The Human Factor!

This article is about issue #68 of The Transformers. For the episode of Transformers: Prime, see The Human Factor.

« The Transformers (US) #68 » « The Transformers (UK) #302–305 »
Not Starscream's best moment.
"The Human Factor!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	May 1990
Cover date	July 1990
Writer	Simon Furman
Artist	Dwayne Turner
Colorist	Nel Yomtov
Letterer	Rick Parker
Editor	Don Daley
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity

Puny flesh creatures fight to protect a world that hates and fears them.

Synopsis

In the aftermath of the RAAT debacle, G.B. Blackrock has been given carte blanche to assemble a new team to deal with Transformer-related incidents. He has focused on gathering super-humans, people with a unique genetic quirk that gives them powers beyond normal men. His first two recruits, Thunderpunch and Rapture, are given special codenames and costumes to appeal to the public. Their first mission is to hunt down a third potential member, referred to as Mister X, who wiped out the Air Strike Patrol in Louisiana.

Unfortunately, Starscream wants Mister X too. He sees the human's power as a bottomless fountain of energy, giving him enough power to challenge and defeat Scorponok for leadership of the Decepticons. Starscream finds Mister X, Hector Dialonzo, just as Circuit Breaker is making her own pitch to him. She begins tearing his circuitry apart, but is struck down from behind by a mysterious assailant.

Blackrock's team arrives, and the resulting three-way fight between them, Starscream, and Circuit Breaker ends when Dialonzo calls time-out, and says he will listen to each proposal and then decide for himself. Starscream offers revenge against those who wronged him, Circuit Breaker offers adoration of the masses, but Blackrock simply offers the truth—the chance to be branded either hero or traitor by the public, but to ultimately do what is right. Starscream naturally attempts to cheat, but is blasted by Rapture's dream-power and then ultimately brought down by the rest of the team. In the end, Blackrock extends his offer to Josie as well, and she accepts.

Sometime later, Starscream awakens to find himself eyes-to-eye with Shockwave, who has an offer of his own...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Decepticons	Humans
Tailwind (5) Storm Cloud (6) Nightflight (7) Whisper (8) Starscream (9) Shockwave (10)	Thunderpunch (1) G.B. Blackrock (2) Rapture (3) Dynamo (4) Circuit Breaker (11)

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

• Thunderpunch and Rapture's costumes are colored incorrectly on the cover.

Continuity notes

• The [National] Security Council is mentioned as having "grudgingly" accepted Autobots and Decepticons are separate factions, and scrapping RAAT afterwards.
• This is the first appearance of the human super-beings who would become the Neo-Knights. In the UK reprints, however, the "Previously" recaps were already calling them the Neo-Knights.
• Circuit Breaker has gone even loopier, now saying Josie Beller "died years ago" and referring to herself as being "built for" killing robots. Blackrock is disturbed by this.
• We learn that Transformers cannot power up to maximum energy levels using Earth fuels.
• The Air Strike Patrol is apparently killed off permanently here.
• Blackrock makes the first official mention that RAAT was permanently shut down some time ago.
• Starscream remembers fighting Circuit Breaker from back in US issue #9... after being killed twice. Now that's a good memory!
• Starscream wants to use Dynamo as an upgrade of the Powermaster process, tying the plot in to established power boosts.

UK printing

Issue #302:

• Additional Transformers Story: "Dreadwind's Xmas!"
• Reprint Transformers Story: "In the National Interest"
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Alliance of Convenience" and Combat Colin

Issue #303:

• Reprint Transformers Story: "In the National Interest"
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Alliance of Convenience" and Combat Colin

Issue #304:

• Reprint Transformers Story: "In the National Interest"
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Alliance of Convenience" and Combat Colin

Issue #305:

• Reprint Transformers Story: "In the National Interest"
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Alliance of Convenience" and Combat Colin

Other trivia

• This issue is the first and only time Dwayne Turner would work on the US comic. (And for good reason.)
• Simon Furman describes this issue as the only one in his whole career where he has been "disappointed with the way [it] came out."
• The UK cover of #305 is a reprint of interior artwork from #29.
• A Transformers Universe profile for Slapdash is found after the main story.

Covers

• 
  US issue #68 - At least put some shoes on!
• 
  UK issue #302 - Strangely, this cover relates to the letters page. Even stranger, the middle guy is supposed to be Blaster.
• 
  UK issue #303 - All he wants is the funny hat.
• 
  UK issue #304 - Sheeargh!

• US issue #68 cover: Starscream punched by Thunderpunch, by Dwayne Turner.
• UK issue #302 cover: Dreadwind's Christmas, by Stewart Johnson and John Burns.
• UK issue #303 cover: Peeping Tom Starscream, by Stewart Johnson and Robin Bouttell.
• UK issue #304 cover: Starscream vs Circuit Breaker, by John Marshall, Bambos Georgiou and Robin Bouttell.

• 
  UK issue #305 - No-one remembers the last time we used this pic? Good!
• 
  Matrix Quest TPB
• 
  Matrix Quest HC
• 
  Classic Transformers Volume 5

• UK issue #305 cover: Shockwave, by Richard Fisher.
• Matrix Quest TPB cover: Thunderwing, Rodimus Prime, Shockwave and half of Primus, by Andrew Wildman.
• Matrix Quest hardback cover: Thunderwing with the Creation Matrix, by Pat Lee.
• Best of Transformers: Eye of the Storm cover: Optimus Prime, Ravage and Skywarp, by Andrew Wildman.
• Classic Transformers Volume 5 cover: panels from "Eye of the Storm", "Deadly Obsession", "All Fall Down" and "...All This and Civil War 2".

• 
  The Transformers Classics, Vol. 6

• The Transformers Classics, Vol. 6 cover: Blitzwing, by Guido Guidi.

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• None yet identified.

Reprints

• 2002 — Transformers: Matrix Quest
• 2009 — Classic Transformers Volume 5
• 2013 — The Transformers Classics, Vol. 6