« Transformers: The War Within #2 »
Yes Ravage, Starscream threw your catnip down that hole. For that, he shall PAY!
Publisher	Dreamwave Productions
First published	November 6, 2002
Cover date	November 2002
Story	Simon Furman
Pencils	Don Figueroa
Inks	Elaine To
Colors	Rob Ruffolo
Letters	Dreamer Design
Assistant editor	Matt Moylan
Graphic design	Kevin Lee
Editor-in-chief	Roger Lee
Continuity	Dreamwave continuity
Chronology	Early war

The Autobots prepare to evacuate, while Megatron begins his master plan.

Synopsis

Within the Decepticon fortress of Kolkular, Megatron recaps how the now-executed Xeon was bribed into ignoring the Decepticons' development of their underground movement. However, Starscream reviews footage of Laserbeak's last aerial recon, which shows that the Autobots are preparing to abandon the planet. Megatron is unconcerned, saying that while Optimus Prime has impressed him with ordering an evacuation, they aren't going anywhere.

At the Central Spaceport, the Autobots prepare the Ark for Autobot evacuation of Cybertron, though Hound and Ironhide are debating the wisdom of the new Prime's decision to retreat from the planet. Grimlock's dissatisfaction distracts him from his work, missing the container Brawn is trying to hand him, and he storms off.

While Starscream is sent on a mission of only superficial importance, Megatron and Soundwave drill beneath Cybertron. In the caverns below, the Constructicons refit a planetary turbine to pump plasma upwards out of Cybertron. Scrapper reports the work is ahead of schedule, and Megatron is interested in what would happen if they turned a turbine on with the exhaust vents still blocked.

Prowl and Optimus stand in the Tower of Pion, discussing how the general public feels about Optimus' idea. When the usually-calculating Prowl tries to explain how some decisions must be made with the spark/heart, their meeting is disturbed. An inferno of plasma incinerates the Forum of Enlightenment. Over in Kaon, Grimlock sees the destruction in the distance, but rather than run to help rescue survivors, he moves deeper into Decepticon territory. Meanwhile, Megatron delivers a solemn speech to Soundwave and the Insecticons.

Optimus and a team of Autobots explore the ruins of the immolated area, unable to find a single survivor. Red Alert suggests that the destruction was intentional, and Prime remembers Umbra's message, causing him to believe Megatron devastated the city as a mere way of calling out the new Autobot leader. He breaks off from his group to explore the deeper depths of the area on his own—even aware the idea is madness. While trying to contact Prowl, he runs into the Insecticons. Though he initially tries to surrender so he can speak to Megatron, Shrapnel intends to take him in dead, and blasts him into a pit. As Optimus picks himself up, Ravage charges to the attack.

Meanwhile, at the Decagon, the Autobots are debating the wisdom of Prime going off by himself, when Shockwave and an army of Decepticons attack!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Laserbeak, replay aerial recon file V6.2— Perhaps our suddenly garrulous leader was too busy pontificating to grasp its significance."

—Starscream picked up a dictionary.

"Starscream, understand this. You are a blunt instrument, to be delivered with direction and force. In this capacity, you have few peers."

—Megatron takes the full measure of Starscream

"The ultimate realization of our primary agenda is at hand. Fitting then, that it too began underground: hidden, wrapped in guile and subterfuge. Such is the Decepticon way."

—Megatron

"Wait...wait! If Megatron wants me, I won't resist. Take me to him..."
"Oh, he wants you...He wants your twitching corpse!"

—Optimus Prime and Shrapnel

Notes

Continuity notes

• Ravage is drawn to transform into a rounded cassette like Laserbeak.
• Trypticon is visible on one of Megatron's circular monitors, as a prototype. He will not be "really" created until the Dark Ages (when he looks quite different).

Transformers references

• "FIRRIB" is visible on one of the platforms as the Autobots load cargo onto the Ark.
• The container Brawn's holding has the Japanese text "Dinosaur Robo", which was the name for the Diaclone figures that would eventually become the Dinobots.
• The drill that Megatron and Soundwave use to get to the underground chamber has a passing similarity to the spire the Decepticons used to launch from their underwater base in the original cartoon—only, of course, upside down.

Toy cameos

The Renegade Cy-Kill and the Autobot, uh, Autobot. Amongst a group of Decepticons. Yeah.

• Megatron's audience of Decepticons on page 1 features many background cameos drawn by penciller Don Figueroa based upon obscure Takara toys which were not imported by Hasbro for The Transformers toyline in 1984, though colorist Rob Ruffolo has given them all original colour schemes.
  • In the top row, second from the reader's left is Micro Change MC-17 Kagirobo Dialman, a toy with a combination lock alt-mode.
  • In the top row, at far right and cut off by the page edge is MC-18 Kagirobo Magneman, a toy with a key lock alt-mode.
  • In the middle row at far left is the 1982 Machine Robo toy MR-01 Bike Robo, aka Cy-Kill of GoBots game, drawn with the characteristic C-shaped fingerless hands made famous by the 1984 Challenge of the GoBots animated series.
  • Standing next to Cy-Kill is MC-06 Watch Robo, who did see a Transformers release in 1993's Generation 2 toyline as the Autobot character "Autobot", using the silver deco from Micro Change. For many years, owing to the lack of any better placement option, this wiki documented the Watch Robo character on the "Autobot (G2)" page despite the character's probable Decepticon status. Finally in 2015, the Facebook edition of Ask Vector Prime would flesh out this character, identifying him as a Generation 1 incarnation of the 2007 movie toyline Decepticon Meantime, also a dark-colored watch-former. Ask Vector Prime would also identify G1 Meantime as representative of the unused black deco from the Micro Change toyline, which more-or-less passes the squint test.
  • Further to the audience's right is MC-19 Binocular Robo Scope Man. Ask Vector Prime would identify this character as Pulse, a Decepticon mentioned but not visually depicted in The War Within: The Dark Ages #1.
  • Still in the middle row but to the audience's right of Xeon's head is MC-14 Meteor Robo Metal Man, who was redecoed by Takara as the Maximal Eggbot and the Predacon Dark Eggbot in the 1998 Japanese Beast Wars toyline.
  • And at far right in the middle row is Diaclone Dia-Battles. Ask Vector Prime would identify this robot as the unvisualized character Stormbringer, who also would be mentioned in The War Within: The Dark Ages #1.
  • In the bottom row to the right of Xeon's head is the then-unnamed variant of Diaclone Lancia Stratos Turbo, commonly nicknamed by fans as "Marlboro Wheeljack" as the base version was used for the Generation 1 Autobot Wheeljack while the secondary Diaclone deco was inspired by the tobacco company Marlboro. In 2015, TakaraTomy would recreate the variant toy properly as a Transformers character, named Exhaust.
  • To the right of Exhaust is Diaclone Triple Changer Helicopter Type, sporting his rotor blades as chest kibble pointing up. Ask Vector Prime would dub this character Fumes as a theme with "Exhaust".
• And the lower right corner of page 11 features one more pre-Transformers cameo, an Autobot based on the Diaclone Gats Blocker toy, though the Transformer is probably not a 14-piece Combiner as in Diaclone.

Errors

• In the establishing shot of Kolkular, the word "orbital" is misspelled "obirtal".
• Scrapper reports the sealed vents have "been that was for some considerable time", instead of way.
• On the page following, "pavillions" is misspelled. (The correct English spelling would be "pavilions", based on French "pavillons"; a combination of both is incorrect in either language.)

Covers (1)

• Megatron pontificating with Ravage while Starscream schemes; art by Don Figueroa and Talent Pun.

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• Titan Books' Generation 1 collections.
• The War Within #3
• Armada #6
• Transformers Profile, Book One

Reprints

In addition to collections of the full series.

• N/A