Crisis of Command!

Part 1

Issue 42, 4 January 1986.

Written by: Mike Collins
Art by: Geoff Senior
Colours by: Steve Whitaker
Letters by: Mike Scott
Cover art: Will Simpson?

Plot: There is division in the Autobot ranks. One group, Prowl as its spokesbot, advocates using the Matrix to create a race of super Autobots, dedicated to battle. The other group, led by Jazz, is against it. Prime himself says he won't use the Matrix as a means to destroy - besides, in the process, Earth itself would suffer. While the Autobots argue, Ravage sneaks into the Ark. Optimus questions his own worth as leader after the events of the past year. As Lsaerbreak watches outside, Ravage springs a trap and the Autobots capture him. Back at Decepticon HQ, new leader Soundwave explains that Ravage's capture was always part of the plan. And there's no prison that can hold Ravage, not even this one...

Brill!: Gotta say, whatever else ye wanna say about Prowl, bot's got a heck of an imagination. When he dreams up an Ultimate Autobot, he really dreams up an Ultimate Autobot. Those guys are mean!

Wicked dialogue: Soundwave berates Starscream, 'You have no sense of strategy, no subtlety. You are a missile with a mouth, Starscream!'

Technobabble: Ravage is such a good escape artist because he's got an electromagnetic emission shield. Lucky him, then.

Miserable glitches: Blue woober. Have to mention it again. (I realise this really comes under the banner of 'minor variations to let aside', but it just gets to me because it's right there on Optimus Prime's face.)
Throughout this issue, there are several 'background' Autobots we've never seen before, and hardly will again, just to fill up crowd scenes. What, were they done in that second batch with Red Alert?
Soundwave tells Starscream that it was always part of the plan that Ravage would be captured. Why does Ravage think to himself that he'd better take cover to avoid capture, if that's the case?

Back-up strip: Machine Man.

Notes: This issue features the debut of Geoff Senior, an artist who would go on to be a fan favourite, continuing to work on Transformers right up to the end of Generation 2.
Soundwave is Decepticon leader in this issue, giving the Decepticons their third commander in less than two years. The Autobots are still on their first, for that matter - they never really settled down to appointing a proper leader while Optimus was a Madball, and it really doesn't look like anyone who took charge in the interim regarded Optimus as being officially removed.

Comments: An adequate story, but thought-provoking. It brings up a good question (ie, if the Autobots can create all the troops they want, why don't they?), and it looks like it plans to answer it.
Good use here, too, of Ravage - it's a shame that the Decepticon master of stealth literally drops off the face of the Earth partway into the series. He's one of the series' better characters, with some very interesting skills and powers. And the guy's a long way from the growling inarticulate spy from the original TV show. Soundwave's a bit of a surprise as Decepticon leader - mind you, the Decepticons probably let him run the show, because they want anyone but Starscream up there! (And with both Shockwave and Megatron out of the picture, who else could?)
Of course, the great Geoff Senior artwork here - excellent on his first run, and an interesting choice of writer in Mike Collins, considering he's usually drawing things instead.