Sector 7 Adventures: The Battle at Half Dome

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Sector 7 Adventures: The Battle at Half Dome
Publisher Paramount and Hasbro
First published April 2, 2019
Written by Jordan B. Gorfinkel
Art by Beni Lobel of Infinitoons Creative
Colors by Verónica R. López
Letters by Jacob Bascle
Editor Allyson Gronowitz
Continuity Movie continuity

Sector 7 Adventures: The Battle at Half Dome is a one-shot comic released as a pack-in with the physical release of Bumblebee and as a motion comic included among the film's bonus features, produced by Avalanche Comics Entertainment and animated by THINKWELL MEDIA. It follows Seymour Simmons encountering Bumblebee and Soundwave, two years after the former's arrival to Earth in Bumblebee, and serves to help bridge the gap between Bumblebee and the 2007 film.

Plot

In 1989, a Sector 7 convoy is passing through Half Dome National Monument. While Agent Simmons is growing irritated with the song on the radio, his superior Agent Bell chides him that he needs to relax more. Suddenly, an explosion rocks the vehicle, having been the target of an enormous robot's laser blaster. The shooter identifies himself as Soundwave and demands the humans return what is rightfully the Decepticons'. As the convoy continues to take heavy fire, multiple troops step out and attempt to shoot back, but their weapons are no match for Soundwave. Simmons asks the injured Bell what to do, but Bell refuses to reveal their mission orders, as they are classified and strictly "need-to-know", and passes out. With Bell now unconscious, command falls to the frazzled Simmons, who asks their driver to get Bell a medic and radio HQ. Establishing contact, Simmons gives HQ a sitrep and requests backup, believing the robot won't blow them up for risk of damaging whatever they have that he wants. HQ assumes this to be "the payload", catching Simmons off guard, as he believed they were only transporting troops. HQ refuses to admit what the payload is, only that it needs to be delivered to "The Igloo" and must be protected at all costs. HQ further warns them that the payload should not be activated under any circumstance, and that they will not be able to send any backup before hanging up.

Before Soundwave can continue his assault, he is attacked by a new arrival: Autobot B-127, AKA Bumbebee. The two get into a fistfight, Soundwave goading Bumblebee with accusations of Optimus Prime's cowardice and declarations that the Decepticons will soon control Earth. Soundwave deploys Laserbeak, Ravage, and Rumble, who quickly overtake Bumblebee, and he attempts to convince the Autobot to join him in his search to find Megatron and the AllSpark. Fortunately, Brawn arrives to lend Bumblebee a hand, knocking Rumble into the distant rock formation with a mighty punch. The odds now evened, the two Autobots begin to fight back as Soundwave demands to know why Bumblebee refuses to respond, only to realize that he cannot due to losing his voice. Disguested by his weakness, Soundwave rescinds his offer.

Hiding behind cover, Simmons is impressed by the coolheadedness of his driver, who introduces herself as Agent Neda March. March warns him that their ammo is running low and their losses are increasing, and suggests the use of the payload. Simmons protests, as they are under orders and don't know what it does anyway, but March reminds him this is a crisis and they need strong leadership. Simmons finally acquiesces and dashes towards the truck containing the payload. Soundwave targets Simmons, preparing to blast him, but is prevented thanks to a shot from Bumblebee. Simmons enters the truck, discovering the payload to be an alien device of unknown origin. He presses the control panel and the payload activates, causing the warring robots to go haywire as they lose control of their transformations. Taking advantage of the gap in the battle, Simmons orders the convoy to quickly retreat, getting back on the road towards their destination. March congratulates Simmons for saving them, while Simmons admits he felt wrong disobeying orders and declares that he will be strictly by-the-book from now on, dedicating himself to eliminating the Transformer threat. March suggests the possibility some of the robots might be potential forces for good, but Simmons laughs it off, unaware their convoy now includes a green and yellow jeep with an Autobot insignia on its bumper...

At the Igloo, deep beneath Sector 7's Hoover Dam base, Simmons is met by facility director Agent Banachek, who thanks him for the successful delivery of the payload. Knowing Simmons has questions, Banachek leads him further into the base, explaining that what he is about to see is top-secret. Banachek notes that Half Dome is the second encounter Simmons has had with the alien robots, the first being his time serving under Agent Burns during the "Bumblebee incident". After those events, Banachek explains, Sector 7 took control of the aliens' antenna device and began reverse engineering it into a weapon that could be used against them, though neither side knew what exactly it could do until Simmons activated it. Simmons takes responsibility for disobeying orders, but Banachek confirms Sector 7 doesn't fault him given the circumstances. He admits this isn't the first encounter Sector 7 has had with giant robots, and that the Igloo has been designed to hide their organization from the Transformers' sensors, with Simmons realizing there is something else they want to stay hidden. Opening a door, Banachek reveals to Simmons the "Ice Man", a massive Transformer frozen in ice, noting the catastrophic threat he would pose should he ever be freed from his frozen prison.

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans

Quotes

"A word of advice, Simmons: If you're gonna have a career in Sector 7, a government agency so off the grid even POTUS doesn't know we exist, you gotta take a chill pill. Otherwise you'll explode."

— Agent Bell, moments before being caught in an explosion.


"Under attack by a giant robot!"
"I presume your infinitesimal computational capacity is nonetheless sufficient to deduce how badly this will end for you."
"Make that a cocky giant robot."

—Agent Simmons doesn't appreciate Soundwave's erudite insults.


"Classified. Strictly need-to-know."
"I NEED TO KNOW!"

—HQ is getting on Simmons's last nerve.

Notes

Continuity notes

Various references are made to both the Bumblebee film and 2007's Transformers in order to further tie their events together:

  • The comic shows the origins of Agent Simmons' obsession with the Transformers, as seen in the 2007 film.
  • Soundwave acknowledges Shatter and Dropkick's deaths and their failed attempt to contact the Decepticon Empire, as depicted in Bumblebee.
  • Brawn is present on Earth, indicating he was among the Autobots who arrived shortly after Optimus in the first mid-credits scene of Bumblebee.
  • Soundwave mentions that he made a bet with Blitzwing to see which of them could reduce a human into at least one kilounit of water. Since the Bumblebee movie threw the Bumblebee Movie Prequel comic out the window and left us with no explanation as to how Blitzwing made it to Earth that was compatible with the film's backstory, it is possible that, based off this statement, Blitzwing was a crew member on the Nemesis.
  • After the battle, Agent March suggests Simmons wear a T-shirt with the S7 symbol. Evidently, he took this very seriously, as he was seen wearing exactly that in the 2007 film.
  • Tom Banachek, Sector Seven's director in the 2007 film, appears in the comic's final act.
  • Banachek explains that the payload is a repurposed version of the device Shatter and Dropkick attempted to use to contact the Decepticons during the climax of Bumblebee.
  • And of course, the comic concludes on the reveal of the "Ice Man", AKA Megatron, frozen under Hoover Dam as he was in the 2007 film. According to Bumblebee director Travis Knight, an early cut of the film featured a similar tease as a post-credits scene, but it was removed from the final cut.

Transformers References

  • Like the other Cybertronians in this comic, Laserbeak and Rumble's designs are influenced by their Generation 1 namesakes, right down to the cassette tape alternate modes.
  • Simmons describes the Transformers as "robots in disguise".
  • When Simmons orders retreat, he says "roll out".
  • At the end of the battle, Agent March asks Simmons if there could be "more than meets the eye" to the giant robots.

Real-world references

  • Soundwave quotes the Decepticon laureate Twainwreck, a reference to American author Mark Twain. The quote itself is reference to a common misquotation of Twain's response when told by a reporter of a rumor that he had been gravely ill and died.

Errors

  • How the hell did Brawn transform into his vehicle form given the activation of the payload?

Trivia

  • There are some differences between the motion comic version and the print version, such as the motion comic omitting or making minor edits to several lines of dialogue present in the print version. Most notably, the physical book ends with the shot of Brawn's bumper, making all the scenes with Simmons and Banachek at Hoover Dam exclusive to the motion comic.
  • Really? None of the soldiers noticed a strange military vehicle transforming into an Autobot and later hiding among them?
  • Due to Hasbro's stance on Bumblebee being a reboot, and this comic attempting to tie it to the 2007 movie, this motion comic cannot be set in the same universe as the Bumblebee movie, and is most likely in a separate micro-continuity.

Motion comic credits

Credited voice actors

Production team

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