IDW - Robots in Disguise #3

Comic Staff

Title: Stick Together

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Andrew Griffith

Colour by: Josh Perez

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Storyline

The Aerialbots are called in as extra security after Ratbat's death in time to hear Prowl and Starscream suggest that he committed suicide. The Decepticons aren't happy with that verdict and the Autobots have to try and calm the situation down. Dirge storms off and dismisses all of it as lies. Barrel Roll, an Aerialbot follows him and tries to convince him that it must be true as the Autobots wouldn't just lie about it. The two start to bond a bit, but suddenly the ground beneath Barrel Roll explodes, and he is killed, leaving Dirge badly damaged and alone again.

In the former Kimia Station Wheeljack is witness to an argument over exchange rates on the NAIL's old currency in his lab when Bumblebee tells him to come and help with something. 10 minutes later he's at the site of the explosion and begins analyzing it, but can't find any radiation signatures, despite the blast being strong enough to melt metal. Prowl thinks the Decepticons are behind it since none of them died in the explosion. Starscream is trying to help matters by joining the investigation, and by trying to calm his fellow Decepticons.

Wheeljack goes to see Dirge, who was an eye-witness to the explosion in a treatment facility where they get into an argument as Wheeljack was one of the Autobots who hurt him in AHM, and left Deluge to die. Silverbolt loses it and begins to shoot Dirge, but Wheeljack knocks his gun out of the way and makes him damage a drone instead. Dirge leaves the treatment center to fend for himself, after pointing out how it looks like the Autobots are killing off anyone who goes against them (Rodimus and his crew, Horri-Bull, Ratbat, and now even Barrel Roll).

Later in the city a second explosion occurs and kills 35 Transformers. The Auotbots investigate again, and Wheeljack gets into an argument with Starscream, who says that he'd like to reform the Seekers if he could, but Wheeljack points out that Ramjet and Thrust are dead, Dirge is injured, Skywarp is in jail, and Thudnercracker is elsewhere. Wheeljack suddenly realizes after mentioning Skywarp (due to his powers) that the Moon is being re-energized as well, meaning that Vector Sigma is repowering it as well as the planet. However Cybertron used to have 2 Moons, meaning that the extra energy that would be for the second moon is just being expended elsewhere.

Starscream and Wheeljack go their separate ways, with Starscream rounding up the NAIL's to protect them in the Decepticon's base, whilst Wheeljack sets up a launcher to prevent the next explosion, by launching a temporary artificial moon into low orbit (with Wheeljack planning to build a new one before the next explosion).

Afterwards Wheeljack credits Starscream for helping him to Bumblebee, who decides to finally let Starscream into the new Government, but Silverbolt loses it, and demands to know how he can let him into it after he caused the deaths of all those Autobots during the Purge. He physically attacks Bumblebee and Prowl and then takes his Aerialbots to fend for themselves outside of Bumblebee's city. Starscream, and Bumblebee watch them leave and begin to work together in their Government.

Characters

Autobot
Bumblebee - Car
Prowl
Wheeljack - Car
Silverbolt - Jet
Barrel Roll - Jet Killed in First Explosion
Air Raid - Jet
Slingshot - Jet
Fire Flight - Jet
Skydive - Jet
Fixit
Ironhide - Van
Streetwise
Blurr - Race Car
Sideswipe - Car
Hot Spot
Hosehead
Scattershot
Broadside
Sizzle
Arcee
Hovercraft Guy - Hovercraft (Mentioned) Killed in First Explosion
Rodimus (Mentioned) Thought to be dead
Autobots Killed during the Purge Killed by Decepticons
Decepticon
Starscream - Jet
Ratbat - Cassette Dead
Dirge - Jet
Triggerhappy - Jet
Needlenose - Jet
Bombshell
Bonecrusher
Mixmaster
Hook
Motormaster
Blot
Mindwipe
Ransack
Skywarp - Jet (Mentioned - In Prison)
Thundercracker (Mentioned)
Thrust (Mentioned) Dead
Ramjet (Mentioned) Dead
Deluge (Mentioned) Most Likely Killed by Swarm
Horri-Bull (Mentioned) Dead
Other Decepticons

NAIL
Metalhawk - Jet
Tappet - Car
Tank NAIL - Tank
7 NAIL's Killed in First Explosion
NAIL Populace

Other
Vector Sigma (Mentioned)
35 Transformers Killed in Second Explosion

Notes

• Ratbat apparently committed suicide...he had a sword sticking out of him.....Arcee's sword....
• Air Raid has a new design rather than a WFC one
• Dirge survived AHM after all! Deluge got eaten by the Swarm though apparently
• Where was Dirge when Alpha Trion said the planet was otherwise empty? Or when Galvatron invaded?
• Barrel Roll is based on a Mini-Con from the 2010 Transformers line
• Fixit seems to have taken First Aid's place with the Protectobots, since First Aid is on Delphi (last we heard anyway)
• One of the generic character looks like the Conehead Seeker character model in a random colour scheme
• A few of the random NAILs from issue one are amongst the guys killed in the second explosion
• Wheeljack's missile tank thingie is coloured like Omega Spreem...don't read too much into that though
• Arcee seems to like Fireworks
• Silverbolt and his Aerialbots succeed from Bumblebee's Autobots and go off into the feral wastelands of Cybertron...wonder how long they'll last out there?
• Wheeljack seems to have taken on Ironfist's old lab, as mentioned in Chaos Theory
• Wheeljack's started calling Bumblebee "King Bee"
• Starscream betraying Sunstreaker in AHM is mentioned a lot in this issue
• Prowl sounds like he's going to try and get Silverbolt for attacking him here...watch out for that in later issues!
• There's a guy in the infirmary who shares Tappet and Dipstick's character model, but with some back kibble.
• Starscream still hasn't revealed about the Decepticons being able to transform etc