IDW - Transformers #42

Title: Combiner Wars Epilogue: Now and On Earth

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Livio Ramondelli & Andrew Griffith

Colours by: Livio Ramondelli & Josh Perez

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Plot

Arcee is communicating with Optimus from Earth, he tells her aboout the recent battles, and that Starscream has attempted to rehabilitate Devastator by having him hellp protect the Spacebridge etc (under heavy guard of course). He asks why Arcee didn't tell him about Prowl and his actions with the Enigma on Earth, she says she tried to keep him on mission to contain the Enigma, but he went rogue. She then learns from Optimus that Prowl is being detained, under his custody. Arcee asks what he plans to do with Prowl, to which Optimus has no answer.

Arcee ends the call in a swamp on Earth, where she meets up with Galvatron, and he asks her to tell him what happened on Cybertron with the Enigma.

On Cybertron, Optimus releases Prowl from his binds, and Prowl acknowledges that his actions attacking the Spacebridge were wrong, not because of the moral reasons, but because he was arrested for it afterwards. Optimus punches Prowl in the face, knocking him down.

Arcee finishes explaining what happened to Galvatron, and reveals that Cybertron has made contact with the Colony Worlds again through the Spacebridges. Galvatron brings up that Arcee's ship has a Spacebridge now, which she immediately tells him he can't use it, but he simply says that HE won't be the one to use it....

Optimus and Prowl fight it out, resulting in Optimus punching Prowl out of a window, and pummelling his old friend, telling him that it's his fault he's been driven to doing this.

Back on Earth, Galvatron gives Arcee one of Blackrock's Onyx tablets, suggesting that Blackrock's access to Cybertronian technology,, it may be worth looking into it's workings, since the Decepticons under his command aren't exactly scientifically minded. Galvatron asks Arcee to send an Autobot to investigate the human's work on the Jupiter Decepticon commune, as he wants to look into it for Soundwave's sake, but can't risk the Humans thinking he doesn't trust them like this.

Optimus and Prowl continue their fight, with Prowl renouncing all his old friends as having betrayed him, and claims that all he's done has been for the good of Cybertron itself.

Arcee returns to Ark-7, near Earth, and gives Jetfire the tablet to analyse, and tells Cosmos she has a mission for him.

On Cybertron, again, Optimus manages to win the fight, by pushing Prowl off of a bridge, and crippling him, he tells Prowl to stay down as he trains his gun at his old friend. Prowl tells Optimus that he will never be out of Optimus' mind now, since they were once combined, the same way he is with the Constructicons now, and tells him that whatever happens, Optimus will eventually take down Starscream, and destroy Megatron, all because he is in his mind now. Optimus thinks about this, and says that his loyalty is to peace, and he cannot kill Prowl, but he also knows that Prowl is too dangerous to live, so he asks him what HE would do in his place, only to find Prowl gone....

Jetfire finishes his analysis of the tablet, and surprisingly finds some Ancient Cybertronian source coding inside it. Arcee tells Jetfire to decode the device and see what the coding does, and tells Cosmos to go to Jupiter for his mission.

Back on Cybertron, it is revealed that Rattrap was the one who "rescued" Prowl from Optimus, all because he knows that at some point his involvement in causing the Combiner Wars will be discovered, and he needs Prowl to help ensure his victory....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Prowl - Police Vehicle

Arcee - Sports Car

Windblade - VTOL Jet

Chromia - Speedbike

Jetfire - Fighter Jet

Cosmos - Orbiter

Sky-Lynx - Space Shuttle

Superion - Aerialbot Gestalt

Optimus Maximus - Autobot Gestalt (Mentioned)

Aerialbots (Mentioned)

Megatron - Tank (Mentioned)

Metroplex - City/Space Ship (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Galvatron - Tank

Astrotrain - Train/Space Shuttle

Soundwave - Personnel Carrier (Mentioned)

United Cybertron

Rattrap - Rat

Devastator - Constructicon Gestalt

Starscream - Jet (Mentioned)

Scoop - Front End Loader (Mentioned)

Costructicons (Mentioned)

Human

Garrison Blackrock (Mentioned)

Other

D.O.C.

Council of Worlds (Mentioned)

Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• Defensor is no where to be seen in this issue, possibly meaning the Protectobots did return to the Lost Light following the Combiner Wars.
• Arcee's new stealth paint scheme is based on her upcoming "Combiner Hunters" toy
• Whilst unconfirmed, it looks like Astrotrain is now sporting his currently unofficially announced "Titan Wars" toy
• FINALLY! Optimus is now taking the Prowl issue to hand!
• Galvatron's comments about someone using the Spacebridge possibly hints at her role in the upcoming "Combiner Wars" one shot comic, along with Windblade and Chromia.
• Astrotrain's bad eyes, revealed in Dark Cybertron are brought up again here, with him using binoculars again.
• D.O.C. is revealed to be named after his memory system "Dynamic Zer-Phase Chalcogenide" and is revealed to be just a tool, despite his apparent sentience.
• The Onyx Network is revealed to use Ancient Cybertronian source code. This sort of makes sense since the Enigma of Combination, an ancient artefact of Nexus Prime, was in their possession. This could of course mean they have more old technology too.
• Prowl's mistaken renaming of other characters as "Scrapper" is revealed to be due to the combiner mindset "infecting" his mind with Scrappper's memories too (despite Devastator being an imperfect combiner before Prowl's inclusion and after Scrapper's death)