Spotlight: Optimus Prime
Written by Simon Furman
Penciled by Don Figueroa
Colors by Josh Burcham

Summary:

In Ark-19 on Earth, Optimus Prime deals with a number of incoming reports from various Autobots scattered across the cosmos.  As he shifts through the different transmissions, Prowl stands off to his side giving him a status report of their current operations on Earth, citing Hot Rod as recovered from his injuries, but Ironhide as still MIA.  Prowl also mentions that Nightbeat is examining the data storage device (Verity’s pocket computer) and the humans have recovered from being gassed in Indiana (Escalation # 4).  Barely paying attention to Prowl’s report, Prime reflects on his near-brush with death in Brasnya (Escalation # 5).  When he was transferring his consciousness into his trailer, he became aware of another presence in limbo that had been watching him.  Optimus is sure that this being was the consciousness of one of the previous Primes that preceded him.  Optimus reminds himself that despite the “legendary” title of Prime, he is still only an individual and prone to doubt and weakness.  Despite Prowl’s protests, Prime decides to take Ark-32, which is still hovering in Earth orbit, and fly to the Muta-Gaath nebula.  There, behind the gaseous swirl of energy and the asteroid screens, lies an outpost that houses the Autobot Guardian Omega Supreme, whom with Prime seeks an audience.  He enters the main chamber of the outpost and finds Omega Supreme, resting and waiting within as a last-resort living weapon.  Meanwhile, Omega Supreme’s outpost has also been discovered by a large space vessel.  Inside the odd-looking ship, a group of mysterious Transformers look upon the shielded outpost and wonder if “he” is within.  The only way to find out, they decide, is to break in and kill everything inside.  Speaking of inside, Omega Supreme asks Optimus Prime to speak as to why the Autobot leader is present.  Optimus admits he has many questions and cuts to the chase; he wants to know more about the purpose of the first Ark and the leader who ordered its launch- Nova Prime.  Optimus tells Omega that he feels Nova Prime is still alive, and that it was Nova’s presence that he felt in limbo.  But Optimus felt a sense of dread in Nova’s presence, not at all befitting the ancient Cybertronian leader.  Optimus knows Omega Supreme was around at the time of Nova Prime’s reign, and asks the Guardian if Nova could be capable of inspiring a feeling of terror.  Omega Supreme tells Optimus that way back when, he and Nova disagreed on the pace of Cybertronian evolution.  Omega wanted their race to mature slowly through measured, inner contemplation, whereas Nova felt it necessary to extend and expand the Cybertronian empire throughout space.  Nova was always testing the limits of science and faith and was somewhat morally-ambiguous.  Optimus Prime comes to the horrible realization that the first Ark wasn’t about exploration, but rather expansion.  Omega Supreme admits that it could be possible that Nova is still alive, as the fate of the original crew of the first Ark has never been determined.  However, before Optimus can inquire more, the entire outpost shakes and rumbles and suddenly the main door to Omega’s chamber is forcefully broken open.  A hideous, giant Transformer calling itself “Monstructor” enters and tells Omega Supreme that it’s time to pay.  Prime asks what the creature is, and Omega cryptically responds that it is not an “it” but rather “they”, and they want to kill him!  Omega stands up out of his stasis hold and begins to raise his cannon arm, but Monstructor is faster and tackles Omega through a wall, with both of them ending up in a hangar area.  Optimus pulls his rifle out and moves to aid Omega, knowing that his questions will have to wait at this time.  Although Omega Supreme is powerful beyond measure, Monstructor appears to possess near-equal or greater might.  The beast tears Omega Supreme’s cannon arm off and tosses the Guardian across the large hangar with little effort.  Monstructor then lifts a large shuttlecraft that had been resting in the hangar and begins using it to bludgeon Omega Supreme.  Prime gets in close to Monstructor’s back and squeezes off a rifle shot, only to have the blast defused by a strange energy-dampening field being emitted by the giant.  Monstructor smashes the shuttlecraft onto Omega Supreme, pinning the Guardian under it.  Optimus tries a more indirect approach and blasts a large crane-like apparatus off the ceiling, sending it plummeting towards Monstructor, but the beastly Transformer bats it away with nary a glance at the Autobot commander.  As Monstructor begins tearing the wreckage of the shuttle away to resume laying into Omega again, Prime decides to take drastic measures and fires on the hangar’s main doors.  The outpost suffers explosive decompression and sucks everything in the hangar out into space.  Injured, but still conscious, Omega Supreme rockets over to Prime and the two try to gain as much distance from Monstructor as possible.  But Monstructor’s ship approaches and recovers the giant, just as Omega and Optimus crash-land on a nearby passing comet.  Omega says his systems are still functioning, but he is wounded and they must prepare for Monstructor’s next attack.  But Prime wants answers of the Guardian; what is that thing and why does it want to kill Omega so badly?  Omega reluctantly answers the adamant Optimus and explains that Monstructor is actually made up of six Transformers who were used in an experiment way back in the days of Nova Prime.  Nova Prime’s chief theoretical strategist Jhiaxus commissioned a project to combine six minds and bodies into a superior, single being.  But the end result was horrifying; the combined creature was a monster of a being, possessing terrible power and a bestial, evil mindset.  When both Nova Prime and Jhiaxus vanished along with the crew of the first Ark, Omega Supreme took it upon himself to incarcerate the six Transformers who formed Monstructor in a dimensionally-displaced prison, feeling the creature was a crime against nature.  Prime is disgusted that Omega would imprison them without trial and without trying to help them, accusing the Guardian of “playing god” and being no better than Nova or Jhiaxus.  At that moment, Monstructor’s ship approaches the comet and the giant Transformer leaps down to face Prime and Omega again.  Omega Supreme quickly tells Optimus that Monstructor has a weak spot under the torso armor that will force the combined entity to spasm and disengage.  As Monstructor stalks determinedly towards the downed Omega, Optimus puts himself in between them.  Prime agrees that Monstructor has been wronged and offers his help in fixing what was done to them.  But Monstructor simply grabs Prime in his massive hand and tells the Autobot leader to “die quickly”.  Prime resigns that he tried to help and when he’s close enough, punches straight through Monstructor’s torso armor, striking the weak spot that Omega had mentioned.  The combined beast staggers and forcefully disengages, as Optimus falls to the ground.  Overlooking the six unconscious Transformers that comprised Monstructor, Prime swears that he will get them help.  Some time later the Ark-27, now under Jetfire’s command, comes to pick Prime and Omega up.  As Omega Supreme is being loaded up by Ark-27’s crew to be repaired, he begs Prime not to let the gestalt technology that created Monstructor fall into Decepticon hands- they would face armageddon if that happened.  Optimus watches the shackled Monstructor team being herded into Ark-27 and tells Jetfire to do whatever he can to help them, but also to handle them with extreme caution.  Later as the Ark-32 returns to Earth with Optimus Prime onboard, he reflects on what he has learned this day.  The lineage of Primes that he had so held in high regard has proven itself to be tarnished.  Optimus can only wonder if the scars of the past will ever heal.  THE END?

Extras- Don Figueroa concept art for Optimus Prime (Masterpiece design, not EJ Su design), Nova Prime, and Sentinel Prime.  Of note; the appearance of Nova Prime we see in this issue is actually his “super” robot mode.  The design sketches reveal that he also has a basic, “cab” mode that combines with his trailer.


Slagged!:

-Monstructor tears Omega Supreme’s arm off and beats him brutally with a giant shuttle.  He appears to be much faster and certainly more vicious that the Guardian robot.

-Prime punches straight through Monstructor’s chest plate, ending the gestalt’s threat, at least for now.


Sightings:

-The Autobots that Prime is receiving reports from on the first page are, from lower-left to upper right, Springer, Hound, Ultra Magnus, and Wheelie.

-Prime flashes back to the events of Escalation # 5 and # 6, showing Megatron nearly ripping his spark out and his encounter in “infraspace” with who we now know to be Nova Prime.

-Prime also reflects on the lineage of Primes, showing himself, Sentinel Prime, Nova Prime, and two further unidentifiable shadowy Primes that predate them.  Sentinel Prime appears slightly different than he has in Megatron: Origin thus far, in both coloration and design details, although body changes are commonplace for Transformers, so it’s not too big of an issue.  Either chalk it up to different artist interpretation or Sentinel Prime has altered his body at least once in his life.

-The six Transformers who make up Monstructor are Slog, Icepick, Birdbrain, Scowl, Bristleback, and Wildfly.  They are usually Decepticon-aligned, although here they are apparently faction-less.  Their group name is “Pretender Monsters”, although since they don’t have Pretender shells yet, we can’t call em’ that.  Ironically, they were the last true “gestalt” team released in the Gen 1 toy line, yet in IDW-verse they are both fictionally and historically the FIRST gestalt in evidence.  The individual guys seem to have been tweaked slightly in design and Monstructor is made more feral-looking by Don’s pencils.

-Omega Supreme appears to be mostly the same as he usually appears, although Don has designed a new head for him that allows him to retract his visor in a less obtrusive fashion.  It’s unknown how he transforms, as the usual “wings” are not in evidence, but since he’s stood down and held in reserve it is likely they are simply attached when he goes into battle.  He can use his clawed “rocket” arm as a thruster in robot mode.

-Monstructor’s energy-draining force-field is mentioned in his tech specs and profiles and it is shown here to be able to defuse Prime’s rifle blast.  It may have also aided in weakening Omega Supreme enough to beat him down so severely.

-The crew of Ark-27 was last seen in Stormbringer.  Previously captained by Optimus Prime, the Ark-27 apparently is now under Jetfire’s command.  The crew includes Pointblank, Crosshairs, Sureshot, Backstreet, Dogfight, Override, Gunrunner, and the five Technobots in evidence.  Jetfire and the Technobots were likely folded into the crew after the destruction of their science vessel, the Calabi-Yau, in Stormbringer # 1.


Hearings:

-On the first page, the word bubbles are kinda jumbled up, but you can tell who is reporting about what to Prime.  Springer is reporting on Kup’s status based on the events of Spotlight: Kup.  Hound is reporting that Sideswipe is being restless about Sunstreaker being missing, as seen in Spotlight: Galvatron.  Ultra Magnus reports that he has a possible lead on Scorponok’s whereabouts, based on the events of Spotlight: Ultra Magnus.  And that leaves poor Wheelie with no one answering his call.  Poor Wheelie.  He probably has no friends.

-Prowl mentions some plot points that are expanding from Escalation, citing Hot Rod being recovered from his injuries in Escalation # 6, and Ironhide still missing, no doubt taken by human authorities after being disabled also in Escalation # 6.  Nightbeat is examining Verity’s palm computer- the very device that pretty much kicked everything in IDW-verse off.  Prowl also mentions that Verity and Jimmy are recovering from being gassed and efforts have resumed to try a locate a Decepticon facsimile.

-Nova Prime is revealed as Sentinel Prime’s predecessor.  This is a name heard before in the old Marvel comics in the recitation of previous Primes.  Although he was referred as “Prime Nova” back then.

-Omega Supreme confirms that Nova Prime was on the original Ark and that it is still unknown what exactly happened to said Ark.  Of course, we as the readers are privy to a little more info on that end thanks to the Galvatron Spotlight.

-Omega Supreme mentions Jhiaxus as having been Nova Prime’s chief strategist.  Jhiaxus as a character originated in the Marvel Generation 2 comics as one of the “second generation” Decepticons.  It’s unknown how similar this Jhiaxus is to the original portrayal, but we can likely assume it is the same basic character.  While possessing no toy equivalent of his original body, Hasbro released a repaint of Beast Machines deluxe Jetstorm in orange and dubbed it Jhiaxus many years later.  Again, since he’s only name-dropped here, it’s unknown what this Jhiaxus will look like.  But I’m sure we’ll eventually find out.

-The “gestalt” process (name-checked in an official capacity for I believe the very FIRST time in this issue!) is described and seems to be exactly the same as gestalts have been portrayed in other continuities.  “Gestalt” was originally a fan-term, whereas Hasbro usually went with the more kid-friendly phrase “Combiner”.  But Simon Furman canonizes “Gestalt” here, much as he did for the term “Seeker” in the first War Within series.


Wreck and RULE!:

-Let me start by saying- WOW, is it awesome to see Don Figueroa’s art again.  It almost seems like too long has passed.  I pretty much like almost every artist IDW uses for Transformers, but seeing Don’s art always seems to be an “event”.  He just puts so much effort into tiny details, without cluttering panels or making action look awkward.  And his design work is always impressive; I can honestly say that there is not one of his designs that I would not want made as a new toy.  He makes Optimus look suitably heroic, Monstructor look horrific, Omega look supreme (Ha!  Get it?), and Nova Prime look all kinds of awesome.  And of course, lest I forget, Don’s pencils are as always perfectly complimented by Josh Burcham’s colors.  There is literally nothing bad I can say about the art in this issue.

-The story doesn’t really focus on Prime, probably even less of a focus on the title character than any other Spotlight so far.  But the plot advances, Prime does get to grow as a character, and we get the IDW-verse debuts of Omega Supreme, Prime Nova, and Monstructor.  And the IDW-verse debut of gestalt technology, plus further information on the mystery of the missing first Ark.  Kudos to Simon Furman for using Monstructor in this way; he/they really fit the role they’ve been given.  And Omega Supreme as almost an ancient sage-like character really does fit well, albeit a sage that is a giant walking weapon of mass-destruction.


Wreck and ROT!:

-I think a word bubble got screwed up when the Monstructor team is in their ship, observing Omega Supreme’s outpost.  Bristleback asks a question, then Birdbrain begins to answer it, then Bristleback finishes the answer.  I guess he could be jumping to the inevitable conclusion Birdbrain was going to make, but it more than likely is a screw-up instead.

-There is the strange coincidence that Monstructor attacks right as Prime is seeking Omega Supreme’s aid.  Plus, we are never told how the Monstructor team escaped from the prison that Omega cast them in.  I’d assume they have been looking for Supreme for awhile now, and followed Prime’s ship exactly to Omega’s whereabouts.

-Prime comes down a bit harsh on Omega for a situation he barely knows anything about, doesn’t he?  But I guess Optimus is more than a little vexed about finding out that Nova Prime wasn’t as benign a leader as he assumed him to be, and equates Omega’s actions with Nova’s.


Final Judgment:

A strong entry in the Spotlight series; Furman throws even more plot threads into the mix- the gestalt tech and Nova Prime’s ambitions are made clear.  If Nova Prime is indeed part of the Dead Universe now, there might be something to worry about in the near-future!  And of course, Figueroa’s art impresses beyond all means.  His skills as a storyteller only improve with every comic he draws, and I can’t wait to see his stuff on Beast Wars: The Ascending.  Pick this bad boy up.  You won’t be sorry.  Peace.

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