IDW - More than Meets the Eye #4

Comic Staff

Title: Life after the Big Bang

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Alex Milne

Colour by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: John Barber

Storyline

In the Delphi medical outpost on planet Messatine First Aid is writing a journal about the situation in the base and how it started just after they allowed two Decepticons into the base out of mercy.

Two days later on the Lost Light Swerve has opened up his new bar and the team are enjoying themselves. Ratchet walks in to speak to Swerve about them both receiving a new datalog from Ironfist, despite him being dead. Ratchet reveals that the message is in fact survival rates from Delphi. Swerve mentions that they've just found themselves on the map, and that they're near Delphi now. Ratchet decides to make a "house call".

Magnus meets with Rodimus in his office to discuss the situation with Tailgate and his wanting to be a Decepticon. Rodimus says he'll deal with it. Later Ratchet, Drift and Pipes approach Delphi on a set of MARD's and Pipes is excited, since this is the first time he's ever been on an alien world. At the entrance Ratchet sees a red cross on the door and decides against entering, but Pipes decides to be impulsive and rams down the door, ending up in a pile of dead plague infested bodies. Drift stops a "zombie" from attacking Pipes by slicing him up into little pieces much to Ratchet's horror.

First Aid walks into the room after hearing a noise and is glad to see Ratchet got his message from the datalog. He starts explaining about the Red Rust being an illness and quickly examines Pipes to see if he has any signs of illness as he touched the infected bodies. First Aid takes the group further into the base.

On the Lost Light Tailgate is taken to see Rewind, who downloads an abridged Cybertronian History for Tailgate to witness, showing him what the Decepticons have done, and he is horrified and changes his mind about being a Decepticon.

Back in Delphi the group head into an emergency ward where they learn that the medics there aren't infected for some reason, and neither are the long term patients at the base. Ratchet is taken to see Fortress Maximus who is in a state of eternal coma, but First Aid tries to talk to Ratchet about a possible treatment for him, however Ratchet just wants to see Pharma.

Tailgate returns to his quarters to speak to Cyclonus and hits him because he lied about the Decepticons just being freedom fighters. Cyclonus tells him he was an idiot for rushing into a decision like that after just hearing an outsider's view of the war. Cyclonus gets annoyed and beats up Tailgate, then leaves.

On Delphi Pharma is revealed to have been trapped in a treatment chamber since the base was hit with the virus and the Big Bang (which knocked out communications). Pharma burns a message into his hand to warn the group that Pipes is infected. ratchet and Drift try to keep a scared Pipes calm. Drift knocks him out with the handle of his sword whilst Ratchet frees Pharma from the room, and he runs off to check on some patients as he's worked out what's happening here.

Pipes is rushed to a treatment room where he is put on a Nucleon Feed to try and keep him alive. Ratchet tells Drift to stay away in case he gets infected too, but Drift reveals that he is infected already, as Pipes must have sprayed him a bit. Pharma is thrown into the room by the Genericons as Drift begins to succumb to his illness. Ratchet tries to surrender, but then First Aid walks in with a newly revived Fortress Maximus, who is itching for payback against any Decepticons after Overlord beat him five years earlier.

Characters

Autobot
Rodimus - Speedy Car
Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport
Ratchet
Drift - Car Infected with Red Rust
Pipes - Truck Infected with Red Rust and Incapacitated by Drift
First Aid
Pharma - Jet
Ambulon
Fortress Maximus - Tank
Rewind - Giant Memory Stick
Powerglide - Jet
Highbrow
Chromedome
Swerve - Small Van
Skids - Van
Trailbreaker - Van
Sunstreaker
Dent/Prowl Died from Red Rust, Sliced up by Drift
Backstreet- Car Stasis Lock
Prowl (Mentioned)
Rung - Communications Buggy (Mentioned)
Ironfist/Fisitron - Van (Mentioned)
Red Alert (Mentioned)
Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned)
Jackpot (Mentioned)
Whirl - Osprey Helicopter (Mentioned)
Zeta Prime (Mentioned) Dead
The Wreckers (Mentioned)
Delphi Patients Dead/Dying from Red Rust
Delphi Security Staff Dead/Dying from Red Rust
Delphi Miners Dead/Dying from Red Rust
Long Term Delphi Patients In Stasis Lock

Decepticon
Genericon Blue
Genericon Purple
Decepticon Justice Division (Mentioned)
Megatron (Mentioned)
Starscream (Mentioned)
Soundwave (Mentioned)
Bludgeon (Mentioned)
Bludgeon's Deviants and Half-Forms (Mentioned)
Overlord (Mentioned)
The Constellate (Mentioned)
The Conclave (Mentioned)

Other
Tailgate - Car
Cyclonus - Space Jet
Bob
Serving Droid
Progenitors (Mentioned)
Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)
Adaptus (Mentioned)
Primus (Mentioned)

Comic Notes

• Oh look! Pipes appears! ....And it looks like he's dying....Sounds normal to me!
• Delphi and it's crew etc first appeared in Bullets, also written by James Roberts
• The old red cross design for medical bots appears to be back (though in a non-infringing stylized style)
• The Genericons are in extreme stages of a Branched Spark's Proximity Pains, which Twin Twist and Topspin were feeling in LSOTW. It's mentioned that they may need to be operated on and conjoined to save their lives (which could explain Rack'n'Ruin too)
• As I predicted, Swerve opened a bar, and even has a serving droid.
• It's not clear why Skids decided to lasso the serving droid, but it is funny!
• It's revealed here that Ratchet was a subscriber to "Wreckers: Declassified" until Ironfist's death
• Rodimus appears to be analyzing the Matrix half he was given by Optimus in his office! HE ACTUALLY DOES WORK?!? (albeit whilst playing with a knife of course)
• Pipes' eyes can be either individual or have a visor lowered so he looks like either his toy or cartoon version
• It's revealed here that the Decepticon insignia's are made by using a piece of the wielder's spark casing, which COULD explain why they were able to be controlled by D-Void in Chaos (and presumably Megatron wouldn't have done this himself either)
• The above comment also shows that you can't be a Decepticon unless Megatron or a Member of the Conclave allows it, which means that the error with Galvatron and his crew being called Decepticons was just that.
• Dent/The Other Prowl is based on the Beast Wars Prowl (the Lion one, not the owl)
• Fortress Maximus was moved to Delphi after Last Stand of the Wreckers
• This story shows that Overlord took Garrus-9 (the the Surge in general happened) five years ago.
• Ratchet plans to make Pharma the new Autobot CMO
• Ratchet and Pharma certainly do look very similar don't they?
• The infected are referred to as the Weeping Dead in solicitations due to the crying they have to do when their eyes start to melt away 
• The Militant Monoform Movement are a religious group who remove their Transformation Cogs (maybe Action Masters are members?)