IDW - Lost Light #1

Title: Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Jack Lawrence

Colours by: Joana LaFuente and John-Paul Bove

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Publisher: Ted Adams

Plot

Anode and her assistant Lug are attacked by a Cybernought whilst excavating a crystalline snowflake, and are about to be killed by their enemy when the Necrobot appears, and rescues them into the future...

A little over 450 years later, the duo wake up from their stasis pods at the Necrobot's Fortress, where they encounter Ultra Magnus giving a debriefing to several other of "The Disappeared" and explains that the Necrobot rescued them from their assumed deaths, before being killed himself.

Nearby, Rewind is introducing Roller to everyone, when the Decepticons Fangry and Rapidfire aren't buying Magnus' story about the Necrobot, and think this is all an Autobot trick. They decide to try and make themselves seem the strongest there by taking out the current strongest, then they notice Tailgate showing off his super-strength by lifting up the giant Roller to everyone's amusement.

Cyclonus warns Tailgate to not show off, but Tailgate is confident that he's fine, just as Fangry purposely knocks into the two of them, leaving them annoyed.

Elsewhere, Swerve introduces himself to Anode and Lug, and tries to pull off his "Crew-ditions" trick again, like he did following the Dark Cybertron crew reshuffle. During it however, he gets insulted when Anode suggests that he doesn't sound too grief-stricken for Skids' death, which Swerve suggests that she was being rude due to her timesickness, and mentions that Velocity should examine her. Anode is visibly unnerved when she hears that Velocity is a part of the crew.

Nearby, Rodimus is having his paintjob remade by Drift to symbolize his conversion to the Spectralist religion, like Drift, but Drift is worried bout the meaning of the colours he is using, as they imply that he intends to kill someone (Getaway), which Rodimus neither confirms or denies. Suddenly the planet shakes, causing everyone to notice!

A few moments later, the tremor stops, and Megatron wonders what it was, from his location with Terminus, at Ravage's now vacant holo-statue, but Terminus isn't too bothered, being used to tremors on Messatine. Megatron points out that the planet is hollow and shouldn't have any sort of sub-surface activity, so they decide to return to the fortress. Megatron says goodbye to Ravage and prepares to leave, just as Rung and Nightbeat emerge from the ground, like a pair of zombies!

Soon, the crew all convene in the control room, where Brainstorm shows them his new invention, a transporter, which everyone claims to look like a den. Brainstorm reveals that he tested it to rescue Nightbeat and Rung from underground (nearly anyway) which leads Nightbeat to explain that they encountered a geo-bomb underneath, but it burned out, rather than detonated, which explains the tremor from before. Rodimus announces that once the den is recharged he'll lead a team to Cybertron, acquire a ship, then return for the others, and go after Getaway.

After the meeting, Rung asks Ratchet where Skids is, leading to Ratchet having to give him the horrible news....

Rung stays at Skids' bed-side that night, but has a strange reaction and seems to vomit up something into his hand, much to his shock...

Meanwhile, Tailgate finishes his recharge at the Energon Suite, when he sees Cyclonus returning from somewhere, clearly badly beaten up. Tailgate gets angry and figures out that Fangry did this, and goes after him, leaving Cyclonus to moan at him to not kill him.

Anode and Lug arrive at the den, intending to use it to escape, before Velocity can reveal something about them to the others, but Drift appears and refuses to allow them entry, since they need all the power to get to Cybertron. Anode is intrigued by Drift's sword (not a euphemism) and tries to touch it, but Drift again refuses, and touches her chest to stop her. Suddenly he gets a shock of energy through him...

Drift, Rodimus and Grimlock are suddenly in a fiery field, facing down an army of Sparkeaters and Decepticon Insignia ships, led by Pharma, and the Lost Light flies at a strange angle. Drift looks downwards and sees an ominous warning etched into the ground....

Drift wakes up after being knocked out for 10 minutes to find Ratchet taking care of him, but declines telling him about his vision of the future, since no one believed him after his previous one.

Rodimus leaves Cyclonus in charge of the team, whilst he heads off with Drift, Chromedome, Rewind, Minimus Ambus, Roller, Terminus, Megatron and Ratchet through the den to Cybertron.

The team arrive on Cybertron, which Roller confirms on his GPS system, and Terminus looks out upon the planet, but is surprised to see it looking so good, considering how Megatron told him it was in ruins. Megatron thinks he's just being poetic about Cybertron always being beautiful, but instead finds the planet looking as it did before the war!

Everyone is confused by where they are, but are soon confronted by Twelve-of-Twelve of the Functionist Council, and a group of his enforcers, and some prisoners. Rewind, having experienced this universe through his database being encroached by it, recognizes it as being the Functionist Universe created when Perceptor tampered with the Paradox Locks on Brainstorm's Time-Case!

Characters

Autobot

Rodimus - Sports Car

Megatron - Treaded Vehicle

Minimus Ambus/Ultra Magnus - Minesweeper/Vehicle Transport

Drift - Race Car

Nightbeat - Sports Car

Rung

Ratchet - Ambulance

Tailgate - Car

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Chromedome - Car

Rewind - Data Slug

Velocity - Race Car

Nautica - Submarine

Swerve - Van

Brainstorm - Jet

Wavelength

Syphon

Skids - Van Dead

Pharma - Jet (Vision)

Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex (Vision)

Orion Pax/Optimus Prime - Truck Cab (Mentioned)

Getaway - Race Car (Mentioned)

Lost Light Crew (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Rapidfire

Fangry

Most of Deathsaurus' Crew Dead

Cybernought Pilot (Flashback)

Decepticon Justice Division (Mentioned) Dead

Ravage - Cassette (Mentioned) Dead

Functionist

Twelve-of-Twelve

Sky-Spy

Functionist Enforcers

Functionist Prisoners

Other Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet

Anode - Jet

Lug - Backpack Equipment

Roller - Truck

Terminus - Mining Vehicle

Other "Disappeared"

Censere (Flashback) Dead

Starscream - Fighter Jet (Mentioned)

"Techy" (Mentioned)

Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)

Other

Ten

Sparkeater Army (Vision)

Galactic Council (Mentioned)

Notes

• This is the new series continuing the story of More Than Meets The Eye, renamed and renumbered to better conform to the post Revolution IDW Hasbroverse.
• From appearances, Anode looks like she turns into a jet.
• Lug turns into a piece of back-pack equipment for Anode, and appears to use the same base design and engineering as the Titans Return Rewind toy.
• Lug refers to "Techy" being the one who hired them for their ill-fated mission. Assuming this is referring to a pre-existing character, it is likely Heretech, one of the Warriors Elite.
• Since they are apparently the last ones to wake up, it seems that Anode and Lug were the last two to be rescued by Censere.
• For some reason Velocity appears to be very dismissive to Roller in this issue, and even drags Nautica away from him.
• Also, Nautica has finally gotten away from Skids' death-bed, and appears to have cheered up again over night.
• Rodimus' new darker colour scheme is based on his Dark Rodimus colourscheme from various toys. In continuity though these colours are supposed to stand for grief (over Skids' death) and a promise for death (to Getaway for causing all of this).
• The "Time Den" even looks like a cut up version of Megatron's old cannon, albeit much larger than it was before.
• Rung has a strange reaction when he's alone with Skids' corpse, he seems to weep, then his spark shines bright, then he vomits up something into his hand (there is something solid there, it's just very obscured by his hand) which seems to shock him.
• Grimlock appearing with Drift and Rodimus in Drift's vision of the future implies that the Scavengers and Team Rodimus will meet up at some time in the near future. Also Pharma seems to be alive too!
• Twelve-of-Twelve appears to be hovering on the spot at the end of this issue...is he a wizard?
• Isn't it a bit weird that last time Brainstorm messed with time travel he aided in the creation of the Functionist Universe, and his next attempt to perform long-distance transport, he winds up sending the team to that universe.
• Also, Team Rodimus easily travelling to the Functionist Universe essentially spits in the face of the Shroud from the Fun Publications stories, which makes multi-dimensional travel near impossible now...pity....
• The reason for Drift's new colourscheme with his return to the series at the end of last season are implied to be due to his Spectralist beliefs, and them giving some sort of a message.
• Here's my theory for this season's overall plot: The Snowflake that Anode has stored in her chest caused Drift's vision, and also triggered Rung's weird "power". The snowflake is a part of Rung that explains his alternate mode, which is the key to something related to the gear-symbol faction.