IDW - Transformers: War's End #2

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Jack Lawrence

Colours by: John-Paul Bove

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

Skywarp arrives at Decepticon HQ, and warns them about Exarchon's return, and that he has plans at the Sonic Canyons, which must be stopped or Cybertron will fall.

Megatron, who was in the middle of peace talks with Optimus, agrees to Optimus to a ceasefire, so they can handle Exarchon. Megatron orders Sixshot and Slipstream to lead their teams to the Sonic Canyons to handle the situation.

At the Sonic Canyons, the Autobot team are hiding from Exarchon, when Zetar digs through the ground, having found something underground for them to see. Exarchon has a Clone Drone army, a massive drill and an Imploder...

Pyra Magna, having received a distress call from the Canyon team heads there with his Compatriots, but Pyra orders Jumpstream to not join them, as she wants to avoid her death, as predicted by her future travels. 

Soundblaster and his team arrive to assist Exarchon, on Shockwave's orders, with some of them heading into the tunnels to deal with the Autobots.

The Decepticon teams arrive, but Slipstream has been ordered by Shockwave to stand back, and not join the fight. Some of the team disobey and join the fight immediately, and the others start to question Shockwave's commands...

The Decepticons engage the Exarchon-allied bots in the Canyons, but the giant dragon form of Exarchon joins the fight to deal with the Decepticons, however Pyra's team arrkves just in time to join the battle too.

Back in Iacon, the Science team confront Megatron, about whether it is a good idea to create a new Titan, with Exarchon wandering around.

Meanwhile, Jumpstream sees a shooting star, and decides to follow it, since she can't join the battle, however she soon discovers that it is actually Devastator, who has returned to Cybertron to join the battle. She cannot contact Pyra, due to the interference from the Canyons, do she teleports there, to give the warning in person, despite the risks....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Pyra Magna - Truck

Jumpstream - Car

Rust Dust - Motorcycle

Groundbreaker - Jet

Sunstreaker - Car

Windcharger - Car

Sureshot - Buggy

Geomotus - Radar Buggy

Landmine - Plough Buggy

Pointblank - Car

Zetar - Drill Tank

Decepticon

Megatron - Tank

Soundwave - Hovercraft

Starscream - Jet

Slipstream - Jet

Sixshot - Tank/Jet/Gun/Car/Winged Beast

Shadow Striker - Car

Blackjack - Car

Hyperdrive - Car

Flamewar - Motorcycle

Tracer - Helicopter

Swift - Helicopter

Roughstuff - Truck

Cindersaur - Lizard Monster

Flamefeather - Bird Monster

Sparkstalker - Insect Monster

Mindwipe - Bat

Bitstream - Jet

Astrotrain - Train/Shuttle 

Three-fold Spark

Exarchon/Deathsaurus - Dragon

Soundblaster - Hovercraft

Rumble - Cassette

Frenzy - Cassette

Onslaught - Tank

Brawl - Tank

Vortex - Helicopter

Clone-Drone Army - Jets

Exarchon/Flatline - Van (Mentioned)

Shockwave - Flying Artillery (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet

Skywarp - Jet

Devastator - Construction Gestalt

Last Titan Spark Inert

Lodestar - Titan Ship (Mentioned)

Insecticon Clones - Insects (Mentioned)

Primus (Mentioned)

Other

Flyts

Rust Worms

Exarchon's Re-makers (Flashback)

Notes

• We see the other side of the conversation between Optimus and Megatron from Transformers 41 here.
• Starscream and Soundwave are finally working together now, ever since Soundwave has hated him for taking his job as head of intelligence.
• Jumpstream notes that Cybertron was intact when she went to the future, so she thinks history ahs already been altered with the Rust Worms eating the surface as they currently are.
• Both Cyclonus and Jumpstream are present by the end of the issue at the Sonic Canyons, where the future version if Swift told Jumpstream she saw them die...
• Exarchon is revealed to possess an imploder, which is the same weapon used to kill the Titans Croaton and Vigilem.
• Deathsaurus/Exarchon seems to take some interest in who Onslaught is. We see in the dark future that Onslaught was one of the bodies he used in that period.
• Jumpstream absentmindedly comments that she sees a Titan when she sees a shooting star in the sky, much like Rubble did back in the early days of the series.
• Exarchon further comments this issue about how he was altered by the "Quintessence" and we even see tendrals operating on him in the flashback. I think we're seeing the Quintessons here...
• Exarchon's plan is revealed to be to infest the Allspark itself, in order to control all of Cybertron itself.
• Team Stream, who are affiliated with Shockwave, seem to be opposed to Exarchon's return, unlike the rest of his crew.
• The Decepticon scientists are now apprehensive about creating a new Titan, most likely due to how he infested Croaton during the original war.
• Devastator returns to Cybertron this issue, having gone on a rampage on Malyax in Galaxies, and having a brief cameo showing his travelling to Cybertron on a meteor a few issue ago.

IDW - Transformers #32

Title: Lord of Misrule: Test Flight II

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova & Angel Hernandez

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

In Exarchon's world, Jumpstream is berated by the despot inside Megatron, Onslaught and Shockwave's bodies, before they decide that she isn't worth their time, and sends her to be sold to the Voin.

After being escorted to the Thraal Mercenaries, she is dragged towards the Voin, and along the way she determines that this must be an alternate timeline where Exarchon won the war...

Before much more can happen though, a group of rebels led by Bumblebee find and rescue her, killing the Thraal. One of the rebels, Swift, is confused however, as she saw Jumpstream killed along with Cyclonus a long time ago. Unfortunately however, the group are soon tracked down by Exarchon's forces and are slowly killed, until only Bumblebee and Jumpstream remain. Bee gives Jumpstream his nucleon converter, as well as the now dead Powerglide's, to refuel her teleportation device, to allow her to return home, just as Beebis also killed.

Jumpstream is flung through the intermediate space again, catching the attention of a shadowy figure in there in the process, before falling out, back in Perceptor's lab, but unconscious.

Elsewhere, in Shockwave's lab, Sunstorm is trying to get Onslaught, and later Vortex, to let him out of his containment, so he can show everyone his new world...

At the Iacon Medical Center, Cyclonus rushes to Provoke's room, as she has just suddenly awoken, despite being essentially dead just a short time before...

Back at Perceptor's lab, Pyra Magna is furious with Perceptor for endangering her soldier like this, but he's more preoccupied by something else, despite him believing her jumps to enable her to cross dimensions with the upgrades, she isntead travelled to the future, and now they just need her to same up to tell them what she saw there...

In between the timeframes again, the shadowy figure finds a stream a light leftover by Jumpstream's recent jump, and uses it to follow her trip, allowing a long lost Skywarp to finally return to Cybertron!

Characters

Autobot

Pyra Magna - Truck

Jumpstream - Car Unconscious

Perceptor - Treaded Vehicle

Ratchet - Ambulance

Lancer - Car

Future Jumpstream - Car (Mentioned) Dead

Future Pyra Magna - Truck (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Onslaught - Anti-aircraft Truck

Vortex - Helicopter

Sunstorm - Jet In Confinement

Threefold Spark

Exarchon 

Megatron - Tank Body controlled by Exarchon

Onslaught - Anti-aircraft Truck Body controlled by Exarchon

Shockwave - Flying Artillery Body controlled by Exarchon

Vortex - Helicopter

Triggerhappy - Jet Killed by Bumblebee

Clone Drone Swarm - Jets

Insecticon Clone Swarm - Insects 

Future Rebels

Bumblebee Killed by Threefold Spark Forces

Swift Killed by Vortex

Blackjack Killed by Insecticon Swarm

Powerglide Killed by Triggerhappy

Other Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet

Flatline - Van

Skywarp - Jet

Provoke

Future Corpses Dead

Primus (Mentioned)

Future Cyclonus - Jet (Mentioned) Dead

Cyclonus' Team (Mentioned) Dead

Other

Flyts

A skitter Eaten by Flyts 

Future Thraal Mercenaries Killed by Rebels

The Voin (Mentioned)

Notes

• The future Thraal in this issue use mech suits similar to their original counterparts from the Titan UK comics.
• The Thraal are a part of the Mercenary faction, based on their insignias, rather than just independent mercenaries.
• The brief appearance of the Skywarp Clones in jet mode makes it seem like they are on their Earth modes, possibly hinting that this is set after Earthfall.
• Powerglide using Sideswipe's Thermal Lance implies that he probably died in the past. Poor fella!
• The rebels have been forced to use Necleon for fuel for so long, that they've now lost their alternate modes. So essentially they are stuck as Action Masters....maybe death WAS a better option?
• Provoke waking up, after us being told that she was basically dead, after having her unknown surgery before being buried is quite suspect huh? I think we know where Exarchon was hiding...

IDW - Transformers #31

Title: Lord of Misrule: Test Flight 1

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova & Angel Hernandez

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

Forty Cycles have passed since the Titans fell and the Autobots abandoned Iacon to the Decepticons. Flatline is running the Iacon Medical Center by himself and is trying to save the life of the long-thought dead Provoke, but isn't hopeful of his chances due to how long she's been in emergency stasis.

Ultra Magnus' ship finally returns to Cybertron, and rendezvous with Optimus in the Crystal City, where he agrees to follow the new Prime, since Megatron is taking away the government and his vote in the process. Magnus questions Optimus on releasing Pyra from her prison, but Optimus wants to give her another chance, despite her mistakes, and also points out that her loyalists are proving useful too.

Elsewhere, in Praxus, Perceptor works with Jumpstream to try and extend her teleportation abilities with a tool, so she can help with supply and troop transport in the new war. Unfortunately, the device malfunctions and Jumpstream is sent randomly porting across the planet, eventually finding herself between universes, gaining the attention of a shadowy figure in the between-space, until she crashes into an alternate universe version of Iacon.

Jumpstream quickly finds out how bad this universe is when she sees corpses strewn around the devastated city and the severed heads of several prominent Cybertronians, uncluding her leader, Pyra Magna, devastating her too.

Soon she finds what appears to be Sunstreaker wandering around, but is revealed to be an enslaved being controlled by a Voin Asserter among other Cybertronians.

Jumpstream is taken to see the leader of Cybertron by the Voin, who assumes she is a rebel and wants a reward, she is taken to a clone army of Skywarps and dragged to see their leader...Exarchon, who is using the bodies of Megatron, Shockwave and Onslaught as his own....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport

Perceptor - Treaded Vehicle

Jumpstream - Car

Strongarm - Van

Bumper - Car

Sideswipe - Car

Victory Leo - Jet/Winged Lion

Pyra Magna - Truck (Flashback)

Kup - Pick-up Truck (Flashback)

Sunstreaker - Car (Flashback)

Arcee - Car (Flashback)

Hound - Jeep  (Flashback)

Wheeljack - Car (Flashback)

Smokescreen - Car (Mentioned)

Ratchet - Ambulance (Mentioned)

Hoist - Tow Truck (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Shockwave - Flying Artillery

Onslaught - Gun-Mounted Truck

Flamewar - Motorcycle

Blackjack - Car

Hyperdrive - Car

Runamuck - Car

Runabout - Car

Sunstorm - Jet Irradiated and in Containment Tube

Ruckus - Buggy In Intensive Care

Kaskade In Intensive Care

Megatron - Tank (Flashback)

Jhiaxus - Jet (Flashback)

Blitzwing - Tank/Jet (Flashback)

Decepticon Attack Team - Tanks (Flashback)

Tarn Uprisers (Flashback)

Sixshot - Tank/Car/Jet/Winged Beast/Gun (Mentioned)

Shadow Striker - Car (Mentioned)

Slipstream - Jet (Mentioned)

Ion Storm - Jet (Mentioned)

Team Stream (Mentioned)

Three-fold Spark Universe 

Exarchon

Skywarp Clones - Jets

Voin Asserter

Sunstreaker - Car Enslaved by Voin

Heavywait - Van Enslaved by Voin

Other Enslaved Cybertronians

Megatron - Treaded Vehicle Body Controlled by Exarchon

Onslaught - Gun Mounted Truck Body Controlled by Exarchon

Shockwave - Flying Artillery Body Controlled by Exarchon

Optimus Prime/Orion Pax Severed Head Only

Ultra Magnus Severed Head Only

Pyra Magna Severed Head Only

Strika Severed Head Only

Kup Severed Head Only

Other Corpses Dead

Other Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet

Flatline - Van

Skywarp - Jet Stuck Between Universes 

Provoke In Protective Stasis 

First of Iacon Crew

Insecticon Clone Swarm - Insects

Insecticon Victims Dead

Primus (Mentioned)

The Thirteen Primes (Mentioned)

Straxxus (Mentioned)

The Senate (Mentioned) Imprisoned

Darkmount Cybertron Refugees (Mentioned)

The Titansparks (Mentioned) Supposedly Destroyed

Other

Flyts

Darkmount Organic Refugees (Mentioned)

The Thraal (Mentioned)

Notes

• As I predicted last issue, this story's time skip coincides with Ultra Magnus' return to Cybertron.
• Flatline is the only named medic to remain in Iacon as the others left with the Autobots, as they refuse to heal Decepticons. This is likely a nod towards his future Decepticon allegiance.
• The mention of Provoke being treated during he war and her mind being most likely gone, and the confirmation that Exarchon controls other bodies, makes me think that she's been turned into one of his incarnations and will bring in his return in this timeline.
• The Autobots have set up shop in the Crystal City, we previously saw the city in the Escape series. Usually the city gets destroyed in fiction, so we can probably assume the Decepticons are going to pay them a visit soon...
• Due to delays, the end of Escape gets spoiled in this issue, with us learning that Straxxus leaves the planet, and Wheeljack's team turn it into a refuge for neutrals etc.
• The Insecticon clones are also revealed to still exist and eat away at the dead/weak they encounter in the wilderness.
• Pyra and her followers have joined the Autobots since their last appearance, as has Ultra Magnus. We don't know if the rest of his crew has joined them, but considering their character histories we can probably assume they have too.
• Perceptor refers to some bots having special abilities upon forging, in the previous IDW continuity these were referred to as "Outliers" but they don't seem to have a name in this continuity yet.
• Sunstorm is still irradiated following his misadventure on the Winged Moon, he is also shown to definitely have the damaged mind and religious zealotry of his Dreamwave counterpart.
• The bot that notices Jumpstream when she is travelling to the alternate universe isn't named or seen too clearly, but we can assume due to his teleportation abilities, shape and future comic covers, that this is Skywarp.
• It's unclear where the timeline divergence happened in the alternate universe, as we seen several bots who fought against the Three-fold Spark, but are now on different sides, amongst the corpses, suggesting that this is a universe where Exarchon won the war, but then Sunstreaker is seen with an Autobot insignia, something we haven't seen on the main universe counterpart yet, suggesting that it could be a future event?
• In a previous flashback we heard Exarchon saying he had plans for Megatron, here we can assume that his plans were to take over his body.
• Something to be noted is that Exarchon's Megatron body doesn't have the fusion cannon that his main universe counterpart has, so that's another point in the "Exarchon won the war" column.