The War Within issue 6

Prime and Megatron end their battle, while the Autobots try to save the planet from Starscream's destructive plans. Template:Comicnav

Writer: Simon Furman
Pencils: Don Figueroa
Inks: Elaine To
Lettering: Dreamer Design
Colors: Rob Ruffolo
Color assists: David Cheung & Elliot Kravchik

• Release date: March 12, 2003
• Characters (in order of appearance): Megatron, Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Kup, Wheeljack, Starscream, Scrapper, Shockwave, Prowl, Motormaster, Grimlock, Soundwave
• Chronology: Early War

Synopsis

With plasma pumped from Cybertron's core shot upwards through the city, Iacon disintegrates in flame and molten metal. Both Shockwave and Prowl order their respective armies to evacuate from the carnage.

Optimus, armed with a weapon and advice from Grimlock, hunts Megatron. An attempt an an ambush fails, and Prime has the upper-hand against his rival, powered by a new resolve.

Ironhide, Wheeljack, and Kup fight against the Decepticons, trying to stop Starscream's destruction of the surface. Starscream ignores the combat, too preoccupied savoring the demolition of his rivals. Motormaster tries to get the drop on the Autobots, but Grimlock interrupts. Prime follows after Grimlock.

With the machines overloading and Autobots attacking, Prime orders his soldiers to get clear. He sends a radio message to Wheeljack with the command for Wheeljack to use his make-planetary-turbines-stop-working missile on the planetary turbines. Wheeljack fires the missile and ruins the Decepticons' plans.

The underground Autobots take Megatron's drill-elevator to the surface to reunite with their surviving comrades. With the city gone, the Autobots agree to Prime's plan to leave the planet, but Prime announces that his experiences within Cybertron have convinced him that the planet has a greater purpose that can't be abandoned.

Within the tunnels, Soundwave finds Megatron, who has a few gaps in his memory.

you might THINK the wisdom of all the previous Primes would be handy, but look where it got them.

In private, Optimus relates to Grimlock about their battles with their respective dark sides. Prime shows Grimlock a golden disc he received from Gravitas, but Prime decides that it's best to toss the disc away, declaring that he would rather chose his own path.

'Til all are one.

Quotes

"Autobots-- Gone! Shockwave-- Gone! Iacon--
Gone!"
"Starscream, please--
Listen to me! The mechaforming platform isn't compatible with the energy from the planetary turbines.
The system's overloading!"

-Happy Starscream and scared Scrapper

"You don't understand Megatron--
--I'm playing by your rules now!
No limits, no consequences, no quarter asked or given.
I welcome it, this dark part, the twisted ugly thing within. Whatever it takes...
...to get the job done"

-Optimus Prime

"Sixteen cycles of hard graft in advanced nano-mechanics. A sustained cluster of symposiums with the finest techno-theoretical minds on Cybertron...
...and it all comes down to this!"

-Wheeljack

"You live, that is all that matters, we survive...
...to fight 'another day."

-Soundwave

"You see this? It was given to me by Gravitas, just after I became Prime.
It contains the combined wisdom of those who came before me.
But your know what?
I choose my own path!"

-Optimus Prime, telling Grimlock that he wants to be different

Items of note

• Scavenger has tread-arms. At the same time as this comic was being published, another Scavenger was sporting a similar look as he stomped faces in the Armada universes.

• The unreleased Diaclone triple-changer is visible in the explosions of Iacon.

• Optimus Prime's lobotomy of Megatron apparently made Megatron forget why he started the war in the first place (leaving only Starscream knowing close to the whole truth?) This lobotomy would last until Wreck-Gar repairs Megatron in Generation 1 #0.

• This issue contained advertisements for:
  • Armada #11
  • War and Peace #2 (double page)
  • The Commemorative Series Generation 1 reissue toys
  • More Than Meets the Eye #2 (back cover)
    
    
    From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.