A History of the Transformers

1985: The War on Earth

August 1985

The Transformers (US #1 / UK #1-2)

A volcanic eruption awakens the Ark. It sends out a probe, and discovers what it assumes to be mechanical life. No longer able to distinguish between Autobot and Decepticon, it revives some of both, giving them forms similar to the machines it has observed. The Decepticons leave, and the Autobots examine the probe's data. The Autobots then send out a group to explore. The Decepticons attack them, and the Autobots eventually retreat, realising that the planet's machines were created by a non-mechanical life form. During the attack, Bumblebee is injured, and taken by a human called Buster Witwicky to his father Sparkplug's garage for repairs.

[A caption gives the year as 1984. However, there is no way that the events between now and Christmas Breaker (UK #41), which happens at Christmas 1985, take over a year. I am assuming that it is the earlier caption that is wrong.]

August 1985

Power Play (US #2 / UK #3-4)

The Decepticons attack the Harrison Nuclear Plant and carry away the technology, constructing it into a base. Sparkplug repairs Bumblebee and offers to help convert human fuel into Transformer fuel. Ravage learns of this whilst Optimus Prime leads a force of Autobots to Sparkplug's garage. When the Autobots arrive at the garage, they are attacked, and in the confusion of battle, Starscream kidnaps Sparkplug.

[This story follows on from the last issue. It looks like it takes an entire day to repair Bumblebee - it's night when Bumblebee arrives at the garage, day when the Decepticons attack the power plant, and night again when Bumblebee is repaired.]

August 1985

Prisoner of War (US #3 / UK #5)

The Decepticons take Sparkplug Witwicky to their base, and force him to work on a conversion formula between terran and Transformer fuel. They also steal equipment for him. He will eventually produce a fuel for them, but will make sure that it is corrosive.

[This is immediately after Power Play (US #2 / UK #6).]

Late August/Early September 1985

Man of Iron (UK #9-12 / US #33-34)

The Autobots and Decepticons both detect a Transformer signal in England. The Decepticons bury a probe and discover the location of an ancient Autobot shuttle, whilst the Autobots get information from a human child. Events lead to a pitched battle near Stansham Castle, and the Autobots (mostly hidden in their shuttle) win. However, an Autobot from the Shuttle (the Man of Iron) is killed. Prime then orders the Shuttle destroyed, as it is too dangerous to keep it. However, unknown to him, there was a Navigator unit with the location of Cybertron hidden inside.

[This happens at the end of the Summer Holidays. The presence of Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker tells us it was before Command Performances (US #19 / UK #70-71). The presence of Optimus Prime means that it has to be either before the end of The Last Stand (US #4 / UK #7-8) or after Prime Time (US #12 / UK #39-40). In order to reconcile the time of year with these appearances, the story has to be fitted in between the first four US Stories. The official placement, as established in the three Robot War features in the UK comic, is straight after the Autobots return from the Witwicky Garage.]

Ratchet discovers and revives Red Alert.

[This is speculation. We first see Red Alert in The Enemy Within (UK #14). He is possibly also in Raiders of the Last Ark (UK #18-21) and the flashback of Decepticon Dam-Busters (UK #29-30). As he wasn't one of the Autobots revived by the Ark in The Transformers (US #1 / UK #1-2), he must have been revived since then.]

September 1985

Flashback: Decepticon Dam-Busters (UK #28-29)

The Decepticons attack the Sherman Dam, and the Autobots attempt to stop them. The Decepticons obtain a lot of energon and breach the dam. The Autobots try to stop the water from the dam wiping out a nearby human town. They suceed in saving the population, but the water does a lot of property damage and the humans blame the Autobots, not seeing any difference between the two Transformer factions.

[This happens before The Last Stand (US #4 / UK #7-8), but it is unclear from the narrative exactly when. The Autobots have been monitoring the Decepticons' new base, which makes the gap before the Autobots rescue Sparkplug the most likely. Officially, all the UK stories set before The Last Stand are said to take place in this gap. See the entries for Man of Iron (UK #9-12), The Enemy Within (UK #13-17), and Raiders of the Last Ark (UK #19-22) for the reasons I have placed them elsewhere. It is possible that Ratchet invented this story for the Dinobots' benefit.]

September 1985

Prisoner of War (UK #5-6/US #3)

The Decepticon base is soon surrounded by the US army and assorted media. Amongst the media is Peter Parker, who changes into Spider-Man to help get an exclusive. He meets Gears, who persuades him that he is a good guy. Spidey helps the Autobots get past the military and then helps Gears sneak into the fortress. Meanwhile, the other Autobots stage a diversion. they are hampered when the humans fire on them. Gears and Spidey retrieve Sparkplug, but Gears is severely injured. They all go back to the Ark, but Spider-Man soon has to leave.

[This follows on from the last issue, and appears to take only a couple of days. The corrosive nature of Sparkplug's fuel formula is only revealed at the end of The Last Stand (US #4 / UK #8).

Ratchet discovers the records from the probe sent just after the Ark crashed. He sends another probe to discover what happened to Shockwave and the Dinobots.

[According to The Last Stand (US # 4 / UK #8) this was whilst the other Autobots were rescuing Sparkplug.]

September 1985

The Enemy Within (UK #13-17)

An accident on the Ark gives Mirage an increased illusory power, and meddles with Brawn's mind. Brawn storms out of the Ark and decides to free the 'enslaved' human machines. When they are unable to use their new 'freedom', he lashes out at them instead. Meanwhile, Megatron is simply waiting. Whilst the other Decepticons are on a survey mission, Ravage overhears Starscream plotting. Starscream attacks him and then, believing him destroyed, goes on to attack a USAF base as part of his plan to seize power from Megatron. Both Transformers are stopped by their own side. Brawn is returned to normal by a neuro-tranquiliser. Megatron then contacts the Autobots to suggest a trial by combat between the two rebels. During the combat, Mirage uses his new power to fake Brawn's death. Then, Ravage renders Starscream non-functional. Megatron then allows his restless troops some action - an attack on the Ark.

[This is before the battle in The Last Stand (US # 4 / UK#8). Megatron mentions Spider-man from Prisoner of War (US #3 / UK #5-6), setting this after that story. However, Gears and Ratchet are both in this story - which rules out both of the possible gaps (whilst Gears is being repaired and whilst Ratchet is at the hospital). Ratchet plays a small, but important, role in this story, and Gears is just a background character. Therefore, I suggest that Gears' presence is a mistake, thus putting this story in between Prisoner of War (US #3 / UK #6) and The Last Stand (US #4 / UK #7).]

September 1985

The Last Stand (US #4 / UK #7) / Prisoner of War (US #3 / UK #6)

Sparkplug admits to having given the Decepticons a fuel formula. Whilst the Autobots argue about this, he runs away. However, he has a heart attack, and Ratchet rushes him to hospital.

[The start of The Last Stand follows on from the last couple of panels of Prisoner of War, which happen some time after the rest of that story (a caption says 'soon', but fitting in The Enemy Within (UK #13-17) requires the time taken to repair Gears to be quite a while.]

September 1985]

Raiders of the Last Ark (UK #18-21)

The Decepticons attack the Ark. In desperation, Prime rushes off to reactivate Auntie, the sentient core of the Ark. Auntie, having lost her memory, immobilses the two forces by magnetism and demands the two leaders justify themselves. However, Windcharger and Ravage overcome the magnetic field and destroy Auntie, also defeating the Guardian unit she has reactivated. Windcharger expels Megatron from the Ark by magnetism and the other Decepticons retreat after him. However Brawn, Hound, Jazz, and Prowl are severely injured in the fight, whilst expelling Megatron leaves Windcharger completely drained of power.

[This story follows on (but not necessarily immediately) from The Enemy Within (UK#13-17). As Gears appears and Ratchet doesn't, I assume that this attack happened when Ratchet was en route to hospital, and that the wounded Decepticons seen in The Last Stand (US #4 / UK #7) are wounded from this attack, rather than the events in Prisoner of War (US #3 / UK#6). However, it could easily be that this happens after those Decepticons are repaired.]

September 1985

The Last Stand (US #4 / UK #7-8)

Some humans flee Portland, and Megatron confronts the soldiers outside his base. He emerges unscathed, and orders Ravage to spy on the Ark. He misses Prime being informed about the probe sent to the Savage Land, but does discover that the Autobots are still without a source of fuel. Megatron then orders an attack, facing five Autobots who have been given the fuel of the others. The Decepticons have all but won when they collapse from Sparkplug's corrosive fuel. Before the Autobots can celebrate, they are attacked and defeated by Shockwave, who had been revived by Ratchet's probe.

[This part of the story happens soon after Raiders of the Last Ark (UK #18-21).]

October 1985

The New Order (US #5 / UK #22-23)

Shockwave revives the fallen Decepticons and plans ways to conquer Earth. He removes Prime's head in order to extract the Creation Matrix from it, and arranges for the Autobots to be hung up for later use as spare parts. Meanwhile, Buster and Ratchet return to the Ark, but not before a recovering Sparkplug tells Buster that this should be his last contact with the Autobots. Seeing Frenzy and Rumble guarding the entrance, Ratchet stays concealed outside whilst Buster sneaks in and discovers the Autobots and Prime's head.

[This follows on from The Last Stand (US #4 / UK #7-8).]

October 1985

The Worse of Two Evils (US #6 / UK #24-25)

Shockwave successfully attacks a state-of-the-art oil rig owned by GB Blackrock. In the process, computer engineer Josie Beller is caught by electrical systems malfunctioning. At the Ark, Prime gets Buster to use the equipment attached to him to transfer the Creation Matrix into Buster's mind, causing a headache and unconsciousness. Buster then escapes the Ark. Meanwhile, Shockwave sends some Decepticons to guard the oil rig, and returns to the Ark. He is attacked by Megatron, who wants command of the Decepticons back. Megatron loses because he is still not fully healed. Shockwave then demands an oath of absolute obedience from the Decepticons, who are now all fully revived.

[This follows on from The New Order (US #5 / UK #22-23). It was not revealed at the time precisely what was happening to Buster.]

October 1985

Flashback: The Wrath of Grimlock (UK #32)

On Shockwave's orders, Soundwave installs a thermo-nuclear bomb in Guardian in case any missing Autobots return to the Ark or Megatron rebels.

[Soundwave mentions Megatron 'turning against' Shockwave 'once more'. Therefore, this is after The Worse of Two Evils (US #6 / UK #24-25). It is probably before Soundwave conquers Blackrock's Aerospace plant in Warrior School (US #7 / UK #26).]

October 1985

Warrior School (US #7 / UK #26)

Ratchet and Buster meet a group of college students who are camping in the woods. Ratchet learns more about humans, and Buster gets a headache, before travelling back to Portland with the students. Ratchet sneaks into the Ark, and sees the situation for himself. He makes a deal with Megatron, that Ratchet will find out how the Dinobots defeated Shockwave 4,000,000 years ago and use the same trick again, if Megatron will give Ratchet the Ark and the inert Autobots within. Meanwhile, Soundwave and Laserbeak sneak into and capture a state-of-the-art aeronautics factory belonging to GB Blackrock, holding the workers captive. Meanwhile, Buster gets in an argument with Jessie and O and realises that his headaches can cause metal objects to begin floating.

[This follows on from The Worse of Two Evils (US #6 / UK #24-25).]

October 1985

Repeat Performances (US #8 / UK #27-28)

Ratchet travels to the Savage Land to revive the Dinobots. He finds them and views their memories of their fight with Shockwave. He revives them and uses them to help defeat Megatron, who is damaged and falls off a cliff. Meanwhile, Shockwave takes Prime's head to the aerospace base to build and bring to life six new Decepticons and Josie Beller has constructed some circuits that allow her to move her arm and attack machinery with an energy blast.

[This follows on from Warrior School (US #7 / UK #26). A caption refers to the events of Warrior School as being within the last 14 hours.]

October 1985

Decepticon Dam-Busters (UK #29-30)

Ratchet and the Dinobots travel back to the Ark. En route, they meet and scare a human. Ratchet explains the human's reaction by telling the Dinobots about the incident at the dam. Swoop flies ahead to the Ark, but is attacked and beaten by Guardian. Meanwhile, GB Blackrock and Josie Beller contemplate ways to hit back at the Transformers.

[This follows on from Repeat Performances (US #8 / UK #27-28).]

October 1985

The Wrath of Guardian (UK #31)

The Dinobots arrive at the Ark, and see Guardian with Swoop's inert body. They then attack Guardian, who is only defeated when Ratchet puts a laser into his cerebral access port. Ratchet then begins repairing the damaged Autobots whilst the four active Dinobots hunt the Ark for the escaped Guardian. As the Dinobots find Guardian, the first repaired Autobots discover that Guardian contains a thermo-nuclear bomb that could destroy the Ark and Mount St Hilary. Meanwhile, Shockwave informs Prime that six brain modules have been prepared for being brought to life by the matrix, and Buster Witwicky discovers that his broken radio has suddenly repaired itself.

[This follows on from Decepticon Dam-Busters (UK #29-30).]

October 1985

The Wrath of Grimlock (UK #32)

Wheeljack remote-controls Prime's body to stop Grimlock from shooting Guardian and killing everyone. Grimlock loses a hand and blames Ratchet. As Ratchet continues to revive the Autobots, Guardian calculates that his best chance of victory is to explode in the middle of the Autobots. When he attacks, the newly revived Swoop carries him away from the Ark, sacrificing himself to do so. Meanwhile, Josie Beller destroys a computer.

[This follows on from The Wrath of Guardian (UK #31).]

October 1985

Flashback: The Icarus Theory part 2 (UK #46)

Swoop survives Guardian's explosion, but is knocked out. He crashes into Lake Dena, a nearby reservoir.

[This obviously takes place immediately after Swoop's apparent death in The Wrath of Grimlock (UK #32)]

The Decepticons discover that the Autobots have retaken the Ark and Megatron has disappeared.

[They know this by Dis-integrated Circuits (US #9/UK #33), but there's no account of how they found out.]

October 1985

Dis-integrated Circuits (US #9 / UK #33-34)

GB Blackrock plans to unveil a new anti-robot weapon just as the Autobots (except Sunstreaker and Red Alert) reach fully operational status. The Autobots send Jazz and Wheeljack to make a deal with Blackrock - fuel in return for protection. Meanwhile, the Decepticons send Starscream and Frenzy to destroy the weapon and Josie Beller shows Blackrock that she has created circuitry that allows her to move and to fight the robots. At the unveiling of the weapon, Jazz and Blackrock agree the deal and Circuit Breaker (as Josie now calls herself) sabotages the weapon so Blackrock can unveil her as the real weapon. When the Decepticons attack and the Autobots try to protect Blackrock, Circuit Breaker joins the fight - attacking both sides. The Decepticons retreat and Blackrock persuades Circuit Breaker to leave the Autobots alone, but this discharges any debts she felt she owed him.

[This is quite soon after The Wrath of Grimlock (UK #32) as the Autobots are only just fully functional, One of the cars in Sparkplug's garage has been there for three weeks - suggesting that it's around 2 weeks since Prisoner of War (US #3/UK #5-6).]

October 1985

The Next Best Thing to Being There (US #10 / UK #35-36)

The Autobots show Blackrock around the Ark whilst Bumblebee monitors the Aerospace plant. At the same time, Shockwave extracts enough of the Creation Matrix to give life to six new Decepticons - the Constructicons. The Constructicons go on a mission with Soundwave, and Bumblebee follows. The Constructicons steal some HGVs and fashion the materials into a transmitter. When Autobot reinforcements arrive, they attack. However, the Constructicons combine into a larger Transformer - Devastator (an ability never before seen by the Earthbound Autobots). The Autobots are unable to defeat him, but with the help of a trucker who wanted his truck back, they destroy the transmitter. However, Soundwave has managed to transmit a message to Cybertron. As the battered Autobots head home, Blackrock helps the Autobots at the Ark to tap into the phones in the Aerospace plant. They overhear Shockwave threatening to kill Prime because he is unable to provide the next Decepticon creation, Jetfire, with life.

[This story happens quite soon after Dis-integrated Circuits (US #9 / UK #33-34), as Jazz is still being repaired from that battle.]

November 1985

Brainstorm (US #11 / UK #37-38)

Shockwave realises that Prime must have transferred the Matrix because Jetfire cannot be brought to life. He discovers from Rumble's optical records that a human sneaked into the Ark. The Autobots, hearing this, send Bumblebee and Bluestreak to protect Buster. Shockwave then demands that the military units camped around the Aerospace plant withdraw. Buster has been wondering about his powers and gone on a bike ride with Jessie. Sparkplug refuses to tell Bumblebee where Buster is, and then goes to find Buster himself. He is trailed by Bluestreak, who is, in turn, being trailed by Laserbeak. Therefore, soon after Sparkplug and the Autobots arrive, they are attacked by the programmed, but not alive, Jetfire. Buster wins the battle using his powers to take Jetfire apart. Meanwhile, Prowl leads the other Autobots to attack the Aerospace plant, as Shockwave finally decides to kill Optimus Prime.

[Buster notes that the events of Warrior School (US #7 / UK #26) happened 'weeks' ago. So it's probably a few weeks since The Next Best Thing to Being There (US #10 / UK #35-36).]

November 1985

Flashback: Prime Time (US #12 / UK #39)

Bumblebee tells Buster that he can control Jetfire to help free Prime, and Buster agrees to help.

[This follows on from the defeat of Jetfire in Brainstorm (US #11 / UK #38).

November 1985

Prime Time (US #12 / UK #39-40)

Buster pilots Jetfire to the Aerospace plant. However, they are attacked by the US Air Force. Jetfire's maneouveres create enough g-force to knock Buster unconscious. Therefore, Jetfire delivers Buster to Shockwave. Meanwhile, the Decepticons have discovered the Decepticons' bugging device. They use it to tell the Autobots that Prime's head will be thrown into a nearby swamp. The Autobots retrieve the head and reattach it to Prime's body, only for Prime to attack them. Whilst the Autobots are being severely beaten, Buster revives and controls Jetfire to attack Shockwave and take Prime's real head to the swamp. Prime, reunited with his body defeats the Decepticons, including Shockwave - who has followed. Shockwave gets thrown into the swamp. Prime then returns to the Aerospace plant, where the plant workers have overpowered Rumble - their only guard - and freed Buster. Buster then returns the Creation Matrix to Prime.

[This follows on from the flashback and from the events of Brainstorm (US #11 / UK #37-38).

24th December 1985

Christmas Breaker (UK #41)

Buster teaches the Autobots about Christmas before Jazz takes him to deliver Christmas presents. Meanwhile, Circuit Breaker saves a girl from drowning under ice, but is decried as a freak. She leaves only to ruin across Jazz, who has transformed to avoid a crash. Assuming that he is attacking Buster, she attacks. Buster persuades her to let Jazz go because it has just turned Christmas day.

[The newspaper Circuit Breaker is reading is dated 24th December 1985. It turns Christmas day at the end of the story.]

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