Repeat Performance!

<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 (US) #8 </td><td align="right" class="tti_buttonlink">» </td></tr> <tr class="tt1_secondarynav"> <td class="tti_buttonlink">« </td><td align="center">The Transformers (UK) #27–28 </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/1/10/MarvelUS-08.jpg/230px-MarvelUS-08.jpg" width="230" height="351" border="0" /><br />Jurassic Spark </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; background-color:#e7d492; color:black;font-weight:bold;" align="center"> "Warrior School!" </td></tr> <tr> <td>Publisher </td><td> Marvel Comics </td></tr> <tr> <td>Date published </td><td> May 1985 </td></tr> <tr> <td>Cover date </td><td> September 1985 </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Script </td><td> Bob Budiansky </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Pencils </td><td> William Johnson </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Inks </td><td> Kyle Baker </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Colors </td><td> Nel Yomtov </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Letters </td><td> Rick Parker </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Editor </td><td> Jim Owsley </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Continuity </td><td> Marvel Comics continuity </td></tr>

</table> Ratchet recovers the Dinobots, and together they fight Megatron.

Synopsis

Ratchet journeys by shuttle to the Savage Land to locate the Dinobots, who fought Shockwave there shortly after the Ark crash-landed on Earth 4 million years ago. He uses his M.A.R.B. to locate Cybertronian life deep in a tarpit. After a lot of digging, he locates Slag, and uses a memory probe to view the Dinobots' battle with Shockwave, and their subsequent entombment. Slag awakens and, after recognizing Ratchet as an Autobot, readily agrees to help finish the job they'd started: destroying Shockwave.

Shockwave checks in on Megatron, who has been left to guard the Ark alone. Megatron has prepared the head of Optimus Prime for transport to the aerospace plant recently captured by the Decepticons; Shockwave is pleased and comments that he may have to raise his odds-of-having-to-destroy-Megatron calculations.

Shockwave returns to the plant with Optimus Prime's head, effortlessly defeating an Army force that has surrounded the plant. Within, he prepares to begin the construction of a new generation of Decepticons, using the Matrix program within Prime.

Ratchet contacts Megatron, and shows him video footage of the Dinobots defeating Shockwave. With his end of the bargain fulfilled, he arranges for Megatron to meet him on a nearby mountain. When Ratchet arrives, Megatron promptly threatens to kill him. This breaks the bargain... and the hidden Dinobots burst forth from the snow. Turns out Ratchet knew Megatron wouldn't hold up his end of the Rite of Oneness, and the video was from the Dinobots' tussle with Shockwave four million years ago.

But despite the Dinobots' power, Megatron beats them all, leaving Ratchet to face him alone once more. Determined to fight like a warrior, even to the death, Ratchet tries to carry them both over a cliff edge. Though Megatron doesn't budge, the impact weakens the cliff beneath him, and Megatron is sent tumbling away. He transforms into his gun mode in a desperate effort to survive, but disappears into the snow and is not seen again. With Megatron thus defeated, the Ark and the Autobots are free.

Meanwhile, Josie Beller, a series of printed circuit strips laced onto her arm, fires an energy bolt that destroys her hospital room's television. She speculates that she's about ready to check out...

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">

• Ratchet (1)
• Optimus Prime (4)
• Slag (5)
• Grimlock (6)
• Sludge (7)
• Snarl (8)
• Swoop (9)

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

• Shockwave (2)
• Megatron (3)
• Soundwave (11)

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

• G.B. Blackrock (10)
• Josie Beller (12)

Guests

• Eliot (13)
• Casey (14)
• Sue and friend (15)

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

Errors

• Megatron still has his off-center insignia. This is so consistent it has to be intentional, but it's unclear why.

• Shockwave is colored as Megatron for 2 panels in his battle with the Dinobots.
• When Shockwave arrives at the plant, Soundwave is alone. In the next panel, an oddly colored Laserbeak is on his shoulder and appears to speak for Soundwave (whose mouthplate is miscolored also).
• Josie uses her right hand to operate her computer, but a moment later, that arm is paralyzed.

Items of note

• Cameos: Wheeljack, Bumblebee, Gears, Sunstreaker, Jazz (deactivated), reporters, United States Military, Laserbeak.
• Although this is advertised as the introduction of the Dinobots, they had actually been introduced in issue #4. This issue features their recovery from the Savage Land in the present day.
• The cover features only Grimlock, Slag and Sludge - without Snarl and Swoop. These same three Dinobots were initially introduced in the animated series S.O.S. Dinobots before their remaining two companions, and the same three only were seen in the commercial animation for the Dinobot toys. Coincidence?
• Optimus Prime transferred the Creation Matrix to Buster Witwicky in "The Worse of Two Evils!," why is Shockwave still able to use it to create new life? Letter columns confirmed that some residual energy remained in Prime's head. This energy was used on the Constructicons, but tapped out before Jetfire could be completed.

Covers (3)

<table class="gallery" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><div class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px;"> <div class="thumb" style="padding: 13px 0; width: 150px;"><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 120px;"><img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/1/10/MarvelUS-08.jpg/78px-MarvelUS-08.jpg" width="78" height="119" border="0" /></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> US issue #8 - What IS Grimlock doing to Slag?

</div> </div></td> <td><div class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px;"> <div class="thumb" style="padding: 13px 0; width: 150px;"><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 120px;"><img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/8/82/MarvelUK-27.jpg/89px-MarvelUK-27.jpg" width="89" height="120" border="0" /></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> UK issue #27 - ... that shaked when he laughed like a bowl full of purple jelly.

</div> </div></td> <td><div class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px;"> <div class="thumb" style="padding: 13px 0; width: 150px;"><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 120px;"><img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/d/d2/MarvelUK-028.jpg/90px-MarvelUK-028.jpg" width="90" height="120" border="0" /></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> UK issue #28 - "We'll defeat Shockwave with the Dinobots. And a free poster. And an elephant.

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

• US cover: Sludge, Grimlock and Slag, by M.D. Bright.
• UK issue #27 cover: Shockwave transforming, by Robin Smith.
• UK issue #28 cover: reuse of art from US cover.

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