Movie Prequel issue 4

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Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	May 2, 2007
Cover date	May 2007
Written by	Simon Furman and Chris Ryall
Art by	Don Figueroa
Colors by	Josh Burcham
Color assist by	Mark Bristow
Letters by	Robbie Robbins
Edits by	Dan Taylor
Continuity	Movie continuity

Starscream is a capable leader for once.

Synopsis

The year is 2003, and three Decepticons have just made planetfall on Earth. Near Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Starscream shoots down an F-22 Raptor jet and assumes its form as his new alternate mode. Nearby, Blackout and Barricade have similarly assumed new vehicular forms, and the trio set out to regroup and begin searching the planet. Starscream's first priority is the AllSpark, but he is swiftly reminded that their missing leader must also be located. Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, Louisana, their Autobot enemy Bumblebee continues his own investigation, having located the institute in which Archibald Witwicky was held following his otherworldly encounter. A scan of the building reveals it to be long-abandoned and derelict, and the Autobot scout proceeds on his way.

In New Mexico, Agent Simmons and his Sector Seven team are setting things up at the disused Cold War bunker that is to become a trap for the alien known to them as N.B.E.-2. The bait is to be an isotope derived from the cube artifact held beneath Hoover Dam, emitting radiation identical to that of the original object. Two days later, the team is still waiting, although Sector Seven has had several encounters with N.B.E.-2 in increasingly nearby states, and Simmons is confident that the alien is closing in on their trap. As they keep watch on the bunker from their entrenchment, Simmons discusses his family's history with the N.B.E.s, revealing that his own great-grandfather was there when "Mega-Man" was dug out of the ice.

Elsewhere, in the town of Tranquility, Sam Witwicky is showing his great-great-grandfather's effects to his friend Miles, who is thoroughly unimpressed. Miles doesn't rate Sam's chances of turning the artifacts into a car fund, although suggests trying an online auction. Alas, Sam's father has prohibited him from opening his own account until he's sixteen, so any such plans will have to wait for the time being. As he puts away his ancestor's old spectacles, little does Sam know that a certain alien being would be very interested in acquiring them... In Colorado, a damaged Bumblebee sputters to a stop on a roadside, but is reenergized when he suddenly detects a radiation signature matching the AllSpark! Barrelling away at high speeds, the Autobot scout sets a course for New Mexico.

Some time later, Bumblebee enters the vicinity of Sector Seven's bunker trap, and Agent Simmons prepares for engagement. Things are complicated, however, when they spot Barricade's police car form in pursuit of N.B.E.-2. Sector Seven have barely realized that they're looking at a potential N.B.E.-3 when Blackout appears on the scene in helicopter form, promptly levelling the trap bunker with a missile strike. Two of Sector Seven's own helicopters attempt to move in for a cryo-freeze attack, but are promptly obliterated by Starscream in his jet fighter mode. Meanwhile, Blackout takes advantage of the confusion to tap into Sector Seven's on-site computers, having realized that the humans' ability to mimic AllSpark radiation likely means that they know where the genuine article is. Unluckily for the Decepticon, Simmons has data connections cut as soon as the digital attack is detected, and Blackout comes away having learned only that their opponents are named "Sector Seven" and that they are connected to the United States Department of Defense.

However, the Decepticons do have one last option: Barricade suggests letting Bumblebee go loose, suspecting that the Autobot may have information they don't and that he could potentially lead them to the AllSpark. After a quick ram to make it make it convincing, Barricade lets Bumblebee deploy explosive countermeasures and drive away into the distance, the Autobot totally unaware that Starscream is watching him from high altitude. Sector Seven is left to pick up the pieces from their failed operation, the Decepticons split up, using their vehicle modes to hide in plain sight, and Bumblebee continues his investigation. And Sam Witwicky sits at home in Tranquility, totally unaware of the role he will play in events to come...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

Continuity notes

• The Target-sponsored comic "Planetfall" would subsequently depict a very different version of the Decepticons' arrival on Earth, in terms of timeframe, location and characters present; see that article for further details. Future stories would use details drawn from both accounts, but generally lean more towards the "Planetfall" version.
• The events of the Target mini-comic "Interlude" occur part-way through this issue, beginning after Bumblebee scans the abandoned Psychopathic Institute. The story details the Autobot's journey from Louisiana to Colorado, and reveals that an encounter with Barricade was responsible for the damage Bumblebee is sporting when he detects the decoy radiation.

Real-life references

• The songs Bumblebee plays on his radio feature lyrics that are similar, but not quite identical to those of existing songs, possibly to avoid licensing issues. The original songs are:
  • Ghost in this House, originally by Shenandoah
  • No One Said It Would Be Easy by Sheryl Crow
  • Tubthumping by Chumbawumba
  • Everyday Is A Winding Road by Sheryl Crow

Errors

• In the film, Blackout is implied to have assumed his alternate mode only three months earlier, in contrast to the four years earlier shown here. It's obviously not impossible that over time Blackout impersonated multiple specific helicopters of the same model, but it seems unlikely the writers intended that to be the case.
• Barricade describes Bumblebee as having "gotten wise" to him. Considering that Barricade actively revealed himself and his alt-mode to the Autobot during "Interlude", that statement doesn't really track, regardless of whether he's talking about that first encounter or being noticed again during this issue.
• The three Decepticons apparently have zero problems with allowing Sector Seven's agents to survive their encounter, in stark contrast with Blackout's thorough elimination of witnesses at the SOCCENT base in the film itself.
• The issue's closing montage seemingly depicts Bumblebee driving into Sam's town of Tranquility in 2003, which would beg the question of what exactly he spent the next four years doing before making contact with the boy. Sam is drawn in a different outfit to earlier in the issue, perhaps suggesting that the sequence is jumping forward in time to just before the film, although that possibility is not without its own issues, given that "Interlude" had Bumblebee already working through Ron Witwicky's siblings in 2003.

Other notes

• Mentioned characters: Archibald Witwicky, Ron Witwicky
• In contrast to last issue, Sam is now at least vaguely reminiscent of Shia LaBeouf, and Miles also resembles his on-screen self, suggesting Don Figueroa may have gotten more reference material in the meantime.

Covers (3)

• Cover A: Wraparound battle scene, by Don Figueroa
• Cover B: Uncolored sketch of left portion of cover A
• Cover RI: Uncolored sketch of cover A, full wraparound

• 

  Cover A

• 

  Cover B

• 

  Cover RI

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