International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads"
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| File:Transformers 9A.jpg Bumble in the rubble | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | July 14, 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | July 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Mike Costa | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Guido Guidi | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Carlos Guzman | ||||||||||||
| Associate editor | Andy Schmidt | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | IDW continuity | ||||||||||||
| Chronology | Current era (2010) | ||||||||||||
Strange things are afoot in North Korea
Synopsis
A television news anchor reports that spy satellites show that North Korea is manufacturing energon. Their intent is unknown, although it has left the United States uneasy, as prior to the Cybertronian conflict on Earth North Korea had been moving towards attaining nuclear weapons.
In the Korean de-militarised zone, Onslaught drives through the fence separating the North and the South, and starts to attack South Korean soldiers. He is struck by a shell from a tank, but the tank is vaporised by another tank - who transforms revealing himself to be Brawl. Jet fighters scrambled to attack the invaders are cut down in the air by Vortex, who transforms and joins the others on the ground. Onslaught radios his boss, Kim Jong Du, and reports that the battle is over. Kim, at the head of a large North Korean military force, is pleased, claiming that Seoul will be theirs in hours at this rate.
At Skywatch headquarters Spike reflects that it was inevitable that North Korea collaborate with the Decepticons eventually. He consults Henderson about the specifics of the situation, but Henderson is unable to reveal anything beyond that there is one further Combaticon in play that has not been sighted yet, and that the North Koreans have seventeen energon production facilities.
Meanwhile elsewhere in the base Ratchet is explaining to a Skywatch engineer the internal workings of the Cybertronians, using a relaxed Cliffjumper as an example. Jetfire expresses his hesitancy to Bumblebee about giving their knowledge to the humans, but Bumblbee replies that not only have the humans given them similar access to human information, but they've also supplied them with all the energon they need. Spike enters the room, asking the speak to the leader of the Autobots and deciding that Optimus Prime is a better option after Jetfire, Ratchet and Cliffjumper all gesture to Bumblebee.
Spike finds Optimus Prime sitting in the now open cell where he was previously detained, which he claims helps him to think. He requests for Prime's help dealing with the Combaticons, stating that they are more organised and powerful than any Decepticon they've had to bring in before. Bumblebee accepts his request, but before he can assemble a team Campognolo bursts in to tell them that the President is making a live address.
The President says that there has been an act of aggression from North Korea towards the South, and that Cybertronians were involved on the side of the aggressors. He then declares that any nation collaborating with Cybertronians or using their technology will be considered to be in possession of weapons of mass destruction. Spike is aware of the problems this causes for him and the Autobots, and as the address ends Spike orders that everyone act as if the base was under communications black out and no one had heard the address, and continues preparing for the mission.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
TBA
Errors
- Almost all of the Autobots have changed bodies again between issues. This time they are closer to their G1 cartoon character models. Bumblebee is the exception, as he is back in the body he took on at the conclusion of his mini-series, though an artistic error showed him in his traditional Volkswagen body in his last appearance.
Items of note
- Onslaught's license plate reads "D-64", the Japanese ID number of his original toy.
- The North Korean leader in this issue, Kim Jong Du, while being said to be the son of Kim Jong Il, is clearly based off his likeness. The American President however looks nothing like Barack Obama.
- Henderson reveals that the North Koreans have been producing enough energon for five Cybertronians to consume. This might suggest that the Combaticons are together for the first time (while he'd been referred to as a Combaticon previously Swindle had never been seen with them up to this point).
Covers (3)
- Cover A: Bumblebee taking cover behind debris under fire from the Combaticons; art by Don Figueroa and colors by .
- Cover B: The Combaticons; art by Guido Guidi and colors by .
- Cover RI: Concept art of Optimus Prime; art by Don Figueroa.
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Hey, why don't you boss Ultra Magnus around some more, Bee? I'm sure he'll come running.
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"Blast-Off, I hope your aim is better than that other guy!
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Freaky faces are the right of all sentient beings
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TBA

