The Transformers: Headmasters

The name or term "Headmaster" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Headmaster (disambiguation).

No Fort Max, head on! HEAD ON!

The Transformers: Headmasters is a four-part mini-series published in 1987 by Marvel Comics, and set in the same continuity as the regular US Marvel comic. It tells the story of two groups of Transformers led by Fortress Maximus and Scorponok, and their adventures on the planet Nebulos; in the process, it introduces the Headmaster and Targetmaster gimmicks to the storyline. In the Marvel UK Transformers series it was run as a back-up strip alongside the regular stories.

The Headmasters plot merged with the ongoing Marvel storyline in Transformers issue #38.

	The Transformers: Headmasters issues:
#1 #2 #3 #4

Overview

A group of Autobots, led by Fortress Maximus, leaves Cybertron for the planet Nebulos hoping to forge a new, peaceful existence for themselves, but their arch foes, under the command of Scorponok, follow them, forcing the Autobots to join forces with the natives of that world in the most literal of ways. Soon, Nebulos is being devastated by the Transformers' war, the Decepticons have found their own team of native allies, and the Autobots must leave the planet to keep from destroying it completely.

The mini-series was used to introduce the bulk of the 1987 toyline to the comics continuity. Many of those toys did not have Earthly altmodes, and thus required a different origin than the predominantly Earth-centric forms of the previous three years. The series also introduced the year's primary toy gimmicks of Headmasters and Targetmasters, whose heads and weapons transformed to armored humanoids.

Notes

• Series artist Frank Springer had the unenviable task of drawing 62 new characters in this series. With 74 character models between them, and factoring in transformations, that's 132 pieces of reference art to juggle. There were times when a character was accidentally illustrated looking like someone else, which was perfectly understandable. Slightly less understandable was why Fortress Maximus, the starring character, would change head designs between panels on the same page. The recreational use of Benadryl has not been ruled out.
  • The notes to the Ring of Hate! reprint in The Transformers Classics, Vol. 7 references this note in an effort to explain the many mistakes in the story, referring to this site as "the always-informative Transformers Wiki"
• Series colorist Nel Yomtov experienced the same problem. The two problems combined can make Headmasters a mildly confusing read... but it's really not that bad.
• In the UK letters page for issue #142, Grimlock explained that Fortress Maximus's crew left Cybertron in 1986. This placed his departure before Optimus Prime's return to Cybertron in 1987. The events of the miniseries then carry on until the end of 1987.
• Cyclonus and Scourge are shown becoming Targetmasters, even though by some accounts they don't exist until 2005. The Marvel UK series would explain this in later issues but the US series did not.
• This limited series was published bi-monthly.
• The US letter column Transmissions alluded to the possibility of an ongoing Headmasters series several times, most notably in US #37 Toy Soldiers! and US #38 Trial by Fire!: "We do have a massive stack of pro-Headmasters fan mail" and "we're still tallying votes." This was around the same time the editors promised a second Transformers: Universe series in US #42, People Power!. Bunch of teases, they were.

Creative Team

Bob Budiansky, writer for the main Transformers book, also penned Headmasters. Frank Springer, the artist of the 4-issue miniseries that began Transformers, did pencils.

Collections

• Transformers: Trial By Fire TPB: Fortress Maximus, Gort, Shockwave, and half of Skullgrin,by Andrew Wildman.
• Transformers: Trial By Fire HC: Scorponok, John Watson.
• Classic Transformers Volume 6: retro art from various interior issues.
• The Transformers Classics, Vol. 7: Ratchet, by Guido Guidi.
• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 10: Trial by Fire: Devastator, by Don Figueroa and Weirdwolf by Will Simpson/Tim Perkins.
• The Transformers Classics Special: Headmasters: huge group shot by Guido Guidi.

• 
  Transformers: Trial By Fire TPB
  (Titan Books, 2004)
• 
  Transformers: Trial By Fire HC
  (Titan Books, 2004)
• 
  Classic Transformers Volume 6
  (IDW Publishing, 2010)
• 
  Transformers Classics, Vol. 7
  (IDW Publishing, 2014)
• 
  Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 10
  (Hachette Partworks, 2017)
• 
  The Transformers Classics Special: Headmasters
  (Hero-X, 2018)