IDW - Optimus Prime #2

Title: New Cybertron Part 2: A Lonely Pillar on the Plain

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Kei Zama

Colours by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Publisher: Ted Adams

Plot

Four million years ago, Orion Pax escorts his prisoner, the Decepticon Jetfire, to see Prowl at his office, where he manages to convince the former cop to help him interrogate Jetfire, to help solve the mystery of Hefter's murder in police custody.

Later, Prowl holds his investigation, and manages to learn that Jetfire isn't a "real" Decepticon, but rather just an idealist, and asks him to take him to the person who told him about Orion Pax so they can talk...

In the present, the Autobots prepare for the newly arrived aliens by having the Torchbearers combine and all of them prepare for battle, however when the ship's doors open, it's revealed that the passengers are actually relatively friendly Junkions, who just want to trade their technology with the Cybertronians and Humans in exchange for some of Earth's Ore-13.

Optimus isn't sure about this, since this could be further violations to the Tyrest Accord, but Talon of GI Joe interrupts him by pointing out that the Cybertronians have no say in what happens on Earth, and interrupts their meeting, going so far as to open fire on the Junkions.

Despite the firing however, the Junkions quickly repair themselves, and the two groups decide to meet again later.

Optimus and the team return to Metrotitan, where Soundwave reveals that he knows who the Junkions are, and explains to everyone how early in the war, Prowl and Shockwave both led teams to Junkion and waged war there, but due to both being stubborn and incredibly logical, one of them caused the planet to explode, leaving the Junkion's homeless. This leads Optimus and the others to feel that they owe the Junkions some help due to their war destroying their home.

Outside the Junkion's craft, the Joes have set up a base camp, where they try to resolve the situation without Cybertronian help, especially due to Talon's hatred of them (since they DID invade Earth remember!)

Elsewhere in the city, Arcee is visiting Sideswipe again, trying to get a response from him due to his coma, but Jetfire isn't hopeful about his chances now, and his spark is heavily corroded already.

The Autobots and Colonists form a welcoming committee for Wreck-Gar and Rum-Maj of the Junkions, and they start a tour of the city, with Aileron noticing that the two Junkions aren't getting along.

During the tour, Wreck-Gar finds himself in the medi-bay, where he correctly diagnoses Sideswipe as having spark corrosion, and tells them that the Junkions have a Positron Core, the only theoretical device that can save a corroding spark, something that hasn't been seen since the days of Prima himself. Optimus begins to consider this, since he wants his team-member back, as well as any future victims of the illness.

Back at the Joe camp, Talon bemoans to Chameleon about how, despite it being a worldwide organization now, he still feels that GI Joe are too focused on the US, and not the world at large.

Inside the command tent, the Joes have realized that the Junkion ship is protected by some sort of energy field that messes with non-biological devices, meaning the Autobots are being lied to about something.

The team are stumped on how to figure out what secrets they have without Cybertronian help though, since they would have some idea on what the ship should be like, but Talon is refusing any Cybertronian help.

Despite his orders, someone contacts Thundercracker in Egypt, on his holiday with Buster and Marissa, he claims that it's a wrong number, but agrees to help, on one condition.....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime/Orion Pax - Truck Cab

Arcee - Sports Car

Jetfire - Fighter Jet

Pyra Magna - Emergency Response Truck

Jumpstream - Sports Car

Dustup - Sports Car

Skyburst - Helicopter

Stormclash - Helicopter

Rust Dust - Motorcycle

Victorion - Torchbearer Gestalt

Sky Lynx - Space Shuttle

Thundercracker - Fighter Jet

Sideswipe - Sports Car Dying of Spark Corrosion

Prowl - Cybertronian Emergency Response Vehicle (Flashback)

Hardhead - Tank (Flashback)

Delta Seeker - Jet (Flashback)

Hot Spot - Fire Suppression Truck (Flashback)

Manta Ray - Race Car (Flashback)

Greatshot (Flashback)

Silverbolt - Jet (Flashback)

Megatron - Tank (Mentioned)

Zeta Prime (Mentioned)

Sentinel Prime - Truck (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Soundwave - Personnel Carrier

X-Gunner - Jet (Flashback)

Octopunch (Flashback)

Fangry (Flashback)

Weirdwolf - Wolf (Flashback)

Shockwave - Flying Artillery (Flashback)

Hefter - Fork Lift Truck (Mentioned) Dead

Senator Momus (Mentioned) Dead

Colonist

Aileron - Space Shuttle

Midnight Express - Bullet Train

Roulette - Muscle Car

Bump - Armadillo

Gimlet - Lobster

Slide - Part of Oil Tanker

Oiler - Part of Oil Tanker

Junkion

Wreck-Gar

Rum-Maj

Various Junkions

Other Cybertronian

Metrotitan - Autobot City Ship

D.O.C.

Flashback Cybertronians (Flashback)

Blackrock/Sovereign - Head (Mentioned)

Primus (Mentioned)

Prima (Mentioned)

Old Senate (Mentioned) Killed by Decepticons

GI Joe

Talon/Zilong Qian

Flint/Dashiell Faireborn

Chameleon/Erika Le Tene

Mainframe/Blaine Parker

Hi-Tech/Sanjay Bharwaney

Spike/Steven Witwicky

Human

Marissa Faireborn

Skywatch (Mentioned) Defunct

Earth Defense Command (Mentioned) Defunct

People's Liberation Army Mecha Force (Mentioned) Defunct

Other

Buster the Dog

Notes

• So, turns out the mysterious aliens in the Quintesson shuttle are actually Junkions. Last time we saw a Quintession in IDW was on the Planet of Junk...hmmm...
• Sanjay Bharwaney is shown to have joined GI Joe, like most of the previous human cast of Transformers. I wonder if Jimmy Pink will make an appearance there some time soon?
• The previous holder of Sanjay's codename was one of the Dire Wraiths killed by Rom during Revolution...they don't take long to replace Joes do they?
• It's revealed that following Megatron leaving the Planet of Junk in Monstrosity, the war returned there to recruit the Junkions to their respective armies. It didn't go well!
• Sideswipe's condition is revealed to be spark corrosion, and it is very close to killing him now. I wonder if they found a cure for that on Luna-1?
• Thundercracker's "road trip" mentioned during Revolution is revealed to have been to Egypt. He also brought Buster and Marissa with him.
• It's not mentioned here, but Marissa s Flint's illegitimate daughter. Wonder if they'll have an awkward meet-up at some point?
• Optimus recognizes the Junkion ship as being the same type as what Megatron used early in the war, after his exile to the Planet of Junk. He also saw it when he was on Lv-117, but he may have forgotten due to the weird time-field on that planet.
• Arcee mentions how she is older than most of the others on Autobot City. This isn't often mentioned, but is true since she was involved in Jhiaxus' experiments during Nova Prime's reign.
• Wreck-Gar was shown on the Planet of Junk when Megatron was there in Monstrosity, but was somewhat more feral back then, He's apparently been cured of that madness since then.