Transformers: Unicron
| Transformers: Unicron | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for issue #0 drawn by Sara Pitre-Durocher. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | IDW Publishing (licensed by Hasbro) |
| Schedule | Bi-weekly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | May 5 – November 14, 2018 |
| No. of issues | 0-6 |
| Main character(s) | Hasbro Comic Book Universe |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | John Barber |
| Artist(s) | Alex Milne |
| Colorist(s) | Sebastian Cheng |
Transformers: Unicron is a science fiction comic book limited series presented by IDW Publishing, in collaboration with Hasbro. The series is being written by John Barber, with art from penciller Alex Milne and colorist Sebastian Cheng. Issue #0 was published during Free Comic Book Day (May 5, 2018) before running from July to October 2018, featuring references in Optimus Prime and Transformers: Lost Light.[1]
The series introduces Unicron into the Hasbro Comic Book Universe following the events of "First Strike". The character had previously appeared on the Marvel comic book and the "Unicron Trilogy" anime series (Armada, Energon and Cybertron), specifically the comics version of the series produced by the defunct publisher Dreamwave Productions.
This series marks the conclusion of the Hasbro Comic Book Universe, primarily the Transformers comics, in advance of a reboot series in 2019.[2][3]
Plot
| No. | Title | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Our Darkest | May 15, 2018 | — |
| Artist: Alex Milne From all across the galaxy, Cybertron begins losing contact with its colony worlds and the planets home to Wheeljack instead proposes evacuating the Elonian population with a massive planetary spacebridge and sacrificing the planet. The Transformers begin setting up the spacebridge across Elonia's disintegrating surface, but nothing happens; Soundwave realizes that a Cybertronian Titan buried beneath Elonia's surface is blocking the activation signal, marking the doomed planet as yet another of Cybertron's colonies. Arcee kills the Titan and restores the spacebridge, and Wheeljack sacrifices himself to teleport everyone to safety as Unicron consumes Elonia and teleports away. Soundwave reports that two-thirds of Elonia's biological population were saved, and Optimus resolves to do better next time...even as Unicron reappears over Eukaris and prepares to feed again. | |||
| 01 | Last Stand | July 11, 2018 | — |
| Artist: Alex Milne Unicron has destroyed and devoured nine of Cybertron's thirteen colonies – LV-117, Gorlam Prime, Prion, Velocitron, Elonia, Eukaris, Arduria, Tsiehshi, and Devisun – and the Transformers track the movements of the planet-eater's Maximal army to conclude that its next target is Caminus. As the united military forces of Cybertron and Caminus engage Unicron, the Torchbearers work to bring the evacuation spacebridge online while Optimus, Arcee, and Dirge and the Mistress of Flame are killed defending the Caminens; Unicron begins consuming Caminus and the planetary evacuation commences. Optimus, Arcee, and Bumblebee find the remains of an Omega Sentinel, an ancient Cybertronian war machine, deep within Unicron's core, and the entire population of Caminus is saved as Unicron consumes the planet. Starscream frees Shockwave from prison as the Camiens and Cybertronians return, and Shockwave offers Starscream a place at his side once Unicron and Cybertron have been destroyed. Starscream, however, declines and interrupts Optimus' team's frantic planning to declare that he and the other Decepticons have a plan. | |||
| 02 | Stranger Eons | July 25, 2018 | — |
| Artist: Alex Milne Starscream explains that he has been amassing a "Decepticon Vengeance Division" led by Bludgeon, reconnecting with and recalling all the remaining Decepticon forces scattered across the galaxy. As the massive Decepticon fleet intercepts and surrounds Unicron, Bumblebee and Aileron visit the comatose Chromia stumbles across the battle between Unicron and the Decepticon Vengeance Division. Omega Supreme reveals that long ago, an alien scientist created a doomsday weapon to destroy his war-torn world and the energies of this weapon traveled through space and time, destroying the planet Prysmos, mutating the survivors into Dire Wraiths , and eventually converting the scientist's world into Unicron. Bludgeon pledges himself and his troops to Unicron's service and mutates the Decepticon Vengeance Division into Maximal-like monsters, while Omega Supreme dies and Unicron transforms into a gargantuan robot mode to destroy Cybertron. | |||
| 03 | Our Finest | August 8, 2018 | — |
| Artist: Alex Milne Elita One and the Cybertronian fleet scramble in response to Unicron's new robot mode but comes under attack from the mutated Decepticon Vengeance Division. As Optimus, Starscream, Windblade , and Rom weigh their options, Bumblebee shares what he learned from Omega Supreme and Arcee fills in the blanks: the world that became Unicron was once Antilla, the very first planet conquered by the Thirteen Primes, making Unicron the ultimate instrument of destruction and retribution for Cybertron's past sins. The Torchbearers combine into Victorion and are attacked by the original Cybertronian combiner Monstructor, also mutated into a Maximal form, while Optimus interrogates Shockwave about his plans involving Unicron: under the identity of Onyx Prime, Shockwave discovered the doomsday device on the dead Antilla, renamed it "the Talisman," and eventually had it relocated to Cybertron, where it will poison Unicron once the giant consumes their homeworld. As Monstructor overpowers Victorion and Unicron destroys Elita One's Titan with a massive laser beam, everyone begins to panic; Soundwave attempts to use the Enigma of Combination to combine all of Cybertron into a gigantic combiner to fight Unicron head-on, but Windblade announces she has a plan and Starscream supports her even as Unicron begins to feed on Cybertron... | |||
| 04 | Road's End | September 5, 2018 | — |
| Artist: Alex Milne The combined forces of Buzzsaw . Shockwave realizes with horror that the Talisman was removed from Cybertron and Unicron still lives, while the survivors of Cybertron's destruction materialize in Africa and prepare for their final stand. | |||
| 05 | Assembly | October 10, 2018 | — |
| Artist: Alex Milne Atop the Skywarp to carry Optimus, Arcee, and the Talisman to Unicron while Metroplex and Trypticon unleash the combined forces of the Autobots, Decepticons, Space Knights, heroes, villains, and everyone else upon the monster planet and Bludgeon's fleet as a distraction. | |||
| 06 | Ceremony | November 14, 2018 | — |
| Artists: Sara Pitre-Durocher, Andrew Griffith, Alex Milne, and Kei Zama Soundwave, Jetfire, and Aileron summon the Strafe emerge from the White House's wreckage, and Pyra Magna takes up the mantle of Mistress of Flame and invites Slide to join the Torchbearers, the two female bots having finally moved past their rancor for Optimus. With Earth now existing in perfect balance between the Sun and Unicron's black hole, the Transformers prepare for a new life on a new homeworld thanks to the sacrifices of Optimus Prime and his followers: a life of peace without Autobots, Decepticons, Primes, or even the distinction between human and alien, where all are finally one. | |||
Reception
Issues
| Issue | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Colorist(s) | Publication date | Rating | Reviews | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #0 | John Barber | Alex Milne | Sebastian Cheng | May 2, 2018 | 9.7/10 | 2 | [4] |
| #1 | July 11, 2018 | 7.6/10 | 7 | [5] | |||
| #2 | July 25, 2018 | 8.5/10 | 5 | [6] | |||
| #3 | David García Cruz, Sebastian Cheng | August 8, 2018 | 7.2/10 | 2 | [7] | ||
| #4 | August 8, 2018 | 8.1/10 | 3 | [8] | |||
| #5 | David García Cruz | October 10, 2018 | 7.5/10 | 2 | [9] | ||
| #6 | Andrew Griffith, Kei Zama, Sara Pitre-Durocher | David García Cruz, Joana Lafuente | November 14, 2018 | 8.0/10 | [10] |
Reboot
Since March 2019 to June 2022, a new Transformers comic written by Brian Ruckley was being published alongside a few spin-offs and tie-ins.
References
- ^ "TRANSFORMERS: UNICRON Event is a 'Grand Finale' to 12 Years at IDW". Newsarama. March 24, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "IT NEVER ENDS - IDW Writers Confirm New Continuity Begins After Unicron". TFormers.com. March 28, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "ICV2 INTERVIEW: IDW PUBLISHER AND PRESIDENT GREG GOLDSTEIN, PART 2". ICv2. August 6, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- ^ "Transformers: Unicron #0 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Transformers: Unicron #1 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Transformers: Unicron #2 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Transformers: Unicron #3 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Transformers: Unicron #4 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Transformers: Unicron #5 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Transformers: Unicron #6 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
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