#2 - "All or Nothing"/"Ghosts"

#2 - "All or Nothing"

Credits

Writer - Simon Furman / Penciler - Derek Yaniger, Manny Galan, Andrew Wildman / Inker - Jim Amash, Marie Severin, Stephen Baskerville / Letterer - Richard Starkings with Gaushell / Colorist - Sarah Mossoff

Story

As the Ark travels from Earth to Cybertron, Megatron allows himself a brief moment of celebration -- he's beaten Cobra, G.I. Joe, and the Autobots, he has captured the human scientist, Dr. Biggles-Jones, and he has been rebuilt in a stronger and more powerful form, ready to restore the Decepticon empire. Watching secretly from the shadows, Spike Witwicky vows to stop him, and soon finds the battered, headless body of Fortress Maximus elsewhere in the Ark.

Back on Earth, a convoy of Cobra trucks leaves Millville with a load of technology from the Ark, protected by a column of HISS tanks. Hotspot, the only surviving Autobot from Cybertron, must destroy the trucks in order to prevent Cobra from acquiring the advanced Cybertronian science. He attacks the convoy, but even with the help of the G.I. Joe team, he still takes damage from the Cobra tanks.

On the Ark, Spike has just donned his Headmaster armor when he is found by Skydive. Spike joins with Fortress Maximus and eases Skydive's fears, then thinks of a plan to stop Megatron. While Megatron repairs a robot in the shadows, Skydive frees Dr. Biggles-Jones, and Fort Max ambushes Megatron. Unfortunately, Megatron is stronger and healthier than Fort Max, and easily trounces him. Skydive returns, attacking Megatron in retaliation for the deaths of the other Autobots, and Fort Max flees for the engine room.

Hotspot finally destroys the last Cobra truck, but to no avail -- he's cornered by Cobra, who plan to study him in replacement of the destroyed Cybertronian technology. Refusing to let himself fall into Cobra's hands, Hotspot self-destructs.

Though Fortress Maximus gives Spike a chance to escape, he refuses. The two smash through the antimatter reaction chamber, which destroys them instantly. Skydive escapes from the Ark seconds before it explodes. Skydive returns Dr. Biggles-Jones to the G.I. Joe team, and they briefly eulogize the Autobots who have died that day.

#2 - "Ghosts"

Credits

Writer - Simon Furman / Artist - Geoff Senior / Letterer - Richard Starkings with Gaushell / Colorist - Sarah Mossoff

Story

Optimus Prime and his Autobots are fighting Bludgeon and his Decepticons inside the wreckage of an ancient spaceship. The prize is a cache of superweapons, which each side wants for itself. In the midst of the battle, Hot Rod sneaks into a back room, looking for a way to scare off the Decepticons, while fighting his own fears about disturbing the dead.

The battle is interupted when a gigantic monster appears, announcing itself as the guardian of the stockpile and ordering the Transformers to leave immediately. While Optimus silently congratulates Hot Rod for the illusion, the monster vaporizes one of the Decepticons and drives off the others. Hot Rod then returns, apologizing for not being able to understand the alien technology, and Optimus realizes the monster is not an illusion...

The Autobots quickly leave, and Optimus vows that the Autobots will prevail with their courage and determination.

Notes and Comments

• This issue follows events in issue #142 of the G.I. Joe comic book.
• At the end of G.I. Joe issue #142, Megatron reveals that the Cybertronian technology he gave to Cobra was infected with a computer virus that rendered it useless. Does this mean that Hotspot's mission to stop the convoy (and his self-sacrifice) was for nothing?
• "Ghosts" first appeared in October 1993 as a promotional mini-comic distributed at comic book stores. It was released as "Transformers: Generation 2 Halloween Special Edition." The story does not fit easily into the continuity of the Transformers comic book; the characters indicate that the story takes place after issue #80 of the original series, but Optimus' thoughts in issue #1 of Transformers: Generation 2 gives no indication that this encounter ever took place. Some fans suggest that it might occur between issue #3 and issue #4, if the Autobots ran into Bludgeon's forces as they traveled to Earth, though it isn't a smooth fit.