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Defiance issue 2

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Defiance2 CoverB.jpg
I'm a bad mutha effin' bot!
Publisher IDW Publishing
First published March 4, 2009
Cover date February 2009
Written by Chris Mowry
Pencils by Dan Khanna and Andrew Griffith
Inks by Andrew Griffith with John Wycough
Colors by Josh Perez
Letters by Chris Mowry
Edits by Denton J. Tipton
Continuity Movie continuity

Megatron begins to change... for the worse!

Contents

Synopsis

Thousands of years ago, in what will become Egypt, a bunch of humans are building a pyramid. The start of a thunderstorm sends them fleeing into a stone archway—an entrance adorned by a Decepticon insignia. Not too long ago, the people had witnessed the actions of a great evil, and though it has gone, they fearfully await its return.

Cybertron, in Megatron's quarters in Trypticon. The Cybertronian leader lays vulnerable on the floor, until a mysterious voice tells him to "awaken."

Clocker, Warpath, and Signal Flare dig up the remains of dead Transformers under the watchful gaze of Optimus. When they ask what happened, Optimus explains about the earlier alien attack. Before he seeks out answers about who attacked them or why, though, he wants to help the attack's victims. He sets out to the temple at Simfur, where Bumblebee and Cliffjumper wonder about what's going to happen next; Bumblebee feels something big is about to happen, but Cliffjumper reminds him that they're just sentries, and will probably be left out of it. Prowl arrives, and after scaring them into shape, asks them about the behavior of the AllSpark during the battle. Jazz and Prowl accompany Optimus; Prowl notes that it looks like the aliens were trying to break in, and bets that they were after the AllSpark itself.

Megatron arises, guided by the mysterious voice, which explains it has used the last of its power to heal his grievous wound. His demands to see the voice's face, and the voice responds that it cannot do so, unless Megatron helps. Megatron demands to know why the Protector of Cybertron should follow its demands, and Megatron then sees that the voice is coming from the relic, which says it can take Megatron from being Protector of Cybertron to being its Lord. It then fires a beam into his eyes, asking that he allow it to "expound."

Back on the battlefield, Optimus and Arcee find the body of one of the aliens. Unfortunately, it's already dead. Unable to glean any more information, Optimus goes to find Megatron, leaving Arcee and the others to take the remains to Ratchet. When he arrives, Megatron delivers a surprising proclamation: Cybertron is going to war! Optimus, while not able to fully understand, promptly states that his division, never meant for battle, will not be on the frontlines. He also points out that Megatron's team is supposed to defend, not attack. Megatron responds by slamming Optimus into a wall, and demanding once again that he assemble his team.

Ratchet analyzes the alien remains, discovering that their structure is actually similar to that of Transformers; although they appear incapable of transformation. They have what could be spark cores. Signal Flare drops in to announce that Optimus has called a meeting, and they need to be there now. Soon, Optimus stands before his fellow Autobots, and says that they should focus their efforts on helping the ruined city of Metrotitan. He says that, when Megatron tells them to join in the counterattack, they should not follow him, as it goes against everything Autobots stand for. He says that those who wish to fight may do so, but extends his thanks to those that would rather stay with him. He and the Autobots then travel to Trypticon.

There, Megatron delivers a similar speech, rallying his soldiers to battle. Until this situation ends, Megatron declares that he is control of Cybertron, and all soldiers are required to fight. Those unable to fight are to await orders. Ground forces will pick off evacuees while the fliers join him. After he finishes barking out orders, he leads his troops into space to attack the alien fleet in the Eshems Nebula. Reaching the enemy fleet, the Defense Force attacks. Dreadwing sends the drones to attack the alien flagship, but they are destroyed by the ship's primary weapon, resulting in the loss of half the Transformers attack forces. It matters little, as the Defense Force has superior maneuverability and weapons, and pretty soon, the kills start to rise. However, they cannot yet launch an attack on the flagship, as the primary weapon is still online. Starscream orders Blackout to launch a disruption wave at the ship. While they fight, Optimus remains with some of his own troops on the ground. He speaks to Prowl about Megatron's leadership, noting that there seems to be a divide in their ranks. Jazz replies that Megatron hasn't incorporated them into his army, instead giving them little more than sentry duty. When Prowl tells Optimus that includes guarding Megatron's quarters, Optimus asks for a favor.

Blackout disrupts the enemy ship's shields and communications; Megatron promptly moves in for the kill. He rips his way through the ship; as his "master" says, since they came for the AllSpark, he's coming for their lives, a fair trade in his mind. He finds and kills the ship's captain, then orders Starscream to destroy the ship altogether. He reveals to Starscream that passivity has weakened them, and that in the coming days, they will conquer the surrounding systems. He also reveals that he is allied with a powerful entity that will guide them in this endeavor.

And on Cybertron, Optimus, Jazz, and Prowl stand before the doors of Megatron's quarters...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Cybertronians Humans Others
  • Ancient humans (1)
  • The relic (3)
  • Alien captain (35)
  • Alien bridge crew (36)

Quotes

Optimus: Your team provides defense, Megatron. If you launch an attack, it goes against everything our society is based upon.
[Megatron grabs Optimus and slams him into the wall]
Megatron: Then it is time that our society changes.

—The division between Optimus and Megatron begins...


"Very good, Blackout. Now, rally to me, and let the slaughter begin!"

—Megatron's words are music to the ears of Decepticons and G1 fans alike.

Notes

Continuity notes

  • Blackout has an entirely different alternate mode compared to the one by Alex Milne that was included in the trade paperback of The Reign of Starscream, which more closely resembles the Cybertronian form of his Animated counterpart.
  • This issue marks the true beginning of Megatron's transformation into the future Decepticon leader. When The relic corrupts Megatron, his eyes turn red, his head resembles his appearance in the first movie and his hands now have the bestial appendages, among other minor differences.
    • Though this issue marks Megatron's transformation into looking more like his first movie self, Foundation would incorrectly depict him in his first movie body throughout its entire four issues without any changes.

Transformers references

Real-world references

Other trivia

  • The Fallen as a talking relic comes from an early draft of the script; Mowry didn't know this had been changed until he saw the film. [1]

Covers (2)

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References

  1. ↑ Q&A chat with Chris Mowry on the Allspark forums
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