Spotlight: Arcee
Template:Comicnav This isn't the Fembot we all know and love, folks...
Synopsis
 Spoiler warning: Plot details follow. of the next episode/issue in the series or 30 days after release, whichever is sooner |
An enraged Arcee has been tearing a path of destruction through the universe, necessitating Ultra Magnus to hunt her down and bring her in as authorized by the Tyrest Accord. After a protracted battle she gets knocked out by a flash/concussion grenade and taken in by Magnus; as they leave the area a couple of apparent drones surface and talk to a monitor — promising that the Nega-core has not been detected and/or taken, which elicits a confirmation from their red-helmeted, gold-shouldered master that preparations for the Expansion will continue.
Garrus-9 penitentiary: Arcee's spark is being held in a cell, along with notable others. Apparent warden Fortress Maximus confers with Jetfire and the Technobots about when they can incarcerate the Monstructor components that same way; Jetfire notes that they can't break through the destructive programming far enough to rehabilitate/reform the sparks [as per Optimus Prime's orders], and as such haven't pulled the sparks from the frames. As they confer, the Decepticon Onslaught leads his Combaticons in a perfectly-timed (as monitored by Banzaitron) assault on the facility, striking at precisely the right grid-sensor-shuffling moment... breaking into the penitentiary.
Fortress Maximus has no choice but to unleash the threat-level-9 Arcee on them with the sole caveat of destroying her spark (via a spark casing g-force crush) if she attempts to escape. A furious battle ensues, but after she cuts through Blast Off and plows through Brawl in vehicle mode, the Combaticons (who recognized her when she first attacked) manage to teleport out with the unconscious Monstructor cons (whom Banzaitron wants to join his Secret Service).
Arcee proposes that she be released to hunt them down or killed on the spot. When asked for her motivation she grows angry, commenting that "you don't even know you're DOING it"... "because you unconsciously see a difference." She then reveals that Jhiaxus tampered with her CNA at creation, turning her into a female, "because he was curious, because he could," just to see what introducing gender to the Transformer race would do. He then discarded her and left her to her fate. Traumatized and vengefull all she can think of is wiping out all trace of his tampering in this Universe.
Maximus disagrees, pointing the remote spark-casing-control unit at her, but Jetfire tells him to let her go (he'll back up whatever story Maximus concocts for her escape), as they have precious little to lose at this point.
Credits
Script: Simon Furman
Art: Alex Milne
Colors: Josh Perez and Chris Carter
Lettering: Chris Mowry
Editors: Andrew Steven Harris
- Originally published: February 20, 2008
- Continuity: IDW continuity
Major characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Others |
|---|---|---|
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|
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Trivia
- Arcee states that she was the first female Transformer experiment and it is implied she is something rare and (perhaps) unique. However nothing in the issue states that she was the only female Transformer created due to Jhiaxus's program. Indeed, in Megatron: Origin a number of female Transformers make cameo appearences. It may be that Arcee isn't completely alone and that her trauma stems more from being used, altered (perhaps against her will), and abandoned than anything else.
Items of note
- The issue contains bonus sketch art by Alex Milne, including color tests for Arcee.
- Cameos include:
Covers (3)
- Cover A: Arcee, Nova Prime, the Pretender Monsters, Ultra Magnus, Fortress Maximus and some dead guy by Alex Milne and Josh Perez.
- Cover B: Arcee being assembled by Alex Milne and Josh Perez.
- Cover RI: Uncolored sketch of cover B.
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- All Hail Megatron series
- Star Trek: New Frontier (back cover)
