IDW - Robots in Disguise #2

Comic Staff

Title: The World & Everything in it

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Andrew Griffith

Colour by: Josh Perez

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Storyline

Skywarp monitors Horri-Bull and Needlenose and has Ratbat cover for the fact that the I/D chips aren't working now by having Soundwave kill him for them. Skywarp teleports back to the Decepticon's encampment, where Ratbat has everyone prepare for the assassination of Bumblebee to take place the next day. Starscream gets annoyed with Ratbat and thinks the plan is stupid so he walks out of the base, Ratbat has Long Haul follow him.

Starscream walks to the Autobot's Kimia base and Bumblebee meets him outside, but rather than talking to him he just attacks the Decepticon with his new cane's weapons, thinking it was an ambush. Starscream is taken into the base as a prisoner by Prowl.

Starscream wakes up in a cell and finds Prowl ready to interrogate him, but Starscream willingly reveals everything about Ratbat's plan to him. Elsewhere Needlenose and Skywarp atack Zetca (as he was responsible for Horri-Bull's death vicariously) and plan to frame him for assassinating Bumblebee (thus turning the Autobots against NAIL's and allowing the Decepticons to stage a coup) Skywarp teleports himself and Zetca to a tower near the stage where the memorial is being held.

Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Ironhide and Metalhawk stand on the stage and begin the service for their seemingly dead friends (with Starscream and Long Haul in the crowd) and Bumblebee takes the opportunity to try and sway the public opinion to liking Autobots. Skywarp gets ready to fire from the tower but Prowl attacks and disables the Decepticon, and then watches as Metalhawk and Bumblebee formalized a truce between themselves. Long Haul wonders why Bee isn't dead yet but Starscream asks him to tell Ratbat that the mission succeeded.

Ratbat receives word that Bumblebee is dead and has his Decepticons prepare for the next stage of the plan. Ratbat flies off to his quarters to prepare, but as soon as he's alone Arcee attacks him, clips his wings and murders him on Prowl's orders. She leaves through the air-vents as a Decepticon comes in wondering what the noise was.

Arcee meets up with Prowl on the tower and they agree that Ratbat was resisting arrest and was armed, which is why he was killed, and they watch as Starscream steps on stage and states that he should be a part of the new government that Bumblebee and Metalhawk are forming as a representative of the Decepticons.

Characters

Autobot


Bumblebee - Car
Prowl
Arcee
Sideswipe - Car
Ironhide - Van
Wheeljack
Autobots in Crowd

Decepticon


Senator Ratbat - Cassette Killed by Arcee
Starscream - Jet
Skywarp - Jet Injured by Prowl
Long Haul
Mixmaster
Hook
Horri-Bull Killed by Soundwave (via remote)
Needlenose - Jet
Shockwave
Soundwave
Rumble - Cassette
Ravage -Cassette
Bombshell
Megatron (Mentioned)
Other Decepticons

NAIL/Unaligned


Metalhawk - Jet
Zetca Injured by Skywarp and Needlenose
NAILs in Crowd

Comic Notes

• Arcee might be the silhouetted character seen in the previous issue...but some of the details seem to be different between the character models, so maybe Prowl has ANOTHER cohort?
• The damage caused to Soundwave's face in The Death of Optimus Prime has made him mute, like his Prime counterpart
• Ratbat now claims to be the reason why the Decepticons were formed due to his dodgy dealings in Megatron: Origin
• It seems weird that Ratbat sent out Long Haul to spy on Starscream rather than an actual tracker like Ravage
• Bumblebee's cane has been refitted into a cattle-prod-like weapon
• The Autobots have built a stage in the new capital city where they hold the memorial from in this issue, which includes a large screen behind them
• Prowl now has a pair of baton weapons to attack enemies with, which have also been upgraded with an electrical discharge like Bee's cane.
• Skywarp's teleportation can be stopped by jamming some objects (like Prowl's batons) into him as he's in the middle of it  
• Metalhawk has now publicly stated that he wants to work with Bumblebee to help rebuild Cybertron
• Arcee murders Ratbat on Prowl's ordersin secret.
• Arcee might be Spider-Man as she's seen leaping across the Cybertronian Skyline
• Skywarp still holds a grudge against Bumblebee after the events of the Bumblebee series
• Despite not acting as deputies now, the Decepticons seem to be free to roam around Cybertron as well (since Long Haul and Starscream have been freely travelling all issue)
• Starscream only tells Prowl that Skywarp's I/D chip is failing, it's unknown if he told him about the others (it's unlikely though)
• The last time the Autobots trusted Starscream was when Sunstreaker trusted him and set off the events of All Hail Megatron
• Zetca seems to be the whipping bot of this series, he's been beaten up twice in as many comics