Passive Aggression

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<tr style="font-size:14px;"> <td class="tti_buttonlink">« </td><td align="center">Transformers:<br />War and Peace #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/4/4b/G1_Vol.2_Issue4_1.jpg/230px-G1_Vol.2_Issue4_1.jpg" width="230" height="353" border="0" /><br />Is it 2005 already? The future is HERE! </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; background-color:#e7d492; color:black;font-weight:bold;" align="center"> "Passive Aggression" </td></tr> <tr> <td>Publisher </td><td> Dreamwave Productions </td></tr> <tr> <td>Date published </td><td> July 30, 2003 </td></tr> <tr> <td>Cover date </td><td> July, 2003 </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Story </td><td> Brad Mick </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> Espen Grundetjern, Alan Wang, Gary Yeung </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Letters </td><td> Ben Lee </td></tr>

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

</table> There's combat on the surface, and meetings in the underground.

Synopsis

With the Omnibots and Defensor already down, Security Team Dion do what they can to quell Menasor's terrorism of the city. During the combat, Ultra Magnus reflects on the differences and similarities between him and his brother, Optimus Prime. After some goading and taunting to unharmonize the individual Stunticons, a truck-to-the-face takes Menasor out of action. As Magnus helps Topspin, Twin Twist points out evidence connecting Rumble and/or Frenzy to the crime scene (whom Magnus last saw leaving Shockwave's office), prompting even more suspicions from Magnus regarding Shockwave's agenda.

Elsewhere, the Dinobots remain en route to the obvious source of the corruption on Cybertron—Shockwave's tower. But Grimlock breaks from the group to visit Shockwave personally at the smelting pits. Before Grimlock can execute Shockwave, Blitzwing interferes, still angry about having his cannon bent out of shape in Alaska.

Broadside and the Autobots from Earth head to an unknown destination. Under the cover of a cloud of smoke, Prowl and Ironhide are passed to Smokescreen, who starts to lead the two to a destination somewhere in Cybertron's wastelands. On the way, they pass some graffiti left by a separate Autobot movement.

File:Wheeliedw.jpg

McGruff here! I'm just reminding you to TAKE A BITE OUT OF PRIME.

Optimus (last seen being both rescued and attacked by a Sharkticon), wakes up to see the Sharkticon's face again. Panicked and unaware of his location, Optimus strikes out at the Sharkticon while Blurr and Wheelie quickly and ineffectively try to detain the elder Autobot. Before anyone can be seriously hurt, Hot Rod arrives and forces Prime (at gunpoint) to relax. Then Kup shows up and lays it on the line.

Almost at their destination, the Dinobots are quickly taken out by a gigantic figure, and Slag is barely able to radio to Grimlock for help. On the other end of the communication, Grimlock is preoccupied fighting against Shockwave and Blitzwing, even holding the advantage against the two Cons. A rocket from Ultra Magnus takes the Dinobot commander out of commission.

Kup gives Optimus a tour of the resistance group's base, introducing Arcee and Blaster. Blaster delivers news that Shockwave is broadcasting a code to exacerbate the recent surface violence. Springer arrives with Smokescreen, Kup, and Ironhide. Kup and Ironhide have a tender old-timers' reunion, then Springer reveals an immediate threat to any counter-Shockwave resistance effort: the reactivated guardian robots.

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:#FFEEB8"> Others </th></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top">

• Ultra Magnus (2)
• Roadbuster (3)
• Grimlock (5)
• Slag (6)
• Sludge (7)
• Snarl (8)
• Ironhide (11)
• Bluestreak (12)
• Bumblebee (13)
• Mirage (14)
• Broadside (15)
• Hound (16)
• Gears (17)
• Prowl (18)
• Smokescreen (19)
• Optimus Prime (20)
• Blurr (22)
• Wheelie (23)
• Hot Rod (24)
• Kup (25)
• Swoop (26)
• Arcee (28)
• Blaster (29)
• Springer (30)

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

• Menasor (1)
• Ramjet (4)
• Shockwave (9)
• Blitzwing (10)
• Runamuck (27)

</td><td style="background:#FFEEB8" valign="top">

• Gnaw (21)

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

Quotes

"Enough, you! Hasn't anyone ever told you to respect your elders?"

—Optimus Prime tells Wheelie to quit chewing on him

"Can't you see that you're pointin' your peashooters in the face of the greatest Autobot of all time?!"

—Kup to Hot Rod who is holding Optimus Prime at bay

"Pleasure to meet you."

—Arcee flirts with Optimus Prime

"Don't mind Hot Rod. His power converters always get a little torqued whenever anybody even looks at his favorite gal."

—Blaster comments on Hot Rod's jealousy

"Where'd you dig up that rusty bucket of scrap?"<br /> "Why you broke-down pile of junk!"<br /> "Put 'er there, old-timer."<br /> "Who you callin' old-timer, you secondhand security guard?"

—Kup and Ironhide have a reunion

Items of note

• Ultra Magnus's defeat of Menasor is an abbreviated parallel of Optimus Prime single-handedly taking down Devastator in the previous volume. It also mirrors Motormaster's humiliating defeat at the hands of Optimus Prime in Masquerade. Since Ultra Magnus admitted that he was a lesser robot than Prime, Menasor's defeat may have been even more humiliating for Motormaster.
• Like many Transformers action figures, Smokescreen's allegiance is revealed by rubbing his rubsign.
• Either not all Autobots and Decepticons have met each other, even after millennia of war (hence Smokescreen introducing himself), OR Smokescreen was re-introducing himself because he'd received a new form since the Autobots last left on the Ark.
• It's never made quite clear why Prime has to be taken through the slave trails first, then Prowl and Ironhide later.

Vagrant bounty hunter? Vagrant hobo? You decide!

• Hey, Devcon!
• That's not Omega Supreme on the last page. In Dreamwave Productions' Generation 1 continuity, several Guardian robots share Omega Supreme's design.
• It's unconfirmed if Sandstorm survived last issue.
• The "Wavelengths" page has a letter from the desk of Simon Furman.
• This is the first issue to have a "DW Letters" page, which has fans' mail answered by Matt Moylan and a piece of fan art by Nick Hunt.

Covers (2)

Et tu, Springer?

• Cover A: Springer, Gnaw, Arcee and the left side of the back of Prime's head (left), and
• Cover B: Kup, Hot Rod and the right side of the back of Prime's head (right), art on both by Pat Lee. The covers can connect to form a single image.

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