Titan - Transformers Prime #20

Title: Starscream's Beast

Script: Chris Cooper

Art: Andres Ponce

Lettering: Comicraft

Cover Date: MAY/JUN 2014

Cover Price: £3.99

Poster: The Decepticons

Plot

Starscream is feeling annoyed with Predaking, as he only obeys Megatron and not himself, so he strops around the Nemesis and winds up in Shockwave's lab, where he finds a Predacon fossil that Shockwave has for some reason left unattended.

Starscream takes a sample of the fossil's CNA and infuses it with some of his own (to fill in the gaps) and places it in a CR chamber, accelerates the process and creates his own Predacon soldier. However the new Predacon appears to have taken on Starscream's stubborn nature and refuses to follow him. Starscream makes the mistake of striking the Predacon, angering him and leading him into a rage, and begins to chase after him in his bull-mode around the ship. (Along the way Starscream decides to name him Tantrum).

Along the way Tantrum smashes through several Vehicons and incinerates some Insecticons before ctahing up to Starscream and declares himself as superior to Starscream, and decides he must be destroyed.

Starscream attacks Tantrum, and actually manages to destroy him very easily (most likely due to faulty construction) and Starscream begins to plan how to cover this up.

Soon, Predaking is hunting around the ship as he sensed Tantrum's presence when he, along with Megatron and Shockwave, find Tantrum's remains. Megatron immediately suspects Starscream, but Starscream has framed a random Vehicon by editing the CCTV footage to show him in his place. Megatron accepts this as true and kills the Vehicon because of his treachery.

Megatron has Starscream and the others clean up the mess as an example in case of any further attempts at a coup. Whilst doing so Starscream takes some of Tantrum's remains and plans to create more new troops of his own....

Characters

Decepticon/Predacon

Megatron - Space Ship

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Shockwave - Tank

Tantrum - Bull

Predaking - Dragon Killed by Starscream

Traitor Vehicon - Flying Car Killed by Megatron

Vehicons - Fling Cars

Insecticons - Beetles

Notes

• Starscream, and the audience are left to wonder why Shockwave left the Predacon fossil out alone in his lab for anyone (ie Starscream) to take. In Prime he seems fully loyal to Megatron, so it seems a bit out of place.
• Predaking being fully loyal to Megatron here seems to place this before his sentience was discovered in Season 3. However if this is the case, then why does Starscream not seem freaked out when he finds out that Trantrum can talk and transform here? This has been an ongoing issue in this series though as in previous issues we've had Skylynx and Darksteel running around and so on...just go with it! Also, he is named in the story AS Predaking too, which he wasn't named until after his revelation.
• Tantrum is clearly based on the G1 Predacon of the same name.
• Tantrum's insignia is clearly a Decepticon one, but really it should be a Predacon one. This could be explained away (as well as his intelligence etc) by him having Starscream's CNA inside him.
• The briefly shown Insecticons in this issue are in what appears to be G1 colours
• Tantrum seems weaker that other Predacons as he blows up from just having 2 of Starscream's missiles hitting...I guess this could be due to him having an accelerated creation or something.
• It sounds like the next issue will be a movie rebranding again

Other Features

Adverts

Competition Win some old stock from their offices!

Transformers 4 Movie News Info on Age of Extinction

Soundwave's Stumpers! Puzzles

Clash of the Titans! Bulkhead vs Breakdown profiles

Jackie's Jokes! Jokes from Wheeljack...may wish to ignore these til cracker season....

Mega Movie Motors! Info on the cars from the previous Transformers movies

Massive Movie Quiz A quiz on the previous movies (most fans can get it all right I'd guess)

Mega Mouth Megatron and Arcee read the mail!

FBI Fuzzlers More puzzles

Ratchet Recall! Spot the Difference

Tantrum Terror Maze! Help Starscream escape the crazy bull! (if you want to)

Decepticon Dead Zone! Cut out some targets for the free gift and ruin your comic!