The Primal Scream

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This article is about the comic issue. For the Titan Books collection, see Transformers: Primal Scream.
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I am Oz! The great and powerful!
"The Primal Scream"
Publisher Marvel Comics
First published October 1989
Cover date Mid December 1989
Writer Simon Furman Maximus
Artist Geoffire Senior
Colorist Shrapnel Yomtov
Letterer Jim Lock Massara
Editor Megadon Daley
Continuity Marvel Comics continuity

Don't wake the sleeping god... whatever you do! Plus: The Honest to Gosh Origin of the Transformers!

Synopsis

Well, yes. So it turns out that when Bludgeon sabotaged the Autobots' trip to Earth, everyone ended up instead in the middle of Cybertron. And it also turns out that this is where an old dude in metal robes called the Keeper lives. He is guarding, sorta, the head of Primus. Primus—the Transformers' god.

Grimlock doesn't think much of the Keeper, or Primus. He thinks the whole thing is a load of bunk. So, to prove to Grimlock that it is real, the Keeper recounts the origin of the Transformers.

At the dawn of time, two gods—Primus and Unicron—fight. Unicron beats the crap out of Primus on a physical plane, then on the astral plane. In a last desperate ploy, Primus escapes the astral plane into a massive metal asteroid. Unicron does the same, thinking Primus is onto something, and as a result they are both trapped.

Primus eventually learns to shape his prison, and makes it into Cybertron. Unicron shapes his prison into a giant planet-devouring planet that can change into a robot. To combat this, Primus makes a race of little robots called the Transformers. And now Unicron searches the cosmos for Primus, while Primus sleeps to hide from his enemy.

The Keeper has just gotten to tell his whole story when suddenly the Decepticons burst in. The Autobots beat them up to stop them from waking Primus. Then, at the last moment, Octopunch shoots Grimlock in the back and the shot ricochets into Primus's face. The shock is enough to wake Primus, causing him to scream. A scream that sent shock waves through the planet.

A scream that, out in deep space, Unicron hears.

(Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.)
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Others

Quotes

"YOU! You dare defile this most sacred of places with your unworthy presence?! On your knees, trespasses! Prostrate yourself before your creator, your living god--! PRIMUS!"
"Huh! Some creator! Seems to have dozed off!"

— the Keeper didn't account for Grimlock's flippancy


"Bumblebee, Jazz -- you not buy this, do you? Maybe Decepticons drugged us, made us hal--hallu-- see 'our god'!"

—Grimlock


"Seawatch -- he's yours!"
"Thanks, Bumblebee. Just what I've never wanted!"
(Seawatch latches a tow cable onto Bludgeon's leg)
"You know how to water-ski, Bludgeon?..."
(Seawatch zooms off down the flooded tunnel, dragging Bludgeon with him.)
"...ME NEITHER!!"

—Bumblebee helps Seawatch snatch a crowning moment of awesome right in front of a stunned Bludgeon's eyes.

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

Continuity errors

  • "Who elected you anyway?" yells one disgruntled Decepticon. It's a funny line and a good way of selling that Scorponok is still a new-ish leader on Earth. Problem is, the bulk of Scorponok's forces, and all of them in this scene except Soundwave, are the robots he was in charge of way back in "Ring of Hate!".
  • Doubleheader's tech specs indicate that only his left head speaks, but in the comics either or both heads are shown speaking. During the Matrix Quest, Doubleheader's heads even talk over each other, making two different statements at once.

Continuity notes

GOD FIGHT!
  • This is one of three tellings of the origin of the Transformers that appeared throughout the Marvel US and Marvel UK comics series. Each one was told from a different point of view, and this was the only one told by someone who wasn't actually there. The other tellings of the story were by Primus and Unicron. None of the tellings are quite consistent with each other, and since Furman wrote all three and each one is said by a different person to different people, that seems intentional.
  • According to "Vector Prime: In the Beginning" (published many years later) Primus and Unicron's dual awakenings in this story in fact reverberated across the Multiverse, ending a long period of dormancy for both entities in every reality, and making this the single most cataclysmically important Transformers story, ever.
  • Octopunch's actions here not only wake up Primus, but also leads Unicron straight to Cybertron resulting in the deaths of dozens of Transformers and the near devastation of Cybertron. In short, Octopunch destroyed the world. However, if Primus hadn't been woken, then Unicron would have spent another fifteen years munching through planets, ending billions of lives, only to end up at Cybertron and kill almost everyone anyway. In short, Octopunch is a hero and savior of worlds.
  • Bumblebee contemplates his mortality in this issue, mentioning that he died once. This appears to be in reference to his death as Goldbug in US issue #50. Perhaps he doesn't consider his destruction at the hands of G.I. Joe/Death's Head (which led to his rebirth as Goldbug) a true death.
  • Mindwipe complains to Scorponok about Starscream almost killing the Decepticons twice, references to US issues #50 and #59. In a clever move, Mindwipe still has battle damage from the latter story!
  • All four members of the Rescue Patrol were present in the background at the end of last issue and the beginning of this one, but Fixit never did anything up close.
  • There are two unnamed red Autobot technicians. They are not Fastlane and Cloudraker.
  • The "water" in the tunnels around Primus's chamber was explained in Darn 'n' Blast #303 to be liquid helium.
  • Starscream's Classic Pretender shell gets its last mention in the comics. Scorponok acknowledged to his troops that Starscream was more powerful now that he had a Pretender Shell, but he was keeping him on a tight leash. Starscream overheard this and starts plotting. It isn't until issue #66 that we see Starscream leave the Decepticon base without his shell to go off on his own. The fate of his shell isn't explained.

Real-life references

Bot Roster

  • Autobots: 27 active as the Rescue Squad goes to Earth to join the Ark crew; 8 rogue Micromasters; 1 in storage, 31 offline, 25 presumed offline. (92 total)
  • Decepticons: 23 active as the Mayhems are teleported to Earth and will eventually hook up with Scorponok's crew; 4 rogue Micromasters; 26 offline, 25 presumed offline, 4 offline/missing. (82 total)

UK printing

Issue #259:

Issue #260:

Issue #261:

  • Additional Transformers story: "Starting Over!"
  • Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Going Under" and Combat Colin

Other trivia

  • While Dan Reed was the first UK artist to work on the US series (drawing the cover for issue #56), this is the first US issue to feature interior art by a UK artist. Geoff Senior penciled and inked the entire strip for this issue.
  • This issue featured the final Transformers art to be produced for the series by long-time artist Don Perlin, in the form of the issue's cover.
  • Transformers Universe profiles for Triggerhappy, Landfill, Quickmix, and Scoop are found after the main story.

Covers (8)

  • US issue #61 - NOM NOM NOM.
    US issue #61 - NOM NOM NOM.
  • UK issue #259 - And that's why you don't insult Menasor's ear-things.
    UK issue #259 - And that's why you don't insult Menasor's ear-things.
  • UK issue #260 - If this was what actually happened, it would be magical.
    UK issue #260 - If this was what actually happened, it would be magical.
  • UK issue #261 - "Guns. Lots of guns."
    UK issue #261 - "Guns. Lots of guns."
  • Primal Scream TPB
    Primal Scream TPB
  • Primal Scream hardback
    Primal Scream hardback
  • Classic Transformers Volume 4
    Classic Transformers Volume 4
  • The Transformers Classics, Vol. 5
    The Transformers Classics, Vol. 5
  • Primal Scream TPB cover: Grimlock, Goldbug, Pretender Starscream, and half of Primus, by Andrew Wildman.
  • Primal Scream hardback cover: Grimlock victorious over the Sports Car Patrol, by Dave Gibbons.
  • Classic Transformers Volume 4 cover: panels from US issues #59 and #60, pencils by José Delbo, inks by Dave Hunt and colours by Nel Yomtov.
  • The Transformers Classics, Vol. 5 cover: Prowl, by Guido Guidi.

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