The Transformers: Headmasters
- Issue 1: "Ring of Hate!" - Written by Bob Budiansky. Penciled by Frank Springer. Inked by Ian Akin & Brian Garvey. Lettered by Diana Albers. Colored by Nelson Yomtov. Edited by Don Daley.
A group of Autobots led by Fortress Maximus decides to abandon Cybertron rather than continue the age-old war with the Decepticons. They choose peaceful world of Nebulos as their new home. Unfortunately, the arrival of giant robots from another planet threatens the very peace the Autobots sought to escape to. In a gesture of goodwill, several Autobots abandon their weapons to the Nebulans. When this does not prove enough, five Autobots take the further step of offering their own heads to the Nebulans. The sacrifice works, for now....
- Issue 2: "Broken Glass!" - Written by Bob Budiansky. Penciled by Frank Springer. Inked by Ian Akin & Brian Garvey. Lettered by Pat Brosseau. Colored by Nelson Yomtov. Edited by Don Daley.
The presence of giant robots threatens the 10,000 peace of the planet Nebulos, as the citizens gather in protest demonstrations, and Galen, a member of the ruling "Council of Peers" on Nebulos, looks for a solution to the escalating tensions. Lord Zarak, a rival member of the council, seeks to use the situation to further his own political position, and sends a message to Cybertron to seek the help of the Decepticons in ridding Nebulos of the Autobots. The Decepticons arrive and quickly attack a major city in hopes of getting the citizens of Nebulos to surrender the Autobots to them. Realizing that they have no choice but to fight back, but unwilling to hand over control of their destinies to the Autobots, a group of Nebulans binary-bond with the Autobots who had sacrificed their heads earlier. These five Nebulans are bio-engineered to actually become the heads of the captive Autobots, creating the first Headmasters. While the Nebulans control the Autobots' bodies, the original Autobots maintain contact with the Nebulans they now carry, and the result is a group of highly effective warriors, which quickly dispatch the attacking Decepticons. Unfortunately, the Nebulans find themselves in danger of becoming the very kind of warriors they had hoped to avoid introducing to their peaceful world.
- Issue 3: "Love and Steel!" - Written by Bob Budiansky. Penciled by Frank Springer. Inked by Ian Akin & Brian Garvey. Lettered by Pat Brosseau. Colored by Nelson Yomtov. Edited by Don Daley.
The Decepticons continue to wreak havoc on the formerly peaceful world of Nebulos, and the Autobots do their best to fight back, despite mistrust from the world's citizens. Meanwhile, Scorponok has captured a group of Nebulans led by Lord Zarak, and use them as laboratory animals for experiments, by which they intend to dispose of the humanoid populace of the planet. Lord Zarak successfully bargains for his life and convinces the Decepticons to duplicate the Headmaster process. Luring the Autobots into a trap, the newly enhanced Decepticons prove to be a match for the Headmaster Autobots. Further distracting the Autobots by attacking innocent Nebulans, the Decepticons are able to defeat the Headmaster Autobots and imprison their humanoid binary-partners.
- Issue 4: "Brothers in Armor!!" - Written by Bob Budiansky. Penciled by Frank Springer. Inked by Ian Akin & Brian Garvey. Lettered by Jack Morelli. Colored by Nelson Yomtov. Edited by Don Daley.
With most of their opposition incapacitated, the Decepticons continue their conquest of Nebulos. Lord Zarak finds himself torn by his loyalties to the world he loves and his link to the Headmaster leader, Scorponok. As the Autobots further experiment with Nebulan binary-bonding by creating the Targetmasters, Galen pleads with Zarak to see what the Decepticons are doing to their world. After being defeated in an attack by the Autobot Targetmasters, Zarak begins to see that Galen was right, and while the Decepticons escalate the conflict by creating their own Targetmasters, Zarak frees his prisoners, pleading with them to take the battle offworld to join Transformers already on the planet Earth. Zarak knows that if the Autobots leave Nebulos, the Decepticons will follow, and his world might yet be saved. The Autobots agree to this proposal, and abandon the planet, leaving a war-torn Nebulos to rebuild once the Transformers have left.
