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)