Editing Comics

[[File:MarvelUS-01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|'''''The Transformers''''' #1. Interestingly ''not'' the most replicated & referenced cover ever.]]

As a multi-decade multinational multimedia franchise, ''Transformers'' has naturally had a huge '''comics''' presence over its lifetime. And since it's not a property owned by a comic company, the comic rights have bounced across multiple publishers over the years.

==A Brief History of Major ''Transformers'' Comics==
In the beginning, [[Marvel Comics]] held the rights to ''Transformers'' comics in the US and UK, owing to their hand in developing the characters and story for [[Hasbro]]. The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original ''The Transformers'' comic]] ultimately ran monthly from 1984 to 1991, spanning 80 issues with multiple extra mini-series in the US. The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|UK ''The Transformers'' comic]] was ''weekly'', and added a ton of extra stories woven into and around the reprinted US stories but it too ended not long after the US series did.

In Japan, the rights to ''Transformers'' comics were granted to [[Kodansha]], who would split content among several publications, but the serialized ''manga'' stayed with ''[[TV Magazine]]'', first telling side-stories woven around the accompanying cartoons, then telling completely new-timeline tales for later lines. However, by the late 80s, the comics were reduced to one-shots, then bare-bones "[[story page]]s", with the final genuine ''manga'' chapter releasing in 1991.

When Hasbro attempted to revive ''Transformers'' with ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'', Marvel once again produced the [[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|accompanying comic]] in the US, though the story actually ''started'' in the pages of the still running [[G.I. Joe (comic)|''G.I. Joe'' comics]]. But a combination of low faith from Marvel and poor sales ended the book after twelve issues, but with enough forewarning for the story to properly end. The UK got a modified version of Marvel ''Generation 2'' through [[Fleetway]] (replacing any bits involving G.I. Joe with original content) that similarly fizzled out. Japan would skip "major" comic outlets, with [[Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|its "''G-2''" story]] told through [[pack-in material|mini-comics packed in with the toys]]. Which also didn't last long.

Mass-market ''Transformers'' comics more or less took a hiatus in English-language markets until after the turn of the century, but Japan would see a brief resurgence in the late 90s. Following the success of their imported version of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'', Kodansha published serialized manga in their ''[[Comic Bom Bom]]'' monthly anthology book for the Japanese sequel series ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (manga)|Beast Wars II]]'', ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (manga)|Beast Wars Neo]]'', and ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Metals (manga)|Beast Wars Metals]]'' (Takara's version of the latter half of Hasbro's ''Beast Wars'' franchise). But sales of all three series were low and getting lower all the time, and Takara took another break from mainstream ''Transformers'' comics for a few years.

In 2002, the comics got a ''major'' rebirth when Hasbro granted comic rights to [[Dreamwave Productions]], who capitalized heavily on the current "nostalgia boom" that saw renewed (and short-lived) interest in many 80's toy-based properties. Dreamwave made ongoing ''[[Transformers: Generation 1 (Dreamwave)|Generation 1]]'' comics in a more "adult" tone, as well as ''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Armada]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Energon (comic)|Energon]]'' books for the then-running kids' series. Though they were a huge success, the Dreamwave era was very short, as the company imploded in 2004 owing a lot of people a lot of money.

But ''Transformers'' comics rebounded quickly as Hasbro granted the rights to [[IDW Publishing]], who took the property in an new direction, with a [[2005 IDW continuity|"hard" reboot]]. Told at first through a series of connected mini-series and eventually moving to multiple ongoing titles (supplemented by even ''more'' mini-series and one-shots), IDW would go on to produce the single longest continuous run of ''Transformers'' comics in the brand's history, with their original storyline ultimately spanning ''thirteen years'' and hundreds of books, crossing over with multiple other Hasbro properties as a "shared universe", before being brought to a voluntary close in late 2018. Throughout that run, IDW also put out mini-series based on other then-current ''Transformers'' media, including the [[live-action film series|live-action movies]], ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'', ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' and the 2015 ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]''. And on top of ''that'', numerous out-of-continuity mini-series crossovers with non-Hasbro properties. [[2019 IDW continuity|A new, rebooted ongoing continuity]] subsequently began with the publication of [[The World In Your Eyes Part One|a new ''Transformers'' #1]] in March 2019, starting shortly before the beginning of the war, which eventually concluded in 2022 due to the expiration of IDW's ''Transformers'' license.

In 2023, ''Transformers'' comics came back in a big way with the announcement that not only had [[Skybound Entertainment]] picked up the license, but they would be launching the "[[Energon Universe]]", a new shared comic universe that combined ''Transformers'' with ''G.I. Joe'' and an original property, ''[[Void Rivals]]''.

In the UK, [[Titan Magazines]] put out a [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|''Transformers'' comic magazine]] to coincide with the [[Transformers (film)|2007 live-action movie]]. This book would run for seven years, containing new stories set not only in the live-action film continuity (all the way up to ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (franchise)|Age of Extinction]]''), but for ''[[Transformers Animated (Titan)|Transformers Animated]]'' and ''Transformers: Prime'' as well.

Japan's "mainstream" comic output through this period, and to this day, remains scattershot. The majority of Japanese ''Transformers'' comics would come in the form of [[pack-in material|comics packed in with toys]], short comic stories included in larger books, and a ''lot'' of online exclusive comics. There have been a few serialized comics over the years in several "mainstream" publications from different publishers, each usually ending after a year or so.

{{-}}

==A More Involved History of ''Transformers'' Comics==
===US-market ''Transformers'' comics===
====Marvel Comics (1984–1994)====
[[File:MarvelUS-05.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''The Transformers''''' #5. ''This'' is the most replicated & referenced cover ever.]]
{{Main|Marvel Comics}}

Duplicating the successful formula of having [[Marvel Comics]] develop the story and characters for ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'', as well as producing a comic book and having a major hand in other tie-in media, [[Hasbro]] had them do the same for their new ''Transformers'' line. What was originally planned to be a four-part mini-series quickly ballooned into an 80-issue monthly ongoing series, and that's ''not'' counting several in-continuity mini-series, including a [[G.I. Joe and the Transformers (comic)|crossover with ''G.I. Joe'']] (which would happen a ''lot'' over the years).

After a couple years' hiatus with the end of the original series, Marvel was once again tapped to produce the comic tie-in for ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Transformers: Generation 2]]'' in the US, which actually started with a five-issue setup crossover in the still-ongoing [[G.I. Joe (comic)|''G.I. Joe'' comics]]. But limping sales (and not much faith from Marvel's higher-ups out of the gate) meant the series only lasted a year before cancellation. And that was the end of Marvel's run of ''Transformers''... except for a weird ''[[Avengers]]'' crossover miniseries co-produced with [[IDW Publishing]] over a decade later.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]]
:* ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
:* ''[[New Avengers/Transformers]]''

Much of Marvel's ''Transformers'' output has been collected into volumes by [[Titan Books]] and IDW, which is a fair bit easier than tracking down all those individual issues.

{{-}}

====Blackthorne Publishing (1987)====
[[File:TF3D-1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Transformers in 3-D''''' #1. Feel the excitement.]]
{{Main|Blackthorne Publishing}}

In a very sneaky move, [[Blackthorne Publishing]] finagled the rights to make ''Transformers'' comics in the US and UK at the same time as Marvel, as Blackthorne's books were gimmicky 3-D comics and therefore different enough from Marvel's output in Hasbro's (and various lawyers') view for both to exist. However, the series was ''incredibly'' short-lived, lasting all of three issues. Marvel didn't have a lot to worry about there.

Story-wise, these seem to take place in some variant of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon's]] continuity, though inter-issue continuity itself is... shaky at best. Oh, it also ended on a major cliffhanger. *''thumbs up''*

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Transformers in 3-D]]''

{{-}}

====3H Productions (1997–2004)====
[[File:Beastwarscriticalmass.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Ground Zero'''''. The first ''Transformers'' comic in years, and boy, were folks happy about that.]]
{{Main|3H Productions}}

Following the end of ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' and the emergence of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'', no major (or minor) comics publisher had the rights to make ''Transformers'' comics. [[3H Productions]], the original producers of the [[BotCon]] conventions, negotiated a limited license to make convention-exclusive comics centered on their exclusive toys and stories. Taking place mostly in the same continuity as the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' and ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' cartoons, the series spun its own side-stories, even continuing the timeline following the end of ''Beast Machines'' and tying into the [[Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)|''Universe'' toyline]].

This series can be a bit confusing to follow, as much of the early story was continued/supplemented with text stories both online and printed in convention booklets, web pages, and more, and usually on a slow, slow drip-feed. On top of that, the removal of the convention license in 2004 left multiple stories in cliffhanger limbo. Several years later, convention-license-recipient [[Fun Publications]] would "finish" most of these unresolved plotlines in one form or another.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Ground Zero]]'' (aka ''Critical Mass'')
:* ''[[Reaching the Omega Point]]'' (multi-part multi-media story)
:* ''[[Transformers: The Wreckers|The Wreckers / Primeval Dawn]]''
:* ''[[Transformers: Universe (comic)|Universe]]''

{{-}}

====Dreamwave Productions (2002–2004)====
[[File:G1 Vol.1 Issue1 1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Prime Directive''''' #1. Don't stare directly at it.]]
{{Main|Dreamwave Productions}}

Following a renewed interest in the brand, coinciding with the big "nostalgia boom" of the early-Oughts, Hasbro granted the rights to produce ''Transformers'' comics to up-and-coming Canadian comics house [[Dreamwave Productions]], a decision based heavily on a piece of "concept art" by [[Pat Lee]] (well, theoretically by him, at least. He was given credit for it. But... well....)

Dreamwave first produced a six-issue mini-series based on the "Generation 1" franchise that sold amazingly, then another, then made that storyline an ongoing title, supplemented by extra mini-series. They also produced ongoing tie-in comics for Hasbro's then-current iteration of ''Transformers'' for kids, ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]].'' On top of that, both series got extensive multi-issue [[profile]] books, which gave personalities to many toys that had gone character-less for over a decade.

That all came to a crashing end in late 2004 as the company basically imploded, with creators going unpaid, numerous license-granters going unpaid (not just Hasbro!), and Dreamwave head honchos going somewhere far away with wads of cash to try and pull it off again. This left multiple storylines in cliffhanger limbo, but unlike with 3H's stories, nobody bothered to cap them off later (well, with one [[Revelations Part 2#Continuity notes|minor exception]]), though some scripts for unproduced issues have since surfaced.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Prime Directive]] / [[War and Peace]]''
:* ''[[Transformers: Generation 1 (Dreamwave)|Transformers: Generation 1]]''
:* ''[[Transformers: The War Within]]''
:* ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye]]'' (profile series)
:* ''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Transformers: Armada]]''
:* ''[[Transformers: Energon (comic)|Transformers: Energon]]''
:* ''[[Transformers/G.I. Joe]]''

{{-}}

====Devil's Due Press (2003–2007)====
[[File:GI Joe vs Transformers 1a.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''''' #1. The contents are ''way'' more interesting than the cover, thankfully.]]
{{Main|Devil's Due Press}}

While Dreamwave held the ''Transformers'' comic rights in 2003, the rights to ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' were held by [[Devil's Due Press]] (later moved to [[IDW Publishing]], see below). As part of a cooperative project with Dreamwave, both companies made their own Transformers / G.I.Joe crossover miniseries in 2003. Devil's Due would go on to make three more of these minis well after Dreamwave's demise, all in a single continuity that got crazier and crazier the longer it went.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers]]''
:* ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II]]''
:* ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War]]''
:* ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: Black Horizon]]''

{{-}}

====IDW Publishing (2005–2022)====
[[File:Infiltration 0a.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Infiltration''''' #0. The beginning of an era.]]
{{Main|IDW Publishing}}

Following Dreamwave's ignoble end, Hasbro gave the US/Canada comics license to [[IDW Publishing]]. Though they briefly (very briefly) flirted with the idea of continuing Dreamwave's story, they instead decided upon a ground-up restart, focused on the "Generation 1" cast, different in tone, different in look. It started with a series of six-issue mini-series following one after the other (although not always in chronological order), and would eventually balloon into multiple ongoing titles, soft reboots, side-story mini-series, one-shots, a ''major'' multi-brand crossover... all in all, IDW would produce the longest continuous run of ''Transformers'' comics in the brand's history, the largest number of issues published, and longest ongoing single storyline.

The initial ''thirteen-year'' "[[2005 IDW continuity|Generation 1" continuity]] ended in late 2018, with [[2019 IDW continuity|a new continuity reboot]] (one based on the franchise's concurrent heavily-"Generation 1" styling) running from 2019 to 2022.

In addition to its main "Generation 1" based series, IDW put out mini-series based on other then-current ''Transformers'' media, including the [[live-action film series]], ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'', the [[Aligned continuity family|"Aligned" continuity]] (primarily ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'')... and even a "sequel" series to the original Marvel comics continuity, separate from ''Generation 2'' because... reasons. And on top of ''that'', numerous out-of-continuity mini-series crossovers with non-Hasbro properties.

Due to the ''heavy'' reliance on the miniseries format for vast swathes of story, as well as the books hopping around their respective timelines rather willy-nilly, it is highly recommended to look at the [[IDW Publishing|main "IDW Publishing" page]] for a complete list of their books, as well as the "[[2005 IDW continuity]]" page for assistance in detangling ''that'' whole deal.

{{-}}
{| style="margin-left:3em;" width="90%"
|width="30%" valign="top"|<u>'''Major "Generation 1" (2005–2018) titles'''</u>
* ''[[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]] / [[The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation]] / [[The Transformers: Devastation|Devastation]] / [[Revelation (IDW)|Revelation]]''
* ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]''
* ''[[The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers]]''
* ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]] / The Transformers vol. 2 / [[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]''
* ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]] / [[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]''
* ''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]] / [[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]''
* ''[[Revolution]] / [[First Strike]] / [[Transformers: Unicron|Unicron]]''
|
|width="30%" valign="top"|<u>'''Major live-action film titles'''</u>
* ''[[Transformers: Movie Prequel|Movie Prequel]]''
* ''[[Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Destiny|Destiny]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Tales of the Fallen|Tales of the Fallen]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Rising Storm|Rising Storm]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Bumblebee Movie Prequel|Bumblebee Movie Prequel]]''
|
|width="30%" valign="top"|<u>'''Other major titles'''</u>
* ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|Beast Wars: The Gathering]] / [[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]''
* ''[[Transformers Animated: The Arrival]]''
* ''[[Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters (comic)|Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)|Robots in Disguise]]'' (2015)
* ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]''
* ''[[Transformers '84 issue 0|Transformers '84 #0]] / ''[[Transformers '84: Secrets & Lies|Secrets & Lies]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars]]''
|
|width="10%" valign="top"|
|-
|width="30%" valign="top"|<u>'''Major non-main crossover titles'''</u>
* ''[[New Avengers/Transformers]]''
* ''[[Angry Birds Transformers (comic)|Angry Birds Transformers]]''
* ''[[Transformers vs. G.I. Joe]]''
* ''[[Star Trek vs. Transformers]]''
* ''[[Transformers/Ghostbusters]]''
|
|width="30%" valign="top"|<br>
* ''[[Transformers vs. The Terminator]]''
* ''[[My Little Pony/Transformers: Friendship in Disguise!]]''
* ''[[Transformers/Back to the Future]]''
* ''[[My Little Pony/Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron]]''
|
|width="30%" valign="top"|<u>'''2019 ongoing titles'''</u>
* ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Galaxies]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Escape]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Wreckers—Tread & Circuits]]''
* ''[[Transformers: War's End]]''
|}

IDW also produced ''tons'' of trade paperbacks of both their own comics, and reprints of the Marvel comics from both the US and UK runs, as well as a fair amount of Dreamwave material... though that company's stories were interspersed among "theme" books along with Marvel and IDW tales, rather than given their own separate collections.

{{-}}

====Fun Publications (2005–2016)====
[[File:Descentintoevil-cover.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|'''''Timelines''''' #1. The first Collector's Club issue predates this, but that's [[:File:Htcc-1.jpg|not as interesting visually]].]]
{{Main|Fun Publications}}

After the convention and "fan club" rights were taken from 3H, they were transferred to [[Fun Publications]], the company that had been producing the official ''G.I. Joe'' convention and newsletter for many years prior. Like with 3H, the focus of Fun Publications' comics (and other media) was primarily to promote their current selection of convention- and club-[[exclusive]] toys. As they were not beholden to any single franchise or continuity (basically anything but the [[live-action film series]] was fair game, fictionally), Fun Publications had perhaps the broadest range of story settings of any "comics" publisher. Virtually all of their media was put under the umbrella name ''Timelines''.

Their comic output started with the bi-monthly ''Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club'' magazine, which featured a multi-page ongoing comic story at the back end of each issue. These stories were serialized and could span several years. These issues would also sometimes feature comic strips and single-page comic "previews" of prose stories to be published online later. Some comic previews were posted exclusively online rather than within the magazine's pages.

Each year's [[BotCon]] box set of toys also included a full comic issue, telling a story featuring that year's crop of toy exclusives. Many were "jumping off" points for later prose stories or magazine comics, and even included all-new continuities, most notably the "Shattered Glass" "mirror universe" series. Most years, these comics were reprinted with extra ancillary material and sold in comic shops later in the year.

''Timelines'' ended in 2016 when Hasbro dissolved its ''Transformers'' relationship with Fun Publications. The rights to the ''G.I. Joe'' convention and club continued with Fun Publications another two years, but that too came to an end.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club]]''
:* ''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Timelines]]''
:* ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]''

{{--}}

====Skybound Entertainment (2023–current)====
{{Main|Skybound Entertainment}}

[[File:Transformers 2023 1 cvr.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.85|'''''Transformers''''' #1. Nothing says "new universe" like a Sunbow design!]]

Several months after IDW formally relinquished the ''Transformers'' license, [[Skybound Entertainment]] announced the launch of a new science fiction comic, ''Void Rivals'', which followed a pair of shipwrecked aliens stranded on a barren planet. Partway into the story, the pair discover a derelict spacecraft—only to discover that this is really the Cybertronian [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] in disguise. Off the back of this surprise reveal came the announcement that Skybound had acquired the ''Transformers'' and ''G.I. Joe'' licenses, and used them to springboard the "[[Energon Universe]]", a new shared universe setting that would encompass ''Void Rivals'', ''Transformers'', and several ''G.I. Joe'' miniseries.


:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
* ''[[Void Rivals]]''
* ''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]''
* ''[[Duke (comic)|Duke]]''
* ''[[Cobra Commander (comic)|Cobra Commander]]''
* ''[[Scarlett (comic)|Scarlett]]''
* ''[[Destro (comic)|Destro]]''
{{-}}

===European-market ''Transformers'' comics===
====Marvel Comics (1984–1991)====
[[File:MarvelUK-001.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Transformers''''' #1. UK-tastic!]]
{{Main|Marvel Comics}}

Marvel also held the rights to publish ''Transformers'' in the UK from the start, but that market's books were... a bit different. Most importantly, the book was ''weekly'', and had a shorter pagecount to boot. This meant that the reprinted and recolored US stories needed to be chopped in half, and more stories needed to be created to fill out the other weeks each month. Thus, the UK got twice the content, with wholly unique stories interwoven into the continuity of the US series (not always gracefully, and occasionally a royal continuity headache), omitting the ''G.I. Joe'' bits as needed. On top of this were several "Annuals" and text stories full of original content.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]]

Much of the UK ''Transformers'' output has been collected into volumes by [[Titan Books]] and IDW, which is a fair bit easier than tracking down all those individual issues, ''especially'' for US fans.

{{-}}

====Fleetway (1994)====
[[File:FleetwayUKG2-01.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Generation 2''''' #1. Yikes.]]
{{Main|Fleetway}}

While Marvel produced the ''Generation 2'' tie-in comic in the US, for the UK the rights ended up with [[Fleetway]], mainly because Marvel UK was dying/dead at the time. It started with its own similar-but-different take on the US comic's story, featuring some of the toys that had only been released in European markets, and in the process excising G.I. Joe's involvement from the series. But soon it would move on to reprinting the US comics, with extra character [[bio]]s and other ancillary material.

But this series was even ''more'' short-lived than the US comic, only releasing a whopping ''five'' issues, ending mid-story.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Fleetway)|Transformers: Generation 2]]''

{{-}}

====Panini (2003)====
[[File:Panini01.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Armada''''' #1. Get used to the look of this cover, you'll see it again soon.]]
{{Main|Panini}}

Italian comic publisher [[Panini]], mainly known for their [[The Transformers Sticker Book (1986)|sticker books]] in many countries, acquired the rights to produce comics based on ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' in the UK. This book would take the form of a "comics magazine"; mainly a magazine with two comic stories inside and multiple other features, plus a small pack-in gift in every issue. Poor sales led to its cancellation after nine issues.

The series was in its own continuity separate from Dreamwave's concurrently running ''Armada'' comic, even though it was written by the [[Simon Furman|same author]] (and shared a few story beats here and there).

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Transformers: Armada (Panini)|Transformers: Armada]]''

{{-}}

====Titan Magazines (2007–2014)====
[[File:Tf mag 01 2007.JPG|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Transformers''''' #1. Told you you'd be seeing that style of cover again.]]
{{Main|Titan Magazines}}

After obtaining the rights to produce ''Transformers'' comics in the UK, [[Titan Magazines]] (part of the same company as Marvel comics reprinter [[Titan Books]]) went nuts producing its own stories based on numerous then-current franchises, but all under the singular ''Transformers'' title (with one super-short-lived exception). Like Panini's book (see above), Titan's ''Transformers'' was more of a magazine-with-comics-in-it than a proper comic book, but again, it's a ''lot'' of original comic content. It bounced heavily from franchise to franchise, changed prices, pagecount and physical size seemingly at random, "relaunched" numerous times... it was a real mess, but it did last an admirable seven years!

:<u>'''''[[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Transformers]]'' comics'''</u>
:* ''Transformers'' (2007 movie)
:* ''[[Transformers Animated (Titan)|Transformers Animated]]''
:* ''Revenge of the Fallen''
:* ''Dark of the Moon''
:* ''Transformers: Prime''
:* ''Age of Extinction''

{{-}}

====Eaglemoss (2012–2013)====
[[File:TFPrimeRU issue 1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Transformers: Prime''''' #1. And again! But Russian!]]
{{Main|Eaglemoss}}

Did you know that there was a ''Prime'' comic in Russia? Yeah, we were shocked too. As with Panini and Titan, [[Eaglemoss]]'s ''Transformers: Prime'' is a magazine full of features that also includes original comics. Though the book only lasted a year, it published weekly for the overwhelming majority of its run, totaling 65 issues by the end.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Transformers: Prime (Eaglemoss)|Transformers: Prime]]''

{{-}}

====Ades Media (2018–present)====
[[File:Target2006_SWECover.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''I siktet: 2006'''''.]]

Starting in 2018, Swedish publisher [[Ades Media]] began publishing ''Transformers'' books in Swedish for the first time since the early 2000s. This came about due to an increased interest in the franchise within the Nordic region in recent years. Sweden in particular has had a relatively big appreciation for the Transformers franchise and has seen publication of material from both the Marvel US and UK comics in the 1980s and '90s, as well as some of the Dreamwave books during the 2000s. These books were initially done in more-or-less connection with the [[unofficial conventions|unofficial convention]] [https://retcon.se/retcon/ RetCon: The Nordic Transformers Convention], that launched in 2017. Beginning with ''I siktet: 2006'', their Transformers books would be published through imprint Retrobokklubben.  On [[March 2]] [[2024]], they announced  [https://www.facebook.com/share/DYEtpHXiEUegYd2Q/?mibextid=WC7FNe on Facebook] that they had worked out a deal with Skybound and will continue publishing Transformers titles after their time with IDW had ended the previous year.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''Wreckers sista strid'' - collection of ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'', "[[Bullets]]", ''[[Spotlight: Kup]]'', and "[[All Hail Megatron issue 15|Everything in Its Right Place]]", along with all the bonus material originally featured in each publication's original TPB releases, as well as "[[Wreckers: Sweclassified]]" - a short article written by translator [[Johan Boström]].
:* ''Mer än ögat kan se'' - a collection of the first eight issues of ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye]]'', along with "[[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations]]", "[[The Reluctant Specialist]]", and "[[The Waiting Game]]" - as well as the bonus material and cover gallery from each of those publications, an interview with author [[James Roberts]], and a reprint of "[[Bullets]]," correcting spelling-errors and mistakes present in ''Wreckers sista strid'', featuring new and exclusive illustrations to go along with the story by famed ''Transformers'' artists [[Nick Roche]], [[Jeff Anderson]], and [[Stephen Baskerville]], and non-pros [[Winston Chan]] and [[Thomas Sjöström]].
:* ''Jakten på Matrixen'' - a translation of the "[[Matrix Quest]]" storyline from the Marvel comics run, based on the IDW reprints found in ''[[The Transformers Classics]]'', and about 100 pages of supplementary material taken from the Marvel UK comics, as well as an assortment of translated [[The Transformers Universe (Marvel)|The Transformers Universe]] profiles.
:* ''Kaos och Skuggor'' - a collection of issues #22, #23, #24, #26, #28 and #30 of ''[[The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers]]'', "[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]" and issues #9-#13 of ''More than Meets the Eye'' including "[[Signal to Noise]]". Bonus material includes original pages, a cover gallery and an afterword from James Roberts.
:* ''Krig och hågkomst'' - a translation of #14-#22 of ''More Than Meets the Eye'' as well as [[Omega's Conundrum|Spotlight: Orion Pax]] and a special illustrated version of [[The Sound of Breaking Glass]], in the same vein as "Bullets". Bonus material is once again original pages, cover gallery and an afterword from James Roberts as well as some sketches from [[Alex Milne]].
:* ''I siktet: 2006'' - a translation of various Marvel UK materials, mainly [[Target: 2006]] and other related storylines. Bonus material includes more translated Transformers: Universe profiles, four articles from James Roberts, all translated from the pages of [[The Transformers Classics UK]], an article on Atlantic's original Swedish reprints of the Marvel comic from the 1980s and various emphemera.
:* ''Transformers & Action Force: Vedergällning'' - Mainly the very first collection of Marvel UK's original weekly [[Action Force (comic)|Action Force]] strips, this hardcover also includes the [[Ancient Relics!|Ancient Relics]] crossover, as well as [[Ladies' Night (issue)|Ladies' Night]], [[What's in a Name?|What's in a Name]] and [[Grudge Match!|Grudge Match]].
:* ''Du sköna nya värld'' - a translation of issues #28-38 and #40 of ''More Than Meets the Eye''. Bonus material this time consists of a preliminary sketches and finished pencils from [[Atilio Rojo]] with commentary by Roberts.
:* ''Optimus Prime - Tillbaka till jorden'' - a translation of issues #28-32 and #34-38 of [[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise]] and the [[The Transformers: Punishment|Punishment]] mini-series. Bonus material consists of an afterword by [[Andrew Griffith]].

{{-}}

===Japanese-market ''Transformers'' comics===
{{note|For an exhaustive list of published Japanese Transformers comics, see [[Manga]].}}
====Kodansha (1985–2005)====
[[File:TVMag-May1985cover.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''TV Magazine''''' May 1985. The first issue with ''Transformers'' content. Crowded!]]
{{Main|Kodansha}}

In Japan, the rights to produce comic material for this new ''Transformers'' line went to [[Kodansha]], the publisher of several different monthly comic compilations and magazines for kids.

The bulk of the ongoing, serialized fiction in the original series was in the pages of ''[[TV Magazine]]'', a mix of multi-page advertising spreads for the newest, flashiest kids' TV shows and associated merchandise (well, those that paid for space in the magazine) as well as exclusive black-and-white ''manga'' (comics). The ''Transformers'' manga started as side-stories to the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|imported cartoon series]] and the Japan-exclusive [[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|''The Headmasters'' cartoon]], but later series would tell their own stories separate from the cartoons. By the late 80s, ''TV Magazine''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s ''Transformers'' content was heavily reduced; without any new cartoons to shill for, only a few one-shot manga were produced, and the last years of Japan's "Generation 1" story were represented only in super-truncated "[[story page]]" form. Over a decade later, ''TV Magazine'' would feature an ongoing ''Transformers'' comic again... in the form of a "toy photos" comic for the short ''[[Robotmasters (franchise)|Robotmasters]]'' series.

Kodansha's other big publication, ''[[Comic Bom Bom]]'', was primarily made up of comics both original and based on popular kids' licences from multiple companies. While it featured ''Transformers'' content right from the beginning, it was mainly a series of one-shots, with very little after the first couple years of the franchise. ''Comic Bom Bom'' would not get a regular serialized ''Transformers'' comic until the late Nineties, with the Japan-original ''Beast Wars II'' manga, and the following series. These stories were, like the later ''TV Magazine'' comics, unique stories in a separate-but-sometimes-similar continuity from their cartoon counterparts. But as the Beast series did not end well for [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], there was another long gap in ''Transformers'' manga until a brief resurgence with ''Galaxy Force'', the Japanese version of ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]''... but that too did not last. And neither did ''Comic Bom Bom'' itself, as the book was ended in 2007 after poor sales.

{| style="margin-left:3em;" width="90%"
|width="33%" valign="top"|<u>'''Major ''TV Magazine'' titles'''</u>
* ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (manga)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]''
* ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (manga)|Transformers: The Headmasters]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (manga)|Transformers: Super-God Masterforce]]''
* ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (manga)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory]]''
* ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (manga)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone]]''
* ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (manga)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars]]''
* ''[[Robotmasters (3D diorama comic)|Robotmasters]]''
* ''[[Transformers Go! Go!]]''
|
|width="33%" valign="top"|<u>'''Major ''Comic Bom Bom'' titles'''</u>
* ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (manga)|Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers]]''
* ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (manga)|Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo]]''
* ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Metals (manga)|Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Metals]]''
* ''[[Transformers: Galaxy Force (manga)|Transformers: Galaxy Force]]''
|
|width="34%" valign="top"|
|}
Following the end of Takara's relationship with Kodansha, Japanese ''Transformers'' comics tended to be ''very'' scattered, focusing mostly on [[pack-in material|comics packed in with toys]], and mini-comics in larger books or published online. But some serialized content did pop up here and there.

{{-}}

====Media Works (2005–2007)====
[[File:Teletraan15-jul.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.85|No, we're not giving you the full singular page of '''''Information Administration Teletraan 15 Go! Go!''''' #1.]]
{{Main|Information Administration Teletraan 15 Go! Go!}}

To advertise Takara's ''[[The Transformers Collection]]'' series of "Generation 1" [[Generation 1 reissues|reissues]], an ongoing single-page manga was produced for ''[[Dengeki Hobby Magazine|Dengeki Hobby]]'' magazine, a light humor series where the humanoid computer [[Teletraan 15]] would journey through space and time to gather data on various Cybertronians. However, as the reissue line could go months without a new release, filler had to be created, so some "missions" spanned several issues. Towards the end of its run, with the ''Collection'' line effectively dead, the story began highlighting new ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (toyline)|Kiss Players]]'' toys instead, and eventually entire installments were given over to hypercondensed "pre-caps" of the [[Transformers: Kiss Players (radio drama)|weekly ''Kiss Players'' radio shows]] rather than 15's adventures. (As in, they recapped the events of the radio plays, ''before'' the plays actually aired. Oops!) But 15's story was brought back to conclude in the final few months.

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Information Administration Teletraan 15 Go! Go!]]''

The entire run of ''Go! Go!'' was collected together in the ''[[Kiss Players/15 Go! Go!]]'' compilation book.

{{-}}

====Poplar (2008–2009)====
[[File:Henkei chpt 01 title.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Henkei! Henkei! Transformers''''' #1's "splash page". We don't have a pic of the book it came in, sorry.]]
{{Main|Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (Comic Bun Bun)}}

<!--''[[Comic Bun Bun]]'' (not to be confused with ''[[Comic Bom Bom]]'')-->

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (Comic Bun Bun)|Henkei! Henkei! Transformers]]''
{{comicstub}}

{{-}}

====Kadokawa Shoten Publishing (2010–2013)====
[[File:Kerokero ace cover.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.85|'''''Kerokero Ace''''' #1... which came out 3 years prior to it getting ''Transformers'' comics. Um. We're working on that.]]
{{Main|Kerokero Ace}}

''Transformers'' eventually settled down at ''[[Kerokero Ace]]'', a boys' magazine that actually dedicated a ''lot'' of its pagecount to Takara's rival toy company [[Bandai]], particularly their ''Gundam'' toys. But ''Kerokero'' ran two serialized year-long ''Transformers'' comics, as well as some one-shot stories (including a [[Keroro Gunsō × Transformers|crossover]] with the magazine's other major focus, the ''[[Keroro|Sgt. Frog]]'' manga/anime). However, ''Kerokero'' closed down in 2013, the final issue also containing the final episode of its second serialized ''Transformers'' manga.

Every ''Transformers'' comic to appear in ''Kerokero'' was done by the [[Naoto Tsushima|same author/artist]], who also did plenty of ''Gundam'' art for the magazine. Busy man!

From this point on, TakaraTomy would pretty much stick to "in house" manga with pack-in and web-based comics (see below).

:<u>'''Major titles'''</u>
:* ''[[Transformers Animated: The Cool]]''
:* ''[[Transformers: All Spark]]''
{{-}}

==Pack-in comics==
{{Main|Pack-in material}}

As noted above, a lot of original comic material has been produced to be packed in with toys Hasbro/TakaraTomy are selling. Takara has historically used this outlet more frequently than Hasbro.

Hasbro's most active time of ''original'' pack-in comics was during ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'', adding small booklets in with every Deluxe-and-above-size toy. These booklets were half comic (usually created by [[Dreamwave Productions]]), half catalog for other toys in the line. The practice slipped out of favor quickly after the collapse-and-plundering of Dreamwave, and not helped by rising production costs.

In 2013, Hasbro and [[IDW Publishing]] worked together to add reprints of IDW's currently-running series in with the deluxe-level ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Transformers: Generations]]'' and ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' toys. These comics were ''usually'' coordinated to feature the relevant toy character... but sometimes the toy would merely be a cameo, and sometimes ''not even in the issue at all''. These reprints also had various edits for content, emphasizing the use of [[trademark]]ed names and replacing "harsher" words like "kill" with "destroy". But by ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' this too would end.

{{comicstub}}

==See also==
* [[List of Generation 1 comics]]
* [[Manga]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Comics| ]]