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"Angel, angel, what have I done?"
Publisher	Image Comics Skybound Entertainment
First published	May 8,2024
Cover date	May 2024
Written by	Daniel Warren Johnson
Art by	Jorge Corona
Colors by	Mike Spicer
Letters by	Rus Wooton
Editor	Ben Abernathy
Continuity	Energon Universe

As the Autobots ready themselves to go on the offensive, Soundwave begins a plan to bring Earth under Decepticon rule!

Synopsis

Carly bringsSpike Witwicky to a lake outsideFarmingham, thinking it will help his recovery to get some fresh air. When she asks how he feels, Spike tells her he doesn't feelanything. Carly says that with the world changing, they have to protect themselves.Cliffjumper joins them, even offering them colas, but Carly is still angry at him for not killingStarscream, feeling like she can't trust him anymore. She storms off, leaving Spike to comfort a dejected Cliff.

OnCybertron,Elita One carries the mangled body of a deliriousUltra Magnus through the fortress, looking for an exit. Having experienced over a hundred fifty years of torture, Magnus begs Elita to kill him. Elita apologizes for taking so long to find him and assures him that she won't let him go again, but ultimately promises to follow Magnus's order—for both of them—if they are captured.

In thePacific Ocean,U.S.S.Henry Harrison makes its way towardsWashington whenSoundwave andThundercracker attack. Thundercracker pities the humans, and when the Captain begs for his life, he begins to let them go. Soundwave points out that while they pose no threat to them, they will likely inform their superiors about their attack, and thus they cannot be allowed to go free. He blasts the humans fleeing on lifeboats.

On theArk,Wheeljack is still trying to useTeletraan One despite the interference ofSkywarp, whose fusion with the computer gives him more control over it and whom Wheeljack can't remove without compromising what remains of Teletraan. Optimus pities the Seeker for what his fellowDecepticons did to him, especially after seeing a video log of him getting ripped apart. However, Carly enters carrying a missile launcher, planning to kill what remains of Skywarp. Optimus tries to talk her down, but her finger slips on the trigger, sending the missile headed towards the computer. However,Arcee takes the shot, saving Teletraan and Skywarp, much to Carly's distress. Grateful to be saved, Skywarp uses Teletraan to fix Wheeljack's legs. Optimus tries to use this as a teaching moment for Carly, but she's not having any of it and storms off to her van. Arcee follows after her, and Carly apologizes. Carly admits that she’s confused why theAutobots don't act like the giant badass robots she sees, but Arcee reveals that before Optimus brought them together, they were all scattered and lost. She tells Carly that while Optimus tries to hide it, his losses are greater than anyone's.

"We're gonna need a bigger... oh, we've found one already."

Later, Optimus awakens from a dream where he sees himself with a human child as the boy grows through the years. He questions what these visions mean, but is soon distracted by the newly-awokenJetfire, whomRatchet was able to save from death, but unfortunately, he is nowmode locked and blind, much to Jetfire's horror. Optimus apologizes, trying to justify it as an allocation of resources, but when he turns to leave, Jetfire begs him to stay, not wanting to be left alone in the darkness. Optimus agrees to sit with him awhile.

Having sunk theHenry Harrison, Soundwave and Thundercracker follow it down to the sea floor, where theConstructicons have been unearthing the key to Soundwave's ultimate plan: theNemesis, the ship which brought the Decepticons to Earth all those years ago! As the Decepticons work to repair the ship, they hear a loud banging coming from inside the ship's brig. Soundwave orders the Decepticons open it, much to their trepidation, saying they need all the help they can get. As the doors open, an enragedAstrotrain tears through them, demanding to know whereMegatron is. As he tears through the smaller Decepticon warriors, Soundwave tries to get him to calm down, saying that they don't know where Megatron is now, but promising to give him to Astrotrain when they find him.

Back at theArk, Wheeljack detects the activation of theNemesis. Optimus orders the Autobots to board Jetfire so that they might finally take the fight to their enemy. Carly insists on coming, but Optimus refuses, telling her she isn't a warrior. Arcee offers to take Carly on as heriron apprentice—a sacred bond between (typically) an older and younger Cybertronian that marks the beginning of aclan, and the same relationship Ultra Magnus had with Arcee many years ago. Optimus reluctantly agrees, but orders them to instead stay at the Ark with Wheeljack to defend their home and watch over Spike as the rest of the Autobots depart in Jetfire.

On theNemesis, Thundercracker asks when the ship will take to the skies, but Soundwave reports that that will require too muchenergon. What they really need is the ship's antennae, which will allow them to finally call for reinforcements. Soundwave activates the monitor on the ship's bridge, and the image ofShockwave appears.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"That's why we have to protect ourselves, Spike. And we've got big metal warriors now. They can help us get the ones who killed our dads!"
"But...my dadwasn't killed. He gave himself up for those robots, I can't help but think of how he disappeared. No body, no ashes, justgone. Just like Jimmy. I didn't realize how much I needed him until he went away. I didn't know how bad it could get until now..."

—Carly andSpike discuss their reactions to their respective fathers deaths

"I don't get it. You're all huge and powerful! Total badasses. How come you don'tact like it?"
"We weren't always like this. We were scattered and lost before the war started on our planet. Optimus brought us together. He desires peace above all else."
"Easy forhim to say."
"He doesn't speak of it often, but believe me-- His losses could fill a chasm."

—Carly struggles to believeArcee and the Autobots aren't warriors

"I... had to use what was left at my disposal. We needed a way to travel around this world in order to save it."
"Is that what I am to you now? Ahusk? I cannot move. Everything is... black. I cannot see thestars anymore."

—Optimus faces the repercussions of bringingJetfire back to life

Notes

Continuity notes

• Hidden in the shadows on the first page is a bot whose few identifying features look suspiciously similar toBeachcomber, who was previously seen getting shot in a flashback to Cybertron inissue #2. What is he doing here?
• Carly mentions that Starscream killed Bumblebee back inissue #1.
• Cliffjumper’s refusal to kill Starscream occurred inissue #6.
• Wheeljack has been operating as only a torso since he was revived inissue #4.
• Skywarp getting torn apart to repair Teletraan One happened in issues #4 and#5.
• The Decepticons might not know where Megatron is, but readers who picked up theEnergon Universe Special 2024 certainly do.
• Arcee's relationship with Ultra Magnus was first glimpsedlast issue.
• Clans were first mentioned back inissue #3.
• After previously appearing inVoid Rivals#4 and being alluded to last issue, Shockwave finally makes his first appearance in theTransformers title proper.

Transformers references

• Introduced in this issue is theNemesis, the classic Decepticon flagship seen in both the originalGeneration 1 cartoon andMarvel comic. Its name and fate - crashed and at the bottom of the ocean - first appeared in theBeast Wars finale two-parter, "Nemesis".
• The Decepticons operating out of a crashed spaceship at the bottom of the ocean is yet another element pulled from the Generation 1 cartoon. However, it should be noted that, while theNemesis was depicted as crashing into the ocean in the aforementionedBeast Wars episode, the Decepticon headquarters of the Generation 1 cartoon was actually a different ship, theVictory.

Real-world references

• While the colas go unbranded, they are colored with red packaging ofCoca-Cola.

Errors

• The establishing caption for the U.S.S.Henry Harrison again misspells the name asHenry Harrisson.

Other trivia

• It is confirmed in the fan mail section that Frenzy (thered one in this continuity) perished during the dam battle in Issue #5.
• Initially, DWJ had intended for Jetfire to be dead with the Autobots using his lifeless body for transportation. Hasbro, however, deemed it "too morbid" and wanted him to remain alive. Yeah, thatdefinitely worked. Even DWJ himself was disturbed!^[1]

Covers

This article needs to grow up a little bit. This comic series, compliation/TPB, feature or continuity article is astub and is missing information. You can helpTransformers Wiki byexpanding it. Note: For single issues or individual stories, use {{issuestub}} What's needed: 5/15 covers documented

• Cover A: Elita One, by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer.
• Cover B: Thundercracker attacks theHenry Harrison, by Jorge Corona and Mike Spicer.
• Cover C (1:10 Copy Incentive): Connecting cover, byKaren S. Darboe.
• Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive): Astrotrain, byEthan Young.
• Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive): TheNemesis in the sky over Optimus Prime, byPaul Azaceta.

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• 5-page preview ofScarlett#1.

Reprints

• Transformers Volume 2: Transport to Oblivion(November 27,2024)ISBN 1534345272 /ISBN 978-1534345270
  • Collects issues #7–12.
  • Trade paperback format.

• 

  Volume 2: Transport to Oblivion – cover art by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer

External links

References