List of Transformers UK comics

The Transformers (cover-titled simply Transformers from issue #200) was a comic published by Marvel UK for 332 issues, from 1984 to 1991. It consisted of re-printed material from the American Transformers comic, as well as original UK material. The format of the comic changed several times during its seven-year run.

Issues

No.	Title	Release date	ISBN
01 02	The Transformers	September 20, 1984 October 4, 1984	—
On the mechanical world of Cybertron, inhabited by gigantic transforming robots, a fierce civil war rages between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, respectively led by Optimus Prime and Megatron. Cybertron's orbit is disrupted by the war, and the Autobots eventually detect an asteroid belt that threatens to destroy their home. The Autobots build a spacecraft, the Ark , to clear the asteroids, but the Decepticons learn of the plan and force their way aboard the ship. With no other choice, Optimus crashes the Ark on a nearby planet and into a volcano, knocking all aboard offline. Four million years later, the volcano erupts and reactivates the Ark’s computer, which mistakes humanity's vehicles as the planet's dominant lifeforms and rebuilds the Autobots and Decepticons into Earth-based bodies. The Decepticons leave to search for energy while the Autobots start repairing the Ark; meanwhile, in the nearby city of Portland, the young human student Buster Witwicky heads to a drive-in movie theater with his friends. The Autobots investigate the drive-in and accidentally attract the Decepticons, who attack and injure Bumblebee, and both sides quickly realize that humans, not their vehicles, are Earth's dominant lifeform. A confused Buster drives the damaged Bumblebee back to his house, where he and his mechanic father Sparkplug are shocked to hear the seemingly normal car ask for help.
03 04	Power Play!	October 18, 1984 November 1, 1984	—
As the Decepticons attack a nuclear plant for energy, Bumblebee is repaired by Buster and Sparkplug and asks them to help the Autobots acquire fuel. Bumblebee explains his kind's history to Buster and his friends as the Decepticon spy Ravage listens in. At the Ark, the Autobots detect Bumblebee's distress signal and meet him at the Witwicky garage, where Sparkplug agrees to help Optimus convert human fuels into usable Cybertronian alternatives. However, the Decepticons attack and give Starscream the opportunity to kidnap Sparkplug, while the fuel-depleted Autobots are unable to pursue their enemies.
05 06	Prisoner of War!	November 17, 1984 December 1, 1984	—
Under duress from Megatron, Sparkplug agrees to help the Decepticons manufacture fuel out of human resources. The Autobots and Buster return to the Ark to plan a rescue, while the Decepticons begin stealing components necessary for Sparkplug's fuel conversion and attract worldwide attention. Among the reporters and military officials gathering outside the Decepticon base is photojournalist Peter Parker, who changes into his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as the Decepticons force the military to retreat. During the chaos, Spider-Man meets the Autobot Gears, and the two agree to infiltrate the fortress together and rescue Sparkplug while the other Autobots distract the Decepticons. They successfully retrieve Sparkplug and the Autobots return to base; Gears is repaired by Ratchet and informs the others that the Decepticons successfully completed the fuel conversion process thanks to Sparkplug.
07 08	The Last Stand	December 15, 1984 December 29, 1984	—
Several of the Autobots lash out at Sparkplug after learning he helped the Decepticons, and he tries to escape the Ark with Buster but suffers a heart attack. As Ratchet takes the two humans to the hospital, Huffer informs Optimus of a discovery he made within the ship's memory banks...shortly after the Ark crashed, the Decepticon Shockwave arrived on prehistoric Earth in pursuit. The ship's computer reactivated five Autobot warriors and modified their bodies to transform into dinosaurs, creating the Dinobots, who confronted Shockwave in the Savage Land. As contact with the Dinobots was lost immediately afterward, a probe is dispatched to search for the missing warriors as the other Autobots give their remaining fuel to Optimus, Huffer, Bluestreak, Ironhide, and Mirage. The Decepticons arrive at the Ark to destroy the Autobots, but they quickly collapse in agony as a hospitalized Sparkplug informs Buster that he had poisoned their new fuel source. Before the Autobots can celebrate their victory, however, they are all dispatched by Shockwave, whom the probe had accidentally reawakened.
09 10 11 12	Man of Iron	January 12, 1985 January 26, 1985 February 9, 1985 February 23, 1985	—
The Decepticon jets plant a probe beneath an ancient British castle while Sammy, the young son of the castle's curator, encounters Jazz in the woods. The terrified boy runs home and tells his father, who is reminded of an old legend of the Man of Iron. Supposedly, a giant metal man was sighted around the castle three times in the 11th century, and archival pictures of the Man of Iron bear a striking resemblance to Jazz. Mirage breaks into the castle that night to steal the Man of Iron pictures, while Jazz kidnaps Sammy and takes him to Optimus after fending off an attack from the Decepticon jets. Optimus informs Sammy that the Man of Iron is an ancient Autobot likely sent from Cybertron after the Ark crashed to find the missing Autobots. The Man of Iron reawakens and attacks the human military investigating the Decepticon sighting but is destroyed by Starscream. Jazz returns Sammy to his family as Optimus decides not to abandon Earth and orders the Man of Iron's ship completely destroyed to prevent any further attacks.
13 14 15 16 17	The Enemy Within!	March 9, 1985 March 23, 1985 April 6, 1985 April 20, 1985 May 4, 1985	—
Starscream plots to overthrow Megatron as leader of the Decepticons by inciting a battle between himself and the Autobots, forcing his comrades to come to his aid and witness his superior combat prowess. Ravage attempts to warn Megatron of the treachery, but Starscream shoots him and leaves him for dead. Aboard the Ark, Brawn is short-circuited by a piece of machinery and suddenly attacks Sideswipe before abandoning the Autobots. The other Decepticons discover the injured Ravage and furiously capture Starscream, while the malfunctioning Brawn attacks a local human town under the impression that their cars are enslaved Cybertronians. The Autobots manage to subdue Brawn thanks to Red Alert's intervention and bring him back to the Ark for repairs, and Megatron requests that the repaired Brawn fight Starscream to prove his continued worth to the Decepticons. Starscream seemingly kills Brawn, but Ravage shoots him down in revenge as Mirage reveals he had projected a holographic illusion of Brawn to fool the Decepticons. With Starscream's treachery eliminated for now, Megatron plans an all-out assault on the Ark.
18 19 20 21	Raiders of the Last Ark	May 18, 1985 June 1, 1985 June 15, 1985 June 29, 1985	—
The Decepticons attack the Ark, but even though Optimus rallies the Autobots against them, he fears the battle will be lost unless the ship's defense system can be reactivated. Optimus reboots the Ark’s computer system Auntie as Megatron attacks him, but Aunty is no longer able to distinguish friend from foe and immobilizes the Autobots and Decepticons alike. She orders Optimus and Megatron to plead their cases individually in order to help her decide which faction will be destroyed. Ravage and Windcharger use their magnetic powers to free themselves and reluctantly work together to bypass the Guardian defending Auntie's computer core as Optimus and Megatron realize the confused AI will likely destroy them all. As Megatron begins to charge his body with antimatter energy derived from a black hole, Ravage destroys the core and frees the Cybertronians while Windcharger uses his power to launch the supercharged Megatron out of the Ark.
22 23	The New Order	July 13, 1985 July 27, 1985	—
Shockwave has strung the defeated and disassembled Autobots from the Ark’s ceiling and plots to conquer the planet, unopposed by either Autobot or Decepticon. As the poisoned Decepticons recuperate, Shockwave informs Megatron that the Decepticons are now under his command and his ultimate objective is to build a new army for himself using the Creation Matrix within Optimus Prime's chest. Shockwave departs while Ratchet and Buster return to the Ark and find the Decepticons have taken over. Buster sneaks inside and discovers the disassembled Autobots and Optimus' disembodied head, who informs Buster that he is their last hope.
24 25	The Worse of Two Evils!	August 10, 1985 August 24, 1985	—
Shockwave singlehandedly conquers a high-tech oil rig owned by industrialist G.B. Blackrock, severely injuring its principal electronics designer Josie Beller, while Buster is electrocuted attempting to repair Optimus and returns to Ratchet outside. A furious Megatron breaks free from his repair systems and attacks Shockwave when he claims control of the Decepticons, but Shockwave quickly defeats him in his weakened state. Ratchet and Buster hide outside the Ark and watch in horror as Shockwave throws Megatron's broken body in front of the other Decepticons and forces them to swear loyalty to him.
26	Warrior School!	September 7, 1985	—
Buster begins suffering severe head pains after his experience with Optimus and is returned home by a group of human campers while Ratchet sneaks inside the Ark. Decepticon spymaster Soundwave conquers a Blackrock Enterprises-owned aerospace plant, also designed by the now-hospitalized Josie Beller, as Optimus' head encourages the reluctant Ratchet to fight and defeat Megatron. Under intense pressure to maintain Sparkplug's car repair business while he recuperates from his heart attack, Buster snaps at his friends and experiences another bout of head pain that causes several nearby objects to levitate. Ratchet is quickly defeated by Megatron but soon discovers he has lost command of the Decepticons and proposes a deal with him: if Ratchet can defeat Shockwave, Megatron must abandon the Ark and the defeated Autobots, but if not, then Megatron can destroy him. Understanding that he benefits either way, Megatron agrees to Ratchet's deal.
27 28	Repeat Performance!	September 14, 1985 September 21, 1985	—
Ratchet travels to the Savage Land to find the Dinobots and soon excavates the entombed Slag, who recognizes a fellow Autobot and quickly agrees to help destroy Shockwave. Megatron reluctantly brings Optimus' head to the Blackrock aerospace plant on Shockwave's orders, who prepares to build a new generation of Decepticons using the Autobot leader's Creation Matrix. Megatron attempts to double-cross Ratchet but is instead ambushed by the Dinobots and sent careening over the edge of a cliff. Meanwhile, Josie Beller destroys her hospital television with strange circuit-like strips embedded into her arm.
29 30	Decepticon Dam-Busters!	September 28, 1985 October 5, 1985	—
Ratchet and the Dinobots begin walking back to the Ark after defeating Megatron, and the Autobot medic tells Grimlock a story about why humans fear their kind regardless of faction. The story concerns the Decepticons' prior attack on Sherman Dam; Soundwave had determined that the Decepticons could convert electrical power into usable fuel, and Megatron ordered Rumble to use his piledrivers to create a tidal wave and push the dam's hydroelectric power output to maximum. As the Autobots arrived in response and Hound dove underwater to stop Rumble, Optimus engaged Megatron in a fierce duel atop the dam. However, Optimus was knocked off the dam when Rumble threw Hound out of the river, and Megatron destroyed the dam to cover the Decepticons' escape. The Autobots split up and evacuated a nearby village from the raging tidal wave while Bumblebee and Ironhide diverted the water flow away from the human settlement. However, the villagers were unable to recognize the difference between Autobot and Deception and angrily forced them to leave, believing the Autobots were the cause of the destruction. Both Josie Beller and G.B. Blackrock plan vengeance against the Cybertronians while Ratchet and the Dinobots are attacked by the repaired Guardian robot upon their return to the Ark, reprogrammed by Shockwave.
31	The Wrath of Guardian!	October 12, 1985	—
The Guardian dispatches Swoop but flees into the depths of the Ark before the Dinobots can retaliate. Grimlock tries to order Ratchet to repair Swoop, but the Autobot medic scolds him that he has many more patients to fix than just one Dinobot. At the Blackrock aerospace plant, Shockwave uses the lingering power of the Creation Matrix within Optimus' head to bring six new Decepticon brain modules to life. However, Shockwave is unaware that Optimus transferred the Matrix's full power into Buster to keep it safe, who experiences another headache and somehow fixes a broken tape deck without noticing. Ratchet brings Prowl and Wheeljack online, and the latter scans the Ark only to discover that a thermonuclear bomb is loose somewhere within the ship. The Dinobots ambush the Guardian as Wheeljack realizes that the Guardian is the bomb, and Grimlock prepares to inadvertently destroy themselves, the Ark, and the volcano.
32	The Wrath of Grimlock!	October 19, 1985	—
Wheeljack takes remote control of Optimus' headless body and stops Grimlock from killing them all. However, the Guardian escapes in the commotion and Grimlock loses his hand, humiliating him in front of the other Dinobots. He angrily punches Ratchet after his hand is reattached and stalks off while the Guardian activates a self-destruct sequence installed by Shockwave and Soundwave in the event too many Autobots are reactivated. Ratchet finally repairs Swoop as the Guardian attacks the medical bay; Swoop learns about the nuclear bomb and flies the Guardian outside just as it explodes, seemingly sacrificing himself. The active Autobots mourn Swoop as the remaining Dinobots leave the Ark, and Josie Beller completes her revenge preparations.
33 34	DIS-Integrated Circuits!	October 26, 1985 November 2, 1985	—
G.B. Blackrock unveils a new secret weapon designed to destroy Cybertronians to military officials and confronts Josie Beller, who escaped from her hospital room and constructed a metal suit for her damaged nervous system that can attack any mechanical object, now calling herself Circuit Breaker. The Autobots are restored under Prowl's leadership, and Jazz and Wheeljack convince Blackrock to accept their protection from the Decepticons in exchange for fuel. As Starscream plots mutiny while he and Frenzy are sent to destroy Blackrock's new weapon, Buster inexplicably gains the knowledge on how to fix a customer's engine block. Blackrock's public unveiling is sabotaged by Circuit Breaker, who intends to supersede his secret weapon as an anti-Cybertronian weapon herself, but the Decepticons attack the presentation. Circuit Breaker manages to drive them away with help from Jazz and Wheeljack but severely injures the two Autobots, and she cuts ties with Blackrock before fleeing.
35 36	The Next Best Thing to Being There!	November 9, 1985 November 16, 1985	—
The first six Decepticons of Shockwave's new army, the Constructicons, are sent with Soundwave to build a communications array powerful enough to contact Cybertron. Blackrock offers the Autobots a way to spy on the Decepticons through bugged telephone wires, but Bumblebee interrupts the conversation to report that the Constructicons have left the aerospace plant. Prowl sends reinforcements to intercept the Constructicons as Sparkplug returns home to discover Buster's inexplicable new affinity for mechanics; neither realizes that the true reason behind the young human's strange new abilities is because Optimus secretly transferred the Creation Matrix into Buster's mind to keep it safe from Shockwave. The Autobots find the Decepticons and the communications array thanks to a human trucker but are caught unawares by the Constructicons' ability to combine into the gigantic behemoth Devastator. Soundwave takes advantage of Huffer's hesitation to destroy the array and sends a signal to Cybertron, but the trucker destroys the machine before the message can be fully sent. At the aerospace plant, Shockwave realizes that Optimus no longer has the Matrix's power when he fails to bring the Decepticon jet Jetfire to life, and he decides to kill him as the other Autobots listen in from the Ark.
37 38	Brainstorm!	November 23, 1985 November 30, 1985	—
Still confused by his new powers, Buster resolves to keep them a secret from Sparkplug and makes amends with his friends. Shockwave discovers that Buster infiltrated the Ark by reviewing Rumble's memories and determines that Optimus must have transferred the Matrix to him. However, he is unaware the Autobots also overheard his deduction, and Bumblebee and Bluestreak are sent to protect Buster. They trick a resentful Sparkplug into leading them to Buster, but the Decepticon spy Laserbeak transmits their location to Shockwave, who programs the non-sentient Jetfire to retrieve the boy. Bumblebee and Sparkplug convince Buster to use his powers to disassemble Jetfire, who then repairs and reprograms him to help the Autobots rescue Optimus from Shockwave.
39 40	Prime Time!	December 7, 1985 December 14, 1985	—
Buster orders Jetfire to take him to the Blackrock aerospace plant, but they are intercepted by military fighters and Buster loses consciousness during Jetfire's evasive maneuvers. Without the Creation Matrix's influence, Jetfire reverts to his original programming and delivers Buster to Shockwave. An Autobot team brings Optimus' headless body to the aerospace plant, unaware that Soundwave discovered Blackrock's listening device, and Shockwave lures them into a trap by commanding Jetfire to dispose of Optimus' head in a nearby swamp. Unaware that the head is a Decepticon-controlled fake, the Autobots save it and reattach it to Optimus' body, which then attacks and cuts down many of the unsuspecting Autobots alongside Soundwave and his minions. Buster awakens, retakes command of Jetfire, and orders him to dispatch Shockwave and bring Optimus' real head to the swamp, who takes remote control of his body and replaces the fake head with his own. Now fully restored, Optimus defeats Soundwave and Shockwave, leaving the latter to sink into the depths of the swamp in favor of saving Buster. Optimus transfers the Creation Matrix back into himself and worries that further human lives will be endangered because of the Autobots and Decepticons.
41	Christmas Breaker!	December 21, 1985	—
Circuit Breaker learns about the Decepticon takeover of the Blackrock aerospace plant as the Autobots decorate the Ark for Christmas per Buster's request. While some of the Autobots enjoy the celebrations (including Optimus dressed as Santa Claus), Prowl and Jazz believe the whole affair is a waste of time. Jazz agrees to help Buster finish delivering Sparkplug's Christmas presents, but he spins out on the icy roads. Circuit Breaker saves a young girl from falling into a frozen lake, but the onlookers ostracize her as a freak for her altered appearance. Enraged, she flees and finds the crashed Jazz and Buster; believing that the Autobot intentionally harmed Buster, she prepares to destroy Jazz, but Buster's pleas and the sound of church bells signifying the start of Christmas Day convinces her to leave them alone.
42 43 44	Crisis of Command!	December 28, 1985 January 4, 1986 January 11, 1986	—
A group of Autobots led by Prowl requests that Optimus use the Matrix to create an army of super-warriors to defeat the Decepticons. The debate, and Optimus' subsequent refusal to corrupt the Matrix's power, incites tensions among the Ark’s crew regarding their leader's fitness to command, exacerbated by the recent string of defeats at Shockwave's hand. Ravage infiltrates the Ark and deliberately gets himself captured in order to escape and further demoralize Optimus. Bumblebee attempts to recapture Ravage himself but is ambushed by the Decepticons, who capture him and send Laserbeak to inform Optimus. Spurred into action, Optimus storms the Decepticon fortress alone and defeats Soundwave's forces to rescue Bumblebee; upon returning to the Ark, he gives the Autobots an impassioned speech that convinces them to continue following his command and accept his judgment regarding the Matrix.
45 46	The Icarus Theory!	January 18, 1986 January 25, 1986	—
A human robotics professor named Professor Morris is convinced that the Cybertronians are actually lifeless automatons controlled by G.B. Blackrock, but he is laughed away after requesting funding to build a neural relay link to take remote command of the robots. A discouraged Morris goes fishing to relieve his anger and stress but accidentally reels in the deactivated body of the Dinobot Swoop, thought to have been destroyed by the Guardian's nuclear bomb. Morris finishes his neural relay link and takes control of Swoop's body but accidentally uses him to kill a security guard who catches him in the laboratory after hours. A guilty Morris decides to commit to his plan of destroying what he considers to be Blackrock's robots and sends Swoop to attack the Ark, where Optimus recognizes an outside force is controlling the Dinobot. Drawing on his past experience commanding Swoop on Cybertron and his distaste for following orders, Optimus reactivates Swoop's mind and helps him break free of Morris' control. A vengeful Swoop leaves to kill Morris but decides to spare him after seeing his regret over killing the guard and assuming the Cybertronians were inferior to humans. The other Autobots arrive and send Morris into human custody just as Swoop goes berserk again; back at the Ark, Ratchet concludes the millions of years Swoop spent entombed in the Savage Land has damaged his mind. Although the issue is easily fixed, a panicked Optimus informs the Autobots that there are four other Dinobots somewhere on Earth who have likely also gone berserk.
47 48 49 50	Dinobot Hunt!	February 1, 1986 February 8, 1986 February 15, 1986 February 22, 1986	—
The Autobots split into team to find and subdue the Dinobots, who have reverted to their primal instincts and begun rampaging across the United States. Mirage, Brawn, and Trailbreaker find Snarl attacking a covert army base in the Nevadan desert, and the commander detonates an experimental bomb to stop the Dinobot, witnessed from afar by Laserbeak. Windcharger, Gears, and Cliffjumper search the California swamps for Sludge, who has already been found and pacified by a human reporter named Joy Meadows. The Autobots are attacked by human police, but they, Sludge, and Meadows are disabled and captured by Soundwave, Skywarp, and Scavenger. On a cattle ranch in Idaho, Ironhide, Jetfire, and Jazz work with the ranchers to subdue the rampaging Slag; the bickering Ironhide and Jetfire discover Laserbeak spying on them and stuff him into Slag's mouth, knocking both unconscious. The Decepticons find Grimlock before the Autobots and send a mind-controlled Sludge to attack him, and their battle devastates a small Canadian mining town. Sideswipe, Huffer, and Bluestreak are caught in the crossfire and manage to send a distress signal to the Ark, and Optimus leads Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Prowl to contain the situation. Optimus and Prowl manage to subdue Grimlock and Bumblebee destroys the hidden mind-control device, deactivating Sludge. However, the Decepticons used the distraction to successfully steal a large amount of energy from an oil rig.
51 52	Shooting Star	March 1, 1986 March 8, 1986	—
While fleeing from two hulking thugs, small-time crook Joey Slick finds a strange gun that responds to the thugs' sarcastic taunts and instantly kills them. Joey soon discovers that the gun is Megatron, whose higher brain functions were disconnected during his battle with Ratchet and the Dinobots and obeys Joey's every command without question. Joey uses Megatron's incredible firepower to wage a one-man crime spree and quickly amasses vast power and wealth, but soon realizes he does not want to be revered and feared as he is now. No longer scared of others, Joey blasts his way into the compound of crime lord Jake Lomax, who originally sent the thugs after him for an unpaid debt, and punches the mobster out. In doing so, he accidentally restores Megatron but stands unafraid before the furious Decepticon; impressed with the tiny human's bravery, Megatron spares him and leaves to rejoin the Decepticons as Joey turns himself over to the police.
53 54	Rock and Roll-Out!	March 15, 1986 March 22, 1986	—
Optimus formally inducts Jetfire into the Autobots as Ratchet struggles to repair the large group of Autobots damaged in the assault on the Blackrock aerospace plant. To bolster their depleted forces, Optimus reactivates the minds of five more Autobots stored within the Ark – Grapple, Hoist, Skids, Smokescreen, and Tracks, – and has Wheeljack implant them into new Earth bodies. Optimus requests Grapple's help on a secret project as Bumblebee leads the other new Autobots on a drive around their new home. Meanwhile, Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker are trapped on Blackrock's oil rig by a human naval fleet but are unexpectedly rescued by Shockwave, who demonstrates a new power siphon that can convert any form of energy into Cybertronian energon cubes. Blackrock relays this new information to the Autobots as the Decepticons escape, and Skids realizes they are planning to attack an upcoming concert to steal its sonic energy. Blackrock is summoned to the White House to help create a cover story for the existence of giant alien robots and prevent public hysteria while Bumblebee and the new Autobots attack the Decepticons at the concert. The Autobots stop Shockwave from stealing the concert's energy and incinerating the audience, and Optimus commends them for doing the right thing despite disobeying orders.
55 56	I, Robot-Master!	March 29, 1986 April 5, 1986	—
Megatron runs out of fuel and deactivates inside a coal mine, which unwittingly forces the government agents tasked with covering up the existence of the Cybertronians to accelerate their timetables. One of the agents, Walter Barnett, is inspired by his son's comic book to invent a fictitious supervillain named the "Robot-Master" as the secret mastermind behind the giant robots. Barnett convinces the comic book's original author Donny Finkleberg, recently laid off from his job at Marvel Comics, to play the role of the Robot-Master on live TV, which greatly confuses the Autobots and alerts Soundwave to the unconscious Megatron's location. Inspired by the Robot-Master broadcasts, the military attacks the Autobots, inadvertently giving Soundwave and his minions the opportunity to restore Megatron. Finkleberg is nearly executed by Megatron in the resulting battle, but he convinces the Decepticons to spare him in exchange for further Robot-Master broadcasts denouncing the Autobots. Although Megatron is reluctant to even pretend to submit to a human's control, Soundwave pressures him into agreeing.
57 58	Plight of the Bumblebee!	April 12, 1986 April 19, 1986	—
Starscream, Skywarp, and Buzzsaw are sent by Shockwave to capture Bumblebee so he can test an electro-calcinator module on him capable of controlling his movements. Feeling useless following their previous battle and believing the Autobots would be better off without him, Bumblebee leaves the Ark and is quickly ambushed and damaged by Shockwave's Decepticons. He manages to evade them by hiding inside an auto dealership, but two teenagers break in later that night and steal Bumblebee, inadvertently overriding his motor functions and allowing the Decepticons to track him again. The teens enter Bumblebee into a street race and repair his damaged engine, but the Decepticons attack and incite a high-speed chase between themselves, Bumblebee, and the military. Just as Bumblebee prepares to make a last stand to defend himself and the teens, the Autobots arrive and force the Decepticons to retreat, convincing Bumblebee that they do care about him.
59 60	Robot Buster!	April 26, 1986 May 3, 1986	—
Wheeljack and Ratchet demonstrate their newest invention to Optimus, a large robotic battlesuit for Buster to use in combat, and the horrified Autobot leader orders the project shut down to keep Buster safe. To prove his worth and the suit's viability, Buster steals the prototype and sneaks into the Decepticons' old base, where he finds an irritable Frenzy undertaking a routine salvage mission on Shockwave's orders. Buster attacks Frenzy and manages to defeat him through sheer luck but is caught by Shockwave before he can return to the Ark. Buster spends much of the night fleeing Shockwave and accidentally causes the normally-logical and emotionless Decepticon to snap in rage; Buster attempts to modify the suit to destroy Shockwave but ruins it instead. Shockwave captures Buster but is confronted by Optimus, and he agrees to return Buster to the Autobots in exchange for leaving peacefully, now understanding that the friendship between Buster and the Autobots is a weakness he can exploit.
61 62	Devastation Derby!	May 10, 1986 May 17, 1986	—
Shockwave orders Soundwave and the Constructicons to capture Buster, who awakens that night from a vivid nightmare to find he has drawn the image of an unfamiliar Cybertronian on his door. Buster reluctantly attends a demolition derby with his girlfriend Jessie, and Sparkplug brings the door to the Autobots, who identify the mystery robot as a yet-unknown combiner – the combined form of a team of Cybertronian warriors like the Constructicons. A wary Optimus orders a squad of Autobots to accompany the Witwickys to the demolition derby, where the Constructicons arrive and cause Buster to pass out. In the chaos caused by the Autobots' battle with Devastator, Soundwave finds Buster first and reads his mind, but what he sees causes him to apologize to the Autobots and retreat with the Constructicons. Confused, the Autobots summon Ratchet to transport Buster back to the Ark as he begins to suffer another nightmare while Soundwave explains to a furious Shockwave that he saw a vision in Buster's mind from the Creation Matrix that detailed the future of the Cybertronian race.
63 64 65	Second Generation!	May 24, 1986 May 31, 1986 June 7, 1986	—
Buster awakens from the nightmare to find himself surrounded by the Autobots, where Optimus explains his theory that his dreams are messages sent by the Matrix. Buster agrees to allow Optimus access to his mind while Shockwave remotely taps into his thoughts as well. Together, Optimus and the Decepticons watch a battle unfold between four new combiners: the Autobot giants Defensor and Superion, the combined forms of the Protectobots and Aerialbots, versus the Decepticon titans Bruticus and Menasor, composed of the Combaticons and Stunticons. Soundwave secretly reports the forthcoming existence of the new combiners to Megatron, who resolves to take back leadership of the Decepticons from Shockwave once and for all. Donny Finkleberg broadcasts the duel live under his Robot-Master persona, but the Autobots elect to ignore them in favor of acting on Buster's vision and beginning work on the Protectobots and Aerialbots. Soundwave quickly realizes that Megatron and Shockwave are so evenly matched that neither of them can win against the other, and instead proposes that they lead the Decepticons together. The two erstwhile leaders reluctantly agree to the joint leadership as the interstellar transmission Soundwave previously sent finally reaches Cybertron.
66 67	The Smelting Pool!	June 14, 1986 June 21, 1986	—
Within the war-torn ruins of Cybertron, controlled by ruthless Decepticon warlords, the Autobot spy Scrounge infiltrates the Decepticon fortress Darkmount to retrieve a kidnapped Neutral engineer named Spanner. Instead, Scrounge discovers that the Decepticons recently received a coded interstellar transmission of extreme importance and abducted Spanner to translate it. He attempts to copy the message and escape but is captured by Shrapnel before he can pass it to his partner Blaster. Scrounge is brought before Darkmount's Lord High Governor Straxus for interrogation while Blaster convinces the other Autobots in his resistance cell, led by Perceptor, to mount a rescue mission. Blaster breaks into Darkmount alone and allows himself to be captured, and Straxus orders Blaster to be dumped into the smelting pool. As Blaster finds the half-melted Scrounge and reluctantly sacrifices his friend for the coded message, the other Autobots arrive and help Blaster escape. They decode the message and learn that Optimus Prime and a small contingent of Autobots are alive on an alien world called Earth, filling the team with newfound hope.
68 69	The Bridge to Nowhere!	June 28, 1986 July 5, 1986	—
A young human couple witnesses half of a strange suspension bridge materialize out of thin air, which produces a giant metal creature that promptly explodes before both vanish as quickly as they arrived. The humans flee, unaware that they witnessed the failed test of a Decepticon space bridge designed by Spanner capable of traveling between Earth and Cybertron. A furious Straxus orders the space bridge shut down for repairs, giving Blaster and the other Autobots in Perceptor's resistance cell the opportunity to attack the bridge. At the Decepticon-held coal mine, Megatron's irritation over the imprisoned Donny Finkleberg's complaints is interrupted when Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp return with Shockwave. The two commanders' bickering is interrupted by a transmission from Straxus regarding the space bridge's forthcoming activation. Perceptor's Autobots attack Darkmount and give Blaster the opportunity to wire the space bridge to explode, but he hesitates after discovering the Decepticons mutilated Spanner and incorporated his broken body into the machine. The space bridge is activated and Blaster tricks Straxus into rupturing the main fuel line, destroying both him and the space bridge and stranding Perceptor's remaining Autobots on Earth.
70 71	Command Performances!	July 12, 1986 July 19, 1986	—
Optimus presents the results of Grapple's secret project to the assembled Autobot forces: a titanic warrior named Omega Supreme, brought to life by the Creation Matrix and tasked with guarding the Ark. The Autobots attack the Decepticon base in order to lure out Devastator and duplicate the technology the Constructicons use to combine, but the Dinobots refuse to participate in the false mission and depart the Ark for the wilderness. Megatron leads Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Laserbeak, Rumble, Buzzsaw, and Frenzy in a counterattack on the Ark after assuming the Autobot attack depleted the base's personnel. However, they are soundly defeated by Omega Supreme, and only Megatron and Laserbeak escape with their lives. Shockwave orders the Constructicons to combine into Devastator as the Autobots retreat and Finkleberg mounts an escape attempt, but Skids is knocked into a gorge and seemingly killed. Megatron and Shockwave berate each other for their respective failures, and Shockwave reluctantly cedes command of the Decepticons back to Megatron upon being convinced that his defeat was more significant than the latter's failed attack on the Ark.
72 73	Showdown!	June 26, 1986 August 2, 1986	—
Ravage pursues the recently escaped Finkleberg, who manages to evade the Decepticon spy long enough to find the Autobots and warn them of the space bridge's activation. A human cowgirl named Charlene finds Skids' wrecked form and convinces her coworker Wendell to repair him. Skids is forced to reveal his Cybertronian nature to Charlene to escape an angry motorist, and she agrees to keep him as her car after learning he no longer wishes to fight in the Autobot-Decepticon war. The two bond over the next few days as they explore the natural beauty of Earth together, but Finkleberg recognizes Skids as an Autobot and accidentally leads Ravage to their location. Skids manages to escape with Charlene and Finkleberg to a deserted mine but is knocked unconscious by the angry motorist, who later attacks Ravage and gives Skids enough time to recover and throw Ravage down a mineshaft. His faith in the Autobot cause restored, Skids reluctantly resolves to say goodbye to Charlene and return to the Ark with Finkleberg once his wounds have healed.
74 75 76 77	In the National Interest!	August 9, 1986 August 16, 1986 August 23, 1986 August 30, 1986	—
Reporter Joy Meadows announces her plan to expose Robot-Master as a fraud on live television, attracting both the nefarious attention of Triple-I, the secret government organization behind the hoax, and the lovesick admiration of Sludge, who convinces the other Dinobots to help her. Swoop saves Joy and her film crew from an ambush by Triple-I mercenaries as his old foe Professor Morris is kidnapped by Triple-I to finish work on Centurion, a man-made robot designed to destroy Cybertronians. The Dinobots inform Joy of the history of the Cybertronian civil war on Earth and she agrees to interview them for her Robot-Master exposé. However, her subsequent phone call to her film crew alerts Megatron and Triple-I to their location; the latter forces Morris to send Centurion into battle against the Decepticons when they ambush the Dinobots and humans. Megatron quickly defeats Centurion and gives Swoop an opportunity to flee with Joy's film crew, while Morris recognizes the Dinobot and seals himself inside the Triple-I bunker to help the Dinobots stop the secret organization. The Decepticons ambush the Dinobots once again, and Soundwave forces Joy's film crew to destroy all evidence regarding the Robot-Master hoax. The battered Dinobots reluctantly allow them to leave while Triple-I fails to dissuade Morris from interfering with their plans further.
78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88	Target: 2006	September 6, 1986 September 13, 1986 September 20, 1986 September 27, 1986 October 4, 1986 October 11, 1986 October 18, 1986 October 25, 1986 November 1, 1986 November 8, 1986 November 15, 1986	—
Optimus and Prowl track down the Dinobots, but they formally secede from the Autobots and send Optimus into a frustrated rage. On Cybertron, Autobot resistance leader Emirate Xaaron meets with Impactor, commander of the Autobot commando unit the Wreckers, regarding the status of the upcoming Operation: Volcano, a phony gathering of the Autobot leadership designed to lure the Decepticon forces into a massive ambush. The Wreckers ensure that the Decepticons learn of the Volcano meeting, while on Earth, Optimus, Prowl, and Ratchet suddenly vanish. The Autobots on Earth and Cybertron believe their leader is dead as three mysterious Decepticons known as Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge arrive in search of Megatron. Jazz assumes command of the Autobots and leads a stealth mission to the Decepticon base, where they watch as Galvatron reveals himself to be the Decepticon leader of 2006, twenty years in the future. When Galvatron requests the temporary services of the Constructicons, Megatron shoots him, and Galvatron prevents Cyclonus and Scourge from killing him, instead collapsing a rock wall on Megatron and Soundwave. The Autobots split up to continue investigating while Xaaron decides to send the newest Autobot supersoldier Ultra Magnus to Earth instead of preparing him for Operation: Volcano. Jazz and Hound watch as the Constructicons begin building a mysterious solar-powered structure with enough power to destroy a planet, and they are ambushed and taken out by Cyclonus. Ultra Magnus arrives on Earth using a prototype Autobot space bridge and, with only five days until Operation: Volcano commences, begins his work by rescuing Hound from Cyclonus and returning him to the Ark. The Autobots' deliberations over what to do next are interrupted by a communication from Galvatron, who taunts them with Jazz's broken body and invites them to come and retrieve him. Magnus refuses to come along on the rescue mission, citing Optimus' disappearance as a more important matter, and the Autobots are subsequently overpowered and beaten down by Galvatron's immense strength and nigh-invulnerability. With no other option, Ironhide digs Megatron out from under the rubble and requests his help fighting Galvatron, while the Wreckers conclude that Operation: Volcano is a suicide mission without Magnus' help. Several of the depressed Wreckers regain their fighting spirit during a bar brawl with Decepticon bullies, while Xaaron convinces Impactor to continue preparations for Volcano despite Magnus' absence. Aboard the Ark, Starscream awakens from stasis and frees Thundercracker and Frenzy, but he is soon distracted by the sight of the alliance between Megatron and the Autobots. Intrigued by Galvatron's power, Starscream slips away to ally with the future Decepticons as Magnus reacts with disapproval to the alliance but acknowledges that they do not have another option. Under Megatron's leadership, the Autobots ambush Scourge and take him prisoner, while Galvatron informs the broken Jazz that he is not merely cruel like Megatron – he is Megatron! As the Autobot Triple Changers Springer, Sandstorm, and Broadside join Operation: Volcano to replace Magnus, Galvatron explains his origins to the horrified Jazz: twenty years in the future, Megatron and Optimus Prime will be mortally wounded in their final battle, and Starscream will jettison the dying Megatron into space, where he will be found by the monster planet Unicron. Unicron will enslave Megatron and use his vast cosmic powers to reformat him into Galvatron, who will then travel back to 1986 to evade his master's influence and build a weapon powerful enough to destroy him. As Cyclonus informs Galvatron of the alliance between Megatron and the Autobots, Shockwave, Thundercracker, and Frenzy also disappear as three more time-travelers appear from the future of 2006: the Autobots Hot Rod, Kup, and Blurr. To test his new superweapon, Galvatron destroys the Decepticons' old space cruiser and gloats with Cyclonus about the delicious irony in allying with Starscream – since Galvatron will kill Starscream shortly after his reformatting in 2006. The future Autobots meet Magnus and explain that time travelers must displace another being of comparable mass into an interdimensional limbo realm to safely arrive, and Magnus concludes that the future Decepticons must return to 2006 in order to save Optimus. The Autobots meet with Galvatron to exchange Scourge for Jazz while Megatron and Soundwave sneak into their camp to see the superweapon and round up the Constructicons. They try to attack Cyclonus, but Starscream ambushes them instead while Galvatron surprises the Autobots by remote-controlling Jazz's body to dispatch them all. Galvatron returns to the superweapon only to be confronted by Ultra Magnus; the two engage one another in a fierce battle while Hot Rod, Kup, and Blurr prepare a plan to send the future Decepticons back to 2006. As Galvatron eventually triumphs over Magnus and brings him back to the camp, the future Autobots repaint the deactivated Skywarp to look like Starscream, rig the superweapon to explode, and hide the unconscious bodies of Cyclonus, Scourge, and the real Starscream. Although both Magnus and the other Autobots nearly ruin the plan by moving into range of the explosives, Galvatron falls for the ruse and destroys Skywarp. Because Starscream is responsible for Galvatron's creation in the future of 2006 and does not die until then, Galvatron concludes he has, in fact, traveled into an alternate timeline where his actions will not impact history. He quietly retrieves Cyclonus and Scourge and transports them back to 2006. The future Autobots also leave 1986, unaware that they were actually working under the control of Unicron, who sent them back in time to foil Galvatron's plan and erased all memory of the journey upon their return. As Unicron leaves a subliminal suggestion to build an "Autobot City" in Smokescreen's mind, Magnus suddenly remembers Operation: Volcano and leaves Earth without waiting for Optimus to reappear from Limbo. However, the Decepticons never actually attacked Xaaron's fake meeting: Megatron had ordered all operations ceased in favor of repairing the space bridge after Galvatron's return to 2006. One Decepticon thug disobeys the order to retreat in favor of killing Xaaron, and Impactor sacrifices himself to save the Autobot leader, naming Springer the new leader of the Wreckers before dying. Optimus, Prowl, and Ratchet return from Limbo and give an inspirational speech to the battered Autobots, encouraging them to continue fighting against the Decepticons no matter the cost.
89 90	Aerialbots over America!	November 22, 1986 November 29, 1986	—
The Decepticons on Cybertron repair the space bridge and send the Insecticons to reinforce Megatron, who rebuilds them with native alternate modes. Bombshell takes mental control of a human engineer working at the Hoover Dam power plant, who smuggles Megatron inside and takes the plant's workers hostages. Skids and Donny Finkleberg report the appearance of more Autobots via the space bridge at the Ark, and Optimus tasks Jetfire with verifying Finkleberg's claims before sending the newly-finished Aerialbots to the power plant. The Decepticons reopen the space bridge at the power plant and send Ramjet, Thrust, and Dirge over with a massive drill and pipeline to transfer the plant's energy back to Cybertron. The Aerialbots arrive and combine into Superion, who destroys the drill but nearly kills the mind-controlled engineer wielding Megatron's gun form. The engineer's young daughter gives him the strength to resist Bombshell's control and shut down the space bridge. The Aerialbots decombine and retreat, unaware that Bombshell hitched a ride on Silverbolt's wing, as Jetfire finds evidence that more Autobots are indeed on Earth. However, both he and Finkleberg fail to realize that the new arrivals have been captured and disassembled by a secret anti-Cybertronian government task force known as RAAT and their leader, Circuit Breaker.
91 92	Heavy Traffic!	December 6, 1986 December 13, 1986	—
At RAAT headquarters, a concerned Walter Barnett debriefs Circuit Breaker regarding the force used on the captured Autobots as Bombshell infiltrates the Ark. He attempts to mentally control Optimus Prime but can only read the Autobot leader's thoughts, allowing the Decepticons to eavesdrop on Skids and Finkleberg's assignment to find the missing Autobots. Megatron siphons off some of the Creation Matrix's energy from Optimus via Bombshell and uses it to bring the Stunticons to life. Skids and Finkleberg attract the attention of RAAT and Circuit Breaker, who disregards Barnett's suspicions that not all the giant robots are evil and leaves to capture them. RAAT forces eventually track down Skids, Finkleberg, and the recently-arrived Aerialbots, but the Stunticons arrive and trick them into attacking. The Aerialbots merge into Superion, and the Stunticons combine into Menasor in response. As the two titans fight, Skids and Finkleberg escape while Circuit Breaker incapacitates Superion and is saved from Menasor by Barnett. Later that night, Finkleberg secretly calls Barnett and offers to betray Skids in exchange for money.
93	The Gift	December 20, 1986	—
Buster Witwicky's holiday studying is interrupted by Jetfire, who is feeling insecure and requires advice on how to deal with problems among his fellow Autobots. Buster agrees to help, and Jetfire tells him how shortly after Galvatron's return to 2006, Prowl and Trailbreaker responded to a Decepticon takeover of a NASA facility. Prowl summoned Jetfire for backup to stop Soundwave from using the facility's radio telescope to send a message to Cybertron, but Jetfire made a snap decision to help his comrades and allowed the Decepticons to escape, earning Prowl's ire. Later, Jetfire and Jazz were ambushed by Decepticons while receiving a shipment of fuel from G.B. Blackrock, and Jetfire made another snap decision to stop a chemical fire from burning out of control and spreading pollution among the human airspace. Jetfire admits to Buster that he might subconsciously value a human's life more than an Autobot's since he was constructed on Earth, but Buster affirms the Autobots' belief in him through his commitment to life, dissuading Jetfire's doubts.
94 95	Decepticon Graffiti!	December 27, 1986 January 3, 1987	—
Skids is taken captive by RAAT and dissected by Circuit Breaker as Megatron summons the Battlechargers, Runabout and Runamuck, from Cybertron to challenge Optimus to a duel to the death in his stead. The Battlechargers are unimpressed with Megatron's leadership and decide instead to spray graffiti on national monuments across the United States. RAAT takes notice and eventually catches the two Decepticons at Independence Hall, but Circuit Breaker is injured while saving a young human from the crossfire. Finkleberg suggests she reactivate the captured Autobots as the Battlechargers vandalize the Statue of Liberty, but RAAT is unable to repair the Autobots in time, so Circuit Breaker combines their parts into a giant power suit to destroy the Battlechargers. As part of their agreement, Circuit Breaker repairs and releases all the Autobots, and she and Finkleberg are fired from RAAT for their insubordination.
96 97	Prey!	January 10, 1987 January 17, 1987	—
After reviewing the Autobots' conduct during Galvatron's time-traveling incursion, specifically their desperate alliance with Megatron, Optimus worries that the Autobots are unable to function without him as their leader. Shockwave suggests to an increasingly paranoid Megatron that he summon the Predacons, the best hunters in the Decepticon army, to Earth in order to hunt down Optimus. As Shockwave relays his own orders to the Predacons, Optimus leaves the Ark with one of Wheeljack's inventions stored in his trailer; although their plan is to stage a dangerous situation to test the Autobots, Optimus suddenly finds himself in actual danger when Megatron and the Predacons ambush him. Although the Autobot leader tries to fight them off, he is overpowered when the Predacons merge into their combined form Predaking. Acting on Shockwave's instructions, the Predacons decombine and leap to attack Optimus, and the oblivious Autobots are horrified to later stumble upon their leader's mutilated body.
98	...The Harder They Die!	January 24, 1987	—
(Note: the events in this issue are originally presented in a non-chronological order; this summary rearranges them for clarity.) As Optimus prepares to be attacked by the Predacons, he and Megatron are shocked when they instead ignore him, steal the Decepticon leader's fusion cannon, and retreat into the woods. Understanding that Shockwave set him up to fail, Megatron retrieves another weapon and seemingly blows Optimus to pieces; however, he instead destroys a decoy Optimus Wheeljack invented to fake the Autobot leader's death and test the other Autobots. The real Optimus ambushes Megatron and gains the upper hand, but the fight ends when he hurls himself and Megatron through a half-materialized space bridge, causing an explosion. The other Autobots find the shattered pieces of the decoy Optimus, but with no sign of either faction's leader nearby, even Wheeljack is left to conclude that Optimus is actually dead. Both Optimus and Megatron survive the trip to Cybertron, and Optimus saves the Autobot Outback from a Decepticon thug as Megatron reconnects with Straxus, reduced to a head after his body was destroyed by Blaster. Straxus is furious with Megatron for bringing Optimus back to Cybertron, but Megatron reveals that he has already spread disinformation among the Autobots about a Decepticon imposter posing as their leader. Optimus arrives at the ruins of Iacon, the former Autobot capital, but is ambushed and captured by Ultra Magnus and the Wreckers, who prepare to execute who they believe is a Decepticon fake.
99	Under Fire!	January 31, 1987	—
Outback intervenes before Magnus and the Wreckers can fire, but he fails to convince the Autobot commandos to stand down. Instead, he secretly breaks Optimus' bonds and gives them both the opportunity to escape together, despite Optimus' reservations that running will only incite the Wreckers' further wrath. The escape is witnessed by the Decepticon fuel auditor Ratbat, who is less than impressed with Megatron's instability, but Straxus assures him that he has plans for Megatron that will allow him to live once more. As Magnus hunts the escaped Optimus and Outback, he considers Outback's words that he feels guilty over Impactor's death. Two remote Guardian units ambush Optimus and Outback and deliver a fatal wound to the latter; Magnus arrives in time to hear Optimus' impassioned promise to save Outback.
100	Distant Thunder!	February 7, 1987	—
While hiding from the Wreckers, Optimus tells Outback the story of what happened to him while he was trapped in Limbo: upon being shunted into the alternate dimension as a result of Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge's time traveling, Optimus, Prowl, and Ratchet find themselves embroiled in a civil war between two biomechanical races. Struck by the eerie similarity to the Cybertronians' own civil war, Optimus refuses a deal by the enemy leader Zenag to exchange a device that would allow them to return home for sacrificing the peaceful Clorans, and the subsequent battle suddenly ends when Shockwave, Thundercracker, and Frenzy arrive in Limbo and dispatch Zenag's forces. Although Shockwave requests an alliance with the Autobots to escape Limbo, he secretly meets with Zenag and accepts his offer to trade the escape device for the Autobots' lives. Optimus convinces Shockwave that something is not right about the situation, and the suspicious Decepticons refuse Zenag's order to kill the Autobots. Zenag attacks Optimus himself and tears a wound in his side, despite continuing to request the Decepticons finish the job, and Optimus' refusal to fight back causes the entire landscape to fade away. The six Cybertronians awaken in a black, empty void with strange blob-like creatures attached to their heads; Ratchet analyzes one and concludes that they are emotional parasites that feed their victims violent illusions that are eventually made real, as Optimus really was wounded by the illusory Zenag. Optimus is inspired by the story to surrender to the Wreckers in exchange for Outback's safety. He argues that fighting is not always the answer, and he is spared when Magnus and Xaaron arrive and verify that he is, in fact, Optimus Prime.
101 102	Fallen Angel!	February 14, 1987 February 21, 1987	—
The Autobots recently repaired and freed by Circuit Breaker return to the Ark, but Skids suddenly vanishes. Concurrently, the Professor Morris-controlled Centurion investigates something falling from the sky only to be ripped to shreds by a deranged Galvatron, who has returned to the 1980s after being defeated by the new Autobot leader, Rodimus Prime. After Galvatron regains his sanity, he departs to find the present-day Decepticons but fails to notice the Dinobots arriving at Centurion's mangled body. Without Skids' guidance, Blaster's group of Autobots gets lost and finds Galvatron instead, who promptly dispatches them all. Shockwave learns of the commotion and sends the Decepticons to investigate as Blaster's sonic attack shatters Galvatron's sanity again. The Dinobots arrive and press the attack on the weakened Decepticon time-traveler, but Galvatron's building rage and insanity give him enough strength to take the Dinobots out. Swoop allows Professor Morris to take remote control of his body again and buys enough time for the Decepticons to arrive in force. Shockwave allows both Galvatron and the Dinobots to leave unharmed, but the present-day factions understand that Galvatron's reappearance from the future means trouble.
103 104	Resurrection!	February 28, 1987 March 7, 1987	—
Optimus has successfully rallied the Autobot resistance on Cybertron and mounted many devastating attacks on Decepticon fuel depots, forcing Straxus to enact his plan for resurrection. As Optimus informs the Autobots he needs to return to Earth and Blaster's group finally reaches the Ark, Straxus summons Megatron and gives him one last chance to leave Cybertron peacefully. When he refuses, Straxus attempts to swap minds with Megatron and take control of his body, but Megatron destroys the device partway through the transfer, resulting in both Megatron and Straxus' minds fighting for control over Megatron's body. The Autobots hold a funeral for the decoy Optimus as Ratbat surmises what has happened to Megatron/Straxus, now operating in a disoriented state and assaulted by dueling memories from both Decepticon commanders. Optimus and Ultra Magnus break into the Decepticon stronghold and confront Megatron, who begins uncontrollably using his antimatter channeling abilities and threatens to destroy them all. The Predacons arrive from Earth under Shockwave's orders to find Megatron as Ratbat manipulates the space bridge to send Optimus, Megatron, and Magnus back to Earth. Having forgotten about Shockwave's treachery due to the failed mind transfer, Megatron reassumes control of the Decepticons as Optimus interrupts the funeral and Magnus begins exploring Earth to find the Ark.
105 106	Afterdeath!	March 14, 1987 March 21, 1987	—
Megatron leads the Combaticons to steal a hydrothermocline device capable of drawing endless amounts of energy from the ocean's thermal layers, and the Decepticons are met by Optimus and the Protectobots. To avoid destroying the hydrothermocline, Optimus and Megatron agree to fight inside a highly advanced computer-generated video game, with the victor winning both the hydrothermocline and the life of the losing leader. The Protectobots gain the trust and assistance of the video game's characters and defeat the Combaticons, then combine into Defensor and help Optimus destroy Megatron. However, Megatron secretly cheats and uses a back-door password to respawn and ambush Optimus, who is forced to kill the video game characters to stop him again. Although he technically won, Optimus convinces Ethan Zachary, the game's programmer, to kill him as punishment for cheating, unaware that Megatron also cheated. The Decepticons leave with the hydrothermocline device and the Protectobots return Optimus' body to the Ark, with both parties unaware that Ethan saved a copy of Optimus' mind on a floppy disk.
107 108	Gone but Not Forgotten!	March 28, 1987 April 4, 1987	—
As the Decepticons prepare to relocate to a new undersea base to take advantage of the hydrothermocline's power and avoid a military strike, Megatron remains unconvinced that Optimus is actually dead and descends into madness. Shockwave and Soundwave task the Predacons with assassinating him again, but Megatron, despite his growing disorientation and memory issues, is able to defeat both the five individual Predacons and their combined form of Predaking. Megatron accuses Shockwave of plotting to kill him but suddenly experiences a moment of clarity as he realizes Optimus' personality was salvaged by Ethan. Fully consumed by madness, Megatron destroys the space bridge with himself on it to forever escape Optimus, and both disappear into oblivion.
109 110	Funeral for a Friend!	April 11, 1987 April 18, 1987	—
After ten days of nonstop repair attempts, Ratchet remains unable to restore Optimus and pronounces the Autobot leader dead. Omega Supreme organizes another funeral and all the Autobots leave the Ark to attend, except for Ratchet, who resolves to try and finish repairing the other deactivated Autobots. He drives to a nearby junkyard to gather the necessary spare parts but accidentally interrupts a police sting operation to capture the Mechanic, the mastermind behind a stolen car operation. The Mechanic and his assistant commandeer Ratchet to escape, and he is forced to use his advanced Cybertronian weaponry to avoid hurting the police officers. The Mechanic removes the weapons and incapacitates Ratchet when he attempts to stop him as Omega and Perceptor oversee Optimus' funeral and launch his body into the stars. Ratchet recovers and inadvertently leads the Mechanic to the Ark, who takes control of its automated defenses and attacks the returning Autobots but flees when Ratchet and Prowl confront him.
111 112	King of the Hill!	April 25, 1987 May 2, 1987	—
The Dinobots return to the Ark after hearing of Optimus Prime's death, and Grimlock plans to seize leadership of the Autobots. The acting Autobot commanders reject Grimlock's candidacy while Shockwave, once again the leader of the Decepticons, convinces Ratbat to send the gigantic Decepticon warrior Trypticon to Earth via the space bridge to seize control of the Ark. Ratbat reluctantly agrees but warns Shockwave that they do not have enough fuel to use the bridge more than once. Later that night, Trypticon arrives and attacks the Ark, and the other Dinobots decide to leave the Autobots to their fate. Grimlock reconsiders and rescues a young human student named Rachel from Trypticon's foot soldier Wipe-Out, distracting Trypticon long enough for Ratbat to return him to Cybertron. Impressed by Grimlock's display of strength and selflessness, the Autobots make him their new leader.
113 114	Wanted: Galvatron – Dead or Alive!	May 9, 1987 May 16, 1987	—
In the year 2007, Rodimus Prime issues a large bounty for Galvatron, who has been missing in action since Unicron's defeat. The bounty hunter Death's Head tracks down Cyclonus and Scourge and learns of their previous time-traveling escapade, concluding that Galvatron has fled back in time to 1987. As Death's Head uses his own time-travel device to follow the Decepticon leader back in time, displacing First Aid into Limbo as he arrives in the present, Rodimus is horrified to learn what he has inadvertently set into motion. Determined to claim the bounty with no witnesses, Death's Head kills Bumblebee.
115 116	Burning Sky!	May 23, 1987 May 30, 1987	—
Ultra Magnus saves three human women from an earthquake and forest fire, who tell him they are tourists wanting to see a volcano, inadvertently reminding Magnus of Operation: Volcano and Impactor's death. Meanwhile, the Ultra Magnus of 2007 fails to dissuade Rodimus from time-traveling back to 1987 to stop Galvatron and Death's Head, and he departs for the past with Kup, Blurr, and Wreck-Gar. While protecting the three women, Magnus is ambushed by the crazed Galvatron and eventually manages to dispatch him, but his concern for the humans gives Galvatron the opportunity to triumph and drag him away. He brings Magnus to the top of the volcano and explains his newest plan: using a power siphon connected directly to the Earth's core, he will tap into the planet's energy and become so powerful he will ascend into godhood. The three women, meanwhile, encounter Rodimus, Kup, and Blurr.
117 118	Hunters	June 6, 1987 June 13, 1987	—
Death's Head ambushes Soundwave and Laserbeak to gain more information about the current state of Decepticon affairs as the future Autobots prepare to act. Rodimus grapples with his own self-doubts as a leader but pushes past them to confront a bewildered Galvatron atop the volcano; Death's Head arrives and argues that Rodimus must fulfill his contract as Wreck-Gar, having emerged in 1987 separated from the other Autobots, finds the shattered remains of Bumblebee and resolves to repair him. The business negotiations are halted when Galvatron shoots Death's Head, and the bounty hunter retreats with a warning that Rodimus will be his next target if he refuses to pay. As the time-traveling Autobot and Decepticon leaders fight, Magnus awakens and gives Rodimus an opportunity to escape by destroying the power siphon. Wreck-Gar completes his work as Bumblebee is reborn into Goldbug.
119 120	Fire on High!	June 20, 1987 June 27, 1987	—
The three women brief a war council of Autobots from 1987 and 2007 on Galvatron's plan to harness the Earth's energy from the volcano, which will also set off a series of shockwaves, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions that will devastate the West Coast. Wreck-Gar and Goldbug suggest creating an override device out of everyone's time machines to send all of the future Cybertronians back to 2007. Galvatron fixes the power siphon but is distracted by Goldbug, Wreck-Gar, Kup, and Blurr, giving Magnus enough time to corner him away from Wreck-Gar and his work on the override. However, Galvatron overpowers Magnus and throws him into the volcano, and manages to take down Rodimus despite being caught with a massive electrical charge from the siphon. Death's Head returns and saves Rodimus in order to receive his payday, inadvertently giving Wreck-Gar the time he needs to complete the override device. All of the future Autobots are swept back to 2007, leaving Goldbug alone atop the volcano; however, he quickly finds out that Galvatron was not affected by the override and is still stuck in the past.
121 122	Mechanical Difficulties!	July 4, 1987 July 11, 1987	—
Grimlock orders Blaster and Goldbug to capture the Mechanic, who has upgraded his criminal empire with stolen Cybertronian technology, at any cost. The Autobots' attempts to stop the Mechanic are hindered by the police, under orders to attack any Cybertronian regardless of faction, and the Mechanic escapes in the confusion. The Mechanic later calls a meeting of all the crime bosses in the Pacific Northwest to display his modifications to their vehicles, but the police raid the meeting with Blaster and Goldbug's help. Together, they capture the crime bosses and the Mechanic's assistant, but the Mechanic himself escapes again. Blaster and Goldbug decide to strike out on their own, unconvinced of Grimlock's leadership capabilities.
123 124	Crater Critters!	July 18, 1987 July 25, 1987	—
Blaster and Goldbug receive intel from G.B. Blackrock pointing them to a mysterious meteor that recently crashlanded in northern Arizona. The two Autobots are unaware that the "meteor" is actually a crashed space freighter sent by Ratbat to help steal Earth's energy and that the Decepticon Triple Changers Astrotrain, Blitzwing, and Octane have been tasked with investigating the crash. The three Decepticons arrive only to discover that the freighter is infested with Scraplets, small metal-eating parasites that are extremely dangerous to Cybertronians and have no cure save one mysterious chemical. Blaster and Goldbug arrive and are attacked by the infected Decepticons, and the Scraplets quickly overwhelm Blaster. Goldbug and one of the human scientists tasked with investigating the "meteor" flee with a crushed Scraplet to analyze for a cure, only for Goldbug to be infected himself.
125	Ancient Relics!	August 1, 1987	—
As an archeology team is attacked by Megatron while exploring ancient Roman sewers underneath London, Wheeljack sarcastically informs Grimlock that the reason the Ark is devoid of Autobots is because he sent them either to capture the deserters Blaster and Grimlock or to fulfill menial tasks, like repairing Centurion. The Protectobot Blades is sent to investigate the archaeology team's report, which Grimlock believes to be the deserters, but he is attacked by a team from the international special missions division Action Force. As Blades tries to convince the team's leader Flint he is innocent, Megatron returns and forces everyone to retreat to the surface. Grimlock, Centurion, and a host of Dragonfly choppers and Mauler tanks arrive as backup, but Megatron easily bests them and nearly kills Wild Bill. Flint calls in an air strike as Grimlock engages Megatron, but Centurion sacrifices himself to ensure that Grimlock escapes and Megatron is caught in the blast zone.
126 127	The Cure!	August 8, 1987 August 15, 1987	—
Ratbat captures the Throttlebots and sends them to Earth with canisters of acid, giving them ten hours to destroy any Cybertronian infected with Scraplets before he destroys the planet. They start following Goldbug's tracks as the human scientist accompanying the infected Autobot accidentally discovers that the mysterious chemical capable of destroying Scraplets is water. The Throttlebots arrive and agree to help the scientist cure the other infected Cybertronians. The remaining Scraplets at the crater merge together into a large monster and attack the weaponless Throttlebot as Goldbug cures Blaster, Astrotrain, Blitzwing, and Octane. Together, the Autobots and Decepticons defeat the Scraplet monster long enough for Blaster to melt it with the Throttlebots' acid. Astrotrain secretly hypnotizes Blackrock before he and the other Triple Changers escape with their cargo.
128 129	Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom!	August 22, 1987 August 29, 1987	—
Under Ratbat's orders, a hypnotized Blackrock develops a "Wash and Roll" automated car wash service that hypnotizes the drivers into giving the Decepticons their car's fuel. One such "Wash and Roll" device is installed at Sparkplug Witwicky's garage, and Buster's girlfriend Jessie is accidentally hypnotized by the car wash while hanging out with Buster one night. Buster follows the hypnotized Jessie to a Blackrock-owned oil storage facility where Blackrock and Ratbat prepare to test a "Wash and Roll" Mark II, with a permanent hypnosis process, on Sparkplug. Buster intervenes and destroys a neon sign, snapping all the hypnotized humans out of their trance and forcing the Decepticons to flee. Blackrock promises to dismantle every "Wash and Roll" station currently active.
130 131 132 133	Ring of Hate!	September 5, 1987 September 12, 1987 September 19, 1987 September 26, 1987	—
(Note: the Ring of Hate! story arc is included as the backup stories in Issues #130 – 133 and forms the first part of the The Transformers: Headmasters miniseries.) On Cybertron, an Autobot resistance cell led by Fortress Maximus rescues a group of Autobot prisoners from a Decepticon squadron under Scorponok's command. Although the Autobots celebrate their victory, they are shocked when Maximus expresses a desire to leave Cybertron and the war behind to settle on the peaceful planet Nebulos. His crew agrees to follow him, and Highbrow is sent to establish contact with the native Nebulans after their ship, the Steelhaven, arrives on the planet. He manages to pass a message from Maximus to the Nebulans' ruling Council of Peers, where Lord Zarak's attempts to stir them into war are countered by Galen's steadfast desire for peace. One of Zarak's henchmen magnetizes the unsuspecting Blurr and causes him to accidentally destroy a public sculpture, inciting the Nebulans' wrath and causing them to attack the Autobot outpost. The Autobots do not fight back and retreat, only to return several days later with another peace offering: Maximus, Highbrow, Hardhead, Brainstorm, and Chromedome remove their own heads, and Galen accepts the offering and orders his people to stand down.
134 135 136 137	Broken Glass!	October 3, 1987 October 10, 1987 October 17, 1987 October 24, 1987	—
(Note: the Broken Glass! story arc is included as the backup stories in Issues #134 – 137 and forms the second part of the The Transformers: Headmasters miniseries.) As the Council of Peers deliberates over what to do with the Autobots, Galen meets with Maximus' disembodied head while Zarak visits the Autobot encampment to steal their communication codes for contacting Cybertron. He sends a message requesting assistance in evicting the Autobots from Nebulos that is received by Scorponok's Decepticons, who prepare to conquer the planet. They arrive and lay siege to the capital city of Koraja, demanding the five captive Autobots, but the Nebulans do not want to fully restore the Autobots and violate their peace treaty despite the need for their assistance. On Maximus' suggestion, a group of Nebulan volunteers led by Galen undergo a binary bonding process and are biomechanically re-engineered to become new heads for the Autobots, transforming them into Headmasters. Working together, the Autobots and their new Nebulan partners send the Decepticons into a retreat.
138 139 140 141	Love and Steel!	October 31, 1987 November 7, 1987 November 14, 1987 November 21, 1987	—
(Note: the Love and Steel! story arc is included as the backup stories in Issues #138 – 141 and forms the third part of the The Transformers: Headmasters miniseries.) As the Autobot Headmasters and the Technobots defeat the Decepticon Horrorcons and Terrorcons, including a battle between the combined forms of the Technobots and Terrorcons, Computron and Abominus, Scorponok captures a group of Nebulans, including Lord Zarak, for use in his experiments. Zarak successfully bargains his life to replicate the Headmaster process for the Decepticons, and the new Decepticon Headmasters set a trap for Galen and Maximus' forces with the other Nebulan hostages. The Autobots are defeated and taken prisoner while attempting to rescue the hostages during the resulting battle.
142 143 144 145	Brothers in Armor!!	November 28, 1987 December 5, 1987 December 12, 1987 December 19, 1987	—
(Note: the Brothers in Armor!! story arc is included as the backup stories in Issues #142 – 145 and forms the fourth and final part of the The Transformers: Headmasters miniseries.) As the binary-bonded Scorponok and Zarak lead the Decepticon conquest of Nebulos, the latter begins to have second thoughts about the supposed defense of his planet. The Autobots, hiding out in a swamp, receive a distress call from another group of Autobots on an alien world called Earth, but they are forced to defend the Nebulans' main source of food and plants from Scorponok's forces. The Decepticons are surprised by the Autobots' newest advancements in binary bonding technology, where Nebulans can partner with Autobots as Targetmasters and transform into their handheld weapons, but the facility is destroyed in the battle. The Decepticon-allied Nebulans duplicate the Targetmaster process, and Maximus' forces escape after trying and failing to convince Zarak that Scorponok's personality is changing him. The Autobots soon realize that peace on Nebulos is no longer possible as long as the Cybertronians remain on the planet. The Autobots and their Nebulan partners depart for Earth to answer the distress call, and the Decepticons soon follow them, leaving Nebulos a war-torn ruin.
130 131	Worlds Apart!	September 5, 1987 September 12, 1987	—
On Nebulos, the Autobot Headmasters attempt to rescue their Targetmaster comrades, but their easy infiltration of the Decepticon headquarters turns out to be a trap set by Scorponok. Seeking to better understand and improve the Headmaster process, Scorponok kidnaps Highbrow and flees as the Decepticon Targetmasters engage the Autobots in battle. Highbrow and his Nebulan partner begin bickering over how to escape, giving their shared body a catatonic appearance and making Scorponok realize a degree of partner compatibility is key to creating a powerful Headmaster. He attempts to kill Highbrow and his partner, but Chromedome inspires them to put aside their differences and work together to defeat Scorponok and escape.
132	Kup's Story!	September 19, 1987	—
Hundreds of years ago, the Autobot Kup gives up fighting and takes to wandering the stars waiting for permanent deactivation to take him. He eventually comes across a small shuttle being pursued by two much larger craft and, against his better judgment, shoots down one of the pursuers. The shuttle's occupant, a turbo-revving young punk Autobot named Hot Rod, informs him that he and his partner Blurr were sent by their commander Fortress Maximus on a reconnaissance mission, but Blurr was captured. Kup refuses to help Hot Rod, but changes his mind after witnessing the young Autobot leave to rescue Blurr alone. Inspired to return to the battlefield, Kup follows Hot Rod back to Cybertron and joins Maximus' unit.
133 134	Headhunt	September 26, 1987 October 3, 1987	—
In the year 2007, an irritated Shockwave conspires to kill Galvatron's former lieutenants Cyclonus and Scourge and hires Death's Head to kill Rodimus Prime in order to draw the arrogant Decepticons out. Death's Head ambushes Rodimus while the Autobot leader tours the trench formations, but Cyclonus and Scourge arrive and prevent the bounty hunter from delivering the killing blow. Rodimus escapes in the confusion, and the two Decepticons leave Death's Head in favor of pursuing their opponent. They eventually stumble upon Death's Head again, who attacks them in a rage, and Cyclonus and Scourge accidentally lead the bounty hunter to the injured Rodimus' location. Although Death's Head attempts to kill Rodimus again, Rodimus strikes another deal with the bounty hunter to eliminate Cyclonus and Scourge in order to satisfy both himself, Rodimus, and Shockwave. Upon being paid in advance, Death's Head agrees to the contract.
135 136	Grudge Match!	October 10, 1987 October 17, 1987	—
The Predacons attack a human circus, but Divebomb soon grows bored and wishes he could return to Cybertron and face more worthy opponents like Megatron or Optimus Prime. He eventually decides not to leave Earth and deprive the other Predacons of forming Predaking but wonders about an old foe that escaped him in a duel on Cybertron where he claimed the name Divebomb. The original Divebomb, now known as the Dinobot Swoop, recognizes the Predacon on a news broadcast and leaves to settle their old score once and for all. Although Swoop manages to bring Divebomb down and best him in ground combat, he is beaten back by the appearance of the other Predacons. The remaining Dinobots arrive as well, and Swoop and Divebomb watch together as their teams fight on their behalf. Divebomb taunts Swoop about his past failures, who tricks Grimlock into downing the Predacon but stops him from killing his opponent. As the Dinobots leave, Divebomb declines the chance to ambush Swoop, pleased that his old foe is on Earth and available to battle at any time.
137 138	Ladies’ Night!	October 24, 1987 October 31, 1987	—
Archaeologist Susan Hoffman, who previously escaped Megatron in the London sewers with the help of Blades and Action Force, discovers the entombed bodies of Galvatron and Ultra Magnus inside a volcano. Her subsequent interview with Joy Meadows, who once befriended the Dinobot Sludge, is witnessed by the Decepticons and the renegade Autobots Goldbug, Blaster, and the Throttlebots. Shockwave sends Soundwave and the Combaticons to destroy the volcano, and two separate rescue missions are enacted by the Autobots and Cindy Newell, a civilian who witnessed the original battle between Galvatron and Magnus atop the volcano. Newell recruits Hoffman and Meadows to help and, against the Autobots' orders, the three women lure the Combaticons into a trap that disables all of them but Onslaught, who is brought down by the Throttlebots. The Combaticons retreat as Blaster manages to stop the explosives they secretly planted around the volcano. The Autobots and the human women leave as well, unaware that their earlier explosive trap weakened the hardened lava enough to reawaken Galvatron.
139 140	Used Autobots	November 7, 1987 November 14, 1987	—
The Throttlebots escape the Combaticon Vortex and attract the attention of RAAT; when they attempt to stay in a used car lot overnight, the lot's owner reports them to the authorities and incapacitates them. Both RAAT and the Combaticons arrive at the lot the next morning and fight for the Throttlebots, and the Protectobots soon join the battle looking for Blaster and Goldbug on Grimlock's orders. Blaster arrives as well and works with the Protectobots to drive the Combaticons away, but RAAT manages to escape with the Throttlebots in the confusion. When Blaster attempts to leave and pursue RAAT, however, Hot Spot informs him that he is under arrest for disobeying Grimlock's command, with a trial and execution to follow.
141 142	Child's Play	November 21, 1987 November 28, 1987	—
As the Protectobots transport the imprisoned Blaster back to the Ark to stand trial for desertion, they are attacked by the Combaticons. Four nearby human children free Blaster and help distract Bruticus, the combined form of the Combaticons, long enough for Blaster to defeat the giant Decepticon. The Protectobots recover and decide not to rearrest Blaster, who takes control of the unconscious Blast Off and treats the four children to a ride in the Combaticon's space shuttle alternate mode. However, they are soon attacked by Grimlock, who has gotten the Ark spaceworthy again and intends to bring Blaster to justice.
143 144	Spacehikers!	December 5, 1987 December 12, 1987	—
As Wheeljack's old friend Sky Lynx arrives in the vicinity of Earth to assist in overthrowing Grimlock's tyrannical rule of the Autobots, the children push Blaster out of an airlock to prevent him from being captured. Blast Off and the children are arrested, and Grimlock sentences them to death to draw out Blaster. Sky Lynx saves the children and draws the other Dinobots outside into space as Blaster sneaks aboard the Ark and meets the other Autobots, who beg him to take command from Grimlock. However, Blaster chooses to surrender to the Dinobots to prevent Sky Lynx and the children from being harmed.
145	Stargazing	December 19, 1987	—
Starscream finally awakens from his stasis capsule after the events of Galvatron's initial time-traveling escapade on Christmas Eve, suffering a deep depression and wanting to return to Cybertron. He is found by a cheerful young man who insists the Decepticon accompany him around town to show him what Christmas is like. Starscream reluctantly attempts to save a van of senior citizens from a snowbank at the young man's urging, but he is attacked by the Protectobot Streetwise. The young man breaks up the fight and humiliates Streetwise for jumping to conclusions, which greatly pleases Starscream, and he ignores the young man's other messages about the Christmas spirit of charity and goodness.
146 147 148 149 150 151	The Legacy of Unicron!	December 26, 1987 January 2, 1988 January 9, 1988 January 16, 1988 January 23, 1988 January 30, 1988	—
In the year 2008, Death's Head finally tracks Cyclonus and Scourge to the planet Junk on New Year's Day. Before he can kill the two Decepticons, a native Junkion interrupts him and asks for his help in defeating a powerful enemy that has enslaved the other Junkions. Death's Head agrees to help and spare Cyclonus and Scourge when the Junkion offers him more money, but the three Cybertronians are all ambushed, subdued, and mentally enslaved by the enemy plaguing Junk: Unicron's disembodied head. Under Unicron's control, Death's Head visits Shockwave and attempts to assassinate him under the guise of receiving payment for their prior contract to kill Cyclonus and Scourge, but Soundwave alerts Shockwave to the deception and gives him enough time to flee. Wreck-Gar, Smokescreen, and Inferno arrive on Junk and witness Unicron commanding the Junkions while Soundwave and the Stunticons defeat Cyclonus and Scourge. Death's Head reluctantly kills Shockwave and makes the other Decepticons submit to his leadership, and Unicron forces him to launch an all-out attack on the Autobots. As a baffled Rodimus leads a counterattack, Inferno, Smokescreen, and Wreck-Gar are discovered, and Unicron sends Death's Head to stop them from returning to Cybertron. Inferno is injured and Death's Head resists Unicron's control long enough to allow the two Autobots to escape, something that only amuses the dark god. Cyclonus and Scourge shoot down Inferno and Smokescreen's shuttle, and Inferno sacrifices himself to ensure Smokescreen survives and the Autobots learn of Unicron's interference. Rodimus reluctantly agrees to lead a small strike force to Junk as Death's Head exploits Unicron's mental link to enter the dark god's mind, distracting him from Wreck-Gar planting explosives around his head. Unaware of the bounty hunter's stalling, Unicron brags about his ultimate plan to construct a time portal and return his wayward servant Galvatron from the past of 1988 and tells Death's Head of his origins. Long ago, at the dawn of time, there were two all-powerful gods: Unicron, the embodiment of chaos and fury, and his opposite number Primus, the last of the Light Gods. The two waged a fierce battle across the physical and mental planes, but Unicron was the stronger opponent by far. In a last-ditch effort, Primus trapped both of them forever inside asteroids, but Unicron soon gained the ability to reshape his prison into a monstrous planet capable of assuming a humanoid form and devouring entire worlds. In response, Primus shaped his asteroid into the planet Cybertron and instilled his very essence into a Matrix capable of creating life and destroying Unicron's influence. Although Unicron attempted to send his servants to destroy the Matrix many millennia later, Galvatron's betrayal resulted in the creation of Rodimus Prime and the destruction of his physical body, although his spirit remained intact. The Autobots arrive and accidentally cause Wreck-Gar to become trapped in a cave-in just as he sets the explosives, and Unicron orders Cyclonus and Scourge to return to Junk. Death's Head approaches Rodimus and offers to get him inside Unicron's mind, where the dark god is actually immune to the Matrix's powers, but Death's Head severs the connection upon finding Wreck-Gar and the explosives. The bounty hunter attacks Cyclonus and Scourge and sends all three of them into the time portal as the explosives destroy Unicron's head, trapping his essence within the Matrix. Now trapped in 1988 with no way to return to 2008 and free from Unicron and Death's Head, Cyclonus and Scourge join the contemporary Decepticons under Scorponok's command.
152 153	Enemy Action!	February 6, 1988 February 13, 1988	—
Seeking to undermine Shockwave's leadership of the Decepticons, Galvatron approaches their undersea island base, causing a panicked Shockwave to send the Seacons to stop him. Galvatron easily bests them and their combined form of Piranacon then breaks into the base merely to inform the assembled Decepticons that Shockwave's actions ruined any chance of an alliance. As Galvatron leaves Shockwave with a horde of angry troops, the Sparkabots tracking Galvatron on Springer's orders are ambushed by the Firecons, sent to connect the time-travelling warrior with the main Decepticon command on Cybertron. Galvatron emerges from the ocean in the midst of their battle and laughs off the Firecons' suggestion of an alliance, while a humiliated Shockwave decides to find Megatron to deal with Galvatron.
154 155	Toy Soldiers!	February 20, 1988 February 27, 1988	—
With the absence of the Autobots and the Ark from Earth, the Decepticons have been running completely unchecked across the planet. The government organizations tasked with monitoring the Cybertronians are thus under a significant amount of pressure for answers, but the information from the captive Throttlebots about the factional civil war is mostly ignored. The Throttlebots are sentenced to death by car compactor, but Walter Barnett transfers their brain modules into small toy cars to protect them. Barnett meets with Goldbug to help restore the Throttlebots as Ratbat and the Predacons notice the absence of the brain modules and realize the Autobots are still alive. Barnett and Goldbug secure Buster Witwicky's assistance in repairing the Throttlebots, but the Decepticons catch up to them at a local mall. The Predacons fail to capture the tiny toy cars and Buster escapes with the Autobots; however, they quickly discover that the Ark is no longer embedded in the volcano and Ratbat stowed away in their truck.
156 157	Trial by Fire!	March 5, 1988 March 12, 1988	—
En route from Nebulos to Earth, the Autobot Headmasters rebuild Fortress Maximus into a much larger and more powerful body. Spike Witwicky, the elder son of Sparkplug and older brother to Buster, arrives home from college to find his father's garage totaled and begins searching for his younger brother after learning of his family's involvement with the Cybertronians. The Steelhaven arrives on Earth and the Headmasters find Goldbug's toy car form, accessing his recent memories to see Buster being kidnapped by Ratbat. Spike confronts the Headmasters but is unable to convince them to help rescue Buster as Scorponok and the Decepticon Headmasters arrive on Earth as well. The Autobot Headmasters return to the volcano and rescue Spike from Scorponok, and Galen is mortally wounded during the resulting battle. Spike accepts the Fortress Maximus control helmet from the dying Galen and returns to drive off the Decepticon Headmasters, and the Autobots accept him as their new leader.
158 159	The Desert Island of Space!	March 19, 1988 March 26, 1988	—
Buster awakens to find himself imprisoned on the Decepticon island base with Shockwave and Ratbat arguing whether to kill him or use him as a hostage. Shockwave correctly believes the human military surrounding the base is unwilling to risk hurting Buster, and Walter Barnett informs Sparkplug of the dilemma. Spike reveals his new abilities as a Headmaster to his father and introduces him to his new Headmaster and Targetmaster troops, some of whom, like Kup, are distrustful of him. The Autobots attempt to storm the Decepticon island base, only for it to reveal its true nature as a giant spaceship and take off. Spike reconnects to Fortress Maximus in pursuit but is attacked in low orbit by Shockwave, who damages both Maximus and the connecting robot Cerebros, but he is knocked off the ship and seemingly burns up on re-entry. Spike briefly reunites with Buster before Ratbat pilots the ship into deep space, and the other Autobots fully welcome him to their ranks.
160 161	Salvage!	April 2, 1988 April 9, 1988	—
Richard Branson leads a salvage operation to remove Megatron and Centurion's remains from the bottom of the River Thames, but the Seacons, the Coneheads, and Blitzwing disrupt the operation and abduct Megatron's body. The Sparkabots retrieve Ultra Magnus from the volcano and follow the Decepticons back to their fortress. Although Snaptrap manages to repair Megatron's body, his mind remains broken and Shockwave orders the use of a psycho-probe to snap him back into sanity. The projected image of Optimus Prime terrifies the broken Megatron as Galvatron ambushes Magnus and prevents him from interfering with the Decepticon's resurrection. The image of Straxus manages to restore Megatron's sanity, and Shockwave subtly brainwashes the Decepticon to consider Galvatron his enemy as Magnus conquers his fear of Galvatron to save the Sparkabots.
162 163	Pretender to the Throne!	April 16, 1988 April 23, 1988	—
Ethan Zachary, the computer programmer who saved Optimus Prime's personality from destruction, has recreated the Autobot leader within a video game but remains unable to convince him that he was once an actual Cybertronian. Ethan calls Sparkplug to help jog Optimus' memory, but the elder Witwicky refuses to help and hangs up. Spike and Goldbug trace the call to Ethan and agree together to send the digital Optimus on a mission to possibly revive his memories. He infiltrates the computer system of a Decepticon-controlled genetics laboratory and steals Scorponok's plans to create the Pretenders. Goldbug successfully creates Autobot Pretenders based on the data, but the Decepticons trace the digital Optimus to Ethan's software company and attack. Although Optimus successfully coordinates the Autobot Pretenders in defense of the building, he fails to remember his true origins.
164 165	City of Fear!	April 30, 1988 May 7, 1988	—
Ultra Magnus and the Sparkabots return to Cybertron, where they are supposed to meet Emirate Xaaron and the Wreckers in their new headquarters in Kalis. Instead, they find the city deserted and the headquarters in shambles, and they are ambushed by a Decepticon patrol led by the Duocons when they attempt to travel to the neighboring city-state of Tyrest. The Autobots take Flywheels captive and return to Kalis, where they are suddenly ambushed and surrounded by undead Cybertronians that emerge from the ground around them. Magnus deduces the zombies are being controlled by an outside signal and convinces the Sparkabots and Flywheels to spare them in case they can be revived. Flywheels agrees to help Magnus deactivate the transmitter controlling the zombies, but they soon discover that the signal was coming from underneath Kalis.
166 167	Legion of the Lost!	May 14, 1988 May 21, 1988	—
Three weeks prior, a massive explosion rocked Kalis, surprising both Autobots and Decepticons, and Xaaron concluded that the blast had likely come from a nuclear fission reactor underneath Cybertron's surface. He recounted to Springer and the Wreckers that one of Megatron's old schemes required a massive fission reactor to turn Cybertron into a mobile battle station, but no one knew where exactly he had constructed the reactor underground. Several hours later, Springer is overwhelmed as the Autobot technicians discover a likely location for the reactor, lose contact with their probes, and the base comes under attack by zombie Cybertronians. The Wreckers and Xaaron are captured, and Springer comes face to face with a zombified Impactor and Flame, an Autobot mad scientist who was previously expelled from Iacon's principal science academy by Xaaron before the war. Flame reveals he was the cause of the explosion, which caused him to accidentally discover Megatron's fission reactor. As Flame leaves to check on Magnus' group, who has sent Flywheels to retrieve Decepticon reinforcements, Springer surprises the zombie Impactor and manages to disrupt the controlling signal while Xaaron and the Wreckers escape.
168 169	Meltdown!	May 28, 1988 June 4, 1988	—
As Flame prepares to activate the now-repaired fission reactor, he takes stock of his opponents from his control center: Springer has allied with Magnus' group on the surface and is preparing to return underground with them, Flywheels is still searching for reinforcements, Xaaron is approaching the control center, and the other Wreckers are being contained by the zombies. Both Springer and the Sparkabots disagree with Magnus' decision to trust a Decepticon while the zombie Impactor saves Broadside and helps him reach the armory. Xaaron engages Flame and considers the risk of transforming, which would possibly kill him due to his advanced age, while Magnus' group meets up with the Wreckers. They are unable to breach the reactor room doors, but Flywheels arrives with Trypticon and breaks doors down as the reactor starts overloading. As the two Decepticons lead the Autobots to the surface to fight more zombies, the zombie Impactor, now fully aware of himself again, kills Flame and sacrifices himself to stop the reactor. Xaaron returns to the surface just as the reactor explodes and urges the Autobots and Decepticons to honor Impactor's sacrifice and second death.
170 171	Deadly Games!	June 11, 1988 June 18, 1988	—
Magnus and the Sparkabots investigate Tyrest to discover what killed the Autobot Chameleon, disobeying Xaaron's orders and neglecting their preparations to return to Earth with the Wreckers and destroy Galvatron. While searching an old amphitheater, they discover a huge room filled with corpses and body parts, as well as the Firecons, who quickly engage the Sparkabots as Magnus is led away. He is informed that he will participate in the gladiatorial games that night against Hooligan, the undefeated champion, and that the Sparkabots will be killed if he resists or tries to escape. Although Magnus protests that the games are illegal, neither the audience, the administrators, nor Hooligan cares, so he reluctantly bests the champion as the Sparkabots escape their cell. Magnus subdues the games' chief administrator and informs the audience that the games are shut down effective immediately, urging them to reflect on whether deriving enjoyment from the suffering of others is morally correct. The audience leaves at the urging of the Sparkabots, but many of them ignore Magnus' words in favor of attending a different gladiatorial arena on another planet.
172 173	Wrecking Havoc!	June 25, 1988 July 2, 1988	—
On Earth, Cyclonus and Scourge attack a squadron of United States Air Force pilots before their meeting with Galvatron, having previously promised Shockwave that they would defeat their old commander and reclaim his time-traveling device in exchange for sanctuary should they fail. They meet with Galvatron in a human-populated area, where he informs them that he no longer has the device, but their conversation is interrupted by the appearance of the Wreckers from Cybertron. The Autobot commandos are immediately stymied by the presence of humans and are forced to evacuate them while also fending off the three Decepticons. Springer lures Cyclonus and Scourge away after learning that the time-traveling device no longer exists, and the other Wreckers reluctantly break off the attack to rescue their leader. After forcing the two Decepticons to retreat, they return to the settlement only to find that Galvatron has escaped.
174 175	Totaled!	July 9, 1988 July 16, 1988	—
The Autobot Headmasters and Targetmasters attempt to build Optimus' digitized consciousness a new body, but they had previously used all of the Steelhaven’s resources to rebuild Fortress Maximus and repair the damaged Goldbug. Fortress Maximus contacts the recently-located Ark for assistance, but Grimlock instead demands they hand over the fugitive Goldbug. Goldbug surrenders to avoid a fight, but Grimlock remains unsatisfied and challenges the injured Maximus to a one-on-one duel for leadership of the Autobots. In the Ark’s brig, Goldbug finds Blaster and convinces him to fight in Maximus' place as Soundwave detects the Autobot vessel. The two ships touch down on Earth's moon and the collective Autobot army watches as Blaster and Grimlock duel; the two combatants soon move away from the ships, and the Autobots are suddenly attacked by the Decepticons. As the leaderless Autobots start losing and Maximus orders Goldbug to take the Steelhaven and escape, Blaster and Grimlock notice the larger battle and agree to work together. Under their joint leadership, the Autobots force the Decepticons into a retreat and Grimlock finally sees the value in working with others. Maximus reveals he sent Goldbug and a skeleton crew back to Nebulos, the only hope of restoring Optimus Prime to life.
176 177	People Power!	July 23, 1988 July 30, 1988	—
On Nebulos, the Decepticons Dreadwind and Darkwing attack a local restaurant for the benefit of their ravenous bioengineered Nebulan passengers while Goldbug, Getaway, Slapdash, and Joyride ask the scientist Hi-Q for assistance in repairing Optimus. Hi-Q wants to help them but sadly informs the Autobots that their world is not fond of the Cybertronians, as Hi-Q was tasked with poisoning all potential Cybertronian fuels after the Autobot and Decepticon Headmasters departed. Dreadwind and Darkwing fell victim to the poisoning sometime later while looking for Scorponok's crew, but two jealous Nebulan scientists agreed to convert themselves into new power sources for the two Decepticons. The only downside to this Powermaster process is the Powermasters themselves must consume huge quantities of food in order to generate enough power for their Cybertronian partners. The Autobots are sorely defeated by the Decepticon Powermasters and fall victim to the poison as they finish constructing Optimus' new body. Although Optimus still believes he is a video game character, the sensation of pain from the poison finally convinces him he has returned, and Hi-Q and his staff volunteer to undergo the Powermaster conversion process themselves to save the Autobots. The Autobot Powermasters easily defeat Dreadwind and Darkwing, and the Nebulan Council exiles their Nebulan partners Hi-Test and Throttle as well. The Autobot Powermasters also agree to leave Nebulos forever, and they begin the long journey home.
178 179	The Cosmic Carnival	August 6, 1988 August 13, 1988	—
During their return to Earth, Optimus Prime and the Autobot Powermasters decide to visit the Cosmic Carnival after seeing Sky Lynx among the advertised attractions. Once there, they also find the four human children known as the Spacehikers on display and fail to convince Big Top, the carnival proprietor, to set them free. The Autobots reluctantly attend Sky Lynx's act and meet him backstage afterward, where he explains that he and the children visited the carnival after escaping from the Dinobots and were imprisoned after failing to pay the admission fee. The children's handler, a similarly imprisoned alien named Berko, has a change of heart and helps Optimus and the children escape. Big Top attacks Goldbug in retaliation, but he traps him inside one of the sideshow cages, and the Autobots and Spacehikers leave the carnival behind.
180 181	The Big Broadcast of 2006	August 20, 1988 August 27, 1988	—
On a distant planet in the future of 2008, Wreck-Gar is being tortured for information about a mysterious canister, and he finally confesses a story about what happened to it. The Quintessons dispatched their Sharkticon hordes to the planet Junk to locate the canister, but they were driven away by the Junkions. Instead of challenging the awesome defensive power of the Junkions directly, the Quintessons instead infiltrated their beloved television networks and implanted subliminal messaging that convinced the Junkions to hate all other lifeforms. As both the Autobots and Decepticons learned of the Junkions' sudden change in behavior, the Quintessons introduced a second layer of subliminal messaging that forced the Junkions to search the planet for the lost canister. Rodimus Prime orders the Aerialbots to investigate, but they are caught in the crossfire between the Junkions and Quintessons and accidentally damage both the Quintesson ship and broadcasting dish while attempting to escape. The damage to the broadcasting dish made the Junkions send the subliminal messaging all across the universe, and soon an intergalactic war threatened to begin on Junk. As Ultra Magnus and Blaster disrupted the broadcast, Rodimus battled a hypnotized Galvatron and destroyed the container the Quintessons were looking for. The Junkions awoke from the hypnosis and celebrated as everyone left, leaving the Autobots confused about what happened. Although Wreck-Gar's torturer believes he has done a good job, his Quintesson employers recognize that Wreck-Gar's story is completely false and execute him in frustration.
182 183 184 185 186 187	Space Pirates!	September 3, 1988 September 10, 1988 September 17, 1988 September 24, 1988 October 1, 1988 October 8, 1988	—
In the year 2008, the Quintessons' home planet is in danger of falling into their sun due to space-time disruptions. Their spies' cataloging of alternative planets to settle on was contained within a journal that fell into Wreck-Gar's hands, who hid the journal and resisted all attempts to give up its location. The frustrated Quintessons decides to enact their back-up plan and colonize Cybertron by eliminating every Cybertronian. They launch a devastating attack on the Earth outpost of Autobot City and slaughter its crew, then trick Soundwave into launching an attack on the Quintesson-occupied Autobot headquarters on Cybertron. As Wheelie rescues Wreck-Gar from Quintesson captivity and the Autobots discover the bodies of their comrades scattered throughout Autobot City, Soundwave sends an anonymous distress signal to Ultra Magnus. A Quintesson General ambushes Rodimus Prime and steals the Creation Matrix from him, and he reverts back to his former identity of Hot Rod. The remaining Earth-bound Autobots manage to hold off the Quintessons long enough for Hot Rod to activate Metroplex, the titanic Autobot constituting the core of Autobot City, while Magnus leads the other Autobots to help Soundwave beat back the Quintessons. Hot Rod reclaims the Matrix and Soundwave, although pleased at the combined Autobot-Decepticon victory, despairs at the impossibility of a truce between the two factions. Wreck-Gar and Wheelie transmit the journal's contents to the rest of the galaxy, ensuring that the surviving Quintessons will be hunted down as fugitives. The Quintessons' home planet is destroyed as, several months later, Autobot scientists determine the cause as a rapidly-expanding rift in time and space.
188	Firebug!	October 15, 1988	—
An Autobot shuttle carrying Broadside, Inferno, and Sandstorm arrive on Earth to establish a permanent reconnaissance base on Xaaron's orders, ostensibly to prevent another disastrous operation such as the Wreckers' clash with Galvatron in a human settlement. Sandstorm prevents an argument from breaking out between his comrades before noticing a fire in the distance, and the Autobot Triple Changer arrives to find an entire town set ablaze. Inferno and Broadside join him as backup, and the three Autobots discover a Firebug to be the culprit, a nearly-extinct alien creature that feeds on high temperatures and recently arrived on Earth via a crashed meteorite. They manage to subdue the Firebug, and Inferno decides to send it to the planet Mercury, where it can live comfortably in the planet's extremely high surface temperatures, rather than killing it.
189	Dry Run!	October 22, 1988	—
Having failed to secure the time-traveling device from Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge reluctantly join Shockwave's Decepticons, despite the fact that the two had previously killed him in 2008 and briefly succeeded him as Decepticon commanders. Cyclonus accidentally informs Shockwave of his forthcoming death at their hands twenty years in the future, and Shockwave lures the two future Decepticons into the path of the reprogrammed Megatron. Megatron easily overpowers them and kills Cyclonus, and the injured Scourge flees, believing that killing Megatron will undo his own existence as he was created to serve Megatron's future form of Galvatron. Pleased with Megatron's performance, Shockwave orders him to find Galvatron and destroy him.
190 191	Monstercon from Mars!	October 29, 1988 November 5, 1988	—
Production trouble abounds on the set of a terrible monster movie, and the director Rollie Friendly sees a news broadcast of Sky Lynx returning the Spacehikers to Earth while searching for more inspiration. He briefly considers using a robot for the villain, but his PR manager cites an overwhelmingly bad public perception of giant robots; instead, the movie crew leaves in search of Bigfoot but finds the Decepticon Pretender Skullgrin instead. Friendly offers Skullgrin a paid job as a movie star, and Skullgrin, remembering Scorponok's orders to establish a secret fuel depot, agrees on the condition he is paid in fuel. The deal surprisingly works in both parties' favor, and Skullgrin becomes a massively popular movie star seemingly overnight. While filming his next movie at the Grand Canyon, a wheelchair-bound Skullgrin super-fan suddenly reveals herself as Circuit Breaker, and the two begin dueling in front of Friendly's cameras. During the fight, Skullgrin almost allows his female co-star to fall to her death, but Circuit Breaker encourages him to save her. Although she strikes Skullgrin down immediately afterward, she leaves in disgust after Friendly offers her extra money to kill Skullgrin on camera.
192 193	Ca$h and Car-nage!	November 12, 1988 November 19, 1988	—
The mysterious Z-Foundation recruits four bounty hunters to eliminate Cybertronians using a new kind of jamming technology that can block their ability to transform. On Cybertron, the Decepticon Firecons release the imprisoned Autobot Sparkabots and send them to Earth, where they are ambushed and deactivated by the bounty hunters, now calling themselves the Roadjammers. However, the Roadjammers become suspicious that the Z-Foundation recruiters are working with the Decepticons and resolve to capture them as well to receive an even larger reward from the foundation's leader, Mr. Z. They do indeed discover that the recruiters are Decepticon Headmaster partners and successfully bring them under control of the jamming technology, at which point Mr. Z reveals himself to be Lord Zarak. The Roadjammers turn the six jammed Cybertronians against Zarak and Scorponok, and Zarak reluctantly activates an anti-jammer to release everyone. The Autobots save the Roadjammers and depart, while the bounty hunters plan to continue using the jamming technology for their own purposes.
194 195	Club Con!	November 26, 1988 December 3, 1988	—
To the great bemusement of the Autobots, Ratbat and the Decepticons have converted their island headquarters into a bustling tourist resort for humans called "Club Con," with no clear reason as to why. Blaster and Buster's girlfriend Jessie infiltrate Club Con on a surveillance mission and soon discover the Seacons suspiciously entering and exiting the underwater mechanical sublevels. They sneak inside and discover the missing Buster imprisoned, who tells them that the Decepticons are looking for two ancient Autobot cassettees hidden inside a treasure chest and carrying extremely valuable data. Blaster and Jessie reluctantly leave Buster to keep their cover, but the Seacons return with the treasure chest and Jessie exposes herself after stealing the cassettes. Blaster is forced to jettison the cassettes back into the ocean to protect Club Con's human occupants, and he and Jessie retreat with plans to return as soon as possible.
196 197	The Flames of Boltax!	December 10, 1988 December 17, 1988	—
Ratbat and the Decepticons test a new full-sensory holographic system on Buster before reviewing the long-lost Autobot cassettes. Ratbat and Starscream start the program and find themselves witnessing events from four million years in Cybertron's past...a convoy consisting of the Triggerbots and Optimus Prime, not yet the Supreme Commander of the Autobots, planned to enlist the help of High Councilor Boltax's vast stores of knowledge. The Autobots pressed onward despite knowing they were violating one of the few neutrality agreements between the two factions, unaware that Megatron and the Triggercons were following them. Only Optimus was granted access to Boltax's temple and the power of the Underbase – an endless database that held the combined knowledge of the Cybertronian race. Megatron blasted his way into the temple and attempted to take the Underbase for himself, but Optimus, understanding that its power was too great, ejected the database into space, an act that would haunt him for the rest of his life. As Ratbat and Starscream realize that the Underbase's infinite power is real, Soundwave informs them that the Underbase itself will enter Earth's vicinity in a week. Buster, who had previously escaped and witnessed the broadcast, attempts to sneak out and warn the Autobots but is discovered.
198	Cold Comfort and Joy!	December 24, 1988	—
Having recently returned to life and active duty on Earth, Optimus struggles to reconnect with his past memories and concerns for the humans. The Autobot Powermasters leave Optimus to his musings and investigate a Cybertronian attack on a nearby human town, but arrive only to find that Broadside, Sandstorm, and Inferno accidentally knocked several building over while trying to celebrate Christmas and avoid stepping on any humans. Optimus arrives and shares in their despair, having finally remembered why he cared so much about humans – it was his fault that the Ark crashed on Earth millions of years ago, and it was his drive to protect the humans from the Decepticons that drew Earth into the Cybertronian civil war. With the Wreckers and the Powermasters as witnesses, Optimus reaffirms his vow to keep humanity safe from the Decepticons and any other threats that might appear.
199 200 201 202 203 204 205	Time Wars!	December 31, 1988 January 7, 1989 January 14, 1989 January 21, 1989 January 28, 1989 February 4, 1989	—
In the year 2009, the space-time rift that destroyed the Quintessons' home planet now threatens Earth and Cybertron, and Autobot scientists determine that the rift's source involves Galavatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge twenty years prior in 1989. Rodimus Prime leads a small group of Autobots back in time once again, pursued by a team of Decepticons led by Soundwave, while in 1989, Ravage is reawoken by an earthquake caused by the rift. Optimus briefs the Autobots on Galvatron's possible connection to the time storm while Highbrow frets over killing Scorponok's captured head, and a major battle begins outside the Ark as the Decepticons try to recover the head. The future Autobots and Decepticons arrive in the midst of the fighting and shunt several present-day Cybertronians, including Optimus, into Limbo. Goldbug recognizes the effects of time travelling and stops his comrades from attacking the future Autobots, and Optimus and Rodimus are able to defuse the situation using their shared link to the Creation Matrix. The combined forces of the Wreckers and the Mayhem Attack Squad arrive on Earth, who have agreed to work together and send Galvatron back to his proper time, but they storm the Decepticon base only to find that Megatron and Galvatron have allied. The two Decepticon leaders prove too much for the commando teams and force them into a retreat, while Optimus concludes that the rift was caused by Cyclonus and Scourge time-traveling to 1988 using Unicron's time portal. Because they violated the natural laws of time travel by not shunting a Cybertronian of equivalent mass into Limbo, the space-time continuum was thus unbalanced. The situation has also been exacerbated by Cyclonus' death twenty years before his creation, and the only possible way to stop the degradation is to return the two Decepticons to the rift. Scourge decides to take action and attempts to retrieve Cyclonus' body, but he is confronted and injured by Shockwave, who has gone insane due to the paradoxical foreknowledge of his own death. The present-day Autobots, the future Autobots, and the present-day Decepticons join the battle against Megatron and Galvatron, who has completely lost his mind because of the changes to his personal timeline. The future Decepticons return to 2009 as Scourge urges Ravage to help Shockwave; Optimus uses the Matrix's power to escape Limbo and confront Galvatron, but the time rift's instability only grows with two Autobot Primes and two Matrixes in the same time. Galvatron is torn apart by the rift, Scourge sacrifices himself to stop the destruction of space and time, and a restored Shockwave throws Cyclonus' body into the rift and finally seals it, ending the devastation. The future Autobots return to 2009 and agree to destroy all of their time machines, an injured Megatron wanders off into the sunset, and Optimus and Shockwave agree to a truce until they meet again.
206 207	Cold War!	February 11, 1989 February 18, 1989	—
The Decepticons move Club Con to the Arctic Circle and almost order Piranacon to destroy a ship containing Scorponok's Headmasters. Starscream innocently claims to the suspicious Ratbat that he and Scorponok had made a prior agreement to work together before the Club Con scheme, fully aware that Ratbat wanted to keep the Headmasters away until the Underbase had been retrieved. As the Autobots search for the Decepticon headquarters, Starscream manipulates the captive Buster into telling Scorponok about the Underbase, which then escalates into a fight between Ratbat's Decepticons and Scorponok's Headmasters. For the final stage of his plan, Starscream strands Buster on an ice shelf and gives him a homing beacon powerful enough to contact the Autobots, which Buster understands will inspire the two Decepticon armies to rejoin and slaughter them. Nevertheless, he activates the beacon as Starscream steals Scorponok's ship and escapes.
208 209 210	Dark Star	February 25, 1989 March 4, 1989 March 11, 1989	—
The Autobots respond to Buster's homing signal and are confronted by the combined forces of Ratbat and Scorponok's Decepticons. Ratbat realizes from Buster's testimony that Starscream has manipulated them all to take the Underbase's power for himself and agrees to an alliance with the Autobots. However, Starscream has already found the Underbase and bathes in the light of its knowledge and power. Optimus uses Club Con's gun emplacements to stop him from absorbing more than a small fraction of the database, but the supercharged Starscream cripples the island ship and leaves the combined forces of the Autobots and Decepticons stranded in space. He returns to Earth and sets about destroying various major cities, and Optimus summons the Ark to take teams of Autobots and Decepticons to intercept him. However, they are no match for the Underbase-empowered Starscream, who kills nearly every Autobot and Decepticon warrior save the organic-shelled Pretenders and the binary-bonded Headmasters, Targetmasters, and Powermasters. Optimus and Hi-Q build a rocket aboard the Ark to redirect the Underbase away from Earth, and a stray radio transmission from Buster alerts Starscream to the deception as Ratbat and Scorponok confront Optimus. Scorponok shoots Optimus and kills Ratbat before leaving to collect the Underbase himself, and Optimus manages to repair himself and drag Scorponok away just as the Underbase collides with Starscream instead of Earth. The full power of the Underbase proves too much for Starscream's body to handle, and he is obliterated. Scorponok reluctantly thanks Optimus for saving them all and agrees to leave in peace but warns that the fighting will resume the next day.
211 212	The Man in the Machine!	March 18, 1989 March 25, 1989	—
After the events of the Underbase Saga, Spike Witwicky resolves to leave the Autobots and his control over Fortress Maximus behind and abandons his Headmaster control helmet. However, his nightmares continue and the Decepticon Pretenders Carnivac and Snarler track him as he leaves for a ski vacation with a friend. The two humans manage to evade the Decepticons long enough for Spike to remotely summon Maximus, and he reluctantly recombines with Cerebros and Maximus to send the Decepticons into a retreat.
213 214 215 216	Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?	April 1, 1989 April 8, 1989 April 15, 1989 April 22, 1989	—
Optimus sends the Autobot Pretenders Cloudburst and Landmine to acquire enough black-market microchips to repair the many Autobots still damaged after the Underbase incident. They unknowingly connect with the Decepticon Powermasters Hi-Test and Throttle and learn from former Autobot ally Berko that Sky Lynx recently went missing after visiting the market. Landmine convinces the two "dealers" to take them directly to their suppliers, and they are met by the Mecannibals, robot-eating mechanical lifeforms who are preparing to feast on the captive Sky Lynx. Landmine manages to free Sky Lynx and obtain the necessary microchips, but Hi-Test and Throttle witness the Autobot Pretenders reveal their robotic nature to Berko afterward. The anti-robot customers of the black market drive them away, whereupon Dreadwind and Darkwing bring them back to the Mecannibals to replace the lost meal.
217 218 219 220	Recipe for Disaster!	April 29, 1989 May 6, 1989 May 13, 1989 May 20, 1989	—
The Mecannibals extract Cloudburst and Landmine's inner robot forms from their Pretender shells, but they trick the dim-witted cannibals into releasing them in exchange for gathering enough seasoning to make themselves taste better. With Berko being held hostage to ensure their cooperation, the two Autobots travel to Femax, a world dominated by female warriors who view men as fundamentally inferior. Cloudburst impresses their leader, the First One, with his fighting prowess and quick wit and is approached to be her mate and second-in-command. The First One chops his head off upon learning he is not a biological being, and the short-tempered Landmine is forced to peacefully defuse the situation and obtain the necessary crystals for seasoning. The Autobots attempt to leave Femax and are stopped by Dreadwind and Darkwing, but Sky Lynx ambushes the two Decepticons and takes them out. Cloudburst, Landmine, and Sky Lynx return to the Mecannibals and casually inform them that their trusted dealers Hi-Test and Throttle are actually robots, departing as they begin pursuing the Decepticon Powermasters.
213 214	The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire	April 1, 1989 April 8, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issues #213 and #214.) Following the Time Wars and his failed alliance with Galvatron, Megatron and Ravage return to Cybertron on the shuttle the Wreckers and the Mayhem Attack Squad used to travel to Earth. Disgusted with the waning Decepticon control over the planet, Megatron confronts the ruling Decepitcon Triumvirate, who have grown tired of war and now spend their days hosting gladiatorial games. They force Megatron to participate in the games, but he inspires the Decepticon audience to rise up and kill the weakened Triumvirate. Megatron is named the leader of the Decepticons once more, and he begins to plan for the future with his ultimate fate of becoming Galvatron in mind.
215 216 217 218	Race against the Devil!	April 15, 1989 April 22, 1989 April 29, 1989 May 6, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issues #215 – #218.) Dreadwind and Darkwing have been hired to collect something for a mysterious employer, and the Triggerbots shadow them from the Moon's orbit to southern Peru. They encounter both an archaeology team led by Susan Hoffman and the ruined, reanimated corpse of Starscream. The two Decepticons and the Triggerbots are all injured by the zombie Starscream, and Backstreet comes to a realization while trying to protect the humans: the Underbase's intelligence is behind the zombie's reanimation, albeit forced to attack the Cybertronians by Starscream's lingering hatred. The Triggerbots convince the Underbase to take control of Starscream's corpse, but Hi-Test and Throttle absorb its lingering energy and destroy the remnants of the Underbase. As the Decepticons escape with Starscream's body, the Triggerbots rescue Hoffman's team from an indigenous Incan tribe preparing to sacrifice them to the corpse.
219 220 221 222	Survivors!	May 13, 1989 May 20, 1989 May 27, 1989 June 3, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issues #219 – #220, and occupies the main story for Issues #221 – 222.) Skids finally returns from Limbo following the death of Galvatron, but the mind-leeches infesting the interdimensional realm have followed him and continue to plague him with nightmarish hallucinations. As Skids breaks into a California nuclear power plant to destroy both himself and the creatures, the last surviving Wreckers, Springer, Inferno, and Broadside respond to the break-in and attempt to convince him to stand down. The mind-leeches bring Skids' nightmares to life and overcome the Wreckers, and Springer requests help from the Decepticon Pretender Beasts Carnivac and Catilla, the last remaining members of the Mayhem Attack Squad. Their one-time comrades agree to help, drawing the ire of the other Decepticon Pretender Beast Snarler, and they quickly overcome the nightmare creatures. Skids joins the battle after realizing that the Limbo creatures can indeed survive without him, and they were manipulating him into destroying the nuclear reactor. The mind-leeches are eradicated, and Springer, Inferno, Broadside, Carnivac, Catilla, and Skids agree to stick together and form a new team – the Survivors.
223 224 225 226 227	Aspects of Evil!	June 17, 1989 June 24, 1989 July 1, 1989 July 8, 1989 July 15, 1989	—
In the year 2356, an aged Rodimus Prime recounts to a curious Autobot student the evils of five villains he faced in his younger years: Scorponok, Galvatron, Shockwave, Megatron, and Unicron. In 1991, Scorponok, injured from the Decepticon civil war and on the run from the Decepticon Micromasters of the Air Strike Patrol, surrendered to Hot Rod in order to exploit the Autobot amnesty laws. With no other choice, Hot Rod's Autobots lured the Air Strike Patrol away from Scorponok, leaving him free to escape. In 2009, after Rodimus Prime's Autobots returned to the future following the Time Wars, they found that the destruction of the time rift had permanently rewritten history. In this new timeline, Galvatron had not fled to 1987 and had instead led the Decepticons in conquering Cybertron. He attempted to goad Rodimus into a blind fury and corrupt the Creation Matrix by revealing he had killed Blurr, but the other Autobots managed to calm their leader. However, they discovered that Galvatron's actions had reawakened Unicron's mind, trapped inside the Matrix. In 2004, Shockwave attacked the official opening of Autobot City in the hopes of slaughtering the various government officials and heads of state present, thus shattering humanity's alliance with the Autobots. Although he predicted the Autobots would protect the humans before attacking the Decepticons, he was not prepared for Hot Rod to engage him directly, and the Decepticon retreat only strengthened humanity's faith in the Autobots. In 1990, Hot Rod escaped imprisonment on Cybertron with the help of an Autobot deep-cover agent, only to be recaptured. Megatron accused Bludgeon of being the traitor and manipulated the actual deep-cover agent into revealing himself, whereupon Megatron casually killed him. The student requests more information on Unicron, and Rodimus tells him that in 2010, Unicron returned once more and devastated Cybertron before being sealed inside the corrupted Matrix again. However, his spirit had become so powerful it could possess Rodimus, and the Autobot leader spent the rest of his days battling the dark god and isolating himself from the other Autobots. The student rejects this last story as false and storms off in a strangely twisted rage, which Rodimus recognizes as Unicron's influence.
228	(Double) Deal of the Century!	July 22, 1989	—
The Autobot Pretender Beast Chainclaw is ambushed by a Decepticon named Dealer while attempting to bring documents from the Autobot resistance on Cybertron to Optimus Prime and the Race Car Patrol Micromasters. Dealer contacts Optimus and offers him the chance to retrieve Chainclaw and the plans for a significant price, or else he will sell the plans to the Decepticons instead. Optimus chooses the Autobot Double as the representative, who agrees to go out of remorse for failing to protect Chainclaw. Dealer sells Scorponok the plans as the Autobots arrive, and they are met by a seemingly-injured Double carrying Chainclaw. Double claims the Decepticons doublecrossed him and stole the plans, and the Autobots storm the meeting location to ambush the unsuspecting Scorponok. However, both sides are unaware that Double and Dealer are actually the same individual – a Triple Changer named Doubledealer who delights in using his dual identities to manipulate the Autobots and Decepticons for maximum profit.
229	The Hunting Party	July 30, 1989	—
The Mayhem Attack Squad has been reformed after the group's original iteration was annihilated during the Time Wars, and Spinister leads the team in a simulation designed to assess their combat capabilities behind enemy lines. Needlenose is consumed by his own self-doubts and fear, fleeing the battle and leaving Spinister behind. Although Spinister knows that the Decepticon punishment for abandoning a fight is death, he decides to fake distress and convinces Needlenose to return and "save" him. The simulation ends, and Spinister covers for Needlenose's slip-up when Snarler arrives to receive an update on their progress. A satisfied Spinister reports that the Mayhem Attack Squad is ready to hunt down the traitors Carnivac and Catilla.
230 231	The Big Shutdown!	August 5, 1989 August 12, 1989	—
The Autobot detective Nightbeat, a recent arrival to the Ark’s crew, investigates the appearance of an Autobot corpse on a deserted California beach. His partner Siren discovers two other Autobots snooping nearby who identify themselves as Hosehead and Horseplay, and they tell Siren that the body belonged to their friend Playback. Horseplay is suddenly killed by the Decepticon commander Thunderwing, and both Nightbeat and Siren work out what has happened while the latter flees from Thunderwing: Hosehead, Horseplay, and Playback were Autobot prisoners on Cybertron that were released on Earth as a test for Thunderwing. Siren and Hosehead lure Thunderwing back to the beach, where Nightbeat's Nebulan partner Muzzle temporarily reanimates Playback's headless body. The sight shocks Thunderwing long enough for the Autobots to detonate Playback's corpse, severely damaging the Decepticon's Pretender shell and forcing him to retreat.
232 233 234 235	King Con!	August 19, 1989 August 26, 1989 September 2, 1989 September 9, 1989	—
Three humans venture into the New Jersey swamps to investigate monster sightings but encounter the Decepticon Pretender Iguanas instead. Later, Optimus and Hi-Q meet the Autobot Micromasters, reinforcements sent from Cybertron to replenish their depleted forces after the Underbase Saga. Although Hi-Q is skeptical of the Micromasters' abilities, Optimus assigns them to investigate both the sighting of Iguanas and strange unmoving storm systems gathering over the area. The Micromasters eventually discover that Scorponok and the other Decepticon Pretenders plan to harness the vast electrical energy of the storms they created. As the Micromasters engage the Decepticons and learn of the storm plot from an escaping human reporter, Iguanas climbs up to the top of the Empire State Building to place the electricity-absorbing device as close to the storm as possible. Instead, the Micromasters knock the device off the building, and Iguanas is struck by the full force of the lightning storm and killed.
236 237 238 239	The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!	September 16, 1989 September 23, 1989 September 30, 1989 October 7, 1989	—
Since defeating the Decepticon Pretenders, the Autobot Micromasters have decided to sever ties with Optimus Prime and stay in New York City. Local wrestling star Jake "The Jackhammer" Jackson challenges Roadhandler to a match, and the macho Micromaster agrees after learning that professional wrestling is a staged affair and he will not actually be harming Jake. The match is a success, and Roadhandler soon becomes a celebrity with his own fan club of young children. Lord Zarak approaches Roadhandler and challenges him to face the Decepticon Micromaster Storm Cloud in the ring, with the added caveat that he throws the match to save the lives of his young fans. Although Roadhandler complies, the other Autobot Micromasters rescue the fan club and inspire him to fight back and win the match. Angry that human lives were needlessly put in danger, Roadhandler quits the wrestling scene forever and tells his fans to believe in themselves rather than their heroes.
232 233	A Small War!	August 19, 1989 August 26, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issues #232 – 233.) On Cybertron, the new Autobot Micromasters constituting the Battle Patrol infiltrate a Decepticon laboratory to spy on the construction of Decepticon Micromasters. However, they are ambushed and attacked by the Decepticons, whose scientists require functioning Micromasters to study and dissect. As the Battle Patrol's leader Big Shot rejects their standing orders to self-destruct and resolves to go down fighting, Emirate Xaaron sends another Micromaster force led by Roadhandler to destroy the laboratory and all evidence of Micromaster technology. However, Roadhandler also disobeys orders and breaks into the facility to rescue Big Show's unit; they are too late to prevent the Decepticons from completing work on their own Micromasters, the Air Strike Patrol, but they successfully extract the Battle Patrol and return to Autobot headquarters. Although Roadhandler submits himself to Xaaron for court-martial, the Autobot leader denies the request and apologizes for treating the Micromasters as weapons rather than fellow soldiers.
234	Prime's Rib!	September 2, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #234.) In 1995, Optimus unveils the first female Cybertronian, Arcee, in Autobot City to appease a group of human feminists, but the women are less than pleased with Arcee's pink color scheme and seemingly weak appearance. The other Autobots fail to understand the feminists' grievances with Arcee's construction, but the discussion is tabled when Shockwave leads the Decepticon Headmasters in an attack on Autobot City. Despite being ordered to stay behind, Arcee manages to singlehandedly rescue Optimus and drive off the Decepticons, while the feminists' ire is transferred to Hot Rod when he makes an inconsiderate comment regarding his new comrade's capabilities.
235 236	Deathbringer	September 9, 1989 September 16, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #235 – 236.) Aboard the Ark, Siren recites the ancient legend of the Deathbringer, a being with the power to create and destroy worlds at will, to the Autobots still recovering from the Underbase Saga and the Time Wars. Optimus reveals to Nightbeat that when the Autobots launched his old body into space as part of his funeral many years ago, they unwittingly sent the Creation Matrix away as well. Because the Matrix is lost, they are unable to use its power to repair the injured and deactivated Autobots, but Nightbeat's questions are interrupted by reports of a disturbance. Optimus and the Autobots respond to find a being calling itself the Deathbringer annihilating a major human city (later identified as Denver, Colorado), and the Autobot leader realizes that it somehow possesses the power of the Matrix. As the Autobots try and fail to overcome the Deathbringer, Nightbeat learns from Siren that there is a second version of the Deathbringer legend, where it is a being that kills mechanical organisms gripped by plague and mental illnesses to ease their suffering. Upon recognizing that the Matrix's power is slowly destroying the Deathbringer, Nightbeat informs it of its name's dual meaning, and the Deathbringer chooses to kill itself.
237	Way of the Warrior	September 23, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #237.) Carnivac is growing tired of performing menial service operations with the Survivors rather than engaging in epic battles and duels, and takes his frustrations out on Springer before fleeing. Although Catilla tries to plead Carnivac's case to Springer regarding the internal tensions the ex-Decepitcon has been wrestling with, the Survivors' leader responds that they will not protect Carnivac if he decides to leave the group. The newly-reformed Mayhem Attack Squad ambushes Carnivac when he reluctantly agrees to help a human settlement, and he agrees to face them in combat alone.
238	Survival Run	September 30, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #238.) Carnivac manages to wound Bludgeon but is severely injured by the other members of the Mayhem Attack Squad. The Decepticons are suddenly diverted by the appearance of a United States Army task force, and Carnivac chooses to escape as the soldiers are overwhelmed and slaughtered. As Carnivac begins succumbing to his injuries and the heat of the Mexican desert, he approaches a nearby town as the human he previously helped alerts the other Survivors to Carnivac's situation. Although Springer again maintains they cannot help Carnivac, a disgusted Catilla leaves to help him and makes the Autobot Survivors reconsider their stances. In the small town, Carnivac subdues Needlenose but exits his Pretender shell when Octopunch threatens a group of humans. Disgusted by Carnivac's weakness and compassion, Octopunch shoots him and prepares to deliver the killing blow.
239	A Savage Place!	October 7, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #239.) A human named Jose crashes his truck into Octopunch, dispatching him long enough for Carnivac to regain his bearing and decide to face the remaining members of the Mayhem Attack Squad. As a guilty Springer desperately leads the Survivors in search of their two ex-Decepticon comrades, Carnivac manages to hold his own but is once again injured protecting a group of humans from the Decepticons. Catilla arrives just as Spinister is about to execute Carnivac, but Bludgeon throws his sword across the battlefield and strikes Catilla down. The Survivors arrive and force the Mayhem Attack Squad to retreat, and Springer promises a distraught Carnivac that they will avenge Catilla's death by destroying the Decepticons.
240 241 242	Back from the Dead!	October 14, 1989 October 21, 1989 October 28, 1989	—
Stressed nearly to madness by the constant pressure to repair the dozens of fallen Autobots, Ratchet now suffers recurring nightmares of undead Autobots tearing him apart. Although Optimus attempts to convince his old friend to take a break, he is called away to investigate a Decepticon Micromaster attack at a nearby airfield. However, the attack was a diversion meant to empty the Ark of all Autobots save Ratchet, and a second team of Micromasters infiltrates the medic's workspace to place the deactivated Autobots under remote control. Ratchet nearly surrenders upon seeing his nightmares come to life, but he resists long enough for the Micromasters to change plans, stop the remote control, and disguise themselves as Autobots seeking Ratchet's assistance back on Cybertron. Ratchet falls for the ruse and brings the bodies of Jazz, Goldbug, and Grimlock with him for repairs but quickly finds himself held at gunpoint by the Micromasters. However, he is horrified when their leader emerges from the shadows – Megatron.
240	Out to Lunch!	October 14, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #240.) With Megatron dead, Dreadwind and Darkwing are out of a job, and the pair find themselves drinking away their troubles at Maccadam's Old Oil House while trying to shake the continued pursuit of the Meccanibals. As the two drunken Decepticons hold a philosophical conversation about their self-worth and ineptitude, they completely miss the Meccanibals enter the bar, start eating Maccadam's customers, and die in a bar fight to the disguised Autobot Quickswitch, who was forced to break cover to protect the patrons. They finally notice that something is wrong when Quickswitch accidentally destroys the bar, and they quickly leave before they are somehow blamed for the devastation.
241	Rage!	October 21, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #241.) Thunderwing finally recovers from his injuries sustained at the hands of Nightbeat, Siren, and Hosehead, emerging from the ocean in an apoplectic rage. He begins attacking everything and anything around him while searching for the three Autobots, and not even the arrival of a Decepticon shuttle from Cybertron is enough to quell his fury. The shuttle's crew, led by Ruckus, are ostensibly there to summon Thunderwing back to Cybertron to continue his application process for leader of the Decepticons, but Thunderwing forces them to join him in an all-out assault on the Ark.
242	Assault on the Ark!	October 28, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #242.) Although Ruckus' crew is initially hesitant to follow Thunderwing's orders, the sheer brazenness of his attack on the Ark inspires them to join in the battle. The Autobots are initially caught off guard, but they quickly rally themselves as Thunderwing faces down Optimus Prime in single combat. Ruckus finally convinces Thunderwing to retreat and return to Cybertron with them, where the Decepticon High Council uses the attack as the last piece of evidence they need to crown Thunderwing the new leader of the Decepticons.
243 244 245	The Resurrection Gambit!	November 4, 1989 November 11, 1989 November 18, 1989	—
On Earth, the Decepticon Micromasters accidentally inform Optimus of their role as a diversion, but Scorponok's forces arrive and prevent the Autobots from returning to the Ark. Megatron coerces Ratchet into supervising the construction of a super Pretender armor by revealing his agents have wired the Ark to explode and tells him the story of his return. When an insane Megatron previously destroyed the space bridge, he was blown clear of the explosion and materialized on Cybertron in an amnesiac and disoriented state. He wandered the ruined cities and wastelands until he came across a pair of Autobots torturing a Decepticon, whereupon his memories and personality were restored and he assumed command of the Micromasters to reinsert himself into the Decepticon leadership. As a furious Optimus singlehandedly plows through Scorponok's troops, Megatron horrifies Ratchet further by informing him that he requires Starscream's corpse to be repaired as the new Pretender armor's first test subject.
243	Mind Games!	November 4, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #243.) Megatron defeats the Decepticon leadership on Cybertron and once again takes command of their forces. However, he soon becomes haunted by the specter of Lord Straxus, the former Decepticon commander who unsuccessfully attempted to swap minds with him and take over his body. Convinced that Straxus has returned and is trying to possess him again, Megatron and Ravage jump at the chance to investigate a mysterious intruder to stave off whatever madness he is feeling. Megatron attacks the intruder, only to discover that it is a second Megatron.
244	Two Megatrons!	November 11, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #244.) The second Megatron attacks the first Megatron and attempts to appeal to both his opponent and Ravage during the fight. He claims that he is the real Megatron and that, after destroying the Decepticon space bridge and disappearing in the explosion, he wound up in the barren Dead End as a shambling amnesiac, but an encounter with the Decepticon Micromaster Blackjack restored his memory and personality. Afterward, he found one of Straxus' old laboratories and discovered that the Decepticon commander had created a clone of Megatron to serve as a backup if the mind transfer failed. Straxus' mind was indeed transferred into the clone, but it was transported to Earth before Straxus' personality could fully override the clone's mind. The clone would then go on to battle Action Force and the Dinobots, ally with Galvatron in the Time Wars, and return to Cybertron with Ravage to retake his position as Decepticon leader. Although Ravage and the first Megatron do not believe the story, Straxus suddenly resurfaces within the first Megatron's mind and attempts to take over his body, confirming that he is the clone and the second Megatron is the original. Driven by their shared hatred of Straxus, the clone Megatron blows his own head off and destroys them both, and the original Megatron pays a solemn tribute to his sacrifice.
245	Underworld!	November 18, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #245.) Deep beneath the surface of Cybertron, three Autobot Military Academy cadets hide from mutant Cybertronians in the Underworld, an old initiation practice that was halted after the Ark left the planet. Pipes and Outback agree to go try and rescue their comrades, but the mutants kill Subsea and Flattop. Tailgate manages to dispatch the mutants just as Pipes and Outback arrive, but the three are unaware the explosion awoke something else within the Underworld...
246 247 248	All the Familiar Faces!	November 25, 1989 December 2, 1989 December 9, 1989	—
Ratchet reluctantly incorporates Starscream into the new Pretender armor and secretly uses the other three Pretender shells to repair Jazz, Goldbug, and Grimlock. On Earth, Optimus orders the Autobots to return to the Ark and assist Ratchet while he stays behind to continue fighting Scorponok's Decepticons, but Hot Rod refuses to leave Optimus. The Autobot leader convinces Zarak that they have both been manipulated by whoever is commanding the Decepticon Micromasters, and the two commanders agree to an alliance. Ratchet completes the repairs on Starscream and wipes the treacherous Decepticon's memory at Megatron's request, but he refuses to uphold his end of the deal and activates the detonation sequence. Prepared for this betrayal, Ratchet manages to escape his Micromaster guards long enough to revive Jazz, Grimlock, and Goldbug (returned to his old self Bumblebee) as Pretenders while the mindless Starscream arrives on Earth and confronts Optimus and Zarak.
246	Demons!	November 25, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #246.) Within the Underworld, Tailgate's explosion has released a horde of ancient Demons from their slumber, and they escape to find victims to satiate their hunger. Their first targets are three Decepticons attacking the Autobot Seawatch, who is spared but falls into a coma out of fear. Unable to form a sound plan from an unresponsive Seawatch and the mangled Decepticon corpses, Emirate Xaaron sends Jazz, Grimlock, and Bumblebee into the Underworld to find evidence that the Autobots were not responsible for the deaths. However, a Decepticon team led by Ruckus ambushes the three Autobots and starts a fight, unaware that several of the Demons are watching the battle and waiting to strike.
247	Dawn of Darkness!	December 2, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #247.) The Demons attack Bumblebee and attract the attention of the feuding Autobots and Decepticons, who reluctantly agree to work together to kill the monsters. However, none of their weapons affect the creatures, who simply absorb the energy from their blasters and flamethrowers and continue attacking. Seawatch awakens and begins babbling incoherently about how the Demons drained the life forces of the Decepticons, which gives Xaaron an idea of how to defeat the creatures. He and Red Hot arrive and manage to destroy the Demons with an artillery gun that fires pure energon. He informs the Autobots and Decepticons that the evil Demons are the flipside of the Matrix's good creations and that they were sealed underground by Primus millions of years ago. Although the Autobots are relieved to have beaten the Demons, Xaaron warns them that there are countless more Demons still sleeping beneath Cybertron's surface, and they will assuredly destroy all Cybertronians if they awaken.
248	Fallen Star!	December 9, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #248.) Although Starscream has regained his mind and has gotten a new lease on life under Scorponok's command, he remains depressed about his pathetic death and rebirth. Because he was forced to grovel and beg Scorponok for amnesty, he feels that he has been reduced to little more than a joke in the eyes of the Autobots and Decepticons. He leaves the Decepticon base to go find some Autobots, under the impression that the other Decepticons are laughing at him behind his back but unaware they are all deeply scared of him and his newfound Pretender strength. Starscream encounters Cloudburst, Chainclaw, and Getaway and attacks them, thinking that they are also mocking him, easily defeating them. His confidence is restored, and Starscream vows that all Cybertronians will know and fear his name once again.
249 250 251	Skin Deep	December 16, 1989 December 23, 1989 December 30, 1989	—
Megatron laughs at Ratchet's feeble sabotage attempt as the weakened Grimlock is quickly defeated, but Bumblebee and Jazz distract him long enough for Ratchet to escape. Starscream attacks Optimus and Scorponok's Decepticons as Kup and the other Autobots attempt to defuse the explosives aboard the Ark. Megatron dispatches the revived Autobots before leaving to search for Ratchet, who makes contact with the Ark to help dispose of the bombs. As Starscream dispatches all of the Cybertronians except Optimus and Zarak, Hot Rod regains consciousness long enough to help Scorponok electrocute Starscream's Pretender shell, which disrupts the mental blocks Ratchet installed and restores the Decepticon's cowardly personality. Megatron finds Ratchet just as he manages to teleport the Ark’s explosives to the Decepticon fortress, and both are seemingly destroyed as Megatron's fortress explodes.
249	Whose Lifeforce Is It Anyway?	December 16, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #249.) On Cybertron, the Autobot warrior Longtooth irritates his comrades with his death-defying stunts and fearlessness to the point of recklessness. After their mission, they return to Autobot headquarters, where Xaaron briefs all the Autobots stationed on Cybertron about their next mission: to find the lost Creation Matrix. At the mention of the Matrix, Longtooth is suddenly terrified because, in reality, he is not a brave warrior at all. Many millions of years ago, before the Ark left Cybertron, Longtooth was one of the only survivors in a massive battle. Scared to be left alone, he desperately attempted to revive one of his friends, but his selfish desire was misinterpreted as an act of goodwill by Optimus Prime himself. Optimus painfully broke off a small piece of the Matrix's energy and gave it to Longtooth to revive his friend, but Longtooth kept it for himself to use as an extra life in case of severe injury; the Autobot he was attempting to revive survived merely by chance. A conflicted Longtooth leaves the briefing, having not paid any attention to the plans for the Matrix Quest, and he decides to send his Matrix fragment to Earth and put it to better use.
250	The Greatest Gift of All!	December 23, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #250.) On Christmas Day, Optimus receives Longtooth's fragment of the Matrix and determines it has enough energy to restore one fallen Autobot to life. Although he considers First Aid for his medical talents, Prowl for his strategic leadership, one of the Dinobots for their immense strength, and Seaspray at random, Optimus decides he does not have the moral authority to arbitrarily bring just one Autobot back from the dead. His dilemma is interrupted by a report from the Micromasters of the Rescue Patrol, who have engaged the Air Strike Patrol. As Optimus monitors the battle and watches as the Micromasters trash a nearby forest and significantly damage the surrounding environment, he realizes how poorly the Cybertronians have treated Earth during their many years fighting on the planet. He orders the Rescue Patrol to return to the Ark and sends the Matrix fragment into the atmosphere, which causes rain that heals all the damage done to the environment.
251	The Void!	December 30, 1989	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #251.) In the year 2010, Rodimus Prime leads a full Autobot retreat to Earth after the timeline reset allowed Galvatron and the Decepticons to completely conquer Cybertron. As the Autobots enter the void of unspace to expedite their space travel, Rodimus feels widespread resentment at the idea of running away while Doubleheader, Pincher, and Kup realize there is a saboteur on board. The ship's guidance systems are destroyed, Rodimus goes missing, and several Autobots are killed by the saboteur. After scanning the ship for extra life signs, Kup realizes that one of the Autobots is the saboteur as the ship emerges from the void too close to Earth.
252 253 254	Yesterday’s Heroes!	January 6, 1990 January 13, 1990 January 20, 1990	—
Optimus breaks down over the loss of his old friend Ratchet, and the other Autobots worry about his mental state as the new Autobot Pretenders Jazz, Bumblebee, and Grimlock lead a series of successful raids on Decepticon fuel depots on Cybertron. Thunderwing sends the Mayhem Attack Squad to destroy the Autobots as Hot Rod reprograms a Guardian drone to attack the Autobots and snap Optimus into action, and although the drone runs out of control, Optimus does indeed realize that giving up would dishonor the memories of all the fallen Autobots. The Mayhem Attack Squad ambushes the Autobot Pretenders and their troops as they attempt to teleport back to Earth, and Bludgeon sabotages the teleportation, sending everyone into a strange underground labyrinth. As the Autobots and Decepticons make their way to the light at the end of the tunnel, they find themselves standing before Primus, the God and creator of all Cybertronians.
252	Edge of Impact	January 6, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #252.) With the Autobot ship about to crash on Earth and detonate the Energon goodwill gift to humanity like a massive nuclear strike, Kup frantically searches for Rodimus and the saboteur. He finds Longtooth standing incriminatingly over Rodimus' prone body, but both Arcee and the awakened Rodimus confirm Longtooth's innocence. Kup explains to Rodimus that Arcee is going to try and reach the backup engines from the coolant tank, but she actually crawls through the ship's ventilation system to reach the engines and safely land the ship. Kup's lie was a ploy to lure the saboteur out, who arrives at the coolant tanks and reveals himself as Rodimus, possessed by Unicron's lingering spirit within the Creation Matrix.
253	Shadow of Evil	January 13, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #253.) The Unicron-possessed Rodimus begins slaughtering the Autobots aboard the ship, even as they try and fail to incapacitate him with stun weapons to avoid hurting their leader. Unicron attempts to kill Rodimus within his mind, and pauses his physical attack long enough for reinforcements from Autobot City to storm the ship. However, Kup warns Arcee that Unicron's power may likely be too much for them, and their only option might be to kill Rodimus while Unicron's attention is elsewhere.
254	White Fire	January 20, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #254.) The Autobots reluctantly prepare to kill the incapacitated Rodimus, but they halt when the Matrix begins to shine with a brilliant white light – a signal that their leader is fighting back. Within Rodimus' mind, he realizes that both he and Unicron are able to affect the Matrix, and it is entirely possible to undo the dark god's corruption and destroy his spirit. However, just before Rodimus can fully cleanse the Matrix and end Unicron's threat, Kup misinterprets the lights as an all-clear signal and rips the Matrix out of Rodimus' chest. Although the Autobot leader breaks free from the possession, Unicron still exists within the Matrix and will undoubtedly be more prepared for their next battle.
255 256 257 258 259 260	...Perchance to Dream	January 27, 1990 February 3, 1990 February 10, 1990 February 17, 1990 February 24, 1990 March 3, 1990	—
An alternate-reality Galvatron finds the Ark mysteriously empty and decides to use a mind-bug device to read the minds of fallen Autobots, so that he may learn their brain patterns and mentally enslave them. In turn, his device examines the memories of Prowl, Ironhide, Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, and Silverbolt, causing the five Autobots to dream about the incidents they regret the most. Prowl remembers adopting highly aggressive tactics while attempting to stop Runabout and Runamuck, and the devastation from the resulting battle earned him Optimus' disapproval. Ironhide recalls an incident where he attacked a hostage situation with full force, believing that the terrorists would surrender to his superior firepower rather than kill the hostages if the police interfered. Unfortunately, the police arrived at the last minute, and Ironhide was forced to freeze the lead terrorist solid to prevent him from detonating a suicide bomb. Sunstreaker dreams of an incident where his vanity and showboating attracted the unwanted attention of Thundercracker and Skywarp on a stealth mission near the Decepticon headquarters. His partner Jazz was injured and, scared of being hurt himself, Sunstreaker decided to leave Jazz behind and lured the two Decepticons to a nearby human military base. Although the Decepticons were driven off, many of the soldiers were injured, but Sunstreaker ignored them in favor of celebrating his intact paint job. Wheeljack remembers making a secret deal with Ravage following the Dinobot Hunt, wherein he would brainwash Jetfire into returning to the Decepticons in exchange for the necessary technology to repair the injured Autobots. However, his morals won out over his distrust of the newly-defected Jetfire, and he backed out of the deal only to discover that Ravage had already destroyed the technology's factor, making his betrayal pointless. Finally, Silverbolt recalls one of the Aerialbots' earliest successful combination into Superion while fighting Menasor, where the five Autobots were afforded glimpses into the others' minds and discovered Silverbolt's fear of heights, which caused Superion to go berserk. However, Galvatron quickly realizes that the mind-bug accidentally reactivated the five Autobots, and he enters the deserted Ark to dispose of them. His attempt to mind-control Prowl and Wheeljack fails, however, and the Autobots are able to subdue him and trap his mind within a dream-like cycle of failure.
259 260 261	The Primal Scream	February 24, 1990 March 3, 1990 March 10, 1990	—
Grimlock is unconvinced that Primus is actually real, so the ancient Keeper guarding Primus' inert form recounts the cosmic history of the Cybertronians and their gods. Long ago, at the dawn of time, two gods representing good and evil fought across the physical universe and the astral plane: Primus and Unicron. In a last-ditch attempt to contain his brother's destruction, Primus sealed himself and Unicron inside two metal asteroids forever. However, Unicron soon learned to manipulate his prison and transformed it into a planetoid capable of consuming entire worlds and shifting into a robot mode. In response, Primus shaped his own asteroid into Cybertron and created a race of smaller transforming robots to eventually serve as his proxies in the battle against Unicron, and went into hibernation to prevent Unicron from finding him. The Mayhem Attack Squad recovers and attacks the Autobots as the Earth-based Decepticons confront Scorponok over his decision to bring Starscream back into the fold after he massacred them all twice. In a moment of desperation, Bumblebee prays to Primus for assistance, and he and the other Autobots suddenly receive a burst of strength that allows them to defeat the Decepticons. Octopunch attempts to shoot Grimlock in the back, but the shot ricochets directly into Primus' face and awakens the sleeping god. Primus lets out a scream that reverberates through Cybertron and across the cosmos, and the Autobots teleport back to Earth, hoping that nothing else heard the scream. However, somewhere in deep space, Unicron awakens from hibernation.
261	Starting Over!	March 10, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #261, and also begins a collection of back-up stories from Issues #261 – 289 known as the "Earthforce" run that does not fit into the main Marvel UK or Marvel US continuity.) Prowl and Wheeljack investigate reports of Decepticon activity in the Arizona desert, complaining together about how much the Cybertronian race has changed since they were last active. As they try and fail to sort through the differences between Headmasters, Targetmasters, Pretenders, Powermasters, Micromasters, and more, they encounter the Constructicons guarding the base of a mountain. The two Autobots defeat the patrol and climb the mountain to find Megatron at the summit, who plans to launch a special satellite into orbit that will release gases into the atmosphere to raise Earth's temperature, making collecting Energon easier. He is unconcerned that the global warming side effects will melt the polar ice caps and flood the planet, and Prowl and Wheeljack prepare to stop him and the other Decepticons.
262 263 264	Bird of Prey!	March 17, 1990 March 24, 1990 March 31, 1990	—
The Autobots across Earth and Cybertron begin scattering their forces across the galaxy to search for the lost Creation Matrix in the hopes of using it against the coming threat of Unicron. Autobot Headmasters Nightbeat, Siren, and Hosehead travel to the seedy underworld planet of Pz-Zazz, where they are drawn into a fight with local gangsters and given a mysterious bird statue by a dying alien. Siren and Hosehead force Nightbeat and his enthusiastic detective tendencies to ignore the bird statue and stay focused on finding the Matrix, but a local woman named Miss Fatale offers to take them to a hidden source of healing power in exchange for the statue. After avoiding several rival gangs also looking for the statue, Nightbeat determines that the statue itself is the source of healing power, and its absence from a sacred temple is responsible for Pz-Zazz's environmental decline. The Autobots replace the statue and restore the planet's natural beauty, but they are ambushed and captured by Thunderwing's Decepticons.
262	Two Steps Back!	March 17, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #262 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Grimlock is battling Shockwave and Runabout as the Decepticons try and figure out how he revived the other Dinobots without the Creation Matrix. Although the Dinobots easily defeat the Decepticons, Optimus Prime arrives to scold Grimlock for his violent tactics and disregard for human life. As Optimus leaves, an annoyed Grimlock grumbles to himself about how commanders never know what true battle feels like and tricks Runabout into falling down a ravine. With the Decepticons dispatched, Grimlock begins to consider withdrawing from the Autobot army.
263	Break-Away!	March 24, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #263 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Aboard the Ark, Grimlock confronts Optimus and declares that he and the Dinobots are seceding from the Autobots again, but Optimus is more concerned with Unicron and dismisses his complaints. A furious Grimlock throws a table through a wall to get Optimus' attention, then challenges him to a one-on-one duel for leadership of the Autobots. Optimus and Grimlock are evenly matched in strength and eventually tire themselves out, at which point the other Autobots declare the duel a draw and the combatants begin laughing. Optimus apologizes for dismissing Grimlock and names him the acting Autobot Commander of Earth, requesting only that he use restraint. Grimlock accepts the position and Optimus' condition, and Jazz, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Sunstreaker, and Silverbolt agree to join his new unit. The new Earthforce leaves the Ark with Optimus' blessing to go help Prowl and Wheeljack.
264	Desert Island Risks!	March 31, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #264 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Ironhide and Bumblebee track a Cybertronian life sign to the Bahamas, hoping that it is their missing teammate Prowl. Instead, they find the Constructicons attempting to rebuild Devastator as a separate robot since they have lost the ability to combine. As Bumblebee watches, Ironhide uses his experience as the Autobot head of security to bypass the defenses surrounding the construction site and ram the scaffolding, collapsing the project.
265 266 267 268	Blood on the Tracks!	April 7, 1990 April 14, 1990 April 21, 1990 April 28, 1990	—
(Note: this story forms the first part of the G.I. Joe and the Transformers miniseries and was originally published in the Marvel US comic in September 1986. The Marvel UK comic reprinted the miniseries while waiting for more new stories from the US comic. ) The G.I. Joe team is assigned to protect Power Station Alpha, the world's first mobile solar and nuclear power plant. As the team's leader Hawk escorts a delegation of senators and congressmen through a crowd of protestors to witness the station's launch, Optimus sends Bumblebee to ensure the Decepticons do not interfere in the proceedings. They are unaware that the terror organization Cobra has already sent the Dreadnoks to spy on the launch, but the three henchmen grow bored of waiting and attack the station alone. They manage to escape the Joes' firepower by taking a congressman hostage and lose them on a crowded highway, where they accidentally cross paths with a disguised Bumblebee. Their failed attack is witnessed by Cobra Commander, who is furious at having lost the element of surprise and is at risk of losing his position as Cobra leader to Serpentor, and Megatron, who sends Dirge and Bombshell to try and take control of Alpha. The two Decepticons identify Bumblebee and Bombshell mentally enslaves a young human boy with a cerebro-shell to make him walk in front of the station's treads. As expected, Bumblebee is forced to break cover and transform to save the boy, and G.I. Joe misinterprets the action as hostile and destroys Bumblebee while Snake Eyes shuts down the launch sequence. Bombshell plants another cerebro-shell on the power station as the Aerialbots arrive and combine into Superion, who demands to know where Bumblebee is.
269 270 271 272	Power Struggle	May 5, 1990 May 12, 1990 May 19, 1990 May 26, 1990	—
(Note: this story forms the second part of the G.I. Joe and the Transformers miniseries and was originally published in the Marvel US comic in October 1986.) A furious Superion accuses the Joes of killing Bumblebee, and they attack him in retaliation, but the Autobot combiner suddenly flees the battle upon receiving word that Optimus Prime has died and all Autobots are to return to the Ark. A depressed and disinterested Megatron watches as Bombshell's cerebro-shell hijacks the now-airborne Power Station Alpha, and Shockwave privately concludes he will have to take over the Decepticons. Cobra operative Doctor Mindbender takes control of the cerebro-shell and redirects the station towards Cobra Island, and the Cobra planes sent to escort their prize come under attack from a squadron of G.I. Joe aircraft. Serpentor forces the Joes to back off by threatening to destroy a nearby pleasure cruise, and Cobra shoots the boat anyway and escapes with the station as the Joes evacuate the cruise passengers. G.B. Blackrock, one such passenger, overhears the Joes speculating about the strange shapeshifting robots and offers to help them while Dirge and Bombshell follow the station to Cobra Island. They are met by Doctor Mindbender, who plants a listening device on Dirge and proposes an alliance. However, he later listens to Shockwave informing the two Decepticons about his plan to convert Alpha into a device capable of tapping into the Earth's natural energy, which would destroy the planet.
273 274 275 276	Ashes, Ashes...	June 2, 1990 June 9, 1990 June 16, 1990 June 23, 1990	—
(Note: this story forms the third part of the G.I. Joe and the Transformers miniseries and was originally published in the Marvel US comic in November 1986.) Shockwave shares his plan to drain Earth's energy and transfer it back to Cybertron using Power Station Alpha with the other Decepticons, and Cobra arrives after the presentation to formalize their alliance. Both evil organizations plan to subtly betray the other as Shockwave convinces Serpentor to attack the Ark and retrieve a generator the Decepticons need to modify Alpha. Dirge leaves with Cobra and Doctor Mindbender stays with the Decepticons, while Blackrock explains to the Joes that Bumblebee was actually one of the good alien robots and they blew him up for no reason. Mainframe and Crankcase agree to try and restore him as the Autobots host a funeral for Optimus and the Baroness meets with a Cobra-allied senator in Washington, D.C.. The Cobra air fleet is quickly engaged and destroyed by Omega Supreme, and both Dirge and Serpentor try and goad the other into entering the battle as well. Bombshell is suddenly overcome with spasms in front of Doctor Mindbender as surgeons remove and dissect the implanted cerebro-shell from the young boy's skull, and he later witnesses the Decepticons launch Alpha into space. Upon receiving this news, Serpentor destroys Dirge and calls off the attack, requesting an alliance with the Autobots to help stop the Decepticons and save the planet. G.I. Joe, responding to the attack, intercepts the message and realizes they will have to join forces with both the Autobots and Cobra.
277 278 279 280	...All Fall Down!	June 30, 1990 July 7, 1990 July 14, 1990 July 21, 1990	—
(Note: this story forms the fourth and final part of the G.I. Joe and the Transformers miniseries and was originally published in the Marvel US comic in December 1986.) The combined forces of the Autobots, G.I. Joe, and Cobra shelter inside the Ark from the earthquakes caused by Power Station Alpha as the Baroness saves Doctor Mindbender from the Decepticons. The two Cobra agents kidnap Bombshell and take him to a rendezvous with the Joes in Seattle as Ratchet helps Mainframe and Crankcase finish rebuilding Bumblebee into Goldbug. Mainframe investigates the recovered cerebro-shell and concludes that they are able to control Bombshell as debates range between the humans and Cybertronians about the possible consequences of destroying Alpha. They eventually decide to send a small strike team to infiltrate the power station and destroy it only if absolutely necessary while the rest of their armies attack the Decepticons as a diversion. The attack successfully forces Shockwave to send out the Constructions and their aerial forces, leaving Mainframe and Doctor Mindbender free to hijack control of Alpha and position it over an unpopulated area. The Baroness activates the explosives and disappears with Doctor Mindbender as the station explodes harmlessly in orbit, and the Cobra forces retreat with their main objective secured. The Autobots, suspicious that the Joes secretly helped Cobra destroy Power Station Alpha, allow them to leave but warn them against interfering in Cybertronian affairs in the future.
265	Once upon a Time...	April 7, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #265 and is part of the Earthforce run.) As his first order of business as the commander of the Earthforce unit, Grimlock reads his troops a summarized version of the Autobot-Decepticon civil war featuring his own cartoonish edits and doodles atop the book's text. Although he correctly recounts the conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron, their crash-landing and reawakening on Earth, and many of the subsequent developments, deaths, and advancements, Grimlock mockingly ends the story by denouncing Optimus' hope of eventually making peace with Megatron. All of the Autobots under his command agree, and Grimlock orders the Earthforce unit to roll out and rescue Prowl and Wheeljack. In doing so, they leave the book behind, which was originally a copy of the Autobot Code before Grimlock vandalized it.
266	Life in the Slow Lane	April 14, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #266 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Jazz and Sunstreaker speed through a small, quiet Louisiana town while trying to reach Megatron's downed global warming satellite before the Decepticons, since Skydive accidentally broadcast its location on an open channel. Although Prowl succeeded in disabling the satellite, the canisters of heat gas are still intact, and both Megatron and Shockwave send troops to retrieve it. Runabout, Runamuck, Dead End, and Drag Strip reach the canisters before the Autobots and promptly start fighting each other, while Jazz and Sunstreaker encounter an alive and strangely mellow Prowl. Prowl informs them that the residents of the Louisiana town repaired him after he neutralized the gas, and invites them to sit and watch as the Decepticons battle over nothing.
267	Snow Fun!	April 21, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #267 and is part of the Earthforce run.) On April Fools' Day, a grumpy Grimlock is trudging through a snowstorm looking for Shockwave, who has challenged him to a duel. However, he is unaware that the message from Shockwave was forged by the other Dinobots, who are pranking him, and that the Predacons Razorclaw and Rampage are stalking him through the snowy woods. Grimlock's bad mood worsens when he finally arrives at the location, only to find a snowman shaped like Shockwave holding a sign saying "April Fools!" signed by the other Dinobots. The two Predacons begin laughing at him and accidentally reveal their location, and Grimlock attacks them to relieve his anger and humiliation. Later, as the other Dinobots start to worry that their leader might not have taken the joke well, they fail to notice Grimlock preparing to throw an enormous snowball at them.
268	Flashback!	April 28, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #268 and is part of the Earthforce run.) The Autobots discover that Megatron has built a kind of time machine that will allow him to possess someone in the past. Prowl volunteers to follow him, and he finds himself in his own body during the events of the Underbase Saga. Seeking extra troops, Megatron has possessed the body of Snaptrap and is trying to alter history to ensure the Seacons survive the climactic final battle with the Underbase-powered Starscream, but Prowl recognizes him anyway. As the two time-travelers battle, Prowl tricks Megatron into thinking that he is actually fighting Optimus Prime in Prowl's body, and he relinquishes control of Snaptrap's body and returns to the future. Although Prowl tries to leave as well, he is forced to remain in his body as Starscream destroys the Seacons and himself, at which point he awakens in the future, alive once again.
269	Mystery!	May 5, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #269 and is part of the Earthforce run.) One dark and stormy night, Skydive attempts to relieve Wheeljack of guard duty for the half-built Earthforce headquarters but finds that the room has been trashed. With overturned furniture, Wheeljack's abandoned blaster, and both Cybertronian and animal footprints present in the snow, Skydive concludes that a Predacon has ambushed Wheeljack and is trying to break into their shuttle. He arrives at the shuttle to find that someone has indeed broken in, but attacks the intruder only to discover that it is Wheeljack himself. Air Raid demands an explanation for the racket, and Wheeljack informs a confused Skydive that he had retrieved a heating unit because he was cold, but it had overheated. While attempting to shut it off, he had knocked over the furniture, fled from a polar bear, and had to break into the shuttle in order to dispose of the evidence.
270	The Bad Guy’s Ball!	May 12, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #270 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Recognizing that the threat of the Earthforce requires a united approach, Megatron and Shockwave call a special meeting to form a truce between their warring factions. The Decepticons host a massive party officially known as the Enclave to certify the truce, but the Autobots nickname the event the "Bad Guy’s Ball" and infiltrate the party to stop the negotiations. Working together, they kidnap Headstrong, fire his blaster at Megatron, and leave his unconscious body for the Decepticons to find. As expected, Megatron concludes that Shockwave is trying to assassinate him and attacks, and the negotiations fall apart as the Decepticons start fighting each other.
271	The Living Nightlights!	May 19, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #271 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Wheeljack and Snarl break into a warehouse containing the Sleepfast – a new product advertised on television that is a humanoid light able to be turned on and off by thought alone. Although Snarl is worried about being caught, Wheeljack informs him that he found Cybertronian technology inside a Sleepfast he dissected and that they are alive and possess hypnotic powers to put their users under subliminal control. The two Autobots are suddenly overwhelmed as a horde of Sleepfasts come to life and subdue them as the mastermind behind the operation reveals himself to be Mindwipe, recently expelled from the Decepticons for trying to hypnotize Scorponok. Although Mindwipe plans to use the Sleepfasts to brainwash a human army into his service and conquer the planet, Wheeljack and Snarl telepathically activate all the Sleepfasts and overload his neural circuitry.
272	Cry Wolf!	May 26, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #272 and is part of the Earthforce run.) The Mayhem Attack Squad has established a base on a tropical island while looking for the Survivors, and Spinister and Snarler return only to find that Bludgeon, Octopunch, and Stranglehold are attacking Needlenose. When questioned, Bludgeon angrily recounts that they received a distress call from Needlenose that the Survivors were attacking the base, and they responded only to find it was a ploy from Needlenose to test their reaction times. Needlenose tries to defend himself by stating that they need to be ready for Carnivac, who will assuredly not stop hunting them until he kills them all to avenge Catilla's death, but his squadmates laugh his concerns off and send him away. Needlenose returns to his quarters only to find Carnivac lurking in the dark, and his second distress call to the Mayhem Attack Squad is ignored as Carnivac attacks.
273	Wolf in the Fold!	June 2, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #273 and is part of the Earthforce run.) After dispatching Needlenose, Carnivac patrols the Mayhem Attack Squad's base looking for a victim. He eventually finds Bludgeon meditating alone, but the martial artists master is not fooled by the ambush and engages Carnivac. Meanwhile, the other Survivors encourage Springer to request help from the Earthforce un rescuing Carnivac, but Springer does not want to deal with Grimlock. They eventually force him to contact Grimlock by stating they will leave to help Carnivac alone if necessary. Carnivac manages to flee Bludgeon but is soon cornered by the surviving members of the Mayhem Attack Squad and shot at point-blank range by Spinister.
274	Where Wolf?	June 9, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #274 and is part of the Earthforce run.) At the Earthforce base, Grimlock is reluctant to assist a Decepticon but is convinced to send a squadron to help the Survivors by Prowl, who hopes to recruit Springer's team into the Earthforce. Both Grimlock and the Mayhem Attack Squad believe Carnivac to have been killed, but Snarler is crushed by an unseen individual as Bludgeon, Octopunch, and Stranglehold engage the combined forces of the Survivors and the Earthforce. Knowing the battle is lost, Spinister attempts to depart for Cybertron but is executed while Springer captures Bludgeon. He nearly kills the Decepticon Pretender but is stopped by a still-living Carnivac, who survived thanks to his Pretender shell and managed to kill Snarler and Spinister. Prowl welcomes Carnivac to the Autobots and the Survivors agree to join the Earthforce, but Carnivac corrects that he did not spare Bludgeon out of mercy – in his heart, he still considers himself a Decepticon.
275	Secrets	June 16, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #275 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Megatron realizes there is a traitor among his faction of Decepticons when Shockwave intercepts one of his secret Energon shipments from Cybertron. He tasks Soundwave with finding the traitor, unaware that Soundwave himself is the traitor and has been pitting both Decepticon factions against one another. After reading the minds of the other Decepticons under Megatron's command, he selects the paranoid Wildrider to take the fall for his actions and fakes being poisoned in front of him, giving him secret battle plans to transmit to Cybertron. As planned, Megatron witnesses Wildrider leaving with the plans and, believing he is going to contact Shockwave, executes him. Soundwave receives Megatron's gratitude and begins privately planning how to use the blackmail material he gleans from everyone's minds.
276	Bugged!	June 23, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #276 and is part of the Earthforce run.) The Insecticons infiltrate Shockwave's base as Starscream, stuck on guard duty despite his position as second-in-command, grumbles to him about how poorly he has been treated. He spots the Insecticons and decides to deal with them as they position themselves in a room adjacent to Shockwave's war room. As they start eavesdropping, Starscream attacks and dispatches them with a gigantic electric flyswatter but lets them go free with the information they managed to overhear about a solo mission that Shockwave is going on the next day. Correctly guessing that Starscream plans to pit Megatron and Shockwave against one another and fill the resulting power vacuum, the Insecticons agree to leave.
277	Internal Affairs!	June 30, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #277 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Megatron ambushes Shockwave at Memphis International Airport, and the two opposing commanders begin yet another battle for control of the Decepticons as the human air traffic controllers shut down the airport and place bets on the fight's outcome. Starscream anonymously reports the duel to the Earthforce then contacts Soundwave, threatening to expose his double-agent behavior unless he agrees to jointly lead the Decepticons with him. Soundwave has no choice but to accept, and he gathers all the Decepticons from both factions to meet Starscream as both new commanders secretly plot to destroy the other. The Autobots arrive at the airport, and Megatron and Shockwave each radio for reinforcements, only to realize that Starscream has deposed them both. They flee together and agree to make an alliance to destroy Starscream.
278	The House that Wheeljack Built!	July 7, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #278 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Wheeljack presents the newly-completed Autobot Earthbase, the Earthforce's main headquarters, to Grimlock and Prowl. The former is impressed, but the latter is concerned about the apparent lack of defenses until Wheeljack reveals a highly advanced, cleverly hidden, and completely automated defense system surrounding the base that can only be accessed by a control panel inside the base. However, with the entire Earthforce minus the Survivors outside watching the demonstration, no one is inside to control the defenses, and Wheeljack has inadvertently locked them out of their new base. Everyone works together to destroy the new defenses, and Prowl finally manages to break in and shut the system down, ordering a sheepish Wheeljack to make the next version slightly less effective.
279	Divide and Conquer!	July 14, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #279 and is part of the Earthforce run.) With the Earthbase's defense system still inactive, Soundwave leads a massive frontal assault on the Earthforce's headquarters while Starscream takes the comparatively easy task of capturing energy from an oil tanker near the Gulf of Mexico. While the Dinobots hold the line against the Decepticons, Prowl had foreseen the possibility of a double attack and had previously sent the Survivors out on patrol. Springer's team successfully drives Starscream away from the oil tanker, and Starscream calls for a full retreat. A disgruntled Soundwave grumbles that perhaps he should lead alone, an idea that garners support from the other Decepticons present.
280	The 4,000,000 Year Itch!	July 21, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #280 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Because he was originally constructed without emotional dampeners, Slag constantly struggles to maintain control over his violent temper and anger, and the Dinobots must forcibly calm him down when he occasionally loses that struggle. Unfortunately for Grimlock, Slag's latest rampage occurs on the same day that Optimus is scheduled to tour the Earthbase, and the other Dinobots desperately work to keep Slag quiet as Grimlock acts like nothing is wrong. Through a combination of the other Dinobots' strength, Grimlock's quick excuses, and Optimus' lucky distractions, the Autobot leader does not notice the furious Dinobot, and he leaves none the wiser as Slag finally collapses.
281	Makin’ Tracks!	July 28, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #281 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Wheeljack informs Optimus and Grimlock that Tracks will be repaired and reactivated on schedule, despite mysterious sabotage attempts trying to hinder his resurrection. Although Optimus accepts the update and departs the Earthbase, Grimlock grouses to Wheeljack about having to oversee the repairs on the generally disliked Tracks, who reminds him that the Ark’s repair bay is not quite as sophisticated as the Earthbase's. As Tracks enters the final stages of repair, the saboteur is revealed to be Grimlock himself, but the repair machine accidentally runs the sequence on him as well and leaves him significantly more damaged than the revived Tracks. Tracks further angers the already-furious Grimlock by expressing his desire to join the Earthforce, and the Dinobot commander chases him out of the base with his sword.
282 283 284 285	Kings of the Wild Frontier	August 4, 1990 August 11, 1990 August 18, 1990 August 25, 1990	—
The Triggerbots travel to the desert planet Cheyne in their search for the Matrix. They manage to save a child from being run down and are taken in by his parents for the night, unaware that Thunderwing and his Decepticons have also arrived on Cheyne after learning of the Matrix Quest from the captive Nightbeat, Siren, and Hosehead. As Thunderwing secretly plots to take control of the Matrix's power for himself, Optimus attempts to psychically locate the Matrix, only to witness a vision of Unicron consuming all Cybertronians. The Triggerbots are tricked into staying longer and longer, eventually forgetting everything about the Matrix Quest, the coming danger, and even their own identities. Thunderwing attacks the amnesiac Dogfight but soon determines he is useless and orders his Decepticons to retreat; however, the beating snapped Dogfight out of the trance, and he returns to find the family is actually a group of psychic vampires consuming their life-forces. The other Triggerbots also awaken from their trances, and the three Autobots are forced to kill the vampires.
282	Shut Up!	August 4, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #282 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Although the surviving members of the Mayhem Attack Squad have been safely disarmed and imprisoned in the Earthbase, Inferno is uneasy while guarding them. Bludgeon, Octopunch, and Stranglehold are completely silent, and the Autobot wonders whether this is some sort of trick as Bludgeon telepathically retrieves his sword from the armory. Stranglehold tricks Inferno into opening the cell by tearing up the floor, and Bludgeon's sword impales him before he can raise the alarm. The Decepticons leave without another word, and Prowl later reports to Grimlock that Inferno will live.
283	Manouevers!	August 11, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #283 and is part of the Earthforce run.) When Blitzwing and Astrotrain demand to know why Octane was late with his fuel delivery, he informs them that he accidentally took a wrong turn that led him onto an army testing range. Although the two Triple Changers are suspicious of Octane's story, they agree to help him destroy the testing range for fun. As they start trading fire with the humans and quickly enter a stalemate, Octane refuses to join the fighting as he is filled with fuel and liable to explode if hit by a stray shot. Blitzwing pressures him for the truth, and Octane finally admits that he was chasing a car that led him onto the range. Irritated, Blitzwing and Astrotrain leave Octane in the crossfire as the car he chased earlier reveals himself as Jazz.
284	Assassins	August 18, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #284 and is part of the Earthforce run.) In the Louisiana bayous, Starscream is set upon by three alien bounty hunters. He easily cuts them down, but two shadowy figures watching the battle on a control screen note that the only information Starscream is allowed to know is that someone placed a bounty on his head. Starscream concludes that Soundwave placed the bounty while Wheeljack informs Grimlock that Snarl has contracted a disease that will slowly rust his body into nothing. The only cure is a systems boost from a compatible Cybertronian, and unfortunately, the only Cybertronian on Earth compatible with Snarl's systems is Starscream.
285	External Forces!	August 25, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #285 and is part of the Earthforce run.) A furious Starscream returns to the Decepticon base and attacks Soundwave, but he manages to convince Starscream that he would not have sent such amateurish bounty hunters if he truly wanted to assassinate him. As the two Decepticon commanders try and think of who else could have placed the bounty, they are suddenly ambushed by Bludgeon, Octopunch, and Stranglehold, who have been hired to kill the survivor but now plan to charge double for both their deaths. As a group of Autobots also arrive on the scene to capture Starscream alive, the ensuing chaos is observed by the two shadowy figures – Megatron and Shockwave.
286 287 288 289	Deadly Obsession	September 1, 1990 September 8, 1990 September 15, 1990 September 22, 1990	—
The Autobot Pretenders Longtooth, Pincher, and Doubleheader sail across the mercury seas of the planet Pequod searching for the Klud, a recently-sighted extinct sea monster that could have been revived by the Matrix's power. While making a forensic analysis of a shipwreck caused by the Klud, the monster bit Longtooth's leg off, driving him insane and causing him to abandon the quest in favor of killing the Klud. Pincher and Doubleheader reluctantly collaborate with Thunderwing's Decepticons to stop him, and Thunderwing learns that the Klud revitalized itself by eating an escape pod overcharged with Matrix energy that originated from the moon VsQs. As Pincher begs Longtooth to remember himself and the Autobot Code, Thunderwing and the Decepticons leave the Klud in favor of traveling to VsQs and potentially finding the Matrix.
286	The Lesser Evil!	September 1, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #286 and is part of the Earthforce run.) As the Autobots engage Megatron and Shockwave, Grimlock reluctantly orders Sludge and Swoop to save Starscream. The two Dinobots join Starscream and Soundwave in fending off the three Decepticons while the other Autobots send Megatron and Shockwave into a retreat. Although Grimlock is angry they have lost the element of surprise, Starscream informs him that Swoop told him about Snarl's condition during the fight, and he is willing to help cure the Dinobot if the Autobots agree to protect him should Megatron and Shockwave return again. Grimlock agrees, citing the choice between the lesser of two evils, but Starscream privately wonders whether he is the lesser evil.
287	Inside Story!	September 8, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #287 and is part of the Earthforce run.) A struggling journalist named Irwin, searching for the big story that will revitalize his career, overhears a police scanner report about a gigantic robot rampaging in upstate New York. He plans to go investigate himself but is approached by Springer, Grimlock, and Prowl, who explain that the robot is their comrade Superion and he is under the influence of one of Bombshell's cerebro-shells. Because the Autobots are unable to defeat Superion in a straight fight, they require a human volunteer to crawl inside the combiner and remove the cerebro-shell from his brain, and Irwin agrees to help on the condition that he gets to interview Grimlock. The promise of an exposé with giant alien robots motivates Irwin to push through Superion's internal defenses, and he eventually reaches his brain and removes the cerebro-shell just as the Autobots lose hope and prepare to destroy their friend.
288	Front Line!	September 15, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #288 and is part of the Earthforce run.) Soundwave and Starscream realize that their plan to discredit the Autobots through Bombshell controlling Superion has failed, and they need to take an alternative approach before the public learns the Autobots are heroes. At the Earthbase, Prowl and Grimlock take Irwin on a tour of their headquarters before the scheduled interview, and Starscream decides to kidnap Irwin and force him to write the exposé from the Decepticon perspective. As Grimlock and Irwin prepare to start the interview outside, the Stunticons ambush the Earthforce leader and abduct the human journalist.
289	End of the Road!	September 22, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #289 and is part of the Earthforce run.) As Motormaster speeds through traffic with the imprisoned Irwin, he informs the journalist that the Decepticons do not want him to report on the true motivations behind the Autobot-Decepticons conflict. Jazz, Bumblebee, Sunstreaker, and Tracks pursue the Stunticon leader but are pursued themselves by the remaining Stunticons Drag Strip, Dead End, and Breakdown. The Autobots manage to trick the Stunticons into hitting each other and rescue the concussed Irwin, but they are unaware that Bombshell had concealed himself inside Motormaster's cab and implanted a cerebro-shell into Irwin. Under the influence of the Decepticons, Irwin returns home and begins writing a piece about how the evil Autobots kidnapped him and held him prisoner to blackmail the government.
290 291 292 293	Dark Creation	September 29, 1990 October 6, 1990 October 13, 1990 October 20, 1990	—
After being launched off of Earth during his funeral, Optimus Prime's dead body crashlands on the barren moon of VsQs, and the Creation Matrix within his chest is soon reactivated when a dying droid accidentally harnesses its power to become the Deathbringer. The Matrix learns of such feelings as pain, fear, and evil from the Deathbringer's rampage and later transforms a small predatory creature exposed to its power into a much larger monster to continue exploring its curiosity. The Matrix-born monster slaughters a group of scientists sent to study and contain it, and it is this carnage that Jazz, Grimlock, and Bumblebee discover upon their arrival to VsQs. Thunderwing disrupts their exploration of the scientists' encampment and demands the Matrix as Ruckus accidentally releases the Autobot Headmasters imprisoned aboard the Decepticon ship. The Matrix monster ambushes the fighting Autobots and Decepticons, accidentally leading Thunderwing to the Matrix's resting place, while on Earth, a shadowy cyclopean figure rises from the ocean and kills a human witness. Later, Optimus waits to receive the returning Autobot Pretenders, only for Thunderwing to emerge from their shuttle bearing the Matrix.
294 295 296 297	All Fall Down	October 27, 1990 November 3, 1990 November 10, 1990 November 17, 1990	—
On his way to Cybertron, Unicron consumes the planet Ghennix, reformats three of its victims into his heralds Hook, Line, and Sinker, and sends them on a journey through space and time. Thunderwing uses the power of the Matrix to dispatch Hot Rod's group of Autobots and gravely injure Optimus, but the Autobot leader tricks Thunderwing into explaining how he managed to secure the Matrix long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The corrupted essence of the Matrix fully consumes Thunderwing's mind as the escaped Autobot prisoners secretly watch on while the shadowy figure plots to use Starscream to take command of the Decepticons. Thunderwing realizes he is losing control of himself once he becomes aware that the Matrix is killing Autobots and Decepticons alike, and Nightbeat, Siren, and Hosehead manage to suck both out into space.
298 299 300 301	Rhythms of Darkness!	November 24, 1990 December 1, 1990 December 8, 1990 December 15, 1990	—
In an alternate future, Unicron has devoured Cybertron and left Earth under the apocalyptic command of the Decepticons in the year 2009. Galvatron forces the Pretender Monsters to search the ruins of New York City for Autobots, despite the fact that he personally controls both American continents and has all but broken the Autobot resistance. Meanwhile, a group of rebel humans and Autobots led by Spike Witwicky race against a coming European nuclear strike to attack the Decepticon stronghold. They successfully break into the stronghold, but Galvatron soon arrives and slaughters them. Jazz sacrifices himself long enough for Spike to plan an American flag atop the stronghold, signaling the Europeans to abort the nuclear strike. Before Galvatron can kill the insolent human, Hook, Line, and Sinker suddenly appear and whisk him away, giving the remaining members of the resistance a fighting chance to save their home.
302 303 304 305	The Human Factor!	December 22, 1990 December 29, 1990 January 5, 1991 January 12, 1991	—
In the aftermath of RAAT's failure and collapse, G.B. Blackrock is given permission to assemble a team of superheroes to deal with Cybertronian incidents. He successfully recruits two bitter and broken outcasts codenamed Thunderpunch and Rapture before sending them to hunt down a potential third member known as Mister X, real name Hector Dialonzo, who recently killed one of the Decepticon Micromaster Patrols with his near-limitless energy powers. However, Starscream plans to use Dialonzo as well to take command of the Decepticons from Scorponok, but neither party realizes that Circuit Breaker is also seeking Dialonzo's power. A three-way fight breaks out between Circuit Breaker, Starscream, and Blackrock's team for Dialonzo's allegiance before he stops the fight and forces everyone to explain their perspective. Starscream is knocked out by Rapture, and both Dialonzo and Circuit Breaker agree to join Blackrock's team. When Starscream awakens, he is met by the shadowy figure, who reveals himself as Shockwave and offers his own alliance against Scorponok.
302	Dreadwing’s Xmas!	December 22, 1990	—
(Note: this story is included as the backup story for Issue #302.) Dreadwing has been writing the letters page for the Marvel UK comic for some time, and has become jaded and bitter despite actively resisting the idea of stepping down and being replaced. On Christmas Eve, Dreadwing is awoken at midnight by the arrival of three spirits in an obvious parody of Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol . The first spirit resembles Grimlock and identifies itself as the Ghost of Christmas Past, telling Dreadwing to give up and return to Cybertron. The second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes on the form of Blaster and questions what Dreadwing has accomplished beside becoming a bitter shell of himself. The final spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, wears a dark cloak and hood but reveals himself to be a twisted version of Dreadwing, warning his past self that this will be his future should he fail to change his ways. Sufficiently cowed, Dreadwing leaves the Marvel UK office in the morning and heads home to plot revenge against the three spirits.
306 307 308	Eye of the Storm	January 19, 1991 January 26, 1991 February 2, 1991	—
As the Autobots relax and grow complacent between missions, Optimus worries that Unicron's coming threat will prove unstoppable now that the Matrix is lost again. He meets with Nightbeat, who informs him that Ratchet could have survived the explosion by using the Decepticons' trans-time dimensional portal, and he is currently building a probe to search the realm between dimensions for his bio-mechanical signature. The Galvatron from the postapocalyptic alternate future of 2009 is brought before Unicron, who explains that he is not Galvatron's original Unicron but requires his services anyway. With no other choice, the alternate Galvatron (hereafter referred to as Galvatron II), agree to cooperate. Optimus informs the shocked Autobots that he plans to offer Scorponok an unconditional surrender in order to form an alliance against Unicron, unaware that Shockwave, Starscream, and Ravage plan to stage a coup against his leadership. An angry Grimlock knocks Kup out, retrieves the other Dinobots from stasis, and escapes. Optimus explains to Nightbeat that Grimlock had found reports stating that Nucleon, a new and extremely powerful fuel found on Hydrus Four, could be used to revive the fallen Autobots but would most likely induce negative side effects like dementia and paranoia. However, any further discussion is tabled when Nightbeat's probe returns with Ratchet, whose body has been hideously mutated and fused with Megatron.
309 310	The Pri₵e of Life!	March 2, 1991 March 16, 1991	—
As the Autobots stare in horror at the Ratchet-Megatron fusion, Kup draws his gun on the Megatron half and gives the creature an opportunity to escape. Optimus, Nightbeat, and Kup argue over the possibility of saving Ratchet versus the danger Megatron poses as Grimlock begins searching Hydrus Four for the supposed well of Nucleon. The creature barricades itself in the Ark’s engine room and begins damaging critical systems, and Optimus finally concedes to Kup's concerns; he overcomes the creature and finds himself still unable to kill it, but it places Optimus' gun on its forehead in a silent plea for death. Grimlock finds the Nucleon and seemingly rejuvenates himself with no ill side effects as Optimus is informed that Ratchet cannot be saved without also saving Megatron. The Autobot leader reluctantly gives the order to fix them both.
311 312	Surrender!	March 30, 1991 April 13, 1991	—
Optimus surrenders the Autobots to Scorponok, who confiscates their weaponry and has them all locked in the brig. Although the Decepticons have not been pleased with Scorponok's recent tenure as leader, they promise to forgive him if he rejects the alliance against Unicron with Optimus as Shockwave, Starscream, and Ravage recruit Mindwipe and Triggerhappy into their coup. On Cybertron, Galvatron II, Hook, Line, and Sinker attack the Autobot headquarters and force Emirate Xaaron to flee into the underground sewers. Fed up with waiting for Scorponok to make a decision regarding the alliance, Optimus breaks himself, Hot Rod, and Kup out and goes to confront him. However, they find Zarak in the midst of a crisis over placing command of the Decepticons above his honor and the coming threat of Unicron. Zarak agrees to the alliance but is interrupted when Shockwave's team bombs the base while Galvatron II pursues Xaaron.
313 314	...All This and Civil War 2	April 27, 1991 May 11, 1991	—
Shockwave's Decepticons begin searching the base's rubble for survivors, only to find a furious Scorponok, while Optimus attempts to rally the Autobots to prevent yet another Decepticon civil war from breaking out and disrupting the alliance. Galvatron II catches up to Xaaron but surprises the old Autobot by requesting his help in stopping Unicron, disavowing his supposed loyalty to the dark god. Xaaron informs him that, although the Matrix is gone, it may be possible to defeat Unicron by gathering all of Primus' children together in one place. Grimlock revives the other Dinobots with a Nucleon infusion but suddenly finds his body beginning to paralyze as Optimus desperately attempts to stop Scorponok and Shockwave's factions. Scorponok demands that Optimus kill Shockwave or the alliance is off, but the warring Cybertronians are suddenly interrupted by Blackrock's superhuman team, the Neo-Knights.
315 316	Out of Time!	May 25, 1991 June 8, 1991	—
Galvatron II and Xaaron descend into the center of Cybertron to begin awakening Primus, and a suspicious Unicron sends Hook, Line, and Sinker to find his wayward time-traveling servant, as he is unable to see past the presence of Primus. The Neo-Knights quickly dispatch Scorponok, and Shockwave uses the opportunity to attack Circuit Breaker, whose understanding of the distinction between Autobot and Decepticon vanishes as she rages against every Cybertronian present. Mindwipe places Soundwave under his hypnotic control as Blackrock diverts Circuit Breaker's fury from Optimus to Shockwave, who was the cause of her injuries as Josie Beller many years ago that led to her transformation. Primus awakens and possesses Xaaron to serve as his vessel, and Galvatron II begs the god to help mount a defense against Unicron. In response, every single Cybertronian on Earth vanishes, while the Matrix, trapped in deep space on Thunderwing's body, begins to hunger for revenge.
317 318	The Void!	June 22, 1991 July 6, 1991	—
The Cybertronians abducted from Earth are brought before Primus, who informs them of their origins and the threat of Unicron, naming Optimus as their leader in the coming battle. The Dinobots return to the Ark and begin reviving the deactivated Autobots with Nucleon, unaware that Megatron is among the fallen, while Unicron's cultists on Cybertron prepare for war. Scorponok confesses his growing fear of death in Optimus, who similarly confides that he is tired of serving as a pawn in Primus and Unicron's ancient rivalry. The cultists ambush the two leaders but leave Scorponok alone in favor of swarming Optimus; the Decepticon considers fleeing but chooses to stay and help his new friend, and he is soon joined by Galvatron II in protecting Optimus. As the Matrix restores Thunderwing's body for its own purposes, the other Autobots and Decepticons arrive and defeat the remaining cultists. Primus informs Optimus that they were innocent Cybertronians placed under Unicron's thrall and served as a final test for the Autobot-Decepticon alliance, but Kup interrupts the discussion to point out that Unicron has arrived.
319 320 321 322	On the Edge of Extinction!	July 20, 1991 August 3, 1991 August 10, 1991 August 17, 1991	—
Unicron's sheer size and power causes the assembled Cybertronians to flee in terror as he begins tearing into Cybertron. Although Primus attempts to convince Optimus and Scorponok to rally their troops, it is Galvatron II who inspires the two armies to stand their ground and fight. Many Autobots and Decepticons are killed in the battle, most notably Scorponok in a final stand as a Decepticon warrior, but Grimlock and the revived Autobots soon arrive in the Ark as reinforcements. Unicron causes the Autobot ship to crash as the Matrix, possessing Thunderwing's corpse, arrives to confront its old foe, but its descent into corruption leaves it vulnerable to Unicron's powers. As Unicron rips Thunderwing apart and prepares to destroy Cybertron, he is distracted by a frenzied Circuit Breaker just long enough for Optimus to grab the Matrix, purge it of its darkness, and throw himself into Unicron's maw. As the Autobots and Decepticons look on in awe, Optimus Prime's sacrifice causes Unicron to explode with Primus' power, destroying both gods and saving Cybertron. Sometime after the battle, a hidden Hi-Q watches as Runabout is dragged underground by the Demons and ripped to shreds.
323 324	Still Life!	August 31, 1991 September 14, 1991	—
With Unicron destroyed, the Autobots and Decepticons gather around the dying Optimus long enough to hear him name Grimlock as the new leader of the Autobots. Hi-Q flees the Demons that killed Runabout as Prowl forces an unenthusiastic Grimlock to accept the responsibilities, who instead wants to lead the Dinobots on an expedition to find the group of Autobots that stole the Ark in the aftermath of Unicron's attack. After making Grimlock vow to uphold Optimus' legacy, Prowl lets him and the Dinobots leave; however, Grimlock's body is suddenly paralyzed just as Hi-Q and the Demons find the remaining Dinobots, who are forced into battle to defend their helpless leader. Starscream and Shockwave, the Ark’s actual thieves, attempt to repair the damaged ship as Galvatron II watches them from the shadows. As the Dinobots begin to falter to the Demons, Hi-Q accelerated the Nucleon-fueled changes happening within Grimlock's body, reviving him with a burst of power as an Action Master. He singlehandedly dispatches the remaining Demons, but reveals he is no longer able to transform as Hi-Q claims to be Optimus Prime.
325 326	Exodus!	September 28, 1991 October 12, 1991	—
As Cybertron's weather worsens in the wake of Unicron's destruction, the remaining Decepticon forces increasingly consider the Autobots responsible for the general disorder and chaos around them. Prowl's attempts to preserve the alliance are mostly ignored by Grimlock, Bludgeon, and Krok, but Blaster presents a seismographic report stating that Cybertron is tearing itself apart without Primus' lifeforce, and the planet needs to be evacuated. Shockwave and Starscream prepare the Ark for takeoff, unaware that Galvatron II has stowed away on board, while Grimlock's dismissal of Prowl and subsequent beatdown of a disrespectful Fangry gives Bludgeon and Krok the chance to turn the Decepticons against the Autobots. As the Neo-Knights lose patience being trapped in a cell with a catatonic Circuit Breaker and a rambling Hi-Q, still claiming to be Optimus, Prowl and Wheeljack discover the Decepticons sabotaged all of the Autobots' escape vessels before leaving Cybertron. Aboard the Ark, Galvatron II emerges from hiding only to be confronted by Megatron.
327 328	A Savage Circle	October 26, 1991 November 9, 1991	—
The sight of Megatron causes Galvatron II's fragile sanity to completely snap, and he attacks his own past self without hesitation; Megatron readily engages, still unstable from the Nucleon infusion and believing himself to be fighting Ratchet. As Bludgeon's Decepticons choose a planet at random to conquer, Ratchet awakens to find a psychic link formed between himself and Megatron as Starscream and Shockwave find the dueling Decepticons. Megatron is weakened by Galvatron II and finished by Shockwave as Starscream confronts Ratchet, while Grimlock unveils a set of hidden Decepticon battleships he had stolen millions of years earlier, allowing the Autobots to leave Cybertron. Megatron and Galvatron II make an alliance to destroy Shockwave while Ratchet, knowing the danger the two Decepticons pose, destroys the Nucleon storage reactor and causes the Ark to crashland on Earth once again.
329 330	The Last Autobot?	December 4, 1991 December 21, 1991	—
Galvatron II survives the Ark’s second crash on Earth and immediately beings slaughtering humans, forcing Spike Witwicky to combine with Fortress Maximus to stop him. With the Autobots and Decepticons gone, the only remaining living beings on Cybertron are the Neo-Knights and Hi-Q, who begins leading them down into the planet's core toward something – or someone – known as the Last Autobot. The Autobots pursue the Decepticons, who have already conquered and destroyed their chosen world and prepare to receive them in battle. The already-insane Galvatron II completely loses it when Maximus attacks him, and the Autobot Headmaster is nearly killed due to the continuing tension between Spike and Maximus. However, the two finally put aside their differences to truly join minds, and the united Maximus defeats Galvatron II and throws him to the bottom of a frozen lake.
331 332	End of the Road!	January 4, 1992 January 18, 1992	—
Having already found Grimlock's tracking devices aboard their ships, the Decepticons slaughter the Autobots and pursue the last five survivors, among them Grimlock and Prowl. Blaster is killed as the Decepticons find their hiding place, while Bludgeon is suddenly attacked by the Neo-Knights and, to his horror, a restored Optimus Prime. Optimus introduces the shocked Bludgeon to the Last Autobot, who informs the Decepticon leader that he was awoken after Primus' death by Hi-Q, a chosen blend of the organic and the machine who carried pieces of Optimus' soul within him. The Last Autobot used his vast powers to reformat Hi-Q into a new Optimus and restore Cybertron, and now revives the fallen Autobots as the Decepticons are forced to retreat. Bludgeon's troops depart for exile and a chance to rebuild their strength as Optimus, once again the leader of the Autobots, informs his troops that their war is finally over and that they can return to Cybertron in peace.

Second Format

From 21 September 1985 (Issue 27) to 9 February 1991 (Issue 308), Transformers was published weekly, before reverting to fortnightly publication for its final twenty-four issues. During its Second Format, it contained a single Transformers story, along with varying back-up strips.

#	Cover Date	Story Title	Writer/s	Artist/s	Letterer/s	Colourist/s	Editor/s	Comments
27	21 September 1985	Repeat Performance! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	William Johnson (Pencils) & Kyle Baker (Inks)	Rick Parker	Nelson Yomtov	Jim Owsley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #8 [September 1986]
28	28 September 1985	Repeat Performance! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	William Johnson (Pencils) & Kyle Baker (Inks)	Rick Parker	Nelson Yomtov	Jim Owsley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #8 [September 1986]
29	5 October 1985	DECEPTICON DAM BUSTERS (PART 1)	Simon Furman	John Stokes	Richard Starkings	Steve Whitaker	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
30	12 October 1985	DECEPTICON DAM BUSTERS (PART 2)	Simon Furman	John Stokes	Richard Starkings	Steve Whitaker	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
31	19 October 1985	THE WRATH OF GUARDIAN	Simon Furman	Barry Kitson	Annie Halfacree	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
32	26 October 1985	THE WRATH OF GRIMLOCK	Simon Furman	Barry Kitson and Farmer	Mike Scott	Steve Whitaker	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
33	2 November 1985	Dis-Integrated Circuits (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Mike Manley (Pencils) & M. Hands (Inks)	Rick Parker	Nelson Yomtov	Jim Owsley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #9 [October 1986]
34	9 November 1985	Dis-Integrated Circuits (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Mike Manley (Pencils) & M. Hands (Inks)	Rick Parker	Nelson Yomtov	Jim Owsley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #9 [October 1986]
35	16 November 1985	The Next Best Thing To Being There! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Ricardo Villamonte (Pencils) & Brad Joyce (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #10 [November 1986]
36	23 November 1985	The Next Best Thing To Being There! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Ricardo Villamonte (Pencils) & Brad Joyce (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #10 [November 1986]
37	30 November 1985	Brainstorm (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Tom Palmer (Inks)	Diana Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #11 [December 1985]
38	7 December 1985	Brainstorm (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Tom Palmer (Inks)	Diana Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #11 [December 1985]
39	14 December 1985	Prime Time! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Al Gordon (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #12 [January 1986]
40	21 December 1985	Prime Time! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Al Gordon (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #12 [January 1986]
41	28 December 1985	CHRISTMAS BREAKER	James Hill	William Simpson	Richard Starkings	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
42	4 January 1986	CRISIS OF COMMAND (PART ONE)	Mike Collins	Geoff Senior	Mike Scott	Steve Whitaker	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
43	11 January 1986	CRISIS OF COMMAND (PART TWO)	James Hill	Geoff Senior	Mike Scott	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
44	18 January 1986	CRISIS OF COMMAND (PART THREE)	Mike Collins	John Stokes	Mike Scott	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
45	25 January 1986	THE ICARUS THEORY (PART ONE)	Simon Furman	Barry Kitson	Richard Starkings	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
46	1 February 1986	THE ICARUS THEORY (PART TWO)	Simon Furman	Barry Kitson	Richard Starkings	Stuart Place	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
47	8 February 1986	DINOBOT HUNT (PART ONE)	Simon Furman	William Simpson	Annie Halfacree	Stuart Place	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
48	15 February 1986	DINOBOT HUNT (PART TWO)	Simon Furman	Barry Kitson (Pencils) & Marc Griffiths (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Jeff Anderson	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
49	22 February 1986	DINOBOT HUNT (PART THREE)	Simon Furman	William Simpson	Mike Scott	Stuart Place	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
50	1 March 1986	DINOBOT HUNT (PART FOUR)	Simon Furman	Barry Kitson (Artist) & Tim Perkins (Art Assist)	Annie Halfacree	Stuart Place	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
51	8 March 1986	Shooting Star (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Al Gordon (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #13 [February 1986]
52	15 March 1986	Shooting Star (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Al Gordon (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #13 [February 1986]
53	22 March 1986	Rock and Roll-Out! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Al Gordon (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #14 [March 1986]
54	29 March 1986	Rock and Roll-Out! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Al Gordon (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #14 [March 1986]
55	5 April 1986	I, Robot-Master! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Keith Williams (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #15 [April 1986]
56	12 April 1986	I, Robot-Master! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Keith Williams (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #15 [April 1986]
57	19 April 1986	Plight of the Bumblebee! (Part 1)	Len Kaminski	Graham Nolan (Pencils) & Tom Morgan (Inks) & Eliot Brown (Splash Page Design and Art)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #16 [May 1986]
58	26 April 1986	Plight of the Bumblebee! (Part 2)	Len Kaminski	Graham Nolan (Pencils) & Tom Morgan (Inks) & Eliot Brown (Splash Page Design and Art)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #16 [May 1986]
59	3 May 1986	ROBOT BUSTER! (Part 1)	Simon Furman (Script) & Barry Kitson (Plot Idea)	Barry Kitson	Annie Halfacree	Josie Firmin	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
60	10 May 1986	ROBOT BUSTER! (Part 2)	Simon Furman (Story) & Barry Kitson (Plot)	Barry Kitson (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	T. M. Cooks	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
61	17 May 1986	DEVASTATION DERBY! (Part 1)	Simon Furman	William Simpson	Mike Scott	John Burns	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
62	24 May 1986	DEVASTATION DERBY! (Part 2)	Simon Furman	William Simpson	Mike Scott	John Burns	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
63	31 May 1986	SECOND GENERATION! (Part 1)	Simon Furman	John Stokes	Mike Scott	Josie Firmin	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
64	7 June 1986	SECOND GENERATION! (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Barry Kitson and Tim Perkins	Mike Scott	W & P	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
65	14 June 1986	SECOND GENERATION! (Part 3)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson	Annie Halfacree	Tony Jozwiak	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
66	21 June 1986	Return To Cybertron Part 1 – The Smelting Pool (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Keith Williams (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #17 [June 1986]
67	28 June 1986	Return To Cybertron Part 1 – The Smelting Pool (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Keith Williams (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #17 [June 1986]
68	5 July 1986	Return To Cybertron Part 2 – The Bridge To Nowhere (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Williams Colletta (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #18 [July 1986]
69	12 July 1986	Return To Cybertron Part 2 – The Bridge To Nowhere (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Williams Colletta (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #18 [July 1986]
70	19 July 1986	Command Performances (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #19 [August 1986]
71	25 July 1986	Command Performances (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #19 [August 1986]
72	2 August 1986	Showdown (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #20 [September 1986]
73	9 August 1986	Showdown (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #20 [September 1986]
74	16 August 1986	IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST (Part 1)	Simon Furman	William Simpson	Annie Halfacree	John Burns	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
75	23 August 1986	IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST (Part 2)	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) & Dave Hine (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	John Burns	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
76	30 August 1986	IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST (Part 3)	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks) & Andrew Leary (Art Assist)	Annie Halfacree	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
77	6 September 1986	IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST (Part 4)	Simon Furman	William Simpson	Annie Halfacree	Tony Jozwiak	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
78	13 September 1986	TARGET 2006 (Prologue)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson	Richard Starkings	Tony Jozwiak	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
79	20 September 1986	TARGET 2006 (PART 1)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson	Annie Halfacree	Tony Jozwiak	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
80	27 September 1986	TARGET 2006 (PART 2)	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Tony Jozwiak	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
81	4 October 1986	TARGET 2006 (PART 3)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson	Annie Halfacree	Tony Jozwiak	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
82	11 October 1986	TARGET 2006 (PART 4): WRECK AND RULE!	Simon Furman	Ron Smith	Richard Starkings	John Burns	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
83	18 October 1986	TARGET 2006 (PART 5): THE DEVIL YOU KNOW...	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Richard Starkings	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
84	25 October 1986	TARGET 2006 (PART 6): TRIOS	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Richard Starkings	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
85	1 November 1986	TARGET 2006 (PART 7)	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks)	Richard Starkings	Tony Jozwiak	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
86	8 November 1986	TARGET 2006 (PART 8)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Annie Halfacree	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
87	15 November 1986	TARGET 2006 (PART 9)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson	Annie Halfacree	Tony Jozwiak	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
88	22 November 1986	TARGET 2006 (EPILOGUE): AFTERMATH!	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks)	Richard Starkings	Gina Hart	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
89	29 November 1986	Aerialbots Over America (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #21 [October 1986]
90	6 December 1986	Aerialbots Over America (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Michael Carlin (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #21 [October 1986]
91	13 December 1986	Heavy Traffic (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Hans IV	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #22 [November 1986]
92	20 December 1986	Heavy Traffic (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Hans IV	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #22 [November 1986]
93	27 December 1986	THE GIFT	James Hill	Martin Griffiths (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks)	Robin Riggs	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
94	3 January 1987	Decepticon Graffiti (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #23 [December 1986]
95	10 January 1987	Decepticon Graffiti (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #23 [December 1986]
96	17 January 1987	PREY (PART 1)	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
97	24 January 1987	PREY (PART 2)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
98	31 January 1987	...THE HARDER THEY DIE!	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
99	7 February 1987	UNDER FIRE!	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
100	14 February 1987	DISTANT THUNDER	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
101	21 February 1987	FALLEN ANGEL (PART 1)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
102	28 February 1987	FALLEN ANGEL (PART 2)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
103	7 March 1987	RESURRECTION (PART 1)	Simon Furman	William Simpson	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
104	14 March 1987	RESURRECTION (PART 2)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
105	21 March 1987	Afterdeath! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #24 [January 1987]
106	28 March 1987	Afterdeath! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #24 [January 1987]
107	4 April 1987	Gone But Not Forgotten! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #25 [February 1987]
108	11 April 1987	Gone But Not Forgotten! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #25 [February 1987]
109	18 April 1987	Funeral for a Friend! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Brett Breeding (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #26 [March 1987]
110	25 April 1987	Funeral for a Friend! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Brett Breeding (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #26 [March 1987]
111	2 May 1987	King of the Hill! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #27 [April 1987]
112	9 May 1987	King of the Hill! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #27 [April 1987]
113	16 May 1987	WANTED: GALVATRON – DEAD OR ALIVE (PART 1)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
114	23 May 1987	WANTED: GALVATRON – DEAD OR ALIVE (PART 2)	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) and Tim Perkins (Inks)	Richard Starkings	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
115	30 May 1987	BURNING SKY (PART 1)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Richard Starkings	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
116	6 June 1987	BURNING SKY (PART 2)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Richard Starkings	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
117	13 June 1987	HUNTERS (PART 1)	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) and Tim Perkins (Inks)	Richard Starkings	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
118	20 June 1987	HUNTERS (PART 2)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson (Pencils) and Stephen Baskerville (Inks)	Mike Scott	Jeff Anderson	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
119	27 June 1987	FIRE ON HIGH (PART 1)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Mike Scott	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
120	4 July 1987	FIRE ON HIGH (PART 2)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Richard Starkings	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material
121	11 July 1987	Mechanical Difficulties (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #28 [May 1987]
122	18 July 1987	Mechanical Difficulties (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #28 [May 1987]
123	25 July 1987	Crater Critters (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #29 [June 1987]
124	1 August 1987	Crater Critters (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #29 [June 1987]
125	8 August 1987	Ancient Relics (Part 1)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior (Pencils) & Dave Harwood (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Ian Rimmer	Original UK Material, continues in Action Force 24 – 27
126	15 August 1987	The Cure! (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #30 [July 1987]
127	22 August 1987	The Cure! (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Ian Akin and Brian Garvey (Inks)	Janice Chiang	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #30 [July 1987]
128	29 August 1987	Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Jim Fern (Inks)	Rick Parker	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #31 [August 1987]
129	5 September 1987	Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Jim Fern (Inks)	Rick Parker	Nelson Yomtov	Don Daley (Editor) & James Shooter (Editor In Chief)	Reprint from Transformers (US) #31 [August 1987]

Third Format

For a limited period, Transformers UK featured cover-to-cover Transformers action, with the back-up strip featuring reprints of the US Transformers spin-off series Headmasters.

#	Cover Date	Story Title	Writer/s	Artist/s	Letterer/s	Colourist/s	Comments
130	12 September 1987	WORLDS APART (Part 1)	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Original UK Material
		Ring of Hate (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #1 [July 1987]
131	19 September 1987	WORLDS APART (Part 2)	Simon Furman	William Simpson (Pencils) & Tim Perkins (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Nick Abadzis	Original UK Material
		Ring of Hate (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #1 [July 1987]
132	26 September 1987	KUP'S STORY	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Original UK Material
		Ring of Hate (Part 3)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #1 [July 1987]
133	3 October 1987	HEAD HUNT (PART 1)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Richard Starkings	Steve White	Original UK Material
		Ring of Hate (Part 4)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #1 [July 1987]
134	10 October 1987	HEAD HUNT (PART 2)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Richard Starkings	Steve White	Original UK Material
		Broken Glass (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #2 [August 1987]
135	17 October 1987	GRUDE MATCH (PART 1)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson (Pencils) and Stephen Baskerville (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Original UK Material
		Broken Glass (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #2 [August 1987]
136	24 October 1987	GRUDE MATCH (PART 2)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson (Pencils) and Stephen Baskerville (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Original UK Material
		Broken Glass (Part 3)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #2 [August 1987]
137	31 October 1987	LADIES' NIGHT (PART 1)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Annie Halfacree	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
		Broken Glass (Part 4)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #2 [August 1987]
138	7 November 1987	LADIES' NIGHT (PART 2)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Annie Halfacree	Nick Abadzis	Original UK Material
		Love and Steel (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #3 [October 1987]
139	14 November 1987	Used Autobots (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #32 [September 1987]
		Love and Steel (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #3 [October 1987]
140	21 November 1987	Used Autobots (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #32 [September 1987]
		Love and Steel (Part 3)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #3 [October 1987]
141	28 November 1987	Child's Play (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Jack Morelli	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #35 [December 1987]
		Love and Steel (Part 4)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #3 [October 1987]
142	5 December 1987	Child's Play (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Don Perlin (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Jack Morelli	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #35 [December 1987]
		Brothers in Armour (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #4 [December 1987]
143	12 December 1987	Spacehikers (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #36 [January 1988]
		Brothers in Armour (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #4 [December 1987]
144	19 December 1987	Spacehikers (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #36 [January 1988]
		Brothers in Armour (Part 3)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #4 [December 1987]
145	26 December 1987	STARGAZING	Simon Furman (Plot) & Ian Rimmer (Script)	Jeff Anderson (Pencils) & Stephen Baskerville (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
		Brothers in Armour (Part 4)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Albers	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Headmasters (US) #4 [December 1987]

Fourth Format

With the completion of Headmasters, Transformers UK returned to featuring a single Transformers story, along with varying back-up strips.

#	Cover Date	Story Title	Writer/s	Artist/s	Letterer/s	Colourist/s	Comments
146	2 January 1988	THE LEGACY OF UNICRON (Part 1)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Original UK Material
147	9 January 1988	THE LEGACY OF UNICRON (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Geoff Senior	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Original UK Material
148	16 January 1988	THE LEGACY OF UNICRON (Part 3)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Original UK Material
149	23 January 1988	THE LEGACY OF UNICRON (Part 4)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Original UK Material
150	30 January 1988	THE LEGACY OF UNICRON (Part 5)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson (Pencils) and Stephen Baskerville (Inks)	Annie Halfacree	Steve White	Original UK Material
151	6 February 1988	THE LEGACY OF UNICRON (Part 6)	Simon Furman	Bryan Hitch (Art) and Geoff Senior (Art Assist)	Richard Starkings	Steve White	Original UK Material
152	13 February 1988	ENEMY ACTION (Part 1)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson (Pencils) and Stephen Baskerville (Inks)	Glib	Steve White	Original UK Material
153	20 February 1988	ENEMY ACTION (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson (Pencils) and Stephen Baskerville (Inks)	Glib	Steve White	Original UK Material
154	27 February 1988	Toy Soldiers (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #37 [February 1988]
155	5 March 1988	Toy Soldiers (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Akin and Garvey (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #37 [February 1988]
156	12 March 1988	Trial By Fire (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Dave Hunt (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #38 [March 1988]
157	19 March 1988	Trial By Fire (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Dave Hunt (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #38 [March 1988]
158	26 March 1988	The Desert Island of Space (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Dave Hunt (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #39 [April 1988]
159	2 April 1988	The Desert Island of Space (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Dave Hunt (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #39 [April 1988]
160	9 April 1988	SALVAGE (Part 1)	Simon Furman	Lee Sullivan	Tom Frame	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
161	16 April 1988	SALVAGE (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Lee Sullivan	Glib	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
162	23 April 1988	Pretender to the Throne (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Dave Hunt (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #40 [May 1988]
163	30 April 1988	Pretender to the Throne (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) & Dave Hunt (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #40 [May 1988]
164	7 May 1988	CITY OF FEAR (Part 1)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Annie Halfacree	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
165	14 May 1988	CITY OF FEAR (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Annie Halfacree	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
166	21 May 1988	LEGION OF THE LOST (Part 1)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson (Pencils) and Dave Elliott (Inks)	Tom Frame	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
167	28 May 1988	LEGION OF THE LOST (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Jeff Anderson (Pencils) and Dave Elliott (Inks)	Tom Frame	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
168	4 June 1988	MELTDOWN (Part 1)	Simon Furman	Robin Smith	Glib	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
169	11 June 1988	MELTDOWN (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Robin Smith	Glop	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
170	18 June 1988	DEADLY GAMES (Part 1)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Glib	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
171	25 June 1988	DEADLY GAMES (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Glib	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
172	2 July 1988	WRECKING HAVOC (Part 1)	Simon Furman	Bryan Hitch	Steve Parkhouse	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
173	9 July 1988	WRECKING HAVOC (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Bryan Hitch	Annie Halfacree	Euan Peters	Original UK Material
174	16 July 1988	"Totaled!" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (pencils) and Danny Bulanadi (inks)	Bill Oakley	Nel Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #41 [June 1988]
175	23 July 1988	"Totaled!" (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (pencils) and Danny Bulanadi (inks)	Bill Oakley	Nel Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #41 [June 1988]
176	30 July 1988	"People Power!" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (breakdowns) and Dave Hunt & Don Hudson (finishes)	Bill Oakley	Nel Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #42 [July 1988]
177	6 August 1988	"People Power!" (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (breakdowns) and Dave Hunt & Don Hudson (finishes)	Bill Oakley	Nel Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #42 [July 1988]
178	13 August 1988	"The Cosmic Carnival" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (pencils) and Danny Bulanadi (inks)	Bill Oakley	Nel Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #44 September 1988
179	20 August 1988	"The Cosmic Carnival" (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	Frank Springer (pencils) and Danny Bulanadi (inks)	Bill Oakley	Nel Yomtov	Reprint from Transformers (US) #44 September 1988
180	27 August 1988	"The Big Broadcast of 2006" (Part 1)					Reprint from Transformers (US) #43 August 1988
181	3 September 1988	"The Big Broadcast of 2006" (Part 2)					Reprint from Transformers (US) #43 August 1988
182	10 September 1988	SPACE PIRATES! (Part 1)	Simon Furman				Original UK Material
183	17 September 1988	SPACE PIRATES! (Part 2)	Simon Furman				Original UK Material
184	24 September 1988	SPACE PIRATES! (Part 3)	Simon Furman				Original UK Material
185	1 October 1988	SPACE PIRATES! (Part 4)	Simon Furman				Original UK Material
186	8 October 1988	SPACE PIRATES! (Part 5)	Simon Furman				Original UK Material
187	15 October 1988	SPACE PIRATES! (Part 6)	Simon Furman				Original UK Material
188	22 October 1988	FIREBUG!	Dan Abnett				Original UK Material
189	29 October 1988	DRYRUN!					Original UK Material
190	5 November 1988	"Monstercon from Mars!" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky				Reprinted from Transformers (US) #45 October 1988
191	12 November 1988	"Monstercon from Mars!" (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky				Reprinted from Transformers (US) #45 October 1988
192	19 November 1988	"Ca$h and Car-nage!" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky				Reprinted from Transformers (US) #46 November 1988
193	26 November 1988	"Ca$h and Car-nage!"(Part 2)	Bob Budiansky				Reprinted from Transformers (US) #46 November 1988
194	3 December 1988	"Club Con!" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky				Reprinted from Transformers (US) #47 December 1988
195	10 December 1988	"Club Con!" (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky				Reprinted from Transformers (US) #47 December 1988
196	17 December 1988	"The Flames of Boltax!" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky				Reprinted from Transformers (US) #48 January 1989
197	24 December 1988	"The Flames of Boltax!" (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky				Reprinted from Transformers (US) #48 January 1989
198	31 December 1988	"Cold Comfort and Joy"	Simon Furman	Andrew Wildman (Pencils) and Steven Baskerville (Inks)	Glib	Euan Peters	Original UK material
199	7 January 1989	"Time Wars" Part 1	Simon Furman	Andrew Wildman (Pencils) and Steven Baskerville (Inks)	Glib	Euan Peters	Original UK material
200	14 January 1989	"Time Wars" (Part 2)	Simon Furman	Robin Smith	Glib	Euan Peters	Original UK material
201	21 January 1989	"Time Wars" (Part 3)	Simon Furman	Robin Smith	Annie Halfacree	Euan Peters	Original UK material
202	28 January 1989	"Time Wars" (Part 4)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Glop	Euan Peters	Original UK material
203	4 February 1989	"Time Wars" (Part 5)	Simon Furman	Dan Reed	Glop and Glib	Euan Peters	Original UK material
204	11 February 1989	"Time Wars" (Part 6)	Simon Furman	Lee Sullivan	Peter Knight	Euan Peters	Original UK material
205	18 February 1989	"Time Wars" (Part 7)	Simon Furman	Lee Sullivan	Glib	Euan Peters	Original UK material
206	25 February 1989	"Cold War" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) and Danny Bulandi (Inks)	Bill Oakey	Nel Yomtov	Reprinted from Transformers (US) #49
207	4 March 1989	"Cold War" (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) and Danny Bulandi (Inks)	Bill Oakey	Nel Yomtov	Reprinted from Transformers (US) #49
208	11 March 1989	"Dark Star" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) and Dave Hunt (Inks)	Rick Parker	Nel Yomtov	Reprinted from Transformers (US) #50
209	18 March 1989	"Dark Star" (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) and Dave Hunt (Inks)	Rick Parker	Nel Yomtov	Reprinted from Transformers (US) #50
210	25 March 1989	"Dark Star" (Part 3)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) and Dave Hunt (Inks)	Rick Parker	Nel Yomtov	Reprinted from Transformers (US) #50
211	1 April 1989	"The Man in the Machine" (Part 1)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) and Dave Hunt (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nel Yomtov	Reprinted from Transformers (US) #51
212	8 April 1989	"The Man in the Machine" (Part 2)	Bob Budiansky	José Delbo (Pencils) and Dave Hunt (Inks)	Bill Oakley	Nel Yomtov	Reprinted from Transformers (US) #51

Fifth Format

#	Cover Date	Story Title	Writer/s	Artist/s	Letterer/s	Colourist/s	Comments
213		FALL & RISE OF THE DECEPTICON EMPIRE (part 1)					Original UK Material
		tbc
214		Fall & RISE OF THE DECEPTICON EMPIRE (part 2)					Original UK Material
		tbc
215		RACE WITH THE DEVIL (part 1)					Original UK Material
		tbc
216		RACE WITH THE DEVIL (part 2)					Original UK Material
		tbc
217		RACE WITH THE DEVIL (part 3)					Original UK Material
		tbc
218		RACE WITH THE DEVIL (part 4)					Original UK Material
		tbc
219		SURVIVORS (part 1)					Original UK Material
		tbc
220		SURVIVORS (part 2)					Original UK Material
		tbc
221		SURVIVORS (part 3)					Original UK Material
		tbc
222		SURVIVORS (part 4)					Original UK Material
		tbc
223		ASPECTS OF EVIL (part 1)					Original UK Material
		tbc
224		ASPECTS OF EVIL (part 2)					Original UK Material
		tbc
225		ASPECTS OF EVIL (part 3)					Original UK Material
		tbc
226		ASPECTS OF EVIL (part 4)					Original UK Material
		tbc
227		ASPECTS OF EVIL (part 5)					Original UK Material
		tbc
228		(DOUBLE)DEAL OF THE CENTURY					Original UK Material
		tbc
229		HUNTING PARTY					Original UK Material
		tbc
230		BIG SHUTDOWN (part 1)					Original UK Material
		tbc
231		BIG SHUTDOWN (part 2)					Original UK Material
		tbc
232		A SMALL WAR (part 1)					Original UK Material
		tbc
233		A SMALL WAR (part 2)					Original UK Material
		tbc
234		PRIME'S RIB					Original UK Material
		tbc
235		DEATHBRINGER (part 1)					Original UK Material
		tbc
236		DEATHBRINGER (part 2)					Original UK Material
		tbc
237		WAY OF THE WARRIOR					Original UK Material
		tbc
238		SURVIVAL RUN					Original UK Material
		tbc
239		A SAVAGE PLACE					Original UK Material
		tbc
240		OUT TO LUNCH					Original UK Material
		tbc
241		RAGE					Original UK Material
		tbc
242		ASSAULT ON THE ARK					Original UK Material
		tbc
243		MIND GAMES					Original UK Material
		tbc
244		TWO MEGATRONS					Original UK Material
		tbc
245		UNDERWORLD					Original UK Material
		tbc
246		DEMONS					Original UK Material
		tbc
247		DAWN OF DARKNESS					Original UK Material
		tbc
248		FALLEN STAR					Original UK Material
		tbc
249		WHOSE LIFEFORCE IS IT ANYWAY					Original UK Material
		tbc
250		GREATEST GIFT OF ALL					Original UK Material
		tbc
251		THE VOID					Original UK Material
		tbc
252		EDGE OF IMPACT					Original UK Material
		tbc
253		SHADOW OF EVIL					Original UK Material
		tbc
254		WHITE FIRE					Original UK Material
		tbc
255		PERCHANCE TO DREAM (part 1)					Original UK Material
		tbc
256		PERCHANCE TO DREAM (part 2)					Original UK Material
		tbc
257		PERCHANCE TO DREAM (part 3)					Original UK Material
		tbc
258		PERCHANCE TO DREAM (part 4)					Original UK Material
		tbc
259		PERCHANCE TO DREAM (part 5)					Original UK Material
		tbc
260		PERCHANCE TO DREAM (part 6)					Original UK Material
		tbc
261		STARTING OVER					Original UK Material
		tbc
262		TWO STEPS BACK					Original UK Material
		tbc
263		BREAK-AWAY					Original UK Material
		tbc
264		DESERT ISLAND RISKS					Original UK Material
		tbc
265	14 April 1990	Blood on the Tracks (Part 1)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #1 [January 1987]
		ONCE UPON A TIME	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
266	21 April 1990	Blood on the Tracks (Part 2)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #1 [January 1987]
		LIFE IN THE SLOW LINE	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
267	28 April 1990	Blood on the Tracks (Part 3)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #1 [January 1987]
		SNOW FUN	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
268	5 May 1990	Blood on the Tracks (Part 4)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #1 [January 1987]
		FLASHBACK	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
269	12 May 1990	Power Struggle (Part 1)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #2 [February 1987]
		MYSTERY	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
270	19 May 1990	Power Struggle (Part 2)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #2 [February 1987]
		BAD GUYS BALL	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
271	26 May 1990	Power Struggle (Part 3)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #2 [February 1987]
		LIVING NIGHTLIGHTS	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
272	2 June 1990	Power Struggle (Part 4)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #2 [February 1987]
		CRY WOLF	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
273	9 June 1990	Ashes. Ashes... (Part 1)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #3 [March 1987]
		WOLF IN THE FOLD	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
274	16 June 1990	Ashes. Ashes... (Part 2)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #3 [March 1987]
		WHERE WOLF	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
275	23 June 1990	Ashes. Ashes... (Part 3)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #3 [March 1987]
		SECRETS	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
276	30 June 1990	Ashes. Ashes... (Part 4)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #3 [March 1987]
		BUGGED	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
277	7 July 1990	...All Fall Down! (Part 1)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #4 [April 1987]
		INTERNAL AFFAIRS	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
278	14 July 1990	...All Fall Down! (Part 2)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #4 [April 1987]
		HOUSE THAT WHEELJACK BUILT	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
279	21 July 1990	...All Fall Down! (Part 3)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #4 [April 1987]
		DIVIDE & CONQUER	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
280	28 July 1990	...All Fall Down! (Part 4)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #4 [April 1987]
		4,000,000 YEAR ITCH	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
281	4 August 1990	...All Fall Down! (Part 5)	Michael Higgins	Herb Trimpe (Pencils) & Vince Colletta (Inks)	Joe Rosen	Nelson Yomtov	Reprint from G.I. Joe and the Transformers (US) #4 [April 1987]
		MAKIN TRACKS	tbc	tbc	tbc	tbc	Original UK Material
282		SHUT UP					Original UK Material
		tbc
283		MANOEUVRES					Original UK Material
		tbc
284		ASSASSINS					Original UK Material
		tbc
285		EXTERNAL FORCES					Original UK Material
		tbc
286		LESSER EVIL					Original UK Material
		tbc
287		INSIDE STORY					Original UK Material
		tbc
288		FRONT LINE					Original UK Material
		tbc
289		END OF THE ROAD					Original UK Material
		tbc
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