#43 - "The Big Broadcast of 2006"

Information provided by Evan Johnston.

Credits

Writer - Ralph Macchio / Penciler - Alan Kupperbeg / Inker - Dave Elliot / Lettering - Kurt Hataway / Colors - Nel Yomtov

Story

In a glimpse at a potential future world for the Transformers, the Junkions are enjoying a peaceful life on the planet Junk, watching stray television broadcasts from Earth and absorbing everything they see. Unfortunately for them, the five-faced Quintessons have lost a valuable canister on their planet, and have sent the Sharkticons to retrieve it. The Sharkticons find the canister, but are driven off by the Junkions before they could escape with the prize. Undaunted, the Quintessons decide to use a more subtle approach instead.

The next day on Junk, the Junkions find a huge television screen and satellite dish, offering a direct feed from Earth. Unaware that it has been modified by the Quintessons to play subliminal messages of destruction and obedience, the Junkions are soon enthralled, and begin sorting through their world's garbage in a search for the canister.

As the search continues, the Junkions decide to share the Quintessons' message with the rest of the universe. They turn the dish towards space, and soon the subliminal signals are causing riots and wars across the galaxy. In response to this threat, various alien races follow the signal back to the planet of Junk, in hopes of destroying the dangerous broadcast.

Galvatron cleverly disguises himself as Omega Supreme.

Arriving at Junk on a routine visit, the Autobots are caught in a crossfire as the alien ships attack the planet. Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Omega Supreme, and Blaster descend to the surface to determine the cause of the trouble; they run into Cyclonus and Scourge, who were investigating whether the Junkions could be turned against the Autobots. Their showdown is interrupted by Galvatron; hypnotized by the broadcasts into a berserker rage, he savagely attacks Rodimus Prime. Meanwhile, the Quintessons have found the canister again, and use a tractor beam to bring it to their ship.

As the battle continues, a stray shot from Galvatron hits the canister, sending it flying through the void of space. Blaster speculates that music can stop the hostile suggestions, and Omega Supreme flies him over the battlefield to play soothing music. The combatants awake from their trance; angry at being a pawn of the Quintessons, Galvatron destroys the satellite dish, then leaves with the Decepticons. With the dangerous broadcast now over, the Autobots, Junkions, and aliens go their separate ways.

Regretting the loss of the canister, the Quintessons hint that the secrets of that canister could turn the entire galaxy against them, and sentence the Quintesson responsible for its recovery with death. Since this story is simply an anachronistic tale outside of the comic book continuity, the future outcome of this tale is left untold...

Notes and Comments

• This issue was an adaptation of the third-season Transformers cartoon episode, "The Big Broadcast of 2006."
• This issue contains numerous mistakes and illogical errors, too many to be listed completely. Examples include Cyclonus and Omega Supreme speaking some of Galvatron's lines, Rodimus Prime deflecting a blast from Galvatron while buried under a pile of debris, and Omega Supreme shown in robot form while a caption says he is in rocket mode.
• Differences between the cartoon episode and the adaptation include:
  • The Quintessons conclude they need to use "more subtle means" after the Sharkticons' initial attempt fails. This makes sense compared to the cartoon, where the Quintessons decide to use subtlety, and then send out the Sharkticons.
  • The television screen and satellite dish are explicitly shown to be the source of the subliminal messages.
  • Over the planet of Junk, Fireflight creates a distortion field around the Quintesson ship that renders the Aerialbots invisible. This prompts Wreck-Gar to exclaim, "Jeepers, Mr. Kent! Where'd they go?" In the cartoon, Firefight's scene was omitted, which left Wreck-Gar's line without a reference.
  • Omega Supreme is shown flying in robot mode.
  • Rodimus Prime's fight with Galvatron is longer and more complex than shown in the cartoon.
  • Several scenes from the cartoon are removed, including Sky Lynx's battle with Astrotrain, the battle between the Autobots and the Sweeps on the way to Junkion, and Rodimus Prime's infamous "I don't suppose I could interest you in a used mantle?" joke.