Transformers Comic issue 25

« Transformers Universe (Titan) #25 »
"Stockade VS Megatron!" just isn't a draw...
Publisher	Titan Magazines
First published	21 May 2009
Editor	Steve White
Deputy editor	Den Patrick
Designer	Danny Preston
Contributing editors	Natalie Clubb
Publishing manager	Darryl Curtis

Part 17 of a 5-part alternate universe...

Revolution Part Three

At Hoover Dam, Starscream is cajoled and taunted by Megatron's spirit into placing an AllSpark fragment and the interface module into Megatron's corpse. After doing so, Starscream finds his mind is his own again... and he realises just what he's done!

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Decepticon Civil War is reaching its conclusion! Stockade, Fracture, and their drones tear through Blackout's forces, taking over the drones they don't destroy. Blackout rejects Stockade's offer to surrender and sics Scorponok on him... and gets Scorponok thrown back at him. Overcast "tidies up" the beaten foes, while Stockade states the next objective is to seize the Decepticon Heartland, not that Starscream will be a challenge. And when Overcast asks if they'll really just hand Earth back at the end of it, Stockade hints they may not...

Southwest of Lynchburg, Virginia, Mikaela Banes is being called to an early morning meeting with Tom Banachek at a diner. Tom reveals that two weeks ago, he was covertly contacted by Ironhide to be part of their contingency plan for when Theodore Allen was used against them. Tom was given the means to 'see' Decepticon cerebro-strips and see who in the government was a Decepticon puppet, and has finally identified everyone from the President on down. He then reveals to a stunned Mikaela that the Autobots faked their deaths so they could operate more easily... just as four very familiar driverless vehicles turn up...

As the sun rises on Savannah, the New Decepticons find absolutely no one is home. Fracture wonders if Starscream just up and ran, but Stockade knows things are never that easy... and then, hovering like a vast predatory bird, Megatron blitzes them and makes a landing!

The Autobots rocket down the interstate to Georgia, and Bumblebee finds Mikaela's a wee bit pissed at him for faking his death without telling her, believing they didn't trust her not to be a puppet again. He apologetically explains how they faked their deaths—launching a jamming pulse that disabled all video feeds long enough to cloak their shuttle and decloak a second shuttle to get hit by the Patriot missile—but she's still angry. After all they'd been through, didn't she deserve better?

As the Autobots arrive, Stockade and Megatron are duking it out, Megatron taking every Nucleon-fueled blow and striking back, while the other New Decepticons are strafed by a silent Starscream. Optimus gets confirmation from Strongarm Ironhide that Evac reports "go" on Cybertron and all regional strike teams are ready... and then orders the Autobots to strike! The Autobots begin shooting strange attachments onto the Decepticon's backs, while Optimus distracts Megatron with violence. Stockade recognises the devices and protests to Strongarm that they had a deal—to which the Autobot replies Stockade was merrily altering that deal, so he can be part of the new one...

...and suddenly every Decepticon on Earth is forcibly teleported to Cybertron! The Autobots had spent the last fortnight rigging up the teleportation equipment that Unicron had installed into Cybertron so that they could 'tag' and transport people there... and then rig the planet itself to teleport! The assembly will burn out and there are no spares on Cybertron, leaving the Decepticons all trapped on a dead world in the far reaches of space...

Mikaela asks if this means the Autobots are trapped on Earth, but Bumblebee replies there are worse fates. Tom and Optimus note there's still a long way to go, with Decepticon puppets to liberate and drones to decommission, but the war is now over.

And Mikaela gets into Bumblebee and drives off to explore this brave new world...

'Til all are one.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

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Quotes

"I—."
"Why do you hesitate? Would you rather concede defeat now? Grovel in abject surrender to Stockade's rampant New Decepticons?"
"Nnn-no."
"Then—do it!"

—Starscream gives in to Megatron's peer pressure

"Look, Blackout, it's hopeless. You're alone, we already control over half your drone units. Surrender... or be annihilated."

—Stockade

"My guess is, Optimus Prime didn't survive all these years without staying one jump ahead of the Decepticons. He saw this coming, Mikaela, right down to the Patriot missile..."

—Tom Banachek

"Base pretender... your lord and master has returned."

—Megatron to Stockade

"It was important to limit the possible exposure, we felt—"
"She's already been compromised once. What's to say the silly girl hasn't picked herself up another cerebro-strip?"

—Bumblebee strikes out with Mikaela

"Once... I might have faltered... hesitated... let your reputation turn my servos to mercury... but that was before I tapped the full devastating potential... of Nucleon!"
"Yes! You are strong now, Stockade, but strength without vision, without dynamism, is nothing. Your pitiful lack of real, clarified ambition... is your achilles heel!"

—Stockade's barrage of punches is beaten by Megatron's grab-and-flip move

"That's always been your achilles heel, Megatron... overconfidence!"

—Optimus Prime

"PRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMME!"

—Megatron roaring one of his more famous, repeated sayings.

"C'mon, Bumblebee. It's a brave new world... and it's all out there, just waiting for us!"

—Bumblebee and Mikaela

Errors

• Stockade has a command attributed to a beaten Blackout, which is especially odd as the command appears to be to blow up Blackout's beaten troops. (The panel also gives the impression it's to kill Blackout, but Overcast shoots behind him...)
• No one else is at the diner... including no staff. So who opened up and sold Tom his coffee?
• Fracture appears to be pushing Incinerator out of the way while telling Storm Surge to "move!" when Megatron attacks, even though he's at the other end of the panel; that line could've been meant for Overcast and his tactical command for her, except the posing is wrong for that. Either Davis-Hunt did a mix-up or Fracture just really likes Storm Surge.
• Ironhide's report to Prime is given to Strongarm.

Notes

• The main strip is a whopping fifteen pages.
• Stockade hoped to have Blackout and Scorponok in his new order.
• The Autobot plan explains the brief static in #23.
• Stockade was clearly thinking about welshing on the deal, but he hadn't said so in front of the Autobots. Either storming the Decepticon Heartland was not part of the deal and that's how they twigged it, or Optimus (who has said he didn't trust Stockade to stick to the deal) deliberately ordered for the New Decepticons to be teleported away regardless. Which is pretty ruthless.
• With no fuel on Cybertron except maybe the remaining Nucleon, the Decepticons will probably starve to death. Damn.
• The fate of Jazz is a notable loose end.
• The alternate universe ends how it started, with Mikaela driving in Bumblebee and the thought of a happy ending. Awww!

The Race

« Titan Animated comic
WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The Race
Writer	Robin Etherington
Pencils	John McCrea
Inks	Lee Bradley
Colours	Kat Nicholson
Lettering	Andrew James
Continuity	Animated cartoon continuity

Bumblebee tears through Detroit, not noticing as Blackarachnia tags him with a transmitter, and reaches the Autobot base in just under three minutes... to deliver a pizza to a happy Sari. As Bumblebee bigs up his speed, Prowl points he may be fast but he's also reckless and keeps going through red lights—taking shortcuts is a weakness, and Prowl bets even he could take Bumblebee in a fair contest. Bumblebee thinks those are fightin' words, and Sari steps in to propose the solution—a race!

Blackarachnia, Lugnut and Blitzwing, meanwhile, are listening in thanks to Blackarachnia's transmitter. Lugnut wonders if they shouldn't just call in Megatron now they know where the Autobots will be, but Blackarachnia points out the Autobots always beat Megatron because of the Power of Teamwork (TM). But if they separate an Autobot from the others, such as during a race, then he'd be vulnerable...

The next day, Sari introduces the Autobots to Crazy Coyote Canyon, one of her dad's test sites, and location of the race. She's drawn an adorable little map (with a little drawing of Prowl marked "grumpy") and identifies the mazes, rock falls and caverns along the race track, as well as the fact radio reception is nil. Bulkhead eagerly asks if he can race too, to Prowl's confusion and Bumblebee's mocking, but Daddy Optimus says anyone can race if they want to. (You can see how the strip'll end, can't you.)

The race begins, with Bumblebee and Prowl tearing off while Bulkhead, having forgotten to transform, eats their dust. The Decepticons lie in wait, Lugnut whining at the idea he won't get to smash the 'bots, while Prowl and Bumblebee taunt each other. 'Bee even drives backwards just to show up Prowl... who just raises his front wheel and drives over him. Now far in the lead, Prowl muses reckless actions lead to sticky situations... as he drives into Blackarachnia's web cos he's not looking where he's going.

Bumblebee, figuring Prowl's cheating and has gone into a cave to use a shortcut, 'follows' him in and finds his team-mate a Decepticon prisoner! Unable to call for help, and with a happy Lugnut asking if he can hit the captive with a stick like a piñata, Bumblebee seems finished... until he sits down on the transmitter and finally notices it. That gives him an idea—and just as Lugnut finds a stalagmite to use as a stick, Bumblebee speeds in, slaps him on the butt, and runs out again.

Blitzwing and Lugnut follow, tracking the transmittter, and get hopelessly lost while Bumblebee (having looked at Sari's map) is able to double-back, much to Blackarachnia's confusion. As the other Cons come back, Bumblebee frees Prowl and both agree to do this the reckless way—driving up the cave wall towards the roof, making themselves an easy _target... and the Decepticons realise too late that firing on the ceiling will cause it to cave in on them! The Autobots then head out to continue their race, only to find, yep, Bulkhead got to the finish while they were occupied. Bumblebee graciously accepts defeat, while Blackarachnia not-so-graciously screams in anger when she realises her transmitter's on Lugnut's rump...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Something's missing... This comic issue article is a stub and is missing information. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it.

Quotes

"How many red lights did you drive through on the way back?"
"Um, let me think... I remember the first ten, but then I lost count! They all sort of blurred into one—because I was going that fast!"

—Prowl's criticism has the wrong effect on Bumblebee

"Erm, Bulkhead, you're not exactly built for speed."
"No—you're built for slow! Hahahahaha!"

—Prowl and Bumblebee

"I will still get to smash the Autobot, won't I? You're not going to steal my fun!"

—Lugnut

"Let your mega-bombs fly, Lugnut! *bombs hit ceiling* Ohhhhh dear..."

—Blackarachnia

"Hey, guess what buddy? Turns out I'm the fastest machine in New Detroit!"

—Bulkhead, being the tortoise to Bumblebee's hare.

Notes

This is canon now.

• While lost in the caves, Lugnut says he's scared of the dark.
• Also according to Lugnut, Transformers have "robo-butts". No, honest.

Contents

Articles & features

• Competition Winners: a summary of who won in the many competitions over the comic's first run.
• Top Gear: Competitions.
• Star Screams: Letters, art and photos from readers, answered by Starscream..

Free Gift

• "2 FAB FREE GIFTS!!!" - a Movie-themed sheet of fridge magnets and the holy Animated Pencil Pod that was planned for the lost Animated #4.
• Free "H.M. Armed Forces" trading cards, attached inside to a double-page ad.

Reprints

Reprinted stories are only a portion of their respective issues.

• Megatron Origin, part 4b (10 pages, split into two halves)
• Beast Wars: The Ascending part 4b (12 pages)

Star Screams

"24/7 societies lack cohesion, and are even worse for you mouth-breathers than they are for us, superior, machines. And at least we don't get dandruff."

Fan: "To be honest I am not a big fan of you because you are a naughty. However, if you print my photo, I may forgive you."
"Noah, my dear Noah. You are entirely correct—I am indeed 'naughty', and I will certainly make sure my minions print your picture, but not because I desire your forgiveness. In fact I think I may circulate your picture among my agents for crimes against the Decepticons."

"[Barbie]'s almost as loathsome as that troublesome Mikaela Banes. That said, Barbie does have a plastic exterior so perhaps with the right software and endoskeleton, she could make a useful pet... Baines [sic], however, prevents more of a challenge. She would have to be scooped out and some sort of self-sealing resin sprayed over her to prevent the organic bits rotting off—a disgusting habit. I'll have a think."

Fan: "Is Blackout the tallest Decepticon?"
"No, he's dead. We had to dig a deep pit though."

Fan: "My great big toys of Optimus and Megatron have joined forces to drag my tiny Starscream toy off to the Gulag, the one in the toilet! There you will rot in an eternity of suffering, especially after Daddy has had a curry."
"Trust a methane-powered, troglodytic, walking bacteria farm to threaten me with excrement. Still, I can't expect too much from you, you're barely six years old and have an obsession with Grimlock and putting plastic toys in the toilet."

Notes

• Once again, the cover text in last issue's cover preview is different to the published thing. The main text, meanwhile, has been shifted all to the right and a giant "SHOWDOWN!" tagline has been dropped. Why? Cos the FREE GIFTS! would have covered it, the bloody things.
• The "Previously" summary for Megatron Origin has so many typos in it we're not even going to try listing them.
• An ad for back issues has pictures of the wrong covers next to the issue numbers.
• The comic informs us that the series is restarting from issue 1 in June, which will be a "Giant Sized Issue!". Sadly, the cover is a stock photo.