Variant Cover for IDW Transformers: Lost Light #23 by Geoff Senior / Josh Burcham

I can't help but notice they put the advertising on the cover about unicron yet, unless this issue ties into it, the ll finale has nothing to do with it.

Amelie wrote:Given how long Senior has been out of comics - this cover looks leaps better than some of his Regeneration One covers, so hopefully he's more into the swing of things again.

Actually I think some (not all) of his Regen One covers are far better than this one (though this one's nice too) but generally he's still a great artist and still produces TF comic art I find far more appealing than anybody else. Him actually doing several pages worth of actual comic panels was the only reason I bought that Requiem of the Wreckers (cos, like just about every other IDW G1 story I've read, the story itself did nothing for me). Many of his convention commissions are great too.

So can we address the elephant in the room?

The timeframe for this series. Holy crap is it bad.

This arc is taking place 4 weeks after Dying if the light which took place 3 weeks before everything else. So in one week All hail optimus, titans return, revolution, revolutionaries, first strike, the entirety of Optimus Prime, requiem of the wreckers, and till all are one took place. Also in the span of time the scavengers made time to stop off on earth during revolution.


Yeeeeeeeah umm no?

The timeline does seem very strange...can we just blame it on shock wave?

ZeroWolf wrote:

MaverickPrime wrote:I don't understand the "Hasbro may have spoiled it" with the Prime Master, could someone please explain to me what they meant?

Basically the Prima prime master symbol kinda looks like Rungs face, glasses and all. This is a spoiler of course as Adaptus called out Rung as Primus

Bingo! I thought it was weird that the Prima symbol for PotP looked like a face with glasses, especially since Alchemist Prime is associated with glasses over in the Aligned continuity.

It is also possibly a coincidence and the Prima symbol is meant to evoke something else and this is just my own reading of an ink blot

ZeroWolf wrote:The timeline does seem very strange...can we just blame it on shock wave?

The one thing you can probably blame on is the Warren but it still doesn’t add up when it comes to the scavengers and Fort Max and his team.

ScottyP wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:

MaverickPrime wrote:I don't understand the "Hasbro may have spoiled it" with the Prime Master, could someone please explain to me what they meant?

Basically the Prima prime master symbol kinda looks like Rungs face, glasses and all. This is a spoiler of course as Adaptus called out Rung as Primus

Bingo! I thought it was weird that the Prima symbol for PotP looked like a face with glasses, especially since Alchemist Prime is associated with glasses over in the Aligned continuity.

It is also possibly a coincidence and the Prima symbol is meant to evoke something else and this is just my own reading of an ink blot

I don’t see it. I always thought it looked like Primas chest.

Okay, so as of ZeroWolf's comment, I think we're out of frontpage-spoiler territory. At least, that's what's showing on my laptop. As such, on with the latest round of my increasingly absurd theorising!

I think that the Magnificence's four key players (Rodimus, Ratchet, Rung, and Tailgate) are meant to serve as new hosts for the Guiding Hand.
I'm not sure who the fifth is- possibly Megatron, who wasn't around for the magnificence to mention last issue, or possibly Pharma/Adaptus as he's already in a new body. I'm also not sure of the assignment exactly. Rung would presumably keep Primus, Rodimus would get Solomus or Primus, Ratchet would get Adaptus or Epistimus, the others I'm not too sure about. Crucially though I think this would be a symbiotic possession rather than a parasitic one; the bots wouldn't have to die. Think less "stealing your body" and more "guardian spirit".
Now what gets interesting is that the Magnificence's four are currently split up. On the ship right now with the architect are Rod, Ratchet, Rung, Nautica, and Whirl. This kinda leads to what I think might actually happen, as a sort of altered version of the Magnificence's plan:
Rung keeps Primus
Rodimus gets Solomus
Ratchet gets Adaptus
Nautica gets Epistimus
Whirl gets Mortilus
Those assignments actually line up a lot better character-wise imo!
It's a little far-fetched, but makes sense to me at least (of course, so did my two previous nonsense LL theories. But shhhh )

ArmadaPrime wrote:I think that the Magnificence's four key players (Rodimus, Ratchet, Rung, and Tailgate) are meant to serve as new hosts for the Guiding Hand.
I'm not sure who the fifth is- possibly Megatron, who wasn't around for the magnificence to mention last issue, or possibly Pharma/Adaptus as he's already in a new body. I'm also not sure of the assignment exactly. Rung would presumably keep Primus, Rodimus would get Solomus or Primus, Ratchet would get Adaptus or Epistimus, the others I'm not too sure about. Crucially though I think this would be a symbiotic possession rather than a parasitic one; the bots wouldn't have to die. Think less "stealing your body" and more "guardian spirit".
Now what gets interesting is that the Magnificence's four are currently split up. On the ship right now with the architect are Rod, Ratchet, Rung, Nautica, and Whirl. This kinda leads to what I think might actually happen, as a sort of altered version of the Magnificence's plan:
Rung keeps Primus
Rodimus gets Solomus
Ratchet gets Adaptus
Nautica gets Epistimus
Whirl gets Mortilus
Those assignments actually line up a lot better character-wise imo!
It's a little far-fetched, but makes sense to me at least (of course, so did my two previous nonsense LL theories. But shhhh )

Not as far-fetched as you might think. I don't think it'll happen exactly that way, but it is a plausible theory. And it has kind of a Jinchuriki vibe from Naruto Shippuden.

And I agree with Amelie about the cover. It looks really good, better than Senior's Regeneration One stuff. That series belonged to Guido Guidi as far as covers went.

ArmadaPrime wrote:Okay, so as of ZeroWolf's comment, I think we're out of frontpage-spoiler territory. At least, that's what's showing on my laptop. As such, on with the latest round of my increasingly absurd theorising!

I think that the Magnificence's four key players (Rodimus, Ratchet, Rung, and Tailgate) are meant to serve as new hosts for the Guiding Hand.
I'm not sure who the fifth is- possibly Megatron, who wasn't around for the magnificence to mention last issue, or possibly Pharma/Adaptus as he's already in a new body. I'm also not sure of the assignment exactly. Rung would presumably keep Primus, Rodimus would get Solomus or Primus, Ratchet would get Adaptus or Epistimus, the others I'm not too sure about. Crucially though I think this would be a symbiotic possession rather than a parasitic one; the bots wouldn't have to die. Think less "stealing your body" and more "guardian spirit".
Now what gets interesting is that the Magnificence's four are currently split up. On the ship right now with the architect are Rod, Ratchet, Rung, Nautica, and Whirl. This kinda leads to what I think might actually happen, as a sort of altered version of the Magnificence's plan:
Rung keeps Primus
Rodimus gets Solomus
Ratchet gets Adaptus
Nautica gets Epistimus
Whirl gets Mortilus
Those assignments actually line up a lot better character-wise imo!
It's a little far-fetched, but makes sense to me at least (of course, so did my two previous nonsense LL theories. But shhhh )

I think you’re missing the point. Yes they have some significance but it’s not about the guiding hand taking on new representatives. The guiding hands has always been those people. It’s not about passing a torch, they don’t remember who they are because of information creep.

I think a bigger possibility is those characters are the same as the guiding hand but have to be sent in time to become the guiding hand...or the Magnificance just thinks they’re important. More than likely that.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Not as far-fetched as you might think. I don't think it'll happen exactly that way, but it is a plausible theory. And it has kind of a Jinchuriki vibe from Naruto Shippuden.

And I agree with Amelie about the cover. It looks really good, better than Senior's Regeneration One stuff. That series belonged to Guido Guido as far as covers went.

Thats exactly the kind of vibe I was meaning, yes! I was trying desperately to remember a good example of it in other fiction but you got it in one
I think the fact that Tyrest/Solomus managed to spacebridge into Adaptus' mind demonstrates that there's not only a link between them, but definitely something a little more supernatural to them than your regular bot!

And agreed, that cover is ruddy fantastic.

^ That's a more literal connection than I'd ever (intend to) suggest Started and ended at "glasses" for me, and I'm realizing now I probably should have left that in a discarded draft

ArmadaPrime wrote:Okay, so as of ZeroWolf's comment, I think we're out of frontpage-spoiler territory. At least, that's what's showing on my laptop. As such, on with the latest round of my increasingly absurd theorising!

I think that the Magnificence's four key players (Rodimus, Ratchet, Rung, and Tailgate) are meant to serve as new hosts for the Guiding Hand.
I'm not sure who the fifth is- possibly Megatron, who wasn't around for the magnificence to mention last issue, or possibly Pharma/Adaptus as he's already in a new body. I'm also not sure of the assignment exactly. Rung would presumably keep Primus, Rodimus would get Solomus or Primus, Ratchet would get Adaptus or Epistimus, the others I'm not too sure about. Crucially though I think this would be a symbiotic possession rather than a parasitic one; the bots wouldn't have to die. Think less "stealing your body" and more "guardian spirit".
Now what gets interesting is that the Magnificence's four are currently split up. On the ship right now with the architect are Rod, Ratchet, Rung, Nautica, and Whirl. This kinda leads to what I think might actually happen, as a sort of altered version of the Magnificence's plan:
Rung keeps Primus
Rodimus gets Solomus
Ratchet gets Adaptus
Nautica gets Epistimus
Whirl gets Mortilus
Those assignments actually line up a lot better character-wise imo!
It's a little far-fetched, but makes sense to me at least (of course, so did my two previous nonsense LL theories. But shhhh )

You know I was wondering the same thing, but then I went further...
What if...the guiding hand aren't going anywhere, though they are missing a finger, but they need counterparts, and the magnificence's five are going to be deputised...I mean most beings have two hands right?

I'm of course dead wrong, as I some how lack the ability to fully guess what Roberts is going to do (not a bad thing).

ZeroWolf wrote:You know I was wondering the same thing, but then I went further...
What if...the guiding hand aren't going anywhere, though they are missing a finger, but they need counterparts, and the magnificence's five are going to be deputised...I mean most beings have two hands right?

I'm of course dead wrong, as I some how lack the ability to fully guess what Roberts is going to do (not a bad thing).

Oooohh, I like that! Something like the Guiding Hand and the Following Hand, perhaps?
And I wouldn't worry too much about Mortilus, according to legend the Hand brought him back from death once before anyway...
I really do feel like one of our two theories has gotta be right! Naturally, I fully expect to be proven wrong within two pages of #23

Given the events in Optimus Prime, do the Thirteen exist in the Functionist universe?

ArmadaPrime wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:You know I was wondering the same thing, but then I went further...
What if...the guiding hand aren't going anywhere, though they are missing a finger, but they need counterparts, and the magnificence's five are going to be deputised...I mean most beings have two hands right?

I'm of course dead wrong, as I some how lack the ability to fully guess what Roberts is going to do (not a bad thing).

Oooohh, I like that! Something like the Guiding Hand and the Following Hand, perhaps?
And I wouldn't worry too much about Mortilus, according to legend the Hand brought him back from death once before anyway...
I really do feel like one of our two theories has gotta be right! Naturally, I fully expect to be proven wrong within two pages of #23

still speculation is fun as well even if the truth is something we never saw coming!

Caelus wrote:Given the events in Optimus Prime, do the Thirteen exist in the Functionist universe?

The two universes don't diverge until Megaton's creation/death. The Thirteen had already abandoned the planet at that point. (excepting Alpha Trion). Since the Functionalists largely kept their shenanigans to Cybertron, it stands to reason that the Thirteen of this universe would be in whatever state they are in ours.

...but wait a moment...does that mean there's a second shockwave running around the functionist universe...along with a second unicron? After all those things are all fixed in place after the divergence point

JereRB2ND wrote:

Caelus wrote:Given the events in Optimus Prime, do the Thirteen exist in the Functionist universe?

The two universes don't diverge until Megaton's creation/death. The Thirteen had already abandoned the planet at that point. (excepting Alpha Trion). Since the Functionalists largely kept their shenanigans to Cybertron, it stands to reason that the Thirteen of this universe would be in whatever state they are in ours.

ZeroWolf wrote:...but wait a moment...does that mean there's a second shockwave running around the functionist universe...along with a second unicron? After all those things are all fixed in place after the divergence point

I don't think, in the Functionist-U, Shockwave would have ever been subject to Empurata. With no Decepticon movement the whole drama between the Senate, Sentinel Prime, and Shockwave's Jhiaxian Institute would've gone down way differently- I think Senator Shockwave and his outliers would likely join up with Megatron's new faction somewhere down the road.
Besides, even if he had fallen victim to the Council, a post-empurata Shockwave would have no Decepticon faction to help further his plans, so I doubt the whole black-whole-time-travel gambit would ever come to pass.
Which means that the Functionist-Thirteen are actually the original Thirteen, without any of Shockwave's machinations. But we know that it's only because of Shockwave's meddling that the Thirteen's story turned out how we know it did, and so the Functionist-Thirteen would probably be nothing like the original legends of the Thirteen, and...

ZeroWolf wrote:...but wait a moment...does that mean there's a second shockwave running around the functionist universe...along with a second unicron? After all those things are all fixed in place after the divergence point

In theory no?

Shockwave only became Onyx because the war gave him cover/need to expand Regenesis off-world. It's likely Dark Cybertron never happened in the FU and, therefore Shockwave never went back. Given that Alpha Trion is predisposed to telling stories, the 13 still became legendary figures in the FU, but maybe not religious figures.

In short, it's likely that FU Onyx Prime is just regular, old Onyx and not Everyone's Favorite Time-Traveling Furry!

But that doesn't work as shock wave was masquerading as onyx before megs birth, which due to time travel will have created a loop in which he always ends up there some how to progress the legend of the thirteen. We've already seen duplicates created through this as there was a duplicate orion pax, so therefore, there must be an onyx wave doing who knows what...unless it's explained away that the functionist unicron got him...

ZeroWolf wrote:...but wait a moment...does that mean there's a second shockwave running around the functionist universe...along with a second unicron? After all those things are all fixed in place after the divergence point

Actually...it most likely means there's *no* Shockwave running around at this point. I went and re-read LL #3. The Functionalists came to power by putting the Senate to death 5 million years ago while Nominus was Prime. At that time, Shockwave was a senator (I think). So...he'd be dead too. Before empurata. Before shadowplay. So anything that came afterwards that depended on his individual action...didn't happen. Which means *a lot*. But I don't feel like writing a book in a forum post today.

ZeroWolf wrote:But shockwave created the thirteen in established events leading up to the divergence so when brainstorm pulled the trigger and the timelines splintered a copy onyx wave was created.

As for unicron, it's also possible that he is still asleep in the fu...waiting till he's awoken...

But I think that is a paradox. Shockwave only travels back in time because of events that occurred specifically because of the war. If there is no war, there is no expanded Regenesis program, there is no Dark Cybertron, and there is no Shockwave going back in time. I think the only way to avoid a paradox in either book is to presume there was always an Onyx that WOULD have been one of the 13 Primes. Shockwave manipulated things while posing as Onyx but let history march on unmanipulated (or at least told Alpha record it as unmanipulated) until Onyx disappears from history.

Considering Roberts' penchant for hooking up characters, I wonder if there might be a possibility that in the very end Rodimus and Megatron end up together...?

Out from IDW Publishing this week, though it's not a new issue, we have some Transformers: Lost Light comics reading in trade paperback form with the series' third collected volume! The full preview is offered below, for your viewing convenience, as you can finally catch up on everything happening before the current story arc if you've been waiting for the trade!

Transformers: Lost Light, Vol. 3
James Roberts (w) • Alex Milne, Brendan Cahill, Jack Lawrence (a) • Jack Lawrence (c)
Crammed into a dead Decepticon astropod that's 10 sizes too small, the displaced crew of the Lost Light faces their most serious threat yet: each other. No worries though, Rodimus can save the day! Or maybe they’ll all die... Plus, the Scavengers have never had it so good. The war is a receding memory, their patchy service records have been forgotten, and the five of them can roam the galaxy as they please. All's well that ends well? Not quite. Collects issues #13–18.
TPB • FC • $19.99 • 144 pages • ISBN: 978-1-68405-331-5

Bullet points:
Winner of the Comixology Award for Best Ongoing Comic Series of 2017 as well as Best Writer for James Roberts!

Hm, seeing the bit about the Necrobot's cape and the Benzene cluster makes me wonder if Red, Max, and Cerebros might use it to join the rest of the gang for the final confrontation. It'd definitely be neat to see them again, I've always enjoyed the Luna 1 crew quite a bit

ArmadaPrime wrote:Hm, seeing the bit about the Necrobot's cape and the Benzene cluster makes me wonder if Red, Max, and Cerebros might use it to join the rest of the gang for the final confrontation. It'd definitely be neat to see them again, I've always enjoyed the Luna 1 crew quite a bit

If the Necrobot really was Mortilus, it begs 2 questions: 1) will he somehow show up again in the finale of LL, and 2) If Red took the cape (and I assume he did) what if he sees Functionist Cybertron in the cloak and Luna 1 comes to the rescue? Luna 1 is a bit of a larger plot point to finish up, seeing as how it could also be a new TF homeland.

EDIT: also, if 6 of 12 has the matrix for a head, what if this is a way to reintroduce the matrix to this universe? most likely a far away claim, but ya know, if they really are as far behind OP and Unicron as they have said, and the Warren and universe jumping did not actually tamper with their perception of time, they could be a final brief stage of Unicron.

I do not want a single person to say it's not possible cause of Robert's story and he was not involved with Unicron, just let the idea sit.

But isn't that a fake matrix though that six of 12 is parading around? I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just i thought it was a fake he made to try and prove that the functionist council were fulfilling the will of Primus. Though speaking of Primus, I think the LL crew should capture that intact and use that against unicron might even the odds slightly.

ZeroWolf wrote:But isn't that a fake matrix though that six of 12 is parading around? I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just i thought it was a fake he made to try and prove that the functionist council were fulfilling the will of Primus. Though speaking of Primus, I think the LL crew should capture that intact and use that against unicron might even the odds slightly.

I believed they had found the original, even though Rodimus did say in issue 3 or 4 that that was not the matrix and he should know cause he carried it. But maybe the matrix is still somewhere on this Cybertron

It's certainly possible, but will it get chance to play a part in the unicron saga or will Roberts need it to stop the functionist council

ZeroWolf wrote:It's certainly possible, but will it get chance to play a part in the unicron saga or will Roberts need it to stop the functionist council

I'm not really sure. But even though we got Unicron's origins, and it is a different take, I'm still not convinced the matrix will not show up in some form again. Between it's apparent link to Shockwave's ores and the Functionist version, I think it may turn up again

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:It's certainly possible, but will it get chance to play a part in the unicron saga or will Roberts need it to stop the functionist council

I'm not really sure. But even though we got Unicron's origins, and it is a different take, I'm still not convinced the matrix will not show up in some form again. Between it's apparent link to Shockwave's ores and the Functionist version, I think it may turn up again

In IDW the Matrix isn't made of Primus's lifeforce, like it was in G1, right?

It would be kind of ironic if the Matrix was used to destroy the Functionist Universe's "Primus." But, I doubt that will happen, as it was pointed out that millions of Cybertronians are still on the planet, even though it has been transformed.

Wasn't it only in the marvel comics that the matrix was made out of primus life force? What was it actually in the cartoon?

ZeroWolf wrote:What was it actually in the cartoon?

The combined wisdom of the previous Primes.

Thanks to regular source for our Transformers comics news from IDW Publishing, Adventures in Poor Taste, we have the first full preview of next week's issue #23 of ongoing series Transformers: Lost Light - which obviously means plenty of spoilers for trade readers, as all of issue 22's reveals are shown again in these opening pages.

So you have been warned!

Transformers: Lost Light #23
The final battle is here! Bots will live, bots will die, and the craziness can only increase! We’re halfway through a finale six years in the making! And if you’ve ever loved a bot, you won’t want to miss this.

Bullet points:

– Lost Light’s grand finale kicks into high gear!
– Bringing the story to a close at long last–and everyone’s involved!
– Don’t miss the B cover by beloved Transformers artist Geoff Senior!
– Variant cover by Geoff Senior!

Ugh, I'm so worried I'm going to have to see Ratchet die for a fourth time before Lost Light is finished.

Christ, how many times have we gone through these revelations about how gosh-darn special Rung is. Being handed all these plot powers, he's like the Kirito of transformers now.

Wouldn't this explain all the other times though? And since thus us the end, there won't be any others.

I hate it everytime I see the lost light ship and those world sweepers. The lost light is like 5 miles long and 3 miles high which I always thought was stupid big and now seeing it look like a shuttle to these symbol ships it just looks tidicukous

Diaboragon wrote:Christ, how many times have we gone through these revelations about how gosh-darn special Rung is. Being handed all these plot powers, he's like the Kirito of transformers now.

Except there really hasn’t been. If anything they lay it on thick that rung has never been special

So, wait a second. If Rung can self heal, does that mean that Alt universe Rung could have self healed at some point and still on Cybertron?

Ishin Ookami wrote:So, wait a second. If Rung can self heal, does that mean that Alt universe Rung could have self healed at some point and still on Cybertron?

Possibly Though that's unless Rung can choose to not heal himself.

ZeroWolf wrote:

Ishin Ookami wrote:So, wait a second. If Rung can self heal, does that mean that Alt universe Rung could have self healed at some point and still on Cybertron?

Possibly Though that's unless Rung can choose to not heal himself.

He didn’t know he was Primes. Rung said he’s only self healing under the realization last issue the council listed rung as one of bots in megatrons circle they killed so it’s possible he did survive and was killed later but he’s dead.

THAT SAID...

Remember back in season 2 in MTMTE whrn rewind said they “lost” Rung?! That still hasn’t come back.

Probably won’t though. Ya know..three issues left lol

While Transformers fans won't be able to experience IDW Publishing's Transformers: Lost Light #23 until next Wednesday, Previews has posted the Geoff Senior "B" cover for the series' 24th issue. Anyone familiar with Lost Light author James Roberts will not be surprised by the homage on this cover, featuring Autobot psychiatrist Rung!



This is, of course, inspired by the cover to Marvel UK's The Transformers #113, an issue notable for introducing the world to Death's Head as he tracks down a bounty posted by Autobot leader Rodimus Prime.



You'll be able to pick this cover up from your local comic shop on September 26th, 2018*

*(scheduled publication date as of this writing and is subject to change)

Well, Senior's drawing style is great as usual but that character can't even come close to reproducing the awesomeness of the Rodimus Prime cover which I had two copies of when I was a kid. I had my reserved copy as per usual every Saturday and then I loved the cover so much I went back to the newsagents later on in the day and bought another just to stick the cover on my wall. Which I tended to do whether the issue suggested it (like anniversary issues with wrap-around covers) or not.