The Transformers: Escalation
Encyclopedia
The Transformers: Escalation is a six-issue comic book
mini-series
, published by IDW Publishing
, based on the Transformers
and following on from The Transformers: Infiltration
. The series launched in November 2006
and ended in April 2007
.
and Sunstreaker
, they are attacked by the Machination, a shadowy organization wanting to acquire Transformer technology for themselves. Sunstreaker and Hunter are seemingly killed. The Autobots rally to find his corpse, but the Machination prove more than ready for Jazz
and Wheeljack
. Optimus Prime
stops the truck with Sunstreaker's corpse, and they discover it is a fake.
While this has been going on, Megatron has begun his campaign, sending his troops to escalate tensions in trouble spots (with Skywarp
and Thundercracker
bombing a Middle East
ern power station) and activating facsimiles (loyal clones) to see that tensions rise accordingly. Megatron, having taken the form of a pistol, personally journeys to the disputed Soviet state of Brasnya, attacking both sides. The Autobots mount a response, trying to capture the facsimile and a battle breaks out, with Prowl
and Hot Rod capturing the facsimile. Prime confronts Megatron, but is no match for the Ore-13-enhanced Megatron and seemingly killed. Prime survives by briefly transferring his consciousness into his trailer and alerts the Autobots to Megatron's weakness: the more he exerts himself, the faster Ore-13 will burn out. Prowl's troops distract Megatron long enough for Prime to recover and put the now severely weakened Megatron to flight. However, their mission has failed, as the facsimile is dead.
Back in America, Ratchet
and Ironhide disobey orders to track down Sunstreaker, as Jimmy tracks the materials used to make the decoy to a specific garage. The Autobots are unable to enter because of the sophisticated defenses, so Verity and Jimmy go in, but are knocked out by the defense systems and trigger a self-destruct mechanism. Ironhide intervenes and manages to rescue them, but the self-destruct goes off and seemingly kills him. However, Verity has snagged something from the Machination base.
The story ends with several revelations. Megatron decides to call in Sixshot
to accelerate Earth's destruction, unaware the Reapers will be following in his wake. The Machination and their backer, a shadowy, badly damaged Decepticon, have completed some sort of surgery on Hunter, and begun to produce copies of Sunstreaker's body for use in their "new world order". And it is revealed that Skywatch, a mysterious defense organization, has not only dug up the bodies of Shockwave
and the Dynobots
, but have in their custody Laserbeak
and Ravage
.
Hardhead
Hot Rod
Ironhide
Jazz
Nightbeat
Optimus Prime
Prowl
Ratchet
Sunstreaker
Wheeljack
Blitzwing
Megatron
Runabout
Runamuck
Skywarp
Starscream
Thundercracker
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, published by IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
, based on the Transformers
Transformers universes
is an entertainment franchise. It began with the Hasbro Transformers toy line, centered on two factions of warring alien robots which are called the Autobots and the Decepticons...
and following on from The Transformers: Infiltration
The Transformers: Infiltration
The Transformers: Infiltration is a six-issue comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Transformers. The series was previewed with a #0 in October, 2005, formally launched with #1 in January 2006 and ended with #6 in July....
. The series launched in November 2006
2006 in comics
-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
and ended in April 2007
2007 in comics
-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....
.
Plot summary
Escalation begins by showing Prime deciding to send the humans home for their own safety. Escorted by IronhideIronhide
Ironhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Sunstreaker
Sunstreaker
Sunstreaker is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. The first is one of the main Autobot cars from the original Transformers series...
, they are attacked by the Machination, a shadowy organization wanting to acquire Transformer technology for themselves. Sunstreaker and Hunter are seemingly killed. The Autobots rally to find his corpse, but the Machination prove more than ready for Jazz
Jazz (Transformers)
Jazz is the name of a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a music loving robot and talks with a slang accent. He is also a good friend of Optimus Prime's...
and Wheeljack
Wheeljack
Wheeljack is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Wheeljack is the mechanical engineer and scientist of the Autobots in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara and Hasbro. His...
. Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
stops the truck with Sunstreaker's corpse, and they discover it is a fake.
While this has been going on, Megatron has begun his campaign, sending his troops to escalate tensions in trouble spots (with Skywarp
Skywarp
Skywarp is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy line. He is usually depicted as a black or purple Decepticon jet with teleportation powers.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Thundercracker
Thundercracker
Thundercracker is the name given to multiple fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Thundercracker is almost always depicted as a blue color Decepticon who turns into a jet fighter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
bombing a Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern power station) and activating facsimiles (loyal clones) to see that tensions rise accordingly. Megatron, having taken the form of a pistol, personally journeys to the disputed Soviet state of Brasnya, attacking both sides. The Autobots mount a response, trying to capture the facsimile and a battle breaks out, with Prowl
Prowl (Transformers)
Prowl is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. "Prowl" is one of the most re-used American names in the assorted Transformers series, and its use has become almost synonymous with Autobots who possess a police car alternate mode...
and Hot Rod capturing the facsimile. Prime confronts Megatron, but is no match for the Ore-13-enhanced Megatron and seemingly killed. Prime survives by briefly transferring his consciousness into his trailer and alerts the Autobots to Megatron's weakness: the more he exerts himself, the faster Ore-13 will burn out. Prowl's troops distract Megatron long enough for Prime to recover and put the now severely weakened Megatron to flight. However, their mission has failed, as the facsimile is dead.
Back in America, Ratchet
Ratchet (Transformers)
Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as...
and Ironhide disobey orders to track down Sunstreaker, as Jimmy tracks the materials used to make the decoy to a specific garage. The Autobots are unable to enter because of the sophisticated defenses, so Verity and Jimmy go in, but are knocked out by the defense systems and trigger a self-destruct mechanism. Ironhide intervenes and manages to rescue them, but the self-destruct goes off and seemingly kills him. However, Verity has snagged something from the Machination base.
The story ends with several revelations. Megatron decides to call in Sixshot
Sixshot
Sixshot is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers series. Introduced in 1987, Sixshot appeared in the last few episodes of the original US Transformers animated series, voiced by Neil Ross. His defining gimmick was that he had six different forms, not two like a normal...
to accelerate Earth's destruction, unaware the Reapers will be following in his wake. The Machination and their backer, a shadowy, badly damaged Decepticon, have completed some sort of surgery on Hunter, and begun to produce copies of Sunstreaker's body for use in their "new world order". And it is revealed that Skywatch, a mysterious defense organization, has not only dug up the bodies of Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
and the Dynobots
Dinobots
Dinobots is the name of several teams of characters in the fictional Transformers Universe. The groups are made up of several robots, each of whose transformed mode is that of a dinosaur or similar prehistoric animal. They are called Dinotrons in the Japanese version; and ' in the Japanese dub of...
, but have in their custody Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Ravage
Ravage (Transformers)
Ravage is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Due to the inability to trademark the common word "ravage", he is sometimes called Battle Ravage, Command Ravage or Tripredacus Agent...
.
In relation to The Transformers: Spotlight
- The Dinobots and Shockwave, dug up here by Skywatch, were buried in Spotlight: Shockwave after a battle between the two ended in both being buried in lava.
- Laserbeak and Ravage were also discovered by Skywatch in Spotlight: Soundwave after a battle between Soundwave and BludgeonBludgeon (Transformers)Bludgeon is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. For trademark reasons, he is now marketed by Hasbro as Decepticon Bludgeon. They are all Decepticon warriors who turn into tanks.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
caused the volcano they were in to explode (though only Laserbeak was shown at the time). - The story of Sixshot and the Reapers was first explored in Spotlight: Sixshot.
- The mysterious face that Prime sees in the limbo realm of "infraspace" is Nova Prime, which is expanded on in the Spotlight: Optimus PrimeOptimus PrimeOptimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
and referred to in Spotlight: GalvatronGalvatronGalvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
. - Hot Rod and NightbeatNightbeat (Transformers)-Transformers: Generation 1:Nightbeat is described as a tough, street-hardened detective who is not above resorting to dirty tricks in order to further his investigations...
both join Optimus' crew after their perspective Spotlights. Indeed, Hot Rod still retains the alt-mode from his issue.
In relation to The Transformers: Stormbringer
- Prime's method of defeating Megatron — by causing him to wear out his Ore-13 by exerting himself more — was the same method which led to ThunderwingThunderwingThunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
's defeat in that story, explaining how Prime knows of this weakness. - HardheadHardhead (Transformers)Hardhead is the name of two fictional characters in the Transformers universes. The first is a stubborn Autobot tank, the second a simple minded Predacon dinosaur.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
was part of Optimus' crew, first seen in Stormbringer.
Easter eggs
- In issue 4, the name of the garage that the Machination is using is "Ideas and Design Works" — the full name of Transformers publisher IDW PublishingIDW PublishingIDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
. - There are a host of items in the garage referencing various other Transformer lore. These include a poster bearing the words "Kiss Players", leaflets on "Seibertron cars" and the sale of "Binaltech air filters"
Autobots
BumblebeeBumblebee
A bumble bee is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere although they are common in New Zealand and in the Australian state of Tasmania.Bumble bees are social insects that are characterised by black...
Hardhead
Hardhead
The Hardhead, Aythya australis, is the only true diving duck found in Australia. Hardheads are common in the south-east of Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin, but also in the wetter country near the coasts. They are moderately nomadic in normal years, but disperse widely in times...
Hot Rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
Ironhide
Ironhide
Ironhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
Nightbeat
Nightbeat
Nightbeat was a radio drama series that aired on NBC from February 6, 1950 until September 25, 1952, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer and Wheaties....
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
Prowl
Prowl (Transformers)
Prowl is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. "Prowl" is one of the most re-used American names in the assorted Transformers series, and its use has become almost synonymous with Autobots who possess a police car alternate mode...
Ratchet
Ratchet (Transformers)
Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as...
Sunstreaker
Sunstreaker
Sunstreaker is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. The first is one of the main Autobot cars from the original Transformers series...
Wheeljack
Wheeljack
Wheeljack is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Wheeljack is the mechanical engineer and scientist of the Autobots in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara and Hasbro. His...
Decepticons
AstrotrainAstrotrain
Astrotrain is the name of three fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All are Decepticons who can assume the form of a space shuttle.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
Blitzwing
Blitzwing
Blitzwing is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. He is always depicted as a Decepticon with two alternate forms, that of a jet and that of a tank...
Megatron
Runabout
Runabout (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:The first Runabout formed one half of the Battlecharger duo with Runamuck. Runabout is not the brains of the Battlechargers, but he is much calmer and certainly more articulate than Runamuck, and his presence helps keep the latter's cross-wired mind on task...
Runamuck
Skywarp
Skywarp
Skywarp is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy line. He is usually depicted as a black or purple Decepticon jet with teleportation powers.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
Thundercracker
Thundercracker
Thundercracker is the name given to multiple fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Thundercracker is almost always depicted as a blue color Decepticon who turns into a jet fighter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...