IDW - Transformers #43

Title: End of Time

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova, Juan Samu, Ed Pirrie & Blacky Shepherd

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz & Heather Breckel

Letters by: Jake M. Wood & Nathan Widick

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

The battle for survival I'd in full swing

Outside Darkmount, the Autobots are fighting off the Insecticlones, with the scientists trying to get one live sample, to plant a spike with a data bomb in it for their big plan.

Seeing the Hugh swarm of Insecticlones approaching the city, forcing Termagax to sacrifice her mobile "House" by sending it into the swarm, and overloading the power core, taking out a large chunk of the swarm.

At the Insecticon hideout, in a dead Titan, Novastar's team infiltrate the facility, fighting off the remaining Insecticlones in the facility, and make their way to the Insecticons themselves.

In the hub of the Titan, the Insecticons are gorging themselves on their clones, and overenergizing themselves, allowing the Autobots to easily ambush them, and Novastar implants a receiver for the data bomb into Bombshell's head.

Whilst they are waiting for the data bomb to work, they fight off the remaining Insecticlones.

Meanwhile, in the wilderness, Optimus and his team fight back the Rust Worms, who are still encroaching upon them, with Jhiaxus' forces still boxing them in.

When all hope seems lost, the Insecticlones fly past the Autobots, who are now devouring the Rust Worms, as the data bomb reprogrammed them to do, mostly solving both world-eating problems.

Soon, Optimus and his crew head through the desert towards Darkmount, when they are encountered by Skywarp, who teleports in, riding an Imploder, the most dangerous Cybertronian weapon ever, and tells them to wait there, until Megatron comes to speak to them.... 

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime/Orion Pax - Truck 

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport

Kup - Pickup Truck

Ironhide - Van

Chromia - Car

Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft

Subsea - Submarine

Pipes - Truck

Backstreet - Race Car

Sideswipe - Car

Bumper - Car

Strongarm - Police Van 

Vibes

Stakeout - Police Car

Wheeljack - Race Car

Highbrow - Helicopter

Perceptor

Blaster

Hound - Jeep

Road Rage - Flying Car

Tap-Out - Winged Hovercraft

Novastar - Car

Smokescreen - Car

Windblade - VTOL Jet

Springer - Car/Helicopter

Blades - Helicopter

Cromar - Jet/Weapons Embankment

Javelin - Car

Other Autobot Soldiers

Glyph - Car (Mentioned)

Jumpstream - Car (Mentioned)

Scattershot - Jet (Mentioned)

Other Technobots (Mentioned)

Autobot Fliers (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Megatron - Tank

Shockwave - Flying Artillery

Strika - Battle Tank

Obsidian - Dual Propeller Plane

Blitzwing - Tank/Jet

Nova Storm - Jet

Ion Storm - Jet

Acid Storm - Jet

Bombshell - Boll Weevil

Skrapnel - Stag Beetle

Kickback - Locust

Red Wing - Jet

Windsweeper - Jet

Thundercracker - Jet

Other Seekers - Jets

Other Cybertronian

Termagax - Van 

Skywarp - Jet 

"House" Self-Destructed

Mountain Titan Long Dead

Insecticlone Swarm Reprogrammed to Devour Rust Worms, Many Destroyed

Prima (Flashback Only)

Liege Maximo (Flashback Only)

Solus Prime (Flashback Only)

Megatronus (Flashback Only)

The Firstforged (Flashback Only)

Nominus Prime - Jet (Flashback Only)

Sentinel Prime - Shuttle (Flashback Only)

Codexa (Flashback Only)

Big Bang (Flashback Only)

Halonix Maximus (Flashback Only)

Gaidora - Dragon (Flashback Only)

Turbofoxes (Flashback Only)

Primus (Mentioned)

The Other Primes (Mentioned)

Proxima (Mentioned)

Froid - Jet (Mentioned)

Lodestar - Titan Ship (Mentioned) Undergoing Repairs

Titan Sparks (Mentioned)

The Senate (Mentioned)

Other

Rust Worms Being Devoured by Insecticlones

Notes

• This is the finale issue of the main Transformers series, with Wars End #4 and The Fate of Cybertron to wrap up the series afterwards.
• Among the feral Turbofoxes in the flashback is Gaidora, a Predacon from the Aligned continuity, implying that the prehistoric dragon-like Predacons may have existed in Cybertron's past like in that continuity.
• Cromar combines with Javelin as a weapons embankment, much like how his Siege toy is able to (though since Javelin hasn't had a recent toy, she technically can't weild him :p) 
• We see "House" destroyed this issue, but we never learned what exactly it was. I still believe it was a hidden Titan Spark or some very advanced A.I. that was an artificial Cybertronian (like Springer in IDW1)
• We don't see the mind controlled Skystalker in the Insecticon hideout, possible meaning, in their feeding frenzy, they may have devoured him.
• Even though Skywarp appears to be holding the Autobots hostage at the end for the Decepticons. I believe he's just fueling the chaos more, rather than trying to help Megatron here.
• Skywarp steals the Imploder he is seen riding this issue in Wars End #4, which was released shortly after this issue was released.
• Smokescreen admits that he doesn't remember who he works for anymore, as he's been moved around, behind the scenes so much, he just does what he feels is right in the situation.

IDW - Transformers #41

Title: The Landscape of Fear

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova & Blacky Shepherd

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

Most of the Decepticons flee from the battlefield when Lodestar arrives, but Strika and her Heavies remain to try and counter the Titan.

Lodestar however, is not really in a condition to battle, with her extensive damage, and sensory problems, she is relying on Lightbright for almost everything right now.

Computron leaves Lodestar and takes on the Heavies by himself, easily swatting them all away, with only minor hits from his enemies.

Soon, the Decepticon Heavies are captured, but Optimus offers a truce instead, and asks Strika to open a communication to Megatron, despite his cohort's concerns.

Whilst it is being set up, Lightbright requests somewhere for Lodestar to receive repairs, to which Optimus suggests Darkmount...

Outside the walled city of Darkmount, the Autobots and their allies are fighting off the Insecticon swarm, which is being relentless in it's raids, but they receive a boost in firepower when the refugees from Crystal City, in listing Termagax in her "House" arrive.

Back at Crystal City, Strika opens the communication to Megatron, whom Optimus offers a peace truce in order to counter their joint threats, the Rust Worms, Insecticons and Exarchon, and the. Allow them to rebuild their world, before the Autobots cede the planet to Megatron. Megatron agrees after some discussion, but has to arrange the details later, due to some new news he has received.

During the talks, Pyra Magna receives a message from the team in the Sonic Canyons, and has to leave to investigate it. Ultra Magnus questions Optimus' plan to give the planet to Megatron, but the Autobot leader explains that they can retake it later, after it is saved.

At Darkmount, the Autobots are trying to repair the final, damaged Ark, for them to try and evacuate the dying planet, while Termagax gets a plan, she wants to lead a team to locate and destroy the Insecticon Swarm's homebase, but for this plan, she will need a fully intact Insecticon Clone...

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport

Pyra Magna - Truck 

Ironhide - Van

Rust Dust - Motorcycle

Sunstreaker - Car

Wheeljack - Car

Hound - Jeep

Road Rage - Flying Car

Gears - Truck

Tap-Out - Winged Hovercraft

Scattershot - Jet

Strafe - Jet

Nosecone - Drill Tank

Lightspeed - Car

Afterburner - Speedbike

Computron - Technobot Combiner 

Autobot Soldiers

Perceptor (Mentioned)

Highbrow - Helicopter (Mentioned)

Glyph - Car (Mentioned)

Jumpstream - Car (Mentioned)

Sonic Canyon Team (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Megatron - Tank

Strika - Battle Tank

Heavywait - Tank

Lugnut - Jet

Obsidian - Dual Propeller Plane

Apeface - Ape/Jet

Blitzwing - Tank/Jet

Runamuck - Car

Runabout - Car

Airwave - Battle Platform 

Decepticon Soldiers

Other Cybertronian

Termagax - Van

Lodestar - Titan Ship Injured 

Lightbright

Kickback - Locust

Bombshell - Boll Weevil

Skrapnel - Scarab Beetle

"House"

Spectrosynth Drones

Darkmount Refugees

Insecticon Swarm - Insects 

Cybertronian Mountains Titan Long Dead

Exarchon (Mentioned)

Constructicons (Mentioned)

Devastator - Constructicon Combiner (Mentioned)

Ark Repair Crew (Mentioned)

Other

Four-armed Alien

Rust Worms

Turbofoxes (Mentioned)

Organic Alien Refugees (Mentioned) Getting Sick and Hungry

Notes

• Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the Wreckers were aboard Lodestar. So I guess we won't be seeing them again before the finale of the continuity :( 
• Lightbright refers to Optimus Prime as "Orion" here, presumably because she just doesn't know about his name change, or just forgot about it.
• Tap-Out appears to have had a slight design update, making his body and alternate mode matching closer to Bumblebee's, which also makes him similar to the Origin Bumblebee toy...new repaint hint perhaps?
• I have a feeling that the end of this series will see the injured Lodestar be either rebuilt with the Ark's parts or die, and be used to fix the Ark, either way, she will become the Ark in essence.

IDW - Transformers #36

Title: Lord of Misrule: Enigmatic

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

At the Medical Center in Iacon, Provoke is using a database to catch up on what has been happening since she went missing, and asks Cyclonus to leave her alone, so she can do this herself. Cyclonus agrees, but the "ghosts" in his head comment on how something is off about the situation they've found themselves in...

The battle between the Autobots and Decepticons at the edge of the Sea of Rust is in full swing, with Termagax's Spectrosynth Drones helping the Autobots take down the Decepticons.

Inside House, Termagax controls one of the drones to recover the Enigma from its hiding place inside the facility, with the intention of taking it out of reach of needed.

Unfortunately for Termagax, Skywarp has entered the battlefield, intending to claim the Enigma himself, so he can use it to prove his worth and to use it for leverage. Skywarp proceeds to teleport through House, until he finds the Enigma, and claims it for himself.

Eventually Skywarp warps to the top of House, declaring that he controls the Enigma, and they should all listen to him. Jumpstream arrives just in time, despite her injuries from his time travelling earlier, and Pyra asks her to reclaim the Enigma from Skywarp.

The two teleporters fight over the Enigma, but Skywarp proves to be the superior 'porter, but before he can escape, Sky Lynx crushes him in his maw, and scorches him at point-blank range, forcing him to drop the Enigma.

The ancient artifact lands next to Skytread, who intends to use it to retake his leadership role from Sixshot, but the larger Decepticon simply shoots him, sending him and the Enigma plummeting into the Rust Worms, devouring Skytread in the process.

Cybertron starts quaking again, with the bedrock around the Sea falling apart, freeing the worms, and forcing the two Rmies to escape, abandoning the Enigma in the process.

Termagax and Optimus comment that the Enigma has probably survived the Rust Worms, but it will be near impossible to recover it for now, but are now more worried about the Rust Worms being loose on the planet, potentially spelling out their doom...

Back at the Iacon Medical Center, Flatline is baffled that Ruckus, another practically-dead patient has awoken. Provoke suggests that it's not outside the realms of possibility for him to have been revived this way on his own, but Flatline refuses this, saying it is absolutely impossible.

"Provoke", now annoyed, drops the pretense and attacks Flatline, stating that Exarchon will have to be "Three once more"....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Pyra Magna - Fire Truck

Ironhide - Van

Sky Lynx - Space Shuttle

Windblade - VTOL Jet

Jumpstream - Car

Sunstreaker - Car

Sureshot - Buggy

Arcee - Car

Groove - Motorcycle

Flareup - Motorcycle

Vibes

Pipes - Truck

Smokescreen - Car

Springer - Helicopter/Car

Pointblank - Car

Wheeljack - Race Car

Powertrain - Truck

Backstreet - Race Car

Big Daddy - Car

Wheel Blaze - Fire Truck

Brawn - Van

Javelin - Car

Subsea - Submarine

Other Autobot Fighters

Decepticon

Sixshot - Jet/Car/Tank/Gun/Winged Wolf

Skytread - Tank and Jet Eaten by Rust Worms

Nova Storm - Jet

Red Wing - Jet

Wingstun - Jet

Ion Storm - Jet

Hotlink - Jet

Battleslash - Helicopter

Weirdwolf - Wolf

Gutcruncher

Offroad - Van

Runamuck - Car

Runabout - Car

Crasher - Race Car

Flame Feather - Bird Monster

Other Decepticon Fighters

Megatron - Tank (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Termagax - Armoured Van

Skywarp - Jet

Cyclonus - Jet

Provoke/Exarchon - Wheeled Vehicle

Ruckus/Exarchon - Buggy

Flatline - Van Attacked by Exarchon

Geomotus - Radar Buggy

Landmine - Plough Buggy

Kaskade Comatose

Codexa Immersant

"House"

Spectrosynth Drones

Paragon (Ghost)

Highfire (Ghost)

Grudge (Ghost)

Gridlock (Ghost)

Primus (Mentioned)

Nexus Prime (Mentioned)

Citadel - Titan Ship (Mentioned) Dead

Old Cybertronian Senate (Mentioned)

Other

Rust Worms

Flyts

Termagax's Specimens (In Jars)

Notes

• It's shown here that Termagax manually controls her Spectrosynth Drones, but can leave them on a sort of auto-rin feature to allow her funer control on a single drone.
• An area that Skywarp warps into looks like it's a power source of some sort, but actually also resembles a spark chamber to an extent...is this more proof to my theory that House is a hidden Titan?
• It's mentioned that Nova Storm is potentially able to retrieve the Enigma from the Rust Sea, implying that she might have survived having her internal parts crushed by Windcharger last issue.
• My theory of Exarchon living on inside Provike's body is shown to be absolutely the case here! Yay for validation!

IDW - Transformers #35

Title: Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust II

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz & Evan Gauntt

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

The Autobot team, led by Pyra Magna arrive to fight off the Insecticon Swarm, and manage to kill many of them, forcing the rest to retreat. Pyra and Wheeljack head inside "House" to meet with the reclusive scientist.

Skywarp arrives outside Shockwave's lab, and tries to reunite with his former teammate, but the former Exarchon follower simply arms up, prepared to fire on the teleporter. Skywarp asks what the deal with the clones swarming to the Sea of Rust is about, with Shockwave explaining it briefly as being due to the Enigma of Combination, leading to Skywarp to teleport away, saying he'll be back soon....

At Termagax's "House" she meets with Pyra, who simply wants to have permission to place sentries in the facility too, to prepare for the upcoming battle. Wheeljack tells Landmine and Geomotus that they should leave before the battle begins, as they aren't fighters.

Soon, the Autobots fortify the area around "House" whilst waiting for the rest of the attack force, led by Optimus Prime to arrive.

Optimus meets with Termagax too, with Termagax determined to make it clear that she will NOT choose a side in this war, and will not give him the Enigma either. Optimus however rebutes that Termagax, as both the founder of the Ascenticons and Megatron's mentor, is the one person who cannot be allowed to remain neutral, and she has to choose a side.

Sixshot leads a team of Decepticons to the Sea of Rust, and begins the attack on "House", sending the Rainmakers in first, however Pyra knew this would happen, and has the sentries ready. Arcee and Sureshot use their sniper skills to take down Ion Storm and Acid Storm, an Windcharger internally crushed Nova Storm too, after a bit of trouble with her impenetrable bodyframe.

A full-on battle begins between the Autobots and Decepticons. Inside "House", Termagax has made her choice, as she deploys an army of Spectrosynth Drones onto the battlefield....

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Pyra Magna - Fire Truck

Ironhide - Van

Novastar - Car

Sky Lynx - Space Shuttle

Windblade - VTOL Jet

Springer - Helicopter/Car

Blades - Helicopter

Rust Dust - Motorcycle

Groundbreaker - Car

Sunstreaker - Car

Smokescreen - Car

Arcee - Car

Sureshot - Buggy

Windcharger - Car

Wheeljack - Race Car

Flareup - Motorcycle

Groove - Motorcycle

Inferno - Fire Truck

Javelin - Car

Brawn - Van

Subsea - Submarine

Pipes - Truck

Grotesque - Winged Beast

Backstreet - Race Car

Pointblank - Van

Zetar - Drill Tank

Powertrain - Truck

Highjump - Van

Big Daddy - Car

Trip-up - Car

Other Autobots

Nominus Prime - Jet (Mentioned) Dead

Sentinel Prime - Space Shuttle (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Sixshot - Car/Jet/Tank/Gun/Winged Beast

Shockwave - Flying Artillery

Shadow Striker - Car

Hyperdrive - Car

Flamewar - Motorcycle

Slipstream - Jet

Nova Storm - Jet Internals Crushed by Windcharger

Ion Storm - Jet Shot Out of Sky by Arcee

Acid Storm - Jet Shot Out of Sky by Sureshot

Roadtrap - Van

Battleslash - Helicopter

Runamuck - Car

Runabout - Car

Cindersaur - Lizard Monster

Flamefeather - Bird Monster

Skytread - Tank and Jet

Gutcruncher

Crasher - Race Car

Nautilator - Lobster

Twirl - Jet

Swift - Helicopter

Refraktor - Hovercraft

Direct-Hit - Truck

Power Punch - Truck

Weirdwolf - Wolf

Offroad - Van

Scatterspike - Van

Insecticon Swarm - Insects Some destroyed by Autobots

Other Decepticons

Megatron - Tank (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Termagax - Armoured Van

Geomotus - Buggy

Landmine - Buggy

Skywarp - Jet

Constructicons (Mentioned)

Other

"House"

Spectrosynth Drones

Rust Worms

Termagax's Specimens In Jars

Notes

• Wheeljack is the only major character from the Escape miniseries to join the defense of Termagax. Most likely the others (like Nautica, Hound etc) are busy fortifying Darkmount.
• Shockwave's extra weapons and armour is based on his Siege figure's extra accessories. I believe this is the first time we've seen the extra parts of a figure on panel in this series so far.
• Subsea mentions that the Senate Guard have renamed themselves as the "Prime Guard"
• Termagax reveals that she has possessed the Enigma of Combination since it was used on the Constructicons, with permission by both Nominus and Sentinel Primes. Most likely this was in effort to stop Cybertronian expansionism, like we saw with the population control in earlier issues.
• It's unclear if the Rainmakers survived their attacks in this issue, but after two getting shot through their jet modes, and plummeting to the ground, and Nova Storm getting internally crushed by Windcharger, before also plummeting, I'd expect them to at least have some bad injuries...
• The final panels make it pretty unclear if Termagax is sending her drones to attack the Autobots, Decepticons or both!
• Based on the title of this storyline referencing Skywarp, and him not really appearing much in the story itself in the past couple of issues, I'm going to guess that he will teleport in at the end of the fight, and either abduct Termagax or steal the Enigma (again, possibly both)

IDW - Transformers #34

Title: Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova

Colours by: David Garcia Cruz & Evan Gauntt

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editor: David Mariotte

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Supervising Editor: Tom Waltz

Plot

Geomotus and Landmine investigate the crash site of the Titan Citadel in the Sea of Rust, and find the rust worms in a frenzy. Termagax appears behind them, still on the run from the Decepticons, and explains that the worms devoured Citadel's body, and are now hungry for more.

The two researchers are invited inside House, where she offers them her hospitality. Unfortunately, a team of Decepticon Seekers find them, and intend to take down Termagax for Megatron. Red Wing decides to head back so he can report this to Megatron, but the others intend to impress their leader by taking her out themselves. However, Termagax isn't helpless, and launches House's arsenal on them, forcing Wingstun to also flee and Space Case to crash into the Sea of Rust, to die.

At the Crystal City, Optimus has officially dubbed his resistance against the Decepticons as the Autobots, and begins plans to search for Termagax, as he has learned that she possesses the Enigma of Combination, thanks to Bumblebee's intel. Highbrow reports that he actually knows where she is, since Geomotus reported that he's met with her, before entering a suppression field.

In Iacon, Megatron meets with Skywarp, who tries to convince the Decepticon leader to allow him to join his side for himnto have fun, but Megatron is unconvinced.

Soundwave reports Termagax's location at the Sea of Rust, and decides to use the Shockwave's troops to attack her, since he's closer, which Shockwave outsources to the Insecticon Swarm, to simply overwhelm her. Shockwave intends to use this to seizebthr Enigma for himself, do he keeps the monopoly of Combiners, since Devastator is under his influence in space....

In the medical center, Jumpstream wakes up from her brief coma, to be good by Perceptor that her "dimension hop" was actually time travel, terrifying her, as she reveals that this means Exarchon is still out there, and that he will win another eat in the future!

Back at the Sea of Rust, the Insecticon Swarm approaches House, and it begins fighting them off. Inside, Termagax explains that the reason the Decepticons want her is because she holds the Enigma of Combination, and also reveals that even though she is sceptical of the existence of the Thirteen Primes, she has experienced two of their artefacts, so she has surmised that the others also exist somewhere, and she is determined to find them.

House's arsenal finally runs out, and Termagax apologizes to her friends for getting them killed, when House detects more arrivals, a team of Autobots have come to rescue them!

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport

Pyra Magna - Truck

Highbrow - Helicopter

Chromia - Car

Ratchet - Ambulance

Perceptor

Jumpstream - Car

Windblade - VTOL Jet

Springer - Helicopter/Car

Blades - Helicopter

Sky Lynx - Space Shuttle

Arcee - Car

Kup - Pick-up Truck

Ironhide - Van

Strongarm - Van

Huffer - Truck

Inferno - Fire Truck

Blaster

Vibes

Tap-Out - Car

Chromedome - Car

Pointblank - Car

Grapple - Crane

Decepticon

Megatron - Tank

Soundwave - Hovercraft

Sixshot - Jet/Car/Tank/Gun/Winged Tiger

Nova Storm - Jet

Red Wing - Jet

Wingstun - Jet

Space Case - Jet Eaten by Rust Worms

Shockwave - Flying Artillery

Soundblaster - Hovercraft

Bombshell - Bill Weevil

Kickback - Locust

Skrapnel - Stag Beetle

Insecticon Swarm Many Destroyed by House

Nacelle - Jet (Mentioned)

Shockwave's Insecticon Clones (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Termagax - Armoured Van

Geomotus - Buggy

Landmine - Buggy

Skywarp - Jet

Devastator - Constructicon Gestalt (Flashback)

Abominus - Terrorcon Gestalt (Flashback)

Nexus Prime (Flashback)

Solus Prime (Flashback)

Vector Prime (Flashback)

Quintus Prime (Flashback)

Micronus Prime (Flashback)

Alchemist Prime (Flashback)

Liege Maximo (Flashback)

Exarchon (Mentioned)

Citadel - Titan Ship (Mentioned) Dead, Eaten by Rust Worms

Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft (Mentioned)

Primus (Mentioned)

The Other Primes (Mentioned)

The Firstforged (Mentioned)

Other

"House"

Rust Worms

Termagax's "Samples" In jars

Notes

• This issue opens by revealing that the largest Titan, Citadel, was eaten by the rust worms when he crashed.. guess he has no chance of revival now then!
• Both Geomotus and Landmine are familiar with Termagax, implying that both are relatively older, since she's been in seclusion since shortly after the Nominus Editcbwas enforced.
• Red Wing previously ran away when he saw Windcharger was amongst the Autobot reinforcements, who ended up badly hurting Nacelle. This time he manages to escape being eaten alive by the rust worms! He's a smart fella!
• It's still unclear if House is a sentient being here. But we have learned that he's armed to the teeth.
• It's taken 34 issues, but the Autobots are now officially the faction of Optimus and his followers, instead of just the political party he was associated with.
• We get a brief cameo from Blaster in the Autobot groupshot, but I can't tell if he's a virtual retool of Siege Soundwave or a new design yet...there are rumours of a new Blaster toy in the pipeline though...
• Huffer's character model has been modified from being based on his Power of the Primes toy to one closer to (but not quite) his Kingdom toy.
• It's confirmed that Soundblaster is a clone here, but the circumstances of it, and whether Soundwave is aware of him is still unknown.
• The Insecticon Clone army we saw at the end of Galaxies is referenced here, as Shockwave explains that he doesn't want anyone to know if their existence yet.
• Shockwave mentions that there are fourteen artefacts of the Primes. We see in her fantasy that the Matrix and Star Saber are separate here, rather than the Matrix just being a part of the sword.
• Also, we see a mask among the artefacts, if we assume that is the Triptych mask then it's a little different to the one we've seen in the past, which had three faces, one for the past, future and present. It's possible it's the Lenses of Alchemist Prime, but, why is there a full face there?

IDW - Transformers: Galaxies #3

Title: Constructicons Rising! Part 3

Written by: Tyler Bleszinski

Art by: Livio Ramondelli

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

Wheeljack witnesses the Constructicons in their combined form complete a building, in the aftermath of the war, but is terrified when he sees the combiner destroy that same building, and smiles as he did so, much as he was expecting from the combination of all those minds.

Termagax manages to calm the giant down and gets him to de-combine. She suggests to Scrapper that the Constructicons need to control the seventh mind that appears when they combine, by allowing him to take the reigns in that form, which they agree to try out.

Later, in Iacon, Wheeljack meets with the Senate to report his concerns about the Constructicons, and despite Termagax's pleas to allow them to work to rebuild Cybertron as they are destined to, but the leader of the Senate, Nominus Prime, disagrees, concerned with the damage they can cause to Cybertron and it's population, and more importantly to him, the extreme amount of Energon needed to power their combined form. He allows them to fix the damage they caused recently, but after that, they need to be dealt with.

Some while later, the Constructicons complete their work in Iacon, having taken Termagax's suggestion about their combined form and are proud with their work. Nominus soon arrives and congratulates them on their hard work, and presents them with badges of honour.

Soon, Nominus gives the Constructicons a new mission, to help rebuild an energy processing plant on one of their outposts, so they can use that energy to further fix Cybertron. Termagax says she agrees with Nominus, but asks them to be wary and not everyone who has left Cybertron, has been for noble reasons.

The Constructicons leave Cybertron, heading to Mayalx, for which they hope to only be a short mission...

Characters

Cybertronian

Nominus Prime - Jet

Termagax - Van

Wheeljack - Car

Scrapper - Earthmover

Bonecrusher - Bulldozer

Hook - Crane

Scavenger - Excavator

Long Haul - Dump Truck

Mixmaster - Mixing Truck

"Devastator" - Constructicon Gestalt

Nominus' Senate Members

Nominus' Guards

Iacon Workers

Primus (Mentioned)

Megatron - Armoured Vehicle (Mentioned)

"The Abomination, Abominus" - Terrorcon Gestalt (Mentioned)

Iacon Rebuilding Teams (Mentioned)

Notes

• Sorry I'm so late on this one as well, but I've been busy with the new Pokémon games etc (plus as I mentioned last time, this series/storyline is kind of repetitive and boring)
• This issue is set entirely in a flashback showing what happened between the flashbacks in issue 1, and the present day scenes
• The scene of the Constructicons in "Devastator's" head seems to be based on the similar scene of the Combaticons inside Bruticus from Till All Are One.
• To possibly explain why the Constructicons blame Wheeljack for them being stranded on Mayalx, we see that he is the one who reported their violence to the Senate here...however Termagax tells them that SHE thought them leaving was a good idea, and we never see them learning that Wheeljack said anything...so.....what happened there?
• Nominus Prime finally makes a full appearance in a piece of media!!! YAY!!!
• Nominus directly references the early scenes from Issue 6 of the main comic, where he says that Megatron, the miners and archivists are pulling their weight in rebuilding, which we saw in that issue.
• The badges of honour shown this issue appear to be very simplified Autobot insignias, either meaning this is the origin of them, or that they simply base them off of their party's insignia for some reason.
• Since Nominus doesn't have a badge in this issue and it being set RIGHT AFTER the world changing war, we can assume that the Autobot party hasn't been fully formed yet, so I'm just going to class everyone as Cybertronian in the character lists.
• I think it's being implied from Scrapper noticing the workers also having the badges that there are some sort of symbol of trouble or perhaps an inhibiter of sorts, but we never see the Constructicons wearing them in this issue, or in the present day

IDW - Transformers Galaxies #1

Title: Constructicons Rising, Part 1

Written by: Tyler Bleszinski

Art by: Livio Ramondelli

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

On Mayalx, the Constructicons are finishing off the Energon processing complex, and reminisce over the past, and long to return home to Cybertron, they hope that after this project they can return, but are also well aware that the people of Cybertron are afraid of them...

Long ago, following the war against the Threefold Spark, Iacon has been mostly destroyed, so Termagax and Wheeljack lead the reconstruction project, and are soon accompanied by the Constructicons , a team of prodigy builders.

During their work at Rivet's Field, the Constructicons have an unexpected discovery, the Enigma of Combination. Termagax explains to them that this artefact allows Cybertronians to combine and pool their abilities together, and asks them if they would be willing to attempt a combination to make the reconstruction process go past quicker, which they agree to.

The Constructicons soon embrace the Enigma , but struggle to even move with the new form, however they do manage to use their powers to smash a hole in the ground, saving them ten cycles worth of work in the process. The team decombine, and are drained. Scrapper is unsure if he wants to combine again, but Termagax says they should, and reiterates that they make a great team, unlike the previous combiner, whose members did not have a shared goal, and it went on a rampage, before being separated.

Termagax and Wheeljack leave, with Wheeljack worried about the Constructicon's new ability, but Termagax states that so long as they concentrate on building, then the combiner should have the same desires, and wont go on the rampage too.

Soon, with the help of the Constructicon's new form, Iacon is rebuilt, and it is considered a masterpiece.

Back in the present, the Constructicons continue with work on the processing complex, unaware that Bombshell is watching them...planning to use them for his plan....

Characters

Cybertronian

Scrapper - Earth Mover

Hook - Crane

Scavenger - Excavator

Mixmaster - Mixing Truck

Bonecrusher - Bulldozer

Long Haul - Dump Truck

Bombshell

Mayalx Energon Processing Complex Staff

"Unnamed Devastator" - Constructicon Gestalt (Flashback Only)

Termagax - Truck (Flashback Only)

Wheeljack - Car (Flashback Only)

Abominus - Terrorcon Gestalt (Flashback Only) Defeated and Parts Scattered

Primus (Mentioned)

Megatron - Armoured Vehicle (Mentioned)

"The Threefold Spark" (Mentioned) Defeated

Notes

• The present day segments of this story appear to be set along with the present day of the main title. The flashback scenes however seem to tale place before the events shown in issue six of the main title, due to the future Senators discussing the Constructicons as established builders there.
• The flashbacks of this story appear to be the earliest set story in this new continuity so far, showing just after the war against the Threefold Spark
• The Constructicons are mentioned to have left their Mentors earlier than usual.
• Termagax is revealed to have been Megatron's Mentor in the past.
• Termagax mentions the need to "Ascend", likely showing us the birth of her future Ascenticon movement.
• The Constructicons blame Wheeljack for them finding the Enigma of Combination, and causing them to combine and be "exiled"...but Termagax was literally the one who suggested that they should combine...why isn't she to blame?
• The Enigma is located in Rivet's Field, which in the old IDW was one of the Hot Spots and later the launch site of the Lost Light.
• The Enigma was an artefact first seen in the old IDW, as the signature item of Nexus Prime, which, like here, allows Cybertronians to combine.
• Devastator is shown to have normal optics, with a retractable visor to go over them, referencing the different head models of Devastator from the G1 cartoon.
• The previous user of the Enigma isn't named here, but from the words "Terror" and "Abomination" as well as his recognizable silhouette, we can easily see it's the Terrorcons and Abominus 
• The last two pages are seemingly in the "present", even though the comic itself neglects to show that, with another "Now." caption, like with every other time skip.
• The statue that Bombshell is shown standing on at the end appears to be of Megatronus/The Fallen of the Thirteen.

IDW - Transformers (2019) #8

Title: The Cracks Beneath Your Feet, Part Two

Written by: Brain Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova, Angel Hernandez & Beth McGuire-Smith

Colours by: Joana LaFuente & Josh Burcham

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

Flamewar calls in to Shadow Striker, reporting that Cyclonus is ripping up their hidden cables, and despite Shadow Striker's orders to stand down, Flamewar decides to attack to stop him.

Inevitably, Cyclonus pummels the smaller bot, but the tides turn when Shadow Striker appears and starts firing on Cyclonus too. Cyclonus flies off, but Striker fires upon him, hitting the flyer, and Striker berates Flamewar for her stupidity.

Elsewhere, Megatron visits Termagax in her fortress, where he tells her about the recent bombing at an Ascenticon rally, but she has no interest in the outside world, and is busy building in her workshop. She says Megatron can just continue leading the Ascenticons, as she doesn't trust or believe in the Senate any more, so he leaves.

Outside, Megatron contacts Soundwave and tells him that she won't get in their way...

Back in the city, Bumblebee has been accepted into the Ascenticon Guard and Elita-1 informs him that Megatron wants him to be part of the guard for Megatron at an upcoming Senate meeting, so he can show off an ex-security officer and friend to Autobots has joined his side, which Bee seems fine with.

Meanwhile, at the Security HQ, Froid is being questioned by Chromia and Prowl about if Quake could be capable of murder, due to his well known anger issues and his recent disappearance. Froid agrees that he is likely to be capable of murder, but also that many more could be too, as their species is being repressed too much, and someone was bound to snap eventually.

At that moment, Cyclonus crashes into the wall, burying Froid in rubble, and hobbles in injured from the earlier attack. he tells Chromia that Shadow Striker attacked him, and where they are, before being allowed to go see Ratchet. Froid offers to join him, but Cyclonus flat out refuses. Froid calls out that he should talk to Paragon, confusing everyone else, to which Froid just explains that he's the one Cyclonus needs to talk to really, before leaving.

In the aftermath, Chromia tells Sideswipe to open up the armoury so they can go after Shadow Striker and the rest of her suspected Rise members, regardless of whether it's going to get them in trouble....

Characters

Security Forces/Autobot

Chromia - Car

Prowl - Police Vehicle

Sideswipe - Car

Froid - UAV

Sentinel Prime - Space Shuttle (Mentioned)

Orion Pax - Truck (Mentioned)

Windblade - VTOL Jet (Mentioned)

Barricade - Police Vehicle (Mentioned)

Ratchet - Ambulance (Mentioned)

Ascenticon

Termagax

Megatron - Treaded Vehicle

Elita-1 - Car

Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft

Other Ascenticons

Soundwave - Hovercraft (Mentioned)

Skytread - Tank and Jet (Mentioned)

Refraktor - Hovercraft (Mentioned)

Quake - Tank (Mentioned) Gone Missing

The Rise

Shadow Striker - Car

Flamewar - Motorcycle

Other Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet

Grudge (Ghost)

Gridlock (Ghost)

The Senate (Mentioned)

Paragon (Mentioned)

Rubble (Mentioned) Dead

Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned) Dead

Pyra Magna (Mentioned)

Starscream - Jet (Mentioned)

The Missing Cybertronians (Mentioned)

Brainstorm's Killer (Mentioned)

Other

Primus (Mentioned)

Preserved Voin Corpse (In Termagax's Workshop)

Notes

• This issue comes with another packet of Transformers TCG cards, and again I got nothing good from it :(
• Art duties this month are split as such: Malkova does the Cyclonus vs Flamewar scene, Hernandez does the Megatron and Bumblebee scenes, and newcomer McGuire-Smith does the Security Forces scene at the end. Interestingly, I legitimately thought that was Andrew Griffith doing the final pages until I just checked the credits page....I am shocked!
• The first page of this issue takes place before Flamewar attacks Cyclonus last issue, giving us her side of the situation.
• From the dialogue this issue, we learn that Shadow Striker, and by extension Flamewar, were amongst the missing Cybertronians mentioned previously, and are part of The Rise, who have gone underground to hide.
• Shadow Striker mentions playing something called "Dead-Dark-Drone" with someone who's name begins with "Fr-". This could be anyone, but considering Froid's presence in the issue, and his history of being someone evil-ish, we might be able to assume this is him?
• Also, Shadow Striker is a mostly purple robot, which could be seen as bluish in the dark. Is she Brainstorm's killer?
• Shadow Striker's design is based on her Cyberverse counterpart, rather than her pre-existing G1 counterparts.
• Flamewar has hidden flamethrowers in her arms....this makes sense with her name!
• Grudge's ghost mentions how Shadow Striker and Flamewar have illegally good weapons, likely being a reference to the Nominus Edict that stops Cybertronians from having external weaponry.
• Dialogue also implies that Shadow Striker was in some way related to the war with the Threefold Spark to, since Gridlock and Cyclonus both recognise her.
• Oh...Termagax actually appears!! I'm not sure what she would turn into yet, but she does have a claw-like hand, which sort of looks like a satellite receiver when opened up (still a cool design though!)
• Termagax appears to have a collection of dead things or weapons...that's not ominous at all!
• Termagax name-drops Pyra Magna here, and asks if she's been "let out", maybe she's the one who Froid isn't allowed to visit in the jail?
• Oh! Sideswipe also makes an appearance for the first time (despite speaking before)
• And adding one more to the character appearances, on the cover preview for next issue, we finally get a look at Sentinel Prime, who seems to be based directly on his Titans Return toy