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Windblade vol. 2 issue 4

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« The Transformers: Windblade vol. 2 #4 »
« Combiner Wars
Epilogue 		»
Windbladev2-4-regcvr.jpg
Publisher IDW Publishing
First published June 24, 2015
Cover date June 2015
Written by Mairghread Scott
Art by Corin Howell
Colors by Thomas Deer
Letters by Tom B. Long
Editor John Barber
Continuity 2005 IDW continuity
Chronology Current era (2015)

First contact with Velocitron does not go well, forcing Windblade to make some surreptitious moves in hopes of bring about an alliance with the racing-obsessed colony world.

Contents

Synopsis

Windblade DS 4 Velocitronian Ambassadors.jpg

The continued intermingling of Cybertronians and Camiens is not a smooth process, which Windblade and Chromia can see first-hand when they find themselves in the middle of a public dispute between some Camien immigrants—appalled to learn that the Decepticon ghetto is tapping power from Metroplex, who is a holy Titan to them—and the Decepticons—infuriated that they should be expected to live by the Camiens' rules. Though hesitant to leave the matter to Chromia, given her track record, Windblade is forced to depart to meet with the delegates due to arrive from the first new colony world they have contacted: Velocitron. She arrives late, which earns her some sarcastic remarks from the preening Velocitronian delegate Knock Out, but her profuse apologies are enough to convince him and his fellow ambassador Moonracer to hear her and Starscream's proposal for Velocitron to join the Council of Worlds. However, following an explanation of their plans, their spacebridge technology, and the fact that Velocitron is the first of four new colonies contacted, Knock Out reveals that Velocitron is a "closed society"; the planet has no real problems that require outside help to deal with, and has ceased communicating with other worlds in order for the populace to devote itself to recreational pursuits—namely, racing. Moonracer explains that racing has become the means by which all governmental decisions are made on Velocitron, even the paths of the planet's giant mobile cities, and Knock Out further notes that it would be through such a process that any alliance with Cybertron would come about—except, he sneers, as Windblade's tardiness has evinced, there's no way a Cybertronian could ever be faster than a Velocitronian.

After Moonracer and Knock Out have left to return home, Starscream blames Windblade for losing them the alliance, and she determines to fix the situation. Catching up to the two Velocitronian visitors before they reach the spacebridge, she invites them to a "Not the End of the World" party at Maccadam's in order to illustrate the positive side of Camien and Cybertronian co-mingling. While Knock Out boasts and banters with Blurr, Windblade introduces Moonracer to several others, and explains the benefits the two planets gain from one another. Moonracer grows somber; Velocitronian society, she reveals, is not perfect, as anyone incapable of racing is shunned and pitied, and the planetary ideal of racing perfection is growing ever narrower, with Moonracer herself mocked simply for choosing to drive outside the confines of her city. Moonracer tells Windblade of an important race taking place on Velocitron the next day, and "unofficially" encourages her to have Blurr take part, hoping a victory on his part could bring a Cybertron/Velocitron alliance about for the betterment of both worlds.

Later, with Knock Out and Moonracer having left, Windblade gathers Chromia, Ironhide, and Wheeljack in Metroplex's brain chamber, where she asks the Titan for information on Velocitron. Metroplex reveals that Velocitron was colonized by the Titan Navitas, carrying a crew of scientists who were searching for alternative sources of energy; their successes in energy-efficiency led to the evolution of their racing culture, but Metroplex cryptically comments that Velocitronians are now "chasing night" instead of "chasing energy". After recruiting Blurr—who jumps at the chance to upstage Starscream and Knock Out—the group head for the spacebridge chamber, but find their way barred by Badgeless officers. Before Chromia can start a fight, Rattrap appears and clears them for access—surprised to find that Optimus Prime did not inform Windblade that he is secretly on their side, Rattrap tells them he knows what they're up to, but warns them that Velocitron is apparently extremely dangerous. Moments later, Windblade, Chromia, Ironhide, and Blurr get a faceful of that danger when they step through the portal to Velocitron, and are immediately struck by a polar cold frigid enough to freeze their internal fluids. Surveying the huge tracks in the snow-covered landscape, they realize that the mobile city has moved on... but a moment later, Chromia realizes that the city is right behind them, bearing down on them, with a wall of fire close behind it!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Others

Quotes

"Ah! Windblade! So nice of you to finally join us, delegate. Please, let me introduce ambassadors Moonracer and—"
"—Knock Out. It is normal for Cybertronians to keep their guests waiting? Or are your people so slow you can't even be on time?"

—Starscream and Knock Out


"I'll have you know I'm the leading weight-loss surgeon and aerodynamic specialist on Velocitron. I could shave twenty kilos off you, easily. Thirty if you don't mind a rougher ride."
"I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted."

—Knock Out and Blurr


"But we don't just race on tracks here."
"Really?! You just drive through the dirt? Like animals?!"

—Blurr and Knock Out

Notes

Continuity notes

  • Starscream says that Metroplex has located five Titan colonies including Caminus and Velocitron. The other three are presumably the planet of beastformers glimpsed in Windblade vol. 1 #4, the planet of Micromaster combiners also glimpsed in that issue, and Elita One's spaceborne Titan glimpsed in the last Windblade vol. 2 issue.
  • Lightbright and Sparkstalker look to have a little thing going on—they're seen flirting with each other at Maccadam's! Their relationship has been building up since issue #2, where Sparkstalker offered help to Lightbright with lifting rubble.
    • Note that Sparkstalker is a cryptologist by function, and Lightbright is a Cityspeaker, aka "a cryptologist specializing in Titans".
  • It wasn't clear at the time that the planet we were seeing was Velocitron, but we got a brief glimpse of one of the world's mobile cities last issue.

Transformers references

  • In addition to a repeat appearance by "Shut up, Rattrap!" (last seen in issue #3 of the first Windblade mini), another Beast Wars catchphrase appears in a picture frame at Maccadam's: Optimus Primal's favourite phrase, "That's just prime."
  • Moonracer's explanation of Velocitron's society affords us a look at several natives: most recognizable is Override, mentioned last issue, who is based pretty directly on Cybertron Override. Also on show are two 'bots based on Cybertron characters Crumplezone and Ransack, though they have rather different color schemes; "Crumplezone" is all-black, while "Ransack" is white with red highlights.

Errors

  • Slug's helmet is colored black instead of red.

Other trivia

  • Moonracer notes that Knock Out has a Conjunx Endura, one of the unfortunate 'bots not built for speed. Mairghread Scott confirmed on Tumblr shortly after that his Conjunx is the IDW Generation 1 iteration of Prime Breakdown.[1] He would make his first on-panel appearance in the next issue.
  • Now that the crossover is finished, Windblade (and The Transformers) drops from 22 story pages per issue to 20 going forward, just as More than Meets the Eye did a few months prior.

Covers (4)

  • Windbladev2-4-regcvr.jpg
  • Windbladev2-4-subcvr.jpg
  • Windbladev2-4-cvrRI.jpg
  • Windbladev2-4-concvr.jpg

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Reprints

  • Transformers: Windblade - The Last City (February 14, 2018) ISBN 978-1684052240
    • Collects Windblade (2014) issues #1–4, and Windblade (2015) issues #1–7, but not the alternating chapters of Combiner Wars from The Transformers vol. 2 needed to complete the story. Um.
    • Bonus material includes covers from each issue.
    • Trade paperback format.

References

  1. ↑ Mairghread Scott's Tumblr

External links

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