IDW - Spotlight Volume 1

SHOCKWAVE

Characters

Autobot

Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex (former Armoured Vehicle) Stasis Locked

Slag - Triceratops (former Armoured Vehicle) Stasis Locked

Sludge - Apatosaurus (former Armoured Vehicle) Stasis Locked

Snarl - Stegosaurus (former Armoured Vehicle) Stasis Locked

Swoop - Pteranodon (former Jet) Stasis Locked

Optimus Prime - Truck (Flashback)

Decepticon

Shockwave - Ray Gun Stasis Locked

Megatron - Tank

Bludgeon - Tank

Human

Professor Goring

Clive

Storyline

Shockwave sits in his lab and reflects on his operation to seed several worlds across the galaxy with concentrated Energon and then to stabilize them over time as needed. Shockwave visits one of these Seeded planets (Earth) and starts his re-stabilizing process. In orbit above the planet, the Dynobots look for him and decide to confront him on the world, but due to Energon levels it's unsafe to go down without protection. Shockwave finishes his work, but when he contacts his ship he finds it gone (destroyed) and then the Dynobots Orbital Jump onto the planet and attack the Decepticon, driving him to anger and causing him to attack them all in rage, knocking them all into stasis lock. As Shockwave begins to decrypt the Skyfire's codes to commandeer it himself the Skyfire fires a blast at a nearby volcano and causes it to erupt, hitting Shockwave and the Dynobots alike, burying them. On Cybertron Megatron tells Bludgeon that Shockwave has gone missing, and tells him to search for him and look into his files etc.

In 2006 Shockwave is found partially unearthed at a site by Professor Goring and his team.

Notes

• The Dinobots are called the Dynobots in this story and most others until Maximum Dinobots.
• The need for organic protection to protect them against Energon radiation is the same reason for Beast Modes in the Beast Wars series as well
• The Dynobot's ship is later revealed to be called the "Skyfire" in Maximum Dinobots
• The reason why Grimlock is so obsessed with getting Shockwave is because he destroyed an Energon Cache they'd just recovered from the Decepticons in the past (the recovery is later shown in Maximum Dinobots)
• Some of the suggestions offered by Slag for disguises include a Mastodon, Smilodon, a Woolly Rhino and a Woolly Moose, but Grimlock rejects them all
• Due to actions at seeding alien worlds with Energon Shockwave thinks that Megatron will brand him a traitor, but he doesn't care about that.
• Grimlock's decision to have the Skyfire fire on them all wasn't known about by the others, which is later brought up by them in Maximum Dinobots.

My Thoughts

Art

Visually this is a nice comic, the Dinobots have been redesigned to look sort of like the Beast Wars aesthetic, though still being recognizable as the G1 characters that they are.

Story

This story both fits in well with the IDW continuity, and also acts as a good call back to the Marvel G1 story where the Dinobots were sent to fight with Shockwave, but all of them get caught in a natural trap some how or another.

Continuity

This story seems to be set around about the time of the Flashbacks in Stormbringer as Shockwave appears to be worried about the planet's slow decline. Shockwave's actions here are what causes Earth to have Ore-13 naturally forming on it, and thus is the reason why the war came to Earth really. The end of this story is picked up on in Escalation, Stormbringer, Spotlight: Soundwave and Maximum Dinobots.

NIGHTBEAT

Characters

Autobot

Nightbeat - Car

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab (Communicator)

Expansion

Jhiaxus - Jet

Ark Crew (Flashback)

Micromasters

Hyperdrive - Car

Blackjack - Car

Road Hugger - Car

Detour - Car

Other

Krakon Dead

Storyline

Nightbeat is called by Krakon to meet with him about the first Ark and claims to have a piece of the flight recorder which he found on Gorlam Prime. Nightbeat goes to meet with him, but find him dead from a necrotic virus. Nightbeat investigates his death and his ship to try and find out why he died and who did it, as well as getting that flight recorder, but he can't find it. Nightbeat heads to Gorlam Prime to try and find out more, and finds the planet slowly upgrading to a mechanical one, like Cybertron. Nightbeat finds a mining site with some old Flotsam and Jetsam from the era of the first Ark and goes to investigate it further, unaware that he's being followed. Underground Nightbeat finds a pool of silver water and then notices the four Micromasters following him he tries to talk to them, but they ignore him, whilst a silver figure rises from the water.

Nightbeat runs for it but is chased by the much faster Micromasters and ends up getting captured by them and the silver figure. Nightbeat gets operated on and a cerebral implant is placed in his head and his mind is wiped of the events of this investigation.

Nightbeat is in his ship wondering what to do next, with no recollection of his recent adventure, when he gets a call from Optimus Prime to rendezvous with Ark-32 and head to Earth for a new mission. Nightbeat agrees to go, but suddenly has a strange feeling that he's missing something...

Notes

• Nightbeat can use his vehicle mode headlights as a flashlight in robot mode
• Gorlam Prime is a planet visited a few times by the Transformers and over time the inhabitants start to resemble Transformers, mostly the Micromasters.
• Though not named in this comic, and not looking like him, the one who operates on Nightbeat is almost certainly Jhiaxus, he looks more like his G2 version, which is nothing like his IDW character model (his design was most likely not finalized at this point)
• Although I have given them their G1 names, the Micromasters are necessarily the same characters as the G1 Micromasters, I've just named them as such for ease.

My Thoughts

Art

The Artwork isn't that great, it's pretty simplistic and looks a bit rushed in some areas, but it's passable still

Story

The story is a nice mystery, perfect for a Nightbeat storyline, and begins Nightbeat's plot in the main IDW stoyline

Continuity

The end of this story leads directly into Nightbeat being summoned to Earth in Escalation, although most of the events of this story are suppressed from his Memory by Galvatron at the end. The story of the first Ark is continued in Spotlight: Galvatron and Optimus Prime.

HOT ROD

Characters

Autobot

Hot Rod - Sports Car

Double Dealer - Rocket Launcher Truck

Gizmo - Buggy Killed by Omega Guardians

Download - Multiple Missile Launcher Tank Killed by Omega Guardians

Backbeat - Caravan Killed by Dealer

Decepticon

Banzaitron

Gutcruncher - Tank

Decepticon Guards

Other

Ki-Aletans

Omega Guardians

Storyline

Hot Rod rides a comet onto the Moon based Penal Colony, Styx on a rescue mission, when he lands he is knocked out and flashes back to when he led a team on the planet Ki-Aleta to find the Magnificence, and all is going well at first. Back in the present Hot rod manages to break into Styx and cuts off the surveillance systems around him, which alerts Gutcruncher to an intruder. Hot Rod evades all the Decepticons looking for him. Whilst working he flashes back again, he sends his team to take care of the Omega Guardians who are guarding the Magnificence as he and Download enter the temple and start to lower the forcefield around the orb, ignoring the organic worshippers around it. Back up top the team are being torn apart when suddenly more of the Guardians enter the temple and kill Download.

Back in the present Hot Rod has managed to unlock every cell in the colony, and forces the brass to evacuate. Hot Rod takes on a Decepticon disguise and he finds his target, a heavily damaged Dealer, from his original team. Back in the past Hot Rod is escaping with the Magnificence and he can hear Dealer calling for help, but he's too afraid to help him and just leaves. Hot Rod helps Dealer to escape the colony in another Decepticon disguise, they steal a ship and take off. Later, back at the Orbital Command Hub Dealer has been all fixed up and Hot Rod asks that he forgive him for all that happened, and Dealer just says that all he wants is for them to be friends.

Later on Dealer calls Banzaitron and tells him that Hot Rod has fallen for it and that he's the one who caused the mission to fail all that time ago, and Dealer plans to manipulate Hot Rod to get the Magnificence off of him for Banzaitron and the Decepticons.

Notes

• Most of the plot points in this comic are resolved in Spotlight: Double Dealer
• The flashback scenes are all in sepia tones
• All of the members of Hot Rod's team who are killed also coincidentally are the ones without toys...coincidence?
• The ship Hot Rod steals here is later seen in his possession in the Lost & Found issue of All Hail Megatron's Coda.
• Banzaitron coins the name "Double Dealer"
• Hot Rod dives with the comets....AWESOME!!!
• Backbeat's death was revealed in Spotlight: Double Dealer, but I have included it here

My Thoughts

Art

The artwork is very cartoony and looks good. It uses quite a good range of colours as well, the scenes outside of the Penal Colony are bright, the flashbacks are in sepia tones and the scenes in the colony are darker.

Story

This comic gives Hot Rod some good back story for the IDW continuity, and this entire story is the basis for Hot Rod's behaviour in the early comics, such as why he doesn't want to leave Sunstreaker behind on Earth in Devastation and the events of Spotlight: Double Dealer

Continuity

This comic connects to his actions in the end of Devastation, and directly links to the events of Spotlight: Double Dealer.

SIXSHOT

Characters

Decepticon

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

Squawkbox

Hun-Grrr

Blot

Sinnertwin

Rippersnapper

Cutthroat

Wingspan or Pounce

Ransack

Treadshot

Spectro

Spyglass

Other

Deathbringer

Klaxa

Ravenous

The Other Reapers

Storyline

Sixshot is lamenting on how quiet it's been lately, especially since he's only ever called in for battle in Phase Six situations, he goes looking for the only Decepticons that he considers his comrades, the Terrorcons. He learns from Squawkbox that they are on Mumu-Obscura, but they'd lost contact with them due to the Reapers invading the planet. Sixshot goes to rescue his friends. Once in the space around Mumu-Obscura Sixshot fights through the Reaper's defence systems and runs into the Reapers themselves, and engages them in battle, but finds them to be more or less his equals. After the Deathbringer ends the battle, he summons the Terrorcons from an Interdimensional pocket and is told that he has a choice, take the Terrorcons and return to his life of servitude and boredom or kill the Terrorcons and join them. Sixshot considers the offer, but decides to be loyal to his friends and allies and declines the offer. The Reapers leave him to leave the planet and Sixshot is happy with his decision...for now....

Notes

• The end of this story is continued at the end of Escalation
• Despite him being with the Terrorcons at the end of this story, and his call to Earth seems to happen shortly after this story (since the Reapers are still on Mumu-Obscura in Escalation) the Terrorcons aren't seen in Escalation or Devastation...or any time since then actually...maybe he just killed them after all??
• It seems like the Terrorcons were acting as an Infiltration team on Mumu-Obscura before the Reapers came
• The Reapers are all killed off in Devastation
• Deathbringer is based on the character from the Marvel G1 series
• Sixshot feels a kinship for the Terrorcons...huh you'd think he'd be pally with the other Phase Sixers more than them huh?

My Thoughts

Art

Very lovely art, great details and beautiful colours

Story

This story was just set up to explain who the Reapers were and to show how strong Sixshot was before he was brought into the main storyline. It's just a pure filler story, though it's still good none-the-less, and I'd rather the filler story be in the Spotlight series and not the main story itself.

Continuity

Sixshot and the Reaper's story continues in Escalation and Devastation

ULTRA MAGNUS

Characters

Autobot

Ultra Magnus - Car Carrier

Decepticon

Scorponok - Scorpion Tank Injured by Ultra Magnus

Swindle

Nebulan

Mo Zarak Killed by Scorponok

Zarak Consortium Workers

Storyline

Ultra Magnus hunts down the wanted criminal Swindle and takes him in where Swindle makes a deal for his freedom, in exchange for some information about where Scorponok is. Swindle is dropped off on a trading post (with a tracking device on him)

Ultra Magnus arrives on Nebulos and goes under cover using his Holo-Avatar as a Nebulan as well. Inside a lab owned by Mo Zarak Ultra Magnus finds some Cybertronian technology infused with Nebulans, but is discovered and attacked. Ultra Magnus, now just using his vehicle mode drives into the compound and takes on the Headmasters and calls out Scorponok. Inside the compound he finds the Decepticon where the two fight it out in the base when Mo Zarak enters the battle site to stop them from fighting, and Scorponok accidentally kills his business partner. Ultra Magnus shoots Scorponok in the head and the Decepticon staggers away through an artificial wormhole to an unknown location. Ultra Magnus vows to take him in one day.

A while later Ultra Magnus captures Swindle again, who tries to make a deal with him again.

Notes

• Ultra Magnus is willing to allow criminals to escape if they give him information on bigger criminals
• Scorponok is wanted for giving Cybertronian Technologies to other species, which is exactly what he's doing on Nebulos here and the Machination on Earth in the main storyline.
• Scorponok has had some bodies built ready for Headmasters to join with them on Nebulos, but are of a totally different design to Sunstreaker's of course
• Scorponok actually seemed to care about Zarak...maybe he turned into a spare head for him?
• Ultra Magnus causes the damage to Scorponok that's seen in later issues...maybe his gun causes faces to melt since he didn't cause that much damage from the artwork here
• Scorponok has what is essentially a Space Bridge!
• The expressions on the people on the trading post when they see Swindle is sort of foreshadowing of the later revelation that most aliens hate Cybertronians for their civil war
• Ultra Magnus' report in the last couple of panels is heard in Escalation on one of Optimus' reports.
• Ultra Magnus' ship looks like one of the Ark's but coloured to match his own colour scheme

My Thoughts

Art

The artwork in this comic is much different to that we've seen before now, it almost looks like it's done with water colours and the character detail is very fine as well

Story

This story is actually very important for the first story arc in that it explains how Scorponok got himself injured in the past and how he arrived on Earth, it also introduces Ultra Magnus as a police officer of sorts for the Tyrest Accord and begins shows one of his earliest conflicts with Swindle, which still continues to this very day.

Continuity

Scorponok leaves this comic and ends up on Earth, ending up helping to form the Machination with Dante and recreating the Headmaster process seen here on Nebulos as well. Ultra Magnus is next seen properly in Spotlight: Arcee (though he had cameos in Escalation and Spotlight: Optimus Prime on video screens). Ultra Magnus finally takes in Scorponok in Maximum Dinobots.