Transformers Comic issue 2.12

The name or term "Rules of Engagement" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Rules of Engagement (disambiguation).

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"I'm only here to boost sales."
Publisher	Titan Comics
First published	22 April 2010
Editor	Steve White
Deputy editor	Den Patrick
Publishing manager	Darryl Curtis
Price	£2.50

Is This Springer's Funeral DIRGE?

Rules of Engagement

• Script: Simon Furman
• Art: Jon Davis-Hunt
• Colours: Hi-Fi Design
• Lettering: Den Patrick
• Continuity: Revenge of the Fallen (sequel)

Over in Monument Valley, Springer is teaching Jolt, Dune Runner, and Rollbar the tricks of the trade. First: know your enemy, and second: do the unexpected, as the enemy will know you. As a demonstration, a drone plane stands in for an airborne Decepticon; rather than engaging it in a dogfight like a Decepticon would expect, Springer gives it his rocket-punch at two hundred feet per second! He lets the cadets know he's been brought to Earth to whip them into shape, and he's going to do it...

...to which Jolt asks, and gets, permission to speak. While he says none of them want to disrespect Springer, they've been trained and ready for weeks. They don't need training, they need real combat situations to really show what they can do. Springer leaves, saying he'll see what he can do. The other cadets are stunned Jolt didn't get battered for that, but the guy considers Springer's reputation to be exaggerated: he's not a monster, he's just a soldier's soldier!

Springer's true to his word, and the cadets are brought in three days later when Tankor attempts to break in to NEST's Alamo armoury. Tankor's got hostages and is demanding safe passage out of their perimeter. Since he knows NEST won't endanger humans, he thinks they'll cut a deal; Springer decides to do the unexpected and transforms to go on the attack, forcing Tankor onto a noisy defensive... while the cadets sneak round the back to rescue the hostages. It's a good plan, until Jolt and Dune Runner notice Dirge sweeping in... Tankor was deliberately waiting for help, and now Springer's outnumbered!

Dune Runner reminds Jolt that their orders are to focus on the hostages, but Jolt decides the others can handle that, he's going to improvise. While Dirge, ecstatic about the thought of bagging a war hero, engages the surprised Springer and cripples him, Tankor prepares to fire on the wounded Autobot... but Jolt uses his whips to move the tank's turret so the shot hits Dirge instead! The jet immediately flies off in fear, leaving the other Decepticon to be captured.

Springer is angry that Jolt disobeyed a direct order, clearly having ignored everything he was taught. The car gets out of this with sheer nerve: saying that by ignoring the orders he was expected to follow, he was following the second rule of engagement!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Jolt Springer Rollbar Dune Runner	Tankor Dirge	William Lennox

Quotes

"You've got to mix it up out there, step outside your spec. Why? Because the enemy will know you!"

—Springer

"So NEST builds a secret armoury under the site of a famous siege. Someone really didn't think that one through."

—Lennox

"Lovely. The bigger they are... they harder they --"
"*yanks turret* Are to hit?"

—Tankor and Jolt

"Your second rule of engagement: do the unexpected. You expected me to stick to the plan... I didn't!"

—Jolt

Errors

It's not easy bein' green.

• Tankor has magical colour changing powers, starting off green and then becoming the silver of his toy between pages.

Notes

• While little concrete is said about Springer, he's considered by Autobot and Decepticon alike to have an outstanding war record. At the Alamo siege, he seems to be on equal rank with William Lennox as the two are working out the strategy together.
• Like Reverb before him, Dirge only turns up in vehicle mode.
• It's Rollbar who leads the cadets into the Alamo. Between that and leading them through Death Valley last issue, he appears to be the unofficial leader.

Contents

Articles and Features

• Cover Versions: A colouring page version of the cover (well, the poster).
• Gallery of Glory: More runners-up from the Build A Bot competition... plus the two winning designs, Decepticon Barrage and Autobot Flashflare by Rebekah Perez, who will be getting their own short strip soon. (One runner-up is an Autobot roadsweeper!)
• Way Past Cool: game reviews. Iron Man's new game gets pimped.
• Bumblebee's Guide: The Solar System. Various facts about the solar system by Bumblebee, as well as the mention of the Decepticons first landing on Mars and a defensive claim that he took so long to find Sam Witwicky because there are too many planets in the system.
• Competitions.
• Poster of the cover.

Free gifts

• "FREE! Disc Blaster!" — again?

Law and Disorder

"I have created a super-cool new Decepticon infiltrator called Luna ... he is very colourful, as he likes to stand out from the crowd."
"So, he's a brightly-coloured Decepticon infiltrator? I see. Well, that will make my life easier."

—A young child finds Ironhide is a hard sell.

"There is a reason you couldn't find a weekly issue of TRANSFORMERS, and that's because it comes out every four weeks. If this is too much for your backward, reptilian hindbrain to comprehend, too busy as it is performing such simple tasks as breathing and growing hair, then perhaps you should subscribe. That way we'll send you the comic, and you'll never miss an issue, and your hindbrain can go back to evolving thumbs.

—Barricade

"[Twilight's Last Gleaming] is set in an alternative universe where Megatron won at the end of the first TRANSFORMERS film. Naturally, I had to have a word with the author, Simon Furman, and make sure it had a proper ending."

—Don Ironhide is very unhappy

"We're not sure about Starscream ... either the interstellar distances are so vast that it is taking Starscream months to achieve his [mission], or the security at the home for the megalomaniacal is more impressive than we thought."

—Barricade explains Starscream's absence from the letters page

"As you'd expect, I'm in War for Cybertron, but Barricade..."
"Shut up! I didn't want to be in the stupid game anyway!"
" ... I best talk to Barricade, he's crying in the corner. Again. Oh dear."

—Barricade better check the War for Cybertron website...

Starscream's Stars

"LIBRA (23 SEPT - 23 OCT): The Stars are so sick and tired of you ignoring their advice. From now on you'll just have to make it up as you go along and then it'll be all your own fault."

"AQUARIUS (20 JAN - 18 FEB): Remember: any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. Just saying. Doesn't mean a thing. No need to worry or anything. How's the life insurance, by the way?"

"PISCES (19 FEB - 20 MAR): Why were you born a stupid fish? Why couldn't you have been born under a cool star sign..."

Errors

• Barricade says Optimus Prime is entitled to be called Prime as he bears the Matrix of Leadership. In the films, he didn't.
• By accident, concerns about Blackout being revived are attributed to Barricade.

Notes

• Back to paper covers and a £2.50 price tag.
• Ironhide and Barricade were active on Earth in the 80s, remembering the days of mullets and Tom Cruise with horror. Ironhide used to look just like a red Ratchet and Barricade was a Micromaster.
• According to Barricade, Megatron and Optimus Prime aren't related: they call each other "brother" because of how long they've known each other.