Howlback (G1)

The name or term "Howlback" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Howlback (disambiguation).

Howlback is a Decepticon Mini-Cassette from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Ain't no howlaback, girl.

Howlback (ハウルバック Haurubakku) is a member of the elite Cobalt Sentries, the "public safety unit" of the Decepticon Secret Police. Howlback takes her job and position as an enforcer very seriously and will brook no dissent from anyone, even a fellow Decepticon. She carries herself with an elegant air, which masks the ice-cold killer at the core of her spark.

As part of her job of quelling insurgencies and arresting (or assassinating) suspected rebels, she carries a set of "Multi-Track Missiles", but her real strength is in her "Feedbacker Shield", an energy barrier which absorbs energy attacks, allowing her to fire them back at the target of her choosing.

Fiction

Legends comic

With Soundwave and the other Decepticon cassettes, Howlback was part of an attack on the Ark to steal the new Transform Super Cog in the late 1980s. Slugslinger's Ambition

Lil Formers

Howlback was one of the absurd amount of minions Soundwave ejected out of his chest, all in a row, in preparation for a fight. Lil Formers

Marvel Comics continuity

Recordicons

Incensed at Batbot's crusade against evil as it was an affront to the one true Megatron, Howlback tracked down the Recordicon, only for Nightprowler to come to Batbot's aid. Howlback protested that they were ganging up on her, but Nightprowler asserted that when heroes do it, it's just called "teamwork". Recordicons #21

Regeneration One

Howlback was present on Cybertron when the Dark Matrix creature attacked the population and was converted into a shadow-leech alongside Soundwave, Beastbox, Slugfest, Squawktalk, Overkill, and Wingthing. Their combined form menaced Ravage before he was rescued by Shockwave and Starscream. King of Shadows The shadow-leeches ceased to be a threat once Rodimus Prime defeated the Dark Matrix creature. The War to End All Wars, Part 5

Ask Vector Prime

One universe's version of Howlback was protoformed with a male chassis. Howlback referred to herself with female pronouns but felt no need for reformatting into a female chassis. The Arcee of Howlback's reality would mention her in a lecture Arcee gave in Axiom Nexus which Vector Prime attended. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/12/23

2005 IDW continuity

Howlback was amongst the Decepticons that escaped from Garrus-9 in the company of Shockwave. Like the rest of Shockwave's companions, she was on The List, and had been intended to be handed over to the Decepticon Justice Division in exchange for the former Senator being allowed to go free, a deal Tarn rejected. The Ties That Bind

2019 IDW continuity

Howlback was one of the many infiltration troopers Clench deployed during the Decepticon attack on the Senate. They rushed Grotusque and Roulette and easily defeated them. We Have Deceived You

Howlback was part of the Decepticons Ratbat used to seize control of Iacon's energon supplies. War World: Hunt

Games

Transformers Legends

Seeking revenge for a prior loss, Flamewar led a team consisting of herself, Howlback, Shadowstalker, and Twirl against Autobot bases. Elita One sent Chromia and Moonracer to face them. Fatal Furies: Flamewar's Revenge

Toys

Collector's Edition

Cat Ballue

• Cobalt Sentries (2005)
  • ID number: 69, 71 (Cobalt Sentries set)
  • Accessories: Left & right "Multi-Track Missiles", tape case

A redeco of the original Ravage mold, Howlback transforms from a mechanical jaguar into a microcassette tape that can fit in the chest compartment of the Soundwave or Blaster molds. Her "tape window" shows a readout of the Autobot Fortress Maximus that displays his "weak point" when she is placed behind a clear-red piece of transparent plastic, like the Tech Spec decoders and the chestplates behind the Soundblaster and Twincast molds. She also came with a clear-plastic cassette case, like early Takara releases of the cassette Transformers.

Howlback was only available in an e-Hobby exclusive "Cobalt Sentries" two-pack with her teammate Garboil. The mold was later used to make another e-Hobby exclusive, Glit, and Encore Stripes. Howlback's toy was repurposed as Shattered Glass Glit.

• More info on Howlback at TFU.info

Notes

Takara thought very hard about claiming only having a left-side weapon was making her "more accurate".

• "Howlback" is actually an audio term, essentially a synonym for "feedback".
• Howlback's coloration is based on the individually boxed pre-Transformers Microchange version of the MC-02 "Microcassette Robo Jaguar" mold.
• The Cobalt Sentries set had notoriously bad quality control in regards to Howlback's add-on weapons. There were numerous complaints of sets with two of the same-side weapon, leading to a lot of trading between fans and mailed-off replacement parts from Takara.
• The Howlback in Recordicons, hailing from the Classics universe, has the distinction of being the first transgender Transformer to be so under her own terms, at least according to the author. As the Classics universe is a Marvel-derived continuity, Howlback's assigned sex is "neuter", but she identifies as female.
• Years later, the Facebook edition of Ask Vector Prime would declare this to be true of at least one universe's version of Howlback.
• The Wings Universe incarnation of Ravage is described as a Cougaraider. This designation could arguably apply to all characters sharing Ravage's body-type.