IDW - More Than Meets The Eye #28

Title: World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Alex Milne

Colours by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Tom B. Lang

Editorial Assistance: Rebecca Huard

Editor: John Barber

Plot

Following the battle with Shockwave, the planet is being put back together, Metroplex has taken the place of Iacon as the planet's capital, and the Lost Light is almost ready to return to it's mission. However, Optimus refuses to allow Rodimus to leave yet, as he needs everyone to stay on the planet until the trial with Megatron can be concluded. Optimus assigns the Autobot High Command their roles in the trial.

Soon, Optimus asks Rodimus how the quest is going, and Rodimus admits that he had to shatter the Matrix to save the Cold Constructed, but he thinks Thunderclash can help as he was having "dreams" about where the Knights are. Optimus appears annoyed at Rodimus for losing the Matrix, but asks for his help in speeding up the trial, so Rodimus can get on his way...

Swerve runs a crew audition for people who wish to join the Lost Light along with Crosscut and Riptide, but Swerve keeps rejecting all of the candidates. During Nautica's audition Nightbeat bursts in, and exposes the auditions as a prank created by Swerve as he knows Ultra Magnus would never have allowed him to call them "Crewditions"

Elsewhere, Optimus and Rodimus visit Megatron in his cell with Chromedome, whom they intend to use to extract memories from Megatron to use in the trial, to make things go faster, but Megatron refuses to allow them to mess with his mind in any way. Optimus then leaves and tells him he won't see him until the trial now, afterwards Rodimus tells Megatron that he WILL be executed for his crimes, but Megatron just calmly asks him to do him a favour, and hands over a Communicube to him.

The Trial later begins on Luna 2, Megatron is brought out into a stadium filled with Cybertronians, and his many crimes are listed, including genocide and conquering of sovereign worlds, which he pleads guilty to....

Six Months later, the Lost Light is back on it's journey, with it's new arrivals, including their new captain, Megatron, who has visited Rung for a therapy session, which has attracted the rest of the crew to try and eavesdrop.

Megatron grows tired of his therapy session, and tries to leave, but Rung shocks him by showing he has an original copy of Megatron's autobiography, "Towards Peace", including the original dedication to Terminus. Shortly afterwards the room is shrouded in darkness briefly, before it returns to normal. Megatron decides to leave, and Megatron reveals that Terminus was someone who taught him to not become attached to things, which was the reason he removed the dedication. He also says that he wanted this session in the first place because he wants to rewrite his life, and to try and redeem himself

Nightbeat and Skids decide to visit Chromedome, to see if he is alright, as he hasn't been seen since the end of the Trial and Megatron's "Grand Statement". But Chromedome is just sitting in his room, rewatching Rewind's final message to him on repeat, so they leave him alone. But Nightbeat has started to notice some letters are disappearing from the walls and doors, which interests him. The duo leave before they hear Rewind's message change, as it ends in a horrifying scream instead of the usual "I love you"

Megatron returns to his room and finds the door covered in graffiti, and then gets struck by an arrow shot by Whirl, who then attacks Megatron, and drags into battling in the fuel furnace room. Megatron defends himself, but doesn't do anything to badly hurt Whirl, except revealing that his past victories were all orchestrated by him, to allow him to live on knowing he "created" Megatron. The fight ends after Whirl punches Megatron in the stomach, and his arm is sucked into some of his random space bridges. Megatron tells him to clean up the mess and comments on how the Pyrobots are shirking off their work again. Whirl then calls up someone as says that Megatron's expecting to be provoked so he's not going to be too easy to provoke.

Megatron later arrives on the Bridge and learns that hey haven't made contact with Thunderclash yet, but they should be near the Vis Vitalis within days. Magnus also suggests that a UFO they've been following lately may be a coffin, left floating in space.....

Characters

Autobot

Megatron - Tank

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport

Rung

Perceptor

Brainstorm - Jet

Nautica - Deep Sea Submarine

Skids - Van

Nightbeat - Sports Car

Chromedome - Car

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Mainframe

Mirage

Hosehead

Joyride

Groove

Sky-High - Helicopter

Blaster

Rewind - Memory Stick (Voice on Recording only)

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab (Flashback Only)

Rodimus - Sports Car (Flashback Only)

Ratchet - Ambulance (Flashback Only)

Prowl - Emergency Car (Flashback Only)

Swerve - Van (Flashback Only)

Crosscut - Van (Flashback Only)

Riptide - Boat (Flashback Only)

Bluestreak - Car (Flashback Only)

Chromia - Car (Flashback Only)

Atomizer (Flashback Only)

Metroplex - City/Space Ship (Flashback Only)

First Aid - Ambulance (Flashback Only)

Sandstorm - Buggy/Helicopter (Flashback Only)

Broadside - Jet/Boat (Flashback Only)

Hound - Jeep (Flashback Only)

Cosmos - Orbiter (Flashback Only)

Ironhide - Van (Flashback Only)

Sky Lynx - Space Shuttle (Flashback Only)

Huffer - Truck (Flashback Only)

Xaaron (Flashback Only)

Powerflash (Flashback Only)

Trailcutter - Van

Rollout

Sunstreaker - Car

Siren

Hoist - Crane

Windblade - Jet

Sludge - Apatosaurus

Snarl - Stegosaurus

Thunderclash (Mentioned)

Pyrobots (Mentioned)

Hydrobots (Mentioned)

Aquabat (Mentioned)

Unnamed Hydrobat - Hovercraft/Winged Creature (Mentioned)

The Wreckers (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Ravage - Cassette

Shockwave - Flying Artillery (Mentioned)

United Cybertron

Starscream - Jet (Flashback Only)

Fat Tankor - Tank (Flashback Only)

Blurr - Race Car (Flashback Only)

Other

Chief Justice Tyrest (Mentioned)

Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)

Circle of Light (Mentioned)

Phobos (Mentioned)

Desecrus (Mentioned)

Terminus (Mentioned)

Mortilus (MentioneD)

Rung's Female Bibliophile Friend (Mentioned)

Notes

• This is the start of MTMTE's second season.
• Nautica, who has finally reached her species' homeworld of Cybertron seems to have gotten bored of it already and joined the Lost Light
• Several of the new crew members were previously seen in the Robots in Disguise series, but as background characters.
• This issue confirms that Sky High and Broadside survived the attack from Devastator during the Decpeticon riots.
• Atomizer is shown overseeing the repainting of the Lost Light, this is a hint towards his past as an interior decorator
• Even Optimus Prime knows Thunderclash as the greatest Autobot of all time.
• Rung's spectacles are revealed to actually be removable, revealing a more standard style of optics instead. It appears that he needs to change them every so often as well. This makes his similarities to Kaon of the DJD even more apparent (Perhaps Kaon didn't keep changing his spectacles which is why he now has no eyes?)
• When the blackout occurs Megatron and Rung are shown in a grid-like manner similar to how Galvatron and his troops looked in the 80's movie during their reformatting. This could imply that they're being scanned here
• Megatron's fear of Chromedome going into his mind may have been hinted at during Overlord's flashback, where he mentioned that Megatron had Trepan killed for teaching Overlord about Mnemosurgery. Possibly implying that he was afraid even then of having his mind messed with.
• Megatron's body has been messed up so much that his internal organs are now a twisted Spacebridge.
• The missing words, blackouts etc are all likely due to the Lost Light somehow rejecting Megatron. Further implying that it is a sentient being in itself. Further, the writing on Megatron's door COULD have been done by the Lost Light itself, perhaps by moving the stolen letters and putting them on his door?
• Whirl is told that his "invincibility" against the Decepticons is all Megatron's doing, as he forbade anyone from killing him, since he made him what he is now.
• Rewind's "Goodbye" message is either altered here, or Chromedome is hearing it properly for the first time now (judging by Megatron's narrative on "little edits". If it was altered now, then that is likely due to the same force that's affecting the writing on the walls as well
• Megatron's trial takes place on Luna 2 in what appears to be either an old court or a stadium.
• Optimus' "crown" during the trial is the same as what Tyrest wears, imdicating that it's a part of his uniform, and not a natural extension.
• Ultra Magnus identifying the "UFO" as a "Coffin" is meant to make you weep, as that was one of the messages sent to the past back in issue 1 (Don't open the coffin)
• Rung's female bibliophile friend is either one of the newcomers who managed to get a copy (maybe Nautica go it from Alpha Trion?) or Arcee is a secret reader. Or she may be an alien! I'm sure we'll find out some time.
• The Lost Light going to rendezvous with Thunderclash sounds a lot like how it planned to meet with the Circle of Light at the start of Season One huh?
• Ravage being on the Lost Light seems to be a reference to how he was originally meant to be in the series as a spy in Season One. Similarly Bluestreak was going to be in the cast as well, but was removed as he was RID artist Andrew Griffth's favourite character.