The Void! (US)

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The name or term "Void" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Void (disambiguation).
« The Transformers (US) #74 »
« The Transformers (UK) #317–318 »

Bet I can kill more of them than you can! You're on!
"The Void!"
Publisher Marvel Comics
First published November 1990
Cover date January 1991
Writer Simon Furman
Penciler Andrew Wildman
Inker Stephen Baskerville
Colorist Nel Yomtov
Letterer Rick Parker
Editor Rob Tokar
Continuity Marvel Comics continuity

And lo, it is the time of the Gathering...

Synopsis

Once again, the origin of the Transformers is related, this time by Primus through his possessed body of Emirate Xaaron. He has gathered the combined Autobots and Decepticons of Earth and Cybertron to their home planet in order to battle Unicron in his name. As Primus names Optimus Prime leader of the combined Cybertronian forces, a lone Autobot slinks away from the rear of the gathering.

Aboard the Ark, Grimlock and the Dinobots are surprised to return to the ship and not only find it completely empty of life, but the planet Earth totally devoid of Transformers as well. As they set course for Cybertron, Grimlock commands Sludge to begin pumping Nucleon into the stasis pods to revive the fallen warriors, unknowing of Megatron's presence among those in inactivity.

Back on Cybertron, Circuit Breaker's fragile little mind is about to pop, as she is surrounded by her worst nightmare. G.B. Blackrock asks Optimus Prime to get Primus to return him and the Neo-Knights to Earth, but the god teleports away instead of listening to Optimus's plea.

Nearby, the mind-controlled hordes of Unicron have gathered, and are preparing to carry out his will and bring death to Optimus Prime.

As Scorponok makes an excuse to speak to Optimus Prime alone, he confesses to his opposite number a growing fear of dying. Optimus expresses a similar sentiment, and also confides in Scorponok his growing distaste for being manipulated by their "god", against their will. Still, he is bound and determined to face his death with nobility and resolve, if his time has truly come. As the two leaders grow closer, they are suddenly besieged by Unicron's cultists.

Look! DEATH!

Scorponok quickly realizes that the cultists are completely uninterested in him, and seek only Optimus Prime's death. After briefly toying with the idea of leaving Prime to his doom, Scorponok vigorously returns to the battle and saves Prime from oncoming death. One cultist prepares to drop a grenade down on the fighters, but is caught by Galvatron, who forces the Cybertronian to eat his own grenade before sending up a signal flare to summon reinforcements for Prime and Scorponok.

Meanwhile... the Creation Matrix has finished repairing its vessel, the deranged Thunderwing. It hungers for a new sensation... revenge!

As the various Autobots and Decepticons rush to their leaders' aid, the battle quickly turns in their favor. Scorponok is slowly torturing the last of the cultists, when Optimus Prime steps in and stops him. He suspects the Cybertronians aren't acting of their own accord, and therefore are innocent victims of Unicron.

Primus confirms Optimus Prime's suspicions, explaining that Unicron managed to place a "sleeper program" in several of Primus's creations eons ago, creating hidden wolves in the fold. Primus deliberately named Optimus Prime leader in order to draw out these cultists, and test the strength of the Cybertronian Alliance.

Just as Optimus Prime is about to give Primus a piece of his mind for all these manipulations, Kup points out that Unicron has arrived.

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans Others

Quotes

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

  • Slag "head" the boss, when he should have "heard" the boss.
  • Ratchet is misspelled "Rachet" on his stasis pod door.

Continuity errors

  • The history of Unicron and Primus, previously related by Unicron in UK issue #150 and the Keeper in US issue #61, is once again different: Primus claims that he and Unicron are the only two deities, that Unicron wiped out the last universe but fragments of it started the Big Bang, and that he was created by the "sentient core" of the new universe to stop Unicron from re-creating a lifeless void. (Why yes! Primus' take does make him sound more impressive than the previous versions!)
  • The Creation Matrix re-animated Thunderwing's barely alive remains and flew off the planet in a vehicle that matches Thunderwing's Mega Pretender shell's vehicle mode (see image). The Thunderwing toy's robot does not fit inside his shell's vehicle mode. Instead, Thunderwing himself combines with his Pretender shell to form a super jet, which is not present in the artwork. So either comic Thunderwing works differently than toy Thunderwing, or Thunderwing himself was left on the planet and the Creation Matrix took off with his Pretender shell.

Continuity notes

  • This issue is the first US appearance for Battletrap and Quake.
  • In a nice bit of continuity, after being transported to Cybertron, the Autobot Pretenders still don't have their Pretender shells. The Decepticons confiscated them when the Autobots surrendered in issue 71. They will somehow get them back in time for next issue, however.
  • Little character moments and jokes can be seen in the page 4–5 splash. Bludgeon is grimly cleaning his sword; Nightbeat has noticed the Neo-Knights helicopter that he brought with him; Dreadwind is ignoring the speech to tell Darkwing a funny joke, which confuses Sureshot and annoys Highbrow and Cloudburst (who is being held back by Waverider); an Autobot in the back is pretending to shoot Soundwave; Starscream is looking at his woozy "ally" Shockwave with contempt; Apeface is peeling himself a yummy banana, much to Horri-Bull's amusement; Runabout is patching up Runamuck; and Triggerhappy is looking the other way entirely for no reason.
  • Snarl finds only one Transformer life-sign on Earth, seemingly split into two parts. This seems to be a reference to Spike Witwicky and Fortress Maximus, but Fortress Maximus is stored aboard the Ark. Another option might be Spike and his control helmet.

Real-life references

UK printing

The United Kingdom - double the emptiness
  • The UK version of this story is one page longer. The opening page was expanded into a double-page spread in UK issue 317, incorporating the inside-front-cover of the comic, where a description of the issue's contents usually resided.

Issue #317:

Issue #318:

  • Other strips: Machine Man - "If This Be Sanctuary?!" and Combat Colin
  • AtoZ: Darkwing
  • The Machine Man story was previously printed, starting way back in Issue #31

Other trivia


Covers (9)

  • US issue #74 - We hate cosplayers!
    US issue #74 - We hate cosplayers!
  • UK issue #317 - Xaaron - now with added chrome
    UK issue #317 - Xaaron - now with added chrome
  • UK issue #318 - Head-poppingly fun!
    UK issue #318 - Head-poppingly fun!
  • All Fall Down TPB
    All Fall Down TPB
  • US cover: Scorponok and Prime vs the hordes of Unicron, by Andrew Wildman.
  • UK issue #317 cover: Xaaron as servant of Primus, by Andrew Wildman and Robin Bouttell.
  • UK issue #318 cover: recolored version of US cover, by Robin Bouttell.
  • All Fall Down TPB cover: Powermaster Optimus Prime, Megatron/Ratchet, Starscream, Shockwave and half of Unicron, by Andrew Wildman.
  • All Fall Down HC, standard cover
    All Fall Down HC, standard cover
  • All Fall Down HC, Botcon-exclusive cover
    All Fall Down HC, Botcon-exclusive cover
  • Best of Transformers: Eye of the Storm
    Best of Transformers: Eye of the Storm
  • Classic Transformers volume 5
    Classic Transformers volume 5
  • The Transformers Classics Vol. 6
    The Transformers Classics Vol. 6

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