Transformers Artwork #8 (Happy Holidays)

This piece comes from a comic book cover released in the United Kingdom during the original Marvel Comics run in the 1980's. There really isn't much to say about it. It's Optimus Prime dressed as Santa Claus. I will be away for a while, so this will be my last post for a few weeks, maybe the year. I pray that you all have a joyous holiday season and God bless.

Beachcomber

Here is one of the classic mini-bots from back in 1985, Beachcomber. This Autobot was sort of a hippie among his comrades. Beachcomber was always concerned about nature, peace, and harmony. This is to be expected however due to him being a geologist. His toy was an excellent figure. He was painted in blues and greys. To transform him from his slick dune buggy mode to robot, flip the hood down to form the legs, and pull out the arms. Super simple transformation as to be expected with the mini-bots, but he was an excellent figure from back in the day.

Transport to Oblivion

It's been a long time since I have taken a look at the classic animated series. I left off with More Than Meets the Eye (Part 3), so I will pick up with Transport to Oblivion. This was the fourth episode of the original series, and technically the first episode of season one's true syndicated run. The first three episodes were a pilot to promote the toys and possibly give rise to the animated series. This episode would be the first official episode of the planned series.

Transport to Oblivion picks up shortly after the defeat of the Decepticons. While the Autobots are confident that the Decepticons are gone, Optimus Prime is still cautious. His caution is accurate as the Decepticons' space cruiser survived its crash into the ocean. The Decepticons have now rebuilt it into a new headquarters, which remained as their permanent base of operations throughout the first and second seasons. Shockwave manages to contact Megatron on Earth, which confirms that Cybertron still exists since the two forces left four million years prior. Shockwave then informs Megatron of their new Space Bridge technology. The Decepticons then attack a solar power station to acquire energon cubes to send to Cybertron. The Autobots repel them although Ironhide is injured.

The Decepticons complete their new Space Bridge on Earth in a river bed in the desert. Bumblebee and Spike had been spying on the Decepticons, and they are captured. Megatron then alters Bumblebee's memory circuits in order to lure the Autobots into a trap. Spike is held prisoner and will be the one forced to test the Space Bridge. Bumblebee returns to the Ark to inform his comrades that Spike was captured. The alterations to his memory circuits leads Bumblebee to believe that Spike and the Space Bridge are inside of a cave. The Autobots arrive at the cave only to be ambushed by the Decepticons. After a battle, Megatron seals the Autobots inside and then returns to the river bed to test the Space Bridge. Ratchet restores Bumblebee's memory, and after the Autobots escape, they head to the river bed.

They arrive to find that Spike is trapped inside a small shuttle to travel over bridge. Optimus Prime and Bumblebee save Spike, and Megatron attempts to get the energon cubes into the Space Bridge. The Autobots open fire, driving Megatron into the bridge where he disappears. Starscream declares that Megatron is dead and he is the new leader. While the Autobots celebrate, Megatron arrives on Cybertron. When Shockwave asks what happened, Megatron says that he will be avenged and will defeat the Autobots.

Outside of the pilot, Heavy Metal War, The Ultimate Doom saga, and Roll For It, this is one of my favorite episodes from season one. The animation is top notch (it dropped in quality after Roll For It for the rest of season one). The story line is also fun as we see the return of Shockwave and first tests of the Space Bridge. Over all, I don't have really any thing negative to say about this episode. There were next to no errors minus some miscoloring on Prime's arm at the power station. The only big error was that at the end of More Than Meets the Eye, the Autobots were provided energy from the world's governments to revitalize Cybertron, and they had apparently repaired the Ark. As this episode opens, all of this is discarded as if it had never happened. This was a great episode to officially start off the series' syndicated run. Be sure to check out the version from Shout Factory! as all of the dumb stock sound effects added by Rhino have been removed. It is available on DVD for a cheap price at Amazon, and the entire first season can be downloaded from the iTunes Store.

Rebirth of a Hobby

In my previous blog, I noted that Transformers: Generation 2 was the line that took my childhood memories of Transformers and turned me into a full on fan. I remained a strong fan through Generation 2, Beast Wars, and Machine Wars.

Around the time of Beast Machines, I started to lose interest as I hated (and still do) the awful looking designs of the Beast Machines characters. My interest peaked again around the time of Robots in Disguise and it carried through into Armada. The Energon toy line with all of its combination gimmicks started to lose me, and Cybertron would have been the end had it not been for the "legends" figures. Then, Hasbro gave this fan a massive shot in the arm with Transformers: Classics!

The Classics line of late 2006 was designed to be a "filler" line for Hasbro while they waited for the Transformers live action movie to be released. The line consisted of all new, modernized molds of Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream, Grimlock, and more! The molds had more articulation, great transformations, but they still had the simple charm of Generation One and the figures actually looked like robots (movie lines, I'm talking about you). I can say that if it were not for the Classics line and the rebirth of Classics in the Universe line, my hobby and interest might have been shelved in the realm of fond memories.

Thanks to this line and the later Animated toy line, I can see that Transformers are still alive and kicking. I understand that it will continue to evolve and change. There is no problem with that, and I have no problem with that. I personally feel though that I have been and always will be a fan of the classic Generation One/ 2 figures and stories. This is one fan who can't wait for the next round of Classics.

Transformers #62

After the events of previous issue (Primal Scream) and the revelation that Unicron was now heading for Cybertron to destroy it and all of the Transformers, the mission to find the one thing that can defeat Unicron is on. The Matrix Quest has begun! Well...it has but it isn't that exciting. I'll be totally honest.

Part one of the five part Matrix Quest story line begins with the Autobot Headmasters (Nightbest, Hosehead, and Siren) searching on a mysterious planet called Pz-Zazz filled with gangsters and thugs but also shrouded in darkness. After a drive by shooting, one of the planet's inhabitants provides Siren with a statue that looks like a falcon. Meanwhile, aboard the Ark, Optimus Prime and Emirate Xaaron discuss the quest to find the Matrix. Optimus Prime reveals that the Creation Matrix was a tangible object and not just a computer program (as early readers of the Marvel Comic were led to believe). When Optimus Prime was killed in a battle with Megatron, the Autobots attempted to revive him but could not. The Earth bound Autobots then had a funeral for him, and jettisoned his body into space.

Back on the planet Pz-Zazz, the Autobots continue to search for the Matrix and also learn the importance of the statue. They run into a mysterious ally who desires the falcon. However, she agrees to help the Autobots rather than take it. She takes them to a mountain where the statue should be returned to. On their track up the mountain, they are attacked by a mob boss named Gutt who believes they are part of a group called the Robot Mob. The Autobots are able to get by him, and make it to the top. Their ally tells the Autobots that the falcon possesses great power. After a moment of considering keeping the falcon as it could be a clue to the location of the Matrix, Nightbeat decides to return it to its shrine to place it out of the reach of the mobsters. The statue's power returns light to Pz-Zazz and shrouds of shadow are replaced with pure light. As the Autobots and their ally celebrate, the Autobots are attacked. Their attackers are the Robot Mob, who turn out to be Thunderwing and a team of Decepticons (Spinister, Needlenose, Ruckus, and Windsweeper).

After the amazing run of Simon Furman since coming on board with the U.S. Marvel comic, I will admit this is the issue where he lost some steam. This issue attempted to emulate elements from classic cinema to create a good story, but I don't believe it did. The first four issues of the Matrix Quest emulate this issues style of borrowing elements from movies, but only one comes close to working and another really succeeds. That's just my opinion, but I really feel that this was not a good story from Furman. In fact, the first three parts of the Matrix Quest story line are pretty bad. This issue, Bird of Prey, had a lot of momentum coming into the story from the rest of Furman's works, but it derailed very quickly. I have read the issue once through, and every time I try to read again, I just skip to the end. The only part that feels like a part of the Transformers story is the recap told through Xaaron and Optimus as well as the appearance of Thunderwing at the end. If you wish to read about the quest for the Creation Matrix, do yourself a favor and skip to part three or even part four if you want some good story telling. This issue doesn't change my opinion of Simon Furman being the best writer ever for Transformers, but this sure wasn't his best work.

Action Master Optimus Prime

Wow...too bad you can't find this figure mint in box for $14.99 any more. This is the crown jewel of the Action Master toy line, Optimus Prime. The central gimmick of the Action Master line was that the Autobots and Decepticons were "highly" articulated action figure renditions of the original characters and the line included some new characters. Each figure came with a transformable weapon or battle droid to make up for the fact that the figures themselves couldn't transform. Other figures came with transformable vehicles like ol' Optimus.

Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Gutcruncher probably had the best vehicles of the line. Optimus now took command of large armored convoy which could transform into a jet and battle station. The cab of the truck transformed into the jet which one Action Master could pilot. The trailer transformed into the battle station complete with guard walls, missile tower, and more. The actual Optimus Prime figure was really neat. He resembled his animated counterpart in his look, but his color scheme was based more on his Power Master body. The body I am referring to was his standard robot mode and not the combined mode. Action Master Optimus Prime actually made one official media appearance (outside of the animated Action Master commercial spots) in the final issue of the original comics.

Overall, this toy isn't bad. I think I like the Action Master figure the best out of the set as I could really care less for the giant truck. However, it is a cool piece to have in any collection. If you have read my previous Action Master entries, you should know that these figures will always hold a special place in this fan boy's heart as it was the first time I was able to get my hands on many of the original characters from the cartoon. That made the Action Master line worth it, even if the figures themselves couldn't transform. I haven't forgotten about the Elites, but those four were only released in Europe.

Transformers #61

The biggest story arc of the original Marvel Comics run of the Transformers has officially begun! Well, technically it started in the last issue, but the most powerful antagonist in the Transformers Generation One story makes his comic book debut. The Classic Pretenders, one of the Micromaster Patrols (forgot they were with the Pretenders last issue), and the Mayhem Attack Squad have all been transported to the center of Cybertron and are now face to face with god of the Transformers, Primus!

The Classic Pretenders are standing before the Keeper of Primus, and Grimlock is in disbelief that they have really discovered Primus. Grimlock challenges the Keeper to explain where the Transformers came from if Primus is in fact their creator. The Keeper then explains that Primus was the god of light and the protector of existence. His counterpart, Unicron, was the god of chaos. They battled in the astral plain until Primus realized he could not defeat Unicron there after the creation of the universe. Primus tricked Unicron into leaving the astral plain, and both Primus and Unicron's psychic forms were trapped in barren asteroids. Primus reshaped his asteroid into the planet Cybertron, and he created the Transformers to be a last line of defense against Unicron. Unicron eventually awakened, and he reshaped his asteroid into a planet which could transform into a likeness of his old form. Primus and Unicron shared a mental link, and so in order to protect his creations until they were ready to battle Unicron, Primus put himself into a deep slumber. However, the Transformers' civil war has brought things to a standstill in the preparations to defeat Unicron. The Keeper also reveals the only item powerful enough to destroy Unicron entirely is the Creation Matrix. At this point, the Keeper is assassinated by the Mayhem Attack Squad. With his dying words, the Keeper tells Bumblebee that Primus must stay in slumber.

Meanwhile, Emirate Xaaron is attempting to repair the transporter to locate the missing Pretenders. Elsewhere, on Earth, Skorponok is having to deal with his Decepticons seeking to rebel against him for allowing Starscream back into their ranks. At this point, Starscream had tried to destroy them twice first using the power of the Underbase and then his new Pretender form. Skorponok tries to reassure them that Starscream is under a watchful eye, but Starscream listens in from the shadows already planning a new takeover. Back on Cybertron, the Classic Pretenders and the Micromasters attempt to repel Bludgeon, Octopunch, and Stranglehold. Bumblebee leads the charge, and within minutes, the Mayhem Attack Squad is down. However, Octopunch emerges from his Pretender shell and blasts Grimlock. The shot bounces off of Grimlock's re-enforced Dinobot body, and the blast hits Primus. Primus awakens with a thunderous scream that shakes the whole of Cybertron. Xaaron completes the repairs on the transporter, and the forces within Cybertron's center are sent to Earth. Meanwhile, across the universe, Unicron hears the scream of Primus. He changes his course and is now heading towards Cybertron.

Simon Furman is hands down the best writer for the Transformers mythos. Unicron's origin in the original animated series was pretty lame. Furman takes Unicron and makes him a powerful being beyond measure, and completely rewrites the established origins of the Transformers. This story arc has had a lasting effect on the franchise as a whole in that it established Unicron as a god of chaos and Primus as the creator of all Transformers. These story elements have time and again resurfaced in multiple Transformers storylines. The story and artwork for this issue is great, and this really is a must read for any Transformers fan. The only question I had from this issue is why gods would make transforming robots. That one is totally beyond me.

25 Years of Optimus Prime

I found this image recently when looking at tfwiki.net. This image captures 25 years worth of Optimus Prime figures. It doesn't feature the recent Transformers: Animated versions of Optimus Prime or the version from Revenge of the Fallen. Either way, this image shows that there are sure a whole lot of Optimus Primes. Be sure to click on the image to see it in all its glory. The only figure in the image that is not an Optimus Prime (or Primal) is Primus, the creator and god of the Transformers who actually transforms into the planet Cybertron itself. It is hard to believe the Transformers franchise has now been around for 25 years. Even after all this time, the line is still alive and kicking, and it is still one of the most beloved toy lines in the world.

Transformers Artwork #7

This piece showcases the most sinister Decepticon to ever come on line. This classic Dreamwave art piece is of the traitorous Starscream! I have always like this piece because of Starscream standing alone in the shadows. He also has his trademark cocky attitude when you look at the smirk on his face plate, and the almost arrogant hand gesture. It just feels like it reflects the character well as he was always secretly (and not so secretly) plotting his take over of the Decepticons, and how he always felt that he was best choice. Across the various Transformers universes, his treachery has always remained the constant. The only time this was breached was when they made him a more heroic and tragic character in Transformers: Armada. Overall, this is one great piece.

Terminator: Salvation

I normally don't post non-related Transformers posts on this blog, but after watching this movie I had to say something. Terminator: Salvation is easily the best film in the series. My family got me some free movie tickets for my birthday, and I originally wanted to use them for this movie. However, it wasn't released the weekend I was in town, so I decided to wait and cashed them in for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Where ROTF broken my heart as an ultimately terrible film, Terminator: Salvation was everything I hoped it would be and so much more.

Christian Bale did an awesome job as the future John Conner, and the new plot point with the death row inmate from before Judgment Day (Marcus Wright) added a great deal to the story. This film felt like it connected all the dots of the franchise, and although it follows the same plot line as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, it does nothing to emulate that film. The director took an almost Batman Begins style with this film as it was a sequel, prequel, and reboot all at the same time. It had a more realistic style this time around with no slap stick comedic pieces (Terminator 3). The story itself focuses on the future war, and it also focuses on a possible attempt to kill Kyle Reese (the hero of the first film and father of John Conner) when he was a teenager and still in the future. However this time, it is the whole Machine army in the mix and not just a single time traveling Terminator. This helped the film from seeming like it was beating a dead horse.

What I really enjoyed about this film was the fact that the directors did an excellent job of tying the old with the new. Some critics have criticized some of these things, but for fans of the series waiting for a good sequel to the first two films, it almost feels like respect being paid to the old. Where the third film was part of the series, it just didn't feel like it really connected. This film did was Terminator 2 did, and had those little pieces to tie the films together. Examples included the faded and torn picture of Sarah Conner, the Conner tapes, similar camera angles and settings to previous Terminator encounters, and even adding the 1984 version of Arnold's face to the attacking T-800 in the factory. It was computer generated, but you would never know from watching it.

Overall, despite the critics, I do believe that this film is my favorite of the series. If it had any rival, it would be the amazing Terminator 2: Judgment Day. After Rise of the Machines, I had lost all hope for this series. This film does bring some hope back. Plus, with its PG-13 rating, it felt like the focus was on the plot and the action rather than deaths and other items (although the first two films had an excellent balance, where 3 really ... well... didn't). If I could step back in time, this would be the film I wish I would have seen on the big screen versus the highly disappointing Revenge of the Fallen. Hopefully film three will get everything back on track.

Transformers Universe Jazz

Since they were first released during the run of Transformers: Cybertron, I have enjoyed the "legends" figures. They have always been pretty good toys at a great price point. Although I have strongly disliked the two previous movie lines (this includes the legends), I have loved the legends figures released for the Cybertron and Universe lines. One of my favorite figures was the Universe version of Jazz.

Jazz was designed with his original Generation One self in mind. He transforms from a Porsche to one slick looking Autobot. To transform him from car to robot, you flip back the rear of the car to form the legs, flip the top of the back roof to form the feet, slide down the car side panels and rear tires to form the arms, and flip down the hood to reveal the head and form the chest. Over all, he is an excellent looking smaller figure with great articulation. They even paid homage to the original toy with having his car doors (or windows) sticking out from his shoulders.

Jazz has always been one of my favorite characters. I hope when the Universe line returns that they will do an all new mold of Jazz. An interesting note is that the mold for Universe Jazz was retooled and used for Revenge of the Fallen legends Bumblebee.

Transformers #60

It really has been a while since I continued my look at the original Transformers comics from Marvel. I am going to pick up where I left off with my previous blog with Transformers #60. Somewhere down the line, I may revisit issues 56-59, but we'll save that for another day. This issue is titled Yesterday's Heroes. This issue picks up immediately after the deaths of Megatron and Ratchet in #59. The reader is also treated to the debut of several characters who will remain key players throughout the rest of the Marvel comic's run and characters who will have lasting impressions on the Transformers' mythology. Those characters include Thunderwing, Bludgeon, Emirate Xaaron, Stranglehold, Octopunch, and the god/creator of all of the Transformers...Primus!

Optimus Prime has finally fallen to despair over the Autobot/ Decepticon war with his dear friend Ratchet sacrificing himself to destroy Megatron. Prime loses the desire to continue the battle and leaves the Autobots. Meanwhile back on Cybertron, the Classic Pretenders (Bumblebee, Jazz, and Grimlock)(sidenote: the Classic Pretenders are not referred to by the name Classic Pretenders in the comics) have lead a faction of Autobots to victory over the Decepticons. Apparently, the Cybertronian Autobots had suffered many defeats and the tide was starting to turn with the help of Bumblebee, Jazz, and Grimlock. Elsewhere, the Decepticon leader of Cybertron watches. His name is Thunderwing, and he dispatches his Mayhem Attack Squad to crush the Classic Pretenders. The squad consists of Pretenders Bludgeon, Stranglehold, and Octopunch. Back at the Autobase, Hot Rod devises a plan to snap Optimus Prime out of his despair by unleashing a robot that Hot Rod controls, but it looks like it will destroy their forces. Unfortunately, Hot Rod loses control, but Optimus does come back to save the day.

Back on Cybertron, the Classic Pretenders are about to warp back to Earth. Emirate Xaaron bids them farewell and wishes that Primus be with them. Bumblebee then remarks that he had forgotten the Transformers had a god. The Mayhem Attack Squad attacks them as they are about to warp out. There is a disruption in the warp, and the Classic Pretenders and the Mayhem Attack Squad warp to somewhere deep within Cybertron. The Classic Pretenders then make their way through a sewer system and find themselves in Cybertron's center. What they discover is the slumbering form of the god of all Transformers...Primus!

This issue was another great issue by Simon Furman. Although it wasn't as good as the previous issues since he took over the book, it was still excellent. In my opinion, I think it could be expected that this issue wouldn't be as good. After all, this book was really the transition from the return of Megatron saga into the largest story arc the book had seen up this point. However, the issue did introduce a great deal of new characters, and this includes one of the most beloved Decepticons by the fans and Simon Furman in Bludgeon. Bludgeon's story plays out in a big way throughout the rest of this series and even into the follow up Generation 2 book. This issue also introduces the readers to Primus, and now it permanently separates itself from the preconceived animated series origins forever. Speaking of origins, the next issue features the origin of the Transformers for the first time in the comics. I'll say this, there are no Quintessons this time around. If you were/are a big fan of the animated series, it was a big change. Issue #60 was a great issue overall, and it is worth a read.