Panini - Armada #9

Cover Date: 31 Dec 2003

Price: £1.75

Main Story

Title: Dawn of Destruction

Script: Simon Furman

Pencils: Andrew Wildman

Inks: Stephen Baskerville

Colours: Nigel Dobbyn

Letters: Neil Porter

Plot

Cyclonus crashes on the Moon, following his failed mission with the Autobot Mini-Cons, and is soon found by the Destruction Team...

Later, at the Decepticon HQ, the Decepticons are concerned about Cyclonus not contacting them, and Megatron is annoyed since he's lost most of his new base in this endeavour, and doesn't even have the Autobot Mini-Cons to make up for it.

Leader-1 detects Cyclonus approaching, and soon the Decepticon, now being controlled by the powerlinked Destruction Team, attacks the Decepticon base, destroying it.

The Decepticons confront Cyclonus, and are willing to kill their ally to destroy the rogue Mini-Cons, resulting in a battle between them.

Before Cyclonus, controlled by the Mini-Cons, is about to kill Megatron when Starscream turns his new sonic disruptor weapon on him, forcing the power links to be removed, freeing Cyclonus from their control, and the Mini-Cons run away to dafety.

Later, Starscream contacts the Destruction Team, and proposes an alliance between them to take down Megatron...

Characters

Decepticon

Megatron - Tank

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Cyclonus - Helicopter

Demolishor - Battle Tank

Mini-Con

Leader-1 - Cannon Truck

Swindle - F1 Race Car

Blackout - Anti-Aircraft Vehicle

Dualor - Battle Tank

Buzzsaw - Buzzsaw Truck

Drill Bit - Drill Tank

Tales of the Mini-Cons...

Title: Counter-Strike!

Script: Simon Furman

Pencils: Simon Williams

Inks: Bambos Georgiou

Colours: Junior Tomlin

Letters: Neil Porter

Plot

In the distant past, on Cybertron, the Decepticons are attacking Mini-Con villages to gather supplies for their experiments.

Elsewhere, the Mini-Cons are holding an emergency meeting to plan a way to stop the Decepticons, the Destruction Team plots to rig the Autobot base with explosives, and send out a message to the Decepticons to head there, as it is filled with Mini-Cons, but when they arrive, they will just be destroyed, along with the Autobots as collateral damage.

Later, the plot is set and the Autobase is attacked by th Decepticons. The Mini-Cons prepare the explosives, but Sparkplug, whilst seeing the merits of killing Megatron, he can't allow the deaths of the innocent Autobots.

Just before the explosives are set off, Sparkplug sends a warning to Optimus about the explosives, allowing him and the Autobots to escape, unfortunately the Decepticons are far enough away to avoid most of the explosions, and Dualor ows revenge on whoever warned the Autobotss about their plans...

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Hot Shot - Sports Car

Red Alert - Emergency SUV

Smokescreen - Tow-Crane Truck

Decepticon

Megatron - Tank

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Demolishor - Battle Tank

Cyclonus - Helicopter

Thrust - Fighter Jet

Mini-Con

Sparkplug - Sports Car

Dualor - Battle Tank

Buzzsaw - Buzzsaw Truck

Drill Bit - Drill Tank

Jolt - Helicopter

Liftor - Fork-Lift-Bulldozer Truck

Commetor - Moon Buggy

Skyblast - Rocket

Ransack - Pick-Up Truck

Spiral - Race Car

Mirage - F1 Race Car

Dirt Boss - Stock Car

Generic Mini-Cons

Notes

• This was the final issue released due to dwindling sales, the next official UK Transformers comic series would come out in 2007 with the Titan movie comics.
• Cyclonus plummets to the Moon at the beginning from the end of the previous issue, placing this issue directly after that story.
• The Destruction Team's familiarity with Cyclonus and the mention of Punishment Cubes seems to be references to the Dreamwave comic, but we all know these two series don't fit in continuity together.
• Cyclonus appears to destroy the Decepticon's new base here...well that lasted a long time!
• Starscream's sonic destabilizer sure is a powerful weapon! I bet that if the series ever continued it would have never turned up again!
• It's revealed that the Destruction Team have been hiding in the old Mini-Con shuttle...so I guess they were woken up by Optimus when he got Liftor and Rollbar to reactivate, but just ignored his requests for help....yup!
• Commetor finally makes an appearance, despite Jetfire appearing much earlier in the series.
• It irks me that only SOME members of the Race and Space teams appear here
• Again, despite the front cover, Thrust have a VERY minor role in this comic!
• How did the Mini-Cons rig the Autobase with explosives with no one noticing?

Other Features

Various Contests and Adverts

Mini-Con Marble Madness! - Destroy the comic to make some crappy targets

Data File #17: Jetfire

Cyber Puzzles - Various "puzzles"

Cyclonus Upgraded! - Pull-out puzzle of Cyclonus against the Decepticons

Cyber Space! - Article on more upcoming toys

Data File #18: Commetor

High Wire's Festive Fun Factory! - Make some Christmas things!

Starscream's Hate Mail! - Read the mail and stuff!

Next Issue...

Whilst this was the last issue released, there were more planned, the next issue would have included the Adventure Mini-Con team, finding Sideways, and presumably leading up to some Unicron Battles plot lines.

IDW - Transformers #43

Title: South of Heaven

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Andrew Griffith

Colours by: Josh Perez

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Plot

Cosmos spies on the Decepticon's Jupiter station, just as Astrotrain arrives with Soundwave, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Brawl, Blackrock, Faireborn and Jones in tow for a tour of the station. Inside they find several pieces of comfort such as recharge slabs, bars, theatres, and even a park.

Soundwave goes off to explore by himself, but ends up outside after hearing Cosmos, using his superior ears, and tries to talk to the spying Autobot, who gets scared and flies off towards Jupiter's ring of asteroids. Despite being evasive, Cosmos is quickly caught by Soundwave, who just wishes to talk to him.

Soundwave tells Cosmos that the war is over, and all the Decepticons want is to live in peace now, away from the Autobots, and blames the Decepticon's past evil-ness was due to Megatron, who is now an Autobot. On the station, unknown by anyone else, Blackrock watches the conversation in secret. Soundwave implies that he wants to use the Autobot's spacebridge for peaceful reasons (most likely to get Cybertronians to this system from Cybertron) and pushes Cosmos' buttons about his inferiority complex, by bringing up his "master" the Prime, and asking if he is an equal with the rest of his crew.

Soundwave goes to leave and tells Cosmos that if he ever wants to join them on the station, or just wishes to talk, he can contact him any time. Cosmos tells Soundwave that Blackrock's Onyx system uses Old Cybertronian codings, which Soundwave reacts uninterestedly, and leaves.

Soundwave returns to the station, where he sneakily asks Blackrock about the Onyx system, which Blackrock immediately admits uses some Cybertronian code he found from some leftover systems, which seems to trouble Soundwave in some way.

Cosmos returns to Ark-7, where he tells Arcee that the Jupiter base seems to be peaceful, and he'll give her a full report after a recharge. He returns to his quarters with D.O.C. who curls up next to his feet and rests as well.

Characters

Autobot

Cosmos - Orbiter

Arcee - Sports Car

Megatron - Tank (Memory Image)

Prowl - Police Vehicle (Mentioned)

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Soundwave - Personnel Carrier

Brawl - Tank

Buzzsaw - Cassette

Laserbeak - Cassette

Astrotrain - Space Shuttle/Train

Human

Marissa Faireborn

Ayana Jones

Garrison Blackrock

Stockbridge and his co-worker

E.D.C. (Mentioned)

John Backus (Mentioned)

Rasmus Lerdorf (Mentioned)

Gilgamesh (Mentioned)

Cybertronian

D.O.C.

Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• Buzzsaw and Laserbeak are given personalities like Statler and Waldorf from The Muppet Show, by mocking the others from the "rafters" and just being insulting
• Soundwave refuses to share Anti-gravity technology with the Humans, possibly due to the Tyrest Accord that prevents Cybertronians from sharing potentially harmful technology with other races
• There has been no records of Blackrock until 3 years before the present day...about the same time that the Ongoing began..I think he might be a facsimile of some sort....
• Despite their alliance, Soundwave considers Humans to be only equal to other Earth animals, and other insignificant creatures, like drones.
• I get the feeling that D.O.C. might be a little more than meets the eye....with the tendrils and energy beams keeping him afloat, he sort of reminds me of a Quintesson construct...
• Agent Jones has finally been given a first name!

IDW - Robots in Disguise #22

Title: Soundwaves

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Andrew Griffith (Present Day) and Livio Ramondelli (Past)

Colours by: Priscilla Tranontano (Present Day) and Livio Ramondelli (Past)

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Plot

Four million years ago, Soundwave is transplanting former Sennator Ratbat's brain module from his body, and taking it into his custody, when Shockwave arrives and asks what he intends to do with Ratbat now, they comment on how the massacre of the Senate is a massive event in history, and Shockwave comments on how Megatron is how battling Sentinel Prime, and offers to create Ratbat's new body for him.

In the present, Soundwave and Shockwave start too battle, with Soundwave disgusted with his lack of loyalty, Shockwave reveals that he knows Soundwave is alone, and tells him that he shouldn't have come here, however Soundwave reveals that all his cassettes are with him, and calls them out.

Before the revolution, Soundwave and Megatron meet up, and discuss the future of the Decepticons and the government in general. Soundwave suggests to Megatron to allow his Decepticons to be captured by the senate and sent to Kaon, where the senate would hold an emergency session, called by Ratbat, at Soundwave's behest, so they can attack them from the inside, and wipe them out.

In the present, Soundwave and his cassettes fight Shockwave and Dreadwing, but due to the Ore-14 in the caverns neither side can win, and everyone who is killed is instantly revived again.

In the past, Megatron welcomes Senator Shockwave to his forces, and has Soundwave act as his handler. Soundwave takes an instant disliking to him and even tells Megatron that one day he'll need to kill him. Further in the past, Megatron meets with Soundwave in the Gladiator pits on Ratbat''s orders to make an alliance with him. Soundwave is having problems with his abilities with so many people near him, but Megatron impresses him with his truthfulness and his attitude towards the cassettes being equal beings, unlike how the rest of the world sees them (with Functionalists being prevalent still). Soundwave understands Megatron's real goal - he want's equality.

In the present again, Soundwave and his friends are allowed to leave, as Shockwave knows how pointless a battle with no possible victor is, and he knows Soundwave cannot stop him anyway. He contacts Jhiaxus and has him transport the Metrotitan from Gorlam Prime to him.

In the distant past, Ratbat finds Soundwave and his cassettes hiding out underground, where Soundwave is trying to isolate himself due to his abilities. Ratbat promises him various things, but in the process insults Ravage and the others.

In the present again, Soundwave returns to the Decepticon camp and tells them of what Shockwave is up to, or at least what he knows about it, and tells them that a major battle is about to start, just as a bright light comes from the Crystal City again.

A long time ago, Ravage, Lasserbeak and Buzzsaw are hanging out when they come across a distraught Soundwave struggling with his abilities. They start to help him by giving him something to focus on, and focus his powers onto as well...forging an eternal bond.

Characters

Autobot/Future Autobot

Grimlock - Armoured Truck (Flashback)

Sentinel Prime - Truck (Flashback - Hologram Only)

Orion Pax - Truck (Mentioned)

Decepticon/Future Decepticon

Soundwave - Van

Ravage - Cassette

Buzzsaw - Cassette

Laserbeak - Data Disk

Rumble - Tank

Frenzy - Tank

Shockwave - Flying Artillery

Dreadwing - Stealth Bomber

Astrotrain - Space Shuttle/Train

Blitzwing - Jet/Tank

Needlenose - Jet

Waspinator - Wasp

Megatron - Tank (Flashback)

Senator Ratbat (Flashback)

Thundercracker - Jet (Flashback)

Skywarp - Jet (Flashback)

Blackwall (Flashback)

Scorponok (Flashback)

Other Decepticons (Flashback)

Other

Jhiaxus

Gorlam Titan

Cybertronian Senate (Flashback) Killed by the Decepticons

Gladiator Audience (Flashback)

Monstructor - Gestalt (Mentioned)

Senator Proteus (Mentioned)

Senator Decimus (Mentioned)

Ratioists (Mentioned)

Functionalists (Mentioned)

Notes

• This is the last prequel story to the Dark Cybertron event
• The flashbacks spliced into this story are in reverse chronological order.
• This story shows that when Soundwave transplanted Ratbat's spark into a cassette he also took the brain module too. It also shows that the cassette wasn't his new body, but just a storage device, as Shockwave says he'll design him a new body.
• Shockwave reveals that the pointless battle between Dreadwing and Soundwave was just to test if he had his cassettes with him, as he assumed he'd call on them if they were.
• It's revealed here that the plan to allow the Decepticons to be captured by the Senate was Soundwave's, and that he was manipulating Ratbat all along as he never liked him.
• Grimlock and Scorponok are shown fighting in the Gladiator pits, showing us a part of their unseen history.
• It's revealed that Soundwave joined Megatron originally because he didn't see his cassettes as inferior, or as beasts, like the others did, but as equals.
• It's also shown here that Soundwave is an Outlier of sorts, but learned his control from Ravage (who is able to smell unlike anyone else), which is why he cares so much for his cassettes, as they saved him.
• Rumble and Frenzy are still able to be stored within Soundwave, despite being tanks now.
• The Ratioists are most likely something to do with the Original Thirteen, as it's been mentioned that all Transformers are descended from them, and that they all represented a different type of Transformer (bestial robots, female etc)

TFCC - Dawn of Futures Past

Staff

Writers: Forest Lee, Pete Sinclair

Pencils: Dan Khanna, Alex Milne, Marcelo Matere

Inks: Jake Eisen, Terry Pallot

Colours: Drew Eiden, Josh Perez, Thomas Deer

Letters: Junemoon Studio

Plot

Megatron and his team steal the Golden Disk and the Maximal Security Force are in pursuit, Unit-1 is disabled during the battle so Unit-2 (Tigatron) is forced to hunt them down himself.

Elsewhere, Divebomb (of the original Predacons) orders the Decepticons Laserbeak and Buzzsaw to assist Megatron is his usage of the Golden Disk (as it was G1 Megatron's goal originally for this to happen). The Predacons under Megatron's command steal a Transwarp ship, the Darksyde and they leave the planet. Tigatron commandeers the Chromia-10 Pilot's (Airazor) ship, along with her to chase them.

Maximal Command are worried that Tigatron won't be able to stop them in time, so they decide to call in reinforcements.from a nearby ship. On a space station the Axalon is being filled with it's cargo, including Protoform X's Stasis Pod, and their crew in their own Stasis Pod's too (for the long journey). The Maximal's under Optimus Primal's command on the Axalon start on their mission to drop off Protoform X and then return to their true scientific mission when Maximal Command contacts them and informs them about Megatron stealing the disk, they're ordered to chase the Predacons and recover the disk before the Preds can escape.

Before the Axalon can hunt down the Darksyde, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw attack the ship, causing quite a lot of damage, however they're saved when Airazor and Tigatron attack the Decepticon ship at the cost of their own ship. Tigatron and Airazor's spark's are transplanted into some blank protoforms in storage so that they can be rescued. The Maximals proceed to hunt down the Predacons.

On board the Darksyde, Tarantulas is communicating with the Tripredacus Council about the start of his secret mission, when Megatron asks him for a progress report on the disk, which he's been analyzing. On the ship's bridge the crew detect the Maximal ship approaching them, and Megatron orders the Transwarp Drive to be prepared, Dinobot is angry that they're running away again, instead of killing their foes. Megatron opens a channel up to contact their pursuers before they disappear. He greets the Maximals and taunts them before opening fire.

The Transwarp portal opens up and the two ships enter it, fighting, and that leads into the start of the Beast wars TV series.

Many years later Razorclaw and some other Predacons have returned to the technorganic Cybertron and declares that the Maximals will fall at the hands of him and the Predacons.

Characters

Maximal

Optimus Primal - Rocket Car

Cheetor - Racing Convertible

Rattrap - Motorcycle

Rhinox - Front End Loader

Tigatron/Unit-2 - Racing Convertible Spark Transplanted into Protoform

Airazor - Twin Nosed Jet Spark Transplanted into Protoform

Nitrostreak/Unit-1 - Racing Convertible Injured by Predacons

Maximal Council (Mentioned)

Maximal Command

Space Station Crew

Axalon Crew (In Stasis Pods)

Predacon

Megatron - Tank

Dinobot - Excavator

Scorponok - Scorpion Tank

Tarantulas - Truck

Waspinator - Jet

Terrorsaur - Jet

Razorclaw - Lion

Divebomb - Falcon

Rampage - Tiger

Headstrong - Rhino

Tantrum - Bull

Cicadacon (On Monitor)

Decepticon

Laserbeak - Falcon Killed by the Axalon

Buzzsaw - Falcon Killed by the Axalon

Ravage (On Screen)

Other

Protoform X (In Stasis Pod)

Notes

• Pretty much every character shown here uses another toy model as the basis (including those from the 2006 Botcon boxset) from a variety of toylines
• Most of the characters are unnamed in this story, this fits with the storyline where they re-name themselves upon taking on Beast Modes in Beast Wars. But for the sake of identification, I'm naming them by their Beast Wars names.
• Scorponok uses Energon Scorponok's toy as his basis, although he's much smaller than the toy would be compared to the other toy-based character models
• Considering the Maximal space station seen around an alien world...do you think they would still be active after Megatron's take-over of Cybertron, or even if they knew about it?
• Tarantulas places the Golden Disk into a device that make's it look like the ones released with some Club Toys, including Razorclaw, shaped like the Planet X Cyber Keys from the Cybertron series.
• Megatron's Cybertron Red Alert based body is just a removable suit it seems....I bet the toy can't do that...
• Airazor and Tigatron acting like new-borns on Earth is explained here as being because they lost a lot of their memories during the spark transplant used to rescue them from their destroyed ship.