![[cover]](covers/g1vol3_0.jpg)
Plot Summary:
Unicron is devouring Lithone, where we see Kranix and Arbulus about to be destroyed. Mysterious narrators tell us that Unicron has awakened and is feeding. We are told that he's coming to Earth and is using some of the raw materials that he consumes to 'create and modify various forms of life'. We see a robot that looks like Cyclonus emerge from a pod within Unicron. The narrators tell us that an earlier fleet of Sweeps were sent out long ago to probe the galaxy. The Alpha Sweep, Scourge, found Cybertron and revived Shockwave. He tried to save Shockwave from a band of Sharkticons, but was shot in the back by Shockwave himself. We are told that Shockwave used Scourge to learn about Cybertron's origins and its inhabitants. We see that humans now have the body of Scourge, as well as a few other Autobots and Decepticons. We see that there are Autobots stationed at both Earth and Cybertron and that Optimus Prime is currently out of commision. We then go to Quintessa, where we learn that the Narrators are non other than the Quintessons, who claim that the Transformers must suffer for the crimes they comitted against them. We then cut to the Planet of Junk where Wreck-Gar is dragging some damaged Seekers to a robot that turns out to be Megatron.
Transformers/Humans Featured (In rough order of appearance):
Kranix, Arbulus, Unicron, Cyclonus (Possibly just a clone), Sweeps, Scourge (Flashback, and later inactive), Shockwave (Flashback), Sharkticons, Devastator (Inactive, not combined), Superion (Inactive, Head-only), Jazz, Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, Brawn, Windcharger, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Prowl, Smokescreen, Springer, Kup, Ironhide, Perceptor (On a Monitor), Hoist (On Monitor), Optimus Prime (Inactive, and later in flashback), Ultra Magnus (Inactive, and later in flashback), Broadside (Flashback), Astrotrain (Flashback), Blitzwing (Flashback), Menasor (On a Monitor), Quintessons, Quintesson Guard, Wreck-Gar, Seekers (Inactive), Megatron.
Other Notes:
Kranix says, "Arbulus, Look, It's--", which is the beginning of the first line from Transformers: The Movie. The orb made of monitors within Unicron was from Transformers: The Movie, some believe that it is Unicron's brain. The pod that the Cyclonus Drone emergerd from had at least 8 others just like it. Sweeps seem to be able to create some type of Vortex that inables them to travel over great distances. The Sharkticons who attacked Shockwave were said to be 'left behind', implying that there were once many groups of Sharkticons throughout Cybertron. Scourge, Devastator and Superion were shown to be in the hands of human scientists. This marks the first time that the Quintessons have made an appearance in a Dreamwave comic. The Quintessons have Fembots working as guards. Wreck-Gar makes references to 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'I Love Lucy'. The Seekers brought before Megatron are colored like Skywarp and Thundercracker, but they're not actually them.
Memorable Lines:
Arbulus: The end - it's too much for me to bear.
Quintesson: For Megatron, like the rest of its ilk, must answer for its crimes and whether it is deemed guilty or innocent... Megatron must still face Judgment.
Megatron: Hmmm... It seems that a storm is brewing... how appropriate. How very appropriate indeed.
Review:
This is a transition issue, which is why it was given the #0, rather than #1. It does a very good job of setting up future storylines such as Unicron heading for Earth, the Quintessons plans for revenge and Megatron's impending return. It also gives us a brief idea about what the Autobots and humans have been doing between the War & Peace storyline and the upcoming ongoing series. Unfortunately we don't get any insight as to what's going on with the Decepticons, other than Megatron. It also explains Scourge's mysterious appearance in War & Peace #1. There were three different artists with three distinct styles working on this issue. The art depicted the story very well. A splash page that featured Unicron devouring a planet and flashback scenes from G1 Volume 1 and 2 all around it was especially impressive. If you have been following the Dreamwave G1 storyline, this issue is not vital, but it will give you a good perspective on what's to come in this series.
Review by Blitzwing