#2 - "Escape"

Credits

Writer - Simon Furman / Pencils - Dan Khanna, Guido Guidi, and James Raiz / Colors - Blond

Story

In The Cauldron deep within Unicron, the dark generals Tankor and Obsidian have pitted Sideswipe and Sunstreaker to fight each other. Though Sunstreaker has already succumbed to bloodlust, Sideswipe attacks Obsidian instead, only to be shocked into submission by Reptillion.

As the two Autobots slowly begin their fight, the newly-revived Optimus Primal spies on them from above. In flashback, Primal recalls how he was resurrected by Primus and directed by Alpha Trion to free the Transformers trapped here. As he neared the arena, Primal was attacked by Striker, but defeated him with the arrival of Grimlock and Megatron. Primal used his Spark telepathy to free Striker from Unicron's influence, then directed the three to guard the gates as he infiltrated it.

Back in present time, Obsidian, Tankor, and Reptillion have left the arena to investigate Striker's absence, and quickly clash with Grimlock and Megatron. Optimus Primal seizes this opportunity to explore the prisoners' cages, but is immediately attacked by Razorclaw! Their battle spills into the seats around the Cauldron, and Razorclaw becomes enraged when Primal mistakenly calls him "Tigerhawk." Primal taunts him with the name, then leaps onto the Arena floor, where he commandeers Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's weapons. And at the cages, Trailbreaker and Silverbolt devise a plan to swap bodies and enable them to escape.

By now, Primal and Razorclaw are grappling in midair over the Cauldron; their fight is interrupted by the sight of the hordes of escaping prisoners. United in their opposition to Unicron and his forces, the cross-dimensional collection of Transformers charge forward to exact some retribution and make their escape. Primal then informs Razorclaw that he has been absorbing the latter's electrical attacks to enhance his own power, and demonstrates it with a thunderous punch that blasts Razorclaw.

Let's play "Name that escapee!"

The freed Transformers escape from the arena, easily overwhelming Unicron's generals. Silverbolt finds Blackarachnia and forcibly drags her away, following the others towards an escaping bridge -- which is destroyed by Shadow Striker! The escapees come to a sudden halt to avoid falling into a pool of lava below, and Shadow Striker pledges herself to the forces of chaos from the other side. As Unicron's dark generals advance from behind the crowd, Optimus Primal uses Snarl's powers as a "Matrix Templar" to ask Primus for help.

In response, a beam of energy erupts from the sky, striking the lava itself. Though the others are skeptical, Primal takes a leap of faith into the lava -- and through a dimensional hole, where a beam of light carries Primal to safety! As the others follow, Silverbolt begs Blackarachnia to follow; she sadly refuses him, embracing her dark nature, and pushes him into the breach.

Afterwards, Blackarachnia is taken to Unicron's core where she is greeted by Tarantulas, who tells her that this is the beginning of a new battle. And on Cybertron, while the other Transformers celebrate their escape, Optimus Primal is left with a puzzle: since he and Megatron previously sacrificed themselves to reformat Cybertron, what effect does his subsequent resurrection have for them all?

Notes and Comments

• The comic book was published by 3H Productions, the organizers of the Official Transformers Collectors' Convention. It was available to attendees of OTFCC 2004.
• The comic also includes character profiles for Obsidian, Optimus Primal, Shadow Striker, and Tankor.
• Grimlock is depicted in his incarnation from Dreamworks' Transformers: The War Within limited series. Megatron is shown from Hasbro's Transformers: Armada line.
• Optimus Primal's meeting with Grimlock and Megatron is a reference to the Official Transformers Collectors' Convention 2003, where Chalk (Optimus Primal), Gregg Berger (Grimlock), and David Kaye (Megatron) spoke together at a voice actors' discussion panel.
• The Transformers seen escaping from the Cauldron consist of:
  • Big Daddy (Micromaster)
  • Blackarachnia (Transformers: Universe)
  • Brawn (original Mini-bot)
  • Defensor (Transformers: Universe combiner)
  • Firebot (Transformers: Universe Mini-Con)
  • Fireflight (Transformers: Universe)
  • Jhiaxus (from the Transformers: Generation 2 comic)
  • King Atlas (Transformers: Universe)
  • Omega Prime (Transformers: Robots In Disguise)
  • Ransack (Deluxe Insecticon)
  • Ratchet (Transformers: Universe)
  • Red Alert (Transformers: Armada)
  • Roulette (OTFCC 2003 exclusive)
  • Shadow Striker (OTFCC 2003 exclusive)
  • Silverbolt (Transformers: Universe)
  • Squeezeplay (Headmaster)
  • Swerve (Transformers: Universe)
  • Tap-Out (BotCon 2002 exclusive)
  • Terrorsaur (Beast Wars)
  • Thrust (Beast Machines)
  • Triceradon (Transformers: Universe)
  • Wheelie (original Mini-bot)
  • Whirl (Transformers: Universe)
• Snarl's status as a "Matrix Templar" is from his Transformers: Universe character profile.
• Tarantulas' design is based on the "Fox Kids"-exclusive version of his toy when the Beast Machines television show was on Fox TV.
• The death of Optimus Primal is from the end of the Beast Machines television series.