A Small War!

« The Transformers(UK)#232–233 »
"A Small War!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	19th Augustand26th August1989
Cover date	26th Augustand2nd September1989
Writer	Simon Furman
Art	Jeff Anderson(#232) Geoff Senior(#233)
Letterer	Glib
Cover	Lee SullivanandJeff Anderson
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity(Marvel UK)
Chronology	1989

Enter: The Micromasters!

Contents 1Synopsis 2Featured characters 3Quotes 4Notes 4.1Artwork and technical errors 4.2Colored reprints 4.3Continuity errors 4.4Continuity notes 4.5Continuity fun times 4.6Real-life references 4.7Other trivia 4.8Back-up material 4.9Generics 4.10Foreign Localization 4.11Covers (2) 4.12Reprints

Synopsis

OnCybertron,aDecepticonis interrupted from his guard duty by a small voice below him. He looks down, only to behold the tiniestAutobothe's ever seen! The little thing asks him to move out of the way, and the Decepticon just starts bellowing with laughter. He's still laughing when the little Autobot transforms into an assault vehicle and missile-blasts him right in the chest.

TheMicromasternamedFlaksignals the rest of his team, the AutobotBattle Patrol.As they continue their infiltration mission, the small warriors brag to themselves about the usefulness of their unique designs—their low height and weight make covert missions a breeze, and they use much less preciousenergonthan the largerTransformers.Add in the fact that their firepower is barely less than a full-sized Autobot, and the Micromasters are definitely the wave of the future.

It seems the Decepticons agreed with the Battle Patrol, as the Autobot uncover the "secret weapon" they were sent to spy on: Decepticon Micromasters, being constructed under LordThunderwing's direction. Unfortunately, the entire set-up was a trap, designed by the Decepticons to lure a group of Micromasters into their lair, so that their scientists can dissect and reverse-engineer the micro construction. Realizing they are in dire straits, team leaderBig Shotprepares to press hissuicide button,which would activate the explosive charges built into his team, designed to totally destroy the Micromasters in just such a situation. However, the Autobot fighting spirit is to never say die, so Big Shot ignores his orders and commands his team to go down fighting!

They do. And so, hours later,EmirateXaaronsendsRoadhandlerout with the rest of the Micromasters to locate the Battle Patrol. Instead of rescuing them, however, Xaaron commands that the Patrol be destroyed so that their secrets cannot be pilfered by the Decepticons.

Outside Thunderwing's base, Roadhandler reluctantly reviews the plan with his fellow Micromasters: to set a series of explosive charges around the base, leveling it to the ground and hopefully destroying the Battle Patrol inside, along with all the data cultivated from their systems. After a few minutes wrestling with the decision, however, Roadhandler and the Micromasters decide to disobey orders and risk courtmartial, breaking into the base itself in an attempt to rescue their comrades.

WithStakeout's unit causing a disruption elsewhere on the base, Roadhandler andPowertrainbreak into the laboratory to free the Battle Patrol. Unfortunately, they discover they are too late to prevent the reverse-engineering process, as the DecepticonAir Strike Patrolare there to greet them. Roadhandler catches the new Micromasters off-guard with one of the deactivated bombs, and the Autobots overpower their opponents. The Battle Patrol are successfully rescued and brought back toAutobase.

Roadhandler hands himself over to Emirate Xaaron for punishment, taking full responsibility for the team under his command, but Xaaron declines to court-martial him. After all, even the wisest of men and machines can be in error, and Xaaron realizes he needs to treat the Micromasters more as fellow soldiers, and not as mere weapons.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Now, I advise you to stand aside before youreallyget meangry!"
"You've gotta be kidding! Haw! Haw!Watcha gonna do? Punch out mykneecaps?Tickle myfeet? Haw!"
"Ah well...DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!"

—Flakgiving theexpendable guardthe option of not being blasted to bits and getting turned down.

"Rescue is nigh-onimpossible.To prevent our Micromaster secrets falling into Decepticon hands...I want you todestroythe Battle Patrol! "

—Emirate Xaaronbeing a bit scary.

"Is everyone clear what we have to do? Our leader,Emirate Xaaron,has judged theBattle Patrolto be beyond rescue. In order to prevent the Micromaster design falling into Decepticon hands, we blow thewhole place...includingour captive colleagues. Understand? "
<Long awkward silence>
"No,me neither. "

—Roadhandlerstruggles with his motivation.

"Your actions have helped me see thefollyof my own edicts. The war against the Decepticons has got so big, so out of hand, that I've lost sight of the smaller, butmore importantaspects. Namely the lives of those who serve under me! I've been playing god, forgetting that the Autobot vow to preserve life wherever possible extends to my own troops. It's time thatchanged.We lost asmall wartoday...but a larger battle has beenwon!"

—Emirate Xaarondecides to stop being a bit scary.

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

• When the Air Strike Patrol appear, Tailwind's head is completely off-model; lacking hismouthplateand Prime-like "helmet", he's recognisable only by default as the one who isn't Storm Cloud, Nightflight or Whisper.
• On the second page of Part 2, the penultimate panel appears to show Tailspin standing immediately behind Roadhandler and starting to talk to him. The following panel continues to show Tailspin standing nearest to Roadhandler, posed as if talking, and Roadhandler addresses his reply to him...but the speech bubble for the remainder of the speech is pointing at Powertrain.
• Although the context seems to suggest all remaining 12 Micromasters from theRace Car Patrol,Rescue Patrol, andOff Road Patrolare present for the raid, all the members are not clearly shown on the page.
• Some would say Roadhandler is incorrectly depicted as the same size as Xaaron at the end of the first chapter, but Jeff Anderson has always drawnXaaron much smaller compared to normal-sized Transformers.In the next issue, Geoff Senior depicts Xaaron just a little bit taller than the Micromasters.
• TheRescue Patrolare displayed prominently on the cover of issue #232, although they don't appear until the second part of the story in issue #233 as supporting characters, and even then only two of them. Surely this should be the Battle Patrol's cover?

Colored reprints

• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection,Volume 17: Matrix Quest, coloured by John-Paul Bove with colour assists by Ed Pirrie and Ben Pirrie

Continuity errors

• Fourteen months ago, theTriumvirate,the unseenDecepticon Imperial Headquarters,andRatbatwere all still alive (not to mentionShockwave). How did Thunderwing nick power?!

Continuity notes

• The DecepticonSports Car Patrolare seen under construction in the second part.
• Considering how much piss and vinegar the Micromasters giveOptimus Primein "King Con!",one has to wonder if Xaaron's change of heart really lasted.

Continuity fun times

• The story opens with a narration box stating the following events occurred "fourteen months ago". This was probably entered as a continuity reference, since "A Small War!" was first published in the UK packaged together with the US story "King Con!", where the Micromasters arrived on Earth and joined the Ark's crew. This then raises questions as Thunderwing's climb to power started in the previous UK story, "The Big Shutdown!",and ends with the later"Assault on the Ark!".This storyhasto take place either before them or after them, and if it's before then isn't Thunderwing presumably in charge anyway and if it's after... then, well, Optimus Prime's arrival as aPowermasterhas to be happening in early summer of last year, which contradicts "Cold Comfort and Joy!"

Real-life references

Other trivia

• Issue#229'seditorial said "Prime's Rib!"would be the next UK strip. The strips likely got shifted around to get a UK-original Micromasters story out faster.

Back-up material

Issue #232

• AdditionalTransformersstory:"King Con!"
• ReprintTransformersstory:"Resurrection!"
• Other strips:Combat Colin
• Free gift:magnifying glass

Issue #233

• AdditionalTransformersstory:"King Con!"
• Other strips:Action Force- "Airshow" andCombat Colin
• AtoZ:RampageandRatbat
• Free gift:temporarytattoo

Generics

For further information, see:Thunderwing's expendable guard

This issue featured some notablegenericCybertronian Decepticons:

• 

  A Decepticon guard failed to notice the Battle Patrol (or at least pretended to).

• 

  The unsung scientist who created the Decepticon Micromasters.

Foreign Localization

Swedish

• Title:"Ett litet krig!"(" A Small War! ")

• Thunderwing is given the rank of non-commissioned officer ( "Underofficer") here, possibly as an attempt to smooth over the above contentious continuity.

Covers (2)

• Issue #232 cover:Thunderwing and Micromasters, byLee Sullivan.
• Issue #233 cover:Bomb-Burst,Submarauderand a friendly chap, byJeff Anderson.

• 

  Issue #232:

• 

  Issue #233:

Reprints

• Transformers: Perchance to Dream:Superiongets smacked around byMenasor- detail from cover of issue#259,byAndrew Wildman.
• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection,Volume 17: Matrix Quest:Nightbeat and Prime's corpse byMakoto OnoandGeoff Senior.

• 

  Perchance to Dream(Titan Books, 2006)

• 

  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 17: Matrix Quest(Hachette Partworks, Ltd., 2018)