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{{comicstory|seriesissue=''[[Movie Prequel]]'' #3
{{comicstory|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Movie Prequel]]'' #3
|prev=Movie Prequel issue 2
|prev=Movie Prequel issue 2
|next=Movie Prequel issue 4
|next=Movie Prequel issue 4
Line 7: Line 7:
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 11]], [[2007]]
|date=[[April 11]], [[2007]]
|story=[[Chris Ryall]]
|coverdate=April 2007
|script by=[[Simon Furman]] and Chris Ryall
|written by=[[Simon Furman]] and [[Chris Ryall]]
|art by=[[Don Figueroa]]
|art by=[[Don Figueroa]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]], [[Mark Bristow]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|color assist by=[[Mark Bristow]]
|letters by=[[Robbie Robbins]]
|letters by=[[Robbie Robbins]]
|edits by=[[Dan Taylor (IDW)|Dan Taylor]]
|edits by=[[Dan Taylor (IDW)|Dan Taylor]]
|continuity=[[Movie continuity]]
|continuity=[[Movie continuity family]]
}}
}}


'''They have arrived.'''
'''They have arrived.'''


== Synopsis ==
==Synopsis==
In [[1924]], [[Archibald Witwicky|Captain Witwicky]] is held in the [[Psychopathic Institute for the Long-Term Insane]] (no, really. That's what it's called). He keeps raving about a war that will come to our world.
The year is [[1924]], and [[Archibald Witwicky]] has become a resident of the [[Psychopathic Institute for the Long-Term Insane]] in [[Baton Rouge]], [[Louisiana]]. Although the facility is keeping him medicated, it does little to help his state of mind, with the former explorer experiencing periodic episodes in which he shouts about having glimpsed the future during his otherworldly [[Arctic]] encounter – a future in which ''their'' war comes to ''our'' world, leaving no [[human]] safe...


In [[1935]], [[Walter Simmons]] is shown the new [[Hoover Dam]], including the new cryoblocks for [[Megatron (Movie)|Mega-Man]]. Simmons is retiring soon, and wants one last look at the [[AllSpark|cube]]. An aide asks if Simmons believes that more of them will come. He does, saying that it's not a matter of "if", but "when".
Years later, in [[1935]], two agents of [[Sector Seven]] visit [[Hoover Dam|Boulder Dam]], which has been constructed around the [[AllSpark|cube-shaped artifact]] found in the [[Colorado River]] 33 years ago. Looking out from atop the vast structure, conversation turns to Sector Seven's other crown jewel, the "[[Megatron (Movie)|Mega-Man]]", and the [[Walter Simmons|elder]] of the two agents reminisces about being present for its original excavation in the Arctic Circle. The two men head down inside the facility, which is currently undertaking preparations to receive Mega-Man, which is set to finally be removed from the location of its discovery. Currently scheduled for later that year, the transfer will depend on the successful installation of cryo-blocks at the dam facility, intended to maintain the "ice man" at its sub-zero temperature. As the pair enter the cube's containment area, the older agent explains that he will be retiring soon, and has come to look upon the "glory" of the artifact one last time. As they gaze upon the alien device and its blinding power, the younger man wonders whether Mega-Man's ilk will one day find their way to [[Earth]]; his companion insists that it merely a matter of ''when''.


In [[2003]], Sector Seven makes an attempt to secure [[Non-Biological Extraterrestrial|N.B.E.-02]] at his [[Virginia]] landing site, but ten minutes after landing, he is already gone. Realizing that the highway is nearby, the agents inform their superiors that the target is mobile. Heading for their mobile command center, the agents realize that [[Bumblebee (Movie)|N.B.E.-02]] scanned a [[1978]] [[Chevrolet|Chevy]] Camaro, then Transformed.  
In [[2003]], Sector Seven agents have traced [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], now dubbed [[Non-Biological Extraterrestrial|N.B.E.]]-2, from [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] to Earth, where he has crashed down near the Interstate 64 highway. Discovering tire tracks leading out onto the road, the agents reconvene at a mobile ops-command vehicle to review satellite surveillance footage of the highway. Their analysis quickly reveals that their target has somehow "mimicked" the appearance of a '70s Camaro which passed down the highway, and plans are made to track the extraterrestrial's journey.


In [[Tranquility]], [[Ron Witwicky]] is showing his young son [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]] his family legacy: the personal effects of Archibald Witwicky. Sam is not very impressed, and Ron takes his dismissal of Captain Witwicky's successes very poorly. In [[St. Louis]], Bumblebee gains access to the internet and looks up "Extraterrestrial sightings". Captain Witwicky's claims immediately attract his attention.
Elsewhere in the country, in the town of [[Tranquility]], twelve-year-old [[Sam Witwicky]] is being introduced by his parents to the legacy of his great-great-grandfather Archibald. An excited Sam opens up a box of heirlooms, expecting to find exotic relics and artifacts, and is disappointed to discover nothing but unremarkable personal effects and news clippings of Archibald's descent into madness. After briefly toying with his ancestor's glasses, Sam loses interest and leaves to visit his friend [[Miles Lancaster|Miles]], never noticing the alien symbols etched faintly into the antique spectacles...


Meanwhile, [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]] has been brought in to oversee the capture of N.B.E.-02. Simmons has a box containing energy similar to that given off by the Cube. Realizing that N.B.E.-02 is searching for the Cube, Sector Seven plans to set a trap for the N.B.E. when he detects the energy signature. Simmons is confident, saying that they've been preparing for this for over a century, and that nothing can possibly derail their plans.
In [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], Bumblebee parks outside an internet café in vehicle mode, connecting to one of the computers inside to search the [[Internet]] for details of extraterrestrial sightings on Earth. His efforts are fruitful, turning up details on Archibald Witwicky and his "Ice-Man", and the [[Autobot]] resolves to investigate further. But unbeknown to Bumblebee, he is in turn being investigated by Sector Seven. In [[Richmond]], [[Virginia (state)|Virginia]], a "specialist" named [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]] arrives to join the N.B.E.-2 case, bringing with him a unique asset: a radioactive substance that will trick their alien visitor into thinking it has located the cube artifact. The team sets out for the [[New Mexico]] bunker where they will lay their trap, with Simmons vocally confident that their plan will go off without a hitch.


Nothing except for [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], and [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], that is, who just arrived on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] and are eager to kill something...
But little does the agent know that Earth is about to receive even ''more'' visitors: [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] and [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] have arrived in the [[Solar System]], touching down on Mars and destroying the [[Beagle 2 Rover|''Beagle 2'' rover]]!
{{-}}
{{-}}


Line 35: Line 36:
{{featuredcharacters
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
|c1=
* [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] (prophetic vision only) (4)
* [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] (6)
* [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] (prophetic vision only) (8)
* [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] (7)
* [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] (9)
|c2=
|c2=
* [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] (3)
* [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] (5)
* [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] (4)
* [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] (6)
* [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] (5)
* [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] (prophetic vision only) (7)
* [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] (13)
* [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] (17)
* [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] (14)
* [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] (18)
|c3=
|c3=
* [[Archibald Witwicky]] (1)
* Doctor Curtis' assisant (1)
* [[Walter Simmons]] (8)
* [[Curtis|Doctor Curtis]] (2)
* [[Ron Witwicky]] (9)
* [[Archibald Witwicky]] (3)
* [[Judy Witwicky]] (10)
* [[Walter Simmons]] (10)
* [[Sam Witwicky]] (11)
* Simmons' colleague (11)
* [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]] (12)
* Assorted [[Sector Seven]] personnel (12)
* [[Ron Witwicky]] (13)
* [[Judy Witwicky]] (14)
* [[Sam Witwicky]] (15)
* [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]] (16)
}}
}}


== Errors ==
==Notes==
* Of the two original Sector Seven agents introduced in the previous issue, it was the dark-haired, bespectacled, mutton-chopped man who was depicted as having the growing obsession with the Mega-Man. In this issue, however, it is the other man—chubby and moustachioed—who has been given that role, as he returns to Hoover Dam an elderly man to reflect on his history. When these characters were brought back and fleshed out for the ''[[Transformers: Sector 7|Sector 7]]'' comic a few years later, a gentle retcon firmly established that it was the moustachioed man ([[Walter Simmons]]) who had the obsession, while the other character ([[Theodore Joseph Wells]]) was given a different role to play.
===Continuity notes===
* Sector Seven is shown making preparations to move Megatron from the arctic to the Hoover Dam in early-to-mid 1935, contradicting the claim made by [[Tom Banachek]] in the movie itself that he was moved in 1934. Further, the estimated time of Megatron's arrival is fall of 1935, but the prequel novel ''[[Ghosts of Yesterday]]'' has Megatron not being transferred until [[1969]]. A few years later, IDW's ''[[Transformers: Sector 7|Sector 7]]'' mini-series smoothed these errors over, writing Banachek's claim off as a lie (after all, Hoover Dam hadn't been ''finished'' in 1934), and crediting some delays in getting the cryo-block system up and running, followed by the outbreak of [[World War II]], as he reason for the organization's failure to move Megatron in the 30s.
*This issue was presumably written with the intent that the retiring Sector Seven agent is the same man shown developing an obsession with "Mega-Man" [[Movie Prequel issue 2|last issue]], although the waters are muddied a little by the fact that he sports both the spectacles that characterized "the obsessive" and the moustache that characterized his partner. Years later, ''[[Transformers: Sector 7|Sector 7]]'' would confirm the obsessive and the retiree as being the same person, who was in turn retconned into being [[Walter Simmons]], a character introduced in 2007's ''[[Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday|Ghosts of Yesterday]]'' prequel novel. In the process, this established that he ultimately did ''not'' retire in the 1930s, and instead continued working with Sector Seven for at least another 34 years! That series also swapped Simmons' circa-1900 "character model" with that of his partner (who was given the name [[Theodore Joseph Wells|Theodore Wells]]), perhaps due to his moustachioed appearance in this issue.
* This issue shows preparations underway for the transfer of "Mega-Man" from the Arctic to Boulder Dam in late 1935, contradicting the claim made by [[Tom Banachek]] in the [[Transformers (film)|film itself]] that he was moved in 1934. Meanwhile, the prequel novel ''Ghosts of Yesterday'' shows Megatron not being transferred until [[1969]]! IDW's later comic mini-series ''Sector 7'' would eventually smooth over these contradictions, writing Banachek's claim off as a lie (after all, the dam hadn't been ''finished'' in 1934), and crediting delays in getting the cryo-block system up and running and the subsequent the outbreak of [[World War II]] with preventing the transfer from happening during the '30s.
*The destruction of the ''Beagle 2'' rover was the focus on the very first [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odx7-Byzu1g teaser trailer] for the ''Transformers'' film. Assuming a similar timetable to the real-life ''{{w|Beagle 2}}'' (which was actually a stationary lander, not a rover), the present-day events of this issue can be placed specifically in December 2003.


== Items of note ==
===Transformers references===
* On the highway, vehicles resembling the alternate modes of ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] and ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] can be seen.  
* Archibald Witwicky's warning cry of "Their War! Our World!" quotes the real-world tag line for the upcoming film, as seen on various [[:File:Transformers2007teaserposter.jpg|posters]].
* According to colorist [[Josh Burcham]], the people depicted on the walls of the [[Sector Seven]] base in [[Richmond]], [[Virginia]], in addition to [[Robert Oppenheimer]] and [[William Hayward Pickering]] (who are both identified by the dialogue), are supposed to be [[wikipedia:Frederick_Sanger|Frederick Sanger]], [[wikipedia:Jack_Kilby|Jack Kilby]] and artist [[Don Figueroa]] himself. Apparently Don views himself as looking like a young Michael Keaton.
* On the highway, vehicles resembling the alternate modes of [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] and ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] can be seen.
* Before Bumblebee uses the computers in an internet café to access the internet, he watches the owner drive off in a car that looks like a cross between a classic Volkswagen Beetle and a New Beetle (artist Don Figueroa seems to have a problem with realistic car models), a [[Easter egg|nod]] to [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee's G1 alternate mode]].
* As he arrives at the Internet café, Bumblebee watches a yellow Volkswagen Beetle drive away, a [[Easter egg|nod]] to [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee's G1 alternate mode]].
* Bumblebee uses a search engine called "Shwiggle", a parody of [[wikipedia:Google|Google]] (and also an nickname for colorist Josh Burcham used by his uncle). It also has an additional function called "I feel Shwiggly". That actually sounds kinda disturbing.
* Starscream's pre-Earth design is based on his [[Starscream (Movie)/toys#Deluxe Class toys|"Protoform" toy]], while Blackout and Barricade are simply based on their on-screen looks, tweaked to remove Earth vehicle kibble. Barricade sports his head from non-final concept art, but this is likely due to outdated reference material rather than being a deliberate choice—Figueroa gives Barricade the same head when drawing his Earth body on the cover of [[Movie Prequel issue 4|next issue]].
 
===Real-life references===
* According to colorist [[Josh Burcham]], the portraits on the walls of the [[Sector Seven]] base in Richmond depict [[Robert Oppenheimer]], [[William Hayward Pickering]] (both identified in dialogue), {{w|Frederick Sanger}}, {{w|Jack Kilby}} and artist [[Don Figueroa]] himself. Apparently Don views himself as looking like a young Michael Keaton.
* Bumblebee uses a search engine called "[[Shwiggle]]", a parody of {{w|Google}} (complete with "I feel Shwiggly" option) named after a nickname for Josh Burcham used by his uncle.  
* The songs Bumblebee plays on his radio feature lyrics that are similar, but not quite identical to those of existing songs, possibly to avoid licensing issues. The original songs are:
* The songs Bumblebee plays on his radio feature lyrics that are similar, but not quite identical to those of existing songs, possibly to avoid licensing issues. The original songs are:
** ''Waiting (For a Girl Like You)'' by Foreigner
** ''Waiting (For a Girl Like You)'' by Foreigner
** ''I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'' by U2
** ''I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'' by U2
** ''Who Are You'' by The Who
** ''Who Are You'' by The Who
* Uh.  How exactly does contact with Megatron grant precognition to Captain Witwicky? His vision of [[Transformers (2007)|the coming war]] includes the exact [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]] of [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], a century before they exist.
 
===Other notes===
*Mentioned characters: [[Miles Lancaster]]
* Taken at face value, the issue appears to suggest that contact with Megatron gave Archibald Witwicky a literal vision of the future, showing him the exact [[alternate mode]]s of [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] a century before they exist. This, uh, seems like an unlikely power for Megatron to have, so maybe it's supposed to be non-literal.
*Even by the usual standard of Don Figueroa's humans, Sam and his parents look remarkably unlike their on-screen actors, with even their hair being different. [[Movie Prequel issue 4|Next issue]], set mere days later, Sam is drawn noticeably different, suggesting Figueroa may have been given reference photos between issues. Curiously, the same issue does not seem to have affected Agent Simmons, who has the same, passably screen-accurate appearance in both issues #3 and #4.


===Covers (4)===
===Covers (4)===
{{picsneeded|alt covers}}
* '''Cover A:''' Bumblebee bursts through some trees, by Don Figueroa
—''all by Don Figueroa''
* '''Cover B:''' Uncolored and mirror-flipped inks for page 2 of Don Figueroa's interior art
 
* '''Cover RI:''' Uncolored inks for cover A
* '''Cover A:''' Bumblebee
* '''Bristol Comics Expo 2007 exclusive cover:''' Inked sketch of Barricade and Blackout, by [[Andrew Wildman]]
* '''Cover B:''' Uncolored sketch of page 2, in reverse
* '''Cover RI:''' Uncolored sketch of cover A
* '''Retailer Exclusive:''' Uncolored sketch of Barricade and Blackout
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:Prime Directives 3a.jpg|Pick that up!
Image:Prime Directives 3a.jpg|Pick that up!
Image:Prime Directives 3b.jpg|Cover B
Image:MoviePrequel3 cvrB.jpg|Cover B
Image:Prime Directives 3ri.jpg|Cover RI
Image:MoviePrequel3 cvrRI.jpg|Cover RI
Image:Prime Directives 3re.jpg|Retailer Exclusive cover
Image:MoviePrequel3 cvrRE.jpg|BCE 2007 exclusive cover
</gallery>
</gallery>


Line 87: Line 99:
* ''[[Transformers: Movie Adaptation|Movie Adaptation]]'' miniseries
* ''[[Transformers: Movie Adaptation|Movie Adaptation]]'' miniseries
* Transformers posters
* Transformers posters
* IDW trade paperbacks (''[[Infiltration]]'', ''[[Stormbringer (comics)|Stormbringer]]'', ''[[The Gathering]]'', ''[[Hearts of Steel]]'', ''[[War and Peace]]'', ''[[Generations (comic reprints)|Generations]]'')
* IDW trade paperbacks (''[[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]]'', ''[[The Transformers: Stormbringer|Stormbringer]]'', ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'', ''[[Hearts of Steel]]'', ''[[War and Peace]]'', ''[[The Transformers: Generations (comic)|Generations]]'')
* ''Star Trek: Klingons: Blood Will Tell'' series
* ''[[Star Trek]]: Klingons: Blood Will Tell'' series
* ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' series
* ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' series
* ''[[Spotlight (comics)|Spotlight]]'' TPB
* ''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Spotlight]]'' TPB
* ''[[Spotlight: Galvatron]]''
* ''[[Spotlight: Galvatron]]''
* [[Classics (2006)|Classics]] Megatron and other toys
* [[Transformers: Classics|Classics]] Megatron and other toys
* ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' film (back cover)
* ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' film (back cover)


[[Category:IDW Movie issues]]
[[Category:IDW Movie issues]]

Latest revision as of 14:42, 20 February 2026

« Transformers: Movie Prequel #3 »

Bumblebee is not a tree-hugger
Publisher IDW Publishing
First published April 11, 2007
Cover date April 2007
Written by Simon Furman and Chris Ryall
Art by Don Figueroa
Colors by Josh Burcham
Color assist by Mark Bristow
Letters by Robbie Robbins
Edits by Dan Taylor
Continuity Movie continuity family

They have arrived.

Synopsis

[edit]

The year is 1924, and Archibald Witwicky has become a resident of the Psychopathic Institute for the Long-Term Insane in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Although the facility is keeping him medicated, it does little to help his state of mind, with the former explorer experiencing periodic episodes in which he shouts about having glimpsed the future during his otherworldly Arctic encounter – a future in which their war comes to our world, leaving no human safe...

Years later, in 1935, two agents of Sector Seven visit Boulder Dam, which has been constructed around the cube-shaped artifact found in the Colorado River 33 years ago. Looking out from atop the vast structure, conversation turns to Sector Seven's other crown jewel, the "Mega-Man", and the elder of the two agents reminisces about being present for its original excavation in the Arctic Circle. The two men head down inside the facility, which is currently undertaking preparations to receive Mega-Man, which is set to finally be removed from the location of its discovery. Currently scheduled for later that year, the transfer will depend on the successful installation of cryo-blocks at the dam facility, intended to maintain the "ice man" at its sub-zero temperature. As the pair enter the cube's containment area, the older agent explains that he will be retiring soon, and has come to look upon the "glory" of the artifact one last time. As they gaze upon the alien device and its blinding power, the younger man wonders whether Mega-Man's ilk will one day find their way to Earth; his companion insists that it merely a matter of when.

In 2003, Sector Seven agents have traced Bumblebee, now dubbed N.B.E.-2, from Mars to Earth, where he has crashed down near the Interstate 64 highway. Discovering tire tracks leading out onto the road, the agents reconvene at a mobile ops-command vehicle to review satellite surveillance footage of the highway. Their analysis quickly reveals that their target has somehow "mimicked" the appearance of a '70s Camaro which passed down the highway, and plans are made to track the extraterrestrial's journey.

Elsewhere in the country, in the town of Tranquility, twelve-year-old Sam Witwicky is being introduced by his parents to the legacy of his great-great-grandfather Archibald. An excited Sam opens up a box of heirlooms, expecting to find exotic relics and artifacts, and is disappointed to discover nothing but unremarkable personal effects and news clippings of Archibald's descent into madness. After briefly toying with his ancestor's glasses, Sam loses interest and leaves to visit his friend Miles, never noticing the alien symbols etched faintly into the antique spectacles...

In St. Louis, Missouri, Bumblebee parks outside an internet café in vehicle mode, connecting to one of the computers inside to search the Internet for details of extraterrestrial sightings on Earth. His efforts are fruitful, turning up details on Archibald Witwicky and his "Ice-Man", and the Autobot resolves to investigate further. But unbeknown to Bumblebee, he is in turn being investigated by Sector Seven. In Richmond, Virginia, a "specialist" named Agent Simmons arrives to join the N.B.E.-2 case, bringing with him a unique asset: a radioactive substance that will trick their alien visitor into thinking it has located the cube artifact. The team sets out for the New Mexico bunker where they will lay their trap, with Simmons vocally confident that their plan will go off without a hitch.

But little does the agent know that Earth is about to receive even more visitors: Starscream, Blackout and Barricade have arrived in the Solar System, touching down on Mars and destroying the Beagle 2 rover!

[edit]

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans

Notes

[edit]

Continuity notes

[edit]
  • This issue was presumably written with the intent that the retiring Sector Seven agent is the same man shown developing an obsession with "Mega-Man" last issue, although the waters are muddied a little by the fact that he sports both the spectacles that characterized "the obsessive" and the moustache that characterized his partner. Years later, Sector 7 would confirm the obsessive and the retiree as being the same person, who was in turn retconned into being Walter Simmons, a character introduced in 2007's Ghosts of Yesterday prequel novel. In the process, this established that he ultimately did not retire in the 1930s, and instead continued working with Sector Seven for at least another 34 years! That series also swapped Simmons' circa-1900 "character model" with that of his partner (who was given the name Theodore Wells), perhaps due to his moustachioed appearance in this issue.
  • This issue shows preparations underway for the transfer of "Mega-Man" from the Arctic to Boulder Dam in late 1935, contradicting the claim made by Tom Banachek in the film itself that he was moved in 1934. Meanwhile, the prequel novel Ghosts of Yesterday shows Megatron not being transferred until 1969! IDW's later comic mini-series Sector 7 would eventually smooth over these contradictions, writing Banachek's claim off as a lie (after all, the dam hadn't been finished in 1934), and crediting delays in getting the cryo-block system up and running and the subsequent the outbreak of World War II with preventing the transfer from happening during the '30s.
  • The destruction of the Beagle 2 rover was the focus on the very first teaser trailer for the Transformers film. Assuming a similar timetable to the real-life Beagle 2 (which was actually a stationary lander, not a rover), the present-day events of this issue can be placed specifically in December 2003.

Transformers references

[edit]
  • Archibald Witwicky's warning cry of "Their War! Our World!" quotes the real-world tag line for the upcoming film, as seen on various posters.
  • On the highway, vehicles resembling the alternate modes of Generation 1 Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Trailbreaker and Robots in Disguise Scourge can be seen.
  • As he arrives at the Internet café, Bumblebee watches a yellow Volkswagen Beetle drive away, a nod to Bumblebee's G1 alternate mode.
  • Starscream's pre-Earth design is based on his "Protoform" toy, while Blackout and Barricade are simply based on their on-screen looks, tweaked to remove Earth vehicle kibble. Barricade sports his head from non-final concept art, but this is likely due to outdated reference material rather than being a deliberate choice—Figueroa gives Barricade the same head when drawing his Earth body on the cover of next issue.

Real-life references

[edit]
  • According to colorist Josh Burcham, the portraits on the walls of the Sector Seven base in Richmond depict Robert Oppenheimer, William Hayward Pickering (both identified in dialogue), Frederick Sanger, Jack Kilby and artist Don Figueroa himself. Apparently Don views himself as looking like a young Michael Keaton.
  • Bumblebee uses a search engine called "Shwiggle", a parody of Google (complete with "I feel Shwiggly" option) named after a nickname for Josh Burcham used by his uncle.
  • The songs Bumblebee plays on his radio feature lyrics that are similar, but not quite identical to those of existing songs, possibly to avoid licensing issues. The original songs are:
    • Waiting (For a Girl Like You) by Foreigner
    • I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2
    • Who Are You by The Who

Other notes

[edit]
  • Mentioned characters: Miles Lancaster
  • Taken at face value, the issue appears to suggest that contact with Megatron gave Archibald Witwicky a literal vision of the future, showing him the exact alternate modes of Jazz, Ratchet and Starscream a century before they exist. This, uh, seems like an unlikely power for Megatron to have, so maybe it's supposed to be non-literal.
  • Even by the usual standard of Don Figueroa's humans, Sam and his parents look remarkably unlike their on-screen actors, with even their hair being different. Next issue, set mere days later, Sam is drawn noticeably different, suggesting Figueroa may have been given reference photos between issues. Curiously, the same issue does not seem to have affected Agent Simmons, who has the same, passably screen-accurate appearance in both issues #3 and #4.

Covers (4)

[edit]
  • Cover A: Bumblebee bursts through some trees, by Don Figueroa
  • Cover B: Uncolored and mirror-flipped inks for page 2 of Don Figueroa's interior art
  • Cover RI: Uncolored inks for cover A
  • Bristol Comics Expo 2007 exclusive cover: Inked sketch of Barricade and Blackout, by Andrew Wildman
  • Pick that up!
    Pick that up!
  • Cover B
    Cover B
  • Cover RI
    Cover RI
  • BCE 2007 exclusive cover
    BCE 2007 exclusive cover

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[edit]
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