Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 16
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 Optimus Prime loves his bib | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Condor Verlag | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | August 1991 | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Marvel Comics continuity | ||||||||||||
| Price | 3.50 DM | ||||||||||||
Contents
Transforming Robots in Action: The Case of Optimus Prime
One morning, the Autobots prepare to carry out a reconnaissance flight over Earth, when the face of Rodimus Prime appears on the monitors. He reveals that he is the Autobot leader on Cybertron in the near future, and that Optimus Prime has been kidnapped.
He passes on the orders that Optimus gave for such an event—the Micromasters are to guard the Ark, the Pretenders and Mega Pretenders are to search through the space-time continuum to determine whether Optimus is being held in the past, future or an unknown place in the depths of space. The Powermasters are to evaluate the findings and decide whether the Autobots should withdraw from Earth immediately and leave its resources to the Decepticons without a fight.
Scoop gives Rodimus some backchat, that since he is in the future these events have already happened, so it doesn't really matter to him. Ultra-Pretender Ground Shaker mobilises the Autobots into search parties.
Two hours later, the Autobots are still searching. Goldbug had accompanied Prime, but had his circuits scrambled and so cannot communicate. Groundshaker is interrupted by an explosion as he and the others are attacked by Decepticon Action Masters. The Action Masters combine into ground stations, heavy vehicles and air units.
Shockwave meanwhile was annoyed—a Decepticon Targetmaster had been captured by the Sports Car Patrol and the Rescue Patrol, and revealed that the Decepticons did indeed have Optimus Prime prisoner—on the Moon!
Shockwave commands Soundwave to go to the laser-lab where Optimus Prime is being held hostage. However the Autobot Micromaster Combiners were listening in on this and realised that Optimus was indeed on Earth. The Micromaster Combiners, Pretenders and Ultra Pretenders storm the Decepticon mountaintop base and rescue Optimus Prime, who was imprisoned in cybernetic chains.
The Autobots return cheerfully to the Ark. But they all wonder whether Optimus is still the prudent and superior Autobot leader that they all know and love—the recent spate of mysterious disappearances and kidnappings that Prime has undergone has made him show weakness. Perhaps the Decepticons could take advantage of this and force him to betray secret information... (source)
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
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Articles and features
- A blue and grey Megatron oversees random facts about sugar and ice.
- Headless, handless Shockwave presents a crossword.
- A spot-the-difference with a picture of Dogfight being shot in the back by a tank.
- Character profiles for Grapple and Gears.
Models
- Spaceship to New Worlds: A strange-looking Transformers spaceship to build!
Reprints
Notes
- The title to the comic is translated as "The Rebirth of Unicron!".
- In the last issue, we were told by an addled Goldbug that Optimus has been "missing in action for a long time now"... but in the penultimate paragraph, we're told this was something separate to his kidnapping.
- The text story states clearly that Rodimus Prime is in the future. This seems to contradict the stories by Robert Mann, which imply that he is Optimus' contemporary on Cybertron. The description of Cybertron as 'being seen from Earth' as in the near future might imply that Cybertron is time-shifted, so Rodimus would be both a contemporary, and a future Autobot.
- Ground Shaker is said to be an Ultra-Pretender. Is this Groundshaker the Micromaster who has gained a Pretender shell (unlikely, Micromasters have never been individually named in the text stories), Skyhammer misnamed (Skyhammer had appeared as 'Skyhammer' in previous stories however), Groundbreaker (very unlikely since he was not on sale in Germany and the writer would not have been aware of him) or a new character? For the purposes of the wiki, and for the reasons given, he will be classed as a new character until Condor Verlag publish more Transformers fiction to clear up this conundrum!
- An Autobot is mentioned who is 'a custom version of a sports car, that looks like a dragon.' Answers on a postcard please.
- The Action Masters are said to be able to combine into ground stations, heavy vehicles and air units.
- The Decepticons can access the moon using their dimensional bridge, the Autobots meanwhile are unable to get off Earth.
- The Decepticons seem to have a 'laser-lab' which doubles as a 'dark dungeon'.
Errors
Advertisements
- A one-page advertisement for Overlord
- A one-page advertisement for Action Master Skyfall
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Overlord: Lord Giga tried in vain to escape his chest prison.
