IDW - Transformers (2019) #8

Title: The Cracks Beneath Your Feet, Part Two

Written by: Brain Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova, Angel Hernandez & Beth McGuire-Smith

Colours by: Joana LaFuente & Josh Burcham

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

Flamewar calls in to Shadow Striker, reporting that Cyclonus is ripping up their hidden cables, and despite Shadow Striker's orders to stand down, Flamewar decides to attack to stop him.

Inevitably, Cyclonus pummels the smaller bot, but the tides turn when Shadow Striker appears and starts firing on Cyclonus too. Cyclonus flies off, but Striker fires upon him, hitting the flyer, and Striker berates Flamewar for her stupidity.

Elsewhere, Megatron visits Termagax in her fortress, where he tells her about the recent bombing at an Ascenticon rally, but she has no interest in the outside world, and is busy building in her workshop. She says Megatron can just continue leading the Ascenticons, as she doesn't trust or believe in the Senate any more, so he leaves.

Outside, Megatron contacts Soundwave and tells him that she won't get in their way...

Back in the city, Bumblebee has been accepted into the Ascenticon Guard and Elita-1 informs him that Megatron wants him to be part of the guard for Megatron at an upcoming Senate meeting, so he can show off an ex-security officer and friend to Autobots has joined his side, which Bee seems fine with.

Meanwhile, at the Security HQ, Froid is being questioned by Chromia and Prowl about if Quake could be capable of murder, due to his well known anger issues and his recent disappearance. Froid agrees that he is likely to be capable of murder, but also that many more could be too, as their species is being repressed too much, and someone was bound to snap eventually.

At that moment, Cyclonus crashes into the wall, burying Froid in rubble, and hobbles in injured from the earlier attack. he tells Chromia that Shadow Striker attacked him, and where they are, before being allowed to go see Ratchet. Froid offers to join him, but Cyclonus flat out refuses. Froid calls out that he should talk to Paragon, confusing everyone else, to which Froid just explains that he's the one Cyclonus needs to talk to really, before leaving.

In the aftermath, Chromia tells Sideswipe to open up the armoury so they can go after Shadow Striker and the rest of her suspected Rise members, regardless of whether it's going to get them in trouble....

Characters

Security Forces/Autobot

Chromia - Car

Prowl - Police Vehicle

Sideswipe - Car

Froid - UAV

Sentinel Prime - Space Shuttle (Mentioned)

Orion Pax - Truck (Mentioned)

Windblade - VTOL Jet (Mentioned)

Barricade - Police Vehicle (Mentioned)

Ratchet - Ambulance (Mentioned)

Ascenticon

Termagax

Megatron - Treaded Vehicle

Elita-1 - Car

Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft

Other Ascenticons

Soundwave - Hovercraft (Mentioned)

Skytread - Tank and Jet (Mentioned)

Refraktor - Hovercraft (Mentioned)

Quake - Tank (Mentioned) Gone Missing

The Rise

Shadow Striker - Car

Flamewar - Motorcycle

Other Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet

Grudge (Ghost)

Gridlock (Ghost)

The Senate (Mentioned)

Paragon (Mentioned)

Rubble (Mentioned) Dead

Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned) Dead

Pyra Magna (Mentioned)

Starscream - Jet (Mentioned)

The Missing Cybertronians (Mentioned)

Brainstorm's Killer (Mentioned)

Other

Primus (Mentioned)

Preserved Voin Corpse (In Termagax's Workshop)

Notes

• This issue comes with another packet of Transformers TCG cards, and again I got nothing good from it :(
• Art duties this month are split as such: Malkova does the Cyclonus vs Flamewar scene, Hernandez does the Megatron and Bumblebee scenes, and newcomer McGuire-Smith does the Security Forces scene at the end. Interestingly, I legitimately thought that was Andrew Griffith doing the final pages until I just checked the credits page....I am shocked!
• The first page of this issue takes place before Flamewar attacks Cyclonus last issue, giving us her side of the situation.
• From the dialogue this issue, we learn that Shadow Striker, and by extension Flamewar, were amongst the missing Cybertronians mentioned previously, and are part of The Rise, who have gone underground to hide.
• Shadow Striker mentions playing something called "Dead-Dark-Drone" with someone who's name begins with "Fr-". This could be anyone, but considering Froid's presence in the issue, and his history of being someone evil-ish, we might be able to assume this is him?
• Also, Shadow Striker is a mostly purple robot, which could be seen as bluish in the dark. Is she Brainstorm's killer?
• Shadow Striker's design is based on her Cyberverse counterpart, rather than her pre-existing G1 counterparts.
• Flamewar has hidden flamethrowers in her arms....this makes sense with her name!
• Grudge's ghost mentions how Shadow Striker and Flamewar have illegally good weapons, likely being a reference to the Nominus Edict that stops Cybertronians from having external weaponry.
• Dialogue also implies that Shadow Striker was in some way related to the war with the Threefold Spark to, since Gridlock and Cyclonus both recognise her.
• Oh...Termagax actually appears!! I'm not sure what she would turn into yet, but she does have a claw-like hand, which sort of looks like a satellite receiver when opened up (still a cool design though!)
• Termagax appears to have a collection of dead things or weapons...that's not ominous at all!
• Termagax name-drops Pyra Magna here, and asks if she's been "let out", maybe she's the one who Froid isn't allowed to visit in the jail?
• Oh! Sideswipe also makes an appearance for the first time (despite speaking before)
• And adding one more to the character appearances, on the cover preview for next issue, we finally get a look at Sentinel Prime, who seems to be based directly on his Titans Return toy