Infiltration issue 0

|- {{#if: Infiltration 0a.jpg | | colspan="2" style="font-size: 12px; background-color:#ffffff;" align="center" | {{#if: Freeze man, before I pop a cap in your afterburner. |
Freeze man, before I pop a cap in your afterburner.}}}} |-

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|- {{#if: IDW Publishing | |Publisher || IDW Publishing}} |- {{#if: | |Published by || }} |- {{#if: | |Imprint || }} |- {{#if: | |Published in || }} |- {{#if: October 19, 2005 | |First published || October 19, 2005}} |- {{#if: | |Shipping date || }} |- {{#if: | |On-sale date || }} |- {{#if: October 2005 | |Cover date || October 2005}} |- {{#if: | |Credits || }} |- {{#if: | |By || }} |- {{#if: | |Manga || }} |- {{#if: | |Manga by || }} |- {{#if: | |Original story || }} |- {{#if: | |Story & art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Story and color art || }} |- {{#if: | |Story || }} |- {{#if: | |Story by || }} |- {{#if: | |Story consultants || }} |- {{#if: | |Story concept || }} |- {{#if: | |Screenplay by || }} |- {{#if: | |Screenplay || }} |- {{#if: | |Adaptation by || }} |- {{#if: | |Adapted by || }} |- {{#if: | |Adaptation || }} |- {{#if: | |Based on || }} |- {{#if: | |Writer || }} |- {{#if: | |Writers || }} |- {{#if: | |Writing || }} |- {{#if: Simon Furman | |Written by || Simon Furman}} |- {{#if: | |Written & art || }} |- {{#if: | |Plotter || }} |- {{#if: | |Plotters || }} |- {{#if: | |Plot || }} |- {{#if: | |Plot by || }} |- {{#if: | |Plot/Script || }} |- {{#if: | |Scripter || }} |- {{#if: | |Scripters || }} |- {{#if: | |Script || }} |- {{#if: | |Scripting || }} |- {{#if: | |Script by || }} |- {{#if: | |Script and art || }} |- {{#if: | |Sript [sic] consultant || }} |- {{#if: | |Translation by || }} |- {{#if: | |Artist || }} |- {{#if: | |Comic artist || }} |- {{#if: | |Artists || }} |- {{#if: | |Art || }} |- {{#if: E. J. Su | |Art by || E. J. Su}} |- {{#if: | |Additional art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Flashback art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Art assistant || }} |- {{#if: | |Art assist by || }} |- {{#if: | |Line-art || }} |- {{#if: | |Line-art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Line art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Penciller || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencillers || }} |- {{#if: | |Penciler || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencilers || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencil art || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencils || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencils by || }} |- {{#if: | |Penciled by || }} |- {{#if: | |Penciling || }} |- {{#if: | |Guest penciler || }} |- {{#if: | |Layouts || }} |- {{#if: | |Pencil breakdowns || }} |- {{#if: | |Breakdowns || }} |- {{#if: | |Breakdowns by || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustration || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustrations || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustrator || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustrated by || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustration by || }} |- {{#if: | |Illustrations by || }} |- {{#if: | |Finished pencils || }} |- {{#if: | |Finishes || }} |- {{#if: | |Finished art || }} |- {{#if: | |Finishes by || }} |- {{#if: | |Inker || }} |- {{#if: | |Guest inker || }} |- {{#if: | |Inkers || }} |- {{#if: | |Inks || }} |- {{#if: | |Inks by || }} |- {{#if: | |Ink finishes || }} |- {{#if: | |Ink assist by || }} |- {{#if: | |Additional inks || }} |- {{#if: | |Inking || }} |- {{#if: | |Backgrounds || }} |- {{#if: | |Backgrounds by || }} |- {{#if: | |Colorist || }} |- {{#if: | |Colorists || }} |- {{#if: | |Colourist || }} |- {{#if: | |Colourists || }} |- {{#if: | |Color || }} |- {{#if: | |Colors || }} |- {{#if: | |Color art || }} |- {{#if: | |Colour || }} |- {{#if: | |Colours || }} |- {{#if: | |Colored by || }} |- {{#if: | |Color by || }} |- {{#if: John Rauch | |Colors by || John Rauch}} |- {{#if: | |Color art by || }} |- {{#if: | |Colors assist by || }} |- {{#if: | |Color assists || }} |- {{#if: | |Color assistance by || }} |- {{#if: | |Additional colors || }} |- {{#if: | |Additional colors by || }} |- {{#if: | |Color assist by || }} |- {{#if: | |Colour/Computer FX || }} |- {{#if: | |Computer coloring/effects || }} |- {{#if: | |Color Reconstruction || }} |- {{#if: | |Flats || }} |- {{#if: | |Flats by || }} |- {{#if: | |MTMTE Profiles || }} |- {{#if: | |Letterer || }} |- {{#if: | |Letterers || }} |- {{#if: | |Lettering || }} |- {{#if: | |Letters || }} |- {{#if: Tom B. Long & Robbie Robbins | |Letters by || Tom B. Long & Robbie Robbins}} |- {{#if: | |Lettered by || }} |- {{#if: | |Lettering|Production || }} |- {{#if: | |Special Thanks{{#if: | To}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Collaborators || }} |- {{#if: | |Contributors || }} |- {{#if: | |Editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Editors || }} |- {{#if: | |Editing || }} |- {{#if: Chris Ryall | |Edits by || Chris Ryall}} |- {{#if: | |Compiled and Edited by || }} |- {{#if: | |Original series editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Original Edits by || }} |- {{#if: | |Deputy editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Assistant editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Editorial assistant{{#if: |s}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Editorial Assistance
provided by || }} |- {{#if: | |Senior editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Associate editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Story consultant || }} |- {{#if: | |Project manager || }} |- {{#if: | |Production by || }} |- {{#if: | |Designer || }} |- {{#if: | |Design by || }} |- {{#if: | |Designed by || }} |- {{#if: | |Design/editorial || }} |- {{#if: | |Book design by || }} |- {{#if: | |Collection designer || }} |- {{#if: | |Collection editor || }} |- {{#if: | |Collection Edits by || }} |- {{#if: | |Graphic design || }} |- {{#if: | |Graphic design by || }} |- {{#if: | |Collection Design by || }} |- {{#if: | |Creative Director{{#if: | / Layout}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Contributing editors || }} |- {{#if: | |Research editor{{#if: |s}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Managing editor || }} |- {{#if: | |{{#if: |Editor-in-chief|Editor in chief}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Editorial consultant || }} |- {{#if: | |Dinosaur consultant || }} |- {{#if: | |Publishing manager || }} |- {{#if: | |Cover || }} |- {{#if: | |Cover art{{#if: |ist}}{{#if: | by}} || }} |- {{#if: | |Cover Design {{#if: |and Elements }}by || }} |- {{#if: | |Inside cover || }} |- {{#if: | |Apologies to || }} |- {{#if: IDW continuity | |Continuity || IDW continuity}} |- {{#if: Infiltration | |Chronology || Infiltration}} |- {{#if: | |ISBN || }} |- {{#if: | |TPB ISBN || ISBN }} |- {{#if: | |UPC || }} |- {{#if: | |Page count || }} |- {{#if: | |Price || }} |- {{#if: | |Packaged with || }} |- {{#if: | |Printed in || }} |- {{#if: | |Animation || }} |- {{#if: | |Music || }} |}{{#switch:{{#sub:xx|2|14}}|dark cybertron=}}

A young woman steals an item from a businessman that turns out to be more than meets the eye.

Synopsis

At a bus station in Phoenix, Arizona, young Verity Carlo is picking her marks when she spies a high-end palmtop PC in use by an anonymous businessman. Unknown to all, he's being tracked by someone, or something, in the guise of a black sports car.

Using a stolen ticket, Verity hops onto the same Los Angeles-bound coach as the businessman and while he's napping she lifts his palmtop. Helped along by a rancid bagel, Verity feigns illness and is left at the side of the road. The coach takes off, followed closely behind by two seemingly normal sports cars.

Verity sticks out her thumb at the next car and is picked up by an intense young man, Hunter O'Nion, who is rather self-conscious about his last name. Hunter takes a sudden detour and the pair discover that Verity's coach has been run off the road by two sports cars. Everyone's okay, except that the businessman whose palmtop Verity stole is missing.

After lots of prodding by Verity, Hunter reveals that he's an internet alien conspiracy theorist tracking down reports of giant machines in the area. She just finishes a laugh at his expense when the two are scanned and attacked by a blue fighter jet.

Hunter's van is destroyed, but he and Verity are saved—by the smiling driver of a suspiciously well-armed ambulance...

Featured characters

{{#if:* Ratchet (8)| {{#if:* Ratchet (8)|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" |

Ratchet (8) }}{{#if:* Runabout (3)
Runamuck (4)
Starscream (5)
Thundercracker (7)|

Autobots }}{{#if:* Runabout (3) Runamuck (4) Starscream (5) Thundercracker (7)\|	Decepticons }}{{#if:* Stoker (1) Verity Carlo (2) Hunter O'Nion (6)\|	Humans }}{{#if:\|	Others }}{{#if:\|	Misc }}{{#if:\|	Misc }}
Runabout (3) Runamuck (4) Starscream (5) Thundercracker (7) }}{{#if:* Stoker (1) Verity Carlo (2) Hunter O'Nion (6)\|	Stoker (1) Verity Carlo (2) Hunter O'Nion (6) }}{{#if:\|	}}{{#if:\|	}}{{#if:\|	}}

Notes

With Ratchet's appearance, it's established that the Transformers have concealed heavy artillery in their alternate modes. This will often be used in subsequent issues—the fight scenes in the next two issues are primarily done in vehicle mode.
Ratchet's holomatter driver states, "If you want to live, come with me," in a reference to the T-800's similar statement to Sarah Connor in the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Verity made fun of this in issue #1. Simon Furman would later be the author on a Terminator-based comic series called Terminator 2: Infinity.
The issue features a welcome page by Chris Ryall (as ChrisCharger), a 3-page interview with author Simon Furman, and 2 pages of sketches from artist E. J. Su, including a 1-page writeup.
At one point while looking for the palmtop, one of the Battlechargers mentions an "infradatabase". Since "infra" means "below", this may be a homage to the Underbase from the Marvel Generation 1 comics.
This may be one of the most human centric Transformers stories ever. Not only is it told entirely from the perspective of humans, none of the Transformers transform and none of them even talk until the final pages.

Errors

Six fingers on each hand, six toes on each foot, a healthy baby girl.

After identifying herself as "Verity Carlo" in the narrative text, the character identifies herself to Hunter as "Verity Carter". An internal justification could be that "Verity Carter" is an alias she uses to prevent Social Services tracking her down, but when Ratchet asks for her name in issue #1 she answers with "Verity Carlo".
When Verity points her knife at the duffel bag on the bus, her right hand has six fingers. Also, when Verity whips out her dual mace spray attack, she has six fingers on each hand.
Hunter must possess both superhuman vision and nerves of steel to be able to see there is no pilot inside Thundercracker's cockpit as the Decepticon jet passes overhead.
In possibly an art error, cover A features Jazz with his original Porsche 935 hood/chest, but when actually seen in the comic, he transforms into a current-model Porsche 911 (aka 997), though it's possible that at the time IDW and E. J. Su hadn't finalized the designs yet.

Covers (8)

Cover A: Autobots by E. J. Su
Cover B: Decepticons by E. J. Su
Cover C: Megatron in city by James Raiz
Cover D: Optimus Prime fighting Megatron by Milx
BotCon 2005 Exclusive cover: Optimus Prime sketches wraparound cover by Aaron Archer and assorted Hasbro artists
Gatefold Incentive cover: Shockwave wraparound cover by Ed McGuinness
Retailer Summit Exclusive (Boston) cover: Optimus Prime face by E. J. Su
Retailer Summit Exclusive (Fort Wayne) cover: Megatron face by E. J. Su