Revelation (IDW)

Destruction at its most beautiful.

Revelation is the follow-up story arc to IDW Publishing's The Transformers: Devastation. From June to October 2008, Revelation was played out through four Spotlight format issues, focusing on Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer, and Sideswipe. This four-parter marked the Autobots' confrontation with the Dead Universe Cybertronians and the end of the "-tion" series. It had previously been hinted that the following volume would be titled The Transformers: Expansion, but writer Simon Furman later stated that "the stuff [he] had (mentally) prepared for Expansion may still happen, just later or in a different form.^[1] These four Spotlight issues were in addition to the normal Spotlight series, notably, Spotlight: Wheelie.

The four Spotlights were to be issues #23–26 in the IDW overarching "sub-numbering", the only Spotlights to be incorporated in this way, though the sub-numbering has since been abandoned.

Overview

Nemesis Prime's corrupted crew prepares to unleash the Expansion, bringing the unlife of the Dead Universe into our own. On multiple worlds and fields of battle, the Autobots struggle to uncover the plot and find a way to stop it. Cyclonus confronts his inner berserker, Hot Rod finds the truth about Dealer, Hardhead accepts an inevitable destiny, and Sideswipe proves his own worth to himself.

Ongoing story arcs that were wrapped up with this series include Hot Rod and Dealer's battle over the Magnificence; the mystery of what happened to the crew of the first Ark, and their plot for Expansion of the Dead Universe; the theft of Thunderwing, Monstructor, and Sixshot; Arcee's revenge on Jhiaxus; and the nature of Gorlam Prime and the Micromasters.

Creative team

The creative team from Infiltration, Escalation and through Devastation (writer Simon Furman and penciller E. J. Su) again worked on Revelation, though Su only illustrated Cyclonus and Sideswipe and provided a connecting cover for all four. Nick Roche, who also drew a cover for each issue, penciled and inked Hardhead, while Dan Khanna penciled Doubledealer (with inks by Frank Milkovich and Robert Atkins). Kris Carter was the colorist for Cyclonus and Hardhead, Liam Shalloo for Doubledealer, and E. J. Su colored Sideswipe himself.

Truncated plans

Originally this was intended as the fourth of five six-issue -ations that would end with Expansion. Without warning, it instead came out as four Spotlights during All Hail Megatron, IDW's new direction for the franchise.

IDW Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall made the decision to tie up the -ation run short here, explaining it as a basic business strategy for comics: "it's like any book on the market--sales start at a point and then they slowly dip until things are done to re-invigorate them... the reality is that sales numbers need to stay steady for a book to stay on the market. This isn't to say that things were by any means dire--they weren't at all--but we do need to occasionally mix things up so people don't just take a book for granted." ^[2] In 2010, Simon Furman supported that, saying "to be perfectly honest" the sales just weren't holding up as well as the company had wanted. First he was asked to condense two -ations into one and then into the Spotlights, though he did get to do the Machination/Dinobot storyline as he'd wanted with Maximum Dinobots.^[3]

Shane McCarthy would later say that originally, Revelation was not going to happen; he'd started writing All Hail Megatron when IDW decided to let Simon finish his story off.^[4]

In 2013 to 2014, the "Dark Cybertron" event returned to address and conclude the storyline of the Dead Universe.

Notes

• Revelation is the third IDW miniseries in a row that borrows a title from Dreamwave Productions' The Dark Ages series.

Collections

• The Transformers: Spotlight Volume 4: Revelation (February 4, 2009) ISBN 1600104215 / ISBN 978-1600104213
  • Collects Spotlight: Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer and Sideswipe.
  • Bonus material includes each A and B cover, and sketches of the 4-part image, Cyclonus, Nightbeat, Doubledealer (including a dragon-like alternate mode), Grindcore and Straxus (the last 2 in robot and alt mode).
  • Trade paperback format. The spine bears the number 4, putting it clearly in the Spotlight series rather than in the "-ation" series.

• The Transformers: The Premiere Collection Volume 2 (June 17, 2009) ISBN 1600104371 / ISBN 978-1600104374
  • Collects Devastation issues #1–6, and Spotlight: Soundwave, Kup, Galvatron, Optimus Prime, Ramjet, Blaster, Arcee, Mirage, Grimlock, Wheelie, Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer & Sideswipe.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Four (May 25, 2011) ISBN 978-1600109386
  • Collects Spotlight: Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer, Sideswipe, Drift, Metroplex & Jazz, Maximum Dinobots issues #1–5, and Drift issues #1–4.
  • Hardcover format.

• The Transformers: Spotlight Omnibus Volume 2 (September 9, 2015) ISBN 1613779429 / ISBN 978-1613779422
  • Collects Spotlight: Mirage, Wheelie, Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer, Sideswipe, Blurr, Jazz, Drift, Cliffjumper, Metroplex and Prowl.
  • Trade paperback format.

• 

  Spotlight Volume 4: Revelation – cover art by Nick Roche

• 

  The Premiere Collection Volume 2 – cover art by Nick Roche and Josh Burcham

• 

  The IDW Collection Volume Four – cover art by E. J. Su

• 

  Spotlight Omnibus Volume 2 – cover art by Jeffrey Veregge

References