Transformers Comic issue 22

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Starscream's Ghost?

Transformers #22 was published by Titan Magazines in February 2009.

Magazine Credits

Editor: Steve White Designer: Danny Preston Deputy Editor: Den Patrick Publishing Manager: Darryl Curtis

Contents

The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself

• Script: Simon Furman
• Art: Cosmo White
• Lettering: Jimmy Betancourt/Comicraft

In the stronghold of Savannah, Starscream screams out his list of achievements to an unseen Megatron, how the Autobots will come to him to save Mikaela Banes, and how he has achieved more than the dead tyrant ever did... while Swindle and Crankcase wonder why he's talking to himself. Is he cracking up from trying to follow Meg's legacy?

Strongarm, Bumblebee, Ironhide and Arcee drive through Decepticon territory, knowing it's suspicious the Decepticons haven't hit them yet, but also knowing they have no choice but to keep going. But they don't notice Blackout above them...

Crankcase does notice Prime's protoform mode hurtling through the sky but too late—Prime strikes like a missile, blowing Decepticons asside and then transforming to massacre his way through the Swindle drone hordes. Starscream continues to argue with the not-there-at-all Megatron that he's got everything sorted: Blackout strikes without warning and flattens the Autobot ground troops, leaving Prime open top missile bombardment from the jets. Once he's down, Starscream swoops in to land the final blow!.

Meanwhile to the east, Evac heads off, giving a "go" command to Camshaft and the specialists to erect a transmitter dish; Skyblast flies overhead, dropping a tiny emitter-with-parachute while telling everyone to turn on audio dampers. And just as Starscream tells the voices that he's overlooked nothing and he's in control, the emitter blasts out a hideous noise that sends the entire Decepticon air force spinning out of control (eat floor, Starscream!)—the dish sends out a jammer pulsewave that disables Mikaela's brainwashing—and Evac evacs her from the Decepticon base!

Everyone pulls out to regroup in Kershaw County, South Carolina and Mikaela has a reunion with Bumblebee. Optimus assures her that Starscream will get a reckoning, "after all, he's no Megatron."

And back at Savannah, Starscream admits a failure and demands the voices tell him what to do. And that's when he finds out Megatron's body died but his mind downloaded into the All Spark interface module, which Starscream took from the corpse and assimilated... Megatron is still alive, is speaking to Starscream and says the way to win is to let him out!

Articles & features

• Character Profile: Longrack.
• Bumblebee's Way Past Cool Reviews: Video game reviews.
• Top Gear: Transformers competition and product placement, as well as other competitions.
• Competition to win the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection.
• Artobots: Fan-art section.
• Star Screams: Letters, art and photos from readers, answered by Starscream.
• Poster of the cover.

Free Gift

• "FREE! Fold-Space NOTEPAD!!" - it's a notepad, and it folds. Whooo.

Reprints

Reprinted stories are only a portion of their respective issues.

• Megatron Origin, part 3b (8 pages)
• Beast Wars: The Ascending part 3b (8 pages)

Errors

• The "Previously" recap for Hard Target still says Starscream has conquered Earth when he hasn't.
• Megatron's last act when he was dying was to try and sever his link from the All Spark because it was killing him! Why and when did he do the download?
• The Mega Drive Collection competition refers to the 1980s... when the console is from the 1990s. Er.

Quotes

Strip

"Er, who's he talking to?"
"Not a clue, Swindle."

—Swindle and Crankcase on their illustrious leader

"*emerges from fiery devastation* back."

—Optimus Prime, not pissing around

"A- hh-tt. I'm... free! And someone going to pay."

—Mikaela, also lacking pissing-around

"I know. You told me so. But... what do I do? Tell me! *pause* What? Let you out? I don't understand. You're dead. I saw you die. No? But—Your body died. You... downloaded... into the All-Spark [sic] interface module. Which I... assimilated. Just... Just... as you willed it.""

—Starscream is up Shit Creek

Star Screams

"It's time for your regular indoctrination lesson on why I'm so great and you're all slack-jawed amoebas in cheap trainers."

"Did you know I too have taken to collecting toys? I have little toy humans and I name them after the Autobot-loving slime that write in to me. Right now I have a little toy Thomas Mercer who is having lots of 'fun' in a Cybertronian gulag playset."

"I'm still not entirely sure why Prime lured the Decepticons to a heavily populated city. I always thought he wanted to protect you pathetic humans..."

"This question is as pointless as you are!"

Fan: "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend? A friend that is a girl? You mean like that miserable Mikaela Banes that Sam Witwicky runs around with? I have no use for friends, female or otherwise, only allies and minions."

Items of note

• The logo has dropped the "Robots In Disguise" line and replaced it with "Universe".
• The editorial page hints that Starscream's been hearing Megatron's voice for a while, which makes the exposition-in-an-empty-room scenes from earlier issues like #15 a lot more ominous...
• We never saw or heard of the interface module until this issue.
• As with the film, protoforms cause big booms when they land. This is the first time they've been used to turn an Autobot into his own long-range missile though!
• Not all of South Carolina has been seized as part of the Decepticon homeland.
• Evac is presented as commanding the specialist squad here, and not Camshaft like previously. Who does run that damn squad?!
• The Autobots know in advance of a frequency that jams Decepticon control chips.
• This appears to be the first Transformers story to involve South Carolina. No state of the union gets unstomped on Furman's watch!