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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Have updated post three to include Marvel stuff from The Best of Simon Furman and the Magazine (I know the latter is easy enough to do, I just thought having it all in one place would help the poor sap putting it on the site).

It should be noted though that the contents of these have been taken from secondary sources, if anyone who actually has their mits on one and knows different do tell us.

I was rather pleasently surprised to see the Furman book doesn't have the Wrath of... two parter. Which means Furman hasn't backtracked over if he thinks its any good or not and IDW haven't been evily mercenary by putting something not collected anywhere else in a overpriced hardback after all.

I think that's all up to date as far as Marvel stuff goes, yes?
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Denyer
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Post by Denyer »

Done (I think): UK/US issue notes for recent reprints -- with the exception of Time Wars which I'll add in once the reprint series is complete, Jawbreaker/Weirdwolf notes.

Also: removed the "Later Reprinted In" details from UK entries where they concern US stories; added details for Classic Transformers V1/V2.
The Best of Simon Furman [IDW]:

UK 81, 86, 172, 173
US 62, 70, 71, 74
75.

edit:
Very, very minor concern I noticed awhile back, only mentioning it now due to the creation of this thread. I noticed in the covers archive, when you select a file link on any given Marvel U.S and/or U.K covers, it leaves out the first couple or so issues. For example:
http://tfarchive.com/comics/covers/marv ... al=001-060
http://tfarchive.com/comics/covers/marv ... &gal=01-40

Again, just thought I mention it.
Weird. That's presumably been an issue since the server move. Think I've fixed it with code substitution.
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Denyer wrote:Done (I think)
My comprehensive check suggests you got it right, including my deliberate mistake.

The entries for the G2 stuff does make it seem as if it reprints the whole issue rather than just the Tales of Earth bits though (I know, overly pedantic git alert).


Errr, didn't Cliffy once threaten violence on anyone who put the best of Furman in the guide?
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Only if it included "Wrath" or any other 'new' reprints. I'll settle for a snarky comment instead in that case.
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Post by zigzagger »

A real minor thing.

Links to Skullgrin and Landmine's profiles don't seem to be on the Universe page. They were in the back of issue #72 .
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Right, as I'm in the middle of a big honking 25th Anniversary read through of the comics (Jazz really is a bastard isn't he? Giving Sparkplug a heart attack, blowing up a human in that odd annual story) it's time for some reprint updates/corrections!

I got as far as the start of Time Wars last time, so to resume...:

Best of UK: Time Wars

1: UK 189, Altered image, All In The Minds, Both 1988 Annual.
2: UK 188, 199.
3: UK 200, 201.
4: UK 202, 203.
5: UK 204, 205.

Best of UK: City of Fear

1: UK 164, 165.
2: UK 166, 167.
3: UK 168, 169.
4: UK 152, 153.
5: UK 170, 171.

[Yep, that orderings right. Don't ask me why they didn't just stick Enemy Action in the last issue rather than break up a straight run of linked stories].

In terms of corrections, I notice this in the errors section for UK #74:
The Dinobots start out at the Ark, despite walking out in #70

According to the Wiki, Grimlock's line in Command Performances! was changed in the UK to: "Oh, we understand, all right. Once again, you've clearly demonstrated how unfit you are to lead the Dinobots. We'll have no part in this fool's errand. Back to the Ark, Dinobots. We've got some talking to do..."

Making them head back to base rather than leaving. If Tom's able to check the issue to confirm that I'd say that's an error removed from #74 and a note on the changed dialogue added to #70.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Yeh, some of it was done from US scans and never revised, so it's quite possible I got that wrong. There's probably a bit of that - I didn't directly compare printings unless something leapt out at me, and I didn't have a full complement of US issues at the time either. It could do with a rewrite, especially for that sort of thing.
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

OK, I'd suggest this added note for UK #70:

The UK team have altered Grimlock's dialogue to better fit in with their own upcoming stories. Instead of leaving the Autobots he now has the Dinobots return to the Ark to discuss their situation, a conversation we see in #74. Whilst the original lines have Grilock starting to slip into his TV counterparts broken English the UK version keeps his original more normal sounding way of speaking.

Another minorish thing, the last two issues of Target:2006 both claim to have the same fact file for Galvatron in them.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

And more as I continue through my ever so slightly sluggish read through (I really need to get a move on to reach the end of G2 this year...).

From the Extras bit for UK#167:
Death's Head - a one-page advert-cum-strip by Simon Furman and Bryan Hitch. This was a private advertisement placed by Furman so he held copyright in Death's Head, and not Marvel.
Most interviews/features I've read claim that the ad was placed by Marvel (though Furman may have had the idea being the one who was initially hugely impressed with the look Senior gave the character) in order to make sure they could claim ownership of the character instead of Hasbro. I've certainly never seen any suggestion Furman himself owns Death's Head.

The exception is the introduction to the Fallen Angel trade- Where it claims Death's Head had been created prior to being featured in Transformers as a new lead for a series of US style books but when these were delayed Furman decided to use him in the title he was already writing to try him out. As no one else seems to support this I wonder if whoever wrote the article was using contemporary Marvel paperwork where they were basically lying in order to further make sure Hasbro wouldn't try to claim the character (assuming the article isn't just plain bollocks of course).

Incidentally, is that the earliest appearance of High Noon Tex or just its first showing in Transformers after doing the rounds in other comics? I'd been under the impression it had been published prior to his first TF showing in order to clinch the copyright (which is why Hitch drew rather than Senior, he was basically the only guy on hand when they needed something done instantly).

The Doctor Who: A Cold Day In Hell trade is well worth a flick through for anyone interested in what was going on at Marvel UK at that time, it's fairly clear the push for new US style titles and all the crossovers that ensued was the result of Richard Starkins really pushing to create a Marvel UK "Universe". I wonder if the memo about Transformers no longer being part of the wider Marvel continuity never got to the UK offices or if they just chose to ignore it?

Bit of a useless random stream of consciousness there.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

The entry for US #56 gets the cover artist wrong, twas Dan Reed.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

I'm seriously leaning towards asking for the whole thing to be taken offline until someone has the chance to give it a proper revision, or even a complete rewrite. At the moment it's at best obsolete, and is giving out disinformation in a Rob Jung kind-of way.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

If you take it down I'll have to use the wiki as first reference for my trade reviews. Do you want to inflict that on me?

Tangent 1: The Galvatron and the Volcano storyline really comes up as horribly padded when you sit down and analyse it properly. Everyone does everything twice (running up the volcano at Galvatron, Death's Head interrupting a fight and getting an arm injury as a result, even Ultra Magnus "dying").

Tangent 2: Did you know that when Fleetway did that 2000 AD Sci Fi Special thing with the olde characters like the Spider in it they didn't actually have the rights to any of them? Apparently they assumed that when Maxwell brought the company he brought everything but he actually only acquired the rights to comics published after 1969. Much legal fun followed.

EDIT: Rob Jung?
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Post by Cliffjumper »

inflatable dalek wrote:If you take it down I'll have to use the wiki as first reference for my trade reviews. Do you want to inflict that on me?
Aye, and I'll end up on those twats' Distressingly Common Misconceptions About Transformers LOL Because Not Everyone Has Spent The Past Decade Researching A Toyline LOL page at this rate.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

The only problem with a total rewrite is in order to do it properly without having to rely on things like the wiki (which is a secondary source and not always guaranteed reliable) or scans (which usually don't do the whole issue, things like the editorial and next issue boxes) is to have all the issues directly to hand. And as far as I'm aware you're the only person round here who 's got the complete Marvel set.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

But I'm lazy.

I would actually love to find the time/willpower to scan the whole lot cover to cover as an archival project for the whole comic rather than just the strips, but I know full well I'd get to #9 and my fatally short attention span would then have me doing a Daimos episode guide or a Pete Wisdom checklist (If It's Not Written By Warren Ellis It's Not Pete Wisdom).
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Post by inflatable dalek »

To be honest I do think you're a bit hard on it, at most it only really needs minor alterations, mainly to cover changes the UK comic made to US issues (as well as what's mentioned them cunningly recolouring Skids and Broadside in Totalled to make them seem less obviously like characters who shouldn't be there).

Other than that, unless your opinions on the issues themselves have changed drastically making the reviews painful to read it still stands up fine.
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Post by Super Kid »

Just been flicking through this and it's a great resource but a couple of things that have sprung out at me.

In UK #24, you mention that the letters page says that the Insecticons will be appearing soon but they don't turn up until issue #82.Their first appearance is actually in issue #66.

The section on UK #12 refers to Starscream gunning down the Man of Iron but that was actually a change(or, at the very least, a clarification)made when it was reprinted in US #34.In UK #12 there's nothing to say for definite that the character is Starscream and the cover and dialogue imply that it's Skywarp.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Good catch on the Man of Iron thing, I've noticed that before but it had slipped my mind entirely until you mentioned it.

There are currently very vague plans to do a complete revamp of the comics guide as a collective team effort (with both cliffy's blessing and him fully involved, it's not a sneaky chuck out his stuff whilst he's distracted by a GI Joe toy thing) but with various real life things in the way it hasn't got much further than "Hey wanna do this at some point?" "Sure" yet. So don't worry folks, we're not completely ignoring all the points made here, it's just a slow burning thing.
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