Rhythms of Darkness!

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« The Transformers (UK) #298–301 »

Galvatron can be any size he wishes!
"Rhythms of Darkness!"
Publisher Marvel Comics
First published April 1990
Cover date June 1990
Writer Simon Furman
Penciler José Delbo
Inker Danny Bulanadi
Colorist Nel Yomtov
Letterer Jim Massara
Editor Don Daley
Continuity Marvel Comics continuity

In an alternate future with Galvatron victorious, several Autobots fight in a last ditch attempt to retake Earth.

Synopsis

A lot of the Bronx already looked like this.

It is 2009, and Unicron has consumed Cybertron and has given the Decepticons Earth to rule.

Galvatron and the Pretender Monsters rise from the Atlantic Ocean into a destroyed New York City, complete with a deactivated Rodimus Prime strung up between the stumps of the shattered World Trade Center towers. Galvatron sends his minions to search the city's ruins for Autobots. Though he has devastated the Autobot army and controls the planet's entire western hemisphere, Galvatron wishes even the slightest trace of resistance wiped out.

Elsewhere, a rebel group of surviving Autobots and humans, including Spike Witwicky, race to strike the Decepticon Powerbase. They have only hours before the governments of the remaining free nations launch nuclear weapons. Not only will this annihilate what remains of North America, but Galvatron has already prepared to shield his army and siphon off the blasts' energy, making him even more unstoppable. At the Decepticon base, the Autobots attack, providing a distraction while Spike carries out the mission's main goal. The Autobots bring down the base's force field and take out a number of Decepticons, but Crossblades, Guzzle, and Getaway soon fall. Chainclaw is seconds away from killing Cyclonus, when Galvatron arrives, destroying first the Autobot, then his "weak" lieutenant. Galvatron and the Pretender Monsters move in to finish the Autobots. However, Spike claims 'victory': he has scaled the Decepticon fortress and erected an American flag, a symbol to the world that America is still alive and fighting. The watching world governments abort the nuclear launch at the final second.

Galvatron is unimpressed, and takes aim at the iconic flag. But suddenly Hook, Line, and Sinker appear and attack Galvatron, dragging him back through time. With their mightiest foe defeated, the remaining Autobots and humans rally, pressing the attack and fighting for their world...

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans Others

Quotes

Galvatron: "The final few fell here, a doomed last stand against an unstoppable enemy! A foe so powerful, so resourceful -- none couuld stand against him!"
Birdbrain: "Who's he talking about?"
Wildfly: "Himself. Third person delusions of grandeur they call it. Me, I call it a few diodes short of a circuit board--"


End this way all of us. Under the weight of Galvatron's insanity buried. When falls tonight final darkness, another day will any of us see?

—Slog reflects on his leader's madness


"It was so much better before... Earth was ours for the taking, our present from Unicron before he departed. We destroyed, we annihilated -- we had a good time!"

—Cyclonus is slightly less poetic in his reminiscence


"Guzzle, Chainclaw -- help him out!"
"On our way, Prowl! Been nice knowin' you guys!"

—Prowl and Guzzle, who - in an alternate future - isn't just being literarily ironic


"Yesss! Fall, Autobot! Beg for mercy, beg for the sweet release of death! As your life slips away, pray that I decide to finish the job! Pray I decide to kill y-aaah!"
"Your killing days are over, Decepticon!"

— raw carnage brings out Cyclonus's psychotic inner poet, till Chainclaw gets the drop on him

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

  • As Laserbeak flies off after wounding Crossblades, he's drawn without his head.

Continuity errors

  • Though it seems to follow the events of the movie ("A Savage Circle" gives Galvatron II his animated film origin), Prowl's kinda alive, which either means there was a goof or Prowl didn't die in this timeline's version of the movie events.

Continuity notes

  • This was the only issue in the Marvel U.S. series that dealt with an alternate reality, a subject that would later become commonplace in Transformers.
  • Galvatron says that Cyclonus is a "being forged in the fires of Unicron himself," which is in line with the animated movie, but in strictly U.S. stories, he and Scourge were first seen on Cybertron serving under Scorponok. The Marvel UK stories explained this using time travel. This is the only time in the U.S. stories that any reference is made to Cyclonus and Scourge being created by Unicron.
    • With that in mind, Cyclonus and Scourge's deaths here mean they can never be thrown into the past to become Targetmasters under Scorponok, ruling out this story as a possible future.
  • The seven Autobot survivors shown are Prowl, Inferno (first U.S. appearance), Jazz, Crossblades (only Marvel appearance), Getaway, Guzzle, and Chainclaw (also first U.S. appearance). By the end of the issue only Prowl, Inferno, and Jazz are still alive. Guess who had new Action Master toys?
Witness the birth of three Furmanisms.
  • This issue is notable for its high percentage of Furmanisms. In fact, this issue is the genesis of three of them. "Rhythms of Darkness!" spawned "FIGHT AND DIE," "IT IS OVER — FINISHED," and "WHAT CHANCE DO WE HAVE?"

Real-life references

UK printing

Issue #298:

Issue #299:

  • Reprint Transformers story: "The Legacy of Unicron!"
  • Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Divided We Fall" and Combat Colin
  • This issue marked Dreadwind's last ever ever Dread Tidings. However he would stayed holed up in the Marvel offices until #302

Issue #300:

  • Reprint Transformers story: "The Legacy of Unicron!"
  • Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Divided We Fall" and Combat Colin
  • This issue had a wraparound cover.
  • Action Master Blaster took over the letters page with Darn 'n' Blast until the end of the run.

Issue #301:

  • Reprint Transformers story: "The Legacy of Unicron!"
  • Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Divided We Fall" and Combat Colin
  • The covers for this issue features a U.S. flag with 52 stars. One of the two images in the book itself doesn't feature individual stars, the other has the stars run off into shadow.

Other trivia

  • In the early 2000s, this issue was the object of an infamous eBay auction in which the seller claimed that certain panels of the comic could be seen as prophetic warnings about the 9/11 attacks.[1]
  • 25 later, this timeline was revisited via the Facebook edition of Ask Vector Prime. To read about what happens next after this issue's events, see here.

Covers (9)

  • US issue #67 - ...And so Galvatron turned the Earth into a disco.
    US issue #67 - ...And so Galvatron turned the Earth into a disco.
  • UK issue #298 - Galvatron - too cheap for a boat ticket.
    UK issue #298 - Galvatron - too cheap for a boat ticket.
  • UK issue #299 - "Can I sing One Million Bottles Of Energon On The Wall?"
    UK issue #299 - "Can I sing One Million Bottles Of Energon On The Wall?"
  • UK issue #300 - C'mon, you know you want this on your bedroom wall.
    UK issue #300 - C'mon, you know you want this on your bedroom wall.
  • UK issue #301 - Brings a tear to my eye...
    UK issue #301 - Brings a tear to my eye...
  • US issue #67 cover: victorious Galvatron, by Jim Lee.
  • UK issue #298 cover: Galvatron emerging in the New York harbor, by Stewart Johnson.
  • UK issue #299 cover: Galvatron before a dead Rodimus Prime, by John Marshall and Stewart Johnson.
  • UK issue #300 cover: Autobots attack, by John Marshall and Stewart Johnson.
  • UK issue #301 cover: Autobots victorious by John Marshall, Stewart Johnson and Robin Bouttell.
  • Matrix Quest TPB
    Matrix Quest TPB
  • Matrix Quest hardback
    Matrix Quest hardback
  • Classic Transformers Volume 5
    Classic Transformers Volume 5
  • The Transformers Classics, Vol. 6
    The Transformers Classics, Vol. 6

Advertisements

  • None yet identified.

Reprints

References

  1. ↑ http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/1323/
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