Drift - Empire of Stone issue 1: Difference between revisions
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|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]] | |letters by=[[Tom B. Long]] | ||
|editor=[[John Barber]] | |editor=[[John Barber]] | ||
|continuity=[[ | |continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity]] | ||
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]] | |chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
==Synopsis== | ==Synopsis== | ||
Ever since leaving the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] has been bouncing around the outer rim of the galaxy, taking out rogue [[Decepticon]]s who have been causing trouble on alien worlds. It is on one such world that we now join the ex-[[Autobot]], as he saves a young alien boy and his father from Decepticon fire, before diving for cover in the cerise waters of the ocean. At the orders of their commander, [[ | Ever since leaving the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] has been bouncing around the outer rim of the galaxy, taking out rogue [[Decepticon]]s who have been causing trouble on alien worlds. It is on one such world that we now join the ex-[[Autobot]], as he saves a young alien boy and his father from Decepticon fire, before diving for cover in the cerise waters of the ocean. At the orders of their commander, [[Grit]], the two [[Decepticon desperadoes|Decepticon gunmen]] fire into the water, but Drift is too good for them, bursting out of the ocean, and taking them both down with a series of well-aimed kicks, punches, and sword-swipes. Grit draws a gun on him, and the pair size each other up for a moment before making their moves; Drift outpaces Grit's blasts and quickly subdues him. | ||
The defeated Decepticons are paraded before the aliens they tried to oppress, then loaded onto Drift's shuttle. Grit assumes Drift is taking them back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], but is horrified to discover he plans to hand them over to the [[Galactic Council]], which hates Transformers. When the shuttle arrives at council [[outpost WHZ-745]], Drift gets a surprise of his own: [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW | The defeated Decepticons are paraded before the aliens they tried to oppress, then loaded onto [[Drift's shuttle]]. Grit assumes Drift is taking them back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], but is horrified to discover he plans to hand them over to the [[Galactic Council]], which hates Transformers. When the shuttle arrives at council [[outpost WHZ-745]], Drift gets a surprise of his own: [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] has tracked him down, and has come to bring him back to the ''Lost Light''. Drift refuses, content with his current path, causing Grit to scoff audibly; there are more Decepticons out there than Drift realizes, he claims, but will say no more than that. Ratchet tries to get the details out of him by offering to take him back to Cybertron, rather than leave him with the council, but even that is not enough to sway Grit... but it ''is'' enough to convince his two flunkies to cough up the details instead. After a brief argument, Drift relents and allows Ratchet to accompany him as they scout out the location provided, and the pair set off. | ||
As Drift's battered little shuttle arrives at the designated world, a scan of the planet reveals only faint readings, suggesting nothing big is down there. Alas, this is quickly proven untrue when a huge energy blast shoots up from the planet and nails the shuttle, bringing it crashing down to the surface in flames. Ratchet, Drift, and Grit emerge from the shuttle just seconds before it is blown up by a missile attack from a small squad of Decepticons. Hurled clear by the blast, Ratchet and Drift watch as Grit is surrounded by the Decepticons, who suspect him of being a traitor simply because he was on a ship with Autobots. Refusing to let the Decepticon be executed, Drift springs into action, and when he starts to struggle against his foes, Ratchet comes to his aid. The fight is soon brought to an abrupt conclusion, however, when another, larger squad of Decepticons arrives, and Drift, Ratchet, and Grit are taken into custody. They are marched back to the Decepticons' base, a large stone castle that Drift appears to recognize, and presented to the [[ | As Drift's battered little shuttle arrives at the designated world, a scan of the planet reveals only faint readings, suggesting nothing big is down there. Alas, this is quickly proven untrue when a huge energy blast shoots up from the planet and nails the shuttle, bringing it crashing down to the surface in flames. Ratchet, Drift, and Grit emerge from the shuttle just seconds before it is blown up by a missile attack from a small squad of Decepticons. Hurled clear by the blast, Ratchet and Drift watch as Grit is surrounded by the Decepticons, who suspect him of being a traitor simply because he was on a ship with Autobots. Refusing to let the Decepticon be executed, Drift springs into action, and when he starts to struggle against his foes, Ratchet comes to his aid. The fight is soon brought to an abrupt conclusion, however, when another, larger squad of Decepticons arrives, and Drift, Ratchet, and Grit are taken into custody. They are marched back to the Decepticons' base, a large stone castle that Drift appears to recognize, and presented to the [[Megatron (RID)|Decepticons' leader]], who welcomes "Deadlock" back into the fold, and expects him to join them in tearing the star system apart! | ||
==Featured characters== | ==Featured characters== | ||
{{featuredcharacters | {{featuredcharacters | ||
|c1= | |c1= | ||
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW | * [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] (7) | ||
|c2= | |c2= | ||
*[[Decepticon desperadoes]] (4, 6) | * [[Decepticon desperadoes]] (4, 6) | ||
*[[ | * [[Grit]] (5) | ||
*[[ | * [[Vanquish]] (8) | ||
*[[ | * [[Megatron (RID)|Gigatron]] (9) | ||
*[[Hellbat ( | * [[Hellbat (G1)|Hellbat]] (10) | ||
|c4= | |c4= | ||
*Alien boy (1) | * Alien boy (1) | ||
*Alien man (2) | * Alien man (2) | ||
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (3) | * [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (3) | ||
}} | }} | ||
| Line 76: | Line 76: | ||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
===Continuity notes=== | ===Continuity notes=== | ||
*''Empire of Stone'' catches up with Drift following his departure from the ''[[Lost Light]]'' around a year and a half prior to the publication of this story, in [[The Gloaming|''More than Meets the Eye'' #16]]. Meanwhile, Ratchet's departure from the ''Lost Light'' to bring Drift back would not be portrayed until nearly half a year later in [[Our Steps Will Always Rhyme|''More than Meets the Eye'' #40]]. | * ''Empire of Stone'' catches up with Drift following his departure from the ''[[Lost Light]]'' around a year and a half prior to the publication of this story, in [[The Gloaming|''More than Meets the Eye'' #16]]. Meanwhile, Ratchet's departure from the ''Lost Light'' to bring Drift back would not be portrayed until nearly half a year later in [[Our Steps Will Always Rhyme|''More than Meets the Eye'' #40]]. | ||
*The Galactic Council has been an occasional presence in ''More than Meets the Eye'', first showing up in [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the 2012 annual]]. The hatred of Transformers by other races, though, dates back to [[Spotlight: Drift|Drift's own original ''Spotlight'' issue]]. | * It would appear that the Autobot shuttle Drift has in this issue is the same one he had in ''More than Meets the Eye'' #16, though it is not clear whether the different coloring is the result of in-universe modification, artistic license, or error. | ||
*Vanquish previously appeared in a vision experienced by [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] in [[Windblade issue 4|issue #4 of her self-titled mini-series]]. However, see Errors. | * The Galactic Council has been an occasional presence in ''More than Meets the Eye'', first showing up in [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the 2012 annual]]. The hatred of Transformers by other races, though, dates back to [[Spotlight: Drift|Drift's own original ''Spotlight'' issue]]. | ||
* Vanquish previously appeared in a vision experienced by [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] in [[Windblade issue 4|issue #4 of her self-titled mini-series]]. However, see "Errors". | |||
===Transformers references=== | ===Transformers references=== | ||
[[File:VictoryMicroCriminalsEp18.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67]] | [[File:VictoryMicroCriminalsEp18.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|Its about time we finally get to see some action.{{-}}Still waiting to get names though...]] | ||
*The twin Decepticons working under Grit are a pair of desperadoes from the [[The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber|first episode]] of the ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'' anime. | * The twin Decepticons working under Grit are a pair of desperadoes from the [[The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber|first episode]] of the ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'' anime. | ||
*The team of Decepticons who Ratchet and Drift battle are also from the ''Victory'' anime; they appear among a crowd of [[generic]]s in the episode "[[Rescue! Guyhawk]]" (pictured). | * The team of Decepticons who Ratchet and Drift battle are also from the ''Victory'' anime; they appear among a crowd of [[generic]]s in the episode "[[Rescue! Guyhawk]]" (pictured). | ||
*Continuing the ''Victory'' theme is an appearance by [[Hellbat ( | * Continuing the ''Victory'' theme is an appearance by [[Hellbat (G1)|Hellbat]], one of the main ''Victory'' Decepticons, making his first appearance in Western fiction, outside of [[BotCon]] comics. | ||
*The leader of this team of Decepticons is a Generation 1 incarnation of [[Megatron (RID)|''Robots in Disguise'' Megatron]], with the only real difference being the presence of Decepticon symbols on his shoulders. He is unnamed this issue; issue #2 would reveal his name to be "Gigatron", which is the ''Robots in Disguise'' character's Japanese name. | * The leader of this team of Decepticons is a Generation 1 incarnation of [[Megatron (RID)|''Robots in Disguise'' Megatron]], with the only real difference being the presence of Decepticon symbols on his shoulders. He is unnamed this issue; issue #2 would reveal his name in this continuity to be "Gigatron", which is the ''Robots in Disguise'' character's original Japanese name. | ||
===Errors=== | ===Errors=== | ||
*While it is not unusual to see a character who is traditionally a [[Micromaster]] appearing as a full-size Transformer—the same having happened with [[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]] over in ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]''—it ''is'' a little odd to see Grit and Vanquish chosen to be treated this way over the many other possible Micromasters who could have taken their roles. This is because they are normally [[Micromaster Combiner|Micromaster ''Combiners'']], and [[Windblade issue 4|''Windblade'' #4]] ''just'' got through establishing that the IDW version of Micromaster Combiners hail from [[Devisiun|a colony world of their own]], separate from the war, with no Autobots or Decepticons. It's not really an error in the case of Grit (just a very odd choice), but Vanquish actually ''appeared'' in the aforementioned ''Windblade'' issue. We could perhaps rationalize, however, that the colonist Vanquish in ''Windblade'' vol. 1 #4 is his | * On the second page, as Drift dives into the water, part of his arm that should be white is miscolored gray. | ||
*Ratchet says that Drift was "just following orders" when he took the fall for [[Hot Rod/IDW | * While it is not unusual to see a character who is traditionally a [[Micromaster]] appearing as a full-size Transformer—the same having happened with [[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]] over in ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]''—it ''is'' a little odd to see Grit and Vanquish chosen to be treated this way over the many other possible Micromasters who could have taken their roles. This is because they are normally [[Micromaster Combiner|Micromaster ''Combiners'']], and [[Windblade issue 4|''Windblade'' vol. 1 #4]] ''just'' got through establishing that the IDW version of Micromaster Combiners hail from [[Devisiun (planet)|a colony world of their own]], separate from the war, with no Autobots or Decepticons. It's not really an error in the case of Grit (just a very odd choice), but Vanquish actually ''appeared'' in the aforementioned ''Windblade'' issue. We could perhaps rationalize, however, that the colonist Vanquish in ''Windblade'' vol. 1 #4 is his Autobot ''Return of Convoy'' counterpart. | ||
* Ratchet says that Drift was "just following orders" when he took the fall for [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] after the Overlord fiasco; in actuality, Drift ''volunteered'' to do so. | |||
===Covers (3)=== | ===Covers (3)=== | ||
*'''Regular cover:''' Drift, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]] | * '''Regular cover:''' Drift, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]] | ||
*'''Subscription cover:''' A blank cover for sketches | * '''Subscription cover:''' A blank cover for sketches | ||
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' A pencil drawing of Drift and Ratchet in "another fine mess", by [[Guido Guidi]], designed to look like one of IDW's ''Artist's Edition'' books, including visible page border. | * '''30th Anniversary cover:''' A pencil drawing of Drift and Ratchet in "another fine mess", by [[Guido Guidi]], designed to look like one of IDW's ''Artist's Edition'' books, including visible page border. | ||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
File:DriftEOS1 regcvr.jpg| | File:DriftEOS1 regcvr.jpg| | ||
| Line 102: | Line 105: | ||
===Advertisements=== | ===Advertisements=== | ||
*''Empire of Stone'' #2 | * ''Empire of Stone'' #2 | ||
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|#35]] | * ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|#35]] | ||
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|#35]] | * ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]'' [[Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|#35]] | ||
*''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 4|#4]] | * ''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' [[Primacy issue 4|#4]] | ||
*''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'' graphic novel | * ''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'' graphic novel | ||
*''More than Meets the Eye'' and ''Robots in Disguise'' graphic novels | * ''More than Meets the Eye'' and ''Robots in Disguise'' graphic novels | ||
*''Machi Koro'' | * ''Machi Koro'' | ||
*''[[Angry Birds Transformers (comic)|Angry Birds Transformers]]'' (back cover) | * ''[[Angry Birds Transformers (comic)|Angry Birds Transformers]]'' (back cover) | ||
===Reprints=== | |||
<small>Other than [[The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone#Collections|reprints of the full series]]</small> | |||
* N/A | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[http://tformers.com/idw-comics-preview-drift-empire-of-stone-1/25237/news.html Preview] | * [http://tformers.com/idw-comics-preview-drift-empire-of-stone-1/25237/news.html Preview] | ||
Latest revision as of 01:28, 4 August 2023
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | November 26, 2014 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | November 2014 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Shane McCarthy | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Guido Guidi | ||||||||||||
| Inks by | Stephen Baskerville | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | John-Paul Bove | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Tom B. Long | ||||||||||||
| Editor | John Barber | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | 2005 IDW continuity | ||||||||||||
| Chronology | Current era (2014) | ||||||||||||
After capturing a trio of troublemaking Decepticons, the wandering Drift is joined by Ratchet to investigate the larger threat they warn of.
Synopsis
[edit]Ever since leaving the Lost Light, Drift has been bouncing around the outer rim of the galaxy, taking out rogue Decepticons who have been causing trouble on alien worlds. It is on one such world that we now join the ex-Autobot, as he saves a young alien boy and his father from Decepticon fire, before diving for cover in the cerise waters of the ocean. At the orders of their commander, Grit, the two Decepticon gunmen fire into the water, but Drift is too good for them, bursting out of the ocean, and taking them both down with a series of well-aimed kicks, punches, and sword-swipes. Grit draws a gun on him, and the pair size each other up for a moment before making their moves; Drift outpaces Grit's blasts and quickly subdues him.
The defeated Decepticons are paraded before the aliens they tried to oppress, then loaded onto Drift's shuttle. Grit assumes Drift is taking them back to Cybertron, but is horrified to discover he plans to hand them over to the Galactic Council, which hates Transformers. When the shuttle arrives at council outpost WHZ-745, Drift gets a surprise of his own: Ratchet has tracked him down, and has come to bring him back to the Lost Light. Drift refuses, content with his current path, causing Grit to scoff audibly; there are more Decepticons out there than Drift realizes, he claims, but will say no more than that. Ratchet tries to get the details out of him by offering to take him back to Cybertron, rather than leave him with the council, but even that is not enough to sway Grit... but it is enough to convince his two flunkies to cough up the details instead. After a brief argument, Drift relents and allows Ratchet to accompany him as they scout out the location provided, and the pair set off.
As Drift's battered little shuttle arrives at the designated world, a scan of the planet reveals only faint readings, suggesting nothing big is down there. Alas, this is quickly proven untrue when a huge energy blast shoots up from the planet and nails the shuttle, bringing it crashing down to the surface in flames. Ratchet, Drift, and Grit emerge from the shuttle just seconds before it is blown up by a missile attack from a small squad of Decepticons. Hurled clear by the blast, Ratchet and Drift watch as Grit is surrounded by the Decepticons, who suspect him of being a traitor simply because he was on a ship with Autobots. Refusing to let the Decepticon be executed, Drift springs into action, and when he starts to struggle against his foes, Ratchet comes to his aid. The fight is soon brought to an abrupt conclusion, however, when another, larger squad of Decepticons arrives, and Drift, Ratchet, and Grit are taken into custody. They are marched back to the Decepticons' base, a large stone castle that Drift appears to recognize, and presented to the Decepticons' leader, who welcomes "Deadlock" back into the fold, and expects him to join them in tearing the star system apart!
Featured characters
[edit](Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Others |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Quotes
[edit]"Cybertronians handle our own in house. 'Cons and 'Bots. We don't involve outsiders. That's the rule."
"Here's a rule. Be shoosh. How's that for a rule? Is that a fun rule?"
- —Grit and Drift
"I'm a Decepticon. I am strong and I am powerful. Torture me, lock me up... I don't care. You can make me stew in a Galactic Council prison for a million years and I ain't ever gonna rat."
"I'll rat! Can I rat?"
"Me too! I'll rat as well please."
- —Grit and his flunkies
"Not getting much of a readout from the planet."
"That's because half your sensors aren't working. What happened to all of this?"
"Adventures happened, okay? Amazing adventures happened to it."
- —Drift and Ratchet
"'Light readings.' 'Not much in the way of tech.'"
"You know, you shouldn't live in the past. There is only the true moment in which we're currently living."
"You talk like that to deliberately annoy me, don't you?"
"Pretty much."
- —Ratchet and Drift
"There's no point in living if you sacrifice everything you are to do it."
- —Drift
Notes
[edit]Continuity notes
[edit]- Empire of Stone catches up with Drift following his departure from the Lost Light around a year and a half prior to the publication of this story, in More than Meets the Eye #16. Meanwhile, Ratchet's departure from the Lost Light to bring Drift back would not be portrayed until nearly half a year later in More than Meets the Eye #40.
- It would appear that the Autobot shuttle Drift has in this issue is the same one he had in More than Meets the Eye #16, though it is not clear whether the different coloring is the result of in-universe modification, artistic license, or error.
- The Galactic Council has been an occasional presence in More than Meets the Eye, first showing up in the 2012 annual. The hatred of Transformers by other races, though, dates back to Drift's own original Spotlight issue.
- Vanquish previously appeared in a vision experienced by Windblade in issue #4 of her self-titled mini-series. However, see "Errors".
Transformers references
[edit]
Still waiting to get names though...
- The twin Decepticons working under Grit are a pair of desperadoes from the first episode of the Victory anime.
- The team of Decepticons who Ratchet and Drift battle are also from the Victory anime; they appear among a crowd of generics in the episode "Rescue! Guyhawk" (pictured).
- Continuing the Victory theme is an appearance by Hellbat, one of the main Victory Decepticons, making his first appearance in Western fiction, outside of BotCon comics.
- The leader of this team of Decepticons is a Generation 1 incarnation of Robots in Disguise Megatron, with the only real difference being the presence of Decepticon symbols on his shoulders. He is unnamed this issue; issue #2 would reveal his name in this continuity to be "Gigatron", which is the Robots in Disguise character's original Japanese name.
Errors
[edit]- On the second page, as Drift dives into the water, part of his arm that should be white is miscolored gray.
- While it is not unusual to see a character who is traditionally a Micromaster appearing as a full-size Transformer—the same having happened with Fixit over in Robots in Disguise—it is a little odd to see Grit and Vanquish chosen to be treated this way over the many other possible Micromasters who could have taken their roles. This is because they are normally Micromaster Combiners, and Windblade vol. 1 #4 just got through establishing that the IDW version of Micromaster Combiners hail from a colony world of their own, separate from the war, with no Autobots or Decepticons. It's not really an error in the case of Grit (just a very odd choice), but Vanquish actually appeared in the aforementioned Windblade issue. We could perhaps rationalize, however, that the colonist Vanquish in Windblade vol. 1 #4 is his Autobot Return of Convoy counterpart.
- Ratchet says that Drift was "just following orders" when he took the fall for Rodimus after the Overlord fiasco; in actuality, Drift volunteered to do so.
Covers (3)
[edit]- Regular cover: Drift, by Alex Milne and Josh Perez
- Subscription cover: A blank cover for sketches
- 30th Anniversary cover: A pencil drawing of Drift and Ratchet in "another fine mess", by Guido Guidi, designed to look like one of IDW's Artist's Edition books, including visible page border.
Advertisements
[edit]- Empire of Stone #2
- More than Meets the Eye #35
- The Transformers #35
- Primacy #4
- Windblade graphic novel
- More than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise graphic novels
- Machi Koro
- Angry Birds Transformers (back cover)
Reprints
[edit]Other than reprints of the full series
- N/A
