Transformers I.Q. issue 6

« Transformers I.Q. »
Publisher	Fun Publications
Published in	Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club #48
First published	December 2012/January 2013
Script	Jesse Wittenrich
Art	various
Continuity	TransTech

I-QUEUE goes over Quintessons, while events are set into motion, changing things forever...

Synopsis

I-QUEUE recalls that Cybertronians have encountered the Quintessons across the multiverse, with many of these encounters being extremely unpleasant. Now, he wishes to review some of these beings in greater depth:

1. Which of the following is not a face associated with Quintessons? A. Death B. Judgement C. War D. Conspiracy

2. This Quintesson General was tasked by Lord Kledji to conquer Autobot City, and even briefly gained the power of the Matrix of Leadership. Who is he? A. Abin Al-Sur Rani B. Ghyrik C. Jolup D. In-Saba Nur

3. This "Red Wizard" was a banished Quintesson, sent to the realm of Menonia, where he took the form of the Golden One's apprentice. Who is he? A. Uther Pendragon B. Mara Jade C. Mara-Al-Utha D. Aseem-Ul-Badder

4. Aquarius is a Quintesson from a negative polarity universe. His current whereabouts unknown, what was his last known objective? A. Prevent the Megatherion from destroying the Planicrons B. Gather the remains of a sword with multiversal powers C. Defeat The Fallen D. Correct history when time goes wrong.

5. What did the Matrix mean when it said the Quintessons created the Transformers? A. They built the Transformers as consumer and military goods B. They modified Primus' children to fit their own needs C. The Matrix was speaking in allegories D. This only applies to Primax 984.17 Alpha.

I-QUEUE's session is interrupted as Aquarius, having secretly entered Axiom Nexus, admires the picture they used for him. He's interrupted when the thief he hired returns with a sword shard from the vaults, which Aquarius reveals is part of the Star Saber he and Nexus Prime have been looking for. "Dorothy", as he calls her, tells him that she doesn't want any reward, and instead only wants to go home, and Aquarius is all too happy to oblige.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Others
I-QUEUE (1) Aquarius (2) "Dorothy" (3)

Notes

• Characters mentioned but not seen include: the "big guy".

Continuity notes

• Aquarius and Nexus Prime haven't been seen since "The Coming Storm: Part 1", around the time the "Aligned" continuity started up and Hasbro restricted the use of the Thirteen. Their mission will lead into the next few years of storylines, concluding in 2015.

Transformers references

• The correct answer for question 1 is D. "Judgement" and "War" are alternate names for the "Doubt" and "Laughter" faces, created for Transformers: The Ultimate Guide. The question is illustrated with a screencap of the Quintesson judge from The Transformers: The Movie.
• Ghyrik is the correct answer for question 2, appearing in Marvel UK's The Transformers issues #182-187, illustrated him with cover for issue #187 (art by Andrew Wildman). Other answers include Jolup, another Quintesson general seen in those issues, and In-Saba Nur, a Quintesson executioner from "Wreckers: Finale Part II".
• Mara-Al-Utha is the correct answer for question 3, a Quintesson wizard seen in The Transformers episode "Madman's Paradise".
• Aquarius is illustrated in question 4 with his profile art from issue #27 of the Club Magazine (pencils and inks by Robby Musso, colors by Evan Gauntt). Megatherion (Megatron corrupted by the Hytherion) and the Planicrons both originate from the Alternity storyline.
• The answer to question 5 is cleverly covered up by Aqaurius' tentacle; the question is illustrated with a screencap of the "Ancient Robot" from The Transformers episode "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4". The idea that the Quintessons simply used Primus to create the Transformers comes from the 3H Productions Universe comics.

Real-world references

• Other options for question 3 include Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur from legend, and Mara Jade, wife of Luke Skywalker from Star Wars Expanded Universe (now known as Legends.)
• "Dorothy" is based on the pilot figure that came with the original Diaclone release of the toy that would become Sunstreaker.
• "Dorothy's" nickname, along with the metaphors Aquarius mentions (ruby slippers and the yellow brick road) are all references to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with the ruby slippers in particular coming from the 1939 MGM film adaptation.

Other trivia

• The art for the small comic section with Aquarius is by Jesse Wittenrich.