Prisoner of War!

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Is he strong? Listen, bud, he made Megatron go thud.
"Prisoner of War!"
Publisher Marvel Comics
First published October 2, 1984
Cover date January 1985
Writer Jim Salicrup
Penciler Frank Springer
Inker Kim DeMulder, Mike Esposito
Colorist Nelson Yomtov
Letterers Janice Chiang & Others
Editor Bob Budiansky
Continuity Marvel Comics continuity

When Sparkplug is kidnapped, it's up to Gears and Spider-Man to save him.

Synopsis

The Decepticons bring Sparkplug Witwicky to their fortress and Megatron deliberates internally on Starscream's loyalty. The Decepticons demand that Sparkplug create a method to convert gas into fuel compatible with their forms. A Korean War vet, Sparkplug equates his capture to his time spent as a POW in Korea and refuses, until he's forcefully persuaded.

Back at the Witwicky garage, Buster and his friends are wondering what to do next. Optimus Prime orders everyone back to the Ark for fuel and repairs, inviting Buster along the ride. When they arrive, he marvels at the size of the Autobots' headquarters.

Soundwave, Rumble and Starscream are out stealing components for Sparkplug's fuel conversion process, and their crime spree attracts attention from the press and world governments. As camera crews and the military surround the Decepticon fortress in Oregon, photojournalist Peter Parker decides to switch to his alter ego Spider-Man in order to get some better shots of the action. That action breaks out when the Decepticons drive the United States Army away from their base. It quickly becomes clear that the humans are outmatched and General McBregg orders a retreat.

Mid-carnage, Spider-Man runs into Gears, and after a short tussle Gears proves that he's a good guy when he saves a crowd of humans from getting squashed flat by a tank. The Autobots team up with Spider-Man to break through the line of reporters and soldiers, and an all-out battle breaks out between the Decepticons and the Autobots.

Meanwhile, Gears and Spider-Man are making their way into the fortress. After a short scrap with Ravage, Gears and Spider-Man break in and steal Sparkplug from under Megatron's nose. The Decepticon leader shoots out the floor beneath them, and while Spider-Man saves Sparkplug, Gears' weight breaks the web Spider-Man tried to save him with and he plummets to the earth below.

On their return to the Ark, Buster and Sparkplug are reunited and the Autobots say goodbye to Spider-Man. Ratchet brings Gears back to a functional level and he informs the Autobots that the Decepticons got what they wanted out of Sparkplug. Dad, say it ain't so!

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans

Quotes

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

  • Many characters (Ratchet and Bumblebee being among the more prominent examples) are suddenly drawn to match their animation models after two issues of being drawn with toy-based designs.
  • Page 2: Rumble's name is not called out by the narrator when listing who is transforming in the panel.
  • Page 5: Ironhide is colored like... uh... uh... well, he's got blue arms, blue and gray legs, and a white windshield frame. Windcharger is colored white and blue instead of red and gray. (Coincidence!) The silhouettes behind Optimus don't match anyone from the Autobot ranks.
  • Page 8: Ratchet is colored with a red crest, shoulders, and legs. They should all be white. For the rest of Ratchet's appearances in this issue, he's colored with a blue windshield frame and red shoulders; it happens consistently enough to suggest that it was an earlier color scheme rather than a flat-out error.
  • Page 9: Shockwave is shown hanging out with the Decepticons. Next issue will reveal that he's still buried in rock at this point.
  • Page 11: Skywarp's jet mode is colored as if his cockpit canopy extended all the way back to his tail fins. When he lands on the Air Force jet, his wings are missing.
  • Page 15: As the Autobots transform, Sunstreaker is colored red instead of yellow. In the next panel, Cliffjumper's head is colored yellow instead of red.
  • Page 16: A blue-colored Gears is drawn behind Brawn, even though Gears is off somewhere else with Spider-Man. It should probably be Frenzy, who shows up in the next panel.
  • Page 17: Gears' legs can't seem to decide what color they are.
  • Page 18: Panel 1: Megatron is drawn instead of Soundwave. Amusingly, the thought bubbles almost work for Megatron.
  • Page 19: Soundwave is drawn with a strange, enormous cannon attached to his arm, rather than his usual weapon.
  • Page 21: Brawn and Cliffjumper are both white and blue instead of their normal color schemes. Sunstreaker is blue, white and red, and has the wrong head, AND is missing most of his left arm.
  • Page 22:
    • Panel 3: Optimus is drawn with strange huge conjoined goggles instead of his usual separate eyes.
    • Panel 4: Cliffjumper is still white and blue, while Hound is colored red and white instead of green. Ratchet's repair bay is colored red instead of white.
    • Panel 5: Optimus's head is tiny!

Continuity errors

"Can all humans stick to walls?" asked the flying Autobot.
  • The original four-part miniseries was written to be explicitly set in the mainstream Marvel Universe. This conceit would be quietly dropped as the series expanded its length and scope, due to the impossibility of maintaining a coherent continuity with the vast and complicated Marvel universe, but in this issue it's probably most visible:
    • The issue features a guest appearance by Spider-Man in his black symbiote costume, complete with a footnote that dates the story as occurring before Spider-Man #258 in which he disposed of the suit.
    • Nick Fury and Dum Dum also put in a one-panel appearance.
    • A much shorter guest appearance by U.S. 1 can be seen in the background as the Autobots drive down the highway.
    • The letters page for issue #64 declared The Transformers and Marvel Universes to be separate. It also politely asked the readers to forget about this issue
    • When IDW Publishing released the original Transformers comics onto the Digital Comics Service years later, this comic was missing from the listings. Hhhhmm, wonder why that could be? Maybe Peter Parker can tell us?

Continuity notes

  • Amongst the military vehicles seen in this issue, the MOBAT and the Wolverine from the G.I. Joe series appear repeatedly.
  • The narrator points out that when Megatron, Soundwave, and his cassettes transform, they enlarge by hundreds of times, but he doesn't elaborate.
  • Ratchet's repair sled speaks! Ratchet himself speaks immediately afterwards, making it seem less likely that this was merely a misattributed speech balloon.

Real world references

  • Most of the action continues to be set in rural Oregon. Locations raided by the Decepticons include the University of Oregon campus, while government reactions are shown at the White House and in Moscow, and Sparkplug flashes back to his time in the Korean War.
  • Sparkplug was in the Marines.
  • "O" calls the Autobots "rejects from a George Lucas film".
  • "O" compares the Autobot's Ark to Noah's ark.
  • A police officer mentions the Indy 500.
  • Moscow speculates the Americans are testing their Star Wars arsenal.
  • Spider-Man references Joan Rivers' talk show (which was semi-popular at the time) by saying "Can we talk?".
  • Spider-Man mentions the Super Bowl, takes a dig at Rumble and Frenzy as "Tweedledee and Tweedledum", and quip-names Megatron "Bazooka Joe".

UK printing

Issue #5:

  • Backup strips: Machine Man - "Where Walks the Gods" Part 2, and Matt and the Cat
  • Fact File: Megatron
  • The first appearance of Matt and the Cat, which would run until #73

Issue #6:

  • Backup strips: Machine Man - "Xanadu" Part 1, and Matt and the Cat
  • Fact File: Optimus Prime

Other trivia

Well what do you expect me to do about it?
  • Advertised as part 3 in a four-issue limited series.
  • Although he doesn't appear in the cover art proper despite his prominent role in the story, Gears does get the cover corner box, the only time in the US series that a character not designated as Autobot or Decepticon leader at the time of the comic gets in the cover box.
  • Rumble calls Sparkplug a scraplet, though it's presumably meant as a generic insult rather than the robotic disease.
  • In 2007's "Man and Machine, Part Four", Spider-Man web-swings around Megatron in a visual homage to the cover of this issue.
  • The Decepticons are dropping cluster bombs on human soldiers, which are going off right next to soldiers. We can safely assume a whole bunch of them are now dead.
  • Spider-Man completely ignores the Decepticon rampage and starts a fight with Gears instead, who is not near any humans at the time. Jameson's right, he's a menace!

Covers (11)

  • US issue #3 - A moralistic tale for the ages.
    US issue #3 - A moralistic tale for the ages.
  • UK issue #5 - I'm glad my pants are already brown!
    UK issue #5 - I'm glad my pants are already brown!
  • UK issue #6 - The UK needs more RED.
    UK issue #6 - The UK needs more RED.
  • Collected Comics #2
    Collected Comics #2
  • US issue #3 cover: Spider-Man webbing Megatron, by Michael Golden.
  • UK issue #5 cover: Thundercracker and Sparkplug, by John Ridgway.
  • UK issue #6 cover: Reuse of US issue #3's cover.
  • Collected Comics #2 cover: Reuse of US issue #4's cover.
  • Die Transformer #2
    Die Transformer #2
  • Die Transformer #3
    Die Transformer #3
  • The Transformers Comics Magazine #2
    The Transformers Comics Magazine #2
  • The Complete Works Part 2
    The Complete Works Part 2
  • Die Transformer #2 cover: Reuse of US issue #3's cover.
  • Die Transformer #3 cover: Reuse of US issue #4's cover.
  • The Transformers Comics Magazine #2 cover: Reuse of US issue #3's cover.
  • The Complete Works Part 2 cover: Megatron shoots up a coal mine, by Robin Smith. Reuse of UK issue #56's cover.
  • Beginnings TPB
    Beginnings TPB
  • Beginnings HC
    Beginnings HC
  • The Transformers Classics, Vol 1
    The Transformers Classics, Vol 1

Advertisements

  • Monogram plastic model kits (inside front cover)
  • Fig Newtons and Apple Newtons (pg 5)
  • Bonkers fruit candy (pg 7)
  • Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars action figures and accessories (pg 10)
  • Block of various Sketchy Things (pg 12)
  • Block of various Sketchy Things (pg 21)
  • NFL SuperPro Club (pg 23)
  • Win a job at Marvel Comics (pg 26)
  • Bullpen Bulletins (pg 28)
  • Marvel Comic subscriptions (pg 32)
  • Decathlon by Activision video game (rear inside cover)
  • Montezuma's Revenge by Parker Brothers video game (rear cover)

Advertisements (Second Printing)

  • Monogram GoBots motorized model kits (inside front cover)
  • Fig Newtons and Apple Newtons (pg 5)
  • Star Comics (pg 7)
  • Mile High Comics (pg 10)
  • Mile High Comics (pg 12)
  • Power Pack and The Amazing Spider-Man with tips on ways to prevent sexual abuse (pg 21)
  • Calender of upcoming events & Marvel Mart (pg 23)
  • Block of various Sketchy Things (pg 26)
  • Bullpen Bulletins (pg 28)
  • Comic subscriptions (pg 32)
  • Indiana Jones RPG by TSR (rear inside cover)
  • Risk (rear cover)

Reprints

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