Transformers: Generation 1 #2

Credits

Writer - Chris Sarracini / Penciler - Pat Lee / Inker - Rob Armstrong / Backgrounds - Edwin Garcia / Lettering - Dreamer Design / Colors - Ramil Sunga, Gary Yeung, Alan Wang

Story

Inside a hangar at the U.S. government's Area 24, General Hallo explains to Spike that his men have been trying for weeks to resurrect Optimus Prime, without any success. Spike tells Hallo to have Optimus Prime's chest opened; as they do so, he reaches into his shirt and produces a small metal sphere. It contains a piece of the Matrix, given from Optimus to Spike before the launch of the Ark II. Though Spike briefly considers leaving Optimus Prime inert as punishment for the death of "Sparkplug" Witwicky, he quickly relents, and drops the sphere inside the now-exposed Matrix casing resting in Optimus' chest.

At the Smitco oil refinery somewhere in the arctic, a routine day of drilling and digging is interrupted when four helicopters drop off a massive metal crate. As the workers watch in surprise, it suddenly springs open, revealing a half-dozen Transformers. Working with silent efficiency, they destroy the refinery and slaughter the humans...

...as the devastation is shown on a wide-screen display inside a conference hall. Lazarus is holding court over a small crowd of political and military leaders, where he explains that his "soldiers" are available for immediate purchase -- and that his only concern is how much they're willing to pay. To start the auction, Lazarus unveils Megatron sitting onstage behind him, then begins to solicit bids. Before the first bid is taken, Megatron suddenly rumbles to life, muttering about the hubris of humans. As he breaks free of his bonds, the crowd panics, and Megatron captures Lazarus for some amusement.

Spike Witwicky and General Hallo take Optimus Prime to a snow-covered cliff along the Arctic ocean, near where Optimus was found. As the humans watch in awe, Optimus Prime activates the power of the Matrix -- and a number of Autobots are instantly reactivated, breaking free from nearby mounds of ice and snow, rising out of the frigid waters, to return to his side.

While Optimus greets the returning Autobots, the four helicopters involved in the Smitco slaughter are returning to Lazarus' headquarters nearby. The lead pilot is suspicious at the base's radio silence, and begins to worry about the smoke and flashes rising on the horizon. His fears are confirmed when Megatron steps out of the chaos and opens fire...

Notes and Comments

• Give Dreamwave points for continuity: the metal sphere that Spike wears around his neck (containing the piece of the Matrix) is briefly visible in the previous issue, during his morning shave.
• The Transformers shown at the Smitco attack are Soundwave, Grimlock, Starscream, Rumble, Bumblebee, Ravage, and Prowl.
• The Transformers resurrected by Optimus Prime are Huffer, Mirage, Jazz, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, and the Aerialbots (united as Superion).
• It's a minor nitpick, but it must be mentioned -- if the Division of War Technology was able to find Optimus Prime in the Arctic Ocean, why couldn't they have found the other Autobots who were resurrected by the Matrix? All of the Autobots were relatively close-by, and a squad of Marines searching the vicinity with metal detectors could have easily uncovered several of them (especially Superion, who appears to have crashed into the ocean while still combined).
• And despite an explosion that was strong enough to annihilate the Ark II, the resurrected Autobots are in surprisingly good shape, suffering nothing worse than a few minor scratches.