IDW - Unicron #1

Main Story

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Alex Milne

Colours by: Sebastian Cheng

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: David Mariotte

Publisher: Greg Goldstein

Side Story

Title: Ad Infinitum

Script by: Chris Ryall

Art by: David Messina

Colours by: Alessandra Alexakis

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Edits by: David Mariotte

Main Plot

Long ago....Unicron and Primus battled, resulting in the former's loss, and Primus turning himself into Cybertron. Over time the people of Cybertron believed Unicron to just be a story and eventually forgot about him, but now he has awoken...

Since his awakening, he has devoured the active, and even lost colony worlds of LV-117, Prion, Gorlam Prime, Velocitron, Elonia, Eukaris, Arduria, Tsehshi and Devisiun and is now approaching Caminus. This time however, the Transformers are ready, and along with Rom of the Solstar Order, wanting revenge for Elonia's destruction, are ready to defend the colony world in orbit. Unfortunately, the now defeated Shockwave's Maximal army have joined forces with Unicron and fight off the Transformers in the skies of Caminus.

Back on Cybertron, Windblade monitors the battle from a planning station, whilst unhappy with the plan at hand, but is still convinced that this is their best chance to defeat Unicron.

On Caminus' surface, the population of the colony are rushing to the Temple of Light for salvation from their very literal apocalypse, whilst Stormclash and Skyburst work on repairing the Spacebridge to evacuate the planet. Pyra berates the Mistress of Flame for still believing in the gods and hoping they'll help them, but the religious leader keeps her faith.

In orbit, the Transformers fight off the Maximals whilst Optimus leads and team of himself, Arcee and Bumblebee into a hole they've managed to make on Unicron's surface, so they can try and destroy him from the inside.

Outside, things are going badly with several Transformers, including Dirge being killed by the Maximals.

Inside Unicron's body, Optimus' team find themselves coming across the remains of several planets Unicron has eaten, and even come across the Quintesson mural from LV-117, the first known world eaten by Unicron, indicating they're getting close. 

The crew locate a cavern made up of several worlds that appears to have been merged into a forest, where Arcee even locates the dead body of an ancient Omega Sentinel, which leads them to believe the stories of Primus and Unicron battling in the past, since the Sentinels have been gone for millenia. Before they can really check further however, they are attacked by some creatures made up of mismatched people eaten by Unicron.

Unicron begins his direct attack on Caminus, shooting a beam at the planet, then beginning to pierce the surface. The twins have completed the Spacebridge repairs and the population start filtering away to Cybertron, though it's taking some time...

The Maximals break through the orbital defence and start attacking the surface, intending to trap enough Camiens there to be eaten too, but the Mistress of Flame steps up, and declares it to be her duty to defend her people. She gives he staff to Pyra and sends her and the others away, as she shoots fire from her chest at the Maximals.

The Unicron team are overwhelmed by Unicron's Antibodies, but are able to be teleported back to Ark Zero, just as Unicron devours Caminus, and the Mistress of Flame is devoured with it...

Luckily, thanks to the Mistress of Flame's sacrifice, the population of Caminus were able to escape, including Pyra, who cradles the staff, mourning her former leader's death...

At the jail, Starscream has come to visit the captured Shockwave, who wanted to speak to him, he reveals that his plans when attacking Cybertron were to poison the planet, so that when Unicron attacks, he will be killed. He wants Starscream to free him so they can create a new Decepticon empire, but Starscream isn't interested. He watches as Optimus' ship and the rest of the fleet return to Cybertron and gets an idea...

Optimus leaves the ship, held up by his team, having been injured by the Antibodies, and reports to a disappointed Windblade about how they failed to get information on Unicron, despite sacrificing Caminus to try.

Optimus is now concerned that Unicron will come after Carcer, Cybertron and Earth now and will destroy everything they have built up. Bumblebee points out that, assuming Cybertron isn't counted as a colony, then they've only accounted for twelve of them, when there's supposed to be thirteen!

Starscream appears, now bearing his insignias again, and waving a Decepticon flag, and declares to the displaced colonists that HE knows how to save them all, and will lead them to defeating Unicron.

Optimus, and the others, are of course not having any of this....

Side Story Plot

Rom meets with his fellow surviving Solstar Knights with Bumblebee and Imperator Carax, to try and involve them in the battle with Unicron, since they need to avenge the destruction of Elonia, and all the other worlds eaten by the creature. Q'b is vocally opposed to joining the fight, since they've already lost.

Rom however reminds him that despite the odds, they have to fight for what is right, as that is what the Solstar Order is for!

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Arcee - Sports Car

Windblade - VTOL Fighter Jet

Aileron - Space Shuttle

Jetfire - Fighter Jet

Bumblebee - Car

Beachcomber - Buggy

Silverbolt - Concorde Jet

Fireflight - Fighter Jet

Skydive - Fighter Jet

Air Raid - Fighter Jet

Pyra Magna - Fire Truck

Rust Dust - Motorcycle

Stormclash - Helicopter

Skyburst - Helicopter

Jumpstream - Sports Car

Dust Up - Sports Car

Roadmaster - Van

Javelin

Proxima

Metroplex - Iacon City

Omega Supreme - Ship (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Starscream - Fighter Jet (Rejoins Decepticons)

Shockwave - Flying Artillery

Soundwave - Cassette Player

Acid Storm - Fighter Jet

Dirge - Fighter Jet Killed by Maximal Rampage

Sparkstalker - Insect Monster

Maximal

Optimus Primal - Gorilla

Dino Megatron - Tyrannosaurus Rex

Drago Megatron - Dragon

Rampage - Crab

Saberback - Stegosaurus

Guiledart - Triceratops

Killer Punch - Styracosaurus

Sea Clamp - Lobster

Buzzclaw - Lizard-Mantis

Scorponok - Scorpion Killed by Dirge

Cataclysm - Panther Killed by Dirge

Sandstorm - Scorpion Killed by Dirge

Wolfang - Wolf Killed by Dirge

Razorbeast - Wild Boar Killed by Soundwave

Inferno - Ant Devoured by Unicron

Other Maximals

Solstar Order

Rom K'atsema

Livia (Ad Infinitum Only)

Imperator Carax (Ad Infinitum Only)

Q'b (Ad Infinitum Only)

Nikomi (Ad Infinitum Only)

Sata (Ad Infinitum Only)

Guar (Ad Infinitum Only)

Plor (Ad Infinitum Only)

Orphion (Flashback) Dead

Fy-Laa (Flashback) Dead

Maur (Flashback)

Cybertronian/Colonist

Mistress of Flame Devoured with Caminus

Caminus - Ship Devoured with Colony World

Knock Out - Sports Car

Breakdown - Armoured Van

Lightbright

Vigilem - Carcer Ship Dead, Mode Locked

Pink Camien - Jet

Camien Civilians

Cybertronians and Colonist Warriors/Civilians

Omega Sentinel - Ship Dead Body inside Unicron

Prion - Ship Dead, Body Devoured by Unicron (Flashback)

Navitas - Delta City Devoured by Unicron (Flashback)

Quintesson Judge (Mural Image)

"The Arisen" (Mentioned)

Solus Prime (Mentioned)

The Thirteen Primes (Mentioned)

Other

Unicron - Ringed Planet

Antibodies

Ardurian Rocs Devoured by Unicron (Flashback)

Primus - Cybertron (Flashback)

Dire Wraiths (Mentioned)

The Absence Dead (Mentioned) 

The Presence Dead (Mentioned)

Nikomi's Kids Devoured by Unicron (Mentioned) 

Shah K'atsema Dead (Mentioned) 

Benna K'atsema Dead (Mentioned)

Reyn K'atsema Dead (Mentioned) 

Notes

• Here it is! The finale to the Hasbroverse has properly begun! However as is common with IDW, this issue is released on time, but Optimus Prime and Lost Light #21 were supposed to be released BEFORE this one, so expect some spoilers in this one!
• This series includes a side story and some background interviews and articles. This one's interviews are with Simon Furman and EJ Su
• When we left Unicron in #0, he was just attacking Eukaris. Since then he's taken out Arduria, Tsehshi and Devisiu, the latter of which is one of the founding worlds of the Council of Worlds
• Optimus' new double barrelled shoulder cannons seem to be emulating his Powermaster counterpart's
• It's so dark inside Unicron's body (in places) that Optimus and the others use headlights and even energon weapons to light their way
• The idea of Unicron's antibodies being made of his victims was actually seen in DDP's GI Joe vs Transformers Black Horizon, though they weren't merged together like these ones are...
• Amongst the Cybertronian bodies used for the Antibodies also appears to be the bodies of Elonians...ewww…
• So...does anyone wanna bet that we'll get a mind-freak scene of several beloved Transformers being turned into Antibodies, just to mess with the main characters towards the end of this series?
• Why is Beachcomber still allowed to be a prison guard?! He keeps getting blackmailed and beaten up!
• Shockwave's claim that he has been working to poison Cybertron for some time to in turn kill Unicron is actually plausible! He was shown to be the one who created the Talisman, which was used to poison Cybertron's energy supplies. He really is a master planner!
• Whilst the 13th Colony is likely going to be revealed to be Quintessa, since we know Quintus Prime and Quintessons exist in this continuity, but how do we know that LV-117 was the first colony destroyed like Bumblebee and the others are assuming?
• Also, why does Optimus think Unicron will come to Cybertron before Earth? It would make more sense to go after all the colonies first BEFORE going for Primus' body (Cybertron) itself
• Starscream has gotten back his Decepticon insignias, having gotten rid of them when he announced himself the new leader of Cybertron back in Robots in Disguise.
• It's not mentioned here, but remember that the Titan Caminus was also killed along with the planet itself
• Omega Supreme is referenced in passing. He's been off panel and injured since the end of the pre-Dark Cybertron storyline of Robots in Disguise
• The bronze-looking Solstar Knight seen in Ad Infinitum is apparently based on Plor the Pulsar from the Marvel series...but we shouldn't talk about him because of legal issues...shhhhh
• Nikomi and Q'b are revealed to still be alive, despite being part of the team who were killed by Unicron in #0. It can be assumed they just escaped somehow
• Ad Infinitum includes a credit for Christos Gage, the co-writer of the Rom series, as a victim of Unicron...I guess he was visiting Eukaris when it was eaten then?
• We also get a credit of thanks to Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, the creators of the original Marvel Rom comics
• Judging by the advert at the end of this comic, it seems like every Hasbroverse franchise will be involved in this event...most likely a lot of these will be in the side stories to wrap up their story arcs.