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People Power!

2022-05-11T15:33:18Z

Captf: /* Continuity notes */

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #42
|prev=Totaled!
|next=The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)
|title="People Power!"
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #176–177
|prev2=Totaled!
|next2=The Cosmic Carnival
|image=MarvelUS-42.jpg
|caption=Get... in... me... belly!
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=March [[1988]]
|coverdate=July 1988
|writer=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|breakdowns=[[José Delbo]]
|finishes=[[Dave Hunt]] & [[Don Hudson]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]
|letterer=[[Bill Oakley]]
|editor=[[Don Daley]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''A small band of Autobots take Optimus Prime's consciousness to Nebulos to have a new body built for him, but encounter some potentially deadly challenges.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Dreadwing g1.jpg|left|upright=1.6|thumb|Just rude, really.]]
On the planet [[Nebulos]], an alien jet attacks the [[Gardens of Eternal Peace and Harmony Macrobiotic Restaurant]]. The jet splits into the bickering Decepticons [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]] and [[Darkwing (G1)|Darkwing]], who each discharge a transformable humanoid passenger. The two bio-engineered Nebulans, [[Hi-Test (G1)|Hi-Test]] and [[Throttle (G1)|Throttle]], confront the maitre d' and demand a dozen of the restaurant's best entrées.

Meanwhile, the ''[[Steelhaven (G1)|Steelhaven]]'' arrives in orbit over Nebulos. Its crew, [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Goldbug]], [[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]], [[Joyride (G1)|Joyride]], and [[Getaway]], journey to the surface and meet with the Nebulan scientist, [[Hi-Q]], at [[Hi-Q Industrial Research Complex|his research facility]]. Hi-Q is reluctant to help them in their mission to construct a new body for [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], though not because he's unwilling.

Hi-Q explains that after the departure of the Transformers from their world, {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}} he and his former partner Hi-Test were charged with preventing the [[Transformer]]s from ever returning. Under his direction, a bomb was detonated, tainting all fuel sources on the planet so as to be poisonous to any Transformer. Hi-Q's success drove the jealous Hi-Test to quit, however.

When Darkwing and Dreadwind arrived looking for [[Scorponok (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Scorponok]]'s crew, they soon found themselves victim of this poisoning, and lay dormant for a time. Hi-Test recruited the thief Throttle to steal Hi-Q's research into what he called the [[Powermaster]] process, allowing a bio-engineered Nebulan to serve as a replacement power source for a poisoned Transformer. Hi-Test and Throttle undergo the necessary alterations, and partner with the two Decepticons, reviving them. A major side-effect is that, in order to generate the energy, the Nebulans must consume huge quantities of food, and many of Darkwing and Dreadwind's attacks are to secure supplies. Hi-Q has thus far been unable to devise a way to stop them.

Goldbug says ''they'' can stop the rampaging Decepticons, but Hi-Q reminds them that they, too, will be poisoned if they partake of local fuel resources. Goldbug is adamant that they at least stay and complete their mission, despite the danger to themselves. Hi-Q says that he, his staff, and his facilities are at their disposal... but that he will not be saddened when the Autobots inevitably fall.

Darkwing and Dreadwind, meanwhile, attack the [[Council of Peers]] at [[Koraja]], determined this time to find out what happened to Scorponok's crew. The Autobots hear of the attack and come to the rescue, only to get soundly trounced by the Powermaster-enhanced Decepticons.

Returning to the lab, the steadily-weakening Autobots complete Optimus Prime's new body with Hi-Q's help. Even though he will only live a short while in his poisoned body, Goldbug is adamant that it is "far better for Optimus Prime to ''die'' a whole Autobot" than carry on in his current condition. Thus Prime's mind is transferred into the new body. He can now combine with a new trailer component, granting him greater power than ever before—an upgrade he can't wait to use in [[Pretender to the Throne!|the next game!]] Goldbug despairs; even restoring him to life hasn't convinced Optimus that he's not just a computer simulation.

But, suddenly, Optimus Prime is struck by pain as the poisoned fuel kicks in. He realizes that since he can feel pain and potentially die, he must be alive... and thanks Goldbug for freeing him from the living death of the disk for a few precious moments of life. Hi-Q is struck by the realization that the Autobots are both alive and as noble as any Nebulan he's met. He volunteers to save Optimus by undergoing the Powermaster process himself. Three of his staff eagerly agree to help out Joyride, Getaway and Slapdash. Only the pacifist [[Kari]] refuses to participate, but luckily, Goldbug is quite fuel efficient and has plenty of fuel reserves left.

Some time later, Darkwing and Dreadwind have coerced the location of the Autobots from the Nebulans, and move to attack Hi-Q's lab. They are met by the rejuvenated Powermaster Autobots, however, who can now match them shot for shot. The entry of Optimus Prime into the battle causes it to end very quickly; the Decepticons crash and burn. Hi-Q confronts Hi-Test, pointing out what his petty jealousy has caused: the return of war to Nebulos. The Council has already sentenced Hi-Test and Throttle to exile from Nebulos; they rejoin their partners and rocket off to parts unknown.

Goldbug prepares to depart alone in the ''Steelhaven''; the Powermaster process has inextricably tied the Autobots and the Nebulans together, and the robots are now bound to the world of their partners. But Kari points out that Nebulos may not be a suitable home for the binary-bonded Nebulans anymore. Hi-Q realizes she's right—their presence endangers the planet. The Autobots and their new partners all say a sad farewell to Nebulos.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Getaway]] (6)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Goldbug]] (7)
*[[Joyride (G1)|Joyride]] (8)
*[[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]] (9)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (17)
|c2=
*[[Dreadwing (G1)|Dreadwing]] (1)
*[[Darkwing (G1)|Darkwing]] (2)
*[[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]] (3)
|h4=[[Nebulan]]s|c4=
*[[Hi-Test (G1)|Hi-Test]] (4)
*[[Throttle (G1)|Throttle]] (5)
*[[Lube]] (10)
*[[Hotwire (G1)|Hotwire]] (11)
*[[Kari]] (12)
*[[Hi-Q]] (13)
*[[Rev]] (14)
*[[Sorgen]] (15)
*[[Soriza]] (16)
}}

==Quotes==
"Time to separate, '''Darkwing! Get off my back!'''" 
"Only a '''rust infection''' could be worse than staying there, '''Dreadwind!'''"
:—the Powermasters introduce themselves to the reader, fully in character.

"You'll pay for that insult, Nebulan - with your '''life!'''" 
"And without him what would become of '''you''', Darkwing --? ...You would grind to a halt, your body corroding, festering, sinking into an irreversible, inoperative '''oblivion''', with no hope for --" 
"Stuff the rosy forecast, Dreadwind. I get the point."
:—'''Darkwing''' and '''Dreadwind''', ladies and gentlemen

"Your fuel is poisoned. You're... dying." 
"Of course. Dying... such a '''fascinating''' sensation. But... in order to die... I would have to be more than just a pattern of magnetized bits on a disc. Much more. I must be '''alive.'''" 
"And '''I''' have '''doomed''' you. I... am sorry, Optimus." 
"Don't apologize, old friend. Existing on that disc... was a living death. Escaping it... for these few moments of precious life... is well worth it. I... thank you."
:—'''Goldbug''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

"Better the black abyss of permanent shutdown than any more of this barrage!" 
"You take the abyss route, Dreadwind -- I'm taking '''off!'''"
:—'''Dreadwind''' and '''Hi-Test'''

==Notes==
===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:DelboPMPrimeSwipe.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|One of Delbo's most blatant swipes.]]
*On the cover, Joyride is colored green/dark blue/white and Getaway is colored orange and silver-blue.
*The Nebulan capital city of [[Koraja]] appears radically different than it did in the ''Headmasters'' miniseries; the new version of Koraja is both much larger and more overtly high-tech than the miniseries' version.
*The [[Gardens of Eternal Peace and Harmony Macrobiotic Restaurant]] that Dreadwind and Darkwing attack at the start of the story has "RESTAURANT" written across the entrance in English instead of [[Nebulanese]]; a flying cab has TAXI written on it.
*Page 6, panel 9: Hi-Test is shown in his Powermaster armor before he's actually become a Powermaster.
*For his first appearance in his [[Optimus Prime Super Modes|super-robot mode]], [[José Delbo]] swiped Optimus Prime's pose directly from his [[character model]] as depicted in his ''[[The Transformers Universe|Transformers Universe]]'' profile.

===Continuity errors===
*Goldbug describes Hi-Q as "precisely the human we came to see". Whether describing Nebulans as "human" is an error or not depends on how pedantic you want to be; the Nebulans are for all intents and purposes identical to the humans of Earth. Furthermore, the "error" could just be chalked up to a mistake on Goldbug's part - he's never been to Nebulos before. On the other hand, H-Q himself refers to the inhabitants of the planet as "humans" when talking about the radiation bomb that was detonated. (This highlights an interesting split in the Marvel comics. The US issues repeatedly use the term "human" when referring to the inhabitants of Nebulos, while the UK comics more often call them "Nebulans".)
*Goldbug says Optimus Prime looks identical to how he remembered, but there are a few minor changes made to his character model to make it look more like the toy, including hip wheels, no gas cans on his legs, and smokestacks that protrude from inside of his shoulders instead of attached on the outside. He's also miscoloured from his character model as his forearms should be blue, a mistake eventually fixed in "[[King Con!]]".
*Is it really plausible that a humanoid could power a full-size Transformer via the contents of their stomach, particularly one with high fuel demands required by flight capability? Admittedly, this all could be a self-aware parody of the already-typical 'Decepticons raid resources for fuel' storyline.
*The three Powermasters-to-be are supposed to be lying helpless in the repair bay while Optimus Prime is reactivated, but they're shown up and about instead.
*Nebulos apparently eliminated all their weapons to make sure that they would never be able to fight again. Despite this Hi-Q and company decided, apparently of their own volition, to build a heavily armoured trailer that Prime could combine with to form a super robot equipped with at least 4 different guns. Mixed messages, guys.

===Continuity notes===
*Slapdash, Joyride, and Getaway all made their first appearances in [[Totaled!|the previous issue]], in which they were charged with guarding the Optimus Prime disk on board ''Steelhaven''.
*Hi-Q explains the steps that the [[Council of Peers]] took to keep invading robots off Nebulos after [[Brothers in Armor!!|the final issue]] of the ''Headmasters'' miniseries. Flashbacks recall the first battle at Koraja and the final panels of the ''Headmaster'' series as the Nebulans rebuild.
*The Autobots literally start ''falling apart'' from lack of fuel, a concept not seen before or after this issue.


===UK printing===
'''Issue #176'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''[[Action Force (comic)|Action Force]]'' - "Pit-Fall" and ''[[Combat Colin]]''
*'''[[Transformers AtoZ|AtoZ]]:''' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (updated)
*In ''[[Letters page (Marvel UK)|Grim Grams]]'', [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] declines to answer a puzzle involving guessing the identity of a [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] who transforms into a T-Rex, hates [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], and answers the letter page.

'''Issue #177'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Action Force'' - "Pit-Fall" and ''Combat Colin''
*In ''Grim Grams'', Grimlock states he doesn't believe that an appearance by an issue of Transformers on long running UK soap ''Coronation Street'' could be considered an honor.

===Other trivia===
*The letters page of the US printing confirmed a second 4-issue ''Transformers Universe'' to be released in the summer of 1988, which was seemingly canceled at the last minute due to declining sales. As a result, starting with issue [[Club Con!|#47]] Universe profiles were occasionally included in issues of the ongoing series, allowing [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] to maintain the per issue page quota while also reducing production costs.

===Bot Roster===
*Ark Autobots: 47 active as Optimus Prime is returned to life; 5 bodyless Throttlebots. (52 total)
*''Steelhaven'' Autobots: 28 active.
*Ratbat's Decepticons: 32 active; 8 presumably rescued from the Ark; 4 offline/missing. (44 total)
*Scorponok's Decepticons: 25 active.

===Courtesy of my...===
*Dreadwind fires one of his [[thermal melter]]s at Goldbug.

===Covers (3)===
*'''US issue #42 cover:''' battle royal, by [[José Delbo]] and [[Dave Hunt]].
*'''UK issue #176 cover:''' Darkwing and Dreadwind by [[Kev Hopgood]]; the image of Dreadwind from this cover was reused as part of the first "Dread Tidings" masthead during the character's stint on Marvel UK letters page.
*'''UK issue #177 cover:''' Optimus Prime cover by [[Jeff Anderson]] proclaiming the character's return. This image would later be cropped and used as the character portrait in the info block on future UK covers.
<gallery>
File:MarvelUS-42.jpg|'''US issue #42''' - Mummy, is that how babies are born?
File:MarvelUK-176.jpg|'''UK issue #176''' - Oh no, not [[:Image:Bonk.jpg|again!]]
File:MarvelUK-177.jpg|'''UK issue #177''' - Yep, he's back, and here to stay. Until he [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|gets killed]] [[Still Life!|again.]] And then is [[End of the Road! (US)|back to stay again.]] And then gets killed [[A Rage in Heaven!|again.]] Because [[Hasbro|the Fates]] have decreed [[To sell toys|that this is the path of the Hero.]]
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
====US====
*Jolly Ranchers Apple Stix - inside front cover
*Infocomics - between pages 4 & 5
*Marvel's Evolutionary War - between pages 5 & 6
*New England Comics - between pages 7 & 8
*Comic distributors and Sketchy ads - between pages 8 & 9
*Marvel Super Hero Medallions - between pages 16 & 17
*Wizards & Warriors video game / J&S Comics - between pages 17 & 18
*Bullpen Bulletins and checklist - between pages 19 & 20
*Several comic distributors and Marvel Super Mart - between pages 20 & 21
*[[Letters page|Transmissions]]
*Marvel subscription service
*Konami NES video games: ''Jackal'' and ''Contra'' - inside back cover
*TSR ''Marvel Super Heroes'' RPG (back cover)

====UK====
'''Issue 176'''

'''Issue 177'''
*Powermasters - page 9
*Classifieds - page 22
*Mutant (glow in the dark pseudo-Silly Putty) - back cover

===Reprints===
*'''''[[Transformers: Maximum Force]]'' TPB:''' [[Scorponok (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Scorponok]], a [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] gun, the ''Steelhaven'' and half of [[Skullgrin]]'s head, by [[Andrew Wildman]].
*'''''Maximum Force'' HC:''' Skullgrin, by [[Peter Snejbjerg]].
*'''''[[Transformers: Magazine]]'' #1:''' Optimus Prime and [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] fight by [[Robby Musso]].
*'''[[Classic Transformers Volume 3|''Classic Transformers'' Volume 3]]:''' Panels from this issue and US issues [[Child's Play (issue)|#35]] and [[Spacehikers!|#36]]. Art and pencils by José Delbo, pencils by [[Don Perlin]], finishes by Dave Hunt & Don Hudson, inks by [[Ian Akin]] & [[Brian Garvey]], colours by Nel Yomtov.
*'''[[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 4|''The Transformers Classics,'' Vol. 4]]:''' [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], by [[Guido Guidi]].
*'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]] Volume 12: Cosmic Carnival:''''' [[Skullgrin]] and the [[Cosmic Carnival]] by [[Don Figueroa]], [[Frank Springer]] and [[Danny Bulanadi]]
<gallery>
File:Titan-MaximumForceSC.jpg|'''''Maximum Force'' TPB''' (Titan Books, 2004)
File:Titan-MaximumForceHC.jpg|'''''Maximum Force'' HC''' (Titan Books, 2004)
File:Idw-tfmag1.jpg|'''''Transformers: Magazine'' #1''' (IDW Publishing, 2007)
File:Classic Transformers Vol3.jpg|'''''Classic Transformers'' Volume 3''' (IDW Publishing, 2009)
File:TFClassicsVol4.jpg|'''''The Transformers Classics,'' Vol. 4''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v12.jpg|'''''The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 12: Cosmic Carnival''''' (Hachette Partworks, 2018)
</gallery>

[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Robot Buster!

2022-05-10T10:46:29Z

Captf: Fixing spelling of 'exploit'. ~~~~

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #59–60
|prev=Plight of the Bumblebee!
|next=Devastation Derby!
|title="Robot Buster!"
|image=MarvelUK-059.jpg
|caption=Buster takes Frenzy from behind.
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=Part 1: [[April 26|26th April]], [[1986]] Part 2: [[May 3|3rd May]], 1986
|coverdate=Part 1: [[May 3|3rd May]], 1986 Part 2: [[May 10|10th May]], 1986
|plot=[[Barry Kitson]]
|writer=[[Simon Furman]]
|art=[[Barry Kitson]]
|inks=[[Tim Perkins]] (Part 2 only)
|colours=[[Josie Firmin]] (Part 1), [[T.M. Cooks]] (Part 2)
|lettering=[[Annie Halfacree]]
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''When Wheeljack and Ratchet build an exo-suit for Buster, an unsanctioned field test leads the human into a confrontation with Shockwave.'''

==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
[[File:Frenzy-RobotBuster.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|Frenzy was never cooler than at this moment.]]
[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] ask [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] to visit their lab to see their newest creation—a [[battlesuit|large mechanical suit]] for [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] that will allow him to fight alongside the [[Autobot]]s. Optimus Prime is outraged at the notion of endangering Buster's life in battle, prompting the indignant Buster himself to insist that he has a right to be allowed to help the Autobots after all he has done for them. Sad but resolute, Prime insists the suits be dismantled.

Regretting his angry words to Prime, Buster decides to prove to the Autobot leader that the suit has merit by secretly field-testing it. That night, before Ratchet and Wheeljack can start disassembling it, Buster commandeers the suit and heads for the Decepticons' [[Fortress Sinister|old abandoned fortress]], hoping to find some technology he can take back to the Autobots... but what he finds instead is [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], in the midst of a salvage mission. Frenzy knows the task is just pointless busywork given to him by [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]], who is on edge thanks to rumours about the return of [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], but that only means the small Decepticon is in a bad mood and ''more'' than ready for a fight when Buster ambushes him. Buster thinks that capturing a Decepticon will be even better evidence of his suit's capabilities, but Frenzy is unharmed by his attack and unleashes the full force of his sonic powers in retaliation. In agony, Buster tries to shut down the suit's audio input, but accidentally winds up triggering its "[[echo cell]]" feature, which absorbs Frenzy's sonic attack and blasts it back at him, knocking him out. Sensible enough to realize he only defeated one of the ''weakest'' Decepticons through sheer luck, Buster decides to depart post-haste... only to find himself confronted by Shockwave!
{{--}}
===Part 2: "Baptism of Fire!"===
[[File:RobotBuster my eye.jpg|right|thumb|upright=2]]
After spending most of the night running from Shockwave and making futile attempts to combat him, Buster is cornered by the Decepticon leader, but is able to escape again by hurling a handful of sand into Shockwave's [[Sensor|optic sensor]]. This brief moment blindness causes Shockwave to remember his previous, more-prolonged immersions in darkness—his four-million year burial at the hands of the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], and his recent submergence in a swamp by Optimus Prime—and for once, the normally cold and emotionless Decepticon's mask of logic slips away. As emotion takes hold, Shockwave furiously vows to hunt down and slay Buster.

As dawn breaks, Buster finishes reconfiguring his suit to channel all of its energy into one blast, hoping this will be enough to take Shockwave down. No sooner has he completed his work than Shockwave catches up to him and moves in for the kill. Buster opens fire at point blank range, and the resultant blast hurls Shockwave back, but also reduces the suit to a smoking wreck. Alas, as Buster crawls out of the suit's remains, he discovers his his efforts were in vain when the still-functional Shockwave seizes him. Just before Shockwave can crush the life from the human, Optimus Prime and the Autobots arrive, having discovered the suit was missing from the lab. Prime offers to let Shockwave leave peacefully in return for Buster's safety, and, his logical mind reasserting itself, Shockwave agrees. Buster's experience has convinced him that fighting with the Autobots is not something he wants to be part of after all... but unfortunately for him, Shockwave is already plotting revenge, now knowing that the Autobots' friendship with Buster is a weakness he can exploit...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] (2)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] (3)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (9)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (10)
|c2=
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (5)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] (6)
|c3=
*[[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] (4)
}}

==Quotes==
"I will go...''for now.'' But I promise you this, '''Optimus Prime''': when you and I meet next it will be Shockwave who again walks away...'''leaving your charred and blackened corpse behind me.'''"
:—Just because '''Shockwave''' is cold and logical doesn't mean he can't have a dramatic flair

==Notes==
===Production notes===
[[File:RobotBuster-outofyourminds.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.75]]
*The plot of "Robot Buster!" is credited to artist Barry Kitson, with regular writer Simon Furman providing the script over his idea. In an interview in [[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 2|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 2]], Furman recalls that the team had been having a "tough time keeping Barry interested" in continuing to work on the comic, since Kitson did not particularly enjoy drawing the robot characters, and "bringing him in on the plot side" was an attempt to do so. The two-parter was essentially thought of as being done "for Barry" in the offices, so it only tangentially ties in to the next few issues' storyline.
*The second part of this story marks Marvel UK's first attempt at colouring the comic using mechanical colour separation—the cheaper method by which the American comics were coloured—instead of the hand-painting used up to this point. The result is... ''rough'', and the team's dissatisfaction with it led to the use of the pseudonymous credit "T.M. Cooks" (short for "Too Many Cooks") for the issue. The series returns to painted colours for the remainder of the year, but the team would eventually get a handle on the process, and the comic will feature colour separation from [[The Gift|issue #93]] onwards.

===Continuity notes===
*Buster refers to the period of time during which he carried the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] in his mind, as covered in [[The Worse of Two Evils!|US issues #6]]-[[Prime Time!|12]], and to his "pulling Optimus's fat out of the fire" at the close of the story when he used the Matrix to control [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] and save the day.
[[File:RobotBuster shockwave escapes swamp.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.75]]
*Though long since abandoned and never to reappear in the US stories, the Decepticons' original fortress (created in [[Power Play!|US issue #2]]) has previously been revisited in the UK comic in "[[Crisis of Command!]]", and will reappear again in future UK stories. In the [[Plight of the Bumblebee!|US issue immediately preceding this one]] Shockwave's Decepticons are described as operating out of a "makeshift fortress"; the appearance of the original fortress in this UK story might be an attempt by the UK comic to patch over this odd piece of US discontinuity by indicating that ''it'' is the base Shockwave is using.
*Frenzy mentions rumours that Megatron has returned, referring to television broadcasts showing the former Decepticon that hit the airwaves in [[I, Robot-Master!|US issue #15]]. Frenzy himself, incidentally, is unaccounted for by the US stories during this time of divided Decepticon leadership; only the UK stories depict him as explicitly being part of Shockwave's camp.
*Shockwave recalls his millions of years of entombment courtesy of the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], as seen in [[Repeat Performance!|US issue #8]], complete with a recreation of a panel from that issue depicting his burial.
*Shockwave's submergence in the swamp took place in US isue #12. His absence was short-lived, as he quickly returned in [[Rock and Roll-Out!|US issue #14]] with no real remark passed, but the UK comic inserted several additional stories between those two adventures, making his disappearance from action a more protracted one. This issue fills in the gap through flashback, showing us how Shockwave was forced to spend "days or months" trapped in the blackness of the swamp, until he finally touched bottom and could boot-jet his way to freedom (right). In ''The Transformers Classics UK'' Vol.2, Furman would give this as an example of the little gaps in Budiansky's stories like this, the result of poor Bob having [[to sell toys|to promote a never-ending stream of new toys]], that the UK team looked for so they could plug in their stories.

===Real-life references===
*The story's title may be a reference to the British comic strip ''{{w|Ro-Busters}}''.

===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:RobotBuster you stink.jpg|right|thumb|upright=2|Butthurt Witwicky.]]
*Several caption boxes and text balloons feature noticeably mis-aligned text in Part 1; on page 1, a lot of text is set too low inside the bubbles and boxes, and dialogue throughout the issue is shifted "up to and to the left" inside bubbles, and isn't even centered relative to itself.
*By this point in the US stories, Wheeljack has settled down into his finalized Marvel Comics colour scheme, but here, he's still got the early scheme from prior issues with red shoulder-fins. Additionally, he's missing his shoulder cannon, and on page 2 of part 1, he's got purple shoulders.
*Barry Kitson draws an oddly proportioned Shockwave, with an oversized head nearly as wide as his torso, and tiny hands.
*Part 1, page 4, panel 2: There's a second, blank speech bubble here after Buster pauses mid-sentence (right). It was probably supposed to contain something like "...then..." or "...well..." to bridge the boy's previous dialogue with his outburst in the next panel that Prime "stinks."
*Part 1, page 6, panel 3: Frenzy's rear-mounted thruster gun is miscoloured green, apparently mistaken by the colourist as part of the bundle of junk in his hands.
*Part 1, page 11: Shockwave says "Perish at the hands of Shockwave" when, well, he only has ONE hand. Oops!
*Part 2, page 3, panel 1: "Nonexistent" is misspelled as "nonexistant".
*Part 2, page 10, panel 3: Smokescreen is missing his door-wings, and has only one shoulder-mounted gun instead of two.

===Back-up material===
'''Issue #59:'''
*'''[[Back-up strips]]:''' ''Rocket Raccoon'' ("Masque of the Red Breath", Part 2), ''[[Robo-Capers]]'' and ''Matt and the Cat''.
**This issue's ''Robo-Capers'' is a [[Robo-Capers issue 59|special strip]] that shows [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] exacting retribution from [[Marvel Film Makers]] for the misprinted strip in [[Shooting Star!|issue #51]].
**Also featured is a half-page comic strip advert promoting the movie ''{{w|Biggles (film)|Biggles}},'' which will continue over the next four issues.
*'''[[Who's Who]]:''' Humans

'''Issue #60:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Rocket Raccoon'' ("Masque of the Red Breath," Part 3) and ''Robo-Capers''. ''Matt and the Cat'' is replaced this issue by the next chapter of the ''Biggles'' advert/comic.

===Covers (2)===
*'''Issue #59:''' Robot Buster takes down Frenzy, by [[Geoff Senior]].
*'''Issue #60:''' Shockwave has Buster in his sinister hand, by [[Barry Kitson]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-059.jpg|'''Issue #59''' - Who ya gonna call? Not Buster!
File:MarvelUK-060.jpg|'''Issue #60''' - I spy with my little eye...
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Tfcolcom09.jpg|'''[[Transformers Collected Comics#9 – Summer Special 1988|''Collected Comics'' #9]]''' (Marvel UK, 1988)
File:TitanSG.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Second Generation]]''''' (Titan Books, 2005)
File:Classicuk2.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 2|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 2]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v4.jpg|'''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|''The Definitive G1 Collection, Vol. 4: Second Generation'']]''' (Hachette Partworks, Ltd., 2018)
</gallery>

[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]