THE TRANSFORMERS: COMICS, BOOKS AND MANGA

Cover Date: October 1993

Script: Simon Furman
Art: Geoff Senior
Letters: [Richard] Starkings w. [Peggy] Gaushell
Colours: Sarra Mossoff

Later Reprinted In: Transformers Generation 2 #2 [US].

Synopsis: The Autobots and Bludgeon's Decepticons are battling on an alien world for a cache of weapons. Optimus Prime has sent Hot Rod to try to cause a distraction from the alien computer, and a guardian promptly appears, scaring the Decepticons off. A few moments later Hot Rod arrives, apologising for being unable to provide the distraction. The Autobots realise the monster is real, and withdraw

Notes: This is set after "End of the Road", as hinted at by the cast, but before any of the other Generation 2 stuff. Not an awful lot else to note, although bizarrely Hot Rod is the tech guy of Optimus' team...

Errors: Bludgeon's teeth regenerate after Prime smacks him on page 1. Optimus' gunbelts keep disappearing, and change to red in the last frame.

Transformers featured [in rough order of appearance]: Optimus Prime, Swoop, Grimlock, Kup, Weirdwolf, Stranglehold, Bludgeon, Octopunch, Jazz, Bumblebee, Darkwing, Quake, Fangry, Sideswipe, Hot Rod.

Review: A nice, stylish run around, a sci-fi cliché [the forgotten guardian] treated with just the right amount of humour. It's rather inconsequential, and in reprint form among the darkness of the Generation 2 run jars a little, but it's just good fun with some nice art - Senior is the only man who can make Bumblebee switching to VW mode look cool.