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The Decepticons leave Cybertron in pursuit of Megatron and the All Spark.

Synopsis

On Cybertron, the Autobots have hidden the All Spark. But Megatron feels its pull, and goes to claim it for his own, sending Blackout to reinforce Starscream's troops at Tyger Pax. The Decepticons there are mopping up, when they witness the All Spark's launch into space. As Blackout and Starscream argue over their next step, they observe Megatron leaving in pursuit. Assuming cumbersome protoform modes, the group heads into space under Starscream's leadership.

Much later, and light years away, the group makes planetfall on Earth, in Afghanistan's Khyber Pass. They sense the All Spark's pull, but too faintly to track. Wreckage destroys an incoming human troop carrier, and takes its form. Starscream notes that Megatron could easily subdue the inhabitants, and Blackout says that they must discover why he hasn't. Wreckage leads the others to Bargam Airbase, where they hope to find more information on Megatron's whereabouts from its computers.

At the base, the troops have lost contact with their troop carrier, and anticipate an attack. The Decepticons soon arrive, scanning additional vehicles and assuming alternate forms. Barricade claims friendship with humans, only to turn on them. Another soldier uses an EMP pulse weapon to disable Wreckage. Elsewhere, Blackout has found files on a "Project Iceman", but the humans use another EMP burst to shut down their own computers. Bonecrusher suspects Starscream is plotting something... which he is.

Blackout heads off to another nearby base to find more information. Barricade wonders if things will really be all that easy; Starscream assures him that it won't be, since the Autobots are sure to turn up sooner or later. The war is only beginning.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"You will stay put until we know what happened."
"Know what happened'? Is he a bit slow? I feel it, and so must all of you. That was the All Spark! It's gone, and the planet itself is soon going to ..."
"Let it die. And you with it."

— Blackout, Barricade and Bonecrusher

"I get the feeling you're planing something, Starscream. I want no part of any plans other than annihilating this entire orb."
"I understand. First we find... Megatron... and then we do it your way."

— First half of Bonecrusher's line equals biggest understaement of 2007 and the last part of Starscream's line eqauls music to Bonecrusher's audio receptors

Bonecrusher: Is it really going to be this easy, after so long?
Starscream: It won't. We're fighting a war on two fronts now, Barricade. These creatures are aware of us. Witness Wreckage's fate. And Megatron's absence. Worse, the accursed Autobots are sure to find their way here soon. They will give their lives in service of Optimus Prime, if it comes to that. No, Barricade, our war is just beginning.

— "Uh, Starscream, I'm Bonecrusher. Barricade is behind you" "Shut up Barricade"

"Cold, Barricade Cold, but lovely to watch"

— Wreckage sure keeps up the tradition that any time a decepticon says something that makes him or her seem at least a tiny bit merciful is immediately followed by a comment that makes him/her a total, sadistic bastard/bitch

Errors

• "All Spark" is parsed as one word instead of two.

• The account of the Decepticons' planetfall doesn't quite jibe with the shorter version shown in issue 4 of the regular prequel mini-series. Wreckage is not present in that issue; nor do the Decepticons attack a military base. And they land in Nevada in the USA, rather than in Afghanistan.
• If Bonecrusher, Brawl and Barricade made planetfall in Afghanistan, how'd they get across the ocean to the United States, as shown in that movie?
• As the Decepticons react to the arrival of the armored personnel carrier, it is likely that Bonecrusher's speech bubble regarding the military base was meant for Wreckage (who actually tracked the base location), and that Brawl was incorrectly given Bonecrusher's speech bubble about killing things. Bonecrusher hates ventriloquism.
• On the last page, Bonecrusher's speech bubble asking Starscream if it was going to be easy is clearly meant for Barricade, as that is who Starscream responds to.

Items of note

• This was one of two free prequel comics released by IDW in cooperation with Target (both books were originally titled "Transformers Movie Prequel"... as was IDW's full-length prequel mini-series). In printed form, it was released as a Target exclusive pack-in bonus with the DVD release of the movie; however, it had already been made available online on Target's website three days before the DVD's release. The story was later reprinted by IDW as part of the Transformers Movie Prequel Special (together with the first Target-sponsored prequel comic), where it was titled Planetfall.
• Like its predecessor, the book includes various computer readouts and explosions as seen through "Robo-Vision", rendered as light blue lettering hidden among a field of random red and white. Using the same principle as the tech specs of Generation One, a clear red plastic Robo-Vision Decoder, when placed over these fields, reveals such secret words as "TFGAMER" and "ANIMATED". These words were codes that unlocked content on Target's Transformers website as part of the Robo-Vision promotion. All these effects are missing in the IDW Movie Prequel Special reprint of this story, except for one on page 16 that has been overlooked.
• Bargam Airbase appears to be affiliated with Sector 7, given that the troops there are aware of N.B.E.-1 and are expecting others.
• This is the first known fictional appearance of Scorponok's robot mode.

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External links

• Planetfall available at Target's website in PDF form