IDW - Transformers #37

Title: Darkness, Once Gazed Upon, Part One

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Winston Chan & Guido Guidi

Colours by: John-Paul Bove

Colour Assist by: Ed Pirrie

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime meet with the Immersant Codexa, who relates how they learned of Exarchon's altered state during the original war, but by that time it had cost them many lives, including those of Cyclonus' team. Optimus asks his mentor if she thinks Exarchon is back, and she, connected to the many sparks of the planet, agrees that it is likely, even conjuring the name Ruckus as a potential victim of his...

Back in Iacon, Cyclonus barges into Swindle's bar, to see a fully revived Ruckus, claiming to have recovered from his near-death state, and is now learning what he's missed. He tries to question him about what happened, but the new Decepticon seems uninterested in talking to him.

Swindle ushers Cyclonus out, since he's not a Decepticon, and might get his place shut down by Megatron. Cyclonus leaves, but is getting suspicious by these recent miraculous recoveries...

Magnus and Prime start to leave Codexa's chamber, when Magnus notices that the entrance has been shut, despite him leaving it open, leading to him leaving, ready to fight, immediately finding a Decepticon crew led by Soundblaster holding the rest of the guards at gunpoint.

The Autobot general smashes through them, freeing the other Autobots, allowing them to defeat the Decepticons, and distracting them enough to allow Optimus to escape with the rest of his guards 

Ultimately, Magnus is forced to be left behind, leading to him being knocked out, and taken towards Iacon, for Megatron to deal with him later. Shockwave then orders Soundblaster, over the communicators, to seal Codexa's chamber, so Optimus cannot consult with her again...

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport Captured by Decepticons

Ironhide - Van

Groove - Motorcycle

Grotesque - Winged Beast

Backstreet - Car

Pyra Magna - Fire Truck (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Soundblaster - Hovercraft

Slipstream - Jet

Shadow Striker - Car

Ruckus/Exarchon - Buggy 

Roughstuff - Truck

Astrotrain - Trackless Train/Space Shuttle

Flamewar - Motorcycle

Hyperdrive - Car

Blackjack - Car

Tracer - Helicopter

Rumble - Cassette

Frenzy - Cassette

Swindle's Bar Patrons

Shockwave - Flying Artillery (Voice Only)

Megatron - Tank (Mentioned)

Starscream - Jet (Mentioned)

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

The Threefold Spark

Exarchon - Jet (Image)

Clone-Drone Soldiers - Jets (Flashback) Dead

Turmoil - Tank (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet 

Swindle - Van

Codexa Immersant, Sealed into Chamber

Other Immersants 

Paragon - Treaded Vehicle (Flashback) Captured by Turmoil

Provoke - Motorcycle (Flashback) Shot in Chest, Infected by Exarchon off-panel 

Gridlock - Gun-Mounted Vehicle (Flashback) Kill by Headshot, by Unknown Weapon

Highfire - Jet (Flashback) Killed off-panel

Grudge - Truck (Flashback) Killed off-panel

Nominus Prime - Jet (Flashback)

Highbrow - Helicopter (Flashback)

Dai Atlas - Drill Tank (Flashback)

Quake - Tank (Flashback)

Brawn - Van (Flashback)

Seekers - Jets (Flashback)

Other War Cybertronian's (Flashback)

Flatline - Van (Mentioned)

Strika - Battle Tank (Mentioned)

Croaton - Titan Ship (Mentioned) Dead

The Titans - Titan Ships (Mentioned)

Strika's Heavies (Mentioned)

Turmoil's Prisoners (Mentioned)

Other

Exarchon's "Re-Makers" (Mentioned)

Neutronians (Mentioned) Mostly Extinct, due to Turmoil

Rust Worms (Mentioned)

Notes

• With Cyclonus' team being shown in colour for the first time properly here, it makes it a lot easier to figuring out what their alternate modes are. So I have made my guesses based on these in the character list above.
• Provoke's eyes are shown to be yellow in the flashback scenes, while the version of her seen in the present day has red eyes, making it quite clear those are a side effect of Exarchon's body snatching. Interestingly though, when we see an image of Exarchon later this issue, we see his eyes were blue...
• Optimus theories here that the person he speaks to when he meets with the Immersant Codexa is not actually her, but the collective consciousness of Cybertron's sparks, possibly the afterlife.
• There's a mostly grey scale jet transformer hanging around in the command room when Nominus was being briefed on Exarchon's abilities, he never speaks or makes much notice of himself, but he seems too detailed for just a background character...I think that may be one of Exarchon's bodies...
• We learn here what has been predicted already, Exarchon is able to take over another Cybertronian's spark, overwriting it, and can possess multiple bodies at once, we do learn here though that once possessed, the process seems to be irreversible, and he is limited to controlling three bodies at any one time.
• Cyclonus previously claimed that he lost track of Provoke's body after her apparent death, but we learn here that he was dragged away before he could recover her body, before Strika's Heavies could arrive to finish the battle.
• Roughstuff is shown to be Decepti-branded now, he was a part of the Rise originally, but was arrested before being branded, and allied with Swindle's crew. The latter is shown here, but I can't see a Decepticon badge on him, meaning he's probably still unaligned, despite his bar being Decepticon-only now.
• Ruckus, really Exarchon, is shown to have joined the Decepticons, most likely to try and spread his influence again, and either recruit new soldiers or just cause trouble.
• Soundblaster is shown to be able to hold Cassettes in his chest, an ability that his mould-mate Soundwave hasn't been shown to have yet in this continuity.
• Ultra Magnus, in his Siege body, is being captured by the Decepticons and brought to Megatron? I sure hope this goes better than it did in the War for Cybertron cartoon...

IDW - Beast Wars #10

Title: Maximals Strike Back, Part 1

Written by: Erik Burnham

Art by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Editor: Jazmine Joyner

Supervising Editor: David Mariotte

Plot

After being on the defensive since they crashed on this planet, the Maximals are preparing for their strike on the Predacons. 

Dinobot uses this opportunity to explain how the Predacons came into possession of the Golden Disk, after it was discovered by the Science Ministry from the abandoned Voyager probe, and somehow became irradiated with Unspace energy, scaring them, leading them to try and hide it, but one of their members, Reptilion, betrays them to Galavar, who now goes by the name Megatron...

Dinobot further explains that Megatron used the disk to find the coordinates to this planet, to collect its massive cache of Energon for his conquest plans, and now Dinobot is concerned that the other files on the disk may be true too...

The Maximals have refitted an escape pod so they can use it as a shuttle, so they can attack the Predacons from the air. Optimus give out the missions, Dinobot and Nux are to infiltrate the Darksyde to try and take out the Transwarp engines, to stop them from potentially escaping in the future, while Rattrap goes to steal the disk, the rest of the team are to distract the Predacons in battle from the outside.

The bulk of the Predacons are outside the Darksyde training, when Terrorsaur starts voicing his complaints about their methods, and wants to go after the Maximals, angering Megatron, who attempts to kill the treacherous Predacon, but is stopped by Tarantulas, who sees killing him as a waste of resources. They still need fliers after all, and he'd be no use as spare parts if he is destroyed! Megatron agrees, and skulks away...

The Maximals launch their missiles towards the Predacons, who are forced to duck by Waspinator, who hears the missiles approaching. Before they can arm up however, Optimus Primal arrives, ready to fight, and asking where Megatron is...

Characters

Maximal

Optimus Primal - Gorilla

Dinobot - Velociraptor

Rhinox - Rhino

Cheetor - Cheetah

Rattrap - Rat

Nyx - Bat

Razorbeast - Wild Boar

Botanica - Car (Flashback)

Labrat - Motorcycle (Flashback)

Ironhide - Treaded Vehicle (Mentioned)

Predacon

Megatron/Galavar - Tyrannosaurus Rex (Formerly Tank)

Terrorsaur - Pteranodon

Tarantulas - Tarantula

Waspinator - Wasp

Scorponok - Scorpion

Skold - Alligator Snapping Turtle

Blackarachnia - Black Widow Spider

Reptilion - Jet (Flashback)

Other Cybertronian

Wheeljack - Race Car (Flashback)

Landquake - Armoured Plough (Flashback)

Cybertronian Civilians (Flashback)

Box - Shuttle (Mentioned)

Primal's Old Commander (Mentioned)

Sharkticons (Mentioned)

Notes

• Oh...Razorbeast is up and about already! I guess his injuries weren't that serious after all! 
• The Wheeljack seen in the flashback seems to use the Animated character model of the character, but the statues seen in issue one were closer to his current G1 comic model. So maybe this is some new character who just resembles him, or has appropriated his name (like with Optimus and Megatron)
• Botanica appears to be using a modified version of the POTP female Autobot mould during her brief cameo.
• If the Wheeljack seen in the flashback IS the Autobot character, then either the Maximals are the same size as their predecessors (like in the Kingdom cartoon) or Wheeljack downgraded into a new, smaller body. I guess we'll see later down the line :) 
• The Maximals are shown to have mugshots of most of the Predacons on file (we don't see Scorponok, but he could be behind the speech bubble). Oddly though, they have one for Blackarachnia...when did they get this photo exactly?
• Waspinator being familiar with the sound of missiles, and panicking to protect his teammates from them is a nod to his usual date of blowing up in the original cartoon (though I'm assuming it'll have a bigger meaning later in the series too)

IDW - Shattered Glass #4

Written by: Danny Lore

Art by: Daniel Khanna

Inks by: Priscilla Tramontano

Colours by: John-Paul Bove

Letters by: Neil Uyetake 

Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: David Mariotte

Design by: Jake Wood & Johanna Nattalie

Plot

Following his fatal shooting by Megatron, during the final battle on Earth, Bumblebee is rebuilt into Goldbug by Ratchet, only to be disheartened when he learns that Optimus only allowed it, since they just happened to have spare Protoforms on the ship.

Some time later, Goldbug attempts to warn Optimus that Prowl is plotting against him, but the Autobot Commander is uninterested, since he doesn't see Prowl as a threat. Goldbug insults him, leading the Prime to knock him out with a jackhammer, taken from a worker. Shortly afterwards, Prowl approaches Goldbug, and attempts to convince him of plans for Cyberton again...

Later, Goldbug has been convinced by Prowl, and attempts to assassinate Optimus, though he fails, he escapes from his city, and makes his way to a city, he later renames Gold City...

In the present, Starscream is being held captive by Goldbug at Gold City, being tortured by Jetfire on his orders to gain access to the Seeker's ability to awaken the sleeping Titans.

An intruder alert is sounded, leading Goldbug to leave and deal with it himself. He quickly locates Skywarp, who has infiltrated to find Starscream, but the Autobot Warlord quickly defeats and decapitates him.

Goldbug returns to the torture chamber, and throws Skywarp's severed head at Goldbug, to try and scare him into using his Titan control powers for him, but Starscream is still defiant, and continues to insult Goldbug for his obsession with both Optimus and Megatron...

The Insecticons invade the facility next, taking out as many guards as they can along the way, however Goldbug goes after them by himself too, tearing through them, one by one...

After killing the Insecticons, Goldbug has had enough, and decides to speed up the matter, deciding that Jetfire is possibly stalling due to some lingering feelings for his old friend, he returns to the torture chamber, and threatens to kill Starscream too, to Jetfire's horror!

Characters

Autobot

Goldbug/Bumblebee - Hatchback

Jetfire - Jet

Slicer - Race Car

Tap-Out - Hatchback

Freeway - Hatchback

Searchlight - Hatchback

Wideload - Dump Truck

Random Autobots

Optimus Prime - Truck (Flashback)

Prowl - Police Car (Flashback)

Ratchet - Ambulance (Flashback)

Decepticon

Starscream - Jet

Skywarp - Jet Killed by Goldbug

Kickback - Locust Likely Killed by Goldbug

Skrapnel - Stag Beetle Killed by Goldbug

Bombshell - Boll Weevil Killed by Goldbug

Ransack - Locust Likely Killed by Goldbug

Venom - Cicada Killed by Goldbug

Megatron - Jet (Flashback)

Thundercracker - Jet (Flashback)

Other

Miners (Flashback)

Titans (Mentioned)

Notes

• Unlike the previous issue, this issue was also released with a Shattered Glass figure of the cover character, in this case, Goldbug, (Starscream is currently delayed until early January)
• Confirming what was assumed previously, Megatron's attack on Bumblebee is what prompted him to get upgraded to Goldbug.
• Goldbug uses a pair of electrocuted rods to fight Skywarp this issue...his toy does not come with these...sadly...
• A character named Slicer is featured this issue, he's based on the G1 Decepticon character of the same name, which was also the colourscheme used for Shattered Glass Wheeljack in the past...so who knows what's going on there! (Most likely there's a planned Slicer toy release, which will be reusable as Shattered Glass Wheeljack too)
• Most of the troops working under Goldbug appear to share the same toy mould as him, but with different heads.
• We only see Kickback and Ransack get knocked over during the battle, but it's very likely that Goldbug killed them too
• Optimus is shown using an axe in the flashback, but his toy doesn't feature one...again, very sad...

IDW - Transformers: King Grimlock #4

Written by: Steve Orlando

Art by: Agustin Padilla

Colours by: Jeremy Colwell & Heather Breckel

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

Arko, having joined The Golden One's forces, is clad in golden armour, ready for combat with Grimlock and his followers.

Elsewhere, Grimlock confirms that the Red Wizard's blood is actually corrupted Energon, which he also believes is present across Menonia, including The Golden One, he begins plotting, with the village leaders in the group to defeat the powerful figure.

The next day, Grimlock approaches The Golden One's stronghold, where he is greeted by Clatta and the Golden Army, but Clatta is easily swatted away, and Grimlock tears through the army.

Nearby, the villager leaders use the last of their powers to create an eclipse, weakening The Golden One's power in the process.

The corrupted ruler turns into his dragonoid form and attacks the Dinobot, but Grimlock easily subdues him, and tries to force him to turn against Soltron, due to his corruptive Energon, however the ruler reveals that he is actually the host of Soltron, but is tired of all the suffering his is causing to himself and others.

Suddenly, Soltron tries to take full control of his body, but The Golden One does indeed rebel, and ejects him from his body, causing his own death in the process.

Needing a new host, Soltron offers his power to Arko, who has become disillusioned with how "weak" everyone is around her, and she agrees, gladding her in New armour, and granting her new powers, to Grimlock's horror... 

Characters

Autobot

Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex

Soltron

Menonian Human

Arko Possessed by Soltron

Arnak

Berea

Anglorian and Valerift Survivors

Other

The Golden One Dies upon Soltron Leaving Body

Clatta

The Golden Army

The Red Wizard Dead

The Anti-Sun (Mentioned)

Notes

• The Menonian Energon making Grimlock more feral and unstable makes it seem more like Dark Energon than the normal variant.
• The Golden One acts like his connection to Soltron is weakened during an eclipse...but we learn later this issue that Soltron is inside The Golden One...which he also seems aware of....

IDW - Transformers Wreckers: Tread & Circuits #2

Written by: David Mariotte

Art by: Jack Lawrence

Colours by: Brittany Peer

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

The Wreckers, sans Circuit arrive at a Race Bar to gather intel on the racers, in order to try and determine who could be affiliated with Mayhem, but come up with no leads. Aileron however learns that there's a bet being held to see who ruins the race first, Mayhem or the Wreckers. Aileron ends up insulting Thunderclash to the Mayhems when comparing how they are using the Speedia 500 to try and cause a spectacle, just like the Wreckers do with their stunt cover missions. Thunderclash shouts, but is quickly calmed down, before security chief Breakdown can ban him from the race.

Elsewhere, Circuit is created by his old crewmate, Axer, who now works for Velocitron's security force. The latter offers his apologies for his actions during the Iron Hope incident, and gives him a ride back to the Wrecker's shuttle. Axer suggests that Circuit and the other Wreckers leave the race, since it's being used to flush out Mayhem, and leaves after receiving a message.

Circuit is suspicious, so follows Axer in his exo-suit, eventually finding him meeting with Octopunch, leader of Mayhem, and opening a channel to the other Wreckers to warn them that security has been breached, however the Autobot is shot in the head by a sniper.

The Wreckers, hearing the incident over the Comms rush out to Circuit's last location, but find him badly injured, next to the burning Mayhem hideout.

Circuit is brought back to the shuttle, where Minerva patches him up as best as possible, but isn't sure if he'll survive, before putting him into a CR Chamber.

The team head out to perform the rest of their mission, with Minerva heading to a medical station, in case of any injuries during the race, and the others joining the participants.

The race is started off, with Breakdown announcing security measures during the race, seemingly unaware of the security force's infiltration.

The racers are counted down, and the race for the next leader of Velocitron has begun!

Characters

Autobot/Wrecker

Thunderclash - Truck

Ricochet - Car

Hot Shot - Jeep

Aileron - Jet

Minerva - Car

Circuit Sniped by Mayhem, in CR Chamber

Mayhem

Octopunch

Other Mayhem Members (Mentioned)

Velocitronian

Road Rocket - Motorcycle

Breakdown - Van

Override - Race Car

Knock Out - Car

Leadfoot - Race Car

Sideways - Motorcycle

Jackpot - Car

Lickety-Split 

Scrounge - Wheel

Signal Lancer - Traffic Light 

Drag Strip - Race Car

Burn-Out - Van

Bar Bouncer

Bar Patrons

Medics

Speedia 500 Racers

Sizzle - Race Car (Image)

Electrons - Car (Mentioned) Dead 

Other

Axer

Xaaron

Iron Hope 100 (Mentioned)

Sec-Ops (Mentioned)

Notes

• This issue features a lot of cameos from older characters (such as Cybertron Brakedown, Crumplezone, Landmine etc) but with new heads and colourschemes. The characters who appear to be exact transplants are just going to be mentioned as characters in the list though.
• While Override and Sideways appear to just be transplants of their Cybertron and Armada toys respectively, Knock Out appears to use a body based on the Studio Series Jazz toy, possibly giving us a look at an upcoming Legacy Knock Out figure. Leadfoot likewise appears to be using Siege Mirage's body, possibly giving us a look at his next too too.
• The characters mention Sec-ops as being on patrol on Velocitron, but it should be Colonial Security here. It is possible though that locally it is just called Sec-ops though.
• The two games shown in the bar are "Mechanic Mania", an allusion to "Operation" and "Virtual Cube", which is based on the sport of "Cube" from the Cyberverse series.
• Circuit's suit is shown to be able to transform between a hover car and an eco suit....why did he leave the ship without it again?
• Minerva mentions that Circuit's injuries are the worst she's seen in a long time, and that she doesn't remember the last time it's looked this bad, further adding to my thoughts that this series is set during the early stages of the main comic series, before the war breaks out.
• Xaaron is shown this issue starting the race, it's possible that he's a denizen of Velocitron, but it's also possible that he's just there as a Senate representative, authenticating the event.
• Knock Out and Breakdown are shown to be a couple in this continuity again, and are even shown kissing on panel, which I don't remember ever happening in IDW version 1
• As I mentioned last issue...why is Aileron allowed to enter the race, when she uses a flying alternate mode?
• Drag Strip makes a brief cameo this issue, showing off his upcoming Legacy figure, which has just been revealed.

IDW - Transformers #36

Title: Lord of Misrule: Enigmatic

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

At the Medical Center in Iacon, Provoke is using a database to catch up on what has been happening since she went missing, and asks Cyclonus to leave her alone, so she can do this herself. Cyclonus agrees, but the "ghosts" in his head comment on how something is off about the situation they've found themselves in...

The battle between the Autobots and Decepticons at the edge of the Sea of Rust is in full swing, with Termagax's Spectrosynth Drones helping the Autobots take down the Decepticons.

Inside House, Termagax controls one of the drones to recover the Enigma from its hiding place inside the facility, with the intention of taking it out of reach of needed.

Unfortunately for Termagax, Skywarp has entered the battlefield, intending to claim the Enigma himself, so he can use it to prove his worth and to use it for leverage. Skywarp proceeds to teleport through House, until he finds the Enigma, and claims it for himself.

Eventually Skywarp warps to the top of House, declaring that he controls the Enigma, and they should all listen to him. Jumpstream arrives just in time, despite her injuries from his time travelling earlier, and Pyra asks her to reclaim the Enigma from Skywarp.

The two teleporters fight over the Enigma, but Skywarp proves to be the superior 'porter, but before he can escape, Sky Lynx crushes him in his maw, and scorches him at point-blank range, forcing him to drop the Enigma.

The ancient artifact lands next to Skytread, who intends to use it to retake his leadership role from Sixshot, but the larger Decepticon simply shoots him, sending him and the Enigma plummeting into the Rust Worms, devouring Skytread in the process.

Cybertron starts quaking again, with the bedrock around the Sea falling apart, freeing the worms, and forcing the two Rmies to escape, abandoning the Enigma in the process.

Termagax and Optimus comment that the Enigma has probably survived the Rust Worms, but it will be near impossible to recover it for now, but are now more worried about the Rust Worms being loose on the planet, potentially spelling out their doom...

Back at the Iacon Medical Center, Flatline is baffled that Ruckus, another practically-dead patient has awoken. Provoke suggests that it's not outside the realms of possibility for him to have been revived this way on his own, but Flatline refuses this, saying it is absolutely impossible.

"Provoke", now annoyed, drops the pretense and attacks Flatline, stating that Exarchon will have to be "Three once more"....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Pyra Magna - Fire Truck

Ironhide - Van

Sky Lynx - Space Shuttle

Windblade - VTOL Jet

Jumpstream - Car

Sunstreaker - Car

Sureshot - Buggy

Arcee - Car

Groove - Motorcycle

Flareup - Motorcycle

Vibes

Pipes - Truck

Smokescreen - Car

Springer - Helicopter/Car

Pointblank - Car

Wheeljack - Race Car

Powertrain - Truck

Backstreet - Race Car

Big Daddy - Car

Wheel Blaze - Fire Truck

Brawn - Van

Javelin - Car

Subsea - Submarine

Other Autobot Fighters

Decepticon

Sixshot - Jet/Car/Tank/Gun/Winged Wolf

Skytread - Tank and Jet Eaten by Rust Worms

Nova Storm - Jet

Red Wing - Jet

Wingstun - Jet

Ion Storm - Jet

Hotlink - Jet

Battleslash - Helicopter

Weirdwolf - Wolf

Gutcruncher

Offroad - Van

Runamuck - Car

Runabout - Car

Crasher - Race Car

Flame Feather - Bird Monster

Other Decepticon Fighters

Megatron - Tank (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Termagax - Armoured Van

Skywarp - Jet

Cyclonus - Jet

Provoke/Exarchon - Wheeled Vehicle

Ruckus/Exarchon - Buggy

Flatline - Van Attacked by Exarchon

Geomotus - Radar Buggy

Landmine - Plough Buggy

Kaskade Comatose

Codexa Immersant

"House"

Spectrosynth Drones

Paragon (Ghost)

Highfire (Ghost)

Grudge (Ghost)

Gridlock (Ghost)

Primus (Mentioned)

Nexus Prime (Mentioned)

Citadel - Titan Ship (Mentioned) Dead

Old Cybertronian Senate (Mentioned)

Other

Rust Worms

Flyts

Termagax's Specimens (In Jars)

Notes

• It's shown here that Termagax manually controls her Spectrosynth Drones, but can leave them on a sort of auto-rin feature to allow her funer control on a single drone.
• An area that Skywarp warps into looks like it's a power source of some sort, but actually also resembles a spark chamber to an extent...is this more proof to my theory that House is a hidden Titan?
• It's mentioned that Nova Storm is potentially able to retrieve the Enigma from the Rust Sea, implying that she might have survived having her internal parts crushed by Windcharger last issue.
• My theory of Exarchon living on inside Provike's body is shown to be absolutely the case here! Yay for validation!

IDW - Transformers Shattered Glass #3

Written by: Danny Lore 

Art by: Guido Guidi

Colours by: John-Paul Bove

Letters by: Neil Uyetake

Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: David Mariotte

Design by: Jake Wood & Johanna Nattalie

Plot

Long ago, Starscream and his colleague Jetfire meet with Orion Pax to try and ask for funding in their Titan excavation project, which he seems interested in, but Starscream doesn't trust the Senator due to his shady nature, and walks off from the meeting...

Later, Starscream and Jetfire have managed to gather funds themselves and have managed to uncover the entire head of a sleeping Titan, Metroplex. Jetfire starts to worry about their finds running out before they can complete their work, but Starscream still refuses to even meet with Orion Pax due to his mistrust of him.

However, Jetfire goes against Starscream's wishes, and does go to Pax, and even joins the Autobot cause, with Jetfire even disavowing his friend when he refuses to join them. Starscream escapes from the Autobots and heads to the Titan site, where he destroys their research, while partially coding it to his own spark...

Much later, following the war's conclusion, Starscream returns to the long-abandoned Titan, where he completes the transfer, thus turning his spark into the key to awaking the Titans for the Decepticons to take back Cybertron...

In the present, Megatron and Starscream arrive in the Autobot-controlled Gold City, where they quickly find Soundwave, who is running a Decepticon Radio service for relating information to their scattered resistance fighters to ask him to help them relay their new plan to their forces.

Later, Megatron and Starscream meet in a bar, where they soon discover they are being spied on by Blaster and his minions, who quickly attack the Decepticons.

Megatron and Starscream put up a good fight, but Megatron is forced to restrain Blaster, allowing Starscream to fly to safety, as his spark is needed for their plans.

Starscream is shot out of the sky, but is found by Goldbug and his old friend Jetfire, who capture the Seeker...

Characters

Autobot

Goldbug/Bumblebee - Car

Jetfire - Jet

Blaster - Boom Box

Rewind - Cassette

Steeljaw - Cassette

Ramhorn - Cassette

Playback - Cassette Killed by Starscream

Gold City Denizens

Bar Patrons

Orion Pax - Truck (Flashback)

Prowl - Police Vehicle (Flashback)

Ironhide - Van (Flashback)

Jazz - Car (Flashback)

Chromedome - Car (Flashback)

Decepticon

Megatron - Jet

Starscream - Jet Captured by Goldbug

Soundwave - Cassette Player

Ravage - Cassette

Laserbeak - Cassette

Decepticon Soldiers (Mentioned)

Seekers (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Metroplex -Titan Ship (Flashback) Dormant

Scavenger - Excavator (Flashback)

Hook - Crane (Flashback)

Other Excavation Bots (Flashback)

Bots on Monitor (Images)

Notes

• You might notice that this issue's cover is in a different style to the other ones so far, that is because this is not the version that comes with the Starscream toy, since the toy has been (currently) delayed until early January. Incidentally, the next issue and the Goldbug figure have already been dispatched by Hasbro Pulse.
• Following the trend with this series, the returning characters from the Timelines continuity have been mostly reinterpreted with new personality quirks such as Ravage being overly talkative, but not speaking in 1337 speak.
• I can't really tell who the characters on Soundeave's screen are, die to them being just line arts, but I believe they use the Refraktor, Astrotrain and Fortress moulds, but they could still be anyone to be honest.
• Soundwave mentions that he's called the other Seekers to aide them, so we can assume they'll be making a reappearance soon, following their flashback cameos last issue (I know this happens with Skywarp next issue anyway, for the aforementioned reasons)
• This issue confirms that Metroplex, seen in the previous issues, is not actually an Autobot (yet) as he hasn't been awoken from his Titan sleep yet.
• Among the Cassettes deployed by Blaster is Playback, a character who appeared on Paradron in the G1 cartoon, and was named after a hi-and-die character from the Marvel comics of the same name.He doesn't last long...
• Starscream's unique spark is revealed here to be due to him reprogramming the Titan awakening system to be attuned to his spark signature, and later merging the programs fully to make him fully required for Metroplex and the others to wake up, essentially turning him into a Titan Master or Cityspeaker.
• The grid effects inside Starscream when he links up to the Titan system looks quite similar to the effects on him from merging with the Underbase in the Marvel continuity.
• The two bots that Starscream sees as he wakes up at the end of this issue are Goldbug and Jetfire, who are also the cover characters of the last two issues of this series. Nice touch! 

IDW - Beats Wars #9

Title: Thicker Skin

Written by: Erik Burnham

Art by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Editor: Jazmine Joyner

Supervising Editor: David Mariotte

Plot

The Predacons celebrate Blackarachnia's arrival and her corruption of the other pods, allowing their forces to rise soon. The fliers of the crew are sent out to hunt for the pods, and Skold is annoyed when she's told she cannot help due to her lack of speed, so she leaves on her own.

After a search, Skold discovers one of the pods in a lake, and rescues it, which soon opens up to the Maximal Razorbeast coming online. The two meet, unaware that the Vok are watching them, and planning an experiment on them, the two opposing Cybertronians make quick friends, with Skold just happy to meet someone who doesn't treat her like dirt.

The two are soon attacked by a pack of Ironwolves, and Razorbeast is badly injured, forcing him into stasis lock, while Skold takes out the beasts.

Realizing that he'll die without help, and that the Predacons won't help him, Skold brings Razorbeast to the perimeter of the Axalon, where she delivers him to their care before leaving...

Befoe she can leave though, Dinobot points out to her that she seems more confident when away from the other Predacons and clearly is a good person, and says she should defect to the Maximal's like he did, but she pushes him away, disgusted at him for his betrayal.

The Predacon leaves stating that they will be enemies next time they meet, with Dinobot commenting that she won't have to wait long....

Characters

Maximal

Optimus Primal - Gorilla

Dinobot - Velociraptor

Rattrap - Rat

Razorbeast - Wild Boar Injured by Ironwolves, placed in CR Chamber

Panther (Flashback)

Rhino (Flashback)

Manta Ray (Flashback)

Art Admirers (Flashback)

Maximal Command (Mentioned)

Maximal Protoforms (Mentioned) In Stasis, More Than Half Infected by Predacon Code

Predacon

Megatron - Tyrannosaurus Rex

Tarantulas - Tarantula

Blackarachnia - Black Widow Spider

Terrorsaur - Pteranodon

Waspinator - Wasp

Scorponok - Scorpion

Skold - Alligator Snapping Turtle

Tripredacus Council (Mentioned)

Vok

Pakak

Tonrar

Tikaani

Other

Ironwolves Killed by Skold and Razorbeast

Multi-fin Fish Eaten by Skold

Notes

• This issue gives us our first Pod Maximal, and shockingly, rather than giving us a current toy character, like Airazor or Tigatron, we got Razorbeast!
• Razorbeast was one of the earliest Beast Wars figures released, but hasn't been in many pieces of media since his introduction. He was involved in the original toy comics that set the series in a modern day setting, but his most prominent roles were in the Gathering and Ascending comics by IDW. Wonder if he'll have a leadership role here too?
• Terrorsaur suggests that they should use their time travel technology to go back in time to defeat their enemies before they were even online, but Megatron denies this plan as it is dangerous to mess with their history like that. This is what Megatron did in the Beast Wars cartoon, as shown in The Agenda though...
• The Vok mention Mentors in relation to Cybertronians here, giving us more concepts from the current IDW mainline series, possibly suggesting this could be set in that universe's future?
• The Vok mention that they will experiment on some of the other pods before they open, possibly giving us an explanation for Transmetals, Fuzors and maybe even Fossilizers in this series.
• Skold mentions that she used to spend time admiring art in Iacon, showing that I'm this universe the city hasn't been replaced by Cybertropolis (unless the city is just very new during the Beast Machines storyline).
• Skold mentions that the Ironwolves are from Pferra, telling us that at least some of the strange creatures on this planet (that might not be Earth) have been brought here by some force, most likely the Vok for their experiments.
• Razorbeast's injuries will probably have him out of action for at least a couple of issues...hopefully he actually has a role beyond an extended cameo in this series any way....

IDW - Transformers Wreckers: Tread and Circuits #1

Written by: David Mariotte

Art by: Jack Lawrence

Colours by: Candice Han

Letters by: Jake M. Wood & Nathan Widick

Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

The Wreckers perform a death-defying stunt, a sub-orbital jump from their ship to a planet's surface, without any safety devices, which is broadcasted to their loyal viewbase across the universe, when it is interrupted by Mayhem, a terrorist cell, who demand that Velocitron cancel it's upcoming Speedia 500, and not decide their leadership that way. To prove their seriousness, they kill a former competitor, Electrons, on screen. The Wreckers manage to get control of their signal, and close off the broadcast properly.

Once the cameras are shut down, the Wreckers are back to their real business, guns out and ready to fight if Mayhem are nearby. The team, really an elite covert squad that works outside of Colonial Security, and are now on the mission to take down Mayhem.

Later, the Wreckers arrive on Velocitron, where Thunderclash announces to the gathered crowd that they are going to enter the Speedia 500 to prove that they aren't afraid of Mayhem, much to Aileron's annoyance, since she's planned a covert mission for them to investigate them secretly.

Circuit sneaks away from the ship, to avoid the cameras and crowd, since he feels like a outcast since losing his alternate mode during the Iron Hope incident. He decides to try and scout out the planet to find a potential hideout for Mayhem, but finds himself abused by the Velocitronians, who are all about speed, so a mode-locked bot like him isn't welcome...

After Aileron and Thunderclash argue about the latter's decision to make their mission public, and he agrees that he might have made a mistake in that, they rejoin the rest of the team in a communal area in the ship, when Aileron realizes that Circuit isn't back from his exploration yet!

Back on the streets, Circuit is chased by someone down a tight alleyway, and is shocked when he realizes that his pursuer is Acer, another of the Iron Hope 100 on his Turbo Cycle, who asks what he's doing there...

Characters

Autobot/Wrecker

Thunderclash - Truck

Hot Shot - Jeep

Ricochet - Car

Minerva - Car

Aileron - Jet

Circuit 

Mayhem

Octopunch

Skullgrin

Submarauder 

Velocitronian

Road Pig - Motorcycle

Electrons - Car Killed by Octopunch 

Velocitronian Crowd

Road Rocket - Motorcycle (Hologram)

Blurr - Race Car (Hologram)

Other Cybertronian

Axer 

Primus (Mentioned)

Mortilus (Mentioned)

Exarchon (Mentioned)

The Three-fold Spark (Mentioned)

The Iron Hope 100 (Mentioned)

Colonial Security (Mentioned)

Rust Worms (Mentioned)

Turbofoxes (Mentioned)

Notes

• We don't know when in the continuity this story is set. We don't see any Decepticons in the story (unless Mayhem reveal badges later on) and the Wreckers openly wear Autobot insignias, which would mark them as being part of Optimus' army rather than travelling performers in the current storyline's setting. My guess is that this is set just before the war broke out.
• The only two members of the Wreckers based on recent toys are Hot Shot and Ricochet, who were both in the Selects toyline, and are also shown this issue to be rivals.
• Aileron appears this issue, having had a cameo in the Valentine's Day special, though in that story she was shown as a larger robot, rather than standard sized, like she is here.
• The Speedia 500 and other such races have been a focal point of Velocitron's lore since it was introduced in the Cyberton cartoon, in luding it being used to decide on the leadership of the planet. I am surprised that Override isn't the planet's leader in this continuity, like she usually is though...
• Circuit mentions that he used to focus everything of his life into "being a camera" before losing his alternate mode in the Iron Hope incident. This could mean that Circuit used to have a camera alternate mode, but due to the leftover kibble.on his body lookig more like car parts, I'm assuming he is just refering to his chronicler job, and not his alternate mode.
• Thunderclash mentions that Aileron is entering the Speedia 500...but she has a flying alternate mode...unless she also has a car mode too, like Road Rage, but there's no evidence of that yet.