IDW - Bumblebee #2

Title: The Living Headlights

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Andrew Griffith

Colours by: Priscilla Tramontano

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: David Mariotte

Publisher: Greg Goldstein

Plot

Having been given the intel from the EGGHEADS that one of the group is potentially a Decepticon allied spy, David returns to Bumblebee, unaware that Diana had hacked into his call and heard everything. David loads his gun, and the other two believe he is going to kill them, but then Diabla and Runabout appear from the river to attack them.

Bee makes a run for it with Diana, with David grabbing onto the rear of his vehicle mode, and the Decepticons chase after them. David tries to explain that he was going to attack the Decepticons, not them, but they aren't so sure.

The Decepticons catch up with the spies on Tower Bridge where Diabla fights Bee, and the humans are left with Runabout, who they fend off with David's "special round" bullet firing gun. The humans manage to escape using a hot-wired scooter and head towards a hidden safe house Diana knows about. Bee is attack by both Decepticons alone, but he also manages to escape by diving into the Thames.

The group meet up in the safe house, where they determine that due to another agent being sent to America to try and root out spies from Russia, which is how Bee came to the UK, perhaps that was the reason for him coming here too.

They decide that, due to the Decepticon interference during the mission in Berlin, and that Gotell was known to be linked to the Soviets too, they should stake out a known agent named Vladimir Vladek.

The agents disguise as a photographer and a model, with Bee as their car, and stake out Vladek's base of operations, where David notices Diabla around the area, so has Bee go "out of control" and knock into her. Using the distraction, the humans storm the base, which has a clothing store as a front.

The two agents break into the back room and fight the Russians, or rather David fights the goons, but Diana talks to Vladek, and explains that the Decepticons, or someone allied to them killed Gotell and will probably go after him next. In exchange they want information on their alliance, which Vladek seems happy to provide, as revenge on his former allies...

Bee and Diabla fight in the streets, but Bee asks to just talk again, which she agrees to. The duo go onto the roof and Bee asks why she's working for a human, but she claims that they are just using the humans to their own ends

Vladek is taken to his car and begins to leave, when the car starts to transform and reveals itself to be the Decepticon, Dead End, who crushed Vladek and his driver inside.

Diabla jumps away, claiming to have just agreed to talk to Bee so he would be distracted, leaving him shocked...unaware of a group of missiles heading right for him...

Characters

Autobot

Bumblebee - Aston Martin

Decepticon

Diabla - Lamborghini Islero

Runabout - Rolls Royce Limo

Dead End - Porsche 365

Human

Agent David Reeve

Agent Diana Lux

Vladimir Vladek Killed by Dead End

Vladek's Driver Killed by Dead End

Vladek's Goon

Londoners

EGGHEAD operative (Voice Only)

Konrad Gotell (Mentioned) Dead

Agent Ian Byrde (Mentioned)

Director Pelham (Mentioned) Dead

Sector Seven (Mentioned)

Notes

• ...how did Agent Reeve see the Decepticons, and yet Bumblebee and Lux (who were facing where they were coming from) didn't?
• Bee claims that he "never trusted humans"...I guess he got over that over time huh?
• Apparently Bumblebee was brought into PROGRAMME as part of an exchange with Sector Seven to root out spies...so why doesn't S7 know who Bee is later?
• Also, the mentioned soviet spy in Sector Seven storyline is shown in the S7 comics
• Dead End appears for the first time in IDW's continuity here, and he is based seemingly on his scout class toy, rather than his deluxe one. When he appeared in Titan's series, it was the reverse.
• So...were there humans inside that car that Diabla threw onto the roof? It had it's headlights on, and was in front of her on the road....did she kill them?

IDW - Spotlight Bumblebee

Title: The Question

Story by: John Barber

Art by: David Daza

Colors by: Zac Atkinson

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Editorial Assistant: Thomas Boeing

Plot

Bumblebee, Hot Spot and Groove are out looking for the Decepticons still hiding on Earth some where, but are getting nowhere, when they return to Omega Supreme Prowl isn't impressed, and orders Groove to join him on a mission to help him and Streetwise spy on Spike, ignoring Bumblebee's commands.

Bumblebee goes to talk to Thundercracker, who has no intentions of helping him, however during their discussions about a previous time they met, during the search for Metroplex they both realize that Megatron has somehow managed to copy Metroplex's space bridge technologies, and plans to use it to summon the Earth Decepticons to attack the Autobots. Thundercracker still wont help him stop the Decepticons from using this to overwhelm the Autobots, but he will give Bumblebee the data he collected on Metroplex in the past, so he can search for similar energy signatures.

Bumblebee visits his friend Sanjay Bharmaney and manages to locate the signature somewhere in America, Bumblebee heads out alone and finds the Decepticon army ready to receive Megatron's signal, Bumblebee goes to sabotage the Space Bridge but it activates and shows the Decepticons where he is. They get ready to tear him apart, but Starscream orders everyone but the Stunticons to enter the Bridge.

The Stunticons proceed to pummel Bumblebee (yay!) but Bumblebee jabs his cane into the Space Bridge's systems, making it overload and knocking out the Stunticons. Bumblebee later returns to Omega Supreme with the Stunticons in a net and starts taking charge properly and starts giving orders. Prowl's happy that Bumblebee has started acting like a real leader at long last.

Characters

Autobot

Bumblebee - Muscle Car

Prowl - Police Car

Streetwise - Police Car

Groove - Police Motorcycle

Hot Spot - Fire Engine

Ultra Magnus - Car Carrier

Omega Supreme - Tank, Base and Rocket (Rocket in Space)

Optimus Prime - Truck (Mentioned)

Metroplex - City/Space Ship (Mentioned)

Wheeljack - Race Car (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Thundercracker - Fighter Jet

Motormaster - Truck Defeated and Captured by Bumblebee

Drag Strip - F1 Race Car Defeated and Captured by Bumblebee

Dead End - Sports Car Defeated and Captured by Bumblebee

Breakdown - Sports Car Defeated and Captured by Bumblebee

Wildrider - Sports Car Defeated and Captured by Bumblebee

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Shockwave - Ray Gun

Soundwave - Cassette Player

Astrotrain - Train/Space Shuttle

Blitzwing - Tank/Jet

Megatron - Stealth Bomber (Mentioned)

Other Decepticons

Human

Sanjay Bharmaney

Serena Bharmaney (Mentioned)

Spike Witwicky (Mentioned)

Other

Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• This story is set during the first part of Police Action, and during the Chaos event, showing what Bumblebee was doing during the storyline, which wasn't really shown in the earlier comics, and shows how the Decepticons got from Earth to Cybertron
• This story confirms that Megatron's (then) new body used some of Metroplex's design features to giving him Space Bridge generating properties
• Bumblebee gets the inspiration for his future electrical discharge cane here when he uses his can to overload the Space Bridge
• Dr Bharwaney from the Bumblebee Miniseries is renamed/misnamed here as Dr Bharmaney, and seems to have kept Bumblebee as his ally
• Starscream seems to have his Robots in Disguise body rather than his Earth body
• Due to the art style and coloring here I can't tell who all the background Decepticons are, so I won't even try

TFCC - The Stunti-Con Job

Comic Staff

Story - Marty Isenberg, Derrick J. Wyatt & Matt Youngberg

Writer - Marty Isenberg

Pencils/Inks - Marcelo Matere

Colours - Thomas Deer & Jesse Wittenrich

Letters - Jesse Wittenrich

Storyline

Shortly after Optimus Prime and his team return to Cybertron with the Allspark and Megatron and his troops as prisoners and the Decepticons are imprisoned in their old fortress Trypticon in Kaon.

In Iacon Sideswipe is working as a beat cop, approaching the end of his career and retirement to the Energon Farms, but he needs to solve this one last case, which regards some stolen modifications. Whilst out on the street looking into a lead Sideswipe and his new partner Cheetor take down Rattletrap, who has Optimus Prime's axe on him, he says that he gave it to him, so Sideswipe calls his bluff. The three of them go to see Optimus who shows them his axe, and Rattletrap admits that the one he has is a copy and was found at the Motor Master's Stunt Convoy's rehearsal. Sideswipe has Rattletrap taken to the stockades for peddling stolen merchandise.

Cheetor and Sideswipe head to the Stunt Convoy's practice area (a former gladiator arena in Kaon, next to Trypticon) when Cheetor spots some Decepticons and goes to attack them, only to be stopped by Wildrider, when he learns that the Decepticons are actually just actors performing into a show for Sentinel "Magnus". The Stunt Convoy rehearse their show and pander up to Sentinel, who's only upset that the hologram of his head used in the show isn't bigger (as he wants Megatron to see it from his cell). The rehearsal ends when Toxitron reveals he lost his axe, which Sideswipe says he has, and then proceeds to look through their props as he thinks there's more stolen modifications there, but finds nothing and is escorted off the site by some Autotroopers on Sentinel's orders.

Later Sideswipe and Cheetor are looking into the Stunt Convoy members but find no records of them at all, when an Autotrooper walks in and tells them that Ironfist's lab's been broken into. The two cops head out to help Ironfistand they find his lab ransacked and him unconscious, but they wake him and he points out a silhouette, who looks like Optimus, but they quickly discover that it's Toxitron! Cheetor attacks him and manages to take him down, but angers Sideswipe in the process by risking killing them all by shooting a laser in a lab with explosive materials in it.
Toxitron is taken in for questioning, but isn't able to given any coherent answers so he's let go. Afterwards Sideswipe and Cheetor look into it some more and realise that due to some excavation and demolitions equipment also go missing that means that the Stunt Convoy are planning a break out from the prison next to their arena, and he realizes that the Stunt Convoy must be Decepticons as well because of this.
Strika has Wildrider and his Stunticon team report about the mission and they confirm that the prison will be broken into when the arena is destroyed during their show's finale.
The show starts and the arena is filled with Autobots when Cheetor and Sideswipe rush in and stop the show, but the Stunticons fight back, with Sentinel actually believing this to be part of the show. The Stunticons have the two cops cornered, but then Toxitron comes out from the wings and causes a part of the stadium to collapse and crush the Decepticons, Toxitron transforms and is revealed to be Optimus using Electronic paint, much to Sentinel's surprise. Optimus plays a recording of the report to Strika, which he was posing as Toxitron during and reveals that he had the real Toxitron captured and had Ironfist do his paint job for this plan as he was suspicious of the Convoy.
Motor Master gets himself free somehow and threatens to blow up the entire stadium and has Sideswipe at point blank range, Sideswipe grabs an axe from the ground and launches it, sending him and Motor Master flying into the wall and he grabs the detonator from him. Cheetor shouts at Sideswipe for risking blowing up everyone (as Cheetor did earlier himself) and Sideswipe says that NO ONE will stop his retirement.
The Stunticons are taken into Trypticon to be imprisoned right next to Megatron and the others, and Sideswipe finally retires to the Energon farm, he relaxes and watches a meteor shower in the sky...until he realises the shower is another Decepticon team lad by Strika!

Characters

Autobot

Sideswipe - Sports Car

Cheetor - Race Car

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Sentinel Prime/Magnus

Autotroopers - Treaded Vehicles 

Rattletrap - Speedbike

Bulkhead - SWAT Van

Ratchet - Ambulance

Bumblebee - Hatchback

Arcee - Sports Car

Omega Supreme - Orion Space Shuttle

Jazz - Sports Car

Jetfire - Jet

Jetstorm - Jet

Alpha Trion

Perceptor - Mobile Laboratory

Blurr - Race Car Cubed

Cliffjumper - Small Car

Botanica - Coupe

Brawn - Treaded Van

Ironhide - Treaded Vehicle

Rodimus - Sports Car

Red Alert - Ambulance

Hot Shot - Sports Car

Grandus - Mobile Platform

Erector

Warpath - Tank

Hubcap - Small Car

Bumper - Small Car

Sedan - Small Car

Tap-Out - Small Car

Chase - Small Car

Searchlight - Small Car

Freeway - Small Car

Wheelie - Small Car

Powerglide - Treaded Vehicle

Pipes - Treaded Truck

Huffer - Treaded Truck

Chromia - Sports Car

Minerva - Sports Car

Tracks - Sports Car

Mirage - Race Car

Wheeljack - Race Car

Cosmos - Observatory Buggy

Flareup - Motorcycle

Longrack

Rosanna

Lightbright - Submersible Hovercraft

Lickety-Split - Motor Trike 

Beachcomber (File Image)

Scrounge - Wheel (File Image)

Jackpot (File Image)

Decepticon

The Motor Master - Truck Cab Imprisoned in Trypticon

Wildrider - Muscle Car Imprisoned in Trypticon

Drag Strip - Sports Car Imprisoned in Trypticon

Dead End - Sports Car Imprisoned in Trypticon

Breakdown - Sports Car Imprisoned in Trypticon

Toxitron - Truck Cab Imprisoned in Trypticon

Strika - Armoured Battle Tank

Blot - Tank

Sky-Byte - Bomber Plane

Mindwipe - Jet

Oil Slick - Motorcycle

Scalpel - Microscope

Megatron - Osprey Helicopter Imprisoned in Trypticon

Shockwave - Tank/Crane/Longarm Imprisoned in Trypticon

Lugnut - Bomber Plane Imprisoned in Trypticon

Mini-Con

High Wire

Leader-1

Grindor

Sureshock

Reachout

DUCK-E

Other

Sari Sumdac - Human Woman

Mudflap (File Image)

Notes

• Rattletrap asks Cheetor and him can work together, the latter says maybe in another lifetime...hmmmm...
• Motormaster and his team look like some of the Autobots because they were cloned from them
• Cheetor uses two of his weapons in one scene...you only get one with the toy :(
• Blurr is seen in cube form in the large crowd scene...so he wasn't incinerated!
• The Stunt Convoy's banner shows an image of the 2011 Botcon toy set's box art
• Oil Slick has a new weapon attached to him, which is clearer to see in the Addendum
• Wildrider uses Lockdown's character model, which implies (since all the others use Autobot bodies) that he was an Autobot originally before going freelance
• After he dons his cape, helmet and shoulder pads Sentinel seems to loose his vehicle mode kibble, implying that he has a new alternate mode...maybe we'll find out what that is in a later comic?
• Erector has a Cy-Gar...hope he's not crazy as well (like Kup)

Prologue: Moving Viloations

Comic Staff

Writers - Greg Sepelak & S. Trent Troop

Pencils/Inks - Greg Sepelak

Colours - S. Trent Troop

Letters - Jesse Wittenrich

Storyline

Cheetor chases Crumplezone and Ransack through a street on Cybertron for a moving violation, but ends up causing havok and ends up causing Crumplezone to create a large crater in the middle of the street.

Later Cheetor is berated by Chief Depth Charge who demotes him to a beat cop in Iacon for his actions (leading to the events of the main comic)

Characters

Autobot


Cheetor - Race Car
Depth Charge - Submersible Vehicle
Crumplezone - Rocket Car
Ransack - Speedbike
Pipes - Treaded Truck
Huffer - Treaded Truck
Road Rage - Sports Car
Excellion - Sports Car
Chromia - Sports Car
Glyph - Small Car
Moscardo - Small Car
Volks - Small Car
Chase - Small Car
Tap-Out - Small Car
Stampy - Speedbike
Flashpoint - Van
Strongarm - Treaded Van
Air Raid - Treaded Vehicle
Autotrooper - Treaded Vehicle
Dug Base - Mobile Platform
Stungun - Wheeled Vehicle
Hubcap - Small Car
Jackpot
Rosanna
Saur
Ramhorn
Autobot Workers (2)
Blurr - Race Car (Mentioned)

Other


The Motor Master - Truck Cab (Picture)
Wasp - Small Car (Wanted Poster)
Mudflap (Wanted Poster)

Notes

• Crumplezone is based on the Dark Crumplezone toy from the Cybertron series (most likely to distinguish him from Bulkhead)
• Cheetor gets splattered in black paint here, which explains why they are on his toy
• For a two page comic there sure are a lot of cameos here...
• Jackpot and Hubcap being spoken to by Stungun is a reference to Gone too Far
• There are no Decepticons (well except for a picture of Motor Master) in this comic as they were banished from Cybertron, Wasp is unalligned, and Mudflap's faction is unknown (and they're just on posters anyway)
• Jackpot is clearly based on Jazz, but appears in a Cybertronian mode, which wasn't shown before for Jazz, so this issue effectively reveals Jazz's Cybertronian form as well, but not his alternate mode of course <<
• Also, due to Ransack sharing a character mode with Rattletrap, this story also reveals his alternate mode (as well as Stampy's)
• Also there are many new character sin this comic that share character models with older characters, but rather than going on about all of them, I'll leave you guys to look them up yourselves (as I'm lazy)

Allspark Almanac Addendum

Cheetor Profile by Ironfist

Ironfist Profile by Swindle

Sideswipe Profile by Ransack and Crumplezone

Depth Charge Profile by Cheetor

Ransack Profile by Depth Charge

Crumplezone Profile by Sideswipe

The Motor Master Profile by Wildrider

Wildrider Profile by Drag Strip

Drag Strip Profile by Breakdown

Breakdown Profile by Dead End

Dead End Profile by Toxitron

Toxitron Profile by The Motor master

Moving Violations summary by Depth Charge

The Stunti-Con Job summary by Strika

Trypticon Prison information by Sideswipe (with info on Mini-Cons)

Botcon 2011 summary (with images of the TFA toys from that convention)

Titan - ROTF Volume 2 #21

Basic Information

Cover Characters: Stock Image of Megatron

Cover Date: May/June 2011

Price: £3.99

Poster: Optimus Prime

Comic Title: A Short, Sharp Lesson!

Script: Simon Furman

Art: Jon Davis-Hunt

Colours: Hi-Fi

Lettering: Rona Simpson

Comic Plot

Megatron has arrived at the battlefield and goes after Bludgeon for trying to create his own army. Bludgeon prepares for the battle, but his troops abandon him. Bludgeon goes in for the attack.

The Autobots watch on, unwilling to join in on the fight, and Wheelie leaves the base to watch as well, whilst outside however, Wheelie is attacked by Dead End.

Bludgeon is easily beaten, and then utterly destroyed by Megatron, Megatron then turns to Opitmus and tells him that they will battle again...soon, then takes off and flies to his own base.

The Autobots have managed to capture some of Bludgeon's troops, but most ran off when Megatron arrived, they then start to tear apart Bludgeon's base so it can't be used again. Bumblebee finds Wheelie's broken body, which Optimus tells him to return to base for Ratchet to look at.

As Bumblebee drives off with Wheelie in tow, Dead End looks at the Autobot and begins to follow him for spare parts...

Comic Characters

Autobots

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Ironhide - Pick Up Truck

Bumblebee - Concept Camaro

Ratchet - Emergency Humvee (mentioned)

Decepticons

Megatron - Cybertronian Jet/Tank

Bludgeon - Tank (killed by Megatron)

Dead End - Audi R8 (Zombified)

Lockdown - Muscle Car

Tankor - Tank

Wheelie - RC Pick Up Truck (injured/killed by Dead End)

Humans

Captain Klammer

Comic Notes

• They returned to Stock Images for the cover again....BOO!!!!
• The ending suggests that Dead End is getting ready to follow Bumblebee to hunt him down...something that happened in Issue 19....
• Megatron arriving personally to kill Bludgeon seems very familiar...*cough*G2*cough*
• Bludgeon clearly doesn't inspire much confidence in his troops since they abandon him at the first obstacle
• Wheelie seems to be killed here after his betrayal...putting this continuity waaaay out of line with DOTM where he's shown as an Autobot and still alive, though like I said before, this may have been fixed if the comic had remained a monthly rather than getting contracted like this.
• Zombie Dead End lacks his black speech bubble and white text that he uses in his previous appearances.
• Tankor was shot the same as Dead End in the previous issue, yet seems fine now...unlike Dead End
• Whatever happened to Springer and Hubcap? Slapdash looked dead enough to satisfy me
• Megatron can switch between his ROTF and Movie 1 alt modes.
• Bludgeon is referred to as a "pretender" here, a reference to his G1 counterpart

Extra Features

Adverts

Competitions

Ironhide Speaks - Interview with Ironhide

Bumblebee's Guide: The Solar System - Satellites

Weapons Free! - Spot the Difference Game

How to Draw - Optimus Prime (grid style)

Megatron's Mind Maulers - Games

Cruising for a Bruising! - Optimus vs Demolishor

Law & Disorder - Ironhide and Barricade's letter page

Relaunch Announcement - The Comic is rebooting for DOTM

Titan - ROTF Volume 2 #20

Basic Information

Cover Characters: Wheelie

Cover Art: Barry Spiers & Lee Duhig/GURU-eFX

Cover Date: March/April 2011

Price: £3.99

Poster: Bumblebee, Movie Decepticons

Comic Title: Divided Loyalties

Script: Simon Furman

Art: Jon Davis-Hunt

Colours: Kirsty Swan

Lettering: Den Patrick

Comic Plot

The Autobots arrive in Russia, where they've determined Bludgeon to be hiding and they set up a field base, unaware that Wheelie, who has decided to rejoin the Decepticons after an argument with Ironhide and other reasons, has just sneaked into the Decepticon's base and warns Bludgeon of the Autobot's arrival

Bludgeon says that Wheelie has done well, and then sends Dead End and Lockdown to sort out a "welcome" for their guests. Once alone, Wheelie sneaks off further into the base.

Outside, the Autobots head off to the Decepticon's base, Springer goes up high for surveillance, but gets blasted out of the sky. The Autobots carry on, but are ambushed by the Decepticons from the sky and air, as they knew they were coming. Bludgeon sneaks up on Slapdash and kills him personally.

In the base, Wheelie sends the base's coordinates to Megatron and disables it's weapons and cloaking devices so he can just attack them immediately. Megatron welcomes Wheelie back into the fold. Outside again the Autobots are fighting back, but the Decepticons are overpowering them. Just as Bludgeon kills/injures Hubcap a bolt of lightning strikes the battlefield, and Megatron appears in the sky.

Comic Characters

Autobots

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Springer - Osprey Helicopter (injured by Decepticons)

Bumblebee - Concept Camaro

Ironhide - Pick Up Truck

Slapdash - Sports Car (Killed by Bludgeon)

Hubcap - Vintage Car (Injured/Killed by Bludgeon)

Decepticons

Megatron - Cybertronian Jet/Tank

Wheelie - RC Pick Up Truck

Bludgeon - Tank

Lockdown - Muscle Car

Dead End - Audi R8

Thrust - Fighter Jet

Skywarp - F22 Jet (meant to be anyway)

Other

Captain Klammer

Comic Notes

• Unlike usual, the Comic title isn't shown anywhere on the actual comic, it's only stated on the contents page.
• This issue shows that Wheelie has decided to return to the Decepticons..unlike any other fiction, this is because he feels that the Autobots don't trust him
• Wheelie can fire heat waves from his headlights
• Dead End is back to normal and in the Decepticon base this issue, the reason for this is that the previous issue was most likely meant to be AFTER this comic originally
• Springer gets shot out of the sky here, but it's not clear if he died or not
• Skywarp appears to be in the wrong jet mode again....
• Though Slapdash looks pretty dead in this issue, it's not made clear if Bludgeon's attack killed Hubcap as well...
• Megatron makes his first real appearance in Volume 2 (right at the end)
• Ironhide doesn't mind being used as a shield.
• Wheelie's eyes change to a red colour after he returns to the Decepticons, and also has his insignia back
• Judging by the dialogue and editor's notes, Crankstart and his team worked for Bludgeon, and from them the Autobots learned where Bludgeon is based...in Arkhangelskaya Oblast in Russia (WHY DOES FURMAN INSIST ON PLACES WITH IMPOSSIBLE NAMES?!?!)
• Captain Klammer appeared a few issues ago moaning at Blazemaster.

Extra Features

Adverts

Competitions

Bumblebee's Guide: The Solar System - Neptune

Rampage Profile - Guess what...

Optimus Prime speaks - Interview with Optimus

Megatron's Mind Maulers - Puzzles

Law & Disorder - Barricade and Ironhide chat along.

How to Draw - Wheelie's grid drawing turn!

Titan - ROTF Volume 2 #19

Basic Information

Cover Characters: Ironhide and Bumblebee

Cover Art: Neill Cameron

Cover Date: January/February 2011

Price: £3.99

Poster: Bumblebee and Ironhide play in the snow!!

Comic Title: The Nightmare Bee-4 Christmas

Script: Simon Furman

Art: Jon Davis-Hunt

Colours: Kirsty Swan

Lettering: Den Patrick

Comic Plot

Sam is home for the Christmas holidays with Bumblebee, though Bumblebee isn't supposed to have come with him, so he's hiding from his parents as he wanted to see what Christmas was all about.

Later, Dead End appears in the are looking for Bumblebee, Sam sees him in the back garden and assumes that it's Bumblebee (as they have slightly similar silhouettes) so he runs out to tell him to get back in the garage...then Sam realizes that it's the zombie Decepticon.

Bumblebee appears and stops Dead End, and the two have a fight (with Bumblebee trying to be as quiet as possible). Dead End has Bumblebee pinned down, but Bumblebee shoots off his laser cannon, knocking him out, but waking up Sam's mother as well.

The next morning everyone wakes up and opens their presents, with Judy receiving a bottle of car wax from Bumblebee. Sam gives Bumblebee his present, a replacement part.

Comic Characters

Autobots

Bumblebee - Concept Camaro

Ratchet - Emergency Humvee (mentioned)

Decepticons

Dead End - Audi R8 (injured by Bumblebee)

Other

Sam Witwicky

Ron Witwicky

Judy Witwicky

Mojo

Comic Notes

• Bumblebee's in this comic! (Ironhide's not though)...no snow either....
• This is the first Transformers Christmas story in a long, LONG time...We need more....
• Following issue 21 of Volume 2, which shows Dead End becoming a zombie again, it seems most likely that this was meant to be set after that issue originally (which would have fit in nicely enough without the bi-monthly switch up)
• The title is a reference to "The Night before Christmas" and "The Nightmare before Christmas"
• The Witwicky's have at least three Christmas trees in their dining room
• Bumblebee give Judy a bottle of Car Wax for Christmas to try and win her over
• It can be assumed that Dead End was picked up by NEST that night since there's no word of a Decepticon on the lawn by Ron.

Extra Features

Adverts

Competitions

Bumblebee's Guide: The Solar System - Uranus (tee hee)

How to Draw - Optimus Prime grid style

Megatron's Mind Maulers! - Puzzles

Megatron - Jet Mode - Info on his jet mode

Optimum Route - Optimus themed maze puzzle

Law & Disorder - Barricade and Ironhide's letter page

Titan - ROTF Volume 2 #11

Basic Information

Cover Characters: Dead End

Cover Art: Barry Spiers & Lee Duhig/GURU-eFX

Cover Date: April 2010

Price: £2.75

Poster: Zombie Dead End in the Old West

Comic Title: Spare Parts!

Script: Simon Furman

Art: Jon Davis-Hunt

Colours: Hi-Fi Design

Lettering: Den Patrick

Comic Plot

The Cadets are in Death Valley on a training session when Dead End suddenly appears and begins to stalk the trio. The three lament how all the action is already over and all that's left to do is train and do clean up jobs (like catching the rogue Decepticons).

The three of them arrive in a ghost town to find an emergency recharge pack left by Bumblebee for them so they split up. The three of them split up and Jolt is attacked by Dead End, who tears off his left arm. Dead End then attacks the other two Autobots and injured his right arm, but just slots Jolt's arm in and has it act as a replacement.

Whilst the fight takes place Jolt finds the recharge pack and powers himself up, he then uses one of his whips to grab hold of Dead End and electrocutes him, knocking him out.

Two days later at Diego Garcia Dead End has been repaired and Ratchet explains that he had a regeneration circuit inside him that kept him alive, despite him being supposed to be dead, and then commends the trio as true Autobots for rescuing the Decepticon.

Comic Characters

Autobots

Jolt - Electric Car

Dune Runner - Military Buggy

Rollbar - Truck

Ratchet - Emergency Humvee

Bumblebee -Concept Camaro (mentioned)

Sideswipe - Concept Corvette (flashback)

Ironhide - Pick Up Truck (flashback)

Hoist - Tow Truck (flashback, being captured)

Decepticons

Dead End - Audi R8

Comic Notes

• The last Volume 2 comic with the annoying extended cover!
• This story introduces the Cadet's team (Jolt, Rollbar, Dune Runner)
• Dead End is a zombie/vampire type creature
• When Dead End absorbs a body piece, it changes colour to resemble his own
• Hoist is shown as one of the Decepticons being rounded up....HUH?!?! Maybe he's just a rogue Autobot?
• When Dead End is restored at the end he looks more like his toy again
• Ratchet seems oddly happy that Megatron is experimenting on his troops....

Extra Features

Adverts

Competitions

Perplexing and Hexing - Word Search

Cover Version - Colour in your own version of the poster (despite saying it's the cover)

Soundwave's Space Shots - Views of TF locations from space

Gallery of Glory - Design and Transformer entries showcase

More than meets the eye - Transformer puzzles

Law & Disorder - Barricade and Ironhide host a letters page!

Starscream's Stars - Starscream's horoscope column