Rising Storm issue 1

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Rising Storm #1 »
Publisher IDW Publishing
First published February 23, 2011
Writer John Barber
Art Carlos Magno
Colors Aburtov and Graphikslava
Letters Chris Mowry
Editor Andy Schmidt
Cover Brian Rood
Carlos Magno
Continuity Live-action film series

Enter... Shockwave!

Synopsis

While on patrol in Dalian, China, Longarm and Salvage break cover to save the workers of an oil processing plant from a fire. Just before departing after a successful rescue, the pair spot two streaking comets in the sky overhead, which promptly reveal themselves to be Shockwave and Astrotrain. The two Decepticons kill the Autobots and all the humans in the area to keep their presence a secret, and Shockwave instructs Astrotrain to begin gathering building materials.

At NEST headquarters on Diego Garcia, Optimus Prime tries to convince the Autobot refugees rescued from the clutches of the Initiative that they need more time to recuperate before returning to the battlefield. Armorhide tries to refute this, but only winds up proving Optimus's point when he actually calls him "Sentinel Prime", and has to stop mid-flow to remind himself they are no longer on Cybertron. The exchange punctuates how important it is that the Autobots stop any more humans from exploiting Cybertronian technology, that being the purpose of the mission currently that very moment under way in eastern California. There, Theodore Galloway, having had a change of heart after the Initiative affair, is posing as an arms dealer intending to purchase weapons from Starscream's representatives, Skystalker, Divebomb and Fearswoop, but his act is less than convincing, and the Decepticons realize they had been led into a trap just as Skids, Mudflap, Arcee, Elita-One, Chromia, and NEST's human forces spring into action. Robert Epps and William Lennox try to get Galloway to safety, but when the sisters destroy the misogynistic Skystalker, Divebomb rips open the humans' vehicle and prepares to shoot them if any of the Autobots make a move. Unfortunately for the Decepticon, he does not spot Ironhide coming up behind him, and is blown to fragments by the Autobot weapons-master. Fearswoop surrenders, and the team takes him back to Diego Garcia, where the wounded Arcee receives medical attention and Elita-One briefs Prime on the mission's outcome. Prime's concern extends beyond Decepticon weapon-dealing, though, as he fears for the new vicious streak his old friend Elita is now display and the ramifications of the strange new bond between her and her sisters.

Unbeknownst to any of the combatants, Shockwave observed the battle in California from afar, dubbing all involved "idiots". He contacts Astrotrain for an update on his mysterious construction project, then tracks Divebomb's radiation trail back to Starscream's current base of operations, in a junkyard on the outskirts of Mexico City. Blasting his way through the Decepticons unwise enough to try defending Starscream, Shockwave informs the treacherous air commander that Megatron has "requested his services". Before the conversation can go any further, Astrotrain radios Shockwave with some bad news: the "brain unit" scrap drone that held the control software for the machine he is constructing has gone AWOL, displaying a self-awareness it was not programmed for and absconding upon overhearing that it was to be destroyed after its task was done. Shockwave charges Starscream and his followers with recovering the drone.

Meanwhile, the brain unit, now calling itself "Brains", has made its way to Philadelphia, hoping to get some help from a native. Brains unwittingly tries questioning other vehicles, but when none of them respond, he angrily kicks the nearest one... at which point it transforms, revealing itself to be Bumblebee! As the Autobot draws every gun he's got on the little drone, Sam Witwicky emerges from a nearby fast food joint, and Brains sheepishly introduces himself...

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans

Quotes

Notes

  • This issue was originally solicited at a time when Shockwave's involvement in the film was trying to be kept a secret, and so the preview cover featured only a black silhouette. But while the silhouette actually matched Shockwave's movie design, the illustration on the released cover does not, depicting the new design Shockwave sports both in this issue and the concurrently-published Foundation #1. Something similar happened with some covers for IDW's Revenge of the Fallen adaptation, and Defiance, when Megatron's role in that movie was likewise being (unsuccessfully) kept under wraps.
  • This issue takes place a short time after the previous post-Revenge of the Fallen comic, Nefarious, briefly referencing the events of that series.
  • As he did with many characaters in Nefarious (including Skystalker and the Autobot refugees seen in this issue), artist Carlos Magno has redesigned Longarm, Salvage, Divebomb and Fearswoop into somewhat more monstrous forms more in-keeping with the style of the live-action movie 'bots. In particular, Longarm's new head seems to draw some inspiration from Animated Longarm's "re-breather" look.
  • The four Autobots that were mind-controlled by the Initiative during Nefarious put in an appearance here, allowing us to at least clear up some of the mysteries of their identities: in addition to Blazemaster and Brawn (unnamed in this issue but identifiable in Nefarious), we now know that their ranks definitely included Armorhide in his Revenge of the Fallen body, a fact obfuscated in the previous mini-series thanks to some jumbled art. Additionally, the fourth member, previously an indecipherable blobby blue mass in Nefarious, is here given some red highlights, and clearly has a car-hood for a chest, suggesting he is supposed to be Smokescreen, who did have a toy in the Revenge of the Fallen line... buuuut who was previously seen to apparently die in IDW's The Reign of Starscream #3.
  • Similarly, the yellow-and-brown camouflage-patterned hide of the second of Skystalker's troops marks him as Divebomb, whose identity is confirmed when Shockwave follows a radioactive trail that matches the leaking reactor mentioned in his toy bio, but he was seen to seemingly bite it in The Reign of Starscream #5.
  • The two Decepticons who warn Starscream of Shockwave's arrival are a touch perplexing. We've got no idea who the big grey guy is, and the little guy is drawn with the fork lift body shared by Dirt Boss and Deadlift, but coloured in a yellowish shade that's pretty much smack dab between Dirt Boss's green and Deadlift's orange. Since Dirt Boss appeared to die in Nefarious #4, we'll assume this is Deadlift.
  • Author John Barber sticks a middle finger up to Michael Bay and has all three of Arcee's components still functional in this issue, despite Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci remarking in the Revenge of the Fallen DVD commentary that the director had them killed because he didn't like them. In the same breath, Barber addresses the complicated matter of whether or not the sisters are all components of Arcee or individual beings, opting for the latter explanation by way of re-examination and crafty retcon of their origin from Tales of the Fallen #6. In the process, it is established that this Elita is the same Elita from the first movie toyline, who previously appeared in IDW's The Reign of Starscream and Defiance minis. She died in the former, but unlike Smokescreen and Divebomb, that's deliberate and part of the plot!
  • Speaking of Elita, her original toy was "Elita-One", her Revenge of the Fallen toy was "Elita-1", and here, she's "Elita One". Foundation #1 uses "Elita-One"; it also contains the scene to which Prime makes reference in this issue, of Elita disapproving of his angry, vengeful attitude in his younger days. The theme of Elita "not telling" Prime things about herself is evident in both comics.
  • The game of mix-and-match Hasbro has played with the sisters' coloration on merchandise like their Robot Heroes and Human Alliance figures notwithstanding, in the movie and toys, the sisters have been colored red (Arcee), blue (Chromia) and purple (Elita). Comic books, however, have coloured Arcee magenta more often than not, hearkening back to her first movie toy body, and to the concept art for her Revenge of the Fallen form, which used this color. In this issue, however, while Arcee remains magenta, Chromia is purple, and Elita is pink.
  • Here's a first for you, folks—don't look now, but in this issue, someone has actually bothered to write the twins as the wannabe-gangsters they were in the movie.
  • Real-life tourist attractions appearing unnamed in this issue include the La Brea Tar Pits in California, and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

Covers (2)

  • Cover A: Art by Brian Rood of Shockwave standing amidst fire as chaos and fire fighters look on.
  • Cover RI: Art by Carlos Magno, with colors by Aburtov and Graphikslava, of Shockwave looming over Earth.

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