IDW - Optimus Prime #14

Title: The Dead Come Home Part 2

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Livio Ramondelli

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Publisher: Ted Adams

Plot

Prowl and his team of misfits and "forgotten" Cybertronians and allies fight the Beast Horde and manage to recue the last three surviving Throttlebots and manage to leave the planet on their shuttle so they can continue their mission to take down the "real threat".

Back on Cybertron, Optimus and his team try to restrain Slug, who has started attacking the other Dinobots, unknown to them being controlled by Bludgeon. The Dinobots join in trying to restrain Slug, whilst Sludge sneaks away to protect the "newcomers". Arcee notices him leave and follows him. Sandstorm starts to turn on Optimus, still seeing him as a corrupt leader and believes that Optimus set up this attack, until Centurion stops their fight and forces the teams to work together to calm down the crazed Dinobot.

Arcee follows Sludge into a cavern where she is ambushed by a small black and red protoforms, but is stopped from hurting the young Cybertronian by Trypticon, who reveals that he is protecting them, along with the Dinobots. 

Arcee has been transmitting this to Optimus, who now has a plan, he sends Blackrock back into Iacon so he can retrieve Marissa Faireborn, as he distracts Slug further.

Back in Iacon, Starscream barges into Bludgeon's cell and destroys the Void Scepter, breaking his control on Slug, explaining that he doesn't want him to kill Optimus, he wants Optimus to return to Iacon with the protoforms so they can be used as a political move, but now it is all ruined.

Trypticon rises from the ground and declares that the fighting must stop, as he will not let anyone hurt his "children", leading Optimus to explain his plan.... Blackrock returns with Marissa, and Optimus proposes that Trypticon take to his city-mode and Marissa declares the city as Earth's embassy on Cybertron, allowing the protoforms to be safe there and be protected from Starscream's influence due to being on "Earth's soil". Everyone agrees to this, even though Sandstorm thinks this is just Optimus using them for a political move.

Slug, now having calmed down is welcomed back by the Dinobots and they know that he was being manipulated somehow... Back in Iacon, Bludgeon watches the scene from his "cameras" in Slug and comments on how his master will soon return...leaving Bumblebee's ghost worried again...

Pyra Magna, Skyburst and Stormclash return to Earth through the spacebridge where they report that Optimus is still busy with the recovery on Cybertron, so he's not returning yet. Pyra leaves her group to reunite, whilst she deals with some other business...

In her quarters, she contacts Prowl to report that Optimus has set up an embassy for Earth on Cybertron, and the current climate is that Cybertron needs Earth's support for energy following the arrival of New Prysmos in the planet's core. Prowl confirms that with Pyra's information he's eliminated Eukaris as the root of the Beast Horde, so they still need to figure that out.

Both of them are now planning for any eventuality, as the Horde could be coming for Earth or Cybertron, and they both need to keep their best interests under observation...

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Arcee - Sports Car

Garrison Blackrock/Sovereign - Head

Slug - Triceratops

Sludge - Apatosaurus

Snarl - Stegosaurus

Swoop - Pteranodon

Aileron - Space Shuttle

Prowl - Police Vehicle

Wheelie - Car

Goldbug - Car

Chase - Car

Rollbar - Jeep

Pyra Magna - Fire Truck

Stormclash - Helicopter

Skyburst - Helicopter

Dust Up - Sports Car

Jumpstream - Sports Car

Bumblebee - Car ("Ghost" Only)

Metrotitan - Autobot City (Mentioned)

Wreckers (Mentioned)

Other Throttlebots (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Bludgeon - Tank In Custody

Beast Horde

Hydra -Pteranodon Killed by Stardrive

Insecticon - Beetle Killed by Prowl

Transquito - Mosquito Killed by Prowl

Drancron - Lizard-Dragonfly Killed by Stardrive

Sharp Edge - Sawshark Killed by Stardrive

Other Beasts Likely Killed by Prowl's Team

Other Cybertronian/Colonist

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Stardrive - Jet/Car

Trypticon - Earth Embassy

Strafe - Two Headed Dragon/Car

Sandstorm - Helicopter/Buggy

Centurion - Luxury Car

Protoform Sideswipe

New Protoforms

Junkions (Mentioned)

Human

Marissa Faireborn

Mayday/Ayana Jones (Mentioned)

Lady Jaye (Mentioned)

Other

Garnak

Teletraan (Voice Only)

Bludgeon's Master (Mentioned)

Notes

• So turns out Stardrive WAS infected with Wraith matter at the end of "Shining Armor", but appears to have better control over it than anyone else we've seen so far.
• Prowl's arm weapon is revealed to be the Vamparc Ribbon, which was previously seen uring Autocracy, it just happens to look a lot like the cannon on Megatron's Chaos event armour. We also get a reappearance of Zeta Prime's stash of weapons that Prowl was last seen contemplating using in Autocracy too. Turns out he kept them for a rainy day...
• The planet "Botanica" is revealed to actually be named "Regulus V"
• So further adding to the return of seemingly dead characters here...Trypticon returns! He was last seen giving his body to used by the new generation of Cybertronians as raw materials...guess they only used a small bit of his body then, since there's no noticeable damage to him!
• Bumblebee's "ghost" is revealed to have told Starscream what Bludgeon was doing from last issue. Though Starscream dismisses this as just that "he figured it out himself" it really does add more to him not just being a figment of his imagination and him actually communicating with him from "the dead"
• Trypticon is now being used as Earth's embassy on Cybertron. So they are technically using my suggestion from a while back of using the Titans for central buildings in new settlements then! (Still no sign of the dead Titan swarm being used for more cities yet though!)
• Pyra Magna has some Cybertronian-equivalent incense sticks in her quarters...that's a cute touch!
• Oh and also, Prowl and Pyra Magna are working together behind the scenes it seems...I am not shocked that two majorly corrupt Autobots are in collusion! Pyra even mentioned in the last issue that she wants Arcee to keep an eye on Optimus and herself, showing just how Prowl-like she's become!
• It is confirmed that the Beast Horde that keeps appearing is not from Eukaris, implying they are from another group of Onyx Prime followers. I'll think we'll get more information soon though, since Onyx Prime is said to return in the next issue...yay!
• Bludgeon mentions his "master" again. I would assume this will be in some way related to Unicron since he's the focus of the major "event" for this year. And let's face it, the last couple of continuities to feature Bludgeon (Dreamwave's G1 and Armada lines) both had him connected to Unicron too
• The "new Sideswipe" is based on the character's G2 colour scheme, which was used by Sideswipe during the post Chaos era.
• Tyrpticon is mentioned as being a former Decepticon, and due to his "nicer" attitude, we can probably assume that he isn't powered with Pentius' spark any more.