IDW Publishing‘s 2005 relaunch of Transformers continues, as Megatron sees fit to move his plans for Earth forward at a more considerable pace. Following the events of INFILTRATION (2005-2006), the Autobots are on the back foot and Optimus Prime needs more soldiers to join the fight against the Decepticons. But even with Hot Rod, Hardhead, Nightbeat and others in the ranks, it may not be enough when Megatron calls in the one-bot last resort… Sixshot!
Writer Simon Furman continues his Transformers trilogy with ESCALATION!
And it’s all leading to DEVASTATION…
Major Crossover: The second major Transformers storyline from IDW runs through a six-issue mini-series, with six more Transformers Spotlight one-shots relating directly tying in to this title.
Must-Reads: Issues marked with a ✔are essential to the story.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- INFILTRATION (2005-2006) – The Autobots investigate the Decepticons’ invasion of Earth
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- ✔ Transformers Spotlight: Soundwave
- ✔ Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus
- ✔ Transformers Spotlight: Hot Rod
- ✔ Transformers Spotlight: Kup
- ✔ Transformers Spotlight: Sixshot
- ✔ Transformers: Escalation #1-2
- ✔ Transformers Spotlight: Nightbeat
- ✔ Transformers: Escalation #3-6
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Soundwave It’s 1984. Bludgeon’s ’human’ facsimiles have infiltrated an oil-drilling operation that’s about to uncover Ultra-Energon. Megatron has assigns Soundwave to watch over him, unaware he’d already opted not to report Bludgeon’s discovery of Shockwave’s Regenesis Ore Project (see INFILTRATION, 2005-2006). When Bludgeon’s squad steal the ore from Texas on planet Earth, Soundwave discovers their plan to use it to restore Thunderwing. Soundwave, Laserbeak and Ravage attempt to end their insanity, but are defeated. An experimental weapon traps Soundwave in cassette player mode while Bludgeon’s team escape as Mount St Helens erupts! A year later, Joshua Red of Skywatch discovers Laserbeak in the rubble. Soundwave is seen in a shop window… 1st appearance: Jimmy, Laserbeak, Ravage, Joshua Red, Soundwave (full) |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus (pp.1-22) In the present, Ultra Magnus purses the Decepticon arms-dealer Swindle to the planet Zull, but releases him in exchange for information on Skorponok’s whereabouts. He follows the lead to Nebulos where Skorponok is exchanging Cybertronian tech with Zarak Consortium founder Mo Zarak to create a transformable Nebulan. Ultra Magnus confronts Skorponok who accidentally kills Zarak in the conflict. Skorponok escapes through a portal… 1st appearance: Skorponok, Swindle, Ultra Magnus (full), Mortilus Zarak |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Hot Rod Knocked offline after plummeting to the surface of a moon, the risk-taking Hot Rod’s systems play back to his worst failure. The mission to retrieve the all-seeing oracle – dubbed the Magnificence – wiped out almost all of his team. Only he and Dealer survived. Awakening in the present, Hot Rod breaks into the Decepticon penal colony Styx to rescue Dealer who was captured after the Magnificence mission on Ki-Aleta went horribly wrong. Later, when Dealer – secretly Doubledealer, the true culprit behind the squad’s death – is recovered, he slyly contacts Banzaitron to tell him he’ll use Hot Rod to retrieve the Magnificence… 1st appearance: Banzaitron, Doubledealer, Gutcruncher, Hot Rod |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Kup Kup has been stranded on a barren alien world for an undetermined amount of time, driven mad by exposure to the planet’s radioactive crystals. The crystals’ explosive nature had already cost the life of Kup’s co-pilot, Outback. Kup mistakes Springer’s rescue team in anti-rad armour for attacking ‘zombots’. With the Wreckers unavailable and against Prowl’s orders, Springer sends Trailbreaker to retrieve Kup. But the once-great, now-insane Kup needs to be restrained, possibly forever… 1st appearance: Kup, Outback, Perceptor (full), Siren (full) Kup, Outback, Sizzle, Trailbreaker |
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Sixshot The only Decepticons brave enough to be around Sixshot are Hun-Grrr’s Terrorcons. But when they go missing, Sixshot goes on a rescue mission to Mumu-Obscura – a planet ravaged by the interplanetary bio-mech world-killing Reapers. Sixshot doesn’t hold back and relentlessly attacks, defeating the Reapers. The Terrorcons are free, but the Reapers’ leader Deathbringer explains their group’s aim is to end war. He even asks Sixshot to join, but he violently rejects their offer. Though he suspects he may accept, some day… 1st appearance: Ransack, Reapers (Deathbringer, Klaxa, Ravenous), Sixshot, Spectro, Spyglass, Squawkbox, Terrorcons (Blot, Cutthroat, Hun-Grrr, Rippersnapper, Sinnertwin), Treadshot, Wingspan |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Nightbeat (pp.1-20) The mercenary who offered the original Ark’s flight recorder to Nightbeat is murdered. Now the Autobot cop might lose his chance to solve a 6.2 million meta-cycle mystery! Nightbeat heads to Gorlam Prime to find Krakon’s killer, as well as the Ark’s flight recorder. Instead, he finds Cybertronian tech and a strange sea at the centre of the planet. A bizarre shape emerges from the ‘sea’ before he’s apprehended by the Decepticon Sports Car Patrol and experimented on by a mysterious figure… 1st appearance: Decepticon Sports Car Patrol (Blackjack, Detour, Hyperdrive, Road Hugger), Nightbeat, Straxus (in shadow), |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus (p.22) Ultra Magnus captures Swindle once again. Swindle suggests they make a deal… |
| ✔ | Transformers: Escalation #1 Prowl orders Ironhide and Sunstreaker to return Verity Carlo, Hunter O’Nion and Jimmy Pink to their lives. The Machination head then off and blow up Sunstreaker, with Hunter still inside. Megatron escalates his search for Ore-13 and orders the release of the facsimiles… 1st appearance: Mister Weiss, Silverbolt (cameo), Ultra Magnus (cameo) |
| ✔ | Transformers: Escalation #2 Megatron sends Skywarp and Thundercracker to blow up an oil station in the Gulf to cause political instability. Jazz and Wheeljack dispatched to retrieve Sunstreaker’s body from the police pound, but the Machination are there first. Optimus Prime prevents the Machination from taking Sunstreaker, only to find it’s a decoy car. Are the real Sunstreaker and Hunter may still alive? 1st appearance: Alexander Deacon |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Nightbeat (pp.21-22) Nightbeat finds himself back on his ship with no memory of his recent experiences. He’s summoned to Earth by Optimus Prime… |
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Transformers: Escalation #3 A facsimile construct of key Russian radical separatist Georgi Koska fires Megatron’s new Ore-13-enhanced handgun mode at the Soviet’s primary oil pipeline, while his Decepticon masters make it look like a Brasnyan attack. In Earth’s orbit, aboard Ark-32, Nightbeat sits tight as ordered, but Hot Rod and Hardhead prepare to disobey orders and hit the surface. Prowl, Jazz and Wheeljack attempt to take the facsimile alive. Against Prowl’s command, Ironhide and Ratchet break ranks and take Verity and Jimmy to search for Sunstreaker… 1st appearance: Hardhead |
| ✔ | Transformers: Escalation #4 Ironhide and Ratchet follow a lead to Indiana where Verity and Jimmy enter a hidden Machination base. They accidentally set off knock-out gas and initiate a 10 minute countdown. In Brasnya, Hot Rod and Hardhead join Prowl’s team in opposing the Decepticons. Hot Rod ruins Prowl’s chance to grab the facsimile ‘Koska’. Megatron finds Optimus Prime on the battlefield… 1st appearance: Roller |
| ✔ | Transformers: Escalation #5 In Brasnya, Optimus Prime initially gains the upper-hand in battle, but the Ore-13 grants Megatron the might to tear into Prime’s spark core and leave him for dead. Prowl and Hot Rod grab ‘Koska’ and reveal their robot forms to the Brasnyans. In Indiana, Ironhide gets to Verity and Jimmy. In Nevada, Skywatch take over the archaeological dig when Shockwave is largely uncovered, along with Snarl (see INFILTRATION, 2005-2006). |
| ✔ | Transformers: Escalation #6 Prowl orders the team back to Ark-32 with the facsimile, while he joins his fellow Autobots in facing the near-unbeatable Megatron. Skywarp attacks Hot Rod, destroying the facsimile before he can teleport out. In Infraspace, a mysterious Cybertronian presence becomes aware of Optimus Prime’s consciousness as it transfers to his trailer. The Autobots keep at Megatron until he starts to burn out, before the restored Optimus Prime finishes him off. Skywarp gets Megatron to safety. In Indiana, Ironhide and Ratchet rescue Verity and Jimmy from the Machination lair, but Ironhide is caught in the explosion. In Washington, Laserbeak and Ravage are prisoners of Skywatch. In Oregon, Megatron orders Sixshot to Earth, but the deadly Decepticon is pursued by the Reapers… 1st appearance: Nova Prime |
| Must Read | Issue & Fallout | Event/ Crossover |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Optimus Prime #1 (2007) The Cybertronian presence in Infraspace is revealed to be Nova Prime. Transformers: Galvatron #1 (2007) Galvatron retrieves Thunderwing for Jhiaxus. Transformers: Devastation #1-6 (2007-2008) Bliztwing is revealed to have been repaired; the Reapers follow Sixshot to Earth and are met with the Decepticon forces; Sixshot decides to join the Reapers, prompting Starscream to activate his killswitch, shutting him down; Ravage and Laserbeak briefly fall under the control of the Machination; Galvatron takes Sixshot to Jhiaxus in the Dead Universe; the Machination’s connection to Skorponok is revealed; Iron hide is recovered by Hot Rod | DEVASTATION |
| ✔ | Transformers Spotlight: Cyclonus #1 (2008) Straxus emerges as the one who removed Nightbeat’s memories under Nemesis Prime’s orders. Transformers Spotlight: Hardhead #1 (2008) Dealer manipulates the Autobots to aid in Jhiaxus’ Expansion project; Nightbeat finds out why his memories were erased. Transformers Spotlight: Doubledealer #1 (2008) Jhiaxus deploys Sixshot as his own mind-controlled agent; Dealer is revealed to be Decepticon agent Doubledealer and is taken out by Hot Rod, avenging the deaths of his squad; Backbeat’s death is confirmed. Transformers Spotlight: Sideswipe #1 (2008) Nemesis Prime’s intentions of forcing the Cybertronians on to their next evolutionary step are opposed by Optimus Prime. | REVELATION |
| Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #1-5 (2009) Ravage and Laserbeak retrieve Soundwave who makes a deal with Shockwave to unlock his transformation back to robot mode; Joshua Red loses his position with Skywatch after failing to apprehend the Dinobots; Ultra Magnus brings Skorponok into custody; Sunstreaker and Hunter O’Nion are separated. | ||
| ✔ | Transformers: All Hail Megatron #7 (2009) The Autobots cut the mental link between Sunstreaker and Hunter O’Nion. Transformers: All Hail Megatron #12 (2009) The trauma caused to Hunter O’Nion, followed by further experimentation by Bombshell leads to Sideswipe euthanising him. Transformers: All Hail Megatron #15 (2009) Kup’s sanity is restored and he returns to active duty. | ALL HAIL MEGATRON |
| Transformers #4 (2010) Swindle is revealed to have made his way to Earth and smooth-talked his way into a leadership position among the Decepticons stranded on Earth. | ||
| Transformers: Ironhide #2 (2010) Kup hallucinates the half-destroyed Outback again, this time warning him that Optimus Prime was unhappy with Ironhide. | THE ROAD TO CHAOS | |
| Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye Annual 2012 (2012) The Magnificence is revealed to be an avatar of Primus called Epistemus. | PRIMUS | |
| ✔ | Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #17 (2013) Shockwave’s initial experiments under the tutelage of Jhiaxus that set him on the path to the Regenesis Program are revealed; the planet Kup was trapped on is named Tseihshi; the crystals causing the planet’s disruptive nature are revealed to be Ore-8, making it one of the worlds chosen by Shockwave for experimentation. Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #19 (2013) The true origin of Ultra Magnus is revealed. | DARK CYBERTRON PRELUDE |
| Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #29 (2014) Two of the ‘big three mysteries’ Nightbeat was referring to are revealed to be the disappearance of Ark-1 and Cybertron’s moon Luna 1; both mysteries have largely been resolved, by this point. | DAWN OF THE AUTOBOTS | |
| Revolutionaries #3 (2017) It’s revealed that Soundwave briefly detoured to Egypt and encountered the Adventure Team before his confrontation with Bludgeon. | REVOLUTIONARIES | |
| Revolutionaries #7 (2017) The origin of Skywatch is revealed. | ||
| Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #29 (2014) The last of the ‘big three mysteries’ Nightbeat was referring to is revealed to be the purpose of Rung’s alt-mode. | ||
| Transformers: Requiem for the Wreckers Annual 2018 (2018) The connection between Kup, Prowl and Springer is fully explained. | ||
| Transformers: Lost Light #23 (2018) The fate of the Magnificence is decided. |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Transformers: The IDW Collection vol.1 | Transformers: Infiltration #0, 1-6 Transformers: Megatron Origin #1-4 Transformers Spotlight: Blurr #1 Transformers Spotlight: Cliffjumper #1 Transformers Spotlight: Hot Rod #1 Transformers Spotlight: Nightbeat #1 Transformers Spotlight: Shockwave #1 Transformers Spotlight: Soundwave #1 |
| Transformers: The IDW Collection vol.2 | Transformers: Escalation #1-6 Transformers Spotlight: Kup #1 Transformers Spotlight: Mirage #1 Transformers Spotlight: Optimus Prime #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ramjet #1 Transformers Spotlight: Sixshot #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus #1 Transformers: Stormbringer #1-4 |
| Transformers: Escalation | Transformers: Escalation #1-6 |
| Transformers: The Premiere Collection vol.1 | Transformers: Escalation #1-6 Transformers: Infiltration #0, 1-6 Transformers Spotlight: Hot Rod #1 Transformers Spotlight: Nightbeat #1 Transformers Spotlight: Shockwave #1 Transformers Spotlight: Sixshot #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus #1 Transformers: Stormbringer #1-4 |
| Transformers: The Premiere Collection vol.2 | Transformers: Devastation #1-6 Transformers Spotlight: Arcee #1 Transformers Spotlight: Blaster #1 Transformers Spotlight: Cyclonus #1 Transformers Spotlight: Doubledealer #1 Transformers Spotlight Galvatron #1 Transformers Spotlight: Grimlock #1 Transformers Spotlight: Hardhead #1 Transformers Spotlight: Kup #1 Transformers Spotlight: Mirage #1 Transformers Spotlight: Optimus Prime #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ramjet #1 Transformers Spotlight: Sideswipe #1 Transformers Spotlight: Soundwave #1 Transformers Spotlight: Wheelie #1 |
| Transformers: Phase One Omnibus | Transformers: Devastation #1-6 Transformers: Escalation #1-6 Transformers: Infiltration #0, 1-6 |
| Transformers Spotlight Omnibus vol.1 | Transformers Spotlight: Arcee #1 Transformers Spotlight: Blaster #1 Transformers Spotlight Galvatron #1 Transformers Spotlight Grimlock #1 Transformers Spotlight: Hot Rod #1 Transformers Spotlight: Kup #1 Transformers Spotlight: Nightbeat #1 Transformers Spotlight: Optimus Prime #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ramjet #1 Transformers Spotlight: Shockwave #1 Transformers Spotlight: Sixshot #1 Transformers Spotlight: Soundwave #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus #1 |
| Transformers: The IDW Compendium vol.1 | Transformers: Escalation #1-6 Transformers: Infiltration #0, 1-6 Transformers: Megatron Origin #1-4 Transformers Spotlight: Blurr #1 Transformers Spotlight: Cliffjumper #1 Transformers Spotlight: Hot Rod #1 Transformers Spotlight: Kup #1 Transformers Spotlight: Mirage #1 Transformers Spotlight: Nightbeat #1 Transformers Spotlight: Optimus Prime #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ramjet #1 Transformers Spotlight: Shockwave #1 Transformers Spotlight: Sixshot #1 Transformers Spotlight: Soundwave #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus #1 Transformers: Stormbringer #1-4 |
| Transformers Spotlight vol.1 | Transformers Spotlight: Hot Rod #1 Transformers Spotlight: Nightbeat #1 Transformers Spotlight: Shockwave #1 Transformers Spotlight: Sixshot #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus #1 |
| Transformers Spotlight vol.2 | Transformers Spotlight: Galvatron #1 Transformers Spotlight: Kup #1 Transformers Spotlight: Optimus Prime #1 Transformers Spotlight: Ramjet #1 Transformers Spotlight: Soundwave #1 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Transformers: Greatest Battles of Optimus Prime and Megatron | Transformers: Escalation #5 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2024
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