Devices and Desires! (Marvel)

« Transformers: Generation 2 #4 » « Transformers: Generation 2 (Fleetway) #3–4 »
Your worst nightmare.
"Devices and Desires!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	December 1993
Cover date	February 1994
Writer	Simon Furman
Artist	Derek Yaniger ("Tales of Earth Part One")
Penciler	Manny Galan ("Devices and Desires!")
Inkers	Jim Amash and Marie Severin ("Devices and Desires!")
Colorist	Sarra Mossoff
Letterers	Richard Starkings with Gaushell
Editor	Rob Tokar
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity

Optimus Prime has bad dreams, Grimlock screws up big-time, and Bludgeon's Decepticons start their devastation of Earth.

Synopsis

"Devices and Desires!"

Optimus Prime dreams of a field of Autobot corpses. He is suddenly attacked by a corrosive black substance, which somehow seems familiar. As it eats away his arm, he wakes up to find Kup shaking him. Kup informs him that Grimlock, against orders, left Autobase with a raiding party. (Prime gave those orders because he regards these dreams as warnings of a second menace, and wants no incautious actions taken until it is identified.)

As always, Grimlock advocates for non-violence.

Grimlock and his party have stolen a shuttle from the Cybertronians, the Kiro. They have also stolen some docking codes, and use them to pretend to resupply and thus sneak on board Jhiaxus's flagship, the Twilight, which they plan to obliterate with a freaking enormous bomb. They land in the shuttle bay and exit the craft... only to find themselves surrounded by dozens of Cybertronian troops, commanded by Jhiaxus himself. He expected an attack of this sort, and the codes which Grimlock's party used were inadequate. He knocks Grimlock down. Red Alert, angered, raises his weapon, and is cut down by half-a-dozen weapon blasts. Grimlock, realizing the enormity of his error, surrenders. Jhiaxus orders them shipped off to the Liege Maximo.

En route, the prison ship is attacked by another Cybertronian ship, the Sabre. The startled Cybertronian guard comments that all its codes check out... and is then killed by Grimlock, who knows an opportunity when he sees one. The rest of Grimlock's party follow his lead (with Mirage getting killed in the process).

On board the Sabre, Optimus Prime had taken over the ship, but kept the crew alive (for their complete knowledge of the codes). Prime hails the prison ship, to tell them he's beginning docking maneuvers. Grimlock worries that Prime will hand him his shiny metal ass over this catastrophe.

Instead, Optimus Prime puts Grimlock in charge while he himself journeys back to Cybertron. He believes Grimlock has learned from his mistake (which appears to be true), and will think of his soldiers first from now on. Meanwhile, Prime believes he needs to commune with the heart of Cybertron to learn the truth of his visions.

"Tales of Earth Part One"

Meanwhile, Bludgeon is laying waste to Earth using his Warworld battle cruiser. Watching Earth broadcasts, he sees thousands, if not millions, are already dead. Bludgeon then leads a strike force to the surface to give the killing a more personal touch. Just as he is about to strike down some puny fleshlings, however, his weapon is shot from his hand. He is utterly startled to be faced with Megatron and Starscream, both back from the dead... and Megatron wants leadership of the Decepticons back. Now.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Prime, wake up, wake...What am I saying? We don't sleep!"

—Kup may be losing it. If he ever had it to begin with.

"All that matters is bomb, and then getting heck out of here before — before..."
"Before it all hits the fan. Am I right, boss?"

—Grimlock, Swoop and crew are confronted by the wrong end of three dozen Cybertronians blasters.

"Well, well, Grimlock. I hardly expected to see you again quite so soon. People will begin to think you like it here!"

—Jhiaxus

"Me have nasty feeling this going to be far worse than anything Decepticons have in mind!"

—Grimlock, anticipating Prime's punishment for disobeying orders and getting Autobots killed

"Come, my Decepticons... it's time we introduced ourselves to the good people of Earth."

—A grisly death. For Bludgeon, it's like saying hello.

"Aw, gee, boss... you sure know how to keep the troops smiling."

—Quake appreciates a benefits package that includes mindless destruction.

"You have something of mine — namely the leadership of the Decepticons. I want it back... over your DEAD BODY!"

—Megatron's back and there's gonna be some trouble...

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

• Stranglehold shaved his 'stache for Generation 2, apparently.
• Jhiaxus tells the Autobots they're going to be shipped to the "Leige Maximo". The correct spelling is "Liege".
• The prison ship is absurdly inadequate, given that the prisoners are apparently kept in the same room with the crew, and aren't restrained in any way.

Continuity errors

Continuity notes

• Red Alert FINALLY makes his debut in a US comic (having only appeared in a few UK stories prior to this). And he dies right away. No wonder he's paranoid. Even Straxus lasted longer than that, and he didn't even have a toy.

Real-life references

UK printing

Issue #3

• Stories: "Devices and Desires!"

Issue #4

• Stories: "Tales of Earth Part One" and "Tales of Earth Part Two"

Other trivia

Furminated

• Red Alert is blown open by a barrage of laser fire from Jhiaxus's troops.
• Mirage has his head shot off during the escape attempt.
• Untold numbers of humans die as Bludgeon initiates an orbital bombardment against Earth.

Covers (3)

• US cover: Dinobots, by Derek Yaniger.
• UK issue #3 cover: recolored version of US issue #4 cover, by Derek Yaniger.
• UK issue #4 cover: recolored version of US issue #5 cover, by Derek Yaniger.

• 

  Generation 2 #4 - Your worst nightmare.

• 

  Generation 2 (UK) #3 - Your worst nightmare...
  on acid!

• 

  Generation 2 (UK) #4 - I knew you well.

Advertisements

• None yet identified.

Reprints

• Transformers: Dark Designs TPB: Megatron, Swoop, Bludgeon, Grimlock's toe and half of the Liege Maximo, by Andy Wildman.
• Transformers: Dark Designs hardback: Megatron and the graves of Starscream, Bludgeon, Fortress Maximus and Optimus Prime, by John Byrne and Chris Blythe.
• The Transformers: Best of Grimlock ("Devices and Desires!"): Grimlock, by Klaus Scherwinski.
• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 90: Generation 2 Part 1: Red Alert, by Dreamwave Productions and Kup, by Derek Yaniger.
• Transformers: Best of Grimlock: Grimlock, by James Biggie.

• 

  Dark Designs TPB
  (Titan Books, 2002)

• 

  Dark Designs hardback
  (Titan Books, 2002)

• 

  Best of Grimlock
  (IDW Publishing, 2010)

• 

  The Definitive G1 Collection Vol. 90: Generation 2 Part 1
  (Hachette Partworks, 2020)

• 

  Transformers: Best of Grimlock
  (IDW Publishing, 2022)