Editing The Transformers (issue)

{{disambig2|the first comic issue of the first comic series about Transformers|other uses of ''The Transformers''|Transformers (disambiguation)}}
{{comicstory|
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #1
|next=Power Play!
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #1–2
|next2=Power Play!
|image=MarvelUS-01.jpg
|caption=[[Smallest Transforming Transformers|Largest Transforming Transformers]] Optimus Prime! One of six blind-packed $500,000,000 toys!
|title="The Transformers"
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=[[May 8]], [[1984]]
|coverdate=September 1984
|plot=[[Bill Mantlo]]
|script=[[Ralph Macchio]]
|pencils=[[Frank Springer]]
|inks=[[Kim DeMulder]]
|colors=[[Nelson Yomtov]]
|lettering=[[Michael Higgins]], [[Rick Parker]]
|editor=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
|packaged with=|packaged with=[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Optimus Prime]]
}}
'''A group of sentient warring robots crash-lands on Earth four million years ago. When they awake in the present day, their battle begins anew.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Generic autobots marvel 1.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.8]]
On the [[Saturn]]-sized mechanical world of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], life has evolved not through carbon bonding, but via "[[Atechnogenesis|naturally-occurring gears, levers, and pulleys]]". The resultant sentient robots, the [[Autobot]]s, live in peace for many eons, until some of their number fall victim to a lust for power. Rallying behind the banner of the powerful [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], these "[[Decepticon]]s" rebuild their bodies, allowing them to [[Transformation|change]] at will between a humanoid form and the form of various war machines. The Decepticons unleash a furious war on the Autobots, intending to conquer the planet and rebuild it as a cosmic dreadnought.

Faced with annihilation, the Autobots turn to a noble leader from their own ranks: [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Under his leadership, the Autobots, also now gifted with the ability to "transform", rally and counterattack. And thus, an [[Great War (G1)|all-consuming war]] rages across the planet for a thousand years, while the planet itself—dislodged from its orbit by the titanic battles—spins out of control through the cosmos.

Eventually Cybertron enters another [[Star system|solar system]] and is faced with destruction as it approaches an asteroid belt. Aboard a huge spacecraft dubbed the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], Optimus Prime leads a team of Autobots on a mission to clear a path through the asteroids. After the mission is completed, the Decepticons attack the weakened Autobot warriors. Facing inevitable defeat, Optimus Prime sends the Ark on a suicide course into a supposedly [[Earth|lifeless planet]]. The crash renders all the combatants inert.

[[File:Combat deck marvel 1.jpg|left|thumb|Combat Deck bought a junker lot from eBay.]]
Four million years later, a [[Mount St. Hilary|volcanic eruption]] reactivates the Ark's dormant computer, which finds the planet now teaming with mechanical "life". It reactivates the ship's passengers, rebuilding them to resemble the planet's natives. Damaged, the computer does not recognize friend from foe, and thus both factions are restored to life. After [[Introdump|checking themselves over]], the Decepticons flee for other parts, leaving the Autobots to make their home in the crashed Ark. Observing the planet, Optimus notes that they must work to save the planet from the Decepticons, whom they've accidentally unleashed upon it.

[[File:A Kiss for Us.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8]]
Optimus Prime sends a team of five, under the command of [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]], to scout out the new world and make contact with the natives. En route, they are sighted by Decepticon spy [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]. The Autobots mistake a [[Community Drive-In|drive-in movie theater]] for some kind of religious ritual; Bumblebee over-enthusiastically nudges a "native", violently jostling its teenage occupants [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]], [[Jesse (G1)|Jesse]] and [["O"]]. As Buster and the others climb out to see what happened, the Decepticons attack, intent on keeping their foes from establishing an alliance with the planet's natives. The Autobots reluctantly transform and defend themselves, turning the drive-in into a battlefield. During the battle, Prowl realizes that the automobiles are not alive at all, but the [[Human|small, pink creatures]] fleeing from them are; the Autobots retreat to draw the Decepticons' fire away from the apparently defenseless fleshlings.

During the battle, Buster hears the damaged Bumblebee cry out in pain, and ends up "driving" him away from the battlefield. That night, his father "[[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]" finds him tinkering with the yellow Volkswagen Beetle in his garage. He's delighted that his son is finally showing some interest in mechanics, but not so amused when the car cries out that it needs help, because it's dying...

{{note|Chronologically, the UK Annual stories "[[State Games]]" and "[[And There Shall Come...a Leader!]]" are set during the early events of this issue.}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] (10)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ironhide]] (13)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] (14)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (15)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (16)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] (17)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (18)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (19)
*[[Mirage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Mirage]] (20)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (21)
*[[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] (22)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (23)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (24)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (25)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] (26)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] (27)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (28)
}}
|c2=
*[[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] (1)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (2)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (5)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]] (6)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (7)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (8)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] (9)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]] (11)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (12)
|c3=
*[[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] (29)
*[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (30)
*[[Jesse (G1)|Jesse]] (31)
*[["O"]] (32)}}

==Quotes==
"We have lived peacefully with the Autobots for eons, slowly, '''secretly''' gathering our strength and pursuing our technology. Now we shall strike at those who have brought the stagnation of peace and plenty to Cybertron. They shall learn the way of conflict... the way of war... the way of Megatron."
: — '''Megatron''', have you thought this through?


"'''Strike! Strike!''' With all the might at our command! Death to the Autobots and the decay they stand for!"
: — '''Megatron''' launches his war


"The Ark and its secrets must never fall into enemy hands, so I plotted an alternate course that would take us on a suicidal heading... directly into the third planet of this system. Farewell, my friend. Though we die, at least our enemies are taken with us."
: — '''Optimus Prime''' pushes the fatal button


"Let us never forget our primary purpose -- to spare this world from the scourge we have unwittingly unleashed upon it!"
: — '''Optimus Prime''''s "we" is more of an "I"


"Bumblebee, come back! We must reconnoiter first!"<br>
"You can't check the exuberance of youth, Prowl!"
: — '''Prowl''' and '''Hound'''


"I had hoped to Optimus we could avoid this, but... it seems our adversaries have left us little choice. Assume defensive configurations."<br>
"Now yer talkin' my lingo."
: — '''Prowl''' and '''Brawn'''


"So, '''Starscream''', you strike at me because you think isolation makes me vunerable? You have obviously never flown in the face of my glass-gas gun!"<br>
"Yarrgh! The gas coats me, making my metal brittle and breakable as glass!"
: — '''Cliffjumper''' and '''Starscream''' team up to tell the reader how CJ's special gun works

==Notes==
===Production notes===
[[File:Generic autobots marvel 1.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5|Generic robots use the color schemes of Bumblebee, Trailbreaker, Sunstreaker, Hound, and Optimus Prime; the last of these, in the bottom right, bears a resemblance to Optimus and might be intended to represent a "pre-war" incarnation of him.]]
[[File:Generics marvel 1.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.5|Since he's called out in the caption box, it's probably fair to assume that the robot armed with the [[ion blaster]] represents Optimus Prime, albeit miscolored. On his right is a robot using Sideswipe's design to his right, apparently armed with a [[fusion cannon]].]]
*''The Transformers'' was initially conceived as a [[The Transformers Four-Issue Limited Series|four-issue limited series]]. At the start of its production, [[character model]]s had not been finalized for the majority of the cast; as such, for the first two issues of the series, the appearances of the Autobots and Decepticons is quite variable, based either on early designs created for the first animated commercials (Optimus Prime, Sideswipe, Prowl, Jazz, Megatron, the three Decepticon jets, Soundwave, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw) or on the toys themselves (most evident on characters like Ironhide and Ratchet). The finalized models were ready in time for [[Prisoner of War!|issue #3]], but the early color schemes used in these issues for certain characters—like Megatron's black helmet, the mostly-blue Starscream, and the entirely purple Soundwave—would persist throughout most if not all of the comic's run, becoming hallmarks of the characters' Marvel appearances.
*In addition to these teething troubles, artist [[Frank Springer]] and colorist [[Nelson Yomtov]] played fast and loose with what robot and technology designs they ''did'' have. Multiples of Optimus Prime's [[Combat Deck (G1)|Combat Deck]] are used to represent the "revival drones" that rebuilt the Ark's crew on pages 11-12, while a [[Onebox component]] like that used by Ironhide and Rachet appears mounted to the hull of the Ark, firing on the asteroids, on page 6. Further, a range broad of [[generic]] Transformers appear throughout the issue; some are wholly original (such as the one prominently displayed on the title page that fans would go on to dub "[[Big Red (G1)|Big Red]]"), but others use and abuse existing characters' designs and/or color schemes (as seen in the images at right). As the brand was in its infancy at this stage, some of these might have been [[authorial intent|intended]] to represent actual characters, but whether they do so is probably best left [[Personal canon|up to you]].

===Continuity notes===
*As is only natural, some of this issue's early details would be retconned away or simply ignored as the series progressed and expanded its mythology, including the idea of Cybertron as "Saturn-sized," and the idea that the Transformers had "naturally evolved". In particular, this origin would be source of much mockery in the earlier days of online fandom, but modern media went on to dub the idea of spontaneously-evolving mechanical life "[[atechnogenesis]]" and offer it up as one of several possible-but-unverified origins for the Transformers, who ''themselves'' did not know if it was true or not.
*Megatron's statement that "one of our mightiest is missing" plants the seed for [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'s debut in [[The Last Stand|issue #4]]. This brief mention parallels the character's cameo appearance in cartoon's [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|pilot episode]], which likewise set the stage for his full-fledged appearance in the [[Transport to Oblivion (episode)|first regular episode]] of the series proper. Shockwave was among the first, if not ''the'' first, of the second-year toys to be released.

===Real-life references===
*[[Mount St. Hilary]] is obviously inspired by the 1980 eruption of [[Mount St. Helens]].
*Unlike the contemporaneous cartoon, which was always shy about specifics, the comic immediately lets us know that the action is set near [[Portland]], [[Oregon]].
*A [[hitchhiker]] compares the sound of a team of Autobots driving down the highway to the [[Indy 500]].
*The Autobots visit a drive-in movie theater, which in the early 80s were still a thing.
*The cover for the Marvel UK ''Transformers'' #2 edition is an homage to the famous cover of EC's [http://www.comics.org/issue/10134/cover/4/ ''Weird Science'' #16].  The [[Martian]]s of ''[[Mars Attacks: The Transformers|Mars Attacks]]'' were inspired by the same cover.

===Continuity and plotting errors===
*It's said in this issue that the war between the Transformers ''knocked Cybertron out of its orbit'', which sounds...very improbable because of the sheer magnitude of force required for something like that to happen; Cybertron would have likely been completely obliterated before it would've been knocked out of its orbit.
*Numerous [[generic]]s show up aboard the Ark, when per story continuity, it should only have the 18 crew members shown here (plus, according to [[The Last Stand|issue #4]], the future Dinobots, whose characters presumably didn't exist yet in real-life terms). The said, the art on page 12 seems to provide a possible "out" for this by showing what looks to be a huge pile of unrepaired Transformers between behind Optimus and Megatron as they re-awaken.
*Page 10: "The drone swiftly plots its return to the Ark"—it's not clear from context if "it" is the jet scanned by the probe, or the probe itself. Neither makes a lot of sense.

===Artwork and technical errors===
Hoo-boy.
[[File:Contentedfools.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*The iconic cover of this issue depicts Optimus Prime in a design that appears to have been based on a reference image in an early [[character model|model sheet]] that was offered on [[eBay]] in 2016<ref name="modelsheets">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/93711-more-unseen-tftm-designs-plus-some-early-colors-and-some-show-design/?p=3191211 Early model sheets] at The Allspark.</ref>, which in turn is based on an early [[prototype]] or mock-up for his original toy's ''[[Diaclone]]'' predecessor depicted in an early ''Diaclone'' catalog.<ref name="diaclonecatalogs">[http://1501bc.com/pretf/diaclone_catalogs.html Diaclone catalog scans] at 1501bc.com.</ref>
*In his very first appearance, parts of Soundwave's backpack, arms and legs are colored red.
[[File:M01 tomaandi.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Jazz experimented with [[electrum]] before [[The Golden Lagoon (episode)|it was cool]].]]
*As he and Optimus Prime report to the Autobot Elders, Jazz is colored like Bumblebee. Additionally, he is drawn to be ''extremely'' toy-based, complete with Earthly car parts, right down to having the toy's conjoined uni-feet, and has two missile launchers instead of one.
[[File:Generic decepticons marvel 1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|...[[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]], is that you?]]
*Page 7: 
**As the Decepticons first strike the Ark, Optimus Prime is colored almost entirely red.
**A blue-chested, red-legged Optimus Prime is among the invading Decepticons! In the same panel, Optimus himself is colored entirely red and is missing his chest windows. Prime's thought "Our firepower - no match" is missing its punctuation.
**None of the invading Decepticons resemble the ten Decepticons later shown to compose Megatron's crew.
*Page 8: Prowl is missing his door/wings, though one could retcon this as being his "Cybertronian" body.
*Page 12: The robots undergoing repair don't really correspond to any Transformer known to be present.
*Soundwave converts to his tape player form and flies off with the jets! Or starts to, at least—he's not shown in the next panel as the Decepticons flee the volcano.
*In the giant two-page Autobot spread:
**Sideswipe seems to have a made-up or at least off-model head.
**Wheeljack's "ears" are kind of folded up against his head.
**Bluestreak is missing his door/wings and shoulder rockets.
**Gears is a strange alternate model bearing almost no resemblance to his toy or later design.
**Hound, Wheeljack, and Sideswipe are all missing their shoulder launchers.
**Trailbreaker is missing his force field projector.
[[File:Gearsg1firstappearance.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Follow your dreams, you can reach your goals; I'm living proof. Beefcake. Beefcake!"]]
*Page 16: 
**Panel 1: Bluestreak is colored like Prowl. 
**Panel 1: Sideswipe is colored like Sunstreaker.
**Panel 1: Gears seems to have an entirely new, entirely different model. 
**Panel 2: Bumblebee suddenly has the toy-based "backing plate" behind his head, whereas before he didn't. 
**Panel 3: Not all of the silhouettes correspond to actual characters.
**Panel 4: Sunstreaker's "ears" are misshapen.
*Page 17:
**Panel 5: Sparkplug's "okay" is missing a period at the end.
**Panel 6: Sparkplug is meant to say "learnin'," to parallel the way he drops the g from the end of "readin'" in the first half of his sentence, but the word is written with the g... ''and'' the apostrophe meant to signify its absence.
*Page 19: When an Autobot asks Prowl "why would machines worship moving pictures of strange objects?", Prowl identifies the speaker as Bumblebee, but the art shows the speech bubble emanating from Brawn. It's not clear which is in error.
*Page 22: Starscream's entire cockpit cowling is colored as though it were a canopy.
*When Ravage confronts him, Hound has ''two'' shoulder launchers.
*Soundwave is colored like Megatron as he attacks Prowl and Cliffjumper. His gun is missing its narrow tip, looking more like Megatron's fusion cannon, which is likely what caused the coloring error.
*Cliffjumper's arms are colored white as Prowl orders the retreat.

===UK printing===
*The UK printing in both the original issues and the ''Collected Comics'' reprints omits the two-page spread of the Autobots introducing themselves. The original UK printing instead shifts the spread to the centre pages (out of order with the rest of the story) as a poster, with the Transformers logo pasted over the smaller top-left frame. It would eventually appear by itself in the [[Transformers Annual 1986|first annual]] and with the rest of the story in ''The Complete Works'' reprint (though the smaller previously obscured panel would be redrawn by [[Geoff Senior]] - presumably Marvel UK damaged the original while creating the poster). This means the early UK continuity initially lacks an official complete list of the Autobots originally on Earth and appearances by [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] in "[[The Enemy Within!]]" and (seemingly) [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] in "[[Decepticon Dam-Busters!]]" are thus easier to reconcile.
'''Issue #1:'''
*'''Backup strips:''' ''Machine Man'' - "Byte of the Binary Bug" Part 1
*The letters printed in issue #1 of the UK comic were provided by pupils from Greycourt School (in Ham, near Richmond in South West London) who were visiting the Marvel UK offices. Their visit was written up in a magazine published at the school. The teacher who arranged the visit was Stephen Payne, former president of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society and soon to be publisher of Visual Imagination Magazines (Starburst & TV Zone).<ref>Extract from Greycourt school 1984 sci fi mag detailing visit to the Marvel UK comics offices that resulted in comments appearing in the letters page of Marvel UK Transformers #1 http://www.flickr.com/photos/48819633@N05/5297859701/</ref>
'''Issue #2:'''
*'''Backup strips:''' ''Machine Man'' - "Byte of the Binary Bug" Part 2

===Trivia===
*This mini-series was printed on high-quality [[Mando paper]].
*On [[May 22]], the [http://groups.google.com/group/net.comics/msg/1cdaf7df610e0376?dmode=source&amp;hl=en first Usenet post about Transformers] is posted by Ted Nolan to net.comics, regarding this issue. Capsule review? "Worst comic of the year."
*The cover price is 75 cents, which would be about $1.80 when adjusted for inflation to 2017 dollars. Comics as an industry are rather notorious for their price increases over and above standard inflation; today, a standard [[IDW Publishing]] ''Transformers'' comic costs $3.99.
*The cover corner box, a staple of Marvel's covers from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, features a [[character model]] of Optimus Prime. A new, more dramatic pose would debut with the first ongoing issue ([[The New Order|issue #5]]).
*The cover banner that promotes this issue as "#1 IN A FOUR ISSUE LIMITED SERIES" would be spoofed for the [[End of the Road! (US)|final issue of the series]] ("#80 IN A FOUR ISSUE LIMITED SERIES"), and again for the [[The War to End All Wars, Part 5|final issue]] of the modern-day sequel ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' ("#100 IN A FOUR ISSUE LIMITED SERIES").
* Other latter-day references to this issue include:
** A loving homage in IDW's ''Robots in Disguise'' [[Primus: All Good Things|2012 Annual]]
** Various parodies and homages to its distinctly surreal cover art including [[:File:TDOOP RIA.jpg|an incentive cover]] of "[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]", [[:File:RG1_100_cvrB.jpg|Cover B]] of the [[The War to End All Wars, Part 5|final issue]] of ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'', and a convention exclusive cover for [[:File:TAAO1 cvrREB.jpg|''Til All Are One'' #1]].

===Bot Roster===
*Autobots: 18
*Decepticons: 10, plus [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|one missing]].

===Covers===
*'''US issue #1:''' gigantic Optimus Prime, tiny Starscream, Gears, Laserbeak and the Witwickys, by [[Bill Sienkiewicz]].
*'''UK issue #1:''' Soundwave and Buzzsaw kick Prime's ass, by [[Jerry Paris]].
*'''UK issue #2:''' the Autobots depart the Ark, by [[John Ridgway]].
<gallery>
File:MarvelUS-01.jpg|'''US issue #1''' - First he will crush the planes, then he will crush the giant floating heads.
File:MarvelUK-001.jpg|'''UK issue #1''' - Is Soundwave on [[Ore-13|Ultra-Energon]]?
File:MarvelUK-002.jpg|'''UK issue #2''' - Is this girl '''that''' into her doll that she didn't see the [[Michael Bay|giant f*cking robots]]?
</gallery>

===Reprints===
*'''''[[Transformers Collected Comics|Collected Comics]]'' (UK) #1:''' Prime and Megatron battle, by [[Michael Golden]]. Reuse of US issue [[Power Play!|#2]]'s cover.
*'''[[The Transformers: Collected Comics 1 - The Story Begins...|''Collected Comics'' (US) #1: The Story Begins...]]:''' Prime, Ravage and Laserbeak battle, by (unknown).
*'''[[The Transformers: The Complete Works Part 1|''The Complete Works'' Part 1]]:''' reuse of UK issue #1's cover.
*'''[[Die Transformer issue 1|''Die Transformer'' #1]]:''' A very bright Optimus Prime battles Decepticons, by [[Claus D. Scholz|Scholz]].
*'''[[The Transformers Comics Magazine issue 1|''The Transformers Comics Magazine'' #1]]:''' reuse of US issue #2's cover.
<gallery>
File:Tfcolcom01.jpg|'''''Collected Comics'' (UK) #1''' (Marvel UK, 1985)
File:TFUSCollectedComics1StoryBegins.jpg|'''''Collected Comics'' (US) #1''' (Marvel US, 1985)
File:Complete works 1 cover.jpg|'''''The Complete Works'' Part 1''' (Marvel UK, 1986)
File:Die tf 01.jpg|'''''Die Transformer'' #1''' (Condor Verlag, 1986)
File:Transformers Digest 01-cover.jpg|'''''The Transformers Comics Magazine'' #1''' (Marvel US, 1987)
</gallery>

*'''[[Transformers: Beginnings (G1)|''Beginnings'']] paperback:''' the Ark, Prime, Ravage and half of Cybertron, by [[Andrew Wildman]].
*'''[[Transformers: Beginnings (G1)|''Beginnings'']] hardback''' [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] stands over [[Blackrock Enterprises]]'s [[oil-drilling platform]], by [[Ron Garney]] and [[Chris Blythe]].
*'''25th Anniversary Optimus Prime pack-in:''' now including tiny disclaimer: "Headline from original comic; this reissue is not part of a series."
*'''[[Classic Transformers Volume 1|''Classic Transformers'' Volume 1]]:''' featuring panels from this issue, "[[Power Play!]]", "[[The New Order]]", "[[Brainstorm!]]" and "[[Prime Time!]]".
*'''[[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 1|''The Transformers Classics'', Vol. 1]]:''' Optimus Prime, by [[Guido Guidi]].

<gallery>
File:Titan-BeginningsSC.jpg|'''''Beginnings'' paperback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Titan-BeginningsHC.jpg|'''''Beginnings'' hardback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:MarvelUS-01-25years.jpg|25th Anniversary Optimus Prime pack-in (Hasbro, 2009)
File:Classic Transformers Vol1.jpg|'''''Classic Transformers'' Volume 1''' (IDW Publishing, 2008)
File:TFClassicsVol1.JPG|'''''The Transformers Classics'', Vol 1''' (IDW Publishing, 2011)
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
====US====
*''The Last Starfighter'' (Inside cover)
*Free [[Spider-Man]] Comic from Fig Newtons
*Olympic Sales Club
*Mile High Comics
*Block of various Sketchy Things (I.E. Charles Atlas)
*Helen of Toy mail-in military scenes
*Marvel bonus certificate
*''Muppets Take Manhattan'' storybook & record (Inside rear cover)
*''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' home console video arcade cassette (Rear cover)

====UK====

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers (issue)}}
[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]