DW - Armada Volume 1

Plot

On the Cybertron of a million years ago Hot Shot races to Cyber City to show Optimus a distress message from a Mini-Con village which has been attacked by Decepticons and they decide they need to investigate.

Elsewhere at another Mini-Con village, the Mini-Cons are worried after losing contact with several other villages and start work on deploying defensive shields, and discuss the rumors of the Decepticons performing experiments to use them as energy sources when suddenly the village is attacked by the Decepticons, the village is ransacked and all the Mini-Cons, bar Sparkplug who is badly injured instead are captured, and the Decepticons prepare to declare war.

Optimus and his team inspect the now deserted Mini-Con village, whilst the Decepticons enter Cyber City with some of their captured Mini-Cons. Elsewhere Sparkplug wakes up, and finds himself in a different place where 3 Mini-Cons, Sonar, Jetstorm and Runway have taken him, and repaired him. The trio explain to him that they plan on taking every Mini-Con with them and leaving Cybertron, and to remain safe from the Decepticons.

At Cyber City Megatron has declared that he's there to rule when the Autobots suddenly appear. The Decepticons and Autobots fight, but due to their Mini-Con "partners" the Decepticons have the advantage. Elsewhere, the Mini-Cons infiltrate the Decepticons base and start freeing the Mini-Cons. The Decepticons manage to defeat the Autobots, forcing them to retreat, and the Decepticons take Cyber City for themselves, Starscream however reports that the Mini-Cons at the base are gone, as Megatron looks behind him and sees a ship rocket off into space.

The Mini-Cons fly away, but their ship's engines start to malfunction shortly afterwards. The Autobots and Decepticons continue their battle on Cybertron, with the Decepticons still holding the Mini-Cons they had with them during the Exodus' lift off.

The Exodus flies off, but due to the engine malfunction crashes on the Moon of the planet Earth, and a part snaps off, and crashes on the planet itself where it remains for eons, and nature surrounds it, forming a cave and mountain area.

Much later, 3 kids, Rad, Alexis and Carlos are playing and putting together a "flying machine" but during their test flight it crashes and Rad goes down to retrieve a helmet that was used on the dummy pilot and falls into the cave, his presence reactivates the Exodus computer and sends out a beacon into space and being received by Cybertron. Four Mini-Cons, Sparkplug, High Wire, Sureshock and Grindor wake up and take Rad out of the ship to safety. 

On Cybertron the two factions have received the signal and begin their plans. On Earth the kids have taken the Mini-Con's to Rad's family garage where they find a tool box and the kid's plans for their flying machine. The next morning the Mini-Cons greet the kids properly (as their used the tools to repair themselves and show them that they have built the flying machine properly for them. The Mini-Cons and Humans go off for a flight and have a fun adventure, but don't realize that Megatron has just appeared behind them.

The Autobots arrive on Earth at the Allspark Power Generator Station and accidentally scare off a visiting school class and they start looking for the Mini-Cons and the Decepticons (who they have assumed have come to Earth as well.

Megatron attacks the kids and Mini-Cons, but the little guys manage to escape him by going through a tunnel and escaping the other end. The other Decepticons in the meanwhile attack a military base and take on alternate modes based on some of their vehicles. The kids and Mini-Cons hide out in the garage, but have to leave when they hear of a "giant monster" coming this way. The Mini-Cons take on alternate modes as well to give them speed. Megatron reunites with his troops, and Starscream gives Megatron data on an alternate for him to use, they detect the Mini-Cons nearby and chase after them where they run into the Autobots, who begin their attack on the Decepticons again.

At a dump some human workers are scared off when they discover some more Mini-Cons hiding there, who were woken up by the signal set off by Rad. The newly awoken guys see news footage of the attack by Megatron and see Sparkplug on the screen and decide to help him.

The battle between the Transformers isn't going too well for the Autobots, especially when the Decepticons use their Mini-Cons for power-boosts, however the other Mini-Cons arrive and decide to join forces with the Autobots (as the lesser of two evils) and power them up.

The Autobots win the fight and decide they should stay on Earth for now, until they can find the remaining Mini-Cons, and when the Decepticons leave too.

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime

Hot Shot - Cybertronian Car

Red Alert

Scavenger

Smokescreen

Decepticon

Megatron - Tank

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Demolishor - Battle Tank

Cyclonus - Helicopter

Mini-Con

Leader-1 - Gun Mounted Buggy

Swindle - F1 Race Car

Blackout - Radar Truck

Crumplezone - Tank

Drillbit - Drill Tank

Sparkplug - Sports Car

High Wire - BMX

Grindor - Skateboard

Sureshock - Scooter

Jolt - Cybertronian Aircraft

Longarm - Cybertronian Truck

Liftor - Cybertronian Truck

Rollbar - Cybertronian Jeep

Runway

Jetstorm

Sonar

Dirt Boss - Stock Car

Downshift 

Mirage

Buzzsaw

Dualor

Incinerator

Skyblast

Astroscope

Payload

Human

Rad

Alexis

Carlos

Seth

Sid

Miss Ruby

Louie the Dump Worker

School Kids

Dump Workers

Other

Fflaxl

Bix

Cybertronian Civilians

Notes

• This volume collects issue 1-5 of the Armada ongoing series
• Weirdly Hot Shot appears to have his Earth mode in the past, however other characters are clearly shown having Cybertronian alternate bodies (The Decepticons in fact have to spend time scanning for their new alternate modes etc!)
• The Mini-Con's ability to powerlink with Bulks (larger Transformers) isn't natural, it was developed when the Decepticons started capturing them, at least that.s how it looks, I don't think Sparkplug was ever captured yet he can PL with Optimus....
• Alexis, Carlos and Rad are shown to be much younger in their introduction than they were in either the cartoon series, or even a few issues later on
• The Decepticons and Mini-Cons scan realistic vehicle modes, but end up turning into vehicles that look different, this means they might just use them as a basis, but alter their forms to more or less look like them, rather than turning into an exact copy.
• Seth and Sid seem to be based on Billy and Fred from the cartoon (and who later appear in the comic as well)
• I've only given the alternate modes for characters who have them shown here (and since the Auotbot's don't scan modes til after this comic they don't have any (except Hot Shot)
• Interestingly, Jolt, Longarm, Liftor and Rollbar all seem to have Cybertronian versions of their Earth modes when they powerlink to the Autobots.
• Small continuity issue for me: Drill Bit was shown as one of the Decepticon's Mini-Cons during the battle at Cyber City, but is later replaced with Blackout. This is most annoying because Drill Bit is definitely one of the guys who left since his team were the leaders of the Moon-based Mini-Cons!