Front Line! (issue) - Transformers Wiki

The name or term "Front Line" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Front Line (disambiguation).

Both the Autobots and Decepticons try their hand at spin doctoring.

Synopsis

These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

At the Decepticon base, Soundwave shows Starscream a copy of the newspaper Front Line! and explains that Project: Smear has gone wrong. Unless action is taken quickly, the Autobots will be seen by the humans as the heroes they are.

At the Autobot Earthbase, Irwin is being shown around by Prowl and Grimlock, though the latter is having a hard time concealing his disdain for the whole idea in spite of Prowl regularly reminding him how important it is. After seeing the Equipment Room, Irwin asks to see the Combat Room before conducting the interview.

Earthbase has another visitor—Bombshell! The Insecticons radios Soundwave and Starscream to report that Irwin is going to write about the Autobots in his newspaper. Whilst Bombshell's takeover of Superion was intended to discredit them, this story will have the opposite effect. He requests orders. Soundwave wants to stop the human writing the story, but Starscream suggests instead making sure he writes it the Decepticons' way!

The Combat Room is incredibly noisy so Irwin suggests conducting the interview somewhere else. Grimlock suggests outside, despite the freezing temperatures, as there's no-one around for miles. But then he is blasted by the Stunticons as they speed up to the base. Prowl raises his rifle but is rammed by Motormaster, who transforms and picks up Irwin...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"A great kidder our leader is... a laugh a minute!"

—Prowl gives the official line on Grimlock.

"The human must not write this story!"
"Wrong! He must write it...our way!"

—Soundwave is worried and Starscream is ominous.

"Hey, what better than this? No-one for miles around - [Gets blasted in the chest] - DAAAGH!"

—Grimlock tempts fate.

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

• The headline COMIC CONVENTION SCANDAL! is larger than Front Line, making it look like this is the title of the story.

Continuity errors

• Previous stories have stated that the Earthbase has massive surveillance systems to detect any Decepticons. Yet Bombshell is able to fly through unnoticed.
• Why do the Decepticons need to capture Irwin, rather than simply have Bombshell follow him and implant a cerebro-shell as soon as he's alone?

Continuity notes

• This story continues the theme that in the comic continuity the Autobots have never successfully convinced the humans that there are good robots and bad robots.
• The front page of Front Line! highlights the stories "COMIC CONVENTION SCANDAL!!", "MAN BITES DOG!" and "ELVIS... POLAR BEAR EXPOSÉ!!" One has to wonder quite why both the Autobots and Decepticons are so concerned about what will appear in a US supermarket tabloid.

Real-life references

• TBD

Other trivia

• A thirteen year old James Roberts had his letter published, a very, very verbose and long letter ("a very concise letter there," says Dreadwind). Both Roberts and Dreadwind agree that G.I. Joe and the Transformers is dull.

Back-up material

• Additional Transformers story: "Deadly Obsession"
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Fair Trade" and Combat Colin
• AtoZ: Vortex and Warpath

Cover

• Issue #288 cover: Grimlock dangles Irwin Spoon, by Pete Knifton.

• 

  Issue #288

Reprints

• Transformers: Perchance to Dream: Menasor smacks down Superion, detail from the cover of issue #259, by Andrew Wildman.
• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 20: End of the Road: Bludgeon (art reused from Dreamwave's More than Meets the Eye profiles) above an interior scene of Grimlock punching through Fangry (from US issue #80), by Andrew Wildman.

• 

  Perchance to Dream
  (Titan Books, 2006)

• 

  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 20: End of the Road
  (Hachette Partworks, 2018)