Wheeljack
Wheeljack is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series.
Contents
Transformers: Generation 1
Books
Ladybird Books
Wheeljack is featured in the 1986 Ladybird Books story Galvatron's Air Attack.[1]
Comics
IDW Publishing
In IDW's Transformers: Infiltration mini-series, Wheeljack is part of an infiltration unit consisting of Ratchet, Ironhide, Jazz, Bumblebee, and Sunstreaker, led by Prowl. He has not played a major role thus far, other than to accompany the other Autobots to the Decepticon base to watch the duel between Megatron and a super-powered Starscream.
In the Escalation mini-series, when Sunstreaker is presumed destroyed by the secret organization Machination, Wheeljack and Jazz tracked them to their base - only to be temporarily disabled by the Machination's advanced weaponry. After this he accompanied Optimus Prime to Brasnya to hunt down Megatron and his human facsimile - only to wind up in battle with Skywarp and the triple-changer Blitzwing. He and Jazz put Skywarp to flight, but the Decepticon promised to return with reinforcements. They then confronted Megatron (who had nearly killed Optimus Prime). On Prime's orders, they focused fire on Megatron long enough for Prime to recover and drive off the Decepticon leader, although they were prevented from dealing a killing blow by the appearance of Skywarp and Thundercracker.
In the Devastation mini-series, both Wheeljack and Hot Rod were given the assignment of stopping a wounded Ironhide from being pneumatically compacted at a junkyard in Warsaw. While both Autobots were en route to save their comrade, they were intercepted by multiple Headmaster versions of Sunstreaker created by the Machination.
In the 2011 company-wide crossover Infestation, Optimus Prime leads Bumblebee, Drift, Kup, Prowl, Ratchet and Wheeljack in Las Vegas when a Cybertronian ship crashes containing Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge and an infestation of zombies from another universe. Galvatron attempts to take command of the Autobots, and after fighting them explains his mission to stop an undead infestation. Wheeljack sets up an energy shield around the city to keep the infestation contained, but it will only last for 24 hours. Kup recognizes a Decepticon named Bayonet in Galvatron's command as not being right, and she is revealed to be the extra-dimensional vampire Britt.
Marvel Comics
Wheeljack performs the same function as in the cartoons, but was more of a background character. He got his first important role in issue #9 of the series when he and Jazz go to negotiate a fuel deal with industrialist G.B. Blackrock, and end up saving him from the Decepticons Starscream and Frenzy; he, in turn, keeps them from getting killed by Circuit Breaker, his former employee-turned-super-powered vigilante with an extreme hatred for robotic life.
Later in issue #32, he completes a geothermal generator to create energon cubes by tapping into the geothermal heat of the Earth's core. He believed this would impress Dinobot commander Grimlock (who had been given command of the Autobots in issue #27), but Grimlock still believed they should take what they need from the humans.
In issue #36, when Grimlock planned to boot a quartet of human children who had befriended Blaster (who had left the Autobots because of Grimlock's command), Wheeljack secretly called in his old friend Sky Lynx to rescue the children. In issue #41, Wheeljack is among the Autobots severely injured in a massive battle against the Decepticons on Earth's moon.
He and many others were out of action until issue #75, where Grimlock revived them with the untested fuel source known as Nucleon, in time to help in the battle against the chaos-bringer Unicron (which he advised against doing, especially in their recently-revived state). He then appears in the last four issues of the series as one of Grimlock and Prowl's trusted confidants.
He nearly meets his end in the final issue (#80), but is revived in that same issue by the legendary Last Autobot.
He would then appear sporadically in the Generation 2 comic series.
Other fiction
Wheeljack is mentioned by the name "Jack" in the biography for the TFClub Gear of War set as the developer of the weapons in the set.
Transformers: Prime
Comics
Fun Publications
References
- ↑ Grant, John (1986). Galvatron's Air Attack. Ladybird Books. ISBN 0-7214-0988-1.
