Devastation (issue)

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Turn around, you idiot!
"Devastation"
Publisher	Dreamwave Productions
First published	December 15, 2003
Cover date	December 2003
Writer	Simon Furman
Pencils	Andrew Wildman
Inks	Erik Sander
Colors	Espen Grundetjern, Ramil Sunga, Rob Ruffolo
Letters	Benjamin Lee
Editor-in-chief	Roger Lee
Continuity	Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Chronology	The Dark Ages

The Protectobots learn the value of teamwork. Jetfire begins his search for the meaning to all the mayhem.

Synopsis

Springer dives at Ratbat, angry at the Ultracons for violating the Crisis Intervention Accord by releasing Devastator. Ratbat fights back, accusing Springer's Wreckers of being hypocrites.

Beneath Virtue's Forum in the Autobase, Jetfire wonders aloud to Trailbreaker and Bluestreak if the recent battles have been occurring as part of someone's deliberate attempt to stoke conflict. The two Autobots leave Jetfire to investigate this possibility by himself. Before they leave, Jetfire asks about everyone's absence. Bluestreak tells him they went to investigate that Mobile Command Base they'd heard about. Jetfire knows about the base, and even submitted a detailed report on it. He wonders why Prowl didn't invite him along.

Prowl and a team of Autobots explore the border regions of Iacon searching for the new Decepticon Mobile Command Base. But soon as they arrive at the Praetorus Wharf, they discover they're actually driving across the base they were looking for, as it transforms into a towering saurian form. Prowl begins calling for any and all backup, which cheers the Decepticon up. Its weapons need a workout, after all.

Deep within the Autobase, Jetfire decides his search for the truth behind the patterns causing the recent skirmishes would be helped with the mind of another...

Back at the Tagan Heights, Devastator and Defensor continue to rumble, causing the industrial area to become progressively more unstable. The Wreckers find themselves trapped by flames and explosions. Springer attempts to reason with Defensor, but this only allows Devastator to get the drop on his opponent, leaving Springer against an angry combiner.

At Autobase, Jetfire has reached out to none other than Shockwave. The cyclopean Decepticon asks why he should trust a turncoat, but Jetfire retorts that they've both reached the same conclusion: someone is manipulating everyone behind the scenes, and the logical response is to pool their resources. After some hesitation, they agree to rendezvous.

As Devastator starts tearing Springer apart, he's distracted by the Protectobots, who use the opportunity to zap him with a massive amount of electricity, forcing the combiner to separate. In the aftermath, First Aid tells Springer that for the moment, the Protectobots have decided five minds are better than one.

Elsewhere, Prowl's signal reaches an unknown source. But so does Jetfire's illicit communication with Shockwave—much to Grimlock's displeasure.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Yes... please do. I'm rather in need of a proper workout. It's really very good of you to volunteer!"

—Trypticon is a classy bloke.

Notes

Continuity notes

• Hound informed Prowl of the Mobile Command Base the Decepticons were working on two issues ago.
• A massive amount of electricity can overload a combiner's inter-lock initiators, forcing a separation protocol.

Real life references

• Devastator borrows the catchphrase of the Hulk, another perpetually angry green giant, declaring himself "the strongest one there is".

Other trivia

• The "Wavelengths" section contains an article from the desk of Alan Wang, Beauty is Only Sword Deep!!
• The "Declarations of War" page has reader mail answered by Matt Moylan, probably.

Errors

• Trypticon is said to be recently created, yet he was seen in one of Megatron's monitors in the first War Within series, set much earlier. Maybe he existed, but not in base mode, if you really want to stretch it.

Cover

• Jetfire ponders while the Autobots battle Trypticon; art by Don Figueroa, Erik Sander and Saiko.

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• Video game, Viewtiful Joe
• Energon comic (double-page sideways centerfold)
• The Dark Ages #4
• Generation One #1 (back cover)

Reprints

Other than reprints of the full series

• N/A