Optimus Prime 13

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OP13 Acov.jpg
The Dead Come Home,
Part 1 (of 2)
Attribution Information
Writer(s) John Barber
Artist(s) Livio Ramondelli
Letterer(s) Tom B. Long
Cover artist(s) John-Paul Bove, Josh Burcham, Casey W. Coller, Andrew Griffith, Livio Ramondelli, Kei Zama
Editor(s) Carlos Guzman
Publication Information
Publisher IDW Publishing
Publication Date November 22, 2017
Pages 32
General Information
Timeline 2017 AD
Series Optimus Prime
Issue Number 13
Preceded by Primeless, Part 2
Followed by The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)

Optimus Prime 13 is the thirteenth issue of the IDW Publishing comic book series Optimus Prime. It was written by John Barber and illustrated by Livio Ramondelli. It is to be released on November 22, 2017.

Publisher's summary[edit | edit source]

As the consequences of the First Strike event reverberate, Optimus Prime ventures into the wilderness of Cybertron to search for the first new Cybertronian life to emerge in four million years!

Plot summary[edit | edit source]

Ten years ago, after their battle against Sixshot with Metroplex on Salvvatan VIII, the ThrottlebotsChase, Goldbug, Rollbar, and Searchlight—attempted to leave the planet aboard a shuttle when they were attacked by a heavily-damaged Sixshot. Although they killed the Phase Sixer, he heavily damaged the shuttle, forcing the Autobots to crash on a planet a few hundred light-years away, a planet Searchlight dubbed Botanica. Their attempts to contact Autobot High Command for rescue were a failure, for the Surge was in full effect, and Autobot communications were in disarray. Believing that the Decepticons won the war, the Throttlebots now wait for their destruction at Decepticon hands, using a single recharge slab and boiling plants into energon. Now, in 2017, Goldbug who was utilizing the slab wakes up due to a bright flash of light coming from beneath their campsite, which is atop a giant plant. Suddenly, a blast kills Searchlight, and Goldbug looks down to see their attackers, Cybertronians with beast modes crawling up the plant!

On Cybertron, after the Iron Ring's assault, Optimus Prime presides over Sideswipe's funeral, earlier postponed due to hostilities. After the service, Optimus and Sunstreaker restore their relationship, with Sunstreaker accepting that Prime could not have been there to stop his brother's death. Prime realizes that his soldiers often come to harm due to his commands, but they still follow him out of free will. He attempts to use this as a way to console Arcee, but she retorts that Galvatron was her brother, a brother she let Optimus kill in front of her because it was the right thing to do. Unsettled by both this and the crowd that has gathered, Optimus drives away but finds Garrison Blackrock in his path with information to share. The Titan Master tells both him and Arcee that Centurion has reawakened once again due to the energy surge caused by Merklynn and has since taken to the wilderness of Cybertron. Blackrock has just received a transmission from the Eukarian/human hybrid of a protoform, something that had not occurred on Cybertron for six million years. Swift overhears the discourse and tells them that she and the Dinobots found a hot spot a year ago, a hot spot which has recently vanished, but which Starscream also knows about.

Optimus and Blackrock head to the Council of Worlds Chamber, where Starscream is debating whether or not to accept energon from Earth due to Cybertron's recently poisoned supply. After being confronted, Starscream tells Prime that it would not have been best for the planet to know about new life on account of the recent invasions. The Cybertronian emperor takes the two to meet Slug, who has been recovering from recent injuries and agrees to track down the missing sparks and the other Dinobots, but only Starscream knows that Slug was killed by Sandstorm on his orders and revived by Bludgeon and Flatline using a tainted spark.

In the courtyard, Pyra Magna, Skyburst, and Stormclash are overlooking the wreckage of the battle when they are approached by Arcee, who offers them to accompany Prime to the wilderness. The Torchbearers decline, saying they need to return to Autobot City to be with their sisters because of their status as combiners. Pyra then asks Arcee about Prowl, and the need for those like him to keep those who are in power in check, specifically Optimus Prime. Pyra then says she wishes for Arcee to be her Prowl, not for her to turn against the Prime but to keep both the Camien and the Cybertronian under control.

In Cybertron's wilderness, Arcee, Blackrock, Optimus Prime, and Slug seek out the Dinobots, coming across the site of the Revolutionaries' battle with the Red Shadows. There, they find Centurion, the Dinobots, and Sandstorm, which drives Slug into a rage at the sight of his friends allying themselves with his killer, causing him to breathe fire on them. Unbeknownst to all, a heavily damaged Bludgeon is controlling Slug using the Void Scepter. As Bumblebee's seemingly unheard visage urges Bludgeon to follow Starscream's plan, Bludgeon urges the combatants to destroy each other, paving the way for his master to return to Cybertron.

On Botanica, Rollbar is attacked by one of the beasts, and Chase carries Goldbug to safety. However, he is stomped on by an insectoid Cybertronian, and as Goldbug prepares to die, he tells his attacker to tell Megatron that the Throttlebots fought to their last. The 'bot is confused, having never heard Megatron's name before a vamparc ribbon kills him. Goldbug looks up to see his saviors in the form of Prowl, who has the cannon built into his superstructure, Garnak, Stardrive, and Wheelie, who have just saved Rollbar and now tell the Throttlebot leader to prepare to fight against the galaxy's would-be destroyers!.

Appearances[edit | edit source]

Characters[edit | edit source]

Events[edit | edit source]

Locations[edit | edit source]

Organizations and titles[edit | edit source]

Sentient species[edit | edit source]

Vehicles and vessels[edit | edit source]

Weapons and technology[edit | edit source]

Miscellanea[edit | edit source]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Continuity references[edit | edit source]

  • The Throttlebots were last seen stranded on Salvvatan VIII [1], with the preceding events being explained by Goldbug's narration. While it was unknown, Freeway and Wideload died due to Sixshot's efforts, who is revealed to have survived Metroplex's stepping on him. Goldbug also says the Throttlebots were able to kill him, sealing his fate.
  • Goldbug mentions G'th Semane, a spaceport operated by Cybertronians that has been mentioned [2] before [3], but never seen.
  • Rollbar says that Chase is "going binary", a little-heard insult only heard [4] twice [5] in this continuity.
  • When describing the Surge, Goldbug mentions the fall of Garrus-9 [6] and the invasion of Earth [7].
  • Seen that the attackers of Botanica are have beast modes, it can be assumed that they are servants of Onyx Prime, as beastformers have been seen to be apart of this army in both the distant [8] and near [9] past.
  • Sideswipe died five issues prior [10], with his funeral being delayed due to Baron Ironblood's attack on Cybertron [11], from which the planet is still recovering. During the service, Optimus Prime says "Someone once said 'Loss of life is only a tragedy if it is without purpose'". That "someone" was Sentinel Prime, who said it during the funeral service of Bumper and Fastback [12], with one of the attendees being a 'bot that looked extremely similar to Orion Pax. It can now be inferred that this actually was Pax, but Prime not giving the quote's speaker is probably due to Sentinel's recent actions [13].
  • Sunstreaker tells Prime that he has been through worse than his recent injuries [14], which he has, being both dissected by the Machination [15] and caught in a devastating explosion on Cybertron [16].
  • Arcee tells Prime that her twin brother was Galvatron, something that was revealed in previous issues [8], and how Optimus killed him in front of her [17].
  • A member of the crowd has doubts that Optimus will attend Antagony's funeral, confirming the identity of the Eukarian that Shazraella enerchanged with [18] and her status. Another member wonders if Optimus will sign his Covenant of the Primes datapad, something seen earlier [19] in the Dark Cybertron storyline.
  • Centurion went into stasis lock just after his battle with the Red Shadows [20], which Arcee mentions. Centurion was brought back online due to the "light show" which was actually Merklynn tainting Cybertron's energon [21].
  • Swift and Arcee fight over the Decepticon attack on the Ark-7, the culmination of which caused the fatal injuries of Sideswipe [22].
  • Swift and the Dinobots discovered the hot spot one year ago, during which they also murdered the Badgeless that Starscream holds them responsible for [23]. Swift evidently told Starscream about the sparks, leading to the events of Sandstorm killing Slug, then joining the Dinobots and Trypticon in moving the sparks and protecting them as they turned into protoforms, and an injured Bludgeon being captured by Starscream. The Cybertronian emperor planned to revive Slug using a Sweep's spark [24]. Slug believes Sandstorm was working for Bludgeon, when, in fact, he was under Starscream's orders.
  • Starscream brings up the Solstar Order's blockade of Cybertron [18]. He also mentions that they know how to make energon, something he learned from the Dire Wraiths [25].
  • Marissa gives the earth's population as 6.5 billion, when in reality it is 7.5 billion, meaning that Megatron's invasion did, in fact, kill at least one billion [26].
  • Starscream mentions that he discovered Earth and that it was his biggest mistake, something that is somewhat true. While other Cybertronians arrived on the planet before him, his Decepticon unit was the first to discover it and report it to others.
  • Optimus brings up waking up in the Cybertronian wilderness, something that happened six years prior [27].
  • Bludgeon created the Void Scepter to control Trypticon by way of his tainted energon [24]. Due to the Dinobots corrupted energon, this evidence makes them susceptible as well.
  • It has been implied for several [28] issues [9] that Bumblebee is not, in fact, a ghost visible only to Starscream, but a projection. This issue marks the first time that Bumblebee has appeared to someone other than the former Seeker.
  • The cannon which replaces Prowl's left arm is a vamparc ribbon, a weapon designed by Zeta Prime. Prowl was ordered by Optimus to destroy it [29], along with Zeta's other weaponry, but evidently, Prowl did not destroy it "for the greater good".
  • Wheelie and Garnak were last seen during Dark Cybertron event waiting aboard the Skyroller as Optimus Prime voyaged into the Dead Universe [30]. It is unknown what happened to them, but six months later, Prime had recovered his ship [31].
  • Stardrive is a Camien who was raised up by the Solstar Order and introduced in the Shining Armor miniseries, which was one issue short of concluding at the time of this issue's release. This issue spoils that Stardrive leaves the Solstar Order, and trades her Space Knight-colored armor for her original color scheme [32].

Franchise references[edit | edit source]

Transformers references[edit | edit source]

  • The planet Botanica is named after the Beast Machines Maximal with the same name.
  • The beasts who attack the Throttlebots all come from the Beast Wars franchise and its spin-off franchises. On page 4, a sawshark recognizable as the Maximal Sharp Edge from Beast Wars Neo is seen as well as a silver-winged pterosaur with the name Hydra from the same franchise. The creature with seemingly heads for hands seen both on pages 4 and 18 is Drancron also from Beast Wars Neo with coloration based on his appearance in the IDW Publishing series Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending. The final beast on page 19 is Cicadacon from the original Beast Wars toyline. The two other creatures from page 4, a green, heavily spiked rhinoceros and an unidentifiable red creature, are unknown.

Errors[edit | edit source]

  • Marissa tells Elita One that while rogue humans attacked Cybertron, every other colony has done the same. This statement is untrue because Cybertron attacked the other colonies, due to to the Combiner Wars.

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Cover gallery[edit | edit source]

Notes and references[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]


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