IDW - Transformers Valentines Day Special

Written by: Patrick Ehlers & Sara Pitre-Durocher

Art by: Jack Lawrence & Sara Pitre-Durocher

Colours by: Josh Burcham & Sara Pitre-Durocher

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editors: David Mariotte, Tom Waltz & Riley Farmer

Main Story Plot

Following her hard work and requests, Glyph's request for an assignment to research the languages of Planet SDS-359 has been accepted. She tells her friend, the former gladiator Tap-Out, who s feeling useless in the modern world and offers him a role in her mission as a bodyguard.

The two arrive on SDS-359, where they quickly encounter the mammalian natives, but Glyph seems to offend them with her attempts to communicate, leading to them unleashing a guardian beast to attack the Cybertronians. Tap-Out, always eager for a fight, immediately attacks the monster, leading to Glyph's embarrassment, but the native's delight

Over time, more guardians are unleashed, and Tap-Out defeats them all, whilst Glyph is failing to translate their language properly. She tells Tap-Out that they need to leave the planet soon, and if she doesn't translate the language, or make any progress before then, then her mission will be deemed a failure.

Tap-Out tries to speak to the natives again, but they simply summon another monster. He goes to attack it, but s run down by Glyph, who attacks instead, gaining the respect of the natives. She realized, that she knows their language through their preliminary studies of the planet, but that she couldn't use the language properly because the species only respects violence, and she needed to respect that for her to fully comprehend and speak the language itself.

The two soon leave, speaking the native language fluently, having completed their mission...

Back-up Story Plot

Space Security Chief Cosmos is a bit bored of his job, all he ever does is collect debris and the occasional adrift Gears from orbit, to keep Cybertron safe from space-bound problems. However all this work is very lonely.

One day whilst in space, Cosmos receives a ping and assumes it is Gears adrift again, but instead it's another space-traveller, Blast Off, who is also a bit bored and alone. The two soon make friends and talk whilst on their respective jobs. One day, Cosmos realizes that he doesn't even know what his new friend looks like, so he sends him a group shot of him and several others, before appearing right behind him.

Characters

Cybertronian

Glyph - Car

Tap-Out - Car

Nautica - Submarine

Apeface - Ape/Jet

Xeno-Relations Division Employees

Cybertronian Civilians 

Cosmos - Orbiter (Back-Up Story Only)

Blast Off - Space Shuttle (Back-Up Story Only)

Gears - Van (Back-Up Story Only)

Tailgate - Car (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Onslaught - Tank (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Brawl - Tank (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Vortex - Helicopter (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Swndle - Van (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Quake - Tank (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Hardhead - Tank (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

First Aid - Ambulance (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Tow-Line - Van (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Tidal Wave - Battleship (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Giant Aileron - Space Shuttle (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

TFA Blackout - Helicopter (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

TFA Lugnut - Bomber Jet (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Armada Jetfire - Space Shuttle (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Armada Scavenger - Bulldozer (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Classics Jetfire - Jet (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Others in Photo (Back-Up Story Photo Only)

Sentinel Prime - Space Shuttle (Mentioned)

Primus (Mentioned)

Other

SDS-359 Native Mammals

SDS-359 Guardians

Notes

• Obviously, this story is a special issue released around Valentines day 2020, with both stories being set n continuity with the current IDW series, with both stories seemingly set before the events of the man series.
• Gladiatorial matches have been mentioned to be banned in the past, though this issue states that Sentinel Prime banned them, its been implied before now that Nominus was the one who banned them
• Glyph and Tap-out's story, following them being alone on an alien planet and growing close, essentially makes this an updated retelling of their backstory from the Extended Universe 3H comic days.
• It's unclear in the story itself, but the later released Transformers #17 confirms that Gears keeps ending up adrift in space because of his work on the Winged Moon, and him not adjusting for the lack of gravity when working there
• Blast Off's "class picture" that he sends to Cosmos includes a load of cameos, but a lot of them are just generics made by the artist to fill in space. A few of them are also based on toys, but don't appear to be the actual character (like the Classics Jetfire, who should be using the Siege Jetfire in this series instead)
• It's not stated, but the reveal the Blast Off and most of the Combaticons are in the Rise in Galaxies #4 could imply that he is carrying Risers or supplies for them during this story
• The solicits at the back of this issue shows how late the man series has been being released recently, with the "next issue" to be released being marketed as #19, and stating that #5 of Galaxies is available already...both of which being VERY wrong...