History ComicBook / TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise

** The Decepticons that pull a HeelFaceTurn have seldom done that in any of their appearances, bar [[spoiler:Tankor]] as [[spoiler:Octane]], who defected in the cartoon for less noble reasons. Similarly, Soundwave is made into a much more noble and sympathetic character than pretty much every previous interpretation.

* BreatherEpisode: Starscream the Movie, the Optimus Prime Annual centers on [[TroubledProduction Thundercracker's attempt]] to adapt Starsceam's autobiography into an Earth movie.

** The Holiday Special comes off this way in all three stories, but this series's contribution is the most relaxed [[since it's just Thundercracker sharing his children's Christmas book with Marissa and Ayana.]]

-->'''Dreadwing''': I '''know'''. I just wanted to make a '''Cool-Ass Entrance.'''

* ExplainExplainOhCrap: Optimus, on finding Monstructor frozen on Arduria. See, the last time Monstructor showed up, he was working for the Decepticons, and Bludgeon in particular. Before Optimus can finish the sentence, he realises Bludgeon's not only nearby, he's trying to get on-board their ship to free Jhiaxus.

*** "And he shall stand alone, but not alone." [[spoiler:From issue #50 onward, Optimus's actions and deeds start alienating his long-time friends and allies.]]

** Onyx and Nexus Prime. Pretty much everything from Season 2 onwards is in some way related to or caused by them, even though one's long dead and the other is missing.

* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: Needlenose]] comes to terms with the fact that, in-spite of living under the Autobots, they probably could have had peace and they blew their chances. He agrees with the NAIL thinking that all they do is destroy.

* HeroicLineage: GB Blackrock claims to have one. [[spoiler: Specifically that he's descended from Gilgamesh and that his surname comes from the walls of "black rock" that Gilgamesh erected around his city of Uruk. This turns out to be a gigantic lie. Blackrock isn't even human.]]

* HijackedByGanon: Prowl isn't actually becoming a villain, he's being mind controlled by Bombshell. Although he was quite the ass, and had a very questionable agenda, before being [[MindManipulation mind controlled]].

* HoldYourHippogriffs: Garnak tries doing one of these in issue 19, based on the odd sayings used in the first two seasons of the 80s cartoon. Since the 'bots in these series don't do that so much, Hardhead just gets confused.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Issue 33 takes us back to Cybertron [[spoiler: and Wheeljack waking from his [[YourHeadAsplode traumatic head injury]]]] after several issues of Optimus Prime and his team on Earth.

* WoundedGazelleGambit: Waspinator pulls this on Orion Pax.

* YourHeadAsplode: The Deceptions all have inhibitor/deterrence chips in their heads to prevent them from using their powers and transforming. If they get out of line, their heads will explode. When Horri-bull almost beats a neutral to death, Bumblebee detonates his chip. Ultimately subverted with the Constructicons in Issue #4: They show up alive and well later, despite Prowl detonating their chips, but it turns out they were FakingTheDead with a little help from Prowl himself.

* UnreliableNarrator: ''Everything'' where Prowl is the narrator/point of view after Issue #4.

** Onyx Prime seems to be shaping up as the main villain for ''Optimus Prime''.

-->'''[[spoiler: Shockwave]] (narrating)''': "One day Orion Pax would '''stop''' believing...

* MindScrew: "Syndromica (2)"

** Shockwave's regenesis ores apparently landed on the same planets the Primes fled to. How he knew isn't explained.

As-of issue 35, it drops the 'Robots in Disguise' subtitle and becomes just 'The Transformers',[[note]]Volume 2, where Transformers Ongoing was volume 1[[/note]] which is likely to make things... confusing in the short term (but as [[WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise the new show entitled ''Robots In Disguise'']] [[http://www.tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Robots_in_Disguise_(2015_comic) had its own comic tie-in]], will probably be helpful in the long-term). After the ''Titans Return'' and ''Revolution'' crossovers the series was rebranded as '''Optimus Prime''' (without the ''Transformers'' branding), launching with a new issue #1 in December 2016.

** Prowl goes JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope like you would not believe. Turns out much of this, including his apparent alliance with the Decepticons, is a result of being mind-controlled by Bombshell, but he's still done a ''lot'' of nasty stuff in the name of peace.

* BrickJoke: Partway through "Conquerors", [[spoiler:Ghost!Bumblebee]] calls Starscream a demagogue, and Starscream states he doesn't know what that means (not in a coy way, he literally doesn't know the meaning). A few issues later, Starscream mentions his vocabulary's been improving, thanks to a word-a-day calendar.

* DesperatelySeekingAPurposeInLife: Galvatron confides in Soundwave that ten million years ago he was "lost", until Alpha Trion provided him with a cause worth fighting for. In the aftermath of ''Dark Cybertron'' he now seeks another cause worth fighting for [[spoiler:and this leads him to taking up the Decepticon cause as his own as their new leader.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: Galvatron threatens Sanjay Bharwaney with this if he ever activates the Mind Bomb again; not only will Galvatron kill Sanjay, he'll also kill everyone else in Sanjay's home state of New Mexico, as well as the entire population of ''Old'' Mexico as well.

* AllThereInTheManual: Victorion's introduction comes in a side-story of Windblade's title.

** Issue 52 contains the second mention anywhere ever that Spike has a sister who died.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler: Alpha Trion]] describes the ancient Cybertronian soldier Eucryphia as one of these, while being important in other tales, not being one in the story he's telling Optimus [[spoiler: because this is the story where Eucryphia dies early on.]]

** Victorion also names the Matrix as "the Matrix of Light", an ''incredibly'' obscure name from an old stickerbook for the 1986 film.

** [[spoiler: Thrust and Ramjet both died on Earth in previous series; Ramjet was dismembered by Megatron in his self-titled Spotlight issue ''seven years'' ago and Thrust was killed by humans burning him alive in the Ongoing. Issue #32 shows that their remains were collected by the EDC and used to build an army of transforming drones based on the two Coneheads.]]

* ColourCodedForYourConvinience: Starting with issue 14, Combiners get their speech balloons coloured in to represent them (for example, Devastator's are green bubbles with purple lettering).

* ExplosiveLeash: Inhibitor/deterrence chips are in the heads of every Decepticon. They stop transformation, stop powers, and will blow up the Con's head if they get out of line. Bumblebee eventually deactivates them on Ironhide's advice.
* {{Expy}}: Garrison Blackrock has been reimagined as a Steve Jobs pastiche (in keeping with the trend from Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction). His true self however is an amoral (though not evil) Tony Stark.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Spike, ''Spike'' of all beings, thinks Blackrock needs professional help after a conversation with him.
* EvilPowerVacuum: With Megatron's defection, the Cons are left disenfranchised and stuck living in ghettos with the new Cybertronian ruler, Starscream, not caring about them. The cons are left leaderless, and when Needlenose comes to recruit them for the new army on earth, many are willing to sign up under Soundwave and Galvatron's leadership.
* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: The Annual reveals that Nova Prime planned to free the galaxy from the tyranny of free will before he was lost to the Dead Universe.

&& Turmoil gets his optic punched out by Orion Pax, who had gone back in time.

** Optimus punches one of Prowl's eyes out after ''Combiner Wars''.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Chromedome, who managed to break things on two comics at once. [[spoiler: In this case, his hasty mnemosurgery on Prowl allowed Bombshell to mind control him.]]

* AmbitionIsEvil: DoubleSubverted with Starscream, who is really as ambitious as ever.

* AnArmAndALeg: Astrotrain runs Swindle over, knocking off his right arm and left leg.

* BaitTheDog: For a while, it seemed as though Starscream had begun to reflect, and was going to do good. Here, he shows why [[TheStarscream there's a trope named after him]]. [[spoiler:Although after Combiner Wars it seems he is starting to reflect after all]]

* BeyondTheImpossible: It's been stated that [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen only a Prime can kill a Prime]], and would be impossible for anyone else. [[spoiler:It doesn't stop Galvatron of the Darklands from killing Nexus Prime in the distant past, because he doesn't ''believe'' in Primes.]]

** The Dinobots (sans Grimlock) return after leaving Earth at the end of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMaximumDinobots''.

* CharacterFocus: The ''Redemption'' one-shot focuses on the Dinobots, along with Barricade.

* DrivingQuestion: In the season 2 comics, Ironhide's driving question is "how was Shockwave able to change the future during Dark Cybertron", since its events render the subject of Ironhide (and Jhiaxus') vision of Gorlam Prime and the Pax Cybertronia moot. Issue 34# reveals a few more: [[spoiler: Does Galvatron know the Enigma of Combination is on Earth, and if he does, what does he intend to do with it if he finds it? And finally, is it mere coincidence that Cybertronian history appears to be constantly repeating itself, or is there some kind of great pattern to it all?]].
** [[spoiler:Galvatron is revealed to know the Enigma's location and has abandoned his strict opposition to its abilities. Now he's perfectly willing to use them for his benefit and against his foes.]]

* EndOfAnAge: Issue #34 shows us [[spoiler:the end of the era of the Thirteen Original Primes after most of them die or disappear from Cybertron, save one, Alpha Trion, who becomes TheMentor to Nova Major, [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter making him the first in a new line of Primes to usher in a "Golden Age" for Cybertron]].]]

* EyeScream: Blitzwing bashes half of Tappet's face with a rifle he found, smashing one of Tappet's eyes. Turmoil which he got when his optic got punched out by Orion Pax, who had gone back in time.
** Garnak loses an eye to Bludgeon, however WordOfGod states that his healing abilities [[https://twitter.com/TheJohnBarber/status/387331031251972096 allowed him to grow it back.]]
* FaceHeelTurn: Subverted with Prowl and Arcee. It's revealed the former was being mind-controlled by Bombshell, and the latter was merely playing the FakeDefector card in order to kill Bombshell and break said mind control.
** In the post-''Dark Cybertron'' comics, [[spoiler: Scoop]] has apparently defected to the Decepticons. Later on, on Earth, we discover [[spoiler: former Autobot human ally Jimmy Pink has developed a grudge against all Cybertronians for the death of Hunter O'Nion and then just up and abandoning him and has joined forces with Spike Witwicky to fight them.]]

* {{Flanderization}}: Galvatron, to a degree. When the original IDW run started, he was a pretty intelligent tactician under Furman, as series progressed (Infestation, Heart of Darkness, et al), he's been losing that characteristic and replaced with bloodthirsty savage barbarian, to the point it got retconned to be that during the Prime Wars. Justified in that the D-Void entity was suppressing his savagery in favour of his smarts. Without it influencing him, he's back to his normal self.

** Prowl lashes out at [[spoiler: Chromedome for the botched and forced memory extraction that eventually led to Bombshell hijacking him, because to him it was personal. Never mind that the only reason Chromedome did that was because Prowl was trying to blackmail Chromedome with personal information. Or that he generally does things like that all the time (he actually caused problems over in MTMTE by ordering the Diplomatic Corps to try and brainwash Chief Justice Tyrest into retiring).]]

* ISeeDeadPeople: [[spoiler:After Combiner Wars, Starscream starts seeing and talking with an imaginary version of Bumblebee. One who appears to know things he and Starscream probably shouldn't...]]

* KilledOffForReal: Horri-bull, Ratbat, Barrel Roll, Sunstorm, Bombshell, and Turmoil. ''Dark Cybertron'' adds [[spoiler:Hardhead, Nova Prime, Bumblebee, Jhiaxus, Metalhawk, and Shockwave]] to the list. The second season also reveals that the Slingshot component of Superion was killed when Devastator ripped Superion apart (and so [[MerchandiseDriven new character Alpha Bravo can take Slingshot's place.]])

* LeaderFormsTheHead: [[spoiler:Megatron's new body can serve as the head of the new reformatted Devastator, but he does not get the chance.]]

** Meanwhile averted with Pyra Magna and the Torchbearers.

** [[spoiler:Scoop]] is Starscream's mole in the Decepticons, though the two still have a rather adversarial relationship.
** [[spoiler:Rattrap]] is secretly working for Prowl.

** When they meet, Victorion lists off all but one of the Thirteen to Optimus. The reason she doesn't list the thirteenth is because in the Aligned continuity, the thirteenth was Optimus himself.

* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent: [[spoiler:Scavenger feigns being TheMole for the Decepticons on Prowl's orders as part of his gambit.]]
* TheDragon: Arcee to Prowl, Bludgeon to Jhiaxus.

* EmotionsVsStoicism: [[spoiler: Shockwave plays both sides, with the emotional Shockwave being the one before [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye Shadowplay]], and the stoic side being the one after]].

* FallGuy: [[spoiler: Rattrap]] sabotaged the Iacon Power Grid, and managed to get [[spoiler: Scoop arrested for it. Subverted, in that Starscream could tell Scoop was innocent, and recognized Rattrap right from the start as a liar and the true culprit, but played along because Scoop's altruism made him unpredictable, whereas Rattrap gets offered a government job.]]

* HealingFactor: Ore-14 allows Cybertronians to recover from seemingly lethal injuries.

* InsultBackfire: Prowl [[spoiler:insults the constructicons in Issue 18, they take it as a compliment]].
-->[[spoiler:'''Prowl''': You're the '''worst''' of the '''worst'''. The cruelest, '''vilest decepticons''' I've '''ever''' encountered.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Hook''': It's like poetry when you say it, Prowl!]]

** The beginning of issue 9 has Optimus tell Sideswipe "[[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen fate has called upon you at the moment of its choosing]]". Sideswipe says this is a typical statement of Optimus.

* TwoLinesNoWaiting: Throughout the series we switch back and forth between following Bumblebee's attempts to keep Cybertron at peace and Optimus Prime's hunt for [[spoiler: Jhiaxus, Bludgeon, and Monstructor.]]
** ThirdLineSomeWaiting: After ''Dark Cybertron'', it has now split between the Decepticons and the Earth Defense Force's storyline, Optimus and his team's storyline and Starscream and the others on Cybertron.

* YourHeadAsplode: The Deceptions all have inhibitor/deterrence chips in their heads to prevent them from using their powers and transforming. If they get out of line, their heads will explode. When Horri-bull almost beats a neutral to death, Bumblebee detonates his chip. Ultimately subverted with the Constructicons in Issue #4: They show up alive and well later, despite Prowl detonating their chips, but it turns out they were FakingTheDead [[spoiler:With a little help from Prowl himself.]]
** [[spoiler:Wheeljack]] barely survives this in Issue 14.

** The Throttlebots reappear in ''Optimus Prime'', last having been seen in ''Spotlight: Metroplex''. Wideload and Freeway are noted to have died from their wounds there. Searchlight is quickly killed off, and Rollbar follows him.

** During Devastator's Rampage, Sky High is crushed in the Combiners hand whilst calling for back up and Broadside is reporting from a communication tower before it's unceremoniously crushed with him still inside. Though this is subverted when both turn up alive later on.

* HijackedByGanon: [[spoiler: Prowl isn't actually becoming a villain, he's being mind controlled by Bombshell. Although he was quite the ass, and had a very questionable agenda, before being [[MindManipulation mind controlled]]]].
* HomelessPigeonPerson: [[spoiler: Soundwave's backstory. He was found, alone, suffering from SensoryOverload, and not knowing where he came from or even what his name was. Ravage, Buzzsaw and Laserbeak happen upon him, and Ravage's advice helps him to control his SuperSenses through focus. After that he lives with them on the streets, and they remain loyal to each other, even coming with him when he was employed by the state and later when he joined the Decepticons.]]

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Bumblebee remarks to Prowl that he's been anything but logical since they were exiled from New Iacon. Ironically enough, Prowl was actually hurt/offended that Bumblebee couldn't SpotTheThread when he was being controlled by Bombshell.

** Starscream suggest that [[spoiler:Rattrap]] is this as well, because he spent centuries, if not millions of years, stuck on an unimportant, dead-end backwater world fighting Decepticons, and as a result wasn't able to move up the command structure to become someone important, like one of Optimus Prime's inner circle. [[spoiler:So Starscream offers him a job in his government.]]

* SeriesContinuityError: In the Annual. [[spoiler: When Omega reveals the existence of the Last Titan on Cybertron to Dai Atlas. Yet Metroplex appeared at a later time during the events of ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersAutocracy Autocracy]]''.]]

* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler:''Everything'' where Prowl is the narrator/point of view after Issue #4.]]

* BackForTheDead: The last Mini-Constructicon, last seen in Spotlight: Ramjet, shows up again being tracked down and killed by Spike Witwicky and Jimmy Pink.
* BackFromTheDead: The power of Ore-14.

* AdaptationalHeroism: The Decepticons that pull a HeelFaceTurn have seldom done that in any of their appearances, bar [[spoiler:Tankor]] as [[spoiler:Octane]], who defected in the cartoon for less noble reasons. Similarly, Soundwave is made into a much more noble and sympathetic character than pretty much every previous interpretation.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Has a more consistently somber tone than sister series ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye''. At least until ''ComicBook/TheTransformersDarkCybertron'', where this series got LighterAndSofter at about the same time ''MoreThanMeetsTheEye'' became somewhat DarkerAndEdgier. It goes back to being darker in ''Optimus Prime''.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Starscream killing [[spoiler:Turmoil.]]

* KilledOffForReal: Horri-bull, Ratbat, Barrel Roll, Sunstorm, [[spoiler:Bombshell]], and [[spoiler:Turmoil.]] ''Dark Cybertron'' adds [[spoiler:Hardhead, Nova Prime, Bumblebee, Jhiaxus, Metalhawk, and Shockwave]] to the list. The second season also reveals that the Slingshot component of Superion was killed when Devastator ripped Superion apart (and so [[MerchandiseDriven new character Alpha Bravo can take Slingshot's place.]])

* KnightInSourArmor / KnightTemplar: Prowl views himself as a KnightInSourArmor, whereas in reality he's more of a KnightTemplar. [[spoiler: Even before getting mind-controlled by Bombshell]].

* MerchandiseDriven: Transformers has always been this way. In this series the characters here are reworked to look like their aligned bodies partially to promote VideoGame/TransformersFallOfCybertron. In Universe the explanation given for the change could harken back to ''ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron'', where the earth forms lacked the traction to cope on Cybertron's smooth surface, making the upgrades necessary.

** Ancient Cybertronian lore says that only a Prime can kill a Prime, which was first established in TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen [[spoiler:though it appears not to be true here.]]

* ArcWelding: It ''is'' a John Barber book, after all. Probably the best example is from issue 9 which deals with a longstanding IDW continuity error: the Reflector trio kept appearing alive despite having died in "Spotlight: Wheelie." The issue's end reveals that the Reflectors we saw die in "Spotlight Wheelie" were ''[[OhCrap time travelers]].''

* BlatantLies: How Garrison Blackrock explains Spike's interruption of his Onyx platform to tell the world that there are still Cybertronians on Earth, and some of them are allied with the EDC, and that they need to examine what happened in Poverty Flat (scene of an earlier battle between the Autobots and Decepticons). Blackrock's explanation is that it's an early leaking of a video game trailer, but it remains to be seen if the lie is believed.

** [[spoiler: Galvatron is revealed to know the Enigma's location and has abandoned his strict opposition to its abilities. Now he's perfectly willing to use them for his benefit and against his foes.]]

* EndOfAnAge: Issue #34 shows us [[spoiler: the end of the era of the Thirteen Original Primes after most of them die or disappear from Cybertron, save one, Alpha Trion, who becomes TheMentor to Nova Major, [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter making him the first in a new line of Primes to usher in a "Golden Age" for Cybertron]].]]

* EvilPowerVacuum: With Megatron's defection, the Cons are left disenfranchised and stuck living in ghettos with the new Cybertronian ruler, Starscream, not caring about them. The cons are left leaderless, and when Needlenose's comes to recruit them for the new army on earth, many are willing to sign up under Soundwave and Galvatron's leadership.

* ExtremeDoormat: Bumblebee has diffuculty standing up for himself and many people (especially Prowl) are perfectly willing to exploit that.

* AnAxeToGrind: Apeface and Dreadwing manifest energon axes.

* BeyondTheImpossible: It's been stated that [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen only a Prime can kill a Prime]], and would be impossible for anyone else. [[spoiler: It doesn't stop Galvatron of the Darklands from killing Nexus Prime in the distant past, because he doesn't ''believe'' in Primes.]]

* BloodKnight: Arcee.

** Bludgeon disappeared after Dark Cybetron. He finally returns in ''Redemption''.

* CainAndAbel: Autobot Tracks (the Abel) and his estranged Decepticon younger brother Needlenose (the Cain).
* {{Callback}}: Numerous. For example, Swindle occasionally mentions his time on Earth where he was the BigBad of the Police Action saga of the Ongoing. The "Syndromica" arc takes this up to the level of ContinuityPorn.

-->'''Starscream''':''My people'' control Iacon, and more Cybertronians will come home and join us. We'll enter a new golden age. A '''real''' golden age. Not the corrupt lines of Primes, not... not ''you''. Because you were just as bad as them. At least they knew they were oppressing us. Might doesn't make right, Megatron. Not anymore.

* CrossOver: Dark Cybertron, a 12-issue CrossOver miniseries with its sister series ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye.

-->'''Orion Pax''':It's not a trap if you know it's a trap.

* UnexplainedRecovery: In the fight to stop the Decepticons, Arcee and Sideswipe get quite brutally beaten. The former is crushed by Brawl, and the later is caught in an explosion that reduces his arms to skeletons and is then finished off by a CoupDeGrace, also by Brawl. Next issue they're hurt but fine; Arcee is just dinged up rather than having her chassis caved-in, and Sideswipe's arms are not only fine, but his serious head wound has been changed to a, still serious but not fatal, chest wound.

* WarpThatAesop: An InUniverse example, impressively enough. Nova Prime basically warps the Cybertronian belief of "Til all are one" into being a message against TheEvilsOfFreeWill.

** Issue 28 [[spoiler:Galvatron is leading the Decepticons, and has struck an alliance with the Earth defense forces.]]

** Issue 13 ...And is working with spoiler:Prowl to take over Cybertron.

As-of issue 35, it drops the 'Robots in Disguise' subtitle and becomes just 'The Transformers',[[note]]Volume 2, where Transformers Ongoing was volume 1[[/note]] which is likely to make things... confusing in the short term (but as [[WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise the new show entitled ''Robots In Disguise'']] [[http://www.tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Robots_in_Disguise_(2015_comic) had its own comic tie-in]], will probably be helpful in the long-term). After the ''Titans Return'' and ''Revolution'' crossovers the series was rebranded as '''Optimus Prime'''. launching with a new issue #1 in December 2016.

** ''[[spoiler:Megatron himself]]'' is convinced to pull a HeelFaceTurn at the climax of ''Dark Cybertron''.

** Prowl goes JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope like you would not believe. [[spoiler:Turns out much of this, including his apparent alliance with the Decepticons, is a result of being mind-controlled by Bombshell]], but he's still done a ''lot'' of nasty stuff in the name of peace.

* AmbiguousSituation: In issue 11 it's deliberately left ambiguous if Shockwave was responsible for blowing the crap out of Omega Supreme like everyone thinks. Eventually, [[spoiler:Prowl]] states that he did it [[spoiler:while under Bombshell's control.]]

* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Prowl was aware of everything he was being made to do while under Bombshell's control, but unable to do anything about it.]]
* {{Anticlimax}}: [[spoiler: Arcee's reaction after finding out other fembots post ''Dark Cybertron'']].
-->[[spoiler:'''Arcee''':''I always hoped there'd be someone like me... somewhere. And now that there is... I don't feel anything.'']]
* AntiVillain: Prowl becomes an increasingly extreme example of this throughout the first season. While it's revealed [[spoiler:he was being [[MindManipulation mind controlled]] for about half the story so far]], he's done many questionable things since the days of ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW and other series where he has made appearances.

* ArcWelding: It ''is'' a John Barber book, after all. Probably the best example is from issue 9 which deals with a longstanding IDW continuity error: the Reflector trio kept appearing alive despite having died in "Spotlight: Wheelie." The issue's end reveals that the Reflectors we saw die in "Spotlight Wheelie" were ''[[spoiler:[[OhCrap time travelers]].'']]

** [[spoiler:''"Wheeljack Wheeljack Wheeljack''."]]

** [[spoiler:Prowl has his mind overpowered by the Constructicons when they form Devastator. He does manage to briefly incapacitate them by ripping himself out of the gestalt, though.]]

* AxCrazy: Arcee, Bludgeon, and Monstructor. [[spoiler:Actually Defied by Arcee herself; she only pretended to be AxCrazy to get in with Megatron and his loyalists so that she could get into position to kill Bombshell and sever his control over Prowl/Devastator. Seems [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW killing Jhiaxus over and over for six years]] helped her straighten her head out.]]
* BackForTheDead: The last Mini-Constructicon, last seen in Spotlight: Ramjet, shows up again being tracked down and killed by Spike Witwicky and [[spoiler:Jimmy Pink.]]

** Turmoil made a group of aliens build him a [[spoiler:time machine]], then promptly murders them all. He's also a pretty big dick to his mooks.

** The Constructicons carry a grudge against the human as well (He killed Scrapper in the previous ongoing), and when [[spoiler:Prowl is used by Megatron as a new control unit for Devestator, the thought of Spike manages to unite all six transformers into a single personality, who then proceeds to go on a rampage.]]

** Season 2's BigBad is [[spoiler:Galvatron, now leader of the Decepticons.]]

* BittersweetEnding: The ending of ''Dark Cybertron'', which serves as the conclusion to season one. [[spoiler:Cybertron and the universe are saved, Nova Prime and Shockwave are dead, and Megatron finally decides to stop fighting and pulls a HeelFaceTurn, but New Iacon is in ruins, Bumblebee is dead, and Starscream is still ruler.]]

** Prowl "kills" Bombshell this way, and later does the same to [[spoiler:Wheeljack under Bombshell's control. Wheeljack barely survives.]]

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:Prowl's been this ever since he encountered Bombshell. After breaking free he's rather disturbed by the fact that he's considered to be such a JerkAss normally by the other Autobots that they never noticed a change in his behavior.]]

** The concept is touched on more heavily here than any other point in the IDW storyline. Monstructor returns as Jhiaxus' lackey, the Aerialbots are found fused and insane in the woods, and the Constructicons return, although as Scrapper is dead they can't really do much combination-wise. [[spoiler:Turns out that Megatron's trying to rectify that. After seeing D-Void use the energies of Cybertron to form a massive combiner in the [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW previous ongoing]], he sets his sights on harnessing them, enlisting Bombshell and forcibly subjecting Prowl and the Aerialbots to the process before becoming a component of Devastator himself.]]

* ContinuityPorn: John Barber is famous for tackling messy continuities, so there's some of this to be expected. Probably the best example is the explanation of why the Reflector trio showed up again after they canonically died: [[spoiler:they're time travelers.]]
* TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch: Prowl tries to pass off Ratbat's death as a suicide. [[RealityEnsues It dosen't work]].

* DragonWithAnAgenda: [[spoiler: Shockwave, ever since his days as Jhiaxus' student!]].

-->'''Soundwave''': "'''Reveal yourself'''. I can '''hear''' you. In ways you cannot '''imagine,''' I can hear you."
-->'''Dreadwing''': "I '''know'''. I just wanted to make a '''Cool-Ass Entrance.'''"

** The wilderness surronding New Iacon. It's filled with mutated animals and gives off a signal that drives people crazy if they spend to long in it, [[spoiler:before making them combine together. Subverted in issue 14 where its strange properties are revealed to be caused by Megatron and his Decepticon loyalists.]]

* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler: Shockwave does this to Dai Atlas. Interestingly enough, it actually saved Dai Atlas' life]].

* EyeScream: Blitzwing bashes half of Tappet's face with a rifle he found, smashing one of Tappet's eyes. Turmoil which he got when his optic got punched out by [[spoiler: Orion Pax who had gone back in time.]]

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Subverted with Prowl and Arcee. It's revealed the former was being mind-controlled by Bombshell, and the latter was merely playing the FakeDefector card in order to kill Bombshell and break said mind control.]]

* FakeDefector: [[spoiler:Arcee only went along with Megatron and his Decepticon loyalists in order to get close enough to kill Bombshell.]]
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: At the very least, Bombshell and the Constructions.]]

* ForcedToWatch: [[spoiler: Prowl, being controlled by the constructicons and Bombshell.]]

*** Notably, when LV-117 is shown in the middle of destruction, the sky is red and things are being dragged upward by something. [[spoiler:Like how Unicron destroyed Lithone back in the 1986 film.]]
** One of the teaser pages for the release of the comic features Bombshell, with the subtitle ''Takes Control'', alluding to his ability to control the minds of others. [[spoiler:Not to mention his role controlling Prowl, and, by extension, the new Devastator.]]

** During the same issue, [[spoiler:Prowl's internal monologue stops after his confrontation with Bombshell.]]
** During Shockwave's flashbacks in Issue #17, one of the corpses hanging from the ceiling has [[spoiler:a black-and-yellow striped torso resembling a bumblebee. Guess who Shockwave kills at the climax of ''Dark Cybertron''?]]

** Prowl lampshades this during an InnerMonologue [[spoiler: as he attacks Autobots as the head module of Devastator.]]
* GutPunch: [[spoiler:Bombshell making Prowl murder Wheeljack in cold blood. Subverted in that the scientist survives.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Superion undergoes this at the hands of [[spoiler:Devastator]], but ultimately survives.

* HateSink: [[spoiler:Spike Witwicky]]. In a setting with the deranged murderous Galvatron, the morally questionable humans, the still quite evil Decepticons, and Prowl, [[spoiler:Spike]] is framed as just a loathsome Prick. His attempts at seeming badass and anti-heroic are undercut by his selfish smug "bad boy" nature, and him [[spoiler:bragging about his work for his country before executing the harmless Mini-Constructicon]]. The Decepticons, Constructicons, the humans and Prowl all despise him, and Blackrock's self-serving dismissal of him as a punk who's functioning as a thorn in everyone's side, is an accurate summation of his worth.

** [[spoiler:The Constructicons switch sides in issue 18, though they make it clear that they're only doing it because they like Prowl, ''not'' because they want to be Autobots.]]

* XMeetsY: ''Transformers'' meets ''[[Series/BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' with a little ''Farscape'' mixed in.

** Galvatron forgets the names of his troops, refuses to get Skywarp's fault teleportation fixed, and offhandedly suggests he'd have been fine with Arcee murdering Astrotrain.

* BigBad: The first "season" of the comic played around with this, with Prowl, Starscream, Metalhawk, Jhiaxus, and finally Megatron forming a BigBadEnsemble of sorts. As the story gears up into ''ComicBook/TheTransformersDarkCybertron'', Shockwave takes the spot as the definitive BigBad for the season.
** Season 2's BigBad appears to be [[spoiler:Galvatron, now leader of the Decepticons.]]

* BiggerBad: Shockwave is responsible for a good chunk of the problems in the IDW comics. His regeneration Experiment was the reason for the Ultra-Energon/Ore-13 which kicked off the conflict on Earth, as well as the resurrection of Thunderwing. This series establishes him as the one who seeded a particularly nasty Regenesis Ore on the planet Kup was trapped on in his spotlight, which lead to the death of many Autobots, and Guzzle's subplot in Wreckers, and his pods have driven the Syndromica arcs. He's also responsible for the events in Spotlight Wheelie, his pod having altered the time stream. He downgrades himself to BigBad in the Dark Cybertron Arc where he takes a direct role.

** A new arc starting in Issue #50 is called "All Hail Optimus", a nod to ''ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron''.

* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: Thrust and Ramjet both died on Earth in previous series; Ramjet was dismembered by Megatron in his self-titled Spotlight issue ''seven years'' ago and Thrust was killed by humans burning him alive in the Ongoing. Issue #32 shows that their remains were collected by the EDC and used to build an army of transforming drones based on the two Coneheads.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: Has a more consistently somber tone than sister series ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye''. At least until ''ComicBook/TheTransformersDarkCybertron'', where this series got LighterAndSofter at about the same time ''MoreThanMeetsTheEye'' became somewhat DarkerAndEdgier.

** [[spoiler:Issue 14, fittingly named [[MeaningfulName "Before the Dawn"]]. Megatron is stronger than ever, leading the Decepticon forces and the new Devestator, with Prowl at its head, to destroy the last remaining Autobots, taking Cybertron for Decepticons, once and for all. And the only thing standing in his way are Ironhide, the damaged Dinobots, and an insane Superion.]]
** [[spoiler:Issue 16. The Autobots manage to stop Devastator and Megatron, but Starscream kills Metalhawk, gets the upper hand and casts the Autobots and even the other Decepticons into exile.]]

* DefrostingIceQueen: Metalhawk, who has noticeably loosened up a bit as the series has progressed. However, [[spoiler:his death kind of puts a halt to that]].

** [[spoiler:Dirge, Swindle, Tankor, and Squawkbox. Horrifically subverted with Starscream.]]

* HeroWithBadPublicity: The events of ''All Hail Megatron'' and ''The Transformers'' particularly the ''Police Action'' arc have left the humans with a distaste towards the Autobots. It's made worse when the EDC learns that Megatron is now an Autobot which prompts an alliance with [[ObviouslyEvil Galvatron]] to defeat the Autobots.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler: Prowl and Arcee have this feeling regarding them killing Ratbat. Not many agree.]]
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Ironhide to [[spoiler:Prowl]]

-->'''Pax''': "I know the '''real''' you - you can overcome what they '''did! I believe in you!'''
-->'''[[spoiler: Shockwave]] (narrating)''': "One day Orion Pax would '''stop''' believing..."
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Ratbat, courtesy of Arcee]]. [[spoiler: Bludgeon does it to Wheelie, but non-fatally]]. [[spoiler: Ironhide gets impaled by Slag's horns through the back and Swoop's sword through the front]]. [[spoiler: Arcee again pins Sideswipe to a wall during her time aiding the Decepticon takeover... only to reveal it was carefully done to avoid vitals so he could provide surprise fire support for her]].

** Suberted with [[spoiler: Bumblebee]], who was revealed to be alive in the recent annual.

-->'''Scattershot''': "...48 injured '''Autobots'''. About 60 '''NAIL's'''. A few '''Decepticons''' too. Should I prioritize-"
-->'''Fixit''': "Prioritize by seriousness of injury."

* MidseasonUpgrade: Bumblebee out of necessity, after a thorough beating at the hands of [[spoiler:Megatron. He ends up looking like his Goldbug form.]]

** [[spoiler: Scoop]] is Starscream's mole in the Decepticons, though the two still have a rather adversarial relationship.

* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: [[spoiler:Shockwave. And this was even before becoming a Decepticon, but it was a lot more toned down.]]

** The last panel of issue #29 features [[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise Kelly]], [[Anime/TransformersArmada Radd White and Carlos Lopez]] running away from Devastator. Also, weirdly, [[TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]].

** Ancient Cybertronian lore says that only a Prime can kill a Prime, which was first established in TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen [[spoiler: though it appears not to be true here.]]

** While it served as a useful object lesson to the rest of the Earthbound Decepticons (especially after Starscream's attempted coup with Ore-13) seven years ago, [[spoiler: it turns out Megatron probably shouldn't have left the torn apart remains of Ramjet scattered around various human installations since the Earth Defense Command was able to get ahold of enough of those discarded remains to put together a whole drone army of Ramjet knockoffs along with their Thrust-based drones.]]

* OhCrap: In Issue 11, Starscream's reaction when, just as things were looking really good for his political future, Megatron comes back.
** [[spoiler: He has an even bigger one at the end of issue #13 when he finds out what's ''really'' in the Black Room.]] Notably, the first bullet in the "Notes" section of that issue on the [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Verge#Notes TFWiki]] is simply [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "WHAT THE FFUUUUUUUUUUUU--"]]
** [[spoiler: Even more in issue 14.]]

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: [[spoiler: PlayedForDrama with Soundwave. "Soundwave" isn't his real name, it's the name he took after he got his powers under control. Because of his severe synesthesia he can't even remember his real name.]]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Bumblebee remarks to Prowl that he's been anything but logical since they were exiled from New Iacon. [[spoiler:Ironically enough, Prowl was actually hurt/offended that Bumblebee couldn't SpotTheThread when he was being controlled by Bombshell]].

* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: The Autobots stop Megatron, but end up losing the support of the population, with Starscream coming up as the overall winner.]]

** Starscream suggest that [[spoiler: Rattrap]] is this as well, because he spent centuries, if not millions of years, stuck on an unimportant, dead-end backwater world fighting Decepticons, and as a result wasn't able to move up the command structure to become someone important, like one of Optimus Prime's inner circle. [[spoiler: So Starscream offers him a job in his government.]]

** Issue 9 ends with the reveal of [[spoiler: Superion. Oh and the Reflector components appear to have [[OhCrap time traveled away]].]]

** Issue 13 ends with the revelation that [[spoiler: Megatron is apparently working with Prowl, and that they've gathered together a group of Decepticon heavy-hitters...including the previously thought-dead Bombshell and Constructicons.]]
** Issue 14 has [[spoiler: Prowl had been under Bombshell's mind control since Issue 4]].
** Issue 20 has [[spoiler: Starscream working to revive Wheeljack.]]

** [[spoiler:Arcee, in issue 18, accidentally spills the beans on Prowl sending her to kill Ratbat ''before'' he got mind-controlled by Bombshell, which aggravates Prowls standing with the other Autobots. Oops!]]

-->'''Starscream''': "Everyone, wait a minute. Think about what you're doing. This has been a terrible night... we have lost some of our best and brightest, but we can carry on... if we don't lose sight of what we fought for. Our cause was just. Our war was for equality. We fought for so long, and we stared defeat in the eye... and we didn't look away. Now we stand on the precipice of victory. We've lost allies, we've lost leaders... but change has always been our way. We must leave behind our destructive past. Violence is the old way—Megatron is the old way. I am the new—when I'm elected leader, this will be a victory for us, and for all Cybertronians—because we'll prove we were right. Not through the superiority of our firepower... but through the superiority of our ideas. A validation not for the methods that long tarnished the Decepticon dream, but for the dream itself. Victory is at hand—and it is ours to lose. Will you stand with me?"
-->'''Acid Storm''': "Blow it out your sprocket, 'Chosen One.'"

* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Wheeljack to Megatron.]]

* SpottingTheThread: Averted. [[spoiler:Prowl is actually hurt that Bumblebee never failed to notice he was under Bombshell's control.]] However, [[spoiler:Arcee]] ''did'' notice the change and set about working to free him.

* [[WhamEpisode Wham Issue]]: In Issue 4, Prowl goes off the deep end, murdering Bombshell and the Constructicons, and Dirge becomes the only witness and thus a fugitive.

** Issue 13 ...And is working with [[spoiler:Prowl]] to take over Cybertron.
** Issue 14 [[spoiler: ...And Bombshell was mind controlling Prowl... who now serves as the head module for Devastator!]]
** Issue 16 [[spoiler: Starscream kills Metalhawk, and then "wins", exiling both Autobots and Decepticons out of New Iacon]].
** Issue 28 [[spoiler: Galvatron is leading the Decepticons, and has struck an alliance with the Earth defense forces.]]

* WhamLine: From Issue 17:

* WhamShot: The final issue of issue #32 when Thundercracker discovers [[spoiler: the EDC's army of Thrust and Ramjet drones.]]

* {{Expy}}: Garrison Blackrock has been reimagined as a Steve Jobs pastiche (in keeping with the trend from Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction).

* {{Flanderization}}: Galvatron, to a degree. When the original IDW run started, he was a pretty intelligent tactician under Furman, as series progressed (Infestation, Heart of Darkness, et al), he's been losing that characteristic and replaced with bloodthirsty savage barbarian, to the point it got retconned to be that during the Prime Wars.

** ''Something'' destroyed LV-117, Jhiaxus makes mention of "true chaos" coming, and the MTMTE Annual has Cyclonus making mention of Primus's opposite. Whatever this thing is (probably [[PlanetEater Unicron]]), it's coming and it can destroy entire planets with ease.

** The Decepticon's new flagship bears a strong resemblance to the ''Revenge'', Galvatron's Unicron-gifted starship from the 1986 film.

* NotQuiteDead: The Metrotitan that proclaimed Starscream TheChosenOne was thought to have been lost to an explosion, but he shows up again in Season 2 on earth.

* SeriesContinuityError: In the Annual. [[spoiler: When Omega reveals the existence of the Last Metrotitan on Cybertron to Dai Atlas. Yet Metroplex appeared at a later time during the events of ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersAutocracy Autocracy]]''.]]

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Arcee is the only "female" cybertronian in the whole series, and for a [[JustifiedTrope good reason]]. [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW Jhiaxus' experiments with Arcee's CNA]] ended up introducing an alternate gender into what was previously a OneGenderRace.