Spotlight: Sideswipe
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"The Transformers Spotlight: Sideswipe" "Revelation: Part Four" | |||||||||||||
Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
First published | October 8,2008 | ||||||||||||
Cover date | September 2008 | ||||||||||||
Written by | Simon Furman | ||||||||||||
Art by | E. J. Su | ||||||||||||
Colors by | E. J. Su | ||||||||||||
Letters by | Chris Mowry | ||||||||||||
Edits by | Denton J. Tipton | ||||||||||||
Continuity | 2005 IDW continuity | ||||||||||||
Chronology | Revelation |
Sideswipe and company work to save Earth as the Expansion comes to its shattering end.
Contents |
Synopsis
Hound's team arrives onEarthto attackGrindcoreandStraxus.Sideswipepostulates to himself that everyone thinks he wanted to come to Earth forSunstreaker.This is true, but not for the reason they think... Sideswipe reveals that Sunstreaker has treated him like a rookie all his life, and he sees rescuing him fromwhatever trouble he's gotten himself intoas a way of stepping out of his shadow. He seems more than happy to kick Grindcore's skidplate while the others secure thespace bridge,andUltra Magnusgives them all a convenient rundown of what is going on.
At theBenzuli Expanse,the crew of theMirror-Manifoldis about to be destroyed byCyclonus,but they are beamed out seconds before their ship explodes by theTechnobotsin theNightbird.The Autobot scientists waste no time in presenting them with their own personalPretender carapaces.They exit the cargo ship, wanting to take on Cyclonus personally.
Meanwhile,Jetfireworks atGarrus-9with anaxis cradleto subdue the enslavedThunderwingonCorata-Vaz,givingSpringerand his crew the chance to get to theNega-Core.Unfortunately, the plan suffers a minor setback whenBludgeon(under the control ofJhiaxus) cuts through the wall, distracting Jetfire enough to reactivate the monstrosity.
Upstairs, things take an unexpected turn forNemesis Prime.The so-called "Darkness"he covets seems more interested in the new Prime, reaching out toOptimus Prime.It seems the Darkness is not so different from theMatrix,seeking to be passed on to a successor. Nemesis is no longer in charge of the power, but will not take it lying down. He unleashes an attack on Optimus, keeping him at a distance to keep in control. Optimus tries to reason with him, but Nemesis is not swayed, convinced that it is the next evolutionary step and that the Cybertronians will serve as a template for a new species. Optimus is determined to stop him, as someone watches from the shadows...
On Earth, Sideswipe tells Hound and the others to leave the Cybertronians to him, to which Hound responds it was an honor to serve with him. The group splits up, the majority of them going to grab the Nega-Cores whileSkramfetchesArceefrom beating onMonstructor.The young Autobot realizes it is a losing battle, but he regards it as a good way to die; he feels his rivalry with Sunstreaker is nothing compared to what is going on, and if anything, he has proven to himself what he is capable of doing.
Things seem to be falling apart for Jhiaxus. He stops himself from killing Jetfire, and the Autobot knows there is too much for him to handle all at once, what with the Pretenders breaching the Benzuli Expanse and the Nega-Cores being removed from their locations. Just asHot Rodreports that the fourth space bridge leads toGorlam Prime,Arcee is already there, slicing off the Cybertronian's arm before he can do anything else.
Meanwhile, things look bleak for Optimus Prime, but he is determined to stop Nemesis Prime. But just as the fallen Prime counts his victory,Galvatronblasts his leader in the back. Nemesis falls over dead, while the Darkness finally enters Optimus. Prime resists as best he can, but it is a losing battle...until Galvatron offers him a choice: kill himself in the nearbysolar pool,or willingly pass on the Darkness to the one who has desired it for so long. It was the reason he plunged the firstArkinto theDead Universe,and he wants what he feels is rightfully his. Optimus seems to relent, reaching out to Galvatron... but at the last minute, just as he passes on the power, he hurls the surprised bot into the pool. Optimus looks over the body of Nemesis, telling himself that he can't mourn him because, in truth, Nova Prime died a long time ago.
The Pretenders successfully push the stasis-trapped Nega-Cores into the Expanse, getting out just before they explode and cause the anomaly to close. The effect is felt all over the galaxy; Sideswipe turns to see Straxus and Grindcore dead, cut off from the power of the Dead Universe. He beams himself back to his ship, finding after all he went through, he just doesn't care about Sunstreaker anymore, and perhaps never did in the end...
Meanwhile, Jhiaxus flees the rampaging Arcee, who is cutting through hisMicromasters,and heads for the gateway below. He is sure she will not cross over and sacrifice her life in this universe... but reckons without the reappearance ofHardhead—now a permanent resident of the Dead Universe—who distracts the ancient Cybertronian long enough for Arcee to tear him to pieces. Arcee comments on Jhiaxus's inability to die, to which Hardhead remarks that while the amoral scientist is on the border of the two universes, he is practically immortal. This seems to suit Arcee fine, and she decides simply to kill Jhiaxus again. And again. And again...
Some time later, Jetfire muses on what has happened. He has been keeping an eye on Gorlam Prime, the residents out of their chrysalis period, evolving into something very different. In fact, the planet is no longer called Gorlam Prime. The locals now call itCybertron.For the Autobots, it has not been an easy time;certaineventshave driven them to the brink. But at least for the fallen Cybertronians, it is finally ended. TheExpansionis over.
But not quite. Back on Garrus-9, someone has survived...
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
Autobots | Decepticons | Others | |||
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Quotes
"Earth -- At last! The others think it's all about Sunstreaker. And it is. Just not in the way they think. All I want is to save his sorry hide and step out of his shadow forever!"
- —Sideswipe,full of angst.
"Congratulations, Jetfire, you have graduated from an irritation to a full blown nuisance. And in doing so... You merit an untidy death."
- —Jhiaxusthinks a mere spanking is too lenient.
"I command The Darkness, Optimus Prime, not you."
"It... commands you!"
- —Nemesis Primerefuses to believeOptimus Prime'sassertion that he's yesterday's Prime.
"What's the matter, Jhiaxus...things not quite going to plan? Can't quite manage Bludgeon and...be aware of what's happening on other fronts? Maybe you're worried, maybe you're wondering just how much we all ready know..and how much more we'll find out? Question is, can you afford the time and effort to kill me...with your entire strategy about to fall apart?"
- —Jetfiremocks Jhiaxus' inability to multi-task.
"Cold. Ancient. Terrible. Wonderful. Heart of darkness, it speaks to me. Please no, let me be strong."
- —Optimus Prime,member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
"I wish I could find it within me to mourn your passing, Nova Prime, but in truth you died a long time ago. The part of you that mattered, the part of you that was a Prime, was lost as soon as you turned away from the light...and embraced the Darkness."
- —Optimus Primewill not mourn Nova Prime, but he will eulogize him.
"In the calm after the storm, I think of Sunstreaker. Maybe alive, maybe dead, certainly in some kind of purgatory... Possibly of his own making! And I find I just don't care. Maybe I never did. I trigger my Orbital Jump recall... And don't look back."
- —Sideswipe.
"Yeah? Hm. Actually, that suits me fine. Means I can keep killing him... Again... And again... And again... And again..."
- —Arceefinally gets her happy ending. Jhiaxus has had better days.
Notes
Continuity notes
- Due to the truncated nature ofRevelation,several threads are left hanging, most notably the fates of Monstructor and Sixshot. Due to the existence ofDecepticon gestaltsa year later, Furman has said we should assume the Decepticons got hold of Monstructor and that he likes the idea that the Autobots executed an offline Thunderwing and Sixshot (Hewouldlike the idea of killing more characters off).[1]However, Sixshot would later reappear inSpotlight: Metroplexand explain that the Decepticons revived him in exchange for Jhiaxus's technology. Bludgeon and Monstructor show up later as well, leaving Thunderwing as the only one "officially" unaccounted for.
- In closing, Jetfire makes references to other miniseries:All Hail Megatron,and the then-upcomingMaximum Dinobots.
- Due to the truncated nature of the series, the outcome of the fight between Banzaitron's team and Monstructor is not revealed. It will later be confirmed that Monstructor was captured and that Axer, Gutcruncher, and the Combaticons survived but the fate of Banzaitron himself is unknown.
- The Autobot Pretender shells are different from the Decepticon ones seen previously in IDW's storyline; there's no indication these could transform, and they resemble armored suits rather than organic horrors. Unlike the toys, the armor does not make them look like 50-foot-tall humans.
Trivia
- E. J. Su handled full art duties on this issue; penciling, inking, and coloring the entire issue. The result isbeautiful.
- The original plan was for Sideswipe actually to catch up with Sunstreaker and realize "he's no longer just Sunstreaker!" The story would also delve into what a "brother" was for a Transformer, whereas in the printed version, there's no mention of brotherhood at all.[2]The printed version clearly features a darker and less brotherly version of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's relationship.
- Despite this being Sideswipe'sSpotlightissue, the titular character only appears on a mere 7 out of 22 pages.
- In a reply on his blog beforeSpotlight: Sideswipewas released, Simon Furman warned in advance, "I know for a fact not everyone's going to be happy with the wayRevelationplays out "due to the sheer amount of stuff that had to be crammed into a final issue.[3]
- The final transformation of Gorlam Prime into a new Cybertron is similar to the backstory of theGoBots;it also calls back toSpotlight: Nightbeat,in which Nightbeat wondered if the original Cybertron hadonce been an organic world,only for everyone to "upgrade" themselves.
- Arcee is freaking terrifying.
- Originally (the differently plotted)Revelationwould have led into the six-issue miniseriesExpansion,until the latter was canceled in favor ofAll Hail Megatron.
Errors
- Both Cover A and Cover B have an errant extra Autobot symbol floating around. On Cover A, it is located on Sideswipe's right forearm, and on Cover B, it is located in Sideswipe's armpit. Darn you, Photoshop layers!
- As seen at right, Blast Off is portrayed as being extremely large in robot mode as compared to the otherCombaticonsin the one scene in which he appears. This might have been an attempt on E.J. Su's part to justify Blast Off's usual space shuttle alt-mode without resorting tosize changing.This makes sense, until you consider that the Combaticons haven't taken Earth vehicle modes at this point in the continuity. Also consider that Blast Off has appeared twice before, inStormbringerandSpotlight: Arceeand both times he was depicted as being normal or average-sized as compared to his comrades.
- When Galvatron asks for the Darkness, he forgets to use the word "to".
Covers
- Cover A:Sideswipe amongst rubble, fourth part of 4-issue image byE. J. Su.
- Cover B:Sideswipe doing an uppercut, surrounded by the series' major players; art byNick Roche.This cover art was reused for the TPB cover.
- Cover RIFront-to-back cover of Doubledealer and Sideswipe, parts 3 and 4 of a 4-issue image by E. J. Su.
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Reprints
- The Transformers: Spotlight Volume 4: Revelation(February 4,2009)ISBN 1600104215/ISBN 978-1600104213
- The Transformers: The Premiere CollectionVolume 2(June 17,2009)ISBN 1600104371/ISBN 978-1600104374
- The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Four(May 25,2011)ISBN 978-1600109386
- The Transformers: Spotlight Omnibus Volume 2(September 9,2015)ISBN 1613779429/ISBN 978-1613779422
- Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection:Volume 42: Revelation(October 17,2018)
Spotlight Volume 4: Revelation– cover art byNick Roche
The Premiere Collection Volume 2– cover art by Nick Roche &Josh Burcham
The IDW Collection Volume Four– cover art byE. J. Su
Spotlight Omnibus Volume 2– cover art byJeffrey Veregge
The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 42: Revelation– cover art byDon Figueroaand Nick Roche
References
- ↑https://web.archive.org/web/20120307073649/http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=5032Simon Furman Q&A thread in December 2008
- ↑https://web.archive.org/web/20080605021426/http://idwpublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=42871Simon Furman Q&A thread on the IDW Publishing forums
- ↑http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/double-trouble/#commentsSimon Furman's blog comments on the August 19, 2008