Time Wars
The combined forces of the Autobots and Decepticons must battle both Megatron and Galvatron to save the present and the future from a rift in space and time.
Marvel UK issues #199-205
Writer: Simon Furman
Pencils: Dan Reed, Robin Smith, Lee Sullivan, Andrew Wildman
Inks: Stephen Baskerville
Lettering: GLOP, GLIB, Annie Halfacree, Peter Knight
Colors: Euan Peters
Editor: Chris Francis
- Characters Rippersnapper, Sinnertwin, Blot, Cutthroat, Hun-Grr, Kup, Spike Witwicky, Daniel Witwicky, Blaster, Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Soundwave, Arcee, Blurr, Red Alert, Ravage, Scourge, Galvatron, Optimus Prime, Grimlock, Fortress Maximus, Highbrow, Inferno, Sandstorm, Broadside, Snapdragon, Misfire, Weirdwolf, Scorponok, Slag, Sludge, Goldbug, Mindwipe, Springer, Carnivac, Catilla, Megatron, Battletrap, Flywheels, Topspin, Shockwave, Twin Twist, Rack'N'Ruin, Roadbuster
- Originally published: 7th January 1989 - 18th February 1989
Synopsis
In the year 2009 a time rift has destroyed the planet Quintesson and is now threatening to consume both Earth and Cybertron. Analysing the source of the disturbance they find the source of the rift to be the year 1989. They correctly deduce that Galvatron is somehow the cause. In an attempt to solve the problem a small group of Autobots travel back in time to 1989.
In 1989 the rift is also threatening modern day Earth, causing natural disasters. An earthquake awakens Ravage who has lain inactive since falling down a mine shaft. He attempts to escape back to the surface but instead discovers the underground base of Galvatron.
Optimus Prime is giving a briefing to the other Autobots in which he outlines his belief that the time storm is related to Galvatron. Meanwhile outside the Ark, Highbrow is fretting over what to do with the head of Scroponok that he had captured (in the 1989 Transformers Annual). He wishes to end the threat of Scorponok but is unwilling to kill him in cold blood.
Before he can make a decision he is attacked by the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters in an attempt to recover the head. They capture the head but before they can destroy Highbrow the other Autobots come to his rescue and a major battle ensues.
In the midst of the battle the future Autbots arrive causing Optimus Prime, Hardhead, Highbrow, Blaster, Brainstorm and Snarl to be transported to the holding dimension as part of the time travel process. Thinking the friends have been killed by the newcomers, Fortress Maximus leads an attack on the future Autobots.
At the same time a spacecraft from Cybertron arrives on Earth carrying the combined forces of the Autobot Wreckers and the Decepticon Mayhem Attack Squad. They have joined forces in an attempt to force Galvatron to return to his own time.
The Autobot battle is eventually stopped when Goldbug, who has seen the results of time travel before and believes the newcomers are friends, is injured. Using the Creation Matrix that resides in both Optimus and Rodimus Prime, the present and future leaders are able to communicate with each other and resolve the battle peacefully.
The Wreckers and the Mayhem Attack Squad meanwhile enter Galvatron’s base and confront the future Decepticon. They are shocked to discover however that Galvatron and Megatron have now joined forces. The two of them soon leave the ranks of the Wreckers and Mayhem Attack Squad decimated forcing them to retreat and regroup.
Optimus Prime is explaining that the rift is caused by Cyclonus and Scoruge being in the present because they bypassed the usual mass transfer system when they travelled back in time using Uniron’s time portal (see The Legacy of Unicron). As a result the balance of space time has been upset. The situation has been made worse by Cyclonus’ death twenty years before his creation. (See Dry Run). They deduce that if Cyclonus and Scourge are returned to the future the rift will seal itself.
Galvatron and Megatron follow the Wreckers and the Mayhem Attack Squad and continue the battle outside bringing the other Autobots into the fray. Galvatron has now become totally insane and is fighting blindly and slaughtering all in his path.
Scourge, who is beginning to have doubts about his alliance with Galvatron decides to take action and flies to the Decepticon fortress to retrieve Cyclonus’ body. There he finds Shockwave in a state of mental breakdown after learning that he is due to die at Cyclonus and Scourge’s hands in 2008. Unwilling to let Scourge take Cyclonus’ body he blasts the future Decepticon unconscious.
The battle with Galvatron is going badly and all are falling before him. Having half of his face removed hasn't helped, pushing him even further from sanity at the same time as changing the course of history. Optimus Prime, trapped in the limbo dimension can only watch through the Matrix link. As the Autobots continue to fall however he decides to take drastic action and uses the power of the Matrix to return to reality and confront Galvatron. However because he is now in the same period as Rodimus Prime, also the bearer of the Matrix, the effects of the time rift increase.
Scourge, recovering appeals to Ravage to get Cyclonus’ body and wanting the madness to end he sacrifices himself by throwing himself into the rift. Ravage manages to convince Shockwave that because he has foreknowledge he has time to prevent his fate. This snaps Shockwave from his mental decline.
Galvatron, still fighting madly manages to beat even Optimus Prime, but as he stands triumphant the time rift rips him apart. However the rift continues to worsen as it needs Cyclonus as well. Just as the rift is about to rip the Earth apart Shockwave arrive and throws the body of Cyclonus into the rift causing it to close itself.
The future Autobots return to their own time pledging to destroy all their time machines. Optimus Prime and Shockwave agree to a truce until they next meet.
Errors
- The first page of issue 201 was originally printed with the wrong colours. This was corrected in the subsequent Titan Books reprint.
- The future Decepticons don't really add anything to the story. They just turn up, watch for a bit and then leave.
- Similarly, what's left of The Wreckers and the Mayhem Attack Squad, having been key characters for much of the story, simply disappear in the closing stages, shunted aside by the big names. The same happens to the rank-and-file present day Autobots such as Wheeljack and Scattershot.
- The "present" Autobots should recognise most of the "future" Autobots - Kup and Blurr, for example, are among their current forces on the Ark. Kinda lucky they didn't make the trip to Earth, really... They should probably recognise Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime (he looks just like Hot Rod, after all) as well, and maybe even Red Alert.
- The Wrecker/Mayhem strategy is laughable - they simply walk into Galvatron's base, arguing loudly.
- The nature of Goldbug's injury shifts all over the place - he's shot in the shoulder by Misfire, but then has a critical shoulder injury by the time Magnus finds him. His dramatic turn done with, his life-threatening wound reverts to being a shoulder injury that Hoist patches up in three seconds flat.
- Where does Fracas go?
Items of note
- This marks the end of the story arc that began 121 issues ago in Target 2006.
- This was the last of the UK comic's 'epic' storylines. By issue 213 falling sales meant that the page count of the UK originated strip was reduced from 11 to 6. The constant threat of the comic's cancellation meant that Simon Furman kept the story arcs limited to a few issues at most.
- Cyclonus was killed in issue 189 Dry Run.
- Here Ravage recovers from his fall down a mine shaft after a battle with Skids in issue 72-73 Showdown (US issue 20).
- Finally, Galvatron stays dead. Hard to miraculously recover from being erased from history.
- Reprinted as a Trade Paperback by Titan Books in July 2003.