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THE TRANSFORMERS: COMICS, BOOKS AND MANGA

Marvel Comics
(1984-1994)
Japanese
Manga
Other Books
and Titles
Titan Books
(2001-2010)
Club/Con
(2001-2016)
Dreamwave
(2002-2004)
Devil's Due
(2003-2007)
IDW Publishing
(2005-now)

CURRENT TRANSFORMERS COMICS FROM IDW PUBLISHING

Transformers: Bumblebee

| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | TPB |

Transformers Bumblebee #1: the Hanging Sword

December 2009
Written By: Zander Cannon
Art By: Chee Yang Ong
Colours By: Moose Baumann
Letters By: Neil Uyetake
Edits By: Andy Schmidt & Denton J. Tipton

Synopsis: After being elected as leader of the Autobots, Bumblebee wishes that he could turn over leadership to someone else. Ratchet does his best to help Bumblebee through the pressure. Tension among the Autobots are apparently high (Omega Supreme doesn't like being in a cave, for starters, and people like Wheeljack don't take 'Bee seriously). Wheeljack receives a transmission from Colonel Gordon Horiuchi, a rogue Skywatch agent, who proposes an alliance with the Autobots. Wheeljack makes contact without telling the others.

Bumblebee and Ratchet are furious with Wheeljack when they find out about this, but have no other choice than to meet up with this Colonel. Meanwhile, Skywarp raids a weapons depot, stockpiling weaponry in anticipation of Megatron's return. Meanwhile, the Autobots meet Horiuchi's men, who gives Bumblebee a set of badges that will mask Transformer signals from Skywatch's scanners. Bumblebee takes the badges back to base where they are soon installed on all the Autobots.

Soon, the Autobots face off with a deraged Frenzy, who has been killing cows and is simply nuts without Soundwave. Their next target would be Scavenger, but Horiuchi replaces him with Blurr (who had earlier gone off with Hot Rod during the split). Cliffjumper protests, but Horiuchi activates an inhibitor on the badge which forces Cliffjumper into vehicle mode. It's clear that the Autobots are now pawns for Skywatch...

Featured Transformers: Bumblebee, Ratchet, Smokescreen (or Bluestreak), Hound, Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, Skywarp, Omega Supreme, Frenzy, Cindersaur (screen), Gutcruncher (screen), Axer (screen), Squawkbox (screen), Scavenger (screen), Blaster, Blurr (screen)
Notable Others: Colonel Gordon Horiuchi, Skywatch Agents

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Blackjack

Transformers Bumblebee #2: The Impossible Knot

January 2010
Written By: Zander Cannon
Art By: Chee Yang Ong
Colours By: Moose Baumann
Letters By: Chris Mowry
Edits By: Andy Schmidt & Denton J Tipton

Synopsis: Blurr races through the New Mexico desert after the events of Transformers #3, unable to contact Hot Rod and the others. He abruptly stops when he meets Bumblebee, and the tense Autobot begins to speak at an abnormally fast rate. Blurr notices the new Skywatch badge on Bee's chest, and is shocked when he heards that Bumblebee's team are now working for the humans who captured Prowl and the others. Bumblebee wants Blurr to stand down peacefully, but the panicked Blurr opens fire on Bumblebee. Hound and Wheeljack manages to subdue Blurr, but apparently Bumblebee's Skywatch badge deflects Blurr's fire.

Bumblebee and the others spirit Blurr away to their base before the Skywatch agents could come. Colonel Gordon contacts Bumblebee, demanding the reason for this. Bumblebee refuses to turn Blurr to turn over to Skywatch, since he understands that it is wrong. After arguing for a bit, the Colonel presses the 'kill switch' on Bumblebee's Skywatch badge. However, the badge did not work as apparently Blurr's shot had damaged Bumblebee's badge. Ratchet tells a hapless Bumblebee to transform when the Colonel presses the button again, as if the button still works. However, when the Colonel releases the kill-switch, Ratchet claims that Bumblebee is stuck in vehicle mode.

Gordon's lieutenant assures him that Ratchet is correct because he's the mechanic. Gordon decides to send engineers to the Autobot base to repair the badge. As the transmission is terminated, 'Bee transforms into robot mode. Since his words could not be monitored by Skywatch (while the others' can) Bumblebee can speak freely. He gives a speech that he will free the other Autobots, and plans to find a VW Bug to dupe the Colonel's men.

Meanwhile, Skywarp has assembled a communiactions array and transmits a lovesick message to Megatron, saying that he is only days away from completing a weapon that is capable of crippling every Autobot in a single strike.

Bumblebee apologises to Blurr, and the speedy Autobot races through the city in search for a vehicle mode that matches Bumblebee's. After doing so, Bumblebe gives a heroic speech and removes his Skywatch base. Cliffjumper hurrahs, and it is transmitted to Skywatch. But before they could investigate, Ratchet maneouvres his way into making it simple banter instead of praising Bee's speech.

Bumblebee makes his way to find some very very rare element called Darmstadtium, keeping in contact with Wheeljack via a text-only frequency. Bumblebee collects a container, but before he can leave, he sees an excavator and recognizes it as Scavenger. Bumblebee tries to recruit the angry Scavenger in his crusade, but Scavenger attacks 'Bee, since the Autobots refuse to rule over the humans. Bumblebee retreats.

Featured Transformers: Blurr, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Hound, Wheeljack, Blaster, Roadbuster, Cliffjumper, Sideswipe (?), Skywarp, Scavenger
Notable others: Colonel Gordon Horiuchi, Klonowski

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Blackjack

Transformers Bumblebee #3: The Gift Horse

February 2010
Written By: Zander Cannon
Art By: Chee Yang Ong
Colours By: Moose Baumann
Letters By: Chris Mowry
Edits By: Andy Schmidt & Denton J. Tipton

Synopsis: Colonel Gordon, Klonowski and another Skywatch agent arrives on the Autobot cave base, to replace Bumblebee’s base. Klonowski states some problems, saying that some of the rogue Skywatch agents in other branches have been transferred. The Colonel asserts that they need to catch Skywarp. Ratchet welcomes the Colonel, and shows him the fake Bumblebee. They find that ‘Bumblebee’ is still unable to speak or move. Klonowski is baffled since the badges aren’t supposed to work that way. Ratchet says that the damage could have ‘bypassed a safety’, and the Colonel accepts this explanation. Meanwhile, the Colonel tries to console Ratchet, who seem to be unusually accepting. The Colonel aims to go public once they capture Skywarp, and to give the Autobtos a sovereign nation isolated from humans (i.e. a prison).

Klonowski is surprised that ‘Bumblebee’ still couldn’t respond even after the Skywatch badge is replaced, and is suspicious at the rust and license plate on the fake Autobot. The Colonel gives up on the control board, and orders his men to tell Sanjay Bharwaney that he needs a new control board. He apologizes to Ratchet, and tells him to fix ‘Bee. Ratchet and Wheeljack tells Bumblebee via text-speak that the decoy worked. After a lengthy discussion, the trio concludes that Sanjay might be working on a new master control board that would disable all kill switch badges with proper alterations.

Meanwhile, Ratchet tells the other Autobots that Skywatch has assigned him as leader of the Autobots, who seem to be uncharacteristically agreeable when Ratchet tells them that they’ll also be hunting Hot Rod. Klonowski is eavesdropping, and is suspicious. His suspicions are confirmed when Cliffjumper asks the speech-giving Ratchet a text message asking about Bumblebee’s situation, to which Ratchet replies with words. His suspicions confirmed, Klonowski somehow discovers that the Autobots have been texting each other.

As this is happening, Bumblebee arrives on Sanjay’s house and sees Sanjay’s daughter Serena playing. Bumblebee befriends the little girl, and basically tells her to sneak out the control board on the pretense that it’s broken and would hurt her father otherwise. Bumblebee texts Wheeljack while waiting for the girl, basically whining that he had to lie to a little girl. Klonowski reads all of this. Wheeljack, meanwhile, says that the altered board will somehow burn out all badges, but will also burn the power source of any non-badged Transformer. (Huh?) Bumblebee, meanwhile, keeps being all emo about lying to the kid, and Wheeljack basically snaps and the two argue for a bit before Ratchet plays peacemaker.

Skywarp blows up Skywatch’s Philips Base, and downloads information about the control board’s location. Meanwhile, Bumblebee gets the control board from Serena, and although Ratchet originally tells ‘Bee to abort the mission since the device is too complicated, with Ratchet’s help, begins to try and hack the device. Wheeljack continues being snarky until Bumblebee tells him off and forces Wheeljack to help him. They finally finish and gives the control board back to Serena, and tells her to put it back. Bumblebee drives off, feeling all guilty and sorry about lying to the little girl. He’s unaware that Skywarp has flown in…

Featured Transformers: Ratchet, Hound, Omega Supreme, Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, Blaster, Skywarp
Notable Others: Klonowski, Colonel Gordon Horiuchi, Skywatch Agents, Sanjay Bharwaney, Serena

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Blackjack

Transformers Bumblebee #4: Wings of Wax

March 2010
Written By: Zander Cannon
Art By: Chee Yang Ong
Colours By: Moose Baumann
Letters By: Neil Uyetake
Edits By: Andy Schmidt & Denton J. Tipton

Synopsis: Bumblebee is on his way to go back to the base, being all emo about the fact that he has lied to Serena. The Autobots at the base report that Skywarp has appeared above the Bharwaneys’ home. Against their protests (which breaks the cover), Bumblebee heads back to save the humans. Meanwhile, Colonel Horiuchi is confronted by his superiors about his sloppiness. One of Horiuchi’s men interrupts the meeting and informs about the Autobots’ trickery. In addition, Klonowski is missing.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee escapes with the humans, helping them to escape from Skywarp. Sanjay refuses to acknowledge Bumblebee as a ‘good guy’, and the two argue for a while. Skywarp, being a teleporter, chases them easily. While evading the Decepticon Bumblebee tells Sanjay to shut off the control board which Skywarp is tracking, but Bumblebee’s tampering had broken it. The furious Sanjay wants to use it to kill both Bee and Skywarp, but Serena cries and the three have a moment. Bee is convinced that he needs to do whatever he needs to do.

As the other Autobots race off to back Bumblebee up, Bumblebee takes the control board and shoos the Bharwaneys off. Klonowski suddenly appears with a bazooka, seemingly intent on taking Bumblebee down. He fires, and hits Skywarp. As the humans run away for cover, Bumblebee races off. However, Skywarp’s teleportation means that ‘Bee couldn’t manage to run far. Bumblebee decides to use the kill switch on the board to defeat Skywarp. Skywarp mocks Bumblebee, saying that he’ll be damaged as well. Bumblebee simply responds that he has friends to repair him.

As the Autobots arrive, Bumblebee activates the board, seemingly destroying both Skywarp and himself, as well as burning the badges off the Autobots. Some time later, Ratchet finishes his repairs on Bumblebee. He talks to Klonowski, who remarks that he has lost his job, and that they won’t hear from Colonel Gordon anytime soon. As Klonowski leaves, Bumblebee shows up in a new, stronger body, more appropriate for his new role as a leader.

Soon, the Autobots face off with a deraged Frenzy, who has been killing cows and is simply nuts without Soundwave. Their next target would be Scavenger, but Horiuchi replaces him with Blurr (who had earlier gone off with Hot Rod during the split). Cliffjumper protests, but Horiuchi activates an inhibitor on the badge which forces Cliffjumper into vehicle mode. It's clear that the Autobots are now pawns for Skywatch...

Featued Transformers: Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Ratchet, Hound, Cliffjumper, Skywarp (deactivated), Omega Supreme, Blaster
Notable Others: Sanjay Bharwansey, Serena, Colonel Gordon Horiuchi, Klonowski, Skywatch Agents

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Blackjack

Transformers: Bumblebee TPB

 

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