First Strike issue 3

« First Strike#3 »
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	September 13,2017
Cover date	September 2017
Written by	Mairghread ScottandDavid A. Rodriguez
Art by	Max Dunbar
Colors by	Ander Zarate
Letters by	Tom B. Long
Editor	David Hedgecock
Assistant editor	David Mariotte
Continuity	2005 IDW continuity
Chronology	Current era

Scarlett's team joins the fight on Cybertron.

Contents 1Synopsis 2Featured characters 3Quotes 4Notes 4.1Continuity notes 4.2Errors 4.3Covers (8) 4.4Advertisements 4.5Reprints 5External links

Synopsis

InCastle Destro,twoIron Grenadiersgo about their guard duty, talking with one another about the fighting onCybertron;one would rather be there, while the other is only too happy to be out of the line of fire. Unfortunately for the latter Grenadier, circumstances change when the combined forces ofSoundwave,Skyburst,andStormclash,andScarlett'sG.I. Joeteam blast their way into the castle, whileMatt TrakkerandGloria BakerofM.A.S.K.keep the defenses outside busy. The team-up is made a little awkward by the differing sizes of the combatants—Docis only saved from going squish under Stormclash's careless feet by her personal forcefield—but the heroes are able to fight their way through the Grenadiers to the chamber containing theM.A.S.S. Device.With frightening speed—and no shortage of sass—Skyburst and Stormclash hook the M.A.S.S. to theSpacebridge,opening the doorway to Cybertron. Scarlett orders Doc andQuick Kickto remain behind in case their plan fails, then she,Roadblock,Lady Jaye,Matt, Gloria, Soundwave, and theTorchbearertwins step through the bridge...

...and emerge on the blasted surface of Cybertron, right in the middle of the mayhem! Soundwave shields the humans as the Spacebridge portal explodes behind them, the dangerous jury-rig having reached its limit, then orders Skyburst and Stormclash to run reconnaissance in their helicopter modes. The twins quickly do so, reporting that theCouncil of Worldsis safely ensconced in theSpire,whileIronhideandSunstreakerlead theBadgelesssecurity force in the fighting on the ground. The Joes hijack a couple ofDestro's unattendedRazorbackvehicles and barrel through the front lines of the enemy, who Soundwave then incapacitates with a targeted sonic attack. Scarlett charges right for Baron Ironblood... but when she pounces on him and rips his helmet off, she is greeted not by the face ofJoe Colton,but that ofDoctor Mindbender!The whole frontal assault on Cybertron, the Joes learn, is just a distraction so therealColton and his cabal can execute their true plans—but our heroes remain in the dark as to what those plansare,as Mindbender has deliberately not been provided with any knowledge of them.

Underground, under watchful eye of the real Colton—the previously-unidentified figure in the face-obscuring mask—Storm Shadow,Shazraella,Mayhem,Kreiger,Destro,and theirRed Shadowsentourage install sound dampeners at key locations as they travel deeper into the planet, in order to mask their presence from Soundwave's preternatural hearing. Typically villainous grumbling and backbiting escalates as Kreiger makes a sly remark about Shazraella's "inevitable betrayal" that appears to turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy when theMicrospacianrips a cable out of the wall, deliberately activating built-in defenses that open fire on the humans. Shazraella smashes the guns a moment later, her point clearly made: treat her with respect, she warns the humans, or it will bethateasy for her to turn on them. As the villains descend further into the planet, rappelling down a shaft, Mayhem receives word from the surface that Mindbender has been exposed. He does not share Colton's concern that Scarlett is moving faster than anticipated; after all, Mayhem says, she's only one woman. An irritated Storm Shadow decides to show Mayhem just how dangerous one woman can be and severs his rappelling line, dropping him the rest of the short distance to the bottom of the shaft. Mayhem picks himself up and rages to Colton, but Colton just tells him to be quiet and stop annoying the rest of the team.

Tapping into the programming one of the fallen Trojan-bots the villains used to sneak onto Cybertron, Gloria discovers protocols that reveal Colton's intent to head for Cybertron's core. Still, the heroes are unclear what he could be planning todo,as the explosive force necessary to detonate the planet's core is well beyond human capability to deliver. Scarlett is downcast to realize that Colton is not being mind-controlled, and is still very much in control of his faculties; Soundwave sympathizes with her, knowing what it is like to lose faith in your leader. Together, the heroes press on intoIacon,heading for the vent that Colton's team have taken into the planet, but find their way barred byStrika,who sees the humans as enemies. Soundwave attempts to vouch for them, but Strika is no more familiar with him than she is with the humans, and attacks. Fortunately, Ironhide intervenes to stop the fighting, and proposes that they all go to the Spire, where the Council will sort everything out. The humans have little option but to agree...

...but upon arrival, they find themselves immediately ordered put to death byElita One!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"So, you've got super-hearing? Must be nice."
"I prefer to think of everyone else as profoundly deaf."

—ScarlettandSoundwave

"All right, rule number one. None of the tiny invaders so much as touches me. I'm still red carpet shiny and they look... grubby."
"What's rule number two, sir?"
"Shut up and shoot."

—Sunstreakerand aBadgeless

"Wait, how do we know if these cars are alive?"
"Turn on the ignition and see if it shouts."

—Matt TrakkerandGloria Bakerhijack a Razorback

"Oh, please, Joseph, You give [Scarlett] far too much credit. She's just one woman. How dangerous can she actually be?"
"That's too stupid to even warrant a response."

—Miles MayhemandDestro

"It is important to remember a dream is greater than any one being who lays claims to it."

—Soundwaveempathizes with Scarlett

"We're all going to the Spire. Let [the council] sort this out."
"Your planet is under assaultnow!We don't have time to 'sort this out.' We have to act! "
"Welcome to politics."

—IronhideandScarlett

Notes

In addition to this 20-page main story,First Strike#3 also includes the four-pagethird chapterof an ongoing back-up strip, "The Origins of Evil,"detailing how Ironblood assembled his evil allies.

Continuity notes

• After years of playing a supporting role in the pages of multiple IDWG.I. Joeseries, Doctor Mindbender has most recently been seen in the pages of theM.A.S.K.comic book, in which he worked with Miles Mayhem to psychologically profile the members ofM.A.S.K.andV.E.N.O.M..His involvement with Colton's cabal was hinted at by an appearance on two of last issue's covers.
• Sunstreaker holding a position of authority among the Badgeless (who call him "sir" ) is new. It's not clear if he's actually formally joined theCybertronian Security Force;if so, he did it quickly, between his return to Cybertron inOptimus Prime#10andFirst Strike.Then again, he might just be getting respect because he's one of Optimus's elite '84 guys.
• Soundwave sympathizes with Scarlett by noting that "a dream is greater than any one being who lays claims to it," in reference to the fact that he has and continues to pursue the "true" Decepticon goal of equality for all, despiteMegatronswitching sides to theAutobots(inDark Cybertron: Finale,which also showed Soundwave's horrified reaction), and the attempted co-opting of the dream byGalvatronfollowing that, only to betray Soundwave's trust inThe Transformers#49.

Errors

• The "Story so far" recap page included at the start of digital copies of this issue is obviously the one that's supposed to be innextissue... because it recapsthisissue!! Print copies contain the correct page.
• One of the Iron Grenadier guards refers to "Lord Destro"; IDW Destro is in fact alaird,a Scottish title with a distinct meaning ( "owner of a large estate" ). This is corrected in the trade paperback.
• On page 16, "quintillion" is misspelled "quintilian.". This is also corrected in the trade.

Covers (8)

• Cover A:Optimus Prime,Pyra Magna,Windblade,Acroyear,Matt Trakker, and G.I. Joe, byFreddie E. Williams IIandJeremy Colwell
• Cover B:Storm Shadow, Shazraella, and Colton on their mission, and Matt Trakker riding in Soundwave's chest compartment, under the watchful eyes of Optimus Prime, byMax DunbarandAnder Zarate
• Cover C:G.I. Joe and Soundwave give one of the Red Shadows what-for, byAlex Ronald;the sole Red Shadow continues to appear with the original paramilitaryAction Forcedesign, rather than the IDW ninja look.
• Cover D:The Ironblood alliance, byRob Duenas

• 

  Our heroes bring the good fight.

• 

  Matt Trakker is a really weird cassette.

• 

  That guy's gonna need help - a LOT of it!

• 

  Check out the "guns" on Destro!

• Retailer incentive cover A:Scarlett unmasks Baron Ironblood, but the face beneath the helmet isn't who she expects, byJay Fosgitt
• Retailer incentive cover B:G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., and Soundwave storm Castle Destro, byDavidé FabbriandMonica Kubina
• Retailer incentive cover C:A fightin' mad Optimus Prime, byLeonardo Manco
• Retailer incentive cover D:Optimus Prime versus Shazraella amid a much larger fight, byWhilce PortacioandThomas Deer;connects to Cover RID fromissue #1andissue #5to form a larger image

• 

  Say whaaaattttt?

• 

  Destro's gonna be sending his cleaning bill to these guys!

• 

  Give me your face!!!

• 

  Optimus Prime would never hit a lady, but she's no lady!

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• First Strike#4
• "The Hasbro Tribune" editorial page
• First Strikechecklist

Reprints

Other thancollections of the full series

• N/A

External links

• Preview