Spotlight: Blurr
From Transformers Wiki
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 I'm so great evenIcan't believe it! | |||||||||||||
| "The Transformers: Spotlight: Blurr" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | November 5,2008 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | November 2008 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Shane McCarthy | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Casey Coller | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Joana Lafuente | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Neil Uyetake | ||||||||||||
| Edits by | Denton J. Tipton | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | 2005 IDW continuity | ||||||||||||
| Chronology | Pre-Great War | ||||||||||||
At the end of Cybertron's Golden Age, Blurr must make a choice between being a celebrity or a hero.
Contents |
Synopsis
Blurris the undefeated superstar champion ofCybertron'sracing circuits.His success on the race track has made him an arrogant and distant individual, though. Following another victory he promises to celebrate with his pit crew (whose names he can't remember), only to reveal he intends to celebrate atThe Circle,a nightclub only the elite of Cybertron can gain access to.
Blurr's world comes crashing down, however, after aDecepticonterrorist attack blows up the racing track. The manager of the races is ordered by the new Prime,Zeta Prime,to shut down the races in the name of public safety. Blurr runs into the lead tech on his pit crew, a bot namedPartonPiston,in the race locker rooms. Blurr is surprised to see Piston clearing out his stuff, explaining that the races may very well return. Piston laments that they wouldn't matter even if they did return, as the Decepticon uprising is turning into an all-out civil war. Piston has opted to sign up with theAutobots,hoping to make something more of himself. Blurr refuses Piston's offer to join him among the Autobot ranks, declaring "The races might be over, but the parties aren't."
Blurr then arrives at The Circle to find it deserted. Bummer.
The bar's proprietor is shocked that Blurr didn't seem to notice the city's descent into the civil war. Hoping to drown his sorrows with a bottle ofenergonand an alternate reality generator, the race champion is interrupted byStarscream,who presents himself as "a friend". Blurr tells Starscream that the thrill of knowing what he's doing matters is what he loves about racing. Starscream then tells Blurr that his devotion to victory on the race track can lead to greater things, if he would only rebel against the weak regime and the Autobots who hold him down. Starscream remarks that, when the time comes, Blurr will know what to do.
Leaving The Circle, Blurr transforms to take a mind-clearing drive, only to enter into a war zone. Saved byIronhide,he's rushed into the Autobot position. There he sees the dead bodies of Piston and his former racing comradeFasttrack,early victims of the Autobot/Decepticon conflict. He then meets a young Autobot namedOptimus,who explains to Blurr that his unique gift of making decisions in an instant is one he envies, and that Blurr would make a superb soldier, if he only turned his focus and drive outward instead of inward. Optimus then explains that the Decepticon group he and his teammates are fighting are an assassination squad, whose target is none other than the Autobot Commander Zeta Prime himself. Optimus's team can't communicate with Zeta's HQ, as the Decepticons are usingSoundwaveto block all transmissions in the area. Only Blurr is fast enough to break through the Decepticon line and warn Prime of the impending threat on his life.
After a heated exchange in which Optimus explains Cybertron's "Golden Age"only left the planet's rulers weak, and that the Decepticons are taking advantage of that weakness, the future Prime offers Blurr a spot within the Autobot ranks. After thinking it through, Blurr rushes off, breaking through the Decepticon barricade (and a few Decepticons as well), toward Zeta Prime's citadel headquarters.
As he speeds toward his objective, Blurr feels pride in the knowledge that what he's doing really matters.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons |
|---|---|
|
Quotes
"Check that out..." simultronic. "Reality inside reality."
"Brain fry. Who could ever want to run away from a world like this?"
- —BlurrandFasttrackdiscuss drug addictions.
"If this is going to beanotherconversation about how cold and arrogant I am, trust me, I've heard itallbefore. "
- —Blurrgets tired of criticism.
"The crowds. When I can feel them behind me. The lights. The roar. And that one moment, that one single moment, when I know what I'm doing really matters."
- —Blurr,showing he is more than just a pretty face.
"You're wasting your time, kid. This one's just a pampered, arrogant, little upstart."
- —Kupdoesn't have time to deal with turbo-revvin' young punks.
Notes
Continuity notes
- Starscream's design in the issue is inconsistent with that shown inMegatron Origin.This is annoying.
- Kup refers to Orion Pax as "Optimus". Considering that Orion Pax didn't become Optimus Prime untilAutocracy#9,thiscouldbe an outright error... however, he wasalsoalternatively addressed as "Orion" and "Optimus" by hissenator friendin "Chaos Theory Part 2",so who knows.
- ThemouthplatelessPre-Prime Optimus is also inconsistent with that shown inMegatron Origin(well, his back, anyway), but this designisa pointed homage to Orion Pax. Artist Casey Coller stated that the design wasGuido Guidi's.[1]The different body was explained in "Omega's Conundrum"as a new, more fashionable upgrade.
- First appearances:Blurr
Transformers references
- Blurr's limo is based on thealternate modeofAnimatedBulkhead,a Generation 1 version of whomwould much later be introduced in theMonstrosityflashback series.
- While getting hammered at the bar, the drinking vessels used to imbibe liquidenergonare cube-shaped, so when full, they look just like smallenergon cubes.
- Optimus's backpack bears a strong resemblance to the canopy of the "artillery robot" in his Generation 1 toy's Combat Deck.
Real-world references
- Blurr's IDWverse design includes stylised Hermes/Mercury-style wing shapes on the sides of his helmet, in either a classical evocation, or a more pop-cultural reference to theFlash.
Errors
- Starscream gains a Decepticon symbol on his left shoulder that wasn't there on the previous page where he first appeared.
- The Decepticon assassination squad approaches the Citadel on foot despite at least two flight-capable warriors among their ranks.
Covers (3)
- Cover A:Blurr on a sports magazine cover; art byCasey Collerwith colors byJoana Lafuente.
- Cover B:A monochromatic stylized, and rather art-deco image of Blurr sprinting byTrevor Hutchison.
- Cover RI:Sketch cover of Blurr and his enormous shoulders, byGuido Guidi.
Do you think Blurr would be interviewed byEject?
Run, run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!
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Reprints
- The Transformers: All Hail MegatronVolume 3(October 28,2009)ISBN 1600105416/ISBN 978-1600105418
- CollectsSpotlight: Blurr,Jazz,Drift,CliffjumperandMetroplex.
- New cover art byTrevor Hutchison.
- Bonus material includes the alternate covers of each issue, as well as art of each Throttlebot byMarcelo Matere.For some reason, the Drift and Cliffjumper issues were swapped from their original order.
- Trade paperback format. Instead of being Volume 5 of the Spotlights, the TPB is labeled as part of theAll Hail Megatronseries.
- The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume One(May 26,2010)ISBN 978-1600106675
- CollectsMegatron Originissues#1–4,Spotlight: Blurr,Cliffjumper,Shockwave,Nightbeat,Hot Rod&Soundwave,andInfiltrationissues#0–6.
- Hardcover format.
- The Transformers: The Complete All Hail Megatron(July 27,2011)ISBN 1600109551/ISBN 978-1600109553
- The Transformers: Spotlight Omnibus Volume 2(September 9,2015)ISBN 1613779429/ISBN 978-1613779422
- The Transformers: The IDW Collection Compendium, Vol. 1(July 6,2016)ISBN 163140637X/ISBN 978-1631406379
- CollectsThe IDW CollectionOneandTwo.
- Trade paperback format.
- Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection:Volume 33: Megatron Origin(November 1,2017)
- CollectsMegatron Originissues #1–4, andSpotlight: Blurr&Orion Pax.
- Bonus material includes a discussion of the production stages onMegatron: OriginbyEric Holmes,a cover gallery and an intro bySimon Furman.
- Hardcover format.
All Hail Megatron Volume 3– cover art byTrevor Hutchison
The IDW Collection Volume One– cover art byE. J. Su
The Complete All Hail Megatron– cover art by Trevor Hutchison
Spotlight Omnibus Volume 2– cover art byJeffrey Veregge
The IDW Collection Compendium, Vol. 1– cover art by Jeffrey Veregge
The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 33: Megatron Origin– cover art byDon FigueroaandAlex Milne
