The Energon Pub

Spoilers Aplenty


What's up with Ironhide? Who does he think the sellout was? Did anyone think he suspects Cliffjumper? That would be a very unexpected turn...

Also, that argument between Prowl and Ironhide was crazy serious. Talking about- you want to take this outside?

Interesting bit with Bee and the whole slick surfaces bit with his handling, overshooting corners.

Hotrod and his group... What are they thinking has been going on? Also, I think Hotrod might be a suspect of Ironhides because he was afriend of Doubledealer. Maybe back when they were buddys Hotrod said something he shouldn't have. Or Ironhide thinks he did. That theory is only valid though if Ironhide knew that Hotrod was still online, up to the point that they found Rods group that is.

Lambo twins - wondering how Sideswipe lost his arm. Wondering if that's just Streaker inside that chassis.

This I all thought about while recovering from my page 1 swoon-attack and page 2 Decepticon patriotitack.

Ironhide thinks Mirage sold them out. You can tell that because when he tells Sunstreaker to stay behind since he needs someone he can trust to keep watch it is implied that he was looking at Mirage when he said it.

As for Hot Rod is concerned the entire issue intimates that the Autobots have nearly been wiped and that they are on the run, hiding and almost out of energon and resources and with no real means of communications. Infiltration teams with just a shuttle have the equipment and ability to repair damaged Autobots but you see them all on Cybetron with battle damage and with lost limbs.

The fact that they were still in their Earth modes tells us that they got their butts kicked off Earth and when they retreated back to a dead Cybertron they didnt know who had survived if anyone did or where they were.

The depiction of Ironhide is spectacular to me. You can see the frustration, exhaustion and doubt of a proud veteran soldier on his face. It is a conveyance of emotion I havent really seen before in the Furmanverse.

If you haven't read it yet, stop reading now and move on...I am about to dump a giant payload of spoilers!

The speech that Megatron gives in the preview is about all the 'Cons you see in the whole issue, and it was just lovely! Made my Decepticon spark tingle! Guido's art is phenomenal! Best looking Megatron ever!

For the most part, this issue was Autobot-heavy (for once in this series)...I actually FELT the Autobots' pain and loss and desperation, which only gives kudos to the writers! Ironhide and Prowl's little to-do was excellent! Just compounded their collective backed-into-a-corner feeling! I enjoyed the fact that most of the 'Bots took on their Universe forms...best yet! The whole traitor thing, though, has me wondering....We are being led to believe it's Mirage, but is this a lead down the primrose path, only to twist somewhere else or what? What did he do? The BIG question I am just DYING to have answered though: What happened to Optimus???? Each issue asks more questions that just BEG to be answered..which brings you to be clamoring for more with each issue!

I am indeed glad this series is picking up the pace a bit..I was praying it would! Bring on issue #5!!!!!!

Yes Mirage seems too obvious of a choice for Ironhide's suspect. I would need a firm tie in to his spotlight and a creative explaination to feel other than cheated if it was him

Megatron was ridiculously gorgeous in issue 4! And he's doing that thing he does with his mouth... Oh yeah talking. *faint* I'm suprised I made it passed page one!

Another really sad part for the 'Bots though was the dialogue between Wheeljack and Bee. The whole, "Kup never said that." sceen.

All Hail is shaping up to be a lot more than super tasty eye candy and this last issue definatly prooves it. Hah! And this is a 12 parter!?! I'm must have joined the well of allsparks... Or more appropriately, the Pit!

ponycorn wrote:Megatron was ridiculously gorgeous in issue 4! And he's doing that thing he does with his mouth... Oh yeah talking. *faint* I'm suprised I made it passed page one!

LOL...I totally feel ya! I got me a case of the vapors reading that myself! *gets woozy and faint just thinking about it*

I am SUCH a fangirl! Sheesh!

Too obvious a suspect in Mirage. Still a lot has passed in the main series.....Machination.......Scorponok(it was mentioned in issue 2) and pift, Scorponok is just gone? Where are the Dinobots? Why the new alternate mods? Why the Henkei mods? Why the IDW mods? Or is it IDW dropped the ball by insisting on the previous story/editorial thrust of the "tion" series?

Wow there is a lot of estrogen in this thread.

I did not swoon over Megatron, but was happy to see that Kickback finally joined the Insecticons.

I like that they have included the Universe designs for the bots although Ironhide still retains his IDW look sort of in combo with his Universe look.

Yeah, it looked to me that they were talking about Mirage as the traitor.

Does make me wonder something. We have seen that Kup returns apparently, fully functional, so how can they have fixed him up that well, and yet, we have armless Autobots running around. Hopefully, they can get themselves repaired when they share their resources.

Overall, I did want to read more. And the shadowed figure at the end...before it was revealed as Hot Rod, I was hoping it was Drift. Still have to wait for him to show up.

Good stuff. Hopefully the Autobots can have their 'revenge' and gain back some ground as this seems like a very dire situation for them.

Does make me wonder something. We have seen that Kup returns apparently, fully functional, so how can they have fixed him up that well, and yet, we have armless Autobots running around.

I dont think Kup, Springer and Blurr have been with that group of Autobots. I think they will just be arriving in AHM #5.

If you look at them they are still in their Cybertronian alt modes and look pristine. Meanwhile, the rest of the Autobots all have Earth modes and look beat up with scratches, dents, cracks and aforementioned amputations.

Also, the Autobot-Decepticon War is on a galactic scale. Megatron mentions that other Autobot fronts have been defeated.

This lends to the good possibility that the while the Autobots have been defeated there are pockets or cells of them still active and functioning at a high level.

The question that needs to be asked how did disparate groups of Autobots: Earth modes, Hot Rod's and Kup's (Hot Rod's and Kup's group may be one in the same) just happen to fall back to a dead Cybertron when the dialogue in the issue strongly suggests that the surviving Autobots have no way of communication with each other?

I know Kup is not with those in Ironhide's group, but I was remarking that sometime during this period they had enough tech and energy to somehow repair him in Hot Rod's, and/or Springer's group.

So I am thinking that yes, we can get repaired bots at some point soon, when they join up...hopefully.

They have been working on Kup for a long time. He clearly wasnt fixed during the DU arc since Springer was with the Wreckers. Im assuming that his repairs were done sometime between the end of the DU arc and the Decepticons winning.

Wherever Springer, Blurr and Kup were they didnt take the beating the Autobots on Earth did and probably had more resources making it to Cyberton.

Also, we still dont know if Hot Rod's group includes Kup, Blurr and Springer. Hot Rod's Earth mode is different than it was before.

A better read than any of the past 3, but that is such a minor challenge it means nothing. Still a short read, not as short as Spotlight Mirage (which if is in continuity with AHM and not a standalone story could make things very interesting).

Mirage is the traitor in Ironhides mind, but what is intriguing to me is what Jazz is keeping to himself that has piqued Red's interest.

So the Insecticons can clone in this series, there were more than 1 set of them while Megatron was being... supportive of his crew. Much nicer to see him as more than an angry somewhat psychotic leader who only berates his sub-ordinates and then retreats, ala the cartoon.

The damage to Sideswipe and Trailbreaker is interesting, hopefully we may get to see how they lost their limbs in stories set between Spotlight: Sideswipe and AHM. Tracks must be pretty peeved that he is so damaged.

I'm thinking Hotrod may not be part of Springers team, I'm thinking he may be another team, perhaps with the Dynobots, or even the remnants of Hounds team who were also on Earth (or is Hound with the Season 1 Autobots on Cybertron?).

I wonder if we will be seeing Jetfire, Magnus, the Autobot Pretenders or any other established bots from the "-tion" series, or if they too were wiped out.

Two highlights for the issue from me:
#1 Wheeljack getting some talking time, been long enough without some mad scientist talk.
#2 Cliffjumper being an evil looking Bumblebee.

Yep, I agree alot time has to have past since the -ation, Spotlights featuring the Dead Universe Invasion, and others must have past.
With Optimus is out of commission, I wanna know where the heck is Ultra Magnus or Fortress Maximus!

Not so sure about the Insecticons being able to clone. I think you are making reference to page three, the third panel down. That panel is actually split on the far right side. In the larger portion on the left we see Thundercracker and Skywarp standing side by side with the Insecticons standing in front of them; Kickback, Bombshell, and Shrapnel. The small panel on the right shows Skywarp, you can't see Thundercracker because he is obsured by Megatron's canon, Bonecrusher is in the back and Kickback is in the same place he was in the previous panel, in front of Skywarp.

Im still waiting for them to explain how the Insecticons went from tiny in Spotlight: Blaster to full size in AHM.

They may have the same mass shifting tech that Soundwave and Megatron have.

Does anybody else think Hot Rod could be the traitor? I think we're being led to believe it's Mirage, but that just seems too cut-and-dried and obvious to me. I really enjoyed this issue and can't wait to see how this all plays out in the end. I just hope we don't end up at the very last issue, with all hope lost, and BAM! Prime is revived and saves the day. I'd feel cheated, and so would Megatron.

Savage wrote:Does anybody else think Hot Rod could be the traitor? I think we're being led to believe it's Mirage, but that just seems too cut-and-dried and obvious to me.

Well it does kinda look like Hot Rod is in a more Hot Rodimus body... perhaps he sold out the Autobots to get his paws on the Matrix?

Savage wrote:I really enjoyed this issue and can't wait to see how this all plays out in the end. I just hope we don't end up at the very last issue, with all hope lost, and BAM! Prime is revived and saves the day. I'd feel cheated, and so would Megatron.

I think you may want to start preparing yourself for feeling cheated now.

Savage wrote:Does anybody else think Hot Rod could be the traitor? I think we're being led to believe it's Mirage, but that just seems too cut-and-dried and obvious to me. I really enjoyed this issue and can't wait to see how this all plays out in the end. I just hope we don't end up at the very last issue, with all hope lost, and BAM! Prime is revived and saves the day. I'd feel cheated, and so would Megatron.

Hotrod is up there on my suspected list of those that I think Ironhide suspects, assuming that Iron hide knew Hotrod was still online before he and Cliffjumper find Hotrod.

Could Prowl be the traitor?

buddhaquest wrote:Could Prowl be the traitor?

He could be, but it is doubtful that Prowl is who Ironhide suspects as the traitor.

This is starting to remind me of the head lice episode of SouthPark.

buddhaquest wrote:Could Prowl be the traitor?

Any of the Autobots could be the traitor, but Ironhide obviously does not suspect Prowl (or if he does he ain't so bright).

Why does it have to be someone Ironhide suspects? Heck, maybe Ironhide was the traitor and all his "suspicions" are just a cover-up for his guilty conscience.

It is unlikely that whoever Ironhide suspects is the traitor actually is the traitor. That's why it is so interesting to find out who Ironehide suspects. Not only will we be able to cross one Bot off OUR lists of suspects but the circumstances that led Ironhide to his suspicion may give us some futhur hints.

Best part of that issue was CJ waiting for the blink.

Hilarious.

Down_Shift wrote:Best part of that issue was CJ waiting for the blink.

Hilarious.

That's probably the most entertaining thing there is to do in their present state. As for the traitor, doubt it's Mirage, that would be way too obvious. Will probably be somebody out of left field.