Plot summary

Optimus Prime and Lord High Protector Megatron rule Cybertron, protecting the Allspark, an enormous cube of energy that gave life to the Transformers. However, Megatron secretly desires the Allspark's power for himself and has formed a like-minded army of separatists - the Decepticons - with Starscream at his side. He then plunges Cybertron into civil war, killing millions. During the Battle of Tyger Pax, Autobot Bumblebee leads a team to hold back overwhelming odds of Dreadwing, Payload and Swindle Drones while Prime attempts to launch the Allspark into space, making a last-ditch attempt to prevent Megatron from claiming it. The Decepticons capture Bumblebee and torture him. Bumblebee keeps Megatron distracted long enough for the Allspark to be launched into space. A determined Megatron flies into space to find it, but not before punishing Bumblebee by crushing his voice processor. After finding a way to tell Prime and the other Autobots of Megatron's plan, Bumblebee is among the first to volunteer to find it before he does.^[2]

Megatron, keeping a close psychic bond with the Allspark, soon locates it on Earth. Heating up during entry into the atmosphere, he crashes and sinks under the Arctic ice sheets. The sudden temperature drop and loss of energon forces him into stasis lock. In 1897, the National Arctic Circle Expedition headed by Captain Archibald Witwicky discovers Megatron frozen solid, and accidentally reactivates the Decepticon's navigational system. The location of the Allspark is burned into Captain Witwicky's glasses, blinding him and eventually driving him insane. At the Boston Secure Hospital, the government takes great interest in his story and the Sector 7 group begins excavating for Megatron, codenamed the "Ice-man". In 1902, the Allspark is discovered to be in the Colorado River,^[3] and by 1935, work begins on the Hoover Dam over it with plans to move Megatron there.^[4]

In 2003, Bumblebee lands on Mars before landing in Virginia, and takes up the form of a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro. Designated N.B.E - 2, he avoids Sector 7's gaze, forcing Agent Simmons to step up an operation to capture him. Bumblebee begins finding information on Captain Witwicky, and Sector 7 attempts to spring a trap with a replica Allspark.^[5] Starscream, Blackout and Barricade follow suit, destroying the Beagle 2 Mars rover in the process. They scan and destroy vehicles^[4] and defeat Sector 7's trap. They let Bumblebee escape as they know he can lead them to the Allspark. Elsewhere, Sam Witwicky is given his ancestor's glasses.^[5] A Target Corporation-exclusive follow-up shows Bumblebee tracking down Sam by checking outside Archibald's asylum and looking for his son, Clarence, to Springfield, Missouri, where he learns of his son Herbert, his six children and starts to look for each, one-by-one. All the while he is being followed by Sector 7 and Barricade.^[6]

Publication

The first issue was due for release in February 2007,^[7] but was moved back to March 6 due to a printing error.^[8] It was part of Free Comic Book Day on May 5, 2007.^[9] A trade paperback is scheduled for release on June 25,^[10] with an adaptation of the movie itself released the same day.^[11]

Issues 1 and 2 are sold out.^[12] Issue 3 contains a number of cameo homages to Generation 1 Transformer vehicle modes; dotted throughout the issue are vehicles which resemble the original Optimus Prime, Trailbreaker, Ironhide, Motormaster and Bumblebee, as well as Scourge from the Robots in Disguise series. Issue 3 also parodies Google with a search engine called "Shwiggle". This is apparently an in-joke name for colorist Josh Burcham. An IDW Comics webpage is also shown. Furthermore, the last few panels of issue 3 reveal the events of what we see in the announcement trailer from the perspective of those responsible; it is revealed that the Mars rover had been destroyed specifically by Starscream, however in other versions it was revealed that it was Bumblebee.

Animated adaptation

For the release of the Transformers DVD, the Wal-Mart edition of the DVD included an animated version of the prequel comic book, entitled Transformers: Beginnings. Beginnings followed the comics almost page for page, with a few exceptions of removed content—for instance it removed all non-movie Transformers such as Arcee and Swindle. Arcee still appears in a non speaking role.

Voice Cast:

• Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
• Frank Welker as Megatron
• Mark Ryan as Bumblebee
• Patrick Hallahan as Starscream / Additional Voices
• Brian Stepanek as Blackout / Agent Reggie Simmons
• Kevin Dunn as Ron Witwicky
• Patrick Viall as Captain Archibald Witwicky / Additional Voices
• Harold Hayes, Jr. as Bald Sector 7 Agent
• Justin Foley as Additional Voices
• Kenny Luper as Additional Voices
• Ryan Pfeiffer as Additional Voices

Unknown voice actors voice Sam, Barricade and Epps

Plot summary

The first issue follows the story of the film from Starscream's perspective, with him organizing his team to follow Megatron to Earth. During the battle in Mission City, Starscream is enraged by Megatron's uncaring attitude towards the death of his comrades. Following his leader's death, Starscream meets with a wounded Barricade (whom Ironhide caused to crash into a barrier and thus miss the battle) and is told the dead Frenzy had important files on Sam Witwicky and the All Spark. Starscream tells Barricade to carry on his role as his spy on Earth, while he flies to the Hoover Dam to recover Frenzy.

In the second issue, Starscream retrieves Frenzy but is injured, and he is forced to return to Mars in F-22 Raptor form. He explains to Thundercracker he likes his Earth form though, admitting he admires the humans for killing Megatron and destroying the All Spark. The two Seekers decide to return to Cybertron, using Frenzy's data to recreate the All Spark. They begin transmitting the data to Cybertron, and prepare to enter a Space Bridge. Starscream is confident with Optimus Prime on Earth, no one can stop his conquest of their home planet, unaware an Autobot team (consisting of Arcee, Cliffjumper, Air Raid, Camshaft, Smokescreen and Cosmos) are about to attack.

The third issue opens with the Autobots being engaged by a swarm of drones. They easily rip through them, even killing Hardtop, but are put on the defensive as Thundercracker arrives, killing several of them. Arcee, furious at history repeating itself as her colleagues fall, manages to badly wound him, but it is too late: a recharged Starscream arrives and kills all but her. The Decepticons return to Cybertron, with Ramjet having prepared things for his new lord. The data transmitted has been used, and a new All Spark is now under construction, with Autobot slave labour doing the bulk of the work.

Starscream becomes more and more obsessed with not repeating the mistakes of Megatron and Prime and broods over Sector Seven Data showing Wreckage to be alive and working with them. Arcee arrives on Cybertron, having stowed away on the Decepticon ship, and falls in with the Autobot resistance led by Crosshairs and Clocker, who are considering a suicide strike to destroy the new Allspark and rescue the other Autobots. Starscream plans to use the Sparks of his Autobot captives (and an unfortunate Crankcase) to power up the new Cube. However, it inexplicably fails as Dreadwing betrays Starscream in an attempt to claim its power. A three-way battle breaks out between Dreadwing's drones, Starscream's forces and the Autobots. Dreadwing attempts to escape in a ship, travelling through the Space Bridge to Mars - unaware Starscream has followed him. The Decepticon leader rips out the traitor's Spark and vows to regain control as he gazes at Earth.

Links with other stories

The series is consistent with Target Corporation's second prequel comic to the film with Wreckage being killed by humans upon arriving on Earth. However, the third issue refers to the torture of Bumblebee's squad (including Arcee) by Megatron, an event which took place in the first issue of the original prequel series, which seemingly takes place in a different continuity. The Transformers use spaceships, the absence of which in the film is explained by the Decepticons parking theirs (the Nemesis) on Mars before flying as protoforms to Earth.

Starscream's story is directly followed up on in Transformers: Alliance, the first comic prequel to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, as is the Wreckage subplot from this story.

Publication

When announced at the 2007 Comic-Con International, the series was entitled The Search for Starscream.^[16] Chris Mowry explained readers knew where Starscream disappeared to in the film, so it was an odd choice for a title even if the Autobots were searching for him.^[17]

Regarding canonicity, Chris Ryall wrote, "Doing sequels to movies that nevertheless don't affect any coming sequel have a long tradition in comics [...] and we've been having a lot of fun with this one."^[18] Hasbro advised Mowry on the story, leading to four script drafts. They rejected his idea to make the series introduce characters for the next film (which Alex Milne designed), making it into a wrap-up to the first film.^[17] However, when discussing the official prequel to the sequel film, it was mentioned that Transformers: Destiny would reference The Reign of Starscream. Ultimately, the 2018 prequel film Bumblebee, which is set around 1980, declared the prequel to be non-canon, as it features a different version of Cliffjumper, who is killed during the film, while the comic featured Cliffjuper among the Autobots that attack Starscream.

The first issue's "B" cover is modeled after Marvel Comics's The Transformers (USA) #5, where Shockwave stands against "Are All Dead" graffiti.^[19]

Transformers: Alliance

Alliance is a 4-part comic series that ran from December 2008 to March 2009. It serves as both a sequel to The Reign Of Starscream and as a lead in to Revenge of the Fallen.

Transformers: Defiance

Defiance is a 4-part comic series that ran from January to April 2009. Along with Alliance, it serves as both a sequel to The Reign Of Starscream and (as it is set far in Cybertron's past) provides a backstory for Revenge of the Fallen.