COUNTDOWN: 8 noteworthy moments from Skybound’s Transformers #14

After the last issue’s significant departure from the norm, #14 resumes Skybound’s focus on Starscream’s backstory and his ongoing shenanigans in the present! How does this one shape up? Let’s find out!

WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Transformers so far!

#8: A kitbash in waiting

The last time we saw Starscream at the end of #13, he looked significantly worse for wear. True, for a chap who had been essentially torn to pieces, thrown into a volcano and then had his legs incinerated, it arguably could have been worse. Still, this chapter shows us that the MARS Industries team who “rescued” him has restored him to some semblance of working operation, and by that, I mean they’ve strapped his upper body to their HISS Tank and called it a day. Why have they done this? The explanation one of the team provides is that Starscream was “immobile“, so they “had to do something“, which admittedly doesn’t entirely communicate how they got him out of the volcano, but perhaps it’s not worth quibbling. The point is that our squish-happy Seeker is now looking like a major source of inspiration for kitbash customs in the years to come, much as everyone and their gran has been doing “how do you feel about going on the offensive?” nods for some time now.

#7: Human upper hand

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Starscream is not such a fan of his new status quo, a reaction which he makes exceedingly obvious by threatening to squish various members of the MARS team in quick succession – including their cat. However, the Decepticon soon takes an apparent liking to it after it proves to be (almost) as vicious as he is! It all comes to a head as he threatens team leader Horton, who reveals that they’ve implanted explosive charges throughout Starscream’s body, with the trigger tied to the human’s heartbeat and a separate controller for insurance. Their plan is evidently to return him to MARS and force him to cooperate in helping aid their war efforts. However, even at this early stage, it’s reasonably clear that the group has totally underestimated who they’re attempting to take control of here. While they have the upper hand for now, it’s undoubtedly short-lived…

#6: Mind control?

From there, we again get a trip to the past and the early days of the war on Cybertron. Following the flashback scenes from the last issue, we see Starscream joining Megatron and attacking the Autobot forces. However, he is still not the outright brute we know from the present day, expressing his reluctance to carry out executions of captured prisoners despite his leader’s insistence. When push comes to shove, it appears that Megatron exerts some mind control power over his new warrior, though it’s unclear how this works. The tyrant makes it apparent that Starscream is ‘his’ to command, and, despite any protestations, this turns out to be accurate, as the Seeker guns down the captives one by one, offering desperate pleas of apology as he does so. It also seems this take on Megatron actively needs someone to wield him in his gun form, stating that his power has’ limits’. It’s an intriguing set-up we’ve never seen in Transformers fiction before! One can’t help but wonder if other Decepticons are similarly mind-controlled by Megatron (despite that seemingly not being the case in the present-set stories).

#5: The rise of Starscream

From there, we see a montage of Starscream executing numerous Autobots over what is presumably an extended period, all whilst wielding Megatron in hand. The implication seems to be that where he is initially remorseful and uncertain of these acts (as despite having signed up to the Decepticon cause willingly in #13, this is clearly not what he had anticipated!), he begins to enjoy himself over time, becoming more purposeful and gleeful as the panels continue, even revelling in it with a smile towards the end. For now, this is all the explanation provided for how the surprisingly considerate character we met in the last chapter’s flashbacks morphs into the current-day menace we already know and loathe. Again, it leaves us unsure how much of this evolution is down to Megatron’s mind-controlling influence tipping Starscream over the edge and turning him into something else entirely, or if this malevolent streak was inside him all along, despite no obvious evidence of it from what we’ve seen.

#4: Fall of Cybertron

As we return to the present, Starscream and the humans encounter a chained-up Astrotrain on a beach, exactly as he was left by Beachcomber and Spike in #11. We then see the torn piece of Cybertron crashing into the sea following the end of #12, revealing these events are happening concurrently. As the resulting tidal wave threatens to envelop them, Starscream and Astrotrain prepare to evacuate the area, the former having rather swiftly convinced the triple changer to form a new alliance with the promise of getting revenge on Megatron later down the line. The humans are brought along for the ride only because they continue to have control over Starscream. Still, it becomes increasingly apparent that this dominance is tenuous at best, as the Decepticon’s flourishing smirk is a clear sign he has no plans to make their control over him a permanent situation.

#3: Combaticons

As they escape the beach, Astrotrain spots Onslaught and Brawl in the water and quickly flies down to rescue them. Presumably, they were both still with Soundwave’s forces on Earth (having last been glimpsed in the seabed battle towards the beginning of #12), although it’s not apparent where the rest of the Decepticons might have ended up. In any case, these new additions to Starscream’s cause are most unwelcome for Horton, who rather impotently protests their presence and threatens to blow them all up unless they land and disembark. This last attempt to assert authority over the treacherous Decepticon is short-lived; whether accidental or not, the humans are promptly knocked unconscious as Astrotrain is buffeted by a large wave of water.

#2: The inevitable betrayal

When they awake, things have gone from bad to worse. Starscream has now also located and recruited the remaining three Combaticons (who had presumably fallen to Earth on the crashed portion of Cybertron, having last been seen running from Optimus in #12). What’s more, it seems they’ve set up shop in that same downed chunk of their homeworld and have all merrily adopted Starscream as their new leader (in a scene which feels thematically reminiscent of the classic cartoon caper Starscream’s Brigade to some degree!). Unfortunately for Horton, he soon learns that his colleagues removed the charges from the Decepticon’s body after being promised they could go home, a deal which quite inevitably ends with their swift annihilation as Starscream enacts his revenge and obliterates them all one by one. All that is except for Private Martin, who is instructed to draw a favourable portrait of the giant robot. Oh, and the cat is given a reprieve after it seemingly allies itself with the bad guys! Who could have predicted it?

#1: Starscream’s brigade

The issue ends with Starscream back in charge of a new band of Decepticons, which will no doubt result in a civil war of sorts before too long! With Shockwave dead, a quick tally of Soundwave’s forces tells us he has the Contructicons and Thundercracker on his side (though the latter is already waning in terms of commitment to the cause, we suspect). Thus the ongoing power play takes another turn, and one we can’t help but think might lead to a Devastator versus Bruticus match-up before too long… here’s hoping!

So that’s our list! Did you enjoy #14?

TTFN