What's in a Name?

Swoop gets the bird.

Millions of years ago on Cybertron, an Autobot called Divebomb loses a battle and his name with a mysterious Decepticon.

Published in: Transformers Annual 1988
Followed by: Doomsday for Nebulos

Writer: Simon Furman
Art: Will Simpson
Inks: Elliot

• Characters: Swoop, Divebomb, Optimus Prime, Grimlock, Sludge
• Originally published: 1st August 1987

Synopsis

Millions of years ago on Cybertron, the Autobot called Divebomb was beaten in combat by a Deception whose real name he never learned; the Decepticon then stole his name.

In an attempt to regain his name and his honour Divebomb disobeyed orders and went hunting for the Decepticon. He eventually found him deep in enemy territory and engaged him in battle. Unfortunately he was again defeated and would have been killed if it had not been for Optimus Prime, who had followed him and drove the Decepticon off. As he hated Prime, this simply made Divebomb’s shame even worse.

In the present day, Divebomb, now known as Swoop, discovers that the Decepticon who stole his name has arrived on Earth as part of the Predacon team. Having lied to the other Dinobots by telling them he beat Divebomb last time, he sets off to defeat him once and for all.

Note: This story is followed by the mainline comic story Grudge Match!

Errors

• None known.

Items of note

• Swoop and Divebomb's pre-Earth alt modes are revealed here.
• On Cybertron Swoop (Divebomb) was a member of the Elite Flying Corps.
• The story was inspired by a casual line in The Icarus Theory in which it was stated that Swoop's name on Cybertron was Divebomb. This was almost certainly written in ignorance of the Predacons in an era when even the Marvel UK office had very little info about future toyline developments, but now provides the basis for a potential conflict between the Dinobots and Predacons.