IDW - Devastation

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Prowl - Police Car

Hot Rod - Sports Car

Wheeljack - Race Car

Nightbeat - Pontiac Solstice

Hardhead - Gun Mounted Personnel Carrier

Bumblebee - VW Beetle

Jazz - Porsche

Sunstreaker - Sports Car

Ratchet - Ambulance

Ironhide - Van (Injured in Explosion)

Dealer - Cybertronian Rocket Launcher Truck

Sideswipe - Speeder

Hound - Cybertronian Jeep

Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex Stasis Lock

Jetfire - Cybertronian Jet (Communicator)

Leadfoot - Cybertronian Race Car (File image) Killed by Galvatron

Decepticon

Megatron - Gun (Cybertronian Tank in flashback)

Sixshot - Gun/Car/Jet/Tank/Winged Wolf Offlined by Starscream, Stolen by Galvatron

Starscream - F-22 Jet (Cybertronian Tank in flashback)

Skywarp - F-22 Jet

Thundercracker - F-22 Jet

Astrotrain - Train/Space Shuttle

Blitzwing - Tank/Jet

Runabout - Pontiac Solstice Killed by Reapers

Runamuck - Pontiac Solstice Killed by Reapers

Scorponok - Scorpion Tank

Ratbat - CD Player

Ravage - Cassette

Laserbeak - Cassette

Soundwave - Cassette Player (Mode Locked)

Thunderwing - Space Shuttle (Mentioned)

Bludgeon - Cybertronian Tank (Mentioned)

Expansion

Nemesis Prime - Cybertronian Truck

Galvatron - Laser Cannon

Jhiaxus - Cybertronian Jet

Human

Verity Carlo

Jimmy Pink

Hunter O'Nion - Sunstreaker's Head

Abraham Dante - Scorponok's Head

Mr Drake (Machination)

Machination Headmasters - Sunstreaker Clone Heads

Lindy Simmons and her Crew

Joshua Red (Skywatch)

Weston (Skywatch Scientist)

Skywatch Personnel

Alexander Holt (Facsimile)

General Deacon (Facsimile)

Jimmy (Soundwave's "Owner")

Stoker (Flashback) Killed by Battlechargers

Other

Sunstreaker Clones - Sports Cars

Deathbringer Killed by Galvatron

Klaxa Killed by Deathbringer

Ravenous Killed by Galvatron

The Reapers Killed by Deathbringer and Decepticons

Storyline

Nightbeat starts looking into the events of the previous story lines and determines that a human group must know where they are and that they are the ones who have kidnapped Sunstreaker, he suggests that they move Ark-19 to a new location. Hot Rod and Wheeljack have been sent out to retrieve Ironhide's body in Warsaw before he can get scrapped by the humans. In Oregon Megatron has called in Sixshot to hunt down the Autobots in Earth to kill them all, the other Decepticons listen in on the conversation and conclude that Megatron's gone mad, so they decide to do something about it. Skywatch arrives in Brasnya and send out a mind controlled Ravage and Laserbeak to hunt down their own kind (as the Transformers had a war in Brasnya in Escalation). Jimmy and Verity are moaning on Ark-19 about how no one's out looking for Hunter and Sunstreaker, whilst Optimus talks to Sideswipe and Hound on Cybertron, and tells Hound to send his team to Earth to help them out there now. In Oregon again the Decepticons begin to wake up Starscream, who has been stuck in a CR Chamber since Megatron blasted a hole through his torso. The Autobot's launch their ship and begin to take off to a new location, but are spied on by Ratbat, who relays their location to Megatron, and Sixshot, who is sent out and immediately blasts Ark-19, causing it to plummet towards a town.

Hot Rod remembers a conversation he had with Dealer where he said that he'd try to get him stationed on Earth as well. Back in the present Hot Rod and Wheeljack continue to approach Warsaw to recover Ironhide's body when suddenly they're surrounded by several Sunstreaker Clones, who immediately start attacking the two Autobots. Ark-19 narrowly avoids crashing into the town by firing it's take off thrusters, and the military are called in to investigate the incident. Ratchet is launched from the ship in an escape pod with Verity and Jimmy before the ship is force to crash into a lake. Optimus has all the crew go to the cargo hold and has Prowl set the self destruct sequence, so the ship cant be recovered and analysed by humans. Sixshot sees this and reports the Ark's destruction to Megatron and about the escape pod. Megatron tells him to follow it and kill the survivors. In Tampa Hunter has been outfitted with a Headmaster outfit and pretends to be brainwashed so they'll leave him be. Wheeljack and Hot Rod manage to lead the Clones to a power station to get them off the highway and away from innocent humans and so they can transform as well. In Tampa Hunter starts sneaking around the base and comes across Sunstreaker's severed head, which is being used to coordinate all the Clones as well. The Clones with Hot Rod reveal themselves to be Headmasters for the Machination and that they know everything that Sunstreaker does. Sunstreaker begs Hunter to kill him.

At the Pentagon, the Military are planning what to do about the Transformers, when Deacon gets a call from Holt who confirms that they're continuing with Alpha-Scenario at the moment, and that they could use the situation to their advantage. The escape pod lands in the vicinity of Wicksburg, Alabama where Ratchet sets off a self destruct device to destroy it so the humans can't get at it. He converts to Ambulance mode and takes off with Verity and Jimmy, whilst treating their wounds as well. Whilst driving away Sixshot suddenly appears and begins to chase them. Hot Rod and Wheeljack manage to get away from the Headmasters again and return to heading for Ironhide, whilst Hunter is talking to Sunstreaker's head whilst the rest of the Machination are watching the clones attacking Hot Rod and Wheeljack. Hunter decides that he has to become a Headmaster as well so he can help out the others. Ratchet manages to escape from Sixshot when some human jets engage him, and get destroyed by the powerful Decepticon. Ratchet makes it into a town in Pensacola, where the Ark-19 almost landed earlier and hides out amongst the vehicles there, but Sixshot appears in tank mode and starts destroying all Ambulances, trying to find Ratchet, when ratchet takes off again, and Sixshot chases him in Wolf mode (and was recorded in the process). Ratchet lets Verity and Jimmy out of his vehicle mode and takes off alone, Sixshot runs past them and concentrates on Ratchet, who leads him to a dead end in the middle of a lake. Ratchet gets ready to face Sixshot himself, when suddenly the rest of the Autobots appear from the water and attack Sixshot as well. The Reapers arrive in Earth's Orbit and plan to destroy the planet, and in the Dead Universe Nemesis Prime sends Galvatron to Earth as well, as they need it for their grand scheme.

In Washington, Skywatch have decided to call back their "Seekers" Ravage and Laserbeak after the sighting of Sixshot, but lose contact with them (thanks to a still mode locked Soundwave). Sixshot and the Autobots are going all out. Verity and Jimmy watch on from a safe(ish) distance and realise that Megatron must have thrown out the Phase system since Sixshot is essentially the last resort guy, and also notice that the news crews are converging on the site. Hot Rod and Wheeljack arrive at the crushing site with just a few minutes to spare whilst the Machination's Headmasters continue to hunt for them. Hunter undergoes the Headmaster process so he can be of some help to his friends. A UAV flies over the battlefield and determines that the Transformers are a threat that's off the scale, and recommend "Ultimate Force". Jimmy and Verity try to tell the police that the Autobots are good, but no one listens, they take a boat and try to reach the Autobots and warn them about the imminent air strikes. They manage to reach Ratchet and warns him about them, and he calls out to Optimus about it. Nightbeat sets off an Orbital Jump for all the Autobots at the site, except for Optimus and they are taken up to Ark-32 in orbit along with Jimmy and Verity, who are injured in transit and stop breathing and die. The Reaper's ship descends upon the Decepticon bunker and they begin attacking the base. The Air strike hits the battlefield and Optimus Orbital Jumps away at the last second, leaving Sixshot to take the full assault. Back at the Decepticon bunker Starscream has been fully repaired and prepares for battle.

A long time ago, on Cybertron Starscream meets with Megatron about his newest weapon, Sixshot and says that he's too strong, Megatron agrees but says that he's got an off switch on him, just in case. Back in the present the Reapers are going full out against the Decepticon base and Megatron sends out his Decepticons to fight back. Sixshot returns to base and finds the Reaper's ship above it, and blasts through it, the Reapers decide to test him again. On Ark-32 Ratchet revives Verity and Jimmy and has to wait to see if they were mentally damaged from the experience. Hardhead talks with Prowl and asks about Hot Rod and Wheeljack, but Prowl doesn't know where they are, and everyone else is busy with other matters. Back at Warsaw Hot Rod and Wheeljack are looking for Ironhide, when one of the Headmasters knocks a stack of cars on top of Wheeljack and traps him, leaving Hot Rod alone to defend himself, he defeats one of the Headmasters, but two more appear. Back in Tampa Hunter has completed the conversion process but is seen by one of the Machination scientists, who sets off an alarm. Hunter runs to the factory and finds the currently unused Sunstreaker bodies. Sixshot takes on the Reapers and ends up deciding to join them. Starscream joins the battle, and uses Sixshot's kill switch and deactivates him, the Decepticons join him in the battle. Optimus tells the Autobots that they're going to have to abandon Earth now as Garrus-9 was breached and they need to recover the stolen inmates before they fall into teh wrong hands. In Washington Skywatch decides to start re-activating Grimlock.

In Tampa Dante meets with Scorponok's head and they decide to test out their own unification on Hunter. In Oregon the Decepticons go full out on the Reapers and Starscream pledges his allegiance to Megatron and the Decepticon cause, in the battle Runabout and Runamuck are killed, and Galvatron watches on, unhappy with what he sees, as he needs Earth to survive, and if the Reapers win then they'll destroy the planet. Hot Rod is having problems against the Headmasters still when Hardhead appears and helps him out, telling him that they've been recalled, he says that he's staying to find Sunstreaker, he tells Hardhead to take Wheeljack and Ironhide and leave without him, then he drives off. On Ark-32 Optimus tells Hound to meet them at Garrus-9 instead, whilst Nightbeat looks into Leadfoot's death and remembers seeing something similar, but can't remember it, he decides to look into it on his own ship. Back in Oregon Galvatron corrupts the Deathbringer Reaper and causes him to turn against his brothers and kill them with a necrotic touch. In Tampa Hunter manages to combine with one of the Sunstreaker bodies and escapes from the attacking Scorponok and goes on the run. The Decepticons and the corrupted Deathbringer manage to destroy the other Reapers and their ship (with Deathbringer dying out as well after a while). Galvatron steals Sixshot's body and takes it with him. Megatron asks Starscream why he shouldn't just kill him on the spot, and Starscream replies that they need to stick together now, as the humans know they exist, just as some human jets fly above them. Skywatchs begins their reactivation process for Grimlock and the Ark-32 leaves without Sunstreaker and Hot Rod, whilst Galvatron returns to the Dead Universe with Sixshot and reports back to Nemesis Prime, a corrupted version of Nova Prime.

Notes

• Skywatch loses Ravage and Laserbeak after having held onto them for about 22 years
• Starscream is finally fixed up after his near death experience in Infiltration
• Hound's team (seen before in Spotlight: Galvatron) are ordered to come to Earth, but the order is revoked at the end of the comic (as mentioned in Spotlight: Cyclonus)
• Ratbat has a CD Player alternate mode, and later takes on a cassette mode....PROGRESS!!
• Ark-19, which has been the Autobot's Earth base since Infiltration is destroyed in this story
• Hot Rod's Earth Mode seems to be based on his Alternators toy in robot mode and Side Burn's super charged mode from Robots in Disguise.
• The Sunstreaker Headmaster Clones here are all in yellow, whilst the ones shown in Maximum Dinobots are multi-coloured
• Sunstreaker doesn't read memos
• Lindy finally gets her scoop about giant alien robots!
• The scene where Hunter becomes a Headmaster is heavily altered in Sunstreaker's flashback in All Hail Megatron's Coda series, though that may have been a warped version from his perspective
• It's later revealed that Sixshot isn't the only Phase Sixer, as Overlord and Black Shadow are later revealed to be members as well (although Overlord has gone rogue)
• Scorponok's identity as the "head" (tee hee) of the Machination is officially revealed in this story
• For some reason Hunter's Sunstreaker head mode looks different to the Machination member's ones, despite them supposedly being being the same design.
• Nova Prime is revealed to be Nemesis Prime now in this story
• It was revealed on a forum that Ironhide was repaired once back on the ship
• Jimmy and Verity are later shown to have survived their apparent deaths in a later issue
• The Facsimile plot involving Holt and Deacon has yet to be revealed, so either it has been abandoned now (it has been years after all) or they are going to resolve it in a shock plot revival.

My Thoughts

Art

The art for this story is mostly the same as Infiltration and Escalation, and although the middle two issues were done by different artists they do look enough like EJ Su's work to pass as it.

Story

This story mostly wraps up the Earth-based story of this first major story arc, with any major leftover points being sorted in Maximum Dinobots before the soft reboot for All Hail Megatron.

Continuity

This story is set after Escalation and before Revelation. Hardhead and the other new arrivals in Escalation have now taken on Earth modes. Nightbeat has a suppressed memory from his Spotlight issue in this story after seeing what happened to Leadfoot in Spotlight: Galvatron.

Other

This story shows that the planet are now painfully aware of Transformers thanks to Sixshot transforming on screen and the whole "spaceships falling from the sky" thing, yet in All Hail Megatron it's made apparent that no one remembers these events or they blame it all on the Machination.