Front Line!

Both the Autobots and Decepticons try their hand at spin doctoring.

=Marvel UK issue #288=

Writer: Simon Furman Pencils: Pete Knifton Inks: Pete Venters Letters: Stuart Bartlett

Featured characters
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Synopsis
At the Decepticon base Soundwave shows Starscream a copy of the newspaper Front Line! and explains that Project Smear has gone wrong. Unless action is taking quickly the Autobots will be seen by the humans as the heroes they are.

At the Autobot Earthbase Irwin is being shown around by Prowl and Grimlock, though the latter is having a hard time concealing his disdain for the whole idea inspite of Prowl regularly reminding him how important it is. After seeing the Equipment Room, Irwin asks to see the Combat Room before conducting the interview.

Earthbase has another visitor - Bombshell! The Insecticon radios Soundwave and Starscream to report that Irwin is going to write about the Autobots in his newspaper. Whilst Bombshell's takeover of Superion was intended to discredit them, this story will have the opposite effect. He requests orders. Soundwave wants to stop the human writing the story, but Starscream suggests instead making sure he writes it the Decepticons' way!

The Combat Room is incredibly noisy so Irwin suggests conducting the interview somewhere else. Grimlock suggests outside, despite the freezing temperatures, as there's no-one around for miles. But then he is blasted by the Stunticons as they speed up to the base. Prowl raises his rifle but is rammed by Motormaster, who transforms and picks up Irwin...

Errors

 * Previous stories have stated that the Earthbase has massive surveillance systems to detect any Decepticons. Yet Bombshell is able to fly through unnoticed.


 * Why do the Decepticons need to capture Irwin, rather than simply have Bombshell follow him and implant a cerebro shell as soon as he's alone?

Items of note

 * This story continues the theme that in the comic continuity the Autobots have never successfully convinced the humans that there are good robots and bad robots.


 * The front page of Front Line! highlights the stories "COMIC CONVENTION SCANDAL!!", "MAN BITES DOG!" and "ELVIS... POLAR BEAR EXPOSÉ!!" One has to wonder quite why both the Autobots and Decepticons are so concerned about what will appear in a US supermarket tabloid.

Reprints

 * This story was reprinted in the Titan Books trade paperback "Perchance to Dream".