THE TRANSFORMERS issue #26 was first published on December 16, 1986, with a pull date of March 1987.

This issue introduces the Mechanic, who is showcased prominently on the front cover (drawn by Herb Trimpe).  He's wearing a fairly non-descript outfit, basically an auto worker's jumpsuit with a tool belt and some safety goggles. But, he's clearly a threat, as we see a huge pile of deactivated Autobots (with Blaster front and center but with Perceptor, Ratchet, and First Aid also in evidence) behind him as he stands before them victoriously.  "No job too big... or too small" reads the text copy.  He seems to be every bit as much of a threat to the Autobots as Circuit Breaker, based on the cover alone!

The story is entitled "Funeral for a Friend," penned by Bob Budiansky.  Don Perlin penciled the art, and Brett Breeding is the inker, a newcomer to TRANSFORMERS.  Breeding was a freelancer who worked for both Marvel and DC Comics, and later ended up inking most of the Thundercats title from Star Comics.  Janice Chiang is our ever-present letterer, and Nel Yomtov colored the art.  

This issue was on newsstands concurrently along with TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE #4, which concluded that mini-series, as well as G.I. JOE AND THE TRANSFORMERS #3.

So, we see that Ratchet has been busy trying to reassemble the body of Optimus Prime after his destruction in issue #24, but without much success.  Nearly all the active Autobots are on hand to watchand the heavily-inked backgrounds make for a somber scene indeed.  With the recent addition of the Aerialbots and Protectobots, the ranks of the Autobots have swelled to something like 30 characters, an even larger roster than the group present on board the Ark when the comic book began.  Budiansky worked so hard to kill off most of the Autobots from 1984, and what does he have to show for it?  The cast has, once again, gotten unmanageably large.  The 1986 toys are probably safe, at least for now, but it almost makes you wonder if the 1985 characters' days are numbered.  

Notably absent is Bumblebee, who is currently busy being temporarily unalive in G.I. JOE AND THE TRANSFORMERS.  (Also, there's no sign of Red Alert, despite his appearance in that mini-series. Red Alert showing up was clearly a mistake. In Budiansky's world, he doesn't exist.)

Ratchet is simply unable to bring Optimus back to the land of moving parts.  The Autobots plan to have a funeral for their fallen leader, and Omega Supreme makes arrangements to protect the Ark from Decepticon invasion while they're away.  Using a remote-controlled power booster rod, which in turn manipulates a lever, any Autobot can activate or deactivate the Ark defenses with a radio signal.  Ratchet, feeling like a failure, elects to stay behind.  First Aid has a doctor-to-doctor moment with Ratchet, advising him not to dwell too much on the dead when there are still living patients that need him.  It seems rather cold and clinical, and is at odds with the incredibly compassionate First Aid from the cartoon show. On the other hand, First Aid certainly didn't know Optimus Prime the way Ratchet did.  Ratchet isn't just mourning the loss of his leader. He's mourning the loss of a friend.

Now we finally get to see what's become of all the Autobots who have been gunned down since the comic's inception.  The Ark is equipped with life support pods that maintains their basic life functions, but without the equipment or parts to repair them, Ratchet has been unable to restore them to full function.  Ratchet checks in on Prowl, who we haven't seen since issue #12.  It's kind of wistful to see him again.  There's a similar vibe as the cartoon episode "Dark Awakening," when Daniel Witwicky is reading off the names of the fallen heroes inside the Autobot mausoleum—and Prowl is among them.  The cartoon marched forward into the future and almost exclusively featured the adventures of Rodimus Prime, Galvatron, etc. by this point, so any time we heard from one of the old school cast was a rare and welcome thing.  

Ratchet realizes he might be able to scavenge some useful parts at the local junkyard, so he picks up some parts for Gears and Ironhide, and even finds some police car roof lights that would fit Prowl nicely.  (For those keeping track, Gears has already "died" twice in the comic, and it won't be the last time he does so.)  He keeps gobbling up junkyard parts, stuffing them into a compartment in his chest, like he was Soundwave scoopng up cassette tapes.

He stumbles upon the middle of a shady business transaction between a car thief and a buyer.  Specifically, a grizzled old man named Farley is negotiating with a criminal named Juan.  Farley is lowballing him on the price for stolen cars, but Juan wants to ramp up the number of transactions.  Farley insists on speaking to the head honco of the operation, and with that, the head car thief, the Mechanic, emerges.  He chafes at the notion of being referred to as a thief.  Moreover, the transaction is actually a sting operation, and Farley reveals himself to be an undercover police officer.  

The Mechanic, it seems, is absolutely paralyzed with fear by the police.  We'll learn later that he has already spent time in the local state facility, and he practically goes catatonic at the notion of being hauled away again.  When they spot Ratchet waiting in the wings in ambulance mode, however, they quickly make their getaway.  Ratchet, unwilling to reveal his secrets, is forced to play along for the time being.  

If you think this feels like one of the early Transformers comics stories, you're right.  Ratchet was a key player in the first year of the comic (and at one point was the only Autobot alive and functional) so it seems odd to revisit the character again, especially during a time when there was a heavy emphasis on phasing out older characters in favor of newer, more exciting toys.  I will say that there's something compelling about a story about a character we already know well, as opposed to making this issue a toy commercial for the Monsterbots or Duocons or somebody.

But, it almost makes you wonder if Budiansky has got something lethal in store for poor Ratchet.  After all, he's part of the 1984 product line, and he already got a cartoon send-off in The Transformers: the Movie.  Could this story be Ratchet's swan song?  Did Budianksy want to give him a proper send-off?  Find out in Marvel Comics!

As the Mechanic marvels at the technology inside the ambulance, Ratchet decides he needs to evade the police vehicles that are chasing him, so he lets loose with his cryogenic sprayer tool, icing the roads.  He stops all but one police car, which he disables with a controlled burst from his laser scalpel.  Well, now the Mechanic knows what he wants for Christmas.  He uses some tools to remove Ratchet's gear, leaving the poor Autobot doctor wondering what to do now.

After they arrive at the Mechanic's shop and the thieves consider dismantling Ratchet for spare parts, the good Autobot doctor decides he's finally had enough.  He finally reverts to robot mode, startling them both.  He demands the return of his stolen tools, but the Mechanic makes a mad grab for the cryogenic gun and freezes Ratchet solid.  Juan is prepared to immediately split, but the Mechanic is thinking much bigger.  He realizes this is one of the robots from the news reports (you know, the ones that G.I. Joe has never heard once) and that they are armed with even more potentially valuable weapons.  This will effectively mean the Mechanic can give up petty theft and will no longer have to be scared of the police.  

Back at the Autobot base, Perceptor delivers a touching eulogy (in the G.I. JOE AND THE TRANSFORMERS version of this scene, it's Omega Supreme who does the honors) and then Optimus Prime's lifeless body is shot into space.  (Unbeknownst to the current batch of Autobots, their successors are going to end up scouring the galaxy and go on a search for Optimus Prime's body... but not until much, much later.)

Ratchet finally thaws out, and takes note that both his weapons and the humans who stole them are gone.  Defenseless, he's got no choice but to return to the Ark.  The Mechanic was waiting for this move in a nearby vehicle, and he and Juan follow Ratchet, who unwittingly leads them right to the Ark.  The Mechanic observes as Ratchet activates the security system, unknowingly demonstrating to him how it operates.  The Mechanic climbs up onto the massive Autobot-sized console but trips, accidentally exposing his presence to Ratchet, recognizing him as the thief from earlier.  ("Don't call me thief!" the Mechanic says again, satirizing one of the catch phrases from the old Get Smart television series.)  

When Omega Supreme and the others return from the funeral, the Mechanic makes a mad dash for the lever to reactivate the defense systems.  To his surprise, the lever, which looks like it should be heavy and require a great deal of strength, moves easily for him.  He even removes the power booster rod, adding to his arsenal of stolen Autobot technology.  Still unarmed, Ratchet transforms and retreats, leaving a trail of leaking oil as he goes.  Outside, Blaster is tired of getting pummeled, but Perceptor won't allow him to fire upon the Ark.  It's their only ticket back to Cybertron, after all.

Ratchet makes his way towards the stasis chamber, but he's low on fuel and can't run any further.  He laments to the inactive Prowl that he'll never be able to fully repair him.  And then the sight of Prowl gives him an idea of how to defeat the Mechanic.  By the time he arrives, Ratchet has managed to prop himself up against a wall, but he can't run and can't fight.  The Mechanic uses the power booster rod to wrench a huge piece of machinery out of its moorings, explaining that he realized (thanks to his engineering background) that it was clearly designed to move very heavy objects.  Not quite sure how holding the rod in his hands would allow him to lift a machine several hundred times his weight without his legs collapsing under the strain.  But, it's sci-fi, so moving on.