IDW - Transformers Annual 2021

Title: Light/Star

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Alex Milne

Colours by: John-Paul Bove

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

Lodestar undergoes an upgrade at the Black Hub station, where she and her City Speaker, Light bright, are joined by a technical crew led by Scattershot. Lodestar and Lightbright are upset with an Imploder weapon onto her, since that was the weapon used to kill Croaton, and all Titans now despise them.

Eventually, a possible sighting of Vigilem is reported, and Lodestar heads off to the Hexagon station to try and bring him in. The station's commander Thunderwing is quite off-putting towards the new arrivals and claims to have now known about Vigilems crimes on Cybertron.

The Technobots head to the station while Lightbright stays aboard Lodestar, with both hoping to get through to Vigilem and get him to return to stasis rather than destroy him.

On the station, the Technobots are shocked to find Bludgeon and the Conehead Seekers as part of Thunderwing's main crew, being known criminals, but try to work with them to get Vigilem to stand down.

The Technobots are split up, where they are quickly targeted by the station crew, when they point out contradictions with things that Thunderwing has stated, in listing letting it slip that he knows the Senate has fallen, but doesn't know about Vigilem's attack. He reveals that his plan is to use Vigilem to return to Cybertron and join the Decepticons as heroes.

Eventually, the Technobots are rounded up in another hired criminal, Airachnid's lab, where she is trying to recreate the lost artifacts of the Primes, and the Technobots are knocked into an artificial Enigma of Combination, where they are forcibly combined into Computron, sending the Conehead adrift into space, and forcing Airachnid to get Thunderwing to eject her lab to get Computron off the station before he can destroy them all.

Outside, Vigilem starts launching away, with Lodestar giving chase. The two Titans transform and engage in battle when Vigilem refuses to talk, forcing Lodestar to use the Imploder and destroy the rogue Titan, injuring herself in the process, and watches his remains fall into the system's star, destroying him fully...

Later, the Technobots are adrift in the ejected chunk of Hexagon station, having de-combined and Scattershot still infused with the Enigma's energies. Soon the team are recovered by an injured Lodestar, who is stuck in robot mode due to her injuries.

Later still, Lightbright and Lodestar are relaxing to energetic music when she is informed of an intercepted message from Cybertron that all of the orbiting Titans have crashed and been destroyed, leaving Lodestar as the last Titan. Hearing this catastrophic news, Lodestar and Lightbright mourn with somber music instead....

Characters

Autobot

Scattershot - Jet

Strafe - Jet

Lightspeed - Car

Afterburner - Speedbike

Nosecone - Drill Tank

Computron - Technobot Gestalt

Sentinel Prime (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Lightbright Injured in Imploder Detonation

Lodestar - Titan Ship

Vigilem - Titan War Ship Killed by Lodestar

Thunderwing - Jet

Bludgeon - Tank

Airachnid - Aircraft/Spider

Dirge - Jet Sent Adrift into Space, by Computron

Ramjet - Jet Sent Adrift into Space, by Computron

Thrust - Jet Sent Adrift into Space, by Computron

Metalhawk - Jet

Syphon

Black Hub Staff

Jazz - Car (On Monitor Only)

Skystalker - Car (Mentioned)

Croaton - Titan Ship (Mentioned) Dead

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport (Mentioned) Missing

The Primes (Mentioned)

The Orbiting Titans (Mentioned) Dead

The Senate (Mentioned) Captured by Decepticons

Hexagon Cybertronian Population (Mentioned)

Other

Hexagon Organic Population

Thraal Assassinator (Mentioned)

Notes

• The Technobots actually all have Autobot insignias, this is rare at this point in the continuity, since the Autobot insignia has mostly only been seen on Optimus Prime so far, since it's still officially only a political party.
• This story feels more like a finale to the Galaxies series than a solo story, with many of the events from that series referenced, and even fits the off-Cybertron story theme of the series. My guess is that this was originally planned to be the finale of the series, but was changed to a solo story when the series was ended.
• Lodestar left Cybertron to get upgraded back in issue 21 of the main series.
• We barely see Metalhawk in the early pages of this story, but he appears to use his Timelines toy, usually they use the most recent toy for the character, but considering the Power of the Primes figure was a Prime Master, we can probably understand this change.
• The Technobots use the Unite Warriors version of the team, but with some colour changes 
• We learn that Croaton was killed using an Imploder, we learned previously that he was killed by Citadel, so he must have used that weopon to do the action. However, we know that Croaton was reduced to a cloud of rubble, while Vigilem only has a massive chunk torn out of him by it. There's a few possible explanations for this, such as that Citadel used a larger Imploder, he used multiple weapons, Croaton was just smaller than Vigilem, or even that Lodestar just used the weapon wrong. I wonder if we'll ever find out the answer?
• We last saw the Hexagon outpost in issue 12 where Nautica and Road Rage fought off a Thraal assassination attempt.
• Thunderwing used his Generations toy model for his appearance here, while Bludgeon uses a design based on his RID2015 model, but with some modifications
• The Conehead Seekers appear to be using their current Earthrise figures as a basis, but with Cybertronian modes.
• Airachnid is a transfer of the Prime series character, but with an updated design that has her as a triplechanger instead of just having a spider-themed attack mode.
• It's mentioned that the Enigma of Combination is one of the "lost" artifacts of the Primes, but we saw Termagax and the Constructicons discover it in issue 1 of Galaxies...so...where did it go?
• Scattershot has absorbed the power of Airachnid's artificial Enigma, much like how Superior did in the previous continuity.
• We end this issue with confirmation that all of the orbiting Titans on Cybertron have crashed and died, which also tells us that this story ends at about the same time that issue 29 of the main series is set (but could be a bit later, since the message could be delayed)
• I find it hard to believe that there's no more Titans out in the universe, perhaps stationed on one of the Colony world's or on deep space missions.

IDW - Transformers: Redemption

Written by: John Barber

Art by: Livio Ramondelli

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Plot

Slug argues with Aileron and Sterling from Caminus on the streets of Metroplex about the role of the Prime, and it almost comes to violence until Swoop distracts Slug and they wander off towards the bar.

At the bar, Slug quickly gets drunk and begins a brawl with himself and some of the former Decepticons in the establishment. Before long Barricade arrives with some Badgeless officers and arrests Slug for disturbing the peace.

Later, Slug wakes up in a cell after having a dream/memory about his days as a gladiator before the war. He is met by Barricade, who asks for Slug's help in escorting him and two Camiens, the politician Strafe, and his new girlfriend Swift to Alyon with a mystery cargo, without Optimus and the others finding out. Initially he refuses, but then Barricade brings out a case of Shanix, which quickly changes his mind.

Slug is soon released, where he meets with the other Dinobots and tells them his plan to rat out the Camiens and Barricade to the Badgeless so they can keep the money, not have to go to Alyon, and get rid of a corrupt cop and some aliens at the same time.

The next day, the Dinobots meet with Barricade and the others in the Decepticon District where Slug sneaks a look into the cargo they're transporting, and learns that it has some new Camien sparks inside it, and realises that the group are planning to re-seed Alyon with new sparks to help with the re-population, and it's obviously against Camien law.

On the road out of the city, Slug gets a pang of conscience and turns on the Badgeless, killing them along with the Dinobots, turning them into outlaws, but keeping Barricade and the Camiens out of sight, keeping them safe. One of the Badgeless reports the Dinobot's betrayal to command, before they are all gone, and the Dinobots leave, knowing they can never return again.

In the Sea of Rust, group are attacked by some half-dead Sweeps left over from the Chaos war, as Slug and Strafe begin to get to know each other. After a while, the Sweeps run off scared, due to the sudden arrival of the Victorion Torchbearers, who allow Slug and the others to go on their way in peace, however unknown to everyone, Bludgeon watches the scene from a nearby cliff with some more Sweeps in tow.

Later, the group arrive in the Preatorus Wharf, and are now attacked by some Turbofoxes with new weapons attached to their backs, during the short-lived battle however, Slug notices that the Tuirbooxes appear to be showing emotions, despite them being physically and mentally unable to do so naturally. After the battle, the small group continue on, unaware that the Badgeless are still following them.

Continuing on the way to Alyon, Slug reveals to Strafe that during the war he and his team took out a group of Decepticons, and discovered a trailer full of sparks inside that were planned to become new Decepticons, so Slug destroyed them all, not even giving them a chance to make the choice between good and evil themselves, something he has always regretted since.

The group reach Tyger Pax, which is now raining in the tainted Energon that once turned the Dinobots into monsters in the early days of the war. They're attacked by more Sweeps, and see some of them are quite intelligent and have feelings still, despite essentially being zombies. The Badgeless soon arrive and fight the Dinobots too. Slug has Barricade escape with the Spark trailer, but Barricade is cut down and killed by Bludgeon, who also destroys the Camien sparks.

Bludgeon injures Strafe, causing a wound that is soon infected with the tainted Energon, causing her to mutate into a two-headed dragon monster, as she declares herself a Dinobot and rejoins the battle, taking out more Sweeps and Badgeless.

Swift attacks Bludgeon, and knocks him off a cliff into a river of the tainted Energon, as payback for him killing Barricade. The Dinobots finish off the rest of their opponents

In the afetrmath, the group mourn the loss of the Camien sparks, but suddenly Swoop notices a glow from Alyon...the former hot spot has ignited itself again on it's own, showing that there is potential for new Cybertronians to be born after all. The group theorize that the intelligent Turbofoxes and Sweeps must have been given new sparks by Bludgeon from the Alyon hot spot. Swift wonders whether Bludgeon has tainted the new Sparks with his evil, but Slug tells her to give them a chance.

Afterwards, Slug lets Swift keep the Shanix that Barricade promised them for the job, and tells her to return alone, tell the people about the new sparks, and say that Barricade died protecting them. The Dinobots now vow to remain in the wilds of Cybertron, along with Strafe, who still thinks Bludgeon is alive somewhere, so she wants to finish him off for what he's done.

The five Dinobots all head off, and leave Swift alone with the money and her journey back to the city...

Characters

Autobot

Slug - Triceratops

Swoop - Pteranodon

Sludge - Apatosaurus

Snarl - Stegoaurus

Tracks - Muscle Car

Sunstreaker - Sports Car

Blurr - Race Car

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab (Mentioned)

Windblade - VTOL Fighter Jet (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Bludgeon - Tank Knocked into Tainted Energon by Swift

Barricade - Car Killed by Bludgeon

Fat Tankor - Tank

Tall Tankor - Cargo Plane/Truck

Waspinator - Wasp

Trypticon - Battle Platform Possibly dead

Blackwall (Flashback)

United Cybertron

Badgeless Officers Killed by Dinobots

Starscream - Fighter Jet (Mentioned)

Camien

Strafe - Two Headed Land Dragon (previously Flying Car)

Swift - Helicopter

Aileron - Jet

Sterling - Car

Pyra Magna - Emergency Truck

Jumpstream - Sports Car

Dustup - Sports Car

Skyburst - Helicopter

Stormclash - Helicopter

Rust Dust - Motorcycle

Other

Bob

Maccadam's Patrons

Turbofoxes Killed by Dinobots

Sweeps Killed by Dinobots

Gladiator Pit Crowd (Flashback)

Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• This story is set as a sequel to Punishment, and shws the impact that that story had on the Dinobots
• The first pages are also recreated from Transformers issue 45, setting the location in the time line very clearly! (A rare instance in a side-story comic!)
• The yellow leader from Caminus is named here as Strafe...I wonder if the red leader is Scorn in that case?
• The "loser" that Swift ran off with is revealed to be Barricade here.
• The Sea of Rust is explained here to be the remains of the area that the Crystal City was destroyed, and was most likely ruined to such an extreme by the black hole created by Shockwave.
• More of the Sweeps are found to have survived the reformatting of Cybertron....how did so many survive the Chaos war?!?
• Bludgeon's cloak appears to be similar to Megatron's one he used on Planet Junkion in Monstrosity, and Alpha Trion's during the Ironhide mini-series, so it is likely designed to protect him against the Sea of Rust's harsh conditions.
• Trypticon is revealed to have fallen in the Preatorus Wharf, and either went into stasis or died there. He was last seen fighting in the last stand on Cybertron, as shown in Spotlight: Blaster.
• Despite having the tainted Energon removed from their bodies, at least Slug retained the ability to turn into his monstrous form in the past.
• Strafe's Dinobot form is a reference to the new Dinobot introduced in Age of Extinction, but only in name and her having two heads. The AOE version was mostly blue, male, used a crossbow (on the toy) and was a flying dragon, rather than a land-based one here.
• Despite now having her "Dino-mode" Strafe appears to have her vehicle mode kibble as well...does this make her a triple changer maybe?
• Also, where did Strafe get her flamethrowers from? I doubt an energon-conserving Camien would have flamethrowers built into her body....
• And...how is Swift going to get back to Metroplex safely? She had issues flying in the Sea of Rust, and was injured during the fights with the Badgeless, Sweeps and Bludgeon....yeah...she may die along the way....