Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II

« Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac Volume 2
This is where Hasbro's planning to ultimately release Blackout.
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	June 30, 2010
Written by	Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster
Continuity	Transformers Animated
ISBN	ISBN 1600106838 ISBN 978-1600106835
Page count	220
Price	$19.99 USD

“	Now listen up all you palookas out there! Yer gonna shell out yer dough, yer gonna buy this here book and yer gonna like it. Capish?	”
—Dirt Boss, the rear cover of The AllSpark Almanac Volume 2

Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac Volume 2 is proof of a loving, nonspecific deity that delights in shattering readers' pants and brains. Again.

Contents

• Foreword, by Matt Youngberg
• Introduction by the Authors
• Chapter 1: Autobots
• Interstitial A: Size Comparison Charts
• Chapter 2: Decepticons
• Interstitial B: Animated in Japan
• Chapter 3: Events
• Interstitial C: Style Guides
• Chapter 4: Culture
• Interstitial D: Shorts
• Chapter 5: Cybertron
• Interstitial E: Deleted Scenes
• Chapter 6: Settings
• Interstitial F: The Video Game
• Chapter 7: Project Omega
• Interstitial G: The Arrival
• Foreword by Eric Siebenaler
• Section I: Toy Design
• Section II: Animation
• Section III: Season Four
• Section IV: Toy Gallery
• Section V: Packaging Art
• Section VI: The Cast
• Afterword, by Aaron Archer
• Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 - Autobots

Chapter one covers all Autobots who appear in the third season of the cartoon and beyond.

• "Wingblade" Optimus Prime by Megatron
• Jetfire by Jetstorm
• Jetstorm by Jetfire
• Safeguard by Sentinel Prime
• Yoketron by Jazz
• Alpha Trion by Sentinel Prime
• Kup by Optimus Prime
• Perceptor by Shockwave
• Wheeljack by Perceptor
• Mainframe by Wheeljack
• Rodimus Prime by Kup
• Brawn by Ironhide
• Hot Shot by Red Alert
• Red Alert by Hot Shot
• Grandus by Rosanna
• Beachcomber by Rattletrap
• Highbrow by Shockwave
• Warpath by Flareup
• Dug Base by Wheelie
• Dai Atlas by Ultra Magnus
• Sky Garry by Alpha Trion
• Rattletrap by Warpath
• Seaspray by Sentinel Prime
• Autotroopers by Alpha Trion
• Botanica by Tracks
• Wheelie by Seaspray
• Pipes by Huffer
• Huffer by Pipes
• Cosmos by Bulkhead
• Tracks by Beachcomber
• Powerglide by Blitzwing
• Mirage by Cliffjumper
• Glyph by Volks
• Tap-Out by Glyph
• Chase by Carrera
• Freeway by Sedan
• Searchlight by Furão
• Volks by Tap-Out
• Carrera by Bumper
• Furão by Chase
• Hubcap by Freeway
• Sedan by Hubcap
• Bumper by Searchlight
• Flareup by Warpath
• Lightbright by Dug Base
• Lickety-Split by Lightbright
• Rosanna by Grandus
  • Steeljaw
  • Zaur
  • Ramhorn
• Sari Sumdac by Ratchet
• Wasp by Bumblebee

Transformers references

• Pg 16 - Yoketron has learned and subsequently taught the arts of Crystalocution, Diffusion, Tekkaido, and Circuit-Su.
• Pg 17 - The art of Kup depicts him with a cy-gar.
• Pg 18 - Shockwave comments on sitting "not ten mechanometers" across from Perceptor in High Council meetings.
• Pg 19 - Mainframe is credited with solving Extempaxia's fourth conjecture.
• Pg 20 - Kup refers to Hot Rod's flame deco as making him look "like he's the Pit-Damned Fallen."
• Pg 22 - In Ironhide's anecdotes about Brawn, he makes mention of the Tower of Pion, ballobots, and Widow's Cafe.
• Pg 24 - Red Alert's hand has been replaced with a Transfer Interlink. She graduated top of her class at Polyhex Medical Mechanical and created the vaccine for Gold Plastic Syndrome.
• Pg 26a - Reportedly, Beachcomber is into syk, simultronics, Angolmois, and crysmag, among other substances.
• Pg 26b - Shockwave recounts the last meeting he had with Highbrow in the Manganese Mountains.
• Pg 29a - Rattletrap can apparently get unlicensed Shock Pop datatrax and forged S.T.A.R.S. idento-cards for the right price.
• Pg 29b - Seaspray fought in the War of the Waves on Antilla.
• Pg 30a - Botanica rid Daffodil II of a Morphobot infestation.
• Pg 30b - Wheelie was found orphaned in Quintesson territory.
• Pg 33 - Most of Cliffjumper's run-up on Mirage portrays a major lack of trust.
• Pg 34 - Glyph apparently studied the technological evolution of the inhabitants of the Gorlam system.
• Pg 36a - Tap-Out accuses Volks of being a "LadiesBot217-type."
• Pg 36b - Carrera's run-up mentions the Iacon 5000.
• Pg 36c - Furão's name means "ferret" in Old Malignus. He was stationed aboard the Flash Frenzy.
• Pg 37 - Bumper's ship crash-landed on Bhul.
• Pg 38 - Lickety-Split is a fan of the Galactic Olympics, and would like to win a Golden Disk in the Tour de Orgenon.
• Pg 41 - Ratchet (Animated) mentions Project: Powermaster.
• Pg 42-43 - Sari's built-in upgrades include twin Master Blades, a Skyboom Shield, Azusa energy skates, and Micron Boosters.

Real-world references

• Sari yapping on and on about "vampire movies" is a reference to the Twilight book/film franchise.

Chapter 2 - Decepticons

Chapter two covers all Decepticons who appear in the third season of the cartoon and beyond.

• Waspinator by Blackarachnia
• General Strika by Lugnut
• Oil Slick by Cyclonus
• Cyclonus by Scalpel
• Blackout by Megatron
• Spittor by Oil Slick
• Dirt Boss by Scrapper and Mixmaster
• Soundwave's Avatars by Prowl
• Ratbat and Laserbeak by Soundwave
• Reflector by Blackarachnia
• Lord High Governor Straxus by Strika
• Slapper by Swindle
• Stretch by Porter C. Powell
• Flip Sides by Blurr
• Scalpel by Perceptor
• Magnificus by Starscream

Transformers references

• Pg 48 - Strika carries a small reserve of Forestonite to achieve high velocity in tank mode.
• Pg 49 - Oil Slick has concocted both cosmic rust and the Reverse Evolution virus.
• Pg 54 - Spittor's tendril weapons are identified as Legion Tentacles. Eugh.
• Pg 55 - Scrapper and Mixmaster have been working on a "Devastator."
• Pg 57 - Ratbat's electro-echolocation allows him to "pinpoint objects the size of a Scraplet from a dozen hics away."
• Pg 59 - Slapper once utilized Vrobian powder on his brothers.
• Pg 61 - Scalpel is also known by the nickname The Doctor.

Chapter 3 - Events

• TransWarped as Shockwave and Starscream's Internal Logs, Ratchet and Optimus Prime's Autobot Incident Reports, Bumblebee's Private Journal, and the Headmaster's Yatter page
• Three's a Crowd as an Autobot Incident Report by Bulkhead and Lugnut's Internal Log
• Where Is Thy Sting as Autobot Incident Reports by First Aid and Bumblebee
• Five Servos Of Doom as an Autobot Incident Report by Prowl
• Predacons Rising as an Autobot Incident Report by Sentinel Prime and a message in a bottle by Waspinator
• Human Error, Part I as an Autobot Incident Report by Optimus Prime
• Human Error, Part II as Scrapper's diary
• Decepticon Air as Sentinel Prime's Private Journal
• This Is Why I Hate Machines as an issue of the ALTernity Today magazine
• Endgame, Part I as an Autobot Incident Report by Optimus Prime
• Endgame, Part II as Megatron's Encrypted Internal Log

Literary elements

Including the copyright information, title page, foreword and afterwords, notes from the authors and acknowledgments.

Notes

• Cover artist Marcelo Matere recreates some of his own package art on the cover. That's probably a first.
• Hiroyuki Otoboto's quote contains 「思ったよりも本のサイズが大きくてびっくり！」 ("I was amazed—the book was even bigger than I expected!"), which was manga artist Naoto Tsushima's reaction that he tweeted after importing the first volume.

Errors

• The cover depicts Bumblebee playing with Roll Out Command Optimus Prime, but the box beside him is that of Prime's Voyager-sized toy. It also depicts the Leader Class Bulkhead's buzzsaw on the wrong arm.
• On the back cover, the quote for Hiroyuki is mistakenly written as 「小さい頃、超ロボット生命体 トランスフォーマーの本この本に等しかったな。懐かしいない... 思ったよりも本のサイズが大きくてびっくり！」 ("When I was young, Super Robot Lifeform Transformers did have a book that was something like this. I didn't miss it... I was amazed—the book was even bigger than I expected!"). The correct form should have been 「小さい頃、『超ロボット生命体 トランスフォーマー』の本この本に等しかったない。懐かしいな... 思ったよりも本のサイズが大きくてびっくり！」 ("When I was young, 'Super Robot Lifeform Transformers' didn't have a book that was something like this. How nostalgic... I was amazed—the book was even bigger than I expected!").
• On p. 52, the text says that Blackout "bristles with ordinance". "Ordinances" are local laws; "ordnance" is weaponry.
• On p. 114, in the text at the top, "Vestial Imperium" is misspelled "Vestal".
• On p. 139, "primitive" is misspelled "primative".

External links

• The Annotated AllSpark Almanac II, a 98% complete listing of the hidden references in the book