#1 - "Ground Zero"

Credits

Writer - Simon Furman / Penciler - Andy Wildman with Stephen Baskerville / Lettering - Richard Starkings and Comicraft

Story

On the unnamed Beast Wars planet, the Predacon scientist Fractyl is haunted by visions of apocalyptic explosions as he works at an outdoor camp. With a newly-discovered element called "Furmanite," he hopes to create an armor coating that will protect the Predacons from the planet's harmful energon levels. He is soon successful, creating a sphere of "energon armor" that contains the energon inside.

But before Fractyl can conduct further experiments, his armor sample is stolen by the Maximal scavenger, Packrat. When Inferno opens fire, he knocks a shard of armor into an energon vein, causing a massive explosion. Fractyl then realizes that the "Furmanite" is really anti-energon, and explodes when exposed to large amounts of energon. The implications are disasterous: if the stolen armor sample is brought into an area with a large energon deposit, the resulting chain reaction could destroy the planet!

On a nearby plain, Cheetor, Rhinox, and Airazor are enjoying the peaceful morning. The quiet is shattered by the sounds of gunfire -- from Inferno's attack on Packrat -- and Airazor and Cheetor race ahead to investigate. As Inferno closes in, Packrat transforms to robot mode, becoming infused with the energon armor. When Cheetor arrives, he is shot by Inferno, who is then savagely gunned down by Packrat.

While Fractyl meets Rhinox and warns him of the danger, Airazor asks Packrat about his uncharacteristic aggression. Packrat curtly dismisses her; protected by the armor, he is finally the most glorious Transformer on the planet, able to go anywhere he pleases. He then tries to prove it by heading for the Badlands, a dangerous area rich in energon, but is intercepted by Rhinox. Rhinox argues that respect must be earned, and that endangering the planet with his arrogance won't help him gain it.

Before Packrat can reply, Fractyl approaches him from behind, ready to siphon off the armor. Packrat cuffs him, insulted that he didn't get a chance to respond, then reluctantly allows Fractyl to remove the armor anyway. As the other Predacons approach, Fractyl tells the Maximals to leave, and prepares himself for Megatron's wrath. Rhinox commends him for his altruism, and Packrat gets an idea...

By the time Megatron and the Predacons arrive, Fractyl is single-handedly driving away the Maximals, a sign of courage that Megatron appreciates. And even as Packrat scolds himself for helping Fractyl, he is unaware of Rhinox's newfound respect for him.

Notes and Comments

• This was a black and white (greyscale) comic book published exclusively for BotCon '97, the 1997 Transformers toy convention. It was sold with the convention's exclusive toys, a boxed set containing Fractyl and Packrat (repainted versions of the Beast Wars toys Terrorsaur and Rattrap). The comic was also sold separately.
• The comic book was published by 3H Productions, the organizers of BotCon '97: Glen Hallit, Jon Hartman, and Karl Hartman.
• The title "Ground Zero" is a reference to the BotCon '97 convention exclusive music CD. One of the tracks in the dual-CD package is "Ground Zero," an original song by Stan Bush and Vince DiCola that served as the convention's theme.
• "Furmanite" is, of course, a self-reference to Simon Furman, author of this issue and writer of the Transformers and Transformers: Generation 2 comic books by Marvel.
• The relationship between Furmanite, the energon armor, and anti-energon is not clearly explained in the comic. Furthermore, the nature of the energon armor is unclear -- it can be held and shattered like a solid, yet Packrat becomes a walking bomb when he is coated with the armor. The synopsis above contains my interpretations of the ambiguous points, but they are merely my interpretations.