Destined for Nothing - Transformers Wiki

Big Daddy and the Hot Rod Patrol have a falling-out with their Autobot comrades. Meanwhile, a long-lost hero returns to Cybertron, with his arch-nemesis in hot pursuit.

Synopsis

Big Daddy, his teammates on the Hot Rod Patrol, the Monster Truck Patrol, and Crunch attempt to rescue an unconscious Roadbuster from a Decepticon attack party consisting of the Race Track Patrol and Blaze Master. During the brawl, Motorhead accidentally kills Crunch.

Meanwhile, at the Autobot headquarters in Iacon, Countdown and Groundshaker return from space to find the base largely abandoned. The first Autobots they encounter, Topspin and Twin Twist seem surprised to see them, and more surprised that Optimus Prime isn't with them. Countdown and Groundshaker are equally surprised that Optimus has not returned to Cybertron before they did. Countdown confronts Ultra Magnus and Fortress Maximus and informs them that Operation: Containment, an attempt to prevent the Decepticon threat from spreading beyond Cybertron, has failed. Countdown explains that the Decepticon Skystalker and his forces ravaged the peaceful planet, Paradron, and that the Autobots need to mount an intergalactic patrol force to prevent the same fate from befalling other worlds. Ultra Magnus and Fortress Maximus disagree, stating that Autobot forces are already underpowered and spread thin as it is. Groundshaker interrupts, belligerently demanding the Autobot command take action, before he is pulled from the room by Countdown.

As Countdown and Groundshaker leave the command center, they overhear Big Daddy and his patrol griping about the day's events, which interests Countdown greatly. Big Daddy and company then confront Ultra Magnus and Fortress Maximus, upset that Crunch lost his life defending a "guzzler". The argument grows more heated, before Fortress Maximus orders the Hot Rod Patrol to turn in their weapons and dismisses them.

Meanwhile, the Race Track Patrol returns to Decepticon headquarters where Blitzwing and Octane are tormenting Greasepit, who is weakened from a lack of fuel. Inside, Shockwave is in conference with Scorponok and Ratbat, discussing the lack of fuel resources. The Race Track Patrol enter the room and demand that Shockwave give them a fair cut of the day's spoils. When Shockwave refuses, the Race Track Patrol storm out.

At Autobase, the Hot Rod Patrol get into an altercation with Sidetrack and Sunrunner from the Battle Patrol, leading to a shouting match which only ends when Big Daddy announces his intention to leave the Autobots. The Hot Rod Patrol follow his lead, and the group set out for Little Iacon, in neutral territory.

Along the way, they encounter the Race Track Patrol, who have similarly deserted their posts. The two groups almost fight, but then realize that both patrols have rejected the war. Motorhead, however, seems very withdrawn, still shaken by Crunch's death. Before the two patrols can talk further, they are interrupted by Flanker and Falcon, who are being pursued by the Insecticons!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

Continuity notes

• Chronologically, this miniseries follows The War Within series, specifically, The Age of Wrath #3, the final published issue in that series. The timescale is just a little bit before the Great Shutdown.
• In this issue, and for the majority of the series, Blaze Master is a member of the Decepticons.
• The Operation: Containment that Countdown mentions ties in directly to Jetfire's flashback in "Original Sin".
• Countdown's narration has a few embellishments. His claim he pursued him to Paradron's core is contradicted by the art showing Skystalker following him, and the scene of their fight has the two on the planet's surface. Later issues in the miniseries add a few more clues as to what went down, but nothing concrete is ever given.
• The letters page by Matthew Hansen gives significant back-story to the issue, explaining how the Autobots and Decepticons collaborated (mentioned by Fortress Maximus) to develop Little Iacon, where they would farm a generation of newer, smaller soldiers to develop more troops for both sides. Eventually, both sides pulled out early and grabbed who they could.

Real-life references

• Like all the issues in this miniseries, the title is a reference to the band Bad Religion. The song "Destined for Nothing" appears on the album The Process of Belief.

Other notes

• In the initial two-page spread, Astrotrain is visible in the distance. However, his blurry appearance initially prompted some readers to mistake him for the planet Quintessa.
• The script called for Paradron Medic to be visible on the landscape of Paradron, but she wasn't. No huge loss.
• On Paradron, there's a combined Autobot/Decepticon logo, which was also visible on the doorway to Vector Sigma in "Countdown to Extinction".
• The "Wavelengths" page has an article from the desk of Alex Milne.

Errors

• When Fortress breaks up Magnus and Big Daddy, his head is drawn as being ludicrously tiny compared to the rest of his body.
• Blitzwing is colored a deep blue, rather than purple.

Covers (6)

• Cover A: Gatefold cover by Rob Ruffolo
• Cover B: by Don Figueroa
• Cover C: by Pat Lee
• Incentive cover: Cover B, but the disc is shiny
• Dynamic Forces Cover: by Joe Ng, limited to 2000 copies
• Dynamic Forces Red Foil Cover: same art as the normal Dynamic Forces cover, limited to 1000 copies

• 

  Gimme!

• 

  Watch out, you'll pop the balloon-bot!

Advertisements

• Transformers 2005 calendar
• Dreamwave Pockets (two separate pages)
• Transformers poster book
• Energon #25: "Omni-Potent": "In the Wilderness, the cat stalks his prey" (double-page sideways centerfold)
• Generation One #7: "Infestation": "Plague of Insecticons"

Reprints