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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 Movie Sequel: The Reign of Starscream

| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | TPB |

Movie Sequel: The Reign of Starscream #1

Released May 7th 2008.

Written by: Chris Mowry.

Art by: Alex Milne.

Colours by: Josh Perez.

Edits by: Denton J. Tipton.

Production by: Amauri Osorio.

$3.99 cover price, choice of covers.

Synopsis: In the past, Optimus Prime launches the Allspark into space to keep it away from Megatron and his Decepticons. Instead of wiping out the Autobots, Megatron pursues the cube and leaves Starscream in charge of the Decepticons. Prime leads a large contingent of Autobots aboard a massive shuttle to catch Megatron alone in space and recover the Allspark, while a few Autobots stay on Cybertron to deal with the Decepticons. Starscream orders his troops to pursue in their own shuttle. Barricade seems unhappy with Screamer's leadership. Dreadwing reports that the cube is heading toward the Eshems Nebula, with Megatron following, and the Autobots hot on Megatron's tail. The Autobots let loose a volley of mines that damages the Decepticon craft and seriously injures Dreadwing, forcing the Decepticons to return to Cybertron. Scorponok retrieves Dreadwing back into the ship.

Over time, the Allspark lands on Earth and Megatron ends up trapped in the Arctic. Along the way, the Autobots send teams out to different locations, reacting to trace elements of Allspark energy. The Decepticons park their ship on Mars, and Starscream leads a contingent to Earth, traveling in their protoform modes. Wreckage is seemingly killed by a group of humans, and Starscream concedes that while the humans are weak, they are still dangerous, and stresses the need to reformat themselves for disguise.

They eventually discover the frozen Megatron at Hoover Dam and mobilize toward him. Starscream destroys the dam's power generators, allowing Megatron to escape, but when Megatron learns that the humans have taken the Allspark, he can only state that Starscream has failed him again. One by one the Decepticons fall, with Barricade injured, while the others dead. Starscream is disgusted by Megatron's non-concern for his brethren and fights the urge to destroy him. Sam Witwicky shoves the Allspark into Megatron's chest, destroying the Allspark as well as Megatron.

As Starscream declares that the human will pay, a group of jets attacks him. Bad news for the humans. He then recovers Barricade, who is barely alive but recovering. Barricade states that Frenzy has detailed files on the Allspark and Sam. Starscream orders Barricade to continue reconnaissance of the Autobots when he has recovered and to refer to him now as Lord Starscream. Starscream then travels to Hoover Dam to recover Frenzy and prepares to assault the humans there.

Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Megatron, Bumblebee, Dreadwing, Payload, Starscream, Blackout, Barricade, Optimus Prime, Prowl, Jazz, Cosmos, Cliffjumper, many generic Autobots, Swindle, Decepticon Drone units, Scorponok, Wreckage, Bonecrusher, Brawl, Frenzy, Ratchet, Ironhide, Sam Witwicky, Human soldiers.

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Blackjack

Movie Sequel: The Reign of Starscream #2

Released June 4th 2008.

Written by: Chris Mowry.

Art by: Alex Milne.

Colours by: Josh Perez.

Letters by: Chris Mowry.

Production by: Amauri Osorio.

$3.99 cover price, choice of covers.

Synopsis: Starscream arrives at Hoover Dam to find a number of soldiers there to meet him. He gives the puny flesh creatures a chance to surrender, but a soldier sends a missile to his face. Screamer easily wipes the first wave of humans, but even so, the humans' assault starts to overwhelm him. In any case, Starscream's priority is nevertheless to find Frenzy, and he flies into the dam's interior to do so.

Once inside, Starscream can sense residual Allspark energy, pleased in knowing Megatron must have been driven insane by its closeness during his capture. He can also sense Frenzy nearby, but is unable to pinpoint him due to being disturbed from nearby humans with constant fire. He kills the soldiers and moves closer into the Hoover dam, getting caught in a narrower corridor, but that does not hinder him.

Outside, Sector Seven Agent Salazar contacts his troops. After ensuring that Agents Simmons and Banachek and Secretary Keller are out of the area, he tells them to get out now that Starscream is apparently trapped. He learns Starscream's name from a 'N.B.E.-3'.

Meanwhile, Starscream detaches his hand through the narrow corridors, grabbing Frenzy's body as well as two scientists. Suprisingly, Starscream lets them live as he blasts off. Outside, Sector Seven is waiting. Starscream cannot waste anymore time or energy fighting. He intends to run, but one of the humans addresses him by name, intriguing him.

Agent Salazar orders Starscream to stand down, and Salazar unleashes a "secret weapon" - L.M.-1. Starscream senses an odd energy signature from the vehicle and realizes what it must be as it begins to transform. Even though it cannot complete its transformation, Starscream is attacked anyway by the humans. Berating himself, Starscream pounces on Salazar's jeep, blasts Hoover dam and takes off.

Using this time to his advantage, he tosses the jeep back to Earth and begins his interrogation of Salazar, demanding to know how the agent knew his name. Starscream forces a very reluctant Salazar to give him information. However, fighter jets appeared on the horizon, and Starscream can no longer waste time. He shoves Salazar into his cockpit, intending to take him back to Decepticon HQ. Starscream transforms into jet mode and takes off. Salazar literally explodes in the cockpit.

Almost out of energy, Starscream arrives at the Nemesis just in time, and Thundercracker is there to help him. A green shuttle (Cosmos) is aware of his arrival on Mars and contacts other Autobots.

After a quick recovery, Starscream muses to his fellow Seeker on how interesting humans are, capable of great achievements, like destroying Megatron and the Allspark. Starscream explains that he has a way to recreate it and Cybertron — under his rule, of course. Starscream is pleased that the Space Bridge terminals have been constructed. He is confident that with Optimus Prime on Earth, nobody will be able to stop his conquest of Cybertron.

Just then, Hardtop informs them that a group of Autobots are heading their way...

Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Starscream, Sector 7 Humans, Agent Salazar, Human technicians, Frenzy's body, L.M.-1, Cosmos, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Air Raid, Camshaft, Smokescreen, Thundercracker, Decepticon Drone Units (Swindle, Payload and Dreadwing), Wreckage (on screen), Hardtop.

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Blackjack

Movie Sequel: The Reign of Starscream #3

Released July 16th 2008.

Written by: Chris Mowry.

Art by: Alex Milne.

Colours by: Josh Perez.

Letters by: Chris Mowry.

Edits by: Denton J. Tipton.

$3.99 cover price, choice of covers.

Synopsis: Starscream and Thundercracker watch the Autobots' incoming attack in their base on Mars and send out their drones as a welcoming party. Smokescreen temporarily disables the first attack wave, allowing Cliffjumper and Camshaft to destroy a few of them. Hardtop, who previously warned Thundercracker of the impending Autobot attack, prepares to snipe Smokescreen, but is sniped himself by Arcee. But just as the Autobots appear to gain the upper hand, a near-dead Air Raid fell out of the sky, and immediately Thundercracker swoops in with a sonic blast.

Thundercracker makes his way through the Autobots, slicing Camshaft in half and knocking down Cliffjumper. Just as he is about to kill Clffjumper too, Arcee, guilt-ridden for having failed to prevent Bumblebee's mutilation at the hands of Megatron attacks Thundercracker, inflicts some damage on him and then double-teams him with Cliffjumper. Suddenly Cliffjumper is shot in the back by Starscream, who also blasts Somkescreen and Air Raid into oblivion. Starscream returns to Arcee, who is tending a heavily wounded Cliffjumper, and takes her out with one punch. Starscream then returns to his base and prepares a ship for launch, setting course back to Cybertron.

Meanwhile, on a base in the Nevada desert, an arriving Sector Seven commander is informed about Starscream's abduction of Agent Salazar and in turn provides a theory about how the Transformers create weapons from their own bodies. Unbeknownst to them, they are eavesdropped on by Barricade, who has been monitoring them. The Sector Seven commander instructs his people that the President of the United States wants to have the 'vehicles' that were given life by the Allspark in Mission City destroyed.

An unspecified amount of time later, Starscream's Decepticons return to Cybertron, landing in the city of Trypticon. Starscream and Thundercracker are greeted by Ramjet, while Dreadwing prepares to transfer the data retrieved from Frenzy's body. Starscream makes some "renovations" by destroying a giant sculpt of Megatron's head when he's informed by Stockade that construction of a new Allspark Cube is progressing on schedule.

Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Starscream, Smokescreen, Camshaft, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Air Raid, Thundercracker, Frenzy's body, Drone class beta, Drone class alpha, Drone class theta, Hardtop, Sector Seven agents, Barricade, Landmine/L.M.-1, 'Salvage', 'Longarm', Ramjet, Dreadwing, Swindle, Stockade.

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Blackjack

Movie Sequel: The Reign of Starscream #4

Released August 13th 2008.

Written by: Chris Mowry.

Art by: Alex Milne.

Colours by: Josh Perez.

Letters by: Chris Mowry.

Edits by: Denton J. Tipton.

$3.99 cover price, choice of covers.

Synopsis: The new All Spark Cube is nearly completed, as Starscream continues to make preparations to rebuild the planet of Cybertron. In the process of chiseling the hieroglyphics on the new All Spark cube, Grindcore collapses from exhaustion. Warpath tries to help him up but is beaten up by Stockade.

Elsewhere, Signal Flare was captured by Dreadwing, who warps in front of him and defeats him. He then contacts Starscream via built-in communicator and informs him of the new "test subject" that he just acquired. Starscream commends Dreadwing for his excellent work and informs him that they are almost ready to begin.

Meanwhile, in the Decepticon capital city of Trypticon, Starscream muses on his status as supreme ruler of the Decepticons. Although he's held this position for nearly a quartex, he begins to wonder if those who already oppose his rule will ever realize the good that he will bring them. Starscream fantasizes of the time where he'll be the supreme leader of Cybertron and all of Cybertron's enemies be bought to justice. As Starscream ends his narrative, a Decepticon cruiser makes port at the docking station on the outskirts of Trypticon.

Arcee kills two drones guarding the cruiser, and flashes back to the moment when Starscream defeated her. She thought that her life functions were going to stop, but instead she just went blank. When she came to, Arcee saw that Thundercracker and Starscream were preparing to leave. Against common sense, she grabbed onto a piece of the landing gear as it was taking off. Arcee had hoped to break into the ship before the beam from the space bridge connected with the ship, because she thought anything not fused to the ship would not teleport. She turned out to be wrong and managed to hitch a ride back to Cybertron. Arcee goes to the Autobot's old base with hopes of getting weaponry.

Back at Lord Starscream's palace, Starscream is condemning Wreckage (who had been rebuilt by Sector Seven for their own purposes) for telling Sector Seven everything about Cybertronians. Starscream begins to wonder just how many more have betrayed the Decepticon cause. Dreadwing walks in and informs Starscream that he has returned and that the cube is finally ready. Dreadwing tells him that the only ones who know are himself, Starscream, Stockade, and the unlucky workers who were forced to build it. Starscream commends Dreadwing, and decides that the time to activate it has come.

Meanwhile at the cube construction site, the enslaved Autobots try to negotiate their release with their Decepticon captors. Ramjet bluntly states that if any of them try to run, they will be liquefied. Signal Flare and Warpath are having trouble trying to get a distress signal out; something might be blocking their transmitters. Starscream, Thundercracker, and Dreadwing arrive at the construction site. Starscream impatiently asks where Payload is and says that he should have the generator by now. Elita-One attempts to beg Lord Starscream for mercy, with a fairly predictable outcome.

Payload finally arrives with the generator, apologizing for the delay, stating that Dreadwing's drones weren't much help and some of his comrades weren't cut out for hard work. Crankcase doesn't respond well to that remark. Having grown tired of Crankcase's incessant bitching, Starscream promptly puts an end to it by destroying his vocal processor. Ramjet places Crankcase with the other test subjects.

Arcee comes upon the ruins of an old training facility to look for a weapon, but instead chances upon Clocker. Arcee briefs him on the dismal events that led up to her return, including the death of Megatron and Starscream declaring himself the new leader of the Decepticons. They are joined by Crosshairs. Surprised to see that he is still alive, she asks after the whereabouts of Elita-One and the others. Crosshairs tells her that they were lost in a raid not too long ago, and that he, Clocker, and the others who stayed behind are planning a rescue.

Meanwhile, back at the cube construction site at Simfur, Starscream prepares to greet the masses of Cybertron with the newly constructed All Spark cube. As the Autobots reach Simfur, Arcee can't believe what her optical receptors are seeing. Starscream has the new All Spark cube and the captured Autobots, including Crankcase, are strapped to it.

Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Grindcore, Warpath, Alpha Class drone, Beta class drone, Stockade, Signal Flare, Dreadwing, Starscream, Optimus Prime (vision), Megatron (vision), Arcee, Wreckage (on monitor), Sector Seven Agents (on mointor), Ramjet, Thundercracker, Elita-One, Payload, Cranckcase, Swindle/Swindle drone, Clocker, Crosshairs, Armorhide, Wingblade, Breakaway, Skyblast, Strongarm.

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Blackjack

Movie Sequel: The Reign of Starscream #5

Released August 27th 2008.

Written by: Chris Mowry.

Art by: Alex Milne.

Colours by: Josh Perez.

Letters by: Chris Mowry.

Edits by: Denton J. Tipton.

$3.99 cover price, choice of covers.

Synopsis: Just outside the temple at Simfur, Arcee and her crew contemplate their next move in saving their friends. They split into two teams: one to head to Trypticon and cause a diversion, while the rest take on the rescue. Strongarm, Breakaway and Wingblade volunteer for the former, while Armorhide agrees to take a team to provide cover for the rescue party.

Down at the temple, Starscream gives a speech to the crowd, convinced that they're here because they know they're there because they know he's the true ruler of Cybertron. After that, he explains the purpose of the prisoners shackled to the All Spark; the five of them will give their sparks to reactivate the cube, and restore Cybertron to its former glory. Elita-One pleads with him to stop, calling his plan insane. But Starscream proceeds with their termination. Their spark energy is absorbed and, with another flick of a switch, Starscream activates the new All Spark... only to find it's not working.

Starscream has little time to contemplate why it has failed, before he realises he has bigger problems in the form of Dreadwing, who calls in his drones to surround him. Payload and Ramjet also show their true colours, siding with Dreadwing as he explains his actions. He saw the data from Frenzy, and decided he wanted it for himself. He brags about the size of his forces, and how easy it was to form this little coup. Starscream quickly regrets ever saving him. Dreadwing orders his drones to attack Starscream and his followers.

Arcee and members of the rescue party watch in disbelief from the outskirts. Clocker and Crosshairs theorize that the master switch must be at Trypticon, and perhaps Breakaway's team can deactivate it. Arcee makes her move, using her rifle to take out the fake AllSpark. Dreadwing is not pleased, sending Ramjet and the drones to deal with the new intruders. Crosshairs and Armorhide hold the line, and the latter would have been killed by Ramjet if not for Crosshairs' help. Ramjet is killed.

Meanwhile, back at the temple, Starscream takes out numerous drones alongside Thundercracker and Stockade. Starscream leaves the clean up in his subordinates' hands and goes after the traitor. On the way, he witnesses Divebomb fighting Skyblast, and takes the former with him, remarking he despises traitors more than enemies. (Which is ironic, to say the least). Admiring the valiant efforts of the Autobots fighting below, he intercepts Wingblade's message to Arcee about deactivating the drones.

On board a starship, Dreadwing plans to escape to the atmosphere and reactivate the drones. However, Starscream throws Divebomb to the ship and shoots him, causing an explosion. He cripples the ship before boarding, trying to kill Dreadwing. The ship, no longer under control, heads down towards Trypticon. Below them, Arcee pulls her team out of Trypticon to avoid the collision.

However, Dreadwing has one final ace up his handless sleeve. As the ship tumbles out of control, he teleports away as the Space Bridge activates somewhere below. The explosion turns the Decepticon city into a smoldering crater before it's absorbed into the wormhole. Trypticon has fallen, and Starscream is gone. Arcee and the others watch from the outskirts, musing that Starscream might still survive. Thundercracker flies out of the rubble into space.

Far away from Cybertron, on Mars, the Space Bridge terminal activates. The remains of the starship as well as the explosion come crashing through the wormhole, obliterating it. While this happens, a confused but very much alive Dreadwing emerges. He marvels at his miraculous escape just long enough for Starscream to tear his spark core out.

A damaged Starscream takes a moment to think about all that has happened. Dreadwing is dead, but his plans have failed. But he knows there are allies back on Earth, and he knows they will join with him; he will have his rule no matter where it may be.

Characters Featured [in rough order of appearance]: Arcee, Skyblast, Crosshairs, Clocker Wingblade, Breakaway, Armorhide, Strongarm, Starscream ,Payload, Dreadwing, Thundercracker, Ramjet, Stockade, Elita-One, Signal Flare, Warpath, Grindcore, Crankcase, Drone Unit (Dreadwing, Payload and Swindle types), 'Vortex', Divebomb.

Reviews & Commentary: Reviewed by Blackjack

Movie Sequel: The Reign of Starscream TPB

Released November 19th 2008.

$19.99 list price.


Publisher solicitation: When Megatron falls in battle, Starscream assumes the role of Decepticon leader on Earth. Mustering his surviving allies, he sets out to put his own plan in motion. But before he can do that, he'll need to retrieve a fallen comrade, carry out a plan of revenge, and leave the Earth to meet up with a major player in the Decepticon army. Picking up where the film ended, The Reign of Starscream also reveals the fates of other surviving film characters, as co-writers Chris Ryall and Chris Mowry present a tale of intrigue, betrayal, and dark ambition featuring both old and all-new Transformers characters.

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