The Transformers: Spotlight
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The Transformers: Spotlight is a comic book series of one-shot issues, published by IDW Publishing. The series consists of single-issue stories based in IDW's Generation 1 fictional universe, each featuring an individual character. So far, the series has featured Shockwave, Nightbeat, Hot Rod, Sixshot, Ultra Magnus, and Soundwave with upcoming issues featuring Kup, Galvatron and Optimus Prime. Although the Shockwave and Nightbeat issues were numbered #1 and #2 respectively, individual numbering for the series was abandoned with the Hot Rod issue as the series expanded beyond five issues.
Contents |
[edit] Issue 1: Shockwave
The story opens with Shockwave anticipating the effects the civil war will have on Cybertron as a whole. After covertly launching energon missile-pods programmed to travel to predetermined spheroids, one crashes on Earth with Shockwave periodically looking on this experiment-in-progress for thousands of Earth-years. Eons later, he secretly arrives on Earth to stabilize the energon reserves for eventual harvesting. Unfortunately, he realizes all too late that he has been tracked all the while by Grimlock and his Dynobots and is interrupted by their attack. The Dynobots, seeking revenge for a past defeat involving the detonation of a large energon cache, quickly adopt the alternate modes of extinct life forms with synthetic outer tissue to combat the high energon ore radiation; Shockwave had been all too prepared, properly shielding himself from the radiation beforehand. Despite the ferocity of the Dynobots' assault, he is still able to defeat them one-by-one after almost instinctively shutting off his higher cerebral functions, destroying their synthetic tissue. However, Grimlock, anticipating possible defeat, programmed their ship to monitor them and fire upon their location after stasis lock detection, burying them all in molten magma. Thousands of years later, in the present day, a human archeology team discovers various pieces of the Dynobots, as well as Shockwave's protruding hand, during a major excavation.
[edit] Credits
- Written by: Simon Furman
- Art by: Nick Roche
[edit] Notes
Shockwave's actions here serve as a prequel of sorts to other storylines:
In relation to The Transformers: Infiltration:
- The rich energon seams Shockwave plants on Earth as a failsafe (now designated "Ore-13") are somehow discovered by Starscream in the not-too-distant future.
- Hunter O'Nion's Mech-a-topia website, shown in the first issue, references the discovery of the Dinobots when listing the various theories of when the Transformers arrived. His notes include a reference to "dinosaur-variant mechanoids", a clear reference to the Dynobots.
In relation to The Transformers: Stormbringer:
- Shockwave's predictions about Cybertron becoming drained and uninhabitable turn out to be very true, as it was said that nothing would be able to survive.
- Megatron, at the story's close, assigns Bludgeon to seal off Shockwave's laboratory and investigate all his research for a later report, implying that this is how he gains the vast amount of knowledge he utilizes later on to reanimate Thunderwing. Also, the reference to Bludgeon going to Earth following Regenesis in Stormbringer indicates that his "Ultra Energon" from that story and "ore-13" from Infiltration are the same substance.
- It would appear that the various other worlds which received Shockwave's refined energon might very well be the same worlds Bludgeon, proceeds to attack with Thunderwing.
Also, this issue pays homage to the Dreamwave, Marvel, Beast Wars and the Transformers G1 cartoon continuities all at once:
- The term "Dynobots" was used in volume 3 of Dreamwave's ongoing Generation One series when referring to Grimlock's Cybertronian hit squad. Also, their Cybertronian modes are designed exactly the same as they were in Dreamwave's Transformers: The War Within series.
- In the Marvel series, the Dinobots also battled Shockwave on prehistoric Earth. He defeated them as well, and they all ended up buried for many millennia. Also, when Shockwave was discovered, his hand was also the first thing visible.
- The Dynobots having to adopt technorganic Beast Modes to survive the high energon levels is reminiscent of the problem facing the Maximals and Predacons in the first season of the Beast Wars series. Indeed, Grimlock going into stasis lock by changing to robot mode is almost exactly what happened to Megatron at the close of the pilot story.
- In the original G1 animated series, the Dinobots were constructed when the Autobot Wheeljack discovered dinosaur bones; in the Spotlight, the detection of the same inspires Grimlock to choose his alternative mode. Likewise, in the Beast Wars pilot episode, Megatron, Dinobot and Terrorsaur also receive their alternate modes in this way.
- We would discover what happened to the uncovered Shockwave and the Dinobots in issue #5 of The Transformers: Escalation, where it was revealed that they were being dug up by the mysterious organization known as Skywatch.
[edit] Issue 2: Nightbeat
While investigating the mysterious loss of the original Ark, Nightbeat is drawn into a murder of a trader, who promised to sell him a recording from the Ark on a distant planet. Retracing the victim's steps, he discovers evidence of alien intervention in the planet's history, Cybertronian materials dating back to the Ark, and, under the planet, a massive dimensional portal resembling a metallic sea. He is then attacked and captured by mysterious and advanced Transformers (the Micromasters) under the command of a being that emerged from the portal. It turns out Nightbeat was expected and that this had all been a trap, leading to a device being implanted in his brain to make him a sleeper agent. Nightbeat's memory of the investigation is erased and he is unaware of the previously recorded data he made of the investigation. At the end of the issue, Nightbeat is summoned by Optimus Prime to rendezvous with the Earth-bound crew of Autobots for a mission involving his "special talents"; this causes the implant to react and deliver a brief pain. This will likely be explored in The Transformers: Escalation.
The identity of the beings that emerged from the portal and their agenda are both unknown, but Nightbeat hears them commenting "dead universe" and "emissary", hinting they originate from another dimension.
[edit] Credits
- Written by: Simon Furman
- Art by: MD Bright
[edit] Notes
- The end of the issue ties in directly to the end of The Transformers: Stormbringer and the beginning of The Transformers: Escalation, with Optimus en route to Earth and needing help unraveling the mysteries resulting from the former miniseries.
- Although IDW's main G1 continuity disregarded the traditional Ark crash storyline, this issue pays homage to that by revealing there was an original Ark which disappeared.
- It has been stated by Simon Furman that the being that Nightbeat encountered was Galvatron.
[edit] Issue 3: Hot Rod
Without his superior officers' knowledge, Hot Rod had started a solo mission to undo his past wrong actions during his first mission command. His mission was to secure "The Magnificence", an unknown artifact on a distant planet guarded by statues/keepers named "Omega guardians", in order to prevent it from being captured by the Decepticons.
A few flashbacks show Hot Rod and his squad setting up an holographic projector and some fireworks to attract the Guardians' attention while they sneak in a tunnel. During the mission something goes wrong: some team members are killed and one of them named Dealer is captured. Hot Rod escapes in a way unknown to the others (it was later classified "only for eyes info" e.g. top secret).
In the present, riding a meteor to the planet's surface, Hot Rod succeeds in infiltrating the most infamous Decepticon penal installation. After partially disabling external and internal defenses and surveillance, he finds his way to the jail cell block and frees Dealer, the squad's only survivor. He then disguises himself and Dealer as Decepticons to escape during the general confusion.
At the Autobot orbital headquarters (possibly the same where Optimus Prime is in Stormbringer #2), Dealer finally leaves the medical bay to find Hot Rod waiting for him. Hot Rod stumblingly tries to apologize for leaving him behind, but Dealer forgives him and still wants them to be friends. However, Dealer later talks with Decepticon Banzaitron, who ordered him to disrupt the original mission; now Dealer waits to win Hot Rod's trust to find the actual location of the Magnificence, which he will then give to Banzaitron. The Decepticon, not fully trusting Dealer, responds by saying maybe he should change Dealer's name to Doubledealer.
[edit] Credits
- Written by: Simon Furman
- Art by: Nick Roche
[edit] Notes
- The name that Banzaitron calls Dealer at the story's conclusion, Doubledealer, is in fact the original name of the G1 character.
- "Omega guardians" are a homage to Marvel and the G1 cartoon's "Cybertron's Guardians" and Dreamwave's "Omega Sentinels" seen in The War Within vol. 1 and Generation 1 v2: War & Peace.
[edit] Issue 4: Sixshot
A weapon created for total chaos, Sixshot is the best at what he does, even capable of annihilating entire worlds. However his power made him a pariah even amongst his fellow Decepticons. Waiting for his next assignment, Sixshot began to grow restless, noting the absence of the Terrorcons (the only Transformers that can tolerate him), and was told they had gone missing on a planet destroyed by the mysterious Reapers.
Setting out to locate them, Sixshot journeyed to Muma-Obscura, a world devastated by the Reapers. Greeted by a party of the Reapers, Sixshot engaged in battle, with the location of the Terrorcons as the prize. Sixshot won, but was merely being tested by the Reapers, who revealed that, like Sixshot, they were once tools of war with few equals. Since then, they have aspired to a greater purpose and banded together to rid the universe of war by obliterating the most war-like races. The Reapers offered membership to Sixshot, asking him to kill the Terrorcons as a test (much to the Terrorcons' horror). Sixshot seemed to accept and blasted the Terrorcons, but when the smoke cleared he had merely shot around them. The Reapers left, promising to meet him again.
[edit] Credits
- Written by: Simon Furman
- Art by: Rob Ruffolo
[edit] Notes
- The lead Reaper is identified as a Deathbringer, a mechanoid bred for war in the harshest environments. In the original Marvel comics, the Deathbringer was a mechanoid that appeared during the Matrix Quest storyline, horribly mutated by the power of the Creation Matrix.
[edit] Issue 5: Ultra Magnus
The issue begins with the Decepticon arms dealer Swindle attempting to hide with his associate Lorcha in his impregnable fortress - to no avail. Autobot law enforcement official Ultra Magnus tracked him down and apprehended him, making short work of Lorcha's defenses and henchmen in the process. Destined for a court-martial at the hands of his superiors, Swindle bargained his way out of his fate by giving Magnus information on the whereabouts of a bigger threat — Scorponok. Magnus begrudgingly agreed, and let Swindle go, after planting a tracking device on the unwitting Decepticon.
Magnus then tracked Scorponok down on the planet Nebulos. There he discovered the Decepticon's plan: upgrading several of the Nebulans with Transformer technology. Magnus soon found Scorponok himself, and lost the subsequent fight. However, a shot from Scorponok's beast mode seemingly killed Scorponok's already upgraded partner Lord Zarak. Magnus managed to shoot Scorponok in the head, but the Decepticon escaped again. Much later, after apprehending Swindle (again), the Decepticon again attempted to deal his way out.
[edit] Credits
- Written by: Simon Furman
- Art by: Robby Musso
[edit] Notes
- Although not named, the process Scorponok and Zarak are using on their Nebulan test subjects, implanting them with Transformer technology, seems to be an early version of the Headmaster process.
- Nebulos would be seen again (chronologically later) in The Transformers: Stormbringer, where it was devastated by Thunderwing.
- Magnus' report on bringing in Swindle at the end of the issue is the same one heard by Optimus Prime in issue #1 of The Transformers: Escalation, indicating that the epilogue portion takes place concurrently with Escalation.
- Zarak's physical appearance here is accurate to his appearance in the original animated series episodes known as The Rebirth, although the rest of the Nebulans we see look completely different.
[edit] Issue 6: Soundwave
The issue opens in 1984 with Soundwave, in cassette player mode, spying on a group of humans, aware that two of their number are really facsimiles. It then flashes back to the scene from the Shockwave Spotlight, where Megatron assigns Bludgeon to investigate Shockwave's projects following his disappearance. Unknown to Bludgeon, Soundwave was hidden in the shadows and Megatron assigns him to spy on Bludgeon's progress. Soundwave does so, and discovers Bludgeon's fascination with the Regenesis project, but he does not mention this to Megatron.
In the present (1984), the facsimiles report to Bomb-Burst as Soundwave dispatches Laserbeak and Ravage to locate their base — which is hidden in Mount St. Helens. Bludgeon reveals that he plans to harvest enough Ultra Energon for his purposes, and Soundwave recalls Laserbeak to transport him (in cassette player mode) to the base.
As Bludgeon, Bomb-Burst and Iguanus rampage through the dig site, destroying it utterly, Soundwave arrives at their base. He offers to keep quiet if they cut him in to whatever they're planning, but Bludgeon reveals his true purpose — to reanimate Thunderwing with the Ultra Energon they've gathered. Realizing that Bludgeon's plan would endanger Cybertron and the entire Transformer race, he resolves to ignore his personal motivations and safety and attacks Bludgeon's team, along with his loyal cassette warriors. Ravage and Laserbeak initially have the upper hand but are both dispatched by Bludgeon's sword. Using a weapon discovered in Shockwave's lab, the cultists turn it on Soundwave, stasis-locking him into his cassette player mode. Bludgeon's crew teleport out as his demolitions charges set the volcano off spectacularly.
The following year, Laserbeak's remains are recovered by the humans and in 2007, a pair of young humans debate to buy Soundwave's cassette player mode from a shop in Oregon.
[edit] Credits
- Written by: Simon Furman
- Art by: Marcelo Matere
[edit] Notes
- This comic serves as a prequel to The Transformers: Stormbringer, explaining how Bludgeon got the Ultra Energon needed to reanimate Thunderwing.
- Also, the idea of human facsimiles, such as those appear here, form a key plot point in The Transformers: Escalation.
- In the original Marvel Comics and animated series, 1984 was when the Transformers on the crashed Ark awoke after four million years in stasis-lock.
- A continuity/art error arises during Megatron's conversation with Bludgeon. In his portrayal in the Shockwave Spotlight Megatron's helmet was blue. However in the same conversation in this issue, it is the more traditional gray-white.
- Ravage is shown to have the ability to speak, perhaps as a homage to the Marvel series. Laserbeak, however only emits bird-like squawks in this issue.
[edit] Issue 7: Kup
- To be released in April 2007.
[edit] Credits
- This is the first story so far in IDW's G1 continuity that is not being written by Simon Furman — artist Nick Roche wrote and penciled the issue.
[edit] Issue 8: Galvatron
[edit] Credits
- Written by: Simon Furman
- Art by: Guido Guidi
[edit] Future issues
Optimus Prime will receive a Spotlight in September with Don Figueroa as artist.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Arune Singh. "WWLA: SIMON FURMAN TALKS "TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: GALVATRON"", Comic Book Resources, 2007-03-18. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
- ^ Hannibal Tabu. "WWLA: IDW PUBLISHING SHOWS OFF THE FAMILY JEWELS", Comic Book Resources, 2007-03-17. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
