Beast Wars: The Ascending
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| Beast Wars: The Ascending | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | IDW Publishing |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Publication date | October 2007 to January 2008 |
| No. of issues | 4 |
| Main character(s) | Maximals, Predacons |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Hasbro |
| Written by | Simon Furman |
| Artist(s) | Don Figueroa |
| Colorist(s) | Josh Burcham |
Beast Wars: The Ascending is a four-issue comic mini-series associated with the Beast Wars line of the Transformers franchise, and a sequel to the mini-series Beast Wars: The Gathering.
Story
Continuity
Follows the events of The Gathering; scenes on Earth take place around the conclusion of the third season of the Beast Wars animated series, while scenes on Cybertron take place prior to Megatron's return and the events of Beast Machines.
Synopsis
After his defeat at the end of The Gathering, Magmatron finds himself trapped outside time, and witnessing a horrific future in which the evil Unicron consumes Cybertron after turning its inhabitants against each other with his Angolmois energy. Realizing that the only hope for stopping him is for the Maximals and Predacons on Earth to become involved, he reaches out and helps Razorbeast's message to Lio Convoy reach its destination.[1] As he does this, the Maximals under Razorbeast and the Predacons under Ravage continue to do battle, with the Predacons launching a massive offensive against the Maximals' primitively constructed base. The reason for this is soon revealed: Ravage seeks to obtain one of the devices that will allow him to bring him back into synch with the normal flow of time so that he can free Megatron and form an alliance with him. Lio and his subordinates, a Maximal black ops unit known as the Pack, receive Razorbeast's message and depart for Earth, unaware that the evil Shokaract is growing stronger through the power of Unicron's lifeforce, the dark energy known as Angolmois.
Sensing Magmatron's interference, the yet disembodied Unicron orders his loyal minions, the Blendtrons, to put a stop to the new threat and continue preparations for his "Ascending." While the Maximals and Predacons continue to battle on Earth, Magmatron makes contact with Ravage and informs him of their desperate circumstances. Back on Cybertron, the Maximal Council of Elders note that Cybertron is growing increasingly chaotic, and send word to Big Convoy to investigate the situation. Convoy and his squad discover that the Angolmois energy, being distributed like a black-market drug, is to blame. Elsewhere-and when-Lio Convoy and the pack arrive on prehistoric Earth with Beast Modes, arriving just in time to turn the tide for the Maximals. Ravage then approaches them for a truce, only for the first of the Blendtrons-Rartorata-to arrive and inject Razorbeast with Angolmois, mutating him into a savage version of himself. Back on Cybertron, Big Convoy's forces locate Shokaract's hidden lair, and the would be god sets out to challenge them.
On Earth, the enraged Razorbeast proceeds to attack his former compatriots and enemies alike, while the Predacons attack Rartorata. Magmatron, observing events on Cybertron, witnesses Big Convoy's valiant-but futile-last stand against Shokaract, culminating in the Maximal commander's demise in the timeline where Magmatron's efforts to unite the combatants on Earth fail. Back on Earth, a reluctant truce is formed, and half the combatants capture Rartorata to examine him while the Maximals try to subdue and awaken Razorbeast. Succeeding in both endeavors, Lio gathers all combat-worthy Cybertronians to return home to face Shokaract, only for Elephorca and Drancron to appear to aid their comrade. Breaking free of his bonds, Razorbeast then charges the attackers, giving the attack party room to depart. Ravage then reveals to Lio a prize taken from Rartorata: the Angolmois virus, which he hopes can be reverse-engineered to create a cure. They arrive back on Cybertron, but so too arrive Shokaract's Heralds, bearing with them more Angolmois to complete his transformation.
As Shokaract's Heralds spread terror across Cybertron to feed their master, Big Convoy's team is joined by the scientist Bump and the reinforcements from Earth. After a tense meeting, Ravage departs to speak with Magmatron, who instructs him to find a means of bringing Shokaract into his limbo so that he may reveal what Shokaract does not know: that Unicron is using him. Back on Earth, Razorbeast continues to battle the Blendtrons alone, until the wounded Maximals and Predacons left behind with him are inspired to join the fight. Their comrades on Cybertron attack Shokaract en masse, prompting Shokaract to summon his Heralds, unaware that Ravage is preparing an ambush. On Earth, the Blendtrons are dispatched, but Razorbeast's possessed body turns on the Maximals and Predacons, forcing Optimus Minor to strike it down. On Cybertron, Shokaract is sent outside time, where Magmatron shows him his true role in Unicron's plan. As his Heralds fall on Cybertron, Shokaract rips his Anti-Matrix from his body, defying Unicron's will and destroying himself, which sends Magmatron back to Cybertron. The Maximals then prepare to bring order back to their damaged world, unaware that their next threat has beaten Optimus Primal's team back home-Megatron has returned.