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Comic Reviews, Transformers: Generation 2

TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #8: iNTO HiGH GEAR

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Having only finished the real time read through of the original G1 comic last year it doesn’t feel too long ago that the Autobots and Decepticons teamed up to defeat Unicron, so the big selling point of this admittedly brilliant Derek Yaniger cover doesn’t feel as epic as it was originally intended. Inside, three pages after the man strip begins it’s interrupted by the 6-page back up strip, before that story just ends and returns to the main one!

Those first few pages are basically Jhiaxus again stating the mission of his overly-evolved Cybertronians as the Nazis of the universe, invading planets to wipe out all inferior (in his eyes) life. Seeing his troops in chunky tank forms wiping out whole civilisations I can’t help but compare them to the Daleks. Their missions are basically the same after all.

Things properly kick off in Tales of Earth: Part Five when the half-destroyed form of Megatron standing over the similarly brutally beaten Optimus Prime somewhat triggers Grimlock. The ability of Megatron to wipe them out if he so wished is very apparent across these pages, which makes Prime’s belief (and Megatron’s confirmation) all the more dramatic. And that’s even with the aforementioned G1 truce still fresh in my mind, so kudos to the comic that this still works.

However, by contrast the back up’s cliffhanger is a bit of a damp squib, seeing as how it’s Starscream thinking about leaving the Decepticons to go out on his own. As usual. Back to the main Escalation story and Manny Galan’s pencils (with Jim Amash inking and the excellent Sarra Mossoff colouring) have improved immensely. Things seem more focussed, the characters more solid and the wobbly wire necks are gone.

Prime is questioning their very existence. If their creator, Primus did indeed stop their evolution because he knew their race would eventually become one devoid of basic compassion and morality, then how was their creation ever justified? After all, as Ian Malcolm would say, life finds a way. Not even a planet-sized robotic god can avoid the key rule of Jurassic Park.

Oh, we almost got some transformation images there! But more importantly there’s Slapdash. The yellow F1-type car was a Headmaster toy I loved so much as a kid. Sometimes it’s the littlest things that can bring joy. Or indeed the largest, dinosaur-shaped things. While I questioned why Starscream had teeth and a snake-like tongue in a previous issue, below they make much more sense. I love Manny’s depiction of these fan favourites. Thank goodness Sarra has kept them to their original color schemes too instead of the gaudy 90s style of the toy line.

Smokescreen buys it when he tries to take a more aggressive approach. He underestimates the enemy’s strength compared to the Decepticons they’ve fought for so long and ends up exploding in a fireball. Inferno rushes in to dampen the flames but it’s too late. Apparently he now has a fiery temper to go with his fire engine alt mode and he ends up killing those responsible, while putting himself directly in harm’s way.

Luckily he escapes (briefly) but I just had to include this panel to show off Richard Starkings’ and Bill O’Neil’s lettering. I’ve raved about the bold design of the speech balloons from the beginning of the series and this really shows how much their sound effects add to the strip too. In fact, everything to do with the art seems to have been dialled up to eleven this month.

I love this panel of Optimus unloading on Jhaixus’ warriors. It feels very animated, like it could be a still frame from a cartoon and seeing the blasts reflected on his chest windscreens is a nice touch. Manny is really going for it in the action scenes! I just wish he’d attempt to show the characters transforming instead of only showing them in before and after poses. Come on Manny, you’ve only got four issues left.

Back to the battle and things aren’t going well for the Autobots. Inferno bites the dust when the building he jumped into for safety collapses, reinforcements for the enemy are on the way, every move they make is countered and in the air the Aerialbots are outnumbered and outgunned. Fireflight is hit and proclaims things are so desperate he’s going to shut his optical sensors and hope for some kind of…

It might not feel as original as writer Simon Furman probably wanted but it’s still great fun seeing Combaticon Vortex and another Decepticon called Ransack (a G2 creation who also appeared in Revenge of the Fallen, a similarly-named robot was a Deluxe Insecticon in the G1 toy line) rush in to save the Aerialbots. Meanwhile, on the ground Megatron and his ground based warriors are taking great pleasure in destroying what he describes as the “pale imitation” Decepticons.

The issue ends with Prime’s inner thoughts confusing me somewhat. He’s weighing up whether he should tell Megatron about his visions of the black mass making its way across the universe and dissolving all life. I mean, it sounds like something important he should share with the enemy he’s now in an uneasy alliance with if they’re to save their race together. But nope, he keeps it to himself. Perhaps this from the previous page sheds a bit of light on his decision?

This, plus Megatron’s insistence he’s only playing nice because of his desire to kill Jhiaxus, seems to result in Prime keeping things close to his chest. After everything that happened at the end of G1 this seems a rather dubious decision and only taken to serve the story, rather than the story serving the characters. As I took this issue off my shelf to read it I spotted the next issue’s cover shows Jhiaxus’ troops dissolving, so Prime better get talking.

As per usual, near the end the strip breaks off for the Bullpen Bulletin and this issue’s is part of a tribute to Jack Kirby who had passed away that year. The bulletins were updated weekly across Marvel’s range so we’re only seeing this part in Transformers. It contains a couple of quotes from names familiar with our G1 comic, namely Jim Salicrup (the original 8-part Transformers story and Visionaries) and George Roussos (G.I. Joe).

At the back of the comic comes the latest Transmissions letters page and the sad news the comic wouldn’t be continuing past its 12th issue. There are some hints about the conclusion too. Strangely, the first letter states they’re happy G2 is more realistic “like the animated movie”. Um, okay. I’m not the only one who agrees Manny’s work has improved immensely, however I don’t understand the comic’s “theory” about the Matrix. The Matrix itself wasn’t destroyed when it stopped Unicron, surely that was evident from the end of the movie too? The fact the writer doesn’t seem to understand why his character has it again (after he’s written it back in) is a bit strange!

That aside, it’s been another great issue and as we rocket towards the now-announced finale I fully expect the pace to pick up incrementally, even from this high-octane outing. I just hope the characters lead the way and aren’t forced into various decisions and/or positions just to get us there. As ever though, I look forward to the next issue. That ninth edition will be up for review on the blog on Sunday 25th May 2025.

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TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #7: MEGA(TRON) MEMORiES

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Once more Derek Yaniger‘s art is a storming start to the latest issue of Marvel US‘ Transformers: Generation 2 comic from 1994 and inside it’s all-action. Written by Simon Furman, New Dawn begins with Megatron‘s Decepticons purging a planet of its robotic life in order to steal its natural resources, giving penciller Manny Galan, inker Jim Amash and colourist Sarra Mossoff a chance to introduce some of the new G2 toys as dramatically as possible!

There are a handful of brand new robots I’d never heard of before but it was the reintroduction of an old character that really caught my eye. With the Matrix captured (far too easily) last time, Megatron has been busy creating (and recreating) an army and to see an old favourite return in this way was a thrill. It’s just a shame Simon got their name wrong. But when I read this initially (before researching for the review) I wasn’t aware and just enjoyed the shock and awe.

In G1 Darkwing and the UK letter answerer Dreadwind combined into the giant jet toy called Dreadwing. It’s this name Hasbro went with for this stealth bomber Decepticon in the G2 range but Simon has named it Darkwing. Just to add more confusion, back in #5 Darkwing was named as a downed Decepticon jet (hence he needed rebuilt by the power of the Matrix) but his colour scheme was that of Dreadwind. So that’s that cleared up!

The attack goes flawlessly for the Decepticons but in the background one of their ilk isn’t happy with how he’s being used; he’s been resurrected for a single-minded purpose just to be disposed of when the job is done. No prizes for guessing it’s Starscream, once more raising the questions of why Megatron chose him in the first place and why has he a head full of human teeth.

He seems to have picked up on some classic Earth sayings in his time on our planet during G1, which I admit I did chuckle at. With his army back at full strength Megatron addresses his troops, rallying them for the fight ahead against Jhiaxus‘ new generation of Cybertronians. It gives the comic a reason to include one of those great crowd scenes it was always so good at, and Manny et all don’t disappoint.

That’s a bit harsh of Megatron shouting “Death to the Pretenders!” so close to Fangry and Stranglehold, though. Not really, it’s a funny little in-joke and at least Octopunch in the bottom-right corner stops himself from inadvertently referring to his former boss! This sort of build up is something we saw a few times over the course of the epic first generation comic, which makes what happens next all the more shocking.

First we get a moment of reflection with Jhiaxus bemoaning the fact that “tact and diplomacy” haven’t worked. If what he’s done was tactful and diplomatic then the comic successfully predicted some of our idiotic world leaders today. While the Deceptions are the ones to initiate the fighting, it’s actually their ship that’s boarded by Jhiaxus’ troops. What follows is nothing short of a massacre!

This has echoes of the Autobot Ark being boarded by Megatron and his army right back at the very beginning of the G1 comic, which adds to the dramatic outcome and the shock felt with the deaths of so many long-standing characters. Manny’s art is superb, even if an acid “drop” in zero gravity makes no sense. In the end, Megatron takes the fight to Jhiaxus… and subsequently gets seven shades of grey and green smacked out of him, as per the cover.

We see Megatron burning up upon entry to the planet below and have to take a breath to fully appreciate how everything has changed in the course of one issue. There’s a point where the story feels rushed, when Megatron sees Skullgrin‘s ship crash after an attack and suddenly he believes everything Prime told him last issue. Much in the same way as he claimed the Matrix, there are elements that feel they’ve been sped up from what Simon may have originally intended, in order to get the story to a finishing point for the final issue.

But it’s a testament to the quality of the comic that despite this it’s still so damned enjoyable. Soundwave takes some troops (including one of my favourite childhood Transformers toys, Dragstrip) down to the planet and discovers what they initially think are Megatron’s remains. However, as you can see it takes more than a savage beating in the depths of space, unprotected planetfall and a full speed descent over many miles into the solid ground to keep a good Decepticon down.

Tales of Earth continues as the backup strip and, while not an awful lot happens in part four, what it does contain are a few pages that are my absolute favourite of the whole issue, perhaps of the whole Generation 2 series so far. As Optimus Prime lies on an operating table getting slowly mended by medical drones, his thoughts wonder.

Having been close to death so many times must play on your mind, right? Reading that panel above, we know Prime is thinking back over the millennia and the endless war between the Autobots and Decepticons and the futility of it all. The back and forth between wins and loses, the only winner will surely be death, for them and their race. They’ve even saved one another upon occasion. Do they somehow know they actually need each other?

All of these thoughts are interesting enough but it’s how they’re presented that really grabbed me. I’m positive readers at the time loved these next few pages just as much and I know fans reading them here for the first time will feel exactly the same. Beginning with a double-page spread presented in landscape format, Prime’s thoughts trace back over specific key moments from the seven-plus years of the original comic.

His inner monologue is brought to the page wonderfully by Richard Starkings alongside new partner Bill O’Neil (Gen13, writer on Fathom and John Carpenter’s Snake Plissken Chronicles) and their unique lettering, punctuating a glorious spread by Derek, Jim and Sarra that includes the aforementioned Ark assault and even the moment between Ratchet and Megatron atop a clifftop on Earth from the early days. Speaking of Ratchet, look at that final memory carefully and you’ll see extra limbs and a familiar head shape in that Megatron-like silhouette.

Seeing this on the next page again was thrilling! What a surprise! It was a huge moment in the final year of the original comic and wonderful to see it play a key role in the Generation 2 story, as Prime remembers how he saved Megatron and Ratchet, despite the latter’s wish to be killed so that their enemy wouldn’t survive. What a moment. What an issue this has been. At the end the cliffhanger is a half-destroyed Megatron bursting in and standing over the helpless Optimus. You’ll see him in all his battered glory in next month’s review. Things just stepped up a gear. No pun intended.

In the middle of the comic is an eight-page pullout and a removable cardboard order form for the Marvel Mart, which according to its own cover is “Marvel’s First Catalogue Ever”. It says it’s full of rare merchandise yet the majority of it is comics and box sets, with merchandise relegated to the usual t-shirts, posters and the like on one page. I did spot the Transformers Generation 2 box set that I owned, which confusingly didn’t contain part one of the G.I. Joe crossover. (Possibly because only four issues would fit inside the boxes used.) It’s basically an eight-page advert.

At the beginning of the comic, right opposite the dramatic Darkwing/Dreadwing page is an advertisement for some chewy sweets with an incredibly unfortunate name. I mean, how on Earth did this get past the initial idea stage, never mind into the shops? It’s funny to look back on, but can you imagine if these were advertised today in a kid’s comic? You’d be able to hear the keyboards of Daily Mail readers across the land.

With that rather strange look at 90s American candy we come to the end of this month’s real time review. If this is the quality this comic achieved by only its seventh issue, I can’t help but wonder where it could’ve gone and the heights it could’ve reached over another seven year run! Now more than ever the month between this and the next issue is going to be a long one. Transformers: Generation 2 returns on Sunday 27th April 2025 with #8.

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TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #6: WHAT’S NEW iS OLD AGAiN

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It’s Opposites Day in Marvel US’ sixth issue of Transformers: Generation 2. The six-page back up strip Tales of Earth is up first, with the main, 16-page The Gathering Darkness starting on the very next page. The shorter story’s build up must be coming to its climax and melding into the main story. But even more excitingly than that, the human co-stars who started this whole series return.

That’s right, G.I. Joe are back! With Bludgeon’s Decepticons levelling city after city across the globe it was only a matter of time until they were the only appropriate human response. But they’re not happy! First though, writer Simon Furman’s back up kicks off with an explanation at last from Megatron as to his choice of Deceptions to resurrect. Although, what he says is more like proof he was right after the fact, rather than the reason he chose Starscream in the first place.

It’s a bit better than, “Because it’s a Transformers comic and it wouldn’t be the same without our tête-à-tête, and they reissued his toy so I had no choice. All hail Hasbro!” Tales of Earth ends with the page below and the return of Optimus Prime to our planet at last. I love how this momentous moment is completely undercut with Duke’s response to his arrival. Derek Yaniger’s art is perfect for this comic once again and I love his rough-and-ready depiction of the Joes.

Standing in the flattened Capitol, Hawk lists a handful of major world cities all destroyed by the Decepticons. I’d no idea this comic went this far! It makes Prime’s reasoning all the more ridiculous though, especially when he just stands there and watches Starscream shoot down a G.I. Joe jet with its pilot still inside. While he states every human life lost weighs on his “already overburdened conscience”, he suggests that an assault by the Autobots would aggravate the situation. I think that ship has sailed!

There aren’t many Decepticons and the majority of the damage was done by their ship in space, which is one big target! It’d be an easy win (especially given how easily the Autobots do win their battle later), but the threat of Jhiaxus is so great that Prime wants to talk to Megatron instead. Is this going to come down to putting differences aside or they’ll all die again? This feels somewhat overdone by this point after the first generation. Although we do get to see Prime fighting his way to Megatron through Tantrum, a fan-favourite Predacon and it was great to see them again after their terrific Marvel UK stories.

Penciller Manny Galan, inker Jim Amash and colourist Sarra Mossoff really do pull out all the stops with the set pieces here, I can’t deny that. Still loving Richard Starkings’ and John Gaushell’s speech balloons too. So it’s already not going to plan for Prime, but surely he should’ve known that would happen? Then again, his actions so far (or rather, lack thereof) feel like he’s forgotten about his promise to our planet and the people on it, so maybe he’s had a bump to the head and thought Megatron wouldn’t obviously betray him.

Unfortunately, this is immediately followed by another issue I have with this chapter. Megatron defeats Prime far too easily and his plan is so basic, and accomplished so effortlessly, I can’t help but wonder why he never did it before now? With Optimus down he rips open the chest of the Autobot leader and connects a siphon to drain the Matrix of its power which he can then use to raise a new Decepticon army.

I do like the fact Prime has a mouth in behind his plating. It reminds me of how the live-action movies depicted him and the cheer that came out of the audience (and me) when his plating slid out in battle. But why does he have teeth? Anyway, I’m getting distracted, so back to the story. A few pages earlier Grimlock and Prowl were arguing (as always) about what to do and Prowl reminded the Dinobot leader that Optimus wanted to go in alone to prove the gravity of the situation to Megatron.

Obviously this didn’t sit well with Grimlock (who now has a speech pattern that’s a combination of the original UK and US comics) but orders are orders, right? Well, this led to that inner thought about orders above. On the opposite page to that is the image below which you can’t help but notice upon turning the page, resulting in that thought above being superbly funny!

What follows are a few pages of good old-fashioned fighting between a lot of the classic characters from the earlier days of the original comic, so they’re a blast to read. Even the art continuing not to show transformations (instead showing a ‘before’ and ‘after’ image of the character in the same panel) can’t dampen what is an exhilarating battle. In the end the Autobots win, naturally, and the Decepticons tractor beam themselves off Earth, taking the drained Matrix energy with them. Again, they could’ve done this in the beginning!

The last two pages hark back to the gathering darkness of the title. Prowl recycles a line from the cartoon movie as Prime gives us a hint of what battles we should expect in coming issues. I’m going to guess Megatron takes on Jhiaxus’ Decepticons and the Autobots have to come to their rescue. Of course, when I try to guess what’s going to happen in my comics I’m hoping my guess is always wrong and that I’m going to be surprised instead. Speaking of surprises, the people of Fara get a particularly nasty one.

This darkness reminds me a lot of both the void creatures Skids battled in the Marvel UK comic and the corrupted Matrix when it took over Thunderwing in the later issues of the original run. This kind of sums up this issue for me. It’s just too familiar. The nostalgia is welcome in the battle between the opposing sides but elsewhere it feels like a well-trodden path. It’s still enjoyable, in the way that catching a repeat of Knight Rider on TV is enjoyable even though my complete Blu Ray set is on a nearby shelf.

I own the complete Marvel UK run of Transformers G1 and admittedly am reading Generation 2 just after finishing it instead of a few years later, but it still feels a bit too much like a repeat in its overall story and some of its character moments. Unfortunately, there’s also a sense of trying to rush through the plot to get to a certain point, such as with Prime’s sudden disregard for us and Megatron’s ease at gaining the power of the Matrix. Had word reached Simon that the comic wasn’t going to be the ongoing epic he’d envisioned?

Nostalgia isn’t always a good thing

As a result this is the weakest issue so far. The fact it’s still so enjoyable from the nostalgia point of view speaks volumes to the high quality of this series as a whole. This is the first issue of the second half of the run, so I’ll be interested to see if it continues at this pace in order to reach a proper ending. Before I go, an advert in the middle of the comic caught my eye to prove that nostalgia isn’t always a good thing.

To say that’s a problematic advert is a bit of an understatement. In these more enlightened times it’s quite a shock to see it in a kid’s comic. It doesn’t exactly send the right message about women to any young boys reading, does it? I remember the TV show (and the movie it was based on) but I’ll admit I never watched it. From what I’ve heard she actually taught the boys a lot about women throughout the series, but even when I was the exact target audience it never sat right with me, maybe because there were a lot of girls in my friends circle.

Anyway, as I close this latest issue and see that front cover by Derek again I lament how the inside didn’t quite match up to its promise. If the plot having too many convenient things happen is to ensure we’ll reach a proper ending point before cancellation then it’ll go down as a necessary evil. Let’s see how things pan out when Transformers: Generation 2 #7 hits the blog on Sunday 30th March 2025.

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TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #5: HEAD MASTER

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My heart sank a little with this Derek Yaniger cover. Don’t get me wrong, it’s another superb piece by him, we’ve come to expect nothing less these past few months (unfortunately his only contribution to this issue). The problem for me is that Bludgeon is my favourite leader of the Decepticons! He may only have come to the fore over the last year or two of the original Marvel UK run but he made a huge impact on me.

That’s for our backup strip though and first we’ve got the next chapter in our main story, which begins by setting the tone in a familiar way to long term readers, describing Cybertron in a way we’ve seen a few times before, and drawn by Manny Galan, inked by Jim Amash, lettered by Richard Starkings and John Gaushell, and we welcome Chia-Chi Wang (The Punisher, Venom, G.I. Joe) on colours. This familiarity isn’t a complaint, it’s evocative and usually comes before some epic moment or storyline so the levels of anticipation are high. Plus I love the word “bio-chanic”!

But there’s a twist. Optimus Prime is beginning to doubt all of this. Hooked up to a new machine in a vast resonating cavern to allow connection between him and the small part of the Matrix in his mind. No, it doesn’t make sense but it’s a comic about giant alien robots that transform into cars, it only has to sound like it does. The story plays on the psychic nature of the Matrix, which the UK comic did quite a bit. So did the live-action films, again proving some “fans” who complained about such things need to go back and read the original comics.

Meanwhile, on a beautiful, natural, green world somewhere writer Simon Furman doesn’t hold back with his eco message for young readers. This isn’t new to Transformers, their own world was dying and the Decepticons wanted to strip Earth of its natural resources way back at the very beginning of the original comic. Simon also wrote more environmental messages into the UK comic like the wonderful Christmas tale, The Greatest Gift of All.

However, Jhiaxus is more concerned about an attack from the Autobots. Interestingly, it’s the fact they haven’t attacked that concerns him. It must mean Prime is up to something much bigger if this wanton destruction is being ignored. Back with Prime and what’s consuming his thoughts, and we actually get to see Primus create the first ever Transformer life. This is cool, even if the comic always struggled to produce original designs anywhere near as good as the toys.

So what are these disturbing visions trying to tell him? For us, it’s a rewriting of Transformers history as we know it, when Prime realises that they weren’t just created and left to use the Matrix to create new Transformers like all who had come before. For a long, long period of their history they too evolved just like organic life on other planets.

Primus couldn’t just create the life needed to destroy Unicron, his creations had to learn and grow and evolve until they were ready. But they were programmed to stop doing so. Somehow, Jhiaxus unlocked this genetic code, he and his fellow Transformers continuing to evolve into something… else. I have to say, this is a neat way of getting ‘Generation 2’ into the actual story of the comic rather than just being the name of the toy line. It’s quite wonderful, in fact.

Angry, Prime rips himself out of the machine. His race was already at the edge of what it was created to be: a force for good. Megatron and the Decpeticons crossed that line, but what have the Transformers become under Jhiaxus, without a conscience? But as Prime leaves, we readers get to see what the machine would’ve shown him next.

It’s Jhiaxus’ evolutionary process, repeating and repeating until the darkness within transforms into something else and makes its way out into the cosmos. Is this what Prime’s visions in previous months were all about? Is it linked to the vast powers from the time of Primus and Unicron, the reason their evolution was programmed to stop? The story is going very big, very quickly and I like the messages and questions it’s bringing to what would’ve been younger readers at the time. My anticipation for the rest of the run is sky high!

The six-page Tales of Earth: Part Two is also written by Simon and is drawn by the same team, however I’m glad to see Sarra Mossoff back on colours. According to Bludgeon modern day Earth has been completely subjugated by the Decepticons. This is a strange route to take, seeing as how kids could look outside and go, “No it hasn’t.” Personally, setting it just a year or two later as a possible future would’ve made it more dramatic.

Why has Starscream got what looks like a snake’s tongue all-of-a-sudden? Anyway, the story is basically a fight between the two leaders, the outcome of which we already know thanks to the cover and Megatron easily rips off Bludgeon’s head. He’s a Pretender though, so while we know any pain felt by a Pretender shell is also felt by the occupier, Bludgeon battles through, throwing himself out of his shell and straight into his tank mode. Behind all of this we get a funny moment showing the newly restored Starscream is still the same Starscream he’s always been.

At one point Megatron blows up one of Bludgeon’s Decepticons and calls the now-deceased jet ‘Darkwing’, but the colour scheme is that of Dreadwind, a fan favourite among Marvel UK readers as he was one of our letter answerers. I hope it was just a colouring error! In the end things are finished quite easily, with Megatron simply turning into his new tank mode and destroying Bludgeon. A shame, because I always preferred him over Megatron or Galavatron.

On the letters page, Vincent Grisanti may have (unbelievably) preferred Nel Yomtov’s colouring over Sarra’s and he may not like Richard’s word balloons, but he does bring up one good point. Namely, he questions the continuity between the end of the old series and the sequel, in particular the Nucleon storylines which resulted in some Transformers gaining great strength but losing their ability to transform, something they can all do again in Generation 2.

I hate the answer given here. The Action Masters toys may have been criticised at the time (these days non-transforming Transformers seem to sell well) but Simon crafted a wonderful storyline to explain them. This is thrown out with a pithy one-sentence response that I feel mocks all of those dramatic stories (particularly for Grimlock), stopping just short of ignoring them completely.

Of course, here in the UK the final Transformers Annual had a wonderful, character-driven prose story which opened up the doors to those Autobots transforming again. But who cares, right? Just chuck all of that wonderful work away! If the comic carried on beyond its first year I’d loved to have seen this addressed but clearly it wasn’t going to be. I feel cheated. Anyway, before we finish off two adverts from this issue caught my eye from the perspective of cost!

$70 for Sonic the Hedgehog 3?! A game even I could finish in an afternoon? I remember the prices of Sega’s and Nintendo’s cartridges being on the news at the time. No wonder! The Screen Posters are desktop wallpapers. When we now can take any image from the internet or any of our own personal photos and make them our wallpapers with a few clicks, it’s so quaint to remember a time when companies could sell them to us. But without that offer they’re $30! The fact the prices from these adverts are from the early 90s makes them even more shocking!

The best issue so far in this series comes to an end. As the two strips appear to be coming closer together, and as the main one becomes more complex, I can see why this run has been held in such high regard. I can’t believe this is a comic series that would ultimately be cut short. Next month we’re only half way through though, so there’s still plenty to get stuck into yet. The sixth issue of Transformers Generation 2 will be here on Sunday 23rd February 2025. It can’t come bloody soon enough!

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TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #4: GRiMLOCK-AND-LOAD

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I seem to recall this cover being used on one of Fleetway‘s UK issues, although after dipping my toes in with #1 of their comic I’d decided it wasn’t for me, so I must be remembering it from the newsagent’s shelves. Any fans of the Dinobots would’ve lapped this up, Derek Yaniger’s art perfectly capturing what drew young children to these characters. They were just so much fun, and inside Grimlock is the star.

He actually goes through quite a bit here, from leader, to remorsefulness, to having a blast stomping on baddies, making this the best issue yet! This fourth edition of the original US Transformers: Generation 2 begins with Optimus Prime having more visions of a dead world, slain Transformers rising from the ashes and once they touch him his body begins to dissolve, revealing his inner workings.

Interestingly, he hasn’t hidden these visions from his friends; everyone knows of them and no one is questioning his leadership. After his visions in the G1 comics this makes sense. Everyone appears to be on hand to help. It’s then we find out Grimlock has taken a captured Deception shuttle craft and left with some troops. Has he abandoned Prime? No, not quite. In fact, he’s doing it for Prime, even though they were all instructed to stay put.

Grimlock has decided to use a Decepticon craft to land aboard Jhiaxus’ ship Twilight and use the element of surprise to overwhelm the crew and stop their evil crusade in one fell swoop. This hasn’t come out of nowhere, there’s reasoning behind it, although he could’ve told the others. Judging by the panel below they all look miserable as hell!

They’re probably meant to be looking mean, ready for the attack, but instead they look like they’ve been told they’re not allowed any sweets before dinner. Behind all the bravado though, Grimlock has embarked on this unsanctioned mission to try to redeem himself in his own mind. He sees his “running to Prime” in #1 (when he realised the scale of the problem) as a sign of weakness, even though no one else does.

After everything he went through in the last couple of years of Generation 1, especially his dalliance with Nucleon which almost saw the end of the Transformer race’s most unique ability, he’s become much more critical of himself. Though he’ll never admit it out loud, his inner thoughts betray how he worries about his friends and the danger he puts them in with his decisions. I’ve always loved the comic version of Grimlock and here he’s better than ever.

Well, it was meant to be a surprise hit-and-run attack anyway. After pages of build-up, including Grimlock’s detailed tactics being really rather interesting, I actually laughed at it all coming to an ignominious end as soon as they set foot aboard the Twilight. However, Jhiaxus doesn’t kill them. Instead, he tells them they’re now prisoners and will be taken to “The Leige Maximo”, but not before Red Alert tries to launch his own surprise attack which fails spectacularly.

This comic certainly isn’t shy about killing off recurring characters right out of the gate! Grimlock asks what The Leige Maximo is, a person or a place, but he gets no answer. However, as their shuttle takes off Jhiaxus ponders if Grimlock will end up wishing they’d been killed by the Decepticons, and he appears surprisingly remorseful about sending them off to this… thing. Has Jhiaxus been on the receiving end of whatever this thing is? Is it his secret boss? Colour me intrigued! (No spoilers please.)

Back on board, Grimlock’s internal struggle resurfaces. Despite the cartoon depicting him as a dimwitted brute, the comic always gave him great depth. Well, apart from that awful moment in the original series when he became more like the cartoon just as he became Autobot leader but that was thankfully temporary! Apart from that blip he’s always been one of the more interesting characters.

Once again he’s wracked with guilt over the death of someone under his command and his respect for Optimus Prime is clear, albeit internally. I actually feel for him. His pride stops him from admitting any of this and it keeps getting him into trouble, despite his honourable intentions and clear wish to do good by Prime. Ironically, his internal struggles are what make him perfect leadership material, he and Prime unaware they both share the same doubts about themselves.

Who’d have thought all of this would be part of a toy comic, eh? Anyway, they’re soon attacked by another Decepticon craft and Grimlock is quick to transform into his dino mode and take advantage of the confusion to free his troops. And who says T-rex arms are too small to be of any use?

As it turns out the ship had actually been commandeered by Prime, Hot Rod, Kup, Hound and Prowl as a rescue mission. Below, Prime’s politeness while brandishing a huge cannon against the pilot he’s being so polite to is funny, and I can hear Peter Cullen’s voice when I read his “I disagree” speech balloon. Plus, doesn’t Grimlock just look like he’s having the time of his life in that middle panel?

I’ll give penciller Manny Galan kudos for how expressive his dinobots are in their alt-modes! Jim Amash’s and Marie Severin’s inks are as bold as ever and Sarra Mossoff’s colours pop more than ever. Still loving how Richard Starkings’ and John Gaushell’s letters give differently coloured boxes to each character and how they can change depending on the intensity of what they’re saying. A little bit of genius, that.

All of this fun art distracts somewhat from the ludicrous necks to be found elsewhere (see last issue) and writer Simon Furman rounds things off with a final twist in the tale as our two leads meet up and Prime offers Grimlock the position of Commander of the Autobots! Prime is returning to Cybertron as he believes his visions are a warning from the Matrix and he jokes that Grimlock’s only mistake was not stealing the crew too (because they clearly reported back). I think it’s clear Prime actually did know Grimlock struggled mentally and sees a kindred spirit.

The main strip was fantastic this month but yet again the back up (same creative team but with Derek’s art) is even better and begins with this apocalyptic scene on Earth as Bludgeon’s ship bombards the surface from orbit, his plan being to lure Optimus out from wherever he is in the galaxy, kill him and steal the Matrix in order to bring life to new Decepticons. I have to say, Bludgeon and his fellow Decepticon Pretenders are perfectly drawn by Derek.

News reports claim hundreds are already dead which makes this probably the most successful Decepticon strike ever. Well, apart from that alternate future where we saw Galvatron reduce America to rubble. Back in our reality this new, smaller army seems unstoppable. Unstoppable that is, until Bludgeon’s sword is blasted away by another Transformer weapon and we turn the page to be met with this scene.

Oh my! There’s so much to be excited by here! This is also just ‘Part One’ so it feels like one of those self-proclaimed ‘mini-epics’ the original UK comic ran to add depth to the main stories (when it switched to the three-story format), and given their history it’s interesting Megatron chose Starscream to reanimate! This begs the question, “why”? Whatever the answer, it can’t be good for Earth.

It’s the season of goodwill to all and someone really should’ve told Marvel US’s Ralph Macchio. His column in this month’s Bullpen Bulletin is horrendous! Some creatives had become disgruntled by Marvel and had left to set up their own indie comics. I can understand he’d be upset, but comparing that to communism?! Really? Wow! Around the border of the page there’s a disclaimer from the company. If they were so worried by this column they simply shouldn’t have printed it!

That’s insane, isn’t it? At least in the main bulk of the page we find out about Transformers Generation 1 colourist Nel Yomtov’s musical talents and his “Golden Harp” nickname, so there’s always that. But just… wow. I can’t get over that column. ‘Bitter’ doesn’t even cover it and this really paints Marvel in a bad light. I can’t understand how he thought that would be a good column to write and I’d say it probably had the opposite to the intended effect.

To end on a brighter note, the stories this month have been brilliant, the art has been incredible and I’m fully invested in this superb sequel comic. It may not have lasted as long as it so clearly deserved to but there are still eight glorious (I’m sure they’ll be glorious) issues to come and I can’t wait to see what 2025/1994 has in store. We’ll continue our galaxy-spanning adventure on Sunday 26th January 2025.

iSSUE THREE < > iSSUE FiVE

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Comic Reviews, Transformers: Generation 2

TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #3: OLD SCHOOL NEW

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I was very happy to find the main strip in this third issue of Marvel US’s Transformers Generation 2 ended after only 16 pages. Not because I was glad that particular story was over or anything, rather because it meant there was another back up strip to enjoy. After hoping we’d see the same format as last time return, the issue is off to a great start for this fan of Marvel UK’s winning formula, which the US comic is now embracing.

The main story, as ever written by Simon Furman, is called Primal Fear and I needn’t have worried about its title being similar to ones from the previous generation. Although the ‘ancient evil’ storyline is still to be built upon, for now this involves a sector of the galaxy that preys on hidden fears and aggression buried deep within the subconscious of any visitors.

It kicks off with this first page that’s notable for its heavy use of wiring and hoses within the framework of the robots. It reminds me of the live-action Transformers and something certain dark corners of the internet complained were unnecessary and ugly, proving some fans really don’t know their history (much like story elements of the films they complained about which were actually inspired by the original comics or cartoon).

Manny Galan (Sonic the Hedgehog, The New Warriors, Street Sharks) has taken over as penciller on the main story with inks by Jim Amash (Archie & Friends, Deadpool, Night Thrasher) and Marie Severin (Kull the Conqueror, The Haunt of Fear, Alf). I’m not sure how I feel about it if I’m honest. At times it feels like some of the earlier UK art and I’m all for that, it has a real classic vibe to it. However, at other times it comes across like they’re struggling with how the Transformers move; they can come across stilted, as if drawn from how the action figures moved.

Hound in particular looks like he could decapitate himself with a good sneeze

But it’s those necks full of robotics that I can’t help but notice. I may have been a big fan of the realism brought to giant alien robots in the live-action films, but here the necks in particular can look ridiculously elongated. Below are two such examples. This doesn’t happen on every page, but when it does it’s like the artist is trying too hard. Upon occasion it’s just too extreme for me. Thank goodness for Richard Starkings’ and John Gaushell’s letters and Sarra Mossoff’s colours returning.

Hound in particular looks like he could decapitate himself with a good sneeze, or perhaps he’s starring in an 80s futuristic movie with a person dressed up in a robot suit, the excess of wires hiding the shape of the actor’s neck. I do, however, like the reflection of Jhiaxus on Prime’s mouth guard. So, what’s this about an ancient evil feeding off others’ primal instincts?

The Transformers were created by Primus to fight and destroy Unicron, which they successfully did in the final year of the original comic. But that in-built aggression is a natural element of their being and something Jhiaxus argues is their true nature, believing Prime and the Autobots’ wish for peace is sacrilegious and ultimately doomed to failure. It’s these deeply buried instincts that Prime has been more willing than normal to embrace over these first few issues.

Indeed, Prime goes very dark in some parts of this early fight and initially I didn’t like these scenes at all. I thought they were just following on from the previous issues and were another example of how his character was more hard-edged. A lot of this is very out of character indeed, but once Simon gets the chance to explain all about this sector of the galaxy (and what’s really happening to Prime) I breathed a sigh of relief, and it’s a great little story.

Optimus eventually gets through to Jhiaxus as only he can, by talking him down and trying to make him see reason. Every ounce of Prime wants to fight back as Jhiaxus continues trying to violently finish things. But we soon realise Jhiaxus is fighting back so desperately because in the heat of battle he gets an element of peace from his own devastating past. He doesn’t want to remember who he was… but he does, below.

Confusingly, the page above is read in columns, although by looking closely you can see the first panel crumbling away into the image of the screaming Decepticon leader. He was a sadistic killer, murdering for the sport, and his greatest fear is that his so-called ‘higher calling’ of galactic conquest in the name of his race is nothing more than his past self dressed up in a more respectable cloak.

As Prime states, they were all created to fight and kill. It’s a heavy moment that hadn’t really occurred to me until now. No wonder Prime’s been struggling to hold back those darker feelings, when the events of the previous two issues seemed to outdo everything they’d achieved over millions of years. Something is forcing them to regress into what they were eons ago; earlier selves they’d overcome to become something greater, even if they’re on opposing sides of the conflict. This is the Prime I remember!

Much like a twisted version of Peter Pan’s shadow, the creatures have attached themselves, but they weaken as the Transformers walk away. And walk away they must. They can’t fight these things, or each other. To do so would release more rage and simply bait these creatures further. It takes a much stronger character to walk away from a battle and the two leaders order their warriors to back away and leave, agreeing to a temporary truce until they next meet.

However, on the last page of the story Jhiaxus can’t help himself and decides to wipe out all life on the planet to prepare it for colonisation. If this will come back to bite him in the time we have with this comic I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see. Jhiaxus’ anger at letting the Autobots live grows as he gives his orders. Is this anger being fed by the aliens? He’s made for an excellent baddie so far and we’ve only scraped the surface of his character. A truly excellent creation of Simon’s.

Old Evils is the back up strip and, speaking of great baddies, one of my absolute favourites is back. Firstly though, it carries on from the main strip as Jhiaxus returns to his ship, thankful there’s no sign of any Decepticons from the millennia-old war still alive to tarnish what he’s trying to do in the Decepticon name. Then, elsewhere in the galaxy we see an alien vessel attacked by a much larger ship commanded by none other than Bludgeon!

I’m sure this small strip is very much a prelude of what’s to come, much like the best black and white stories in the original UK comic’s later life; stories which added more depth and foreboding to the US strips, when we’d see elements of storylines long before American readers. The main point here is to bring Bludgeon and the Decepticons we all know so well back into the picture and send them off to our home planet!

I was wondering if Earth was going to get a look in since all of the stories so far have been set in deep space and it’s only a 12-issue run. Not that it was meant to be a 12-issue run of course… or was it? The first Transmissions page contains a surprise in the very first letter, in which reader Benson G. Yes says he’s aware of the current storyline ending with #12! Of course, he could just mean this particular story involving Jhiaxus rather than the comic itself, but it was still a surprise to read this as I’d assumed something had already slipped out that the comic was scheduled to end.

I was thrilled to read the confirmation that the two-strip format is going to remain, and even more thrilled that the stunning art of Derek Yaniger will continue to thrill me, even if it is only within the back ups. After this, the Marvel Bullpen Bulletin makes a brief mention of long-time Transformers writer Bob Budiansky who had moved over to run the company’s trading cards division, and that’s it for another issue.

I’m glad the main strip was more self-contained than the previous two. While it continued the overall story (particularly for Optimus Prime’s and Jhiaxus’ character arcs), the fact it also had a proper beginning, middle and end was like proper old-school Transformers. Three issues in and it feels like it’s just the beginning of true greatness. Transformers Generation 2 continues with #4 during the what-day-of-the-week-is-it-anyway period of the festive season, on Sunday 29th December 2024. Catch you then.

iSSUE TWO < > iSSUE FOUR

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Comic Reviews, Transformers: Generation 2

TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #2: 2-iN-1!

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Well this second issue of Marvel US’s Transformers Generation 2 feels a heck of a lot lighter after the extra long strip (and 16 page advert in the middle) of last month’s premiere issue. The contents is also more like the UK comic than the previous G1 American title, with a 16-page main strip and a seven-page back up strip which was originally printed in a special mini-comic given away with toys for Halloween that year (1993).

The cover immediately tells us this issue will pick up from where the G.I. Joe crossover finished in #142 of their comic so I was excited going into this one, but absolutely thrilled to see the first two pages! Not only are favourite characters of mine, Scarlett and Snake Eyes right there in the very first panel of the story, but on the title page we see a team of artists were involved this time, including the simply wonderful Andrew Wildman and Stephen Baskerville working alongside each other.

Inside The Ark, Megatron still has Dr. Biggles-Jones captive on his way back to Cybertron but Spike is also on board and sneaks off to find the rest of himself, namely Fortress Maximus. Not sure why Max has been left in his decapitated robot form (Spike was his HeadMaster companion) to protect the spaceship instead of his battle station form , but oh well.

Hot Spot is one of only two survivors of the battle with Megatron and Cobra, and realises the humans have access to advanced Cybertronian tech, unaware Megatron has made it unusable. Knowing humans can’t be trusted, he sets off to destroy it and I did laugh at Cobra Commander’s threat having to use a different word than “head” in the panel below. Then, is that Starscream Megatron is reactivating? Oh, this could be interesting.

Fortress Maximus seems to have slimmed down somewhat, but then again various artists in the original comic would draw him at different scales, although here he doesn’t even look like himself and more like a regular Autobot. (There’s also no mention of Spike transforming into Cerebros first, instead he just changes into Max’s head directly.) Skydive also joins in the fight and I’d completely forgotten he was lying waiting for his timer to ding and reactivate himself after G.I. Joe #142.

Look, I know this is a classic Transformers comic, and a new classic Transformers comic as far as I’m concerned, but that doesn’t change the fact my main highlight is the return of the Joes, especially Snake Eyes. They may only be on a few pages but when those pages are drawn by Andrew and Stephen you can’t blame me. I had no idea these characters crossed back over into this comic.

They aid Hot Spot but after the weapons are destroyed Cobra surrounds him; they want any Cybertronian technology they can get their hands on, no matter how. He ends up sacrificing himself and explodes(!), although from the art that’s not 100% clear until it’s mentioned later. Meanwhile, Spike and Fortress Maximus also seem to sacrifice themselves by entering the “antimatter stream” powering The Ark, allowing Skydive to rescue Dr. Biggles-Jones.

The ship explodes with Maximus on board, apparently taking Spike with him, although it appears Megatron was also destroyed and we know he’s not easily killed. Plus there was a new toy of him just out, so we’ll see who all return in a future issue. Then it’s on to the back up strip.

Light on plot but heavy on the action, character moments and throwing in a few laughs, it reads very much like one of writer Simon Furman’s monochrome strips from the latter part of the UK comic’s run. Anyone who followed along with my real time read through of the original comic will know this isn’t a complaint, far from it in fact. It’s a brill little strip, and to complete that UK comic flavour it’s even drawn by Geoff Senior (and kudos to Richard Starkings and John Gaushell’s letters below and Sarra Mossoff’s excellent colours).

Even Bumblebee and Bludgeon are back. It feels like the original comic had never been cancelled! On one of the planets Bludgeon and his Decepticons had randomly selected to terrorise, the Autobots have arrived. There’s an underground cache of advanced weaponry and Optimus Prime et all can’t allow them to fall into Decepticon hands, although there’s a hint within his thoughts that Prime actually wants them for himself, playing to the darker version of the character we saw last time.

Hot Rod has been sent down to activate some kind of auto-defence system to help them out, so when this monster appears Prime assumes it’s a hologram. He’s mightily impressed with Hot Rod’s capabilities, especially when its huge alien eyes take out one of Bludgeon’s minions. Then the young Autobot reappears, apologising for not being able to find anything to help in the battle, producing this funny moment from Optimus!

Confirmation then that they were also here to secure weaponry. They leave with the understanding they can’t go down that route again, as that would defy everything they stand for and recalls the war they fought for millions of years. The Next Issue caption mentions “Primal” and “Old Evils” and I still can’t shake the feeling of this leading to a path well trodden. Hopefully Prime’s speech is a hint in itself, that the story won’t simply be treading the same ground again.

To finish off with I couldn’t help but have my attention drawn to two of the advertisements in this issue. One is for a reissue of the original G.I. Joe 12” figure, which we knew as Action Man here in the UK, alongside a cool action figure version to sit among kids’ 80s toys. The other advert is for pants.

Not wishing to end the review on a bum note, I’ll just say how much I really enjoyed both stories this time. I’m not sure if it’s a one-off thing having two strips but I hope it’s something we can have at least once in a while over the next year (no spoilers please). Fingers crossed for more of the same on Sunday 24th November 2024 then. Actually, just typing that has made me realise my decorations will be up just in time for that next issue! Oh, now I’m excited.

iSSUE ONE < > iSSUE THREE

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Comic Reviews, Transformers: Generation 2

TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #1: FOUR MiLLiON YEARS iN THE MAKiNG

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Finally here we are, ready to begin a brand new (to me and thus the blog) series of classic Transformers comics. Reading the entire original Marvel UK run in real time was one of the very best comics reading experiences of my life and here is the sequel, the highly regarded Transformers: Generation 2, the original US series. The hype I’m feeling is somewhat tempered by the fact there’ll only be 12 reviews over one year compared to the 375 posts I made on Instagram for the previous run(!), but it’s still all brand new to me, I’ve never read an issue of this, so the excitement levels are still very high.

This first issue is a chunky 68 pages, although cheekily the middle 16 are one long advert for Marvel’s new Midnight Sons so it’s not quite as chunky as it first appears. (And yes, it’s not a sample comic strip, it’s an actual 16-page advert.) However, chapter one of the new Transformers, entitled War Without End continues to be written by Simon Furman and comes in at 37 pages. That’s a good start. As for that shiny foil version of the cover, it opens out into this lovely gatefold image.

Before we get stuck into the meat of the story I do have one issue with that cover. I may not have read any of these yet but I’ve seen this front page umpteen times over the years, and it’s been peering out at me on my shelves since I completed the collection a few years back. It’s that tagline at the top. It had only been two years since the end of the first generation of Transformers comics, how young did Marvel US think people were having kids?!

Anyway, let’s roll out!

The story begins with a space cruiser’s captain being informed of an attack somewhere far out in the galaxy, far away from both Earth and Cybertron and the title spread shows some familiar faces surprisingly spearheading that attack. Hound, Broadside, Sideswipe and Blades (on the following pages) are seen killing everyone around them, with Blades taking particular glee in doing so.

The way it’s been conveyed to the reader is meant to lead us down the path of thinking these Autobots’ allegiances have changed. The war was meant to be over. The scene is reported as a surprise strike attack. The Autobots are the instigators. But then we see one of the so-called victims of their attack transform and the dramatic entrance of an old friend, it’s confirmed there’s More Than Meets The Eye here. How appropriate.

These pages of rollicking action art come courtesy of new Transformers artist Derek Yaniger (Hellraiser, Web of Spider-Man, Alpha Flight) and the colours of Sarra Mossoff (Deathlok, Darkman, Mighty Thor). This is some wild imagery. I’d only ever seen the occasional panel or some of their covers when used on Fleetway’s UK Generation 2 comics, but this is the first time I’ve held any of it in my hands and it’s right up there with the very best UK Marvel stuff from the likes of Geoff Senior, Andrew Wildman, Stephen Baskerville and Gina Hart.

“Early digital lettering days, so why not use a more robotic looking font?”

Richard Starkings, letterer

This is just gorgeous to look at. It’s genuinely exciting and begs to be studied at length before moving on to the next page. The lettering is also rather unique and it’s the creation of friend of the blog Richard Starkings (editor on The Real Ghostbusters, Dragon’s Claws, The Sleeze Brothers). It’s mentioned elsewhere in this issue by Simon that it was Richard who came up with Generation 2’s lettering style and so I just had to ask Richard directly about it.

“Early digital lettering days, so why not use a more robotic looking font?”, Richard told me about his and John Gaushell‘s work when we spoke. “We suggested color coding the boxes on the left to match the Transformer and gave the Dinobots a different style. If there was a bold word, we hit the boxes with black. Rob Tokar was the editor, one of a handful of editors who was happy to see digital lettering on his books. And this was a perfect fit.” No arguments here.

It’s actually Grimlock who comes out with a couple of rousing speeches during this story rather than Optimus Prime, including one where he wipes away the dirt from his body to reveal the new look Autobot logo Hasbro had designed for the new toy range. Simon has given him a speech pattern somewhere between the original UK strips and that of the famous cartoon voice, and it works. Then we find out that the robot called Jhiaxus (a creation of the comic), to whom the report of the attack was given aboard his spaceship Twilight, is actually the leader of the Decepticons. How so? Where’s Bludgeon? Intriguing.

So anyway, we find out the Autobots were actually saving some rather thin-looking humanoid aliens from an invasion by Decepticons they’d never encountered before, and Jhiaxus’ minions questions why they’re fighting. They’ve never heard of the term “Autobots” and thought they were all Cybertronians so should be working together. Jhiaxus describes the name as an acronym from the distant past and something to disregard. Curiouser and curiouser.

Four million years of conflict, stretching between Cybertron and Earth, and finally… all the old ghosts laid to rest!”

Optimus Prime

We finally catch up with Optimus Prime who seems to be having some sort of vision. A vision of him standing upon a dead world, surrounded by screams, dead beings rising from the ground and as soon as they touch him he turns to dust. It’s a recurring waking nightmare and he describes it as a vision of him “running from something unspeakably ancient and evil”. Again? After the whole Unicron and Primus thing we’re going down that route again? Then, as if in answer to my query we get this lovely next page.

I really like this. The story can be read with no previous knowledge of what came before, which Simon touches upon in a special page later in the comic, but this adds a bit of weight for new readers and an acknowledgment to fans. The best way I can describe it is if you started watching Doctor Who when Christopher Ecclestone or Ncuti Gatwa took over the role. These were two moments when the whole show reset itself and welcomed in new viewers while also showing them there’s a rich history there they can delve into if they so wish. I get that same vibe here and as a fan who has read everything that came before it’s an exciting feeling to have.

One thing that could’ve used a bit of explanation for long-term fans is how some characters such as Optimus and Grimlock can transform again after using the Nucleon energy source which gave them incredible powers but stopped this fundamental ability. We UK readers had the explanation in the prose story of the final annual but US readers didn’t, so I’m curious how this was met by them at the time. Not that the transformations occurring here are anything to write home about.

This is the one and only thing I can criticise the incredible art for. We don’t get those intricate drawings from issues past showing how each character changed from one form to the next, not even the wavy lines of Dan Reed. Instead we see the before and after shots in the same panels, with nothing in between. I have an overwhelmingly positive view of this comic as the start of something brilliant, but not showing these feels misguided in a Transformers comic. Although look closely and I do like how we can see Hot Rod‘s cannon fire continue through his (invisible) transformation.

At least Prime’s name isn’t plastered over the side of his trailer.

It’s interesting that they’ve kept their Earthen modes despite leaving the planet behind. Maybe they’ve grown attached. They find themselves out in the cosmos seeking out the worlds Bludgeon and his Decepticons have attacked as they look to build a new Cybertron (seemingly never finding out it wasn’t destroying itself at the end of the previous run but going through some kind of rebirth). Prime questions his own motives and those of Bludgeon until Grimlock gathers everyone together, having summoned them to this planet in the first place.

Reading the spread above the mystery deepens for the Autobots but the readers are aware of who is actually behind the creation of all of these “Little Cybertrons”, and possibly behind all of the conflict they’ve found in this sector of the galaxy. It’s a neat twist that we’re up to speed before the main characters and to see them trying to work it out. That is, until Jhiaxus’ ship arrives and blasts their base to pieces.

Before they get to meet him we get a very quick double-page spread for an update on the whereabouts of Megatron for anyone who hadn’t been on board with the G.I. Joe crossover event. It’s a neat addition and makes me wish David had been the artist on that comic after Andrew Wildman and Stephen Baskerville’s earlier chapters!

So it all comes together with Optimus Prime and Grimlock hauled in front of Jhiaxus at gunpoint and he explains he and his cohorts left Cybertron four million years ago after Prime, Megatron et all went missing in deep space. Escaping their dying world and leaving behind those he deemed unworthy to lead (including a nice image of Lord Straxus for long-term fans, especially UK ones), they set about constructing new worlds. At least, that’s how he puts it.

To him, they are one race now: Decepticons. There is no more good or evil, he says. That way of thinking is for lesser beings than Cybertronians, like the Autobots who he sees as a strange “offshoot” of the true race. If beings can’t co-exist with them then they are simply deemed unworthy of sharing the universe and are exterminated. Jhiaxus has spent millions of years building new Cybertrons and a great galactic empire. He’s a genuinely original and interesting character for Transformers, bringing some social commentary with him.

Afterwards, it’s Grimlock who gives another speech (and is that a pictorial reference to the classic story with the best title ever?), this time for Prime’s benefit and in response something awakens inside Optimus. The war was won, but for what? He has fought for Cybertron and its people and all the while those very people were conquering the universe in the name of expansion and some higher calling. We see a battle to escape over the final pages with a more violent Prime not taking prisoners. He is disgusted at his own race and afterwards he goes over the task that lies ahead in his mind.

The final page, those final thoughts, sum up what this Generation 2 comic will be all about. Plus there’s that pesky ancient evil thing too, of course, which I’m still sceptical of because it feels well-trodden. It could be something brand new, but so far the pitch for it seems all too familiar. Still, the Jhiaxus storyline is fantastic! This has been an incredible opening chapter to what should’ve been another multi-year epic. It certainly has the potential, even without that apocalyptic vision which feels unnecessary with everything else here already being on such a grand scale.

What will eventually become the letters page is instead a personal message from writer Simon Furman in this premiere issue. He mentions Richard Starkings’ great lettering design and also the return of Geoff Senior. Fantastic! Between this and the back page advert for the series (below, taken from the back of the gatefold issue), a lot is made of the point I talked about regarding new readers. The thing is, with a name like ‘Transformers: Generation 2’, which screams “SEQUEL” I wonder how successful that goal could possibly be in reality.

The next issue box promises a return to the storyline involving Megatron and Spike from #142 of G.I. Joe and with that this big, fat first issue of this fondly remembered series comes to an end for the first time for this new reader. I know it ends up cut short after only 12 chapters, but this next year still promises to be an incredible experience for this Transformers fan. I can’t wait to jump back in on Sunday 27th October 2024.

G.i. JOE iSSUE 142 < > iSSUE TWO

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Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe, Transformers: Generation 2

G.i. JOE #142: BiGGLES-JONESiNG FOR MORE G.i. JOE

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Our last cover for G.I. Joe in this Transformers: Generation 2 read through, by William Rosado. I’ll miss some of these characters but it does mean the actual Transformers sequel series is about to begin. In fact, #142 of G.I. Joe and #1 of Transformers: Generation 2 went on sale on the same day (despite advice to the contrary inside this issue) so there’ll be two reviews today, you lucky lot. Let’s begin where we left off last month, though.

Scarlett was seemingly going up against the newly rebuilt Megatron all on her lonesome during the last issue’s cliffhanger but here that old pantomime adage, “They’re behind you!”, could’ve been used by Cobra Commander and Zarana. The title spread for this last crossover chapter, Final Transformations (with credits in the photo below) shows no less than six Autobots were somehow able to sneak up without anyone spotting them.

I was tempted to conclude that Scarlett must’ve known they were there and that’s why she was so adamant she could stand up to Megatron, but we clearly see her running away in surprise, just being missed by incoming fire so clearly she wasn’t in cahoots. The fact none of the human characters saw them until this exact moment is highly ridiculous but it does speed things along.

It’s a somewhat random selection of characters to bring back. Brawn hasn’t been seen since the early years of the original comic, we’ve an Autobot cassette without Blaster on the planet and some Special Teams members without the rest of their combining pals. Then again, looking at the range of toys available at the launch of Generation 2 Larry Hama could’ve been somewhat restricted with who he could choose from to show a good cross section of the range.

The robot illustrations have certainly gone up a notch since last month. Brawn in particular comes off really well in almost every panel he’s in. Megatron doesn’t fair quite as well on some pages as his proportions seem to change from one scene to the next, but they’re all suitably solid, definitely feel their size and the fights pack a punch. Megatron also shows off his new abs and opens a compartment in his torso to plop Dr. Biggles-Jones inside.

I’ve always found it particularly funny when comedic moments come courtesy of the mute and deadly Snake-Eyes

It’s a high-octane issue once more, the culmination of the last few months of storytelling but at least there’s a proper plot this month, with the attempted escape plan for Biggles-Jones. Unfortunately, we don’t get to find out the secret she told Scarlett in #141 that saw the Joe lay her life on the line for her, that’ll have to wait until I can read the rest of the G.I. Joe run. But whatever it was, Scarlett is easily able to convince her teammates to get on board with helping the Cobra member.

There’s also room for some of the trademark humour these characters imbue. I’ve always found it particularly funny when comedic moments come courtesy of the mute and deadly Snake-Eyes. Last seen surrounded in the hospital ward he does as he’s told, lets go of the person he’s fighting and turns to face the masses. Terror flows through them as they instantly recognise who they’re facing, and as he opens his arms to show no resistance… out falls a handful of grenades from his hands.

I love the moody silhouettes used on this page, ending with his attackers continuing the fight amongst themselves, unaware he’s long gone.

There are some properly dramatic moments here, some of which definitely wouldn’t have had the same level of impact with the readers who were introduced to these particular Cybertronian characters for the first time here. But for long-time Transformers readers there are plenty of shocks. Steel Jaw and Chase are both destroyed and Override is literally pulled apart by the all-powerful Megatron in the final scenes.

The need for writer Larry Hama to translate his own character’s speech continues with this funny moment involving Cobra Commander and Zarana, then in the background of the battle a teeny tiny human makes a brief appearance in a few panels here and there, including one where he mentions his internal sensors. Given where things were left at the end of the first generation of comics this must be Spike, the Headmaster companion of Fortress Maximus, the only Autobot left on Earth.

Scarlett provides some laughs of her own in her fight sequence against the Cobra top brass. Distracted by what’s happening with Megatron and the Autobots, she’s able to take them both on before the troops Cobra Commander has summoned even make it to the scene. Her quick witticisms are classic 80s action movie stuff and apart from that awful new costume she remains one of my very favourite characters in the franchise. (She’s recovered pretty quickly from her ordeal last issue though.)

After much more action with the Transformers themselves the plan to rescue Dr. Biggles-Jones before Megatron extracts her brain (to put it to use developing new world-destroying weaponry back on Cybertron) is put into play. Enlisting Storm Shadow and Spirit who disguise themselves as Cobra troopers, they steal a vehicle and Skydive deactivates himself on a timer! This means he can be sneaked past The Ark’s sensors (which would sound a warning alerting Megatron) and automatically be reactivated inside.

It’s a neat idea and one the humans actually came up with. The only problem is that Megatron, who is trying to use The Ark to get off Earth with the doctor, is standing right outside. Another distraction is needed and Override bravely puts himself forward for the job. He puts up a good fight but as mentioned above he comes to a particularly grisly end. His death at the hands of Megatron has a profound effect on the conclusion of the story, though.

Override’s bravery doesn’t go unnoticed by Biggles-Jones, who questions how a robot could exhibit such a thing. The rescue mission continues with her, Scarlett and Snake Eyes on the back of the Cobra vehicle with Megatron in hot pursuit, and he’s about to wipe them all out when Biggles-Jones jumps off and surrenders in order to save the others; “I can be as brave as a mere machine.”

Megatron ends up taking off in The Ark, where Spike has smuggled himself on board, and leaves Earth. Looking at the doctor in a cryo tube, he notices she’d put a virus into the rail gun he had installed in his body. He’d deactivated the virus of course (and planted one himself in the weaponry he gave Cobra as part of their deal) but he still admires her intelligence. He decides not to kill her but to find another way to use her instead. I’m glad she’s not dead. I’d never met the character before this crossover and she’s an interesting addition.

Before rounding things up, the usual Marvel Bullpen Bulletin harps on about their Hallowe’en parties but of interest to blog readers is the inclusion of Dan Abnett (The Real Ghostbusters) and Andy Lanning (The Sleeze Brothers) and I’m a bit jealous of the Americans reading the continuing adventures of the 90’s version of Deathlok after Havoc’s cancellation in the UK. Plus, mention of the Biker Mice From Mars reminds me of teenage mornings watching The Big Breakfast before school.

The letters page sees some differing opinions about the inclusion of Transformers in the comic. There are certainly some overly dramatic readers here, their anger coming across like social media posts from certain corners of the ‘net before that was a thing. And, “realistic”? Yes, Larry grounded his characters and the military stores were well researched, but they’re based on toys. There’s sci-fi aplenty, body cloning, mind-bending, super-human ninjas… but okay.

Having read #1 of Transformers: Generation 2 for today’s other review I’m glad this got such an open ending with Dr. Biggles-Jones because of a litte preview of things to come in that other comic today. But I’m going to miss the rest of them, as I did during the Transformers G1 Instagram read through when they were unceremoniously kicked out of that comic’s back up strip spot. But I know I’m only months away from reading the whole of Marvel’s series, so this has acted not only as a great introduction to G2 but also as a great piece of hype for taking delivery of that Skybound G.I. Joe set next year!

For now, it’s goodbye to the Joes and Cobra and onwards into the depths of space. To say what’s ahead is truly epic in scale is selling it short, and that’s only after reading the first issue so far. You too can pick up where this crossover left off in the second of today’s reviews. It’s a cliché to say it, I know, but it truly only has begun.

G.i. JOE 141 < > TRANSFORMERS G2 iSSUE 1

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Comic Reviews, Death's Head

DEATH’S HEAD #10: A STARK ENDiNG

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It’s been such a fun ride but all good things must come to an end (to use two clichés) and this is the final issue of Marvel UK’s Death’s Head, which came to an exciting end on this day 35 years ago when he clashed with Arno Stark, the Iron Man of (the then-futuristic year of) 2020. The cover is by regulars Bryan Hitch and Mark Farmer, but for the strip itself Bryan goes it alone, with Euan Peters (Knights of Pendragon, Action Force, Transformers colourist/designer/editor) colouring behind Annie Halfacree’s letters, with Steve White editing and Simon Furman bringing it all to an end.

Not that the story reads like an ending. Strangely, even though the final issues of both Dragon’s Claws and Death’s Head were flagged as such in the editorial pages of Transformers, neither of their last editions actually said so, although with hindsight it’s clear the editorial team knew. While the Head Lines page still includes the “Subscribe Now!” banner it’s followed by a glimpse of Death’s Head crossing back over into Fantastic Four after they’d appeared in #9. It’s clear this is telling us where we can see him now that his comic is over, but at the time it could easily be mistaken for a regular plug for a crossover before #11.

Now trapped in 2020 (what a year to be sent to!) Death’s Head is making the most of things and business is good. In fact, in a turn up for the books, for once the far future dystopian time of the comic (8162) actually has less crime than 2020 according to our main character. So he can afford to be choosy. As such, he’s suspicious about his latest client. But first, let’s check in on our special guest.

Both of Iron Man of 2020’s stories so far were selected as back up strips in Marvel UK’s Transformers comic

So who is the Iron Man of 2020? Arno Stark may have inherited Stark Industries but he’s no hero. Instead, he uses the suit in his role as a mercenary for hire for individuals and sabotage for corporations. This was his third appearance in Marvel comics. The first was in the rebooted Machine Man of 2020 mini-series where the old tech of Machine Man won over the futuristic Iron Man thanks to his having a good heart.

Then in Spider-Man, in a plot I won’t go into detail about Arno travelled back in time to 1986 to avert a disaster involving his home city, his business and his family. But his means of doing so put him at odds with Spidey, who defeated him. Upon returning to the future his entire city had been destroyed, taking his family with it. In a surprise turn, we were left feeling sorry for him. Both of these stories were selected as back up strips in Marvel UK’s Transformers comic.

There’s no mention here of the events in the Spider-Man strip but he is in New York, a different city than normal so it would seem to follow on after it. In the opening pages we find out he’s been hired to protect some foreign dignitaries. The only thing is, they don’t seem to understand why; they haven’t hired him and say they aren’t in danger. Some hitmen do turn up and Arno kills them all very easily, after being told to take no prisoners. But something doesn’t sit right with him about the job.

We then take a trip to a large mansion somewhere and a very rich man by the name of Chance and his English butler Athey have been watching the events pan out. In fact, their conversation has acted as a running commentary over the opening pages. They’re part of The Dicemen, a group who appeared in various Marvel comics although there’s little information about them online. They’re basically a bunch of rich elites who like to play games with other people’s lives.

One hard and fast rule of The Dicemen is to never use the same players twice, but Chance thinks there’s more fun to be had in using Iron Man again, especially when Athey shows him a news report of Death’s Head taking down some local warlords. The game is on. Athey will approach both of them, Death’s Head for a hit and Arno as the protector. Then, after eight pages of strip in his own comic it’s time for the Freelance Peace-Keeping Agent to finally make his entrance.

That reminds me of something we’d have seen from RoboCop. I love it. This criminal group have kept a young child hostage for a ransom and Death’s Head easily disposes of them, partly thanks to a collapsing ceiling in the middle of the fight. After seeing him rescuing another young boy last month and how he speaks to this child does our anti-hero have a soft spot we didn’t know about? I do like how the kid is seen playing with his face spikes as they exit the building together.

Arno isn’t the only one suspicious of the job he’s been given. Death’s Head’s inner thoughts betray what he really thinks about Athey after he’s hired to kill two diplomats and given half the large fee up front. It all seems too easy. So both men have been hired and in the middle of a shopping mall the diplomats are arguing with Iron Man that they didn’t ask for, nor need protection as he pushes them into a lift, and it’s time for Death’s Head to tell someone else to talk to the hand.

The fight scene is classic Death’s Head and classic Simon Furman, with the quips matching the violence panel after panel. But Arno is deadly serious and the anger he feels at being potentially set up is taken out on the mechanoid as he blasts them both into the night sky, shouting that he won’t let him butcher innocent people in what feels like (when reading this fully, in context) that he’s trying to convince himself he’s actually doing the right thing. It’s actual character development from someone who only cared about money before. It seems losing his family has brought out his better side.

Then we turn the page to this spread below which contained a genuinely shocking moment had the front cover not used it to promote the story. You can’t really blame them though, of course they were going to use it. Although, from the speech balloon on the cover I thought Death’s Head had taken over Iron Man’s suit somehow, so I was initially a bit disappointed I was wrong in that conclusion. That disappointment soon turned to laughs when I saw what happened next though.

Again his hand is used as a great gag and over the next page or two Death’s Head tells Arno that he believes him and agrees that they should work together to get to the bottom of who has used them, however he’s still angry with him and just has to work that out of his system first, by beating seven shades of blue out of him. Then, clipping his head back into place like a Transformer Headmaster he’s able to detect a camera filming them for Chance and locates the signal controlling it.

Cue a few pages of Chance panicking before Athey, a long time loyal member of The Dicemen himself, shoots his boss point blank in the face and sets the scene up to look like a suicide. He leaves their money in cash so as to trick Death’s Head and Iron Man into hanging around, but they soon pick up a detonation signal and narrowly escape the destruction of the mansion. Then it all very suddenly ends in two panels.

This is directly after the explosion panel. It feels very cut down and a bit of a rushed ending, making way as it does for two pages of panels with yellow borders, telling of how Spratt arrives in 2020 and crashes Death’s Head’s ship, somehow bringing Big Shot with him who takes up the final splash page, coupled with a Happily Ever After caption! While this may have been the original cliffhanger taking us to #11, the rushed ending with Iron Man makes it seem like this whole section was added in at the last minute. But why do this for the final issue?

It’s not how I expected it to end. Yes, Death’s Head has been a surprising comic on many occasions but I did expect something along the lines of how the final chapter of Dragon’s Claws wrapped things up satisfactorily while leaving things open-ended. Was the chop brought down suddenly on the writer? It’d explain why the secretive woman hinted at in the last couple of issues isn’t mentioned, the mystery not revealed, actually not even acknowledged here. That’s incredibly annoying. But perhaps there’s hope in a graphic novel to come. More on that below.

There’s a bit of a dig at those
high up in Marvel UK

After the strip comes the Head to Head letters page and a chance for the comic to throw out more hints that this is the final issue. Perhaps there were instructions from on high to not mention the end for some reason. Perhaps they didn’t want potential buyers flicking through the pages, realising there’d be no more and not buying it. Whereas, mentioning it in stablemate comics may lead those readers to part with their pocket money for a collector’s final issue. This is all speculation of course.

However, as you’ll see there’s a bit of a dig at those high up in Marvel UK in the answer to the first letter. For the second letter, in response to a lack of free gifts the reader is told to go and check out a different comic, but the most obvious (again, with hindsight) hint comes at the end of the response to the final letter. It was always annoying when a comic just stopped without telling us, so kudos to the team for trying to tell the readers without really telling them.

So what’s next for Death’s Head on the blog? Is that the end of it? Not quite. After his original series he popped up in a serialised story in Strip (between #13 and #20) which was then collected in graphic novel The Body in Question. Given the real time nature of the blog you can expect that in October next year. It’s a long wait for me but I set these rules so I must follow them. I can’t wait to read it though. Will I be covering his return as Death’s Head II and III? Let me finish his original timeline first and we’ll see what the future holds.

After that frustrating ending I really can’t wait for the graphic novel to see if any further questions are answered. If they are that would explain some things about this issue. Don’t tell me if you know though! I’ll find out next year. This series has been a blast from beginning to end. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to read his own comic after I enjoyed him in Transformers decades ago, but Death’s Head was certainly worth the wait, yes?

iSSUE NiNE < > THE BODY iN QUESTiON

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