Assassins

Whilst Starscream faces off against some freelance peacekeeping agents bounty hunters, the Autobots make a terrible discovery...

=Marvel UK issue #284=

Writer: Simon Furman Pencils: Jeff Anderson Inks: Michael Eve Lettering: Stuart Bartlett


 * Major characters (in order of appearance): Starscream, three bounty hunters, Shockwave, Megatron, Grimlock, Snarl and Wheeljack.


 * Minor characters (in order of appearance): Octopunch, Stranglehold and Bludgeon.


 * Originally published: 18th August 1990. Cover date ("off sale") 25th August 1990.

Synopsis
In the Louisiana Bayrous an alien assassin unsuccessfully fires on Starscream and is shot down for his troubles. A second alien, looking like a knight on horseback, charges the Decepticon but is easily thrown aside. Then a third creature, comprised of two lumps of organic matter linked cybernetically, tries to electrocute Starscream but is unsuccessfuly. Starscream cuts it in two and demands answers as to why they are killing him.

In a control room elsewhere two shadowy figures observe the situation and note that all Starscream will learn is that someone put a bounty on his head, as they wish to find out. On the screen Starscream comes to the conclusion that Soundwave is behind all this. The shadowy figures change frequency and tell Bludgeon that there is a job for him.

Meanwhile at the Earthforce base Wheeljack explains to Grimlock that Snarl is suffering from Corrodia Gravis and that he needs a systems boost from a compatible Transformer. But the only compatible one is Starscream!

Errors

 * The identity of the shadowy figures is rather easily given away by the way they are drawn.

Items of note

 * In the box in the top left hand of the cover Dreadwind now appears, having pushed Optimus Prime out over the last two issues. His permanent cover pose and Hi-Test appear from the next issue.
 * Snarl had previously been shown suffering from Corrodia Gravis in "Destiny of the Dinobots!" in the Transformers Annual 1990.

Reprints

 * This story was reprinted in the Titan Books trade paperback "Fallen Star".