Passive Aggression

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"Passive Aggression"
Publisher	Dreamwave Productions
First published	July 30, 2003
Cover date	July 2003
Story	Brad Mick
Pencils	Pat Lee
Inks	Rob Armstrong
Colors	Espen Grundetjern, Alan Wang, Gary Yeung
Letters	Ben Lee
Continuity	Dreamwave continuity
Chronology	Modern era

There's combat on the surface, and meetings in the underground.

Synopsis

With the Omnibots and Defensor already down, the Wreckers do what they can to quell Menasor's terrorism of the city. During the combat, Ultra Magnus reflects on the differences and similarities between him and his brother, Optimus Prime. After some goading and taunting to deharmonize the individual Stunticons, a truck-to-the-face takes Menasor out of action. As Magnus helps Topspin, Twin Twist points out evidence connecting Rumble or Frenzy to the crime scene (whom Magnus last saw leaving Shockwave's office), prompting even more suspicions from Magnus regarding Shockwave's agenda.

Elsewhere, the Dinobots remain en route to the obvious source of the corruption on Cybertron—Shockwave's Tower. But Grimlock breaks from the group to visit Shockwave personally at the smelting pits. Before Grimlock can execute Shockwave, Blitzwing interferes, still angry about having his cannon bent out of shape in Alaska.

Broadside and the Autobots from Earth head to an unknown destination by train. Under the cover of a cloud of smoke, Prowl and Ironhide are passed to Smokescreen, who starts to lead the two to a destination somewhere in Cybertron's Wastelands. On the way, they pass some graffiti left by a separate Autobot movement.

McGruff here! I'm just reminding you to TAKE A BITE OUT OF PRIME.

Optimus Prime (last seen being both rescued and attacked by a Sharkticon), wakes up to see the Sharkticon's face again. Panicked and unaware of his location, Optimus strikes out at the Sharkticon while Blurr and Wheelie quickly and ineffectively try to detain the elder Autobot. Before anyone can be seriously hurt, Hot Rod arrives and forces Prime (at gunpoint) to relax. Then Kup shows up and lays it on the line.

Almost at their destination, the Dinobots are quickly taken out by a gigantic figure, and Slag is barely able to radio to Grimlock for help. On the other end of the communication, Grimlock is preoccupied fighting against Shockwave and Blitzwing, even holding the advantage against the two Decepticons. A rocket from Ultra Magnus takes the Dinobot commander out of commission.

Kup gives Optimus Prime a tour of the resistance group's base, introducing Arcee and Blaster. Blaster delivers news that Shockwave is broadcasting a code to exacerbate the recent surface violence. Springer arrives with Smokescreen, Prowl, and Ironhide. Kup and Ironhide have a tender old-timers' reunion, then Springer reveals an immediate threat to any counter-Shockwave resistance effort: the reactivated guardian robots.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots

Decepticons

Camshaft (2) Overdrive (3) Defensor (4) Downshift (5) Roadbuster (6) Whirl (7) Ultra Magnus (8) Twin Twist (9) Topspin (10) Slag (12) Snarl (13) Sludge (14) Grimlock (15) Gears (18) Broadside (19) Ironhide (20) Prowl (21) Bluestreak (22) Bumblebee (23) Hound (24) Mirage (25) Smokescreen (26) Devcon (27) Optimus Prime (28) Gnaw (29) Wheelie (30) Blurr (31) Hot Rod (32) Kup (33) Swoop (34) Arcee (36) Blaster (37) Springer (38) Guardian robot (39)

Menasor (1) Ramjet (11) Shockwave (16) Blitzwing (17) Runamuck (35)

Quotes

"Enough, you! Hasn't anyone ever told you to respect your elders?"

—Optimus Prime tells Wheelie to quit chewing on him

"Can't you see that you're pointin' your peashooters in the face of the greatest Autobot of all time?!"

—Kup to Hot Rod who is holding Optimus Prime at bay

"Pleasure to meet you."

—Arcee flirts with Optimus Prime

"Don't mind Hot Rod. His power converters always get a little torqued whenever anybody even looks at his favorite gal."

—Blaster comments on Hot Rod's jealousy

"Where'd you dig up that rusty bucket of scrap?"
"Why you broke-down pile of junk!"
"Put 'er there, old-timer."
"Who you callin' old-timer, you secondhand security guard?"

—Kup and Ironhide have a reunion

Notes

• It's never made quite clear why Prime has to be taken through the slave trails first, then Prowl and Ironhide later.
• So, Whirl and Roadbuster get crushed by Menasor, and they die, but Topspin gets crushed and he just gets a headache? Okay, then.
• Rather than leaving Kup, whom Optimus knows and trusts, by the big guy's side while he's unconscious, Hot Rod leaves the hideous shark-monster Optimus already saw horribly kill someone? Good thinking there, leader of the resistance.
• Also, Hot Rod gets testy when Arcee just says "hello" to Optimus. Literally, just a polite "hello". Possessive much?

Continuity notes

• Ultra Magnus's defeat of Menasor is an abbreviated parallel of Optimus Prime single-handedly taking down Devastator in the previous volume.
• Blitzwing's looking for payback after Grimlock busted up his tank barrel back in issue 1.
• Bluestreak taunts Gears about the modern state of Cybertron, after he'd been looking forward to getting back in the previous issue.

Transformers references

• Hot Rod is flustered over Arcee, hearkening back to The Transformers: The Movie, where Hot Rod and Arcee had a flirtatious relationship going on.

Real-life references

• Like many Transformers action figures, Smokescreen's allegiance is revealed by rubbing his rubsign.

Other trivia

• The "Wavelengths" page has a letter from the desk of Simon Furman.
• This is the first issue to have a "DW Letters" page, which has fans' mail answered by Matt Moylan and a piece of fan art by Nick Hunt.

Errors

• Either not all Autobots and Decepticons have met each other, even after millennia of war (hence Smokescreen introducing himself), OR Smokescreen was re-introducing himself because he'd received a new form since the Autobots last left on the Ark. Either way, it doesn't make much sense. Not helping is the later released The War Within: The Dark Ages would state Ironhide and Smokescreen were together in the LSC, so he definitely should recognize him.
• Likewise, Kup introduces Optimus to Blaster, who was also around in the early days of the war. Maybe Optimus just never met him?

Courtesy of my...

• Hot Rod's two "peashooters" are presumably meant to represent his photon laser pistols but both on the cover and in the issue itself they are drawn off-model, missing the "wings" on the sides.
• Sludge is seen to breathe fire.
• Grimlock and Blitzwing clash with their energo sword and electron scimitar respectively.

Covers (2)

Et tu, Springer?

• Cover A: Springer, Gnaw, Arcee, and the left side of the back of Prime's head (right), and
• Cover B: Kup, Hot Rod, and the right side of the back of Prime's head (top), art on both by Pat Lee. The covers can connect to form a single image.

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