TFCC - Battle Lines

Release Dates: FEB 2011-JAN 2012
Issues:37-42
Continuity: Wings of Honour


Story: Pete Sinclair
Writers: Jesse Wittenrich & Pete Sinclair
Pencils: Dan Khanna
Inks: Dan Khanna & John Warner (41, 42)
Colours: Evan Gauntt & Jessie Wittenrich (37, 38)
Letters: Jesse Wittenrich
Managing Editor: Pete Sinclair

Story

Dion has been brought into the medical bay to be fixed up by Ratchet and his team after the attack on the Elite Guard, during which he recalls all that has happened to him over the years, from when he was just a dock worker, got attacked by Megatron, saw his friends die, then got fixed up, recruited into the Elite Guard only for them to be betrayed by the Combaticons.

In a bar Side Burn is pretending to be Dion to get some sympathy from some random femmes, until Prowl comes in and blows his story cover and drags him away from his ladies, and both head to Iacon for a meeting.

Starscream reports back to Deathsaurus about the success of the attack, he has Starscream tell Lyzack to ready the lab for the Combaticon's return so they can be repaired. Starscream is a bit of a pig towards Lyzack and she gets angry and starts eyeing up her brother's old sword.

At the Autobot High Council Citadel Magnum has gathered up the surviving Elite Guard members (Thunderclash, Flak, Kup, Landshark and Dion) and says that they're to make a stand and show that the Guard isn't gone as long as they survive...then they witness the newly arisen Optimus Prime declare war and states that all Autobots are now to take up arms, much to Magnum's dismay.

Optimus and his team prepare to go after Megatron rather than Deathsaurus, as Magnum has insisted that his team deals with him. Optimus notices that Side Burn's gone missing and everyone looks to Prowl to know where he is, who thinks he knows where he is.

Elsewhere Magnum leads his Elite Guard to a secret weapons locker he had built after the Combaticons went missing where they meet up with their reinforcements, Ricochet, Moonracer and Outback (his assistants). The team arm themselves up and head out, unaware that Side Burn is following them.

The Combaticons are being fixed up at Deathsaurus' base, but they're having problems due to Bruticus' eyes being damaged still, so they knock out the gestalt using his weak point and start to work on him. Starscream reports that the remaining Elite Guard members are approaching the base's location, and Deathsaurus has him lead all his available troops into battle against them.

Magnum's team approaches Deathsaurus' lair when they encounter Side Burn who says that he knows where the base is exactly, before he can tell them however the group is attacked by Starscream and his massive army. Ricochet tries to scout the area from the sky, but gets shot down by Starscream and plummets to the ground. The Autobots manage to fight off the Decepticons by using their superior skills, until Deathsaurus arrives and challenges Magnum personally. The Combaticons join the battle, and taunt Magnum and the otehrs by saying that they haven't been altered in any way mentally, and they joined Deathsaurus freely.

The Autobots try to keep the Combaticons separated so they can't combine, and sadly Ricochet dies from his injuries just before Lyzack joins the fight wielding her brother's sword.

The Combaticons manage to fight off the Autobots and start to combine, until they're blasted by a powerful weapon shot by a surprising combatant.

More members of the Elite Guard have survived, and have now joined the battle (Ironfist, Big Bang, Sprocket and Rumbler). The Combaticons try to combine again, but Blast Off has been captured by Side Burn and tied up. The Decepticons start to get worried by the growing Autobot forces, but Starscream refuses to retreat, and leads them in a counter attack.

Magnum starts to get an upper hand against Deathsaurus but Lyzack interferes and attacks the Autobot, which impresses both Starscream and Side Burn, however Thunderclash rescues his commander by punching the femicon away. Side Burn gets over his attraction and attacks Starscream with a flamethrower.

Deathsaurus gets up and goes to kill Thunderclash and Magnum, when Sprocket attacks him, and blasts him into the chest, causing immense pain leading to him calling for a retreat. The Autobots capture the Combaticons and has the Gyronian Sentry team take them into custody whilst they return him.

Back at his base, Deathsaurus is greeted by Megatron, who is now sitting in his throne, waiting for him.

Thunderclash, Big Bang and Dion are waiting at a security office for news on the Combaticons when they learn that Gyronia doesn't have a sentry team anymore since they all went missing, shocking the Autobots.

At Deathsaurus' base Deathsaurus has been strung up between some pillars with the Combaticons in cells behind him. Megatron challenges Deathsaurus to a fight to decide who the overall Decepticon leader should be once and for all, after a very quick fight Megatron manages to mutilate his opponent and then blasts him and point blank range.

Megatron has Soundwave recover any data from Deathsaurus' systems that they can use. Starscream switches sides and joins Megatron, and starts his plotting to become Decepticon leader. Once they leave Lyzack tends to Deathsaurus, who still functions,a nd they decide to leave the planet and banish themselves for their own safety.

A week later Magnum and the others have been fixed up and he apologizes to Optimus for any rudeness he showed him before as he was just worried that he was usurping power from him, Optimus accepts it , but stil feels that all Autobots are needed to fight off the Decepticons now, and Magnum now agrees.

Dion runs in and reports that the Decepticons are attacking the city, along with a new Gestalt, Devastator. The Autobots fight back against the Decepticons.

The Autobots are fighting off the large Decepticon forces and Dion suggests that they aim at Devastator's knees, which works as it causes them to destabilize and fail, making the Gestalt fall over. Megatron is angry and goes to kill Optimus, but he's protected by Magnum and Dion, who take the kill shots for him. Optimus attacks Megatron for killing his friends, and Megatron calls a retreat (the city's in ruins anyway). The Autobots cheer, whilst Optimus looks over his fallen friends.

Later Dion and Magnum have been taken to Alpha Trion who says that he can repair one of them, Optimus asks him to do his best. Several Autobot medics have been called in to help with repairs (with Rumbler dying on the table) and start upgrading the Autobots to be more war ready.

Some point later Optimus is introduced to one of his fallen friends (most likely Magnum) in his new form as Ultra Magnus. Countdown approaches Flak and asks if he's willing to reduce his size to help reduce Energon usage with the Micromaster process, and he agrees.

Several ships start taking off with some Autobots leaving for safer worlds for peace to colonize, one ship heads to Paradron with Landshark and Sprocket on board (whom is still talking to his now dead brother).

After millions of years Optimus leads a team off of Cybertron to look for new sources of fuel, but is forced to leave some of his friends, including Elita One and Side Burn behind.

The Autobots left on Cybertron enter hibernation pods to try and reserve Energon whilst some of them stay outside to guard and maintain them, including Alpha Trion and Kup and ar eplanned to reawaken when sufficient Energon starts returning to Cybertron.

TO BE CONTINUED IN A FLASH FORWARD

Characters

Autobot


Optimus Prime
Ultra Magnus
Dion - Sports Car Killed by Megatron (Possibly rebuilt as Ultra Magnus)
Magnum - Haughty Hauler Killed by Megatron (Most likely rebuilt as Ultra Magnus)
Side Burn - Blue Flame Speedster
Prowl - Sleek Secure Ride
Thunderclash - Heavy Hauler
Landshark - Baddas Hauler
Kup - SUV
Flak - Multiple Missile Launcher Tank
Outback - Offroad Arsenal
Ricochet - Quick Strike Fighter
Moonracer - Bad Motor Scooter
Ironfist - Boom Buggy
Big Bang
Sprocket - Overdrive Observer
Rumbler - Speeder
Ironhide - Blistering Battle Wagon
Brawn
Jazz
Trailbreaker
Alpha Trion
Hauler - Binary Loadlifter
Countdown - Rocket Mounted Personnel Carrier
Road Rage
T-Ai
Sentinel Major - Rolling Arsenal (Flashback) Killed by Bruticus
Elita One - Car
Ratchet - Van
Cop-Tur - Helicopter
Wheeljack
Perceptor
Hoist
Firster Aid
Pipes
Tailgate
Powerglide
Firestar
Red Alert
Inferno
Smokescreen
Huffer
Gears
Chromia
Lancer
Greenlight
Grapple
Orion Pax (Flashback) Killed by Megatron - Rebuilt as Optimus Prime
Ariel (Flashback) Killed by Megatron - Rebuilt as Elita one
Gyronian Sentry - Geared Guardian (Controlled by Megatron)
2 Paradron Medics
Elite Guard (Mentioned) Destroyed by Combaticons
Aerialbots - Jets (Flashback, Cameo - Time Displaced)
Autobot Forces
The Council (Mentioned)

Decepticon


Megatron
Deathsaurus - Winged Menace Badly Injured and Banished by Megatron
Lyzack - Female Fury-Flier Banished
Starscream - Cybertronian Tetra Jet
Shockwave - Ray Gun
Soundwave - Lamppost
Devastator - Constructicon Gestalt Defeated by Autobots
Thundercracker - Cybertronian Tetra Jet
Skywarp - Cybertronian Tetra Jet
Sunstorm - Cybertronian Tetra Jet
Reflector
Onslaught - Assault Bludgeon Arrested and Deconstructed by Megatron
Swindle - Land Vehicle Arrested and Deconstructed by Megatron
Blast Off - Orbiter Arrested and Deconstructed by Megatron
Vortex - Helicopter Arrested and Deconstructed by Megatron
Brawl - Tank Arrested and Deconstructed by Megatron
Bruticus - Combaticon Gestalt
Acid Storm - Cybertronian Tetra Jet
Hook (Mentioned)
Constructicons (Mentioned)
Leozack - Fury-Flier (Mentioned)
Decepticons Forces
Decepticon Medics

Notes

• This story leads into the G1 TV series and then Generation Two Redux.
• If you look carefully on the first page you can see the Aerialbots from the War Dawn episode
• The usage of Descent into Evil figures continues here
• It looks like Cop-Tur was the one who fixed up Dion the first time (after Megatron attacked the dock)
• Prowl and Side Burn aren't brothers, but are good friends due to them being built near to eachother
• Lyzack keeps her brother's sword in the crockery cupboard
• Brawn has spiked knuckle dusters
• Starscream sees Bruticus' weak spots being hit in this story, which explains why he implemented it in the future when he recovers them
• When Lyzack uses her brother's sword she sort of goes nuts
• Side Burn is shown to also fancy non-red non-sports car females when he is shown to fancy Lyzack as well, which deviates him from his RiD Counterpart
• Ironfist, Big Bang, Sprocket and Rumbler are shown to have survived the Combaticons attack and it was explained in Sprocket's profile that it was because they fell into a hole or something to a lower level...yeah I know...go with it
• Megatron's win against Deathsaurus isn't really fair, he just returned from a major battle without a chance to get properly fixed up.
• This story is also shown to be after the flashbacks of Secret of Omega Supreme, and gives a name to the generic robots shown being controlled by Megatron's Robo-Smasher too. It also explains that Megatron stole the gestalt technology that Devastator is given from Deathsaurus after beating him.
• Considering how important Iacon is, you'd think there's be a lot more Autobots protecting it than are shown...
• Swindle isn't against trying to sell his wares to an enemy
• Although it's made unclear in this issue who became Ultra Magnus, it can be safely assumed that it was Magnum who was saved (since Hasbro have already said that Dion was never rebuilt into another character
• Countdown and Flak are shown to be getting ready to undergo the Micromaster process, whilst also joined by the already a Micromaster Cop-Tur. 
• Side Burn was with Elita and the others who were late to getting to the Ark
• Kup is much older looking in the future because he is forced to ration Energon whilst guarding the sleeping Autobots on Cybertron, along with Alpha Trion.
• Optimus seems shocked in The Search for Alpha Trion that Elita and the other females are still alive, despite several characters from Season Two being in the group sent to sleep along with them on Cybertron
• Most of Megatron's troops are just mind controlled Autobots

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37

Neil Ross Interview

Hasbro Designer Interview (regarding Generations Wreck-Gar)

Landshark Profile

Starscream Profile

TFCC Contest winners announcement

Spotlight on Heart of Darkness comic

Around Cybertron Mini-Comic

Fan Art

Recordicons Mini-Comic

38

Morgan Lofting Interview

Michael Bay Interview

Outback Profile

Ironhide Profile

Kre-O Q&A

Around Cybertron Mini-Comic

Fan Art

Recordicons Mini-Comic

39

Frank Welker Interview

San Diego Comic-Con Exclusives article

Side Burn Profile

Prowl Profile

Mini-Mayhem Mini-Comic - Regarding Botcon Hall of Fame

Animated Interview about Botcon 2011's Season 3.5 Media

Around Cybertron Mini-Comic

Fan Art

Recordicons Mini-Comic

40

Steven Blum Interview

Botcon 2011 Report

Thunderclash Profile

Lyzack Profile

Hall of Fame 2011 Inductee Article

Around Cybertron Mini-Comic

Fan Art

Recordicons Mini-Comic

41

Dan Gilvezan Interview

New York Comic Con Article

First Look at 2012 Exclusives

Gyronian Sentry Profile

Sprocket Profile

Gone But Not Forgotten Article (Part One) by Jim Sorenson - Neo Knights

Word Search

Fan Art

Recordicons Mini-Comic

42

Michael McConnohie Interview

Transformers Prime toyline article (and Generations Wave 5)

Hauler Profile

Devastator Profile

Gone But Not Forgotten Article (Part Two) by Jim Sorenson - Action Masters

Contest Winners Announcment

Recordicons Mini-Comic