Transformers Comic issue 15



NATO troops wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Autobots.

Transformers #15 was published by Titan Magazines in August 2008.

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

Aftermath Part 2

 * Script: Simon Furman
 * Art: Kieran McKeown
 * Inks: Kias Justice
 * Colours: Jason Cardy
 * Lettering: Jimmy Betancourt/Comicraft

Savannah, Georgia: NATO tanks blaze away at the Autobots, who are trapped trying to protect the refugee shelter from Thundercracker drones and cover the human evacuation, and are thus unable to retreat. Ironhide can't understand why the humans are doing this when the Autobots are trying to protect the shelter, but Optimus knows that the humans see only hostile alien monsters warring on their planet. Strongarm goes down and the Autobots know they'll all follow...

...just as Starscream planned! He already mentally controls the NATO field commander at Savannah via cerebro-strip, and many other humans too; when Megatron was alive, Starscream had been quietly enslaving people with implants all along, "courtesy of my Insecticons!"

Mikaela Banes calls Tom Banachek and pleads for him to stop the attack at Savannah before people are killed. He passes word on to the Vice-President, who immediately calls NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) to order a ceasefire. When the mind-controlled field commander refuses to obey, it becomes clear something's gone wrong and Bumblebee remotely notes the commander is "disconnected" and suspects outside manipulation; he heads out to investigate, Mikaela going with him as any talking that needs to be done would be better coming from a fellow human.

The Autobots cover Bumblebee against the Decepticons, but one gets through — Mikaela returns fire on the drone with a handgun (holy crap!) while Bumblebee evades the tank regiments. Reaching the commander, they locate and remove the cerebro-strip; as the tanks stand down, the Autobots surrender as a gesture of good faith. The Decepticons pull out, their attempt at provoking human-Autobot conflict thwarted, but Optimus remains worried that whoever's in charge now might have something else planned.

And in Washington, Vice-Prez Theodore Allen becomes the 44th President of the United States — complete with a hidden cerebro-strip...

Articles & features

 * T-shirt competition
 * Character Profile: Ravage (circa the Beast Wars strips).
 * How To Draw: Frenzy.
 * Artobots: Fan art section.
 * Star Screams: Letters, art and photos from readers, answered by Starscream.
 * Poster

Free Gift

 * "Free! AWESOME Lenticular Badges!" — they're not awesome.

Reprints
Reprinted stories are only a portion of their respective issues.
 * Megatron Origin, part 1b (6 pages)
 * Beast Wars: The Ascending part 1b (6 pages)

Errors

 * The contents page says this month's story features planet Earth "enter[ing] its death throes and organic life [being] eaten alive by the metal power of the AllSpark". This does not happen, and instead appears to be next issue's plot.
 * Allen calls Allied Command Transformations in Virginia even though when SACEUR is, shockingly, in Europe.
 * Starscream tells a reader that Barricade died in the film, which didn't actually happen.

Strip
"All they see, Ironhide, is hostile metal, waging a war on their planet."
 * Optimus Prime on us

"Manoeuvres, machinations... those are my weapons of mass destruction."
 * Starscream

"Protect Bumblebee! But do not engage the humans directly." "Fine. As long as I get to shoot something!"
 * Prime and Ironhide

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, citizens of America... I am here to serve!"
 * Starscream's pet President

Star Screams
"Scorponok was never found, so I'd like to assume he's interrupting you Stone Age monkeys from your grooming chores..."

"As for your 'favourites' [characters] — why in the name of the AllSpark isn't my name there, you gibbering exfoliated primate?"

"You've caught me in a surprisingly good mood — or at least the kind of mood where I won't air strike your entire town just to see the looks of horror on your simian faces."

"I am currently in talks with Soundwave — point of fact is that's all he ever does: talk, usually in several frequencies at once — have you ever tried discussing the finer points of galactic strategising on Ultra-High Frequency and binary code played backwards through a radio wave telescope set to 11? It hurts!"

Items of note

 * It is revealed that the military forces we're seeing are not American but are actually NATO regiments. NATO's Virginia-based Allied Command Transformations still exists; however, the highest authority in the group, even for the US-based forces, is SACEUR in Belgium, suggesting the US-based NATO command was wiped out in the Decepticon occupation.
 * The Autobots are currently unaware that Starscream has assumed command.
 * Bumblebee pulls off a neat trick by launching himself over the tanks with a fiery exhaust, simultaneously taking out a Thundercracker with said fire. Don't mess with Bumblebee.
 * We only this issue learn the President's name.
 * Mikaela partners with Bumblebee so she can talk to the humans if needed; Bumblebee sounds annoyed by this continuing fact.
 * More fun with artist changes: the front of Strongarm looks different, Starscream's dimmed the lights in his base, the Savannah medical tent's interior has changed look and colour, and the field commander has grown beard stubble despite only a minute passing between issues. Yes, Elita's head changed again.
 * Starscream tells us in the letters that Thundercracker was a pain in the arse to work with.