Savage Landing Part 4
From Transformers Wiki
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| "Savage Landing Part 4" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | May 19,2021 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | May 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Erik Burnham | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Josh Burcham | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Jake M. Wood | ||||||||||||
| Editor | David Mariotte,Tom WaltzandRiley Farmer | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Transformers: Beast Wars | ||||||||||||
Although Nyx has escaped Megatron's clutches, the Predacons aren't the only threats on this planet, and she'll have to rely on an unlikely ally to make it through the jungle alive...
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Synopsis
As night falls, an injuredNyxtakes shelter inside a hollow tree to recuperate from her recent ordeal: though she's successfully escaped thePredacons,the experience has left her badly injured, in need of aCR chamber,and unable to contact theAxalonthrough theenergon radiation.Too damaged to fly and unable to get anywhere on her stubby bat legs, Nyx decides to chance it by transforming intorobot modeand walking home, against the recommendations of heronboard computer.She doesn't get far, however, before a ferocious native creature springs from the underbrush to attack her! The youngMaximaltries to fight back but finds her weapons offline; thinking quickly, Nyx manages to kick the cat-like predator away, then grabs a branch to use as an improvised club. Unfortunately, the beast is tougher than she'd hoped, shrugs off her first blow, then easily crunches the stick in half with its saber teeth. It seems like the end for Nyx as the creature prepares to pounce... but when the beastdoesn'tkill her, Nyx opens her eyes to seeDinobotpin down the alien and toss it back into the jungle from whence it came.
Nyx warns her would-be rescuer to stay back—she has no idea why a Predacon would help her, but she warns Dinobot that she'snotgoing back to their ship. She's taken aback when Dinobot agrees with her feelings:hehas no intention of going back, either. Nyx realizes that this is the same Predacon who tried to help her. Dinobot explains that he'd been tracking her with his beast mode nose ever since she escaped from theDarksyde,and although the injured Nyx tries to crack a joke about this, the injured Maximal bat finally succumbs to energon buildup and shorts out. Dinobot tries to run a diagnosis, but Nyx's internal computer won't allow him to access her systems to make a detailed analysis; eventually, however, a conversation with the computer confirms that she's too damaged to transform back into beast mode or even enter protectivestasis mode.Transforming back into his dinosaur mode, Dinobot loads the injured Maximal onto his back and sets off, retracing Nyx's internal movement logs to reach theAxalon.
As the sun rises on the crashed Maximal starship,RhinoxandCheetorhave worked through the night to try and boost theAxalon's sensor range by manually rewiring the ship's systems. But as they work their way through the ship's computer, Cheetor discovers something suspicious: someone aboard their ship logged a message to the Predacon technolab just before they leftCybertron!Rhinox points out that the Maximals and Predacons have peacefully collaborated for generations;Rattrapis a good deal more cynical about the Predacons, however, but reports that he's scavenged the last component they needed to boost the systems from Nyx's quarters. Just as he plugs it in and turns it on, however, a ping from the bridge catches their attention! As it turns out,Optimus Primalhad an idea of his own, and turned a data collection shell into an improvised radar dish to strengthen their connection to the orbitalstasis podnetwork and cut through energon interference. A quick analysis of the resulting holo-map reveals Nyx's signal—but Primal is concerned by how slow she's moving; worried that she might be injured, the Maximal leader curses himself for not going after her sooner.
At theDarksyde,the Predacons have spent the entire night locked in their ship, and stew asTarantulasworks to unscramble the trap Dinobot laid in their ship's security system. Finally, however, the mad scientist reboots the network and disengages the locks to free his compatriots—the moment they're outside,Megatronorders his men to find Dinobot and Nyx.Everyoneis going... and to ensure no further treachery, Megatron activates a conditional self-destruct sequence to preventanyonefrom re-entering the ship without his permission.
At theAxalon,Optimus and the group keep watch for any signs of Nyx, but finally catch sight of Dinobot making his way towards them with Nyx on his back. Optimus leaps to the conclusion that the Predacon must've kidnapped her, and orders his Maximals into action... but orders them to stand down when Dinobot transforms and explains what happened to their pilot. Cheetor refuses to hear him out and pounces, but Dinobot easily gets the upper hand on the cat and pins him to the ground with his sword before making one last attempt to reach out: there is a war coming, and he will only fight alongside those he deems honorable. Perhaps Nyx and the other Maximals possess more honor than he'd been led to believe... and that's why he wants to join them!
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Maximals | Predacons | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"You should be morecareful,little Maximal—predators areeverywhere."
- —Dinobotto the rescue
"How did you find me?"
"My alt-form has extremely powerful olfactory sensors, and the scent of Cybertronian steel stands out in this environment."
"Are you telling me I stink?"
- —NyxandDinobot
"You can't trust aPredaconas far as they could throw themselves. It's their fault we're stuck here in the first place, right? "
"Do you even know what we were talking about?"
- —RattrapandRhinox
Notes
Continuity notes
- The strange, cat-like animal that attacks Nyx in this issue is like nothing that's ever lived on planet Earth—and throws a whole lot of stuff into question regarding the nature of the setting. Could this animal be the product ofVokinterference... or perhaps our first clue that this mysterious planet isnotprehistoric Earth at all?
- Unlike the originalBeast Warscartoon, Optimus Primal displays the ability to deploy his wrist blasters while still inbeast mode.
Transformers references
- Stasis lockoriginated in theBeast Warscartoon as a sort of protective coma that a Transformer would enter if they suffered too much damage. This comic keeps the base concept, but instead calls it "stasis mode" instead.
- Rhinox alludes to thePax Cybertronia,a term that originated on theBeast Warstelevision show as the formal name for the armistice between theAutobotsandDecepticonsat the conclusion of theirGreat War.
- Dinobot confronts the other Maximals atop a natural rock bridge that spans a ravine, hearkening back to his battle with Optimus in "Beast Wars (Part 2)".
Real-life references
- The teaser for issue 5 features the tagline "Just another manic melee", in reference to"Manic Monday"byThe Bangles.
Errors
- Nyx expresses shock and dismay that her weapons were deliberately disabled... except she already learned that inthe previous issueduring her encounter with thetransformation lock lens.
Other trivia
- In an unusual inversion of IDW's usual scheduling delays, print copy of this issue was released on the originally solicited date of May 19th, while the digital release arrived one week later, on the 26th.
Covers (3)
- Cover A:Dinobot, byJosh Burcham
- Cover B:Dinobot and Waspinator, byDan SchoeningandLuis Antonio Delgado.
- Cover RI:Dinobot confronts the Maximals, byDan KhannaandJosh Perez
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Reprints
- The Transformers: Beast WarsVolume 1(March 23,2022)ISBN 1684058589/ISBN 978-1684058587
- CollectsBeast Warsissues #1–6.
- Bonus material includes alternate covers, a sketch gallery byJosh Burcham,and a Q&A with writerErik Burnhamand artist Burcham.
Beast Wars,Vol 1; cover art byJosh Burcham
