Sig Pub - Transformers #54

Notes

• The screenshot comics this month are of the episodes "Starscream's Children" and "Spotted", but the episodes aren't titled in the comic itself, though both are heavily edited to fit the short comic space in the magazine.
• The free gifts this month are a pot of "Energon Putty", a Megatron action figure, and another packet of the fun fact cards that were completed a few months ago. I think they were supposed to give us the third of the Build-a-Bot set, but it wasn't ready in time or something (I dunno)

Features

Meet Megatron - Do some Megatron themed puzzles etc

Bee Connection! - Lead Bee through a maze to see Cheetor

Decepticon Disguises - Find the odd-Decepticon out

Autobot Roll Out! - Do an Autobot themed wordsearch

Scraplets Spotting! - Find all the Scraplets in a picture!

Alt Mode Match! - Match a character to their alternate mode

Spot the Differences - Play spot the difference.

Memory Challenge!- Memorize the characters on one page, then name them the next page

Ttransformers Post - Witness the pictures drawn by the small Earth children! 

What's Up, Windblade? - Find the missing pieces to a Windblade image, then take a quiz

Competitions - Enter some contests to win some BotBots and Cyberverse figures

IDW - Rom: Dire Wraiths #2

Writer: Chris Ryall

Letterer: Shawn Lee

Editor: David Mariotte

Main Story Title: One Small Step for Dire Wraith-Kind, Part 2 

Main Story Artist: Luca & Andrea Pizzari

Main Story Colourist: Jim Boswell

Side Story Title: One Small Step for a Spaceknight, Part 2

Side Story Artist: Guy Dorian Sr. & Scott Hanna

Side Story Colourist: Ross Campbell

Main Story Plot

The Wraiths on the Moon attack Armstrong and Aldrin, intending to take their bodies to head to Earth, but are stopped when the Adventure Team arrive, Kiev shoots at Axlar, despite being told to not risk them all with weapon's, and the Wraith seems to vanish.
Adventure One docks with the Apollo 11 Command Module, where he congratulates Collins on humanity getting this far, but tells him that it's over, as their journey is beginning now...
Back on the Moon, Armstrong tries to contact Houston, but their signal is still baf, but they do hear him saying that they are under attack, and Sulor attacks the line Human, before he is joined by some of the Adventure Team to fight the alien off by freezing him with and ice cannon.
Nearby, Kiev starts to pass out, after Axlar secretly drilled into her foot, and replaced her. Sulor breaks free of the ice, and destroys Flannery's helmet as revenge for the ice cannon, but also absorbs his essence to use his knowledge to their advantage.
Axlar reveals his identity to the others and bites off Aubreyson's head, instantly killing him too.
Aldrin grabs the historic American flag from the ground and spears it through Sulor, killing the Wraith surprisingly easily.

The second Mystic finds the Adventure Two shuttle, where she taps into it to learn how to pilot it, when she picks up an SOS from the Adventure Team's satellite, where Sandra announces Hanks murder and asks for a reply, or she's going to sound the alarm to Earth.
The Mystic decides to head to the satellite to use it to head to Earth to join the bulk of the invasion.

The last member of the Adventure Team, Dodger, tries to get Armstrong and Aldrin into the lunar lander to return to the Command Module to get back home to safety, whilst he stays to fight Axlar, however the Wraith still plans to possess one of them to go to Earth, as they need to help in rebuilding it to a new homeworld, as the Solar Order do t know anything about their plans here yet, and they're the only ones who can possibly stop their spread.
Axlar bulks out, ready to destroy the astronauts and take over one, whilst the second Mystic approaches the satellite and Collins looks ominously ahead, completely alone in the Command Module....

Side Story Plot

Rom and Bikini arrive on Marn-33, where they find Dhorian's lifeless body and a portal to an unknown-to-them part of space, which they cannot enter.
The two Knights mourn their fallen ally, and wonder whether the armour could possibly live on without the living Knight inside. On cue, Dhorian wakes up, and attacks his allies, revealing that it's a tally a Wraith-Mystic using his corpse as a puppet, who launches herself and the two Knights through to portal, leaving them adrift near a red planet...

Characters

Adventure Team

Dodger/James Brightside
Arsenal/Anatoli Kiev Killed and Replaced by Axlar
Scalpel/Elmo Aubreyson Killed by Axlar
Mixmaster/Martin Flannery Killed by Sulor
Sandra Shore
Hank Armstrong (Mentioned) Killed and Replaced by a Mystic 

NASA 

Neil Armstrong
Buzz Aldrin
Mike Collins Possibly Replaced by a Mystic
Houston Operator (Voice Only)

Dire Wraith

Mystic Aby'ss
Mystic Sky'sm
Axlar
Sulor Killed by Aldrin
Third Mystic (Side Story Only)

Solstar Order

Rom (Side Story and Flashback Only)
Nikomi (Side Story and Flashback Only)
Dhorian (Side Story Only) Dead, Body Possessed by Third Mystic
Orphion (Flashback Only)
Livia (Flashback Only)
Fy-Laa (Flashback Only)
Guar (Flashback Only)
Maur (Flashback Only)
Other Space Knights (Flashback Only)

Notes

• Sorry for the delay on this again, when I'm not at work I'm busy playing Animal Crossing (maybe I'm not sorry)
• Due to the current pandemic, comics are being delayed right now, so a lot of the newer releases haven't been shipped here to the UK yet, or are just postponed for a while. Sorry, but that's life right now :/ 
• I'm still not sure about the identities of some characters because the mages have the same character models, and the NASA astronauts all look very similar. The only way I know Collins is the one in the Orbiter, is because I know Armstrong and Aldrin were the first to walk on the moon from history.
• So...I'm guessing my hopes for an Inhumanoids comic are dashed now, since most of those characters are dead now!
• Despite us seeing last issue that the Wraiths actually absorb their victims, and imitate them, rather than possessing their bodies....Kiev appears to just get possessed by Axlor.
• Sandra is revealed to have been hiding whilst Hank was killed last issue.
• Due to the Hank-Wraith being a sent from the scene, and Collins looking a bit sinister at the end, we can probably assume that he's been taken by the Wraiths too.
• Apparently the other Wraith-Mystic can absorb the ability to fly the Adventure Two shuttle from accessing it's systems....okay then....
• The Wraith possessing Dhorian's body in the side story appears to be the Mystic that he seemed to kill last issue...so what happened to the other soldier Wraith??!!

IDW - Transformers (BNE) #19

Title: Rise of the Deceptions: All Fall Down

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova

Colours by: Joana LaFuente

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer 

Plot

Windblade finally wakes up from the stasis pod she's been in since she was caught in an explosion, only to discover that the planets gone to crap, and that the Tether has fallen.
Megatron, assuring his fellow Ascenticon Senators that this was a necessary evil to save Cybertron from the Autobots, gives them all orders to "help" with the recovery, but also confines Soundwave to the base, so he cannot be taken by the Autobots.

Soon, the Ascenticon Guard has some major changes, Elita is relieved of her duty and confined to quarters, to allow Skytread to take over her commander role, and several Risers are recruited into the guard.
Skytread and his team are sent out to help in the recovery efforts, and he orders Bee to investigate a damaged building, where the yellow bot is attacked by Treadshot and Catgut, having been deemed a risk to the Ascenticons now. Bee manages to mostly evade the assassins, but is almost killed by them, until Chromia arrives and rescues him, telling him that his mission is done, but the bot is upset, since he didn't accomplish anything from it, and Rubble is still dead, and his killer hadn't been brought to justice...

Elsewhere, Prowl and Nautica are escorting the Voin Asserter through Iacon, trying to placate him, and Orion Pax tries to convince Sentinel Prime to release Pyra Magna from prison, as she is the only one of the Great Generals still available to them, but the Prime refuses, and declares that HE has the Matrix, not Orion, and that after he is gone, Ultra Magnus will take on the Matrix.

Windblade is summoned by Novastar as she had been drafted into a new team of hers to act as recon and rapid response, whilst Hound is leading a similar team of Heavies to go after the Rise.

Elsewhere, Flatline is finalising the repairs to Shockwave, whilst Skystalker tries to explain that he cannot connect with Vigilem again, but they are interrupted by Sixshot, who asks why Mindwipe has headed to Iacon with some troops for resources for his research, much to Shockwave's shock and anger!

Characters

Autobot
Sentinel Prime - Space Shuttle
Orion Pax - Truck
Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport (Mentioned)
Nominus Prime - Jet (Mentioned) Possibly Dead

Security Forces
Chromia - Car
Prowl - Police Vehicle
Windblade - VTOL Fighter Jet
Ironhide - Van
Novastar - Car
Smokescreen - Car
Blades - Aerial Vehicle
Sureshot - Car
Springer - Car/Helicopter
Javelin Being Operated on by Ratchet, following a head-shot
Sentinel's Guards
Streetwise - Police Vehicle (Mentioned)
Hound - Jeep (Mentioned)

Ascenticon/The Rise
Megatron - Mining Vehicle
Soundwave - Hovercraft Confined to Ascenticon HQ
Strika - Battle Tank
Jhiaxus - Jet
Ratbat
Shockwave -  Flying Artillery
Sixshot - Tank/Jet/Winged Beast/Gun/Car
Elita-1 - Car Confined to Quarters 
Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft Left Faction
Skytread - Tank and Jet
Refraktor - Hovercraft
Flatline - Van (Possible Member)
Skystalker - Car
Treadshot
Catgut
Swift - Helicopter
Roadtrap - Van
Battleslash - Helicopter
Crasher - Race Car
Runamuck - Car
Runabout - Car
Acid Storm - Tetrajet
Ion Storm - Tetrajet
Nova Storm - Tetra Jet
Ruckus - Buggy Comatose
Kaskade Comatose
Mindwipe (Mentioned)
Stormcloud - Jet (Mentioned)
Visper - Jet (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian
Nautica - Submarine
Ratchet - Ambulance
Corpse in the Rubble Killed in Tether Collapse
Crowdfillers
Primus (Mentioned)
Pyra Magna (Mentioned) Imprisoned
Wheeljack - Race Car (Mentioned)
Wheeljack's Team (Mentioned)
Dai Atlas (Mentioned) Gone Immersant
Vigilem - Titan Warship (Mentioned) Missing
Alpha Trion (Mural Only)
Solus Prime (Mural Only)
Solomus (Mural Only)
Quintus Prime (Mural Only)
Other Bots in the Murals (Mural Only)
Lodestar - Titan Starship (Mentioned) Crippled by Vigilem
The Other Titans (Mentioned) Unresponsive
The Iron Hope Hundred (Mentioned)
Scraplets (Mentioned)

Other
The Voin Asserter

Notes

• Due to the Rise members joining the Ascenticon Guard, I see no reason to continue pretending they are separate organizations, like they are in universe
• This is the first main series issue to only have one person providing the art in a long time!
• Windblade has finally gotten out of her stasis pod...and is immediately put to work...poor gal
• We learn that Kaskade and Ruckus were the two Risers to survive the explosion at the Immersant Titan.
• It's unclear if Ratbat is also a Senator here, like he is in most other continuities pre-war.
• It's mentioned that Nominus Prime "left us", either meaning that he died, went Immersant, or is somewhere off world. I guess we'll find out in the future though :) 
• Elita has been relieved of her duties and confined to quarters, and Bee gets effectively relieved of duty when they try to kill him, meaning that all the known traditionally Autobot Ascenticons are out of the group now.
• It's unclear if Flatline is a Riser, or just making house calls as a dedicated medic, but since Shockwave's return to Cybertron is supposed to be hidden, we can assume it's the former.
• Vigilem is mentioned to be missing now, but Lodestar is also confirmed to be alive, but crippled

Sig Pub - Transformers #53

 Notes

• Sorry I'm so late with comic reviews lately, I was in isolation after a family member went to Italy, then we had the lockdown, and on top of that Animal Crossing came out. I'll try to get back on top of things soon :)
• The screenshot comic this month is for the episode "Parley" 
• This month's free gifts are an Optimus Prime projectile launcher, and the second of the build a bit kits, this month was Optimus Prime too.

Features

Grimlock: King of the Dinobots! - Grimlock themed puzzles

Colour in Starscream - take a wild guess...

Show Wheeljack the way! - lead Wheeljack through a maze

Reality Check! - Answer some Transformers questions

Spark Armour Quest! - Learn a bit about Spark Armour 

Observation Test! - Play spot the difference!

Prime Count Up! - Count the different Optimuses in a picture

Bumblebee Wordsearch! - Do a word search!

Catch Megatron! - Lead Optimus to Megatron

Transformers Post - scary children have sent in scary pictures again

Shockwave Shadows - Find the correct Shadow to match Shockwave's pose

Finish Cheetor - find the missing pieces to a picture of Cheetor

Competitions - enter some contests to win some Cyberverse figures

IDW - Transformers #18

Title: Arcee/Greenlight: Run

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Umi Miyao & Bethany McGuire-Smith

Colours by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Jake M. Wood

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Plot

Gauge, Arcee's new mentee is trying out a new job as an architect, whilst Arcee and Greenlight are arguing a out how they should leave Cybertron, due to the recent escalating violence, and especially Rubble's murder. Arcee doesn't want to leave, but is willing to discuss it later, when Gauge finds her place in the world first.
Soon the sky goes dark, and the trio notice the now detached Tether, which was just torn from the Winged Moon by Vigilem, is collapsing into Iacon.

They manage to avoid the initial collapse, but can hear it still falling further away, due to it's size, and they start trying to help the injured.
Gauge tries to help out when she hears some screaming in the distance, but ends up caught in a firefight (albeit with non lethal rounds) and is injured. Arcee goes mad and takes down the looters who are trying to loot an Energon store and agrees with Greenlight that it's now time to leave.

Greenlight and Arcee, with Gauge holding on, due to not having an alternate mode yet, speed past a damaged Energon store, which is detonating, but manage to make it to the spaceport, where they find it crowded.
The trio barge their way to the front, attempting to reach the Reversionist ship, the Exodus, but are barred from boarding by Security, since the Autobots are trying to block space travel following the recent attack.
Arcee distracts them by attacking them, allowing Greenlight and Gauge to board, they are concerned as the doors shut, as they need to leave, but when Arcee leaps in, at the last second, the little surrogate family embrace, looking forward to their new adventure together....

Characters

Security Operations

Strongarm - Police Van
Number - Car
"Red Tailgate" - Car
Spaceport Security Guards

Other Cybertronian

Arcee - Car
Greenlight - Car
Gauge
Red Alert - Emergency Vehicle
Inferno - Fire Truck
Fixit - Ambulance
Grapple - Crane
Lug
Green Architect
Gutcruncher
Purple Looter Arrested
Exodus Ship Greeter
Primus (Mentioned)
Exaarchon (Mentioned) Presumably Dead
Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned) Dead
Rubble (Mentioned) Dead
The Immersant Titan (Mentioned) Dead
The Rise (Mentioned)
The Reversionists (Mentioned)
Random Cybertronians

Notes

• This issue follows on from the cliffhanger of last issue, but also acts as a prequel to the upcoming storyline starting in Galaxies #7
• Lug is shown to be an architect in this continuity, when we last saw her she was Anode's assistant in archaeology/thievery in the old IDW continuity
• Strongarm us revealed to be a new cop, much like her status as a cadet in the RID cartoon, where she originated from
• Her partner, Bumper, was last properly seen in Megatron Origin, where he was killed for spying on the early Deceptions...let's hope he doesn't suffer the same fate here...
• Arcee is revealed to be a war veteran, and even assassinated one of Exaarchon's bodies, both references to her past in the previous IDW continuity 
• Rather than using his most recent toy as his basis, Inferno appears to be using his Energon incarnation's alternate mode.
• He is also paired up with Red Alert, a reference to the long standing joke that they're in a relationship following their roles in the G1 cartoon.
• The main guard at the spaceport appears to be using the Thrilling Thirty Tailgate character model, but in more Windcharger looking colours, but still with Tailgate's head... VERY confusing!!
• The opening excerpt on being a mentor mentions how Titan mentors have a different role, most likely meaning that those mentors become that Titan's Cityspeaker.

FBF - To The Death #10

Title: Tooth and Claw

Story by: Simon Furman

Art by: Geoff Senior

Letterer by: Martin Baines

Design by: Amazing15

Printed in the UK by: Mixam

Plot

At the Clouds taper, Veni crushes Dryagin's chest to try and kill him, however he stops when the Firedrake appears outside their window, blows out the glass and Bill proceeds to shoot through the Triumvirate. Dryagin gets up and vivisects Veni.
The remaining two try to grab him from behind, but Leone and Bette attack them in turn, Leone almost gets knocked out the now smashed windows, but Bette has her head crushed by Vici. Dryagin decapitates both of them, and sends their bodies plummeting down the building

Down below, King reports that the Asphodel weapon's defences are different to what they were expecting, so it'll take longer to disarm, all whilst the Dolmen are continuing to contact their homeworld...
The sky above the Cloudscraper turns dark as the evacuation Starliner hovers above it to pick up the rest of it's passengers.
Leone searches for a hidden switch in the room to find where the real Triumvirate are, since the ones they've killed were Simulacrums, whilst Lena talks to Dryagin, and tries to get him to leave it, and come with her, but he needs to finish this, since it's partly his fault that Asphodel was used for this weapon in the first place. Leone finds the switch and all the holograms in the room vanish, revealing a hidden staircase. Dryagin heads up, and orders Leone to join Lena and Bill in the Firedrake to escape and says goodbye to Leo too.
Dryagin makes it upstairs, and finds a stasis chamber with the Triumvirate's human bodies within, still living, and conscious. The roof opens and the Starliner abducts them to take them to the "New Earth".

Suddenly, the Dolmen portal opens above the Starliner, and a giant Asphodel dragon flies out of it.
Just as it appears, Flynn is rescued from the limo he was left in, and the Firedrake speeds away, just as King announces that he's disabled the weapon.
The giant dragon fires down, destroying the Starliner, the Cloudscraper and the ground around it before returning to Asphodel.
The Firedrake leaves the planet with its newly permanent residents.
Three Days later, Snow meets with "The Director" who has taken over the absence of Tri-Corp on Earth, but promised that she is still invested in Earth, unlike the Triumvirate, however, Snow can't hear her, as he has died from drinking poison, having completed his mission.

The Firedrake stop off on a planet to leave memorials for their fallen friends, before heading off for a new adventure, out in the stars...
Back on Earth, rescue work has begun on the crater where the Cloudscraper was when someone crawls out if the rubble, shocking a rescue worker, who tries to help the victim, however Killatoa, fully healed again, tears the poor human apart and starts crawling out of the crater, plotting his revenge on the Firedrake Crew....

Characters

Firedrake Crew

Aleksy Dryagin Killed in Cloudscraper Destruction
Diamond Bill
Leone
Bette Larsen Killed by Vici
Hash Flynn
Lena Dryagin
Leo Dryagin
Lupex, the Space Doggo

White Noise

"The Director"
Deacon Snow Poisoned to Death
Juddh King Likely Killed in Cloudscraper Destruction

Berenger Likely Killed in Cloudscraper Destruction
Forward/Tactical Bunker Staff

Tri-Corp

Veni/Beauregard Percy Simulacrum Destroyed by Dryagin, Real Body Killed in Cloudscraper Destruction
Vici/Sebastian Pelle Simulacrum Destroyed by Dryagin, Real Body Killed in Cloudscraper Destruction
Vidi/Lucius Warrender Simulacrum Destroyed by Dryagin, Real Body Killed in Cloudscraper Destruction
Killatoa
"The Chosen Few" (Implied) Killed in Starliner Explosion

Asphodel
Dolmen Trio Likely Killed in Cloudscraper Destruction
Asphodel Dragon

Other Human

Rescue Worker Michael McGarry Killed by Killatoa
Cloudscraper Rescue Workers
Cloudscraper Siege Livestream Audience
800,000 Casualties (Mentioned) Killed in Cloudscraper Destruction

Notes

• This marks the finale of To The Death, though the letter at the end mentions a future for this story, so we may get a  sequel down the line :)
• This issue does NOT have a character list at the start...this irks me....
• So Berenger survived last issue, despite how it looked...but I'm pretty certain he died this time....
• The original human bodies of the Triumvirate members are revealed to have been still alive, but in some sort of life support goop that allowed them to control the Simulacrum bodies...at least until the end of this issue...
• We dont know the "director's" name but it may be Baroque, based on her company name
• It's unclear is Snow poisoned himself, or was killed by the Director, but I believe it was suicide, as he feeling guilty about his actions with Asphodel and getting many people killed.
• The rescue worker killed by Killatoa at the end is based on  fan Michael McGarry, who won a contest on Simon Furman's website. I've decided to just name the character after him too, just for identity-sake.
• We don't see Killatoa's body too clearly at the end, but due to his apparent death last issue, and his call of "to the death" I'm going to guess that he took Dryagin's body for his own, just for future plot reasons

IDW - Transformers Galaxies #5

Title: Wanabee, Part One

Written by: Kate Leth & Cohen Edenfield

Art by: Alex Milne

Colours by: Josh Perez

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

Ambassador Deathsaurus arrives on the planet Probat with Cliffjumper brought along for "security". However, Cliff soon discovers that he was brought along because the planets population are blind, and use echolocation to see, and Cliff looks similar to Bumblebee, who is very popular on the planet.
Whilst Cliff is giving an unkowing distraction to the population, Deathsaurus goes to an Energon facility with the foreman Natalia to "inspect" their progress.

Cliff, not wanting to be rude, and being used to everyone mistaking him for Bumblebee, goes along with it, and goes off with a couple of locals, who take him to their homespire, where they light a fire with with some "substance" which he soon learns is a natural byproduct of their bodies, stored in the homespires, and when it is burned...it changes form....

At the facility, Natalus apologizes for the lower output recently, and claims it is due to environmental problems, bit Deathsaurus tears into a wall and finds a hidden stash. Natalus tries to explain that they needed to store some away for a possible upcoming disaster, to which Deathsaurus simply incinerated him.
Cliffjumper arrives as he is killing Natalus and thinks he was attacked, leading to Deathsaurus laughing at the thought. Cliff shows him the substance, revealed to be hyper refined Energon after burning.

Given this new information, Deathsaurus plans to harvest the substance from the homespires and hyper refine it for his own use.
Cliff tries to stop him, but is quickly knocked out, as Cliff stalks off towards the homespires...

Characters

Cybertronian

Deathsaurus - Winged Dragon
Cliffjumper - Car
Orion Pax - Truck (Flashback Only)
Windblade - VTOL Jet (Flashback Only)
Starscream - Tetrajet (Flashback Only)
Random Cybertronians (Flashback Only)
Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft (Mentioned)
Nominus Prime - Jet (Mentioned)

Probat

Foreman Natalus Killed by Deathsaurus
Probat Denizens

Notes

• This issue marks the start of the second story arc of the Galaxies line. At least this one is currently paced better than the first one!
• The ongoing joke this issue is twofold, it refers to Bumblebee's over-popularity following the original Live Action Movie, and how Cliffjumper is usually a repaint/remould of Bumblebee.
• Deathsaurus is notable this issue for not using the Deszarus character model from Combiner Wars, since that would be technically his most recent toy design.
• In the Cybertronian flashbacks we see Cliffjumper working mostly in the Security Forces HQ, implying that he works for them, but he appears to be more of a custodian rather than a fighter.
• At the end of the issue, on the cliffhanger, Deathsaurus misnames Cliffjumper as "Cliffhanger" very meta :)