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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) |
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IDW Publishing (2005-now) |
CURRENT TRANSFORMERS COMICS FROM IDW PUBLISHING
Maximum Dinobots
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | TPB |
A mini-series following the events of Devastation and Spotlight: Grimlock, written by Simon Furman and illustrated by Nick Roche. This fits chronologically before the events of All Hail Megatron, so it's placed here despite starting publication after that series.
Maximum Dinobots #1
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Released December 10th 2008. |
Synopsis: By the wreck of the Skyfire, Grimlock reminisces about his past with the Dynobots and the circumstances that led him here. With the ship almost completely useless (and himself now an outcast) all he can do is use the last of the power to send a message to another Transformer who plays outside the rules for help.
In Nevada, Agent Red puts the other Thunder Lizards through their paces, and is worried by the fact that absolutely nothing is going wrong this time. He’s right; Kloss has arranged things to go perfectly under Dante’s orders. Dante himself has been busy building more Headmasters at his Texas base.
Huntstreaker breaks into a Machination front and steals a computer drive which contains a puzzling reference to “Dinobots” that they decide to follow up on.
The Machination has tracked down Grimlock using satellites and Dante sends a group of Headmasters to deal with the problem. Though Grimlock fights off most of them easily the real plan is to attach a teleport device to him that sends him to Skywatch’s doorstep. Red is again suspicious but orders the Thunder Lizards be sent out to deal with the T-Rex.
At Machination Headquarters, Hot Rod is observed arriving outside, but Dante/Scorponok doesn’t care... for now is the dawn of the Headmasters…
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Grimlock [Flashback and Present], Swoop [Flashback and present] Sludge [Flashback and present], Snarl [Flashback and present], Ultra Magnus [Flashback], Scorponok [Flashback and present], Headmasters [Flashback and present], Megatron [Flashback], Agent Red. Kloss, Dante, Huntstreaker, Hot Rod.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by inflatable dalek
Maximum Dinobots #2
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Released January 7th 2009. |
Synopsis: Hot Rod is easily caught by Headmasters and is brought before Scorponok who wants him to witness the rise of the Machination Empire.
As the controlled Dynobots arrive in Fallon, Huntstreaker races towards Machination headquarters in Dallas. Sunstreaker explains that even though the main threat seems to be the controlled Autobots, the only way to beat Scorponok is to take back the original Sunstreaker head and the control it gives the Headmasters.
In Fallon, Grimock is amazed to see his teammates, which quickly turns to shock as they attack him. The watching Scorponok has the neural dampers on the Dynobots lessened so as to allow their natural aggression to come out. The confused local police try to call the National Guard but Skywatch have the entire area sealed. At Skywatch Headquarters in Nevada, Agent Red is convinced that the “inexplicable” loss of control over the Thunder Lizards was no mere coincidence, and goes to speak to someone he should have visited a long time ago.
Grimlock tries to reason with the others, recounting to Slag how they first met and even admitting this whole mess is ultimately his fault. As he does this, Scorponok explains to Hot Rod that this attack will not only discredit Skywatch, but by sending in the Headmasters to save Fallon from the “dangerous” robots he will be rewarded by the US Government with many lucrative contracts to defend Earth from aliens.
By the wreak of the Skyfire in New Zealand, the Autobots Grimlock summoned for help earlier arrive and, finding the ship empty, begin a search.
Scorponok is intrigued by the idea of Grimlock’s guilt, and has the Dynobots personalities brought more to the surface to see if their anger at their leader for whatever mistake he made makes them better fighters. Though they are initially outraged he set up the Skyfire to bury them in lava without telling them, Grimlock’s explanation that the whole point of the Dynobots was that they never had rules or any proper chain of command placates them for now and the fighting stops. Scorponok is non-plussed by this and sends in the Headmasters.
In Salt Lake City, Agent Red arrives for his talk, with Skywatch’s last remaining Transformer captive, Shockwave…
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Hot Rod, Scorponok, Headmasters, Grimlock, Slag, Huntstreaker, Sludge, Snarl, Swoop, Agent Red, Repugnus, Doublecross, Grotusque, Shockwave.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by inflatable dalek
Maximum Dinobots #3
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Released February 18th 2009. |
Synopsis: Agent Red has overseen the reactivation and rearming of Shockwave, including planting a bomb with a 24 hour timer within him. Shockwave agrees to hunt down and deal with the various escaped Transformers, but Red is left with the uneasy feeling they might come to regret this.
In the wreckage of Fallon the Dynobots are still upset with Grimlock and though they won’t fight him any more they are disinclined to help him, Swoop is even so disgusted he flies off. Though as the Headmasters arrive and start attacking Grimlock they soon decide that it’s better to die as a team than alone, with even Swoop returning. Surrounded and out-gunned it seems that this is indeed the end…
Outside Machination Headquarters in Dallas, Huntstreaker has arrived. Though the Sunstreaker part of their personality wants to go in guns blazing hunter remembers how narrow their escape from Scorponok was last time and decides it's better to wait and watch for the right time to act.
As the Headmasters prepare to deliver the killing blow to the Dynobots they are suddenly attacked from behind by an Autobot shuttle, from which the Monsterbots disembark to join in the fight.
On the monitors in Dallas, Hot Rod watches this with much hilarity, annoying Scorponok to the point he orders a couple of Headmasters to take him outside and shoot him. They don’t take him very far, though, before Hot Rod channels all his energy into his exterior and fries them. Damaged and low on power he struggles to the exit as Hunter watches from outside.
Meanwhile, Shockwave has ignored his orders to deal with the active Transformers and has instead tracked down Soundwave in Portland…
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Shockwave, Agent Red, Headmasters, Scorponok, Grimlock, Snarl, Sludge, Slag, Swoop, Hot Rod, Huntsreaker, Doublecross, Grotusque, Repugnus, Soundwave.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by inflatable dalek
Maximum Dinobots #4
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Released April 1st 2009. |
Synopsis: In Portland Oregon, Ravage and Laserbeak finally locate Soundwave and forcibly rescue him. Returning him to Mount St. Helens, Soundwave is left unsure what he can do next as he has no way of getting out of cassette player mode. Shockwave appears and explains the technology freezing Soundwave was of his design, and that they can help each other.
In Dallas, Hot Rod leaves the Machination Headquarters in time to let the real Sunstreaker in. Though he pleads with the Headmaster to wait until they can get back up, Sunstreaker has had enough and wants to be whole again immediately. As he goes inside a disappointed Hot Rod goes to call for help.
As the Monsterbot ship flies from Fallon to Texas, Grimlock brokers a deal with the outcast Autobots, for an extension of the alliance he’ll give them the encrypted data they stole from Shockwave’s ship before destroying it. However he finds the other Dynobots are still unsure of their current fugitive status.
Hot Rod takes the painful step of boosting his internal comm. system through with a Machination power source, blasting it through several satellites before it heads in the direction of Ultra Magnus’ space ship.
Sunstreaker feels he’s getting close to his head when Scorponok blasts him from behind. Gloatingly he explains he knew Sunstreaker was in the building all along as each real Headmaster has a unique recognition stamp. His gloating is cut short however when he realises Hunter has disengaged from the now lifeless body. He goes to hunt the human down but is interrupted by a message telling him of the imminent arrival of the Monsterbot ship.
Onboard the ship, the Dynobots argue about why they even need to go after Scorponok, arguing they should just leave the planet at once. Grimlock though considers this personal, and once the ship’s weapons have taken care of the main Machination defences he charges into battle. After a seconds hesitation, the others follow him and they begin taking on the Headmasters
Hunter meanwhile has found Sunstreaker’s head. Feeling there were no options remaining he disconnects it, which in effect instantly disables all the Headmaster’s outside. The Dynobots are confused, and an attempted explanation from Hot Rod only adds to this. The conversation is cut short when Scorponok blasts Sludge down, immediately followed by Shockwave who wants revenge on the Dynobots himself.
In space, Ultra Magnus hears Hot Rod’s distress call and vows that this time Scorponok will not escape…
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Jimmy, Ravage, Laserbeak, Soundwave, Shockwave, Hot Rod, Hunstreaker, Scorponok, Repugnus, Doublecross, Grotusque, Snarl, Swoop, Slag, Sludge [Blasted clean through], Drake, Headmasters [All Killed], Ultra Magnus.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by inflatable dalek
Maximum Dinobots #5
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Released April 15th 2009. |
Synopsis: Dallas: Grimlock is in shock at the sight of Sludge’s dead body, and Scorponok and Shockwave begin to fight over who gets to kill the Autobots. The other Dynobots decide to run whilst they can, but for Grimlock it’s now personal. Hot Rod decides to stay with him even though he can barely stand.
Agent Red hurtles towards the scene on a Skywatch truck, where his minions brief him on the fact Shockwave has seemingly been keeping his end of the bargain (by first leading them to the Seekers before heading to the main concentration of aliens.) As the 24-hour timer on Shockwave’s bomb has almost run out he orders that if it looks as if all the robots are present it should be allowed to detonate, if not it should be reset.
As Grimlock tries desperately to revive Sludge, Shockwave takes advantage of the fear of the vulnerable Dante being within Scorponok to beat him. Shockwave doesn’t kill the human, though, as it’s more logical for the Headmaster to just step down and use his escape route and to let him finish the Dynobots. Scorponok agrees and flees underground; Grimlock attempts to give chase but is soon fighting Shockwave instead.
At the Monsterbot ship the Dynobots hesitate about leaving their commander, and after deciding they’re not like the mercenary renegades they return. Meanwhile, within Machination Headquarters Hot Rod finds both Hunter and Scorponok’s real head. Hunter explains that disconnecting it will shut Scorponok down, but before Hot Rod can do so he is attacked by the full-bodied version.
As the Dynobots prepare to attack Shockwave from behind they are somewhat surprised to have a recovered Sludge groggily come up behind them. With the 24 hour countdown heading towards zero Agent Red orders the bomb be disarmed for now; this allows Soundwave (who has been perched on a precipice observing everything) intercepts the code and gives Shockwave control in exchange for being told how to restore his own robot mode.
The charade over, Ravage and Laserbeak make a bloody escape from Skywatch and Shockwave admits he never had any real interest in fighting Grimlock -- going to leave until the Dynobot calmly drops a grenade on the floor which blows up the building their fight has smashed them into.
Underground Scorponok is preparing to deliver the killing blow to Hot Rod when the other Dynobots arrive and Swoop takes out the connecting wires to the real head with his wings. The main body is immediately rendered gormless, and as they prepare to kill him in a very permanent fashion Ultra Magnus arrives and proclaims that Scorponok will stand trail fairly. Swoop is worried Magnus has come for the Dynobots as well, a question he sidesteps by saying they should destroy the facility and get off the planet quickly.
Three days later on Ark 32: Sunstreaker is being repaired, Hot Rod has a shiny new body and Hunter -- as human as he’s ever going to be again -- is reunited with Verity and Jimmy. Ultra Magnus explains to Optimus that although most of the loose ends have been tied up Skywatch could remain a problem.
Back on his own ship Ultra Magnus visits one of his prisoners, Grimlock. In exchange for the other Dynobots not being arrested he’s going to take the full rap for their actions. But Grimlock doesn’t care, having decided to take full responsible for the first time in his life as Sludge is alive and his team is free. On Earth, the Dynobots finish repairing the Skyfire and prepare to depart.
Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Sludge, Grimlock, Snarl, Scorponok [Brain dead, quite literally], Shockwave, Hot Rod, Swoop, Slag, Agent Red, Laserbeak, Ravage, Soundwave, Repugnus, Doublecross, Grotusque, Hunter, Ultra Magnus, Sunstreaker, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jimmy, Verity.
Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by inflatable dalek
Maximum Dinobots TPB
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Amazon estimate July 2009. |