IDW - More Than Meets The Eye #13

Title: Cybertronian Homesick Blues

Written by: James Roberts

Pencils by: Guido Guidi

Inks by: John Wycough, Juan Castro, Guido Guidi and Marc Deering

Colour by: Josh Burcham and Joana LaFuente

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: John Barber

Plot

The Lost Light crew attempt to make contact with Cybertron again, just so they can let them know they're alive (since the quantum jump may have looked a bit explosive), and so Swerve decides to send a message to Blurr, and tells him about what happened the day before.

Swerve is outside Tailgate and Cyclonus' room, when he hears someone screaming, he's caught up with Drift and Aquafend, as they're trying to investigate the situation, they break down the door, but find everyone fine, Tailgate explains that Cyclonus was just singing in Old Cybertronian. Later, Swerve accompanies Drift back to Rodimus' office, where he asks him if he wants to be his roommate, since Red is locked away right now, but he refuses. Inside the office Drift continues to try teaching Rodimus how to parry, whilst commenting on how odd the relationship between Tailgate and Cyclonus is (hypocrites), suddenly Magnus barges in and reports that he's sent a load of crew members to the brig (where the Decepticon prisoners are as well) for minor infractions. Rodimus tells Magnus to go relax, and gets Swerve to teach him how to do so on Hedonia, for some shore leave, in return for Rodimus helping him get a bar license.

The group go to the planet, but have to use holo-avatars in some areas in case of anti-mech sentiments, however they find a bar that serves mechs and all relax there (with Magnus trying his best) unfortunately Whirl gives Magnus a powerful drink, which knocks him out. Whilst waiting for Magnus to wake up again the group play the Nemesis game (tell each other who their nemesis is). Magnus starts to wake up and everyone pegs it (except for Swerve) who is panicked that Magnus is going to kill him for getting him drunk, however Magnus isn't that mad, he just pours out to Swerve that he's unhappy with his life since he accepted Tyrest's job offer, and he wants to go home, he goes on about how he loves music, but stops when he notices Swerve not wearing a badge, then passes out again after saying he's jealous that everyone likes Swerve and not him. However when he's alone, Swerve admits that no one likes him, they just laugh at his jokes.

Everyone returns to the bar later with some souvenirs including an Ark-1 model for Rung, Rewind laments that he wasn't around for that era, but starts to stream footage of the opening ceremony, however Cyclonus goes mad and starts a mini-riot, which forces Tailgate to take him away from the others. Suddenly everyone realizes that they only have 20 minutes to get back to the shuttle. They transport their bodies to ship via Whirl, but transmit their avatars back to the bar to try and get the still passed out Magnus back too (by dropping him, then jumping on him to convert him) and then drive him back to the shuttle (which btw, is clearly a major case of drink driving, good influence James!).

During this time, Tailgate and Cyclonus talk in another bar, where Cyclonus reveals he knows that Tailgate's been lying this whole time about his being on the Ark-1 crew, but he did it because he hated his old life, since he wasn't even noticed as being missing for 6 million years. Cyclonus comforts him by teaching him an Old Cybertronian song.

Swerve finishes his message to Blurr by telling him that he finally has his own bar. After it's finished Blaster tells Swerve that the personal number Blurr gave him in the past (when Swerve was just a pestering fan) was fake and the message wont go through.

Later, at Swerve's Bar, Magnus comes in to thank him for the company whilst he was drunk, and gives him a new Autobot badge as well.

Signal to Noise Interlude

Rung collects about his recent situation following his head blowing up and how he recovered, and suddenly remembers that he's forgotten about someone. 

Earlier on Hedonia Rung and the others have just left Swerve to deal with Magnus and have gone souvenir shopping whilst Whirl is slamming his head against a window, then suddenly disappears, shortly afterwards Rewind takes out a memory stick from his wrist from his recording, which reminds Rung of Red Alert and his own memory stick from before the accident.

Back in the present, Rung approaches Rodimus' office, and Magnus accompanies him, supposedly because Rodimus is a bit annoyed lately thanks to the failure of the communications to Cybertron and them not finding the Circle of Light and thus their main clue to the Knights of Cybertron. Inside, Rung tells Rodimus about what Red told him before his accident about the noise from under the ship, and Rodimus tells him he'll get onto it as soon as he can. Afterwards Rund runs into Magnus again, and asks if Magnus can listen to him whilst he chats for a while.

Characters

Autobot

Rodimus - Car

Ultra Magnus - Truck

Drift - Car

Swerve - Van

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Skids - Van

Rewind - Giant Memory Stick

Rung - Communications Maintenance Buggy

Blaster

Aquafend

Perceptor (Flashback)

Blurr - Race Car (Flashback)

Jazz - Car (Flashback)

Optimus Prime (Mentioned)

Hound - Jeep (Mentioned)

First Aid - Ambulance (Mentioned)

Fortress Maximus - Tank (Mentioned)

Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned)

Pipes - Truck (Mentioned) Injured by Existential Gun

Red Alert - Car (Mentioned) Still in Cold Storage

Waverider (Mentioned)

Sureshot (Mentioned)

Dipstick (Mentioned)

Sprocket (Mentioned)

Arcee (Mentioned)

Chromedome - Car (Mentioned)

Bumblebee - Car (Mentioned)

Prowl - Car (Mentioned)

Ratchet - Ambulance (Mentioned)

Kimia Staff (Mentioned)Dead

Chief Justice Tyrest (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Megatron (Mentioned)

Overlord (Mentioned)

Misfire - Jet (Mentioned)

Thunderwing (Mentioned)

Killmaster (Mentioned) Killed by Whirl

Prisoners in Brig (Mentined)

Cybertronian

Tailgate - Car

Cyclonus - Space Jet

Nova Prime - Truck (Footage) Dead

Jhiaxus (Mentioned)

Tailpipe (Mentioned) Probablt died on Ark-1

Primal Vanguard (Mentioned)

Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)

Froid (Mentioned)

Circle of Light (Mentioned)

Primus (Mentioned)

Blurr's Fans and Guards (Flashback)

Other

Hedonians

Verity Carlo (Mentioned and used as Holo Avatar)

D-Void (Mentioned)

Maintenance Droids (Mentioned)

Scraplets (Mentioned)

Antigod (Mentioned)

Lovetopians (Mentioned)

Macerators (Mentioned)

Cuddlexians (Mentioned)

Giggleoplians (Mentioned)

Notes

• Most of this story is shown as a flashback, but since it was just to a day earlier, I wonder class it as a real flashback
• This story seems to act as a happy issue set between a harsh battle last issue, and the utter bloodbath we're all expecting with Overlord's return next month!
• The Lost Light crew attempt to make contact with Cybertron again, but it fails (as mentioned in Signal to Noise)
• Swerve's friendship with Blurr isn't what it appeared to be, Swerve was just a fan and Blurr only spoke to him once
• Swerve has been on at least 10 quests now, including this one he's on for the Knights
• Old Cybertronian singing sounds like screaming, and is terrifying
• Yeah...look at the picture above...you can tell the team are just playing "slash-bait" with the fangirls now
• Ultra Magnus' holo-avatar is made to resemble Verity, which Rung is a bit worried about
• HAH! Rung's avatar is called "Mary Sue"!
• Transformers get drunk by turning off their Fuel Intake Moderation Chips
• Whirl likes to poke the bear by using Ultra Magnus as a table when he's passed out
• Ultra Magnus likes music...I bet this has a connection to Skids' obsession with asking people about if they like music or not.
• Talking about Skids, his holo-avatar seems to be Matt Smith's Doctor Who incarnation, ie a time traveler with a mysterious identity, who takes on different faces at different points in time. Perhaps this is a hint at the future?
• Rung wonders whether Prowl or Bumblebee have to deal with things like them back on Cybertron...meanwhile on Cybertron Bumblebee's government is crumbling, and Prowl seems to be in league with the Decepticons!
• Tailgate has been lying all along, he was never a bomb disposal expert, instead being a waste disposal guy, and wasn't meant to be on the Ark either, he was just meant to clean the engines before they launched. Cyclonus has known this all along.
• As revealed in Signal to Noise the Hedonians are in fact a major arms dealer species.
• Rung informs Rodimus about Red Alert's conversation with him before his accident (whilst Magnus is outside the door) ...wonder if that'll come to anything?
• Skids bought Rodimus a captain's hat, this brings back thoughts on his reaction to the captain's hat he saw in the Annual.
• Why did the gift shop just happen to have an Ark-1 model?
• Apparently it's an offense to shorten a superior's name...Everyone calls Optimus "Prime", and Fortress Maximus either "Fort Max" or just "Max"...maybe it's a made-up rule?
• Where did Whirl disappear to during Signal to Noise?
• Rodimus claims that whenever Optimus wanted to get out of an awkward situation, he'd claim to have just had a Matrix-vision to contemplate
• Hound made Rung's wheelchair