IDW - Fall of Cybertron One Shot

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Dheeraj Verma

Colors by: Sanjay Kharwar & Priscilla Tramontano (Page 1-16)

Letters by: Chris Mowry

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Plot

The Lightning Strike Coalition (minus Swoop who's on another mission) attack a group of Decepticons, meanwhile in Iacon, Jazz reports the battle to Optimus, who is annoyed, since they need to conserve Energon for the upcoming Ark launch, so he calls him to return to base. 

Back at base, Grimlock gives Optimus a device which he recorded the battle on, so Optimus can work out better strategies for going up against the Decepticons in that area, which has an Energon stockpile in it and leaves. Elsewhere in the bae, Perceptor tells Grimlock that he has a message coming through. Swoop has been discovered on his mission, but it cuts out suddenly, Grimlock decides they need to go rescue him.

Earlier, Swoop infiltrated a Decepticon where he witnesses Shockwave showing his new Insecticon hoard to Starscream, when he's attacked by them as he send soff his message to Grimlock.

The rest of the LSC arrive at Shockwave's base, smashing their way in, and fighting the Insecticons, they eventually find Swoop in a harness and try to get him down, but are all attacked, defeated and captured by Shockwave and the Insecticons, Shockwave starts to work on Grimlock and says he's been eyeing him for a while as he wanted to work on him for his experiments, and he'd manipulated the situation so the LSC would be forced to come to him.

Shockwave starts to work on Grimlock's brain and takes apart his body along with the rest of the LSC, and he starts to alter them based on some monsters (Dinosaurs) on a far off planet (Earth) as part of his big experiments (later revealed to be the Predacons).

Eventually Grimlock escapes his harness along with the rest of his team, and they escape, but now as the Dinobots, and decide to go solo rather than following Optimus, and certainly not following Shockwave either.

Characters

Autobot

Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex (Formerly Tank)

Swoop - Pteranodon (Formerly Tank)

Slug - Triceratops (Formerly Tank)

Snarl - Tank Fate unseen at End

Sludge - Tank Fate unseen at End

Optimus Prime - Truck

Jazz - Car

Perceptor

Other Autobots

Decepticon

Shockwave - Flying Cannon

Starscream - Jet

Insecticons - Bugs

Megatron - Tank (Hologram)

Other Decepticons

Other

Dinosaurs (footage)

Predacons (Loosely referred to)

Notes

• This story is set mostly before the events of the Fall of Cybertron game (which in turn is set before the Rage of the Dinobots comic that is already released)
• Shockwave's discoveries regarding the Insecticons, COULD be a reference to the future revelations that Shockwave has cloned Predacons.
• Sludge and Snarl aren't seen at the end of this comic, though Snarl is shown in the FOC game itself, so he's probably just offscreen, however Sludge was shown as dead in the game and in his old body still, so his appearance in the following series isn't explained (here or there).
• Also, by the narrative at the end of this comic it implies that the Dinobots are now going to go solo rather than being Autobots any more, but in Rage of the Dinobots, they seem to still be fine with them again.
• Basically explained here, is that SHockwave has set up Grimlock's systems so that the more angry he gets, the more powerful he becomes, but the more powerful he becomes the dumber he gets.