IDW - The Transformers #40

Title: Combiner Wars Part 2: The Possible Light

Written by: John Barber

Story by: Mairghread Scott & John Barber

Art by: Livio Ramondelli

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Plot

Shuttlecraft O Fortuna leaves the Lost Light with it's ambassador for the colony worlds Mirage, along with the newly formed "Protectobots" for security and Mirage's medical needs. Unfortunately Mirage is currently in stasis and is having a bad nightmare. He watches as Cybertron, Earth and Caminus burn from the Combiner Wars, but manages to speak with Ironhide, telling him that they need to help them choose....

Just then, Ironhide wakes up on Cybertron where he joins Optimus, Windblade and Wheeljack in watching Starscream's proclamation about Cybertron and Caminus coming together with Superion's help.

Optimus and Windblade head to Caminus to help with the rebuilding, but first the Mistress of Flame asks him how he can allow Starscream to be Cybertron's leader, and not him, and also cannot believe that he would dirty his own hands with the rescue operations, and sees it as somewhat blasphemous.

On Ark-7, near the Earth's Moon, Prowl has brought the stolen Spacebridge back with him, and mostly ignores Jetfire's questions on where it came from. Suddenly, Prowl receives a message from his informant on Cybertron about what is happening on the planet right now.

On Caminus, Superion, Optimus and the others are freeing trapped civilians and making themselves known to the people. During this, Optimus receives a call from Prowl, who starts screaming at him about Starscream having access to Metroplex's spacebridge. Optimus ends the conversation, deciding not to pay attention to Prowl. not tell him about the Combiners. However Prowl already knows about the Enigma of Combination, and he gets in contact with his Cybertronian ally again.

On Cybertron, Swindle is taken away to a secret prison by Starscream, so he can't reveal his part in the attack on Caminus, Scoop finds the way Starscream is treating his prisoners disgusting, but Starscream doesn't care, and leaves Rattrap in charge of the prison whilst he deals with some Camien diplomats.

Once on his own, Rattrap transforms and starts making his way through the piping of Metroplex, whilst Optimus, Windblade, Starscream and the Camien leaders head to a meeting to discuss forming a council between the Cybertronian colonies and Cybertron.

Rattrap makes his way to the spacebridge chamber and activates it, allowing Prowl and the Constructicons to come through, so he can help solve Cybertron, and the colony's problems, however Prowl's eyes have now started glowing a somewhat evil shade of red...

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Windblade - VTOL Jet

Prowl - Police Vehicle

Wheeljack - Race Car

Superion - Aerialbot Gestalt

Jetfire - Fighter Jet

Ironhide - Van

Mirage - Race Car

First Aid - Ambulance

Hot Spot - Fire Truck

Groove - Motorcycle

Blades - Helicopter

Streetwise - Police Car

Sandstorm - Buggy/Helicopter In Secret Prison

Megatron - Tank (Flashback)

Rodimus - Car (Flashback)

Silverbolt - Jet (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Waspinator - Wasp

Fat Tankor - Tank

Tall Tankor - Oil Tanker/Cargo Plane

Sparkstalker - Insect Monster

Menasor - Stunticon Gestalt (Footage)

Stunticons (Mentioned)

Monstructor (Mentioned)

United Cybertron

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Circuit

Longtooth

Rattrap - Rat

Scoop - Front End Loader

Swindle - Off Road Vehicle In Secret Prison

Badgeless Officer

Caminus

Mistress of Flame

Hot Shot

Lightbright

Red Leader

Yellow Leader

Camiens

Rook (In Vision)

Other Cybertronian

Long Haul - Dump Truck

Hook - Crane

Mixmaster - Mixing Truck

Scavenger - Excavator

Bonecrusher - Bulldozer

Devastator (Footage)

Vision Combiners (In Vision)

Primus (Mentioned)

Caminus - City/Spaceship (Mentioned)

Solus Prime (Mentioned)

Other

Blackrock (Mentioned)

Notes

• This issue was originally meant to be released after More Than Meets the Eye #40 (which has yet to be released) so some plot points mentioned here like First Aid being the Lost Light's Chief Medical Officer, or Mirage opening a bar that fails are kind of spoiled in advance
• Mirage's Spotlight issue is revealed to have been part of a medical condition of his that makes him a bit unbalanced mentally.
• The new toy Protectobots Rook is shown amongst the  Camiens in Mirage and Ironhide's shared vision. That means if Rook is involved in Defensor here, then this will be the first cross-colony gestalt.
• The gestalts seen in the vision include Defensor, Superion and Menasor very clearly, the other two are unclear.
• Starscream has FINALLY taken on his new body that's been teased all storyline so far.
• Superion reveals that he's not loyal to Starscream, but Cybertron itself, and he is willing to kill Starscream if he finds out he's in any way involved in the attack on Caminus
• Superion and Optimus' conversation about what it's like to be a combiner seems like it could be foreshadowing Optimus' own combination later in the series
• Swindle has been taken to the same secret prison as Sandstorm...wonder if the other Combaticons just happen to be there as well?
• Rattrap shows his lack of loyalty again, when he's shown to have teamed up with Prowl against Starscream and Optimus.