History ComicBook / TransformersShatteredGlass

Just about every sci-fi universe that lasts long enough gets its own MirrorUniverse, and, as you might have guessed from the description, Franchise/{{Transformers}} finally got theirs in April 2008. It started off as an AprilFoolsDay joke gone horribly wrong (or right, depending on your POV), when the official Fanclub showed what they claimed to be a three-page preview of the upcoming [=BotCon=] comic, featuring a mirror universe story full of over-the-top bizarre character reversals and cheesy homages. The fans ate it up, thinking it was the best thing ever. The subsequent revelation that it wasn't actually real didn't go over quite as well.

After millions of years of fighting, the Transformers now stand poised to spread their battle to Earth, though they might find themselves entangled in the humans' own [[WorldWarIII civil wars]], as well as the machinations of the oppressively fascist United States. The Autobots, however, are more than ready to try and turn all of this to their advantage. Fortunately, the Decepticons have a newly-arrived dimensional traveler to help them, a [[Franchise/TransformersGenerationOne strange Autobot by the name of Cliffjumper]] -- who brings news of other universes where the Autobots are good, the Decepticons are evil, and the planet is a god -- as well as a [[ScienceHero trio of friendly science interns]] and [[TheProfessor their boss]].

Just about every sci-fi universe that lasts long enough gets its own MirrorUniverse, and, as you might have guessed from the description, {{Transformers}} finally got theirs in April 2008. It started off as an AprilFoolsDay joke gone horribly wrong (or right, depending on your POV), when the official Fanclub showed what they claimed to be a three-page preview of the upcoming [=BotCon=] comic, featuring a mirror universe story full of over-the-top bizarre character reversals and cheesy homages. The fans ate it up, thinking it was the best thing ever. The subsequent revelation that it wasn't actually real didn't go over quite as well.

Just about every sci-fi universe that lasts long enough gets its own MirrorUniverse, and, as you might have guessed from the description, {{Transformers}} finally got theirs in April 2008. It started off as an AprilFoolsDay joke gone horribly wrong (or right, depending on your POV), when the official Fanclub showed what they claimed to be a three-page preview of the upcoming [=BotCon=] comic, featuring a mirror universe story full of over-the-top bizarre character reversals and cheesy homages. The fans ate it up, thinking it was the best thing ever. The subsequent revelation that it wasn't actually the real comic didn't go over quite as well.

* FiveManBand: The components of Nexus Prime fit this surprisingly well, considering each character was developed/introduced to the team individually.
** TheHero: Skyfall is the one who initiates the Nexus Prime quest to begin with and provides the major motivation for keeping it going, and he's the most laid-back and "normal" of the group.
** TheLancer: Landquake is a Decepticon to Skyfall's Autobot, and dour, duty-bound, distrusting, and pragmatic versus Skyfall's more emotional, impulsive, and idealistic attitudes. Yet he provides a lot of emotional support to Skyfall and serves as the ''de facto'' second-in-command [[spoiler:when Skyfall is killed]]. Not that he especially ''likes'' ever being in command, mind; he only does it when he feels someone has to.
** TheSmartGuy: [[spoiler:Heatwave, on account of being a brilliant engineer and {{technopath}}.]]
** TheBigGuy: Topspin, who served as [[spoiler:Alpha Trion's]] [[TheDragon Dragon]] at one point, and is definitely willing to dish out destruction via telepathically ripping out people's sparks, if you order him to or he gets pissed enough.
** TheChick: Breakaway, who serves as the team's medic due to his healing power, is ever optimistic and trusting, and tries to provide emotional support and pep talk anyone who's feeling down or discouraged. He even ends up as a DistressedDude at one point.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Wiki/TFWikiDotNet "The mirrorverse is roughly 50% blue cannons by volume."]]'']]

** Cliffjumper is from ''Transformers Classics'', which was a Fun Publications-sanctioned continuation of [[ComicBook/TheTransformers the Marvel Comics continuity]].

* AdaptationalHeroism:
** Because of the series' premise being that the morality of the two Transformers factions is switched around, this makes every Decepticon character more heroic than their original incarnation by default.
** Abdul Fakkadi originated in [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the Generation 1 cartoon]] episode "Thief in the Night" as a rude dictator and a notoriously offensive stereotype of people from the Middle East. His Shattered Glass counterpart is mentioned as being one of the nicer humans around (and a pacifist).
** This continuity's version of Dr. Arkeville, who also originated from the Generation 1 cartoon, is an ally to the heroic Decepticons and strives to use his intelligence to benefit humanity, when his original counterpart was a MadScientist who intended to enslave the world and aided the evil Decepticons in their conquest of Earth.
* AdaptationalVillainy: Because this is a Transformers continuity where the main theme is the two factions switching sides of morality, the Autobots, with the exception of the original universe's Cliffjumper, are bad guys. This also holds true for the Autobots' human allies the Witwicky family, who are depicted as criminals willing to betray humanity by working with the Autobots.

In 2021, it was announced that IDW publishing would publish a 5-issue miniseries reboot titled Shards.

* ShoutOut: During the sequence when Ricochet is explaining in great detail to Megatron the [[NoKillLikeOverkill five death traps he has ready]], one could insert the voice of Series/{{Mythbusters}}'s Adam Savage in one of his fake accent moments, and it would fit remarkably well. He even directly quotes the group to boot.

* BigBadWannabe: Rodimus, who escalates into full Big Bad territory when he throws Optimus out of a shuttle.

* DumbMuscle: How Grimlock, and all the Dinobots, start out. Most of them stay there, too.
* EnemyMine: Autobots Rodimus & Blurr and Decepticons Cliffjumper & Sideswipe are forced to team up against mutants and [[spoiler: Grimlock]].

* EvilOldFolks: Alpha Trion, Optimus' mentor.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Because this is a Transformers continuity where the main theme is the two factions switching sides of morality, the Autobots, with the exception of the original universe's Cliffjumper, are bad guys. This also holds true for the Autobots' human allies the Witwicky family.

* WoundsToKeep: Sideswipe chose to keep the huge scratch mark on his chest (that goes over his Autobot insignia) despite the fact that he could've had it easily repaired. He explains that he wears it as a mark of pride, reminding himself and everyone that he will have his revenge on Optimus, who tried to have him executed for disagreeing with his methods.