Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard: Difference between revisions
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|caption=Can't [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW | |caption=Can't [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|you]] [[Marissa Faireborn|two]] just [[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|kiss and make up]]? | ||
|image=RID29 cvr.jpg | |image=RID29 cvr.jpg | ||
|title="Earthfall Part 2:<br>Detonation Boulevard" | |title="Earthfall Part 2:<br>Detonation Boulevard" | ||
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|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]] | |letters by=[[Tom B. Long]] | ||
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]] | |editor=[[Carlos Guzman]] | ||
|continuity=[[IDW | |continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity|IDW continuity]] | ||
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]] | |chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
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==Synopsis== | ==Synopsis== | ||
''The forces of the [[Earth Defense Command]], led by General [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Daniel Witwicky]] and Director [[Marissa Faireborn]], are summoned to a meeting with [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW | ''The forces of the [[Earth Defense Command]], led by General [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Daniel Witwicky]] and Director [[Marissa Faireborn]], are summoned to a meeting with [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] and [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] at the [[Antarctica|South Pole]]. Marissa angrily recounts her experiences in [[New York City]] during the [[Decepticon]] invasion of [[Earth]], questioning why the [[human]]s should trust them; Galvatron is all too willing to fight if that is their desire, but Soundwave keeps things calm, explaining to Faireborn that the Decepticons, at their core, have a belief in equality, and have distanced themselves from [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]], the mastermind of attack on Earth, and instead rallied behind Galvatron as their new leader on a path to "harmony". The [[Autobot]]s, however, have accepted Megatron into their ranks...'' | ||
Surrounded by the Decepticons and the EDC, a dumbfounded [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW | Surrounded by the Decepticons and the EDC, a dumbfounded [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] tries to make sense of the situation, attempting to explain that the Autobots have only come searching for [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], and warning Faireborn against their current Decepticon alliance. Marissa is not interested in his words, however, and Prime is forced to accept the reality of the situation, suddenly ordering the Autobots into close-range combat to prevent the humans from utilizing their projective weaponry effectively. | ||
On the ''[[Ark-7]]'', orbiting the far side of the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW | On the ''[[Ark-7]]'', orbiting the far side of the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] and his little drone buddy [[D.0.C.]] try to hold the ship together as it is eaten alive by the micro-bots unleashed by the EDC's missiles. Deducing that the micro-bots have been reverse-engineered from Cybertronian biology, Jetfire hits upon the plan of using an aerosol made of the ship's liquid memory core to overload and short out the metal-munching menaces, but when he and D.0.C. head out to start spraying the ship, they find that the micro-bots have already been exterminated the old fashioned way by the unlikeliest members of the ''Ark-7'' crew: the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]! Annoyed to learn that [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] ignored him and called the Constructicons, Jetfire tries to raise the police-bot on the comm line, but the ex-Decepticons stop him with the assurance that Prowl has everything planned out... | ||
As the Autobots continue their battle with the Decepticons and the EDC, [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] pulls a particularly dirty trick, swooping low and causing [[Jazz (G1)/IDW | As the Autobots continue their battle with the Decepticons and the EDC, [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] pulls a particularly dirty trick, swooping low and causing [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] to nearly shoot some human soldiers. Alarmed and distracted by thoughts of his previous killing of [[John Powell|a human]], he is clobbered by [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]], prompting Optimus Prime to call a retreat. Faireborn is happy to let the Decepticons give chase, as the 'Cons themselves know its in their own best interests to maintain a low profile—except, of course, for [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]], who has no intention of fighting and is happy simply to be reunited with his dog [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]]. The fleeing Autobots are joined by [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sideswipe]], sent in by Prowl, who is busy putting his own plan for retaliation into effect—he has taken [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] to the ''Ark-7'' for reinforcements and is now heading back down to Earth. | ||
''A month ago, on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], around a week after the conclusion of Megatron's trial, a furious Prowl rages at Optimus over the outcome of the judicial proceedings. Prime contests that Megatron is aware of this ''wrongness'' of his actions, and wonders how Prowl views his own ruthless deeds carried out in the name of the supposed "greater good". Struck by the remark, Prowl calms somewhat and admits that he has never been good at dealing with feelings, suggesting that the death of [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW | ''A month ago, on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], around a week after the conclusion of Megatron's trial, a furious Prowl rages at Optimus over the outcome of the judicial proceedings. Prime contests that Megatron is aware of this ''wrongness'' of his actions, and wonders how Prowl views his own ruthless deeds carried out in the name of the supposed "greater good". Struck by the remark, Prowl calms somewhat and admits that he has never been good at dealing with feelings, suggesting that the death of [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] is clouding his judgement. Prime invites Prowl to join him on his mission to Earth, and Prowl accepts, recalling the brief change of heart he experienced on the planet, and wondering aloud if perhaps it and its people have more to teach him. As soon as he's outside, though, Prowl is met by the Constructicons, and informs them that rather than going with Megatron on the ''[[Lost Light]]'', they will be accompanying him to Earth—because he knows that going back to the planet is a mistake, but a mistake he can't let Optimus make without him there to fix everything...'' | ||
With Prowl's plan having left them only one road to escape down, the Autobots' flight takes them to the small town of [[Poverty Flat]], but Galvatron is unfazed, sending Blitzwing and [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] to circle the town and cut off their means of escape at the other side. Horrified, and with Thundercracker playing the "I-told-you-so" card, Faireborn attempts to get the Decepticons to stand down; Soundwave sees the sense in her words, but Galvatron refuses to back down from a fight. Prime proposes that they mutually relocate to continue their fight, but just then, Sky Lynx appears in the night sky, and Prowl and the Constructicons leap out of him. Gathering the Decepticons in a human settlement and forcing them to risk exposure was Prowl's plan all along... and to exploit the advantage he has gained over the villains, he once again combines with the Constructicons to form [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]! | With Prowl's plan having left them only one road to escape down, the Autobots' flight takes them to the small town of [[Poverty Flat]], but Galvatron is unfazed, sending Blitzwing and [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] to circle the town and cut off their means of escape at the other side. Horrified, and with Thundercracker playing the "I-told-you-so" card, Faireborn attempts to get the Decepticons to stand down; Soundwave sees the sense in her words, but Galvatron refuses to back down from a fight. Prime proposes that they mutually relocate to continue their fight, but just then, Sky Lynx appears in the night sky, and Prowl and the Constructicons leap out of him. Gathering the Decepticons in a human settlement and forcing them to risk exposure was Prowl's plan all along... and to exploit the advantage he has gained over the villains, he once again combines with the Constructicons to form [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]! | ||
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
{{Featuredcharacters | {{Featuredcharacters | ||
|c1= | |c1= | ||
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW | *[[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] (16) | ||
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW | *[[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] (17) | ||
*[[Kup (G1)/IDW | *[[Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Kup]] (18) | ||
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW | *[[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] (20) | ||
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW | *[[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] (29) | ||
*[[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW | *[[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sideswipe]] (30) | ||
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (31) | *[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (31) | ||
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (32) | *[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (32) | ||
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW | *[[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] (33) | ||
*''[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'' (34) | *''[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'' (34) | ||
|c2= | |c2= | ||
| Line 53: | Line 53: | ||
*''[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'' (3) | *''[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'' (3) | ||
*''[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] (5) | *''[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] (5) | ||
*[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW | *[[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] (6) | ||
*''[[Megatron (G1)/IDW | *''[[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]'' (7) | ||
*[[Galvatron (G1)/IDW | *[[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] (8) | ||
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (10) | *[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (10) | ||
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (11) | *[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (11) | ||
| Line 70: | Line 70: | ||
|h4=Others|c4= | |h4=Others|c4= | ||
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (1) | *[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (1) | ||
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW | *[[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] (12) | ||
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (19) | *[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (19) | ||
*[[D.0.C.]] (21) | *[[D.0.C.]] (21) | ||
| Line 104: | Line 104: | ||
[[File:RID Issue 29 Matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]] | [[File:RID Issue 29 Matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]] | ||
*The issue opens on a flashback to the Decepticon attack on [[New York City]] as seen in the first few pages of ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'', drawn by returning ''All Hail'' artist Guido Guidi. | *The issue opens on a flashback to the Decepticon attack on [[New York City]] as seen in the first few pages of ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'', drawn by returning ''All Hail'' artist Guido Guidi. | ||
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW | *[[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]]'s half of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] reappears in this issue after not appearing since ''[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]''; though he and Rodimus were only shown being given halves of the crystal core of the Matrix, 'Bee's half is here shown with half of the artifact's shell as well. | ||
*Prowl refers to the brief change of heart he had on Earth, as seen in ''[[Ride-Along|Spotlight: Prowl]]''. | *Prowl refers to the brief change of heart he had on Earth, as seen in ''[[Ride-Along|Spotlight: Prowl]]''. | ||
*The Constructicons are all in new bodies. Most obviously, Long Haul now towers over the others, likely because [[Scale|he's a mining truck.]] | *The Constructicons are all in new bodies. Most obviously, Long Haul now towers over the others, likely because [[Scale|he's a mining truck.]] | ||
| Line 127: | Line 127: | ||
*'''Standard cover:''' Optimus Prime surrounded by the Decepticons and the EDC, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Priscilla Tramontano]]. | *'''Standard cover:''' Optimus Prime surrounded by the Decepticons and the EDC, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Priscilla Tramontano]]. | ||
*'''Subscription cover:''' The Constructicons by [[Casey Coller]] and [[Joana Lafuente]] | *'''Subscription cover:''' The Constructicons by [[Casey Coller]] and [[Joana Lafuente]] | ||
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' Optimus Prime, [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW | *'''30th Anniversary cover:''' Optimus Prime, [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]], [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]], and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] embroiled in battle, by [[Marcelo Matere]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]. Part of a series of "30th Anniversary" covers by Matere, these appear to have been released in reverse-order, with this one depicting the characters on Cybertron and therefore logically coming first, [[A Long Way Down|''Windblade'' #2]]'s cover showing them being rebuilt, and [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|''More than Meets the Eye'' #29]] depicting them on Earth, with Prime now in an Earth-mode body. This cover appears to be paying slight homage to the cover of the [[The Transformers (issue)|first issue of the Marvel Comics series]], with Optimus crushing a Decepticon in mid-air. | ||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
File:RID29 cvr.jpg| | File:RID29 cvr.jpg| | ||
Revision as of 00:28, 7 April 2019
| |||||||||||||
 Can't you two just kiss and make up? | |||||||||||||
| "Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | May 28, 2014 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | May 2014 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | John Barber | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Andrew Griffith (present day) Guido Guidi (Earth flashback) Brendan Cahill (Cybertron flashback) | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Josh Perez (present day) Joana Lafuente (flashbacks) | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Tom B. Long | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Carlos Guzman | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | IDW continuity | ||||||||||||
| Chronology | Current era (2014) | ||||||||||||
Beset by the allied forces of the Decepticons and the Earth Defense Command, the Autobots' attempts to first fight back, then to flee are met with failure, forcing Prowl and his team to take devastating action.
Synopsis
The forces of the Earth Defense Command, led by General Daniel Witwicky and Director Marissa Faireborn, are summoned to a meeting with Galvatron and Soundwave at the South Pole. Marissa angrily recounts her experiences in New York City during the Decepticon invasion of Earth, questioning why the humans should trust them; Galvatron is all too willing to fight if that is their desire, but Soundwave keeps things calm, explaining to Faireborn that the Decepticons, at their core, have a belief in equality, and have distanced themselves from Megatron, the mastermind of attack on Earth, and instead rallied behind Galvatron as their new leader on a path to "harmony". The Autobots, however, have accepted Megatron into their ranks...
Surrounded by the Decepticons and the EDC, a dumbfounded Optimus Prime tries to make sense of the situation, attempting to explain that the Autobots have only come searching for Alpha Trion, and warning Faireborn against their current Decepticon alliance. Marissa is not interested in his words, however, and Prime is forced to accept the reality of the situation, suddenly ordering the Autobots into close-range combat to prevent the humans from utilizing their projective weaponry effectively.
On the Ark-7, orbiting the far side of the Moon, Jetfire and his little drone buddy D.0.C. try to hold the ship together as it is eaten alive by the micro-bots unleashed by the EDC's missiles. Deducing that the micro-bots have been reverse-engineered from Cybertronian biology, Jetfire hits upon the plan of using an aerosol made of the ship's liquid memory core to overload and short out the metal-munching menaces, but when he and D.0.C. head out to start spraying the ship, they find that the micro-bots have already been exterminated the old fashioned way by the unlikeliest members of the Ark-7 crew: the Constructicons! Annoyed to learn that Prowl ignored him and called the Constructicons, Jetfire tries to raise the police-bot on the comm line, but the ex-Decepticons stop him with the assurance that Prowl has everything planned out...
As the Autobots continue their battle with the Decepticons and the EDC, Laserbeak pulls a particularly dirty trick, swooping low and causing Jazz to nearly shoot some human soldiers. Alarmed and distracted by thoughts of his previous killing of a human, he is clobbered by Blitzwing, prompting Optimus Prime to call a retreat. Faireborn is happy to let the Decepticons give chase, as the 'Cons themselves know its in their own best interests to maintain a low profile—except, of course, for Thundercracker, who has no intention of fighting and is happy simply to be reunited with his dog Buster. The fleeing Autobots are joined by Arcee and Sideswipe, sent in by Prowl, who is busy putting his own plan for retaliation into effect—he has taken Sky Lynx to the Ark-7 for reinforcements and is now heading back down to Earth.
A month ago, on Cybertron, around a week after the conclusion of Megatron's trial, a furious Prowl rages at Optimus over the outcome of the judicial proceedings. Prime contests that Megatron is aware of this wrongness of his actions, and wonders how Prowl views his own ruthless deeds carried out in the name of the supposed "greater good". Struck by the remark, Prowl calms somewhat and admits that he has never been good at dealing with feelings, suggesting that the death of Bumblebee is clouding his judgement. Prime invites Prowl to join him on his mission to Earth, and Prowl accepts, recalling the brief change of heart he experienced on the planet, and wondering aloud if perhaps it and its people have more to teach him. As soon as he's outside, though, Prowl is met by the Constructicons, and informs them that rather than going with Megatron on the Lost Light, they will be accompanying him to Earth—because he knows that going back to the planet is a mistake, but a mistake he can't let Optimus make without him there to fix everything...
With Prowl's plan having left them only one road to escape down, the Autobots' flight takes them to the small town of Poverty Flat, but Galvatron is unfazed, sending Blitzwing and Brawl to circle the town and cut off their means of escape at the other side. Horrified, and with Thundercracker playing the "I-told-you-so" card, Faireborn attempts to get the Decepticons to stand down; Soundwave sees the sense in her words, but Galvatron refuses to back down from a fight. Prime proposes that they mutually relocate to continue their fight, but just then, Sky Lynx appears in the night sky, and Prowl and the Constructicons leap out of him. Gathering the Decepticons in a human settlement and forcing them to risk exposure was Prowl's plan all along... and to exploit the advantage he has gained over the villains, he once again combines with the Constructicons to form Devastator!
Featured characters
Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Quotes
"D.0.C.—synthesize the core fluid and load your hoses—we have a ship to clean."
"BEE-BREEP?"
"What? No, not at all."
"BREEEEEEP...?"
"Okay, yeah, fine. It'll be just like spraying for Belvadurian rock-mites."
- —Jetfire and D.0.C.
"Attention terrorists! Step outside of your vehicles with your hands in the air, or we, the Army of the United Steaks of America—"
"States!"
"—whatever, we'll have to blast you to the Afterspark!"
- —Blitzwing and Brawl threaten the Autobots under false identities
"Oh yeah, Thundercracker? You've been living by yourself in the mountains long enough to become a master of conducting covert operations?"
"Well, I played a lot of real-time strategy games, so yeah. Basically."
- —Marissa and Thundercracker
Notes
Continuity notes
- The issue opens on a flashback to the Decepticon attack on New York City as seen in the first few pages of All Hail Megatron, drawn by returning All Hail artist Guido Guidi.
- Bumblebee's half of the Matrix reappears in this issue after not appearing since The Death of Optimus Prime; though he and Rodimus were only shown being given halves of the crystal core of the Matrix, 'Bee's half is here shown with half of the artifact's shell as well.
- Prowl refers to the brief change of heart he had on Earth, as seen in Spotlight: Prowl.
- The Constructicons are all in new bodies. Most obviously, Long Haul now towers over the others, likely because he's a mining truck.
Transformers references
- Jetfire's aerosol can invoke robotic insecticide.
- The final page of Devastator smashing the ground features some familiar faces: Kelly, Rad White, and Carlos Lopez are fleeing the scene. And... Homer Simpson?
Real-life references
- This issue takes its title from the Sisters of Mercy song of the same name.
- Marissa took part in the Occupy Wall Street movement; see "Other trivia", below.
Errors
- On the credits page Brendan Cahill's last name is misspelled as "Cahil".
- In the last panel on page 22 "Cybertronians" is misspelled as "Cybertonians". This was corrected in the trade paperback.
- When the Constructicons make their entrance, all their visible Decepticon symbols have been partially scraped away (but they haven't taken on Autobot symbols, which is why we list them under "Other" for now in the cast list). However, in the final panel on the same page, their symbols are intact.
Other trivia
- The Occupy movement is shown to take place concurrently with All Hail Megatron. In real life, the movement began in 2011, but All Hail Megatron was set in 2007, based on the dates given in IDW comics by that time. This seems to imply a floating timeline for IDW continuity, but information given in the next issue complicated this.
Covers (3)
- Standard cover: Optimus Prime surrounded by the Decepticons and the EDC, by Andrew Griffith and Priscilla Tramontano.
- Subscription cover: The Constructicons by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente
- 30th Anniversary cover: Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Cyclonus, and Hardhead embroiled in battle, by Marcelo Matere and John-Paul Bove. Part of a series of "30th Anniversary" covers by Matere, these appear to have been released in reverse-order, with this one depicting the characters on Cybertron and therefore logically coming first, Windblade #2's cover showing them being rebuilt, and More than Meets the Eye #29 depicting them on Earth, with Prime now in an Earth-mode body. This cover appears to be paying slight homage to the cover of the first issue of the Marvel Comics series, with Optimus crushing a Decepticon in mid-air.
Advertisements
- Robots in Disguise #30
- Windblade #2
- More than Meets the Eye #29
- IDW Littlest Pet Shop comic
- IDW: Getting Into Your Head for 15 Years (back cover)
