The War Within issue 1

Transformers: The War Within #1 »
"I'm even more of a wimp than Orion Pax!"
Publisher	Dreamwave Productions
First published	October 9, 2002
Cover date	October, 2002
Story	Simon Furman
Pencils	Don Figueroa
Inks	Elaine To & Don Figueroa
Colors	Rob Ruffolo
Letters	Dreamer Design
Assistant editor	Matt Moylan
Graphic design	Kevin Lee
Editor-in-chief	Roger Lee
Continuity	Dreamwave continuity
Chronology	Early war

Following the death of Sentinel Prime, the Council of Ancients chooses an unlikely successor.

Synopsis

The Autobot leader, Sentinel Prime is killed in battle. A while later, in the vaults of the High Council Pavilions in Iacon, Bluestreak relates scuttlebutt about how the old Prime died to indifferent archivist Optronix, who just wants to be left to his work. Bluestreak thinks Optronix has a cushy position.

Over in Orbital Torus State Altihex, Grimlock's team of Autobots is in trouble. Overhaul dies with a hole blasted through him, the latest victim of the Autobot/Decepticon war. As Grimlock orders his men to hold their position, Kup reports that the Skysled evac unit is having trouble — a group of Neutrals are refusing to evacuate. Bumblebee radios from the transport that Thundercracker and Skywarp are incoming, but Grimlock doesn't have the resources to provide assistance, and the two Seekers destroy the building full of Neutrals. Trailbreaker drags Bumblebee onto the ship, telling him Altihex is lost. As Grimlock prepares to withdraw, he complains that they need a leader with some balls.

Meanwhile, in the Chamber of the Ancients, the Council of Ancients is telling Optronix that they've selected him to succeed Sentinel Prime. Though he protests to Councillor Gravitas that a mistake has been made, the council is firm that the Matrix has made its choice and attempt to convince him it's a good idea.

Jazz and Prowl arrive in Praxus and wait in what was once the Helix Gardens, both saddened at the devastation the Decepticons have wrought on the area. Grimlock soon arrives with his squad and a message — if the new Prime is unsuitable, they'll depose him and install themselves as leaders.

In the Oracle Tank, in Iacon's Stellar Galleries, Optronix asks the Keeper for answers, believing that they should leave Cybertron for the Decepticons. A short time later, he's back in the Chamber of the Ancients for the inauguration ceremony. Only a true Prime can contain the Matrix, and Optronix does, being augmented by the Matrix's power into Optimus Prime. No sooner is this done than a Decepticon assassination squad moves to strike. Skids tries to block them and has his right arm sliced off by Umbra. While Backbite struggles with Bumblebee and Grimlock, Umbra transforms to gun mode. Before Darklight can fire Umbra, he's slammed to the ground by Optimus. Kup and Hound take out Backbite, but Grimlock holds the other Autobots back, as he wants to see how Optimus handles the remaining two Decepticons.

Optimus manages to twist Umbra's attack so that his blade fatally pierces Darklight. As Prime tries to question Umbra, the assassin merely says that the Autobots are all doomed, and then self-terminates. Though the other Autobots celebrate Prime's easy victory, their elation quickly turns to dismay, as their new leader announces that he doesn't feel that Cybertron is worth fighting for and orders the Autobots to evacuate the planet.

However, Megatron has other ideas...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons
Sentinel Prime (arm only) (1) Optronix/Optimus Prime (2) Bluestreak (3) Overhaul (4) Ironhide (5) Kup (6) Skids (7) Wheeljack (8) Grimlock (9) Tracks (12) Bumblebee (13) Trailbreaker (14) Gravitas (15) Prowl (16) Jazz (17) Hound (18)	Skywarp (10) Thundercracker (11) Darklight (19) Umbra (20) Backbite (21) Megatron (22)

Quotes

"They say he took his sweet time, killed Prime diode at a time. They say—"
"They say a lot, don't 'they'."

—Bluestreak and Optronix

"If Council choose wrong, if new Prime falter...they we seize his title, his power...by show of force!"

—Grimlock plans ahead

"If it's me you want..."
"It's your head, actually. On a spike. Megatron has decreed it."

—Optimus Prime and Darklight

Bumblebee: "Awesome!"
Tracks: "If I ever doubted—"
Jazz: "You are the man!"

—The Autobots react to the fighting skills of their new Prime

Errors

• Thundercracker has Skywarp's colors as he shatters the building windows, and Skywarp has Thundercracker's colors a panel later.

Items of note

• This is the first of Dreamwave Productions' series of tales about the early days of the Great War.
• In The War Within series, most of the characters were given "new" body designs, due to the fact that it takes place long before they arrived on Earth.
• One of the buildings in the first establishing panel of Iacon has "Transformers" written in Japanese on the side of it (specifically the main part of the Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers logo).
• Diagnostic Drones can be seen in the archives.
• The term Seeker is used in official canon for the first time.
• Cameos: Shrapnel, Runamuck, Guardian robots, Starscream, Shockwave, Ravage

Covers (3)

—two by Don Figueroa, one by Pat Lee

• Regular Cover: wraparound foldout of the story's major characters; colors by Alan Wang
• Incentive Cover: Lenticular image of Optimus Prime transforming
• New Dimension Comics exclusive: Cover with a profile of War Within Optimus by Pat Lee. 450 copies had the profile in gold foil, 99 in "platinium foil". These issues also came with a postcard showing the lenticular image.

• 
  "I'm even more of a wimp than Orion Pax!"
• 
  Glitchy picture, but it is the lenticular cover.
• 
  Hard to make out, but Optimus is on there.

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