Still Life!

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Stop breathing down my neck!
"Still Life!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	January 1991
Cover date	March 1991
Writer	Simon Furman
Penciler	Andrew Wildman
Inker	Stephen Baskerville
Colorist	Nel Yomtov
Letterer	Rick Parker
Editor	Rob Tokar
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity

As their world lies dying, the Transformers attempt to maintain peace between themselves.

Synopsis

"I'll take a no. 3 combo with a large diet coke."
"Rrf grr arggrff."
"What?"

With Unicron destroyed, a small group of Autobots and Decepticons gather around the shattered remains of Optimus Prime, somehow still clinging to life. As Prime gasps out his final words, his last request is that Prowl make sure Grimlock takes command of the Autobots in his absence.

Elsewhere on the planet, Optimus Prime's Nebulan partner Hi-Q is on the run, fleeing from the creatures who just devoured Runabout. He thinks to himself that he needs to get back to Prime, tell him about the miraculous changes they both are going through, thanks to the Powermaster process.

At the new United Cybertronian compound, Prowl gives his news to a less than enthusiastic Grimlock. When Grimlock moves to go about his business with little more than a word, Prowl grabs him and tries to drill home his new responsibilities. Grimlock shoots back, telling him that the Ark has been stolen, complete with several deactivated Autobots who were never fully brought back by the Nucleon. Grimlock was planning to lead his Dinobots on an expedition to track down and retrieve the lost ship. Prowl's not done, though. He reminds Grimlock that Optimus Prime upheld a code of ideals for the Autobots, including the notion that Autobots do not kill, unless as a last resort to save others. He makes Grimlock vow to carry on Prime's views.

As Grimlock and the Dinobots leave, Prowl receives some bad news from Blaster's seismology report, while Bludgeon and his lieutenant Krok agree to bide time and weigh their options before making any moves.

On the search for the Ark, Swoop questions Grimlock, submitting that Prowl may have been right, that preserving the peace was more important than their current mission. Cynically, Grimlock informs him that the peace has no chance of lasting anyway. As he goes on, Grimlock's body suddenly seizes up completely, leaving him totally paralyzed. Just then, Hi-Q catches up with the Dinobots, and his hunters find him as well. The monsters surround the Dinobots, who are forced into battle instead of running away, in order to defend their helpless leader.

"They are rage, brutal, without mercy. But you, you will be worse. Rip and tear, until it is done."

Meanwhile, at the stolen Ark, Starscream and Shockwave are attempting to enact repairs to the damaged ship. Starscream doesn't understand why it's necessary to repair the Ark, when they could easily hunt around and find another one. Shockwave explains to his partner that the Ark is still the best ship on Cybertron, and his calculations suggest they won't have time to hunt down and steal another ship. A shadowy observer silently agrees with his assessment.

Back at the battle, the Dinobots are having a rough time with the Demons: they are incredibly resilient and continue to pop up by the dozen. As the Dinobots still refuse to abandon Grimlock, he silently laments that his rash use of Nucleon may leave them all frozen as he is... or worse. However, Hi-Q's Powermaster "energy vision" sees something else in Grimlock—a chrysalis of pure energy slowly building beneath his superstructure. Using his special abilities, Hi-Q manages to tap into and boost the process, pushing Grimlock's transformation to fruition in a matter of moments. In his new Action Master robot mode, Grimlock is now bursting with power. He single-handedly sends the devil-creatures packing, and then grabs one of the stragglers to beat him to death as revenge. Hi-Q stops him, however, speaking to Grimlock about the inner conflict in his circuits, and that he only truly wins a battle when he gives peace and chance, and stops himself from taking life needlessly.

As the Dinobots turn to go, they're treated to a pair of surprises. First, Grimlock reveals that with his new power comes the loss of his ability to transform. Then, Hi-Q makes the startling claim that he somehow is Optimus Prime.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Nebulans	Others
Cloudburst (3) Sureshot (5) Hosehead (6) Kup (9) Jazz (10) Prowl (11) Optimus Prime (12) Wheeljack (13) Grimlock (19) Rad (20) Blaster (21) Nightbeat (22) Snarl (24) Swoop (25) Slag (26) Sludge (27)	Apeface (1) Scorponok (2) Bomb-Burst (4) Runamuck (7) Darkwing (8) Bludgeon (14) Quake (15) Krok (23) Shockwave (28) Starscream (29) Galvatron (30)	Hi-Q (17)	Unicron (16) Demons (18)

Quotes

"nnn... noh time... get Grimlock tell hm..."
"But, Prime --"
"Nuh! Make... mmmake him... underst-- uh *"

—Optimus Prime's last words to Prowl

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Grimlock? Prime named you the new Autobot leader!"
...
"Fine. Me get right on it."

— if Prowl's message impresses Grimlock, he's not about to let it show.

"Me remember you, Prowl -- remember how you like to think you smart! Always have plan, clever scheme! But you just soldier with brain, nothing more! You think you know it all, but you see only small picture!"

—Grimlock

"Prime had a message for you. He wanted you to remeber that whateve the provocation, whatever the circumstances, the foes we fight are still living beings! We are Autobots, we kill only as a last option, and then only to save other lives! Mercy and compassion are what set us apart from those we fight! We forget that and we are lost! As Autobot leader, do you vow to follow this code, uphold Prime's ideals?"
...
"Yes."

—Prowl may or may not have gotten through to Grimlock

"Opinion, Bludgeon?"
"I think, Krok, we should examine... options!"

—Unicron's been dead five seconds, and Krok and Bludgeon are already scheming

"I dunno -- I just don't see the point in this! I mean, Unicron's been defeated.... there's no hurry to get off-planet now. We could wait awhile, steal a spacecraft without big holes in it!"

—Starscream grouses about being on Ark repair duty

"As regards the immediacy of our departure, I have a hypothesis..."
"What a surprise!"

—Shockwave and Starscream

"I understand you, Grimlock -- I always have. Like Scorponok, you walk the fine line between good and evil, Autobot and Decepticon! Your mind is a perpetual battleground, your war a lonely struggle against your own nature! Give in to hate and anger and you lose! Part of you dies! But every time you find peace, stay the hand that slays, you win! That is why you must remember that whatever shape it wears, it is still life. And life is the most precious thing of all!"

—Optimus Prime gives one of his ennobling speeches via Hi-Q

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

• The highly damaged Optimus Prime is in his super robot form, but there isn't much in the artwork to indicate he has a smaller robot inside.
• In spite of having died by getting stepped on by Unicron while in his Pretender shell, Bomb-Burst is seen wrecked in altmode here. (Keep in mind though that the robots are long established as able to work outside their shells). Regardless, he's still dead.
• Pages nine and twelve of UK issue #324 have their color palettes reversed.

Continuity errors

• The Transformers Universe profile for Grotusque says that his first appearance is "right here", when he actually first appeared in Headmasters #1.

Continuity notes

• This is the second time that Prime has died in the Marvel US continuity.
• Bludgeon and Grimlock are officially identified as the new Decepticon and Autobot leaders.
• Grimlock being made Autobot leader is a bit of an odd choice because he made a hash of it last time, and the last time Prime saw him he was storming off in a huff. However, he'd been a pretty servicable leader in the Earthforce stories and while they're not in continuity with "Still Life!", Furman may have subconciously been thinking of it.
• The demons had previously appeared in the UK comic stories "Underworld!", "Demons!", and "Dawn of Darkness".
• Grimlock's paralysis has been building since his exposure to Nucleon in US issue #70, first with his leg in #72 and then his hand in #74.

Real-life references

• Slag's line "Frying tonight!" hearkens back to an old Britishism from the shortages surrounding World War II, when fish & chip shops would only offer fried fish on certain days of the week. (It is also a famous quote from the film Carry on Screaming.)

UK printing

Issue #323:

• Other strips: Machine Man - "Rime of the Ancient Wrecker!" and Combat Colin
• AtoZ: Grotusque

Issue #324:

• Other strips: Machine Man - "Rime of the Ancient Wrecker!" and Combat Colin
• AtoZ: Horri-Bull

Other trivia

• Transformers Universe profiles for Grotusque and Horri-Bull are found after the main story.
• Optimus Prime's appearance in the US cover's corner box is finally updated from his original form to his Powermaster body... or, in this case, what's left of it (the artwork is, rather grotesquely, taken directly from the interior of this issue).

Covers (3)

• US issue #76 cover: frozen Grimlock, Swoop, Sludge and a Demon, by Andrew Wildman.
• UK issue #323 cover: aftermath of Unicron's attack, by Andy Wildman.
• UK issue #324 cover: recolored version of US cover, by Robin Bouttell.

• 
  US issue #76 - Oh Grimlock you cad!
• 
  UK issue #323 - What Transformers needs is more watercolours...
• 
  UK issue #324 - Grimlock came last in the Dance Dance Revolution championship.

Advertisements

• None yet identified.

Reprints

• Transformers: End of the Road TPB: (Fall, 2002) ISBN 1840233729
• End of the Road HC: (2001/2002) ISBN 978-1840234190
• Classic Transformers Volume 6 (August 11, 2010) ISBN 1600106722 / ISBN 978-1600106729
• Regeneration One 100-Page Spectacular cover A (July 11, 2012)
• Regeneration One 100-Page Spectacular cover B

• 
  End of the Road TPB; cover art by Andrew Wildman
• 
  End of the Road hardback; cover art by Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie & Chris Blythe
• 
  Classic Transformers Volume 6; cover art by Andrew Wildman and Stephen Baskerville
• 
  Regeneration One 100-Page Spectacular cover A by Andrew Wildman and Jason Cardy
• 
  Regeneration One 100-Page Spectacular cover B by Guido Guidi

• The Transformers Classics, Vol. 6: (October 9, 2013) ISBN 1613777647 / ISBN 978-1613777640
• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Vol 19: Perchance to Dream (August 23, 2017)

• 
  The Transformers Classics, Vol. 6; cover art by Guido Guidi
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection Vol. 19; cover art by Guido Guidi and Stephen Baskerville