Break out the robotic hankies: The Death of Optimus Prime is coming.

Before you bust out the pitchforks and torches in protest, though, there might be more than meets the eye to the announcement of the Transformers one-shot in December from IDW Publishing.

Adored by fans and his troops alike, the beloved Autobot leader and transforming big-rig of the 1980s toy franchise plays a key role in the continuing events of the "Chaos" story line in the IDW's flagship Transformers series, written by Mike Costa with art by Brendan Cahill.