Transformers: Ratchet

« Transformers: Ratchet »
Publisher	IDW Publishing Target
Writer	John Barber
Pencils	Atilio Martin
Colors	Sergio Adad
Letters	Chris Mowry
Editor	Andy Schmidt Denton J. Tipton
Cover	E. J. Su
Continuity	Live-action film series
Packaged with	Ratchet

Ratchet rescues Arcee from Space Case while doing a lot of self-justification of why he's a doctor who hacks people up with a buzzsaw.

Synopsis

Ratchet, out examining soil samples after an earthquake in a remote desert location, receives a priority-one Autobot distress signal. Tracking the signal to its source, he is surprised by a nearby rumbling. What he takes at first to be another earthquake is actually the dull-witted Decepticon Space Case. Ratchet avoids the initial attack and leaps onto his opponent's jet form, overpowering him and causing them both to crash through the unstable earth into a subterranean cavern.

With Space Case temporarily out of commission, Ratchet looks around and finds Arcee, trapped beneath a rockfall. Grateful the Autobot medic has found her, she explains that Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee are trapped as well. Before Ratchet can take any action, however, Space Case recovers and attempts to impale him on his trident. Ratchet acknowledges the conflict between his belief in pacifism and the realities of war and, determined to rescue his friends, retaliates with a devastating strike on the Decepticon with his buzzsaw. Space Case turns tail and runs, grousing loudly about the ineffectiveness of his special protective cyberglyphics.

Ratchet extracts Arcee from the rubble, patches her up, and sends her after Space Case, remarking that he was going to stay and save more lives.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"I don't like violence. I know how things look right now, but truly—I abhor it."

—Ratchet, as he drives Space Case through the ground

"I've had it with this cave! I'll see you later, an' then we'll settle things for reals!"
"What's he talking about?"
"I'm afraid I have no idea."

—Space Case also learned to speak English from the World Wide Web, while Arcee and Ratchet are like whatevs

Notes

• The comic comes free with Target's exclusive Dark of the Moon Cyberglyphics-themed redeco of Ratchet.
• The issue takes place between Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon, following on from Transformers: Space Case (in which Space Case winds up in a cave and escapes his pursuers by caving them in). More specifically, these comics take place not long before the Barber-penned Rising Storm prequel comic; the attack on Sam mentioned in this comic would even be alluded to by Space Case in the third issue of that series.
  • There's a bit of artistic conflict, though, since this comic features Ratchet in his new Dark of the Moon coloration, and Transformers: Starscream put Megatron in his new truck body, while Rising Storm featured the characters in their Revenge of the Fallen forms. This was either an out-and-out goof, or possibly a deliberate choice to not feature the characters' new bodies ahead of time in Rising Storm (something similar happened in that comic with other new movie cast members).
• Ratchet recognizes Space Case because Jazz told him about him "some time ago".
• Bumblebee and Sam are mentioned by Arcee but never actually appear on-panel.
• Someone must have cut-and-pasted some legalese for the indicia, because licensing information for both Lockheed's Raptor and Sikorsky's Pave Low appear inside the front cover.

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• Dark of the Moon MechTech figures

External links

• Scans of the issue