The Void! (UK)

Rodimus Prime leads the Autobots to Earth - but there's a traitor on board...

=Marvel UK issues #240=

Writer: Simon Furman Art: Staz Lettering: Glib


 * Major characters: Rodimus Prime, Kup, Red Alert, Doubleheader, Pincher, Arcee
 * Originally published: 31st December 1989

Synopsis
New Year's Day, 2009. Following the timeline reset that left Galvatron in charge of Cybertron, Rodimus leads the Autobots in a retreat to Earth. As the Autobots enter hyperspace - or the Void, as it's nicknamed - Rodimus is feeling the widespread unspoken resentment at the idea of running away.

Doubleheader and Pincher discover the ship's guidance systems have been destroyed, meaning Kup to realise there's a saboteur onboard and they're flying blind. Soon afterwards, Rodimus Prime goes missing. Kup begins to crosscheck lifesigns against crew listings in the hope of identifying the unknown enemy - who Doubleheader runs into and recognises as an Autobot before he's gunned down. As the Autobot ship emerges from hyperspace too close to Earth and with emergency retros dead, Kup discovers there are no extra lifesigns - "the saboteur is one of us!".

Items of note

 * The story follows directly from Perchance to Dream.


 * The story continues into Edge of Impact and then into the next two issues; multi-part stories with a different title for each part would be the norm from this point on.


 * This 4-part story is the last appearance of the post-movie cast and era.


 * The story is set on New Year's Day 2009 - the same day the Autobots left for the past in Time Wars! Either Rodimus and Co arrived in the revised timeline earlier than they left or their return, Perchance to Dream: Galvatron and the Autobot withdrawal all occured on the same day. (No wonder the Autobots are unhappy!) The real-world explanation is that Furman probably made an error. The story continues to state "2009" though, so we're stuck with it.


 * The Void! will be used as a title again for US #74.