Cover: The C cover by Don Figueroa features the three separate versions of Optimus Primal, Optimus Primal, Transmetal Optimus Primal and Optimal Optimus Primal. Of the Beast Wars episodes I've seen the only version of Op I saw much of was the Transmetal one, this cover definitely does him justice, both him and the original Optimus Primal are more rounded, more organic in places to fit in with the animal transform modes. The Optimal Optimus Primal on the otherhand is more robotic, as he should be since he was created by fusing the sparks (souls) of Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal. On the whole, amazing cover.

Story: We open where one would expect to open, the beginning, the point in time where the commander of the Maxamal ship The Axalon, under attack by a Predacon ship, jettisoned all the ship's Stasis Pods heralding the start of The Beast Wars! The first 3 pages of the comic tell the story of Beast Wars as we saw in the cartoon. We see a ball of light deposit 7 Predacons on a beach. The largest, clearly the leader and composed of what look like a Pterodactyl, a long necked dinosaur and a TRex like dinosaour starts to give orders to the others, sending one out to set up a transmitter and another four out to find stasis pods. As they leave one tells the others to move because they heard Lord Magmatron's orders. Another Predacon sees one of the local combatants, Depth Charge, and we learn that the new arrivals are chronally displaced just enough to hide them. Flashback to on Cybertron, Magmatron is leading a rally of Predacons, no longer wanting to be subserviant to the Maximals. Move to the Tri-Predacus Council headquarters, seat of power, so to speak, of the Predacons. They order him to watch the Maxamal communications channels. After leaving the Council chambers we see Magmatron ordering Covert Agent Ravage to transmit scans of the planet. Flash to the present and Magmatron asks the Predacon Razorbeast about the transmitter he's setting up, we discover that he plans to send out a shell signal that somehow affects the stasis pods, saying he wants to meet his new recruits personally. Razorbeast thinks back to Cybertron, where he's getting his deep cover orders from Optimus Primal, he's a Maximal! And while Megatron is a loose cannon, the real enemy is Magmatron and Razorbeast is going to spy on him and if he can't report it, to do what he can then run. Flash back to the present and Magmatron gives the order to activate the signal, which Razorbeast does. Magmatron calls the other Predacons for a report on the stasis pods. We see 4 separate pods activating, scanning lifeforms and releasing Predacons. Except the last which releases a Maximal! Which Magmatron states is impossible unless... Razorbeast transforms and knocks the last, unnamed Predacon down and runs, remembering Primal's words "Do what you can and start running." Switch to the 4th pod and the Maximal, a polar bear, it released is fighting the Predacon, a poisonous frog, who was watching him, teh fight ends when the Maximal steps on the Predacon. Magmatron issues orders for a recon, he wants to know what's going on, and that he want's Razorbeast alive! Razorbeast stops running at the top of a cliff, deciding to gather the clan, he sends a signal out to all the newly activated Maximals. The Predacon Transquito gives a report of a massing of Maximals and asks Magmatron if they should respond. Cut to Magmatron who transforms into his three componants and issues the command "Unleash the Beast Wars!" ... To Be Continued...

Graphics: Okay, the graphics in this comic are stunning, realistic, gritty, yet organic. Compared to the Transformers: Infiltration graphics, these blow them out of the water, no contest.

Bonuses: Like the Infiltration comics we have a two page black and white sketch preview of the next issue along with a blurb that says that Razorbeast's only hope is to get back to Cybertron, but to do that he needs a Transwarp Signal Booster... We also have a 3 page preview of Transformers: Infiltration issue 2.

Readers Letters: Strangely I felt a feeling of deja vu reading this letters section, then it hit me, it's identical to the one in Infiltration issue 2!

Of Note: The last page in the comic is a full page advert for the IDW Scriptbook of "Angel: City Of" which features full page and spot illustrations from the episode by Jeff Johnson. Released March 2006 and costs US$3.99

Scores

Cover 9/10
Story 10/10
Graphics 10/10
Bonuses 7/10
Readers Letters 2/10

Average Score: 7.6/10
Overall Score: 10/10