Dark of the Moon issue 3

« Transformers: Dark of the Moon #3 »
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	June 22, 2011
Written by	John Barber
Pencils by	Jorge Jimenez Moreno
Colors by	Romulo Fajardo
Letters by	Shawn Lee
Edits by	Andy Schmidt
Continuity	Movie continuity

Sentinel and the Decepticons' plans are revealed!

Synopsis

Before shooting Ironhide, Sentinel reveals that for the sake of Cybertron's survival, he had to make a deal with Megatron. After blowing Ironhide to pieces, he then aims his gun at Bumblebee but Skids jumps in Sentinel's way and takes the blast himself, killing him. Mudflap then goes into a rage, but Sentinel shoots him in the mouth, killing Mudflap instantly. Sentinel then escapes with the pillars after temporarily holding Mearing hostage.

Later, Megatron activates the Pillars, bringing hundreds of Decepticons through a space bridge linking from the moon to Earth. The Autobots and humans try to stop them, but are overwhelmed and Optimus is badly beaten by Sentinel. Meanwhile, Sam goes to Dylan's house to find Carly. As he and Carly leave, Dylan reveals his allegiance with the Decepticons and Carly gets captured by Soundwave. Dylan then forces Sam to spy on the Autobots and find out their next move.

The next day, Sentinel tells the humans to exile the Autobots from Earth, to which they comply. As the Autobots prepare to leave in the Xantium, Sam runs into Epps, who is now working on space site. Optimus tells Sam that there is no plan and the fight is now the humans'.

As the Autobots blast off, Soundwave sends coordinates to Starscream, who blows up the Autobot's ship with Carly and Dylan watching from a distance...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

• This issue also includes Convergence chapter 3 as exclusive bonus back-up material.
• Megatron's tarp-cape varies in length. It varies between short (going down to his neck) and long (going over his shoulder, like how it's mostly seen).
• The Decepticons on the moon are referred to as "shock troops", and one of them heavily resembles Mindwipe.

Differences with movie

Several pieces of the film are trimmed out and/or pared down, but purely for page-space reasons, rather than due to the issue being based on an early script. These include:

• Bumblebee does not make any attempt to shoot Sentinel Prime after Ironhide dies.
• Megatron simply removes Abraham Lincoln statue from the Abraham Lincoln Memorial instead of blasting it... sounds familiar.
• Dylan gives Sam the Watch-bot, instead of the Watch-bot coiling itself around Sam's arm in the movie.

Other script-based differences include:

• The Twins' deaths at the hands of Sentinel Prime are included here.
• Simmons is present during Ironhide's and the Twins' deaths, while he was not present in Ironhide's death scene in the final film.
• Simmons does not use a wheelchair after his legs are broken.
• Ironhide does not die due to the Cosmic Rust, instead he's blasted to pieces by Sentinel Prime's gun.
• Sentinel activates the pillars in Washington D.C. during the daytime. He does it at night in the movie.
• Sam Witwicky, Lennox, Wheelie, and Brains are present when Sentinel activates the Pillars.
• The Autobots engage the Decepticons in an extended fight before they retreat, and the Washington Monument is destroyed.
• Unlike the movie, Carly doesn't change her clothes while held captive by Dylan Gould. She remains in her dress.
• Dylan is apparently a lot bolder than in the film, as he pushes Sam around himself instead of having his bodyguards restrain him.

Barricade is also not present in the final battle. Instead, he appears with Starscream in a video feed during Sentinel's speech to Congress. Another remarkable difference is that the Decepticons coming from the Moon have individualized appearances, while in the film they are generic. Kudos to the artist.

IDW continuity notes

• Sentinel Prime mentions that he "never really liked [Ironhide's] kind", seemingly in reference to his victim's origins as a Thetacon.
• Megatron mentions Starscream's stint as ruler on Cybertron and his use of ramshackle space bridge technology, as seen in The Reign of Starscream.
• Starscream hesitates before claiming he merely saw Sentinel Prime die on Cybertron – in Foundation, it was the Decepticon second-in-command who fired upon the Ark, seemingly destroying it.
• We get clarification that Megatron and Sentinel's plan was to seek out the planet of the last Star Harvester (something Megatron learned of from The Fallen), explaining away what otherwise seems like inexplicable foreknowledge of Earth.
• Sam mentions the attack on the Diego Garcia base, as seen in Rising Storm.

Errors

• Despite his legs having been broken in the previous issue, Simmons is able to walk perfectly in this and the next issue.
• Topspin is colored red, Roadbuster is mistakenly colored blue, and Leadfoot is green for some reason.

Covers (2)

• Cover A: Sentinel Prime and Bumblebee, by Jorge Jimenez Moreno.

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• Final installment of the Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation.
• Little, Brown and Company Dark of the Moon children's books, including Autobots Versus Decepticons, Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel, Bumblebee's Best Friend, The Lost Autobot, Dark of the Moon: The Reusable Sticker Book and Optimus Prime's Friends and Foes.
• Rising Storm and Foundation trade paperbacks.