Transformers Comic issue 3.4

« Transformers: Dark of the Moon #4 »
Publisher	Titan Comics
First published	15 September 2011
Editor	Rona Simpson
Senior editor	Steve White
Designer	Dan Bura
Publishing manager	Darryl Tothill
Price	£2.50

Dark of the Moon has its last stand.

Automatic for the People

• Script: Robin Etherington
• Art: Dario Brizuela
• Lettering: Rona Simpson
• Continuity: Dark of the Moon (prequel)

Ironhide and Ratchet are not thrilled at all about their latest mission, public relations at an anti-robot demonstration at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. Marcus Castor, the man at the head of the movement, gives a stirring speech, rousing the humans against the Autobots. Ratchet decides to stick his oar in to try and defuse the situation. Castor is openly hostile to his attempts and when Ironhide tries to help, the crowd is ready to panic. That's when they spot the incoming missile. The missile hits the museum as Starscream and Barricade make their appearance.

Starscream's first shot wounds Ratchet, who calls for NEST assistance while Ironhide charges at the Decepticons. As Ironhide belts Barricade, Starscream decides the whole matter is taking too long. Ironhide used his guns as booster rockets to bodily slam Barricade into a wall. Starscream picks up a petrol tanker truck and throws it at Ratchet and the protesters. Ratchet yells at the humans to shelter behind him, but before the truck can hit them, Ironhide knocks it out of the way with a flying leap and is caught in the explosion. The 'Cons prepare to finish off the helpless Autobot, but Castor and the protesters mob them before they get the chance. With the arrival of Optimus Prime as well, the two Decepticons are forced to flee.

Optimus begins to speak to Marcus to convince him that the Autobots are here to help the humans, but Castor has already made the switch to pro-Autobot and is working on a line of anti-Decepticon T-shirts.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Make soup not mechanical warfare"

—Random protest sign

"Humans. We are not here to hurt you .... Despite the fact we're carrying enough weaponry to level a city!"
"He says he's going to destroy the city!"

—Ironhide failing to calm the protesters

Notes

• It's a fair bet the title is a reference to R.E.M.'s album Automatic for the People.
• The Anti-Autobot campaign shown in this issue may have been based on a similar idea that was ultimately dropped from the film itself.

Contents

Articles and features

• Soundwave has created a code and is sending secret messages to Decepticons in this issue! With the inside-cover codebreaker, help NEST Intelligence decode him!
• The Lowdown... Ironhide R.I.P.
• Sideswipe's armoury: wingsuits
• Ratchet's word search
• Ratchet to the Rescue
• Dark of the Moon movie pull-out poster of Sideswipe.
• Dark of the Moon movie pull-out poster of Starscream.
• Competitions! Win MechTech figures, an annual, Danger Mouse or Diary of a Wimpy Kid DVD.
• Starscream's Stumpers
• Mega-Mouth: letters page answered by Megatron and Sideswipe.

Free Gift!

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Mega-Mouth

"Megatron, your face looks funny!"
"LET ME REMIND YOU, I AM THE LORD OF CYBERTRON AND I DEMAND RESPECT!!"

—Sideswipe and Megatron

"Our valiant female force elected to stay on Cybertron and fight the battles there. I could say more, but Megatron will hear me and find out our plans."

—Sideswipe responding to a letter asking why females never get decent leading roles in Transformers.

"Awwwww, it's Bumblebee — he's sooooo cute.... It makes me want to squash small furry animals — IN MY CLAWS!"

—Megatron

"Will the femmes ever star in the TV series or comics? ... If not, then may I ask... why were they created in the first place?"
"This is something we would love to change, but for the moment, the 'mech' figures are more popular and our hands are tied."

—Danielle Valdez the reader asks the editor the tough ones

Errors

• The sole screenshot accompanying the wingsuits article is not of people using wingsuits. Instead it's from later in the film where Lennox's team skydives down onto the Decepticons.

Notes

• Up until Valdez wrote in asking why the female characters get so little to do in Transformers, all letters since Transformers Comic issue 7 were written 'in character'. After a very brief response by 'Ironhide' (who says the female Transformers have stayed on Cybertron, referencing "The Search for Alpha Trion"), the format is dropped for a direct response from (presumably) editor Rona Simpson. After a blunt explanation of sexist market forces, she promises there will be more female characters in the upcoming Prime cartoon. (And in less than three years, "Dark Cybertron" would kickstart an increasing number of female characters in the IDW comics which made gender representation the norm!)
• That's a bit of a cheesecake pose Optimus Prime seems to be striking in the ad for next issue.

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