Primacy issue 1

« The Transformers: Primacy #1 »
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	August 13, 2014
Cover date	August 2014
Story by	Chris Metzen & Flint Dille
Art by	Livio Ramondelli
Letters by	Chris Mowry
Editor	John Barber
Continuity	2005 IDW continuity
Chronology	Early in the war

Megatron awakens his newest soldier, whilst Optimus Prime takes a sabbatical that inadvertently leads him to a Cybertronian not seen for millions of years.

Synopsis

In the aftermath of Trypticon's rampage, Cybertron is experiencing a lull in the burgeoning Autobot-Decepticon war. At Maccadam's Old Oil House, Hot Rod, fresh out of the Autobot Academy, tries and fails to convince an acquaintance that Optimus Prime and his government aren't just as bad as what came before. Leaving the bar, the freshly-minted Autobot encounters an old friend – Slinger, his co-conspirator from his days as an insurgent in Nyon. Hot Rod's old friend has never forgiven him for killing that city's inhabitants to prevent them being drained by the vamparc ribbons, and has joined up with the Decepticons. Declaring that his new comrades are the "real power" on Cybertron, Slinger leaves his former ally with a warning to watch his back.

In Cybertron's southern polar region, Optimus Prime and Ironhide scale the Grav-Haraan glacier, the Autobot leader having taken a sabbatical to clear his mind after the recent battle. Ironhide nearly slips from the icy cliff, but eventually the duo reach its summit. Against the odds, though, they are not alone – on the horizon, Ironhide spies a large object with a significant energon signature.

In Metroplex, deep in the heart of Iacon, Kup and Ultra Magnus anxiously await the completion of Ratchet's operation upon Grimlock. Arriving late, Hot Rod learns that Grimlock was the last of the Dynobots to receive this treatment, purging him of the tainted energon that brought on his atavistic alternate mode. Emerging from the operating theater, Ratchet gives Grimlock a clean bill of health, and reveals that he's managed to restore the Dynobots' original alternate modes, bringing them up to the same fighting shape they were in when they served in the Primal Vanguard. Upon meeting him, Hot Rod voices his admiration towards the Dynobots, knowing of them from tales of the Primal Vanguard's glory days. Grimlock rebukes him, saying that a recruit fresh from the academy will have to earn his respect, or even simply his trust.

In the ruins of Harmonex, a fully repaired Megatron waxes loquacious over the inert form of Trypticon. Calling upon the stolen spark of Pentius that they have each borne in turn, Megatron manages to rouse the gargantuan beast, only to find that it now bears the consciousness of the slain Quintesson. However he finds that his former guide has found new purpose within this engine of destruction, a purpose he shares with Megatron: the breaking of a world.

Traversing the glacier, Optimus and Ironhide approach a monolithic structure, only to find it to be the source of the energon signature they'd detected. As they near the structure they find it to be the watchful form of an Omega Sentinel.

Megatron is skeptical of Trypticon, knowing the treachery Pentius was capable of. Trypticon confesses that his memories are a confusing tangle, of which he is uncertain of the source. However through the spark bond that they share, Trypticon shows Megatron what he recalls: Cybertron, desolate after a "battle of gods"; another world, broken asunder; the Quintessons, and the death and destruction they have wrought on others. This overwhelms the revolutionary, for while his ruthlessness is known, the sheer depths of such evil are not something he can stand. Trypticon assures him that he will understand in time.

Hailing the Omega Sentinel, Optimus discovers that it has stood vigil since the disappearance of Nova Prime. The Sentinel turns Optimus and Ironhide away, saying he awaits the return of the Prime. Optimus reveals that he bears the Matrix, and the Sentinel reacts with disbelief and despair when he learns that Nova is long gone. Regardless, he is prepared to serve this young Prime, and ferry him back to civilization. As the Autobots board his alternate mode, the Sentinel reveals his name to them: Omega Supreme.

Back in Harmonex, Megatron musters the Decepticons around Trypticon. He announces to them that he wishes to prepare for an all-out assault, but due to Scorponok many abandoned the Decepticon cause. He says that they will be leaving Cybertron with Trypticon in order to re-gather the Decepticon army.

Aboard Sky Linx, Hot Rod marvels at the rebuilt Toraxxis mega-refinery, now drawing directly from the cavernous reserves of the region and purifying the tainted energon. Cybertron's energon shortage seems to be solved for the foreseeable future, but this may be too little, too late after the exodus of much of the population. Grimlock doesn't share the young recruit's enthusiasm, as being near Toraxxis dredges up too many bad memories for him. Hot Rod pushes back against the veteran, incensed that Grimlock is this self-absorbed. A scuffle nearly ensues, before Sky Linx announces that they've passed Toraxxis and now are over Harmonex. To the astonishment of all, Trypticon is missing.

In orbit above Cybertron, Trypticon's alternate mode is revealed as a massive space-borne fortress. Within, Shockwave reports to Megatron that his navigational preparations are complete, and the Decepticons take to the stars.

Featured characters

(Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.)
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

Continuity notes

• The Grand Convocation was seen falling to bits in "Massacre", after Dai Atlas and the Circle of Light joined the great exodus. The government is now being called the Conclave of Representatives.
• The experiences of the Senate and New Senate hang over the new government.
• Hot Rod blew up Nyon in Autocracy #6, to prevent its dying citizens having their last energon drained by Zeta Prime. The Autobots captured Iacon and installed Metroplex there in the final chapter of that story.
• Trypticon's rampage in Harmonex, the Dynobots' out-of-control alternate modes, and Scorponok's reign as Decepticon leader were all key plot threads of the Monstrosity series.
• Omega Supreme was chronologically last seen the Robots in Disguise Annual, where he met and came into conflict with Nova Prime. Taking that issue into context, it seems likely that Omega's vigil was not in aid of throwing the Prime a welcome-home party...

Transformers references

• Trypticon serving as a Decepticon space vessel draws from the Aligned continuity family version of the character.

Errors

• The 'bot in the bar who berates Hot Rod for joining up with the Autobots is, er, wearing an Autobot insignia on his chest. (Corrected in the trade.)
• The spelling 'Sky Linx' is consistently used. It's possible that this is a deliberate choice to remove an anachronistic reference to an Earth animal, à la 'Dynobot', but the traditional 'Sky Lynx' spelling was used in Dille and Metzen's previous stories. (Corrected in the trade to "Lynx".)
• In this issue, it is stated that Hot Rod's friend Slinger never forgave him for destroying Nyon and its citizens, but in the issue in which this occurred, we see that Slinger actually convinced Hot Rod to blow up the city and its inhabitants so that they would not be used as fuel by Zeta Prime.

Other notes

• We learnt in More than Meets the Eye #22 that Thunderclash carried the Matrix of Leadership during Optimus Prime's "first sabbatical". Given that Optimus still possesses it in this issue, we can safely assume that we're seeing a separate, and likely shorter-term, event.

Covers (3)

• Regular cover: Optimus Prime and the Autobots, by Livio Ramondelli. Part of an interlocking image with the regular covers of the other three issues.
• Subscription cover: Optimus Prime reveals the Matrix of Leadership, by Saren Stone.
• 30th Anniversary cover: Blaster watches Scrounge melt in the smelting pool in a recreation of the famous scene from issue #17 of the Marvel Comics series, by Casey Coller and John-Paul Bove. The first in August's series of Marvel-themed 30th Anniversary covers.

Advertisements

• TBD

Reprints

Other than collections of the full series.

• N/A