Transformers #52 Menace of the Meccanibals (1989)

Author: Bob Budiansky Art: Jose Delbo, Dave Hunt Cover Art: Jose Delbo, Danny Bulanadi

In this classic space-faring adventure, Optimus Prime tasks the Autobot Pretenders, Landmine and Cloudburst, with a desperate mission to secure black-market microchips needed to repair their severely damaged comrades. To acquire the technology, they travel to the Grand Central Space Station, a location where robots are strictly forbidden and deeply despised by the local inhabitants. The Pretenders are forced to rely entirely on their organic, human-looking outer shells to blend in with the anti-robot populace and conduct their shady business.

Their mission takes a dire turn when they negotiate with a pair of Nebulan Powermasters and are taken to meet the suppliers: the terrifying Mecannibals, giant spider-like aliens that consume mechanical lifeforms. The Pretenders discover that their fellow Autobot, Sky Lynx, is on the menu for dinner and must execute a daring rescue using their inner robot forms without blowing their fleshy cover. Though they manage to save Sky Lynx and secure the chips, a costly mistake on the space station reveals their true robotic nature, leading them to be jettisoned from an airlock, captured by Decepticons, and served up as the Mecannibals' newest main course.