Gone but Not Forgotten!

	; The 25th Anniversary mark is so common that it's a special occasion not to have it.
	"Gone but Not Forgotten!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	October 1986
Cover date	February 1987
Writer	Bob Budiansky
Penciler	Don Perlin
Inkers	Ian Akin & Brian Garvey
Colorist	Nel Yomtov
Letterer	Janice Chiang
Editor	Don Daley
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity

As the Decepticons relocate to a new base, Shockwave plays a gambit to finally destroy Megatron.

Synopsis

The United States army prepares to invade the Decepticon base. Unknown to them, the Decepticons are already planning to abandon this base for a new one off the Florida Keys, intending to make better use of the stolen hydrothermocline to meet their energy needs. Megatron has other concerns on his mind. He is preoccupied with the death of Optimus Prime, unable to fully believe that his enemy is, in fact, dead. This uncertainty drives him mad (as well as the fact that it was a human that did the actual killing, rather than himself).

As the other Decepticons abandon their base, Shockwave and Soundwave stay behind to arrange for the Predacons to attack and destroy Megatron. To further Megatron's confusion, the Predacons have been fitted with Autobot symbols, to make him think that they have been sent by Optimus Prime.

A menacing sight, until you remember the weakness to tree trunks.

The Predacons locate and attack Megatron who, despite being outnumbered five-to-one, is able to defend himself (although not unscathed by any means). Finding Megatron too strong for them to defeat in their individual forms, the Predacons combine into Predaking. However, Predaking just proves to be a bigger target, and Megatron defeats him with one blast of his fusion cannon.

When the Decepticons arrive at their new base, a Decepticon soldier locates a laser disk inside Predaking, which Soundwave then plays back to reveal Shockwave's attempt to have Megatron killed. As Megatron threatens to destroy Shockwave, Shockwave explains that he recorded major portions of his personality on the disk he gave to the Predacons: "I controlled the Predacons. I was with them as much as I am with you now!"

This revelation causes Megatron to reflect on Optimus Prime's death. He now knows what he did not see at the time: that Optimus Prime's personality had been saved on a computer disk. This awareness drives him mad once again, and he blows up the space bridge to Cybertron with himself on it. Both disappear, and Shockwave reflects that it was not he himself who destroyed Megatron, but "a memory did!"

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots

Decepticons

Humans

Streetwise (12)
Hot Spot (13)
First Aid (14)
Optimus Prime (15)

Motormaster (18)
Vortex (19)
Drag Strip (20)
Razorclaw (21)
Headstrong (22)
Rampage (23)
Divebomb (24)
Tantrum (25)
Predaking (28)

Quotes

"Did you wrap your hands around his neck and feel its smooth steel skin? ...did you squeeze and feel its infrastructure begin to buckle under the pressure? Did you keep squeezing until there was no longer any reason to squeeze? Did you?! [...] Well, neither did I!!"

—Megatron, while crushing Brawl's head

"C-Commander, do you see? That wasn't Optimus Prime -- it was only a truck!"
"I see that now, Dead End. But it could have been Optimus Prime. And if it had been... he'd be dead."
"But... but Commander... he's already dead."

—Dead End and Megatron

"I am Predaking, the greatest hunting machine the galaxy has ever known! And you, little robot, are my prey!"
"And you are a fool! I am no one's prey! I am Megatron the conqueror!"
"My x-ray laser cannon will see to it that you're scrap."

—Predaking trades barbs and blasts with Megatron

"---Optimus Prime!! He lives! But he won't get Megatron, no -- Megatron is too clever, yes... too clever! Megatron will go where no one can ever follow him! Where Optimus Prime can never follow--"

—Megatron goes out in a blaze of insanity-fueled glory

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

Page 2, panel 4: Shockwave's speech balloon is directed to Soundwave.
In "Decepticon Graffiti!", Megatron's throne is made from one or maybe two cars. In this issue, it's made from about 25 tiny cars. Although, he could simply have more than one chair - the Constructicons need to do something during all that off panel time.
When the narration says Megatron is carried by Drag Strip, he actually jumps into a yellow-colored Dead End. As on later pages he is carried by Dead End, this was likely a writing mistake and the colorist tried to "fix" the error by coloring Dead End yellow.
When Vortex arrives to ferry Dead End to the island, he is huge in copter mode, dwarfing Dead End to almost the size of a human.
When the Predacons combine into Predaking he has a Decepticon logo on his chest.
When Dead End finds the laser disk in Predaking, Shockwave is drawn with only one arm.

Continuity errors

It would appear that the American army is incapable of distinguishing between an artillery bombardment and a shower of flying debris.
On page 8, the caption reads that Megatron "commands Drag Strip to carry him to their destination," and the coloring is consistent with this. The art, however, shows Megatron entering Dead End. Later on the car he's in is drawn, colored, and referred to as Dead End.

Continuity notes

The Decepticon alliance with Cobra is briefly mentioned, plugging the concurrent GI Joe/Transformers crossover series.
Megatron gives us a recap of Optimus's death in "Afterdeath!", the last issue. The hydrothermocline was stolen in that issue as well.
Brawl is seemingly killed in this issue. Don't worry, though. Even though his head is crushed and it doesn't appear anybody carried his body with them to their new base, he later gets better.
Predaking's height is given as 80 feet.
This issue marks a major split between the US and UK continuities, as Megatron would be treated as dead in the US for a long while after the events here, while the UK strips would swiftly bring him back and make him the focal point of several major storylines. When Simon Furman took over the US book and decided to bring Megatron back over there, this branching would have some... interesting continuity effects.

Real-life references

The old Decepticon base is in the Powder River Basin of eastern Wyoming; the narration relays a bit of its history. The new base is on an island at the tip of the Florida Keys. Some clam-chomping tourists at the Conch Republic Clam Bar mention having left Nashville.

UK printing

"Sorry Shockwave, wrong format, I only have a 5 and 1/4 inch floppy drive in my head..."

This story has a lot of parallels with "Prey!" - the arrival of the Predacons from Cybertron; Shockwave using the Predacons in a sneaky plan to usurp Megatron; the Predacons only combining after they fail to win as individuals; Megatron attacking one of the Special Teams characters; confusion on whether Prime is alive or not (albeit by different characters) and Megatron exiting the story via the spacebridge.
Due to that, this story is probably the most edited of any US story printed in the UK comic.
The Dead End mistake mentioned in the errors section was fixed for the UK printing. Dead End was recolored in red, and the caption box was corrected, referring to him by his actual name.
Page 11 of the US comic was edited to make a better cliffhanger for UK issue #107. Megatron was given new dialogue, replacing a speech bubble of Dead End questioning his leader's sanity.
Megatron and the Predacons had met before in UK continuity. In the story arc beginning with "Prey!" Shockwave employed the Predacons to hunt down and kill Megatron. However he was so deranged (and befuddled), that he didn't remember this first encounter. To reflect this previous meeting a lot of dialoge was changed for the UK version of this issue:
- On US page 9, Shockwave gives Razorclaw his assignment on Earth. In the UK version, Razorclaw worries that Megatron will recognize him. Shockwave quickly allays those fears.
- On US page 12, the Predacons lament having to change into Earth forms. In the UK version, they lament having to stay in those forms since their last visit.
- Some caption boxes on page 12 were changed to reflect the Predacons' previous visit. In particular the caption The Predacons have arrived! was changed to The Predacons have returned! for the UK version.
- On US page 13, Razorclaw says Megatron doesn't know the Predacons. In the UK version, he says Megatron doesn't remember them.
US page 2 was also edited, but this time to reflect the fact that the G.I. Joe and the Transformers story was not 'in continuity' for the UK comics (and wasn't printed until years later). In the US version, Shockwave suggests contacting Cobra and telling them about the Decepticons' moving base. In the UK version, Shockwave talks instead about Megatron's mental instability.

Back-up material

Issue #107:

Back-up strips: The Inhumanoids - "I Left My Monsters in San Francisco" and Robo-Capers
According to Grim Grams, Grimlock considers the 23rd of August 1986, his birthday. That's the date he took over the Transformers letters page. He also thinks he could take out Soundwave in a fight.

Issue #108:

Back-up strips: The Inhumanoids - "I Left My Monsters in San Francisco" and Robo-Capers
AtoZ: Bluestreak and Blitzwing
In Grim Grams, Grimlock confirms that Vanessa Cook of Doncaster did indeed spot CYRIL, the Editor Droid from the then-defunct Marvel UK Return of the Jedi comics, in issue #108's Robo-Capers.

Letters pages

Other trivia

This issue was reprinted as issue #8 of IDW Publishing's Generations series.
Page 4 consists entirely of flashbacks to "Afterdeath!".
Like some other issues, a free version of UK issue #107 (with an altered corner box) was given out at the chain of British steakhouses Berni Inn.

Bot Roster

Autobots: 27 active; 5 rogue Dinobots, 14 in repair bay. (46 total)
Decepticons: 31 active as the Predacons arrive and Megatron is killed/jettisoned off-world; 9 offline. (40 total)

Courtesy of my...

Razorclaw shoots Megatron with a concussion blaster.
As usual, Megatron can't seem to shut up about his fusion cannon.
Predaking pulls out an X-ray laser cannon.

Changes in the IDW Transformers Classics reprint

Soundwave is "correctly" recolored blue throughout the issue, without any random panels of PurpleWave.
The Drag Strip/Dead End confusion on page 8, panel 4 is, for whatever reason, not corrected in this edition. I guess they weren't reading the wiki that day.
On page 16, panel 4 Tantrum's horns are corrected from green to grey.
On page 18, panel 5 the Ben-Day dots are removed from Razorclaw's mane, leaving only blotchy black smudges.

Covers (3)

US cover: Megatron surrounded by the Predacons, by Herb Trimpe.
UK issue #107 cover: mad Megatron, by Dave Hine and Robin Bouttell.
UK issue #108 cover: reuse of art from US cover, recolored and with word balloons, by Robin Bouttell.

US issue #25 - Predacons gone wild!
UK issue #107 - Ironically, Rampage isn't on this cover.
UK issue #108 - Hang on, haven't we been here before?

Reprints

Transformers: Breakdown TPB: Predaking, Megatron, Ratchet and half of Ratbat.
Transformers: Breakdown hardback: Trypticon vs Grimlock.
The Transformers: Generations #8 cover A: the Predacons attack Megatron.
Generations #8 cover B: line-art version of cover A.
Generations #8 incentive cover: reuse of a panel from this issue.
Generations TPB: reuse of cover A to Generations #1.

Transformers: Breakdown TPB; cover art by Andrew Wildman
Transformers: Breakdown HC; cover art by Kev Walker, Simon Coleby and Chris Blythe.
The Transformers: Generations #8 cover A by Nick Roche
Generations #8 cover B by Nick Roche
Generations #8 incentive cover by Don Perlin, Ian Akin and Brian Garvey, Nelson Yomtov and Janice Chiang.
Generations TPB; cover art by Nick Roche

Classic Transformers Volume 2: panels from US issues #20 and #25.
The Transformers Classics, Vol. 2: Megatron
Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 7: The Harder They Die Tantrum and a scene of the Wreckers.

Classic Transformers Volume 2; cover art by artists from issues #20 and #25
The Transformers Classics, Vol. 2; cover art by Guido Guidi
The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 7; cover art by Don Figueroa and Geoff Senior

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