Transformers Comic issue 12
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 "Kids will want to see cover text far more than robots hitting each other, right?" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Titan Magazines | ||||||||||||
| First published | 22 May 2008 | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Steve White | ||||||||||||
| Deputy editor | Den Patrick | ||||||||||||
| Designer | Danny Preston | ||||||||||||
| Publishing manager | Darryl Curtis | ||||||||||||
Well, this is just Prime...
Contents
[edit]Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 4
[edit]
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| Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 4 | |||||||||||||
| Script | Simon Furman | ||||||||||||
| Pencils | Paul Ridgon | ||||||||||||
| Inks | Andy Lanning | ||||||||||||
| Colours | Jason Cardy | ||||||||||||
| Lettering | Jimmy Betancourt/Comicraft | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Twilight's Last Gleaming | ||||||||||||
Bonecrusher and Ironhide tear it up, but Ironhide is losing in a straight fist-fight. Luckily Ratchet has more sense and absorbs the minerals in nearby ore to form offensive armour weaponry. The tide turns against Bonecrusher, but the Autobots know that they'll still get gunned down by the Payload drones. But they reckoned without the arrival of Autobot reinforcements!
At the former Sector 7 base, things are going badly for Mikaela Banes — Frenzy is dodging every attack and easily takes her down. But the final blow goes against him, as she tricks him into shooting his razor blades into the liquid nitrogen tanks! The tanks are emptied, Frenzy is frozen and offlined, and Mikaela barely escapes with Phase One of her job complete — the frozen Optimus Prime is thawing out...
Elsewhere, Bumblebee is beaten and at Megatron's mercy, the tyrant amused by the Autobot's refusal to beg for mercy. Lucky for Bumblebee, this is the moment Elita-One, Strongarm and Skyblast arrive! But Bumblebee knows nothing they do will matter if Mikaela fails; speaking of which, with the help of Tom Banachek, she's accessed a Sector 7 room containing an unknown glowing object. This may not be enough though. These days, Megatron wields the power of the AllSpark — the Autobots can't stop him. Their team in Georgia is already starting to go down. And he's about to lay the killing blow on Skyblast...
...and then Optimus appears, revived and ready to kick some MAJOR ASS!
And all of this seems to be playing out exactly how Starscream wants...
Featured characters
[edit](Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Articles & features
[edit]- Transformers Animated feature - "Bad Boyz Two!", about Megatron and Starscream.
- How To Draw Transformers: how to draw a transformation sequence for Blackout.
- Top Gear: adverts for and a chance to win Titanium Series figures, Camshaft and Classics Mirage, and Risk: Transformers — Cybertron Battle Edition.
- Posters of the cover image and the Animated Megatron and Starscream.
- Artobots: Fan art section.
- Star Screams: Letters, art and photos from readers, answered by Starscream.
Free Gift
[edit]- "Fab Free Transformers Pinball!" — a small cheap pinball game
Reprints
[edit]Reprinted stories are only a portion of their respective issues.
- Transformers: Movie Prequel, part 4c (5 pages)
- Beast Wars: The Gathering, part 4c (5 pages)
Quotes
[edit]Strip
[edit]"Attitude will only get you so far! Whereas the metals and minerals in this ore... will get you armour!"
- —Ratchet saves Ironhide's butt
"Came here to free Optimus Prime. Boo-hoo - failed. Frenzy wins. Never mind. Soon be cold and dead."
- —Frenzy gets the last half right...
"I thought your vocal interface had repaired itself, Autobot. At least have the decency... to scream! One plaintive broken sob, a cry for mercy and I'll consider ending this torment. Believe me... I could do this all night!"
"I-is... that all you got?"
- —Megatron finds Bumblebee has big brass ones
"Enough! This is between you and me, Megatron — one shall stand, one shall fall! Let's finish this."
- —Optimus Prime
Star Screams
[edit](On cosplayers) "When the Decepticons rule this swamp-soaked rock I will outlaw meatsacks disguising themselves as Autobots, especially one with a face like a rusty bucket of clunge sprockets such as Prime."
"The afterburners are fine, thank you for asking, especially since I got some cream from Ratchet. Well, I say 'got'; it was more like hanging him upside down and shaking him until his medi-bag fell open, and I could help myself."
"My favourite Autobot is Jazz, because the only good Autobot is a dead Autobot."
"I will never understand why you are so found of a bright yellow car. He can't even converse unless it's through sickeningly romantic power ballads or turged R&B! Still, you're [sic] willingness to mimic Brawl amuses me!"
(On pictures that obscure Megatron's eyes) "When you've had to look at Megatron for as long as I have, not seeing his murderous beady little eyes isn't so bad. Although, if you looked at him too long, he had a tendency to say, "What are you looking at?" which was usually a prelude to some unfortunate drone finding himself undergoing catastrophic and instant amputations."
Notes
[edit]Continuity notes
[edit]- Mikaela/Frenzy and Bumblebee/Megatron are both rematches for fights in the film and comics respectively. Megatron even refers to the first time he mangled Bumblebee.
- The Payload-disguised bodies Ironhide and Ratchet were in lacked their usual firepower - it appears these weapons can be sacrificed to help take certain forms.
- They then rebuild their weapons by absorbing raw materials. Absorbing nearby matter to add to their exostructure is something established in the Movie Guide, but never used in any fiction before now.
Alternate-reality notes
[edit]- Megatron is linked to the AllSpark now, wielding its power—he babbles "It is me and I am it!". This gets elaborated on next issue.
Transformers references
[edit]- "One shall stand" yadda yadda.
Letters page notes
[edit]- Starscream is aware of Unicron, something no other Transformer is.
- Starscream also refers to an Ultra Magnus.
Production notes
[edit]- Titan had originally planned that issue 7 to 12 would all be set between the battle of Mission City and the very end of the film. [1] This would dovetail with the natural endpoint for the reprints. But the decision to run a 5-part story after #8 was written clearly mucked that up, as here and next issue the reprints abruptly have to be shorter than ever before so all strips will be renewed at #14!
- More fun with change of artists between parts: Bonecrusher has darker colouring, Elita-One's changed her head again, Ratchet's colours are more movie-esque, Starscream has gone grey, Bumblebee's head is more detailed, and Megatron's face contrives to be shadowed and eerie in every panel. This last one is awesome.
Errors
[edit]- Ratchet says Ironhide is in his "proto-form", even though he can't be: those were 'naked' Transformers and Ironhide has kibble.
Other notes
[edit]- Mikaela is badass.
- But not as badass as that appearance of Optimus.
References
[edit]- ↑ Script (W)Rap UK, Furman's Wordpress
