IDW - Transformers vs Visionaries #4

Title: Good Men

Written by: Magdalene Visaggio 

Art by: Fico Ossio

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz

Lettered by: Shawn Lee

Edited by: Sarah Gaydos & David Mariotte

Published by: Greg Goldstein

Plot

Quickswitch is recruited by Ironhide's team due to his drill alternate mode, and is outfitted with the counter-wave bomb to be taken down to Vector Sigma and detonated to stop the Talisman's effects. Leoric and Ironhide are worried about how they haven't heard from Arzon's team yet, and believe they may have been killed.

In New Prysmos, Witterquick and Mortdred are being held in a torture chamber and are hurt by Reekon, until Cryotek arrives and takes over the torture. He tries to explain himself to Witterquick, when Virulina comes in and wants to talk to her ew Darkling Lord.

Elesewhere, in his chamber, Merklynn is talking with Arzon, and explains that he wants their people to go back to their magical ways and sees the Cybertronians are blasphemous. He tells Arzon that he wants him to overthrow Virulina and rule Prysmos the proper way, even showing him a vision of the future from his scrying pool, showing Virulina broken and beaten on a floor.

Virulina takes Cryotek to her throne room, where she attacks him to goad him into fighting back, making him prove that he will fight for his people, she is able to defeat him, and explains that she has used a spell on the torture chamber that will send their life-force to the Talisman to speed up it's activation, meaning that it'll be ready today, so long as Witterquick and Mortdred are killed by Cryotek.

Back in the lab, Quickswitch is having some last minute work done before the mission, when Leoric receives a message from Cryotek, telling him about what is happening with Witterquick and the Talisman, apologizing for his betrayal . Leoric heads off alone to confront Virulina himself, leaving Galadria in charge of the bomb team.

The team, heads out, but soon encounter Talsiman energy whilst drilling. Quickswitch manages to go through the energy, shielding the others, but is killed in the process. The group wind up in a chamber near Vector Sigma and Wheeljack prepares to set off the bomb. Unfortunately the group are not alone, Arzon, now wearing Darkling Lord armour, confronts the group. The Spectral Knights are captured by the Darkling Lords, whilst Arzon tries to convince Galadria to join him, but she cannot do so, as committing genocide is wrong. Arzon slaps her away, and slashes the counterwave bomb in half....

Characters

Autobot

Ironhide - Van

Wheeljack - Race Car

Quickswitch - Drill  Killed by Talisman Energy

Windblade - VTOL Jet (Image)

Spectral Knight

Leoric 

Galadria

Ectar

Witterquick Being Drained of Life Force

Arzon Joins Darkling Lords

Darkling Lord

Virulina

Cryotek

Reekon

Cravex

Lexor

Mortdred Being Drained of Life Force

Darkstorm (Flashback)

Other Cybertronian/Colonist

Breakdown - Arnoured Van

Vector Sigma (Mentioned)

Other

Merklynn

Heskedor (Mentioned) Heart Became Arcana Vast

Notes

• Hey look it's Quickswitch! Let's hope he doesn't die within an iss-oh....he did... Funny story, I actually called this, I read the three page preview and called that he would die a "shock-death" Here's my tweet!
• Speaking of shock deaths...has anything been said of what happened with Fat Tankor? Last time we saw him he was guarding the alien city.
• Quickswitch's transformation capabilities seem a bit confused in this issue. He bemoans his drill mode, but doesn't he have 4 other alternate modes? (I would assume this was due to a change in his alternate modes for the series, except the roll call page says he's a multi-former)
• Virulina has big scary holographic versions of her head emitting from her base tower...how can the people of New Prysmos NOT see she is evil?!
• We learn a bit of the Visionaries creation story here, basically there was once a being who acted as the living universe, and over time she split apart with her heart forming the Arcana vast at the core of Prysmos, giving life to their planet and giving them their magical powers.
• So...from the dialogue here it sounds like Merklynn did intend to betray Virulina eventually, but not in the way I thought originally, he just wants someone else to take control of the city.
• Still waiting for all the air to escape New Prysmos here...it's a been a couple days at least now
• Apparently the totem shields can be used to contact other Visionaries, which emits the caller's face via magic...why didn't any of the left behind Spectral Knights use this to ask Leoric and the others what was happening rather than betraying him to Virulina?
• Oh, Arzon joined the Darkling Lords too, cool...seems like all the most loyal Spectral Knights aren't too loyal huh? I mean I guess it could just be a ruse for his ultimate plan to take down Virulina, but it seems a bit extreme to slap Galadria if that was the case.
• Also, remember how Mortdred was standing along with Virulina on top of the Thrustinator chariot last issue, implying that he was either betraying the Knights, or just getting close to her to assassinate her? Well I think Mags forgot! He's a prisoner here now!
• And yes, this issue ends with the Darkling Lords still with all the power and nothing good for the Spectral Knights, so if they have any chance of winning in the finale next issue it will be a Deus Ex Machina...yay....