Stormbringer (comics)

This article is about the IDW mini-series. For the Generation One Decepticon, see Stormbringer (G1).

A cast of thousands

The Transformers: Stormbringer is a 4-issue limited series published by IDW Publishing and set in the main IDW continuity. Occurring roughly during the same period of time as the Infiltration arc, it establishes the situation of Cybertron and the rest of the Autobots and Decepticons not on Earth.

It is issues #7–10 in the IDW overarching "sub-numbering" (shown by a number in an Autobot-sigil shaped shield beside the barcode on each issue).

Stormbringer issues:
#1 | #2 | #3 | #4

Preceded by: Infiltration
Followed by: Escalation

Overview

Stormbringer gives readers their first look at the larger war beyond Earth. Cybertron is a dead, wasted world, victim of some distant cataclysm that elder Transformers, including Optimus Prime and Megatron, were present when this occured. Optimus Prime's musings establish that the long war between the Autobots and Decepticons was directly responsible for the cataclysm, and in flashback we discover that a single demonic figure was somehow the focus for or avatar of the event; this being was so powerful that only the combined might of the Autobots and Decepticons could stop it.

Both Autobots and Decepticons appear to have large, star-spanning armies. Similar Decepticon infiltration cells to the one portrayed in Infiltration are seen on the planets Nebulos and Varas Centralus. The Autobots' main base is a space station orbiting a planet at least nineteen megacycles away from Cybertron via foldspace travel, and they possess at least one space battle cruiser, the Xantium.

Stormbringer was proudly advertised with the tagline "NOTHING BUT ROBOTS ON CYBERTRON", seemingly in response to fandom outcries over those horrible humans who had infested IDW's initial Infiltration storyline. Nice goin' there, fandom.

Creative team

Stormbringer was scripted by Transformer veteran Simon Furman and penciled by Don Figueroa—the pair also worked together on Dreamwave Productions' The War Within and IDW's Beast Wars: The Gathering.

Collections

• Stormbringer TPB (2007) ISBN 978-1600100185

Bonus material includes images of each cover and concept art of many characters, several of which would not appear in the story. It wields the number #2 on its side.

• Stormbringer Manga TPB (B&W small format) (2007) ISBN 978-160010042-0
• The Transformers: The Premiere Collection, Vol 1 (Dec, 2007) ISBN 978-1600101182

Includes Infiltration, Stormbringer, Escalation and the contents of the first Spotlight collection.