Yesterday's Heroes!
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 HASSAN CHOP! | |||||||||||||
| "Yesterday's Heroes!" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | December 1989 | ||||||||||||
| Script | Simon Furman | ||||||||||||
| Pencils | José Delbo | ||||||||||||
| Inks | Dave Hunt | ||||||||||||
| Colors | Nelson Yomtov | ||||||||||||
| Lettering | Jim Massara | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Don Daley | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Marvel Comics continuity | ||||||||||||
Optimus Prime deals with Ratchet's death.
Synopsis
Aboard the Ark, Optimus Prime listens to the computer recite the names of deactivated Autobots, finally breaking down when it reaches the recently lost Ratchet. While Prime laments the loss of another friend and the apparently increasing futility of their struggle, the logical mind of the computer can only point out the mathematically sound principle that Ratchet traded his life for the return of Grimlock, Jazz, and Bumblebee. A sullen Prime asks the computer to calculate the most logical course of action to avoid further loss of life in the war. Its response: to stop fighting. This causes concern for the other Autobots, who worry that in his present state, Prime may just do that.
Meanwhile back on Cybertron, the Classic Pretenders lead the Micromaster Rescue Patrol and the Double Targetmasters on another successful fuel raid. Their rebirth has given a much-needed boost to the Autobot resistance on Cybertron, but the Decepticon threat to Earth and its more abundant resources means they will be soon heading back there. Meanwhile, Decepticon leader Lord Thunderwing is increasingly displeased with the Autobots' growing success and orders Bludgeon, Octopunch, and Stranglehold—the Mayhem Attack Squad—to find and kill the Autobot Pretenders.
On the orders of Optimus Prime, the Ark lands on the Moon, and he goes out to brood alone, perhaps forever. As the others discuss options, Hot Rod has already come up with a plan to use a remote-controlled Mark V Guardian drone and pretend it's run amok to convince Optimus to come to rescue them all and snap out of his funk. Unfortunately, fact and fiction blur when the Mark V's flaw of unpredictability manifests, and it really does run amok and attack the Autobots.
Searching through the ruins of Iacon, the Mayhems track the signal from the specially irradiated fuel that Autobots stole to the old Council Chambers, just as the Classic Pretenders and Rescue Patrol prepare to travel via the trans-time dimensional portal to Earth. As Emirate Xaaron wishes Bumblebee well, making the first mention the Pretender has heard of their god Primus in years, the Mayhem Attack Squad burst in and Bludgeon reprograms the controls with his sword, transporting both the attacking Decepticons and Autobots bound for Earth to parts unknown.
On the Moon, Hot Rod's misguided plan actually works as Optimus Prime lays into the Guardian drone, physically tearing it apart, as he realizes that simply giving up dishonors the memories of every fallen Autobot. He vows to continue fighting with all his might.
Elsewhere, the messed-up trans-time dimensional portal deposits the traveling Autobots and their Decepticon attackers in bizarre yet strangely familiar tunnels. Walking towards the light, the Autobots discover themselves face to face with their living god, Primus.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Others | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
Notes
Artwork and technical errors
- The Autobot Double Targetmasters carry weapons that resemble their Nebulan partners — Scoop and Quickmix carry theirs singly, one in each hand, while Landfill's are combined into "double weapon" mode — though they are not seen to transform, nor are they mentioned as being Nebulans in the story's dialogue. Between the creation of the Targetmasters in "Brothers in Armor!!" and the comic's present day there doesn't seem to be much opportunity for the Cybertron-based Autobots to have visited Nebulos but it is just about possible that it all happened "off-panel". Their Transformers Universe profiles, included at the end of next issue, explicitly reference their Nebulan partners and their former lives on Nebulos.
- The Rescue Patrol's alternate modes are drawn massively out of scale during the initial battle.
- In his first appearance, only Stranglehold's face is flesh-colored; the remaining bare-skinned portions of his Pretender shell are white.
Continuity errors
Continuity notes
- While not seen destroyed "on-screen" by the Underbase-powered Starscream in "Dark Star", Perceptor and Powerglide are listed in this issue among the deceased, lending weight to the belief that effectively all earlier members of the Autobot forces without organic enhancement were eliminated.
- It has to be said that the foreshadowing on page 14 (repeated mentions of Primus, needing to wake him and meeting their maker) is laid on pretty thick.
- With this issue, Simon Furman begins to bring across an increasing number of Marvel UK-exclusive concepts, such as the updated version of the Mayhem Attack Squad and the Guardian droids, plus characters like Emirate Xaaron and Primus.
- That said, Furman also brought over the entire first act of the UK story "Resurrection!" to start "Yesterday's Heroes!" with. Or forgot he had used that setup before. We got ourselves Autobot heroes from Earth (Optimus Prime vs. the Autobot Classic Pretenders) that boost the Autobot rebels' morale on Cybertron and lead them on raids on Decepticon fuel stores. In both cases, the Autobot heroes acknowledge the good they do on Cybertron, but consider themselves more needed on Earth. Meanwhile, the Decepticon leader (Straxus vs. Thunderwing) notes that the Autobots were almost crushed, preceded by a near identical line about the Autobots having raided X (five vs. eight) fuel stores in as many days.
- Optimus Prime carries on a conversation with the Ark's computer, which he calls simply "computer". The Ark's computer was called Aunty in issue #1. In the UK, Auntie was damaged in "Raiders of the Last Ark". So, this computer may or may not be Aunty.
Real-life references
UK printing
Issue #252:
- Additional Transformers Story: Edge of Impact
- Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "The Lower Depths" and Combat Colin
- AtoZ: Sandstorm and Scavenger
Issue #253:
- Additional Transformers Story: Shadow of Evil
- Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "The Lower Depths" and Combat Colin
- AtoZ: Scrapper and Seaspray
Issue #254:
- Additional Transformers Story: White Fire
- Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Transit" and Combat Colin
Other trivia
- The word "Heroes" appears 10 times (11 if you include the cover) in this single issue and 7 of them are on two consecutive pages. That's more than the rest of the 80 issue run plus the Generation 2 issues plus every Dreamwave issue PLUS every IDW issue combined!
- Transformers Universe profiles for Misfire, Pointblank, Slugslinger, and Sureshot are found after the main story.
Covers (8)
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US issue #60 - He flies through the air with the greatest of ease. -
UK issue #252 - Kup, being a prick -
UK issue #253 - Not Starscream's ghost. -
UK issue #254
- US cover: Bludgeon attacks the Classic Pretenders by José Delbo.
- UK issue #252 cover: Kup accusing Longtooth of murder by Gary Erskine.
- UK issue #253 cover: A demonic snake attacks Hot Rod by Stephen Baskerville.
- UK issue #254 cover: Unicron attacks Rodimus Prime by Stephen Baskerville.
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Primal Scream TPB -
Primal Scream HC -
Classic Transformers Volume 4 -
The Transformers Classics Vol. 5
- Primal Scream TPB cover: Grimlock, Goldbug, Pretender Starscream, and half of Primus by Andrew Wildman.
- Primal Scream Hardback cover: Grimlock victorious over the Sports Car Patrol by Dave Gibbons.
- Classic Transformers Volume 4 cover: Panels from this issue and US issue #59, pencils by José Delbo, inks by Dave Hunt and colours by Nel Yomtov.
- The Transformers Classics Vol. 5 cover: Prowl by Guido Guidi.
Generics
Most stories set on Cybertron feature some generics whose only purpose is to die on panel and this issue is no exception.
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Bumblebee's raiding party slaughters loads of generic Decepticons. They all look like this. -
This Autobot...scientist? is operating the trans-time dimensional portal. He's beheaded by Bludgeon in the next panel.
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