Fragmentation (G1)
Optimus removed himself and Megatron from the board, causing the two factions to break into six. A burning darkness emerges.
Writer: Simon Furman
Pencils: Andrew Wildman
Inks: Erik Sander
Colors: Espen Grundetjern, Rob Ruffolo, Ramil Sunga
Letters: Ben Lee
- Original release date: November 12th, 2004
- Preceded by: The War Within, Part 6
- Followed by: The Dark Ages, Part 2
- Characters (In order of appearance): Optimus Prime, Megatron, Jazz, Grimlock, The Fallen, Kup, Swoop, Hound, Huffer, Tracks, Mirage, Perceptor, Jazz Skids, Bludgeon, Mindwipe, Bugly, Starscream, Motormaster, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, Swoop, Ironhide, Wheeljack,
- Chronology: The Dark Ages
Synopsis
Before, at an Polar State: Kaon, Optimus Prime heroically dives at Megatron, throwing the two together through an early Space Bridge. Unable to process the unexpected higher occupancy, the portal explodes. Long after the area is abandoned, a crack in space opens up, letting The Fallen return.
Years later, on an operation at a spaceport, Kup questions the existence of a higher power and Cybertron's role in the larger universe. Grimlock pulls Kup's head out of the proverbial clouds.
Hound returns to the Autobase, with news of a mobile assault base. But Prowl is unable to spare extra soldiers ever since the Wreckers and L.S.C. broke off with the absence of Prime.
On Orbital Torus State: Kalis, Bludgeon leads Bugly and Mindwipe in a dark ritual. The Fallen crashes their pagan party and recruits the three to be his henchmen.
Starscream and his crew of Predacons transport a shipment of raw Energon to the spaceport, but after landing, the find their receiving team has already been killed by Grimlock's gang. As Grimlock and Starscream shout at each other, Ironhide and Wheeljack jack the Energon transport. Leaving Starscream very, very angry.
Deep within Cybertron, The Fallen leads his underlings to The Well Of All Sparks and tasks them with the retrieval of Grimlock for his role in The Unbinding.
Quotes
"So I ask you--"
"what's it all about?"
- -Kup
"Good, Right here, Kup, right now... it about Energon."
- -Grimlock
Items of Note
- This issue was available with four covers:
- Regular cover by Don Figueroa featuring the Dinobots in their Cybertronian forms
- Double-sized Wrap around coverby Pat Lee featuring Jetfire
- "Dynamic forces" cover by Andrew Wildman featuring the Autobase limited to 3000 copies
- Dealer incentive cover by Pat Lee
- Grimlock almost accidentally called Swoop Divebomb, this is a nod to the G1 story What's in a Name?.
- This issue contains advertisements for
- Transformers / G.I.Joe #3: Trial by Fire
- More Than Meets The Eye #8
- The Dark Ages, Part 2
- Wavelengths contains an article from the desk of penciler and character designer Don Allen Figueroa.
- "Declarations Of War" page has reader mail answered by Matt Moylan and has a rendering of Optimus Prime by Jeffrey Englert.
