IDW - Transformers #24

Title: Wheeljack: Orbital Decay

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Beth McGuire-Smith

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Plot

Following it's untethering from Cybertron, the Winged Moon is on an uncontrolled course towards the nearby sun. Most of the stranded individuals on the Moon are evacuated, but Wheeljack, Lancer, Huffer, Gears and Cosmos stay behind (with one escape shuttle) to try and save the planetoid, with Wheeljack being more determined due to the Moon being both Termagax's final big project before entering politics and her eventual self-exile, but also due to the Moon storing a sixth of Cybetron's current Energon supply.

After a couple of failed attempts, Lancer finds an Infiltration Trooper hiding on the escape shuttle, named Enemy, who admits that he was the one who was siphoning Energon from the Moon for the Rise, and also says he isn't sorry for the Tether being torn down by Vigilem.

The team make one last attempt to save the Moon by detonating the Wings and using the inner Energon stores to create a thruster, forcing it into a reverse course, away from the sun!

Following their success, most of the team celebrate inside, while Wheeljack basks in the glow of the now more distant sun on the surface. However, before they can get too far into their celebrations, Flamewar and the rest of "Team Stream" arrive, intending to steal the Moon!

Characters

Decepticon/Ascenticon/Rise

Enemy - Cassette

Slipstream - Jet

Shadow Striker - Car

Flamewar - Motorcycle

Astrotrain - Space Shuttle/Trackless Train

Blackjack - Car

Hyperdrive - Car

Tracer - Helicopter

Hotlink - Jet

Sunstorm - Jet

Termagax - Armoured Vehicle (Flashback)

Megatron - Mining Vehicle (Mentioned)

Blast Off - Space Shuttle (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Wheeljack - Race Car

Huffer - Truck

Gears - Truck

Cosmos - Orbiter

Lancer - Car

Croaton Remains Seen, Reduced to Dust

Vigilem - Titan War Ship (Mentioned)

Lodestar - Titan Space Ship (Mentioned)

Nominus Prime - Jet (Mentioned)

Moon Evacuees (Mentioned)

Notes

• This issue follows Wheeljack's team on the Winged Moon, which was launched into space in issue 17. The end of this story is most likely set around the time of issue 23, with the Decepticons having performed their coup.
• The opening text report confirms that Seekers were built as clones during the war against the Threefold Spark, but also shows that Infiltration Troopers (Cassettes) volunteered to join the enemies during that war.
• Huffer's character model is based on his Combiner Wars toy, due to them using the most recent figure for character models in this continuity, HOWEVER, it should be noted that shortly after this issue was released, Kingdom Huffer was revealed, who looks more like his traditional depiction. I guess they could say the new toy is an upgrade though...
• Gears is mentioned as being Wheeljack's Mentee here.
• Enemy mentions that the Rise were using Vigilem as a relay point for stolen Energon, confirming that he was being used by them before the attack on the Tether.
• Croaton is mentioned as a dead Titan here, having been "usurped" by Exarchon during the war, mirroring his coersion by the Quintessons in the Cyberverse cartoon.