IDW - Transformers #29

Title: War World: Titans

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

Following the capture of the Titan Hub, the Decepticons have tried to reactivate the Titans, but have discovered that their data bomb worked too well, and they can't restore them. Fearing that the Autobots could find a way to reverse the effects themselves, Megatron orders them to accelerate their crash-sequences so they won't fall into their enemies hands...

Elsewhere, Javelin has transferred to Ironhide's former Senate Guard team where she is welcomed by the team.

Later, the Guard escort Optimus Prime, the last of the Senators they can protect as he visits the Forge Pyramid, where all Cybertronians are born.

Inside, Optimus meets with Perceptor, the head of the facility to discuss with him about Titansparks, following Sentinel Prime's final words and Starscream's leaked information regarding them. Perceptor admits that the public have been lied to about the number of Titansparks to emerge from the Allspark since the last war, and the sixteen have been placed into storage, though he thought that Optimus had been told already...

Outside, Strika and her team have been assembled to attack the Pyramid to take the facility, and the Titansparks for Megatron.

Sec Ops and the Senate Guard fight them off, but are being overwhelmed, during the battle the mag-field system is damaged, which begins to release plasma throughout the facility. Nova Storm tries to attack the group, but Optimus stops her, and orders her to warn the Decepticons about the plasma leak, so they can get to safety, leading her to fly off immediately.

The Pyramid staff and Optimus' crew break out of the facility, with the Decepticons following by example.

Outside, Optimus watches with Perceptor, angry with the scientist for hiding living  sparks from the population, as the Pyramid explodes and melts down.

Meanwhile, the Decepticon scientists manage to fulfil Megatron's order and accelerate the descent of the Titans. Chela smashes into Kali's, causing massive structural damage, Citadel crashes into the Sea of Rust, who disrupts the rust worms that were under the surface, and Cargohold crashes into, and finally destroys the remains of the Memorial Crater...

Later, Roadtrap and Gutcruncher explore the crash site at the Memorial Crater, where they find a Cybertronian buried underneath. At first they think she's just an Immersant or a forgotten corpse from the last war, but not only is she alive, but Roadtrap recognises her...it's Provoke....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Ironhide - Van

Javelin

Grotusque - Winged Cat

Vibes

Backstreet - Car

Subsea - Submarine

Brawn - Van Injured by Obsidian

Pipes - Truck

Flareup - Motorcycle

Groove - Motorcycle

Kup - Pick Up Truck

Strongarm - Police Van

Flak - Mobile Missile System

Topshot - Self-propelled Gun Truck

Sunrunner - Jet

Carzap - Car

Inferno - Fire Truck

Nightbeat - Car

Other Former Senate Guards

Nominus Prime - Jet (Flashback Only) Dead

Sentinel Prime - Jet (Flashback Only) Dead

Hound - Jeep (Mentioned)

Sideswipe - Car (Mentioned) Injured

Bumper - Car (Mentioned) Injured

Chainclaw - Bear (Mentioned) Dead

Roulette - Car (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Megatron - Tank

Strika - Battle Tank

Mindwipe - Bat

Bitstream - Jet

Sparkstalker - Insect Monster

Catgut

Blitzwing - Tank/Jet

Apeface - Ape/Jet

Lugnut - Jet

Heavywait - Van

Obsidian - Helicopter

Snaptrap - Turtle

Nova Storm - Jet

Acid Storm - Jet

Twirl - Jet

Visper - Jet

Windsweeper - Jet

Power-Punch - Cannon Mounted Truck

Direct-Hit - Truck

Runamuck - Car

Runabout - Car

Roadtrap - Can

Gutcruncher

"Annoying Seeker" - Jet

Decepticon Fliers - Jets

Other Cybertronian

Perceptor

Chela - Titan Ship Crashed into Cybertron

Citadel - Titan Ship Crashed into Cybertron

Cargohold - Titan Ship Crashed into Cybertron

Provoke Buried Alive

Pyramid Staff

Lodestar - Senate Ship (Flashback Only)

Losestar's Forging Attendees (Flashback Only)

16 Titan Sparks (Flashback Only) Held in Storage

Starscream - Jet (Mentioned)

Croaton - Titan Ship (Mentioned) Killed by Citadel

Cybertronian Evacuees (Mentioned)

The Senators (Mentioned) imprisoned

The First Forged (Mentioned)

The Three-fold Spark Army (Mentioned)

The Other Titans (Mentioned) Most Likely crashed into Cybertron

Other

Rust Worms

Alien Evacuees (Mentioned)

Notes

• Following her freezing up during her last mission, Javelin has switched from Sec Ops to Senate Guard...though that doesn't really mean much since they've both been pretty much rolled into the Autobots now.
• Bumper is mentioned as being injured here...he looked quite dead last time we saw him...are they pulling a Windblade here again? If he is just injured he's probably in the convoy heading to Darkmount in Escape.
• We finally see the interior of the Pyramid! Pity it didn't last much longer...
• We also see that the roof is able to open up to allow Titans to exit. Would have been nice to see that before now....
• Perceptor appears to be using his Titans Return design, as we should all be well accustomed to now.
• Chela previously appeared in the old IDW continuity, but only in bird/robot mode. Citadel and Cargohold are new creations for this continuity.
• Carzap is in his Timelines toy design, which is based on the Thrilling Thirty Bumblebee mold.
• Starscream's role as head of Intelligence, and ousting Soundwave from the role is heavily hinted in this issue as being due to him blackmailing Sentinel with his knowledge on the Titansparks existing.
• We actually get a look at Optimus' alternate mode here. The cab is based on his Galaxy Upgrade toy, but the trailer is completely made up, but colour-wise it matches his traditional trailer.
• Hound's evacuation efforts in Escape are mentioned by Optimus this issue. Though this storyline and Escape started at the same time, Escape is currently only on issue 3 of 5, while this Storyline in the main series is complete....hope we don't get spoilers for the end of Escape in the next couple of issues....
• Cristin is revealed to have been killed by Citadel after he was usurped by Exarchon.
• Huh...Provoke is alive...then what is up with her "ghost"? Is she, and the others by extension, just coping mechanisms for Cyclonus or something else?
• From their dialogue it sounds like Roadtrap and Gutcruncher don't know that the Rise were always a secret extension of the Ascenticons/Decepticons.