The Deadly Fuel Shortage

	"The Deadly Fuel Shortage"
Publisher	Marvel Books
Cover date	1984
Art by	Unknown
ISBN	ISBN 0-87135-012-2; ISBN 9780871350121
Page count	48pp

The Decepticons kidnap humans and attack Hoover Dam!

Synopsis

The Autobots and Decepticons came from the planet Cybertron, which is surrounded by lots of swirly stuff.

Sparkplug and Buster Witwicky crouch behind a rock and observe the Autobots. Suddenly, they are seized by the Decepticons! Bluestreak observes and investigates by driving straight at the Decepticons. The Autobots attack to free the humans. Cliffjumper shoots his glass gas, crystallizing two of the enemies. In the midst of the battle, Starscream notices that the Decepticons are using up too much fuel, so Megatron orders a retreat. He plans to plunder the resources of Earth! The humans overhear this nefarious scheme.

The battle has left Wheeljack and Prowl as smoldering wrecks. Out of gratitude for the rescue, Sparkplug volunteers his help. Soon, they're both completely repaired! The grateful Autobots offer the humans a lift home, but Buster remembers what he heard, and relates the Decepticons' plan to the Autobots.

Optimus Prime sends out Bumblebee and Hound as scouts. The next morning, Hound locates the Decepticons blowing big holes in Hoover Dam. He returns to the Autobots to report. Soon a convoy of Autobots rolls out to stop the Decepticons.

The Autobots arrive and counter attack. Optimus Prime sends Sunstreaker and Sideswipe out to "take control of the dam". Sunstreaker is hit, so Cliffjumper takes Buster and Sparkplug out to repair him. When the repairs are done, Sunstreaker rejoins the battle. The Decepticons are driven off, and the dam is saved!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Optimus Prime (3) Sideswipe (4) Brawn (5) Bluestreak (7) Prowl (11) Sunstreaker (12) Bumblebee (13) Jazz (14) Cliffjumper (15) Wheeljack (17) Hound (18) Gears (19) Ironhide or Ratchet (23)	Frenzy or Rumble (6) Megatron (7) Skywarp or Thundercracker (8) Starscream (9) Soundwave (10) Skywarp or Thundercracker (16) Buzzsaw or Laserbeak (20) Ravage (21) Buzzsaw or Laserbeak (22)	Sparkplug Witwicky (1) Buster Witwicky (2)

Notes

Everyone wants to copy Springer
This book contains no attribution for author or artist. The art is strongly reminiscent of the work of Frank Springer, with at least one page copying directly from Springer's Marvel comics work, but the actual artist is unknown.
The cover of the book appears to have been copied from Steve Ditko art featured in Bumblebee to the Rescue (It's possible this cover came first, but Bumblebee to the Rescue! was definitely drawn by Steve Ditko and the art is consistent with the art in that book.)

Everyone wants to copy Ditko
How the heck did Sparkplug fix Prowl and Wheeljack's smashed bodywork out in a field with hardly any tools?
As the Autobots roll out for Hoover Dam, there appears to be two Brawns, and then two Optimus Primes.
Sunstreaker is randomly identified as Spin-Out on one page, an early working name for the character. He's correctly named immediately before and after.
Cliffjumper's car mode is drawn with an extra set of bumpers and wheel wells set outside the main frame, as if someone had tacked Bumblebee's fenders onto him.
A rocket-powered cassette can be seen retreating alongside the flying Decepticons.
Said flying Decepticons include robot-mode Ravage.