MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Talk:Firebolt (G1)

2025-07-11T13:06:23Z

That bluestreak: firebolt identification thoughts

==Untitled==
Hm. Why is there a Firebolt disambig link? How many other Firebolts are there? --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 01:57, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

The Nebulans who end up as the Autobots' Targetmasters are explicitly using codenames in the comic, so we should probably find a way to reword that bit of the Marvel entry. Also, I'd dispute that Galen and Firebolt were the only Nebulans killed in action. Nightstick was crushed by Megatron, and I'd suspect that Arcana and Gort died with their partners. [[User:Chip|Chip]] 02:09, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

"Firebolt" was the name they called the Aerialbot "Fireflight" in Japan. It was the also the name they gave to "Windrazor", one of the Aerialbots from Transformers: Energon. -- [[User: Dataraven|Dataraven]] 02:09, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

: We don't really give disambig pages for foreign names of domestic characters. They get noted on existant disambig pages, but in instances like this... --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 02:19, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

: There's also Laser Rod Sizzle's UK name, Fireball, and the A-Emergency Team Minicon Firebot for "should not be confused with"

Speaking of name variants, Firebolt is called 'Professor Sparks' in at least 2 different sources. (I suppose it's possible that was his REAL name...) -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 02:14, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

Good points, Chip and Derik. I was trying not to draw too many conclusions re: Sparks being Firebolt's real name for sure (the comic had a lot of errors in it as far as names went). I do agree that it is ''likely'' that Nightstick was killed, and I also suspect that Arcana and Gort ''may'' have died, but Galen and Firebolt are the only two that are specifically mentioned as being dead for sure. Methinks I will clean that part up, just for clarity's sake. Thanks for the suggestions! -- [[User: Dataraven|Dataraven]] 02:15, 9 June 2006 (UTC)
: I expect you're right to be cautious about these things. I personally reckon that Nightstick was salvaged by the Autobots and ended up joining Ricochet, which is at least possible (if wholly made up) from what we've seen. Lord Zarak's gotta be pretty damn dead, though. [[User:Chip|Chip]] 02:23, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

For what it's worth- a letters page int eh UK, when asked what happened ot the headmasters in the future-era, saiu theyw ere still around-b ut many of them were no longer partnered to Nebulans. It did nto elaborate how/why. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 02:34, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

== Sparks - new character or same guy as Hot Rod's Firebolt? ==

I'd say until we see evidence to the contrary, we should consider Sparks, the Targetmaster partner to ''[[Transformers United|United]]'' [[Artfire]], as a separate character who was named in homage to Marvel [[Brothers in Armor!!|''Headmasters'' #4's]] name for [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]'s [[Firebolt (G1)|Firebolt]]. We consider [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Stepper's]] [[Nebulon (Headmasters)|Nebulon]] and Artfire's [[Nightstick (Headmasters)|Nightstick]] to be separate characters from [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus's]] [[Nightstick (G1)|Nightstick]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge's]] [[Fracas]], after all. (Plus, Hot Rod's Nightstick was already named "Nightstick" for the ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' Hot Rodimus reissue.)--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] 16:21, 13 April 2012 (EDT)

== United Sparks ==

Is there really any reason why he's here when Takara obviously intended for [[Firebolt (G1)|Firebolt]] to be Hot Rod's partner, regardless of our own continuity pedantry? Having a name that homages Firebolt doesn't make him Firebolt. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 07:00, 9 April 2017 (EDT)
:<nowiki>*poke*</nowiki> [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 23:24, 30 May 2017 (EDT)
What's your proposed alternative? Create a Sparks (United) page for this guy, or are we reopening the "Artfire's partner" / Nightstick bag of worms? --[[User:Xaaron|Xaaron]] ([[User talk:Xaaron|talk]]) 10:42, 31 May 2017 (EDT)
:Nightstick has nothing to do with this, so I'm not sure why you brought him up. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 11:12, 31 May 2017 (EDT)
::If you missed it that's fine. I would've argued against it anyway. But if you could answer...ARE you suggesting moving that guy to a Sparks (United) page, then? --[[User:Xaaron|Xaaron]] ([[User talk:Xaaron|talk]]) 22:33, 31 May 2017 (EDT)
:::Nightstick is available in the same set as Sparks and acknowledged as a separate individual, so there wouldn't be any merging going on here (unless you meant that as a joke), but yes. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 23:24, 31 May 2017 (EDT)
::::Well, I'm not thrilled about using the implied intended identity of AM Firebolt as justification for revoking the identity of Sparks. If the argument for AM Firebolt wasn't strong enough to put him on this page, it shouldn't be strong enough to take Sparks off of it. That said, I don't think it would hurt either way. I have no problem with a Sparks (United) page. --[[User:Xaaron|Xaaron]] ([[User talk:Xaaron|talk]]) 10:48, 3 June 2017 (EDT)

== "Firebolt/Sparks is the guy in the middle" ==

Except that he's not. Well, maybe not. The guy in the middle has red legs and a single barrel, which doesn't fit any of the Targetmaster Nebulons, but particularly not Firebolt. He could be the guy on the far left though. Now, I know the image is cropped from the page of the comic that shows that the guy in the middle goes with Hot Rod, but removed from that context it looks like an error. It would reduce confusion to either take out the "...guy in the middle..." caption, or to note the inaccuracies in the image.[[User:That bluestreak|That bluestreak]] ([[User talk:That bluestreak|talk]]) 09:06, 11 July 2025 (EDT)

The Transformers: The Complete Works Part 2

2025-06-04T16:37:21Z

That bluestreak: isbn as per my copy

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''The Complete Works''
|prev=The Transformers: The Complete Works Part 1
|title=Part 2
|image=Complete works 2 cover.jpg
|caption=
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=??? [[1987]]
|writers=[[Bill Mantlo]] & [[Jim Salicrup]]
|penciler=[[Frank Springer]]
|inker=[[Kim DeMulder]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov]]
|letterers=[[Janice Chiang]], [[Michael Higgins|Mike Higgins]] & [[Rick Parker]]
|editor=[[Bob Budiansky]], [[Jim Shooter]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
|printed in=Belgium
|ISBN=0948936045
|price=£2.95
}}
'''''The Transformers: The Complete Works, Part 2''''' is the second of two hardback books published by [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|Marvel UK]], almost identical in format to the [[Transformers Annual|Annuals]].

Part 2 reprints the contents of the third and fourth issues of the Marvel US ''The Transformers'' series in full colour, previously published in the UK in issues #4-8 of the Marvel UK ''Transformers'' comics as a mixture of black & white and colour pages, and in the first two issues of ''[[Transformers Collected Comics]]''.

==Contents==
*Inside covers - artwork of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] in [[Robot mode|robot]] and [[alternate mode]]s with [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in the background. Inside the front cover, this is overlaid with a brief prehistory of how the war came to start on Cybertron which namechecks great warriors such as [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]], [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] for the "noble [[Autobot]]s" and [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]], [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] and [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] for the "fearsome [[Decepticon]]s".
*"[[Prisoner of War!]]"
*"[[The Last Stand]]"

==Alternate ending==

[[File:TheLastStand-HappyEndingVsShockwave.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8]]
''The Complete Works'' is mainly notable for the fact its version of the "[[The Last Stand]]" features an alternate ending in which Shockwave never strikes. It has often been theorized that this ending was the "original," intended ending of the mini-series, created by Marvel US in the event that the series didn't progress past issue #4. But that's definitely not the case; the new panels were, in fact, assembled for this reprint, created by re-used artwork by [[Don Perlin]] from 1986's [[Heavy Traffic!|issue #22]] (pictured, left). Evidently, this ending was created simply to let ''The Complete Works'' actually feel "complete," instead of concluding with a cliffhanger.
{{--}}

===Cover===
*Reuse of UK issue [[I, Robot-Master!|#56]]'s cover showing [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] tearing up the [[Decepticon]]s' [[Wyoming base]], by [[Robin Smith]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Complete Works Part 2}}
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 comic compilations]]

Transformers Annual 1985

2023-10-01T12:13:31Z

That bluestreak: Insecti-notes

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=[[Transformers Annual]] 1985
|prev=
|next=Transformers Annual 1986
|prev2=
|next2=Plague of the Insecticons!
|title=
|image=Transformers annual 1986.jpg
|caption=BIG BOXES FROM SPACE!
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] in association with [[Grandreams]]
|date=Late [[1985]]
|coverdate=[[1985]]
|cover=[[John Higgins]]
|price=£3.25
|ISBN=0-86227-331-5
|pagecount=64
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
The '''Transformers Annual 1985''' was published in the UK by Marvel Comics Ltd. in association with Grandreams Ltd. in December 1985.

==Contents==
*Introduction to the main [[Decepticon]]s
*Introduction to the [[Autobot]] [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] crew (as seen in [[The Transformers (issue)|issue #1]] of the comic)
*"[[Plague of the Insecticons!]]" (Part 1)
*Puzzles: The Transformers Name and Face Match!, Find the outline of the fastest Autobot - [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]]
*"[[Missing in Action]]" (Part 1)
*Puzzles: Decepticon Word Scramble, Decepticon Match-Up!
*"[[And There Shall Come...a Leader!]]" (Part 1)
*"Missing in Action" (Part 2)
*"And There Shall Come...a Leader!" (Part 2)
*Puzzle: Match the Autobot Robot and Vehicle
*Game: Hexagonal Attack on [[Castle Decepticon]]!
*"[[Hunted!]]"
*Puzzles: [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]'s Word Maze, [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'s Scrambled Word Message
*"Plague of the Insecticons!" (Part 2)
*Puzzle: [[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] to the Rescue!
*Puzzle Answer Page

==Synopsis==
===Decepticon Introduction===
The first two-page spread of the annual. Shows the box art with accompanying introductory text of the main Decepticon cast; [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]], [[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]], [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]].

===Autobot Introduction===
Two page Autobot roll-call as printed in issue #1 of the comic, introducing all of the [[1984]] Autobots.

===Plague of the Insecticons!===
[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]], and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] travel to Washington D.C. to engage in peace talks with the President, but the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] arrive and attack the humans while posing as Autobots.

===Missing in Action===
[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] travels on a reconnaissance mission to [[Greater Portland]], where he encounters and is critically wounded by Rumble in an alleyway behind [[Woolworth's]]. Left to go off-line, Tracks converts to [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] and is found by a young hooligan named [[J.D.]], who decides to use Tracks as a getaway car in the robbery he's about to participate in.

J.D. and his partner-in-crime, [[Mark Brookes|Mark]], take Tracks to [[New York City|New York]] to continue their crime spree where Tracks's Autobot symbol is recognised by a young boy named [[Danny Phillips|Danny]]. Meanwhile, Prime hears of Tracks being used as a getaway car and sends [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] to retrieve him. After seeing the [[Insignia|Autobot symbol]] on Tracks' hood, Danny follows the drivers into a bank to tell them what they were driving, only to find they're robbing the bank. Inferno, Grapple and Hoist arrive on the scene, and the sight of three giant robots causes J.D. to inadvertently set off the timer on the bomb he was holding.

The Autobots are thrown to the ground as the front of the bank is blown outwards. Upon hearing of the hostages inside, they begin to evacuate the building and get everyone but Danny clear. Inferno ignores the fact he is 30 foot tall and enters the burning building, shielding Danny with his heat-resistant body. Danny is taken to the hospital, J.D. and Mark are taken by the police, Tracks is brought home and given a lecture by Optimus Prime.

===And There Shall Come...A Leader!===
The Decepticons are staging a final assault on [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron]] campaigns the [[Council of Autobot Elders]] to relinquish command of the Autobot army to a warrior, Optimus Prime.

===Hunted!===
[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] is stuck on-base with Prowl monitoring news channels for Decepticon activity, complaining about being excluded from combat missions. Prowl spots a small piece of metal in the background of a news report, instantly recognising it as a piece of Ravage's hide. What a clever chap Prowl is.

Bumblebee and the [[Jumpstarter]]s convince Prowl to go to [[South America]], where the report originated, and investigate. After wrecking a military roadblock and wrestling with a boa constrictor, they discover Megatron has a secret crystal mine, mining for ultra-rare crystals which can be imbued with artificial intelligence, creating Megatron an army of soldiers! He also has a human expedition team held hostage.

Bumblebee attacks the mine-fortress alone, somehow avoiding Starscream, [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]], and [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]'s fire power. The Jumpstarters manage to shoot down Starscream causing him to crash into the mine, destroying it instantly.

Megatron escapes, leaving the lone Bumblebee unscathed, and tells him there's a bomb in his fortress where the humans are held prisoner. Bumblebee saves them in the nick of time.

==Production notes==

Both Hasbro and Marvel wanted to sell the annual to kids who didn't yet buy the comic, which is why it opens with guides to the characters. And Hasbro also wanted to sell some toys that Christmas, which is why "Hunted!" and "Plague of the Insecticons!" introduce some characters in a way that doesn't fit how they'd show up in the main comic at all; [[James Hill]] was even under the impression the Annuals weren't seen as in continuity with the weekly, instead meant for a broader audience. Originally, to save money, editor [[Sheila Cranna]] hoped to run reprints of American Marvel-owned text stories but rights issues prevented that. Her backup plan of asking Furman to write some text stories was undone by him not being physically in the office when she went looking for him, and so she asked [[Richard Starkings]] if he knew a writer: Hill thus got the call to write the tales.<ref>[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 1]]</ref>

==Notes==
[[File:Tfannualsoftcover.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|The softcover version of the annual, lacking the word "annual" on the cover, as well as the "The" before "Transformers".]]
*A softcover edition of the annual was reprinted in 1986 which has 4 extra blank pages due to the binding. The internal contents are identical save for correcting the mislabeling of Page 47 as page 46. The front cover lacks the word "annual".
*The Annual contains 8 one-page puzzles and a two-page game. The puzzles are reprinted from the [[Marvel Books]] Transformers colouring books: The Transformers Name and Face Match!, Hound's Scrambled Word Message and Match the Autobot Robot and Vehicle from [[Search for Treasure Under the Sea]]; Decepticon Match-Up!, Ratchet to the Rescue and Huffer's Word Maze from [[Decepticon Patrol]]; and Decepticon Word Scramble and Find the outline of the fastest Autobot - Cliffjumper from [[The Deadly Fuel Shortage]].
*Page 47 is erroneously mis-labelled as page "46".
*In the puzzle answers page, the answer for the "Transformers Name and Face Match!" puzzle has Ravage and Laserbeak switched around.
*In Plague of the Insecticons the Insecticons are coloured in their [[Diaclone]] colours.

[[Category:Annuals|1986]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Things Fall Apart, Part 1: "New Arrivals, Old Encounters"

2021-11-27T16:35:09Z

That bluestreak: added a little bit of further real-life reference~~~~

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers]]'' #2
|prev=...For All Mankind
|next=Things Fall Apart, Part 2: "A Rude Awakening"
|seriesissue2=
|prev2=
|next2=
|title="New Arrivals, Old Encounters"
|image=TFvol1 2cvrA.jpg
|caption="I've circled the areas where you need improvement."
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date= [[December 9]], [[2009]]
|coverdate=November 2009
|written by=[[Mike Costa]]
|art by=[[Don Figueroa]]
|colors by=[[James Brown]]
|letters by=[[Chris Mowry]]
|editor=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|assistant editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|associate editor=[[Denton J. Tipton]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline|Current era (2010)]]
}}
'''Spike's a prick, Hot Rod's a prick, everybody's a prick! Except Bumblebee.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Ongoing Issue 2 Spike one night stand.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|[[Andy Schmidt|"Our new Transformers ongoing is totally kid-friendly! Honest!"]]]]
Leaving his [[Spike's affair|affair]] in [[Albuquerque]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Spike Witwicky]] receives the call from [[Skywatch]] personnel informing him of the attack on their holding facility; they request his attendance to deal with the surrender of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]].

Back at their base, the [[Autobot]]s discuss Optimus Prime's actions; [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] theorizes that it may be a test of some kind, although [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] credits it to his inability to handle the situation. While the others call for a leadership vote, Hot Rod states his desire to leave the planet despite the protests of [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]. The former asks if anyone else wants to join him in his desertion, and [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]], [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]], [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], [[Bluestreak (G1)|Silverstreak]], and [[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]] do so to [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]]'s obvious disappointment.

At the Skywatch facility, Spike holds a conference call with [[Sparkplug Witwicky|his father]] regarding the status of Optimus Prime, and the commander nixes Optimus's transport to the command center. He implies disappointment with Spike's abandonment of his duties, and says that he'll be conferring with the other chiefs before making any plans.

The Autobots who remained at the base resume their plans for a leadership election, and when asked who he would nominate, Cliffjumper chooses himself.

In the desert, Hot Rod, Mirage, Red Alert and Prowl discuss plans to find another world with [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. Although alone he lacks the [[energon]] to reach orbit, they figure they can escape [[Earth]] by pooling their resources. However, on hearing of Optimus Prime's surrender, Omega Supreme refuses to leave.

The group are being monitored by some of the [[Decepticon]]s abandoned on Earth, including [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]], and [[Octane|Tankor]]; they had been planning a revenge attack on Omega Supreme but now see a better alternative. After a brief skirmish, Swindle calls for a ceasefire.

At Skywatch, Spike orders the [[Suppressor (device)|transformation suppressor]] removed from Optimus Prime; as the latter resumes robot form, Spike offers to talk.

Swindle appeals to both the Autobots and Decepticons, reminding them that there is no longer a need to fight since the war is over; he suggests they work together in order to go home. Prowl is suspicious, but Hot Rod decides to put it to a vote.

At the Autobot base, [[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]] brings in the results of the leadership election; much to Bumblebee's surprise, he has won. Cliffjumper laments that it was just a "popularity contest", but [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] assures Bumblebee that the rest of the Autobots consider him trustworthy and dependable. They are interrupted by the arrival of a [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] ship and go out to meet it as it lands. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] emerges and demands to know who is in charge. With the others looking at him, Bumblebee confirms that he is...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (9)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] (10)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (11)
*[[Blurr (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]] (12)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sideswipe]] (13)
*[[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]] (14)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] (15)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (16)
*[[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] (17)
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (18)
*[[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]] (19)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]] (20)
*[[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] (21)
*[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] (23)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (30)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (3)
*[[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] (24)
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (25)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] (26)
*[[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] (27)
*[[Octane|Tankor]] (28)
*[[Spyglass]] (29)
|c3=
*[[Spike's affair]] (1)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Spike Witwicky]] (2)
*[[Skywatch]] soldiers (5)
*[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (22)
}}

== Quotes ==
"He just left. He couldn't hack it, he freaked out, and he left." 
"He didn't 'freak out.'" 
"He just went and turned himself in to the humans! That counts as a freak-out!"
:—'''Hot Rod'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s prickitude is immune to '''Bumblebee'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s logic.

"Look, think about it. '''Why''' are we fighting?" 
"Because they're Autobots!" 
"Yeah, yeah, Tankor, I know. I know they're Autobots. Sometimes I wonder why we freed you from the humans. What I'm saying is '''so what''' if they're Autobots? What does that even '''mean''' anymore? Look, guys, the war is over! There are no '''sides''' anymore. Say we win this fight. So what? What then? We're still stuck here, right? '''I'm''' saying why don't we work together on this?"
:—'''Swindle''' starts talking sense, a giant red flag that nobody picks up on.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Some reconning of plot points from ''All Hail Megatron'':
**Thundercracker is up and about, despite being shot in the head by [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]] at the end of [[All Hail Megatron issue 12|''All Hail Megatron'' #12]]. (Guess Skywarp really ''is'' useless without Megatron or Starscream to tell him what to do.) [[Things Fall Apart, Part 3: "Seasons in Flight"|Part 3 of this story]] would reveal that Thundercracker had been repaired by the other stranded Decepticons, who were unaware of his betrayal.
**The [[1984]]-focused cast of ''All Hail Megatron'' made it seem that only those Decepticons were on Earth for that series; here we find out that Swindle and Drag Strip were on Earth as well, following on from ''Spotlight: Prowl''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s revelation that Thrust was there. More previously unseen Decepticons from that period will show up on Earth in later issues and in the ''Transformers: Bumblebee'' mini-series.
**The chain of command that was specifically noted on ''All Hail Megatron'' (After Optimus Prime, Prowl or Jazz or Hot Rod) has been completely abandoned in favor of a voting system for leadership.
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], last seen in ''[[Spotlight: Blaster]]'', is mentioned as being among Bumblebee's Autobots but isn't seen.
*Sandstorm and Silverstreak are mentioned as part of Hot Rod's team, but are not seen in this issue, besides some really obscured images on a monitor.

===Transformers references===
*Mirage and Tankor have been slightly redesigned from their ''All Hail Megatron'' designs. Drag Strip appears in the present day for the first time, in a design drawing inspiration from his ''Universe'' toy. Red Alert shares a base design with Sideswipe, and thus has some design elements descended from the ''Universe'' Sideswipe/Sunstreaker mold.
*Bluestreak has been [[trademark|renamed]] Silverstreak.
*Tankor has "OC-10" (pronounce [[Octane]]) written on his shoulder, as a mention of his "old" name.

===Real-life references===
*''New Arrivals, Old Encounters'' is a story by {{w|Brian Aldiss}}, as are the subtitles to the other issues in ''Things Fall Apart''.
*"Things Fall Apart" is itself a quote from the poem "{{w|The Second Coming (poem)|The Second Coming}}" by {{w|W.B. Yeats}}. It is also the name of a book by Chinua Achebe which is about a crisis in the transition of leadership and the exploitation thereof by enemies.

===Errors===
*In promotional materials, cover A said "Rodimus" instead of "Hot Rod."
*Despite being beaten up and smashed in Issue #1, Breakdown is in perfect condition here.
*In spite of the fact that he mentioned [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]'s and [[Gears (G1)|Gears]]'s capture by Skywatch last issue, Hot Rod doesn't seem the least bit interested in rescuing them before leaving Earth.
*As the Decepticons monitor the Autobots, Hot Rod is identified as Rodimus—several issues before Swindle dubs him as such.
*Red Alert is incorrectly colored as Sideswipe when he leaves with Jetfire, Prowl and Hot Rod.
*Punctuation is used somewhat intermittently, with some sentences being properly punctuated but others lacking any punctuation at all.

===Other trivia===
*The grill-like teeth drawn for the Transformers in the first issue are gone, replaced by more-traditional white-spaces.
*Optimus's vehicle mode now has white stripes along the side.
*Mike Costa answers readers' mail in Decepticomments.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Hot Rod, Mirage, Prowl, and Red Alert with circles around their heads and their names displayed; art by [[Don Figueroa]] and colors by [[James Brown]].
*'''Cover B:''' Bumblebee standing in the midst of rubble; art by [[Andrew Wildman]].
*'''Cover RI:''' Concept art of a redesigned Omega Supreme; art by Don Figueroa.
<gallery>
File:TFvol1 2cvrA.jpg|"Everyone say cheese!" "grhrarhrhrrrrgh"
File:TFvol1 2cvrB.jpg|Fearless Autobot leader Bumblebee!
File:TFvol1 2cvrRI.jpg|Guess who actually doesn't transform in this issue?
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*[[Things Fall Apart, Part 2: "A Rude Awakening"|''The Transformers'' #3]]
*''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''
*''{{i|G.I. Joe vol. 2|G.I. Joe}}'' {{i|G.I. Joe vol. 2 issue 12|#12}} and {{i|Deep Terror, Part 1|#13}}
*''Classic G.I. Joe'' Vol #7
*''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' trade paperbacks
*''[[The Transformers: Bumblebee]]''
*''[[The Transformers Continuum]]'' and [[...For All Mankind|''The Transformers'' #1]] 2nd print
*''[[Star Trek]] Alien Spotlight: Cardassians''
*''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Fool's Gold''
*''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' (back cover)

===Reprints===
*'''''[[The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers, Volume 1: For All Mankind]]''''' ([[June 9]], [[2010]]) ISBN 1600106846 / ISBN 978-1600106842
:*Collects issues #1–6
:*Bonus material includes: art from all covers, including design sketches from Don Figueroa.

*'''''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume Six]]''''' ([[May 9]], [[2012]]) ISBN 1613771835 / ISBN 978-1613771839
:*Collects issues #1–6, the [[The Transformers: Bumblebee|''Bumblebee'' miniseries]], ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' and ''[[Ride-Along|Spotlight: Prowl]]''.

*'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]]: Volume 46: Things Fall Apart'''''
[[Category:IDW The Transformers issues]]
:*Collects issues #2–8
:*Bonus material includes character design sketches by Figueroa, an extract from Decepticomments from ''The Transformers'' [[Things Fall Apart, Part 3: "Seasons in Flight"|#4]] by Mike Costa, and a bio on [[Swindle (G1)|IDW Swindle]].

<gallery>
File:IDW TF vol1.jpg|'''''The Transformers, Volume 1: For All Mankind'''''; cover art by [[Don Figueroa]] and [[James Brown]]
File:IDWCollection6.jpg|'''''The IDW Collection Volume Six'''''; cover art by [[E. J. Su]]
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v46.jpg|'''''Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 46'''''; cover art by [[Makoto Ono]] and Don Figueroa
</gallery>

Astrotrain (disambiguation)

2021-11-01T20:18:26Z

That bluestreak: humourous reference to running gag

{{disambig}}

True to their name, characters named '''Astrotrain''' become either a space shuttle or a train, and in some cases even [[Triple Changer|both]].

==Major Astrotrains==
<center><gallery widths="150px" heights="200px">
File:Astrotraing1.jpg|[[Astrotrain (G1)|"Generation 1" Astrotrain]] <hr>''[[Astrotrain (G1)/toys|Toys]]''
File:Astrotrain-Cyberverse-Boulder-model.jpg|[[Astrotrain (Cyberverse)|''Cyberverse'' Astrotrain]]
</gallery></center>

==Full list of Astrotrains==
{{disamb|y=[[1985]]|[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], the [[Decepticon]] [[Triple Changer]] shuttle/train from [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]].}}
{{disamb|y=[[2007]]|[[Astrotrain (Cybertron)|Astrotrain]], the [[Decepticon]] bounty hunter shuttle from the [[Unicron Trilogy]].}}
{{disamb|y=[[2008]]|[[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]], the heroic Decepticon shuttle from ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]''.}}
{{disamb|y=[[2010]]|[[Astrotrain (Animated)|Astrotrain]], the Decepticon from ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]''.}}
{{disamb|y=[[2011]]|[[Astrotrain (DOTM)|Astrotrain]], the Decepticon Triple Changer from ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (franchise)|Dark of the Moon]]''.}}
{{disamb|y=[[2014]]|[[Astrotrain (AB)|Astrotrain]], the Deceptihog transport from ''[[Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)|Angry Birds Transformers]]''.}}
{{disamb|y=[[2015]]|[[Astrotrain (RID)|Astrotrain]], the Decepticon train from the 2001 ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' franchise.}}
{{disamb|y=[[2020]]|[[Astrotrain (Cyberverse)|Astrotrain]], the Decepticon Triple Changer from ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (franchise)|Cyberverse]]''.}}

==Not to be confused with==
*[[Astroscope]] the [[Space Mini-Con Team]] satellite from the Unicron Trilogy.
*[[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]].
*[[Spacewarp]], who inspired the concept of Unicron Trilogy Astrotrain.
*[[Spacebus]]

Talk:The Legacy of Unicron!

2021-04-06T11:58:00Z

That bluestreak: query

Query: was Unicron's head attached to Junk with Junk serving as his body, or were the Junkions rebuilding Unicron's body from the top down? How do we know? [[User:That bluestreak|That bluestreak]] ([[User talk:That bluestreak|talk]]) 07:58, 6 April 2021 (EDT)

Talk:Rules of Disengagement (issue)

2021-03-18T15:07:02Z

That bluestreak: /* Errors */ new section

So if Spinister is in this issue of More than Meets the Eye, then the similar looking robot back on Cybertron is Spinster, his twin brother. Which would explain why everyone gets their names mixed up/mis-pronounced.
: Maybe this issue's Spinister is secretly Agent 113! --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 22:09, 25 July 2012 (EDT)

For my money, I'd pick Vos as secret agent 113. Something about his secret language schtick that seems a little off. But there is also an outside chance the turbofox Helex has on a chain could be our mystery agent. It could be Steeljaw in disguise. {{unsigned|BlackKnight75|23:21, July 25, 2012 (EDT)}}

:Agent 113 has to be someone capable of shooting bots with a gun! [[User:ZeroSD|ZeroSD]] 04:04, 23 August 2012 (EDT)

==Rack or Ruin==
Until I came to edit this I was 100% sure that the dude with the anvil was Rack (as shown here) but now I can't find a single canon source to back me up. I mean, it make sense that the anvil is the "rack" and the hammer is the "ruin" and all, but was it ever explicitly mentioned? Letters page or somesuch? --[[User:Emvee|Emvee]] 10:34, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:None that I've seen. Maybe you could ask Simon on his blog, or James Roberts on the IDW boards/facebook.--[[User:MistaTee|MistaTee]] 12:44, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
::I've always just assumed Rack'n'Ruin were named (our) left-to-right. It'd make the most sense. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:47, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:::I thought that too, but in UK #82 when they're introduced it's sort of from behind them. So as Impactor says their names, the hammer dude is top left and anvil guy is bottom right. I think I'll just have to ask Simon. --[[User:Emvee|Emvee]] 16:28, 1 August 2012 (EDT)

== Errors ==

OK, have I missed something (quite possibly) but when Tarn says that one of their number is on The List, actually three of them are - Fulcrum, Grimlock, and Flywheels. Is this a deliberate thing and I've missed the explanation, or is it a whoopsie? [[User:That bluestreak|That bluestreak]] ([[User talk:That bluestreak|talk]]) 11:07, 18 March 2021 (EDT)

Christmas Breaker!

2021-02-04T18:34:20Z

That bluestreak: plotting issue

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #41
|prev=Prime Time!
|next=Crisis of Command!
|title="Christmas Breaker!"
|image=MarvelUK-041.jpg
|caption=Ho! Ho! Ho!
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=[[December 21|21st December]], [[1985]]
|coverdate=[[December 28|28th December]], [[1985]]
|writer=[[James Hill]]
|art=[[Will Simpson]]
|colour=[[Gina Hart]]
|letters=[[Richard Starkings]]
|editor=[[Ian Rimmer]]
|chronology=Xmas [[Marvel Comics timeline|1985]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]] (Marvel UK)
}}
'''Circuit Breaker gains some Christmas Spirit.'''

==Synopsis==
In the small town of [[St. Petersburg]], [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] fumes as she reads about the recent [[Decepticon]] takeover of [[Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant Number One]] in the [[Portland Chronicle]]. Recalling her own origin, she vows once more to kill all robots.
[[File:G1 Jazz ChristmasBreaker.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|We know she's tough not because she just one-shotted Jazz, but because she's wearing that outfit in a blizzard.]]
Meanwhile, in the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the [[Autobot]]s are arranging a makeshift [[Christmas]] celebration for [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]. A metal Christmas tree has been constructed, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] is wearing a [[Santa Claus]] costume, and decorations and banners are hung from the ceiling. [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] finds the whole charade a waste of time, especially while the Decepticons are without a leader, and [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] doubts that [[human]]s are capable of the "charity" the holiday is supposed to represent due to his recent brush with the worst the species has to offer in Circuit Breaker. Realizing it's getting late, Buster has Jazz drive him to St. Petersburg, a suburb of [[Portland]], to finish delivering his dad's Christmas presents. Jazz's preference for high speeds gets the better of him, however, and he spins out on the frozen road, with Buster being hurled out of him.

Concurrently, elsewhere in town, children are skating on an icy pond when a young girl falls through the ice. Fortunately, Circuit Breaker is nearby and is able to blast the ice away and restart the girl's heart with an electric jolt. However, her appearance causes her to be attacked as a freak by other bystanders. Enraged, she flies off, and moments later, stumbles upon Jazz and Buster just after their accident. Mistakenly believing Jazz has deliberately harmed Buster, she attacks the Autobot—but Buster's pleas for mercy, and the chiming of church bells marking the arrival of midnight and the start of Christmas Day, convince her to grant him a temporary reprieve. Circuit Breaker leaves, and Jazz finally understands the meaning of Christmas and its effect on humans.
{{-}}

==Featured Characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks or dream sequences.
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (8)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (10)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (11)
*[[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] (12)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (13)
*[[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] (14)
*''[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]]'' (17)
|c2=
*''[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]]'' (4)
*''[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]'' (5)
*''[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'' (6)
*''[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]'' (15)
*''[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]'' (16)
|c3=
*''[[Ferdy and Gabe]]'' (1-2)
*[[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] (3)
*''[[G.B. Blackrock]]'' (7)
*[[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Prowl:''' I can't believe Prime is '''willingly''' taking place in this charade! That ''outfit...!''" 
'''Bluestreak:''' ''Shhh...''
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Bluestreak''' discuss '''Optimus Prime's''' fashion sense directly behind his back

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
[[File:Arkchristmastree.jpg|right|upright=1.75|thumb|"Someone's aft is gonna burn for this."]]
*Circuit Breaker returns following her previous appearance in [[DIS-Integrated Circuits!|US issue #9]], the events of which she flashes back to, along with scenes from her origin story as told through [[The Worse of Two Evils!|US issues #6]]-[[Repeat Performance!|8]]. "Christmas Breaker!" marks the character's only appearance in a UK-exclusive story (outside of a cameo in "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]").
*The two workers shown on the cover of the [[Portland Chronicle]] newspaper are presumably meant to be [[Ferdy and Gabe]], the two audience-surrogate characters from whose perspective we watched the Decepticons take over the Blackrock Aerospace Plant, as seen in [[Warrior School!|US issue #7]], a scene Circuit Breaker is shown imagining a more "monstrous"-looking version of.
*This story is set in the small town of [[St. Petersburg]], which was the setting for the earlier UK-exclusive story, "[[The Enemy Within!]]"
*In the US story immediately preceding the publication of "Christmas Breaker!", [[Prime Time!|US issue #12]], a sizeable chunk of the Autobot cast was badly injured and would be revealed in [[Rock and Roll-Out!|US issue #14]] to be offline, to be left inactive for several years. Presumably because this wasn't immediately obvious from the end of issue #12, "Christmas Breaker" depicts several characters who should be offline (Prowl, Huffer, Brawn, all seen at right, and Jazz) as being up and about. Though probably not done on purpose at first, subsequent UK stories will roll with this and continue to present many of the characters offlined in the US version of events as still being active, marking the UK title's first serious, deliberate divergence from the US material.
*Prowl refers to the Decepticons as "leaderless," following the disappearance of Megatron in US issue #8, and Shockwave being hurled into a swamp in US issue #12. Though the US series will not treat Shockwave's absence as a prolonged one (he will quickly return in US issue #14), the UK comic tells multiple stories during this time gap that lengthen Shockwave's disappearance and play it up as a much more disruptive event for the Decepticons.
*Jazz exclaims "By the [[Primal Program]]!" when he skids off the road. This expression—a reference to the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]]—was first used by Optimus Prime in US issue #12, but he was using it as an honorable vow ("By the Primal Program itself, I pray...") while Jazz is using it as a "swear." This will the form in which the phrase is most often heard as it passes into wider, continued use in the UK-exclusive stories.

===Real-life references===
*As indicated by the fonts used for the title (with the "-er" at the end in a different one to the rest of it), this story's name is a riff on the phrase "Christmas break," an affably British way of referring to "Christmas vacation."

===Continuity and plotting errors===
*It was not truly an error at the time of the story's publication, as her introductory issue did not set enough of a precedent, but the fact that Circuit Breaker acknowledges that there are two factions of Transformers at war on Earth stands in contradiction to how future US stories will present the character, who is so blinded by her hatred for robots that she refuses to see a distinction between Autobot and Decepticon and believes they are all conspiring against humanity together.
*Circuit Breaker spends much of the time in the freezing rain and snow in only her itty-bitty metallic body suit. Unless it somehow generates warmth, that's gonna be chilly!
*Bluestreak tells someone else to "Shhh"?!

===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:ChristmasBreaker circuitbreakers nightmare.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.75|"The Transformers" as imagined by David Lynch.]]
*The UK comic's ongoing tenuous relationship with [[character model]]s continues with this story, with the Autobots all being drawn largely based on their toys' [[package art]], with some embellishments, like proper arms and hands for Brawn and Huffer. This means that Bluestreak appears through the story in his ''[[Diaclone]]'' blue-and-silver colour scheme, instead of the character's correct silver-and-black.
*Jazz, meanwhile, is drawn in the same peculiar way as in [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|US issue #10]], with his visor being rendered as if it is a "cap peak" attached to his helmet, with two yellow eyes constantly peeping out from underneath.
*Page 2: Soundwave's Decepticon symbol is red, and while this probably wasn't on purpose, we can sort of wave it off on the fact the whole scene is Circuit Breaker's imagination, already full of deliberate embellishments like a terrifying mouth and finger-drills for Soundwave (right).
*Page 4: Frenzy is off-model and off-colour in the flashback to the events of US issue #9, and Wheeljack is still coloured in the early, off-model colour scheme used in that issue, with an all-white chest, red shoulder-fins, and a purple shoulder cannon.
*Page 7, panel 2: Circuit Breaker hallucinates Shockwave, but he's coloured like Soundwave, chest-window and all.

===Other trivia===
*"Christmas Breaker!" is the first of the UK comic's Christmas-themed stories, which will become an annual tradition as the comic continues, with a new one published every year through 1990.

===Back-up material===
*'''[[Back-up strips]]:''' ''Machine Man'' ("Victory," Part 3), ''[[Robo-Capers]]'' and ''Matt and the Cat''
*Apparently, [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] was away for the holidays, as [[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] was in charge of the [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] for this issue only. It is referred to at ''Rat-Chat'' instead of ''Soundwaves''.

===Cover===
*'''Issue #41:''' Santamus Prime, by [[Mike Collins]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-041.jpg|
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Tfcolcom11.jpg|'''[[Transformers Collected Comics#11 – Winter Special 1988|''Collected Comics'' #11]]'''; cover by [[Robin Smith]] (Marvel UK, 1988)
File:Classicuk1.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 1|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 1]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2011)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v3.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]], Vol. 3: Dinobot Hunt''''' (Hachette Partworks Ltd, 2018)</gallery>

====IDW edits====
*In the ''Classics UK'' reprint, the first panel on Page 5 is missing its first two word bubbles (Jazz: "It's a fine construction, Buster... What does it do?" Buster: "It doesn't do anything, Jazz, it's a symbol of charity.") The space where these first two word bubbles are supposed to be is instead left blank white, making the rest of Jazz's and Buster's conversation read awkwardly without its beginning.

[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Repeat Performance!

2021-01-28T18:02:12Z

That bluestreak: no it doesn't!~~~~

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #8
|prev=Warrior School!
|next=DIS-Integrated Circuits!
|title="Repeat Performance!"
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #27–28
|prev2=Warrior School!
|next2=Decepticon Dam-Busters!
|image=MarvelUS-08.jpg
|caption=Jurassic Spark
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=[[May 28]], [[1985]] ("on sale" [[June 18]], 1985)
|coverdate=September 1985
|script=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|pencils=[[William Johnson]]
|inks=[[Kyle Baker]]
|colors=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]
|letters=[[Rick Parker]]
|editor=[[Christopher J. Priest|Jim Owsley]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Ratchet recovers the Dinobots, and together they fight Megatron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Arkshuttle1.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|We have made... another commercial.]]
[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] journeys by [[Ark shuttlecraft|shuttle]] to the [[Savage Land]] to locate the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], who fought [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] there shortly after the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] crash-landed on [[Earth]] four million years ago. He uses his [[Mobile Autobot Repair Bay|M.A.R.B.]] to locate Cybertronian life deep in a tarpit. After a lot of digging, he locates [[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]], and uses a memory probe to view the Dinobots' battle with Shockwave, and their subsequent entombment. Slag awakens and, after recognizing Ratchet as an [[Autobot]], readily agrees to help finish the job they'd started: destroying Shockwave.

Shockwave checks in on [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], who has been left to guard the Ark alone and has prepared the head of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] for transport to the aerospace plant recently captured by the [[Decepticon]]s; Shockwave is pleased and comments that he may have to raise his odds-of-having-to-destroy-Megatron calculations.

Shockwave returns to the plant with Optimus Prime's head, effortlessly defeating an Army force that has surrounded the plant. Within, he prepares to begin the construction of a new generation of Decepticons, using the Matrix program within Prime.

Ratchet contacts Megatron, and shows him video footage of the Dinobots defeating Shockwave. With his end of the bargain fulfilled, he arranges for Megatron to meet him on a nearby mountain. When Ratchet arrives, Megatron promptly threatens to kill him. This breaks the bargain... and the hidden Dinobots burst forth from the snow. Turns out Ratchet knew Megatron wouldn't hold up his end of the [[Rite of Oneness]], and the video was from the Dinobots' tussle with Shockwave ''four million years ago''.

But despite the Dinobots' power, Megatron beats them all, leaving Ratchet to face him alone once more. Determined to fight like a warrior, even to the death, Ratchet tries to carry them both over a cliff edge. Though Megatron doesn't budge, the impact weakens the cliff beneath him, and Megatron is sent tumbling away. He transforms into his gun mode in a desperate effort to survive, but disappears into the snow and is not seen again. With Megatron thus defeated, the Ark and the Autobots are free.

Meanwhile, [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Josie Beller]], a series of printed circuit strips laced onto her arm, fires an energy bolt that destroys her hospital room's television. She speculates that she's about ready to check out...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (8)
*[[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] (9)
*[[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]] (10)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] (11)
*[[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]] (12)
*[[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] (13)
*[[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]] (14)
}}
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] (7)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (17)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (18)
|c3=
*[[G.B. Blackrock]] (15)
*[[Hawthorne]] (16)
*[[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Josie Beller]] (19)
*[[Eliot]] (20)
*[[Casey (G1)|Casey]] (21)
*[[Sue (G1)|Sue]] and friend (22)
}}

==Quotes==
[[File:Repeatperformance-preparedtheprisoner.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Shockwave: Decepticon, backstabber, Olympic gymnast.]]
"Uhh... I really haven't the time to find out what you want, tubular, carbon-based life form! Could you please find someone else to talk to?"
:—'''Ratchet''' vs. a snake

"You seem to be adjusting well to '''taking''' orders... instead of '''giving''' them! I had calculated only a 27.6% chance that I wouldn't have had to destroy you due to an act of insubordination. I may have to revise that figure upward."
:—Is '''Shockwave''' oblivious to how much he's egging on Megatron, or is he doing it on purpose?

"You suffer from the same flaw as the rest of your Autobot ilk -- you are not a '''true''' warrior! A warrior '''thinks''' like a warrior! He finds a way to '''fight''' his enemy, not a way to '''trust''' him! But being a warrior is a claim you never made!" 
"All you say about me is true, Megatron -- until now!"
:—'''Megatron''' faces off with '''Ratchet'''... who subsequently unleashes the Dinobots.

"You were willing to carry us both over this cliff to our doom, Autobot -- very admirable! You are a '''fool''', but it is still an honor for me to now destroy a warrior as '''brave''' as --" 
''[KKRAK!]'' 
"--'''''NO!!'''''"
:—'''Megatron's''' last words before tumbling off a shattered cliff
{{-}}

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*At the time of this issue's publication, ''The Transformers'' was still being written as if it took place within the mainstream [[Marvel Comics]] universe. As such, a footnote on the first page informs readers that "the events of this story take place before ''[[Avengers]]'' #257, in which the alien [[wikia:marvel:Terminus (Destroyer) (Earth-616)|Terminus]] ravaged the Savage Land, destroying the alien machinery that maintained its tropical climate. This is the last such direct reference to the wider Marvel Universe in the comic.
*Slag's memories provide a more detailed account of the Dinobots' battle with Shockwave, originally partially seen in [[The Last Stand|issue #4]].
*Shockwave reveals that he has already used the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] within Optimus Prime to program six new Decepticon lives, which he now intends to build bodies for using the aerospace plant's facilities. We didn't realize it at the time, but we saw this happening on the final page of [[The New Order|issue #5]], as energy was siphoned from Prime's head into a glowing cube. 
*The Dinobots disappear from the US series following this issue, only showing back up in a year's time in [[Command Performances!|issue #19]]. The UK series provided an explanation for their absence in a series of original stories that began in the following UK issue.
*Shockwave notes that he calculated a 27.6% chance that he wouldn't have to destroy Megatron in this issue. Back in [[The New Order|issue #5]], when checking on Megatron's recovery, he noted a 27.6% improvement in his operating capacity. What a coincidence!
*'''Bot Roster:'''
**''Autobots:'' 6 active, as the Dinobots return to the fold; 16 inactive plus Optimus Prime held captive (23 total)
**''Decepticons:'' 10 active; Megatron missing in action (11 total)

===Continuity and plotting errors===
*The machinery aboard the Ark that rebuilds the Dinobots does not resemble the [[:File:Combat deck marvel 1.jpg|revival drones]] that would rebuild the rest of the Transformers four million years later in [[The Transformers (issue)|issue #1]].
*Based on his actions during the Dinobots' battle with Shockwave, Snarl appears to have been confused for Sludge. Sludge's [[bio]] describes his low intelligence, and how he is often the victim of "self-inflicted calamities," having to be "dug out of the rubble he brings down upon himself." In the issue, Snarl brings rubble down on the Dinobots and is repeatedly called dumb.
*Narration this issue claims Josie Beller "cannot move or lift (her right arm) on her own," but just last issue, her right arm was described as the one part of his body she ''could'' move.

===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:Marvel US 8 Repeat Performance red Snarl prototype.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|It's odd how Slag retained his prototype toy colors throughout the cartoon, while Snarl only had them for his first comic appearance.]]
*Repeating an error from issues [[Prisoner of War!|#3]], [[The Last Stand|#4]], and [[Warrior School!|#7]], Megatron still has his off-center Decepticon [[insignia]], a result of the artist misinterpreting the geometry of his character model. See [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity#Notes|the note on Megatron's page]] for more information.
*In another repeating error, G.B. Blackrock is missing his mustache this issue.
*Shockwave finally settles into his finalized color scheme this issue, with his shoulders being colored in purple like the rest of his body. His hand and gun are typically a lighter purple than the rest of him, but in this issue, they are an especially light pink-purple.
*As in the previous issue, Optimus Prime's head is drawn as missing its antenna-ears.
*In dinosaur mode, Slag's head is colored golden yellow. Though this is how he looks in [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the cartoon]], it's the only time he'll look this way in the comic; future issues color his dino-head greyish-purple. Both are derived from the toy, the head of which is golden chrome inside translucent smokey-grey plastic.
*Page 1: There's a large yellow smear across Ratchet's pelvis, and the sides of his helmet are also colored yellow.
*Page 7, panels 3-4: Snarl has a red head and red hands. Either he's miscolored in Slag's cartoon colors, or his colors in this issue are based on a prototype of the ''Transformers'' toy.<ref name="proto">[https://jatekokapolcrol.blog.hu/2020/07/30/kepgaleria_belsos_g1_transformers_prototipus_kepek_i "Photo gallery: Internal G1 Transformers prototype images, part 1"] at Játékok a Polcról.</ref> (He has his final toy's colors for his next appearance in [[Command Performances!|issue #19]].) In panel 4, bot his dino-mode tail [[kibble]], and Grimlock's "wings," are miscolored as if they are part of the shuttlecraft in the background.
*Pages 8-10: Grimlock's dino-mode neck is solid grey instead of yellow.
*Page 10, panels 1 & 3: Shockwave is colored like Megatron.
*Page 13, panels 4-5: Soundwave is initially alone when Shockwave arrives at the plant, only for Laserbeak to have suddenly appeared on his shoulder in the next panel. Laserbeak is oddly colored with an orange head, and Soundwave's mouthplate is the same strong purple color as the rest of his body.
*Page 15: Megatron's Decepticon insignia is uncolored.
*Page 18, panel 1: Ratchet's head crest looks like it's missing; we should be able to see it poking out on either side of his helmet. The same happens on page 22, panel 1.
{{-}}

===UK printing===
[[File:UKDinobotsPoster.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|]]
'''Issue #27:'''
*'''Published:''' [[September 14|14th September]], 1985
*'''Cover date:''' [[September 21|21st September]], 1985
*'''[[Back-up strips]]:''' ''Machine Man'' ("He Lives Again," Part 1), ''[[Robo-Capers]]'' and ''Matt and the Cat''.
*With this issue, the comic went from fortnightly to weekly, and changed from partially color/partially black-and-white to full color, a format change that would last all the way up to [[Race with the Devil|issue #215]]. The number of pages was reduced from 32 to 24, the price rose from 27p to 30p, and the design and layout of the comic was revised, settling into a standard of one lead ''Transformers'' strip (usually 11 pages, but US reprints could occasionally over-run this), one backup strip (usually between 5 and 7 pages), and two half page funnies.

'''Issue #28:'''
*'''Published:''' [[September 21|21st September]], 1985
*'''Cover date:''' [[September 28|28th September]], 1985
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Machine Man'' ("He Lives Again," Part 2), ''Robo-Capers'' and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''[[Fact File|Fact File Interface]]:''' [[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]]
*'''Free gift:''' A2 poster of the Dinobots, by [[John Higgins]] (pictured; later reprinted in the [[Transformers Annual 1986]])
*The epilogue featuring Josie Beller completing her cybernetic upgrade is cut from the UK printing, as there would be several issues' worth of UK-original strips between this story and the next US issue, which the epilogue is meant to lead directly into. The Snarl Fact File fills in the empty space left on the page.

===Other trivia===
*The cover features only Grimlock, Slag and Sludge—without Snarl and Swoop. These same three Dinobots were initially introduced in the animated series episode "[[S.O.S. Dinobots]]" before their remaining two companions, and the same three only were seen in the [[commercial]] animation for the Dinobot toys. Coincidence?
*IDW's ''[[Classic Transformers]]'' reprint censored the editor's note on page 1 that mentioned the Savage Land and ''Avengers'' #257.
*This issue is featured in the movie Vice Versa (1988), though the pages shown being read are from issue 9.

===Covers (3)===
*'''US issue #8:''' Sludge, Grimlock and Slag, by [[Mark Bright|M.D. Bright]] and [[Kyle Baker]].
*'''UK issue #27:''' Shockwave transforming, by [[Robin Smith]].
*'''UK issue #28:''' reuse of art from US cover.

<gallery>
File:MarvelUS-08.jpg|'''US issue #8''' - What IS Grimlock doing to Slag?
File:MarvelUK-027.jpg|'''UK issue #27''' - ... that shaked when he laughed like a bowl full of purple jelly.
File:MarvelUK-028.jpg|'''UK issue #28''' - "We'll defeat Shockwave with the Dinobots. And a free poster. And an elephant."
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Transformers Digest 04-cover.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Comics Magazine issue 4|''The Transformers Comics Magazine'' #4]]''' (Marvel US, 1987)
File:Titan-NewOrderSC.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: New Order]]'' paperback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Titan-NewOrderHC.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: New Order]]'' hardback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Classic Transformers Vol1.jpg|'''[[Classic Transformers Volume 1|''Classic Transformers'' Volume 1]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2008)
File:BoUK Dinobots 6a.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #6|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #6]] cover A''' by [[Josh Burcham]] (IDW Publishing, 2008)
File:BoUK Dinobots 6b.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #6|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #6]] cover B''' by [[Josh Burcham]] (IDW Publishing, 2008)
File:BoUK Dinobots 6ri.jpg|'''[[The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots#Issue #6|''The Transformers: Best of UK: Dinobots'' #6]] retailer incentive cover''' (IDW Publishing, 2008)
File:TFClassicsVol1.JPG|'''[[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 1|''The Transformers Classics,'' Vol. 1]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2011)
File:ClassicComicCollection1.jpg|'''''Transformers: Classic Comic Collection, Vol. 1''''' (Chrirpy Bird, 2015)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v2.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]], Vol. 2: New Order''''' (Hachette Partworks Ltd, 2018)
File:HXClassicsVol2.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers Classics#Japanese reprints|The Transformers Classics]], Vol. 2''''' ([[Mediaboy Mook]], 2018)
</gallery>

====IDW ''Transformers Classics'' edits====
For ''[[The Transformers Classics]]'' series of trade paperbacks, IDW Publishing "remastered" the coloring of the series with varying degrees of success. These changes were sometimes to fix errors, but often to alter characters' color schemes to make them resemble their toy and/or cartoon selves, and were rarely applied with consistency. IDW's recolored version was also used for Hachette's ''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|Definitive G1 Collection]]''.
*Page 7, panel 2: A yellow printing haze around Snarl's grey forehead crest is misinterpreted, and the whole crest winds up recolored yellow. Snarl himself is still the wrong colors.
*Page 10: Shockwave's colors are corrected.
*Page 13: As is standard for the reprint series, Soundwave continues to be colored blue, erasing his standard purple Marvel color scheme.

===Advertisements===
*''Secret Wars II'' #4 (inside front cover)
*Fig Newtons/Apple Newtons Treasure Chest - between pages 4 & 5
*[[Nestlé]] Quik free Steve Garvey baseball - between pages 5 & 6
*Reese's Pieces "Glubgrafutz" - between pages 7 & 8
*Bonkers! new watermelon flavor - between pages 8 & 9
*Mile High Comics - between pages 16 & 17 and between pages 17 & 18
*various comics dealers - between pages 19 & 20
*Bullpen Bulletins, with notice of death of Morrie - between pages 20 & 21
*''The Sword of Solomon Kane'' limited series
*Marvel subscriptions
*Star Comics subscriptions (inside back cover)
*Young Astronaut Program (back cover)

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

Back-up strips

2021-01-22T13:06:06Z

That bluestreak: Baron Brimstone and His Sinister Satan Squad WAS included! ~~~~

''You'' are the editor of [[Marvel Comics|Marvel UK's]] brand new ''[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Transformers]]'' comic. You need to run the US issues in smaller chunks, in order to keep a fortnightly (later weekly) frequency without running out of stuff. But... what are you going to run in the rest of the comic? Features alone won't grab the kiddies! You need more strip! You need...

'''Back-up strips!'''

==Marvel UK back-up strips==
A great way of padding out the comic while not taking the mick, back-up strips ran throughout the entire Marvel UK run. These would almost always be reprints of other Marvel titles.

{{bigquote|...anything, in truth, that featured a robot or someone in an iron suit|Editorial in [[Titan Books]] "[[Transformers: Legacy of Unicron|The Legacy of Unicron]]" trade}}

===In House Strips===

====Chromobots====
Ran from issue [[Man of Iron (issue)|11]] to issue [[Warrior School!|26]]

An in-house strip created by Mychailo "Mike" Kazybrid.

====Combat Colin====
{{main|Combat Colin}}
Ran from issue [[Enemy Action!|153]] all the way through to issue [[End of the Road! (US)|332]]

A humor strip by [[Lew Stringer]], for more information, see the [[Combat Colin]] article.

====Matt and the Cat====
Ran from issue [[Prisoner of War!|5]] to issue [[Showdown!|73]]

An in-house humor topic created by Mychailo "Mike" Kazybrid, featuring a man named Matt and a cat. Based on Kazybrid's characters in newspaper strips for the ''Bradford Telegraph & Argus'' and ''The Manchester Evening News.''

====Spider-Man====
Bitten by a radioactive spider, geeky high school student Peter Parker acquires the proportionate strength and agility of a spider, becoming The Amazing [[Spider-Man]]

Appeared as an four page insert on "stranger danger" in issue [[Kup's Story!|132]].

====Robo-Capers====
{{main|Robo-Capers}}
Ran from issue [[The Enemy Within!|15]] to issue [[Enemy Action!|152]]

A humor strip by [[Lew Stringer]], for more information, see the [[Robo-Capers]] article.

===Reprints===

====Action Force====
{{main|Action Force (team)}}
Action Force was the European equivalent of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]. Initially, there was a separate [[Action Force (comic)|''Action Force'' comic]] but it was cancelled after fifty issues. As was standard in UK comics, it was merged with the more successful ''Transformers'' and the title was changed to ''Transformers and Action Force'' when Action Force strips were run. From [[Skin Deep|249]] it was rebranded as ''G.I. Joe - The Action Force'' and the comic was rebranded as ''Transformers and G.I. Joe - The Action Force''.

Treated as main stories (no backup strips), the [[Ancient Relics!]] UK cross over story ran in #125 continuing in Action Force #24–27 and the US cross over series [[G.I. Joe and the Transformers]] ran in issues [[Blood on the Tracks|#265]] to [[...All Fall Down!|#281]]

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''G.I. Joe at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[Under Fire!|#99]] - [[Fallen Angel|#102]] || "Improvisation on a Theme" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 44|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 44]]
|-
|[[Mechanical Difficulties!|#122]] || "Dummy Run!" || ''Action Force #18''
|-
|[[Enemy Action!|#153]] - [[Trial by Fire!|#156]] || "Slaughter" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 48|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 48]]
|-
|#157 - [[Salvage!|#160]] || "Serpentor" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 49|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 49]]
|-
|#161 || "Road Safety - From the Air!" || ''in-house story''
|-
|#161 || "Battle Island!" || ''in-house story''
|-
|[[Pretender to the Throne!|#162]] - [[City of Fear!|#165]] || "The Battle of Springfield" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 50|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 50]]
|-
|[[Legion of the Lost!|#166]] - [[Meltdown!|#169]] || "Thunder Machine" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 51|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 51]]
|-
|[[Deadly Games!|#170]] - [[Wrecking Havoc|#173]] || "Snap Decisions" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 52|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 52]]
|-
|[[Totaled!|#174]] - [[People Power!|#177]] || "Pit-Fall" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 53|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 53]]
|-
|[[The Cosmic Carnival|#178]] - [[The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|#181]] || "Launch Base" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 54|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 54]]
|-
|[[Monstercon from Mars!|#191]] -[[Club Con!|#194]]|| "Unmaskings" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 55|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 55]]
|-
|#195 - [[Cold Comfort and Joy!|#198]] || "Jungle Moves" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 56|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 56]]
|-
|#199 & 201-203 || "Hush Job" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: Yearbook Vol 1 3|G.I. Joe: Yearbook Vol 1 3]]
|-
|[[Time Wars|#204]] - [[Cold War!|#207]] || "Strange Bedfellows" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 57|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 57]]
|-
|[[Dark Star|#208]] - [[The Man in the Machine!|#212]] || "Desperate Moves" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 58|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 58]]
|-
|[[Recipe for Disaster!|#220]]-224 || "Divergent Paths" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 59|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 59]]
|-
|[[Aspects of Evil!|#225]] - [[The Hunting Party (Marvel)|#229]] || "Cross Purposes" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 60|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 60]]
|-
|#230-231 & 233-235 || "Airshow" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe Special Missions Vol 1 12|G.I. Joe Special Missions Vol 1 12]]
|-
|[[The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!|#236]] - [[Back from the Dead|#240]] || "Beginnings and Endings" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 61|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 61]]
|-
|#241 - [[The Resurrection Gambit!|#245]] || "Evasion" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe Special Missions Vol 1 6|G.I. Joe Special Missions Vol 1 6]]
|-
|[[All the Familiar Faces!|#246]] - #247 || "Law of the Jungle" || ''Action Force #40 - #41''
|-
|#248 - [[Skin Deep|#249]] & #251 - [[Yesterday's Heroes!|#253]] || "The Lower Depths" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe Special Missions Vol 1 21|G.I. Joe Special Missions Vol 1 21]]
|-
|#254 - [[...Perchance to Dream|#257]] || "Transit" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 62|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 62]]
|-
|#258 - [[The Primal Scream|#261]] || "Going Under" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 63|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 63]]
|-
|[[Bird of Prey!|#262]] - [[Once upon a Time...|#265]] || "Maneuvering for Position" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 64|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 64]]
|-
|[[Life in the Slow Lane|#266]] - [[Mystery!|#269]] || "Shuttle Complex" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 65|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 65]]
|-
|[[The Bad Guy's Ball!|#270]] - [[Wolf in the Fold!|#273]] || "The Tenth Letter" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 66|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 66]]
|-
|[[Where Wolf?|#274]] - [[Internal Affairs!|#277]] || "Cold Snap" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 67|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 #67]]
|-
|[[The House that Wheeljack Built!|#278]] - [[Makin' Tracks!|#281]] || "Cut and Freeze Dried" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 68|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 68]]
|-
|[[Kings of the Wild Frontier.|#282]] - #285 || "Into the Breach" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 69|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 69]]
|-
|[[Deadly Obsession|#286]] - #289 || "Fair Trade" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 70|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 70]]
|-
|[[Dark Creation|#290]] - #293 || "Bailout" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 71|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 71]]
|-
|[[All Fall Down|#294]] - #297 || "Stiletto" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 72|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 72]]
|-
|[[Rhythms of Darkness!|#298]] - #301 || "Divided We Fall" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 73|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 73]]
|-
|[[The Human Factor!|#302]] - [[Eye of the Storm|#305]] || "Alliance of Convenience" || [[wikia:Marvel:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 74|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 1 74]]
|-
|}

====Hercules====
Hercules is a Demi-God. He is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, and eventually a member of the pantheon of Olympus.

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''Hercules at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[Command Performances!|#70]] - [[Showdown!|#73]] || "What Fools These Immortals Be!"|| [[wikia:Marvel:Hercules Vol 1 1|Hercules Vol 1 1]]
|-
|[[In the National Interest|#74]] - #77 || "For the Love of Gods" || [[wikia:Marvel:Hercules Vol 1 2|Hercules Vol 1 2]]
|-
|[[Target: 2006|#78]] - #81 || "Whom the God Would Destroy!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Hercules Vol 1 3|Hercules Vol 1 3]]
|-
|#82 - #85 || "...Not Just Another Galactus Story!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Hercules Vol 1 4|Hercules Vol 1 4]]
|}

====Inhumanoids====
{{main|Inhumanoids}}
Another [[Hasbro]] property with an obligatory [[Marvel Comics]] series, in this case just four issues reprinted in chunks in the UK. The Inhumanoids were a group of subterranean monsters who were sealed beneath the Earth until accidentally released by humans, and were opposed by the [[Earth Corps]] and a race of good mutants known as the Mutores. The series was cancelled after only four issues, ending on a cliffhanger.

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''Inhumanoids at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[Resurrection!|#103]] - [[Afterdeath!|#106]] || "The Coming of the Inhumanoids, Part 1"|| [[wikia:Marvel:Inhumanoids Vol 1 1|Inhumanoids Vol 1 1]]
|-
|[[Gone but Not Forgotten!|#107]] - [[Funeral for a Friend!|#110]] || "I Left My Monsters in San Francisco"|| [[wikia:Marvel:Inhumanoids Vol 1 2|Inhumanoids Vol 1 2]]
|-
|[[King of the Hill!|#111]] - [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|#114]] || "The Battle Down Below!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Inhumanoids Vol 1 3|Inhumanoids Vol 1 3]]
|-
|[[Burning Sky!|#115]] - [[Hunters|#118]] || "Metlar Unleashed!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Inhumanoids Vol 1 4|Inhumanoids Vol 1 4]]
|}

====Iron Man====
Tony Stark is an industrialist playboy who fights crime in a powered suit as [[Iron Man]].

''"Man of the Year"'' was a [[Spider-Man]] story set in 2020; however it was rebranded as ''The Iron Man of 2020'' after the more prominent guest star.

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''Iron Man at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[Crisis of Command!|#43]] - [[The Icarus Theory|#46]] || "Night of the Octopus" || [[wikia:Marvel:Marvel Fanfare Vol 1 22|Marvel Fanfare Vol 1 22]]
|-
|[[Dinobot Hunt!|#47]] - [[Dinobot Hunt!|#50]] || "From the Ashes"|| [[wikia:Marvel:Marvel Fanfare Vol 1 23|Marvel Fanfare Vol 1 23]]
|-
|[[Fire on High!|#119]] - [[Ancient Relics!|#125]] || "Man of the Year"|| [[wikia:Marvel:Amazing Spider-Man Annual Vol 1 20|Amazing Spider-Man Annual Vol 1 20]]
|-
|[[The Cure!|#126]] - [[Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom|#129]] || "Deep Trouble!"|| [[wikia:Marvel:Iron Man Vol 1 218|Iron Man Vol 1 218]]
|-
|[[The Legacy of Unicron!|#146]] - [[Enemy Action!|#152]] || "Stratosfire"|| [[wikia:Marvel:Iron Man Annual Vol 1 9|Iron Man Annual Vol 1 9]]
|}

====Machine Man====
''Machine Man'' aka 2ZP45-9-X-51, was a robot built from a durable titanium alloy, trying to live as a human and carry on the dream of his creator, Dr. Able Stack.

The reprints from Machine Man vol 2 are set in the year 2020 and also featured Iron Man of 2020. The impact of this seemingly innocent reprint was ''huge'' for Marvel UK: first seeing the ''Spider-Man'' appearance of Iron Man 2020 put in, then getting [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]] moved to 2020 in his solo strip for a third Iron Man appearance, which led to the '90s Marvel UK using the 2020 storyline as a recurring setting for comic after comic!

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''Machine Man at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[The Transformers (issue)|#1]] || "Introducing Machine Man" || 3 select pages from [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 10|Machine Man Vol 1 10]], recounting the character's origin and powers to introduce him to readers.
|-
|[[The Transformers (issue)|#1]] - [[Power Play!|#3]] || "Byte of the Binary Bug" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 11|Machine Man Vol 1 11]]
|-
|#4 - [[Prisoner of War!|#5]] || "Where Walks the Gods" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 12|Machine Man Vol 1 12]]
|-
|#6 - [[The Last Stand|#7]] || "Xanadu" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 13|Machine Man Vol 1 13]]
|-
|#8 - [[Man of Iron (issue)|#9]] || "The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 14|Machine Man Vol 1 14]]
|-
|#10 - [[The Enemy Within!|#11]] || "Kill Me or Cure Me"" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 15|Machine Man Vol 1 15]]
|-
|#12 - [[The Enemy Within!|#14]] || "Baron Brimstone and His Sinister Satan Squad"" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 16|Machine Man Vol 1 16]]
|-
|#15 - #17 || "Arms and the Robot" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 17|Machine Man Vol 1 17]]
|-
|[[Raiders of the Last Ark|#18]] - #21 || "Alone Against Alpha Flight" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 18|Machine Man Vol 1 18]]
|-
|[[The New Order|#22]] - [[The Worse of Two Evils!|#25]] || "Jolted By Jack O'Lantern!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 19|Machine Man Vol 1 19]]
|-
| [[Repeat Performance!|#27]] - [[Decepticon Dam-Busters!|#29]] and [[The Pri¢e of Life!|#309]] - [[Surrender!|#312]] || "He Lives Again!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 2 1|Machine Man Vol 2 1]]
|-
| [[The Wrath of Guardian!|#31]] - [[DIS-Integrated Circuits!|#34]] and [[The Void! (US)|#318]] - [[On the Edge of Extinction!|#321]] || "If This Be Sanctuary?!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 2 2 |Machine Man Vol 2 2]]
|-
| [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|#35]] - [[Brainstorm!|#38]] and #322 - [[Exodus!|#325]] || "Rime of the Ancient Wrecker!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 2 3|Machine Man Vol 2 3]]
|-
| [[Prime Time!|#39]] - [[Crisis of Command!|#42]] and #326 - [[The Last Autobot?|#329]] || "Victory" || [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 2 4|Machine Man Vol 2 4]]
|-
|}

====Planet Terry====
Often regarded as the worst of the UK back-up strips, ''Planet Terry'' was pitched at younger readers and starred the eponymous Terry, who is searching for his parents after being accidentally jettisoned off their ship.

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''Planet Terry at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[The Enemy Within!|#16]] - [[Raiders of the Last Ark|#19]] || "The Search" || [[wikia:Marvel:Planet Terry Vol 1 1|Planet Terry Vol 1 1]]
|-
|#20 - [[The Worse of Two Evils!|#25]] || "The Saga of Princess Ugly" || [[wikia:Marvel:Planet Terry Vol 1 2|Planet Terry Vol 1 2]] and [[wikia:Marvel:Planet Terry Vol 1 3|3]]
|}

====Robotix====
{{main|Robotix}}
Robotix was a [[Hasbro]] toyline about two warring robotic races which had a tie in cartoon by [[Sunbow Productions]] and a single comic issue by [[Marvel Comics]]. As this is a completely ludicrous idea that could never catch on, it was short-lived.

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''Robotix at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[Shooting Star!|#51]] - [[Rock and Roll-Out!|#54]] || "A World In Chaos" || [[wikia:Marvel:Robotix Vol 1 1|Robotix Vol 1 1]]
|}

====Rocket Raccoon====
Ranger ''Rocket Raccoon'' is a genetically-engineered raccoon who is a law enforcement officer on Halfworld.

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''Rocket Raccoon at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[I, Robot-Master!|#55]] - [[Plight of the Bumblebee!|#57]] || "Animal Crackers" || [[wikia:Marvel:Rocket Raccoon Vol 1 1|Rocket Raccoon Vol 1 1]]
|-
|#58 - [[Devastation Derby!|#61]] || "The Masque of the Red Breath" || [[wikia:Marvel:Rocket Raccoon Vol 1 2|Rocket Raccoon Vol 1 2]]
|-
|#62 - [[Second Generation!|#65]] || "The Book of Revelations!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Rocket Raccoon Vol 1 3|Rocket Raccoon Vol 1 3]]
|-
|[[The Smelting Pool!|#66]] - [[The Bridge to Nowhere!|#69]] || "The Age of Enlightenment" || [[wikia:Marvel:Rocket Raccoon Vol 1 4|Rocket Raccoon Vol 1 4]]
|}

====Spitfire and the Troubleshooters====
One of [[Marvel Comics]]' [[wikia:Marvel:Earth-148611|New Universe]] titles. Professor Jenny Swenson dons the Man-Assisted eXperimental armor, she takes the codename Spitfire and a group of her college students did the same, becoming The Troubleshooters. They fought crime.

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''Spitfire and the Troubleshooters at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[Target: 2006|#86]] - [[Aerialbots over America!|#90]] || "Beginnings" || [[wikia:Marvel:Spitfire and the Troubleshooters Vol 1 1|Spitfire and the Troubleshooters Vol 1 1]]
|-
|[[Heavy Traffic!|#91]] - [[Decepticon Graffiti!|#94]] || "Behemoth" || [[wikia:Marvel:Spitfire and the Troubleshooters Vol 1 2|Spitfire and the Troubleshooters Vol 1 2]]
|-
|#95 - [[...The Harder They Die!|#98]] || "Counterattack" || [[wikia:Marvel:Spitfire and the Troubleshooters Vol 1 3|Spitfire and the Troubleshooters Vol 1 3]]
|}

====Visionaries====
{{main|Visionaries}}
Set on the planet [[Prysmos]], ''[[Visionaries]]'' depicted the struggle between the heroic Spectral Knights and the villainous [[Darkling Lord]]s at the dawn of a quasi-feudal age of magic.

Visionaries was another [[Hasbro]] property, with a colorful hologram [[gimmick]] used on the figures chests and weaponry. A preview copy in [[The Desert Island of Space!|#158]] printed the first two and a half pages of the first story. When the comic was cancelled it merged into ''Transformers'' (changing the name to ''Transformers and Visionaries'') and printed the remainder of the stories. Later Transformers reprinted the first issue in full.

{|
|''Issues''|| ''Story'' || ''Visionaries at Marvel Database''
|-
|[[Space Pirates!|#183]] - #186 || "Quest of the Four Talismans Part 1" || [[wikia:Marvel:Visionaries Vol 1 5|Visionaries Vol 1 5]]
|-
|#187 - [[Monstercon from Mars!|#190]] || "Wings: Quest of the Four Talismans Part 2" || [[wikia:Marvel:Visionaries Vol 1 6|Visionaries Vol 1 6]]
|-
|[[Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?|#213]] - #219 || "The End -- -- The Beginning!" || [[wikia:Marvel:Visionaries Vol 1 1|Visionaries Vol 1 1]]
|}

==Other Series==
[[Transformers: Armada (Panini)|Panini's Armada]] and [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's movie series comic]] have both used the same tactic, Panini with original Transformer strips, and Titan with IDW reprints and unused ''[[Transformers Animated (Titan)|Transformers Animated]]'' strips ([[Transformers Comic issue 17#Dino-MIGHT|and one new one]]).

[[Category:Back-up strips| ]]
[[Category:Generation 1 comic series]]
[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics]]
[[Category:Marvel properties]]

The Enemy Within!

2021-01-22T13:01:31Z

That bluestreak: Baron Brimstone and His Sinister Satan Squad

{{disambig2|the Marvel UK story|the unproduced Dreamwave issue|The Enemy Within}}
{{comicstory|
|prev=Man of Iron (issue)
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #13–17
|next=Raiders of the Last Ark
|image=MarvelUK-013.jpg
|caption=What have you done with the real Sideswipe?
|title="The Enemy Within!"
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=Part 1: [[March 9|9th March]] Part 2: [[March 23|23rd March]] Part 3: [[April 6|6th April]] Part 4: [[April 20|20th April]] Part 5: [[May 4|4th May]], [[1985]]
|script=[[Simon Furman]]
|art=[[John Ridgway]] (Part 1) & [[Mike Collins]] (Parts 2-5)
|colours=[[Gina Hart]]
|letters=[[Richard Starkings]]
|editor=[[Sheila Cranna]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Brawn and Starscream both fall foul of their friends.'''

==Synopsis==
===Part 1: "Solo Strategy!"===
After challenging [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]'s authority and being savagely reprimanded, [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] plots Megatron's downfall. He plans to attack [[human]]s indiscriminately until the [[Autobot]]s come to their defense. This will force the other [[Decepticon]]s to come to his aid, and together they will destroy the Autobots, proving that Starscream's methods are superior to Megatron's. Unfortunately, [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] overhears Starscream's plotting and rushes to tell Megatron, but he is spotted, and Starscream attacks him and leaves him for dead.

[[File:RavageEnemyWithinColour.jpg|left|thumb|"Ravage's ALIVE!"]]
At the same time, in the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the Autobots are moving a heavy piece of machinery when it slips, and a short-circuit shocks [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], knocking him unconscious. After his recovers, he begins to act strangely before eventually violently attacking [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] and then abandoning the Ark.

===Part 2: "The Best Laid Plans..."===
Some time later, as Starscream attacks US Air Force Base [[Oregon Four-Alpha]], the other Decepticons discover the badly damaged Ravage, who reveals Starscream’s treachery. Enraged, the Decepticons race off, and [[Containment Manoeuvre Four-Eight|capture]] Starscream during his attack. Starscream demands his right to [[Trial by Combat]].

[[File:TFUK14 Brawncar.jpg|thumb]]
Brawn, meanwhile, has gone on a rampage in the small town of [[St. Petersburg]], believing their cars to be enslaved robots... and when the immobile vehicles just sit there, he throws a wobbly and smashes them.

===Part 3: "Crime...and Punishment!"===
The Autobots try to subdue Brawn but are overwhelmed, only winning due to an ambush by [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]. The Autobots, unwilling to harm him in battle, use a [[neuro-tranquillizer]] to keep him down and take him back to base. Megatron, unwilling to let Starscream off so easily, plans to take advantage of the situation and suggests to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] that they allow Starscream and Brawn to fight each other. Desperate to redeem himself, the now repaired Brawn agrees.

===Part 4: "Trial...and Error!"===
The two battle, unaware that Megatron has stationed Ravage nearby with orders to blast Starscream if he wins the battle.

===Part 5: "Endings...and Beginnings!"===
The battle goes against Brawn, and it appears that he has been destroyed. Following his orders, Ravage blows Starscream out of the sky, gaining revenge on him. He then lets the other Decepticons believe that it was the Autobots who attacked Starscream, motivating them to get behind Megatron and attack the Autobots.

Unknown to the Decepticons, Brawn was not destroyed. Instead, [[Mirage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Mirage]] projected a [[hologram]] showing his death while the real Brawn was taken to safety: the same electric shock that harmed Brawn boosted Mirage's hologram powers!

Back at the [[Fortress Sinister|Decepticon fortress]], Megatron is preparing to launch an all-out attack on the Autobots.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] (7)
*[[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] (8)
*[[Mirage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Mirage]] (9)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (10)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (11)
*[[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] (12)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (14)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (14)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (15)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (18)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (19)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (26)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] (27)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] (2)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (3)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]] (4)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]] (5)
*[[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] (6)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (23)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (24)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (25)
*[[Earthquake (G1)|Earthquake]] (28)
*[[Tornado]] (29)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (30)
|c3=
*[[Gordon]] (16)
*[[Alpha Leader]] (17)
*[[Mabel (G1)|Mabel]] (20)
*[[Phil]] (21)
*[[OBTV News]] ancher (22)
}}

==Quotes==
'''''HA!''''' The Autobots have fallen. '''None''' can challenge the might of Brawn!
:—'''Brawn''', just after punching Prowl in the face

==Notes==
===Production notes===
{{quote|If someone had told me back in 1985 that I'd still be writing TF in 2002, I'd have laughed.|Simon Furman, [http://www.alteredstatesmag.com/features/qanda/sfurman_2.php Altered States Q&A]... and he's still doing it in {{CURRENTYEAR}}!}}
*"The Enemy Within!" is the second UK-original story, produced following the conclusion of the [[The Transformers Four-Issue Limited Series|original US mini-series]] to fill for time until more US issues were available to reprint. It was written to span four standard 11-page issues, but after production was finished, the fourth chapter was split up into two smaller chunks to make it span five issues total. Though ''somewhat'' lighter in tone than its sinister predecessor, "[[Man of Iron (issue)|Man of Iron]]," the story remains a grim and violent affair, with Brawn even causing a human motorist's car to end up a flaming wreck that the man is not seen to be recovered from. [[Character model]]s remained unavailable to the artists, and so the Transformers are drawn using only the toys as reference.
*"The Enemy Within!" is the first ''Transformers'' story written by [[Simon Furman]], who would go on to become the UK comic's main writer, and one of the most prolific writers for the franchise in general, which he has continued to work on right up until today. He has since gone on record as saying that he does not think much of this early work, but artist [[Mike Collins]] thinks Furman "hit the ground running" with it.
*This story was originally published in a mixture of full-colour and black-and-white artwork, as was the standard for the comic at the time. A year later, it was fully colourised for ''[[Transformers Collected Comics|Collected Comics]]'' #4, which reprinted all five chapters, giving the first part, untitled in its original printing, a new name of its own. In 1991, this coloured version was split up into seven smaller parts and reprinted in issues #308-209 and #313-317 of the regular series. Though the story was skipped for the [[Titan Books]] series of reprints in the early 2000s (probably something to do with Furman's low opinion of it), it would eventually be reprinted by [[IDW Publishing]] and [[Hachette Partworks Ltd]], both of which also used the fully-coloured ''Collected Comics'' version.

===Continuity notes===
[[File:Redalertfromnowhere.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*Though printed after the conclusion of the original US mini-series, "The Enemy Within" (like "Man of Iron" before it, and its direct sequel, next issue's "[[Raiders of the Last Ark]]") is set in some vague time ''during'' its events. The only allusions the story itself offers to a continuity placement are Megatron making mention of [[Spider-Man]], who the Decepticons encountered in [[Prisoner of War!|US issue #3]], and an [[OBTV News]] anchor remarking on the recent robot attacks in [[Oregon]], which became public news in that same issue. The "[[Robot War]]" text features which would later run in issues [[The New Order|#22]], [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|#36]] and [[Second Generation!|#63]] would clumsily suggest that it took place somewhere "between panels" at the end of that story, after Spider-Man rescued [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from the Decepticons, but before Sparkplug was returned to the Ark. This really doesn't work, not least of all because Gears appears active in the story, when he was offlined and would not be reactivated until Sparkplug's return.
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] appears among the Autobots, trying to restrain Brawn in Chapter 1, then ambushing him in Chapter 3. As a character from the 1985 toy range, he had not yet appeared in the US series, but internal to the UK comic at the time, his appearance in this story wasn't really an error; the UK reprint of [[The Transformers (issue)|US issue #1]] had omitted the famous two-page spread containing the full Autobot roll call, so Red's appearance didn't actually contradict anything in-story. Red disappeared from the series after this story, but by coincidence or design, when the 1985 [[Autobot Cars]] were later introduced properly into comic continuity in [[Rock and Roll-Out!|US issue #14]], Red was ''not'' included among them, meaning that his original appearance in "The Enemy Within" still didn't contradict anything. The [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] of [[Devastation Derby!|issue #62]] justified his disappearance by explaining that he was critically injured off-panel during the events of [[The Last Stand|US issue #4]]. He would eventually reappear in [[Time Wars|issue #199]] as part of a group of time-travelling Autobots from the future.

===Real-life references===
[[File:TheEnemyWithin whaam.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*Part 2, page 8, panel 1, in which Starscream shoots down a human military jet (pictured at right), is an homage to Roy Lichtenstein's painting, ''{{w|Whaam!}}'', complete with sound effect.

===Artwork and technical errors===
[[File:TheEnemyWithin offmodel sideswipe.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*The lettering style used for this story makes punctuation very faint. Many sentences appear at first glance to be missing periods.
*In addition to Optimus Prime's solid-blue [[mouthplate]] (reoccurring from "[[Man of Iron (issue)|Man of Iron]]," another recurrent artistic quirk is introduced this issue: Megatron is coloured throughout the story with a golden torso, an overly literal artistic interpretation of the way his [[package art]] represented his toy's chromed chest.
*Sideswipe is drawn heinously off-model in issue #13, looking nothing like himself (see right). The artist's reference for his appearance seems to have been the equally-bizarre model used for [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] in the aforementioned double-page spread of US issue #1—note especially the designs of the face, chest, and the shoulder-wheels. He gets a "proper" face in #14, but is still drawn with the wrong helmet.
*Part 1
**Page 1, panel 3: Starscream's face, helmet, and cockpit are uncoloured.
**Page 2, panel 1: Megatron declares "Will discuss the matter no further!" which should evidently be either "'''I''' will discuss the matter no further!" or "'''We'll''' discuss the matter no further!"
**Page 2, panel 2: Rumble things Starscream should have "the right for a vote." He means "the right '''to''' a vote."
**Page 2, panel 4: Starscream had red thighs.
**Page 2, panel 5: Starscream is coloured like Skywarp.
**Page 4, panel 5: Starscream is coloured like Skywarp again.
**Page 9, panel 3: Red Alert is coloured like Gears.
**Page 10, panel 1: "It's" is used instead of "its."
*Part 2, panel 10, panel 3: The edge of the text within Optimus Prime's speech bubble has been erased or obscured turning "You must do no more harm," into "ou must do o more harm."
*Part 3, page 1, panel 2: Sunstreaker is coloured red and blue.

===Back-up material===
'''Issue #13:'''
*'''[[Back-up strips]]:''' ''Chromobots'', ''Machine Man'' ("Baron Brimstone and His Sinister Satan Squad" Part 2), and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''[[Fact File]]:''' [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]
*'''Other features:''' More results from [[The Transformers (issue)|issue #2]]'s "Design a Decepticon" contest; "design a robot" contest to win a Draw and Colour Moving Book; "Robot Round-Up," "Prowl Needs That Star!" picture puzzle

'''Issue #14:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Chromobots'', ''Machine Man'' ("Baron Brimstone and His Sinister Satan Squad" Part 3), and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''Fact File:''' Humph (star of ''Matt and the Cat'')
*'''April calendar:''' [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]
*'''Other features:''' "Transformers Gallery Greats," a selection of readers' artwork; mail-in competition to win a ''Transformers Stunt Flyer''; "Robot Round-Up"

'''Issue #15:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''[[Robo-Capers]]'', ''Chromobots'', ''Machine Man'' ("Arms and the Robot," Part 1), ''Tales from the Fact Files'' ("Trapped Beneath the Waves!"), and ''Matt and the Cat''. Both ''Robo-Capers'' and ''Tales from the Fact Files'' debut this issue; ''Tales'' will be a short-lived intermittent strip, while ''Robo-Capers'' will run until [[Enemy Action!|issue #152]]
*'''Fact File:''' [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]
*'''Other features:''' Art competition to win a Kodak DiscCamera

'''Issue #16:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Robo-Capers'', ''Chromobots'', ''Machine Man'' ("Arms and the Robot," Part 2), ''Planet Terry'' ("The Search," Part 1), and ''Matt and the Cat''. The debut of ''Planet Terry'' ate up more page space and facilitated the splitting of the final chapter of "The Enemy Within" into two smaller parts.
*'''Fact File:''' [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]]
*'''May calendar:''' [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]
*'''Other features:''' "Robot Round-Up;" "Turtle Take-Away!", mail-in competition to win a robot turtle

'''Issue #17:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Robo-Capers'', ''Chromobots'', '''Tales from the Fact Files''' ("The Truth About Alcatraz"), ''Machine Man'' ("Arms and the Robot," Part 3), ''Planet Terry'' ("The Search," Part 2), and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''Fact File:''' [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]]
*'''Other features:''' "Transformers Super-Search" word search; single-page poster made from an animation still from the first [[Commercial/Generation 1|''Transformers'' commercial]]; "Constructive Thinking!" mail-in competition to win ''Model 8'' construction kits

===Covers (5)===
*'''Issue #13:''' Brawn giving Sideswipe a suplex, by [[John Ridgway]]; art reused from page 8 of the story.
*'''Issue #14:''' Brawn & Optimus Prime, by [[Mike Collins]]; collage of panels reused from the story.
*'''Issue #15:''' Starscream vs. Brawn, by Mike Collins; art reused from the final page of the story.
*'''Issue #16:''' Brawn vs. Starscream, by Mike Collins; art reused from page 5 of the story.
*'''Issue #17:''' laughing Megatron, by Mike Collins; art reused from page 3 of the story.

<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-013.jpg|'''Issue #13''' - Let's get rrready to Frrrenzy!
File:MarvelUK-014.jpg|'''Issue #14''' - "With a mind like yours, I'd try the land crab."
File:MarvelUK-015.jpg|'''Issue #15''' - Either Starscream has shrunk, or Brawn has grown.
File:MarvelUK-016.jpg|'''Issue #16''' - Geronimoooo!
File:MarvelUK-017.jpg|'''Issue #17''' - Is it just me, or is Megatron going bald?
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:CollectedComics4Cover.jpg|'''''[[Transformers Collected Comics|Collected Comics]]'' #4''' (Marvel UK, 1986)
File:MarvelUK-308.jpg|'''[[Eye of the Storm|Issue #308]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints issue #13)
File:MarvelUK-309.jpg|'''[[The Pri¢e of Life!|Issue #309]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints first half of #14)
File:MarvelUK-313.jpg|'''[[...All This and Civil War 2|Issue #313]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints second half of #14)
File:MarvelUK-314.jpg|'''[[...All This and Civil War 2|Issue #314]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints first half of #15)
File:MarvelUK-315.jpg|'''[[Out of Time!|Issue #315]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints second half of #15)
File:MarvelUK-316.jpg|'''[[Out of Time!|Issue #316]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints issue #16)
File:MarvelUK-317.jpg|'''[[The Void! (US)|Issue #317]]''' (Marvel UK, 1990; reprints issue #17)
File:BestofStarscream.jpg|'''''[[The Transformers: Best of Starscream]]''''' (IDW Publishing, 2010)
File:Classicuk1.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 1|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 1]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2011)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v1.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]], Vol. 1: Power Play''''' (Hachette Partworks Ltd, 2017)
</gallery>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enemy Within!}}
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Man of Iron (issue)

2021-01-22T13:00:51Z

That bluestreak: Baron Brimstone and His Sinister Satan Squad

{{disambig2|the multi-part comic story|the character featured in this issue|Man of Iron (Autobot)}}
{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #9–12
|prev=The Last Stand
|title="Man of Iron"
|next=The Enemy Within!
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #33–34
|prev2=Used Autobots
|next2=Child's Play (issue)
|image=MarvelUK-010.jpg
|caption=Mirage... the Autobots' peeping Tom.
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=Part 1: [[January 12|12th January]] Part 2: [[January 26|26th January]] Part 3: [[February 9|9th February]] Part 4: [[February 23|23rd February]] [[1985]] US: June-July [[1987]] (US)
|coverdate=October-November 1987 (US)
|script=[[Steve Parkhouse]]
|art=[[John Ridgway]] (1 & 2) & [[Mike Collins]] (3 & 4)
|colours=[[Josie Firmin]] (1 & 2) & [[Gina Hart]] (3 & 4) [[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]] (US printing)
|letters=[[Richard Starkings]]
|editor=[[Sheila Cranna]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''The Autobots travel to England to track down the source of a coded Cybertronian signal... but the Decepticons aren't far behind.'''

==Synopsis==
===Part 1: "First Encounter"===
The [[Decepticon]] jets attack [[Stansham Castle]] in [[United Kingdom|England]] and plant an underground probe before leaving. Not far away, [[Sammy Harker]], the son of [[Roy Harker|the castle's curator]], is playing in the woods when he comes face-to-face with [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]]. Terrified, he runs home, only to be followed by Jazz in his [[alternate mode|car mode]].

Arriving home in shock, Sammy tells his tale, which makes his father think of the old legend of the Man of Iron. In the 11th Century, the [[Man of Iron (Autobot)|Man of Iron]], a giant metal man, was seen in the vicinity of Stansham Castle on three occasions. He did battle with an attacking force using a "javelin of flame" before disappearing again. Sammy's father then shows him a 900-year-old picture showing the Man of Iron, which Sammy thinks looks like the robot he saw.

===Part 2: "Kidnapped!"===
That night, Sammy is troubled by strange dreams of robots and jet fighters. Unknown to him, his dreams echo reality as [[Mirage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Mirage]] visits his house and steals the picture of the Man of Iron.

The following day, Sammy is intrigued to see a white Porsche parked outside his house. The Man of Iron picture is on the back seat. The door opens and Sammy gets inside, but as Sammy's mother comes out the door closes and Jazz drives off with Sammy.

===Part 3: "You've Got Friends?"===
Jazz manages to calm Sammy and convince him that he will come to no harm. He is taking him to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Along the way, Mirage, [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] join them. Then they are attacked by two of the Decepticon jets, who badly injure Trailbreaker before they taken down by Mirage's illusions and Bluestreak's firepower.

They eventually reach the [[Ark shuttlecraft|shuttle ship]] where Optimus Prime is waiting. He explains to Sammy that they have been tracking a signal from an ancient [[Autobot]] ship. He believes that the Autobots on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] sent a rescue ship for them after they crashed on [[Earth]] only for the ship to crash itself. The Man of Iron is an Autobot who occasionally reactivates in an attempt to complete its mission. The Decepticons want to destroy the ship and its occupants and the Autobots are trying to stop them.

===Part 4: "Battlefield Castle Stansham"===
The [[British Armed Forces|army]] investigates the Decepticon attack on the castle and digs at the point where their probe landed. Suddenly the ground shakes and the Man of Iron appears from a hidden door in the ground. The humans scatter in panic as he starts opening fire on them, when the final Decepticon jet suddenly appears and unleashes his own weapons, utterly destroying the Man of Iron.

Jazz and the Autobots arrive and drive the Decepticons away, returning Sammy to his family as well. Optimus Prime decides that, given the Decepticon menace, they can't possibly consider returning to Cybertron and abandoning [[Earth]]. He is equally unwilling to leave the rescue ship intact and orders Jazz to destroy it.

Deep within the ship, [[Navigator (Autobot)|Navigator]] lays unconscious waiting for the time when his attendant, the Man of Iron, will awaken him to complete his mission. That time will never arrive as above Jazz—not knowing Navigator is in there—fires a missile that completely vaporises the ship and its occupant.

Sammy would never again see Jazz—but the Man of Iron would haunt his dreams...

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] (9)
*[[Man of Iron (Autobot)|Man of Iron]] (11)
*[[Mirage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Mirage]] (13)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (14)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (15)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Navigator (Autobot)|Navigator]] (20)
|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] (2)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]] (3)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]] (4)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (18)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (19)
|c3=
*[[George Cousins]] (1)
*[[Peter Whitley]] (5)
*Mrs. Harker (6)
*[[Roy Harker]] (7)
*[[Sammy Harker]] (8)
*''[[Godwin the Strongarm]]'' (10)
*''[[Aethelric]]'' (12)
*[[Dawes|Major Dawes]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==
''What kind of bozo would want to bomb the castle? The '''Saxon Liberation Front'''? The mind boggles...''
:—'''Roy Harker'''

"Well done, Sammy! You '''saved''' me!" 
"'''You?''' It wasn't '''you''' I was thinking about, Jazz! It was '''me!'''"
:—'''Jazz''' and '''Sammy Harker''' evade a head-on Seeker attack

==Notes==

===Production notes===
[[File:ManofIron shifting seekers.jpg|right|thumb||Rashoman of Iron]]
*"Man of Iron" is the first UK-originated story, created to fill the gap while waiting the comic was for new US material after the initial four-issue mini-series. Creators Parkhouse and Ridgway (who were working on Marvel UK's ''[[Doctor Who]] Monthly'' strips at the time) had barely seen any pages, had no idea about the American plotlines, and only had a vague idea of the set-up. Consequently, Ridgway conceived the idea to have Transformers visit rural England so they could avoid any plot clashes, while he and fellow artist Mike Collins had to draw the Transformers using only the toys for reference, as [[character model]]s had not been made available to them.<ref>[http://classic.tcj.com/superhero/david-robertson-an-interview-with-john-ridgway-part-two-of-two/ The Comics Journal: An interview with John Ridgway]</ref>
*Unsurprisingly, this means the story's sensibility is markedly different from most ''Transformers'' fiction, more in-keeping with UK "boy's action" comics of the era. The whole comic is narrated in past tense; the atmosphere is haunting, with the Transformers portrayed as very "alien" beings stalking in the shadows at first, while its battles are shockingly brutal and devoid of banter—in fact, the Decepticons are never even heard to speak. A single shot from an average [[Transformer]] weapon can reduce an enemy to a ball of flaming wreckage, and though subsequent US stories would mean that none of these casualties were actually fatal, the UK-original "Man of Iron" character does seem to be utterly destroyed by a mere two [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] missiles.
*When originally published in issues #9-12 of the UK series, "Man of Iron" was presented in a mix of black & white and colour artwork, but was subsequently fully colourised for a reprint of all four chapters in ''[[Transformers Collected Comics]]'' #3 (which also gave the four chapters the individual titles used in the synopsis above). The vague lineart (see "Errors" below for more) led all three Decepticons jets (the one tricked by Mirage into crashing into a motorway bridge, the one shot down by Bluestreak, and the one who kills the Man of Iron) to be coloured as Thundercracker, when the original covers to #11 and #12 had identified Bluestreak's victim as Thundercracker, and the Man of Iron's killer as Skywarp (supported by dialogue in-story that indicates a use of his teleporting power, when it is noted that he "seems to appear from nowhere"). Presumably working off this version, the [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] in [[Second Generation!|issue #63]] would state that Thundercracker was the Man of Iron's killer, as would a quiz question published in the [[Transformers Annual 1989]].
*"Man of Iron" was the only UK-original story reprinted in the US title, appearing a few years later in mid-1987 as issues #33-34 (with two UK chapters in each issue). Issue #33 added an introductory blurb to explain the story's origins, and note that Optimus Prime (who was dead at the time in the US stories) appears in it because its events occurred "a while back." For this version, regular American series colourist [[Nelson Yomtov]] recoloured the entire story; his version presents the Decepticon tricked by Mirage as Thundercracker, the one shot down by Bluestreak as Skywarp, and the one who kills the Man of Iron as Starscream.
*Modern reprints of "Man of Iron" by [[IDW Publishing]] and [[Hachette Partworks Ltd]] use the ''Collected Comics'' version, but with the last page of the Yomtov Marvel US version.
{{--}}

===Continuity notes===
*Though printed after the conclusion of the mini-series, the story (like the subsequent UK tales "[[The Enemy Within!]]" and "[[Raiders of the Last Ark]]") is set in some vague time ''during'' its events. The "[[Robot War]]" text features which would later run in issues [[The New Order|#22]], [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|#36]] and [[Second Generation!|#63]] would indicate that it took place following the Autobots' return to the Ark in [[Prisoner of War!|US issue #3]], indicating that it must fall somewhere in the montage/time-lapse sequence that spans pages 9-11 of that issue. Fitting with this, the humans in the story do not know what Transformers are, as they have not yet been noticed by the world at large in the US stories at this point.
*"Jazz" is treated as a codename, with the Autobot telling Sammy that his [[Transformer naming|real name]] is "unpronounceable in your language." This fits with [[Power Play!|US issue #2]], in which Bumblebee also identified his own name as a codename.
*"Man of Iron" would be revisited some thirty-four years later in [[IDW Publishing]]'s [[Transformers '84 issue 0|''Transformers '84'' #0]]. While not strictly designed to fit within the larger continuity of the UK comic, this one-shot details the story behind the titular character's coming to Earth and first encounter with the humans of Stansham Castle, and strongly implies that the "Man of Iron" and the Navigator are the Autobot [[Clone (subgroup)|Clones]] [[Fastlane]] and [[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]], respectively.

===Continuity and plotting errors===
*Prime's order to destroy the rescue craft and its potential crew is uncharacteristically callous and poorly justified. As Jazz does the deed, the narration describes him as wholly ignorant of the craft's inhabitant and his knowledge of Cybertron's location. However, the Autobots' dialogue had established that they were fully aware of the ship's purpose, and Jazz himself had told Sammy that they expected to find multiple Autobots inside. In that same conversation, Prime had said that the Decepticons might wipe out the entire area just to destroy the ship, which may be why the Autobots did it first: Better to cleanly eliminate the target than let the surrounding humans suffer. But the obvious ''other'' option of enlisting the ship and its crew in the fight against the Decepticons is at no point ever mentioned. Even if we assume the ship to be inexcavable, the Autobots' lethal failure to check it for crew members first is curiously cold-hearted.
*This would later be addressed somewhat in the aforementioned ''Transformers '84'' from IDW, which explained that Prime's primary objective in launching the Ark was to lure the Decepticons away from Cybertron and keep them from ever returning. Though the decision weighed heavily upon him, Prime was willing to spend the lives of the Ark's entire crew to achieve this goal, making the life of the Navigator alone a much lighter price to pay.

===Real-world references===
* Among Sammy's toys and possessions seen in part 2 include: a ''[[Spider-Man]]'' comic, a ''{{w|BMX}}'' magazine, a {{w|ZX Spectrum}}, some kind of toy monster (possibly an {{w|Silurian (Doctor Who)|Silurian}} from ''[[Doctor Who]]''), and a [[X-wing Fighter|X-Wing]] toy from ''Star Wars''.
* In the intro for issue #33 for the Marvel US version, the introduction proudly proclaims that this story comes from the land of the [[Fab Four]] (another name for the Beatles), [[Dickens]] (as in English novelist Charles Dickens), and [[Di|Princess Di]] (as in Diana, the wife of Prince {{w|Charles, Prince of Wales|Charles}} at the time).

===Art and technical errors===
*When the Decepticon jets bomb Stansham Castle in the first chapter, they are all coloured in plain military grey (in ''Collected Comics''; they were black and white in the original). The US printing amends this to give them their correct colours.
*Further complicating the colouring and re-colouring of the Decepticon jets (see "Production notes," above) is the fact that the lineart doesn't really seem to know which of them is which either. Both the jet who is shot down by Bluestreak ''and'' the one who kills the Man of Iron are drawn with Skywarp's unique wing-sticker patterns, while the one tricked by Mirage ''also'' starts out with Skywarp's patterns, then, upon his second attack, has shoulder/intake stickers that combine the designs of Thundercracker's and Skywarp's into one. Starscream's patterns are nowhere in evidence on any of them!
*Optimus Prime has a solid blue [[mouthplate]] throughout this story, which is incorrect even for artwork based directly on the toys and box art. This colouring quirk will reoccur quite frequently over the first year-plus of the UK comic.

===Back-up material===
[[File:NightStalkerUK.jpg|thumb]]
'''Issue #9:'''
*'''[[Back-up strips]]:''' ''Machine Man'' ("The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls," Part 2), and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''[[Fact File]]:''' [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]
*'''Other features:''' Mail-in contest to win an unnamed book about [[space (the place)|space]]; "Robot Round-Up"; and the results from [[The Transformers (issue)|issue #2]]'s "Design-a-Decepticon" competition. Among the winners is Jason Yeo's "Night Stalker", who many fans believed to be the inspiration for the character [[Nightstalker (G1)|of the same name and body-type]] from the [[Transformers Annual 1986|following year's Annual]] story "[[State Games]]," although writer [[James Hill]] would claim it was just a coincidence in an interview in [[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 2|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 2]]. What's ''not'' a coincidence is the design of Jimmy Chang's nameless Decepticon entry; the comic's editors evidently didn't realise he just copied a "VF-1 Valkryie" jet/robot from the anime series ''Macross'', the mecha that be introduced to Trasformers later that year as [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]. Another entry from a Matthew Snyder was a yellow-and-purple coloured [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]], who wouldn't call [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] to mind if it wasn't for the fact he was named "Sunbender."
'''Issue #10:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Machine Man'' ("Kill Me or Cure Me," Part 1), and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''Fact File:''' [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]
*'''February calendar:''' [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]
*'''Other features:''' Article on {{w|Robby the Robot}}; "Robot Round-Up"

'''Issue #11:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Machine Man'' ("Kill Me or Cure Me," Part 2) and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''Fact File:''' [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
*'''Other features:''' "Right Word For Gears" puzzle; "Robot Round-Up"; mail-in contest to win an [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] toy; and more "Design-a-Decepticon" winners. One of the designs this issue is named "[[Soundblaster (disambiguation)|Soundblaster]]," and appears to be based on an upside-down version of the ''[[Micro Change]]'' toy that would become [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]].

'''Issue #12:'''
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Chromobots'', ''Machine Man'' ("Baron Brimstone and His Sinister Satan Squad" Part 1), and ''Matt and the Cat''; ''Chromobots'' debuts this issue (printed first in the comic, before the ''Transformers'' strip!) and will run until [[Warrior School!|issue #26]].
*'''Fact File:''' [[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]]
*'''March calendar:''' [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]]
*'''Other features:''' Mail-in contest to win a Crayola "Drawbot"; "Robot Round-Up"; "The Right Coordinates" picture puzzle

===US printing===
[[File:UK Grimlock.gif|frame|Grim save the Queen!]]
*The cover to issue #33 featured a bizarrely mis-colored [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (complete with Decepticon [[Insignia|faction symbol]]) being attacked by medieval knights. Megatron does not feature in the story and the 'Man of Iron' only bears a passing resemblance to him.
*The corner box on issue #33 features a {{w|Union Flag}} behind the image of [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]]; the cover contains the following melodramatic statement: '''You won't believe it! Your eyes will bug out!! An explosive saga from the house of ideas!!!'''
*The introductory text box says that "in response to your overwhelming demand, we are ''finally'' printing some of the British issues of your favorite mag". "Man of Iron" would be the only such story to see print in the US under the original Marvel run.
*With issue #33 [[Tom DeFalco]] replaced [[Jim Shooter]] as Editor-in-Chief.

===Other trivia===
*With issue #11, the series price rises from 25p to 27p.
*The Man of Iron's design seems to be based on a combination of Jazz and Megatron's body designs. His resemblance to Jazz is deliberate and referenced in story, used to verify that he is a Cybertronian.
*At the end of part two, when Sammy is 'kidnapped' by Jazz in his [[Alternate mode|car mode]], this is followed by a public-service warning against accepting lifts from strangers. This message is completely undone by the events of parts three and four, when Sammy meets the other Autobots and has an adventure with them.

===Covers (6)===
*'''UK issue #9:''' Jazz and Sammy, by [[John Ridgway]]; artwork reused from page 7 of the story.
*'''UK issue #10:''' Mirage, by John Ridgway; artwork reused from page 3 of the story.
*'''UK issue #11:''' Thundercracker, by [[Mike Collins]]; artwork reused from page 6 of the story.
*'''UK issue #12:''' Jazz attacks Skywarp, by Mike Collins; artwork reused from page 8 of the story.
*'''US issue #33:''' badly miscolored Megatron vs medieval knights, by [[Charles Vess]].
*'''US issue #34:''' a Seeker attacks Optimus Prime, by [[Tom Morgan]], [[Ian Akin]], and [[Brian Garvey]].

<gallery>
File:MarvelUK-009.jpg|'''UK issue #9''' — Jazz hadn't figured out how to [[:File:1986 Comm Jazz and Thundercracker Party.jpg|party with humans]] yet.
File:MarvelUK-010.jpg|'''UK issue #10''' — For every minute he spends invisible, Mirage has to look ginormous later on.
File:MarvelUK-011.jpg|'''UK issue #11''' — Onomatopoeias ahoy!
File:MarvelUK-012.jpg|'''UK issue #12''' — ''Jazz'' in your calendar? Misinterpret at your peril!
File:MarvelUS-33.jpg|'''US issue #33''' — A [[Condor Verlag|miscoloration]]... or a prophecy of [[For safety reasons|Safety Megatron]]?
File:MarvelUS-34.jpg|'''US issue #34''' — "By the power of Greysku—AAARGH!"
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Tfcolcom03.jpg|'''''[[Transformers Collected Comics|Collected Comics]]'' #3''' (Marvel UK, 1986)
File:Classic Transformers Vol3.jpg|'''[[Classic Transformers Volume 3|''Classic Transformers'' Volume 3]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2009)
File:Classicuk1.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics UK Volume 1|''The Transformers Classics UK'' Volume 1]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2011)
File:TFClassicsVol3.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 3|''The Transformers Classics,'' Vol. 3]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v1.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]], Vol. 1: Power Play''''' (Hachette Partworks Ltd, 2017)
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
====US====
'''Issue #33'''
*[[M&M's]] - inside front cover
*Oxy acne products - between pages 4 & 5
*TSR ''Forgotten Realms'' RPG - between pages 5 & 6
*Sketchy ads - between pages 7 & 8
*American Comics - between pages 8 & 9
*Mile High Comics - between pages 16 & 17
*Mile High Comics / Alternate Realities Distributing, Inc. - between pages 17 & 18
*Comic Books Conventions / The Drawing Comics Kit - between pages 19 & 20
*Olympic Sales Club - between pages 20 & 21
*[[Letters page|Transmissions]]
*Marvel subscription service
*Bullpen Bulletins and checklist - inside back cover
*Striped Chips Ahoy! cookies (back cover)

'''Issue #34'''
*[[M&M's]] - inside front cover
*Oxy acne products - between pages 4 & 5
*TSR ''Forgotten Realms'' RPG - between pages 5 & 6
*New England Comics - between pages 9 & 10
*TSR ''Dungeons & Dragons: Gazetteer'' - between pages 12 & 13
*TSR ''Gammarauders'' RPG - between pages 12 & 13
*Mutant Registration Act / Direct Comics and Games - between pages 15 & 16
*Sketchy ads - between pages 19 & 20
*Sketchy ads - between pages 20 & 21
*[[Letters page|Transmissions]]
*Marvel subscription service
*Bullpen Bulletins and checklist - inside back cover
*Special Olympics theme song by Meatloaf (back cover)

====UK====
????

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Talk:Back-up strips

2021-01-22T12:59:50Z

That bluestreak: Baron Brimstone and His Sinister Satan Squad

Hello everyone,

Back in 2015 User @SleepIsTheBrotherOfDeath put in here that "Probably for good reasons, there was no reprint of [[wikia:Marvel:Machine Man Vol 1 16|Machine Man Vol 1 16]] - "Baron Brimstone and His Sinister Satan Squad"" and since then it has remained untouched. My copies of TF UK 12, 13, and 14 feature this story rather than parts 3, 4, and 5 of Kill Me or Cure Me. My copies of TF UK 10 and 11 have this story in two parts, apparently whole and unedited.

So is this an error by that User, or are there multiple versions of this comic floating around?

Thanks[[User:That bluestreak|That bluestreak]] ([[User talk:That bluestreak|talk]]) 07:59, 22 January 2021 (EST)