Rhythms of Darkness!
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 Galvatron can be any size he wishes! | |||||||||||||
| "Rhythms of Darkness!" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||||||||||||
| First published | April 1990 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | June 1990 | ||||||||||||
| Writer | Simon Furman | ||||||||||||
| Penciler | Jose Delbo | ||||||||||||
| Inker | Danny Bulanadi | ||||||||||||
| Colorist | Nel Yomtov | ||||||||||||
| Letterer | Jim Massara | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Don Daley | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Marvel Comics continuity | ||||||||||||
In an alternate future with Galvatron victorious, several Autobots fight in a last ditch attempt to retake Earth.
Synopsis
Galvatron and the Pretender Monsters arise from the Atlantic Ocean into a destroyed New York City, complete with a deactivated Rodimus Prime strung up between the stumps of the shattered World Trade Center towers. Galvatron sends his minions to search the city's ruins for Autobots. Though he has devastated the Autobot army and controls the planet's entire western hemisphere, Galvatron wishes even the slightest trace of resistance wiped out.
Elsewhere, a rebel group of surviving Autobots and humans, including Spike Witwicky, race to strike the Decepticon Powerbase. They have only hours before the governments of the remaining free nations launch nuclear weapons. Not only will this annihilate what remains of North America, but Galvatron has already prepared to shield his army and siphon off the blasts' energy, making him even more unstoppable. At the Decepticon base, the Autobots attack, providing a distraction while Spike carries out the mission's main goal. The Autobots bring down the base's force field and take out a number of Decepticons, but Crossblades, Guzzle, and Getaway soon fall. Chainclaw is seconds away from killing Cyclonus, when Galvatron arrives, destroying first the Autobot, then his "weak" lieutenant. Galvatron and the Pretender Monsters move in to finish the Autobots. However, Spike claims 'victory': he has scaled the Decepticon fortress and erected an American flag, a symbol to the world that America is still alive and fighting. The watching world governments abort the nuclear launch at the final second.
Galvatron is unimpressed, and takes aim at the iconic flag. But suddenly Hook, Line, and Sinker appear and attack Galvatron, dragging him back through time. With their mightiest foe defeated, the remaining Autobots and humans rally, pressing the attack and fighting for their world...
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
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Errors
- Though it is supposed to follow the events of the movie (until the battle with Unicron, anyway), someone appears to have overlooked Prowl's death. Again.
Items of note
- This was the only issue in the Marvel US series that dealt with an alternate reality, a subject that would later become commonplace in Transformers lore.
- In the early 2000s, this issue was the object of an infamous eBay auction in which the seller claimed that certain panels of the comic could be seen as prophetic warnings about the 9/11 attacks.[1]
- Galvatron says that Cyclonus is a "being forged in the fires of Unicron himself," which is in line with the animated movie, but in strictly US stories, he and Scourge were first seen on Cybertron serving under Scorponok. The Marvel UK stories explained this using time travel. This is the only time in the US stories that any reference is made to Cyclonus and Scourge being created by Unicron.
- With that in mind, Cyclonus and Scourge's deaths here mean they can never be thrown into the past to become Targetmasters under Scorponok, ruling out this story as a possible future.
- The seven Autobot survivors shown are Prowl, Inferno (first US appearance), Jazz, Crossblades (only appearance anywhere thus far), Getaway, Guzzle, and Chainclaw (also first US appearance). By the end of the issue only Prowl, Inferno and Jazz are still alive. Guess who had new Action Master toys?
- This issue is notable for its high percentage of Furmanisms. In fact, this issue is the genesis of three of them. "Rhythms of Darkness!" spawned "FIGHT AND DIE," "IT IS OVER — FINISHED," and "WHAT CHANCE DO WE HAVE?"
Covers
-
US issue #67 - ...And so Galvatron turned the Earth into a disco. -
UK issue #298 - Galvatron - too cheap for a boat ticket. -
UK issue #299 - "Can I sing One Million Bottles Of Energon On The Wall?" -
UK issue #300 - C'mon, you know you want this on your bedroom wall. -
UK issue #301 - Brings a tear to my eye...
- US issue #67 cover: victorious Galvatron, by Jim Lee.
- UK issue #298 cover: Galvatron emerging in the New York harbor by Stewart Johnson.
- UK issue #299 cover: Galvatron before a dead Rodimus Prime, by John Marshall and Stewart Johnson.
- UK issue #300 cover: Autobots attack by John Marshall and Stewart Johnson.
- UK issue #301 cover: Autobots victorious by John Marshall, Stewart Johnson and Robin Bouttell.
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