It’s back to the future where Death’s Head latest target is none-other-than the Autobot leader of 2007, Rodimus Prime. That is unless the bungling Cyclonus and Scourge don’t get in the way.
What happened to Death’s Head and Rodimus Prime after they were forcibly returned to their own time (2007) at the conclusion of Transformers UK #120? That’s apparently the big question on the minds of readers in the Autumn of 1987, and Headhunt is the story with the answers!
To be fair, there’s not much mystery involved – we all worked out that everyone got transported back to their point of origin. The desire for a sequel on the part of fans is really in order to see more of Death’s Head. Why? Well, to put it simply he’s an money-loving, badass space bounty hunter, with an assortment of plug in weapons and hilarious eccentric quirks. What’s not to like?
So, we’re back to 2007, which was an exciting prospect for a 13-year-old kid reading in 1987. Dan Reed returns on art duties with Simon Furman (natch) writing and, as the comic opens in Death’s Head’s private eye office on the planet Scarvix (weird name) we’re also introduced to the Terrorcon Blott, who’s making his UK comic debut. Blott has been sent by the Decepticon leadership to offer Death’s Head safe passage onto Cybertron and intel on Rodimus Prime’s movements, such that he can avenge himself by killing the Autobot leader. Big mistake! Death’s Head is not interested in revenge – there’s no profit in that. He responds to cold, hard currency and Blott quickly finds himself with Death’s Head’s mighty hands clamped around his throat. He decides it’s best to make an offer: ‘kill Prime and 10,000 Shanix is his’. Finally, he is talking a language Death’s Head’s understands.
When we see Rodimus, he’s melancholic and depressed. The burden of the Autobot leadership is weighing heavy and he longs for simpler times, when as Hot Rod the war had been a source of excitement. For a time he had a sidekick, his Nebulan Target Master companion Firebolt, who we learn had died on Earth some time before 2007. His loss a particularly painful memory for Rodimus. It is a natural story thread for Furman to develop at some point – how did Firebolt die – but alas it was a story that would remain untold as Furman never got around to it.
As Rodimus begins his tour of First World War inspired trenches, we switch to Decepticon HQ where Shockwave is sitting pretty on the throne and enjoying the discomfort of Cyclonus and Scourge, who are fuming that Death’s Head has been hired for the Prime hit. The pair are still smarting over their previous run-in with this particular bounty hunter, and Scourge still bears the physical scars. Clearly the appointment is an attempt by Shockwave to humiliate them. How they long for Galvatron’s return. Again Shockwave taunts them: Galvatron is content to remain in Earth’s past, he says.
This Galvatron situation is a nonsense when you start to think about it. He travelled to the 1980s, and assuming he stays for 20 years, he would have caught up with 2007 eventually. So he ought to be still around and a threat to Shockwave’s command. The only explanation for his absence is if Galvatron is in a parallel universe or he dies in Earth’s past. In fact that’s pretty much exactly what happens when, in the 1989 story Time Wars, Galvatron is swallowed up by a rift in time.
However, Shockwave participates in those events, so you would assume his 2007 self would remember those events. If he does he would also have to be aware of his own death, since it was knowledge of his own demise that prompted 1980s Shockwave to have Cyclonus executed and which triggered the space-time rift.
Anyway, getting back to the story… Rodimus continues his inspection, escorted by a couple of chumps who are so useless as body guards, they are silently snatched as they walk and decapitated. Death’s Head throws down their severed heads, causing Prime to duck and cover, thinking its a bomb. Death’s Head closes in for the kill, only for Prime’s extraordinary jamminess to kick in, as the ground collapses under them, and they fall into the sewer system. However, part one concludes with Prime on his knees, about to be put out of his misery by a shot from Death’s Head’s titanium blaster. There’s an explosion, a kill shot perhaps? But we know that it’s very probably not the end of Rodimus Prime and something else has happened. Still, it’s a good cliff hanger and sets-up the next issue nicely.
(Just to add that issue #133 has an extra four pages, carrying a competition to win Transformers the Movie VHS videos, there’s an AtoZ entry for Defensor and Devastator, and a page advert for Marvel UK’s Thundercats #30 comic which was a landmark issue for that title. At the time I was collecting both at the time but no prizes for guessing which I always read first.)
Geoff Senior returns to art duties for the second instalment, following an excellent atmospheric cover by Lee Sullivan depicting a menacing Cyclonus and Scourge which (as it turns out) is at odds with their comedic bungling in the story itself. As we kick off the second act, the pair are squabbling. Having snuck up on Death’s Head, they only had to wait for him to finish off Prime and they could have ambushed the bounty hunter and claimed his kill as their own – the Decepticon leadership could have been theirs for the taking.
Instead, Scourge blundered in and shot Death’s Head BEFORE he’d opened fire. So, now we know that there was ‘more than meets the eye’ to Prime’s apparent demise in the last issue. It’s amusing to see Cyclonus tug his friends’ beard as he berates him, and Scourge defends his actions by pointing out that Death’s Head blew a big hole in his chest and had payback coming to him. Scourge has a rather nifty scar to show for it, which is interesting in itself as I would think a medic would have replaced that chest plate for a new one. There’s no real reason for a Transformer to bear battle scars unless they want them, right? And of course, while the pair are squabbling they Prime a chance to sneak off. Doh! They then compound matters by pursuing without finishing off Death’s Head. Double doh!
Rodimus soldiers on, weary and still conflicted. Part of him would welcome the release of death but as a Matrix Bearer he his survival is imperative. As a figurehead his demise could tip the balance of the war in the Decepticons’ favour. Cyclonus and Scourge open fire in a tunnel, only to find that Prime has alluded them again. He’s hiding in a drain below their feet, and showing that he’s finally snapping out of his debilitating haze and starting to use his brain to outsmart his pursuers.
Prime coughs and splutters after emerging from the ‘water’. Remember, the Scraplets saga established that water is something so rare that Cybertronians doubt its existence, so you have to wonder what is slushing around the underground tunnels of Cybertron. It certainly looks like H20.
Cyclonus and Scourge, bungling from one mistake to the next, run into Death’s Head, who is very much alive and spoiling for a fight. They flee rather than face him, running into Prime and bypassing him to save their own skins. So now its Rodimus’ turn to face Death’s Head, which he does by impaling the bounty hunter with his own shield. He then scrambles up a ladder and through a hatch. Death’s Head follows and finds himself inside Autobot HQ and with several guns point at him. Rodimus has the upper hand but decides to make Death’s Head an offer: kill Cyclonus and Scourge and earn 10,000 Shanix. Death’s Head readily accepts, setting up a showdown which will culminate in the 1988 year opener, The Legacy of Unicron.
In closing, it’s a relief to see Rodimus recovering his form. He’s been quite a disappointment of late. Having made a strong start in the Movie, defeating Galvatron and ejecting him into space, he got bested at their rematch and has been wallowing in doubt and depression ever since. His confidence may have deserted him but his luck certainly hasn’t.
And so, after foray into the past and then the future, it’s back to the present (well 1987 as was) for the big fight of the year between the Dinobots and the Predacons, but first its over the annual for the back story of Swoop versus Divebomb.
One Shall Stand 