Primal Rage

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“I may have PTSD, but THAT is a fragging Maximal!”
"Primal Rage"
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	March 23, 2022
Cover date	March 2022
Written by	Erik Burnham
Art by	Josh Burcham
Letters by	Jake M. Wood
Editor	David Mariotte, Jazmine Joyner and Riley Farmer
Continuity	Transformers: Beast Wars

A plot to turn the Maximals against their own leads to the discovery of two mysterious Cybertronians with their own agenda.

Synopsis

While searching for energon in the jungle, Scorponok and Waspinator come under assault from more of the strange hybrid creatures that inhabit this planet—although their teeth and claws can't dent Cybertronian armor, Waspinator's disturbed by their highly aggressive behaviour. Scorponok wonders if some external stimuli might've triggered this berserker state, and he's proven correct when the pair find a nearby energon deposit: unlike the other energon crystals they've discovered thus far, this particular outcrop glows with a strange, red energy. Back aboard the Darksyde, Tarantulas analyzes a sample of the new energon: this specific variety posseses a number of unusual psychoactive effects that increase the anger and aggression of any nearby lifeforms. Intrigued, Megatron wonders if this find could be weaponized somehow...

A few days later, Optimus Primal and a skeptical Dinobot plant a series of early-warning sensors in the jungles beyond the Axalon. However, when Optimus activates one of the sensors, the machine unexpectedly lights up, moments before Tarantulas and Blackarachnia ambush the pair! Before either Maximal can retaliate, Tarantulas plants a bomb on Dinobot's beast mode back, where his arms can't reach; as Optimus tries to dislodge and disarm the device, it explodes!

Optimus Primal comes to aboard the Axalon; when Rhinox detects an abnormal amount of energon radiation, however, Primal bursts free from his restraints, punches Rhinox in the face, and shouts that Dinobot let Tarantulas get the drop on him while everyone else hid in the ship. As he storms off, Rhinox points out that Dinobot's unharmed by the same radiation—perhaps his beast mode shielded him from the worst of the blast? Dinobot has an alternate theory: he already hated most of his Predacon shipmates, and since joining the Maximals he's had to suppress his burning desire to murder Rattrap, so perhaps he's simply learned to control his anger naturally. The same cannot be said for Optimus Primal, however—as he stomps through the ship, he smacks Nyx while berating her for her previous mistakes; when Rattrap and Cheetor intervene, they're nearly drawn into the brawl before Rhinox finally steps in and restrains Optimus. Although Optimus lashes out at his crew, Dinobot finally admits that the Maximals are warriors, good as any Predacon. The real problem is Megatron... and if Optimus wants to end the Beast Wars decisively, he should use that anger to take him out as soon as possible. As Primal dashes off, Nyx and Rattrap worry, but Rhinox remains certain that overexerting himself like this will help him burn through the energon radiation faster than usual.

Aboard the Darksyde, Waspinator interrupts Megatron as the Predacon leader repairs the ship's damaged transwarp drive to inform his leader that a Maximal's blundered into a trap! All too eager to take in the sight of their helpless victim, Megatron quickly follows Waspinator into the woods beyond the crash site... and promptly rounds on Waspinator when his subordinate leads him into a dead end. Suddenly, "Waspinator" sneers that Megatron's far too trusting, blasts him with a burst of energy and drops his disguise to reveal that he's not one of Megatron's Predacons at all, but Saberback! With Megatron compromised, Saberback contacts his masters to inform them that there's still one 'bot left to capture...

As Optimus swings through the jungle in his gorilla mode, a sudden blast of energy sends him spinning out of control and onto the forest floor. His attacker introduces himself as Polar Claw and announces that he's to come with him. When the still-enraged Optimus refuses, however, the larger Cybertronian dodges his incautious blows, transforms, and blasts the Maximal leader unconscious!

Featured characters

(Characters in italic text appear only in Cheetor's dream.)
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"This crystal's radiation has unique properties, including an unexpected psychoactive effect—it increases aggression an anger. Oh! It's beautiful!"
"It didn't affect us."
"Yeah".
"Perhaps you should consider what that says about you two, hm?"

—Tarantulas, Scorponok, and Waspinator

"You know, I hated most of my Predacon crewmates... and I've wanted nothing more than to murder Rattrap since I've joined you, Rhinox, yet he still lives. So maybe I was affected... but I am at this point well-practiced at handling aggression."

—Dinobot

"Hkk—let me go, Rhinox! That's an order!"
"Why, so you can attack your loyal crew?"
"They're not-"
"Oh, but they are. They are as good and true as any warriors I've met. Your anger doesn't lie with them... it lies with you."

—Optimus Primal and Dinobot

"What is this? Who are you? A Maximal assassin?"
"Nope. I'm just the one who fooled you. But then—that's what I do."

—Megatron meets Saberback

"You think so small, Optimus. There is more to the world than you and Megatron and your Maximals and Predacons. As to how I found you? I was sent by gods."

—Polar Claw

Notes

Continuity notes

• The nature of the planet's strange and often aggressive wildlife has been a long-running mystery since the early days of the comic. While at least some, such as issue #10's ironwolves, are explicitly alien in appearance, the creatures in this issue appear to be hybrids that incorporate traits from both hammerhead sharks and the horned, cat-like monster that attacked Nyx in issue #4.
• Throughout the comic, Dinobot reminds Optimus of their assault on the Darksyde, which played out in the three-part "Maximals Strike Back" story arc that ran from issues #10 to #12.
• While enraged, Optimus berates Nyx for getting captured and leading the Predacons straight to their base—a succinct, if biased, recap of issues #2 through #4.
• When Primal lays into Rattrap and Cheetor over their perceived lack of strength, Rattrap points out that if Primal wants a fight, Rattrap can get "his suit" in reference to the cargo-loading exoskeleton he used to fight Tarantulas in issue #6.
• Megatron's working to repair his ship's Transwarp drive, which Nyx sabotaged in issue #12 during the Maximal assault on the Darksyde.
• The two new Cybertronians dispatched to capture the leaders of their respective factions both sport glowing green eyes; they're likely products of Vok experimentation on some of the crashed stasis pods and their protoform occupants: as per the previous issue, the Vok sent Pakak into Cheetor's mind to learn how to reprogram protoforms.

Transformers references

• The concept of the Predacons turning Optimus into an out-of-control berserker shares many similarities with the Beast Wars cartoon episode "Gorilla Warfare". Perhaps not coincidentially, a minor plot point from the beginning of that episode involved Dinobot unable to reach a seed pod stuck on his back with his scrawny beast mode arms, similar to his predicament in this issue.
• Upon first reactivating, Optimus's POV shot includes a tactical overlay based on the heads-up display from the 1997 Beast Wars video game.
• Optimus Primal swears by the Matrix, which was a semi-frequent oath in the original Beast Wars cartoon.
• Saberback originally debuted as one of several new Predacons in the Japanese-exclusive Beast Wars Neo cartoon. His ability to holographically disguise himself as Waspinator, however, might be a reference to the time the Angolmois Energy projected illusions and Saberback claimed it was his own doing in the Beast Wars Neo episode "Chase the Mysterious Capsule", which for years was believed to be an innate ability possessed by the Predacon, as a result of the summaries on TFWiki being based on the work of poorly-understood translating efforts.

Real-world references

• The issue's title "Primal Rage" may be a reference to the 1994 video game of the same name, which featured prehistoric creatures (specifically various giant primates and dinosaurs) engaging in one-on-one combat on a post-apocalyptic Earth.

Covers (3)

• Cover A: Optimus versus Polar Claw, by Winston Chan
• Cover B: Optimus goes berserk, by Brenda Chi
• Retailer incentive cover: Optimus versus Megatron, by Camila Fortuna

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Reprints

• The Transformers: Beast Wars Volume 3 (October 5, 2022) ISBN 1684059380 / ISBN 978-1684059386
  • Collects Beast Wars issues #13–17, and Beast Wars Annual 2022.
  • Bonus material includes alternate covers, and an one-page sketch by Burcham.

• 

  Beast Wars, Vol 3; cover art by Colm Griffin

External links

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