Escalation issue 1
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| File:Escalation 1 a.jpg Wheeljack's latest invention: gaydar | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | November 29, 2006 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | November 2006 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Simon Furman | ||||||||||||
| Art by | E. J. Su | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | John Rauch | ||||||||||||
| Color assist by | Zac Atkinson & Aaron Myers | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Chris Mowry | ||||||||||||
| Edits by | Chris Ryall & Dan Taylor | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | IDW continuity | ||||||||||||
| Chronology | Escalation | ||||||||||||
As Optimus Prime settles on Earth, the Decepticons prepare to destabilize the planet as the Machination makes its move.
Synopsis
The Machination team, led by Drake, use a sophisticated VR simulator to train on different scenarios on how to destroy a Transformer. This setup turns out to be in the back of a large camper van parked near Lake Michigan, where the humans are monitoring the lake shore for Autobot activity.
At the bottom of said lake, aboard Ark-19, Ratchet is informing the humans that Prowl has decided to send them back to their normal lives. Hunter O'Nion and Jimmy Pink express their desire to stay, while Verity Carlo shrugs it off, saying that this is just one more rejection in her angst-prone life.
At the Decepticon Command Bunker in Oregon, Astrotrain briefs Megatron on the potency and proliferation of Ore-13 on Earth. Megatron marvels that it appears to be naturally occurring on this planet, but has suspicions that its existence isn't completely natural.
As the three humans pack up to leave, Jazz's holomatter avatar stops in to say goodbye. He and Ratchet have both grown fond of their human charges, but it is Sunstreaker and Ironhide who are tasked with ferrying the humans back home. Although Ratchet and the humans blame Prowl, it seems the Autobot lieutenant was acting on Optimus Prime's orders. Prime informs Prowl that they aren't the first Transformers to visit Earth; evidence has been uncovered that both Shockwave and Soundwave have been to the planet... but where are they now?
As Ironhide and Sunstreaker surface from the bottom of Lake Michigan, they are detected by Drake and his team. Other vehicles are deployed by the humans to track the Autobots. Unaware that they are being pursued, Ironhide chides Sunstreaker to drive the speed limit.
In the meantime, Megatron brings his wayward unit to heel and offers to overlook their traitorous actions under Starscream just this once. The Decepticons agree to this reprieve. Megatron then orders Astrotrain to begin Phase Two by activating the facsimiles.
Outside of Lebanon, Missouri, the humans tailing the Autobots make their move. While Ironhide and Sunstreaker are separated in traffic, Drake's team causes a jam, deploys a smokescreen, then temporarily immobilizes Ironhide while moving in on Sunstreaker with a disabling electrical charge.
Ironhide, with Verity and Jimmy aboard, frantically smashes and weaves through the other cars caught in the jam, but the humans deploy a bazooka. By the time Ironhide catches up with Sunstreaker, the yellow Autobot, with Hunter inside, is nothing more than a burning wreck.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Notes
- Among the reports that Prime monitors in the issue's opening pages are:
- Ultra Magnus, bringing in Swindle.
- Jetfire (with his battle helmet), reporting on a finding, presumably at the site of Bludgeon's lab.
- Springer, reporting on an unknown battle.
- Blades, reporting that a Decepticon infiltration unit is laying low.
- The same cross-story technique is later used in Spotlight: Optimus Prime.
- The Machination have little regard for human life, blowing up cars on the highway to get at the Transformers.
- The crossover series New Avengers / Transformers most likely takes place during the last part of this issue, after Megatron reinstates infiltration protocol and while Ironhide and Sunstreaker are driving the humans home (accounting for their absence in that series).
- The "Decepticomments" page has readers' mail answered by Chris Ryall and ads for Transformers: The Animated Movie #2 and Spotlight: Hot Rod.
Errors
- The narration boxes describe the Machination attack as occurring near "Lebanon, MI", which would be in Michigan. Next issue we learn that this is in Missouri (postal abbreviation MO), a far more logical location for a trip from Chicago to Tulsa.
- Sunstreaker and Ironhide are shown heading south on I-94 through Missouri. Not only does I-94 not go through Missouri at all, it is—like all even-numbered Interstates—an east-west route.
- Runabout is sporting a red Decepticon insignia in Sunstreaker's video game.
Covers (4)
- Cover A: Sunstreaker targeted for destruction; art by E. J. Su.
- Cover B: Ironhide, Jimmy and Verity mourning over the fate of Sunstreaker and Hunter; art by Klaus Scherwinski.
- Cover RI-A: cover A uncolored
- Cover RI-B: cover B uncolored
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Not Spotlight: Sunstreaker.
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Have a little Captain in you?
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Cover RI-A -
Cover RI-B
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- Infiltration TPB
- The Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD
- Transformers: The Animated Movie #1
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- IDW trade paperbacks (Infiltration, Stormbringer, The Gathering, Prime Directive, War and Peace, Generations)
- Manga editions of Stormbringer and The Gathering
- Generations series
- Spotlight (first 5 issues)
- Escalation #2
- G.I. Joe with Kung Fu Grip (back cover)
