Repeat Performance!

Jurassic Spark

Ratchet recovers the Dinobots, and together they fight Megatron.

Marvel US issue #8

(Story also appears in: Marvel UK issue #27-28)

Script: Bob Budiansky
Pencils: William Johnson
Inks Kyle Baker
Lettering: Rick Parker
Colors: Nelson Yomtov
Editor: Jim Owsley

• Major characters (in order of appearance): Ratchet, Megatron, Slag, Swoop, Grimlock, Snarl, Sludge
• Originally published: September, 1985

Synopsis

Ratchet journeys to the Savage Land to locate the Dinobots, who fought Shockwave there shortly after the Ark crash-landed on Earth 4 million years ago. Meanwhile, Shockwave checks in on Megatron, who has been left to guard the Ark alone and prepare the head of Optimus Prime for transport to the aerospace plant recently captured by the Decepticons. Shockwave returns to the plant with Optimus Prime's head to begin the construction of a new generation of Decepticons. After Ratchet revives the Dinobots, he arranges for Megatron to meet him on a nearby mountain, where Megatron is attacked by the Dinobots after threatening to kill Ratchet. Megatron is knocked off of a cliff, and transforms into his gun mode in a desperate effort to survive. With Megatron thus defeated, Ratchet and the Dinobots are able to retake the abandoned Ark. Meanwhile, Josie Beller is about the check out of her hospital room....

Errors

• Megatron still has his off-center insignia, which is so consistent it has to be intentional, but I can't figure out why.
• If Optimus Prime transferred the Creation Matrix to Buster in "The Worse of Two Evils," why is Shockwave able to begin the new lives (eventually to become the Constructicons) in this issue on page 13? Indeed, this is the first verifiable evidence we have that Shockwave has proven that Prime has (had) the Creation Matrix, as opposed to just suspects that he has it.

Items of note

• Although this is advertised as the introduction of the Dinobots, they had actually been introduced in issue #4. This issue features their recovery from the Savage Land in the present day.
  
  
  From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.