Brothers in Armor!!

« The Transformers: Headmasters #4 « The Transformers (UK) #142–145 »
To me, Spa—errr, Firebolt!
"Brothers in Armor!!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Shipping date	September 8, 1987
On-sale date	September 29, 1987
Cover date	January 1988
Writer	Bob Budiansky
Penciler	Frank Springer
Inker	Ian Akin & Brian Garvey
Colorist	Nelson Yomtov
Letterer	Jack Morelli
Editor	Don Daley
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity

To ensure the safety of Nebulos, Galen and Lord Zarak must each make a huge sacrifice.

Synopsis

With most of their opposition incapacitated, the Decepticons continue their conquest of Nebulos. Lord Zarak leads an assault on the Mercury Gardens of Melanossus, killing off a number of Autobot defenders and driving off the surviving Monsterbots. Confronted by a news crew, Zarak vehemently defends his "defense" of Nebulos, but, standing amid the smoking ruins of the Gardens, he has a moment of hesitation when asked if he considers the battle a victory for the planet.

The Monsterbots return the Autobot encampment, and report on the lost battle. The Autobots, under constant harassment from the Decepticons, have been forced to retreat into a dismal swamp, where they have been joined by several Nebulan dissidents. Hot Rod, meanwhile, reports that he's received a distress call from Autobots on some planet called Earth. When word arrives that the Decepticons are planning a takeover of the Nursery, Pointblank leads a contingent of Autobots to defend it—the same group that surrendered their weapons to the Nebulans—along with their newly bio-engineered Nebulan allies.

Held captive alongside his fellow Autobot Headmaster partners, Galen finds himself awoken from stasis by Llyra, who is both fascinated and revolted by the changes wrought in the man she loves. Zarak arrives as Llyra leaves, and taunts Galen with his victories and new power. Galen asserts that Zarak is becoming blinded by battlelust, which Zarak denies... just before running off to assault the Autobots at the Nursery.

GUNS

The Autobots arrive at the Nursery, and are introduced to the facility's role in developing food and plants for the planet's population. Just then, Scorponok and the Terrorcons burst out of the trees and attack the seemingly weaponless Autobots. The Autobots have a new trick up their sleeves, though; the six Nebulans transform into their new weapons, and the Targetmasters unleash a devastating attack on the Decepticons. The battle is a fair match, but the Nursery is being destroyed, so Pointblank orders a retreat. Zarak rails at his retreating enemies, vowing that he will destroy them and thus save Nebulos...just like he "saved" the now-ruined Nursery. Suddenly it all becomes clear...

Back at Koraja, Vorath has duplicated the Targetmaster process, creating a group of five Decepticon Targetmasters. Zarak doesn't really care; he storms straight to Galen, awakens him again, and tries to explain: Scorponok is changing him, rewriting his mind, making him do things. Zarak says he'll see Galen on the next world—Earth—and sets him and his allies free. The five Autobot Headmasters waste no time in rejoining their bodies and bashing their way to freedom. After a skirmish with the Decepticon Targetmasters, they flee.

Rejoining his allies in the swamp base, Galen explains that Zarak knew that if the Autobots leave Nebulos, the Decepticons will follow, and his world might yet be saved. The Autobots agree to this idea, and prepare to abandon the planet, heading for Earth to answer the distress call. Llyra arrives just then; having witnessed her father in the most recent battle, she has come to doubt all that he has told her about Galen and his supposed war-like nature, and seeks reconciliation. Knowing he cannot leave Nebulos while she still loves him, Galen blows her off, and she leaves in tears. The Autobots depart and the Decepticons soon follow, leaving a war-torn Nebulos to rebuild once the Transformers have left.

This story is continued in "Trial by Fire!".

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Nebulans
Doublecross (2) Grotusque (4) Repugnus (6) Crosshairs (18) Kup (19) Hot Rod (20) Blurr (21) Pointblank (22) Sureshot (29) Fortress Maximus (49) Hardhead (50) Highbrow (51) Brainstorm (52) Chromedome (53)	Mindwipe (1) Weirdwolf (3) Snapdragon (4) Apeface (5) Scorponok (7) Sixshot (14) Triggerhappy (15) Flywheels (16) Sinnertwin (34) Cutthroat (35) Blot (36) Hun-Grrr (37) Rippersnapper (38) Slugslinger (40) Scourge (41) Misfire (42) Cyclonus (43)	Spasma (8) Vorath (9) Krunk (10) Zarak (11) Monzo (12) Galen (13) Llyra (17) Pinpointer (24) Peacemaker (23) Sparks (25) Recoil (26) Haywire (27) Spoilsport (28) Duros (30) Gort (31) Arcana (32) Stylor (33) Selani (39) Blowpipe (44) Caliburst (45) Fracas (46) Aimless (47) Nightstick (48)

Quotes

Nebulan News Network reporter: "And do you consider today's battle a victory for you...and for Nebulos?"
Zarak surveys the wreckage of the Mercury Gardens, pauses.
"Yes."

"I thought you said they were weaponless, Zarak! What's that they're shooting -- bugbot repellent?"
"Shut up and, Blot, and shoot back! Everyone -- fight without mercy!"

—Blot is less than enthused by the appearance of the Autobot Targetmasters, and Zarak is less than enthused by Blot's wisecracking.

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

• Instead of firing generic beams of light like in most of the series, the Targetmasters' weapon-fire was actually drawn like the individual weapons their bios attribute to them. Kup's "old-style musket laser" even gives off a puff of gunsmoke... while firing laser beams.
• Cover — Kup is two shades of orange, and Rippersnapper is gray with green limbs and weapons. Cutthroat is all yellow with a few brown highlights.
• Page 1 — Scorponok says, "Snapdragon, Mindwipe, Apeface F -assume headmaster mode!"
• Page 3 — First panel: Spasma's dialog is attributed to Zarak/Scorponok; Spasma addresses Krunk as Vorath; Monzo addresses Grax as Krunk; and Zarak addresses Vorath as Grax. Got that? Good, there'll be a quiz tomorrow.
• Page 5 — Third panel: unsurprisingly, the nigh-identical Targetmaster Nebulans cause quite a few art/dialog mixups:
  • The speech balloon placement makes it unclear who is who when "Sparks" and Pinpointer are introduced.
  • From left to right...
  • Spoilsport is drawn, but introduced as either "Sparks" or Pinpointer.
  • Pinpointer—in the foreground—is colored gray instead of red.
  • Firebolt (aka "Sparks") is drawn, and colored in red/gray rather than black/gray, but introduced as Recoil.
  • Haywire, shockingly, is completely on-model.
  • Recoil is drawn, but introduced as Spoilsport.
• Page 10 - Last panel: the Targetmaster Nebulan shown is the Decepticon-allied Blowpipe, in Peacemaker/Pinpointer red and gray.
• Page 14 — As the Autobots retreat, a vaguely Sandstorm-like vehicle is drawn instead of Hot Rod.

He swallowed a helmet! He swallowed a helmet!!

• Page 14 — Zarak's head is drawn and colored as a bizarre melding of flesh and metal; he has a squared-off nose and mechanical mouth, both flesh-colored, with a metal-colored chin attached.
• Page 16 — Eighth panel: Gort's suit is once again drawn as Chromedome's body.
• Page 17 — This time it's Highbrow who's on steroids, taller and more massive than the other four Headmasters, including Fortress Maximus.
• Page 18 — Second and third panels: And again, Fortress Maximus is drawn with Cerebros' head.
• Page 21 — Second panel: Pointblank is missing his head.
• Page 22 — First panel: As the Autobots leave and reboard their ship that is in orbit around Nebulos, several of the non-flying Autobots are given a friendly ride by Decepticons (Slugslinger, Misfire, Triggerhappy).
• Page 22 — The Decepticon ship is written as having been parked in orbit like the Steelhaven, but Springer draws it as if it launches from the ground, complete with launching pad. (Consequently, this confused later artist José Delbo, and thus the ship is drawn in its second appearance in "Trial by Fire!" with its launching platform attached to it.)

Continuity errors

• TBD

Continuity notes

• In Fortress Maximus's absence, command of the group seems to have fallen to Pointblank, though it's not explicitly stated.
• The message Hot Rod receives on page 6 was sent by Goldbug in US issue #37.

Real-life references

• TBD

UK printing

Issue #142

• Additional Transformers story: "Child's Play"
• Other strips: Robo-Capers
• In Grim Grams, Grimlock attempts to clear up the confusing timeline between the main UK series and the Headmasters backup stories and that those accursed mistake-prone Stubbies also infected the producers of The Transformers: The Movie.

Issue #143

• Additional Transformers story: "Spacehikers!"
• Other strips: Robo-Capers
• AtoZ: First Aid and Frenzy
• In Grim Grams, Grimlock discusses plot points in the UK annuals while expressing his dislike for a Dinobot combiner, and shoots down a letter supposedly from Stylor to correct a typo which rendered Gort as Grot, saying he prefers the way Grot sounds.

Issue #144

• Additional Transformers story: "Spacehikers!"
• Other strips: Robo-Capers
• In Grim Grams, Grimlock kindly corrects the spelling mistakes caused by some poor Mum's typewriter, attempts to explain some of the Stubbies' mistakes in the Headmasters back-up stories, and again expresses his extreme distaste for the idea of a Dinobot combiner.

Issue #145

• Additional Transformers story: "Stargazing"
• Other strips: Robo-Capers
• Grimlock shows up in a Father Christmas costume, opening a letter with his energo-sword in Grim Grams.
• A spot-the-difference competition (based on a panel from "Distant Thunder!") offered 40 lucky readers the chance to win a copy of MSD/Tempo Video's newest release, featuring "Heavy Metal Wars" and "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide".

Other trivia

• Two exclamation points. Because it's that exciting.
• For the UK printing, the title was modified to the UK spelling of "Armour". Sadly, during the process, it lost one of its exclamation points, making the UK version considerably duller.

Courtesy of my...

• Blot calls out his slime gun.
• Hun-Grrr taunts Crosshairs over the ineffectiveness of his rocket-propelled grenades.

Changes in the IDW Classic Transformers reprint

• Page 5, panel 3 - Recoil is colored correctly and Spoilsport now has pink arms and goggles.
• Page 7 - Vorath's red limbs are corrected to purple
• Page 8 - Krunk's purple limbs are corrected to red
• Page 16 - Stylor and Gort's swapped colors are corrected

Covers (5)

• Headmasters #4 cover: Targetmasters Hot Rod and a golden Kup, by Frank Springer and Danny Bulanadi.
• UK issue #142 cover: Bruticus whipping Defensor with a train, by Dan Reed and Robin Bouttell.
• UK issue #143 cover: a giant claw about to grab Blast Off, by Martin Griffiths.
• UK issue #144 cover: Grimlock leaping/falling feet first from the Ark, by Barry Kitson.
• UK issue #145 cover: Starscream hates Christmas, by Barry Kitson and Robin Bouttell.

• 
  Headmasters #4
• 
  UK issue #142
• 
  UK issue #143
• 
  UK issue #144
• 
  UK issue #145

Advertisements

US

• M&M's Quartz Watch - inside front cover
• Tang Soccer Team - between pages 4 & 5
• MPC Model Kits - between pages 5 & 6
• The Official Marvel Try-Out Book - between pages 9 & 10
• Konami NES video games - between pages 12 & 13 (2 pages)
• Direct Comics and Games - between pages 15 & 16
• Bullpen Bulletins and checklist - between pages 19 & 20
• Mile High Comics - between pages 19 & 20
• Marvel Super Mart - between pages 20 & 21
• The Star Brand #1
• Marvel subscription service
• TSR Top Secret/S.I. RPG - inside back cover
• TSR Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms (back cover)

UK

????

Reprints

Other than reprints of the full miniseries:

• N/A