#5 - "Devices and Desires!"/"We Are Not Alone!"

Information provided by Chris McFeely.

Devices and Desires!

Credits

Script - Simon Furman / Pencils - Andrew Wildman / Inks - Bambous Georgiou / Colors - Junior Tomlin / Lettering - Neil Porter

Story

A plumetting satellite is about to hit Chicago, but the city's saved by the timely arrival of the Air Defense Mini-Con team! They are then suddenly blindsided by Starscream, who tells them he brought it down as bait to capture them! Starscream subdues the Mini-Cons, but the Autobots arrive to their rescue, prompting Starscream to flee. The Air Defense Team thanks the Autobots for the rescue, but makes it clear they have no desire to join up with them. Unknown to everyone, though, is that Starscream managed to attach a homing device to Runway...

Tales of the Mini-Cons: We Are Not Alone!

Credits

Script - Simon Furman / Pencils - Keiron Ward / Inks - Lee Townsend / Colors - Junior Tomlin / Lettering - Neil Porter

Story

With some reluctance, the Air Defense Mini-Con team approaches a California NASA facility, hoping to steal some technology that'd enable them to return to Cybertron. However, they are suddenly attacked by base security, who easily takes them down with a scrambler device!

Reawakening in a holding facility, Sonar tends to Jetstorm while Runway scans the facility's computers, curious how they humans were able to capture them. As a security alarm sounds, the Mini-Cons escape, but not before Runways finds what he was looking for -- the humans have encountered Mini-Cons before, and captured the Land Minitary Mini-Cons back in the 1950's...!

Notes and Comments

• This issue's extras consisted of:
  • The "Astro Flyer", a polystyrene model plane
  • Profiles of Starscream, Swindle, and the Air Defense Mini-Cons
  • A feature page: "Secret Transformers ID Badges"
• Throughout the stories and profiles, the blue Concorde member of the Air Defence Team is referred to as Runway, while the grey Blackbird is Jetstorm. It's officially supposed to be the other way around, but the mistake has occurred in catalogs and packaging as well.
• Despite the fact that this is a UK comic, the American spelling of "saber" is retained for the Star Saber (as it was in the UK release of the toys).