorist [[Jake Dalrymple]]'s expensive Lamborghini. Under orders from Prime not to stop, Skids is forced to drive on, leading the furious Jake and his put-upon girlfriend [[Frannie]] to pursue him and the rest of the Autobots as they head on towards the Decepticon base. Entry to the mine remains barricaded by the military, but the Autobots simply run the barricade and initiate their attack; Jake and Frannie, on the other hand, are brought to a halt by the armed soldiers.
Megatron, meanwhile, finds that a group of Autobots has crossed the bridge instead of Decepticons; but before he can lead an attack, Shockwave radios him about the Autobot attack at their base. Megatron tries to take advantage of the situation by attacking the Ark, but his squad is soundly defeated by Omega Supreme, with only Megatron and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] escaping.
Concurrently, Megatron's team discovers that a [[Cybertron Seven|group of Autobots]] have crossed the bridge instead of Decepticons. He is about to lead an attack on the newcomers when [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] radios him to alert him to the Autobot attack on their base. Presuming the Ark must be undermanned, Megatron tries to take advantage of the situation by attacking the Autobots' spaceship, but of course, he has not reckoned with Omega Supreme; the giant Autobot soundly defeats his squad, and only Megatron and Laserbeak escape with their lives, as the rest of the Decepticons are offlined and have their bodies taken into Autobot custody.
At the Decepticon base, [[Donny Finkleberg]] takes advantage of the battle to attempt an escape. When Shockwave sends [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] against the Autobots, they gain the information they were looking for, and retreat. As the Autobots leave, the Lamborghini driver cuts Skids off, allowing [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to blast Skids with one of his missiles.
[[File:CommandPerformances autobots vs devastator.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75]]
Back at the Decepticon base, Donny Finkleberg decides to attempt an escape when Shockwave orders the Constructicons to merge into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Spying from nearby, [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] scans Devastator as he forms, and the Autobots, having gained the information they were looking for, withdraw. As the heroes pull out, however, Dalrymple spots Skids and jumps into his path, trying to flag him down so he can explain his story to the soldiers. Skids swerves, leaving him wide open for a [[proton missile]] fired by [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]], who has pursued Finkleberg out of the mine. Skids tumbles down the rock face, and Optimus Prime is forced to watch him fall, knowing that if the Autobots stop to help him, they endanger the success of their important mission.
The battered Megatron returns, and though Shockwave accuses him of gross incompetence, Megatron reasons that Shockwave sat and did nothing while a trap—an attack that surely had an ulterior motive—sprang up around him. Shockwave cedes command in the face of Megatron's sound argument.
Presently, the battered Megatron returns, met with accusations of gross incompetence from Shockwave. Reasoning that the Autobots' strange attack-and-retreat tactic masked an ulterior motive, Megatron offers a counterpoint: while he may have unwittingly walked into a trap at the Ark, Shockwave sat and did nothing while a trap sprang up around him! After a moment of pained deliberation, Shockwave accepts that Megatron's argument is sound, and Shockwave cedes command of the Decepticons back to him.
The Autobots are enthusiastic at their victory, but Optimus Prime cannot celebrate, as Skids is presumed dead. But back in Wyoming, music is still streaming from his wrecked form...
The Autobots return to the Ark, enthusiastic over their victory... all save Optimus Prime, who cannot celebrate in the face of the presumed loss of Skids' life. But back in Wyoming, music is still playing on the radio within Skids' wrecked form...
"No. Megatron is our commander. He has mad his decision and must live by it... or, perhaps, '''die''' by it."
"No. Megatron is our commander. He has made his decision and must live by it... or, perhaps, '''die''' by it."
:—'''Soundwave''' and '''Shockwave'''
:—'''Soundwave''' and '''Shockwave'''
Line 109:
Line 104:
<span style="font-size:1.5em">"'''''I am the guardian of the gates... the junction of your destruction... the laser lighting the way to your doom... the planner of your obsolescence... the furnace that fires your demise... I am the number you cannot compute, Decepticon."'''''</span>
<span style="font-size:1.5em">"'''''I am the guardian of the gates... the junction of your destruction... the laser lighting the way to your doom... the planner of your obsolescence... the furnace that fires your demise... I am the number you cannot compute, Decepticon."'''''</span>
:—'''Omega Supreme''' introduces himself to '''Megatron'''
:—'''Omega Supreme''' introduces himself to '''Megatron'''
"As for the Decepticons lost today, they mean '''nothing!''' They can be '''replaced!'''"
"As for the Decepticons lost today, they mean '''nothing!''' They can be '''replaced!'''"
:—'''Megatron''' sure knows how to inspire loyalty
:—'''Megatron''' sure knows how to inspire loyalty
{{--}}
==Notes==
==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
[[File:CommandPerformances introducing omega.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|The entire active roster of Autobots attends the unveiling of Omega Supreme; despite being functional when last seen, Bluestreak and Mirage have disappeared.]]
*Omega Supreme's construction is revealed to have been the "project" Optimus Prime asked Grapple to undertake in [[Rock and Roll-Out!|issue #14]], though the footnote in this issue pointing that out oddly acts as if we should have known this already.
*Having both been shown by issue #14 to have remained active following the events of [[Prime Time!|issue #12]] which offlined so many of their fellow 1984 characters, Mirage and Bluestreak disappear from the series with this issue without explanation. Optimus Prime's dialog seems to indicate that all the available Autobots would be participating in the attack, but they are nowhere to be seen; further, Ratchet says he has ''over'' a dozen Autobots in the repair bay, when previously, he had only the even dozen that were injured in issue #12. Either the pair have been injured in a battle we didn't see, or they've retroactively been placed on the injured list.
*The Dinobots reappear for the first time since their introduction in [[Warrior School!|issue #8]]. Their disappearance into off-panel limbo is papered over here by some dialogue from Grimlock, which sees him note that Optimus has prohibited them from joining the other Autobots in battle because their alternate modes would make them "stand out among humans".
*This issue sees Rumble, Frenzy, and the Constructicons rejoin the Decepticon forces, having previously been missing during the period of Decepticon instability that has seen the faction scattered across the last half-dozen or so issues. Shockwave specifically notes he had to "find and bring back" the Constructicons; Rumble and Frenzy's absence is not remarked upon.
*The Autobots deploy the "stealth" modifications previously seen in issue #14, hiding their [[insignia]] and deploying their [[facsimile construct]] drivers. Skids misses the order to do so because he's distracted listening to music, a fondness for which he picked up in the same issue.
===Transformers references===
*Having spoken perfectly normally in his previous appearance, Grimlock starts adopting the caveman-like speech patterns of his [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|counterpart]] in this issue. It's a mild beginning, amounting to only a few dropped definite and indefinite articles that are inconspicuous enough that you might not even notice them; he's not gone full "Me Grimlock!" yet.
===Artwork and technical errors===
===Artwork and technical errors===
*Skywarp has blue trim instead of purple on the cover.
*Skids is missing the red stripe on the side of his vehicle mode throughout this issue. It is intermittently colored blue like the rest of his body, or left uncolored white.
*Page 6: The Autobots are shown driving six abreast down the streets of a Wyoming town.
*The cover colors Skywarp and Rumble as grey instead of their usual blue-black; Skywarp has blue trim instead of purple. Rumble and Frenzy both have yellow weapons, and Frenzy has yellow eyes. Starscream has red tailfins with blue decals, instead of blue fins with red stripes.
*Page 7: Jake's car is drawn as a Lamborghini Countach (also [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#Lamborghini Countach|popular with many Transformers]]), but the doors are hinged like normal car doors. On a real Countach they should open vertically, scissor-style.
*Page 1: A dodgy color separation job makes Grapple's gun-hand appear greenish instead of blue-black.
*Page 10: In Blaster's lone panel appearance, he's colored like Optimus Prime.
*Page 2, panel 6: The side of Skids' helmet ridge is left partially uncolored white.
*Page 3:
**Panel 3: Grimlock's eyes are left uncolored white (like the rest of the Dinobots) instead of their normal red.
**Panel 4: Skids' gun is colored red (as if it were his fist) instead of pale blue/white.
*Page 6, panel 1: The Autobots are shown driving ''six abreast'' down the streets of a Wyoming town. Smokescreen has a yellow panel on his hood that shouldn't be there.
*Page 7, panel 3: Jake's car is drawn as a Lamborghini Countach (also [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#Lamborghini Countach|popular with many Transformers]]), but the doors are hinged like normal car doors (right). On a real Countach they should open vertically, scissor-style.
*Page 9, panel 2: In mid-transform, Tracks's trunk is colored red instead of blue.
*Page 10, panel 3: Blaster is colored like Optimus Prime.
*Page 11, panel 6: Skids' upper legs are colored the same blue as his lower legs (though in this panel, they're a faded purple to indicate he's in the distance).
*Page 12:
**Panel 2: Skids' upper legs are the same blue as his lower legs again.
**Panel 3: Skids' face is blue, and his gun is red again.
**Panel 7: Devastator's chest shield is colored green instead of purple.
*Page 13:
**Panel 1: Devastator's Decepticon insignia is Autobot-red.
**Panel 4: Now Devastator's insignia is uncolored white! Also, Smokescreen's head is colored pale blue/grey instead of its regular blue, as if it was part of his shoulder guns.
**Panel 5: Smokescreen's head is still miscolored, and now his fist is red instead of blue.
[[File:OmegaSupremeintro.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|Megatron's carefully laid plans come to fruition.]]
*Page 14:
**Panel 2: Skids' upper legs are blue again, and his torso is solid red.
**Panel 5: Soundwave's visor is colored pale purple like the rest of his helmet instead of its usual yellow.
*Page 15, panel 5: The fronts of Megatron's legs, as well as his feet, are colored blue-black instead of white.
*Page 16:
**Panels 3-4: Omega Supreme has gained some grey panels on the front of his torso that should be red. Also, despite the fact that his face was colored in its correct red back on page 2, in both these panels and for the rest of the issue, it's colored grey like the rest of his helmet and body (see right)
**Panel 4: Megatron's blue-black has become a dark purple, and his whole torso is also that color instead of white (again, see right) His feet are also still miscolored.
*Page 17:
*Page 17:
**Starscream and Thundercracker are both colored in blue-highlighted blacks when they are destroyed by Omega Supreme.
**Panels 2 & 4: Starscream and Thundercracker are indistinguishable when they are destroyed by Omega Supreme, both colored blue-black.
**Laserbeak is colored as Buzzsaw when Omega Supreme wings him.
**Panel 5: Laserbeak is colored as Buzzsaw when Omega Supreme wings him.
*Page 21: Laserbeak is incredibly fat as he perches on Shockwave's arm.
**Panel 6: Megatron's blue-black is back to its correct shade, but his torso is still wrongly colored in that color. His feet are ''still'' miscolored.
*Page 18, panels 3 & 6: Omega Supreme's right arm is colored entirely yellow; only his claw and upper arm should be this color, while his forearm should be grey.
===Continuity errors===
*Page 19, panel 2: Omega Supreme's helmet is red instead of grey.
*The army guard still has his gun on Jake when Skids shows up and Jake flags him down. In all likelihood, Jake would have been shot.
*Page 20, panel 3: Laserbeak is incredibly fat as he perches on Shockwave's arm.
*Page 21, panel 2: Laserbeak's beak is red instead of pale blue.
===Continuity notes===
*Page 22, panel 2: Jetfire's face is red instead of white.
*Grapple began work on Omega Supreme in US issue [[Rock and Roll-Out!|#14]].
*Mirage and Bluestreak are curiously absent. Optimus Prime's dialog seems to indicate that all the available Autobots would be participating in the attack; Ratchet, meanwhile, says he has ''over'' a dozen Autobots in the repair bay - previously, he had only the ''dozen'' that participated in the disastrous battle back in #12.
*Megatron finally retakes command of the Decepticons from Shockwave after losing it back in US issue [[The New Order|#5]].
*Skids sees a human washing his car and notes that "that looks like a pleasant way to pass the day" - foreshadowing next issue's events.
*Likewise, the Autobots stealing the secrets of combination sets up the creation of the Aerialbots, who will debut in #21.
*Laserbeak changes his perch from Shockwave to Megatron, signifying who's the leader!
*Omega's size and power will never again equal his awesome display of badassery in this issue.
*Most of the 1984 Decepticons are taken out of the picture, and will not be seen online again until issue #47 (in the US, anyway). This marks Rumble and Frenzy's last on-panel appearance altogether.
===Real-life references===
*The usual settings: the Ark is in rural [[Oregon]]; the Decepticon base is in the [[Powder River Basin]] of [[Wyoming]].
===UK printing===
===UK printing===
[[File:MarvelUS19vsUK70DinobotDialogueChange.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|Once again, US Grimlock has clearly demonstrated how unfit he is to lead the Dinobots.]]
*Dialogue in the UK version has been altered from the US version:
**In the US version, Grimlock says, "Bah! You are a coward, Optimus Prime. You do not fight!" and then "Dinobots understand we are warriors—but because you say we would stand out among humans we never go to war! Now you tell us to go to war but not to fight! Commander who attacks to run away cannot command Dinobots!" In the UK version, this is replaced with "Enough talk. When do we get to hit something?" and then "Oh, we understand, all right. Once again, you've clearly demonstrated how unfit you are to lead the Dinobots. We'll have no part in this fool's errand. Back to the Ark, Dinobots. We've got some talking to do..." The US dialogue appears to be an explanation for why the Dinobots haven't been around for a while. Apparently, the UK comic staff thought this explanation would be somewhat out of continuity with the UK comic, since the Dinobots had been featured heavily in several UK-exclusive stories, where they spent their time [[The Wrath of Guardian!|fighting Guardian]], [[Dinobot Hunt!|going nuts]] [[Victory!|and falling into comas]] (among [[The Icarus Theory|other things]]).
**Additionally, as far as the US was concerned, this was the issue in which the Dinobots chose to secede from the Autobots, going off on their own and not reappearing until [[King of the Hill!|seven issues later]]. In the UK, however, they did ''not'' leave yet, choosing only to do so in the [[In the National Interest|next UK-exclusive story]], and this change in dialogue also reflects that.
**In the US version of the dialogue, Grimlock talks like cartoon Grimlock, whereas in the UK version of the dialogue, he does not (consistent with how he talks in the previous UK-exclusive Dinobot stories).
'''Issue #70:'''
'''Issue #70:'''
*'''Backup strips:''' ''[[Back-up strips#Hercules|Hercules]]'' - "What Fools These Immortals Be!" and ''[[Robo-Capers]]''
*'''Published:''' [[July 12|12th July]], 1986 [[File:MarvelUS19vsUK70DinobotDialogueChange.jpg|thumb|upright=2|Once again, US Grimlock has clearly demonstrated how unfit he is to lead the Dinobots.]]
*'''Cover date:''' [[July 19|19th July]], 1986
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''[[Robo-Capers]]'', ''[[Back-up strips#Hercules|Hercules]]'' ("What Fools These Immortals Be!" Part 1), and ''Matt and the Cat''; ''Hercules'' debuts this issue
*This was the first appearance of the Hercules strip.
*'''Free Gift:''' [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] collector card for the [[Second Generation!#Back-up material|Special Teams Special Collection Wallchart]]
*Due to the fact that the Dinobots have been active in multiple UK-exclusive stories since their last appearance in US material, Grimlock's complaint that the team never sees any action doesn't fit with UK continuity. Hence, his dialogue is altered for the UK reprint to become solely about their dissatisfaction with Optimus Prime's leadership (see right). Additionally, rather than leave the Autobot forces outright, Grimlock merely orders the Dinobots to return to the Ark to talk, setting up the events of the next UK-exclusive story in [[In the National Interest|issues #74-77]]. All this new dialogue for Grimlock is written with "normal" speech, in-keeping with all his other UK appearances, instead of the cartoon-caveman dialect that the US stories begin using with this issue.
*Similarly, while the Constructicons have not been seen in US material since [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|US issue #10]], UK-exclusive stories have shown them to be part of Shockwave's camp for some time. Consequently, Shockwave's claim that he "found and brought back" the Constructicons is edited for the UK reprint so that he is complimenting their work on the base, rather than his boasting about his own accomplishment (again, see right).
'''Issue #71:'''
'''Issue #71:'''
*'''Backup strips:''' ''Hercules'' - "What Fools These Immortals Be!" and ''Robo-Capers''
*Autobots: 10 members of Optimus Prime's forces confirmed active after Omega Supreme comes online; Skids missing in action; 5 rogue Dinobots; 7 wayward arrivals from Cybertron; Bluestreak and Mirage disappear, implied to have joined the 12 offline in repair bay. (37 total)
*Decepticons: 11 active; Skywarp, Thundercracker, Starscream, Rumble, Frenzy, and Buzzsaw taken offline by Omega Supreme and stored in the Ark. (17 total)
===Bot Roster===
===Courtesy of my...===
*Autobots: 10 confirmed active after Omega Supreme comes online, Bluestreak and Mirage disappear, and Skids is lost in battle; 5 rogue Dinobots, 7 wayward arrivals from Cybertron, 14(?) in repair bay, and Skids left abandoned. (37 total)
*Omega Supreme's tank takes out Skywarp with a [[laser cannon]].
*Decepticons: 11 active; 6 trashed by Omega and held captive in the Ark. (17 total)
*Megatron once again namechecks his [[fusion cannon]].
*Ravage takes out Skids with a low-energy [[proton missile]].
===Changes in the IDW ''Transformers Classics'' reprint===
===Covers (3)===
*On page 1, Optimus Prime's facemask is now miscoloured yellow.
*'''US issue #19:''' Omega Supreme kicking Decepti-ass, by [[Herb Trimpe]].
*Again on page 1, the printing (or color separations) error that made Grapple's gun hand green instead of blue (a mixing of the blue and orange) has been corrected by just making his gun hand orange.
*'''UK issue #70:''' Autobots attacking, by [[John Stokes]].
*On page 3, panel 3 Swoop's white hi-lights are removed, giving him grey eyes and teeth.
*'''UK issue #71:''' reuse of art from US cover.
*On page 3, panel 5 the purple under Skids' neck is missing, giving him the impression of being a head floating behind Optimus Prime.
*On page 10, panel 3 Blaster's colors are corrected from an Optimus Prime look to his appropriate colors.
*On page 14, panel 4 Ravage loses his eyes to a new colouring error.
===Covers (8)===
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:MarvelUS-19.jpg|'''US issue #19''' - The Decepticons look on in horror as Omega Supreme shoots Some Guy.
File:MarvelUS-19.jpg|'''US issue #19''' - The Decepticons look on in horror as Omega Supreme shoots Some Guy.
File:UK70Cover.jpg|'''UK issue #70''' - The cover lets you know that in this issue, Autobots fight Decepticons.
File:UK70Cover.jpg|'''UK issue #70''' - The cover lets you know that in this issue, Autobots fight Decepticons.
File:MarvelUK-071.jpg|'''UK issue #71''' - Oh yes. Ha ha. I see what you did there...
File:MarvelUK-071.jpg|'''UK issue #71''' - Oh yes. Ha ha. I see what you did there...
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v5.jpg|'''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|''The Definitive G1 Collection, Vol. 5: The Smelting Pool'']]''' (Hachette Partworks, Ltd., 2019)
</gallery>
</gallery>
*'''''Showdown'' TPB cover:''' Soundwave, Rumble, [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and the other half of the [[space bridge]], by [[Andrew Wildman]].
*'''''Showdown'' hardback cover:''' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s head by [[Alan Davis]], [[Mark Farmer]], & [[Chris Blythe]].
====IDW ''Transformers Classics'' edits====
*'''''Classic Transformers'' Volume 2 cover:''' panels from US issues [[Showdown!|#20]] and [[Gone but Not Forgotten!|#25]].
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]]''. (''n.b. not all the changes made in IDW's The Transformers Classics are present in the Definitive G1 Collection in this instance. Where they differ, a note has been made below''.)
[[File:CommandPerformance idw omega recoloring.jpg|upright=1.25|thumb|"Remastering" makes Omega's shadows ''lighter'' than the rest of his body, among other weird changes.]]
*As is standard for this series, Soundwave is "corrected" from his purple Marvel color scheme to toy-and-cartoon accurate blue. (''change not present in Hachette edition'')
*Throughout the issue, in another great example of the inconsistency of the "reconstruction", the dark grey used to shade areas of Omega Supreme's pale grey body is "remastered" into a pale purple, standing out as ''lighter'' against his body instead of darker (see right).
*On the cover:
**Skywarp's blue trim is changed to purple. (''change not present in Hachette edition'')
**Starscream's right rear tailfin has become colored pale blue like the rest of him while his left one remains the same red it was before, and his Decepticon insignias have lost their purple color and also become pale blue.
*Page 1:
**Optimus Prime's [[mouthplate]] has become miscolored the same pale yellow as the background.
**Grapple's greenish gun hand becomes "corrected" to solid orange instead of blue-black.
*Page 2
**Panel 1: The "nose" of Omega's Autobot insignia is now uncolored. The blue-black of his tank treads has become the same pale purple that's been subbed in for dark grey, and the fully dark-grey front of his tank mode has now become half grey, half pale purple (again, see right). Worse, the once sharp inks for Optimus Prime, Grapple and Ratchet standing in the background (which are still block colored blue) have sorely eroded.
**Panel 6: Skids' helmet ridge is fully colored.
*Page 3:
**Panel 3: Swoop's white hi-lights are removed, giving him grey eyes and teeth.
**Panel 4: The right side of Skids' pelvis has become white like his upper leg, instead of blue.
**Panel 5: Skids is block-colored purple in this panel, but the "remaster" erases the purple area under his neck, giving him the impression of being a head floating behind Optimus Prime.
*Page 5, panel 7: Some slightly iffy color separation on the original printing that saw yellow ink bleeding out of Starscream's red parts is blown way out of proportion here, giving him full-on yellow stripes and highlights.
*Page 9, panel 2: The yellow details on Optimus Prime's pelvis are erased.
*Page 10, panel 3: Blaster's colors are corrected (right). (''change not present in Hachette edition'')
*Page 12:
**Panel 1: Optimus's yellow pelvis details are gone again.
**Panel 5: The screentones used to shade Mixmaster and Long Haul as they combine are erased; Long Haul is just colored a slightly darker shade of green instead.
*Page 13: Rather than correct Devastator's red insignia, the uncolored one from panel 4 is now colored red to match it. ''Siiigh.''
*Page 14: There's a large empty spot on Ravage's cheek that's not part of the original lineart. Evidently this is another issue that was remastered from a damaged copy where the lineart had been partially erased; in filling-in that empty spot blue-black like the rest of Ravage, the reprint also incorrectly colors in his white eye the same color.
*Page 15, panel 6: Having apparently used scans from a smudged copy as the basis for the remaster again, the "B" in "[[Durabyllium]]" became an "S", thus making the name of the metal in this version "Dura'''s'''yllium".
*Page 20: In perhaps the perfect example of the frustrating inconsistency of the remastering on this series, observe how Megatron's blue-black shifts from solid blue on page 18 to a more greenish hue on this page. He was the same color throughout the original, and this page is more reflective of those colors. Also, the shading on Shockwave's thighs becomes a muddy brown-purple.
{{--}}
===Advertisements===
===Advertisements===
[[File:MarvelUK new 1986 cars and planes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]
====US====
====US====
*[[M&M's]] (inside cover)
*[[M&M's]] (inside cover)
*Free headphone radio from Nabisco Confections
*Free headphone radio from Nabisco Confections - between pages 4 & 5
*Bonkers! chewy candy
*Bonkers! chewy candy - between pages 5 & 6
*Marvel Comics' ''[[Wikipedia:New Universe|The New Universe]]''
*Marvel Comics' ''{{w|New Universe|The New Universe}}'' - between pages 7 & 8
*''Thundercats'' on VHS
*''Thundercats'' on VHS / Marvel Super Mart - between pages 8 & 9
*Marvel Super Mart — a list of comic stores stocking Marvel comics
*East Coast Comics - between pages 16 & 17 and between pages 17 & 18
*East Coast Comics
*Various comic shops, and typical ads from the era - between pages 19 & 20
maximum dinobots|transformers maximum dinobots|transformers: maximum dinobots|the transformers maximum dinobots|the transformers: maximum dinobots=The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots
premierecollection|premiere collection|the transformers: the premiere collection=The Transformers: The Premiere Collection
all hail megatron|transformers all hail megatron|transformers: all hail megatron|the transformers all hail megatron|the transformers: all hail megatron=The Transformers: All Hail Megatron
the idw collection|the transformers: the idw collection=The Transformers: The IDW Collection
the transformers|the transformers (ongoing)=The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers vol. 1
wreckers|last stand of the wreckers|transformers last stand of the wreckers|transformers: last stand of the wreckers|the transformers last stand of the wreckers|the transformers: last stand of the wreckers=The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers
the idw collection|g.i. joe: the idw collection=G.I. Joe: The IDW Collection
infestation=Infestation (IDW)|Infestation
infestation 2=Infestation 2
heart of darkness|transformers heart of darkness|transformers: heart of darkness|the transformers heart of darkness|the transformers: heart of darkness=The Transformers: Heart of Darkness
tdoop|death of optimus prime|the death of optimus prime|transformers: the death of optimus prime=Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime
more than meets the eye|transformers: more than meets the eye|the transformers: more than meets the eye=The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye
robots in disguise|transformers: robots in disguise=The Transformers: Robots in Disguise
dark cybertron=Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron
drift:eos|drift: empire of stone|transformers drift: empire of stone|transformers: drift: empire of stone|the transformers drift: empire of stone|drift: empire of stone=The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone
the transformers: windblade=The Transformers: Windblade
sins of the wreckers|transformers sins of the wreckers|transformers: sins of the wreckers|the transformers sins of the wreckers|the transformers: sins of the wreckers=The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers
gijoe5|gijoevol5|g.i. joe vol. 5|gi joe vol 5=G.I. Joe vol. 5
hasbro heroes sourcebook=Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook
micronauts=Micronauts (comic)|Micronauts
wrath of karza|micronauts wrath of karza|micronauts: wrath of karza=Micronauts: Wrath of Karza
first strike=First Strike
ROM
rom dire wraiths|rom: dire wraiths=Rom: Dire Wraiths
romamn|rom&mn|rom and the micronauts|rom & the micronauts=Rom & the Micronauts
rom vs transformers|shining armor|rom vs. transformers|rom vs transformers: shining armor|rom vs transformers: shining armor=Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor
m.a.s.k.|m. a. s. k.|mask mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k. mobile armored strike kommand|mask: mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k.: mobile armored strike command=M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand
scarletts strike force|scarlett's strike force=Scarlett's Strike Force
transformers vs visionaries|transformers vs. visionaries=Transformers vs. Visionaries
requiem of the wreckers|transformers requiem of the wreckers|transformers: requiem of the wreckers=Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
{{{series}}}
[[{{#switch:{{{series}}}
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
#| }}{{#if: |issues:}}{{#ifeq: | Category
[[Category:IDW {{#switch:{{#switch:{{{series}}}
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
{{{series}}}}}
{{#switch:prime
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
{{#switch:primeadaptation
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
{{#switch:ragedinobots
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
ragedinobots}}=Prime
{{#switch:rid2015
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
rid2015}}=Robots in Disguise (2015)
{{#switch:{{{series}}}
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=War for Cybertron
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Fall of Cybertron
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)|primeadaptation|prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Prime
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Prime – Rage of the Dinobots
maximum dinobots|transformers maximum dinobots|transformers: maximum dinobots|the transformers maximum dinobots|the transformers: maximum dinobots=The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots
premierecollection|premiere collection|the transformers: the premiere collection=The Transformers: The Premiere Collection
all hail megatron|transformers all hail megatron|transformers: all hail megatron|the transformers all hail megatron|the transformers: all hail megatron=The Transformers: All Hail Megatron
the idw collection|the transformers: the idw collection=The Transformers: The IDW Collection
the transformers|the transformers (ongoing)=The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers vol. 1
wreckers|last stand of the wreckers|transformers last stand of the wreckers|transformers: last stand of the wreckers|the transformers last stand of the wreckers|the transformers: last stand of the wreckers=The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers
the idw collection|g.i. joe: the idw collection=G.I. Joe: The IDW Collection
infestation=Infestation (IDW)|Infestation
infestation 2=Infestation 2
heart of darkness|transformers heart of darkness|transformers: heart of darkness|the transformers heart of darkness|the transformers: heart of darkness=The Transformers: Heart of Darkness
tdoop|death of optimus prime|the death of optimus prime|transformers: the death of optimus prime=Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime
more than meets the eye|transformers: more than meets the eye|the transformers: more than meets the eye=The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye
robots in disguise|transformers: robots in disguise=The Transformers: Robots in Disguise
dark cybertron=Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron
drift:eos|drift: empire of stone|transformers drift: empire of stone|transformers: drift: empire of stone|the transformers drift: empire of stone|drift: empire of stone=The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone
the transformers: windblade=The Transformers: Windblade
sins of the wreckers|transformers sins of the wreckers|transformers: sins of the wreckers|the transformers sins of the wreckers|the transformers: sins of the wreckers=The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers
gijoe5|gijoevol5|g.i. joe vol. 5|gi joe vol 5=G.I. Joe vol. 5
hasbro heroes sourcebook=Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook
micronauts=Micronauts (comic)|Micronauts
wrath of karza|micronauts wrath of karza|micronauts: wrath of karza=Micronauts: Wrath of Karza
first strike=First Strike
ROM
rom dire wraiths|rom: dire wraiths=Rom: Dire Wraiths
romamn|rom&mn|rom and the micronauts|rom & the micronauts=Rom & the Micronauts
rom vs transformers|shining armor|rom vs. transformers|rom vs transformers: shining armor|rom vs transformers: shining armor=Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor
m.a.s.k.|m. a. s. k.|mask mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k. mobile armored strike kommand|mask: mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k.: mobile armored strike command=M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand
scarletts strike force|scarlett's strike force=Scarlett's Strike Force
transformers vs visionaries|transformers vs. visionaries=Transformers vs. Visionaries
requiem of the wreckers|transformers requiem of the wreckers|transformers: requiem of the wreckers=Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers
maximum dinobots|transformers maximum dinobots|transformers: maximum dinobots|the transformers maximum dinobots|maximum dinobots=Maximum Dinobots
all hail megatron|transformers all hail megatron|transformers: all hail megatron|the transformers all hail megatron|all hail megatron=All Hail Megatron
the transformers|the transformers (ongoing)|the transformers (idw)=IDW The Transformers
wreckers|last stand of the wreckers|transformers last stand of the wreckers|transformers: last stand of the wreckers|the transformers last stand of the wreckers|last stand of the wreckers=Last Stand of the Wreckers
transformers drift|transformers: drift|the transformers drift|drifteos|drift:eos|drift: empire of stone|transformers drift: empire of stone|transformers: drift: empire of stone|the transformers drift: empire of stone|drift: empire of stone|transformers drift: origins and empires|transformers drift: origins & empires|origins and empires|origins & empires=Drift
heart of darkness|transformers heart of darkness|transformers: heart of darkness|the transformers heart of darkness|heart of darkness=Heart of Darkness
tdoop|death of optimus prime|the death of optimus prime|transformers: the death of optimus prime=The Death of Optimus Prime
more than meets the eye|transformers: more than meets the eye=IDW More than Meets the Eye
robots in disguise|transformers: robots in disguise|ongoing2|exrid|the transformers (idw) vol. 2=IDW Robots in Disguise (2012)
dark cybertron=Dark Cybertron
the transformers: windblade|windblade2|windblade2015|the transformers: windblade vol. 2|the transformers: windblade (2015)=Windblade
transformers vs gi joe|transformers vs. g.i. joe=Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
sotw|wreckers2|sins of the wreckers|transformers sins of the wreckers|transformers: sins of the wreckers|the transformers sins of the wreckers|the transformers: sins of the wreckers=Sins of the Wreckers
lost light|transformers lost light|the transformers lost light|transformers: lost light|the transformers: lost light=Lost Light
till all are one|Till All Are One|transformers till all are one|transformers: till all are one|the transformers till all are one|the transformers: till all are one=Till All Are One
revolution=Revolution
revolutionaries=Revolutionaries
action man=Action Man
gijoe5|g.i. joe vol 5|g.i. joe vol. 5|g.i. joe volume 5|g.i. joe (vol. 5)|g.i. joe (volume 5)=G.I. Joe vol. 5
g.i. joe idw collection=G.I. Joe: The IDW Collection
first strike=First Strike
hasbro heroes sourcebook=Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook
micronauts=Micronauts
wrath of karza|micronauts wrath of karza|micronauts: wrath of karza=Micronauts: Wrath of Karza
rom=ROM
rom dire wraiths|rom: dire wraiths=Rom: Dire Wraiths
romamn|rom&mn|rom and the micronauts|rom & the micronauts=Rom & the Micronauts
rom vs transformers|shining armor|rom vs. transformers|rom vs transformers: shining armor|rom vs. transformers: shining armor=Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor
m.a.s.k.|m. a. s. k.|mask mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k. mobile armored strike kommand|mask: mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k.: mobile armored strike command=M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand
scarletts strike force|scarlett's strike force=Scarlett's Strike Force
transformers vs visionaries|transformers vs. visionaries=Transformers vs. Visionaries
requiem of the wreckers|transformers requiem of the wreckers|transformers: requiem of the wreckers=Requiem of the Wreckers
Outside the Ark, Optimus Prime presents to the Autobots their newest member: the titanic Omega Supreme, constructed by Grapple and brought to life by the Creation Matrix. Omega is to serve as protector of the Ark, and with his construction, the Autobots are free to mount a raid on the Decepticons' coal mine base. The purpose of the mission is not combat, however, but to stay only long enough to lure out Devastator, in order to scan him and duplicate the technology used to create combining robots. Long denied the chance for action, the Dinobots refuse to take part in a mission in which they cannot fight their enemies, and, convinced of Optimus Prime's worthlessness as a leader, Grimlock and his men secede from the Autobot ranks, marching off into the Oregon wilderness to seek their own path.
Meanwhile, at the coal mine, the Constructicons—recently found and brought back into the fold by Shockwave—complete the installation of armed fortifications to turn the encampment into a proper base of operations. Co-leaders Megatron and Shockwave continue to bicker, with Shockwave mocking the perceived pointlessness of Megatron's exploitation of Donny Finkleberg's "Robot-Master" hoax, until Megatron departs with Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Rumble, and Frenzy to greet the Decepticons from Cybertron who are expected to be arriving shortly via the space bridge.
I am the terror that FLAPS in the NIGHT!
The Autobots roll out for the Decepticon base, deploying their stealth measures as they pass through the streets of Wyoming to ensure they draw no unwarranted attention. Skids, however, is distracted by the wonders of the human world around him, from the music on his radio to the sights on the streets, and accidentally clips irate motorist Jake Dalrymple's expensive Lamborghini. Under orders from Prime not to stop, Skids is forced to drive on, leading the furious Jake and his put-upon girlfriend Frannie to pursue him and the rest of the Autobots as they head on towards the Decepticon base. Entry to the mine remains barricaded by the military, but the Autobots simply run the barricade and initiate their attack; Jake and Frannie, on the other hand, are brought to a halt by the armed soldiers.
Concurrently, Megatron's team discovers that a group of Autobots have crossed the bridge instead of Decepticons. He is about to lead an attack on the newcomers when Soundwave radios him to alert him to the Autobot attack on their base. Presuming the Ark must be undermanned, Megatron tries to take advantage of the situation by attacking the Autobots' spaceship, but of course, he has not reckoned with Omega Supreme; the giant Autobot soundly defeats his squad, and only Megatron and Laserbeak escape with their lives, as the rest of the Decepticons are offlined and have their bodies taken into Autobot custody.
Back at the Decepticon base, Donny Finkleberg decides to attempt an escape when Shockwave orders the Constructicons to merge into Devastator. Spying from nearby, Bumblebee scans Devastator as he forms, and the Autobots, having gained the information they were looking for, withdraw. As the heroes pull out, however, Dalrymple spots Skids and jumps into his path, trying to flag him down so he can explain his story to the soldiers. Skids swerves, leaving him wide open for a proton missile fired by Ravage, who has pursued Finkleberg out of the mine. Skids tumbles down the rock face, and Optimus Prime is forced to watch him fall, knowing that if the Autobots stop to help him, they endanger the success of their important mission.
Presently, the battered Megatron returns, met with accusations of gross incompetence from Shockwave. Reasoning that the Autobots' strange attack-and-retreat tactic masked an ulterior motive, Megatron offers a counterpoint: while he may have unwittingly walked into a trap at the Ark, Shockwave sat and did nothing while a trap sprang up around him! After a moment of pained deliberation, Shockwave accepts that Megatron's argument is sound, and Shockwave cedes command of the Decepticons back to him.
The Autobots return to the Ark, enthusiastic over their victory... all save Optimus Prime, who cannot celebrate in the face of the presumed loss of Skids' life. But back in Wyoming, music is still playing on the radio within Skids' wrecked form...
"Should I try again to persuade him?"
"No. Megatron is our commander. He has made his decision and must live by it... or, perhaps, die by it."
—Soundwave and Shockwave
"Prepare to meet your manufacturer, Decepticons!"
"Wh-who are you?!" "I am the guardian of the gates... the junction of your destruction... the laser lighting the way to your doom... the planner of your obsolescence... the furnace that fires your demise... I am the number you cannot compute, Decepticon."
—Omega Supreme introduces himself to Megatron
"I will now allow you a few moments to beg for your life before I execute you for gross incompetence."
"Beg? It is you who should beg me, Shockwave -- for my forgiveness! If I am to be faulted for running into a trap, consider this -- you sat here and watched as a trap sprang up around you!"
—Shockwave vs. Megatron in a war of words
"As for the Decepticons lost today, they mean nothing! They can be replaced!"
The entire active roster of Autobots attends the unveiling of Omega Supreme; despite being functional when last seen, Bluestreak and Mirage have disappeared.
Omega Supreme's construction is revealed to have been the "project" Optimus Prime asked Grapple to undertake in issue #14, though the footnote in this issue pointing that out oddly acts as if we should have known this already.
Having both been shown by issue #14 to have remained active following the events of issue #12 which offlined so many of their fellow 1984 characters, Mirage and Bluestreak disappear from the series with this issue without explanation. Optimus Prime's dialog seems to indicate that all the available Autobots would be participating in the attack, but they are nowhere to be seen; further, Ratchet says he has over a dozen Autobots in the repair bay, when previously, he had only the even dozen that were injured in issue #12. Either the pair have been injured in a battle we didn't see, or they've retroactively been placed on the injured list.
The Dinobots reappear for the first time since their introduction in issue #8. Their disappearance into off-panel limbo is papered over here by some dialogue from Grimlock, which sees him note that Optimus has prohibited them from joining the other Autobots in battle because their alternate modes would make them "stand out among humans".
This issue sees Rumble, Frenzy, and the Constructicons rejoin the Decepticon forces, having previously been missing during the period of Decepticon instability that has seen the faction scattered across the last half-dozen or so issues. Shockwave specifically notes he had to "find and bring back" the Constructicons; Rumble and Frenzy's absence is not remarked upon.
The Autobots deploy the "stealth" modifications previously seen in issue #14, hiding their insignia and deploying their facsimile construct drivers. Skids misses the order to do so because he's distracted listening to music, a fondness for which he picked up in the same issue.
Having spoken perfectly normally in his previous appearance, Grimlock starts adopting the caveman-like speech patterns of his cartooncounterpart in this issue. It's a mild beginning, amounting to only a few dropped definite and indefinite articles that are inconspicuous enough that you might not even notice them; he's not gone full "Me Grimlock!" yet.
Skids is missing the red stripe on the side of his vehicle mode throughout this issue. It is intermittently colored blue like the rest of his body, or left uncolored white.
The cover colors Skywarp and Rumble as grey instead of their usual blue-black; Skywarp has blue trim instead of purple. Rumble and Frenzy both have yellow weapons, and Frenzy has yellow eyes. Starscream has red tailfins with blue decals, instead of blue fins with red stripes.
Page 1: A dodgy color separation job makes Grapple's gun-hand appear greenish instead of blue-black.
Page 2, panel 6: The side of Skids' helmet ridge is left partially uncolored white.
Page 3:
Panel 3: Grimlock's eyes are left uncolored white (like the rest of the Dinobots) instead of their normal red.
Panel 4: Skids' gun is colored red (as if it were his fist) instead of pale blue/white.
Page 6, panel 1: The Autobots are shown driving six abreast down the streets of a Wyoming town. Smokescreen has a yellow panel on his hood that shouldn't be there.
Page 7, panel 3: Jake's car is drawn as a Lamborghini Countach (also popular with many Transformers), but the doors are hinged like normal car doors (right). On a real Countach they should open vertically, scissor-style.
Page 9, panel 2: In mid-transform, Tracks's trunk is colored red instead of blue.
Page 10, panel 3: Blaster is colored like Optimus Prime.
Page 11, panel 6: Skids' upper legs are colored the same blue as his lower legs (though in this panel, they're a faded purple to indicate he's in the distance).
Page 12:
Panel 2: Skids' upper legs are the same blue as his lower legs again.
Panel 3: Skids' face is blue, and his gun is red again.
Panel 7: Devastator's chest shield is colored green instead of purple.
Page 13:
Panel 1: Devastator's Decepticon insignia is Autobot-red.
Panel 4: Now Devastator's insignia is uncolored white! Also, Smokescreen's head is colored pale blue/grey instead of its regular blue, as if it was part of his shoulder guns.
Panel 5: Smokescreen's head is still miscolored, and now his fist is red instead of blue.
Megatron's carefully laid plans come to fruition.
Page 14:
Panel 2: Skids' upper legs are blue again, and his torso is solid red.
Panel 5: Soundwave's visor is colored pale purple like the rest of his helmet instead of its usual yellow.
Page 15, panel 5: The fronts of Megatron's legs, as well as his feet, are colored blue-black instead of white.
Page 16:
Panels 3-4: Omega Supreme has gained some grey panels on the front of his torso that should be red. Also, despite the fact that his face was colored in its correct red back on page 2, in both these panels and for the rest of the issue, it's colored grey like the rest of his helmet and body (see right)
Panel 4: Megatron's blue-black has become a dark purple, and his whole torso is also that color instead of white (again, see right) His feet are also still miscolored.
Page 17:
Panels 2 & 4: Starscream and Thundercracker are indistinguishable when they are destroyed by Omega Supreme, both colored blue-black.
Panel 5: Laserbeak is colored as Buzzsaw when Omega Supreme wings him.
Panel 6: Megatron's blue-black is back to its correct shade, but his torso is still wrongly colored in that color. His feet are still miscolored.
Page 18, panels 3 & 6: Omega Supreme's right arm is colored entirely yellow; only his claw and upper arm should be this color, while his forearm should be grey.
Page 19, panel 2: Omega Supreme's helmet is red instead of grey.
Page 20, panel 3: Laserbeak is incredibly fat as he perches on Shockwave's arm.
Page 21, panel 2: Laserbeak's beak is red instead of pale blue.
Page 22, panel 2: Jetfire's face is red instead of white.
Due to the fact that the Dinobots have been active in multiple UK-exclusive stories since their last appearance in US material, Grimlock's complaint that the team never sees any action doesn't fit with UK continuity. Hence, his dialogue is altered for the UK reprint to become solely about their dissatisfaction with Optimus Prime's leadership (see right). Additionally, rather than leave the Autobot forces outright, Grimlock merely orders the Dinobots to return to the Ark to talk, setting up the events of the next UK-exclusive story in issues #74-77. All this new dialogue for Grimlock is written with "normal" speech, in-keeping with all his other UK appearances, instead of the cartoon-caveman dialect that the US stories begin using with this issue.
Similarly, while the Constructicons have not been seen in US material since US issue #10, UK-exclusive stories have shown them to be part of Shockwave's camp for some time. Consequently, Shockwave's claim that he "found and brought back" the Constructicons is edited for the UK reprint so that he is complimenting their work on the base, rather than his boasting about his own accomplishment (again, see right).
Autobots: 10 members of Optimus Prime's forces confirmed active after Omega Supreme comes online; Skids missing in action; 5 rogue Dinobots; 7 wayward arrivals from Cybertron; Bluestreak and Mirage disappear, implied to have joined the 12 offline in repair bay. (37 total)
Decepticons: 11 active; Skywarp, Thundercracker, Starscream, Rumble, Frenzy, and Buzzsaw taken offline by Omega Supreme and stored in the Ark. (17 total)
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 Definitive G1 Collection. (n.b. not all the changes made in IDW's The Transformers Classics are present in the Definitive G1 Collection in this instance. Where they differ, a note has been made below.)
"Remastering" makes Omega's shadows lighter than the rest of his body, among other weird changes.Don't rise, Blastimus Prime.
As is standard for this series, Soundwave is "corrected" from his purple Marvel color scheme to toy-and-cartoon accurate blue. (change not present in Hachette edition)
Throughout the issue, in another great example of the inconsistency of the "reconstruction", the dark grey used to shade areas of Omega Supreme's pale grey body is "remastered" into a pale purple, standing out as lighter against his body instead of darker (see right).
On the cover:
Skywarp's blue trim is changed to purple. (change not present in Hachette edition)
Starscream's right rear tailfin has become colored pale blue like the rest of him while his left one remains the same red it was before, and his Decepticon insignias have lost their purple color and also become pale blue.
Page 1:
Optimus Prime's mouthplate has become miscolored the same pale yellow as the background.
Grapple's greenish gun hand becomes "corrected" to solid orange instead of blue-black.
Page 2
Panel 1: The "nose" of Omega's Autobot insignia is now uncolored. The blue-black of his tank treads has become the same pale purple that's been subbed in for dark grey, and the fully dark-grey front of his tank mode has now become half grey, half pale purple (again, see right). Worse, the once sharp inks for Optimus Prime, Grapple and Ratchet standing in the background (which are still block colored blue) have sorely eroded.
Panel 6: Skids' helmet ridge is fully colored.
Page 3:
Panel 3: Swoop's white hi-lights are removed, giving him grey eyes and teeth.
Panel 4: The right side of Skids' pelvis has become white like his upper leg, instead of blue.
Panel 5: Skids is block-colored purple in this panel, but the "remaster" erases the purple area under his neck, giving him the impression of being a head floating behind Optimus Prime.
Page 5, panel 7: Some slightly iffy color separation on the original printing that saw yellow ink bleeding out of Starscream's red parts is blown way out of proportion here, giving him full-on yellow stripes and highlights.
Page 9, panel 2: The yellow details on Optimus Prime's pelvis are erased.
Page 10, panel 3: Blaster's colors are corrected (right). (change not present in Hachette edition)
Page 12:
Panel 1: Optimus's yellow pelvis details are gone again.
Panel 5: The screentones used to shade Mixmaster and Long Haul as they combine are erased; Long Haul is just colored a slightly darker shade of green instead.
Page 13: Rather than correct Devastator's red insignia, the uncolored one from panel 4 is now colored red to match it. Siiigh.
Page 14: There's a large empty spot on Ravage's cheek that's not part of the original lineart. Evidently this is another issue that was remastered from a damaged copy where the lineart had been partially erased; in filling-in that empty spot blue-black like the rest of Ravage, the reprint also incorrectly colors in his white eye the same color.
Page 15, panel 6: Having apparently used scans from a smudged copy as the basis for the remaster again, the "B" in "Durabyllium" became an "S", thus making the name of the metal in this version "Durasyllium".
Page 20: In perhaps the perfect example of the frustrating inconsistency of the remastering on this series, observe how Megatron's blue-black shifts from solid blue on page 18 to a more greenish hue on this page. He was the same color throughout the original, and this page is more reflective of those colors. Also, the shading on Shockwave's thighs becomes a muddy brown-purple.
{{#if: Asses: handed to Decepticons. |
US issue #19 - The Decepticons look on in horror as Omega Supreme shoots Some Guy.
UK issue #70 - The cover lets you know that in this issue, Autobots fight Decepticons.
UK issue #71 - Oh yes. Ha ha. I see what you did there...
The Transformers Comics Magazine #10 (Marvel US, 1988)
Transformers: Showdown paperback (Titan Books, 2003)
Transformers: Showdown hardback (Titan Books, 2003)
Classic Transformers Volume 2 (IDW Publishing, 2008)
The Transformers Classics, Vol. 2 (IDW Publishing, 2012)
The Definitive G1 Collection, Vol. 5: The Smelting Pool (Hachette Partworks, Ltd., 2019)
