The Last Autobot?

Fort Max replaces Ultra Magnus as Galvatron's personal punching bag.

=Marvel US issue #79= (Story also appears in: Marvel UK issues #329-330

Script: Simon Furman Pencils: Andrew Wildman Inks: Stephen Baskerville Lettering: Rick Parker Colors: Nelson Yomtov Cover: Andrew Wildman


 * Major characters (in order of appearance): Spike Witwicky, Galvatron II, Fortress Maximus, Hi-Q, G.B. Blackrock, Prowl, Grimlock, Bludgeon, Krok, Last Autobot
 * Originally published: June, 1991

Synopsis
The Ark has come crashing down to Earth, and unleashed a new horror on the planet. Spike Witwicky finds himself the only available "Autobot" to deal with the threat, despite his reluctance. After visiting the scene of the crash and finding the cooling corpses of Galvatron's human victims, though, Spike finds he has no other choice but to combine with Fortress Maximus once again.

On Cybertron, we find the planet completely devoid of Transformer life, as the Decepticons have left to plunder other worlds and the Autobots gone to stop them. HUMAN life, on the other hand, still exists on the world, in the form of Hi-Q and the Neo-Knights. It seems the Nebulan's apparently crazed ravings finally got to the Knights, and convinced them to break out of their life pod and stay behind on Cybertron when the Autobots blasted off. With the planet breaking apart around them, however, they are beginning to suspect they're going to die on a planet not their own. Just when they're ready to give in to depression, though, Dynamo's planetary power taps into Cybertron's essence, and begins to lead them to the Last Autobot, who will prove to be the planet's salvation.

Meanwhile, the Autobots are pursuing the Decepticons' through space, following the signal beacons Grimlock left on their ships, and collectively wondering just how much damage the 'Cons could have done. Well, the answer is: A LOT. On the planet Klo, Bludgeon's forces have destroyed and conquered an entire civilization and its populace within a matter of two days. To make matters worse, Krok has detected Grimlock's homing beacons, and the Decepticons begin to prepate...for visitors.

Back on Earth, Spike finally places his control helmet on, and undergoes the binary-bonding to join with Cerebros and Fortress Maximus. Once he does, however, Fort Max completely suppresses Spike's mind to assume complete control over their combined form, as he simply does not trust the reluctant human to give it his all. As he catches up with Galvatron, the crazed Decepticon is trying to organize his thoughts, the crash having jumbled his mind and memories. One shot in the back from Fortress Maximus, though, and he goes completely 'round the bend. A raging berzerker, Galvatron attacks Max with a manic fury, even going so far as to tear out his opponent's circuitry with his teeth. Fortress Maximus is unable to defeat the Decepticon on his own, and so he makes peace with Spike, and the two of them truly join minds, and manage to successfully fight back and defeat Galvatron, sending him to the bottom of a frozen lake.

On Cybertron, the Neo-Knights have indeed found the Last Autobot, and prepare to awaken him from his slumber...

Items of note

 * Sparkstalker's luck runs out, as his pyromaniac partner Cindersaur apparently incinerates him off-panel.
 * Galvatron's memory flashbacks show he and Megatron beating Shockwave to death, up until the latter two are consumed by the Nucleon explosion and crash.
 * A Transformers Universe profile for Fortress Maximus is found after the main story.