IDW - More Than Meets The Eye #25

Title: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6: No Exit

Written by: James Roberts and John Barber

Art by: James Raiz, Atilio Raiz and Livio Ramondelli

Colours by: Josh Perez and Livio Ramondelli

Letters by: Gilberto Lazcano

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Plot

On Cybertron, most of the Dinobots are waiting away from the Necrotitan with some of the others injured by it, including Astrotrain, when suddenly the Titan disappears in a smoke of dust, Astrotrain lends his binoculars (bad eyes) to Swoop to see what's happening...what he sees is the Titan attacking the remains of the team that went into the Crystal City, who are running away. The Dinobots try to stop the Titan, but he's too strong and is already heading towards Iacon.

Meanwhile, inside Metrooplex in the Red Ocean, the crew led by Ultra Magnus in the Rodpod and travelling through Metroplex's eye socket, and head towards the brain, along the way they notice all the rust, and the science guys believe it's the water itself that's causing him to rust so badly, they try to figure out what's happening, but before they do they arrive in the brain chamber and find it empty. The team get worried as it seems to be surgically removed. Magnus has the ship redirected towards his chest so they can check on the spark next, along the way Ratchet notices that the lights inside Metroplex are starting to go out, meaning that he's dying. Getaway leaves a message to Swerve about the Admium they found in the water, due to his metallurgy skills. They detect a drydock up ahead and deside to head towards it. Along the way Perceptor picks up 8 life signs, since there's seven on the team, it bodes well that Metroplex may be alive still.

In Iacon, Starscream is inspecting those injured from the deathwave, but ends up getting shouted at by Tankor over his inability to lead. Starscream soon starts shouting at Flatline, who looks full of fear, to which Starscream realizes there's something behind him...the Necrotitan, who is destroying everything in his way!

In the Dead Universe Nightbeat says he's sure he'd be sorry for what he's done to Orion and the others if he wasn't being controlled, meanwhile Hardhead starts smashing against the wall of the containment cube to try and smash it, which the team thinks is stupid. Orion Pax starts to smash into it as well, Rodimus tries to point out that it's useless, to which Orion smacks Rodimus (in order to whisper that he's made a crack and he's trying to distract Nightbeat from noticing). Rodimus then steps in and tries to talk Nightbeat around, when Nightbeat sees something in Rodimus' hand which makes his head hurt and he kneels. All of a sudden Nova Prime appears before the team suggesting they all bow too.

At the dry dock inside Metroplex the team leave the Rodpod and start following some hand painted arrows on the floor. They follow the signs until they reach a ceiling, which Skids smashes through, and finds, to his surprise the Rodpod again. The team are confused as to how they've gone round in circles until they hear a ticking, and find the cause, a bomb and an Ammonite holding a detonator, and sets it off, blowing up the Rodpod in the process.

Back in the Dead Universe Nova greets Orion Pax and his team to his universe, and asks how they planned to leave since the Gorlam Prime portal is one way now. He also mocks Cyclonus, to the point where Cyclonus tells Hardhead to smash the cell, which he does and escapes, however the cell reforms itself (by Nova's will) and keeps the rest of the team trapped inside. 

Hardhead moves in to punch Nova Prime, who simply grabs his hand, and crushes it (along with the forcefield generator) causing the Dead Universe to claim him, and reduces him to rust, he crumbles up and is blown away by the wind. Afterwards, Nova Prime brings up another friend of Orion's in the Dead Universe, one who turns into a spacebridge they can use to escape...Kup!

Characters

Autobot

Orion Pax - Truck Cab

Rodimus - Car

Hardhead - Personnel Carrier Killed by Nova Prime

Nightbeat - Car Under Control of Nova Prime

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport

Skids - Van

Getaway

Ratchet - Ambulance

Perceptor

Brainstorm - Jet

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Sludge - Apatosaurus

Slug/Slag - Triceratops

Swoop - Pteranodon

Arcee - Car

Prowl - Emergency Car

Ironhide - Van

Metroplex - City/Space Ship Dying - No Brain, Rusting Away.

Swerve - Van

Kup - Pick Up Truck Captive of Nova Prime

Bumblebee - Car (Mentioned) Believed to be Dead

Snarl - Stegosaurus (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Astrotrain - Train/Space Shuttle Injured

Soundwave - Van

Rumble - Tank

Ravage - Cassette Injured

Megatron (Mentioned) Believed to be Dead

Skywarp - Jet (Mentioned) Believed to be Dead

Unified Cybertron

Starscream - Jet

Flatline - Van

Tankor - Tank

Tankor/Octane - Oil Tanker/Cargo Plane

Deathwave Victims

Scoop - Front End Loader (Mentioned)

Cybertronian

Nova Prime - Truck

Cyclonus - Jet

Necrotitan - City/Spaceship

Jhiaxus - Jet (Mentioned)

Galvatron - Laser Tank (Mentioned)

Titans (Mentioned)

Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)

Other

Ammonite Stowaway

Notes

• Slag's rename to Slug here is due to these issues being released with toys in the US. It's also a reference to how "Slag!" is used as an explicit in some Transformers continuities and how it is a real-world offensive term in countries such as England.
• The first page is set during the end of the previous issue as we see the Titan suddenly act of Shockwave's command here.
• It's implied here that Megatron, Bumblebee and Skywarp were killed when the Titan attacked, but since we have a solicit for the next issue talking about Megatron fighting Galvatron, and we've also had the teasers for April showing Megatron as a main character, we can assume he's fine at least.
• Prowl's the one helping the injured Arcee AGAIN?! I think he has a thing for the crazy pink lady!
• Swerve's ringtone is indeed shown to be Orion Pax's distress call as he mentioned in issue one.
• Titans are revealed here to have fully functional cities inside them, even in robot mode. This make's sense considering their size and roles as "chariots" for the Knights.
• The "deathmark" on Starscream's chest is shown to be spreading quite rapidly here.
• Tankor's appearance here is CLEARLY just because his toy is being released with this issue. He's only in five panels, and one additonal one where he was replaced with his G1 counterpart (Octane).
• The "something" in Rodimus' hand is most likely something to do with the destroyed Matrix.
• Nova Prime's line of "Wait for it..." is possibly a reference to the catchphrase used by the staff at the Auto Assembly convention in the UK for when things are going a bit behind schedule with the computers etc (of course here the delay is in Hardhead's horrible murder, which is much worse!)
• Nova Prime not knowing Kup's name would imply that he hasn't been able to talk since he arrived in the Dead Universe (about 3 years ago)
• You have to wonder why Hardhead died instantly when exposed to the Dead Universe fully, but Cyclonus didn't? (Both have been residents there for a time)