Linkage Part 5

« Linkage #5 »
Linkage Part 5
Publisher	Columbia Music Entertainment
First published	August 27th 2003 (with Micron Legend 5 DVD)
Writer	Hirofumi Ichikawa
Artist	Hirofumi Ichikawa
Letterer	???
Editor	???
Continuity	Armada cartoon

The history of the Mini-Cons, and a new friend... maybe.

Synopsis

"She followed me home, can I keep her?"

As the Super Stunt Team move their stuff out of Stella's basement and into their newly-acquired spaceship via warp gate, Stella apologizes for causing them to lose track of Rollbar after he left with Scavenger. As she's confused as to why Rollbar would just run off like that, the Mini-Cons explain that it was really the "servility program" built-in to every Mini-Con that was the cause; a program that influences the conscious will of Mini-Cons who were recently revived or Powerlinxed, bonding them with the larger Transformers. They also tell her of the difficulty they had breaking free from their former Decepticon masters.

The Mini-Cons had also grabbed a deactivated Fixer Bug from their last battle, and discovered their new enemies' plans to return the Mini-Cons to their original design intent: mindless slaves meant to escalate the Autobot-Decepticon war.

Inside the spaceship, the Team is reunited with an old "ally", Falcia. After some curt talk, Falcia forces open Redline's storage compartment, and takes one of the Mini-Con storage panels inside, claiming one of her teammates is inside it. She loudly declares her intention to join the Autobots and crush the Decepticons, rather than take the path the "cowards" on the Super Stunt Team are pursuing.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Free Mini-Cons	Unicron	Humans	Others
Super Stunt Team Redline (2) Flat-Out (3) Servo (4) Rollbar (5) Falcia (8)	Fixer Bug (7)	Stella Holley (2)	Scavenger (6)

Quotes

Redline: Oh come now! It's not your fault.
Flat-Out: Right! It's um... Servo's fault!
Servo: Hey!

— The Mini-Cons try to console Stella

"This should get interesting!"

— Stella smells a Moonlighting thing between Redline and Falcia

Notes

• This comic was available only with the fifth volume of the Micron Legend DVD in Japan, along with the exclusive Falcia toy. Later pressings of the DVD did not include either.

Transformers references

Targetbastards.

• We get a rather in-depth explanation of the whole "Mini-Con subservience" deal that was only barely alluded to in the cartoon. Much of "Linkage" seems to involve filling holes in the cartoon.

• We also get a new piece of Cybertronian slang; "bulk", used by Mini-Cons to refer to larger Transformers.

• Redline and Flat-Out's pre-Earth vehicle modes are shown in flashback. The Decepticons they are Powerlinxed to bear a striking resemblance to the Generation 1 Targetmasters Slugslinger and Misfire.

• The Fixer Bug on the table has turned slate-gray upon deactivation, as Transformers sometimes do when they die. Also, the part that's damaged is the exact same spot that is blown off in a tiny detail in a huge panel from the previous issue, a nice little piece of continuity there.

• Redline now only has three storage panels, having started with four. One was used to reactivate Rollbar between Parts 2 and 3.

Miscellaneous trivia

That's some very impressive... uh... damage. Yes. Damage.

• After four issues, the Fixer Bugs are finally named.

• We get a great look at Stella's... tracts of land.

• Naturally, Falcia's thick Italian accent doesn't really come across in the original Japanese. The accent was put into the English translations done by Doug Dlin at writer/artist Ichikawa's request.

• The identity of the Mini-Con in the panel Falcia grabs won't be revealed until next issue.

• The fourth page of the comic is a Team bio of the Speed Chaser Mini-Con Team.

External Links

• "Official" Linkage mini-comic translations