The New Order

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Every time I see you falling, I get down on my knees and pray.
"The New Order"
Publisher Marvel Comics
First published February, 1985
Cover date June 1985
Script Bob Budiansky
Art Alan Kupperberg
Colors Nelson Yomtov
Letters Rick Parker
Editor Jim Owsley
Continuity Marvel Comics continuity

Shockwave has destroyed the Autobots, and begins his plans for the conquest of Earth.

Synopsis

Within the Ark, Shockwave observes a number of human television programs - among them, a news broadcast pertaining to a new and ultra-advanced oil rig by Blackrock Enterprises - and judges Earth's natives as quite primitive. As he walks past the deactivated Autobots, now strung from the ceiling, he concludes that conquest of the planet "will be a simple task indeed."

Elsewhere in the vessel, the poisoned Decepticons are being revived. Shockwave explains to Megatron that, in light of this humiliating defeat, his leadership was clearly faulty, and it is only logical for Shockwave to take command. The weakened Megatron is in no condition to disagree... yet. Shockwave explains his plan to use the Autobots as spare parts, and to harvest the Creation Matrix from Optimus Prime and build an army to conquer the planet. Shockwave flies off to undertake his first conquest.

Meanwhile, as Sparkplug recovers from his heart attack, he makes Buster promise not to have anything more to do with the Transformers. Ratchet takes Buster back to the Ark to say his good-byes, only to discover that the Decepticons have taken over. Buster convinces Ratchet to stay outside while he sneaks in to investigate. Buster discovers the deactivated Autobots and despairs. When he realizes that Optimus Prime is not among them, he holds out hope, only to have that hope destroyed when he discovers Prime's detached head located in another room. Prime, still functional, informs Buster that he is the Autobots' last hope.

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans

Quotes

"Very illuminating. These humans are even more primitive than I thought. The conquest of this planet and the enslavement of its people shall be a simple task -- indeed."

—Shockwave.... as he strolls past a hall full of deactivated Autobots.


"Remind me to thank you when I get down from here, Shockwave. Meanwhile, resumption of my command must begin now."
"You don't seem to understand. These Autobots you see lying dead on the ground are there because I put them there. The Decepticons you see barely clinging to life are in that operating mode because of you. ...Logic says I must assume command of the Decepticons."

—Megatron loses his command to Shockwave, just like that.


"The present eleven Decepticons are not sufficient to fulfill my plans. I will use the Creation Matrix to build more Decepticons, many more -- and then we shall conquer this planet! I have been studying the Earthlings. They are weak... stupid... by every known measure we are their superiors! Their planet's energy resources shall become ours! ...while they become our slaves! And the time to begin our reign is now!"

—And all that, dear reader, is why Shockwave rules.

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

  • Numerous errors occur in the slabs-of-beef scene of the Autobots hanging from the ceiling:
    • Several Autobots are randomly colored like Gears, including Trailbreaker, Ironhide and Bumblebee. Bumblebee and Cliffjumper have their colors switched, and Windcharger has Brawn's colors.
    • Ironhide, meanwhile, has inexplicably gone from being pretty much okay at the end of last issue, to being a legless torso stuck on the end of a pole, with half of one arm missing, and the other arm bizarrely deformed.
    • Trailbreaker's car mode hood is shown cracked and shattered as if it were a windshield. His arm isn't dangling over his head like all the other Autobots, either.
    • Jazz has a totally made-up head (colored red) and a strange, malproportioned arm design.
    • Bluestreak is colored like Prowl (who is right next to him.)
    • Wheeljack is missing his "ears". His "mask" is bigger than the rest of his head, his missile launcher is strangely foreshortened, and his chest is colored blue instead of white.
  • In a flashback, one of the Decepticons flying to their fortress appears to be Shockwave, who had not yet rejoined the Decepticons. The same scene features Decepticons flying in robot mode, which none of Megatron's troops can do.
  • Sunstreaker is colored blue and red when Shockwave blasts him, and is missing a leg. He's colored like Sideswipe when he's later seen lying on the floor. (Sunstreaker's toy was originally supposed to be in Sideswipe's colors and vice versa. So the artist might have been working from some old source material.)
In Japan, this coloring error probably became a totally different character.
  • The severe damage inflicted on Mirage last issue is nowhere to be seen — he's got both his arms and his chest/head are intact. To be fair, this same damage disappeared before the previous issue even concluded.
  • Skywarp is missing a wing as he drags Brawn; he's also colored like Thundercracker. In the same panel, Shockwave's upper arms are silver-white instead of purple (portions of his shoulders are silver-white in numerous other panels as well.) Same panel again: Soundwave's body is his usual purple, but his head is blue.
  • Frenzy and Rumble are both blue when they're standing guard outside the Ark. When Buster sneaks past them, one of them is purple and pink.
  • Ratchet has the same blue-chest, red-shoulders color scheme as in issue #3. The blue chest is especially egregious since the same prominent area is white when he's an ambulance in the previous panel.

Continuity errors

Continuity notes

  • This issue introduces the Creation Matrix, one of the mythos's central plot points.
  • Shockwave gives us a curious backstory for the Matrix: "It is said once every ten millenia a new Autobot leader is chosen and encoded with the Matrix."

Real-life references

  • TV shows viewed by Shockwave include The Honeymooners and Let's Make a Deal, as well as a football game, a newscast, and a soap opera.
  • The action remains at the Ark in rural Oregon, and in Portland.

UK printing

Issue #22:

  • Backup strips:
  • Machine Man - "Jolted by Jack O'Lantern" Part 1
  • Robo-Capers
  • Chromobots
  • Planet Terry
  • Matt and the Cat
  • Also featured "Robot War", the first in an irregular series of text features summarising events seen in the comic so far.
  • In the US version of the story, the first page illustrates a scene from the classic TV series The Honeymooners. However, in the UK reprint, a publicity still from the contemporary (at the time) series V was used instead.

Issue #23:

  • Backup strips:
  • Machine Man - "Jolted by Jack O'Lantern" Part 2
  • Robo-Capers
  • Chromobots
  • Planet Terry
  • Matt and the Cat

Other trivia

  • According to a text box in US issue #4, this story was originally going to be drawn by the team of "Vince Giarrano, penciling superstar-in-the-making" and "Brad Joyce, inker extraordinaire". This did not come to pass, and while Joyce did eventually ink issue #10, Giarrano would never work on the series.
  • Beginning with this issue, the cover corner box depicts a triumphant shot of Optimus Prime (somewhat contradictory to the contents of this issue). The pose is different from that which appeared on issue #1, which was a character model pose. This image would be used for 24 more issues, along with the adaptation of The Transformers: The Movie and the first issue of Headmasters, before returning for issues 50–75.
  • Starting with page 15 of the US comic, the speech balloons for Transformers characters changed style abruptly from rectangular boxes to rounded balloons that sometimes had zig zags in the part indicating which character was speaking. This type of speech balloon would continue to be used through issue #9.

Covers (10)

  • US issue #5 - Shockwave really needs to invest in a pen.
    US issue #5 - Shockwave really needs to invest in a pen.
  • UK issue #22 - Nice little corner logo.
    UK issue #22 - Nice little corner logo.
  • UK issue #23 - Yes, where is he? Inside, you dolt!
    UK issue #23 - Yes, where is he? Inside, you dolt!
  • The Transformers Comics Magazine #3
    The Transformers Comics Magazine #3
  • Collected Comics (US) #2
    Collected Comics (US) #2
  • Transformers Comic-Magazin issue #1 The most normal German thing you will ever see
    Transformers Comic-Magazin issue #1 The most normal German thing you will ever see
  • Beginnings TPB
    Beginnings TPB
  • Beginnings HC
    Beginnings HC
  • Classic Transformers Volume 1
    Classic Transformers Volume 1
  • The Transformers Classics, Vol 1
    The Transformers Classics, Vol 1

Advertisements

  • Rip-Off Velcro shoes (inside front cover)
  • Reeses pieces (pg 7)
  • Oreos (pg 9)
  • Bonkers bike bag (pg 10)
  • Block of various Sketchy Things and Marvel Mart (pg 12)
  • Comic Buyers Guide, Choose Your Own Adventure, Comic Book Convention 1985 in Manhattan (pg 21)
  • J&S Comics (pg 23)
  • Olympic Sales Club (pg 26)
  • Bullpen Bulletins (pg 28)
  • Comic subscriptions (pg 32)
  • STAR Comics (rear inside cover)
  • Noxzema Acne 12 acne medicine (rear cover)

Reprints

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