TFCC - A Flash Forward #2

Release Date: April/May 12

Issue Number: 44

Continuity: Post Generation Two Redux

Writers: Jesse Wittenrich & Pete Sinclair

Pencils & Inks: Matt Frank

Colours: Thomas Deer

Letters: Jesse Wittenrich

Managing Editor: Pete Sinclair

Story

Ultra Magnus arrives at Autobot City in 2012 for a meeting with several ambassadors, when he notices that Cliffjumoer isn't around, despite him being on security duty. He calls for him on a communicator.

Outside the city Cliffjumper is overseeing a group of six of the Autobots who were affected by Forestonite at the Large Hadron Collider, and has them demonstrate their powers for him, and so he can judge if they have been affected badly by the Decepticon chemical. He's impressed by the group's new abilities.

Meanwhile back in the city Magnus meets with Pyro and some of his team of super powered Autobots, and tells them that someone has stolen a cache of sensitive materials from Quantum Labs, by walking through the walls, and they need to find out who did it, and recover the cache, fast. Sizzle uses his powers to project himself into his future self and sees what happened and what will occur, and tells Magnus that they need a ship.

On Cybertron Jhiaxus has borrowed some of Clench's super powered Decepticons and reveals that Ramjet was the one who stole the cache from Quantum Labs and TORQ V. When Clench is reluctant to reveal where their new powers came from to Jhiaxus, Jhiaxus reveals that he already knows everything thanks to Skybyte, and then cuts off communication with the Decepticon and begins his next plan.

Lower down in Cybertron Runabout and Runamuck are looking for some personality components when they find the stasis pod holding Side Burn in it, who starts to wake up.

Characters

Autobot
Ultra Magnus - Mighty Hauler
Cliffjumper - Sports Car
Pyro - Fire Truck
Sizzle - Green Machine
Rapido - Sports Car
Firecracker - Sports Car
Electro - Pick Up Truck
Manta Ray - Hovercraft
Aquafend - F1 Race Car
Windbreaker - Sports Car
Road Rocket - Speedbike
Side Burn - Blue Flame Speedster
Beachcomber - Dune Buggy
Inferno - Fire Truck
Turbofire - Pick Up Truck
Gobots - Sports Car
Windcharger (Statue Only) Dead
Huffer (Statue Only) Dead
Red Alert (Statue Only) Dead
Wheeljack (Statue Only) Dead
Decepticon
Jhiaxus - Fiery Flier
Clench - Armored Truck (On Communications Monitor)
Runabout - Tasty Tuner-style Sports Car
Runamuck - Tasty Tuner Sports Car
Flamefeather - Bird Monster
Sparkstalker - Insect Monster
Cindersaur - Tyrannosaurus Rex
Ramjet - Jet (On Communications Monitor)
Soundwave - Cassette Player (Image On Monitor)
Frenzy - Cassette (Image On Monitor)
Other
Skybyte - Shark themed Submarine
Bosch
Alana
Dirk Manus
Astoria Carlton-Ritz
Nightbird (Image On Monitor)

Notes

• Oddly, and similarly to Metalhawk's profile, Sizzle and Jhiaxus are drawn in an expressive Animated style, rather than their actual appearances in the comic, and like with last issue their alternate modes are just images of their toys
• Cliffjumper training the newly powered up Autobots acts somewhat like Sentinel from Animated
• Jhiaxus' chair is a stylized Decepticon insignia
• The Battlechargers comment on how there's so many pink cubes on Cybertron, referring to some animation errors and the re-using of the energon cube effect on pretty much everything
• Several more memorial statues of dead Autobots have appeared in Autobot City, most likely since their old memorials on the mausoleum were destroyed a while back
• One of the vehicles in Autobot City looks quite like Movie 2007 Arcee's vehicle mode, but over-sized.
• Ramjet's brief cameo behind Clench on a monitor screen seems to use a grey colourscheme rather than his purple one from his G2 toy.
• This issue marks the first time that the 2011 and 2012 membership incentive figures have met
• MU Sari's diary page features several pictures of MU versions of several characters that her regular universe counterpart's voice actress (Tara Strong) has voiced or been involved in or has some loose connection to her.

The Allspark Addendum 

The Sumdacs (Mirror Universe) by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee (Mirror Universe)

Bumblebee (Mirror Universe) by Sari Sumdac (Mirror Universe)

Optimus Prime (Mirror Universe) by Isaac Sumdac (Mirror Universe)

Extract from Sari Sumdac's (Mirror Universe) diary of the Mirror Universe version of Human Error

Other Features

Q&A with Hasbro

Transformers the Ride - 3D Article

Sizzle Profile

Jhiaxus Profile

Transformers I.Q. Questions

Recordicons Mini-Comic

TFCC - Generation 2: Redux

Comic Staff

Writer: Greg Sepelak & Trent Troop

Pencils: Robby Musso

Inks: Robby Musso, Frank Milkovich & John Warner

Colours: Evan Gauntt, Jesse Wittenrich & S. Trent Troop

Letters: Jesse Wittenrich

Managing Editor: Pete Sinclair

Editor/In Chief: Brian Savage

Creative Director:Lanny Lathem

Storyline

Since 2006 when the Rebirth happened things have changed, Earth has begun creating new Transofmrers who have taken on the Autobot and Decepticon mantles as well and joined the war as a Second Generation. Optimus and most of the older Transformers are in space fighting Galvatron and his troops, whilst the newer ones fight it out on Earth.
The Decepticons under Clench's command chase off the Autobots under Pyro's command from the Large Hadron Collider with the help of Sky-Byte and his Sharkticons. Pyro is captured by Clench. 10 miles and 5 minutes later the Autobots regroup and plans a counter attack, whilst also calling for backup from Autobot City.
Back at the LHC Pyro is taken inside the building where he gets Clench to reveal his plan for the Collider, which rather than causing a Big Bang effect (which is a ridiculous plan) is being used to refine the Forestonite found on Earth to be used to power up the Decepticons. Clench has Cindersaur test it out, who eats it and mutates into a much larger and more powerful form, which impresses the Decepticons. He then has the others start testing it as well.
Later Double Punch, Slicer, Calcar and some Sharkticons are standing guard when the Autobots launch their attack on them. Clench and some of his troops join the fight, including the now powered up Firecons (with only Cindersaur being hideously mutated), and the Decepticons start beating down the Autobots using their Forestonite gained powers to overwhelm them.
Elsewhere Streetwise, Rapido and Meanstreak break in through the back door and make their way to the room where Pyro is being restrained and the Forestonite is being stored when a newly powered up Breakdown, Sky-Byte and Roadblock and they start to get beaten down by them. Outside again the Autobots are helped out by the Autobot reinforcements arriving, but they're still being overwhelmed nonetheless. Back in the LHC Pyro has freed himself from his bonds and goes to grab the Forestonite so the Decepticons can't use it, when Breakdown shoots it, intending for it to explode, but instead it just expels gas that affects all the assembled Transformers and gives them powers.
Outside the Autobots are starting to get the upper hand, and some of them start to enter the LHC to look for the human hostages and the missing Autobots. The gas starts to seep throughout the base and affects all the Transformers inside and gives them new powers. The Autobots start to master their abilities and use them to fight off the Decepticons, and rejoin the fight outside and clearly turn the tide of the battle for them.
The LHC building starts to collapse around the fighters, so the Decepticons and Sharkticons decide to retreat with the Forestonite that they can carry.
In the aftermath the Autobots help the humans to rebuild the LHC building and Pyro welcomes Streetwise onto his team as they need to recover a few missing canisters of Forestonite that the Decepticons stole.
Two days later, in France Slicer rendezvous with his future self from the year 5,000 and give shim a canister of Forestonite in exchange for some data from the future. Once Slicer leaves, future Slicer removes his fake Decepticon insignia and reveals himself to be Shattered Glass Wheeljack, who contacts his universe's Rodimus and says that he couldn't find Nexus Prime, but he found a compound they can use back home. Rodimus says he's done well and tells him to come home.

Characters

Autobot


Pyro - Fire Engine
Scorch - Military Jeep
Streetwise - Police Car
Rapido - Sports Car
Motor Mouth - Pick Up Truck
Gobots - Sports Car
Meanstreak - Race Car
Sideswipe - Sports Car
Road Rocket - Motorcycle
Aquafend - Baja Buggy
Drench - Race Car
Leadfoot - F1 Race Car
Manta Ray - Hovercraft
Double Clutch - F1 Race Car
Turbofire - Pick Up Truck
Windbreaker - Sports Car
Blowout - Sports Car
Gearhead - Sports Car
Firecracker - Sports Car
High Beam - Sports Car
Jazz - Porsche
Seaspray - Hovercraft
Hubcap - Sports Car
Electro -Hot Rod Pick Up Truck
Volt - Hot Rod Sports Car
Fizzle - Baja Buggy
Beachcomber - Buggy
Bumblebee - VW Beetle
Wheeljack - Race Car (Shattered Glass version)
Rodimus Prime - Sports Car (Monitor Only - Shattered Glass version)
Nexus Prime (Mentioned)
Optimus Prime - Truck (Flashback)
Hot Spot - Fire Engine (Flashback) Dead
Blades - Rescue Helicopter (Flashback) Dead
Groove - Police Motorcycle (Flashback) Dead
First Aid - Ambulance (Flashback) Dead
Defensor - Protectobot Gestalt (Flashback) Dead

Decepticon


Clench - Armoured Truck
Double Punch - Scorpion/Jet
Slicer - Race Car
Breakdown - Sports Car
Cindersaur - Tyrannosaurus Rex (former Lizard Monster)
Flamefeather - Bird Monster
Sparkstalker - Insect Monster
Skyjack - Jet
Dirtbag - Dump Truck
Roadblock - Front End Loader
Afterburner - Jet
Eagle Eye - Jet
Terradive - Jet
Windrazor - Jet
Hooligan - Jet
Space Case - Jet
Jetstorm - Baja Buggy
Deluge - Race Car
Jolt - Hot Rod Car
Sizzle - Hot Rod Car
Powerdive - Helicopter
Ransack - Propeller Plane
Starscream - Jet (Flashback)
Galvatron - Tank (Flashback)
Scourge - Space Shuttle (Flashback)
Cyclonus - Space Jet (Flashback)
Scorponok - Scorpion/Base (Flashback)
Zarak - Scorponok's Head (Flashback)
Runabout - Sports Car (Flashback)
Runamuck - Sports Car (Flashback)
Motor Master - Truck (Flashback) Dead
Drag Strip - F1 Race Car (Flashback) Dead
Dead End - Sports Car (Flashback) Dead
Wildrider - Sports Car (Flashback) Dead
Menasor - Stunticon Gestalt (Flashback) Dead

Other


Sky-Byte - Submarine
Sharkticons - Submarines
Quintessons (Mentioned)
LHC Workers

Notes

• Rather than using their original character models from the series, Galvatron and Cyclonus use their Universe toy models, and Scourge uses his Botcon toy model, as well as some other characters in the story like Skyfall using his new character model from a newer toyline.
• The only toy from the 2010 Botcon collection not to appear here is Ravage, since he's an SG character
• The Stunticons and Protectobots (bar Breakdown and Streetwise) were killed in battle in the missing four years.
• Cindersaur has a major character model change because he actually ate the Forestonite, unlike the others.
• The Sharkticons have learned to not trust it when someone others a bribe and the Universal Greeting
• Jetstorm and Deluge confirm in this comic that this is in the same continuity as the Wings of Honour storyline
• When he gets affected by the Forestonite Sideswipe morphs from his old G1 toyline based body to his new Botcon Custom Class design, rather than him originating in his Universe toy mold like Streetwise and Breakdown did
• It's never stated that Bumblebee actually is Bumblebee (due to him being Goldbug at the end of the US series) and his face seems to imply that he is still Goldbug (having a visor and mouthplate etc) but I'm naming him Bumblebee here still due to him being called that in the toyline
• The Diamond Edition includes an additional page that has Wheeljack from the Shattered Glass Universe appearing and tricking his coincidental doppelganger Slicer into giving him some Forestonite for a currently unknown plan. This is a reference to how they share the same character model and basis, plus also to how the "Slice" toy has a molded Autobot insignia on his chest due to the mold itself.
• Due to Wheeljack coming to this universe, it seems like the SG Autobots have worked out a new Stellar Spanner that can travel between dimensions
• Slicer really is an idiot....Wheeljack's ship has a GIANT AUTOBOT INSIGNIA ON IT!!!!