IDW - More Than Meets the Eye #5

Comic Staff

Title: How Ratchet got his hands back

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Alex Milne

Colour by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Chris Mowry

Editor: John Barber

Storyline

On Delphi, the newly revived Fortress Maximus kills the Genericons in...well frankly nightmare inducing ways, but then calms down once both are dead. First Aid tries to tend to Pharma's wounds, but is struck away from him. Ratchet tries to work on Drift, but he's afraid he'll die, when Ambulon goes to recover a part of one of the Genericons from Fort Max's chest Pharma draws a gun on him and claims that Ambulon, as a former Decepticon is a traitor and released the Decepticons from their cell. However the other Autobots quickly realize through several clues that Pharma is in fact the one who released the Decepticons, and also caused the virus to be released, with it being caused when the infected Transforms. Pharma escapes from the group by blasting a power relay that threatens to kill most of the lifers at the facility.

The Medics all try to save the now fading patients, and Ratchet transforms to allow Backstreet to survive by using his medical supplies in his vehicle mode, after which he runs off after the traitor.

On the Lost Light Tailgate asks Ultra Magnus to help him get ready for the Rite of Autobrand, and so Magnus starts to teach him the very extensive Autobot Code, elsewhere in his Ofiice, Rung is having a session with Red Alert, who has started hearing voices from under the Sparkeater's cage, despite there being just empty space under there. Red Alert reveals a recording he made that features something saying "Me...Kill..." repeatedly. During his lesson Tailgate gets interested in a clause that Magnus says is redundant, Clause 19-80-4, which reminds Tailgate of the robots who attacked Skids when they first met him. Magnus tells him that it regards Thought Warfare.

Back on Delphi, Ratchet catches up with Pharma and manages to get him to monologue about what he's done, he reveals that the only reason why the DJD has been leaving Delphi alone is because Pharma's been supplying their leader with Transformation Cogs, but the orders kept increasing, so in order to leave without any odd questions being raised, he arranged with Sonic and Boom to enter the facility and to help him deploy the virus and knock out communications etc, which infected everyone who heard it, and then spread via touch. Pharma planned to survive by hiding in the quarantine lab, but then Ratchet arrived and ruined everything. Ratchet tells Pharma that all of this is pointless, as he's just infected him with his rusting parts (as he transformed and infected himself earlier). The two medics fight briefly, with Pharma revealing he has a cure for himself and then blasts Ratchet, knocking him out.

Pharma escapes to the roof where he encounters Ratchet's Human holo-avatar, who distracts him long enough for the real Ratchet to tackle Pharma from behind and sends the cure falling over the edge. Ratchet and Pharma fight on the roof and Pharma ends up hanging over the edge begging for help, Ratchet turns his back on him, and Pharma activates his back mounted cannons and prepares to kill him, when Drift suddenly appears and slashes off Pharma's hands, sending him falling or flying to his doom.

Later First Aid administers the cure to everyone remaining at the facility (Ratchet had his holo-avatar catch the cure before it fell) and on the ride back to the Lost Light Ratchet suggests that First Aid takes over from him as Chief Medical Officer due to his actions at Delphi. The Delphi Survivors join the Lost Light crew and Ratchet has had Pharma's old hands replace his own faulty ones.

Character List

Autobot
Ratchet - Ambulance
First Aid
Ambulon - Leg
Pharma - Jet Presumed Dead from Fall/Virus
Drift - Car
Pipes - Truck
Fortress Maximus - Tank
Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport
Rung - Maintenance Buggy
Red Alert
Backstreet On Life Support
Tracer (Mentioned) On Life Support
Omega Supreme (Mentioned)
Skids - Van (Mentioned)
Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned)
Rewind - Giant Memory Stick (Mentioned)
Chromedome - Car (Mentioned)
Whirl - Osprey Helicopter (Mentioned)
Ironfist/Fisitron (Mentioned) Dead
About 20 Patients at Delphi (Mentioned)
Delphi Staff (Flashback) Dead
Pharma's Victims (Flashback) Killed/Mutilated by Pharma

Decepticon
Sonic - Part of Light/Sound Cannon Killed by Fortress Maximus
Boom - Part of Light/Sound Cannon Killed by Fortress Maximus
DJD Leader (Flashback - Heavily Shadowed)
Megatron (Mentioned)
Starscream (Mentioned)
Killmaster (Mentioned)
Decepticon Justice Division (Mentioned)

Other
Tailgate - Car
"The Voice under the Ship"
Nineteen Eighty-Four Bot (Flashback)
Nova Prime - Truck (Flashback)
Sparkeater (Mentioned) Dead

Comic Notes

• The panels on Fort Max's chest can be used to slice off heads!
• The Decepticons tried to create a Gestalt 10 years ago
• First Aid has a damaged Transformation Cog
• Red Alert's character model from the past uses his more commonly known model from the G1 toys, cartoon etc rather than his new different character model (which sort of brings up the question of what's up with this new body)
• "Me...Kill..." could be a reference to Grimlock in some way, or could be really meant to be "Kill Me"
• Ultra Magnus hates dirt
• Holo-Avatar's were taken out of common use due to them not looking right and being energy intensive and requires constant concentration
• I wonder how long it'll take for Ratchet to paint his new hands red again?
• It's not stated, but it's likely that the lifers from Delphi (like Backstreet and Tracer) would have been taken to the Lost Light too
• First Aid and Ratchet both think they could have saved Ironfist

IDW - More than Meets the Eye #4

Comic Staff

Title: Life after the Big Bang

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Alex Milne

Colour by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: John Barber

Storyline

In the Delphi medical outpost on planet Messatine First Aid is writing a journal about the situation in the base and how it started just after they allowed two Decepticons into the base out of mercy.

Two days later on the Lost Light Swerve has opened up his new bar and the team are enjoying themselves. Ratchet walks in to speak to Swerve about them both receiving a new datalog from Ironfist, despite him being dead. Ratchet reveals that the message is in fact survival rates from Delphi. Swerve mentions that they've just found themselves on the map, and that they're near Delphi now. Ratchet decides to make a "house call".

Magnus meets with Rodimus in his office to discuss the situation with Tailgate and his wanting to be a Decepticon. Rodimus says he'll deal with it. Later Ratchet, Drift and Pipes approach Delphi on a set of MARD's and Pipes is excited, since this is the first time he's ever been on an alien world. At the entrance Ratchet sees a red cross on the door and decides against entering, but Pipes decides to be impulsive and rams down the door, ending up in a pile of dead plague infested bodies. Drift stops a "zombie" from attacking Pipes by slicing him up into little pieces much to Ratchet's horror.

First Aid walks into the room after hearing a noise and is glad to see Ratchet got his message from the datalog. He starts explaining about the Red Rust being an illness and quickly examines Pipes to see if he has any signs of illness as he touched the infected bodies. First Aid takes the group further into the base.

On the Lost Light Tailgate is taken to see Rewind, who downloads an abridged Cybertronian History for Tailgate to witness, showing him what the Decepticons have done, and he is horrified and changes his mind about being a Decepticon.

Back in Delphi the group head into an emergency ward where they learn that the medics there aren't infected for some reason, and neither are the long term patients at the base. Ratchet is taken to see Fortress Maximus who is in a state of eternal coma, but First Aid tries to talk to Ratchet about a possible treatment for him, however Ratchet just wants to see Pharma.

Tailgate returns to his quarters to speak to Cyclonus and hits him because he lied about the Decepticons just being freedom fighters. Cyclonus tells him he was an idiot for rushing into a decision like that after just hearing an outsider's view of the war. Cyclonus gets annoyed and beats up Tailgate, then leaves.

On Delphi Pharma is revealed to have been trapped in a treatment chamber since the base was hit with the virus and the Big Bang (which knocked out communications). Pharma burns a message into his hand to warn the group that Pipes is infected. ratchet and Drift try to keep a scared Pipes calm. Drift knocks him out with the handle of his sword whilst Ratchet frees Pharma from the room, and he runs off to check on some patients as he's worked out what's happening here.

Pipes is rushed to a treatment room where he is put on a Nucleon Feed to try and keep him alive. Ratchet tells Drift to stay away in case he gets infected too, but Drift reveals that he is infected already, as Pipes must have sprayed him a bit. Pharma is thrown into the room by the Genericons as Drift begins to succumb to his illness. Ratchet tries to surrender, but then First Aid walks in with a newly revived Fortress Maximus, who is itching for payback against any Decepticons after Overlord beat him five years earlier.

Characters

Autobot
Rodimus - Speedy Car
Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport
Ratchet
Drift - Car Infected with Red Rust
Pipes - Truck Infected with Red Rust and Incapacitated by Drift
First Aid
Pharma - Jet
Ambulon
Fortress Maximus - Tank
Rewind - Giant Memory Stick
Powerglide - Jet
Highbrow
Chromedome
Swerve - Small Van
Skids - Van
Trailbreaker - Van
Sunstreaker
Dent/Prowl Died from Red Rust, Sliced up by Drift
Backstreet- Car Stasis Lock
Prowl (Mentioned)
Rung - Communications Buggy (Mentioned)
Ironfist/Fisitron - Van (Mentioned)
Red Alert (Mentioned)
Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned)
Jackpot (Mentioned)
Whirl - Osprey Helicopter (Mentioned)
Zeta Prime (Mentioned) Dead
The Wreckers (Mentioned)
Delphi Patients Dead/Dying from Red Rust
Delphi Security Staff Dead/Dying from Red Rust
Delphi Miners Dead/Dying from Red Rust
Long Term Delphi Patients In Stasis Lock

Decepticon
Genericon Blue
Genericon Purple
Decepticon Justice Division (Mentioned)
Megatron (Mentioned)
Starscream (Mentioned)
Soundwave (Mentioned)
Bludgeon (Mentioned)
Bludgeon's Deviants and Half-Forms (Mentioned)
Overlord (Mentioned)
The Constellate (Mentioned)
The Conclave (Mentioned)

Other
Tailgate - Car
Cyclonus - Space Jet
Bob
Serving Droid
Progenitors (Mentioned)
Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)
Adaptus (Mentioned)
Primus (Mentioned)

Comic Notes

• Oh look! Pipes appears! ....And it looks like he's dying....Sounds normal to me!
• Delphi and it's crew etc first appeared in Bullets, also written by James Roberts
• The old red cross design for medical bots appears to be back (though in a non-infringing stylized style)
• The Genericons are in extreme stages of a Branched Spark's Proximity Pains, which Twin Twist and Topspin were feeling in LSOTW. It's mentioned that they may need to be operated on and conjoined to save their lives (which could explain Rack'n'Ruin too)
• As I predicted, Swerve opened a bar, and even has a serving droid.
• It's not clear why Skids decided to lasso the serving droid, but it is funny!
• It's revealed here that Ratchet was a subscriber to "Wreckers: Declassified" until Ironfist's death
• Rodimus appears to be analyzing the Matrix half he was given by Optimus in his office! HE ACTUALLY DOES WORK?!? (albeit whilst playing with a knife of course)
• Pipes' eyes can be either individual or have a visor lowered so he looks like either his toy or cartoon version
• It's revealed here that the Decepticon insignia's are made by using a piece of the wielder's spark casing, which COULD explain why they were able to be controlled by D-Void in Chaos (and presumably Megatron wouldn't have done this himself either)
• The above comment also shows that you can't be a Decepticon unless Megatron or a Member of the Conclave allows it, which means that the error with Galvatron and his crew being called Decepticons was just that.
• Dent/The Other Prowl is based on the Beast Wars Prowl (the Lion one, not the owl)
• Fortress Maximus was moved to Delphi after Last Stand of the Wreckers
• This story shows that Overlord took Garrus-9 (the the Surge in general happened) five years ago.
• Ratchet plans to make Pharma the new Autobot CMO
• Ratchet and Pharma certainly do look very similar don't they?
• The infected are referred to as the Weeping Dead in solicitations due to the crying they have to do when their eyes start to melt away 
• The Militant Monoform Movement are a religious group who remove their Transformation Cogs (maybe Action Masters are members?)