Under Fire!

	; Were you one of the unfortunate few NOT to get a sword with Ultra Magnus?
	"Under Fire!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	31st January 1987
Cover date	7th February 1987
Script	Simon Furman
Art	Jeff Anderson
Colour	Steve White
Letters	Annie Halfacree
Editor	Ian Rimmer
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity (Marvel UK)
Chronology	1986

Outback rescues Optimus Prime from the Wreckers, and the pair go on the run.

Synopsis

Feeling a kinship with Optimus Prime due to the number of times they have both cheated death, Outback intervenes just as Ultra Magnus and the Wreckers are about to execute the Autobot leader, under the mistaken belief that he is a disguised Decepticon agent. Though certain the stunt is going to cost him his life, Outback argues that the Wreckers are acting in haste based on disinformation, and accuses Ultra Magnus of doing so due to guilt over the death of Impactor, which occurred because Magnus was not there to help him. Riled by the comment, Magnus threatens to execute Outback as well, so Outback relents and moves to depart. As he goes, he gives Optimus Prime what appears to be a consolatory pat on the chest... but which, in actuality, allows him to plant a scrambler on Prime that disables the energy restraints holding him. Free, Prime is able to duck as Outback tosses a gas particle bomb that blinds the Wreckers and provides cover for him and Optimus to transform and escape. Prime is reluctant to flee, believing that doing so will only incriminate him, but as Outback points out, at least this way, he'll live to have another chance at convincing the Wreckers of the truth. Angry that his error of judgement has once again led to failure, Ultra Magnus demands three Guardian units and twenty breems to bring the two escapees back... dead or alive!

Prime and Outback's escape is observed by the Decepticon Ratbat, who brings the news back to Polyhex. A furious Megatron orders that Decepticon search parties be dispatched to kill Prime, with disinformation leaked to the Autobots that this is only to punish their agent for his failure. Neither Ratbat nor Straxus are impressed with Megatron's anger and instability; Ratbat wishes to see him gone, but Straxus advocates for patience. He is having some special equipment assembled that will allow him to strike at Megatron... equipment through which he will "truly live again!"

Ultra Magnus's search for Prime and Outback gives his temper the opportunity to cool down, and he begins to wonder if Outback could be right, and that he really is using this opportunity to soothe his guilty conscience. His attention is suddenly caught by an explosion on the horizon, as two of the Guardian units catch up with their quarry and a fight begins! Optimus urges Outback to leave him and escape, but Outback refuses; he guns down one of the Guardians, while the distracted Prime is seized from behind by the other and caught in a crushing grip. Outback trains his gun on the Guardian holding Prime, but before he can fire, it turns out the unit he shot is not as disabled as it first appeared; righting itself, it unsheathes a set of claws and gouges a deep wound in Outback's side. Galvanized by Outback's plight, Optimus tears the head off the Guardian unit holding him, and rushes to Outback's aid. Ultra Magnus arrives and lurks in the shadow long enough to hear Prime vow that he will do everything he can to save Outback's life. Outback hasn't the strength to reply, but in his thoughts, he wishes he could tell Prime this is a waste of time. Just like he figured when he decided to involve himself in Prime's plight... this time, he's done for!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons
Outback (1) Springer (2) Roadbuster (3) Optimus Prime (4) Twin Twist (5) Ultra Magnus (6) Guardian units (11-13)	Ratbat (7) Megatron (8) Straxus (9) Octane (10)

Quotes

"That's me alright. Outback—the only Autobot born to be a casualty!"

—Outback is a pessimist.

"I don't get it, Magnus! It's not like you to be so reckless. What are you trying to prove? Is it guilt? Do you still blame yourself for not getting back from Earth in time to save Impactor? Is that it? There's a thin line between atonement and revenge, you know. And revenge, as they say, is a two edged--blade? Urrk!"
"Enough! One more word and I'll have you executed alongside him! Do you understand?!"

—Outback tries to reason with Ultra Magnus and almost gets a faceplate of sword for his trouble.

"But it's not the end is it? It's never the end. It just goes on and on - one battle blurring into the next. Are we no better than those two mindless creatures we have just committed to the scrap heap? They fought without question, without mercy. Where is the difference between them and us?"

—Optimus Prime

Notes

Continuity notes

Impactor's death occurred in issue #88.
Ratbat makes his debut in this story, well in advance of his first appearance in the US series, which will not be reprinted in the UK series for another three months.
When Optimus Prime transforms, he does not have his trailer with him; this is because, as flashbacks showed last issue, he left it on Earth.
Footnotes again remind us that Straxus's body was destroyed by Blaster in US issue #18 (UK issue #69).

Continuity and plotting errors

Sandstorm and Rack'n'Ruin were among the Wreckers when they appeared at the end of last issue, but they've disappeared from the group in this issue.
Ultra Magnus has a red sword that he's never had before, and he'll never have again. It serves no in-story purpose, save for the fact he seems to be about to lower it as a way of giving the order to execute Prime; it appears it's only part of the story to fit with Outback's "double-edge blade" line, quoted above.
The story jumps from Prime decapitating his opponent to cradling the falling Outback, with no fate shown for the second Guardian who gave Outback his injuries. Prime notes in dialogue that both Guardians have been "committed to the scrap heap," but the second is never shown being defeated.

Artwork and technical errors

Lee Sullivan draws some very nice toy-accurate guns for the Wreckers firing squad seen on the cover of this issue; from left to right, they belong to Twin Twist, Sandstorm, Roadbuster, Broadside, Springer and Topspin. However, within the issue itself, only Twin Twist, Roadbuster, and Springer appear.
Ultra Magnus's missile launchers periodically disappear and reappear throughout the issue. They're missing on page 2; they reappear halfway through page 3; the left launcher disappears on page 4; then both launchers are present for the rest of the story.
When Outback transforms at the end of page 2, artist Jeff Anderson copies his character model directly, including the gun in his hand. This gun immediately disappears on the next page, only reappearing later in the story when Outback needs to fire it.

Courtesy of my...

Outback uses some kind of scrambler to deactivate Prime's energy restraints and deploys a gas particle bomb to cover their escape.

Back-up material

Back-up strips: Action Force ("Improvisation on a Theme," Part 1) and Robo-Capers; Action Force debuts this issue for a limited run, intended to promote the launch of the new Action Force comic series in March.
Free Gift: Ultra Magnus sticker badge, featuring art by Geoff Senior; this issue's Robo-Capers tells the story of a robot used by the Marvel offices to apply the badges to each issue, and the sticky situation it gets into! This unnamed "old robot off the scrapheap" was a cameo by (and very possibly the last appearance of) CYRIL, the Editor Droid from the then-defunct Marvel UK Return of the Jedi comics, as confirmed by Grimlock in response to Vanessa Cook's question in issue #108's Grim Grams.