The Transformers (IDW Publishing)
Encyclopedia
The Transformers is a comic book
series by IDW Publishing
, based upon Hasbro
's Transformers characters and toy line
.
Following Dreamwave Productions
' bankruptcy in 2005, IDW picked up the rights and hired long-time Transformers writer Simon Furman
to craft a rebooted
Generation 1
-based continuity, similar to Ultimate Marvel
. An issue #0 was published in October 2005
, and the ongoing series began in January 2006
.
The series is marketed as various limited series
for each story, in published order as The Transformers: Infiltration
, Stormbringer
, Escalation
, Megatron Origin
, Devastation
, Revelation
, All Hail Megatron, Maximum Dinobots, Last Stand of the Wreckers, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Drift, Infestation and Heart of Darkness. The series also has a sister title of ongoing one-shots entitled The Transformers: Spotlight which began in September 2006
, each focusing on a particular character and affecting the storyline of the main title. Starting in November 2009, an ongoing series of the Transformers was launched and it will end in December 2011. After that, two new ongoing series will start in January 2012, Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets the Eye. A digital Transformers comic will also be available titled Autocracy. Also, a new crossover mini-series will start in March 2012, titled Infes2ation.
shut down on January 4, 2005, and announced they would cease publication of all their comics, leaving Transformers: Generation One
and its prequel
series, Transformers: The War Within
incomplete. Chris Ryall, editor-in-chief of IDW Publishing
, leaped at the chance to bid on the property. On May 19, 2005, Hasbro announced they had awarded the licensing rights to IDW Publishing, with plans for an issue #0 in October 2005 and an ongoing title entitled The Transformers: Infiltration
to begin in January 2006. Beforehand, Ryall met up with long-time writer Simon Furman
. Furman aimed for a contemporary version of the Generation 1
incarnation to appeal to new and old fans alike. They both cited a focus on the "Robots in Disguise" element of the characters, aiming to bring back their "myth and majesty". Overall, Furman described it as, "This was, at last (after 20-plus years) MY take on Transformers." Furman also aimed for a real time
approach, using maps to help guide his stories. Infiltrations issue #0 sold a 100,000 copies in pre-orders, a record for the company. Furman focused the story on Autobot
medic Ratchet
and broke new ground for G1 based storylines by excluding the Ark
crash storyline, to give proper intent to the Transformers being on Earth, thus separating the fictional universe from the Beast Wars
one. E. J. Su
was hired as the artist, and was given free rein to re-design characters slightly.
Infiltration received mixed reviews. Furman's decision to put leaders Optimus Prime
and Megatron on the sidelines divided fans, as did the slow pace and the use of human characters. Furman and Ryall responded positively, promising to make both fans and critics happy after reading various message board comments. The Transformers: Stormbringer
followed in July, set around the same time frame as Infiltration, and had art by Don Figueroa
. The four issue tale was intended to be a weekly event, but Diamond Comic Distributors
' resistance meant it became monthly. Furman had planned to visit Cybertron
later on, but the fans demanded a human-less story, and Stormbringer was written. Most importantly, the story revealed Cybertron to be dead, giving the saga a darker feel and explaining the status quo of Autobots and Decepticons spread out and fighting pocket wars. Furman intentionally wanted a larger scale and "took Cybertron out of the equation" to shape the overall arc. The story also allowed him to reinvent Thunderwing
and the Pretenders
, which he felt was one of the sillier concepts.
In September, the companion series, The Transformers: Spotlight was launched, set to last for five issues. Furman drew upon classic stories for Shockwave
, re-created the personalities of Hot Rod and Ultra Magnus
, and wrote Sixshot
for the first time. Nightbeat
's story laid a vital seed for future stories, as well as allowing him to re-invent the Micromasters
. In November The Transformers: Escalation
began, a direct sequel to Infiltration. It put Optimus and Megatron center stage, and brought in characters from the Spotlights. The Spotlights expanded as IDW accepted Furman's willingness to write for any character. This has even included Wheelie
, a character he has personally voiced criticism of in the past.
Furman took a break from the main storyline in June to allow Eric Holmes
to write the prequel
, The Transformers: Megatron Origin
over four months. Holmes conceived the tale for his favorite character, Megatron, and to explore the beginnings of the Autobot
-Decepticon
war, collaborating with Furman to further tie-in the story into the existing continuity and taking historical inspiration from the decline of the Roman Empire
. In addition, Furman allowed Nick Roche to write and draw a Spotlight for Kup
, and Roche also wishes to create another one for Rumble
. Furman returned for The Transformers: Devastation
, which will be affected by Galvatron
's Spotlight (itself spinning out of Nightbeat's), before leading into The Transformers: Revelation
. Galvatron was re-invented as a separate character from Megatron, and Optimus Prime himself received a Spotlight, with both one-shots including major revelations that will affect storylines beyond Revelation. Devastation had a faster pace and explored rebellion in the Decepticon ranks, similar to the early Marvel
stories. With the conclusion of Devastation, Revelation began in June. However, this series had a different format to that seen previously, and consisted of four interrelated Spotlight issues that brought several of the elements of the storyline thus far, most notably the Dead Universe storyline, to a conclusion. The arc following Revelation was a twelve-issue limited series, later expanded to sixteen issues, titled All Hail Megatron which began in July 2008, taking place a year after the end of Devastation and focusing on an Earth conquered by the Decepticons without the Autobots around to stop them, this time written by Shane McCarthy. A planned storyline, Expansion, has now been canceled, although some of the themes the series would have dealt with may still appear. A new mini-series by Furman, Maximum Dinobots, spun out of Spotlight: Grimlock and featured the Dinobots, Sunstreaker, and the Machination, beginning in December after the conclusion of Revelation, with art by Spotlight artist Nick Roche.
For the future, Furman has completely ruled out Unicron
, the Quintessons
, (this may no longer be accurate, as the Quintessons appeared in a wall painting in Spotlight: Wheelie), and the Liege Maximo. Furman has also expressed interest in re-inventing Japanese-exclusive characters and female Transformers, exploring the challenge of rationalizing sex/gender in giant robots. Furman addressed the issue of gender in Transformers in a Spotlight issue on Arcee
, rationalizing them as a failed attempt to introduce gender into the Transformer race by Jhiaxus
. Elita One and a few other female Transformers later appeared in the Megatron Origin mini-series.
, Nova Prime
wishes to expand the influence of Cybertronians throughout the galaxy. His Chief Theoretical Strategist Jhiaxus experiments with six volunteers to combine them into a superior being, but the experiment fails, resulting in Monstructor
. At some point he also experiments with gender in Transformers, creating Arcee
, who grows deranged with hatred for her creator due to this. Sometime later, the Ark-1
is launched into space under the auspice of exploration, but in reality an attempt to expand Cybertron's influence. The crew includes Nova Prime and Galvatron
. When passing through a black hole
, the ship enters a "Dead Universe", altering the crew, and is presumed lost. With Nova Prime and Jhiaxus gone, Omega Supreme
imprisons Monstructor.
Later, hard times follow, with the Autobot
s becoming a corrupt galactic police force. While shutting down an Energon-mining operation, they incite a riot by beating an outspoken miner to death. The riot is extinguished, resulting in the miners either dead or imprisoned. A surviving miner, Megatron, manages to take over a prison shuttle and hide it in Kaon, the seediest city on Cybertron. Megatron makes a name for himself in the underground gladiatorial matches, learning to enjoy the kill. He recruits the Seekers
, Soundwave
, and the future Cassetticons to perform acts of terrorism throughout Cybertron. Megatron rallies a large group of gladiators and proposes for them to unite under the same badge, but they are caught and arrested by Sentinel Prime's police force. However, this is part of Megatron's plan, as Starscream
kills the Autobot Senate. Megatron kills Sentinel Prime, and the newly forged Decepticons take over the city-state of Kaon, heralding the beginning of the war. The populace at large is distracted by mass sports race games, with racers like the arrogant but talented Blurr
becoming celebrities. Early on during the war, both Autobot and Decepticon try to recruit Blurr to their cause, with a young Optimus
talking Blurr into saving the life of Zeta Prime from Starscream's assassination squad. A rookie Tracks
is saved from the elite Predacons by special ops soldier Jazz
. In later years, Tracks passes on the story of the lone Autobot to boost morale in times of crisis.
Around this time, a third group of Cybertronians form who are opposed to the war and both sides of it. They leave Cybertron and are never seen again. The war eventually devastates the planet, and a Decepticon scientist named Thunderwing
suggests to graft Transformers with protective organic shells
, which Megatron rejects. Thunderwing experiments on himself, becoming a beast who devastates Cybertron. The Decepticons recover more quickly and stage a new offensive against the Autobots, who suffer the loss of the charismatic Blaster
, the voice of the Autobot resistance: he is shot and set adrift in space by a traitor.
With their home world dead, the Transformers continue their war on other planets. The Decepticons escalate tensions on planets by replacing important people with loyal clones called facsimiles, allowing the worlds to destroy themselves before they move in for the energy resources, and send Sixshot
to finish off the planets. Nonetheless, the two sides agree to the Tyrest Accord, in which they will not supply weapons to less advanced cultures. Scorponok
violates this treaty on Nebulos, creating "transformable men
" with the help of Mo Zarak's corporation, but an attack by Ultra Magnus
forces him to flee. Badly damaged with only his decapitated head remaining, he arrives on Earth at some point and establishes the Machination, an organization dedicated to acquiring Transformer technology for their own ends.
begins the secretive Operation: Regenesis — seeding Energon on various planets, including Earth
. While stabilizing Earth's seeding, the Dynobots
attack Shockwave, and they are all buried in molten lava for thousands of years. Bludgeon
is assigned by Megatron to investigate Operation: Regenesis and Soundwave
is told to spy on him. In 1984, Soundwave learns to his horror that Bludgeon intends to use the Ultra-Energon on Earth to re-animate Thunderwing
, but is silenced and put into stasis-lock in his cassette player mode. The following year, an organization named Skywatch find Laserbeak
and Ravage
's bodies. Starscream
and his unit later come to Earth, discover Shockwave's Energon and mine it in Nebraska
. When they exhaust this supply in 2006, they move to Oregon
, entering siege mode to protect their discovery. As part of their plan to acquire a Transformer, an agent working for the Machination takes a photo of a Decepticon transforming and locates the original Decepticon base. As a response he is targeted and killed by Thundercracker
, Runabout
and Runamuck. Before his death, his laptop with the photo is stolen by a girl named Verity Carlo and she is taken to the Autobots - inadvertently leading the Machination straight to them via a homing device in the laptop.
In the meantime, Bludgeon returns to Cybertron and reawakens Thunderwing, believing that Thunderwing's destruction of planets will appease and revitalize the spirit of Cybertron
. After Nebulos is razed, Bludgeon is driven insane by a failed bonding attempt and Thunderwing is taken down by Optimus Prime
. Thunderwing's corpse is placed under guard. Prime sets a course for Earth as he learns vague details of Regenesis, heavily suspicious due to Ironhide
's call regarding Starscream breaking into siege mode. Megatron already takes action, exploring the Nebraska base. Having anticipated Megatron's course of action, Starscream imbues himself with "ore-13 resin" and battles him. His super-powered body is still no match for Megatron, and he is severely wounded. Optimus arrives on Earth to join Prowl's
unit, aware that Megatron's presence on Earth has caused it to become the main battle front. The Machination also observes the Autobots entering their Lake Michigan
base.
and Sunstreaker
are given this task, but the Machination strikes and seemingly destroy Sunstreaker and Hunter. Ratchet
realizes that Sunstreaker's corpse is a fake and that he and Hunter have simply been kidnapped. Megatron uses the Ore-13 to give him the rare ability of mass-displacement to transform into an earthen pistol, and decides to stay on Earth to escalate tensions, using a human facsimile to stir up a war between the United States and El Jira. The Autobots, with newly-arrived allies, battle the Decepticons in the Russian breakaway state of Brasnya where the super-powered Megatron beats Prime to near death. Prime manages to recover and puts Megatron to flight. However, the facsimile Georgi Koska arrives dead at the Autobot base.
The Machination performs a successful surgery on Hunter, and Ironhide is seemingly killed in an explosion set up by them. They now begin to manufacture their own army of Sunstreaker bodies. Shockwave
and the Dynobots
are excavated up by archaeologists in Eureka, Nevada
and Skywatch takes over the area. In Oregon, two young humans wonder whether to buy Soundwave
, still trapped in cassette player mode. Megatron calls Sixshot
to come and speed up Earth's destruction, and the Reapers follow, eager to have Sixshot join their attempt to rid the universe of war-like species. Elsewhere on Earth, Ramjet
's grandiose plans for a coup against Megatron fail when the Decepticon leader kills him in one-on-one combat.
Elsewhere, Galvatron
emerges from the Dead Universe, destroys an alien observatory and crushes Hound
's unit on Cybertron to retrieve the body of Thunderwing
. While unconscious during his battle with Megatron, Prime encountered the presence of Nova Prime
, and he meets with Nova's once-associate, Omega Supreme
. Monstructor escapes his prison and seeks revenge against Omega. He finds Omega along with Prime, and after battling him, Prime leaves Monstructor to be tended by Jetfire
. Elsewhere, Blaster's body is recovered from space. After more assassination attempts he discovers the traitor is an unwilling Beachcomber, controlled by Soundwave and Bombshell's cerebro shell. Angry, he vows to hunt down Soundwave.
Back on Earth Nightbeat
puzzles out the links between the Machination's various actions. The returned Prime attempts to get proactive by moving the location of the Ark-19
, but it is shot down by Sixshot, though the crew survive. The subsequent battle between Prime and Sixshot exposes the Transformers to the world at large and forces the military to call in a carpet bombing strike. The Autobots escape, but Verity and Jimmy are seemingly killed. Elsewhere, Hot Rod and Wheeljack
set out to recover Ironhide's body, but are confronted by the Machination's Headmaster
army, only escaping due to Wheeljack's gadgets. Hunter escapes his captors and discovers the decapitated but still living head of Sunstreaker. Sunstreaker reveals his mind is being used as the hub for the Machination's army, and Hunter opts to fight back, becoming a Headmaster himself. The Reapers arrive at Earth, attacking the Decepticon base and forcing Megatron to recall Sixshot, while Nova Prime (now known as Nemesis Prime
), concerned at the pace of events, dispatches Galvatron to Earth.
Elsewhere, the Autobot penal facility on Garrus-9 is attacked by the Combaticons
, who escape with the Monstructor
component Transformers, forcing a reluctant Fortress Maximus
to dispatch Arcee
to track them down. Learning of this, Prime pulls Prowl
's detachment away from Earth to help contain the problem, though Hot Rod elects to stay to learn Sunstreaker's fate. Nightbeat also suspects someone has tampered with his memory. Elsewhere, Sixshot, having encountered and felt a kinship with the Reapers before, defects to their side, but is taken out by a returned Starscream
(revived by the other Decepticons to stand up to Megatron), leading to a full scale battle between the Decepticons and Reapers. The Decepticons win, with aid from Galvatron, who escapes with Sixshot's body as the US military locates the Decepticons' base. Scorponok merges with the human Dante into a new body, but is unable to prevent Hunter, now merged with Sunstreaker's mind in a copy of his body, from escaping. In the Dead Universe Nemesis Prime, Jhiaxus, and Galvatron agree the endgame is about to begin.
, dispatched from the Dead Universe on a mission to activate the Nega-Core, inadvertently alerts the Autobots to his presence, but is still able to activate the Core, as well as its lethal guardian Thunderwing
. On Garrus-9 Prime calls in the Wreckers
to deal with the escalating situation as Nemesis Prime
leads the forces of the Dead Universe from the Benzuli expanse. Meanwhile, Hardhead
accompanies Nightbeat
to Gorlam Prime in an attempt to find his missing memories. Attacked by Micromasters
, Nightbeat is taken control of by Jhiaxus
and Hardhead reluctantly eliminates him, before disappearing into the dimensional portal. A furious Nemesis Prime realizes he must do Nightbeat's job of eliminating Optimus Prime personally. The Wrecker's assault on Thunderwing proves futile, while Arcee teams up with Banzai-Tron to track down the escaped Monstructor
, and Jetfire
prepares to use Thunderwing's technology to enable other Autobots to survive the effects of the Benzuli expanse. Dealer's attempt to retrieve the Magnificence for himself backfires when a suspicious Hot Rod uses it to confirm his doubts about Dealer, who is promptly killed. Hot Rod then uses the Magnificence to locate the other Nega-Cores and their guardians, (Sixshot
and Monstructor
), and passes the information on. Jetfire then formulates a plan to override Jhiaxus' control of them via taking over their mental link. Nemesis Prime attacks Optimus on Garrus-9 personally, but is betrayed and killed by Galvatron, who is then tossed into a solar pool by Prime. Jetfire's plan works, as Cloudburst
's team, now equipped with Thunderwing's technology, is able to dispose of the Nega-Cores in the Dead Universe, closing it off completely. Jhiaxus is hunted down on Gorlam Prime by Arcee and Hardhead (now undead like the Dead Universe's inhabitants), where his immortality means Arcee can kill him over and over. On Earth, Sideswipe, having beaten Straxus
and Grindcore
, decides he has proven himself and leaves without Sunstreaker. Over the following years, Gorlam Prime evolves into a new Cybertron, and its inhabitants evolve into beings like Transformers. But on Garrus-9, Galvatron still lives within the solar pool. In the aftermath of this, the former Decepticon assassin Drift
, his outlook changed by meeting the legendary third faction of Cybertronians, attempts to rescue Autobot captives from a Decepticon ship, and ends up crossing path with Kup
and the Wreckers
. An impressed Kup, believing everyone deserves a second chance, offers him a spot on his new commando squad.
and Laserbeak
due to interference from Soundwave
, reactivate Grimlock
to use against the increasing Transformer activity. Due to Machination sabotage Grimlock escapes and is approached by Scorponok, who proposes an alliance. Grimlock refuses and is out gunned in the battle, but teleports to the Dynobot ship before Scorponok terminates him, still buried after the battle with Shockwave
, vowing to bring the Machination down. Skywatch reactivate the other Dynobots, unaware the Machination are manipulating them into killing Grimlock. Finding the Skyfire, the Headmasters attack and manage to teleport Grimlock to Fallon, Nevada
, in the midst of a pitched battle. Skywatch respond by moving in the other Dynobots as both Hot Rod and the combined form of Hunter and Sunstreaker locate the Machination. Hot Rod is almost killed by Scorponok, but kept alive as a witness to the Headmaster's plans. The battle in Fallon devastates the town, but the Dynobots are able to reassert their personalities. Scorponok sends in his Headmaster army as Skywatch head agent Red, now suspicious of the repeated control failures on the Transformers, confers with Shockwave
, fitting him with a bomb and directing him to eliminate the Dynobots, Ravage and Laserbeak. In Fallon, the infighting Dynobots manage to fight off the Headmasters with aid from Grimlock's allies the Monsterbots
. Hot Rod manages to escape as Sunstreaker and Hunter locate the main Machination facility, while Shockwave locates the stasis locked Soundwave, making a deal with him to deactivate the bomb in his head in return for freeing Soundwave from stasis lock. Sunstreaker saves Hot Rod (who then sends a distress call) but is blasted by Scorponok as the Dynobots and Monsterbots launch a full scale assault on the Machination. Outclassed by the sheer numbers of Headmasters, they are saved when a grieving Hunter pulls the plug on Sunstreaker's original head, seemingly killing him and disabling the Machination forces. However, a vengeful Scorponok and the newly-arrived Shockwave attack as Ultra Magnus
, still searching for Scorponok, receives Hot Rod's signal. Shockwave and Scorponok battle each other. The Headmaster loses but Grimlock, finally accepting responsibility for his actions, battles Shockwave, and the other Dinobots aid him. Scorponok is permanently taken out when Hot Rod and Swoop
disable his original head. Grimlock brings down the Machination compound on top of him and Shockwave as Magnus arrives to clean up the situation. Grimlock is arrested along with Shockwave and Scorponok, but the other Dinobots are no longer under suspicion, and repair the Skyfire to leave.
and Hunter are successfully separated by Ratchet
. Hunter has a happy reunion with Verity and Jimmy, but Sunstreaker, angry over what has been done to him, abandons his former partner. After the initial battles on Earth, the Decepticons lie low, experimenting with creating new life and eventually creating the Insecticons
to take advantage of a now captured Hunter, as well as thousands of failed experiments eventually dubbed the Swarm
. As the Autobots have reinforced their position on Earth, the Decepticons lure them into a trap by planting disinformation about a Decepticon trap with the help of Sunstreaker, who is convinced that he is in fact helping Starscream
kill Megatron. His motives are darker than merely helping the Autobots win by disposing of Megatron - he asks the Decepticon to kill all the humans in revenge for what was done to him. Armed with the disillusioned Autobot's knowledge, unified and with their new weapon - Devastator
- the Decepticons decimate the Autobots. Planning to dispose of them through a portal to Cybertron, Prime manages to fight them off long enough for his troops to escape through the portal, though at great cost - Prime is heavily damaged and rendered comatose by the damage he takes, and the Autobots are marooned on Cybertron.
With the Autobots gone, the Decepticons launch a full scale assault on New York City
, randomly annihilating buildings and causing mayhem as part of a simultaneous galaxy-wide assault. The initial human aerial counterattack is annihilated. Even opposed by Colonel Daniel Witwicky
, the Decepticons decimate all further military assaults and destroy all bridges and tunnels leading into the city. The Decepticon assault moves to other cities in the country, including Los Angeles
, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
, as the Constructicons
begin to build in what was once Manhattan. On Cybertron, the dispirited and beaten Autobots begin to fall apart as Ironhide
clashes with Prowl
over the traitor in their midst. Another group of Autobots under Kup
's command crashed on the planet after the Decepticons gained the access codes, where it is revealed that the situation is grave: Megatron has taken the Matrix
. The humans attempt to send in a small commando team to assassinate Megatron, but the party is killed by Ratbat
before even making across the river - all save their commander Spike
. As the Decepticon assault spreads to other parts of Earth, the Decepticons begin to fall apart internally, with even Megatron worrying about the leadership challenges he will face now they have no enemy. The slaughter in Israel
and Beijing
worries other nations enough for them to contemplate using nuclear weapons on New York. On Cybertron the Swarm
emerge, forcing the Autobots to flee once more.
As the Autobots flee, the tensions within the group boil over, and Ironhide beats Mirage
, whom he believes is the traitor, near to death. He is wrong, as Sunstreaker's guilt finally overtakes him and he confesses everything to Ironhide, before sacrificing himself to halt the Swarm's pursuit by destroying a vital bridge. On Earth Starscream again plans a coup, with help from the Insecticons, who have experimented on the real reason the Decepticons were able to access the Autobot codes and systems - a captured, dissected but still living Hunter. Spike links up with the remnants of the human resistance, aiming to kill Megatron with a prototype weapon made from Shockwave
's gun arm, killing Rumble
in the process. His efforts are for naught, as the other world nations still aim to bomb New York. On Cybertron, Prime is revived, managing to quell the dissent amongst the other Autobots. They are almost overwhelmed by the Swarm, but are saved by the timely arrival of Omega Supreme
, who transforms and takes the Autobots to Earth. On Earth Starscream begins a coup against Megatron, gathering the Insecticons
and Constructicons
to his side. Megatron battles back and avoids being killed by Devastator as the United Nations
begin a determined aerial counterstrike. As Starscream realizes that Megatron has orchestrated his coup to weed out the weak in the Decepticons, the Autobots arrive and attack. In the midst of the battle, Megatron reveals his strategy. More of his troops are hidden, disguised, among the humans, including the carrier for the UN nuclear bomb. With this, Megatron intends to wipe out the humans.
1-4. Megatron Origin #1-4
5. Spotlight - Blurr
6. Spotlight - Shockwave
7. Spotlight - Cliffjumper
8. Spotlight - Wheelie
9. Spotlight - Hot Rod
10. Spotlight - Sixshot
11. Spotlight - Ultra Magnus
12. Spotlight - Soundwave
13-16. Infiltration #0-3
17-19. Stormbringer #1-3
20-21. Infiltration #4-5
22. Stormbringer #4
23. Infiltration #6
24. Spotlight - Kup
25-28. New Avengers/Transformers #1-4
29-30. Escalation #1-2
31. Spotlight - Nightbeat
32-35. Escalation #3-6
36. Spotlight - Ramjet
37. Spotlight - Galvatron
38. Spotlight - Optimus Prime
39-42. Devastation #1-4
43. Spotlight - Blaster
44. Spotlight - Arcee
45-46. Devastation #5-6
47. Spotlight - Mirage
48. Spotlight - Grimlock
49-52. Revelation #1-4 (contains Spotlights on Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer & Sideswipe)
53-57. Maximum Dinobots #1-5
58. Spotlight - Drift
59. All Hail Megatron #15
60. Spotlight - Metroplex
61. Spotlight - Jazz
62-76. All Hail Megatron #1-14 & 16
77. Continuum
78. Spotlight - Prowl
79. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1
80. Transformers #1
81-82. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2-3
83. Transformers #2
84. Last Stand of the Wreckers #4
85-86. Transformers #3-4
87-90. Bumblebee #1-4
91-92. Transformers #5-6
93. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5
94-97. Ironhide #1-4
98-101. Drift #1-4
102-103. Heart of Darkness #1-2
104. Infestation #1 (main series)
105-106. Infestation #1-2 (Transformers series)
107. Infestation #2 (main series)
108-109. Heart of Darkness #3-4
110-134. Transformers #7-31 (#31 unpublished)
135. Transformers: Death of Optimus Prime (unpublished)
136-139. Robots in Disguise #1-4 (unpublished)
140-143. More Than Meets the Eye #1-4 (unpublished)
144-147. Autocracy #1-4 (unpublished)
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series by IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
, based upon Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
's Transformers characters and toy line
Transformers (toy line)
The is a line of toys produced by the American toy company Hasbro. The Transformers toyline was created from toy molds mostly produced by Japanese company Takara in the toylines Diaclone and Microman. Other toy molds from other companies such as Bandai were used as well...
.
Following Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996 and is best known for their multiple Transformers comic book series...
' bankruptcy in 2005, IDW picked up the rights and hired long-time Transformers writer Simon Furman
Simon Furman
Simon Christopher Francis Furman is a comic book writer, particularly associated with of a number of notable Transformers comics for Marvel UK, Marvel US, Dreamwave, and most recently, IDW...
to craft a rebooted
Reboot (continuity)
The verb reboot, in media dealing with serial fiction, means to discard much or even all previous continuity in the series and start anew with fresh ideas...
Generation 1
Transformers: Generation 1
Transformers: Generation 1 was the original Transformers toy line that produced from 1985 to 1992 and actually lasted longer than the G1 1980s television series itself...
-based continuity, similar to Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
. An issue #0 was published in October 2005
2005 in comics
- January :* January 3: Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit, dies at age 87.-April:*April 13:**DC Comics announces the discontinuation of its Humanoids and 2000 A.D. titles....
, and the ongoing series began in January 2006
2006 in comics
-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
.
The series is marketed as various limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
for each story, in published order as The Transformers: Infiltration
The Transformers: Infiltration
The Transformers: Infiltration is a six-issue comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Transformers. The series was previewed with a #0 in October, 2005, formally launched with #1 in January 2006 and ended with #6 in July....
, Stormbringer
The Transformers: Stormbringer
The Transformers: Stormbringer is a comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing.The series debuted in July, 2006 and is set during the same time frame as The Transformers: Infiltration...
, Escalation
The Transformers: Escalation
The Transformers: Escalation is a six-issue comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Transformers and following on from The Transformers: Infiltration. The series launched in November 2006 and ended in April 2007....
, Megatron Origin
The Transformers: Megatron Origin
The Transformers: Megatron Origin is a comic book limited series by IDW Publishing exploring the origin of Megatron in its rebooted G1 universe...
, Devastation
The Transformers: Devastation
The Transformers: Devastation is a six-issue comic book miniseries, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Transformers and following on from The Transformers: Escalation. Issue 1 of Devastation was released on October 3, 2007, with issue 2 following on the 24th of October and was published...
, Revelation
The Transformers: Revelation
The Transformers: Revelation is a comic book miniseries, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Generation One Transformers and following on from The Transformers: Devastation...
, All Hail Megatron, Maximum Dinobots, Last Stand of the Wreckers, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Drift, Infestation and Heart of Darkness. The series also has a sister title of ongoing one-shots entitled The Transformers: Spotlight which began in September 2006
2006 in comics
-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
, each focusing on a particular character and affecting the storyline of the main title. Starting in November 2009, an ongoing series of the Transformers was launched and it will end in December 2011. After that, two new ongoing series will start in January 2012, Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets the Eye. A digital Transformers comic will also be available titled Autocracy. Also, a new crossover mini-series will start in March 2012, titled Infes2ation.
Publication
Dreamwave ProductionsDreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996 and is best known for their multiple Transformers comic book series...
shut down on January 4, 2005, and announced they would cease publication of all their comics, leaving Transformers: Generation One
Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave)
Transformers: Generation One was a Dreamwave Productions comic book series, consisting of two 6-issue limited series and an ongoing title. Within the same continuity were 3 other Dreamwave series: a series of character profiles entitled Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, a prequel miniseries...
and its prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
series, Transformers: The War Within
Transformers: The War Within
This article is about the comic book series. For other uses, see The War Within .Transformers: The War Within is a series of comic book mini-series written by Simon Furman and published by Dreamwave Productions featuring Generation One characters with brand new pre-Earth designs.The series focuses...
incomplete. Chris Ryall, editor-in-chief of IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
, leaped at the chance to bid on the property. On May 19, 2005, Hasbro announced they had awarded the licensing rights to IDW Publishing, with plans for an issue #0 in October 2005 and an ongoing title entitled The Transformers: Infiltration
The Transformers: Infiltration
The Transformers: Infiltration is a six-issue comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Transformers. The series was previewed with a #0 in October, 2005, formally launched with #1 in January 2006 and ended with #6 in July....
to begin in January 2006. Beforehand, Ryall met up with long-time writer Simon Furman
Simon Furman
Simon Christopher Francis Furman is a comic book writer, particularly associated with of a number of notable Transformers comics for Marvel UK, Marvel US, Dreamwave, and most recently, IDW...
. Furman aimed for a contemporary version of the Generation 1
Transformers: Generation 1
Transformers: Generation 1 was the original Transformers toy line that produced from 1985 to 1992 and actually lasted longer than the G1 1980s television series itself...
incarnation to appeal to new and old fans alike. They both cited a focus on the "Robots in Disguise" element of the characters, aiming to bring back their "myth and majesty". Overall, Furman described it as, "This was, at last (after 20-plus years) MY take on Transformers." Furman also aimed for a real time
Real-time (media)
Real time within the media is a method of narratology wherein events are portrayed at the same rate that the audience experiences them. For example, if a movie told in real-time is two hours long, then the plot of that movie covers two hours of fictional time...
approach, using maps to help guide his stories. Infiltrations issue #0 sold a 100,000 copies in pre-orders, a record for the company. Furman focused the story on Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
medic Ratchet
Ratchet (Transformers)
Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as...
and broke new ground for G1 based storylines by excluding the Ark
Ark (Transformers)
The Ark is an Autobot spacecraft in the Transformers Universe. It has appeared as a central fixture of the Transformers storyline ever since its creation, as the Autobots main method of transport to Earth and as a base once they arrive....
crash storyline, to give proper intent to the Transformers being on Earth, thus separating the fictional universe from the Beast Wars
Beast Wars
Transformers: Beast Wars is a Transformers toyline released by Hasbro between 1995 and 2000, and a Daytime Emmy Award winning full-CG animated television series spawned by it that debuted in 1996...
one. E. J. Su
E. J. Su
E.J. Su is an American comic book artist and penciller. He was born in Taiwan and moved to the United States at the age of 14. He is best known for his work on IDW Publishing's Transformers comic book....
was hired as the artist, and was given free rein to re-design characters slightly.
Infiltration received mixed reviews. Furman's decision to put leaders Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
and Megatron on the sidelines divided fans, as did the slow pace and the use of human characters. Furman and Ryall responded positively, promising to make both fans and critics happy after reading various message board comments. The Transformers: Stormbringer
The Transformers: Stormbringer
The Transformers: Stormbringer is a comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing.The series debuted in July, 2006 and is set during the same time frame as The Transformers: Infiltration...
followed in July, set around the same time frame as Infiltration, and had art by Don Figueroa
Don Figueroa
Don Allan Figueroa is a Filipino American comic book artist and toy designer. He is best known for his work on many different Transformers designs, for both the defunct Dreamwave Productions and with IDW Publishing.-Dreamwave Productions:...
. The four issue tale was intended to be a weekly event, but Diamond Comic Distributors
Diamond Comic Distributors
Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. is the largest comic book distributor serving North America. They transport comic books from both big and small comic book publishers, or suppliers, to the retailers. Diamond dominates the direct market in the United States, and has exclusive arrangements with most...
' resistance meant it became monthly. Furman had planned to visit Cybertron
Cybertron
Cybertron is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers in the various fictional incarnations of the metaseries and toyline by Hasbro. In the Japanese series, the planet is referred to as "Cybertron" pronounced as セイバートロン Seibātoron...
later on, but the fans demanded a human-less story, and Stormbringer was written. Most importantly, the story revealed Cybertron to be dead, giving the saga a darker feel and explaining the status quo of Autobots and Decepticons spread out and fighting pocket wars. Furman intentionally wanted a larger scale and "took Cybertron out of the equation" to shape the overall arc. The story also allowed him to reinvent Thunderwing
Thunderwing
Thunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
and the Pretenders
Pretenders (Transformers)
Pretenders is a subline within the Transformers toy line, introduced in 1988. The concept behind the toy was that the Transformers were capable of disguising their robotic forms through the use of synthetic organic outer shells.-Cloudburst:...
, which he felt was one of the sillier concepts.
In September, the companion series, The Transformers: Spotlight was launched, set to last for five issues. Furman drew upon classic stories for Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
, re-created the personalities of Hot Rod and Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers storylines.-Transformers: Generation 1:The greatest Transformer of them all. A commander could want no finer a soldier than Ultra Magnus...
, and wrote Sixshot
Sixshot
Sixshot is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers series. Introduced in 1987, Sixshot appeared in the last few episodes of the original US Transformers animated series, voiced by Neil Ross. His defining gimmick was that he had six different forms, not two like a normal...
for the first time. Nightbeat
Nightbeat (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:Nightbeat is described as a tough, street-hardened detective who is not above resorting to dirty tricks in order to further his investigations...
's story laid a vital seed for future stories, as well as allowing him to re-invent the Micromasters
Micromasters
Micromasters is a Transformers subline composed of small figures that came packaged in groups and with bases that interacted with the figures. They were sold at the peak of Galoob's Micro Machines craze and were packaged in groups of four just like Micro Machines...
. In November The Transformers: Escalation
The Transformers: Escalation
The Transformers: Escalation is a six-issue comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Transformers and following on from The Transformers: Infiltration. The series launched in November 2006 and ended in April 2007....
began, a direct sequel to Infiltration. It put Optimus and Megatron center stage, and brought in characters from the Spotlights. The Spotlights expanded as IDW accepted Furman's willingness to write for any character. This has even included Wheelie
Wheelie (Transformers)
Wheelie is the name of two different fictional characters in the Transformers series.-Generation 1:The first Wheelie is a young Autobot who turns into a car. He has a distinctive style of speech, in which he rhymes his sentences while speaking in a high pitched voice, making him sound like a child....
, a character he has personally voiced criticism of in the past.
Furman took a break from the main storyline in June to allow Eric Holmes
Eric Holmes
Eric Holmes in Escalon, California), is an American race car driver and three time K&N Pro Series West champion. He currently drives for Bill McAnally in the #20 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota in the K&N Pro Series West.-Racing Career:...
to write the prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
, The Transformers: Megatron Origin
The Transformers: Megatron Origin
The Transformers: Megatron Origin is a comic book limited series by IDW Publishing exploring the origin of Megatron in its rebooted G1 universe...
over four months. Holmes conceived the tale for his favorite character, Megatron, and to explore the beginnings of the Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
-Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
war, collaborating with Furman to further tie-in the story into the existing continuity and taking historical inspiration from the decline of the Roman Empire
Decline of the Roman Empire
The decline of the Roman Empire refers to the gradual societal collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Many theories of causality prevail, but most concern the disintegration of political, economic, military, and other social institutions, in tandem with foreign invasions and usurpers from within the...
. In addition, Furman allowed Nick Roche to write and draw a Spotlight for Kup
Kup
Kup is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universe. All are older Autobots who are members of the Elite Guard. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time...
, and Roche also wishes to create another one for Rumble
Rumble (Transformers)
Rumble is a fictional character in the Transformers universes. In order to trademark the name, Hasbro referred to the Alternators character as Decepticon Rumble.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
. Furman returned for The Transformers: Devastation
The Transformers: Devastation
The Transformers: Devastation is a six-issue comic book miniseries, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Transformers and following on from The Transformers: Escalation. Issue 1 of Devastation was released on October 3, 2007, with issue 2 following on the 24th of October and was published...
, which will be affected by Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
's Spotlight (itself spinning out of Nightbeat's), before leading into The Transformers: Revelation
The Transformers: Revelation
The Transformers: Revelation is a comic book miniseries, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Generation One Transformers and following on from The Transformers: Devastation...
. Galvatron was re-invented as a separate character from Megatron, and Optimus Prime himself received a Spotlight, with both one-shots including major revelations that will affect storylines beyond Revelation. Devastation had a faster pace and explored rebellion in the Decepticon ranks, similar to the early Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
stories. With the conclusion of Devastation, Revelation began in June. However, this series had a different format to that seen previously, and consisted of four interrelated Spotlight issues that brought several of the elements of the storyline thus far, most notably the Dead Universe storyline, to a conclusion. The arc following Revelation was a twelve-issue limited series, later expanded to sixteen issues, titled All Hail Megatron which began in July 2008, taking place a year after the end of Devastation and focusing on an Earth conquered by the Decepticons without the Autobots around to stop them, this time written by Shane McCarthy. A planned storyline, Expansion, has now been canceled, although some of the themes the series would have dealt with may still appear. A new mini-series by Furman, Maximum Dinobots, spun out of Spotlight: Grimlock and featured the Dinobots, Sunstreaker, and the Machination, beginning in December after the conclusion of Revelation, with art by Spotlight artist Nick Roche.
For the future, Furman has completely ruled out Unicron
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional character from the Transformers universe and toyline. Created by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie as the film's main antagonist. Unicron is a prodigiously large robot whose scale reaches planetary proportions, and he is also...
, the Quintessons
Quintessons
Quintessons are fictional aliens from the Transformers universe. Within the TV series, they are the creators of the Transformers, although in most other fictional universes featuring the Transformers, they have no such status...
, (this may no longer be accurate, as the Quintessons appeared in a wall painting in Spotlight: Wheelie), and the Liege Maximo. Furman has also expressed interest in re-inventing Japanese-exclusive characters and female Transformers, exploring the challenge of rationalizing sex/gender in giant robots. Furman addressed the issue of gender in Transformers in a Spotlight issue on Arcee
Arcee
Arcee is the name of a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. She is a female Autobot, usually pink in color. Being the most famous of the Female Transformers, she has two primary forms...
, rationalizing them as a failed attempt to introduce gender into the Transformer race by Jhiaxus
Jhiaxus
Jhiaxus is a fictional character in the Transformers universes. He is an evil Decepticon jet.-Transformers: Generation 2:Unlike most of the notable characters in the Transformers comics, Jhiaxus is not based on a toy...
. Elita One and a few other female Transformers later appeared in the Megatron Origin mini-series.
Civil War
During the Golden Age of CybertronCybertron
Cybertron is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers in the various fictional incarnations of the metaseries and toyline by Hasbro. In the Japanese series, the planet is referred to as "Cybertron" pronounced as セイバートロン Seibātoron...
, Nova Prime
Prime Nova
Prime Nova is the name of a fictional character in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation One:-Marvel Comics:In the Transformers universe, Prime Nova is regarded as the third holder of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. Not much is known about Prime Nova, only that he was given...
wishes to expand the influence of Cybertronians throughout the galaxy. His Chief Theoretical Strategist Jhiaxus experiments with six volunteers to combine them into a superior being, but the experiment fails, resulting in Monstructor
Monster Pretenders
The Monster Pretenders are a group of fictional Decepticons in the Transformers franchise. The team is the last of the traditional combiners from the Generation 1 series and is one of the few non-Micromaster combiner teams to have six members .-Transformers: Generation...
. At some point he also experiments with gender in Transformers, creating Arcee
Arcee
Arcee is the name of a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. She is a female Autobot, usually pink in color. Being the most famous of the Female Transformers, she has two primary forms...
, who grows deranged with hatred for her creator due to this. Sometime later, the Ark-1
Ark (Transformers)
The Ark is an Autobot spacecraft in the Transformers Universe. It has appeared as a central fixture of the Transformers storyline ever since its creation, as the Autobots main method of transport to Earth and as a base once they arrive....
is launched into space under the auspice of exploration, but in reality an attempt to expand Cybertron's influence. The crew includes Nova Prime and Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
. When passing through a black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
, the ship enters a "Dead Universe", altering the crew, and is presumed lost. With Nova Prime and Jhiaxus gone, Omega Supreme
Omega Supreme
Omega Supreme is the name of a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. He is always an Autobot and is often depicted as a gigantic transformer with vast strength and/or overwhelming firepower.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
imprisons Monstructor.
Later, hard times follow, with the Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
s becoming a corrupt galactic police force. While shutting down an Energon-mining operation, they incite a riot by beating an outspoken miner to death. The riot is extinguished, resulting in the miners either dead or imprisoned. A surviving miner, Megatron, manages to take over a prison shuttle and hide it in Kaon, the seediest city on Cybertron. Megatron makes a name for himself in the underground gladiatorial matches, learning to enjoy the kill. He recruits the Seekers
Seekers (Transformers)
Seekers is a term in the Transformers universe usually used to describe certain Decepticon warriors with jet transformations. For the character named Seeker see Seeker .-Origin of the term:...
, Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, and the future Cassetticons to perform acts of terrorism throughout Cybertron. Megatron rallies a large group of gladiators and proposes for them to unite under the same badge, but they are caught and arrested by Sentinel Prime's police force. However, this is part of Megatron's plan, as Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
kills the Autobot Senate. Megatron kills Sentinel Prime, and the newly forged Decepticons take over the city-state of Kaon, heralding the beginning of the war. The populace at large is distracted by mass sports race games, with racers like the arrogant but talented Blurr
Blurr
Blurr is the name given to five different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He frequently appears as a blue Autobot who transforms into a swift car...
becoming celebrities. Early on during the war, both Autobot and Decepticon try to recruit Blurr to their cause, with a young Optimus
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
talking Blurr into saving the life of Zeta Prime from Starscream's assassination squad. A rookie Tracks
Tracks (Transformers)
Tracks is a character in the Transformers Universes. The name is now too generic to license in recent times; so the toys creator, Hasbro had to add a "modifier" - a prefix to the name in order to use it on their product, in this case the name became "Autobot Tracks" or "Turbo...
is saved from the elite Predacons by special ops soldier Jazz
Jazz (Transformers)
Jazz is the name of a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a music loving robot and talks with a slang accent. He is also a good friend of Optimus Prime's...
. In later years, Tracks passes on the story of the lone Autobot to boost morale in times of crisis.
Around this time, a third group of Cybertronians form who are opposed to the war and both sides of it. They leave Cybertron and are never seen again. The war eventually devastates the planet, and a Decepticon scientist named Thunderwing
Thunderwing
Thunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
suggests to graft Transformers with protective organic shells
Pretenders (Transformers)
Pretenders is a subline within the Transformers toy line, introduced in 1988. The concept behind the toy was that the Transformers were capable of disguising their robotic forms through the use of synthetic organic outer shells.-Cloudburst:...
, which Megatron rejects. Thunderwing experiments on himself, becoming a beast who devastates Cybertron. The Decepticons recover more quickly and stage a new offensive against the Autobots, who suffer the loss of the charismatic Blaster
Blaster (Transformers)
Blaster is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara Tomy and Hasbro. Due to trademark reasons, he is sometimes called Autobot Blaster...
, the voice of the Autobot resistance: he is shot and set adrift in space by a traitor.
With their home world dead, the Transformers continue their war on other planets. The Decepticons escalate tensions on planets by replacing important people with loyal clones called facsimiles, allowing the worlds to destroy themselves before they move in for the energy resources, and send Sixshot
Sixshot
Sixshot is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers series. Introduced in 1987, Sixshot appeared in the last few episodes of the original US Transformers animated series, voiced by Neil Ross. His defining gimmick was that he had six different forms, not two like a normal...
to finish off the planets. Nonetheless, the two sides agree to the Tyrest Accord, in which they will not supply weapons to less advanced cultures. Scorponok
Scorponok
Scorponok is the name shared by several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All are Decepticons that turn into Scorpoins.- Transformers: Generation 1:...
violates this treaty on Nebulos, creating "transformable men
Headmaster (Transformers)
Headmasters are a sub-group of characters from the Transformers meta-series, distinguished by their ability to detach their heads when transforming into their alternate modes, with the heads then transforming themselves into a humanoid form...
" with the help of Mo Zarak's corporation, but an attack by Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers storylines.-Transformers: Generation 1:The greatest Transformer of them all. A commander could want no finer a soldier than Ultra Magnus...
forces him to flee. Badly damaged with only his decapitated head remaining, he arrives on Earth at some point and establishes the Machination, an organization dedicated to acquiring Transformer technology for their own ends.
Ore-13/Super Energon
The Decepticon scientist ShockwaveShockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
begins the secretive Operation: Regenesis — seeding Energon on various planets, including Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. While stabilizing Earth's seeding, the Dynobots
Dinobots
Dinobots is the name of several teams of characters in the fictional Transformers Universe. The groups are made up of several robots, each of whose transformed mode is that of a dinosaur or similar prehistoric animal. They are called Dinotrons in the Japanese version; and ' in the Japanese dub of...
attack Shockwave, and they are all buried in molten lava for thousands of years. Bludgeon
Bludgeon (Transformers)
Bludgeon is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. For trademark reasons, he is now marketed by Hasbro as Decepticon Bludgeon. They are all Decepticon warriors who turn into tanks.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
is assigned by Megatron to investigate Operation: Regenesis and Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
is told to spy on him. In 1984, Soundwave learns to his horror that Bludgeon intends to use the Ultra-Energon on Earth to re-animate Thunderwing
Thunderwing
Thunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
, but is silenced and put into stasis-lock in his cassette player mode. The following year, an organization named Skywatch find Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Ravage
Ravage (Transformers)
Ravage is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Due to the inability to trademark the common word "ravage", he is sometimes called Battle Ravage, Command Ravage or Tripredacus Agent...
's bodies. Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
and his unit later come to Earth, discover Shockwave's Energon and mine it in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. When they exhaust this supply in 2006, they move to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, entering siege mode to protect their discovery. As part of their plan to acquire a Transformer, an agent working for the Machination takes a photo of a Decepticon transforming and locates the original Decepticon base. As a response he is targeted and killed by Thundercracker
Thundercracker
Thundercracker is the name given to multiple fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Thundercracker is almost always depicted as a blue color Decepticon who turns into a jet fighter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Runabout
Runabout (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:The first Runabout formed one half of the Battlecharger duo with Runamuck. Runabout is not the brains of the Battlechargers, but he is much calmer and certainly more articulate than Runamuck, and his presence helps keep the latter's cross-wired mind on task...
and Runamuck. Before his death, his laptop with the photo is stolen by a girl named Verity Carlo and she is taken to the Autobots - inadvertently leading the Machination straight to them via a homing device in the laptop.
In the meantime, Bludgeon returns to Cybertron and reawakens Thunderwing, believing that Thunderwing's destruction of planets will appease and revitalize the spirit of Cybertron
Primus (Transformers)
Primus is the "benevolent" godlike entity in the fictional Transformers comic universe who fought against the Chaos-Bringer Unicron. The Lord of the Light, Primus is the being who created the Transformers to help him defeat Unicron.-Primus and Unicron:...
. After Nebulos is razed, Bludgeon is driven insane by a failed bonding attempt and Thunderwing is taken down by Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
. Thunderwing's corpse is placed under guard. Prime sets a course for Earth as he learns vague details of Regenesis, heavily suspicious due to Ironhide
Ironhide
Ironhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
's call regarding Starscream breaking into siege mode. Megatron already takes action, exploring the Nebraska base. Having anticipated Megatron's course of action, Starscream imbues himself with "ore-13 resin" and battles him. His super-powered body is still no match for Megatron, and he is severely wounded. Optimus arrives on Earth to join Prowl's
Prowl (Transformers)
Prowl is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. "Prowl" is one of the most re-used American names in the assorted Transformers series, and its use has become almost synonymous with Autobots who possess a police car alternate mode...
unit, aware that Megatron's presence on Earth has caused it to become the main battle front. The Machination also observes the Autobots entering their Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
base.
War on Earth
Prime decides to send Verity and her two friends Hunter and Jimmy home. IronhideIronhide
Ironhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Sunstreaker
Sunstreaker
Sunstreaker is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. The first is one of the main Autobot cars from the original Transformers series...
are given this task, but the Machination strikes and seemingly destroy Sunstreaker and Hunter. Ratchet
Ratchet (Transformers)
Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as...
realizes that Sunstreaker's corpse is a fake and that he and Hunter have simply been kidnapped. Megatron uses the Ore-13 to give him the rare ability of mass-displacement to transform into an earthen pistol, and decides to stay on Earth to escalate tensions, using a human facsimile to stir up a war between the United States and El Jira. The Autobots, with newly-arrived allies, battle the Decepticons in the Russian breakaway state of Brasnya where the super-powered Megatron beats Prime to near death. Prime manages to recover and puts Megatron to flight. However, the facsimile Georgi Koska arrives dead at the Autobot base.
The Machination performs a successful surgery on Hunter, and Ironhide is seemingly killed in an explosion set up by them. They now begin to manufacture their own army of Sunstreaker bodies. Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
and the Dynobots
Dinobots
Dinobots is the name of several teams of characters in the fictional Transformers Universe. The groups are made up of several robots, each of whose transformed mode is that of a dinosaur or similar prehistoric animal. They are called Dinotrons in the Japanese version; and ' in the Japanese dub of...
are excavated up by archaeologists in Eureka, Nevada
Eureka, Nevada
Eureka is an unincorporated township in and the county seat of Eureka County, Nevada, United States. Eureka is by far the largest community in Eureka County...
and Skywatch takes over the area. In Oregon, two young humans wonder whether to buy Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, still trapped in cassette player mode. Megatron calls Sixshot
Sixshot
Sixshot is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers series. Introduced in 1987, Sixshot appeared in the last few episodes of the original US Transformers animated series, voiced by Neil Ross. His defining gimmick was that he had six different forms, not two like a normal...
to come and speed up Earth's destruction, and the Reapers follow, eager to have Sixshot join their attempt to rid the universe of war-like species. Elsewhere on Earth, Ramjet
Ramjet (Transformers)
Ramjet is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All have been Decepticon aligned characters who turn into jets, usually white.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
's grandiose plans for a coup against Megatron fail when the Decepticon leader kills him in one-on-one combat.
Elsewhere, Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
emerges from the Dead Universe, destroys an alien observatory and crushes Hound
Hound (Transformers)
Hound is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. He is sometimes referred to as Autobot Hound for trademark purposes.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
's unit on Cybertron to retrieve the body of Thunderwing
Thunderwing
Thunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
. While unconscious during his battle with Megatron, Prime encountered the presence of Nova Prime
Prime Nova
Prime Nova is the name of a fictional character in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation One:-Marvel Comics:In the Transformers universe, Prime Nova is regarded as the third holder of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. Not much is known about Prime Nova, only that he was given...
, and he meets with Nova's once-associate, Omega Supreme
Omega Supreme
Omega Supreme is the name of a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. He is always an Autobot and is often depicted as a gigantic transformer with vast strength and/or overwhelming firepower.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
. Monstructor escapes his prison and seeks revenge against Omega. He finds Omega along with Prime, and after battling him, Prime leaves Monstructor to be tended by Jetfire
Jetfire
Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers universes. He is nearly always depicted as an Autobot with jet or space shuttle alternate mode.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
. Elsewhere, Blaster's body is recovered from space. After more assassination attempts he discovers the traitor is an unwilling Beachcomber, controlled by Soundwave and Bombshell's cerebro shell. Angry, he vows to hunt down Soundwave.
Back on Earth Nightbeat
Nightbeat (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:Nightbeat is described as a tough, street-hardened detective who is not above resorting to dirty tricks in order to further his investigations...
puzzles out the links between the Machination's various actions. The returned Prime attempts to get proactive by moving the location of the Ark-19
Ark (Transformers)
The Ark is an Autobot spacecraft in the Transformers Universe. It has appeared as a central fixture of the Transformers storyline ever since its creation, as the Autobots main method of transport to Earth and as a base once they arrive....
, but it is shot down by Sixshot, though the crew survive. The subsequent battle between Prime and Sixshot exposes the Transformers to the world at large and forces the military to call in a carpet bombing strike. The Autobots escape, but Verity and Jimmy are seemingly killed. Elsewhere, Hot Rod and Wheeljack
Wheeljack
Wheeljack is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Wheeljack is the mechanical engineer and scientist of the Autobots in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara and Hasbro. His...
set out to recover Ironhide's body, but are confronted by the Machination's Headmaster
Headmaster (Transformers)
Headmasters are a sub-group of characters from the Transformers meta-series, distinguished by their ability to detach their heads when transforming into their alternate modes, with the heads then transforming themselves into a humanoid form...
army, only escaping due to Wheeljack's gadgets. Hunter escapes his captors and discovers the decapitated but still living head of Sunstreaker. Sunstreaker reveals his mind is being used as the hub for the Machination's army, and Hunter opts to fight back, becoming a Headmaster himself. The Reapers arrive at Earth, attacking the Decepticon base and forcing Megatron to recall Sixshot, while Nova Prime (now known as Nemesis Prime
Nemesis Prime
Nemesis Prime is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers storyline. He is often depicted as an evil incarnation of Optimus Prime.-Transformers: Armada:...
), concerned at the pace of events, dispatches Galvatron to Earth.
Elsewhere, the Autobot penal facility on Garrus-9 is attacked by the Combaticons
Combaticons
The Combaticons are a group of Decepticon military vehicles in the assorted fictional universes of the Transformers.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
, who escape with the Monstructor
Monster Pretenders
The Monster Pretenders are a group of fictional Decepticons in the Transformers franchise. The team is the last of the traditional combiners from the Generation 1 series and is one of the few non-Micromaster combiner teams to have six members .-Transformers: Generation...
component Transformers, forcing a reluctant Fortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus is the name of several fictional characters from several of the various Transformers universes. Fortress Maximus appeared in the season 4 finale of the US Transformers animated series voiced by Stephen Keener. He was one of the stars of the Japanese Transformers: Headmasters...
to dispatch Arcee
Arcee
Arcee is the name of a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. She is a female Autobot, usually pink in color. Being the most famous of the Female Transformers, she has two primary forms...
to track them down. Learning of this, Prime pulls Prowl
Prowl (Transformers)
Prowl is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. "Prowl" is one of the most re-used American names in the assorted Transformers series, and its use has become almost synonymous with Autobots who possess a police car alternate mode...
's detachment away from Earth to help contain the problem, though Hot Rod elects to stay to learn Sunstreaker's fate. Nightbeat also suspects someone has tampered with his memory. Elsewhere, Sixshot, having encountered and felt a kinship with the Reapers before, defects to their side, but is taken out by a returned Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
(revived by the other Decepticons to stand up to Megatron), leading to a full scale battle between the Decepticons and Reapers. The Decepticons win, with aid from Galvatron, who escapes with Sixshot's body as the US military locates the Decepticons' base. Scorponok merges with the human Dante into a new body, but is unable to prevent Hunter, now merged with Sunstreaker's mind in a copy of his body, from escaping. In the Dead Universe Nemesis Prime, Jhiaxus, and Galvatron agree the endgame is about to begin.
Expansion
On Cybertron CyclonusCyclonus
Cyclonus is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:The tech spec from the box art of the Cyclonus toy describes him as a compassionless Decepticon air warrior and saboteur...
, dispatched from the Dead Universe on a mission to activate the Nega-Core, inadvertently alerts the Autobots to his presence, but is still able to activate the Core, as well as its lethal guardian Thunderwing
Thunderwing
Thunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
. On Garrus-9 Prime calls in the Wreckers
Wreckers (Transformers)
The Wreckers are a sub-team of Autobots in the fictional Transformers universe, functioning essentially as a commando unit. They are not derived from the Transformers toyline but rather are the creation of Marvel UK writer Simon Furman, who introduces the Wreckers in the story arc Target:2006...
to deal with the escalating situation as Nemesis Prime
Nemesis Prime
Nemesis Prime is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers storyline. He is often depicted as an evil incarnation of Optimus Prime.-Transformers: Armada:...
leads the forces of the Dead Universe from the Benzuli expanse. Meanwhile, Hardhead
Hardhead (Transformers)
Hardhead is the name of two fictional characters in the Transformers universes. The first is a stubborn Autobot tank, the second a simple minded Predacon dinosaur.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
accompanies Nightbeat
Nightbeat (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:Nightbeat is described as a tough, street-hardened detective who is not above resorting to dirty tricks in order to further his investigations...
to Gorlam Prime in an attempt to find his missing memories. Attacked by Micromasters
Micromasters
Micromasters is a Transformers subline composed of small figures that came packaged in groups and with bases that interacted with the figures. They were sold at the peak of Galoob's Micro Machines craze and were packaged in groups of four just like Micro Machines...
, Nightbeat is taken control of by Jhiaxus
Jhiaxus
Jhiaxus is a fictional character in the Transformers universes. He is an evil Decepticon jet.-Transformers: Generation 2:Unlike most of the notable characters in the Transformers comics, Jhiaxus is not based on a toy...
and Hardhead reluctantly eliminates him, before disappearing into the dimensional portal. A furious Nemesis Prime realizes he must do Nightbeat's job of eliminating Optimus Prime personally. The Wrecker's assault on Thunderwing proves futile, while Arcee teams up with Banzai-Tron to track down the escaped Monstructor
Monster Pretenders
The Monster Pretenders are a group of fictional Decepticons in the Transformers franchise. The team is the last of the traditional combiners from the Generation 1 series and is one of the few non-Micromaster combiner teams to have six members .-Transformers: Generation...
, and Jetfire
Jetfire
Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers universes. He is nearly always depicted as an Autobot with jet or space shuttle alternate mode.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
prepares to use Thunderwing's technology to enable other Autobots to survive the effects of the Benzuli expanse. Dealer's attempt to retrieve the Magnificence for himself backfires when a suspicious Hot Rod uses it to confirm his doubts about Dealer, who is promptly killed. Hot Rod then uses the Magnificence to locate the other Nega-Cores and their guardians, (Sixshot
Sixshot
Sixshot is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers series. Introduced in 1987, Sixshot appeared in the last few episodes of the original US Transformers animated series, voiced by Neil Ross. His defining gimmick was that he had six different forms, not two like a normal...
and Monstructor
Monster Pretenders
The Monster Pretenders are a group of fictional Decepticons in the Transformers franchise. The team is the last of the traditional combiners from the Generation 1 series and is one of the few non-Micromaster combiner teams to have six members .-Transformers: Generation...
), and passes the information on. Jetfire then formulates a plan to override Jhiaxus' control of them via taking over their mental link. Nemesis Prime attacks Optimus on Garrus-9 personally, but is betrayed and killed by Galvatron, who is then tossed into a solar pool by Prime. Jetfire's plan works, as Cloudburst
Cloudburst (Transformers)
Cloudburst is a fictional character from the Transformers series. He turns into a jet and has a shell that looked like an armored human. He shouldn't be confused with Phoenix, a Japanese Transformer who shares the same toy.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
's team, now equipped with Thunderwing's technology, is able to dispose of the Nega-Cores in the Dead Universe, closing it off completely. Jhiaxus is hunted down on Gorlam Prime by Arcee and Hardhead (now undead like the Dead Universe's inhabitants), where his immortality means Arcee can kill him over and over. On Earth, Sideswipe, having beaten Straxus
Straxus
Lord Straxus is a fictional character from the Transformers series. A toy based on his Marvel comic appearance was released in 2010 under the name Darkmount.-Marvel Comics:Straxus was the Decepticon governor of a province of Cybertron known as Polyhex...
and Grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
, decides he has proven himself and leaves without Sunstreaker. Over the following years, Gorlam Prime evolves into a new Cybertron, and its inhabitants evolve into beings like Transformers. But on Garrus-9, Galvatron still lives within the solar pool. In the aftermath of this, the former Decepticon assassin Drift
Drift (Transformers)
Drift is the name of three different fictional characters in the Transformers series. For trademark reasons, toys related to the character are marketed under the name Autobot Drift.-Transformers: Armada:...
, his outlook changed by meeting the legendary third faction of Cybertronians, attempts to rescue Autobot captives from a Decepticon ship, and ends up crossing path with Kup
Kup
Kup is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universe. All are older Autobots who are members of the Elite Guard. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time...
and the Wreckers
Wreckers (Transformers)
The Wreckers are a sub-team of Autobots in the fictional Transformers universe, functioning essentially as a commando unit. They are not derived from the Transformers toyline but rather are the creation of Marvel UK writer Simon Furman, who introduces the Wreckers in the story arc Target:2006...
. An impressed Kup, believing everyone deserves a second chance, offers him a spot on his new commando squad.
Machination Empire
Skywatch, having lost control of RavageRavage (Transformers)
Ravage is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Due to the inability to trademark the common word "ravage", he is sometimes called Battle Ravage, Command Ravage or Tripredacus Agent...
and Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
due to interference from Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, reactivate Grimlock
Grimlock
Grimlock is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a tough leader who turns into a mechanical dinosaur...
to use against the increasing Transformer activity. Due to Machination sabotage Grimlock escapes and is approached by Scorponok, who proposes an alliance. Grimlock refuses and is out gunned in the battle, but teleports to the Dynobot ship before Scorponok terminates him, still buried after the battle with Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
, vowing to bring the Machination down. Skywatch reactivate the other Dynobots, unaware the Machination are manipulating them into killing Grimlock. Finding the Skyfire, the Headmasters attack and manage to teleport Grimlock to Fallon, Nevada
Fallon, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,474.1 people per square mile . There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of 1,095.2 per square mile...
, in the midst of a pitched battle. Skywatch respond by moving in the other Dynobots as both Hot Rod and the combined form of Hunter and Sunstreaker locate the Machination. Hot Rod is almost killed by Scorponok, but kept alive as a witness to the Headmaster's plans. The battle in Fallon devastates the town, but the Dynobots are able to reassert their personalities. Scorponok sends in his Headmaster army as Skywatch head agent Red, now suspicious of the repeated control failures on the Transformers, confers with Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
, fitting him with a bomb and directing him to eliminate the Dynobots, Ravage and Laserbeak. In Fallon, the infighting Dynobots manage to fight off the Headmasters with aid from Grimlock's allies the Monsterbots
Monsterbots
The Monsterbots is the name for a sub-group of three fictional characters from the Transformers universes. Released in 1987, the unifying characteristic of the three Monsterbots - Doublecross, Grotusque and Repugnus - is evident from the group's name: they all transform into monstrous creatures of...
. Hot Rod manages to escape as Sunstreaker and Hunter locate the main Machination facility, while Shockwave locates the stasis locked Soundwave, making a deal with him to deactivate the bomb in his head in return for freeing Soundwave from stasis lock. Sunstreaker saves Hot Rod (who then sends a distress call) but is blasted by Scorponok as the Dynobots and Monsterbots launch a full scale assault on the Machination. Outclassed by the sheer numbers of Headmasters, they are saved when a grieving Hunter pulls the plug on Sunstreaker's original head, seemingly killing him and disabling the Machination forces. However, a vengeful Scorponok and the newly-arrived Shockwave attack as Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers storylines.-Transformers: Generation 1:The greatest Transformer of them all. A commander could want no finer a soldier than Ultra Magnus...
, still searching for Scorponok, receives Hot Rod's signal. Shockwave and Scorponok battle each other. The Headmaster loses but Grimlock, finally accepting responsibility for his actions, battles Shockwave, and the other Dinobots aid him. Scorponok is permanently taken out when Hot Rod and Swoop
Swoop (Transformers)
Swoop is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers fictional series and toy line. He was first introduced in 1985 and was voiced by Michael Bell in the animated The Transformers series.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
disable his original head. Grimlock brings down the Machination compound on top of him and Shockwave as Magnus arrives to clean up the situation. Grimlock is arrested along with Shockwave and Scorponok, but the other Dinobots are no longer under suspicion, and repair the Skyfire to leave.
Invasion
In the aftermath of the Machination's attempted takeover, SunstreakerSunstreaker
Sunstreaker is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. The first is one of the main Autobot cars from the original Transformers series...
and Hunter are successfully separated by Ratchet
Ratchet (Transformers)
Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as...
. Hunter has a happy reunion with Verity and Jimmy, but Sunstreaker, angry over what has been done to him, abandons his former partner. After the initial battles on Earth, the Decepticons lie low, experimenting with creating new life and eventually creating the Insecticons
Insecticons
Insecticons is the name given to a sub-group of fictional characters in the Transformers Universes, referred to as Insectrons in the Japanese version. The name was also used for several fictional characters in the Transformers Universes...
to take advantage of a now captured Hunter, as well as thousands of failed experiments eventually dubbed the Swarm
Swarm (Transformers)
The Swarm is a creature in the fictional world of the Transformers: Generation 2 comic by Marvel Comics.The Swarm is a large, amorphous, black mass of particulate sized, corrosive organisms that travel from planet to planet, seeking out cybernetic life forms. Upon contact with other life forms, the...
. As the Autobots have reinforced their position on Earth, the Decepticons lure them into a trap by planting disinformation about a Decepticon trap with the help of Sunstreaker, who is convinced that he is in fact helping Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
kill Megatron. His motives are darker than merely helping the Autobots win by disposing of Megatron - he asks the Decepticon to kill all the humans in revenge for what was done to him. Armed with the disillusioned Autobot's knowledge, unified and with their new weapon - Devastator
Constructicons
right|thumb|Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Longhaul, Scrapper & Mixmaster - five of the original six Constructicons The Constructicons are a group of fictional characters from the various Transformers continuities...
- the Decepticons decimate the Autobots. Planning to dispose of them through a portal to Cybertron, Prime manages to fight them off long enough for his troops to escape through the portal, though at great cost - Prime is heavily damaged and rendered comatose by the damage he takes, and the Autobots are marooned on Cybertron.
With the Autobots gone, the Decepticons launch a full scale assault on New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, randomly annihilating buildings and causing mayhem as part of a simultaneous galaxy-wide assault. The initial human aerial counterattack is annihilated. Even opposed by Colonel Daniel Witwicky
Witwicky family
The Witwicky family members are fictional characters from the Transformers universes, and are the closest human allies of the Autobots.-Archibald Witwicky:...
, the Decepticons decimate all further military assaults and destroy all bridges and tunnels leading into the city. The Decepticon assault moves to other cities in the country, including Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, as the Constructicons
Constructicons
right|thumb|Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Longhaul, Scrapper & Mixmaster - five of the original six Constructicons The Constructicons are a group of fictional characters from the various Transformers continuities...
begin to build in what was once Manhattan. On Cybertron, the dispirited and beaten Autobots begin to fall apart as Ironhide
Ironhide
Ironhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
clashes with Prowl
Prowl (Transformers)
Prowl is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. "Prowl" is one of the most re-used American names in the assorted Transformers series, and its use has become almost synonymous with Autobots who possess a police car alternate mode...
over the traitor in their midst. Another group of Autobots under Kup
Kup
Kup is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universe. All are older Autobots who are members of the Elite Guard. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time...
's command crashed on the planet after the Decepticons gained the access codes, where it is revealed that the situation is grave: Megatron has taken the Matrix
Autobot Matrix of Leadership
The Matrix of Leadership or Creation Matrix in the fictional Transformers universes is the Autobot talisman of legend, passed down from leader to leader. It consisted of an oval-shaped container, holding a glowing crystal. To open the Matrix is to release an unpredictable wave of power from the...
. The humans attempt to send in a small commando team to assassinate Megatron, but the party is killed by Ratbat
Ratbat
Ratbat is the name of several fictional characters who appeared in various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:As is the case with many Transformers characters, the various continuities in which Ratbat has appeared have portrayed him widely differently in terms of size, personality,...
before even making across the river - all save their commander Spike
Witwicky family
The Witwicky family members are fictional characters from the Transformers universes, and are the closest human allies of the Autobots.-Archibald Witwicky:...
. As the Decepticon assault spreads to other parts of Earth, the Decepticons begin to fall apart internally, with even Megatron worrying about the leadership challenges he will face now they have no enemy. The slaughter in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
worries other nations enough for them to contemplate using nuclear weapons on New York. On Cybertron the Swarm
Swarm (Transformers)
The Swarm is a creature in the fictional world of the Transformers: Generation 2 comic by Marvel Comics.The Swarm is a large, amorphous, black mass of particulate sized, corrosive organisms that travel from planet to planet, seeking out cybernetic life forms. Upon contact with other life forms, the...
emerge, forcing the Autobots to flee once more.
As the Autobots flee, the tensions within the group boil over, and Ironhide beats Mirage
Mirage (Transformers)
Mirage is any of several distinct fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Mirage is one of the single most re-used names in the Transformers series, and is almost entirely synonymous with characters possessing Formula One racing car alternate modes.-Transformers Generation 1:Some...
, whom he believes is the traitor, near to death. He is wrong, as Sunstreaker's guilt finally overtakes him and he confesses everything to Ironhide, before sacrificing himself to halt the Swarm's pursuit by destroying a vital bridge. On Earth Starscream again plans a coup, with help from the Insecticons, who have experimented on the real reason the Decepticons were able to access the Autobot codes and systems - a captured, dissected but still living Hunter. Spike links up with the remnants of the human resistance, aiming to kill Megatron with a prototype weapon made from Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
's gun arm, killing Rumble
Rumble (Transformers)
Rumble is a fictional character in the Transformers universes. In order to trademark the name, Hasbro referred to the Alternators character as Decepticon Rumble.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
in the process. His efforts are for naught, as the other world nations still aim to bomb New York. On Cybertron, Prime is revived, managing to quell the dissent amongst the other Autobots. They are almost overwhelmed by the Swarm, but are saved by the timely arrival of Omega Supreme
Omega Supreme
Omega Supreme is the name of a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. He is always an Autobot and is often depicted as a gigantic transformer with vast strength and/or overwhelming firepower.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, who transforms and takes the Autobots to Earth. On Earth Starscream begins a coup against Megatron, gathering the Insecticons
Insecticons
Insecticons is the name given to a sub-group of fictional characters in the Transformers Universes, referred to as Insectrons in the Japanese version. The name was also used for several fictional characters in the Transformers Universes...
and Constructicons
Constructicons
right|thumb|Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Longhaul, Scrapper & Mixmaster - five of the original six Constructicons The Constructicons are a group of fictional characters from the various Transformers continuities...
to his side. Megatron battles back and avoids being killed by Devastator as the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
begin a determined aerial counterstrike. As Starscream realizes that Megatron has orchestrated his coup to weed out the weak in the Decepticons, the Autobots arrive and attack. In the midst of the battle, Megatron reveals his strategy. More of his troops are hidden, disguised, among the humans, including the carrier for the UN nuclear bomb. With this, Megatron intends to wipe out the humans.
Chronological comic order
This is a chronological order of the comics per which the timeline of events developed.1-4. Megatron Origin #1-4
5. Spotlight - Blurr
6. Spotlight - Shockwave
7. Spotlight - Cliffjumper
8. Spotlight - Wheelie
9. Spotlight - Hot Rod
10. Spotlight - Sixshot
11. Spotlight - Ultra Magnus
12. Spotlight - Soundwave
13-16. Infiltration #0-3
17-19. Stormbringer #1-3
20-21. Infiltration #4-5
22. Stormbringer #4
23. Infiltration #6
24. Spotlight - Kup
25-28. New Avengers/Transformers #1-4
29-30. Escalation #1-2
31. Spotlight - Nightbeat
32-35. Escalation #3-6
36. Spotlight - Ramjet
37. Spotlight - Galvatron
38. Spotlight - Optimus Prime
39-42. Devastation #1-4
43. Spotlight - Blaster
44. Spotlight - Arcee
45-46. Devastation #5-6
47. Spotlight - Mirage
48. Spotlight - Grimlock
49-52. Revelation #1-4 (contains Spotlights on Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer & Sideswipe)
53-57. Maximum Dinobots #1-5
58. Spotlight - Drift
59. All Hail Megatron #15
60. Spotlight - Metroplex
61. Spotlight - Jazz
62-76. All Hail Megatron #1-14 & 16
77. Continuum
78. Spotlight - Prowl
79. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1
80. Transformers #1
81-82. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2-3
83. Transformers #2
84. Last Stand of the Wreckers #4
85-86. Transformers #3-4
87-90. Bumblebee #1-4
91-92. Transformers #5-6
93. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5
94-97. Ironhide #1-4
98-101. Drift #1-4
102-103. Heart of Darkness #1-2
104. Infestation #1 (main series)
105-106. Infestation #1-2 (Transformers series)
107. Infestation #2 (main series)
108-109. Heart of Darkness #3-4
110-134. Transformers #7-31 (#31 unpublished)
135. Transformers: Death of Optimus Prime (unpublished)
136-139. Robots in Disguise #1-4 (unpublished)
140-143. More Than Meets the Eye #1-4 (unpublished)
144-147. Autocracy #1-4 (unpublished)
External links
- IDW Transformers Official Site
- Simon Furman: The Blog
- Question to Mr. Furman about TF time units - Furman explains on official forum as to time frame
- Transformers Archive - Issue summaries