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[[Image:CollectedComics4Cover.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Shhhh. Don't tell Simon Furman it got republished!.]]
[[File:CollectedComics4Cover.jpg|thumb|Brawn and Starscream are announced as the finalists in the "Who's Got the Best Fists?" competition.]]
'''Collected Comics''' was published by Marvel UK as a companion series to the [[Generation 1 (Marvel Comics)|UK Generation 1 comic]]. Its purpose was to reprint entire stories from the comic (hence the name), in many ways a precursor of the modern [[trade paperback]].
'''Collected Comics''' was published by Marvel UK as a companion series to the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|UK Generation 1 comic]]. Its purpose was to reprint entire stories from the comic (hence the name), in many ways a precursor of the modern trade paperback.


They were published on a semi-regular basis alongside the UK comic, usually as Summer or Winter specials. The name ‘Collected Comics’ wasn’t actually used until volume two of the series however.
They were published on a semi-regular basis alongside the UK comic, usually as Summer or Winter specials. The name ‘Collected Comics’ wasn’t actually used until volume two of the series however.


The majority of the stories reprinted as part of the Collected Comics series were UK exclusives; however Collected Comics 1 and 2 were reprints of the [[The Transformers (comic issue)|US 4 issue miniseries]].
Marvel US would also publish two volumes - in total, collecting the first six issues of the US comic - under the title.


==Stories reprinted==


[[Image:RavageEnemyWithinColour.jpg|left|180px|thumb|"I was so much more atmospheric in black and white!"]]
The majority of the stories reprinted as part of the Collected Comics series were UK exclusives; however Collected Comics 1 and 2 were reprints of the original [[The Transformers Four-Issue Limited Series|four-issue miniseries from the US series]], retaining the regular ending featuring [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] rather than the alternate ending later published in [[The Transformers: The Complete Works Part 2|''The Complete Works'' Part 2]] (also by Marvel UK).
When they were originally published in the UK comic some stories, such as [[Man of Iron!|Man of Iron]] were printed in black and white, these were later coloured for their publication in Collected Comics.  


Collected Comics 4 contained the first reprinting of [[The Enemy Within!|The Enemy Within]], the first Transformers story by [[Simon Furman]]. The only other reprinting was in issues 308-309 & 313-317 of the regular comic. Furman has since gone on record saying that he is unhappy with the quality of this early work so these could well be the only reprintings this story will ever receive.  
[[File:RavageEnemyWithinColour.jpg|left|thumb|"I was so much more atmospheric in black and white!"]]
While the original single issue printings of the early UK stories (such as "[[Man of Iron (issue)|Man of Iron]]") only featured the uncolored black and white lineart for some pages as a cost-cutting measure, the reprints featured in ''Collected Comics'' had those pages colored as well, which was then used as the basis for all subsequent reprints of those stories.
 
Occasionally, corrections to the original stories' printing would be applied to reprints. A character naming error was corrected in the reprinting of "[[Second Generation!]]", and the colors for one of the opening splash pages in "[[Time Wars]]" were corrected from their original printing.


Some volumes contained multiple stories, a main story along with a short back-up story to bring up the page count. Especially long UK stories would be split across multiple volumes.
Some volumes contained multiple stories, a main story along with a short back-up story to bring up the page count. Especially long UK stories would be split across multiple volumes.


The cover of each issue was usually (but not always) a reprint of an earlier UK comic cover. This would usually be one of the original covers from the story contained within, although in later Collected Comics this was not always the case.
In February 1990 Collected Comics 15 reprinted the first 3 issues of the incredibly popular "[[Target: 2006]]". Unfortunately the master copies for the remaining issues were lost in the post meaning that the remainder of the story was never published in the Collected Comics series. Rather cheekily however Collected Comics 16 used a "Target: 2006" cover.


In 1986 Marvel reprinted the US [[Transformers: The Movie (comic)|Transformers: The Movie]] adaption in a single Collected Comics style volume. This was not sold as part of the Collected Comics series but simply as a Winter Special.
Collected Comics 17 saw the reprinting of the first 3 parts of "[[Space Pirates!]]". This ended with a 'To be continued…' caption at the end. Collected Comics 18 however saw the first 3 parts of "Time Wars" being published instead, no explanation for this was ever given, with parts 4 & 5 reprinted in 19. Time Wars itself was also never completed, as due to falling sales, the UK comic ceased publication and the Collected Comics series went into a decline, with its output becoming ever more random.


In February 1990 Collected Comics 15 reprinted the first 3 issues of the incredibly popular [[Target 2006]]. Unfortunately the master copies for the remaining issues were lost in the post meaning that the remainder of the story was never published in the Collected Comics series. Rather cheekily however Collected Comics 16 used a Target 2006 cover.
The UK Annual story "[[Victory!]]" was reprinted twice, once in Collected Comics 14 and once in the 1992 Summer Special. On both occasions the first, eighth, ninth & tenth pages of the story were omitted, although this did not affect the story's readability.


Collected Comics 17 saw the reprinting of the first 3 parts of [[Space Pirates!]]. This ended with a 'To be continued…' caption at the end. Collected Comics 18 however saw the first 3 parts of [[Time Wars]] being published instead, no explanation for this was ever given, with parts 4 & 5 reprinted in 19. Time Wars itself was also never completed, as due to falling sales, the UK comic ceased publication and the Collected Comics series went into a decline, with its output becoming ever more random.
The covers of the first three issues were a reprint of an earlier UK comic cover. This practice was also adopted for Collected Comics 7 and continuously from Collected Comics 13. This would usually be one of the original covers from the story contained within, although in later Collected Comics this was not always the case. Collected Comics 3-6 & 8-12 had newly drawn covers.


The UK Annual story [[Victory!]] was reprinted twice, once in Collected Comics 14 and once in Collected Comics 19. On both occasions the first, eighth, ninth & tenth pages of the story were omitted, although this did not affect the story's readability.
==Format==


Following the demise of the UK comic in 1992 the Collected Comics series continued to be published for a further 2 years, although the Collected Comics moniker was dropped after volume 19. An additional 8 volumes were published in this period with the final volume being published in the winter of 1994, over 9 years since the first volume in the series and a year longer than the comic series that spawned it.  
The publication format of the series changed over time. The first two issues were in a prestige format (with a high price) with approximately fifty pages and cardboard covers, similar to other Marvel specials from 1985. From the third issue the series moved to paper covers, with the number of pages fluctuating between 24 and 48 until issue #8 when they settled on 36 pages, which all subsequent issues have. The price fluctuated depending on the format and length.


==Collected Comics==
==Other specials==
Below is a complete list of all the Collected Comics series. Where applicable the volume number is specified within the title.


In 1986 Marvel reprinted the US ''[[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel comic)|Transformers: The Movie]]'' adaptation in a single style volume. This was not sold as part of the Collected Comics series but simply as a Winter Special in a prestige format with a cardboard cover.


===Summer Special 1985===
Another one-off special published was "Plague of the Insecticons!", which reprinted both "[[Plague of the Insecticons!]]" and "[[And There Shall Come...a Leader!]]" from the ''[[Transformers Annual 1985]]''. It was not issued as part of the Collected Comics series but was instead put out in a prestige format with a cardboard cover and a higher price.
*[[The Transformers (comic issue)|The Transformers]]
*[[Power Play!]]


===2 – Autumn Special 1985===
==Survival==
*[[Prisoner of War!]]
*[[The Last Stand]]


===3 – Winter Special 1985===
Following the demise of the UK comic in 1992 the Collected Comics series continued to be published for a further 2 years (a non-uncommon occurrence for comic specials<ref>[[Lew Stringer|Stringer, Lew]] "[http://lewstringer.blogspot.com/ Blimey! It's another blog about comics!]: [http://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2009/07/heyday-of-summer-special.html Heyday of the Summer Special (Updated)]</ref>), although the Collected Comics moniker was dropped after volume 19. An additional 8 volumes were published in this period with the final volume being published in the winter of 1994, over 9 years since the first volume in the series and a year longer than the comic series that spawned it.
*[[Man of Iron!]]


===4 – Summer Special 1986===
==Collected Comics==
*[[The Enemy Within!]]
===Marvel UK===
 
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" align="center"
===Winter Special 1986===
! Vol. #
*[[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel Comics)|Transformers: The Movie]]
! Cover
 
! Title
===5 – Spring Special 1987===
! Contents
*[[Decepticon Dam-Busters!]]
! style="width: 200px;" | Notes
 
! style="width: 120px;" | Release date
===6 – Summer Special 1987===
|-
*[[The Wrath of Guardian!]]
| /
*[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]
|{{anchor|Summer Special 1985}}[[File:Tfcolcom01.jpg|100px]]
 
|'''''The Transformers<br>Summer Special'''''
===7 – Winter Special 1987===
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#1-2 "[[The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers]]"<br>#3-4 "[[Power Play!]]"
*[[Dinobot Hunt!]]
|Full colour throughout; two page spread of Autobots omitted; unnumbered but retroactively treated as Collected Comics #1
 
|June [[1985]]
===8 – Spring Special 1988===
|-
*[[Crisis of Command!]]
|2
 
|{{anchor|2 – Special 1985}}[[File:Tfcolcom02.jpg|100px]]
===9 – Summer Special 1988===
|'''''The Transformers<br>Special No. 2'''''<br>or '''Collected Comics 2'''
*[[Robot Buster]]
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#5-6 "[[Prisoner of War!]]"<br>#7-8 "[[The Last Stand]]"
*[[Kup's Story!]]
|Features: "The Great Optimus Prime", a challenge to form nine or more anagrams of the word "Optimus"
 
===10 – Holiday Special 1988===
*[[Second Generation!]]
 
===11 – Winter Special 1988===
*[[Christmas Breaker!]]
*[[The Gift]]
*[[Stargazing]]
 
===12 – Summer Special 1989===
*[[Prey!]]
*[[...The Harder They Die!]]
 
===13 – Holiday Special 1989===
*[[Under Fire!]]
*[[Distant Thunder!]]
 
===14 – Autumn Special 1989===
*[[Enemy Action!]]
*[[Victory!]]
 
===15 – Spring Special 1990===
*[[Target: 2006]] prologue, #1 &amp; 2
 
===16 – Summer Special 1990===
*[[Wrecking Havoc!]]
*[[Dry Run!]]
 
===17 – Holiday Special 1990===
*[[Space Pirates!]] #1-3
 
===18 – Holiday Special 1991===
*[[Time Wars]] #1-3
 
===19 – Winter Special 1991===
*[[Time Wars]] #4-5
*[[Cold Comfort and Joy!]]
 
===Summer Special 1992===
*[[Grudge Match]]
*[[Victory!]]
 
===Autumn Special 1992===
*[[City of Fear!]]
*[[Legion of the Lost]] #1


===Easter Special 1993===
Full colour throughout
*[[Legion of the Lost]] #2
|November 1985
*[[Meltdown!]]
|-
| /
|{{anchor|Plague of the Insecticons! – 1986}}[[File:Plginssp.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers:<br>Plague of the Insecticons!'''''
|[[Transformers Annual 1985|Transformers Annual 1985]] stories:<br>"[[Plague of the Insecticons!]]"<br>"[[And There Shall Come...a Leader!]]"
|Features: "Hound's Scrambled Word Message", an anagram challenge


===Holiday Special 1993===
Not a Collected Comics volume but released in a similar format
*[[Deadly Games]]
|[[1986]]
*[[The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire]]
|-
|3
|{{anchor|3 – Special 1986}}[[File:Tfcolcom03.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 3'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#9-12 "[[Man of Iron (issue)|Man of Iron]]"
|Fully colourised; chapter titles listed in contents; "REMEMBER: NEVER ACCEPT LIFTS FROM STRANGERS!" text removed
|March 1986
|-
|4
|{{anchor|4 – Summer Special 1986}}[[File:CollectedComics4Cover.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 4'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#13-17 "[[The Enemy Within!]]"
|Fully colourised
|June 1986
|-
|/
|{{anchor|Winter Special 1986}}[[File:Tftmadaptukspec.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers:<br>The Movie'''''
|''[[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel comic)|Transformers: The Movie]]'' issues:<br>#1 "[[The Planet-Eater!]]"<br>#2 "[[Judgment Day!]]"<br>#3 "[[The Final Battle!]]"
|Not a Collected Comics volume but released in a similar format; edits made to change the date of events from 2005 to 2006
|November 1986
|-
|5
|{{anchor|5 – Spring Special 1987}}[[File:Tfcolcom05.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 5'''''<br> or '''Spring Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#29-30 "[[Decepticon Dam-Busters!]]"
|In an attempt to obscure a continuity error in the artwork, [[:File:DecepticonDamBusters recolored bee.jpg|Bumblebee is recoloured green and pink]]
|April [[1987]]
|-
|6
|{{anchor|6 – Summer Special 1987}}[[File:Tfcolcom06.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 6'''''<br> or '''Summer Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#31 "[[The Wrath of Guardian!]]"<br>#32 "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]"
|
|May 1987
|-
|7
|{{anchor|7 – Winter Special 1987}}[[File:Tfcolcom07.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 7'''''<br> or '''Winter Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#47-50 "[[Dinobot Hunt!]]"
|
|October 1987
|-
|8
|{{anchor|8 – Spring Special 1988}}[[File:Tfcolcom08.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 8'''''<br> or '''Spring Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#42-44 "[[Crisis of Command!]]"
|
|April [[1988]]
|-
|9
|{{anchor|9 – Summer Special 1988}}[[File:Tfcolcom09.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 9'''''<br> or '''Summer Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#59-60 "[[Robot Buster!]]"<br> #132 "[[Kup's Story!]]"
|
|June 1988
|-
|10
|{{anchor|10 – Holiday Special 1988}}[[File:Tfcolcom10.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 10'''''<br> or '''Holiday Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#63-65 "[[Second Generation!]]"
|This printing [[Second Generation!#Artwork and technical errors|changes Dead End's name to Drag Strip]]
|July 1988
|-
|11
|{{anchor|11 – Winter Special 1988}}[[File:Tfcolcom11.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 11'''''<br> or '''Winter Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#41 "[[Christmas Breaker!]]"<br>#93 "[[The Gift]]"<br>#145 "[[Stargazing]]"
|
|November 1988
|-
|12
|{{anchor|12 – Summer Special 1989}}[[File:Tfcolcom12.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 12'''''<br> or '''Summer Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#96-97 "[[Prey!]]"<br>#98 "[[...The Harder They Die!]]"
|
|May [[1989]]
|-
|13
|{{anchor|13 – Holiday Special 1989}}[[File:Tfcolcom13.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 13'''''<br> or '''Holiday Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#99 "[[Under Fire!]]"<br>100 "[[Distant Thunder!]]"
|Features: ''[[Transformers AtoZ]]'' profiles on [[Apeface]] and [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] (advertised in the contents as including [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], an advert appears on Apeface's designated page, edging Chromedome out of the book)
|July 1989
|-
|14
|{{anchor|14 – Autumn Special 1989}}[[File:Tfcolcom14.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 14'''''<br> or '''Autumn Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#152-153 "[[Enemy Action!]]"<br>[[Transformers Annual 1986|Annual 1986]]: "[[Victory!]]"
|"Victory!" is abridged, removing four pages entirely
|October 1989
|-
|15
|{{anchor|15 – Spring Special 1990}}[[File:Tfcolcom15.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 15'''''<br> or '''Spring Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#78 "[[Target: 2006]]" prologue<br>#79 "Target: 2006" part 1<br>#80 "Target: 2006" part 2
|Concludes with "CONTINUES IN COLLECTED COMICS 16" – it wasn't, as the masters were apparently lost in the mail
|February [[1990]]
|-
|16
|{{anchor|16 – Summer Special 1990}}[[File:Tfcolcom16.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 16'''''<br> or '''Summer Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#172-173 "[[Wrecking Havoc]]"<br>#189 "[[Dry Run!]]"
|
|May 1990
|-
|17
|{{anchor|17 – Holiday Special 1990}}[[File:Tfcolcom17.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 17'''''<br> or '''Holiday Special'''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#182 "[[Space Pirates!]]" part 1<br>#183 "Space Pirates!" part 2<br>#184 "Space Pirates!" part 3
|The conclusion was not collected
|July 1990
|-
|18
|{{anchor|18 – Holiday Special 1991}}[[File:Tfcolcom18.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers<br>Holiday Special <br>- Collected Comics No. 18'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#199 "[[Time Wars]]" part 1<br>#200 "Time Wars" part 2<br>#201 "Time Wars" part 3
|An attempt is made to correct an infamous colouring error on the first page of part 3; concludes with "CONTINUED IN COLLECTED COMICS 19"
|April [[1991]]
|-
|19
|{{anchor|19 – Winter Special 1991}}[[File:Tfcolcom19.jpg|100px]]
|'''''The Transformers<br>Collected Comics 19'''''<br>or '''''Winter Special'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#202 "[[Time Wars]]" part 4<br>#203 "Time Wars" part 5<br>#198 "[[Cold Comfort and Joy!]]"
|"Time Wars" ends prematurely with "TO BE CONTINUED!", but the conclusion was not collected; "Cold Comfort and Joy!" concludes with "THE END?"


===Winter Special 1993===
The copyright indicia is copied from a contemporary issue of ''The Transformers'', including mentioning [[Back-up strips|Machine Man]]
*[[Decepticon Dam-Busters!]]
|Winter 1991
*[[The Big Shutdown!]]
|-
| /
|{{anchor|Summer Special 1992}}[[File:Tfcolcom20.jpg|100px]]
|'''''Transformers<br>Summer Special'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#135-136 "[[Grudge Match!]]"<br>[[Transformers Annual 1986|Annual 1986]]: "[[Victory!]]"
|Features: ''[[Transformers AtoZ]]'' profiles on [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], [[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]], and [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]


===Holiday Special 1994===
As with its printing in ''Collected Comics No. 14'', "Victory!" omits four pages
*[[The Wrath of Guardian!]]
|July [[1992]]
*[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]
|-
*[[And There Shall Come...A Leader!]]
| /
|{{anchor|Autumn Special 1992}}[[File:TFUK 1992 Autumn Special.jpg|100px]]
|'''''Transformers<br>Autumn Special'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#164-165 "[[City of Fear!]]"<br>#166 "[[Legion of the Lost!]]" part 1
|
|September 1992
|-
| /
|{{anchor|Easter Special 1993}}[[File:TFUK 1992 Easter Special.jpg|100px]]
|'''''Transformers<br>Easter Special'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#167 "[[Legion of the Lost!]]" part 2<br>#168-169 "[[Meltdown!]]"
|
|April [[1993]]
|-
| /
|{{anchor|Holiday Special 1993}}[[File:Tfcolcom23.jpg|100px]]
|'''''Transformers<br>Holiday Special'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#170-171 "[[Deadly Games!]]"<br>#213-214 "[[The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire.|The Fall and Rise of<br>the Decepticon Empire.]]"
|"The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire." part 2 is printed without the recap border seen in issue 214
|July 1993
|-
| /
|{{anchor|Winter Special 1993}}[[File:Tfcolcom24.jpg|100px]]
|'''''Transformers<br>Winter Special'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#29-30 "[[Decepticon Dam-Busters!]]"<br>#230-231 "[[The Big Shutdown!]]"
|"The Big Shutdown!" is presented in full colour, as it was in issues 330-331
|December 1993
|-
| /
|{{anchor|Holiday Special 1994}}[[File:Tfcolcom25.jpg|100px]]
|'''''Transformers<br>Holiday Special'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#31 "[[The Wrath of Guardian!]]"<br>#32 "[[The Wrath of Grimlock!]]"<br>[[Transformers Annual 1985|Annual 1985]]: "[[And There Shall Come...a Leader!]]"
|
|April [[1994]]
|-
| /
|{{anchor|Summer Special 1994}}[[File:Tfcolcom26.jpg|100px]]
|'''''Transformers<br>Summer Special '94'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#160-161 "[[Salvage!]]"<br>#189 "[[Dry Run!]]"
|
|July 1994
|-
| /
|{{anchor|Winter Special 1994}}[[File:Tfcolcom27.jpg|100px]]
|'''''Transformers<br>Winter Special'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#237 "[[Way of the Warrior]]"<br>#238 "[[Survival Run]]"<br>#239 "[[A Savage Place!]]"<br>#272 "[[Cry Wolf!]]"<br>#273 "[[Wolf in the Fold!]]"<br>#274 "[[Where Wolf?]]"
|Features: ''[[Transformers AtoZ]]'' profiles on [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]], [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]], and [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]


===Summer Special 1994===
The comic stories are presented in full colour, as they were in [[Transformers Annual 1991]]
*[[Salvage!]]
|Winter 1994
*[[Dry Run!]]
|-
|}


===Winter Special 1994===
===Marvel U.S.===
*[[Way of the Warrior]]
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" align="center"
*[[Survival Run]]
! Cover
*[[A Savage Place]]
! Title
*[[Cry Wolf]]
! Contents
*[[Wolf in the Fold]]
! style="width: 200px;" | Notes
*[[Where Wolf?]]
! style="width: 120px;" | Release date
|-
|[[File:TFUSCollectedComics1StoryBegins.jpg|100px]]
|'''''[[The Transformers: Collected Comics 1 - The Story Begins...|The Transformers:<br>Collected Comics #1<br>- The Story Begins...]]'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#1 "[[The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers]]"<br>#2 "[[Power Play!]]"<br>#3 "[[Prisoner of War!]]"
|Pages are omitted
|November [[1985]]
|-
|[[File:TFUSCollectedComics2BattleContinues.jpg|100px]]
|'''''[[The Transformers: Collected Comics 2 - The Battle Continues...|The Transformers:<br>Collected Comics #2<br>- The Battle Continues...]]'''''
|''The Transformers'' issues:<br>#4 "[[The Last Stand]]"<br>#5 "[[The New Order]]"<br>#6 "[[The Worse of Two Evils!]]"
|Pages are omitted
|1985
|}


==References==
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Comics]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collected Comics}}
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 comic compilations]]

Latest revision as of 18:24, 2 September 2025

Brawn and Starscream are announced as the finalists in the "Who's Got the Best Fists?" competition.

Collected Comics was published by Marvel UK as a companion series to the UK Generation 1 comic. Its purpose was to reprint entire stories from the comic (hence the name), in many ways a precursor of the modern trade paperback.

They were published on a semi-regular basis alongside the UK comic, usually as Summer or Winter specials. The name ‘Collected Comics’ wasn’t actually used until volume two of the series however.

Marvel US would also publish two volumes - in total, collecting the first six issues of the US comic - under the title.

Stories reprinted

[edit]

The majority of the stories reprinted as part of the Collected Comics series were UK exclusives; however Collected Comics 1 and 2 were reprints of the original four-issue miniseries from the US series, retaining the regular ending featuring Shockwave rather than the alternate ending later published in The Complete Works Part 2 (also by Marvel UK).

"I was so much more atmospheric in black and white!"

While the original single issue printings of the early UK stories (such as "Man of Iron") only featured the uncolored black and white lineart for some pages as a cost-cutting measure, the reprints featured in Collected Comics had those pages colored as well, which was then used as the basis for all subsequent reprints of those stories.

Occasionally, corrections to the original stories' printing would be applied to reprints. A character naming error was corrected in the reprinting of "Second Generation!", and the colors for one of the opening splash pages in "Time Wars" were corrected from their original printing.

Some volumes contained multiple stories, a main story along with a short back-up story to bring up the page count. Especially long UK stories would be split across multiple volumes.

In February 1990 Collected Comics 15 reprinted the first 3 issues of the incredibly popular "Target: 2006". Unfortunately the master copies for the remaining issues were lost in the post meaning that the remainder of the story was never published in the Collected Comics series. Rather cheekily however Collected Comics 16 used a "Target: 2006" cover.

Collected Comics 17 saw the reprinting of the first 3 parts of "Space Pirates!". This ended with a 'To be continued…' caption at the end. Collected Comics 18 however saw the first 3 parts of "Time Wars" being published instead, no explanation for this was ever given, with parts 4 & 5 reprinted in 19. Time Wars itself was also never completed, as due to falling sales, the UK comic ceased publication and the Collected Comics series went into a decline, with its output becoming ever more random.

The UK Annual story "Victory!" was reprinted twice, once in Collected Comics 14 and once in the 1992 Summer Special. On both occasions the first, eighth, ninth & tenth pages of the story were omitted, although this did not affect the story's readability.

The covers of the first three issues were a reprint of an earlier UK comic cover. This practice was also adopted for Collected Comics 7 and continuously from Collected Comics 13. This would usually be one of the original covers from the story contained within, although in later Collected Comics this was not always the case. Collected Comics 3-6 & 8-12 had newly drawn covers.

Format

[edit]

The publication format of the series changed over time. The first two issues were in a prestige format (with a high price) with approximately fifty pages and cardboard covers, similar to other Marvel specials from 1985. From the third issue the series moved to paper covers, with the number of pages fluctuating between 24 and 48 until issue #8 when they settled on 36 pages, which all subsequent issues have. The price fluctuated depending on the format and length.

Other specials

[edit]

In 1986 Marvel reprinted the US Transformers: The Movie adaptation in a single style volume. This was not sold as part of the Collected Comics series but simply as a Winter Special in a prestige format with a cardboard cover.

Another one-off special published was "Plague of the Insecticons!", which reprinted both "Plague of the Insecticons!" and "And There Shall Come...a Leader!" from the Transformers Annual 1985. It was not issued as part of the Collected Comics series but was instead put out in a prestige format with a cardboard cover and a higher price.

Survival

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Following the demise of the UK comic in 1992 the Collected Comics series continued to be published for a further 2 years (a non-uncommon occurrence for comic specials<ref>Stringer, Lew "Blimey! It's another blog about comics!: Heyday of the Summer Special (Updated)</ref>), although the Collected Comics moniker was dropped after volume 19. An additional 8 volumes were published in this period with the final volume being published in the winter of 1994, over 9 years since the first volume in the series and a year longer than the comic series that spawned it.

Collected Comics

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Marvel UK

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Vol. # Cover Title Contents Notes Release date
/ The Transformers
Summer Special 		The Transformers issues:
#1-2 "The Transformers"
#3-4 "Power Play!" 		Full colour throughout; two page spread of Autobots omitted; unnumbered but retroactively treated as Collected Comics #1 June 1985
2 The Transformers
Special No. 2
or Collected Comics 2 		The Transformers issues:
#5-6 "Prisoner of War!"
#7-8 "The Last Stand" 		Features: "The Great Optimus Prime", a challenge to form nine or more anagrams of the word "Optimus"

Full colour throughout

November 1985
/ The Transformers:
Plague of the Insecticons! 		Transformers Annual 1985 stories:
"Plague of the Insecticons!"
"And There Shall Come...a Leader!" 		Features: "Hound's Scrambled Word Message", an anagram challenge

Not a Collected Comics volume but released in a similar format

1986
3 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 3 		The Transformers issues:
#9-12 "Man of Iron" 		Fully colourised; chapter titles listed in contents; "REMEMBER: NEVER ACCEPT LIFTS FROM STRANGERS!" text removed March 1986
4 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 4 		The Transformers issues:
#13-17 "The Enemy Within!" 		Fully colourised June 1986
/ The Transformers:
The Movie 		Transformers: The Movie issues:
#1 "The Planet-Eater!"
#2 "Judgment Day!"
#3 "The Final Battle!" 		Not a Collected Comics volume but released in a similar format; edits made to change the date of events from 2005 to 2006 November 1986
5 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 5
or Spring Special 		The Transformers issues:
#29-30 "Decepticon Dam-Busters!" 		In an attempt to obscure a continuity error in the artwork, Bumblebee is recoloured green and pink April 1987
6 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 6
or Summer Special 		The Transformers issues:
#31 "The Wrath of Guardian!"
#32 "The Wrath of Grimlock!" 		May 1987
7 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 7
or Winter Special 		The Transformers issues:
#47-50 "Dinobot Hunt!" 		October 1987
8 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 8
or Spring Special 		The Transformers issues:
#42-44 "Crisis of Command!" 		April 1988
9 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 9
or Summer Special 		The Transformers issues:
#59-60 "Robot Buster!"
#132 "Kup's Story!" 		June 1988
10 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 10
or Holiday Special 		The Transformers issues:
#63-65 "Second Generation!" 		This printing changes Dead End's name to Drag Strip July 1988
11 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 11
or Winter Special 		The Transformers issues:
#41 "Christmas Breaker!"
#93 "The Gift"
#145 "Stargazing" 		November 1988
12 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 12
or Summer Special 		The Transformers issues:
#96-97 "Prey!"
#98 "...The Harder They Die!" 		May 1989
13 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 13
or Holiday Special 		The Transformers issues:
#99 "Under Fire!"
100 "Distant Thunder!" 		Features: Transformers AtoZ profiles on Apeface and Brainstorm (advertised in the contents as including Chromedome, an advert appears on Apeface's designated page, edging Chromedome out of the book) July 1989
14 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 14
or Autumn Special 		The Transformers issues:
#152-153 "Enemy Action!"
Annual 1986: "Victory!" 		"Victory!" is abridged, removing four pages entirely October 1989
15 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 15
or Spring Special 		The Transformers issues:
#78 "Target: 2006" prologue
#79 "Target: 2006" part 1
#80 "Target: 2006" part 2 		Concludes with "CONTINUES IN COLLECTED COMICS 16" – it wasn't, as the masters were apparently lost in the mail February 1990
16 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 16
or Summer Special 		The Transformers issues:
#172-173 "Wrecking Havoc"
#189 "Dry Run!" 		May 1990
17 The Transformers Special
- Collected Comics No. 17
or Holiday Special 		The Transformers issues:
#182 "Space Pirates!" part 1
#183 "Space Pirates!" part 2
#184 "Space Pirates!" part 3 		The conclusion was not collected July 1990
18 The Transformers
Holiday Special
- Collected Comics No. 18 		The Transformers issues:
#199 "Time Wars" part 1
#200 "Time Wars" part 2
#201 "Time Wars" part 3 		An attempt is made to correct an infamous colouring error on the first page of part 3; concludes with "CONTINUED IN COLLECTED COMICS 19" April 1991
19 The Transformers
Collected Comics 19
or Winter Special 		The Transformers issues:
#202 "Time Wars" part 4
#203 "Time Wars" part 5
#198 "Cold Comfort and Joy!" 		"Time Wars" ends prematurely with "TO BE CONTINUED!", but the conclusion was not collected; "Cold Comfort and Joy!" concludes with "THE END?"

The copyright indicia is copied from a contemporary issue of The Transformers, including mentioning Machine Man

Winter 1991
/ Transformers
Summer Special 		The Transformers issues:
#135-136 "Grudge Match!"
Annual 1986: "Victory!" 		Features: Transformers AtoZ profiles on Skywarp, Slag, Rampage, and Ratbat

As with its printing in Collected Comics No. 14, "Victory!" omits four pages

July 1992
/ Transformers
Autumn Special 		The Transformers issues:
#164-165 "City of Fear!"
#166 "Legion of the Lost!" part 1 		September 1992
/ Transformers
Easter Special 		The Transformers issues:
#167 "Legion of the Lost!" part 2
#168-169 "Meltdown!" 		April 1993
/ Transformers
Holiday Special 		The Transformers issues:
#170-171 "Deadly Games!"
#213-214 "The Fall and Rise of
the Decepticon Empire." 		"The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire." part 2 is printed without the recap border seen in issue 214 July 1993
/ Transformers
Winter Special 		The Transformers issues:
#29-30 "Decepticon Dam-Busters!"
#230-231 "The Big Shutdown!" 		"The Big Shutdown!" is presented in full colour, as it was in issues 330-331 December 1993
/ Transformers
Holiday Special 		The Transformers issues:
#31 "The Wrath of Guardian!"
#32 "The Wrath of Grimlock!"
Annual 1985: "And There Shall Come...a Leader!" 		April 1994
/ Transformers
Summer Special '94 		The Transformers issues:
#160-161 "Salvage!"
#189 "Dry Run!" 		July 1994
/ Transformers
Winter Special 		The Transformers issues:
#237 "Way of the Warrior"
#238 "Survival Run"
#239 "A Savage Place!"
#272 "Cry Wolf!"
#273 "Wolf in the Fold!"
#274 "Where Wolf?" 		Features: Transformers AtoZ profiles on Defensor, Devastator, Bonecrusher, and Bombshell

The comic stories are presented in full colour, as they were in Transformers Annual 1991

Winter 1994

Marvel U.S.

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Cover Title Contents Notes Release date
The Transformers:
Collected Comics #1
- The Story Begins... 		The Transformers issues:
#1 "The Transformers"
#2 "Power Play!"
#3 "Prisoner of War!" 		Pages are omitted November 1985
The Transformers:
Collected Comics #2
- The Battle Continues... 		The Transformers issues:
#4 "The Last Stand"
#5 "The New Order"
#6 "The Worse of Two Evils!" 		Pages are omitted 1985

References

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<references />
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