Combiner Wars (comic)

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More of a Combiner Scuffle, really. Maybe a Combiner Oh We Came To Fisticuffs A Couple Of Times.

"Combiner Wars" is an "event" storyline published in early 2015 by IDW Publishing, tying into the concurrent release of the Combiner Wars toyline. The storyline takes place in alternating issues of the Windblade miniseries and the The Transformers ongoing, followed by a one-shot comic. More than Meets the Eye was going to be part of it (hence the Protectobots being on the Lost Light) but IDW felt this would undermine the book's direction.

«	"Combiner Wars" chapters:	»
Superion/"Prowlastator" origin #8 #9 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 "First Strike" #33 #34 #35 #36 #37 #38 "Combiner Wars" Opening Salvo Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 "Epilogue" #42 #4 "Combiner Hunters" #1

Prequels

Combiners and the technology behind them were an important part of Robots in Disguise since its early stages, underpinning much of the book's initial 16-issue story arc. Eight issues covering the creation of Superion and the new incarnation of Devastator were reprinted with the Combiner Wars Deluxe Class Aerialbot and Stunticon toys, rebranded as Combiner Wars #1-8. Due to production timing issues, however, issues #1 and #2 were not released in these initial waves, whilst #3 was available only with the limited-release Quickslinger figure. Issues #1 and #2 (and reprints of #3 and #4) would later be released with the Combiner Wars Deluxe Class Combaticon toys.

Explicit buildup for the event began in Robots in Disguise #33, which introduced the notion of a combiner arms race, as well as setting the stage for Superion's new team members. The next five issues would go on to tell a story about the Enigma of Combination, an ancient Cybertronian artifact holding the key to successful combiners. Whilst not billed as such in their initial release, the trade paperback collecting these issues was labeled Combiner Wars—First Strike, and they were reprinted as Combiner Wars #9-14 with the third and fourth waves of Deluxe Class figures.

Overview

The series sees tensions surrounding the IDW universe's combiners come to a head when Starscream-led Cybertron re-establishes contact with Windblade's homeworld: the long-lost colony Caminus. Using the Enigma of Combination—recovered from Earth by Scoop—Starscream restores Menasor and Superion and sends them to play out a scripted "attack" on Caminus. The colony world is "saved" from Menasor by Superion, putting Caminus in Starscream's debt. Fearing that Starscream's control of the colony worlds will herald the beginning of a new Cybertronian empire, but unable to take direct action against him because of Starscream's position as the legal, elected leader of the planet, Optimus Prime and Windblade work against him as best they can, which becomes easier when it turns out that, as a Prime, Optimus is considered divine by the Camiens, leading them to look to him for leadership, rather than Starscream.

Meanwhile, on the Lost Light, Mirage has a vision of a terrible future, and is brought to Cybertron by the Protectobots. They arrive around the same time as Prowl and the Constructicons; Prowl also does not want to see Starscream in charge of a new empire, but unlike Optimus, he is willing to sacrifice the colony worlds and Cybertron's safety in order to prevent it. Prowl and the Constructicons merge into Devastator with intent to destroy the space bridge between Cybertron and Caminus, but Starscream uses the Enigma to turn the Protectobots into Defensor, who, with the help of Superion, defeats Devastator. Prowl is locked up, but Starscream then uses the Enigma to have Scoop take his place in Devastator, giving Starscream control of yet another combiner.

Rattrap turns out to have secretly been working for Prowl, and puts his contingency plan into play—he frees Menasor, who makes another attack on Caminus, causing enough chaos that Rattrap is able to steal the Enigma. Starscream sends Devastator to stop Menasor, but the Constructicon combiner soon runs out of control, leading to a four-way combiner battle across the colony worlds via a malfunctioning space bridge. To bring the conflict to an end, Prowl uses the Enigma to merge himself, Mirage, Ironhide, Sunstreaker, and Optimus Prime together—only to find that the will of his fellow Autobots overpowers his own, forcing him to cede control of the new combiner they have formed, which dubs itself "Optimus Maximus." Maximus defeats Devastator, and Prowl and the Enigma are locked away once more.

In the aftermath of the conflict, however, Prowl escapes custody, and Arcee steals the Enigma with intent to destroy it. A group of visiting Camiens known as the Torchbearers are caught up in Windblade and Chromia's attempt to stop Arcee, and wind up being exposed to the Enigma and merged into Victorion.

Sequels

After the event, the June 2015 issues of The Transformers vol. 2 and Windblade vol. 2 were branded "Combiner Wars Epilogue". In July 2015, a one-shot comic branded "Combiner Hunters" was released, focusing on Arcee, Windblade, Chromia, and Victorion in the aftermath of the Combiner Wars; it was written by Mairghread Scott with art by Sara Pitre-Durocher.

Creative team

The Transformers issues are written and drawn by John Barber and Livio Ramondelli, respectively, whilst Windblade sees the return of the first miniseries's writer and artist team of Mairghread Scott and Saren Stone. Casey Coller draws the regular covers, and Ramondelli provides subscription covers which form larger images in pairs. Retailer incentive covers feature art from Transformers Legends artist Sara Pitre-Durocher. The profiles on the back of the pack-in versions of the comics were written by Mark Weber.

Collections

• The Transformers Volume 7: Combiner Wars First Strike (April 8, 2015) ISBN 1631402854 / ISBN 978-1631402852

• Collects The Transformers: Robots in Disguise issues #33–38.
• Bonus content includes covers of each issue.

• The Transformers: Combiner Wars (August 12, 2015) ISBN 1631403869 / ISBN 978-1631403866

• Collects The Transformers vol. 2 issues #39–41, as well as issues #1–3 of Windblade vol. 2.
• Bonus content includes covers of each issue.

• The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 2 (August 12, 2015) ISBN 1631403648 / ISBN 978-1631403644

• Collects Autocracy issues #1–12, Spotlight: Trailcutter, Hoist, Orion Pax, Robots in Disguise #7, #8–9, and More than Meets the Eye issues #6–8.

• The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 3 (February 24, 2016) ISBN 1631405403 / ISBN 978-1631405402

• Collects Spotlight: Thundercracker, Bumblebee, Megatron, More than Meets the Eye Annual 2012, Robots in Disguise Annual 2012, More than Meets the Eye issues #9–11, #12–13, Robots in Disguise issues #10, #11 and "Signal to Noise"

• The Transformers Volume 8 (March 16, 2016) ISBN 1631405853 / ISBN 978-1631405853

• Collects The Transformers vol. 2 issues #42–45.
• Bonus content includes covers of each issue.

• The Transformers: Distant Stars (April 20, 2016) ISBN 1631406000 / ISBN 978-1631406003

• Collects Windblade vol. 2 issues #4–7, and the Combiner Hunters one-shot.

• 
  The Transformers: Combiner Wars First Strike; cover art by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente
• 
  The Transformers: Combiner Wars; cover art by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente
• 
  IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 2; cover art by Saren Stone
• 
  IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 3; cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long
• 
  The Transformers Volume 8; cover art by Andrew Griffith and Josh Perez
• 
  The Transformers: Windblade: Distant Stars; cover art by Naoto Tsushima and Jet Enter

• The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 4 (October 12, 2016) ISBN 1631407155 / ISBN 978-1631407154

• Collects Monstrosity issues #1–12, Robots in Disguise issues #12–16, #17–18, and More than Meets the Eye issues #14–16.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 64: Windblade (August 9, 2017)

• Collects Windblade vol. 1 issues #1–4 and Robots in Disguise issues #35–38.
• Bonus material includes a bio for Windblade, an overview of her conception, pictures of her Thrilling 30 toy, and early design sketches by Hasbro.

• The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7 (March 21, 2018) ISBN 1634051495 / ISBN 978-1634051496

• Collects More than Meets the Eye issues #28–30, #31–33, #34 and Robots in Disguise issues #28–32, #33–34.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 62: Earthfall (August 8, 2018)

• Collects Robots in Disguise issues #28–34.
• Bonus material includes the lowdown on the (new) human cast and rare promotional posters for the Dawn of the Autobots event.

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 65: Combiner Wars (October 31, 2018)

• Collects The Transformers vol. 2 issues #39–42, as well as the issues #1–3 of Windblade vol. 2.
• Bonus material includes an article on the Prime Wars Trilogy.

• The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 8 (December 5, 2018) ISBN 1684053722 / ISBN 978-1684053728

• Collects More than Meets the Eye #35–38, #39–40, The Transformers vol. 2 #35–38, Punishment #1–5, and Drift - Empire of Stone #1–4.

• 
  IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 4; cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 64: Windblade; cover art by Guido Guidi and Saren Stone
• 
  IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 7; cover art by Marcelo Matere and Tom B. Long
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 62: Earthfall; cover art by Don Figueroa and Andrew Griffith
• 
  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 65: Combiner Wars; cover art by Don Figueroa and Andrew Griffith
• 
  IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 8; cover art by Marcelo Matere

• The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 9 (June 19, 2019) ISBN 1684054842 / ISBN 978-1684054848

• Collects The Transformers vol. 2 issues #39–41, #42, #43, Windblade vol. 2 issues #1–3, #4–5, and More than Meets the Eye issues #41–44.

• The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 10 (January 1, 2020) ISBN 1684055849 / ISBN 978-1684055845

• Collects Windblade vol. 2 issues #6–7, The Transformers vol. 2 #44, #45, the Combiner Hunters one-shot, Sins of the Wreckers #1–5, and More than Meets the Eye issues #45–47, #48–49.

• 
  IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 9; cover art by Marcelo Matere
• 
  IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 10; cover art by Marcelo Matere