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New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets

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"New Cybertron
End: Feel Safe Without Regrets"
Publisher IDW Publishing
First published April 26, 2017
Cover date April 2017
Written by John Barber
Art by Kei Zama
Colors by Josh Burcham
Letters by Tom B. Long
Editor Carlos Guzman
Continuity 2005 IDW continuity
Chronology Current era

Millennia ago, Orion Pax was forced to choose between the open hand and the closed fist. Today, Optimus Prime faces that same decision... but will his answer have changed?

Contents

Synopsis

Within the Junkions' space cruiser, Rumble and Frenzy are certain they are about to meet their end in the jaws of the Sharkticons when suddenly, the monstrous robots all lose interest and shamble off. The two confused Decepticons go on to make their way through the ship's corridors and soon come upon Arcee, who is attempting to force Wreck-Gar to hand over the positron core she needs to save Sideswipe, but the pair elect to watch the fight rather than get involved.

Outside, the Junkion ship remains held fast in the grip of Metrotitan. Aileron evacuates the President of the United States to the G.I. Joe camp on the Matterhorn below, there to await the arrival of Joe reinforcements, as all around the world, the Sharkticons break off their attacks to gather above the mountain and help Optimus Prime and his Autobots in battling the Junkion horde. In Italy, Marissa Faireborn and Thundercracker watch them leave; Thundercracker is surprised that Marissa doesn't want to go with her father to help, but Marissa isn't interested in fighting any more.

Four million years ago, Orion Pax and Prowl burst in on the arms deal Decepticons Needlenose, Horri-Bull, and their two enforcers are conducting with Pax and Prowl's mole, Jetfire. When one of the enforcers pull his gun, Pax shoots him dead on the spot. Pax and Prowl take off after the fleeing Needlenose and Horri-Bull, and when the second enforcer tries to shoot them, Jetfire is the one to take up arms and kill him before he can get off a shot. Jetfire does not have long to let his actions sink in: suddenly, the Decepticons' entire cache of weapons explodes in the Autobots' faces, courtesy of a remote detonator planted by Starscream for just such an emergency. Soundwave is repulsed by Starscream's violent and duplicitous tactics, but Starscream assures him that Megatron believes the ends justify such means.

The Sharkticons flood into the Junkion ship, right into the middle of Arcee and Wreck-Gar's battle, with Prime and the rest of the Autobots right behind them. Colonist soldier Slide is particularly hungry for vengeance for the death of her twin brother Oiler, and her bloodthirstiness gives Optimus pause. Then, amid the fighting, a stray shot hits the positron core, which explodes dramatically, reducing Wreck-Gar to a disembodied (but still-living) head. The blast takes the remaining fight out of Rum-Maj, who cradles Wreck-Gar's head and laments their failure to build a new future for their race.

Orion and Prowl cordon off the crime scene, and are soon joined by Outback, the officer who kicked off their investigation when he killed Hefter. The traumatized Jetfire renounces his Decepticon allegiance, but is still ready to throw a punch at the callous Outback until Orion stops him. Orion invites Jetfire to continue working with him to stop the threat of the Decepticons; Jetfire observes that not everything the Decepticons are attempting to do should be stopped, but Orion has been convinced by the day's events that violence is the only way to deal with them.

A safe distance away, Needlenose and Horri-Bull emerge from the sewers and are met by Soundwave, who Needlenose immediately rails against for the detonation of the weapons cache. After a moment's pause, Soundwave quietly accepts the truth of Starscream's words, and lies to the pair, telling them that the explosion was the work of the Autobots, meant to foment distrust among the Decepticons, and that they must fight back.

Optimus Prime has Soundwave order the Sharkticons to stand down, then lays down his own weapon. Victorion believes he is surrendering, but Optimus, Matrix of Leadership glowing brightly for all to see, explains that he is choosing the path that will save the most lives. He hopes the Cybertronians, Sharkticons, and Junkions can all find some way to live peacefully, and Rum-Maj, moved by the display, agrees to help find that way. As Aileron, Jetfire, and the President watch Metrotitan set the Junkion ship down, Marissa flies in aboard Thundercracker, and announces to the President that she believes she has the solution they all need...

In Mexico City, in the wake of Jazz's defense of the city against the Sharkticons, the human woman he has been following approaches him. She explains that she works in television, and that Jazz's actions have convinced her to comply with her bosses' requests: she invites Jazz to tell his story on television!

A week later, the Autobots, Decepticons, Sharkticons, Junkions, and humans are working together on Marissa's plan: the construction of a refugee camp on the site of the Earth Defense Command's old Bikini Atoll facility. Most of them seem to be getting along okay, except for Slide; she still seeks justice for Oiler's death, and Pyra Magna exploits her anger to sow the seeds of dissent. As Jetfire and Aileron oversee things, Jetfire smiles, happy to know that Optimus has made the opposite choice to the one Jetfire saw him make so long ago, finding a new way forward in peace, instead of meeting violence with violence. Still, one life still remains in danger: the means to save Sideswipe have been lost...

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Junkions G.I. Joe Misc

Quotes

"This is it, bro—no regrets!"
"Well, I kinda wish we'd killed more Autobots."

—Frenzy and Rumble


"You're like a manifold-tick. Nothing kills you."
"I had a manifold-tick once—nervous guy."

—Arcee and Wreck-Gar


Slide: "Do like the Prime did to Galvatron! End this hard and permanent!"
Wreck-Gar "Should I ask who Galvatron is or what the Prime did?"
Frenzy: "Bad guy. Not like us."
Rumble: "Optimus shot him and ripped off his head."
Wreck-Gar: "Oh thank goodness, I thought you were going to say something serious."


"I have been complicit in the destruction of my world. My enemies have done wrong. As have I. We must not be shackled by the past. Sometimes we have to stand up and protect life. But other times, we must stand down to do the same. It the role of a Prime to know the difference."

—Optimus Prime


"The Junkions killed Oiler. They got away with murder. That's not justice."
"You must ask yourself... what does a Prime stand for, if not justice?"

—Slide and Pyra Magna


"In the end, it doesn't matter who shoots first. It doesn't matter who shoots last. It's the bullets that matter. The bullets... and what's in their path."

—Optimus Prime

Notes

Continuity notes

  • Rumble quips that Cosmos is as "dead as Chic Chips," referring to the old "fashion trend" started by Needlenose, as seen in The Transformers vol. 2 #44.
  • Talon reports that Scarlett is planning to send reinforcements to help in the battle; presumably, as the Joes themselves aren't likely to be able to accomplish much, this refers to Skywarp, who has joined G.I. Joe and is a regular character appearing over in their own comic. He never actually shows up to help, though.
  • Rumble provides a short but detailed account of Optimus Prime's execution of Galvatron, which occurred in The Transformers vol. 2 #55.
  • Outback's an asshole but he's gonna die so don't feel bad.
  • Jazz remembers being "thrown in a pit with some liquid-carbon thingamajig" the last time he got too close to humans, which took place in The Transformers vol. 2 #46.
  • The Earth Defense Command's Bikini Atoll facility was a fixture throughout the second "season" of The Transformers. It was inherited by G.I. Joe when they took over the EDC's job, but was shuttered following the events of the G.I. Joe: Revolution one-shot, in which it had to be liberated from Dire Wraith control.

Transformers references

  • Needlenose uses the swear "leaking lubricants," a phrase originally coined in Ironhide's original bio to refer to "excessive talking," but which was most famously used by the character in the Generation 1 cartoon episode "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1" as a generic expression of frustration, which is how it is used here. It's also mocked by Horri-Bull as being childish, which, well, is appropriate given the source of the phrase.
  • Prime riding atop a roaring Sky Lynx on the regular cover may be an homage to the Grimlock-riding scene in Age of Extinction.

Real-life references

  • As with all chapters of "New Cybertron," this issue's subtitle is taken from the lyrics to the Covenant song, "Babel."
  • Jazz is described as "kind of blue". This is, of course, a reference to the Miles Davis album of the same name.

Errors

  • On page 9, in Wreck-Gar's line (quoted above) "thought" is misspelled "though."
  • On page 15, Prime's line is written "...perhaps there 's a way" with an unnecessary space in there's.
  • On page 19, the President's line is bolded as "the old Earth Defense Command headquarters" where it should be "the old Earth Defense Command headquarters".

Covers (4)

  • (thumbnail)

    Dem teeth!

  • (thumbnail)

    "I hate your name!"

  • (thumbnail)

    Oh no, now they can do that?

  • (thumbnail)

    RI cover

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