TRANSFORMERS #3
"Prisoner of War!" Synopsis

Written by Jim Salicrup
Pencils by Frank Springer, Inks by Kim DeMulder and Mike Esposito

"You will now devise a conversion process that will turn the primitive propellant you call gasoline into our special fuel--or you will die!"

The Decepticons transport the captive Sparkplug Witwicky (see issue #2) back to their headquarters and demand that Sparkplug convert Earth's hydrocarbon fuel into a power source the Decepticons can use, as they were unable to comprehend how to utilize the technology they stole from the Harrison power plant.  Sparkplug reluctantly agrees, and Megatron has his Decepticons steal the equipment and raw materials Sparkplug will require.

Meanwhile, organizations around the world are beginning to take notice of the Transformers' presence on Earth--most notably the White House and the Kremlin, who blame each other for the giant robots.  The news media is also getting involved, including Daily Bugle reporter Peter Parker, who hopes to get an exclusive story on the alien robots as your friendly neighborhood web-slinger, Spider-Man! After the Autobots, who are desperately low on fuel themselves, return to the Ark for repairs, they use the last of their energy reserves to refuel.  Spider-Man notices Gears exiting the Autobot base and confronts him, believing him to be one of the Decepticons.  Once Gears saves a local news crew from being crushed by a U.S. Army tank thrown by a Decepticon, Spider-Man realizes that he and Gears are on the same side.  

After Spider-Man meets with the other Autobots, he helps them slip past the military outpost stationed outside the Decepticon base, enabling Gears and Spider-Man to sneak inside.  Together, they manage to best most of the Decepticons within the fortress, but Spider-Man underestimates Megatron and attempts to trap him in his webs.  Megatron escapes, enraged, and blasts a hole in the floor of the fortress, causing Gears, Spider-Man, and Sparkplug to fall.  Spider-Man manages to save Sparkplug, but Gears proves too heavy for his webbing, and crashes to the cavern floor below.

Back at the Autobot base, Spider-Man bids his farewells, as a barely functional Gears reveals that Megatron got exactly what he wanted from Sparkplug...

First Appearances: Again, no new characters.  However, by this point all the Transformers characters have finally settled into their final character designs, marking the first appearances of the fully humanoid Ironhide and Ratchet.

Transfacts:

• Marvel Comics' official position is that the Transformers are not part of the Marvel Universe as a whole.  While this issue is littered with references to other Marvel characters, this story was the first and last time that the Transformers interacted with a Marvel superhero in any comics series.

• In this issue, Peter Parker wears a black costume that was later revealed to be an alien symbiote.  He discovered its true nature and captured the symbiote in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #258, a November 1984 issue.  TRANSFORMERS #3 is actually a January 1985 issue, but the story must take place at least two months earlier than that to reconcile the two issues.

• We learn in this issue that Sparkplug's real first name is William (though a later issue will contradict this).

 

This Page Created 3/1/2001
Last Update: 3/1/2001