Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus explain where they came from, and Vector Prime and Sentinel Maximus's unknown ally is revealed.
Synopsis
Vector Prime, heavily damaged from the anti-matter reaction from the battle with Ramjet, returns with Skyfall and Downshift to the chamber of Alpha Trion, where the old sage is still being repaired, and where Vector Sigma still lies damaged. Vector Prime updates Downshift of the Autobot's progress on Earth, and informs him he must return soon to Earth. Skyfall, having taken the brunt of the damage from the anti-matter blast, is set down for repairs, and begins muttering in Ancient Cybertronian. Downshift is curious who this newcomer is, but Vector Prime answers cryptically that he hasn't seen him for a long time.
👁 (thumbnail) Just watch, we'll manage to fit this image on every page somehow.
Sentinel Maximus arrives soon after, accompanied by Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus. After checking on Vector, he informs him that they had dumped Nemesis Prime in an energon damping cell. Optimus Prime explains that before they arrived here, they had been with Optimus Primal's Children of Primus, battling in the Pit of Unicron as Omega Prime, until the dark god had started crumbling down all around them. Escaping in a portal, the two were redirected from the rest of the group, ending up on this Cybertron.
While Downshift is confused, not understanding why this newcomer is called Optimus Prime. Vector Prime sullenly realizes his worst fears are confirmed; the Unicron Singularity is not only causing local instability, but instability across all time and space, centered on Unicron, causing things such as the memory problems experienced by the Autobots on Earth. Collapsing suddenly, he begs Sentinel to protect Skyfall and leave Cybertron, but before he can inform him why, his body disappears, no longer able to maintain existing in two places at once. Wondering where he as gone, a voice announces that he can answer that. Introducing himself as Overrun, he explains that while Vector Sigma is damaged, he's been maintaining Cybertron, and has been connected to other Vector Sigma nodes in the Multiverse. He explains that he redirected Optimus and Magnus here, apologizing for not being able to send him home, and that he turned on the autoguns at the Kalis Primary Energon Reserves Control. Downshift recognizes the voice, but is confused, as they all thought he died. Overrun explains that he did, after a fashion; Starscream had only managed to kill his physical body, as he already had uploaded his mind to the planetary network. He apologizes for not being able to talk sooner, only just having written a program to do so, having not needed to talk in 20 stellar cycles.
Overrun moves on to explain that Vector is back, safe on Earth, no longer having the energy to maintain his presence here. Ramjet is gone, with only one of his Mini-Con escaping, and is soon destroyed by a smartnuke. He requires Sentinel's assistance to repair Vector Sigma, as he cannot fully maintain Cybertron's ecosystem on his own, with Scrapmetal drones popping up and infesting Cybertron. He then asks Optimus and Magnus for their assistance, while he tries to find a way to send them home, and has them secure the Dead Matrix at the Archives' Rare Item Locker. Unknown to the brothers, however, they're being watched by a mysterious figure...
Featured characters
(Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.)
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
Notes
Continuity notes
- Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus have come from the events of the Universe storyline. When last seen, they had been summoned by Primus in issue #3 of the series.
- Among Primal's forces are Fireflight, Whirl, and King Atlas, who were seen escaping from the Cauldron in issue #2 of the Universe comic. Evidently, they have rejoined up in the intervening events; King Atlas, additionally, was mentioned in Depth Charge's bio as part of an underground network getting refugees out of Unicron. Repugnus, Longhorn, Gunbarrel, Sky Blast, Side Burn, and Prowl, meanwhile, are all new additions; Longhorn would later be revealed in Ask Vector Prime to be a renamed Ramulus.
- Meanwhile, Skywarp and Nemesis Strika are new additions to the Minions. Skywarp would later be seen being abducted in "Wreckers: Finale Part II".
- The black hole is causing memory problems for the Autobots, explaining continuity errors in the Cybertron cartoon, the result of the Japanese production side of the show having been originally written as a series separate from Armada and Energon.
- Overrun assisted Vector and Sentinel with the autoguns in "Balancing Act, Part 4".
- Downshift remembers Overrun supposedly dying, which happened in the unreleased issue #33 of the Dreamwave Energon comic. Which is...odd, since the rest of the comic has been pretty unambiguously in cartoon continuity. Perhaps a similar event has happened here?
- Vector is shown on Earth investigating a rock with the Atlantis symbol with the Autobot's children allies, something that they were seen doing in "Search".
- It's not stated which of Ramjet's Mini-Cons escaped, but Thunderclash, Terradive, and Thunderwing were all powerlinxed to Ramjet when he was defeated, leaving Gunbarrel as the obvious choice.
Transformers references
- The repair drones seen in this issue are based on the repair drone inside of Generation 1 Optimus Prime's trailer. We had previously seen these drones in "Balancing Act, Part 2".
- In the flashback, Optimus Primal is in his 10th Anniversary body. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are both back in their original Generation 1 bodies. Side Burn and Prowl are in their Universe colors. Cheetor is in his Universe body. Longhorn, a redeco of Ramulus from the Universe toyline (who was later retconned to be the same character) shows up as one of the Children of Primus.
- Over-Run shoots down Gunbarrel with a "smartnuke" from Kaon, a city introduced in Dreamwave Productions Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages mini-series.
- Outside the entrance to the Archives are statues of Generation 1 Grimlock and Jetfire. "Jetfire" is specifically drawn according to his Macross-originated toy design.
Errors
- There are a "lot" of coloring error in the flashback to the Pit. Some of it is just block coloring, but aside from that:
- In the first panel of the flashback, Omega Prime's chest is entirely colored purple, Cheetor is white and black, Rhinox is grey with a yellow head, and Longhorn's head is entirely red.
- In the second panel of the flashback, Optimus Primal's helmet is purple, and his arm is colored as part of Cheetor, aside from his thumb, which is colored red like Cheetor's chest, and his hand, which is block colored grey along with Cheetor's legs. Rhinox is gray with yellow highlights, and Roulette appears to be miscolored as Blackarachnia.
- Sentinel Maximus' eyes are colored as yellow, only appearing as their correct blue in the first panel he appears in.
- Overrun is green in his flashback.
- The kids colors are all over the place. Bud has dark hair with a navy blue sweater and jeans, Cody has platinum blond hair with a dark blue sweater and dark grey pants, and Lori has blonde hair and a grey shirt. Additionally, Safeguard has a maroon head, arms, and backpack.
- Over-Run's name is spelled "Overrun", and he will continue to be referred as that in future chapters.
Other notes
- From this chapter of Revelations onward, Ultra Magnus is colored in his original toy/cartoon color scheme, rather than the darker hues used on the Cybertron re-release of his toy, which he sported last issue.
- Rhinox is shown killing Tankor. Thematic!
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