Afterdeath!

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PlayStation3... thousand
"Afterdeath!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	September 1986
Cover date	January 1987
Writer	Bob Budiansky
Penciler	Don Perlin
Inkers	Ian Akin&Brian Garvey
Colorist	Nel Yomtov
Letterer	Janice Chiang
Editor	Don Daley
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity

Optimus Prime kills himself over a video game. Seriously.

Contents 1Synopsis 2Featured characters 3Quotes 4Notes 4.1Artwork and technical errors 4.2Continuity errors 4.3Continuity notes 4.4Real-life references 4.5UK printing 4.6Letters pages 4.7Other trivia 4.8Bot Roster 4.9Courtesy of my... 4.10Changes in the IDWTransformers Classicsreprint 4.11Covers (3) 4.12Advertisements 4.13Reprints 5References

Synopsis

Ethan Zacharyis a programmer atEnergy Futures Industrieswho works on a device called ahydrothermocline.The hydrothermocline is intended to draw energy from the different thermal layers of the ocean, and is seen as a potentially inexhaustible power supply for the world.

Megatronwants to steal the hydrothermocline, and takesCombaticonsto the laboratory where the hydrothermocline is being stored.Optimus Primeand theProtectobotsshow up to stop them. After a bit of grandstanding, during which Ethan is captured, it becomes clear that if theAutobotsandDecepticonscontinue to fight, they will end up destroying the very thing the Decepticons have come to steal. Ethan offers a compromise: theTransformersfight their battle in acomputer-generatedvirtual world—a computer game calledMulti-World.

Megatron agrees, but only if the stakes are increased to include not only the hydrothermocline, but also the life of the losing leader. Optimus agrees to these terms, and the game is played. The Protectobots must fight the Combaticons while remaining true to their principles, assisting and sparing the lives of the inhabitants of the computer world while the Combaticons attempt to destroy them. This gains the trust and assistance of these computer characters, who help the Protectobots defeat the Combaticons.

At last, Megatron and Optimus face off, but while Megatron has lost the assistance of his Combaticons, Optimus still has the Protectobots, now in the form ofDefensor.Defensor kills Megatron, and himself, in the game by destroying the platform they're standing on. But, Megatron cheats by using a "back door" password, enabling himself to be recreated in the game at any point he chooses; in this case, right behind Optimus, from which point he shoots the Autobot leader in the back. Prime manages to avoid falling by holding on to a ledge, but defeats Megatron only at the cost of the lives of the computer-generated characters.

Although this earns him victory in the game, Optimus feels that he has "cheated" by sacrificing his principles (unaware of how Megatron has already cheated previously). Prime tells Ethan to destroy him instead. Ethan presses the button andOptimus is destroyed.

The Decepticons leave with the hydrothermocline, and the Protectobots gather up the shattered body of the Autobot leader. As they leave, Ethan Zachary reveals that he has saved a copy of Optimus's character on a five-and-a-quarter-inchfloppy disk.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"What is this?"
"A native of the planet -- a fleshling. Careful, they're slimy."
"Can I crush it, Megatron? Can I?"

—BruticusandMegatronon humans.

"S-Stop! I -- I've got a... suggestion!"
"Silence! The condemned has no right to speak!"
"I... I have a way for you to fight it out... without destroying the hydrothermocline in the process!"
"Oh? In that case, you have my permission to continue..."

—Ethan Zacharyknows whatMegatronwants to hear.

"Make sure you do understand, fleshling. A Decepticon needs no button to destroy a fleshling. The heel of his foot will do."

—Megatron

Megatron:"... Where are my Combaticons?!"
Vortex:"I... uh, was incinerated..."
Blast Off:"I crashed..."
Swindle:"I crumbled..."
Brawl:"I..."

"I violated the Autobots' most cherished principle -- I knowingly harmed innocents because of our conflict with the Decepticons."
"But the element of surprise, Optimus -- you had no choice!"
"Each of usalwayshas a choice. I chose tocheat."

—Optimus Primejustifies his decision toBlades

(Narration)"Ethan Zachary is also silenced by what he has just seen. His grief is no less real than the Protectobots'.
After all, Optimus Prime was the greatest, most noble being he had ever met in his entire life...or played in a computer game. "

—GG,Optimus Prime.GG.

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

• On page 10, Optimus Prime tells Brawl that Autobots don't cheat. The speech bubble appears to be a response, but it is depicted as being spoken by Blades.
• The speech bubble of Onslaught's "YEEOWW!!" is drawn coming from Hot Spot.

Continuity errors

• Even by today's standards, theMulti-Worldis anincrediblecomputer game. The graphics and AI put even modern games to shame. No wonder Ethan needed cheat codes.
• Brawl somehow knows Groove's name, even though their two teams are new and don't seem to have met before.

Continuity notes

• Scenes that take place inMulti-Worldare displayed in comic panels with 'cut' corners, matching the corners of the monitor itself.
• The Protectobots and the Combaticons make their first appearance with no introduction or origin offered. Under US continuity, itseemsthat we are to simply assume that the Protectobots and Combaticons were created just before this story occurs (in the same fashion as theAerialbotsandStunticonsin "Heavy Traffic!"). However, aMatrix-induced dream sequence in the UK story "Second Generation!"shows the Protectobots being created on Earth prior to this story's events. A brief flashback in"Club Con!"shows Defensor on Cybertron several centuries ago. This is very likely an error, as he was depicted as" normal "height and is standing next toSunstreaker,who should be on Earth at the time, not to mention that in the same issue, aBattlechargeris drawn among the Autobots, proving continuity wasn't at its best that day! On the other hand, inGeneration 2,the Combaticon Onslaught is shown to share an unclarified history with theCybertronianMindset,which is difficult to resolve with his Earthly construction.
• Wheeljack extracts thecerebro-shellinjected byBombshellin "Heavy Traffic!"and uses it to learn of Megatron's plans.
• First Aid and Streetwise use thedecrystallizer cannonandair-compressor cannonvehicle mode guns that their toys came with.

Real-life references

• The Ark is in ruralOregon,while the energy lab is on the Oregon coast.

UK printing

Issue #105:

• Back-up strips:The Inhumanoids- "The Coming of the Inhumanoids, Part 1" andRobo-Capers
• The "Transformation" introductory page for UK issue #105 erroneously claims that "Transformers issues104and 105 features the final Prime/Megatron conflict ", even though it referred to the previous issue as" issue 104 "just a few sentences ago.
• In UK issue #105, the start of Hot Spot's objections to Prime leading the mission in Multi-World was blacked out to make a bettercliffhangerfor issue #106.

Issue #106:

• Back-up strips:The Inhumanoids- "The Coming of the Inhumanoids, Part 1" andRobo-Capers

Letters pages

Other trivia

• Optimus Prime's entire mind fits on a five-and-a-quarter-inch floppy disk.No, seriously. IT DOES.
• Budiansky's intention was to show the high moral standards Optimus lived up to, though he admits "perhaps I was taking it to an absurd extreme". He always planned to bring Optimus back though!^[1]
• This issue was reprinted as issue #7 ofIDW Publishing'sGenerationsseries.

Bot Roster

• Autobots: 27 active as the Protectobots arrive and Optimus Prime dies; 5 rogue Dinobots, 14 in repair bay. (46 total)
• Decepticons: 27 active as the Combaticons arrive; 9 offline. (36 total)

Courtesy of my...

• Swindle calls out hisscatter-blaster.
• First Aid makes Swindle and Brawl incredibly fragile with hisdecrystallizer cannon;Streetwise then shatters them with agust of compressed air.
• Blast Off hits Blades with hisX-ray laser.
• Groove blinds Vortex with aphoton pistol.
• Onslaught ambushes Hot Spot with hissonic stun-gun.
• Hot Spot takes down Onslaught with afireball;Defensor later takes out the bridge with another fireball.

Changes in the IDWTransformers Classicsreprint

• On page 10, panel 2 the tail of the mis-assigned speech bubble has been removed so that it doesn't look like Blades is saying Brawl's line. (Whether this actually works is questionable)
• Removal of the zip-tone dots on page 14, panel 5 left behind only blotchy ink splotches thanks to smudging on the original printing of the comic.

Covers (3)

• US cover:Megatron shooting Optimus in the game, byHerb Trimpe.
• UK issue #105 cover:Defensor vs. Bruticus, byLee Sullivan.
• UK issue #106 cover:reuse of art from US cover, recolored and cropped, with a new caption to boot byRobin Bouttell.

• 

  US issue #24- Look, just turn off the screen, we can pretend this never happened.

• 

  UK issue #105- Ah, if only...

• 

  UK issue #106- And one shall CHEAT!

Advertisements

• M&M's- inside front cover
• Lazer Taggame - between pages 4 & 5
• Brach's candy - between pages 5 & 6
• The AmazingSpider-Manin the Free the Cap'n (Crunch) Mystery - between pages 7 & 8
• Various comic ads - between pages 9 & 10
• Marvel Super Mart and collectible coins - between pages 16 & 17
• Comics and Sketchy ads - between pages 16 & 17
• Comic book conventions andEscape from Tenopiagame - between pages 19 & 20
• Bullpen Bulletins - between pages 20 & 21
• Marvel subscription service
• Yamaha keyboards - inside back cover
• Dungeons & Dragonsset #5: Immortal Rules (back cover)

Reprints

• Transformers: ShowdownTPB:Soundwave,Rumble,Cosmos,Warpath,Powerglideand half of thespace bridge,byAndrew Wildman.
• Transformers: Showdownhardback:Optimus Prime's head, byAlan Davis,Mark Farmer,&Chris Blythe.
• The Transformers: Generations#7 cover A:Optimus Prime and Megatron fight in the game, byNick Roche.
• Generations#7 cover B:line-art version of cover A.
• Generations#7 incentive cover:reuse of a panel from this issue.
• GenerationsTPB:reuse of cover A toGenerations#1, by Nick Roche.

• 

  Transformers: ShowdownTPB

• 

  Transformers: Showdownhardback

• 

  The Transformers: Generations#7 cover A

• 

  Generations#7 cover B

• 

  Generations#7 incentive cover

• 

  GenerationsTPB

• Greatest Battles of Optimus Prime and Megatron:Optimus Prime and Megatron in theirWar Withinbodies, byDon Figueroa.
• Classic TransformersVolume 2:panels from US issues#20and#25.
• The Transformers: Best of Megatron:Megatron, byLivio Ramondelli.
• The Transformers Classics,Vol. 2:Megatron,byGuido Guidi.
• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection:Volume 7: The Harder They Die:Tantrumand a scene of theWreckers;cover art byDon FigueroaandGeoff Senior.
• Transformers: Best of Optimus Prime:Optimus Primeheadshot; cover art byJames Biggie.

• 

  Greatest Battles of Optimus Prime and Megatron
  (IDW Publishing, 2007)

• 

  Classic TransformersVolume 2
  (IDW Publishing, 2008)

• 

  Best of Megatron
  (IDW Publishing, 2010)

• 

  The Transformers Classics,Vol. 2
  (IDW Publishing, 2012)

• 

  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 7
  (Hachette Partworks, Ltd. 2017)

• 

  Transformers: Best of Optimus Prime
  (IDW Publishing, 2022)

References