Transformers: Bumblebee - Go For the Gold
From Transformers Wiki
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| "Go For the Gold" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | December 19, 2018 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | November 2018 | ||||||||||||
| Writer | James Asmus | ||||||||||||
| Pencils | Marcelo Ferreira | ||||||||||||
| Inks | Maria Keane | ||||||||||||
| Color | Valentina Pinto | ||||||||||||
| Letters | Tom B. Long | ||||||||||||
| Editor | David Mariotte | ||||||||||||
| Cover | Nicoletta Baldari | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Generation 1 cartoon continuity-ish | ||||||||||||
Bumblebee questions his worth as an Autobot amidst an explosive skirmish over a valuable meteorite.
Contents |
Synopsis
A shooting star over Earth isn't an unusual occurrence, but this morning's impact is a decidedly noteworthy arrival—not only did this mysterious golden meteorite not burn up while passing through the Earth's atmosphere, its cybertonium composition has also attracted the unwanted attention of Starscream, who has press-ganged the Constructicons into excavating the fallen rock from the bottom of a valley. As Optimus Prime and the other members of the Autobot crew arrive to stop him, Bumblebee finds himself in the thick of the action. Prime asks if the little 'bot can secure the prize by himself, and Bumblebee obligingly leaps into action, but finds that the meteor is too heavy for him, and despite Wheeljack and Grimlock's attempts to help 'Bee finds himself jumped by Hook and contemptuously swatted aside.
Eager to show off, Sideswipe joins the fray to show 'Bee how it's done, but the red Autobot's flashy shows of speed and skills overshadow Bumblebee's own contributions to the battle. By the time Bumblebee is back on his feet, Prime and the Autobots have already regrouped to discuss their next moves. Hoping to smooth his ruffled feelings, Bumblebee initially shrugs off Prime's advice to act according to his strength, hoping to join Grimlock on the front lines... but when he sees that Grimlock's up against all six Constructicons, 'Bee quickly changes his mind!
Before the two can argue any further, Wheeljack butts in with some bad news: the cybertonium meteor isn't just made out of cybertonium, but a mixture of different elements… and the more it's blasted, the more volatile this cocktail grows, and when the cybertonium isotopes take too much heat then the meteor will explode, with enough force to level the entire region! That's when Prime receives a message from Windblade on the outskirts of the Autobot perimeter; a trio of human scientists targeted by the Decepticons are now under fire from Skywarp and Thundercracker. Prime tells Bumblebee that he needs to rescue those civilians, and though an incredulous Bumblebee wonders why Prime wants him to desert the battle, the Autobot leader reminds him that, out of all the Autobots, Bumblebee is the best at forming rapports with humanity.
Still grumbling at Prime's willingness to shunt him aside, Bumblebee transforms and zooms off towards the road and rendezvouses with the stranded humans on the highway... but when even the humans begin to question his yellow, non-threatening appearance, Bumblebee only becomes more upset, veering sharply off the road to deposit the humans a safe distance away from the blast and alert the authorities before racing back to the battlefield.
Not far away, Prime and Starscream trade fire as the Autobot commander tires to warn Starscream that the cybertonium meteor is bound to detonate any minute— but Starscream has a different plan in mind, and commands the Constructicons to form Devastator; if he can't abscond with the entire meteor, then he can at least make off with a fragment. As Devastator rips a chunk free, Starscream opens fire on the remainder, forcing the Autobots to dive for cover as the meteor explodes!
Their prize secured, Starscream and the other Decepticons beat a retreat, playing keep-away with the Autobots as they do so… but they reckoned without Bumblebee, who even now races towards Starscream, intent on saving the day! Ignoring Prime's protests, Bumblebee launches himself off a nearby rock formation to try and snatch the meteorite fragment out of Starscream's hands. The pair grapple in mid-air for a few seconds, and although 'Bee manages to wrestle the meteorite out of Starscream's hands, the struggle has also overloaded the cybertonium. Starscream's natural self-preservation convinces him to drop the meteor and Bumblebee. As the bickering Decepticons board Astrotrain to flee, the little Autobot tumbles to the ground as the cybertonium erupts into a fireball that consumes him...
The other Autobots gather around Bumblebee's broken body; though still alive, the Autobot has been badly damaged by his adventure. Wheeljack calls Ratchet to get the doctor on standby, while Prime notes that—since Bumblebee's recklessness saved the day—he won't reprimand him... not until after he's been repaired, anyway!
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"CONSTRUCTICONS! Don't just stand there, you heinous hardware! Blast them! And finish excavating that meteooor!"
"Wait, which is it?"
- — Starscream and Mixmaster
"Okay—since Bee's plan didn't work, what's Plan B?"
"Not funny."
"Kinda funny."
- —Sideswipe and Bumblebee
"Wow... so you really are aliens... but you look just like the car my aunt had?"
- — A human scientist is unimpressed by Bumblebee
"Boss won't be happy when he finds out you lost the ore!"
"What?! Preposterous! You were the fools who literally threw it away!"
"Yeah—to you!"
- — Hook and Starscream
"A meteor hit the Earth today. It got a lot of attention. But it also got itself smashed up in the process. Again, I can relate..."
- — Bumblebee
Notes
Continuity notes
- A one-shot prequel to September's Win if You Dare graphic novel, and released to capitalize on the impending release of December 2018's Bumblebee feature film, this short prequel story sets up some of the events of Win if You Dare; in particular, that story began with Bumblebee having just recovered from the injuries incurred in this issue, and his adventure here evidently sets up his character arc in the graphic novel.
- Optimus's comment about "acting according to your strengths" is one of the key themes in Win if you Dare, though Bumblebee doesn't seem to be inclined to listen to Prime's advice here.
- Bumblebee makes a joke about playing Mario; he was previously established to be a Nintendo fan in Win if You Dare, where he was shown playing Mateo Cruz's Game Boy.
Transformers references
- Cybertonium is a substance that first appeared in The Transformers episode "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1;" here, it's reimagined with volatile, explosive properties, which call to mind the very similar substance Destronium from the Transformers Animated cartoon.
Real-world references
- Bumblebee makes a joke about his skills at Mario with the other Autobots.
Errors
- On the page 2-3 spread, Bonecrusher's legs are miscoloured purple, making him resemble his fellow Constructicon Scavenger.
Other trivia
- A seal of approval on the inner cover notes that this comic is an official Volkswagen licensed product. Okay then!
- For a comic that generally draws inspiration from the Generation 1 cartoon, the Constructicons stand out for not being based on their animation models: rather, they are drawn to resemble their 2015 Combiner Wars toys.
- Digital copies of the issue come with a preview of Win if You Dare and "The Hanging Sword".
Covers (1)
- Cover A: Bumblebee rocks out, by Nicoletta Baldari
