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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
The Transformers: Escalation
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | TPB | PREVIEWS |
Escalation #1, issue #11 in the main series
 |
Released 29th November 2006. |
Synopsis: Things get off to an explosive start, the Machination
outlining their plan to target and take an Autobot offline for recovery. It’s
just a simulation though, as they wait for the Autobots to break cover.
Underwater in Ark-19, the humans prepare to be sent back to their lives;
they’ll be driven by Ironhide and Sunstreaker. The galactic war goes on, Prime
co-ordinating with off-world Autobots by remote conference.
Elsewhere, Megatron outlines his plan to pick up where
Starscream left off, accelerating the phased process of destabilising the
planet enough for the Decepticons to loot what remains. (In this case,
presumably mining Ore-19 during and after.)
As the humans head home, the Machination put their ambush
into operation, Sunstreaker being left a smoking wreck… with Hunter still
inside?
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Sunstreaker (simulation), Drake, Machination team, Creel, Weiss, Ratchet, Hunter, Jimmy, Ironhide, Jazz, Verity, Megatron, Astrotrain, Sunstreaker (different simulation), Runabout and Runamuck (simulation), Sunstreaker, Optimus Prime, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Blitzwing.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Inflatable Dalek, Reviewed by Denyer
Escalation #2, issue #12 in the main series
 |
Released 20th December 2006. |
Synopsis: Picking up the pace, the Decepticons get their immediate
plan underway, apparently acquiring a US senator to be replaced with a
facsimile clone, bombing a foreign power plant whilst in the forms of US
military jets, and setting their clone up to meet the foreign outcry with talk
of war.
The Autobots and humans are reeling from last issue’s
attack, Ironhide immediately assuming Decepticons to be behind the Machination
ambush. Prime orders the surviving humans be taken back to the Ark in case it
is a direct reprisal, and the other Autobots to retrieve Sunstreaker’s remains.
The Machination are ready for them, but Jazz and Wheeljack survive the
electro-scrambler weapons the team have.
As an agent flees with Sunstreaker on a truck, Prime
intercepts, resulting in the apparent death of the agent and Ratchet being able
to confirm quickly that the remains are just a superficially convincing copy.
As Ironhide relays the slim hope that Hunter may likewise be more intact than
previously assumed, news comes in that the senator we saw at the beginning of
the issue is in favour of rapid armed intervention on foreign soil…
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Senator Holt, a US general, Runabout, Optimus Prime, Jazz, Wheeljack, Ironhide, Jimmy, Verity, Machination troops (flashback), Sunstreaker (flashback), Megatron, Runamuck, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Prowl, Ratchet, Senator Holt (facsimile?), Arcee Arthur.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Inflatable Dalek, Reviewed by Denyer
Escalation #3, issue #13 in the main series
 |
Released 24th January 2007. |
Synopsis: In Brasnya, a ‘Soviet’ breakaway state, Megatron commences
more political agitation by personally blowing up an oil pipeline. When the
nearby opposing faction arrives, the Decepticons fire on both sides, blasting
Russian tanks and Brasnyan vehicles aside easily. Elsewhere, Prime vetoes a
search for Sunstreaker until the extent of Decepticon activities is known and
dealt with.
Most of the Autobots beam over to the new warzone and
attempt to contain things. Meanwhile, in orbit, three reinforcements sent for
by Prime have arrived, and elsewhere still, Ironhide and Ratchet make plans to
disobey Prime’s orders and follow up a lead on the materials used to create the
Sunstreaker decoy. (Seen in #1 and #2.)
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Georgi, Alexi, Megatron, Blitzwing, Skywarp (in Thundercracker’s colour scheme), Bumblebee, Prowl, Ironhide, Optimus Prime, Jazz, Wheeljack, Ratchet, Jimmy, Verity, Breski, Nightbeat, Hardhead, Hot Rod.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Inflatable Dalek, Reviewed by Denyer
Escalation #4, issue #14 in the main series
 |
Released 28th February 2007. |
Synopsis: We open with Hunter strapped to a table, surrounded by
unidentifiable medical people. No more than that is learnt, though, before we
switch scene to the parking lot of an auto firm in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Ironhide and Ratchet are concerned about scanners that can pick up holo-matter,
but Verity and Jimmy are prepared to attempt to sneak past the perimeter
defences.
Over in Brasnya, Blitzwing has Prime lined up in his sights.
He’s taken out, but that still leaves Prime facing down Megatron, and the other
Autobots look to have little chance to capture the Decepticon leader’s
facsimile before he suicides, with Skywarp and Astrotrain both running
interference. Evening the odds a little are Hardhead and Hot Rod, leading to
much confusion in the battle that follows. The scene is set for a
Prime/Megatron showdown…
Meanwhile at the auto shop, the humans discover a concealed
basement and start looking for information… inadvertently setting off a double
trap…
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Hunter, unknown medics, Ironhide, Verity, Jimmy, Ratchet, Optimus Prime, Blitzwing, Wheeljack, Prowl, Jazz, Roller, Georgi Koska, Megatron, Astrotrain, Skywarp, Hardhead, Hot Rod, Todorof, Breski.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Inflatable Dalek, Reviewed by Denyer
Escalation #5, issue #15 in the main series
 |
Released 28th March 2007. |
Synopsis: In the first of two interludes, a disembodied head trailing wires talks to Dante of the Machination about replacing its body.
In Brasnya, Megatron and Prime go through an extended smackdown, Prime initially coming off better. The other Autobots have the upper hand with the rest of the Decepticons, and Hot Rod is eventually able to take possession of the Georgi Koska fascimile clone. Over in Fort Wayne, Ironhide decides to follow Jimmy and Verity into the auto shop which is more than it seems, tripping the alarms but discovering them gassed and a timer counting down. Megatron beats Prime to apparent deactivation.
In a second interlude, an archaeological dig in Eureka is being taken over by an agency identified as Skywatch, having dug up Shockwave and the Dinobots (see the Spotlight: Shockwave issue for details of how they got there.)
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Dante, mysterious head, Megatron, Optimus Prime, Russian and Brasnyan forces, Skywarp, Jazz, Wheeljack, Roller, Astrotrain, Hot Rod, Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet, Jimmy, Verity, archaeological dig team, Skywatch.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Inflatable Dalek
Escalation #6, issue #16 in the main series
 |
Released 2nd May 2007. |
Synopsis: In Brasnya, Megatron gloats over the dead body and orders the Autobots to kneel before him. Jazz, Hardhead and Wheeljack launch an all out attack on the Decepticon leader but barely make a mark thanks to his Ore-13 power up. A short distance away Prowl orders a reluctant Hot Rod to stay with Koska and wait for Nightbeat to use their teleport to take him back to the ship. Prowl himself goes to join the battle, hoping Prime isn't really dead. The Autobot Leader is in fact still alive, having moved his mind into his Command Deck. Whilst en route in Transitional Space he has a strange vision of a unknown Transformer calling his name.
In Indiana Ironhide and Ratchet are working on getting the humans out of the cellar. Ratchet cuts a hole in the floor and Ironhides Simulcrum lifts them up through it. Ratchet manages to get clear just as the countdown reaches zero and the building explodes. But Ironhide had to be much closer to get his Simulcrum in the room and he gets badly damaged by the blast. All they have for their troubles is the Machination calling card.
Back in Brasnya, Hot Rod comes under attack from a returning Skywarp and new arrival Thundercracker before Nightbeat can retrieve him. Prime contacts his troops and explains he knows the weakness of Ore 13 (thanks to his experience with Tunderwing in Stormbringer) and knows how to stop him. Putting his mind back into his body and blasts Megatron in the back of the head at point blank range. A now powerless Megatron is forced to retreat. But despite the slight victory the main object of the mission a failure. Not only was Hot Rod so badly damaged he had to be put into a CR Chamber but, according to Nightbeat the Facsimile of Koska didn't make it.
At the Machination Headquarters Mr. Dante shows a now conscious Hunter to the Big Giant Head and explains the procedure is now a success. Telling Hunter his purpose is now served, Dante ponders if perhaps he could be part of their New World Order, which involves several Headless Sunstreaker duplicates. In Washington, Skywatch leader Joshua Red learns of what has happened in Brasnya. The dig at Eureka won't give them anything useful for a while, but the long captured and chained up Ravage and Laserbeak are ready and raving to go. Back at Decepticon HQ an angry Megatron demands Sixshot be summoned even though it's to early for his level of devastation to be used on a World. On Muma Obscura the Reapers prepare to follow him to Earth...
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Megatron, Optimus Prime [Dead, then alive], Hardhead, Jazz, Wheeljack, Prowl, Hot Rod, Koska Facsimile [Dead], Giant Floating Head [The first of two this issue], Ratchet, Ironhide [Blasted real good], Jimmy, Verity, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Nightbeat, Hunter, Mr. Dante, The Other Big Giant Head, Joshua Red, Ravage, Laserbeak, Astrotrain, Sixshot, The Reapers.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Inflatable Dalek
Escalation TPB
 |
Released 23rd May 2007. |