The Human Factor!
From Transformers Wiki
| This article is about 1990 comic story. For the 2012 cartoon episode, seeThe Human Factor. |
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 Not Starscream's best moment. | |||||||||||||
| "The Human Factor!" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||||||||||||
| First published | May1990 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | July 1990 | ||||||||||||
| Writer | Simon Furman | ||||||||||||
| Artist | Dwayne Turner | ||||||||||||
| Colorist | Nel Yomtov | ||||||||||||
| Letterer | Rick Parker | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Don Daley | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Marvel Comics continuity | ||||||||||||
Puny flesh creatures fight to protect a world that hates and fears them.
Contents |
Synopsis
In the aftermath of theRAATdebacle,G.B. Blackrockhas been given carte blanche to assemble a new team to deal withTransformer-related incidents. He has focused on gatheringsuper-humans,people with a unique genetic quirk that gives them powers beyond normal men. His first two recruits,Lee GruberandKatrina Vesotzky,are given special codenames (Thunderpunch and Rapture, respectively) and costumes to appeal to the public. They're both bitter outcasts who don't get on with each otherorBlackrock and, to his dismay, don't entirely give a crap about the mission, but they're willing to give this half a shot.
Their first mission is to hunt down a third potential member, referred to as"Mister X",who wiped out theAir Strike PatrolinLouisianaand then panicked when he'd almost killed bystanders. Unfortunately,Starscreamwants Mister X too. He sees the human's power as a bottomless fountain of energy, thePowermasterprocess on steroids, giving him enough power to challenge and defeatScorponokfor leadership of theDecepticons.Blackrock's bickering crew have, thanks to a news crew, found out X is aMexicannamed Hector Dialonzo and are able to make contact with him, getting him to wait for them and hear out their offer of joining them in return for temporary citizenship. What neither party realises is thatCircuit Breakergot their first and is making her own pitch to him!
Starscream arrives second and begins to battle Circuit Breaker for Dialonzo. She begins tearing his circuitry apart, but is struck down from behind by a mysterious assailant who's been tracking Starscream. With a bartender at risk, Dialonzo agrees to come with the Decepticon until Blackrock's team arrives. They almost take down Starscream, just as they've trained, until Circuit Breaker gets involved again and swats Thunderpunch away soshecan kill the Decepticon!
The potential three-way fight ends when Dialonzo violently calls a time-out, and says he will listen to each proposal and then decide for himself. Starscream offers revenge against those who wronged him and a chance at conquest, Circuit Breaker offers a crusade against the evil robots and the adoration of the masses, but Blackrock simply offers the truth—the chance to be branded either hero or traitor by the public, but to ultimately do what is right. Starscream naturally attempts to cheat, but is blasted by Rapture's dream-power and then ultimately brought down by the rest of the team. In the end, Blackrock extends his offer to Josie as well, who he's noticed is burning out and becoming far too cold, and she reluctantly accepts.
Sometime later, Starscream awakens to find himself eyes-to-eye withShockwave,who has an offer of his own...
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|
|
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Quotes
"The second Decepticon --Stormcloud,I think he says his name is -- explainscolorfullywhat he's going todoto Mister X for acing his pal. "
- —Blackrocknarrates the Air Strike Patrol's last stand.
"Why?Why thecostumes?"
"Did you never readcomicsas a kid? It's the done thing! If you're going to beheroes-- you have tolook the part!"
- —Lee GruberandG.B. Blackrocklampshade
"I want you two ready foranything!Well, are you? "
"Ready? Yeah, I'm ready... ready to danceSwan Lakein this gear! "
- —G.B. BlackrockandLee Gruber
"Josie Bellerdiedyears ago, Blackrock. There's onlyCircuit Breaker.Now stand aside and let me do the job I was built for! "
- —Circuit Breaker
Notes
Artwork and technical errors
- Thunderpunch and Rapture's costumes are colored incorrectly on the cover.
- Dwayne Turner's artwork on this issue is crude and sketchy, with the action often hard to follow, as when Dialonzo (seemingly) uses his powers to put down all the combatants. He also consistently draws Starscream's back as a single flat wing-shaped plane. Turner never worked on the comic again and you can see why. He did get better on other comics!
- Starscream responds to a fighter pilot's dialogue even though he could not possibly have heard it. Comics!
Continuity errors
- An unnamed news crew filmed Dialonzo's fight with the Patrol and then somehow found out his real name and location, which the government-affiliated Blackrock was unable to do. Once they'd done the work, Blackrock somehow made contact and it's not clear how unless he got the newsies to do it for him.
Continuity notes
- The episode's events happen "a month or so" after the attack onMacDill Air Force Base(issues #56-59.) The Air Strike Patrol have been rampaging across the southern states of the US and the Autobots don't seem to have been stopping them, implying that when they went on the Matrix Quest they stopped paying attention to Earth.
- The "[National]Security Council"is mentioned as having" grudgingly "accepted Autobots and Decepticons are separate factions, and scrapping RAAT afterwards. This is the first time we've heard what happened to the once-ubiquitous RAAT.
- This is the first appearance of the human super-beings who would become theNeo-Knights.(In the UK reprints, however, the "Previously" recaps were already calling them the Neo-Knights.) You may think superhumans is a new development for the comic butSpider-Manhas already turned up!
- Starscream wants to use Dynamo as an upgrade of thePowermasterprocess, tying the plot in to established power boosts.
- Circuit Breaker has gone evenloopier,now saying Josie Beller "died years ago" and referring to herself as being "built for" killing robots. Blackrock is disturbed by this and also feels guilty that he hasn't done enough for her. He's not wrong: after "DIS-Integrated Circuits!",they never met again until now!
- We learn thatTransformerscannot power up to maximum energy levels usingEarthfuels.
- The Air Strike Patrol are killed off permanently here.
- Starscream remembers fighting Circuit Breaker from back in US issue#9... after beingkilledtwice.Nowthat'sa good memory!
- Circuit Breaker doesn't remember him at all.
- Shockwave has been walking around very not dead in the Marvel UK strips. (Starscream should also have heard about it) By this point, Furman's long given up on trying to tie US and UK together but will go on to not contradict any UK stories when he handwaves Shockwave's survival.
Real-life references
- Blackrock Industries is headquartered inWashington, D.C.- a change from the long-standingPortlandheadquarters ofBlackrockEnterprises.The Air Attack Squad is defeated at a refinery inLouisiana;Starscream passes byJacksonville,Floridaon his way toMatacumbe Key.
- TheUnited States National Security Council,rather than a fictional body likeTriple-I,are giving Blackrock his mandate.
- The Neo-Knightsin-universelook like comic-book superheroes. Blackrock deliberately modelled them on fictional heroes so they'd "look the part" to the general public.
- We're told Rapture was "destitute, down-and-out". With her later lines of having had "more than my fill" of men telling her what to do and that she's not a "tool to be used as you see fit", there seems to be a coded reference to sex work.
- Thunderpunch makes reference to the classic balletSwan Lake.
Other trivia
- Whether intended here or not, the Neo-Knights will become a really obvious attempt by Simon Furman to get his foot in the Marvel Universe door and get some superhero spinoffs going. In the final issue of this series, he'll even talk about plans to get a Neo-Knight series going (and a pitch was made).
- Thunderpunch is a really obnoxious git.
- Simon Furman describes this issue as perhaps the only one in his whole career where he has been "disappointed with the way [it] came out."[1]Ina Titan collection,this issue was deliberately left out at Furman's request.
- The UK cover of #305 is a reprint of interior artwork from #29.[2]
- ATransformers Universeprofile forSlapdashis found after the main story.
- In the credits, editor-in-chiefTom DeFalcois listed as "Mutant".
- The "Next Issue" box ends its exclamation-laden promises for the next issue's contents with "ANDMORESTUPID EXCLAMATIONS!"
Bot Roster
- Autobots: 30 active; 8 rogue Micromasters; 1 in storage, 31 offline, 25 presumed offline. (95 total)
- Decepticons: 22 active, 2 gone rogue; 26 offline, 25 presumed offline, 3 offline/missing. The Air Strike team is taken out of the picture for good. (78 total)
UK printing
Issue #302:
- AdditionalTransformersstory:"Dreadwind's Xmas!"
- ReprintTransformersstory:"In the National Interest"
- Other strips:G.I. Joe the Action Force- "Alliance of Convenience" andCombat Colin
Issue #303:
- ReprintTransformersstory:"In the National Interest"
- Other strips:G.I. Joe the Action Force- "Alliance of Convenience" andCombat Colin
Issue #304:
- ReprintTransformersstory:"In the National Interest"
- Other strips:G.I. Joe the Action Force- "Alliance of Convenience" andCombat Colin
Issue #305:
- ReprintTransformersstory:"In the National Interest"
- Other strips:G.I. Joe the Action Force- "Alliance of Convenience" andCombat Colin
Covers (5)
- US issue #68 cover:Starscream punched by Thunderpunch, byDwayne Turner.
- UK issue #302 cover:Dreadwind'sChristmas,byStewart JohnsonandJohn Burns.
- UK issue #303 cover:Peeping Tom Starscream, by Stewart Johnson andRobin Bouttell.
- UK issue #304 cover:Starscream vs Circuit Breaker, byJohn Marshall,Bambos Georgiouand Robin Bouttell.
- UK issue #305 cover:Shockwave, byRichard Fisher.
US issue #68- At least put some shoes on!
UK issue #302- Strangely, this cover relates to the letters page. Even stranger, the middle guy is supposed to be Blaster.
UK issue #303- All he wants is the funny hat.
UK issue #304- Sheeargh!
UK issue #305- No-one remembers the last time we used this pic? Good!
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US
- TaitoWrath of the Black Mantafor Nintendo - inside front cover
- LJNThe Uncanny X-Menfor Nintendo - between pages 4 & 5
- CapcomBionic Commando- between pages 5 & 6
- TSRAD&Dbooks - between pages 7 & 8
- TradewestSuper Off-Roadfor Nintendo - between pages 8 & 9
- Chicago and Southern Cal. Comic Cons - between pages 16 & 17
- Dick Tracymovie - between pages 17 & 18
- Bullpen Bulletins and checklist - between pages 19 & 20
- Comic book convention schedules - between pages 20 & 21
- Transmissions
- Marvel subscription service
- CapcomCode Name: Viper- inside back cover
- Ultra GamesNemesisfor Nintendo Game Boy (back cover)
UK
????
Reprints
- Transformers: Matrix QuestTPB:Thunderwing,Rodimus Prime,Shockwave,and half ofPrimus,byAndrew Wildman.
- Transformers: Matrix QuestHC:Thunderwing with theCreation Matrix,byPat Lee.
- Classic TransformersVolume 5:panels from "Eye of the Storm","Deadly Obsession""All Fall Down"and"...All This and Civil War 2".
- The Transformers Classics,Vol. 6:Blitzwing,byGuido Guidi.
- Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection:Volume 18: Edge of Extinction:Grimlock,above an interior scene (issue #74) of PowermasterOptimus Primebattling theAcolytes of Unicron.Grimlock art byGuido Guidi,Retro art byAndrew Wildman(pencils) andStephen Baskerville(inks).
Transformers: Matrix QuestTPB
(Titan Books, 2002)
Transformers: Matrix QuestHC
(Titan Books, 2002)
Classic TransformersVolume 5
(IDW Publishing, 2009)
The Transformers Classics,Vol. 6
(IDW Publishing, 2013)
The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 18: Edge of Extinction
(Hachette Partworks, 2017)
References
- ↑"I can honestly say, apart from maybe Transformers (US) #68, I’ve never been truly disappointed with the way an issue or series came out." —Simon Furman on the IDW Forums, 2008-12-05
- ↑Shockwave calendar for OctoberfromUK issue 29.
