Prime Directive issue 4

<table class="infobox" style="width: 20em;">

<tr style="background-color:#e7d492;text-align:center;font-size:12px;"> <td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; background-color:#e7d492; color:black;font-weight:bold;" align="center"> <table width="100%" style="background-color:transparent">

<tr style="font-size:14px;"> <td class="tti_buttonlink">« </td><td align="center">The Transformers:<br />Generation 1 #4 </td><td align="right" class="tti_buttonlink">» </td></tr> <tr class="tt1_secondarynav"> <td class="tti_buttonlink"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="right" class="tti_buttonlink"> </td></tr></table> </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="font-size: 12px; background-color:#ffffff;" align="center"> <img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/9/9d/G1_Vol.1_Issue4_1.jpg/230px-G1_Vol.1_Issue4_1.jpg" width="230" height="353" border="0" /><br />Let us go forth and do things! </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; background-color:#e7d492; color:black;font-weight:bold;" align="center"> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Publisher </td><td> Dreamwave Productions </td></tr> <tr> <td>Date published </td><td> July 17, 2002 </td></tr> <tr> <td>Cover date </td><td> July, 2002 </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Story </td><td> Chris Sarracini </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Pencils </td><td> Pat Lee </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Inks </td><td> Rob Armstrong </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Colors </td><td> Ramil Sunga, Gary Yeung, Alan Wang </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Letters </td><td> Dreamer Design </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Editor-in-chief </td><td> Roger Lee </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Continuity </td><td> Dreamwave continuity </td></tr> <tr> <td>Chronology </td><td> Modern era </td></tr>

</table> The slag hits the fan as the Autobots and the Decepticons throw down in San Francisco.

Synopsis

General Hallo arrives at the Pentagon and gives his officers orders to clandestinely lock up Spike and destroy any evidence of the missile launch against the Transformers.

Back in the Northwest Territories, Optimus Prime wakes and pulls himself out of the cocoon of metal created by the combination of the energy from the missile explosion and the metallic virus. The other remaining Autobots regroup and find that the Decepticons have already escaped. Wheeljack's assessment of the virus is that it is growing, solidifying and feeding off of energy from their weapons. Prime orders his troops to find the source.

In the Pacific Ocean, 52 miles west of the U.S., a sonar operator on a human submarine detects an approaching object, and sounds the alarm only moments before the submarine is destroyed.

Rut ris rit, Raggy?" "Look out Scoob, it's, like, a ghost!"

The Autobots are surveying Lazarus' former stronghold, which had been taken over by Megatron. They discover some of their friends and the source of the virus, which Wheeljack finds of no help in order to stop it. Ironhide gives an ominous warning to Prime about where the Decepticons will attack next.

Meanwhile in San Francisco, a giant figure approaches the shoreline from under the water and emerges, submerging the shoreline. Devastator has arrived.

Back up north, Wheeljack is still trying to find a solution to stopping the metallic virus as Jazz and Mirage piece back together some of their fallen comrades.

Megatron and his crew, including Grimlock, are already on site in San Francisco and aid Devastator in making a mess of the place. The Autobots arrive on the back of Superion and the battle is joined. Superion falls apart into the individual Aerialbots due to fire from the Seekers. As the battle rages, the advantage appears to be in the Decepticons' hands as Devastator stands triumphant.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

<table border="5" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" align="center" style="border:#800000"> <tr> <th style="background:#FFEEEE"> Autobots</th><th style="background:#EEEEFE"> Decepticons</th><th style="background:antiquewhite"> Humans </th></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top">

• Optimus Prime (3)
• Wheeljack (4)
• Mirage (5)
• Sunstreaker (6)
• Sideswipe (7)
• Superion (8)
• Trailbreaker (9)
• Jazz (10)
• Ironhide (11)
• Ratchet (12)
• Hound (13)
• Bluestreak (14)
• Grimlock (17)
• Bumblebee (24)

</td><td style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top">

• Devastator (16)
• Megatron (18)
• Soundwave (19)
• Laserbeak (20)
• Skywarp (21)
• Starscream (22)
• Thundercracker (23)

</td><td style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top">

• General Hallo (1)
• Spike Witwicky (2)
• Lazarus (15)

</td></tr></table>

Errors

• None yet identified.

Quotes

"I'm tellin' you man! Those Transformer things...they ain't no good!"<br />

— human dock worker just before Devastator confirms his opinion

"Look at them Soundwave...rodents. All of them. Pathetic rodents."<br />

—what Megatron sees when he surveys San Francisco

"You should have killed me when you had the chance Megatron."<br /> "Kill you? But we have so much to discuss."<br /> "Save it."

— Optimus Prime lets his fists do the talking

Items of note

• The middle of the comic contains a two-page spread by James Raiz and Alan Wang with Kenny Li featuring Generation 1 and Armada Transformers.
• "Triangle formation"? *snort*
• Arguably the finest representation of dull surprise the world has ever known.

Covers (2)

—all covers by Pat Lee

• Cover A: Autobots
• Cover B: Decepticons

Advertisements

• Arkanium
• Excel Saga DVDs
• Titan Books G1 reprints
• Dreamwave comic book store signings tour
• Armada #2
• Prime Directive #5 (Blaster and Soundwave covers)
• Megatron poster
• Optimus Prime poster
• Dinobots vs Devastator lithograph
• Shidima Collected #1 (back interior cover)
• Warlands: Age of Ice #8 (back interior cover)
• Shidima #6 (back interior cover)
• Fate of the Blade #1 (back interior cover)
• Transformers Genesis Official Art Book (back cover)