THE TRANSFORMERS: COMICS, BOOKS AND MANGA

Synopsis: Ultra Magnus is forced to fight Hooligan, but the Sparklers break out. Magnus defeats Hooligan, and refuses to kill him. Zabra then attempts to kill Magnus, but the Sparklers save him. The Firecons clear out, as do the aliens.

Notes: This will be the last appearance of the 'present day' version of Ultra Magnus.

The cover notes that Hooligan comes from the planet Mil-Wal - if you want to accept what's on covers as canon... It's actually a reference to the notoriously violent fans of London football club Millwall. As an aside, the introduction for Titan's Titan Books: Space Pirates claimed this caused a storm of controversy. It did nothing of the sort - not a single letter on the subject was printed.

Errors: Magnus states they came to Tyrest to find Chameleon, despite the fact last issue they know his body's turned up at Autobase, found by the patrol, starting off the whole business. Sizzle claims that Magnus is interchangeable with the Sparkler Minibots - Magnus is clearly out of his mind, considering Xaaron didn't see Springer, Broadside and Sandstorm as a good substitute...

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Flamefeather, Sparkstalker, Cindersaur, Ultra Magnus, Fizzle, Sizzle, Guzzle, Xaaron [flashback], Springer [flashback].

Notable Others: Zabra, Hooligan.

Extras: Another one-page advertisement strip, this time for 'Dragon's Claws', written by Simon Furman and illustrated by Geoff Senior.

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Snap Decisions" Part 2
Combat Colin

Review: Dull, tedious and with a 'Masters of the Universe' moral tagged on the end. The last frame's the best thing in it, and even that's nowhere near as clever as Furman would seem to think.

Synopsis: Cyclonus and Scourge, desperate to return to 2008 and currently allied with Shockwave, attack a group of USAF jets on their way to meet Galvatron. Meanwhile the Wreckers prepare to transfer to Earth to attack Galvatron themselves. When Cyclonus and Scourge meet Galvatron, they prepare to attack him, augmented by their Targetmaster weapons. Just then the Wreckers arrive, and Springer is horrified to see they've been transported into the middle of a town.

Notes: Cyclonus and Scourge have left the service of Scorponok's force at some point since #145, and are know at large on Earth. The timejump device mentioned is the one used by Galvatron in #101 ; Wreck-Gar destroyed it in #120. Twin Twist appears to be second-in-command of the Wreckers, though Roadbuster is again absent for reasons unexplained.

Errors: Lots of disappearing insignia.

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Cyclonus, Scourge, Twin Twist, Sandstorm, Broadside, Topspin, Rack 'n' Ruin, Xaaron, Springer, Shockwave, Galvatron.

Notable Others: Nightstick, Fracas.

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Snap Decisions" Part 3
Combat Colin

Review: The first few pages with Cyclonus and Scourge attacking US Air Force jets are superlatively done, showing us how good the pilots are and yet how helpless they are against the Decepticons, rather than just showing all humans to be flapping idiots. It's interesting to note that Scourge has it all a lot tighter together than Cyclonus, which will become important in future issues. Furman's great script, with the Scourge/Cyclonus dynamic and Shockwave's desperate cunning showing very well, is matched by Bryan Hitch's glorious artwork - showing an early talent for military hardware [cf. The Ultimates].

Synopsis: Unable to fight and protect the humans, the Wreckers are no match for the Decepticons. Springer then has the idea of pretending to capture the timejump device. Scourge and Cyclonus follow him away from the city. The Wreckers follow to help him out, and Galvatron escapes. Faced with all the Wreckers, Scourge and Cyclonus retreat, and Springer prepares to head back to Cybertron.

Notes: Cyclonus and Scourge are still shown to be incredibly powerful, with the Wreckers' blasters having little effect. Knowledge of Target Master technology has yet to reach Cybertron.

Errors: On Page 1 Springer's whole left arm is yellow instead of green with a yellow 'pad'. In the first frame on Page 10 Cyclonus has no insignia on his chest.

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Springer, Cyclonus, Sandstorm, Rack 'n' Ruin, Galvatron, Broadside, Scourge, Twin Twist, Topspin.

Notable Others: Nightstick, Fracas.

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Snap Decisions" Part 4
Combat Colin

Review: An excellent conclusion with some stunning art. The level of detail, with the battle damage on the characters being the most striking, is remarkable, and Hitch really nails the scale of the skirmish too. A great confrontation, with the Wreckers and Galvatron in a fairly similar league - which won't prove the case next time round... Galvatron also delights, especially his ongoing amusement at those sent to fight him. A great little story.

Synopsis: Fortress Maximus' Autobots unsuccessfully try to build a new body for Optimus Prime. They then set out to find the Ark. A delegation from his ship meets Grimlock, who is unhappy that Prime might return. Goldbug then turns himself in to appease Grimlock, but the Dinobot still decides to fight Fortress Maximus for leadership of all the Autobots. Goldbug, meanwhile, finds Blaster, and persuades him to fight Grimlock on Fortress Maximus' behalf, on Earth's moon. The combatants prepare, unaware that Ratbat is preparing to assault them as they fight.

Notes: Fortress Maximus' Autobots recovered Prime's personality in #163. Grimlock has led the bulk of the Autobots since #112. Blaster was imprisoned by Grimlock in #144. Sunstreaker has been repaired since #36. Ratbat captured Buster in #154.

Errors: Yomtov again messes up Brainstorm and Highbrow, and on page 2 the former gets a white faceplate too. Aside from Scattershot, Fort Max' top officers bear little resemblance to who they're meant to be on page 4. On the next page, Scattershot has a scarlet head, and the rest of him is grey. Blaster has no detail on his chest. Soundwave is missing his chest detail, but has gained a mouth. Also on page 9, in the bottom-left frame Shockwave can be glimpsed, despite falling to Earth in #159. In the next frame, some diabolical colouring from Yomtov makes it look like Ratbat's eyes take up the top of his head. On page 10, Skids makes another "should be in limbo but the US team didn't know this" appearance. Considering the composition of the frame, it was probably too hard to edit out. In the same vein, Sandstorm appears in Blaster's flashback. By page 11, the disk with Prime's personality on it is at least 6 foot wide. Getaway's miscoloured badly. Delbo gets Grimlock's head wrong throughout. His crown design flits around a fair bit too.

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Goldbug, Fortress Maximus, Brainstorm, Highbrow, Hot Rod, Ratchet, Sludge, Grimlock, Slag, Snarl, Swoop, Fortress Maximus, Pointblank, Scattershot, Landmine, Grotusque, Cerebros, Chromedome, Blaster, First Aid [flashback], Perceptor, Wheeljack, Omega Supreme, Cosmos, Sky Lynx [flashback], Crosshairs, Sureshot, Soundwave, Ratbat, Kickback, Shrapnel, Bombshell, Tracks, Slingshot, Silverbolt, Trailbreaker, Smokescreen, Jetfire, Mirage, Powerglide, Sideswipe, Skydive, Windcharger, Sunstreaker, Seaspray, Ironhide, Prowl, Hound, Hoist, Jazz, Huffer, Bluestreak, Air Raid, Beachcomber, Brawn, Cliffjumper, Grapple, Fireflight, Gears, Hardhead, Nosecone, Afterburner, Lightspeed, Slapdash, Joyride, Getaway. There are some I can't identify - I can never recognise Pretender inner robots...

Notable Others: Spike, Buster.

Extras: A-Z profiles Jazz and Jetfire.

Production Notes: For the UK printing, the story title "Totaled!" was Anglicised to "Totalled!".

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Pit-Fall" Part 1
Combat Colin

Review: A fair script completely hamstrung by ugly, confusing art. This is probably Yomtov's absolute low, and considering the volume of mistakes made throughout, it's difficult to believe he was actually employed by a professional comic company, much less would hold onto his job until the end of the series. Still, Budiansky's handle on Fort Max, Blaster and Ratbat is good, while decadent Grimlock is once again good fun, especially mocking Max. Fair.

Synopsis: The Autobots watch as Blaster and Grimlock fight, but are attacked by Ratbat, unknown to the duellists, whose fight has carried them further away. As the battle continues, the Constructicons liberate the Decepticons held in the Ark. Maximus then sends Goldbug to get the message to leave to his own ship. Meanwhile, Blaster and Grimlock notice the fighting, and call a truce before investigating. They initiate a counterattack which forces the Decepticons to retreat. Then Fortress Maximus confides that Goldbug has taken his ship to Nebulos to try to revive Optimus Prime.

Notes: Rumble and Buzzsaw were deactivated by Omega Supreme in #71. Blitzwing, Dirge, Ramjet and Thrust have returned to the main Decepticon force since #160.

Errors: Blaster is again bereft of chest detail. As he kicks Grimlock on page 1, Grimlock's head is coloured yellow. In the bottom frame of the second page, in the background an uncoloured Optimus Prime can be seen. On page 3, Beachcomber's chest is uncoloured. As Swindle shoots Brawn on page 6, Prowl's car mode can be seen floating alongside. On page 8, Yomtov's colouring makes Getaway look like he's wearing an executioner's mask. The following page, Grimlock shoots two red missiles through Dragstrip without apparent damage. At the bottom of the same page, Thrust doesn't even resemble his jet mode - it looks more like a botched Blitzwing. In the third frame of page 11, Blaster's head isn't coloured. Also, Outback, Broadside and Pipes can be seen, which clashes with other UK stories.

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Blaster, Omega Supreme, Grimlock, Windcharger, Slag, Sludge, Gears, Swoop, Cosmos, Ratchet, Beachcomber, Jazz, Grapple, Ironhide, Huffer, Sunstreaker, Prowl, Ratbat, Onslaught, Blurr, Hot Rod, Trailbreaker, Tracks, Slingshot, Soundwave, Shrapnel, Octane, Brawl, Razorclaw, Breakdown, Ramjet, Dragstrip, Blitzwing, Swindle, Bombshell, Headstrong, Astrotrain, Laserbeak, Dead End, Tantrum, Kickback, Dirge, Rampage, Motormaster, Vortex, Wildrider, Scrapper, Hook, Long Haul, Bonecrusher, Long Haul, Scavenger, Mixmaster, Hound, Jetfire, Smokescreen, Brawn, Swindle, Fortress Maximus, Pipes [first appearance], Goldbug, Slapdash, Joyride, Getaway, Thrust, Hoist, Ratchet.

Notable Others: Buster.

Production Notes: For the UK printings, "Totaled!" was Anglicised to "Totalled!". Also, interestingly, the names on the crates have been altered, removing Frenzy and Thundercracker [who were shifted into limbo in #84 after waking from storage on the Ark] and Starscream [who awoke in #145] from the casualties inflicted in #71 - so only Rumble and Buzzsaw are shown to be recovered. Skywarp isn't shown at all - presumably his remains were recovered by the Decepticons following Galvatron destroying his body in #88.

Letters Page: Grimlock gives the name of the unfortunate Autobot from the first two pages of #164 as Chuffer.

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Pitfall" Part 2
Combat Colin

Review: Once again, the story's fairly sound, if a little cheesy. An all-out army-on-army battle is something not seen often enough, and it's worth noting that this plan from Ratbat is about the closest the Decepticons have come to a decisive victory since Shockwave's assault in #8, against about twice the Decepticon numbers. Sadly, the poor confused art lets it down a little, breaking up the fight too much concentrating on individual scraps, and not giving much feeling for the bigger picture. It's a worthy story, though.

Synopsis: The Decepticons Darkwing and Dreadwind are terrorising Nebulos, aided by their native partners Throttle and Hi-Test. Shortly after, Goldbug, Getaway, Joyride and Slapdash land. They approach a Nebulan scientist named Hi Q to build Optimus Prime a new body. However, the atmosphere of the planet has been made to drain Transformers, though Hi Q's Powermaster process was stolen by Throttle, allowing the Decepticons to function. He does allow them to build Optimus a new body nonetheless, though. The Decepticons then attack the Council of Peers, and the Autobots set out to stop them, despite their dwindling energy reserves.

Notes: Darkwing and Dreadwind can combine to form a larger jet, referred to as Dreadwing, though it will be portrayed as simply having two separate personalities, rather than being a gestalt. Galen died in #157. The Nebulans have destroyed all their weapon stockpiles since #145. Powermaster companions need to consume food to power their partners, around ten times the normal intake. Hi Q and Hi-Test developed the atmosphere together, before the latter grew jealous and walked out. Hotwire was a car thief in his youth. Throttle is linked to Dreadwind, and Hi-Test to Darkwing.

Errors: On page 3, Dreadwind has white feet. As he transforms on page 5, Goldbug's chest has an extra blue panel. On page 10, Getaway has blue legs, and three frames later is missing a mouth.

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Dreadwind [first appearance], Darkwing [first appearance], Getaway, Goldbug, Joyride, Slapdash.

Notable Others: Hi-Test [first appearance], Throttle [first appearance], Lube [first appearance], Hotwire [first appearance], Rev [first appearance], Hi Q [first appearance], Sorgen [first appearance], Soriza.

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Pitfall" Part 3
Combat Colin

Review: Actually pretty damn good. The art's not too bad, perhaps due to the change in finishers, and the story's engaging, with Dreadwind and Darkwing the best characterisations Budiansky's turned out since, oh, Skids at least. A nice start.

Synopsis: The drained Autobots are no match for the Decepticon Powermasters. Back at Hi Q's lab, they continue to fade, though Goldbug's fuel economy means he isn't in as bad a state as the others. Hi Q is touched by Goldbug's feelings for Prime, and builds him a body, despite the fact he will have a short life. Prime is revived, and after initially still thinking he's a computer character, is soon back to his old self. Hi Q, Lube, Rev and Hotwire then decide to undergo the Powermaster process to save the Autobots. Led by Prime, they drive off the Decepticons, and they are banished by the Council. Hi Q then realises he must follow with the Autobots to preserve Nebulan peace, and they leave also.

Notes: Hi Q bonds to Optimus Prime, Rev to Getaway, Lube to Slapdash and Hotwire to Joyride. Optimus Prime's new body is two-stage, combining with his trailer to form a larger robot - the smaller robot is identical to his old body. It's also worth noting that Prime more or less says he's never died.

Errors: Okay, a bit of alleged-error defending. Some have criticised that Goldbug says there isn't enough fuel for the Autobots to go back to their brethren, and yet they leave at the end anyway. Two things - 1) They aren't necessarily planning to go back to the other Autobots, just leaving the planet for now and 2) they can always refuel on the way somewhere. Simple, isn't it? I also have no real trouble with Goldbug's alleged warped priorities... When he left the other Autobots in #175, he had no idea that Nebulos would have the Autobots in such a state, and his friendship with Prime would override a lot of logic in wanting to see his friend and hero alive again - he obviously knows Prime fairly well, as he guesses correctly that Prime would rather die than stay encoded on a disk, just as someone might want to see a close friend pass away than spend fifty years in a vegetative state. He doesn't force Getaway & co. to stay or anything. It's also possible that he's trying to convince Hi Q they just aren't machines. If it was some minor/new character who didn't know Prime, like Chromedome or Joyride, making those decisions, I could buy some of the doubts, but this is Goldbug/Bumblebee, and it tallies with the development he's been given since the very start of the series.

All that said, Prime might just recognise Goldbug, but he wouldn't get the name right, at least not in the UK continuity [Prime was destroyed in #106, Goldbug was created in #120].

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Slapdash, Joyride, Goldbug, Getaway, Darkwing, Dreadwind, Optimus Prime [in his new body].

Notable Others: Hi Q, Rev, Lube, Hotwire, Hi-Test, Throttle.

Extras: A-Z has a special profile on Optimus Prime's new Powermaster form, with art by Robin Smith.

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Pitfall" Part 4
Combat Colin

Review: A fine conclusion, with some real moments of poignancy from Goldbug and Prime, and the bittersweet ending. There is the odd moment of silliness, notably the "I'm still a computer character!" bit, but it's the best US story for absolutely ages.

Synopsis: Optimus' team are on their way back to Earth's moon when they see an advert for a carnival, featuring Sky Lynx. They decide to check it out, and find four Earth kids there as well. They then meet the alien in charge, Big Top, to see about releasing the children. He refuses, saying they've signed a contract, and Optimus and Goldbug set off to watch the show, starring Sky Lynx. They meet the Autobot backstage, and he prepares to tell them how they got into this mess.

Notes: Sky Lynx and the kids have been missing since #144. Berko is from Earth.

Errors: The flashback image of the four Nebulans who join with the Autobot Powermasters is all messed up - Hi Q is in front of Lube's armour, Lube in front of Hotwire's, and Hotwire in front of Hi-Test's.

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Goldbug, Getaway, Optimus Prime, Joyride, Slapdash, Sky Lynx.

Notable Others: Hi Q, Rev, Lube, Hotwire, Allan, Sammy, Jed, Robin, Berko [first appearance], Big Top [first appearance].

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Launch Base" Part 1
Combat Colin

Review: Funny in an odd kind of way. It's no classic, it's got the bloody space kids in it, and it's daft enough to be a cartoon episode, but it's amazing that people will defend "Deadly Games" and then slate this. It's not the best return for Optimus, but he gets a few hilarious bits - admitting the Autobots only have enough funds for two tickets, and referring to the ringmaster as "Mr. Top".

Synopsis: It turns out Berko tricked Sky Lynx into performing as payment for a circus visit, also using the kids as an exhibit. The Autobots then persuade Berko to free the kids, while Optimus frees Sky Lynx. Big Top trues to stop Goldbug, but ends up in a cage. The Autobots and humans then leave.

Errors: Those kids must bloody stink after 39 issues in the same clothes. Could have mentioned that above, but then this review would be a little short...

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Sky Lynx, Optimus Prime, Goldbug, Joyride, Getaway, Slapdash.

Notable Others: Allan, Sammy, Jed, Robin, Berko, Big Top.

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Launch Base" Part 2
Combat Colin

Review: A bit mad, and slightly less fun than the first part [though Sky Lynx' note that the lizard is scared of heights is great, as is his showmanship] with everything getting tied up much too neatly, with Berko's transformation from total bastard to loveable rogue being a bit unconvincing.

Synopsis: 2008 - Wreck-Gar has been captured by the Quintessons, and is being interrogated about the location of a canister. He agrees to tell them of its history. The Sharkticons tried to recover the canister from Junk, but are driven off by the Junkions. The Quintessons then took over the planet using a control signal. Sky Lynx reported this to Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus. Astrotrain also reports it to Galvatron. The Aerialbots went to investigate, and were attacked, but found the Quintesson ship and attacked it as Superion, but are knocked out as Cyclonus and Scourge arrive.

Errors: The Aerialbots' jet modes are abysmally rendered. The angle of the main story being told by Wreck-Gar is a bit ruined when he sets it two years ago, and tells the Quintessons a pile of stuff they should already know. On the top of page 5, I really hope that's not meant to be Wreck-Gar. But it probably is, so Kupperberg's managed to get nothing whatsoever about his rendition of the Junkion leader right. Sky Lynx is spelled "Skylynx" on page 7.

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: None actually appear, but Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Sky Lynx, Astrotrain, Galvatron, Cyclonus, Silverbolt, Air Raid, Slingshot, Fireflight, Skydive, Slingshot, Superion and Scourge all appear in Wreck-Gar's story.

Notable Others: Wreck-Gar. He also fantasises himself a nice wife in his story.

Production Notes: The story was adapted by Macchio from his own TV script for a stopgap US issue, then given an additional prologue written by Simon Furman, and drawn by Lee Sullivan, to fit in with the UK series.

Back-Up Strips:
Action Force - "Launch Base" Part 3
Combat Colin

Review: Stupid, ugly, bad, terrible. The prologue idea is a nice side-step of essential US reprint material buggering up Furman's post-Movie continuity, but it doesn't actually make the story any more palatable. Of all the episodes which they could have adapted, why choose this diabolical one? Kupperberg's inept, rigid art topped off with an especially lax day at the office for Yomtov does a below-par script no good whatsoever.