IDW - More than Meets the Eye #1

Comic Staff

Title: Liars, A to D Part 1: How to say Goodbye and mean it
Written by: James Roberts

Art by:  Nick Roche

Colour by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: John Barber

Storyline

Rodimus addresses a crowd of Autobots and all of Cybertron via some video feeds about his intentions to leave Cybertron and look for the Knights of Cybertron rather than staying with Bumblebee. Wheeljack begins to wonder if this might cause a problem with most of the Autobots leaving, but Prowl assures him that hardly anyone will join Rodimus on his quest, however he's proven wrong when more than 200 sign up for the mission the next day.

At the Kimia Autobot HQ Ratchet examines the body of a NAIL who committed suicide by wearing down his transfomation cog and overheating himself by transforming non-stop for weeks as a protest against the Autobot occupation of Cybertron. Bumblebee says he needed him to examine him for Metalhawk to accept the suicide verdict. Ratchet tells Bumblebee that he's leaving with Rodimus and Bumblebee won't accept it and says that he's still needed here. Ratchet says that he needs to leave as he's getting old now and doesn't feel up to doing his job properly now, plus the Lost Light crew will need a medic.

Cyclonus flies over Cybertron, having been freed from his I/D chip by Rodimus and laments over the now utterly gone Cybertron and misses his old world. He then detects a familiar life sign, Scourge, and goes to find him.

At Prowl's quarters in Kimia Prowl tries to convince Chromedome to stay on Cybertron, but he wants to leave, all whilst Rewind is recording the conversation as part of his archivist job. Prowl gets angry and says that the war's not over, flips over his table and orders some of his men to put some cargo on the Lost Light for him.

6,000,000 years ago Tailgate fell down a hole whilst on the way to the original Ark launch and worries that the mission will fail if he's not there (it does of course). With his systems failing Tailgate starts to drag himself (since his legs are smashed up) towards his micro-trailer full of Energon as part of his plan.

Back in the present day Whirl is in a downed ship/cave/building talking to some dead Sweeps that he's strung up to the walls whilst coating the place in liquid Energon and prepares to blow it up with a match when Cyclonus walks in, thinking the Sweeps were Scourge, upon seeing him Whirl gets angry that he's seen him in an insane mood and attacks him, just before throwing the match at the Energon and blows the place up. Cyclonus transforms to escape him, but Whirl transforms and follows him.

Red Alert is doing security checks on all the Autobots trying to enter the Lost Light, and lets in Brainstorm, despite him having a dangerous experimental compound in his suitcase, and Swerve, who annoys him with his incessant chattering. During his inspection of Rung and his box of model space ships Cyclonus speeds past them and accidentally slashes off Rung's arm.

Drift reports to Rodimus that 208 Autobots have signed up for the mission, and Rodimus is delighted, Ultra Magnus however isn't happy with any of them due to his strict following of the laws etc. Cyclonus and Whirl continue their aerial battle, until Cyclonus tries to end it by transforming and landing on a peak, Whirl however  just continues his attacks and wants to kill Cyclonus for what he saw earlier.
In the past again Tailgate is trying to reach the Energon, but keeps blacking out. Back in the present Chromedome, Ratchet and Rewind are walking to the launch (since Rewind's alternate mode is just a giant memory stick) when Whirl and Cyclonus fall from th sky. Whirl goes to kill the now unconscious Cyclonus and lies to the others saying that he was the one messing with corpses etc. Ratchet tries to talk the insane Autobot down, but he won't listen...until an explosion comes from below the surface and knocks out Whirl. Tailgate calls out to the Autobots for some help, and he's pulled out, mumbling about missing the launch. When he sees Whirl he thinks he's dead, gets scared and blacks out again.
Ratchet, thinking Tailgate was talking about the Lost Light's launch brings him with them to the ship, along with Whirl for repairs (despite him being a major security risk etc) whilst Rewind goes off on his own and buys some golden disks off of Swindle, who comments on how sick Rewind must be to want these things.
Later the Lost Light starts to take off with Drift reporting on the new crew admissions and how Red Alert isn't happy about Whirl being on board. Magnus reports that Bumblebee wants to talk to Rodimus, but he ignores him.
Outside the crowds watch as the ship launches, Bumblebee says that he thought Prowl had a plan, and just as Prowl glances to Bumblebee the ship seemingly explodes.
The Lost Light is flung from it's premature Quantum Jump with a hull breach, and about 40 Autobots are flung from the ship. The crew manage to seal the hull breach, and head to the nearest planet for repairs and to find the ejected Autobots. On the planet Rodimus sees a meteor shower made up of the 40 ejected Autobots and they start on their way to rescue them, with Rodimus commenting on how this isn't a good start.
Back on Cybertron a message has arrived from a member of the Lost Light from the future who gives them a series of warnings about the mission, and even suggests that they don't even launch it, but is cut off just before he can reveal any real specifics, all whilst Bumblebee is mortified about the explosion.

Characters

Autobot

Rodimus
Drift
Ultra Magnus
Ratchet
Chromedome
Rewind - Giant Memory Stick
Whirl - Osprey Helicopter Badly Injured by Tailgate
Red Alert
Brainstorm
Swerve
Rung Injured by Cyclonus
Perceptor
Mainframe
Highbrow
Hound
Siren Ejected into Space
Fizzle Ejected into Space
Sureshot Ejected into Space
Rollout Ejected into Space
Polaris Ejected into Space
Waverider Ejected into Space
Hyperion Ejected into Space
Rad Ejected into Space
Bumblebee - Car
Prowl
Wheeljack
Xaaron
Dipstick - Car
Mirage
Sky Lynx - Space Shuttle
Future Lost Light Crew Member (Voice only)
Lost Light Crew
Autobot Crowd
Optimus Prime (Mentioned)
Wreckers (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Swindle
Megatron (Mentioned)

Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet Injured by Whirl
Tailgate Injured
NAIL Protestor - Car Suicide
Metalhawk - Jet (Mentioned)
Galvatron - Laser Cannon (Mentioned)
Scourge - Space Shuttle (Mentioned)
Sweeps - Space Shuttles Dead
Nova Prime - Truck (Mentioned)
Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)
Prima/The First Cybertronian (Mentioned)

Other


Primus (Mentioned)
Vector Sigma (Flashback)

Comic Notes

• I'm not sure about the alternate modes here yet, so I'm leaving them blank unless they're mentioned here or are obvious
• The character models in this comic are based more on the character models from the War for Cybertorn/Prime series
• Ultra Magnus looks like he's based a bit on the Optimal Optimus toy from Beast Wars, but in new colours and with some new parts of course
• It seems like the planet has begun being rebuilt, since there's some sign posts set up for people to listen to Rodimus' speech
• When a Transformer dies it reverts to it's preferred shape through rigor-morphis (like rigor-mortis)
• The dead NAIL is one of the ones who appeared in The Death of Optimus Prime
• They repurposed one of the rooms in Kimia as an autopsy room....do they expect THAT many deaths??
• Rodimus plans to pick up any stray Transformers they find on his journey, so the cast is very likely to grow/shrink as needed
• When Rodimus is seen in Cyclonus' flashback he uses his older character model...YAY FOR CONTINUITY!!!
• Okay it looks like Prowl totally caused the explosion on the Lost Light...dick...
• Brainstorm's pass to excuse him from security checks includes a rub sign and a tech spec (neither of which have been decoded)
• Rung's serial number is 100,000,000
• Rung's collection of model space craft is seen here, however it looks like it's been destroyed due to the incident with Cyclonus (after being retained for the past 4,000,000 years....IRONY!!)
• Ultra Magnus doesn't approve of anyone on the ship it seems...and one of them owe's him money!
• It's unclear what the Golden Disks Rewind buys from Swindle are, but if they're like any past iterations of them, then they'll have important or dangerous data on them
• Holy Shite! Is that Sky Lynx!!!???
• One of the named Autobots who were pulled from the ship is called Polaris, named after a fan magazine from the Transmasters UK fangroup who produce fiction (which the writer and artist were both part of)
• From the message form the future it seems like the Lost Light will be back in known space before long, since it mentions Delphi, an Autobot medical outpost where part of Bullets was set.
• Also the future message mentions a coffin....in the movie continuity the Original 13 have sarcophagi to rest in or something, which are very similar to coffins...just saying! 
• Magnus mentions something about one of the crew having issues with Turbofoxes, and then Whirl mentions them as well, probably meaning it was about him.
• Wait...Tailgate's been on Cybertron for 6,000,000 years and yet he's never noticed the whole planet being dead or no one's picked up his Energy signature (or picked up on the Energon in his trailer??)
• It seems like Cyclonus was planning on joining Rodimus on his mission originally
• Tailgate mentions the Underbase
• It's a bit scary how so many scientists have joined Rodimus on his mission, leaving what seems like only Wheeljack left behind to fix and injured guys on Cybertron now....YOU'RE DOOMED!!!!