Over? No, we're just getting started...unless it's over.

Optimus Prime wears a ratty looking old cloak on the cover of this one; which is a look I've seen various Transformers pull more than once, and I'm not sure where they would have gotten cloth, or why they would need a cloak anyway. Are his shoulders cold? OK, here it's probably to symbolize OP leading his people into the wilderness, but spoiler alert: it doesn't matter. From 2022, Transformers: Fate of Cybertron, written by Brian Ruckley; art by Andrew Griffith, Winston Chan, Alex Milne, Ed Pirrie, and Angel Hernandez.

With the rust worms, the Insecticlones, and Exarchon defeated; there was now nothing standing between Megatron and total domination of Cybertron. Not even Optimus Prime: to prevent yet another devastating war, Optimus is willing to concede the planet to Megs, and those who wish to leave will do so. That doesn't quite placate Megatron, who knows damn well if Optimus leaves, he would be back: instead, he wants his old foe to stay, be ruled, submit. Starting with, give up the Matrix of Leadership. That is also a non-starter, but the fight doesn't go the distance; as rookie Jumpstream out-teleports Decepticon teleporter Skywarp, taking an imploder bomb out of play. Megatron is forced to let Optimus and his forces leave, at least while he yells at Shockwave, to get the Constructicons and Devastator into the fight. (Megatron seemed to have his oftimes unreliable allies squarely under his command here! That never lasts long, but still.)

The Autobots are still trying to get everyone that wants out aboard Darkmount, and have to hold out long enough to launch; while the Decepticons throw everything at them. Scattershot rallies nine other volunteers into a Combiner-form, to face Devastator (who seemed to be far mightier than most Combiners) but is eventually outgunned and falls apart. Still, they lasted long enough, for everyone else to escape. A furious Megatron orders his prisoners to jail, but they're all grins: they know they won. Optimus also knows, while Megatron might be able to force Cybertron to submit, or to obey; he would never be able to force it to love him. And on one of the moons of Cybertron, Cosmos and Blast-Off prepare for some company...

Just a few years ago, there was an era of Megatron Was Right, as we found out the cruelty and brutality that led him to rebel against a society that had oppressed and betrayed (and needless to say, deceived) him and thousands of others. This is just Megatron that wants to be ruler, by the Primus-given right of being Megatron. Anyone not onboard with that can line up to get shot in the face...Of course, we've mentioned before: this would be the last issue of IDW's Transformers run. They'd had the license for like 17 years! Image/Skybound has Transformers now; I think #9 is out last week as I write this. And it's maybe selling well for them; but I lost my continuity a couple back with the end of Lost Light; no thanks.