Assembly (OMAM)

Five years after their dimensional displacement, the Pretenders and Spike continue to try to learn where they are as an old enemy reawakens...

Synopsis

Five years ago, the humans of the Earth of the "Classicsverse", among the last survivors of their universe, were transported to another Earth by an unknown force. This new Earth was identical in nearly every way...but there were no humans. In the years since, people have moved on with their lives, seemingly finally rid of the Transformers. But, as they should know, it never ends...

Former Headmaster Spike Witwicky is walking on the streets of Merida, glumly reflecting on his new situation, when he's brought back to reality by a car crash. Attempting to help the young girl and her father trapped inside, Spike is unable to reach them, until the Autobot Pretenders Crossblades and Vroom, having also been transported to this Earth, arrive to help. Freeing the girl and her father, Spike and the Autobots flee the scene before their super-strength can arouse suspicion. However, one bystander seems to have taken interest in the three...

Arriving back at Spike's apartment, the three are greeted by Autobot commander Metalhawk and Spike's girlfriend, Elizabeth, who has Spike's brother Buster on an @mosferik video call. Buster, having paid for Spike's apartment, is annoyed his older brother has still not found a job, but before he can berate him anymore, Buster's young son Galen interrupts his father. Spike marvels at how big his nephew is, and uses his sister-in-law Jesse's entrance to take Galen to bed as an excuse to hang up. Metalhawk, too, is annoyed at Spike's relaxed behavior, having remembered how Spike was the responsible Witwicky brother some years ago. Spike claims that he's been responsible during these last few years, and that he's earned a little time to be relaxed. Spike then changes the subject to dinnertime, and decides to use Metalhawk's new job to pay for a nice Italian restaurant on the other side of town

Arriving as the sun sets, Spike, "Vroman", "Cross", and Elizabeth all make some smalltalk, while "Hawk" uses some of his money to pay a homeless man sitting outside the restaurant. Once they're sat at the table, "Hawk" is all business, reminding the others that they and Buster signed up with Blackrock Global to figure out what their new home has to offer. "Hawk" explains they were sent to the Yucatan to investigate a mysterious radio signal from last year, a signal that Spike previously had hoped could have been the other Autobots. Spike, however, has long since stopped believing that. After paying for the meal, Spike tries to explain to the Autobot commander that they have made some progress, but the five are interrupted by a mugger, who grabs Elizabeth. Having seen "Hawk" pay the homeless man, the mugger refuses to believe their "excuses", and fires off, as a black stain spreads across Spike's chest...

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Yucatan, the Herald of Unicron Ramjet awakes from his year-long meditation, the source of the signal the Autobots detected. Trapped on the atomic level in the Earth, Ramjet uses his cosmic senses on the universe, having been cut off from his master. Having found that Unicron has never and will never exist in this universe, Ramjet uses the energy he's built up to escape, reformatting himself into a newer, more compact body. While he may be more limited in power now, Ramjet is still able to sense a great evil...and he plans to use that power to rip this universe apart, allowing him to escape!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

Metalhawk: "Where were you three?"
Spike: "Saving lives, like usual. How about you?"
Buster: "Earning a wage."

Notes

• Characters mentioned but not seen include: a dead alien robot in Spike's head, Ximena, Skyhammer, Unicron, and "something else touched by evil".

Continuity notes

• The humans and animals of the "Classicsverse" Earth (and, as later chapters will note, the man-made structures and objects) were transported to this alternate Earth by Primus and Unicron's sister, Gaea, in "The Future Buried...", to protect them as she transformed to confront the Shattered Glass incarnation of Primus. The Pretenders, too, were sent alongside the humans, seemingly an accident because of the genetic makeup of their shells; later chapters would reveal they were actually sent intentionally. Spike notes that it has been five years since they were transported; "Another Light" was said to have taken place in 2015, placing this story in 2020. However, see errors below.
• Somewhat uniquely among classic Transformers media, the humans of the Marvel The Transformers comic were depicted as being very untrusting of both the Autobots and Decepticons, not recognizing the differences between the two factions and considering them "invaders". While most of the previous Classics media hasn't focused on the relationship between the two species, it's clear that at least some portion of humanity is glad to seemingly be rid of the Transformers; Spike passes by a poster display "ALONE AT LAST" in Impact font, accompanied by an image of Optimus Prime's head crossed out by a red "X".
• Crossblades is wearing a shirt with the "S. Witwicky Auto Repairs & Tow Service" logo on it, the service station of Spike and Buster's father, Sparkplug, seen on and off throughout the first 30 or so issues of the Marvel The Transformers comic.
• Elizabeth is the Classics version of Lisa, Spike's lover on a post-apocalyptic Earth ruled by Galvatron, seen in issue #67 of the Marvel The Transformers comic.
• Buster Witwicky was last seen in "Invasion" stationed with several Autobots on board the Ark II in Canada. At some point in the last 32 years, he's married his former girlfriend Jesse (last seen in issue #47 of The Transformers). They've had a son recently, Galen, named after the Nebulan partner of Fortress Maximus who sacrificed his life for Spike and to whom Galen passed on his bond to the Autobot in issue #38 of The Transformers.
• Spike claims he has a "dead alien robot's consciousness" in his head; presumably, either the destruction of Nebulos (where Fort Max's head was last seen in issue #4 of Marvel's The Transformers: Headmasters mini-series) in "Invasion", or Spike's separation from his control helmet and the rest of Fort Max in "The Future Buried..." has caused Fortress Maximus' death, leaving the mental engrams of the Autobot in his binary bonded partner's head. Spike also notes that he still has his surgical Headmaster alterations, given to him off-panel in issue #39 of The Transformers.
• Buster works for Blackrock Global, presumably a new name for Autobot ally and industrialist G.B. Blackrock's company, originally known as Blackrock Enterprises and later renamed Blackrock Industries. Blackrock himself was last seen in issue #80 of The Transformers, returned to Earth alongside the Neo-Knights by the Autobots after the battle on Klo.
• Spike notes they've dealt with alternate dimensions before, with the "Classicsverse" earth being sent to the "Shatteredverse" in "Invasion".
• The Pretenders' shells are able to break down organic food for energy; Ultra Mammoth and his "Maximals" (who new organic-based alternate modes were derived from, among others, Pretender technologies) were shown to use organic food as a substitute to energon in "Shattered Balance".
• Ramjet was last seen being banished by Vector Prime in "Revelations Part 1". It's unclear how long he has been trapped (and any timeline would be unhelpful, as the "Balancing Act" and "Revelations" storylines took place in 2030, ten years "after" this story would take place), but it would appear he has been trapped here for some time, as he notes he's been trapped for stellar cycles. His inability to link to Unicron is the result of Nexus Prime strengthening the multiversal walls "Out of the One, Many"; Ramjet notes that, for whatever reason, Unicron is not present in this universe, and never will be. It would appear that his Mini-Cons Thunderclash, Terradive, and Thunderwing were destroyed, as they were last seen Powerlinxed to their master; Gunbarrel did escape, only to be shot down by Over-Run in "Revelations Part 2".

Transformers references

• The Autobot Pretenders Crossblades, Metalhawk, Vroom, and presumably Skyammer are regular human-sized instead of the usual height of Pretenders, in nod to the Super-God Masterforce depiction of the Pretenders, who actually transformed into humans. Later chapters note they achieve this through holomatter and size-shifting. Metalhawk has taken on the human identity his counterpart used in the Super-God Masterforce cartoon of "Hawk"; Vroom and Crossblades have also adopted human names, "Vroman" and "Cross". The other Pretenders, meanwhile, are expies for the other Masterforce Autobot Pretenders. The lanky Vroom takes up the role of Lander; Lander was shown to have a human girlfriend in the cartoon, and so does Vroom, dating a photographer named Ximena, much to the confusion of the others. The stocky, relaxed Crossblades takes the role of Diver. And Skyhammer, the only Autobot Pretender not in the Yucatan, takes the role of Phoenix; both of them are stationed in Germany.
• The poster for the Parque Zoologico de Merida colors the rhinoceros brown rather than gray, presumably in reference to Beast Wars Rhinox.
• The ambulance seen rushing to the car crash is the alt-mode of Generation 1 Ratchet. Looks like they're still in service 25 years later, and in another country as well!
• Ramjet's reformatted form is his new "free incentive" Timelines figure, obviously enough. His profile in this issue notes that its smaller and more compact than his older body, which is true for the real-life toys.

Real-world references

• The title of this storyline is obviously derived from the 1937 novella Of Mice and Men, by American author John Steinbeck.
• Metalhawk says that they're currently in Yucatan, a state in the country of Mexico. It's not until the next issue that it's clarified that they're in Merida.
• Buster complains that Galen could have interrupted a call with Roxxol; it would seem that they are a new, copyright-avoiding version of the Roxxon Energy Corporation, an unethical company from the Marvel Universe introduced in their Captain America comics. The company showed up in issues #45-46 of Marvel UK's The Transformers comic as Roxxon Oil.
• Vroom had cacciucco the last time he went to the Italian restaurant, an Italian fish stew native to Tuscany and Liguria; Elizabeth refuses to order it, put off by the fish "staring" at her.

Other trivia

• Author Jesse Wittenrich noted that Elizabeth's role in the story was initially intended for Carla Greer, aka the second Doc from G.I. Joe, but was latter replaced with Elizabeth to avoid having "yet another" G.I. Joe reference in a Transformers comic.
• Spanish throughout the comic translates to:
  • The homeless man's sign reads: "¡Ayuda! Sin hogar," meaning "Help! Homeless."
  • The mugger (named Mendez in the next chapter) shouts "¡Ahora!" and "¡Damelo!" which means "Now!" and "Give it to me!"

Errors

• As noted above, this storyline takes place in 2020. However, Spike claims it has been nine years since they were first transported to the "Shatteredverse"; "Invasion" took place in 2012, which was only eight years ago.