Rock and Roll-Out!

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« The Transformers (UK) #53–54 »

Special Olympians are the real heroes. I'm gonna give 'em everything I've got.
"Rock and Roll-Out!"
Publisher Marvel Comics
First published November 1985
Cover date March 1986
Writer Bob Budiansky
Penciler Don Perlin
Inker Al Gordon
Colorist Nel Yomtov
Letterer Janice Chiang
Editor Michael Carlin
Continuity Marvel Comics continuity

A new group of Autobots are born in the USA, and must thwart the Decepticons' attempts to steal sound energy from a rock concert.

Synopsis

We'll help, Meatloaf! But how?

Jetfire has been brought to life by Optimus Prime, and with the Rite of the Autobrand is made a full member of the Autobots. Optimus gives him a tour of his new home. In the medical bay, Ratchet is struggling to repair a large group of warriors recently damaged in battle. Elsewhere, the Ark has constructed five new Transformer bodies. Wheeljack installs within them the minds of five Autobot warriors, which were encoded in crystalline containment vessels before the Autobots left Cybertron. Prime welcomes the new arrivals, all of whom now "live for a second time".

While holding Grapple back for a special project, Prime sends the other four out on the street with Bumblebee to acclimate them to their home town. Wheeljack has equipped the Autobots with a brilliant disguise—they now have facsimile circuitry which covers up their Autobot symbols and provides them with mannequin dummy drivers.

Meanwhile, Shockwave has finally returned, arriving at the Decepticons' oil-drilling platform base just in time to squelch the mewlings of Starscream. He demonstrates the power siphon he's just built, turning some of the oil into energon cubes. The Decepticons leave, taking the converter and a stash of cubes with them. To evade a human naval fleet that has been surrounding them, Shockwave detonates a cube in mid-air, and the humans are temporarily blinded by the light.

The humans, however, had rigged the oil platform's supports with bugs and overheard the Decepticons' plans to steal "a large release of sonic energy". G.B. Blackrock is also on the fleet and relays the information to the Autobots.

While fueling up at a Blackrock gas station, Skids learns about an upcoming rock concert at Municipal Stadium. The Autobots put two and two together and go to reconnoiter the concert, while Optimus Prime heads that way with reinforcements.

In Washington, D.C., Barnett meets with his boss, Forrest Forsythe. Under pressure from the White House, Forsythe orders him to come up with some kind of cover story to explain the continued sightings of giant alien robots.

Before Prime can arrive, the Autobots observe a sonic disruption of the show. The Autobots are under orders from Prime not to take any action until he arrives, but it's hard to be a saint in the city, and so they disrupt the device that's causing the problem. The sound goes back to normal and Decepticon jets burst out of the ground.

The Autobots have little choice but to make a stand. Bumblebee gives the order to fire. The newcomers fend off the jets, while Bumblebee discovers Shockwave's ruined power siphon. Out of arbitrary vengeance, Shockwave decides to incinerate the audience of humans. To stop him from creating a city of ruins full of humans screaming "I'm on fire", Bumblebee tosses an energon cube into his barrel just as he fires. The cube detonates with a huge thundercrack, sending him flying helplessly away. The audience is awestruck by the resulting fireworks hailing over them, while the battered Decepticon jets flee like spirits in the night. The battle won, the Autobots quickly go back to hiding on the back streets.

Heading home, Bumblebee's team has a meeting across the river with Prime's reinforcements. Bumblebee is prepared to accept a reprimand, but Prime is impressed with his team's performance and trusts that Bumblebee did what he felt was best. Bumblebee affirms that he did, having learned that "the show must go on!"

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans

Quotes

"To quote the old Cybertronic proverb, Jetfire -- 'May your luster never dull, and your wires never cross!'"

— Optimus Prime welcomes the newest addition to the Autobot ranks


"...Understand that only common cause and mutual agreement bind one Autobot to another. By commanding, it is I who serve -- for that is what the other Autobots ask of me. If ever they should want me to step down, I will. If ever you want to leave, you may. That is the right of every Autobot."

—Optimus Prime's noble speech was forgotten later on. Even by himself.


"Wait! Another sign! Remember Optimus' instructions!"
"But 80,000 humans were looking forward to this concert -- and the Decepticons are possibly ruining it!"
"Y'know, Skids... I think sign-reading is too advanced for this training session. We haven't once gotten it right yet." BONK

—Bumblebee and Skids

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

  • Page 2:
    • Panel 1: Bluestreak is colored as Prowl; he's also toting his gun around even though he's inside the Ark, involved in technical non-combat work.
    • Panel 5: Prime's first speech balloon points to Jetfire.

Continuity errors

  • If Ratchet is having so much trouble fixing the existing warriors, how come the Ark can build new bodies from scratch for the new Autobots so easily?
  • The lead singer is alternatively called "Brick Springhorn" and "Brick Springstern."

Continuity notes

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  • Although Jetfire has been featured since US issue #10, this is the first time in the US comic he is seen as an Autobot with sentience. (In the UK comics, he was previously shown with sentience in the UK-exclusive story "Dinobot Hunt!")
  • In the US storyline, the Autobots' injuries were sustained during the events of "Prime Time!". The UK storyline is less clear; some of those shown were injured during the "Dinobot Hunt!" storyline (Cliffjumper, Gears, Huffer, Jazz and Sideswipe), but others were not (Hound and Prowl). Most appear in subsequent UK stories, long after they'd disappeared from the US stories.
  • So... does this mean the original Tracks, Skids, etc. could still be running around on Cybertron or somewhere? (Budiansky was asked that decades later, and cheerfully admitted he has no idea.[1])
  • Although this issue introduces most of the second wave of Autobot cars, Inferno and Red Alert are conspicuously missing from it. In fact, Red Alert never appears in any Marvel US stories (he is only included as a heavily off-model cameo on the cover of issue #41), whereas Inferno's US debut is in an alternate future timeline in issue #67 (he doesn't appear in present day stories until issue #78, and then only as a non-speaking cameo).
  • This is the first appearance of energon cubes in the comics—an example of convergence between the comic and cartoon.
  • The special project Optimus commissions Grapple to work on is none other than Omega Supreme, the Autobot defense platform. He is introduced (in front of a full audience, no less) in US issue #19.
  • Shockwave returns without explanation, having last been seen sinking into a swamp in issue #12, several weeks ago. In the UK stories, his period of entombment would become a plot point.
  • The Autobots have made a number of adjustments to make their vehicle forms more believable, including dummy mannequin drivers and covering up their Autobot symbols.
  • Businesses visible in the background include Gloria & Roz's Diner, Sam's Moving, Fred & Manny's Garage, and Burger Shed.

Real-life references

UK printing

Issue #53:

  • Back-up strips: Robotix - "A World in Chaos" Part 3, Robo-Capers and Matt and the Cat
  • Free gift: A free packet of six stickers for the Panini Transformers sticker album given away with last issue
  • Who's Who: Autobots, part 1

Issue #54:

Other trivia

  • At some point, CardsOne, a company that deals in vintage comics, trading cards, and collectibles, acquired a large stock of unsold copies of the Generations reprint of this issue. These copies were bagged with a second random comic book and a random trading card, then sold via Dollar Tree stores around Easter of 2012.

Bot Roster

  • Autobots: 17 active as Jetfire and five cars join the Autobots; 12 in repair bay.
  • Decepticons: 17 active as Shockwave returns, while Megatron is online but rogue.

Changes in the IDW Classic Transformers reprint

  • On page 4, panel 5: Skids's nose is now colored blue.
  • On page 7, panel 3: the Power Syphon is recolored green to match its later appearances.
  • On page 9, panel 2: Skywarp's cockpit is now miscolored blue instead of the correct orange from the original.
  • On page 17, panel 5: the brown on the rocks is missing, there's an orange shadow under Starscream's chin, and Skywarp's white eye is now incorrectly colored the same blue as his head.

Covers (12)

  • US issue #14 - C'mon Hoist, the music isn't that bad...
    US issue #14 - C'mon Hoist, the music isn't that bad...
  • UK issue #53 - And you thought that shooting into their faces kills people.
    UK issue #53 - And you thought that shooting into their faces kills people.
  • UK issue #54 - If you believe in Hoist, just cla- oh
    UK issue #54 - If you believe in Hoist, just cla- oh
  • The Transformers Comics Magazine #7
    The Transformers Comics Magazine #7
  • US cover: Hoist repairing Brick's scaffolding, by Bob Budiansky.
  • UK issue #53 cover: the new Autobots receiving life, by Robin Smith.
  • UK issue #54 cover: reuse of art from US cover.
  • The Transformers Comics Magazine #7 cover: reuse of art from US issue #13's cover.
  • Transformers Comic-Magazin issue #2 Uuuuh pass.
    Transformers Comic-Magazin issue #2 Uuuuh pass.
  • Cybertron Redux TPB
    Cybertron Redux TPB
  • Cybertron Redux hardback
    Cybertron Redux hardback
  • Generations issue #3 cover A
    Generations issue #3 cover A
  • Generations issue #3 cover B
    Generations issue #3 cover B
  • Generations issue #3 cover RI
    Generations issue #3 cover RI
  • Classic Transformers Volume 1
    Classic Transformers Volume 1
  • The Transformers Classics, Vol 2
    The Transformers Classics, Vol 2

Advertisements

  • Marvel Christmas poster bonanza (Inside front)
  • Nestlé Quik Challenge of the GoBots contest (between pages 4 & 5)
  • Captain America musical audition notice - no, really (between pages 5 & 6)
  • Assorted want ads (2 pages on either side of page 8)
  • Mile High Comics (2 pages on either side of page 17)
  • Garden City comic book convention / assorted want ads (follows page 19)
  • Star comics holiday subscription form (follows page 20)
  • Transmissions / G.I. Joe Yearbook #2 (bottom right corner of Transmissions letter page)
  • Marvel subscriptions
  • Bullpen Bulletins (inside back cover)
  • Questprobe Adventures computer games featuring The Hulk (back cover)

Reprints

References

  1. ↑ Interview at Rusting Carcass
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