Transformers Comic issue 13



Exciting news for all our readers - inside!

Transformers #13 was published by Titan Magazines in June 2008.

Magazine Credits
Editor: Steve White Art Editor: Danny Preston Deputy Editor: Den Patrick Publishing Manager: Darryl Curtis

Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 4

 * Script: Simon Furman
 * Art: Marcelo Matere
 * Colours: Hi-Fi Design
 * Lettering: Jimmy Betancourt/Comicraft

Optimus Prime and Megatron are beating the snot out of each other, but as long as he's linked to the All Spark Megatron can heal any wound — Prime can't! Strongarm wants to throw out the plan and just join in the fight, but Bumblebee knows everything is reliant on the mysterious object Mikaela Banes found last issue. Arriving with it (revealed to be a small chip), she informs Bumblebee they have no delivery system; he replies he is the delivery system. All of which makes the watching Starscream quite happy...

Over in Savannah, the other half of the Autobots are failing: surrounded by drones, Bonecrusher is coming for them (killing his own guys to get to them), and Longarm is down. Arcee refuses to accept that they've failed, but they just can't reach the core to overload it now its forcefield is up. Suddenly Ratchet sees a way they can pull it off, and all he needs is for Ironhide to distract the enemy with violence...

As Megatron prepares to kill a beaten Optimus in the messiest way he can, Bumblebee suddenly storms forward and zaps the tyrant with the mysterious Sector Seven device, now planted in his headlights. Once the eerie light shines on him, Megatron collapses in pain as his body is consumed from the inside — the device had been a self-invigorating nanovirus that blocks the All Spark's operational frequencies, designed by Sector Seven in case they ever lost control, and using the All Spark just makes it use. Megatron falls dead within seconds. Simultaneously in Savannah, Armorhide and Arcee cover Ratchet as he makes for a conveyer belt feeding ore to the processing core — the forcefield has to drop to let the ore in, and that allows him to blast it. The Autobots transform and run away as the plant explodes, taking the All Spark with it.

The Autobots and their human allies breathe a sigh of relief: the Earth has been saved from being turned into a new Cybertron, and Megatron is gone. But they know there's still a long way to go in this war. Especially now Starscream is about to exploit the Decepticon power vacuum, the Decepticons' need to avenge Megatron, and the nanovirus the Autobots left behind...

Articles & features

 * Transformers Animated Pull Out Special - a 12-page removable mini-magazine featuring character info, plugging the toys, and promoting an upcoming Animated comic. A two-page preview of the comic's first UK-original strip is also includes.
 * How To Draw Transformers: how to draw an exceedingly messy battle scene.
 * The Purple And The Red: Colouring page, with the image to colour being what the above battle scene is meant to turn out life.
 * Top Gear: adverts for and a chance to win Revoltech Hot Rod, the Animated Megatron VS Optimus boxset, and Titan's Best Of Transformers Vol.1.
 * Why I Love Being An...: Run twice, with Blackout and Starscream telling us why they love their alternate modes. ("The [F22's] smooth lines make me feel very slinky.")
 * Artobots: Fan art section.
 * Star Screams: Letters, art and photos from readers, answered by Starscream.
 * Two posters.

Free Gift

 * "Free Disk Launcher!" — or "Blade Shooter!" according to the packet it's in.

Reprints
Reprinted stories are only a portion of their respective issues.
 * Transformers: Movie Prequel, part 4d (5 pages)
 * Beast Wars: The Gathering, part 4d (4 pages)

Errors

 * Bumblebee and Strongarm's word balloons are mixed up in panel 1, page 4.
 * The drones at Savannah have all turned from Swindles into Payloads between issues.

Strip
"I am unstoppable, invincible. And you are not."
 * Megatron bashes up Optimus

"Stand aside, drones... the kill belongs to me and me alone! You Autobots deserve the best death possible and Bonecrusher is the maestro of murderous mayhem."
 * Bonecrusher is a crap boss

"Megatron! It's way past time... you saw the light!"
 * Bumblebee hits his foe with the Headlights of Doom

Star Screams
"At time of writing [editor Steve White] has returned from the Bristol comic convention... Even armed with Kevlar body armour and cattle prods, he was unable to keep frenzied fans away. It wasn't a pretty sight seeing him dazed, bruised and covered in lipstick kisses..."

"I agree, the meatsacks that work on this comic do create excellent results. I will spare the lash this week. I may even feed them."

"Unfortunately, Damien, by making public your wish to be an Autobot I've had to add your name to the extermination list. You have been warned."

Items of note

 * More fun with change of artists between parts: Bonecrusher has lighter colouring again, Ratchet's gone from green to yellowish, Skyblast has a totally new colour scheme, Mikaela has a metal visor instead of a translucent green one, Longarm now resembled his toy more, everything's lighter at Hoover Dam... And Elita's changed her head again, but that happens every issue.
 * Sector Seven's experiments with the All Spark were more advanced than previously known, with them able to create Transformer—targeted viruses that mess up All Spark-derived power. This was done in case they lost control of it, and Tom Banachek was involved.
 * Starscream prefers F-22 Raptor's to F15's, especially the transformation scheme.
 * In a nice touch, Ironhide and Ratchet still turn into Payload trucks (this time in their own colours) after Part 3.
 * Longarm is last seen being carried out by Ironhide, so despite his damage he may still be alive.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

 * Titan's making a Transformers Animated comic — there'll be two mass-market Transformers comics in the UK! Hurrah!