THE TRANSFORMERS: COMICS, BOOKS AND MANGA

Date: June 1985

Contents:
Transformers US #1 - "The Transformers"
Transformers US #2 - "Power Play!"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from US #2. Both stories used the original full colour US versions - their first release in this version in the UK. Like UK #2, the reprint of "The Transformers" omits pages #14-15 of the US version. The comic was not numbered, but is usually referred to as Collected Comics #1. It was a thick volume, complete with a spine, and originally priced at £1.20.

Date: October 1985

Contents:
Transformers US #3 - "Prisoner of War!"
Transformers US #4 - "The Last Stand!"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from US #4. Both stories used the original full colour US versions. It also had a quick puzzle page at the back. Otherwise followed the same format as Collected Comics #1.

Date: March 1986

Contents:
Transformers UK #9 - "Man of Iron" Pt 1
Transformers UK #10 - "Man of Iron" Pt 2
Transformers UK #11 - "Man of Iron" Pt 3
Transformers UK #12 - "Man of Iron" Pt 4

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #2. The black & white pages from the original printing were coloured by Gina Hart. The "Never take lifts from strangers" warning used in #10 was omitted. The contents page named the four chapters, though these names were not used on the actual strip: -
Chapter 1 - 'First Encounter'
Chapter 2 - 'Kidnapped!'
Chapter 3 - '"You've Got Friends?"'
Chapter 4 - 'Battlefield Castle Stansham'
The comic is now bound like a regular UK Transformers issue, and the price drops to 65p.

Date: April 1986

Contents:
Transformers US #1 - "The Transformers"
Transformers US #2 - "Power Play!"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #1. Large format, hardcover. Priced at £2.50.

Date: June 1986

Contents:
Transformers UK #13 - "The Enemy Within!" Pt 1
Transformers UK #14 - "The Enemy Within!" Pt 2
Transformers UK #15 - "The Enemy Within!" Pt 3
Transformers UK #16 - "The Enemy Within!" Pt 4
Transformers UK #17 - "The Enemy Within!" Pt 5

Production Notes: New cover by Will Simpson. The black & white pages from the original printing were coloured by Gina Hart. The individual chapter titles from #14-17 were used on the contents page, with the first part now named as "Solo Strategy!". The price goes up slightly to 70p.

Date: Winter 1986

Contents:
Transformers the Movie #1 - "The Planet-Eater!"
Transformers the Movie #2 - "Judgement Day!"
Transformers the Movie #3 - "The Final Battle!"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from Transformers the Movie #1. The special followed the format of the first two Collected Comics, with a card cover and spine, resulting in a price rise to £1.45. While no date is given, the book came out ahead of TF:TM's UK release on 12/12/1986, meaning late November/early December. The contents page says the events take place in 2006, to tie in with the UK story "Target: 2006". The opening text for "The Final Battle!" was edited to say 2006, but they missed the same trick in "Judgement Day!" which still says 2005.

Date: ? 1986

Contents:
Transformers 1985 Annual - "Plague of the Insecticons!"
Transformers 1985 Annual - "And There Shall Come... A Leader!"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from Transformers Annual 1985. Also reproduced a number of features pages from the annual.

Date: April 1987

Contents:
Transformers US #3 - "Prisoner of War!"
Transformers US #4 - "The Last Stand!"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #56. "The Last Stand" was the alternate version, with a different last page used instead of pages 21-22 of the original US version. Large format, hardcover. Priced at £2.50.

Date: April 1987

Contents:
Transformers UK #29 - "Decepticon Dam-Busters!" Pt 1
Transformers UK #30 - "Decepticon Dam-Busters!" Pt 2

Production Notes: Same format as Collected Comics #3-4, though the shorter story means the price is down to 45p. For some reason, on page 18, someone's decided to recolour Bumblebee a feching purple and green in the bottom-right frame.

Date: May 1987

Contents:
Transformers UK #31 - "The Wrath of Guardian!"
Transformers UK #32 - "The Wrath of Grimlock!"

Date: October 1987

Contents:
Transformers UK #47 - "Dinobot Hunt!" Part 1
Transformers UK #48 - "Dinobot Hunt!" Part 2
Transformers UK #49 - "Dinobot Hunt!" Part 3
Transformers UK #50 - "Dinobot Hunt!" Part 4

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #50. With the increased content, the price rises to 75p - the reuse of an existing cover was most likely to keep the costs down.

Date: April 1988

Contents:
Transformers UK #42 - "Crisis of Command!" Pt 1
Transformers UK #43 - "Crisis of Command!" Pt 2
Transformers UK #44 - "Crisis of Command!" Pt 3

Production Notes: The price drops to 70p.

Date: May 1988

Contents:
Transformers UK #59 - "Robot Buster!" Part 1
Transformers UK #60 - "Robot Buster!" Part 2
Transformers UK #132 - "Kup's Story"

Production Notes: The price drops again to 65p.

Date: July 1988

Contents:
Transformers UK #63 - "Second Generation!" Part 1
Transformers UK #64 - "Second Generation!" Part 2
Transformers UK #65 - "Second Generation!" Part 3

Production Notes: Menasor calling Dragstrip "Dead End" in Part 3 was corrected for the reprint.

Date: November 1988

Contents:
Transformers UK #41 - "Christmas Breaker!"
Transformers UK #93 - "The Gift"
Transformers UK #145 - "Stargazing"

Production Notes: This is one of the few Transformers products to actually carry the one-page comic strip advert by Simon Furman and Lee Sullivan.

Date: December 1988

Contents:
Material from: -
Transformers Universe #1
Transformers Universe #2
Transformers Universe #3
Transformers Universe #4

Production Notes: Generally the same as the American TPB, aside from the addition of "Vol. One" on the spine. Several profiles were edited from the original mini-series, and Eject, Inferno, Pipes, Rewind, Sandstorm, Steeljaw and Tailgate were omitted for reasons unknown. With an introduction from Jim Salicrup. Regular format, softcover, priced at £3.50.

Date: June 1989

Contents:
Transformers UK #96 - "Prey!" Part 1
Transformers UK #97 - "Prey!" Part 2
Transformers UK #98 - "...The Harder They Fall!"

Production Notes: The price rises to 75p.

Date: July 1989

Contents:
Transformers UK #99 - "Under Fire!"
Transformers UK #100 - "Distant Thunder!"

Production Notes: Also included are Transformers A to Z profiles on Apeface and Brainstorm - though the Trans Formation page promises Brainstorm and Chromedome...

Date: September 1989

Contents:
Transformers UK #152 - "Enemy Action!" Part 1
Transformers UK #153 - "Enemy Action!" Part 2
Transformers 1986 Annual - "Victory!"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #152. "Victory!" is abridged, comprising of pages 2-7 and 11 of the 1986 Annual version.

Date: February 1990

Contents:
Transformers UK #78 - "Target 2006" Prologue
Transformers UK #79 - "Target 2006" Part 1
Transformers UK #80 - "Target 2006" Part 2

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #79. The price rises to 85p. As reported in the Trans Formation page of #276, "Target 2006" was planned for a full reprint across four specials, only for Marvel UK to lose some of the masters, shrug its shoulders and move on...

Date: May 1990

Contents:
Transformers UK #172 - "Wrecking Havoc!" Part 1
Transformers UK #173 - "Wrecking Havoc!" Part 2
Transformers UK #189 - "Dry Run"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #84 - the special was initially intended to include the next three installments of "Target 2006", but the masters were lost in the mail. There was no mention of this in the special itself.

Date: September 1990

Contents:
Transformers UK #182 - "Space Pirates" Part 1
Transformers UK #183 - "Space Pirates" Part 2
Transformers UK #184 - "Space Pirates" Part 3

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #182. Why Marvel only printed the first half before moving on for the next special is unknown. It's possible, sadly, that by this stage they just didn't care.

Cover Date: December 1990

Contents:
Transformers UK #199 - "Time Wars" Part 1
Transformers UK #200 - "Time Wars" Part 2
Transformers UK #201 - "Time Wars" Part 3

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #199.

Cover Date: ?

Contents:
Transformers UK #198 - "Cold Comfort and Joy"
Transformers UK #202 - "Time Wars" Part 4
Transformers UK #203 - "Time Wars" Part 5

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #202. The price rises to 95p. Again, Marvel don't bother reprinting the remainder of the story.

Cover Date: July 1992

Contents:
Transformers UK #135 - "Grudge Match!" Part 1
Transformers UK #136 - "Grudge Match!" Part 2
Transformers 1986 Annual - "Victory!"

Production Notes: The specials return after a considerable absence, not numbered, and with a 99p cover price. Cover adapted from UK #100, again as a wrap-around. "Victory!" is the abridged version from Collected Comics #14. Also includes A-Z profiles of Skywarp, Slag, Rampage and Ratbat. The huge yellow block is from updating to the present logo - rather sloppily done.

Date: September 1992

Contents:
Transformers UK #164 - "City of Fear!" Part 1
Transformers UK #165 - "City of Fear!" Part 2
Transformers UK #166 - "Legion of the Lost" Part 1

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #167. The price goes up to £1.25.

Date: April 1993

Contents:
Transformers UK #167 - "Legion of the Lost" Part 2
Transformers UK #168 - "Meltdown!" Part 1
Transformers UK #169 - "Meltdown!" Part 2

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #169.

Date: July 1993

Contents:
Transformers UK #170 - "Deadly Games!" Part 1
Transformers UK #171 - "Deadly Games!" Part 2
Transformers UK #213 - "Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire" Part 1
Transformers UK #214 - "Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire" Part 2

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #171. Page 1 of "Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire" Part 2 omitted the recap frame from the original printing. In effect, the story is in its intended 11-page format.

Date: December 1993

Contents:
Transformers UK #29 - "Decepticon Dam-Busters!" Pt 1
Transformers UK #30 - "Decepticon Dam-Busters!" Pt 2
Transformers UK #330 - "The Big Shutdown!" Pt 1
Transformers UK #331 - "The Big Shutdown!" Pt 2

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #243. "The Big Shutdown" uses the coloured version of the story.

Date: April 1994

Contents:
Transformers UK #31 - "The Wrath of Guardian!"
Transformers UK #32 - "The Wrath of Grimlock!"
Transformers 1985 Annual - "And There Shall Come... A Leader!"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #296.

Date: July 1994

Contents:
Transformers UK #160 - "Salvage" Part 1
Transformers UK #161 - "Salvage" Part 2
Transformers UK #189 - "Dry Run"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #322.

Date: ?

Contents:
Transformers UK #237 - "Way of the Warrior"
Transformers UK #238 - "Survival Run"
Transformers UK #239 - "A Savage Place!"
Transformers UK #272 - "Cry Wolf"
Transformers UK #273 - "Wolf in the Fold!"
Transformers UK #274 - "Where Wolf?"

Production Notes: Cover adapted from UK #321. The art is in full colour, as per the 1991 Annual.

Also included are Transformers A to Z profiles on Defensor, Devastator, Bonecrusher and Bombshell.

Thanks to Osku for information on this rare issue!