Transformers: War's End
Transformers: War's End is an American comic book limited series published by IDW Publishing. Based upon the Transformers franchise by Hasbro and Takara-Tomy, the series is set in the same continuity as the 2019 mainline comic book, set parallelly during the events of issues #40–43. A long time ago, Exarchon, a once peaceful and respected Transformer, somehow became a warlord and started his war against Cybertron through his faction, the Threefold Spark. Sometime later, during the conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons, Exarchon reunites with his former generals, Skywarp and Shockwave, to finish  what they started. The series debuted on February 23, 2022. Publication history. Background. "Transformers" was first announced by IDW Publishing on December 18, 2018. The title is written by Brian Ruckley, and was initially illustrated by Angel Hernandez and Cachét Whitman, and started publishing issues twice-monthly in March 2019. Ruckley described the writing opportunity as a "privilege", and stated that the title would be a great opportunity for new readers to familiarize themselves with the universe and characters of the "Transformers" franchise, which he describes as of the "biggest [and] best that science fiction has to offer". Development. In  November 2021, IDW Publishing announced "Transformers: War's End", a limited series written by Brian Ruckley (writer of "Transformers" and ) and drawn by Jack Lawrence (artist of "" and ""), and was set to be released in February 2022. Ruckley said ""War's End" is about unfinished business: for both the characters and for Cybertron as a whole. It's the return of Cybertron's traumatic past to upend its present... and answers the question: If your planet has at its core the collective Spark of your entire civilization, just how vulnerable might that make you?" Lawrence said "Up to now, my  Transformers work has been post- or pre-war, so with "War's End", I'm excited to contribute to the Cybertronian war itself. This story is, understandably, darker and grittier than what I've worked on before, so I'm looking forward to going shadowy and ominous with it." David Mariotte (editor in IDW and writer of "Wreckers: Tread & Circuits") said “Since launching in 2019, all our "Transformers" universe titles — the ongoing, "", "Escape", "Wreckers: Tread & Circuits", the 2021 Annual, the Valentine’s Special, and the Halloween Special — have been the quilted pieces of an epic story, helmed by Brian Ruckley . "War’s End" and the ongoing series are where those threads weave together, showing the full picture of the "Transformers" mythos — past, present, and future — that we’ve been building for years.” Plot. While most of the Autobots remain in Crystal City to fight the Decepticons, another group of Autobots (Landmine, Geomotus, Zetar, Sureshot and Pointblank) walks to the Sonic Canyons in search of clues linked to Exarchon. Outside Decepticon Headquarters in Iacon, Cyclonus tries to reason with Megatron about Exarchon's return, but Megatron remains skeptical. Starscream insists Megatron about this news as an opportunity to make a positive  public image for the Decepticons, but Sixshot does believe Cyclonus, pointing out what happened to Ruckus, Flatline and Deathsaurus. Exarchon/Ruckus reunites with his previous generals, Shockwave and Skywarp, revealing more secrets about the vision he received from his mysterious benefactors. He then reunites his own group of Decepticons (Soundblaster, Onslaught, and the Combaticons) to infiltrate the Sonic Canyons, but only Skywarp deserts. Back in the Sonic Canyons, the Autobots find the mysterious facility, only to confront a lot of hidden traps alongside the presence of Exarchon/Deathsaurus. After deserting, Skywarp warns the Decepticons about Exarchon and Shockwave's activities , which convinces Megatron to reconsider about a temporary truce with the Autobots. While Pyra Magna goes to the Sonic Canyons with her Companions, she orders Jumpstream to step aside in order to avoid her future death. Zetar's team escapes from Exarchon/Deathsaurus, only to find a secret base that builds Skywarp clones, as well as an imploder, which Exarchon has been planning to use in order to possess the AllSpark. Exarchon/Deathsaurus and his forces fight against Cyclonus, the Companions and most of Team Stream. While reconsidering the future she saw, Jumpstream gets alarmed when she sees Devastator returning  to Cybertron. Against the vision she saw, Jumpstream goes to the Sonic Canyons to warn to Pyra about Devastator’s return. While searching for a third body, Exarchon/Ruckus reveals Shockwave more about his benefactors, and why he wants to take over Cybertron in their behalf. When he reunites with Megatron, but the latter shoots him, sending him to be killed by a radioactive Sunstorm. In response, Exarchon/Deathsaurus plans a meeting in order to possess Devastator.