TRANSFORMERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION
Special thanks to Hasbro’s Aaron Archer, Jerry Jivoin, Michael Verret, Ed Lane, Joe Furfaro, Jos Huxley, Andy Schmidt, Heather Hopkins, and Michael Kelly for their invaluable assistance. IDW founded by Ted Adams, Alex Garner, Kris Oprisko, and Robbie Robbins
ISBN: 978-1-6137 978-1-61377-662-9 7-662-9
16 15 14 13 Ted Adams, CEO & Publisher Greg Goldstein, President & COO Robbie Robbins, EVP/Sr. Graphic Artist Chris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief Matthew Ruzicka, CPA, Chief Financial Officer Alan Payne, VP of Sales Dirk Wood, VP of Marketing Lorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital Services
1 2 3 4
Become our fan on Facebook facebook.com/idwpublishing Follow us on Twitter @idwpublishing Check us out on YouTube
youtube.com/idwpublishing
www.IDWPUBLISHING.com
THE TRANSFORMERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION. JUNE 2013. FIRST PRINTING. HASBRO and its logo, TRANSFORMERS, and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. © 2013 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Editorial offices: 5080 Santa Fe St., San Diego, CA 92109. The I DW logo is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Any similarities to persons living or dead are purely coincidental. With the exception of ar twork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Printed in Korea. IDW Publishing does not read or accept unsolicited submissions of ideas, stories, or artwork.
Foreword by Simon Furman
Introduction by Jim Sorenson
The Transformers Transformers #1, September 1984, Marvel Comics, "The Transformers" Plot by Bill Mantlo • Script by Ralph Macchio • Pencils by Frank Springer • Inks by Kim DeMulder • Colors by Nelson Yomtov • Letters by Higgins & Parker • Edits by Bob Budiansky • Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz
The Transformers Transformers #17, June 1986, Marvel Comics, "Return To Cybertron, Part 1: The Smelting Pool!" Written by Bob Budiansky • Pencils by Don Perlin • Inks by Keith Williams • Colors by Nelson Yomtov Letters by Janice Chiang • Edits by Mike Carlin • Cover by Herb Trimpe
The Transformers Transformers (UK) 1986 Annual, January 1986, Marvel Comics UK, "Victory!" Written by Simon Furman • Art by Geoff Senior • Colors by Gina Hart • Letters by Annie Halfacree Edits by Sheila Cranna • Cover by Barry Kitson
PG. 05 PG. 07 PG. 10
PG. 38
PG. 62
The Transformers Transformers (UK) #86, November 1986, Marvel Comics UK, "T "Target: arget: 2006, Part 8" Written by Simon Furman • Art by Geoff Senior • Colors by Gina Hart • Letters by Annie Halfacree Edits by Ian Rimmer • Cover by Robin Smith
The Transformers Transformers #69, August 1990, Marvel Mar vel Comics, "Eye Of The Storm" Written by Simon Furman • Pencils by Andrew Wildman • Inks by Harry Candelario and Bob Lewis Colors by Nelson Yomtov • Letters by Rick Parker • Edits by Don Daley • Cover by Andrew Wildman
PG. 75
PG. 89
The Transformers Transformers Generation 2 #4–5, February–March 1994, Marvel Comics, "Tales of Earth, Parts 1–2" Written by Simon Furman • Art on #4 by Derek Yaniger • Pencils on #5 by Manny Galan • Inks on #5 by Jim Amash Colors by Sarra Mossoff • Letters by Richard Starkings and Peggy Gaushell • Edits by Rob Tokar • Cover on #4 by Derek Yaniger
The Transformers Transformers #0, March 2002, Dreamwave, "The Prime Directive" Written by Chris Sarracini • Pencils by Pat Lee • Inks by Rob Armstrong • Backgrounds by Edwin Garcia Colors by TheRealT! • Letters by Dreamer Design • Cover by Pat Lee
The Transformers: Transformers: The War Within #6, March 2003, Dreamwave Written by Simon Furman • Pencils by Don Figueroa • Inks by Elaine To • Colors by Rob Ruffolo and Alan Wang Letters by Dreamer Design • Cover by Don Figueroa
PG. 111
PG. 125
PG. 133
Transformers Armada: Mini-Comic, 2002, Hasbro / Dreamwave Written by Chris Sarracini • Pencils by James Raiz • Inks by Rob Armstrong Colors by Alan Wang and TheRealT! • Letters by Dreamer Design • Cover by James Raiz
The Transformers: Transformers: Infiltration #6, July 2006, IDW Publishing Written by Simon Furman • Art by E J Su • Colors by John Rauch • Letters by Robbie Robbins Edits by Chris Ryall and Dan Taylor • Cover by Klaus Scherwinski
The Transformers: Transformers: All Hail Megatron #1, July 2008, IDW Publishing Written by Shane McCarthy • Art by Guido Guidi • Colors by Kris Carter • Letters by Neil Uyetake and Chris Mowry Edits by Denton J. Tipton • Cover by Trevor Hutchison
The Transformers Transformers #4, February 2010, IDW Publishing, "Things Fall Apart, Part 3: Seasons In Flight" Written by Mike Costa • Art by Don Figueroa • Colors by J. Brown • Letters by Robbie Robbins Edits by Denton J. Tipton and Andy Schmidt • Cover by Andrew Wildman
PG. 159
PG. 163 PG. 187
PG. 211
The Transformers: Transformers: Last Stand Of The Wreckers #5, February 2010, IDW Publishing Written by Nick Roche and James Roberts • Art by Nick Roche • Colors by Josh Burcham Letters by Chris Mowry • Edits by Denton J. Tipton and Andy Schmidt • Cover by Nick Roche
PG. 235
The Transformers: Transformers: The Reign Of Starscream #1, May 2008, IDW Publishing Written by Chris Mowry • Art by Alex Milne • Colors by Josh Perez • Letters by Chris Mowry Edits by Denton J. Tipton • Cover by Gabriel Rodriguez
The Transformers Transformers Animated: The Arrival #3, October 2008, IDW Publishing, "'Bots of Science" Written by Marty Isenberg • Art by Boo • Colors by Liam Shalloo • Letters by Chris Mowry • Edits by Denton J. Tipton • Cover by Boo
Further Reading
PG. 259 PG. 283 PG. 296
FOREWORD My childhood memories of TRANSFORMERS are of shiny toys with decals I got to put on myself, and the smell of old-style newsprint comics. Like many kids of that age I was hooked by the "Hasbro approach," the epic story lines of good versus evil. Epic characters in all sizes, with any number of personality quirks, fighting in a never-en ding robot civil war. It was a whole world history and I loved the endless possibilities of it all. It turns out I wasn’t alone. TRANSFORMERS was made for comics (mostly)—planet-wide robot civil war being fought on Earth, that had both the protagonist and antagonists cloaking themselves in the latest vehicle fashions of the day. They were colorful, bombastic, and EPIC! You are going to hear that a lot here but it is the perfect word for this brand, EPIC! Transfor ransformation mation describes the toy play pattern, but it also describes the brand’s ever-changing journey over 30 years. As a result the TRANSFORMERS brand appeals to a wonderfully diverse fan base, and the stories in this volume represent that diversity. Nothing lasts 30 years without support; it is the fans who keep their favorite generation of TRANSFORMERS alive alongside the generation of the moment. TRANSFORMERS does not have one story heartbeat, it has multi-dimensional story heartbeats that coexist together. TRANSFORMERS is stronger than the generations and that is why the brand endures. Let us take a moment to celebrate all of the creators who have touched this brand over 30 years, those who have added their talents to make better the ever continuing myth that is TRANSFORMERS. TRANSFORMERS is considered a licensed brand, and no one can deny that the comics started as one element of a threeprong approach Hasbro took in the '80s, with toy, anima tion, and comic promoting a generally common story and characters. Creators assigned to the “tie-in -comics” were often directed to fill in the “large” story and logic gaps not accounted for by the toy company. These comic creators were mostly left alone to dream up new adventures so long as they could account for the strangely timed shifts requested by Hasbro. The TRANSFORMERS story is unlike many other popular brands, in that the core concept has been re-presented, rebooted, and changed over the years to suit yearly toy
trends. I would argue that the toy needs to keep the brand story fresh, nimble, relevant, and modern—this is a strength rather than a weakness. Over 30 years the comic creators working within the larger toy needs have had the freedom to create newness well beyond anything that could be done on television or toy packaging. Therefore the comics have always told the deep story. THE STORIES We live in a world where heroes matter, and OPTIMUS P RIME and his AUTOBOT friends are perfect symbols of the heroic ideal. Against all logic and ability they battle on, to survive against great odds, all while protecting their adopted planet. During most alien invasion stories humanity is the victim, but TRANSFORMERS is unique. Here the epic hero role is t urned sideways and put into the hands of metal alien knights that dedicate time, energy, and life to the protection of the human race, which often does not know they are fighting for them at all (ROBOTS IN DISGUISE). TRANSFORMERS is also an epic sci-fi adventure, in the best of space opera traditions—an endless storyline of outrageous proportions proportions across time and and space. From the robots themselves being created by and from their creator's stardust, to having a backstory every bit as dense and vague as Tolkien. You have robots that can seemingly live forever and yet still find new ways to battle or not make peace. MEGATRON has been bested dozens of times by the AUTOBOTS and yet he thinks he and his DECEPTICONS are better than their enemies. OPTIMUS PRIME will continue to worry about putting his team in harm's way, and we keep reading because we have a desire to see good defeat evil. As readers, we read these stories because we all want heroes in our life. We wish we could overcome life’s challenges with the dedication of OPTIMUS PRIME, but we are often flawed and desire more than we have, as would MEGATRON. Like the AUTOBOTS, we share good times with our friends, but we will join with them in combat to overcome those that look to bully us. We like that STARSCREAM tries to undermine his boss. These are the core human stories told through the lens of an EPIC robot space opera that makes TRANSFORMERS relevant 30 years on.
Aaron Archer Former Vice President of Transformers Design, Hasbro Veteran of the Transformers Robot Wars 2000-2013 Morganton, North Carolina (Southwest of Kaon)
ABOVE: Megatron character study by Guido Guidi RIGHT: All Hail Megatron #15 cover concepts by Nick Roche
INTRODUCTION Thirty years of TRANSFORMERS books. Wow!
My personal journey with TRANSFORMERS TRANSFORMERS comics begins in early 1985, when I found a copy of Marvel’s Transformers #5 at a local supermarket. The cover intrigued, and flipping through the book I became immediately engrossed. My mom bought it for me, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I was eight years old. Fast forward some 28 years. My editor asked me if I’d be interested in compiling a book celebrating 30 years of TRANSFORMERS TRANSF ORMERS comics. I thought back to my eight-year-old eight-year-old self, how much he’d he’d envy me right now. I didn’t hesitate to accept the job. But 30 years is a huge amount of material to cover. How could I possibly do justice to such a huge amount of material, published across and around the world by a large number of publishers and touching on multiple eras of TRANSFORMERS lore? I rolled up my sleeves, sat down with IDW editors Justin Eisinger and John Barber, and of course Hasbro, and tried to hash out a list that would at least touch on most of the major epochs of TRANSFO TRANSFORMERS RMERS comics. Those Those books we loved that we didn’t have room for we could at least nod to, in the form of some Further Reading pages at the end of the book and in shout-outs in the introductory text. Ah, yes, the introductory text. The other challenge of this book, beyond a surfeit of material, was the old chestnut of balancing the expectations of newcomers with that of the hardcore fan. It was vital that those of you who are just joining us be able to understand each story, so placing them in the right context was critical. But those fans who have read all of the issues contained herein already (probably two or three or four times each) should be able to learn something new. To that end, I reached out to as many artists and writers as I could to get their perspective on the issues we chose to feature. I daresay there’s something here for everyone. This book was only possible thanks to the generosity of the many creators who gave of their time to make this book as in-depth as possible. Simon Furman, Bob Budiansky, Shane McCarthy, Guido Guidi, Mike Costa, Casey Coller, James Roberts, Nick Roche, Chris Mowry, Marty Isenberg, Boo, Flint Dille, Chris Metzen, Livio Ramondelli, Andrew Wildman, Mairghread Scott, Pat Lee, and John Barber, I salute you. To the many fans who shared their personal scans of original artwork, including Joe Sherman, Martin Fisher, Chuck Costas, and Nathan Stacy, I thank you too for your contributions. Thanks to David Bishop for his invaluable transcription help. And to you, the readers, get ready to strap in! You’re in for one hell of a ride! Jim Sorenson, March 2013
LEFT: Starscream head study by Guido Guidi ABOVE: Optimus Prime sketch by Casey Coller
THE TRANSFORMERS #1 ORIGINALL ORIGINA LLY Y PUBLISHED PUBLISHE D BY MARVEL COMICS: SEPTEMB SEPTEMBER ER 1984
It was the year 1983... Hasbro had recently acquired the rights to some amazing new toys from Takara, a Japanese company. These toys could convert from robots to vehicles, and everyone involved knew that they had a home run on their hands. They had a challenge, though. WHY would vehicles reconfigure themselves into robots? What was the conflict? Why should anyone care?
T H E T R A N S F O R M E R S # 1
To answer these questions, Hasbro went to Marvel Comics. Hasbro and Marvel had collaborated, to great success, to craft the story supporting the relaunched G.I. Joe toyline. Armed with the names “Transformers,” “Autobots,” and “Decepticons,” Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter wrote the treatment that would lay out many of the fundamentals of the universe still in play today, including the idea of these beings as aliens from the planet Cybertron. Some elements came from an earlier treatment draft written by comic book legend Dennis O'Neil, including the name Optimus Prime. Once Hasbro signed off on the treatment, further development was given to Marvel editor Bob Budiansky, who proceeded to flesh out (so to speak) the cast of characters. From From his fertile imagination came a plethora of names, abilities, personalities, and attributes. One name that was initially rejected was "Megatron." There were some concerns that the name was "too scary" and that connotations of nuclear war were inappropriate. Bob fought for the name on the grounds that it wa s appropriate for the leader of the bad guys to be at least a little scary. Generations of fans thank him for the stand he took. Marvel and Hasbro had now assembled both a basic premise and a horde of characters. This work would provide the foundation for the first Transformers comic book. (As well as for the Transformers cartoon, but that's a story for another book.) The book was launched with a four-issue miniseries. The book was an instant hit, and plans were soon underway to expand the series into an ongoing series. It would eventually run 80 issues, with over 30 issues of spin-offs, crossovers, and sequels. And THAT doesn't even include the contemporary UK run... The road to success wasn't without bumps. The first issue went through a number of changes. Several pages had to be redrawn or were cut up and rearranged. The four pieces of artwork here and on t he next page are all unfinished. Compare to the finished issue and note the many differences.
11
Unused / Altered artwork from The Transformers #1 Pencils by Frank Springer; Inks by Kim DeMulder
12
T H E T R A N S F O R M E R S # 1
1986
T
H E T R A N S F O R M E R S # 1
1986 13
Y R A S R E V I N N A h t 0 3 S R E M R O F S N A R T E H T
14
T H E T R A N S F O R M E R S # 1
1986
T
H E T R A N S F O R M E R S # 1
1986 15
Y R A S R E V I N N A h t 0 3 S R E M R O F S N A R T E H T
16
T H E T R A N S F O R M E R S # 1
1986
T
H E T R A N S F O R M E R S # 1
1986 17
Y R A S R E V I N N A h t 0 3 S R E M R O F S N A R T E H T
18
T H E T R A N S F O R M E R S # 1
1986
T
H E T R A N S F O R M E R S # 1
1986 19
