Summary of Beast Wars II story in Comics Bon-Bon: August 1998 I initially missed the August 1998 issue of Comics Bon-Bon, because I had not yet set up a store subscription and I got to the store too late to snag any shelf copies. However, a compilation of the first five installments was recently put out, and I got a copy as part of a trade (as a nice surprise gift, I might add). As always, I'll probably be wrong in a few places in the first draft, since I don't read any Japanese and am going purely from the art and knowledge of the setting. Any later corrections or additions will be noted in [brackets]. Note: while a snail BW character was introduced in the August issue, he doesn't appear in the manga. At least not that I could find here. Page 1: Mechanoids are running in terror as something destroys their city. Many of them seem to be wearing business suits. An ominous shadow falls across the rubble. Page 2-3: Lovely two-page spread of Galvatron in dragon mode (with a few artistic liberties taken, mostly in wings and tail) flying over the city. Page 4: Galvatron peers into an office building, his giant eye focusing on scurrying workers (note: in dragon mode, Galvatron is often gigantic from overconsumption of Angolmois energy). He crushes the building and roars in triumph...and then morphs into Lioconvoy. Page 5: Lioconvoy, all dark and with wings and a draconic tail, laughs evilly at the destruction he has caused. This is foreshadowing for his berserker fit in the next issue. Page 6: Lioconvoy wakes from the nightmare, in his energizing bunk back at the ship. He ponders what the dream could mean, and decides he must go investigate, as he feels a strange compulsion to visit the site of the city in his dreams, which is apparenly on Gaea. Page 7: Lioconvoy sneaks out, but is noticed by Tasmanian Kid, who follows him onto his shuttle. Page 8: Megastorm oversees construction at the Destron base, as the Autorollers work on fortifications, with the help of the jets. For the sake of comic timing, I'm betting Megastorm makes some comment on how smoothly things go so long as Galvatron remains in a drunken stupor and out of the way. Page 9: Galvatron, in drill mode, bursts out through the recently-constructed walls and blasts off into the distance. The Autorollers bemoan the loss of much work, while Megastorm just grits his teeth. Page 10: The shuttle arrives at an island city, which lies in ruins, no doubt another artifact of the advanced culture which left behind the supercomputer the Destrons used to gain their altmodes. Lioconvoy emerges in beast mode and sniffs around. Page 11: Lioconvoy roams about under the light of the full moon, finding a child's drawing in the rubble. Then he smells someone nearby, and deploys a robot arm, with gun drawn. Page 12: It's only Kid, who nearly gets shot for his troubles. After making apologies, the two continue to explore. Page 13: As they wander, they talk. I'm guessing Lioconvoy is telling Kid about his dream. They sit atop what looks like a broken Tokyo Tower. From this vantage point, Lioconvoy sees a shaft of light coming from a chasm. Page 14: They leap down and approach the chasm. It's pretty deep, and has the severed ends of subway tracks in it. They jump down and follow an undestroyed subway tunnel. Page 15: They continue down the tunnel. At the end, they reach the source of the light. Pages 16-17: Another lovely spread, they find an underground chamber which houses another supercomputer. This one has a pattern of a dragon carved into its floorlike surface. Page 18: They surmise this might be another source of Angolmois energy (BTW, this term is a bastardization of Mongolois, used as a codeword for Mongols in the prophecies of Nostradamus...it means nothing), and that the Destrons would certainly want it. Then they hear something coming down the tunnel behind them.... Page 19: More ominous sounds and waiting. Page 20: Galvatron, still in drill mode, bursts through, scattering the Cybertrons. Page 21: Lioconvoy and Galvatron make a few passes, neither committing fully to an attack. Page 22: Galvatron transforms. Page 23: Lioconvoy leaps onto Galvatron, biting him on the arm. Then, still biting down, he transforms. Page 24: Face-off...Lioconvoy's lion head still has Galvatron's arm. Page 25: Kid says something either in warning or encouragement, then Galvatron pulls out a new trick...he untransforms his arms, turning them into whiplike tail segments. He proceeds to lash Lioconvoy. Page 26: Galvatron grabs Lioconvoy by the neck and starts slamming him around at the end of his extended whip-arms. Page 27: It's a big day for partial transformations, as Lioconvoy untransforms his legs into rear claws and boots Galvatron in the head. The two separate and pause to re-evaluate their options. Page 28: Back at the Cybertron base, the absence of Lioconvoy and Kid has been noticed, and they decide to send up a signal. Page 29: Galvatron sneak-attacks by kicking out with his dragon leg from robot mode, scarring Lioconvoy's chest. Then, as the signal flare goes up, Galvatron opens up with his knee cannons, staggering Lioconvoy. Page 30: Galvatron raises one of his Galva-axes to finish off Lioconvoy, but Kid transforms to robot mode and blocks the axe with a beam saber emanating from his arm cannon. Page 31: Galvatron sneers at Kid's puny efforts. Kid shoots Galvatron in the face with a slightly less puny effort than Galvatron was expecting. Galvatron is stunned, and Kid goes to help Lioconvoy. Page 32: Galvatron jumps on Kid, drill-butt first! Devastatingly effective, but really silly-looking and moderately suggestive. Page 33: Kid flies to pieces. Galvatron laughs. Lioconvoy tries to trigger his Super Seiyan powers...or at least the same special effects. Pages 34-35: Several panels of all-out, all-guns-blazing attack fury from Lioconvoy, who disappears behind the glare of muzzle bursts. Page 36: Galvatron is staggered by the attack, landing on his back. Then the ancient supercomputer starts to power up, having been triggered by the massive weaponsfire. Page 37: Energy lances out all over, one column of it enveloping Galvatron. It's Angolmois energy, and he's now at full power. He chuckles ominously. Pages 38-39: Galvatron transforms into his giant dragon mode, towering over Lioconvoy. End of issue cliffhanger. Dave Van Domelen, now to add a few notes to the #3 summary....