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Remembrance Day

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This article is about the real-world issue. For the unrelated in-universe holiday, seeRemembrance Night.
« The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye#14 »
MTMTE14 cvrA.jpg
You will remember the look on his face for the rest of your days.
"Remembrance Day"
Publisher IDW Publishing
First published March 6,2013
Cover date February 2013
Story by James Roberts
Pencils by Alex Milne
Colors by Josh Burcham
Letters by Tom B. Long
Editor John Barber
Continuity 2005 IDW continuity
Chronology Current era (2012)

Chromedome signs the death warrants of all aboard theLost Lightas he enters Overlord's memories.

Contents

Synopsis

Prologue: "A Functionist Calls"

4.2 million years ago, before the war, onCybertron'ssecond moon,Thymesis Energon mining facilityworkersFrakandRushcutuncover asparkbeneath the moon's surface that flares to life before their eyes. Mine bossMomuscontacts theFunctionist Council,who send an authenticator,Three-of-Twelve,to examine the discovery, confirming Momus's suspicion that the unusual green hue of the spark marks it as the first "Point One Percenter"discovered in ten generations. Momus is declared exempt of the role hisalt modecarries as reward, but when the two miners request a reward of their own, they are informed that exposure to the first flash of energy from the spark has left them only six hours to live...

"Remembrance Day"

RemembranceDay-Chromedome.jpg

Chromedomehas entered the mind ofOverlord,imprisoned in the bowels of theLost Lightwithin a time-dilating "slow cell"in which time moves at a reduced rate, and acclimates himself to the murderousDecepticon's headspace by exploring the memories of his defeat at the hands of theWreckersatGarrus-9.When Overlord notices him, Chromedome introduces himself, explaining Overlord's predicament and noting that they've actually met once before. With Overlord silent save a request to be killed, Chromedome sets about rummaging through the Decepticon's memories, first visiting one of his bouts withMegatronin the gladiatorial pits four million years ago, then jumping forward to a vicious training bout between the two after Overlord had joined the Decepticon faction. One further jump, to three million years ago, takes Chromedome to what he is looking for: theFoundry,the facility where especially powerful Decepticons selected by Megatron were rebuilt into the devastating super-weapons known as theWarriors Elite,from whose ranks the "Phase Sixers"would later be drawn. As Chromedome watches, scientistRossumdetails his concerns that the circumstances of Overlord's birth—on Luna 2, rather than Cybertron itself—mean he will reject the infusion ofununtriumessential to the process, and that if he does survive, he will turn on Megatron. Megatron assures Rossum that Overlord's status as a Point One Percenter will ensure success, while modifications made byShockwavewill make sure Megatron is safe. Rossum begins the process, which quickly reaches successful completion, climaxing with Overlord smashing out his capsule and crushing Rossum's head.

Mirage pharma remembrance day.jpg

Successful in his mission, having obtained information on how to create "Phase Sixers", Chromedome prepares to pull out, thanking Overlord for giving them the key to finally defeating Megatron. Overlord's eyes flare at the mention of Megatron as still-living, and Chromedome notices the smile that appears on his lips as the Decepticon remarks that he has remembered where he and Chromedome met before. The pair visit Overlord's memory of when he led a Decepticon attack on the "New Institute"secretly set up byZeta Prime,where Chromedome—then named "Tumbler" —studiedmnemosurgeryunderTrepanand performedShadowplayon dissidents. He had been about to lobotomizeSoundwavewhen Overlord's forces staged their rescue, tearing through an army ofGuardian droids,shooting Chromedome, and abducting Trepan into the bargain. However, as the memory continues to play out, andPharmaworks on Chromedome's wounds, the cerebroscientist realises that they are seeing and hearing things Overlord could not possibly have witnessed, as he had already left by the time they occurred. Horrifying realization dawns: they are now inhis ownmemory of the event. The shared nature of the memory has allowed Overlord to usurp control, having learned the basics of mnemosurgery from the captured Trepan, and he now begins searching through Chromedome's head for mentions of himself...

Chromedome Prowl RemembranceDay.jpg

Overlord first views a meeting between Chromedome andProwlshortly before the launch of theLost Light,during which the police-bot revealed that Overlord was still alive and requested that Chromedome perform mnemosurgery on him in order to learn the secrets of creating a Phase Sixer. Chromedome refuses, having promisedRewindhe was giving up the practice, but when Prowl goes too far, warning Chromedome that there are secrets in his past that he would not want Rewind to know, a maddened Chromedome assaults him, forcibly entering Prowl's memories and removing the unknown knowledge of his past misdeeds. Jumping to the next memory, Overlord watches as Chromedome meets withBrainstormandDrift,who explain that Prowl had Overlord placed aboard theLost Lightwith the intent that they wait until Chromedome was at his lowest point and talk him into doing what Prowl wanted. They provide Chromedome with the code needed to access the slow cell... and that's just what Overlord wants.

Bursting free from his restraints, Overlord explains that he could have done so at any time, but had no motivation to escape until Chromedome informed him Megatron still lived. With Chromedome briefly paralyzed following the prolonged mind-merge and unable to stop him, Overlord types in the code and opens the cell, then closes it behind him, reactivating the time dilation field. While Chromedome may only take a few seconds to recover and exit the cell, a much longer amount of time will have passed outside, with Overlord loose on theLost Light...

Featured characters

(All characters other than Overlord and Chromedome appear in flashbacks and memories.)
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans Others

Quotes

Rossum:"Okay—nowpush! PUSH!Keep pushing... and... we're good! Life signs are holding steady. He's going to befine.Congratulations, Megatron—it's asuperwarrior."
(Overlord crushes Rossum's head)
Megatron:"He takes after me."


"Hey—stayconscious.This isimportant.The Foundry, three million years ago: unless I'm getting ahead of myself. It's the day you became aPhase Sixerin all but name. And provided you can remember what happenednext,it's the day-three million yearslater-when you tell us how we canfinallydefeat Megatron "
"Megatron'salive?"

—ChromedometellsOverlordsomething... and the universe screams WHY?!


"You took your time."
"If that's your way of saying, 'I'm sorry I got myself captured and had to rely on my betters to save me,' there's really no need."

—SoundwaveandOverlord


"Cover stories and half-truths. When was the last time you playedanythingstraight? "
"Probably just before I realized it gets younowhere."

—ChromedomeandProwl


"Hey,Brainstorm,it's—why is there a giant naked human in your workshop?And who'd have thought I'd have to ask you that questiontwicein one lifetime?"
"I'm beta testing these newholomatter avatars.I thought I just had to fix the scale, but—you definitely think they need clothes...? "
"I thought you just didweapons."
"Yeah, weapons and 500-foot nude holographic decoys.Postwar diversification.You've gotta plan for the future. "

—ChromedomeandBrainstorm


"I've just told him aboutthe project."
"Hey, remember therules—you've gotta say the name infull."
"(Sigh) 'Project: Total Insanity.'"
"I came up with the name.Project: Asking for Troublewas a close second. "

—DriftandBrainstorm


"Brainstorm loaded aspeech recognition programinto the security cameras and themedibots—I'm alerted if anyone on board mentions him by name. "
"...which explains why you burst into my hab suite last month, in the middle of Rewind's story aboutOverload... "
"Yes, well, maybe if heenunciatedproperly. "

—DriftandChromedome


"You're welcome to follow me and raise the alarm. I won'thurtyou orrestrainyou or put anyobstaclesin your way. What Iwilldo is close this door behind me, reactivating the temporal dilation field. And you? All you have to do is cross the floor and open it. It should take you—oooh—five seconds? Five secondsyour time.Frommyperspective—and from the perspective of everyone else on board—it might as well befive years.Run as fast as you can, Chromedome... you're already too late. "

—Overlord

Notes

Continuity notes

  • Momus previously appeared—as a corpse—inissue #10.His role as a Decepticon sympathizer is given more meaning here, as he is shown to have risen tosenatorshipfrom humble beginnings among the menial classes, from which most of the first Decepticons were drawn.
  • The Wreckers defeated Overlord back in thefinal issueofLast Stand of the Wreckers.Following that, he next appeared imprisoned in the "slow cell" inissue #6of this series. The attributes of the slow cell detailed in this issue explain why Red Alert's recording of his voice heard in issue #6 was so drastically slowed down.
  • Overlord's memories of his defeat inLast Standare a little embellished. The scene of Springer declaring "fists-in-face time" as he leaps at Overlord was not in the original comic, but evidently occurred during a cutaway, since the original story returned to the fightafterSpringer was already in Overlord's grip. More notably, Ironfist was not heard to say "'Til all are one"in the original version of the scene; we also see Megatron whispering the phrase to Overlord when he bests him in their training match. The meaning of this will be revealednext issue.
  • Overlord was previously glimpsed among the attendees of the gladiatorial matches inMegatron: Origin#2;here we see that, unsurprisingly, he fought in the matches too. During his training bout with Megatron, we also get another callback toMegatron: Origin#2: Megatron is fighting without his familiar bucket-helmet, which he was shown to remove in that issue, exposing hair-like protrusions on his head in a scene we'd all rather not remember.
  • Rossum is evidently the fellow who coinedRossum's Trinity,first mentioned inissue #3.Probably didn't do too much coining after this.
  • The Warriors Elite were first mentioned bySwervein a rapid-fire list of famous fighters back inissue #2.The incongruous nature of their first mention belied their rather horrific true nature!
  • In addition to Overlord and previously establishedPhase SixersSixshotandBlack Shadow,Megatron names a fourth, unseen super-warrior:Heretech.He and Black Shadow were the first to be upgraded into Warriors Elite, but the precise order isn't specified.
  • In addition to theAchilles viruswe already knew he had (mentioned inLast Stand of the Wreckers#3), this issue reveals that Overlord also had a killswitch like Sixshot, as seen in theDevastationmini.
  • Overlord's forces are pointed toward the New Institute by theDecepticon Secret Service,a little-seen institution introduced through its director,Banzaitron,back inSpotlight: Hot Rod.
  • Brainstorm is shown to be among the staff of the New Institute, explaining why he was able to identifySkids's gun as Institute technology inissue #7.
  • Trepan previously appeared in issue #10; he evidently joined the Autobots after the outbreak of the war, or was at least conscripted.
  • It was noted that Chromedome had a different name earlier in this life inissue #9.This issue reveals that it was "Tumbler".
    • This was a sneaky move by James Roberts: conning the readers into thinking the secret past name must have some significance, when it's actually boring and it's thecurrentname that's significant, relating to the fact he worked at the Institute.[1]
  • As Chromedome recalls having altered the minds of "certain high-risk individuals" on the Autobot side, we are shown Mirage (traditionally noted for his wavering loyalties to the Autobot cause) and Pharma (who would eventually sell out the medical facility atDelphi.) Hmm...
    • In fact, every one of Chromedome's colleagues we see stationed at the New Institute is an individual of a morally murkier disposition than your typical Autobot. This makes sense given the ethically compromised nature of their work, which most Autobots would balk at.
  • Based on their conversation, the meeting between Prowl and Chromedome must occur at some point before "The Death of Optimus Prime".
  • Just a scant week before this issue's release,Robots in Disguise#14made mention of damaged memories within Prowl that made it easy forBombshellto control him. Looks like we know who did the damage now!
  • Prowl notes that "there's no such thing as awhiteout vacuum",but Chromedome recalled seeing them during the pair's discovery ofThe Institutemillions of years prior.
  • Chromedome's meeting with Drift and Brainstorm evidently occurs beforeissue #13,since Brainstorm is still testing the newholomatteravatars the Autobots would go on to use in that issue.
  • Brainstorm, who has repeatedly been shown as having a case of Perceptor envy, is seen here sporting a patch-like targeting device over one eye. A similar ocular piece is worn by none other than, yep, Perceptor.
  • Drift is revealed to have been the Autobot who spoke to Chromedome from the other side of his hab-suite door inissue #12.
  • As long-speculated by readers, "the cargo" that Prowl ordered theDuobotsto load on board theLost Lightin issue #1 is revealed this issue to indeed have been Overlord.
  • Drift says that "the three of us" were supposed to keep an eye on Chromedome; "three" is presumably himself and the two Duobots, indicating Brainstorm was only brought in on the plot later, presumably to program the cameras and medibots with the program Drift mentions that would alert him to any mention of Overlord's name. We saw a medibot doing just this back in issue #7, its optic flashing from blue to red asRed Alertsaid Overlord's name to the comatoseRung.It is therefore likely that scene ofFirst Aidtinkering with a medibot in issue #10 following Red's wounding was a red herring.
  • It's not saidexplicitlythat Drift took the data slug from Rung's body in issue #7, but odds-on at this point.
  • Brainstorm has code-named the slow cell "Project: End In Tears". Oh, Brainstorm.

Transformers references

  • As seen before during the "Shadowplay" storyline, mining vehicles inConstructicon-green-and-purple can be spotted outside the Thymesis facility.
  • Momus summons Three-of-Twelve by calling in a "code 113",another of James Roberts's references to the number.
  • Overlord's imperfect memory of the gladiatorial match rendering most of the crowd the same dull purple color references theblock coloringsometimes seen in the originalMarvel series,where it was commonly used on crowds and background characters.
  • The army of Guardian droids that spills out of the New Institute is made up of tweaked versions of the three different designs used by the Guardian series back in the Marvel series: the original design from "Raiders of the Last Ark",the sleeker, pointier model from"Under Fire!",and the heavily armed" Mark V "from"Yesterday's Heroes!".This is the Guardians' first appearance in IDW continuity; they have had only one mention previously, in"Zero Point".
  • Among the scientific gee-gaws on Brainstorm's desk are small versions of Generation 1Perceptor,one in its microscope alternate mode and the other one in its "tank" alternate mode. Their colors are inconsistent, however (see "Errors" ). In addition, there is a giant Perceptor shaped scope hanging from the ceiling (as seen on the second to last page)

Real-life references

  • The prologue's title may be an homage to the socialist play "An Inspector Calls"."Remembrance Day"is a holiday on November 11 in theUnited KingdomandCanada,used to commemorate the countries' war dead.
  • Similar to the place-name double-meaning gag withApopheniaback in issue #9, "Thymesis" is the Greek word for remembering.
  • Ununtrium was a real thing, prior to being given the proper chamical nameNihonium.In addition to its name literally meaning one-one-three-ium,y'know what its atomic number is? Oh, Roberts.
    • Real ununtrium is less likely to make you super tough, and more likely to give you radiation poisoning.
  • Zeta's habit of re-branding everything as "New" may be a reference toBritish Prime MinisterTony Blair,who marketed the Labour Party as "New Labour"in the mid-90s.
  • Rossum's imploring Megatron to keep pushing and his subsequent congratulations during Overlord's Phase Sixer conversion are clearly meant to evoke a human baby's delivery.

Errors

  • The title of this story does not appear in the issue. It was revealed in a forum post by James Roberts.[2]The prologue to the issue has a separate title, noted above.
  • On page 11, "Guardian" is misspelled "Gaurdian." This was corrected in the TPB.
  • The two tiny scientific devices based on Generation 1 Perceptor's alternate modes (see "Transformers references" ) are colored inconsistently: On page 19, the one in microscope mode is colored white or light gray, while the one in "tank" mode is colored black, likeMagnificus;on page 20, however, both are colored red, like the real Perceptor.

Other trivia

  • The secret from Chromedome's past would never be revealed in the course of the series. At TFCon USA 2018, Roberts explained that he originally intended for the secret to have been that Chromedome was involved in the disappearance ofDominus Ambus(the story of which would eventually be revealed inissue #53), but decided against implementing it in the comic as he had decided that he didn't want to put another relationship through the wringer, leaving the idea as expressly "non-canon." In the original vision for the story, Rewind would have found out when reviewing footage recorded by his head-camera while he was unconscious in the medibay duringissue #12,discovering that Chromedome had confessed the truth when he thought Rewind was going to die.

Crew manifest

  • 5 deaths, 5 new arrivals (plus 20 or so Faders), and 1 boxed since the launch.
  • 1 uninvited guest.
  • Some people gonna diiiiiiieee...

Soundtrack

Foreign localization

Japanese

  • Title:untitled
    • "Prologue: Kinōshugisha no Shōkan"(プロローグ: Cơ năng chủ nghĩa giả の triệu hoán," Prologue: Functionist's Summons ")

Swedish

  • Title:"Minnesdagen"(" Remembrance Day ")
    • "Prolog: En Funktionist kommer på besök"(" Prologue: A Functionist Comes to Visit ")

Covers (3)

  • (thumbnail)

    Lips? What about that smile?!

  • (thumbnail)

    Overlord performs at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater.

  • (thumbnail)

    Smirk to rival Starscream's.

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Reprints

  • (thumbnail)

    More than Meets the Eye Volume 4– cover art byAlex MilneandJoana Lafuente

  • (thumbnail)

    More Than Meets the Eye Box Set– cover art byMarcelo Matere

  • (thumbnail)

    The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 4– cover art by Marcelo Matere andTom B. Long

  • (thumbnail)

    The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 57: Remain in Light– cover art byDon Figueroa(Skids) and Alex Milne (Overlord)

  • (thumbnail)

    Krig och hågkomst– cover art by Alex Milne andJosh Perez.

References

  1. ↑"The Underbase Podcast Deconstructs Shadowplay"
  2. ↑Roberts onMTMTE#14 on the IDW forums
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