IDW - Escalation

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Roller - Attack Buggy

Prowl - Police Car

Ratchet - Ambulance

Ironhide - Van (Injured in explosion)

Jazz - Porsche

Sunstreaker - Sports Car (Captured by Skywatch)

Wheeljack - Race Car

Bumblebee - VW Beetle

Nightbeat - Cybertronian Car

Hardhead - Self Propelled Tank

Hot Rod - Cybertronian Car

Dinobots Stasis Lock

Ultra Magnus (On Communicator)

Jetfire (On Communicator)

Springer (On Communicator)

Blades (On Communicator)

Decepticon

Megatron - Gun (formerly Cybertronian Tank)

Astrotrain - Space Shuttle/Train

Blitzwing - Tank/Jet

Thundercracker - F-22 Jet

Skywarp - F-22 Jet

Starscream - F-22 Jet (Mentioned)

Runabout - Pontiac Solstice

Runamuck - Pontiac Solstice

Ravage - Cassette

Laserbeak - Cassette

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

Scorponok Dismembered Head Only

Shockwave - Ray Gun Stasis Lock

Bludgeon (Mentioned)

Soundwave (Mentioned)

Cybertronian

Nova Prime - Cybertronian Truck (In Infraspace)

Human

Verity Carlo

Hunter O'Nion (Captured by Machination)

Jimmy Pink

Abraham Dante (Machination)

Drake (Machination)

Weiss (Machination)

Creel (Machination)

Senator Alexander Holt (Facsimile)

General Deacon (Facsimile)

Georgi Koska (Facsimile) Killed in Orbital Jump

Alexi (Brasnyan)

Breski (Russian)

Todorof (Russian)

Joshua Red (Skywatch)

Professor Goring (Archaeologist)

Clive (Archaeologist)

Major Arkurin (Mentioned, Skywatch)

Other

The Reapers

Headmaster Bodies

Storyline

Drake's team are staking out the Autobot base and waiting for one of them to leave so they can capture them, and performing test runs in a VR world whilst they wait. On Ark-19 Ratchet tells the humans that they're being taken home on Prowl's orders, much to the disappointment to all the others (bar Sunstreaker of course). At the Oregon Bunker, Megatron learns about Ore-13 and decides to use it for himself. Back at Ark-19 the Autobots say goodbye to their human friends, with Ironhide and Sunstreaker actually driving them. Prowl tells Optimus that the humans are gone now, which Optimus is glad of, since he wants them out of harms way now. Optimus tells Prowl that Jetfire has found out that Soundwave and Shockwave have both been on Earth before now, and that he wondered where they were now. Megatron gathers his Decepticons and tells them that things are going back to proper procedure now, and they are in Phase Two now, and that they are to activate the Facsimiles now. On the highway Ironhide and Sunstreaker are being followed by Drake's team, they get split up and Sunstreaker is attacked, leaving just a burning wreck behind, leaving Ironhide, Jimmy and Verity shocked.

Nine months ago in DC, General Deacon meets with Senator Holt whilst Runabout watches them, and targets Holt. Back in the present just East of St Louis Optimus and the Autobots are on route to recover Sunstreaker's already confiscated body from the humans. Ironhide explains everything that happened from his point of view all whilst Verity is having a break down in the toilets. Megatron starts sending out his Decepticons to cause disrupt in several places across the planet. Elsewhere Ironhide explains to the humans what Facsimiles are, since he believes the humans who attacked Sunstreaker are Facsimiles as well. At an impound lot in Springfield Jazz and Wheeljack break in after finding the security guard dead, they enter the pound and find the Machination operatives there trying to steal Sunstreaker's body, they use a device that hurts the two Autobots and escape and then causes an explosion at the pound, stopping them from following. The driver gets away, but is stopped by Optimus. Sunstreaker's body is returned to Ark-19, where Ratchet reveals that it's not Sunstreaker, but a good replica. Optimus is worried now since if it wasn't the Decepticons who did this, then that means the humans know of them. Jimmy and Verity are watching the news in their area of the ship when Ironhide lets them know that "Sunstreaker" was a fake, which means that Hunter might still be alive as well. On the news, Alexander Holt is said to be a presidential hopeful (that guy who is likely to be a Facsimile from earlier remember)

Megatron meets with one of the Facsimiles, Georgi Koska, in Brasnya, where he transforms into his new handheld gun mode and allows Koska to wield him, he then attacks a fuel line and sends the Decepticons into hiding, to wait. At Ark-19 Optimus has called in for reinforcements , which Prowl doesn't like (since Opitmus is taking over his command). In Brasnya, the two factions of humans begin to battle again, after their enemies coming into Brasnya to check on the fuel line, with Koska using Megatron as his personal weapon, and causing a lot of havok. Back at Ark-19 Ratchet meets with the humans, who are looking over the decoy's remains, where Jimmy uses his skills to determine that the decoy was made from an Ultra-lite alloy, which is only sold to three domestic suppliers, so using that they can work out who made the decoy and trace it. Optimus and Prowl have noticed the disputes in Brasnya and discover that Megatron is there and in his gun mode, so they know that Ore-13 is being utilized. Some of the Autobots arrive in Brasnya via an orbital jump and take on vehicle modes again for disguise, Optimus converts his trailer to it's command deck mode. Blitzwing gets Opitmus in a his sights and prepares to fire on him. In orbit, Ark-32 arrives with Nightbeat, Hardhead and Hot Rod on board, ready to join the battle. On Ark-19 Ratchet and the humans decide to go to find out which of the suppliers that sell the Ultra-lite alloy to work out who made the decoy. Ironhide says he wants to come as well.

Hunter is being operated on at the Machination base, and he's knocked out. Ironhide and the others arrive at a supplier in For Wayne, Indiana and the humans break into it. In Brasnya Optimus is driving alone, Blitzwing takes aim, but Optimus has Roller attack the Decepticon first. The Autobots attack Koska in vehicle mode, but he's protected by the Decepticons (actually protecting Megatron). Hot Rod and Hardhead orbital jump into Brasnya and joins the fight. Ratchet and Ironhide monitor Jimmy and Verity as they investigate the supply warehouse and they find a hidden area not on the schematics. Back in Brasnya, the humans are getting confused by all the random vehicles fighting, especially the space shuttle (Astrotrain). Hot Rod accidentally rams into Prowl as he's chasing Koska, when suddenly all the human originating transmissions all go dead in the area, Nightbeat tellls Optimus from orbit, and Optimus is challenged by Megatron in robot mode. Back at Fort Wayne, Jimmy and Verity are rummaging through the office they found and accidentally set off a security system that releases knock-out gas and sets off a timer for 10 minutes.

In Tampa, Florida Mr Dante meets with a decapitated Transformer (later revealed to be Shockwave) in a Machination base and tells him that everything is going to plan. In Brasnya Optimus and Megatron begin to fight all out, with Optimus managing to destroy Megatron's cannon as well, so Optimus and Megatron proceed to fight hand to hand. The other Transformers fight it out amongst themselves with the local humans just watching on in wonder. Prowl and Hot Rod go after Koska, who's wandering over to the Russians, who will likely kill him on sight, thus meaning they can't analyse him. Back in Fort Wayne, Ironhide gets worried about Jimmy and Verity and so Ironhide rams into the building and sends his Holo-Avatar to look for the humans, he finds them and sees the timer as well, getting closer to 0 with each second. In Brasnya Optimus is losing the fight with Megatron, whilst Prowl and Hot Rod are still chasing Koska, though Hot Rod manages to catch him and holds him close. Optimus is knocked offline and Megatron starts to gloat. In Eureka, Nevada Professor Goring's archaeological site has been seized by Skywatch, as they continue to unearth Shockwave and the Dinobots.

Megatron stands above Optimus' badly damaged and seemingly deactivated body which leads the Autobots to attack him. Hot Rod is charged with keeping Koska safe. Optimus is in Infraspace, thanks to his trailer sending his mind there instead of him dying, where Optimus sees the face of Nova Prime. Back in Fort Wayne, Ironhide is trying to rescue the humans, but it's taking too long. In Brasnya the Autobots are going full out against Megatron, but aren't doing much damage to him. Hot Rod prepares to leave the planet with Koska thanks to Nightbeat, when the Decepticons start attacking him. In Fort Wayne, Ironhide manage to rescue the humans, but Ironhide is caught up in the explosion that was triggered, and is knocked out. In Brasnya again, Optimus wakes up and shoots Megatron at point blank in the face, which Hot Rod is caught by an orbital jump beam, which is damaged by Decepticon fire, causing him major damage and destroying Koska. Megatron calls for a retreat since his Ore-13 supply starts to destabilize, and he escapes inside Skywarp. Ratchet watches as the humans take away Ironhide's body to get crushed with the humans in his back, Verity still holding a Machination card she found in the shop. In Tampa, Hunter is taken to see the disembodied head and told that Sunstreaker will act as a template for Headmaster soldiers, and that Hunter will become one of those soldiers. Meanwhile, in Washington Joshua Red, head of Skywatch checks in on Ravage and Laserbeak, two of their finds from the 80's and confirms that the Transformers are on Earth now thanks to a Russian spy.

In Oregon Megatron comes out of the CR Chamber fully repaired and tells Astrotrain to summon Sixshot to Earth. Meanwhile on Mumu-Obscura the Reapers decide to follow Sixshot to help him destroy the planet as well.

Notes

• It's been at least a few days since the end of Infiltration
• Sunstreaker designed a computer game with himself as the star
• Despite being on Earth Optimus is still acting as Supreme Commander by having a communications Hub on the base
• The Autobots don't tend to get involved with the indigenous people of a planet because they prefer to work alone and not become attached to the people they're meant to protect
• Though not stated anywhere, Senator Holt is clearly a Facsimile as well
• Mass Displacement creates a great amount of energy discharge (though Soundwave transforming doesn't cause it in his Spotlight)
• Optimus destroys Megatron's arm cannon in this comic, but he gets a new one by Devastation...maybe he has a chest full of them?
• Skywatch is introduced here, and remain a part of the series until at least the end of the 2011 series
• Megatron can fire lasers out of his mouth...O.O

My Thoughts

Art

The artwork in this comic is similar to that of Infiltration (same artist after all)

Story

The story continues the plot started in Infiltration and adds to the continuity gradually

Continuity

The New Avengers/Transformers crossover story takes place during this comic series (unless you discount it). This story takes place after the end of Infiltration and before Devastation. Nightbeat was summoned to Earth by Optimus in his Spotlight issue, and Shockwave and the Dinobots were buried in Shockwave's Spotlight. Sixshot's storyline is continued on from his Spotlight, and Ravage and Laserbeak's presence are explained in Spotlight: Soundwave.

Other

I like how this series introduces three rather random characters (Hot Rod, Nightbeat and Hardhead) to the main cast. Nightbeat is understandable as Simon Furman likes to use the character, but the other two are quite wild card choices.