IDW - Regeneration One #82

Staff

Title: "Loose Ends" Part 2

Writer: Simon Furman

Penciler: Andrew Wildman

Inker: Stephen Baskerville

Colorist: John-Paul Bove

Letterer Chris Mowry

Editor: John Barber

Editor-in-Chief: Chris Ryall

Plot

Megatron is out on a stroll on his chariot with his army of zombie-like Decepticons looking for the Autobots who were on the ship he just destroyed (as he assumes they survived somehow) and finds a pair of escape pods abandoned, and sends out his army to hunt them down and bring them back to him.

The Wreckers are regrouping elsewhere and Whirl reports about the Decepticon army approaching, so they start heading out to find a satellite dish to contact Cybertron for help.

Elsewhere in space, Grimlock approaches Nebulos, where he hopes to use the Project Lazarus (which intended to reintegrate the Headmaster's original heads to their bodies) to try and place his own head on a new body to counteract the effects of Nucleon for himself and his friends (who have lost their Alternate Modes and other faculties.

On Cybertron, Trailbreaker reports the missing ship that Kup stole for his mission to Earth to Ultra Magnus, who goes into a rage, saying that he would have joined Kup if he could have, but he has to follow the rules.

On Earth, the Wreckers approach the Deep Space Network dish at Goldstone and split up, some head to the dish, whilst others distract the Decepticons. Some of the Decepticons still follow the team heading to the dish, so Kup breaks off and fights them off alone.

On Nebulos, Grimlock finds the place deserted (much like Earth, but still with buildings up etc) and he is suddenly attacked by several Nebulons, who appear to be mesmerized, but he can't bring himself to defend himself against them, in case he kills the fleshlings.

Back on Earth again, Kup is defeated in battle by Skywarp and the Decepticons take him to Megatron's location, whilst on Nebulos again Grimlock is knocked out by a powerful laser shot from a mostly unseen foe (Scorponok).

On Earth again Kup wakes up to see Ratchet's lobotomized head looking at him from Megatron's chariot and learns from Megatron himself that he wants the Wreckers to send a message to Cybertron, which is why he left one of the dishes active, so he can show everyone what he's been up to for the past 21 years, especially Optimus Prime.

Elsewhere, some Humans run across Rack 'N' Ruin and Topspin, who were left behind for recovery, and Rack 'N' Ruin goes to try and make allies and to try and help them, when he's attacked very suddenly by Circuit Smasher.

Characters

Autobot

Springer - Helicopter

Roadbuster - Gun Mounted Jeep

Whirl - Helicopter

Leadfoot - F1 Race Car

Kup - Pick Up Truck

Topspin

Broadside

Rack 'N' Ruin

Sandstorm - Buggy

Grimlock Blasted by Scorponok

Ultra Magnus

Trailbreaker

Highbrow (Head only, On Recording)

Brainstorm (On Recording)

Ratchet Beheaded and Lobotomized

Slag (Mentioned)

Optimus Prime (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Megatron

Buzzsaw Lobotomized Zombie

Ratbat Lobotomized Zombie

Skywarp Lobotomized Zombie

Starscream Lobotomized Zombie

Razorclaw - Lion Lobotomized Zombie

Astrotrain Lobotomized Zombie

Hun-Gurrr - Two Headed Monster Lobotomized Zombie

Tentakil Lobotomized Zombie

Octane - Cargo Plane Lobotomized Zombie

Blitzwing Lobotomized Zombie

Scorponok - Scorpion Tank (Mostly Obscured)

Human

Circuit Smasher/Spike Witwicky

Survivors

Nebulon

Mesmerized Fighters

Borx (On Recording)

Project Lazarus Staff (On Recording)

Lord Zarak (Mentioned)

Other

Primus (Mentioned)

Nucleon Sufferers (Mentioned)

Notes

• All the Decepticons shown in Megatron's army are ones who were killed during Starscream's rampage with the Underbase, except for Ratbat and Starscream himself. Starscream was on the Ark when it crashed the second time, so he's easily explained, but Ratbat was killed on the Ark, so either Scorponok had Ratbat's body sent down to Earth after the battle, or he left it on the Ark until it crashed. This also shows that the Decepticons just left a lot of their dead to rot on Earth rather than recovering them.
• Megatron is keeping Ratchet alive, just barely so he can stay alive too (due to them being connected mentally) but lobotomized so his thoughts won't be obstructed by Ratchet's...of course this does make it easy for the Wreckers to kill Megatron, all they have to do is aim for Ratchet's head!
• Megatron saves semi-consciousness states in his "zombies" for those who have crossed him badly in the past, such as Starscream and Ratchet
• The Wreckers surviving the destruction of their ship by escaping last second has been done so many times not in previous fiction, that it's almost redundant now
• It's shown here that the original Headmaster heads were kept on Nebulos, and they have been trying to build new bodies, but are failing for some reason..until they looked into Zarak's old research.
• Despite being lobotomized zombies, the Decepticons can still think somewhat, can use their abilities and transform too
• Circuit Smasher is Spike Witwicky in case you hadn't heard/worked it out yet
• Kup is disgusted with what the Autobot's allowed to happen to Earth whilst they were rebuilding Cybertron