IDW - Transformers #33

Title: Lord of Misrule: Swindle's II

Written by: Brian Ruckley 

Art by: Beth McGuire-Smith

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

Sixshot inspects the newly reopened Swindle's Bar, and agrees to allow it to stay open, but ONLY if they serve Decepticons exclusively.

Elsewhere, Skywarp raids an Energon facility to refuel, witnessed by Gutctuncher, who knows this is bad news...

Back at the bar, Bumblebee and Rough stuff are working underground in secret while Swindle greases up a few Decepticons who he thinks will spill some secrets to him.

After a while, Swindle approaches Bee and informs him that Elita-1 is being moved to the former Senate building to join the Senators in prison, and he thinks this is a good time to break her free to join their underground resistance.

Joined by a couple of Decepticons that Swindle has bribed, Charger and Fire Beast, Bee intercepts the prisoner see detail to save Elita, but he stalls when he realizes that Barricade is part of the and intends to kill him, untill he realizes that he's only in this situation because he killed Quake for revenge before, so he decides to end this vicious cycle, and let Barricade live before leaving. Charger however decides that he doesn't want Barricade to shoot them in the back, so he scorches his hand, still holding the gun.

Bee and Elita return to the bar, where Swindle says that he knew Barricade was in the area, but didn't know where, but he would have informed Bee if he knew he was in Elita's detail. Swindle also reveals that his recent intelligence gathering session revealed that he knows where the Enigma of Combination is, along with other Decepticons secrets.

Bee says they need to pass this information onto Optimus and the Autobots, so they can take out the Decepticons and bring things back to normal...

Skywarp  ontinues exploring and finds the new status quo on Cybertron interesting, so he hunts down a Decepticon, Off-Road, and asks to see his leader...

Characters

Decepticon

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

Barricade - Police Car

Jolt - Car

Ravage - Cassette

Charger 

Fire Beast - Equipment Accessory

Off-Road - Van 

Crasher - Race Car

Windsweeper - Jet

Tentakil - Squid 

Nautilator - Lobster

Twirl - Bomber Jet

Refraktor - Hovercraft

Cindersaur - Lizard Monster

Apeface - Ape/Jet 

Gutcruncher

Slicer

Treadshot

Catgut

Deveptiçon Patrons

Seekers - Jets 

Megatron - Tank (Mentioned)

Soundwave - Hovercraft (Mentioned)

Autobot

Sentinel Prime - Space Shuttle (Flashback Only)

Orion Pax/Optimus Prime - Truck (Flashback Only)

Other Cybertronian

Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft

Elita-1 - Car

Swindle - Van

Trickdiamond - Car

Headlock - Forklift

Roughstuff - Truck 

Skywarp - Jet 

Deathsaurus - Dragon In Immersion Suite

Proxima (Flashback Only)

Devastator - Construction Gestalt (Flashback Only)

Big Wing (Flashback Only) Killed by Devastator 

Rubble's Forging Audience (Flashback Only)

Starscream - Jet (Mentioned)

Perceptor (Mentioned)

Cyclonus - Jet (Mentioned)

Rubble (Mentioned) Dead 

The Senate (Mentioned) Imprisoned

The Iron Hope 100 (Mentioned)

The Mentor Assessors (Mentioned)

Mayalx Inhabitants (Mentioned) Dead

Other

The Voin (Mentioned)

Notes

• Swindle and his crew are openly operating out of Swindle's bar, except for Bumblebee and Rough stuff, who are both in a hidden area of the complex.
• During the flashback to Devastator's attack on Mayalx we see a bot being killed by the combiner, who we can assume is Trickdiamond's mentor, Big Wing.
• We also learn here that the massacre on Mayalx has been covered up as being caused by an asteroid strike.
• We're told here that Charger and Fire Beast were part of the Iron Hope 100, and thus survived on Nucleon and lost the ability to transform....though we see here that Fire Beast can transform into some armour accessories...how does that work?
• With us seeing the Iron Hope 100 members so far being all traditional Action Masters, we can probably assume this to be true of all action Masters and partners, unless we see them transform in a comic.
• We see Sentinel Prime amongst those in attendance of Rubble's forging, but he's supposed to be off-world doing his colonybtour at this point in continuity (unless he came back just for this I guess)

IDW - Transformers: King Grimlock

Title: Grimlock the Rebel

Written by: Steve Orlando

Art by: Agustin Padilla

Colours by: Jeremy Colwell

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

The Dinobots fight the Meccanibals currently attacking Harmonex on Cybertron, but are ordered to stop by Optimus, who says these were just rebels, and not working on behalf of their own leader, Master Mouth.

Grimlock starts to argue with Optimus over his orders, but ends up being hit by a green light, seemingly aimed towards Optimus.

Soon Grimlock lands on another world, where he is soon attacked by various alien creatures, but he manages to fight them all off.

After a few battles, Grimlock comes across a group of local Human-looking beings who identify the planet as Menonia, and asks for his help in saving it from The Golden One, who once saved the world himself with Optimus Prime, but changed after some of the population started following an "Anti-Sun".

Grimlock refuses to help them, but does offer to teach them to help themselves, but they say they can't do it themselves, much to Grimlocks annoyance, so he storms off.

One of the Humans, Arko, sees what Grimlock was trying to teach them in self sufficiency, and chases after him, against her father's wishes...

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex

Slug - Triceratops

Swoop - Pteranodon

Sludge - Apatosaurus

Snarl - Stegosaurus

Menonian

Arnak

Arko

The Golden One

Clatta

Other Menonian Humans

Bird Lizard Killed by Grimlock

Elephant Mouse

Leodons/Big Horse Cats Killed by Grimlock

Cyclopes 

Soltron (Mentioned)

The Anti-Sun (Mentioned)

Mandragoran (Mentioned)

Other

Meccanibals Many Killed by Dinobots

Master Mouth (Mentioned)

Notes

• The setting of this issue is based on the G1 episode Madman's Paradise. Though in this case a version of that episode's events happened in the back story, and Optimus was the one to save Menonia.
• The Meccanibals are from the Marvel G1 comics, including their leader Master Mouth, who is mentioned in this issue.
• Grimlock refers to the Menonians as "Human" here, implying that this is set following their arrival on Earth.
• The "Soltron" mentioned in this issue is most likely a sun god on Menonia.
• The Golden One's assistant, Clatta, appears to be a robot, possibly even a Cybertronian.
• The end of this issue features a character sheet for Grimlock, based on one used for Dungeons and Dragons.

IDW - Beast Wars #6

Title: Savage Landing, Part 6

Written by: Erik Burnham

Art by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Editor: David Mariotte

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

Outside the Axalon, the battle between the Maximals and Predacons is in full swing, and with Dinobot joining their side, the Maximals are now in a better position, but are still not winning the fight.

Inside the Axalon, Tarantulas is trying to find a way to destroy the ship, when he discovers the Maximal stasis pods are in orbit. He tries to hack their systems so he can convert them all into an army of his own, but Rattrap stops him by using a mech suit to bash him out of the ship.

Now alone, he finishes fixing the Axalon's defense systems and gets the shields active, allowing the Maximals to race back inside for protection.

Unfortunately though, Dinobot is still seen by the computer as a Predacon and isn't allowed through the shields, leaving him to get beaten down by the Predacons.

Primal shoots at the Predacons using the Axalon's minimal weapons, bluffing that they have more, forcing the villains to retreat.

Several days later, Dinobot has been patched up, but tries to leave, assumig that the Maximals won't want him due to his injuries, but Optimus insists that he stays, even if it's just to tell him everything about Megatron....

Characters

Maximal

Optimus Primal - Gorilla

Cheetor - Cheetah

Rhinox - Rhino

Rattrap - Rat

Nyx - Bat

Dinobot - Velociraptor Badly Injured by Predacons

Maximal Protoforms (Mentioned) Orbiting Planet in Stasis Pods 

Predacon

Megatron - Tyrannosaurus Rex

Scorponok - Scorpion

Terrorsaur - Pteranodon

Waspinator - Wasp Injured by Dinobot

Tarantulas - Tarantula

Skold - Alligator Snapping Turtle

Other Cybertronian

Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex (Flashback Only) "Disappeared"

Snapdragon - Dragon/Jet (Flashback Only) Killed by Grimlock

The other Dinobots (Mentioned) "Disappeared"

Notes

• This issue marks the end of the opening storyline of this series, and pretty much brings it up to speed with the end of episode two of the original cartoon. The preview for the next issue featuring Black Arachnia means that this series is going out of order for the rest of the series.
• Waspinator having his arm torn off and hit with it is likely a reference to the traditional joke of Waspinator being broken apart various times during the original cartoon.
• Dinobot being ganged up on by the Predacons and almost killed is possibly a reference to Code of Hero where he gets ganged up on, and killed by the Predacons. Luckily he fared a bit better this time around though...
• The flashback of Grimlock shows him in colours based on his Beast Era toy, which is getting a Generations remake very soon, possibly hinting at his arrival in the series.
• Primal mentions that Grimlock and the Dinobots disappeared, which makes me think they'll make an appearance as a group or have that backstory explored at some point in the future.
• The Decepticon killed by Grimlock in the flashback appears to be Snapdragon, using his Earthrise character model, but with a slightly different face (the eyes are connected, rather than separate)

IDW - Transformers/My Little Pony: The Magic of Cybertron #4

The Mightiest Dinobot

Writer: Ian Flynn

Artist: Casey W. Coller

Colours: Joana LaFuente

Letterer: Jake M. Wood

Finale

Writer: James Asmus

Artist: Jack Lawrence

Colours: Luis Antonio Delgado

Letterer: Neil Uyetake

Editor: Megan Brown

Consulting Editor: David Mariotte

"The Mightiest Dinobot" Plot

Spike brings his friend Smolder to visit his Cybertronian friend Grimlock and the other Dinobot's. While Grimlock is still impressed with Spike due to their previous experiences, the other Dinobot's don't see him as impressive, especially compared to the other dragon.

Suddenly, the mind controlled Superion appears and attacks the Dinobot's on Sombra's orders, and easily subdues them.

spike realizes however that Combiners are usually unstable, but Superion isn't, meaning Sombra's mind control is what is keeping them together.

Spike and Smolder fly around the combiner, with Spike using his knowledge of Cybertronians to tap into all the components personalities, and causes them to fall apart.

The spell not strong enough to control all five of them parts when separated, the Aerialbots are freed of their mind control and everyone celebrates Spike as the hero, and as an honorary Dinobot.

"Finale" Plot

Optimus and his team have tracked the mind controlled Cybertronians and Equestrians to a desolate area of Cybertron, where they find them trying to excavate something. Optimus calls in for reinforcements and attacks the group early, it's soon revealed why Optimus was in such a rush, when Sombra merges himself with a long hidden underground Titan, Scorponok!

Just after the combination, the reinforcements arrive, which includes s new set of exosuits for the Equestrians which can be used to attack the mind controlled with Equestrian-powered weapons to break the mind control, as discovered by Ratchet and his team earlier.

Soon all the bots and horses who were mind controlled are freed and turn against "Sombranok", causing the controlled Titan to explode, and dazing the king.

Soon a truce is upheld, and Megatron agrees not to try and abuse Equestrian magic again, as it doesn't meld well with Cybertron, but does agree that if anyone else wants to interact with Equestria, he won't get in their way, leading to the ponies to hug him as their new friend.

Elsewhere, the scene is being watched by a Quintesson, who judges the ponies as 'innocent'.....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Elita-1 - Car

Mirage - Race Car

Cliffjumper - Car

Bumblebee - Car

Trailbreaker - Van

Arcee - Car

Ratchet - Ambulance

Wheeljack - Race Car

Blades - Rescue Helicopter

Cosmos - Orbiter 

Greenlight - Car 

Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex

Swoop - Pteranodon

Sludge - Apatosaurus 

Slug - Triceratops

Snarl - Stegosaurus

Silverbolt - Passenger Jet Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Slingshot - Fighter Jet Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Air Raid - Fighter Jet Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Skydive - Fighter Jet Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Fireflight - Fighter Jet Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Superion - Aerialbot Combiner Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Jetfire - Jet Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Clampdown - Emergency Vehicle Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Afterburner - Speedbike Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Huffer - Truck Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Warpath - Tank Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Doublecross - Two Headed Dragon Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Decepticon

Megatron - Tank Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Shockwave - Flying Artillery

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Soundwave - Cassette Player

Snapdragon - Jet/Dragon

Breakdown - Armoured Van

Skytread - Tank and Jet

Slipstream - Fighter Jet

Shadow Striker - Car 

Ravage - Cassette

Frenzy - Cassette

Rumble - Cassette Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Bombshell - Boll Weevil Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Ruckus - Buggy Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Squeezeplay - Crab Monster Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Caliburst - Gun Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Refraktor - Hovercraft Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Other Cybertronian

Scorponok - Scorpion Destroyed

Equestrian

Princess Twilight Sparkle Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Pinkie Pie Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Fluttershy Mind Controlled by Sombra, later Freed 

Rarity

Applejack

Rainbow Dash

Spike

Smolder 

King Sombra Defeated and Captured

Octavia Melody

Blaze

Wave Chill

Soarin

Fleetfoot

Surprise

Queen Chrysalis (Mentioned)

Yona (Mentioned)

Sandbar (Mentioned)

Other Young Sixers (Mentioned)

Other

Quintesson Judge

Scorponok's Controller (Mentioned)

Notes

• Despite being correct in the comic itself, the main cover features the enslaved characters with purple glowing eyes instead of green...very odd.
• Following his adventure in the original crossover, Spike decided to research all of the Transformers...he's a nerd!
• It's kind of shocking to me that in a comic that features all the Dinobot's and a combiner, we didn't see Volcanicus being formed!
• It's implied here that Optimus and the other main Autobots weren't seen in this series to this point because they were following the possessed bots to keep track of them.
• The exosuits used by the ponies are designed to be able to transform into weapons, unlike the design shown briefly in the previous crossover, making them a similar technology to the Western version of the G1 Targetmasters.
• The weaponry that the Equestrians transform into are a hammer for Applejack, an axe for Rainbow Dash, a sword for Twilight Sparkle, a party cannon for Pinkie Pie, a flamethrower for Spike and a shield for both Rarity and Fluttershy. Fluttershy's shield is only seen briefly being weilded by Ratchet in a background shot.
• Rarity jokes that it's been about 20 minutes since Twilight was mind controlled. This is a reference to how an MLP episode usually takes place over 20 minutes. It's POSSIBLE that these events could have taken place over that short time frame, but it would be very tight...
• The Refraktor shown being freed by Arcee has blue eyes, but later he has red eyes...maybe she accidentally turned one of them into an Autobot?
• Scorponok exploding at the climax of this story is the first confirmed, named character to be killed off in the MLP crossover continuity.
• Most of the Cybertronians shown in this issue are based on recent toys or prominent characters...so why is Clampdown there? Is this an early look at a future Selects toy?
• The end of this issue shows a Quintesson Judge taking an interest in the Equestrians, hinting at a future crossover plot, however, due to Generation 5 starting soon for MLP it's possible that Friendship is Magic will be abandoned for the new continuity. Time will tell I guess!

IDW - Transformers #32

Title: Lord of Misrule: Test Flight II

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova & Angel Hernandez

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

In Exarchon's world, Jumpstream is berated by the despot inside Megatron, Onslaught and Shockwave's bodies, before they decide that she isn't worth their time, and sends her to be sold to the Voin.

After being escorted to the Thraal Mercenaries, she is dragged towards the Voin, and along the way she determines that this must be an alternate timeline where Exarchon won the war...

Before much more can happen though, a group of rebels led by Bumblebee find and rescue her, killing the Thraal. One of the rebels, Swift, is confused however, as she saw Jumpstream killed along with Cyclonus a long time ago. Unfortunately however, the group are soon tracked down by Exarchon's forces and are slowly killed, until only Bumblebee and Jumpstream remain. Bee gives Jumpstream his nucleon converter, as well as the now dead Powerglide's, to refuel her teleportation device, to allow her to return home, just as Beebis also killed.

Jumpstream is flung through the intermediate space again, catching the attention of a shadowy figure in there in the process, before falling out, back in Perceptor's lab, but unconscious.

Elsewhere, in Shockwave's lab, Sunstorm is trying to get Onslaught, and later Vortex, to let him out of his containment, so he can show everyone his new world...

At the Iacon Medical Center, Cyclonus rushes to Provoke's room, as she has just suddenly awoken, despite being essentially dead just a short time before...

Back at Perceptor's lab, Pyra Magna is furious with Perceptor for endangering her soldier like this, but he's more preoccupied by something else, despite him believing her jumps to enable her to cross dimensions with the upgrades, she isntead travelled to the future, and now they just need her to same up to tell them what she saw there...

In between the timeframes again, the shadowy figure finds a stream a light leftover by Jumpstream's recent jump, and uses it to follow her trip, allowing a long lost Skywarp to finally return to Cybertron!

Characters

Autobot

Pyra Magna - Truck

Jumpstream - Car Unconscious

Perceptor - Treaded Vehicle

Ratchet - Ambulance

Lancer - Car

Future Jumpstream - Car (Mentioned) Dead

Future Pyra Magna - Truck (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Onslaught - Anti-aircraft Truck

Vortex - Helicopter

Sunstorm - Jet In Confinement

Threefold Spark

Exarchon 

Megatron - Tank Body controlled by Exarchon

Onslaught - Anti-aircraft Truck Body controlled by Exarchon

Shockwave - Flying Artillery Body controlled by Exarchon

Vortex - Helicopter

Triggerhappy - Jet Killed by Bumblebee

Clone Drone Swarm - Jets

Insecticon Clone Swarm - Insects 

Future Rebels

Bumblebee Killed by Threefold Spark Forces

Swift Killed by Vortex

Blackjack Killed by Insecticon Swarm

Powerglide Killed by Triggerhappy

Other Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet

Flatline - Van

Skywarp - Jet

Provoke

Future Corpses Dead

Primus (Mentioned)

Future Cyclonus - Jet (Mentioned) Dead

Cyclonus' Team (Mentioned) Dead

Other

Flyts

A skitter Eaten by Flyts 

Future Thraal Mercenaries Killed by Rebels

The Voin (Mentioned)

Notes

• The future Thraal in this issue use mech suits similar to their original counterparts from the Titan UK comics.
• The Thraal are a part of the Mercenary faction, based on their insignias, rather than just independent mercenaries.
• The brief appearance of the Skywarp Clones in jet mode makes it seem like they are on their Earth modes, possibly hinting that this is set after Earthfall.
• Powerglide using Sideswipe's Thermal Lance implies that he probably died in the past. Poor fella!
• The rebels have been forced to use Necleon for fuel for so long, that they've now lost their alternate modes. So essentially they are stuck as Action Masters....maybe death WAS a better option?
• Provoke waking up, after us being told that she was basically dead, after having her unknown surgery before being buried is quite suspect huh? I think we know where Exarchon was hiding...