Characters
Autobot
Optimus Prime - Truck Cab Surrendered to Skywatch
Hot Rod (unofficially Rodimus) - Sports Car
Bumblebee - Sports Car (former VW Beetle)
Ultra Magnus - Car Carrier
Cliffjumper - Sports Car
Ratchet - Ambulance
Ironhide - Van Killed by Skywatch
Prowl - Police Car
Jazz - Sports Car
Hot Spot - Fire Engine
Wheeljack - Race Car
Mirage - F1 Race Car
Blurr - Sports Car
Tracks - Sports Car Captured by Skywatch
Beachcomber - Buggy Captured by Skywatch
Hoist - Tow Truck Captured by Skywatch
Omega Supreme - Rocket, Base and Tank
Red Alert - Lamborghini Gallardo Emergency Vehicle
Brawn - SUV
Jetfire - Jet
Drift - Race Car
Sideswipe - Lamborghini Gallardo
Hound - Military Jeep
Seaspray - Hovercraft
Huffer - Truck Cab
Trailbreaker - Camper Van
Sandstorm - Buggy/Helicopter
Silverstreak - Sports Car
Streetwise - Police Car
Blaster (Mentioned)
Silverbolt - Jet (Mentioned)
Windcharger - Sports Car (Mentioned) Captured by Skywatch
Gears - Pick Up Truck (Mentioned) Captured by Skywatch
Decepticon
Swindle - Military Jeep
Thundercracker - F22 Jet (former F-15 Jet)
Motor Master - Truck Captured by Skywatch
Breakdown - Lamborghini Gallardo Captured by Skywatch
Drag Strip - F1 Race Car Captured by Skywatch
Wildrider - Sports Car Captured by Skywatch
Dead End - Sports Car Captured by Skywatch
Menasor - Stunticon Gestalt
Scrapper - Front End Loader
Mixmaster - Mixing Truck
Hook - Crane
Onslaught - Anti-Aircraft Truck
Tankor - Cargo Plane/Oil Tanker Captured by Skywatch
Spyglass Captured by Skywatch
Megatron - Gun (Flashback) Thought to be dead
Starscream - F-15 Jet (Flashback)
Skywarp - F-15 Jet (Flashback)
Human
Major Spike Witwicky
Corporal Joe Henderson
Campolongo
Kyle Pennington
Colonel Daniel Witwicky (Monitor Only)
Colonel Horiuchi (Mentioned)
Spike's "Special Friend"
Skywatch Personnel
Big Fight Scene Autobots
Optimus Prime - Truck Cab
Hot Rod - Sports Car
Ratchet - Ambulance
Prowl - Police Car
Jazz - Porsche
Bumblebee - VW Beetle
Ironhide - Van
Wheeljack - Race Car
Drift - Race Car
Kup - Pick Up Truck
Hardhead - Gun Mounted Personnel Carrier
Sideswipe - Lamborghini Gallardo
Sunstreaker - Lamborghini Gallardo
Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex
Snarl - Stegosaurus
Sludge - Apatosaurus
Slag - Triceratops
Swoop - Pteranodon
Big Fight Scene Decepticons
Megatron - Gun
Starscream - F-22 Jet
Skywarp - F-22 Jet
Thundercracker - F-22 Jet
Soundwave - Cassette Player
Rumble - Cassette
Ravage - Cassette
Laserbeak - Cassette
Ratbat - CD Player
Blitzwing - Tank/Jet
Astrotrain - Space Shuttle/Train
Runabout - Pontiac Solstice
Runamuck - Pontiac Solstice
Scorponok - Scorpion Tank
Devastator - Constructicon Gestalt
Storyline
About two years have passed since the events of All Hail Megatron and Earth has finally been rebuilt, and the Transformers, who are still homeless, have taken to hiding on Earth in plain sight, trying to help the humans as much as possible without revealing themselves.
Breakdown attacks a power instillation in New Mexico to feed himself and Skywatch, under Spike's control is sent out to intercept him. The humans arrive on the scene and use their new Crash Suits to easily take down the weakened Decepticon and he's forced into his car mode and mode locked by one of their new inhibitor devices. Prowl and Streetwise watch this from their own alternate modes, but Prowl can't stand watching one of his own kind being attacked like this, so he transforms and goes to help him. However Spike was waiting for this and has a secondary team capture Prowl as well. The area is cleared out with Spike taking Breakdown as his own car, Streetwise reports what happened to base.
Back at base the Autobots are working out what to do, with Wheeljack working on a way to reverse engineer the inhibitors and Hot Rod wanting to go rescue Prowl and any other Transformers trapped by Skywatch. Ironhide tells Hot Rod to have more respect, but Optimus allows him to lead a team, with Ironhide on it, to rescue Prowl. Later Hot Rod's team manages to rescue Prowl, but it's quickly realised that it was a trap and the group are attacked and Ironhide is killed. The other Autobots fight back and manage to escape, bringing Ironhide's body back to base, which Optimus mourns over. Optimus announces that he doesn't feel like he can command any more after his decision led to Ironhide's death, so he abdicates his leadership and turns himself over to Skywatch.
After a night off the grid Spike is told about the events of the previous night and that Optimus has surrendered himself to Skywatch. Back at Autobot HQ the Autobots try to work out what to do next and they decide to hold an election for a new leader, Hot Rod thinks it's a stupid idea and decides to leave, and several Autobots go with him to find a way off of Earth.
Spike informs his father about Optimus being captured and asks for him to be transferred to a more secure facility in case of another rescue attempt, but he denies the request and tells him they are keeping him there for the moment. The Autobots work out who have left the base for Hot Rod's group and begin their elections as well. Hot Rod and his team locate Omega Supreme and ask him to take them off Earth, but he refuses and says that he's staying until Optimus tells him otherwise. Nearby Swindle and his team of Decepticons have been spying on Omega Supreme for three months and decide to attack him now for his Energon supplies.The Decepticons attack, and Omega and Hot Rod's team fights back but during the fight Swindle and Hot Rod realise that they don't know why they're fighting any more.
Back at Skywatch Spike remove's the suppressors on Optimus and starts to talk with him (under heavy armed guard of course). Hot Rod and Swindle have called a cease fire and start talking, the two teams agree that all they want to do is leave Earth, so they decide to combine their efforts and build a ship together.
Back at the Autobot base Bumblebee has been named Autobot leader when a perimeter alarm is set off and Ultra Magnus arrives on the planet in his shuttle looking for whoever's in charge, Bumblebee says he's in charge.
Jetfire is annoyed at an old airbase where Hot Rod's set up his current base and Hot Rod asks him to use his scientific skills to try and reverse engineer the Suppressors so they can't be used on them any more, and to also help to restore any of the now liberated Transformers brought in, including some Decepticons.
Back at the Autobot base Ultra Magnus has started his investigations into Ironhide's death and Optimus Prime's "defection" and he asks Bumblebee to take him to Ironhide's body. At Skywatch Spike tries to get Optimus to talk to him and reveal some Transformer secrets, but he refuses to talk, he just wants to be a prisoner after all he's done. At the Autobot base Magnus can't determine much from Ironhide's body since it was moved, he asks to see Hot Rod as he was the mission leader, but Bumblebee tells him that he's left. Magnus starts questioning Bumblebee's leadership and Cliffjumper comes in telling him that something's happening.
Bumblebee tries to stop Blurr and some others from leaving the base, but they don't want to stay there and risk being either killed by Skywatch or arrested by Magnus so they head out to find Hot Rod. Magnus transforms and starts to look for Hot Rod as well, so he can ask him questions about Ironhide's death.
Blurr's team of Autobots are caught in a Skywatch trap and Blurr is injured by a mine, suddenly the team are attacked by the humans and have Suppressors planted on them, the whole team is captured, except for Blurr who manages to Super Speed away. Spike brings them into the Skywatch base and tells Optimus to start talking or else.
Thundercracker reflects on what happened to him after Skywarp shot him and he crashed back onto Earth, he was trapped in a ruined New York city and managed to slowly salvage parts to make a distress signal amplifier and waits, whilst waiting he finds a television set and hooks it up and starts watching it endlessly. After about 18 months Thundercracker is rescued by a small band of random Decepticons and is fixed up (into his new F22 body again), because he was a Seeker he was expected to lead them, but he couldn't, not after his betrayal before. He and the Decepticons wander around and eventually run into Swindle, who happily takes command of the group.
In the present day's Petrified National Park Hot Rod's and Swindle's teams are working on a rocket together and Swindle suggests that they go liberate some more Transformers, perhaps some more Constructicons or to find Breakdown, since they have the other Stunticons already. Swindle starts flattering Hot Rod by saying that some of the team are starting to call him "Rodimus Prime" as he's actually created peace, which even Optimus couldn't do.
At Skywatch Spike is getting worried since his father is due to arrive the next day and they've made no progress with Optimus yet. Ultra Magnus arrives at the shuttle site to interrogate Hot Rod over Ironhide's death, whilst there Hot Rod insists that he calls him "Rodimus Prime", Magnus compromises by calling him "Rodimus" instead, but he still agrees to talk to him. Magnus then says that since he hasn't got the appropriate licences etc he can't fly off Earth or build the ship, so it must be destroyed.
Magnus walks into the building site and sees all the Decepticons working with the Autobots, and notices Swindle, whom he goes after immediately, he tries to arrest Swindle but is stopped by Hot Rod. Magnus suggests that Hot Rod and his team are colluding with the enemy and could be performing treason, but they disagree and say that they'll defend their team mates if he tries to hurt them now. Magnus transforms and drives back to Autobot HQ saying that it's not over.
Thundercracker goes for a little flight and admires the humans after they've been able to rebuild an entire world in just 3 years (since the start of All Hail Megatron).
Eager for anything to show his dad and the chiefs Spike meets with Optimus again, with a camera and starts talking to him again, and Optimus explains that he knows why Spike doesn't trust him, since they were hiding on Earth for so long with no one's knowledge and Optimus then goes on to explain how hard it's been for him to go from the leader of a warring race to the leader of a race who have won a war and that he almost turned the humans into their new enemies to replace the Decepticons, which is why he surrendered, and that he hopes the Autobots can progress properly now.
Ultra Magnus arrives back at the Autobot base (after the events of the Bumblebee series) and Magnus conscripts the team into a raid team to take on "Rodimus" and his team. Spike goes out for a solo drive after talking with Optimus when he's suddenly attacked by the Stunticons, SPike fights back, but he ends up jumping out of Breakdown and into the water. The Stunticons rescue Breakdown and take him back to base, Spike reports this to base and calls for a pick up.
The rocket is almost finished but Swindle stops working to fix up Breakdown when Ultra Magnus and the Autobots roll into the area to arrest everyone. Rodimus asks Bumblebee if he learned nothing from his experiences with Horiuchi, Bumblebee tries to talk to Magnus, but he won't listen.
Swindle turns up and says that he has it sorted and reveals that he planned to kill all the Autobots and just take the ship for himself and his team all the time, then he has the Stunticons combine into the Gestalt Menasor, and tells him to kill Magnus first.
After rescuing Spike from the river a Skywatch jet is flying back to base when they see Menasor and Ultra Magnus fighting. The team recognise Menasor as a Gestalt like the one from New York (Devastator) and know they don't have anything on board to stop it, so Spike has them return to base again. Spike talks with Optimus in his cage and tells him that Ironhide's death wasn't Optimus' fault, since Spike was meant to be on base during the attack and that the lethal force shouldn't have been used. Spike asks Optimus to help them to take on Menasor, which he agrees to do, but he insists on being confined again afterwards.
Spike escorts Optimus to a Skywatch jet where he and some of his crew take off to the battle site (despite some of the humans not liking this idea). Magnus is almost killed by Menasor and Swindle starts to gloat..until Optimus air drops right on top of him and proceeds to attack Menasor, saving Magnus in the process.
The other Decepticons have started attacking the Autobots, but both sides are shocked when Thundercracker actually helps the Autobots with fighting off the Decepticons, and says that he always intended to honour his word. The Autobots all target Motor Master, as he's the one who's holding the Menasor formation together and they take him out, forcing the Gestalt to collapse apart. Skywatch arrives and Optimus surrenders again, leaving Bumblebee in charge again, and Bumblebee follows suit and doesn't offer a fight to Skywatch. Spike meets with Bumblebee and offers to help them out with their injured.
Later Spike meets with Bumblebee at their base and says that he understands now that the Autobots aren't evil and offers an alliance between the two teams, the Autobots will have a secure base with Skywatch, and some limited freedom to operate amongst themselves, but in exchange they have to help Skywatch out.
Magnus has been healed up and looks for Swindle, but is told that he escaped in the chaos, he then goes after Rodimus for his traitor charges, but Bumblebee tells him that he has no jurisdiction on Earth, and that Bumblebee is in charge here. Rodimus then steals Ultra Magnus' ship and head sout into space, leaving the other Autobots with their new allies.
Notes
- This story begins with a four page catch-up piece that shows a summary of what has happened in the previous comics, all whilst altering the character models to the new movie-based versions.
- The two page big battle scene features a battle that never happened, but is representative of pretty much all the main Earth-based battles so far
- Skywatch's extremely high-tech suits and technology is explained in the Chaos: Police Action story line
- Prowl's new self-sacrificial attitude is explained away in Spotlight: Prowl
- Despite starting to call himself Rodimus here, Hot Rod isn't officially renamed this until Chaos Theory
- Blurr's super speed is shown here as a sonic boom tunnel of sorts
- Between being attacked by Skywarp and being found, Thundercracker spent his time watching TV and started to love it
- Swindle has stolen the plans to Gestalt technology and used it on the Stunticons, it's odd that he hasn't used it on himself and the Combaticons yet though....
- The Stunticons aren't a perfect Gestalt (most likely due to Swindle having to do it quickly) and so are easy to defeat.
- It's not shown here, but due to the later alliance between the Autobots and Skywatch and some of them appearing, it can be assumed that all captured Autobots were freed after this story.
- The Tyrest Accord is still in effect even after the Decepticon's galactic invasion.
- Onslaught is seen amongst the other liberated Decepticons in issue 3 but isn't seen again until International Incident where he's happily with his team mates, so he might just be an error here.
- Breakdown's roof is removable
- Thundercracker's essential defection actually sticks throughout this whole story series!
My Thoughts
Art
The character models here are made to look like the ones used in the Movie continuity, sufficed to say this style wasn't very popular with the "Geewunners" out there (what is?) and even for me looked wrong in a G1 universe
Story
This story kicks off the 3rd major storyline and shows a restructuring of the Autobot's command structure and the early days of the Skywatch/Autobot relationship.
Continuity
Set after the events of All Hail Megatron, and is concurrent with the events of Bumblebee and Last Stand of the Wreckers. Swindle and Ultra Magnus having a hunter-prey relationship was established in Spotlight: Ultra Magnus. Hot Rod's story continues in Revenge of the Decepticons. Ironhide is "revived" in the Ironhide series.
Other
Drift's new character model is based on his (then) new Generations toy. Breakdown's character model is based on Sideswipe's Universe toy (interestingly Breakdown received a toy from that mold in his G2 colours at Botcon 2010 as well), Red Alert has his Generations mold as well, Silverstreak is in his Universe mold, most other new character models from All Hail Megatron have been carried over to here where appropriate as well.
