The Reign of Starscream issue 1

« Transformers: The Reign of Starscream #1 »
Grimlock was right... smashing IS fun!
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	May 7, 2008
Cover date	April 2008
Written by	Chris Mowry and Chris Ryall
Art by	Alex Milne
Colors by	Josh Perez
Letters by	Chris Mowry
Edits by	Denton J. Tipton
Continuity	Movie continuity

Starscream takes the mantle of Decepticon leadership after the death of Megatron.

Synopsis

Not the Ark. Seriously?

On the wartorn planet of Cybertron, the AllSpark cube has just been launched into space by Optimus Prime, in the hope of keeping it from Megatron's grasp once and for all. The Decepticon leader, however, is undeterred, streaking into the sky in pursuit of the powerful artifact. As he departs the planet, Megatron gives a final order to second-in-command Starscream: by the time he returns with the AllSpark, Optimus Prime and his Autobots should be wiped out.

Starscream and his troops press their assault on Simfur, last refuge of the Autobots and home to the temple of the AllSpark. When Prime's forces removed the cube from the structure earlier in the war, the planet slowly began to die, a fate that has seemingly been sealed now the artifact has left the planet entirely. However, the Autobots have other ideas: aboard a huge spacecraft, Optimus Prime explains to the crew that they will be pursuing the AllSpark and Megatron into the cosmos, hoping to catch the Decepticon leader alone and retake the cube. Prime's heart is heavy with the knowledge that they are leaving behind numerous civilians and Autobots on a planet overrun by Decepticons and deprived of the AllSpark's life-giving power, but vows in their name to succeed in his mission.

From the battlefield outside, Starscream bears witness as the Autobot spacecraft lifts into the sky and thunders overhead. He makes an instant decision: the Decepticons will pursue them in an attack craft of their own. Starscream's troops hurry aboard the ship—some of them grumbling all the way—and set out on their own voyage. Dreadwing reports in on the current location of Megatron and the AllSpark, having flown ahead to scout, but is taken by surprise when the Autobot starship roars past him, releasing a chain of concussion mines into space. Dreadwing's warning to his comrades comes too late: the Decepticon ship hurtles into the explosives, and the necessary repairs force the Decepticons to delay their departure.

Across the gulf of space, the AllSpark crashes down to a blue-green planet, followed shortly by Megatron himself. Over the eons, the Autobots split up to follow various leads on the lost arifact, and eventually Prime's remaining forces reach its resting place. Unfortunately, Starscream's own personal regiment trails them to a red planet in the same solar system. Leaving Thundercracker with their ship, the other Decepticons journey to the world where the AllSpark lies, and find the planet's inhabitants to suprisingly dangerous, capable of felling Wreckage, whose body the Decepticons conceal before moving on.

After adopting local vehicle modes, the Decepticons discover both the AllSpark and Megatron being held in the same facility, and Starscream gives orders to converge, aware that multiple Autobots are also on the planet. Megatron is revived, but a group of humans and Autobots succeed in fleeing with the AllSpark, and Barricade and Bonecrusher are both defeated while trying to intercept them. A final battle soon begins in a nearby city, and to Starscream's chagrin, Megatron displays no concern as the remaining Decepticons fall one by one, caring only for the AllSpark. For an instant, Starscream is tempted to fire upon his leader, but the decision is taken away from him when a human fells Megatron instead, destroying the AllSpark in the process.

Realizing he is severely outnumbered, Starscream tears through several human fighter jets and then flees the city, rendezvousing with an injured Barricade. While being caught up on recent events, Barricade mentions that Frenzy plundered the humans' research on the AllSpark. Starscream hits upon a grand plan and – having declared himself Lord Starscream – he leaves Barricade to recuperate and heads back for the human facility. With the AllSpark destroyed and Cybertron's own records of the artifact long since wiped, Frenzy's stolen files now represent a last chance to rebuild their home planet. Transforming to robot mode, Starscream plunges to the ground, ready to turn the base's human protectors to ash!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Bonecrusher, Prime's all yours — I've got a score to settle."
"Whatever you say."

—Barricade gets ready to beat down, while Bonecrusher shows how much he cares.

Notes

• The comic specifically follows the continuity of the film itself, rather than IDW's previous adaptation of the film, what with Barricade not having had his head cleaved off.
• Alas, the additional scenes featured in the issue (which take place during both the "prequel" events and the post-movie events) make the comic entirely incompatible with the UK's Titan magazine.
• In addition, the story seemingly attempts to reconcile at least some of the events of IDW's prequel mini-series and the second Target-sponsored prequel comic, what with the inclusion of Wreckage. However, the opening scene (where Starscream is talking to Megatron as the latter sets to leave Cybertron) directly contradicts the events of the "Target" prequel comic, where Starscream is with the other Decepticons when they see Megatron leaving the planet from a distance.
• Reassuring Optimus, Prowl says that he has "turned death into a fighting chance to live"—quoting almost verbatim from Doctor McCoy in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, regarding the sacrifice of the Enterprise.
• Dreadwing assures Starscream that "Unlike your other soldiers, I won't fail you"—a nod to a scene in The Transformers: The Movie where Megatron delivers a very similar slight against Starscream.
• Reflecting on their arrival on Earth, Starscream muses that stealth would yield "some great reward" on Earth, a nod to the album Some Great Reward by British band Depeche Mode.
• Store signs in Mission City seen on page 18 include "J.R.'s Toys" (a nod to one of writer Chris Mowry's friends) and "Hodad's", a one-of-a-kind burger store in Ocean Beach, California (using the actual store logo even). A truck on the same page advertises "Casper FX", another nod to one of Mowry's friends.
• A truck on the highway Starscream is flying over on page 21 bears the last name Latta. Chris Latta was the voice actor for Generation 1 Starscream.
• Starscream makes a sly reference to his G1 self's motto as he prepares his assault at Hoover Dam near the end of the story, stating that "we all know what conquest is made of" (according to G1 Starscream's motto, of the ashes of one's enemies).

Errors

• This issue continues the grand tradition of Transformers fiction confusing galaxies with solar systems: In his opening narration for the movie, Optimus Prime states that the Autobots "scattered across the galaxy", thus implying that Cybertron is located within the Milky Way galaxy. Yet when the AllSpark arrives on Earth in this issue, Starscream states that its journey ends "galaxies away". This discrepancy is later corrected in issue #5.
• Cybertron is misspelled as "Cyberton" on page 10.

Covers (4)

• Cover A: Starscream attacking jets by Alex Milne and Kieran Oats
• Cover B: Homage to "The New Order" cover by Gabriel Rodriguez
• Incentive Cover RI: Starscream smashing rocks by James Raiz and Kieran Oats
• Apocalypse Comics Exclusive Cover: Animated version of Movie Starscream by ???

• 

  Starscream needs to stop eating at Taco Bell

• 

  Shockwave, eat your heart out!

• 
• 

  Raahhrgg, who animated me?!

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