Bears and Bulls
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| "Bears and Bulls" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Fun Publications | ||||||||||||
| First published | January 28, 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Jim Sorenson | ||||||||||||
The Renegades attack the stock market! Because why not!
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
Following a raid on a UNECOM facility, Crasher was injured and blacked out while escaping from the Guardians. She was found by Drake J. Hinkleford IV, ninth richest man in the world, who wanted a partnership with the Renegades.
Soon, the New York Stock Exchange was in freefall, as numerous stocks fell to record lows while one, RAL, gobbled up investors and soared. By the end of the trading day, RAL had established a majority share in every Top 500 company on Earth. A suspicious Matt Hunter and Scooter sneaked into RAL Headquarters and found Hinkleford conversing with Cy-Kill. The spies were spotted, but managed to flee before Cop-Tur caught them.
Unfortunately, Hinkleford used his new sway with the President to have General Newcastle removed from UNECOM and replaced with the far less cooperative General Thurston. The Guardians were unable to draw upon UNECOM support to oppose RAL. Still, the retired Newcastle had contacts that reported something brewing in Area 51 under RAL's newly privatized Earth Defense Command.
Out in the desert, the Guardians discovered Hinkleford constructing a massive bovine and ursine mechanoid pair, which he intended to use to betray Cy-Kill and drive all GoBots off Earth as he seized control. The mechanoids were too much for Leader-1's command team, so he made a ploy by reporting Hinkleford's plans to Pumper and Beamer at the Command Center on an open channel, knowing Cy-Kill would pick up the signal and come for revenge on the backstabbing human.
Sure enough, the Renegades arrived as unwitting reinforcements for the Guardians, giving Leader-1's team time to don their Power Suits and assemble Courageous. The combiner was able to overcome the mechanoids, and Leader-1 left Hinkleford to Cy-Kill's tender mercies. General Newcastle was reinstated at UNECOM and RAL was soon dismantled.
Featured characters[edit | edit source]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Guardians | Renegades | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- Challenge of the GoBots Season 2 was a virtual continuation of the original show related by Vector Prime (from his multiversal perspective) and Cy-Kill (who lived it).
- In realities where this story aired on television, it premiered on November 24, 1986.
- This episode title was first released in an "Ask Vector Prime" post on December 21, 2015.
Continuity notes[edit | edit source]
- Beamer debuted in "Opportunity Knocks Part 2", chronologically taking place after this episode. There he was described as a new graduate of the Guardian Academy, so it's unclear if his appearance here amounts to a continuity error.
- Earth Defense Command, UNECOM's temporary replacement organization, takes its name from the traditional human agency of Transformers stories.
- Leader-1's complete lack of concern over life not directly under his protection previously appeared in "Sentinel".
Continuity errors[edit | edit source]
- Why did Hinkleford need the Renegades in the first place? Perhaps it was GoBotic technology that caused the stock manipulation, but that was never clear. Otherwise, it seems Hinkleford made an alliance with the Renegades, received no benefit from it, and planned to betray them anyway.
