FBF - To The Death #5

Title: Asphodel

Story: Simon Furman

Art: Geoff Senior

Letterer: Martin Baines

Design by: Amazing15

Printed in the UK by: Mixam

Plot

With Dryagin gone, Diamond Bill releases the others from the Firedrake's tractor beam, and resigns his commission, refusing to work for a monster like Kraken. Kraken has the team arrest Bill for him, and also bring Leone back to the ship, to be dealt with later, warning the rest that they'll be dealt with too if they betray him. They begrudgingly agree, whilst Kraken heads off to kill Dryagin himself.

On Earth, the female Sleepwalker is searching around a place called "Echo Conclave" to find her target, and is directed to it by a small child, whom she pays with some computer chips.

Back on the Moon, Dryagin drives the Luna-Quad he was left by Bill and heads towards the Luna-6 facility, rather than the closer Luna-4, assuming Kraken won't be there. Unfortunately, Kraken knows Dryagin too well and intercepts him along the way, causing both quads to crash, and Dryagin gets fired on by him, leading him to a rock to try and hide behind, but unfortunately one of the Cyber warriors find him, and aim directly at him.

Kraken orders the Cyber to let him get the kill, takes aim, and then the Cyber suddenly turns on him, filling Kraken with bullet holes, before telling the confused Dryagin to run away, unaware that the original operator has been killed and replaced by the Sleepwalker on Earth.

An alien spacecraft arrives at Earth, and Killatoa exits to meet with the Triumvirate, to learn who his new target is.

On the Moon, King's team arrives and find Kraken's body, and communicates with Snow through the Cyber, who has remained next to the dead body, who explains that he now has full control of it's sensory output, but also urges King to hurry up, as their enemies may have called in someone stronger to take out Dryagin now that Kraken is dead.

Elsewhere, the Pacifiers defy Kraken's orders and free both Leone and Bill, intending to go after Dryagin and rescue him, regardless of their orders, since they're all fed up of being used now.

Dryagin arrives at a Lunar Spaceport, where he finds King's shuttle, and attempts to take it for himself, inside he finds the technician, and Mazur, the latter of whom he manages to defeat in battle, assuming he's an enemy. He is stopped from killing the White Noise member when King returns and activates a holo-communicator, allowing Dryagin to talk to Snow, who explains that he used to work for the Energy Corp and that his team's first mission to Asphodel was so they could create an extinction weapon, which his team is now trying to disable, before it can be used. He also informs Dryagin that the Triumvirate ordered the deaths of his wife and child, causing him to be devastated.

The Pacifiers arrive in the Firedrake, and order King and his team to step away from Dryagin, also assuming them to be the enemy too

Characters

Pacificers

Aleksy Dryagin

Josiah Kraken Killed by Sleepwalker in Cyber Warrior

Jonas Huey

Leone

Bette Larssen

Hash Flynn

Megan Umber

Dolan Rekt

Diamond Bill

The Echelon (Mentioned)

White Noise

Deacon Snow

Juddh King

Mazur

Trent Hubble Still Kidnapped into Team

Female Sleepwalker

Rest of King's Tac-Team

Energy Corp/Tri-Corp

Veni

Vidi

Vici

Sebastian Pelle (Flashback)

Lucius Warrender (Flashback)

Beauregard Percy (Flashback)

Crowe (Flashback)

Future Technologies Scientists (Flashback)

Cerberus (Mentioned)

Other Human

Recycle Café Cyber Soldier Operator Killed by Sleepwalker

Random Civilians

Lena Dryagin (Mentioned) Claimed to be Dead by Snow

Leo Dryagin (Mentioned) Claimed to be Dead by Snow

Last Cyber Soldier Operator (Mentioned)

Other

Killatoa

Asphodel's Denizens (Flashback) Now Extinct

Notes

• So it turns out that the opening scenes last issue where Dryagin is approached by a Cyber-Warrior was actually set during THIS issue, not the previous one, like I thought before.
• During the brief visit to Earth early in the story, we can see that the feed from the Moon has been stopped, and replaced with re-runs of previous missions, most likely because people may start rioting if they learned that Dryagin is the one being actively targeted for death.
• Kraken says "All that is over, finished." A very Furmanism-filled line :D
• Oh and then he says "End of the Road"!! I love this series 
• We learn that one of the sleepwalker's missions is to replace a Cyber-Warrior, and to use it to help Dryagin survive, so we should be able to assume that the other one was sent to take out the other remaining one too.
• We finally get a view of Killatoa, who basically looks like an amphibious version of Death's Head, a character that Furman created back in the 80's, and is also a hired gun of sorts.
• The kidnapped engineer from the past couple issues is finally named as "Trent Hubble"...oddly this is probably the most normal name we've had in the series so far!
• Still no names for most of King's team however...this doesn't bode well for them!
• We learn that the man we saw with Snow in the prequel story is Beauregard Percy, who along with his equally old and decrepit fellows, Sebastian Pelle and Lucius Warrender, were the heads of Energy Corp and ran the same positions as the Triumvirate do in the comic's present. From how large they look, and how Killatoa questions whether they are still "gentlemen" we can either assume that these are cloned or robotic bodies used by these older characters.
• Snow decides to tell Dryagin that Lena and Leo were killed in the explosion, rather than him rescuing them. This is either the truth, but the ones we've seen before are AI based on them, or he is lying to Dryagin to get him angry enough to take down the Triumvirate for him (I personally believe it to be the latter)
• Snow also mentions that he would have tried to redirect Dryagin's mission, had he of known he was the one leading it, implying some hidden connection. Considering his unwillingness to show himself to Lena, despite happily doing so with Dryagin, we can probably assume that he is related to her, possibly her father or grandfather.
• The Asphodel Extinction Weapon, as previously seen in the prequel story, is confirmed to be an extinction weapon made from the resources of Asphodel, and not a weapon to destroy the planet, or something related to it at least.
• The Cerberus mentioned in this issue is likely just a code-name for the Triumvirate, but knowing this writer, I'm going to class it as another "character", just in case.

IDW - Transformers (2019) #13

Title: The Change in Your Nature, Part 1

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Angel Hernandez & Alex Milne 

Colours by: Joana LaFuente 

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

The Ascenticons have their bodies branded with the new purple Ascenticon insignia, and Bee decides to use this moment to confront Skytread for him attacking him during the attack on the Ascenticon HQ, allowing the Rise to capture Barricade. Skytread tries to ignore the accusation, but Bee attacks the other Ascenticon, until Elita-1 steps in a separates the two, with Bee pointing out to her that something is wrong with her Acsenticon Guard.

At the medical centre, Ratchet tells Chromia that Windblade should be able to wake up soon to heal by herself, and the topic shifts to the list she recovered from the Rise base, some of whom have been identified, and are being hunted down, but to no real avail, and they learn that more riots are starting up, and some calls for elections are starting to begin...

Whilst on patrol, Sideswipe and Springer are informed of a break-in at a near-by sub-station, so they head out to investigate, with Springer going ahead, using his aerial mode (much to Sideswipe's annoyance).

Springer soon arrives at the station, and finds a Rise team raiding the facility, he confronts them, but is overwhelmed by them, Sideswipe soon arrives and the duo chase the Risers to an Immersant, where they've holed up and attack the security members from the mountainous Cybertronian's body, stopping them from getting closer.

Meanwhile, at Ascenticon HQ, Bee tries to hack into the personnel records of the Ascenticons, but is caught by Elita, who he convinces to help him, due to her also finding things strange lately. Elita breaks him into the database, but finds that the records for Barricade and Quake were both erased, right after they were capture and went missing, respectively, the latter, being the same night Rubble was killed, and that these files were deleted by Soundwave himself.

Soundwave bursts in, demanding to know what they were doing, and Elita quickly lies that Bee wanted to know what information was being held on him, which Soundwave seems to accept. He informs them to get ready for a mission to the Immersant, as they can use this situation to show off the new face of the Ascenticons to the world...

Chromia is sending out Security to aid in the fight at the Immersant, but is stopped briefly by Ratchet, who wants to tell her his findings in person. Most of the Risers on the list were ex-miners, gladiators, intelligence and military officers, but noticed one name, who was both a miner and intelligence officer at different stages, someone who is fond of using drills...Frenzy...

Characters

Autobot

Sentinel Prime - Space Shuttle

Orion Pax - Truck (Mentioned)

Security Forces

Chromia - Car

Prowl - Police Car

Crosshairs - Van

Sideswipe - Car

Springer - Car/Helicopter

Nightbeat

Windblade - VTOL Jet Still in CR Chamber

"Autotroopers"

Other Security Officers

Ascenticon

Soundwave - Hovercraft

Elita-1 - Car

Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft

Acid Storm - Tetrajet

Skytread - Tank and Jet

Jhiaxus - Jet

Deadlock

Ambulon

Refraktor - Hovercraft (Mentioned)

Other Ascenticons

The Rise

Ruckus

Wirespike

Kaskade

"Drill-bot"

Quake - Tank (Mentioned)

Barricade - Police Car (Mentioned)

Sixshot - Jet/Car/Tank/Gun/Beast (Mentioned)

Lugnut (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Ratchet - Ambulance

Damus

"Immersant Titan" Went Immersant as a Mountain Range

"Energon Production Rep"

"Movie Hubcap"

Other Bar Patrons

Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned) Dead

Rubble (Mentioned) Dead

Hoist (Mentioned)

Flatline (Mentioned)

Heretech (Mentioned)

The Reversionists (Mentioned)

Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• Hernandez deals with the artwork for the scenes dealing with the Risers and their stand-off at the Immersant, the rest of the issue is done by Milne (the main artist for MTMTE, Unicron and other series from old IDW) 
• Despite using the new insignia here, the Ascenticons are not identified as "Decepticons" yet...This will be confusing if I forget about this point later in the series!
• Former Decepticons turned Autobot from old IDW, Deadlock and Ambulon appear this issue, time will tell if they will jump ship like they have in the past this time too.
• Bee uses the head-mounted light he used at the start of the series, but this time in a combative way, using it to blind Skytread briefly, before punching him.
• Ratchet confirms that Windblade can get out of her CR chamber to finish healing herself soon. I'm not going to believe this until she is out of it though, especially after what happened to the old IDW's Sideswipe.
• The Dremden system is mentioned briefly as being a past opponent in a battle with Cybertron, this is likely where the Occulted Dremden, first mentioned last issue, come from
• The second bot who meets with Sentinel is unidentified, so it's unclear if he's a new character, or an older one, but with an unfamiliar design.
• The bot being chased by the "Autotroopers" appears to be based on Movie series Hubcap, but using the Dipstick/Tappet character model
• The Autotroopers appear to be based on the toy of Power of the Primes Jazz's mold (though that is a basic character design, so it may just be a coincidence)
• Brainstorm is revealed to have been killed by impaling with machinery, likely a drill.
• This issue confirms that Sixshot does indeed still have six modes.
• Following the murder of Brainstorm, security have added monitors to the sub-stations to alert security to intruders etc.
• Elita-1 is continuing to show signs that she is going to switch sides, along with Bee, with her being uncertain over the recent events in the Ascenticons and the blatant cover-up taking place
• The unnamed drill-bot Rise member goes unnamed here, but due to his mention at the end, it is possible that this character is Frenzy, but in an unfamiliar design, however he does bear a superficial similarity to Drillhorn, a character with a drill tank mode, and also has a rhino theme (hence the horn thingies on his head)
• The security trucks at the end of the issue look similar to the alternate used by Roller in the old IDW, implying that one of them might be him
• It was mentioned earlier in the series that the bot who killed Brainstorm looked "blue or bluish") so if Frenzy was the killer, then this is a FIBRIR universe, and I am okay with that :)

Sig Pub - Transformers #49

Notes

• As mentioned last month, this issue features the first two episodes of Season Two, "Sea of Tranquility" and "Bad Moon Rising", as screen-cap comics
• This month's magazine features an oversized cover again, so you get a photo, instead of a scan this time!
• As might have been expected, the prolonged scene of Megatron seemingly killing Starscream is dramatically cut down in this version. In one panel he is aiming his cannon at Screamer, the next, he is "dead"
• The free gifts this month are a watch blaster, a Bumblebee action figure, and a pack of stickers (a continued series from the completed set from the past 3 issues)

Features

Sticker Poster - Apply the stickers to the pull-out poster made from the cover!

Get Ready to Rumble! - Do some puzzles with Grimlock! (not Rumble)

Quick Change! - Lead Bee through a maze

Soundwave Fact! - Complete a cipher puzzle to find out a fact about Soundwave

Colour in Optimus! - Do I need to explain this one?

Battle of the Bots - Bumblebee vs Starscream profiles

Be Prepared for the Power of the Spark!- Do some Season Two themed puzzles

Colour Ratchet! - Colour in a picture of some guy

Autobot Imposters! - Find the odd-one out in an Autobot line-up

Search and Find!- Find some certain items in a picture

Which Autobot are you? - Take a personality test to see who you are (I'm Wheeljack)

Transformers Post - Those human kids have sent in demonic drawings again!

Competitions - Enter contests to win some Cyberverse stuff!

IDW - Transformers vs Ghostbusters #5

Title: Ghosts of Cybertron, Part 5

Written by: Erik Burnham

Art by: Dan Schoening

Colours by: Luis Antonio Delgado

Letters by: Christa Miesner

Assistant Editor: Megan Brown

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

Optimus and Megatron's ghost battle it out, the other Decepticon ghosts don't see the point in joining in with the battle, since they see the logic in taking up Optimus' offer to restore their bodies.

Starscream however, decides to try and get revenge on Venkman for capturing him earlier and attacks the Ghostbusters, the other Decepticons decide to join him, as centuries of entrapment has left them feeling blood-hungry and attack the humans as well. Soundwave is quickly defeated and captured, after deploying manifestations of his cassette minions, who explode after his capture. Shockwave is also soon captured, but Starscream, seeing that he can't win, flies away quietly.

Optimus manages to defeat Megatron's ghost, but the Decepticon winds up tumbling into Ectotron, and possesses his body. The possessed Autobot pummels into Optimus, who is unwilling to harm one of his own Autobots, and the Ghostbusters remember the mood slime they were given last issue, and remember that the mood slime can exorcise ghosts from their possessed victim. They have Optimus hold him down, and they pour it down his mouth.

Ectotron "vomits" and exorcises Megatron, who is mutated, and tries to jump into Optimus, so he can use him to control the Autobots and create a new Decepticon empire.

Ectotron however fires on the Decepticon ghost, and Megatron is captured.

Optimus decides to take the captured Decepticons with him, so they can perhaps give them new bodies eventually, but Ectotron reveals that he doesn't plan to return to the Ark yet, as he believes that there may be some more Decepticon ghosts out there, and he wants to go and capture them so they can be helped too eventually. Optimus okays the mission and wishes his soldier luck.

After fixing the things he broke, and repairing the real Ecto-1, Ectotron leaves the Earth and heads out to find more ghosts...seemingly unaware that Starscream is watching from the space around Earth....

The end?

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Ectronymous Diamatron/Ectotron - Ecto-1 Replica

Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft (Fantasy Only)

Jazz - Hovercar (Fantasy Only)

Sunstreaker (Fantasy Only)

Decepticon

Megatron Captured by the Ghostbusters, Taken to Space with Optimus

Soundwave - Lamp Post Captured by the Ghostbusters, Taken to Space with Optimus

Shockwave - Ray Gun Captured by the Ghostbusters, Taken to Space with Optimus

Starscream - Tetra Jet

Ravage Manifestation Destroyed when Soundwave was Captured

Laserbeak Manifestation Destroyed when Soundwave was Captured

Buzzsaw Manifestation Destroyed when Soundwave was Captured

Ghostbusters

Peter Venkman

Ray Stantz

Winston Zeddemore

Egon Spengler

Janine Melnitz (Mentioned)

Notes

• This issue marks the end of the Transformers/Ghostbusters crossover event for both franchise's 35th anniversaries. However the end hints that a sequel may be in the works
• Despite how it looked earlier in the series, neither Soundwave nor Shockwave turn red when they get angry or fight, but Starscream and Megatron both do.
• Winston mentions GI Joe as a franchise, meaning they don't likely exist in real life in this continuity (unlike in the 80's Transformers series...)
• The grid effect used when Megatron possesses Ectotron and when he gets captured is based on the same one used when he is converted into Galvatron in the 80's movie 
• Megatron's mutated ghost form, after in-possessing Ectotron, is based on his Aligned counterpart.
• Despite them actually appearing earlier in the series, neither Wheeljack or Grimlock are shown in Megatron's fantasy
• In Megatron's fantasy or possessing Optimus, he sees Optimus with Megatron's fusion cannon on his arm, and what appears to be Decepticon insignias on his shoulders (I could be wrong, since they are quite small though)...good disguise Megs...
• Ectotron gains his nametag here! Now he looks more like his actual toy, yay!
• Ectotron's ship, finally seen at the end of the comic, is revealed to be based on the Lifepod shuttle from the G1 cartoon (the episode Dark Awakening to be exact) 
• The ending's "Ectotron will Return..." is based on the tag made popular from the end credits of the MCU movies

IDW - Transformers Galaxies #1

Title: Constructicons Rising, Part 1

Written by: Tyler Bleszinski

Art by: Livio Ramondelli

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

On Mayalx, the Constructicons are finishing off the Energon processing complex, and reminisce over the past, and long to return home to Cybertron, they hope that after this project they can return, but are also well aware that the people of Cybertron are afraid of them...

Long ago, following the war against the Threefold Spark, Iacon has been mostly destroyed, so Termagax and Wheeljack lead the reconstruction project, and are soon accompanied by the Constructicons , a team of prodigy builders.

During their work at Rivet's Field, the Constructicons have an unexpected discovery, the Enigma of Combination. Termagax explains to them that this artefact allows Cybertronians to combine and pool their abilities together, and asks them if they would be willing to attempt a combination to make the reconstruction process go past quicker, which they agree to.

The Constructicons soon embrace the Enigma , but struggle to even move with the new form, however they do manage to use their powers to smash a hole in the ground, saving them ten cycles worth of work in the process. The team decombine, and are drained. Scrapper is unsure if he wants to combine again, but Termagax says they should, and reiterates that they make a great team, unlike the previous combiner, whose members did not have a shared goal, and it went on a rampage, before being separated.

Termagax and Wheeljack leave, with Wheeljack worried about the Constructicon's new ability, but Termagax states that so long as they concentrate on building, then the combiner should have the same desires, and wont go on the rampage too.

Soon, with the help of the Constructicon's new form, Iacon is rebuilt, and it is considered a masterpiece.

Back in the present, the Constructicons continue with work on the processing complex, unaware that Bombshell is watching them...planning to use them for his plan....

Characters

Cybertronian

Scrapper - Earth Mover

Hook - Crane

Scavenger - Excavator

Mixmaster - Mixing Truck

Bonecrusher - Bulldozer

Long Haul - Dump Truck

Bombshell

Mayalx Energon Processing Complex Staff

"Unnamed Devastator" - Constructicon Gestalt (Flashback Only)

Termagax - Truck (Flashback Only)

Wheeljack - Car (Flashback Only)

Abominus - Terrorcon Gestalt (Flashback Only) Defeated and Parts Scattered

Primus (Mentioned)

Megatron - Armoured Vehicle (Mentioned)

"The Threefold Spark" (Mentioned) Defeated

Notes

• The present day segments of this story appear to be set along with the present day of the main title. The flashback scenes however seem to tale place before the events shown in issue six of the main title, due to the future Senators discussing the Constructicons as established builders there.
• The flashbacks of this story appear to be the earliest set story in this new continuity so far, showing just after the war against the Threefold Spark
• The Constructicons are mentioned to have left their Mentors earlier than usual.
• Termagax is revealed to have been Megatron's Mentor in the past.
• Termagax mentions the need to "Ascend", likely showing us the birth of her future Ascenticon movement.
• The Constructicons blame Wheeljack for them finding the Enigma of Combination, and causing them to combine and be "exiled"...but Termagax was literally the one who suggested that they should combine...why isn't she to blame?
• The Enigma is located in Rivet's Field, which in the old IDW was one of the Hot Spots and later the launch site of the Lost Light.
• The Enigma was an artefact first seen in the old IDW, as the signature item of Nexus Prime, which, like here, allows Cybertronians to combine.
• Devastator is shown to have normal optics, with a retractable visor to go over them, referencing the different head models of Devastator from the G1 cartoon.
• The previous user of the Enigma isn't named here, but from the words "Terror" and "Abomination" as well as his recognizable silhouette, we can easily see it's the Terrorcons and Abominus 
• The last two pages are seemingly in the "present", even though the comic itself neglects to show that, with another "Now." caption, like with every other time skip.
• The statue that Bombshell is shown standing on at the end appears to be of Megatronus/The Fallen of the Thirteen.