Spotlight: Ultra Magnus
From Transformers Wiki
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 Yep, I'm a brick. | |||||||||||||
| "The Transformers: Spotlight Ultra Magnus" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | January 17, 2007 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | January 2007 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Simon Furman | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Robby Musso | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Kieran Oats | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Neil Uyetake | ||||||||||||
| Edits by | Chris Ryall & Dan Taylor | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | 2005 IDW continuity | ||||||||||||
| Chronology | ~1988 | ||||||||||||
Ultra Magnus firmly believes in his duties. But how will he deal with violating one to achieve another?
Contents |
Synopsis
On Zull, Ultra Magnus apprehends the Decepticon criminal Swindle, blowing away Karzai Lorcha's forces who are protecting him. However, Swindle decides to make Ultra Magnus a deal: his freedom in exchange for Scorponok's location. Magnus realizes that Scorponok's capture would be far more important than Swindle's, and he knows that he would easily be able to catch Swindle the next time he got himself in trouble, then he could still get him to Decepticon High Justice. But is it enough for Magnus to violate the rules he enforces? Ultimately, Ultra Magnus agrees.
The information leads him to Nebulos, where he finds that Scorponok is using businessman Mo Zarak's corporation, the Zarak Consortium, as a front for his own activities. Using a holomatter disguise, Ultra Magnus penetrates into the very heart of the facility and discovers what appears to be a Nebulan whose body has been almost entirely re-engineered with Cybertronian technology; in short, a transforming Nebulan. Shortly after discovering this, his hologram is detected and destroyed, and Ultra Magnus reenters the facility via less subtle means. He encounters a group of Cybertronian drones—which are lacking heads. Defeating the drones, Magnus realizes that something serious is going on, and heads into the underground facility.
Once underground, Ultra Magnus offers Scorponok a chance to surrender, which is interrupted by an attack. Although Scorponok's usual modus operandi is to flee when discovered, he says that what he is working on is something "breathtaking", and Magnus cannot be allowed to interfere. In the ensuing battle, Mo Zarak, afraid that all his work will be lost, tries to stop Scorponok and is shot in the crossfire, revealing cybernetic components in his body. Ultra Magnus takes advantage of Scorponok's distraction at having seemingly killed Mo Zarak and shoots the Decepticon in the face. Scorponok, damaged and distraught over the loss of his research, flees through an artificial wormhole generator.
Twenty-nine stellar cycles later on Buras, Ultra Magnus finds himself taking Swindle into custody once more. As Swindle once again tries to bargain his way out of trouble, Ultra Magnus wonders just how many compromises he'll make in order to get Scorponok.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Notes
Continuity notes
- When Ultra Magnus re-arrests Swindle on the last page, he is reporting to Optimus Prime; this report is seen during Escalation #1.
- Magnus later reports to Optimus Prime in Spotlight: Optimus Prime that he has a new lead on Scorponok. Whether he got the lead by cutting another deal with Swindle remains unknown.
- As fully revealed in Devastation #6, Scorponok's experiments on Nebulos would later be implemented on Earth under the guise of the Machination.
- First appearances: Swindle, Scorponok. Magnus previously showed up in Escalation as a holographic head.
Errors
- Like those in Spotlight: Hot Rod, Magnus's holomatter avatar is referred to as a "simulcrum". It should be spelled "simulacrum".
Other trivia
- Magnus's ship shares his color scheme.
- Scorponok is in scale with his Marvel Comics incarnation, rather than the cartoon where he was city-sized.
- First appearance of cydraulics and trauma-buffers, terms for Transformer anatomy that have since moved into wider circulation.
- Swindle's stock of weapons includes an r-infinity accelerator.
Covers (4)
- Cover A: Magnus contacting Swindle; art by Klaus Scherwinski.
- Cover B: Magnus in front of clouds; art by Robby Musso and colors by Kieran Oats.
- Cover RI-A: cover A, uncolored
- Cover RI-B: cover B, uncolored
Ok, I'll deal with that now.
Quit looking at my crotch.
Cover RI-A
Cover RI-B
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- The Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD (back cover)
Reprints
- The Transformers: Spotlight Volume 1 (May 30, 2007) ISBN 1600100686 / ISBN 978-1600100680
- The Transformers: The Premiere Collection Volume 1 (December 5, 2007) ISBN 1600101186 / ISBN 978-1600101182
- The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Two (October 6, 2010) ISBN 1600107516 / ISBN 978-1600107511
- The Transformers: Spotlight Omnibus Volume 1 (April 15, 2015) ISBN 1631402463 / ISBN 978-1631402463
- The Transformers: The IDW Collection Compendium, Vol. 1 (July 6, 2016) ISBN 163140637X / ISBN 978-1631406379
- Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 37: Escalation (March 8, 2017)
Spotlight Volume 1 – cover art by Nick Roche and Rob Ruffolo
The Premiere Collection Volume 1 – cover art by Klaus Scherwinski
The IDW Collection Volume Two – cover art by E. J. Su
Spotlight Omnibus Volume 1 – cover art by Jeffrey Veregge
The IDW Collection Compendium, Vol. 1 – cover art by Jeffrey Veregge
The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 37: Escalation – cover art by Don Figueroa (Starscream) and E. J. Su (retro)
