Skybound - Transformers #1

Writer, Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson

Colourist: Mike Spicer

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Editor: Sean Mackiewicz

Publication Design: Andres Juarez

Plot

Sparkplug is in a bar, drinking away his troubles, following the death of his son, Jimmy, during a rocket launch. His surviving son, Spike, wakes him up, but upsets him when his dad notices his last son with Jimmy's telescope. Sparkplug is picked up by his friend to take him to work, while Spike goes off stargazing with his girlfriend, Carly.

Spike and Carly hike up a mountain and start to set up, when an earthquake hits, and the two tumble into a new crevasse, landing inside a long lost Spacecraft, the Ark, filled with seemingly dead, giant robots.

Soon, another robot, Jetfire, flies in, and plants a cartridge into Teletraan-1, the ship's computer, which gives it information about Earth vehicles, and starts repairing the other robots...

The first to wake up is Starscream, who immediately shoots the nearby Bumblebee in the head, killing him, whilst thanking the shocked Jetfire. The latter tries to stop Starscream from continuing his slaughter, but is shot by his old friend in the torso.

Before he can finish off their saviour, Starscream is stopped by the newly revived Optimus Prime, who also soon notices his human voyeurs and works to protect them.

Ratchet is soon revived too, along with Skywarp, clueing Starscream to Teletraan reviving them at random, prompting him to start dragging the other Decepticons closer to the computer.

Optimus realises they will be outnumbered soon, so orders Ratchet to load as many of their fellow Autobots into his new trailer as he can, for them to escape.

Soundwave is revived next, attacking Optimus, who is distracted when he finds the body of Bumblebee, and mourns for his friend, bringing back memories for Spike...

Starscream ambushes Optimus when he is distracted, and Soundwave deploys Ravage to assist him, but the humans manage to push Optimus' Ion Blaster to him, allowing him to blast Ravage and avoid the other Decepticons. Knowing he'll be too outnumbered if he doesn't stop the revival process, Optimus shoots and badly damages Teletraan-1, before escaping with Ratchet, the downed Autobots and the humans.

Starscream and Skywarp give chase, but Skywarp is quickly depleted of his energy, forcing them to return to the Ark, but not before Jetfire tries to repent by defeating Starscream, only to be fatally injured by his old friend.

Spike directs the Autobots to an old quarry for them to hide out in, where Jetfire apologizes for his rash actions, and believes their planet, and species itself is doomed to death now...as he dies himself...

At the Ark, Soundwave reveals that Teletraan-1 is beyond their current repair capabilities, but if they have materials and Energon, they may be able to repair it, and revive the rest of the Decepticons. Starscream is pressured into doing a solo resource run, due to the others being energy-depleted, and him being their leader now

The Decepticon leader soon finds a power plant, where Sparkplug happens to be working, where he attacks the electrical pylons, he soon notices Sparkplug's scared friend, whom the Decepticon picks up, and crushes to death, laughing about how pathetic the life on this planet was...

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Ratchet - Ambulance

Bumblebee Stasis Locked, Head blasted out by Starscream

Jazz Stasis Locked 

Cliffjumper Stasis Locked 

Prowl Stasis Locked 

Hound Stasis Locked 

Wheeljack Stasis Locked 

Windcharger Stasis Locked 

Other Autobots (Mentioned) Stasis Locked 

Decepticon

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Skywarp - Fighter Jet

Soundwave - Cassette Player

Ravage - Cassette Badly Injured by Optimus 

Thundercracker Stasis Locked

Reflector Stasis Locked 

Laserbeak - Cassette (Mentioned)

Megatron (Mentioned)

Other Decepticons (Mentioned) Stasis Locked 

Other Cybertronian

Jetfire - Cybertronian Jet Killed by Starscream

Teletraan-1 Destroyed by Optimus 

Human

Spike 

Carly

Sparkplug

Davey Killed by Starscream 

Danny

Jerry

Army Guy (Flashback) Likely Dead

Jimmy (Mentioned) Killed in Shuttle Explosion

Carly's Dad (Mentioned)

Notes

• This series follows on from Jetfire's departure in Void Rivals #1, with him making his way to Earth to wake up the Transformers (though I'm sure we'll learn how he found them and why he didn't go to Cybertron as he planned later)
• Of the characters on the Autobot cover of this issue, only Optimus and Ratchet are actually shown active this issue
• The Transformer character designs are based on the original designs of the characters from the 80s, unlike previous series where some level of toy synergy has been noted in recent years.
• Along with this, the series appears to be set around the 80s as well, with imagery of the Vietnam war and the (potential) Challenger explosion.
• Sparkplug is shown to be an ex-army guy, who lost a friend in war. I wonder if he'll be connected to GI Joe in this continuity?
• Spike is revealed to have had a brother named Jimmy, who died in a spacecraft explosion (who wants to bet that it'll be revealed to have been caused by a Cybertronian somehow?)
• The Cybertronians in this issue appear to be speaking in English, since the human characters don't need any translations.
• So...how do we think Bumblebee's going to be revived? GI Joe? Junkions? Something else?
• In the Marvel comics Teletraan believed that vehicles were the dominate form of life on Earth, here Jetfire knew the humans were, most likely due to his knowledge of other species (like the Aggorians and Zertonians)
• Optimus is shown to hold the Matrix in his chest at the moment, and reveals it has the power to heal, but not (seemingly) to revive the dead.
• Megatron is partially mentioned, but Starscream interrupts pointing out that HE is the leader now...what did you do to him Starscream?
• Sparkplug's friend is squished in front of him by Starscream...I think this version of the character will be anti-Cybertronian, like his Marvel counterpart.
• Jetfire knows Optimus' name, but didn't know he was the Prime yet, implying this version of the character was never known by an earlier name (like Orion Pax or Optronix)

Skybound - Void Rivals #4

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Lorenzo de Felici

Colourist: Matheus Lopes

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Editor: Sean Mackiewicz

Plot

With the ship approaching Zertonia, the Handroid attempts to stop Solila, and send them to Agorra instead, but Solila manages to disarm the robot, by threatening his Aggorian master.

Solila brings Darak to Zertonia, where he is villified as a monster by the people, and sent to a cell, which the Handroid determines there's no escape from.

Solila visits with her leader, Zalilak, and is relieved when he explains that he will return Darak to Agorra, after they meet his demands for supplies. Zalilak notices her relief and asks if they bonded, before asking if she saw his face...leaving her fearful.

Soon, Solila is dragged to Darak's cell, and is doomed to share his fate for her "treachery", which Darak can't help but be amused by.

Soon, Zalilak contacts Minister Dulin of Agorra, to tell him that the two pilots saw eachother's faces, and both agree to have them executed to keep their secret connection secret...

Elsewhere, the Skuxxoid arrives on Cybertron, intending to collect on a presumed bounty on his Quintesson prisoner, but Shockwave, being one of the few still active Cybertronians on the world declines the offer, due to the lack of supplies, let alone currency, sending the Skuxxoid away... 

Characters

Zertonian

Solila Imprisoned on Zertonia 

Premier Zalilak

Zertonian Dignitary

Zertonian Guards

Zertonian Civilians

Council of Vite (Mentioned)

Agorrian 

Darak Imprisoned on Zertonia

Handroid Imprisoned on Zertonia 

Minister Dulin 

Other

Shockwave - Flying Artillery

Skuxxoid

Quintesson Prosecutor Imprisoned by Skuxxoid

Zerta (Mentioned)

Skuxxoid's Family (Mentioned)

Other Decepticons (Mentioned) In Stasis 

Notes

• As previously shown in issue one, the Handroid can control Darak's hand to drag his unconscious body around.
• On the brief switch to Cybertron, Shockwave laments on how he barely has enough energon to keep himself alive...perhaps he should consider turning off some of the lights in the building behind him?
• The leader of Zertonia, Zalilak is revealed to have contact with Minister Dulin of Agorra, with both even showing their faces to eachother, which is supposed to be against their beliefs.
• It's clarified in the letters section that Zertonia and Agorra were separate worlds that were rebuilt around a black hole, creating the Sacred Ring. It's still unclear how they can survive the exposure to a black hole's gravity field etc, but I think it has something to do with their forehead crystals.
• Cybertron appears to be fairly close to the space around the Sacred Ring, since the Skuxxoid has managed to make it there within a month (based on last issue's time skip), making it quite interesting that the two species apparently never met.