Legion of the Lost!

« The Transformers (UK) #166–167 »
This trip to the dentist he won't forget!
"Legion of the Lost!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	14th–21st May 1988
Cover date	21st–28th May 1988
Script	Simon Furman
Pencils	Jeff Anderson
Inks	Dave Elliott
Colour	Euan Peters
Letters	Tom Frame (#166) Annie Halfacree (#167)
Cover	Lee Sullivan (#166) Jerry Paris (#167)
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity

Flaming revelations abound whilst Springer faces the impact of his actions...

Synopsis

The Wreckers want something to fight against, so Xaaron gave a speech and they faced a new enemy: boredom.

A mysterious figure watches on his monitor as Ultra Magnus, the Sparkler Mini-Bots and Flywheels roam around the surface of Kalis, frustrated at not having discovered anything further. The figure comments that there is no one at liberty who could tell them, and that just three weeks ago nobody at all knew what was happening—until an explosion!

Three weeks ago: A massive explosion rocks the state of Kalis, taking both Autobots and Decepticons by surprise. Springer initially suspects the Decepticons, but the technicians and Emirate Xaaron have a bigger theory.

At a briefing, a technician explains how the explosion was most likely caused by the venting of a huge nuclear fission reactor, causing a 1.5 megaton blast. The damage was small, but if the whole reactor had gone up, it would have destroyed Kalis and even Cybertron itself. Springer says there are no subterranean reactors, but Xaaron responds with a tale of the past.

Millions of years earlier, Cybertron was at peace and the Decepticons considered harmless. Then Megatron rose to power and made them into an army. He declared his plans to turn Cybertron into a mobile battle station to conquer the universe, causing the war to break out.

Springer realises that such a scheme would require a huge fission reactor. Xaaron agrees and explains that there were rumours Megatron had built the reactor deep beneath Cybertron, but no one knew where. Springer and Xaaron determine to find the reactor quickly.

Hours later, they are still searching and waiting for technicians to detect anything. Springer reflects on how he's failed as leader of the Wreckers and can't live up to the legacy of Impactor. On Springer's first mission as leader, he nearly executed Optimus Prime as a traitor whereas Impactor never made mistakes, even dying to save Xaaron's life. Springer's train of thought is broken as one technician declares he has detected a large underground cavern with strong radiation readings, then another notes that their probes have been detected and multiple signals are attacking the base. A third technician has detected a high-frequency radio signal coming from below, wanting to know if it should be jammed, whilst Twin Twist declares they are under attack and wants to know what weapons should be used. All look to Springer for direction, but he is overwhelmed.

Suddenly, the base is attacked by robot zombies, who surge in and slaughter the technicians. The zombies don't stay down, and the Wreckers are overwhelmed. Springer realises this is his fault, but Sandstorm tells him he's the only one free to get Xaaron to safety. Springer worries he will have to leave the other Wreckers at the mercy of the creatures, but realises it must be done to save Xaaron. He turns to the door where another zombie stands, but can't bring himself to blast his way through, and his gun is knocked from his hand. He just can't blast... Impactor!

The Wreckers and Xaaron are now held in a cell deep underground. They are startled when Impactor's corpse enters, followed by the Autobot Flame, whom Xaaron thought was dead.

Friend Or Fiend!

Flame expresses his delight to have captured "the Chairman of the ludicrously pompous Council of Autobot Elders and his fearless commando unit, the Wreckers." Xaaron demands to be released, but Flame is still angry about what happened at Iacon's Academy of Science and Technology, where Xaaron spoke out against Flame's revised scheme to create a battle station as it was inherently dangerous, relying on flawed technology. Flame was thrown out of the academy, but explains how it didn't stop him:

Using funds he had embezzled, Flame reactivated a lab in Kalis and continued experimenting with nuclear fission, but after getting careless, he caused an explosion. Everyone assumed Flame had died, but he had been blown clear and found a tunnel leading down to Megatron's engine room. Since then, he has made everything ready and used the Decepticon computer to reactivate and control the corpses of dead Transformers to form Flame's Legion of the Lost!

Now everything is ready and Flame has captured Xaaron to brag, but Xaaron is outraged, as the reactor is old and dangerous. However, the captives are bound with inhibitor bands and Impactor's corpse easily subdues them. Flame leaves the corpse of the Wreckers' leader on guard whilst he goes to take care of other matters.

Flame checks up on the problems on the surface, only to see Ultra Magnus and Sizzle arguing because Magnus has sent Flywheels for reinforcements and Sizzle disagrees with relying on a Decepticon. Flame deduces this squabble will keep them occupied.

In the cell, Springer is near-catatonic, having succumbed to a nervous breakdown upon meeting Impactor. Xaaron tells Springer that only he can help them by using his leaping ability to reach a hatch into the ventilation ducts and get to the surface to find reinforcements. Springer has lost his self-confidence, but Xaaron argues that Springer can do it, telling him that Springer is insulting the memory of Impactor. "Fight on, Springer—fight on! It's what Impactor would have wanted!" cries Xaaron, and the words' effect is not just felt by Springer.

Springer agrees and leaps. For a moment, the corpse of Impactor hesitates, but then the computer signal takes over and he jumps on Springer. Both go through the vent. Xaaron and the other Wreckers decide to break out of the cell before Flame realises what's happened.

In the ventilation duct, Springer tries to get Impactor to remember who he was. He talks of Impactor's courage being an example to him and tells Impactor to fight back, all the while as the corpse tries to attack him. Suddenly, Impactor speaks, wanting to know what he was doing and what he has become. He wanders off as Springer determines to save Cybertron, "and this time...I won't let it down!"

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons
Flame (1) Guzzle (2) Ultra Magnus (3) Sizzle (4) Fizzle (5) Xaaron (7) Springer (8) Autobot technicians (9) Topspin (10) Twin Twist (11) Rack'n'Ruin (12 and 13) Broadside (14) Sandstorm (15) Roadbuster (17) Optimus Prime (18) Impactor (19)	Flywheels (6) Megatron (16)

Quotes

"You mean...we may have located Autobase above the biggest reactor ever built? Wonderful!"

—Springer

"So much for the Wreckers! We were all spoiling for a fight and I couldn't find the enemy! Some leader I've turned out to be!"

—Springer

"Tell me you remember, old friend. Show me there's some spark of you left alive! You're our only hope!"

—Xaaron does his best Princess Leia impression.

"They'll see. When Cybertron sets sail through the cosmos, they'll see I was right!"

—Flame, disgruntled nut.

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

• As the zombie Impactor knocks Xaaron down from behind, Flame's Autobot symbol is missing.
• Sizzle and Fizzle's robot mode colours are switched, as usual.

Continuity errors

• Flame's backstory is difficult to fit into what has previously been revealed about the war on Cybertron. Xaaron was shown as one of the Council of Elders at the start of the war, so it's hard for him to have been a university contemporary of someone who sought to revive a scheme of Megatron, whilst four million years seems a long time to have been working underground.

Continuity notes

• Roadbuster appears in a flashback to "Under Fire!" but other wise both he and Whirl are noticeably absent from the Wreckers in the present day.
• Over this story and "Meltdown!" we are introduced to only one new team (Duocons), and a UK comic only character (Flame). Compare this to the deluge of new characters across the past few months (Headmasters, Targetmasters, Seacons, Firecons, Sparkabots to name but a few).

Real-life references

• Flame's mention of "Iacon's Academy of Science and Technology" sounds similar to "Imperial College of Science & Technology" (now Imperial College London).

Back-up material

Issue #166

• Back-up strips: Action Force - "Thunder Machine" and Combat Colin
• AtoZ: Inferno and Ironhide

Issue #167

• Back-up strips: Action Force - "Thunder Machine" and Combat Colin

Covers (2)

• Issue #166: Springer and Topspin witness a nuclear explosion, art by Lee Sullivan.
• Issue #167: Zombie Impactor attacks Springer, art by Jerry Paris.

• 
  Issue #166 - They dropped the big one!
• 
  Issue #167 - Now open and say AHHHHH!

Generics

A highlight of this story is Jeff Anderson's powerful full-page depiction of the effects of a nuclear blast, portrayed through the medium of generic Transformers. For extra impact, the entire sequence is shown without speech bubbles or sound effects.

• 
  To add insult to injury, these poor sods probably make up the bulk of Flame's zombie troops too.
• 
  Gone with the wind.
• 
  Something's shaking!
• 
  And all this three years before Judgment Day.

Inside Autobase, we see some generic guards, but distinct from the parade of military heroes we normally associate with the Autobots are Xaaron's "tech boys". They are unsuited for combat, and work behind the scenes to provide the Wreckers with intelligence.

• 
  Do Transformers even have nukes? If so, why don't the Decepticons use them?
• 
  Technician required: must be skilled in Microsoft Office 2007, Excel, Word etc. Absolutely no risk of being eaten by zombies. Apply: Autobase, Kalis.

Add to this the now-usual army of generic zombies, and this story has a cast of thousandsnearly a hundred.

Reprints

• Transformers Comic-Magazin #21: an amazing neon image of Emirate Xaaron.
• 1992 Autumn Special: recolored version of issue #167, art by Jerry Paris.
• 1993 Easter Special cover: Trypticon and Flywheels attack zombies (recolored version of issue #169), art by Jeff Anderson.
• Transformers: City of Fear cover: Ultra Magnus and the Wreckers battle the zombie horde, art by Geoff Senior.

• 
  Transformers Comic-Magazin #21 (Condor Verlag, 1992)
• 
  1992 Autumn Special (Marvel Comics UK, 1992) Didn't we just see this?
• 
  1993 Easter Special (Marvel Comics UK, 1993) Party dude, excellent!
• 
  Transformers: City of Fear (Titan Books, 2004) Game over man! Game over!

• Best of UK: City of Fear Regular cover: Springer and Topspin witnessing a huge explosion, art by Andrew Griffith, colours by Joana Lafuente.
• Best of UK: City of Fear RI cover: panel from page 11 of #166, art by Jeff Anderson and Dave Elliott, colours by Euan Peters.
• Best of UK: City of Fear TPB: Trypticon blows up zombies, art by Andrew Griffith.
• The Transformers Classics UK Volume 5: The head of Unicron watches over Triton swapping his badge, Zombie Impactor attacking Springer, a fleeing Cyclonus and Scourge and an angry Flame, by Andrew Wildman.

• 
  Best of UK: City of Fear #2 Regular cover
  (IDW Publishing, 2009)
• 
  Best of UK: City of Fear #2 RI cover
  (IDW Publishing, 2009)
• 
  Best of UK: City of Fear TPB
  (IDW Publishing, 2009)
• 
  The Transformers Classics UK Volume 5 (IDW Publishing, 2014)

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 13: City of Fear: Trypticon and a zombie killing Chuffer.

• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 13: City of Fear (Hachette Partworks Ltd., 2019)