Spacehikers!
A group of children are caught in the cross-fire of inter-Autobot politics.
Marvel US issue #36
(Story also appears in: Marvel UK issues #143-144)
Script: Bob Budiansky
Pencils: Jose Delbo
Inks: Ian Akin and Brian Garvey
Lettering: Diana Albers
Colors: Nelson Yomtov
Editor: Don Daley
- Major characters (in order of appearance): Sky Lynx, Wheeljack, Grimlock, Blast Off (incapacitated), Blaster
- Originally published: January, 1988
Synopsis
Sky Lynx arrives in our solar system, answering a plea from old friend Wheeljack for help in overthrowing the current Autobot leader Grimlock, who is obsessed with locating and imprisoning Blaster, to the exclusion of fighting the Decepticons. When Blaster is located giving four Earth children a joy ride in the incapacitated form of Blast Off, the Ark immediately opens fire. To save the kids, Blaster orders Blast Off to stop and be picked up by the Ark, but one of the children tosses Blaster out an airlock to ensure that Blaster is not captured.
With Blast Off safely incarcerated on board the Ark, the children are discovered, and Wheeljack sees to their needs. Grimlock holds a trial, accusing the children of aiding a traitor, and sentences them to execution. This is a ploy to bring Blaster out into the open, but as the children are made to "walk the plank" into deep space, Sky Lynx rescues them instead.
When Sky Lynx enters a meteor shower too dangerous for the Ark to navigate safely, Grimlock leads the Dinobots outside to pursue the rogue Autobot. Meanwhile, Blaster successfully makes it inside the Ark, where the other Autobots practically beg him to take command of the Autobots from Grimlock. However, when the Dinobots surround Sky Lynx, Blaster surrenders to the Dinobots in order to ensure their safety.
Errors
- On, page 7, Sammy opens the airlock to throw Blaster out, yet neither he nor his friends are killed by explosive decompression.
- On the very next frame on page 7, Blaster is seen to emerge from Sky Lynx, not Blast Off.
- On page 18, Wheeljack reports that Sky Lynx has entered a meteor shower. Since the rocks are not within Earth's atmosphere, this is an inaccurate term. The rocks should either be referred to as "meteoroids" or, even better (given their size), "asteroids."
Items of note
- References to other Transformers continuities/issues: This issue starts several hours before the end of the previous story, Child's Play.
- Apparently Blast Off's vehicle disguise goes so far as to incorporate an airlock accessible from inside himself.
- Although Grimlock says he doesn't intend to kill them, he doesn't seem to do anything that would prevent them from getting killed, should his suspicion that Blaster will come to save them prove wrong.
- The show on the TV set in panel 7, page 9 is Sledge Hammer!, which also had a brief (two-issue) tie-in comic book published by Marvel.
