Yesterday's Heroes!
Optimus Prime deals with Ratchet's death.
Marvel US issue #60
(Story also appears in: Marvel UK issues #252-254)
Script: Simon Furman
Pencils: Jose Delbo
Inks: Dave Hunt
Lettering: Jim Massara
Colors: Nelson Yomtov
Editor: Don Daley
- Major characters (in order of appearance): Optimus Prime, Kup, Hot Rod, Bumblebee, Jazz, Grimlock, Bludgeon, Emirate Xaaron, Primus
- Originally published: December, 1989
Synopsis
Aboard the Ark, Optimus Prime listens to the computer recite the names of deactivated Autobots, finally breaking down when it reaches the recently lost Ratchet. While Prime laments the loss of another friend and the apparently increasing futility of their struggle, the logical mind of the computer can only point out the mathmatically sound princple that Ratchet traded his life for the return of Grimlock, Jazz and Bumblebee. A sullen Prime asks the computer to calculate the most logical course of action to avoid further loss of life in the war. Its response: to stop fighting. This causes concern for the other Autobots, who worry that in his present state Prime may just do that.
Meanwhile back on Cybertron, the Classic Pretenders lead the Micromaster Rescue Patrol and the Double Targetmasters on a another successful fuel raid. Their rebirth has given a much needed boost to the Autobot resistance on Cybertron, but the Decepticon threat to Earth and its more abundant resources means they will be soon heading back there. Meanwhile, Decepticon leader Lord Thunderwing is increasingly displeased with the Autobots' growing success and orders Bludgeon, Octopunch and Stranglehold -- the Mayhem Attack Squad -- to find and kill the Autobot Pretenders.
On the orders of Optimus Prime, the Ark lands on the Moon and he goes out to brood alone, perhaps forever. As the others discuss options, Hot Rod has already come up with a plan to use a remote controlled Mark V Guardian drone and pretend it's run amok to convince Optimus to come to rescue them all and snap out of his funk. Unfortunately fact and fiction blur when the Mark V's flaw of unpredictability manifests, and it really does run amok and attack the Autobots.
Searching through the ruins of Iacon, the Mayhems track the signal of the specially irradiated fuel that Autobots stole to the old Council Chambers, just as the Classic Pretenders and Rescue Patrol prepare to travel via the trans-time dimensional portal to Earth. As Emirate Xaaron wishes Bumblebee well, making the first mention the Pretender has heard of their god Primus in years, the Mayhem Attack Squad burst in and Bludgeon reprograms the controls with his sword, transporting both the attacking Decepticons and Autobots bound for Earth to parts unknown.
On the Moon, Hot Rod's misguided plan actually works as Optimus Prime lays into the Guardian drone, physically tearing it apart, as he realizes that simply giving up dishonors the memories of every fallen Autobot. He vows to continue fighting with all his might.
Elsewhere, the messed up trans-time dimensional portal deposits the traveling Autobots and their Decepticon attackers in bizarre yet strangely familiar tunnels. Walking towards the light, the Autobots discover themselves face to face with their living god, Primus.
Next issue: The honest-to-gosh origin of the Transformers!
Errors
- The Rescue Patrol's alternative modes are drawn massively out of scale during the initial battle.
- In his first appearance, only Stranglehold's face is flesh colored, the remaining bare skinned portions of his Pretender shell are white.
Items of note
- While not seen destroyed "on-screen" by the Underbase-powered Starscream in Dark Star!, Perceptor and Powerglide are listed in this issue among the deceased, lending weight to the belief that effectively all earlier members of the Autobot forces without organic enhancement were eliminated.
- It has to be said that the foreshadowing on page 14 (repeated mentions of Primus, needing to wake him and meeting their maker) is laid on pretty thick.
- With this issue, Simon Furman begins to bring across an increasing number of Marvel UK-exclusive concepts, such as updated version of the Mayhem Attack Squad and Guardian droids, plus characters like Emirate Xaaron and Primus.
- Transformers Universe profiles for Misfire, Pointblank, Slugslinger, and Sureshot follow after the story
