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{{disambig3|More than Meets the Eye}}
{{disambig3|More than Meets the Eye}}
{{bookstub|Careful check for errors. We're getting close now!}}
[[File:Mtmte-oiler.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|True to form, [[Oiler]] looks like he's about to pass out.]]
[[File:Mtmte-oiler.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|True to form, [[Oiler]] looks like he's about to pass out.]]
'''''Transformers: More than Meets the Eye''''' is the first of a series of [[profile]] books published by [[Dreamwave Productions]] in [[2003]]. The book included a profile for every extant ''[[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]]'' toy character at the time of publication, plus some originating from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]] and [[Marvel Comics continuity]]. A sequel series was published for ''[[More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada|Armada]]'', and the same was planned for ''[[Unreleased Dreamwave issues|Energon]]''.
'''''Transformers: More than Meets the Eye''''' is the first of a series of [[profile]] books published by [[Dreamwave Productions]] in [[2003]]. The book included a profile for every extant US ''[[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]]'' toy character at the time of publication, plus some originating from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]] and [[Marvel Comics continuity]]. A sequel series was published for ''[[More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada|Armada]]'', and the same was planned for ''[[Unreleased Dreamwave issues|Energon]]''.


The series has no known physical weaknesses.
The series has no known physical weaknesses.


==Overview==
==Overview==
''More Than Meets The Eye'' was originally conceived to be a 4-issue series under the title of ''Transformers: Profiles'' and was intended to be outsourced by Dreamwave, to be written by [[Destination Entertainment]]. Destination's rather grandiose original plans involved weaving their own take on the [[Dreamwave timeline]] passively throughout all the character profiles, seizing this opportunity to shape some of the then-contemporary fiction since presumably they were being kept well away from contributing anything in the main books.
''More Than Meets The Eye'' was originally conceived to be a four-issue series under the title of ''Transformers: Profiles'' and was intended to be outsourced by Dreamwave, to be written by [[Destination Entertainment]]. Destination's rather grandiose original plans involved weaving their own take on the [[Dreamwave timeline]] passively throughout all the character profiles, seizing this opportunity to shape some of the then-contemporary fiction since presumably they were being kept well away from contributing anything in the main books.


Destination's timeline was to have been a remarkably convoluted creation, having each original year of Transformers characters originating with each millennium of the war (with even the very definition of millennium here being stretched to "every million Cybertronian years"). The 1984 characters would originate in the first millennium, the 1985 ones in the second, and so on, despite this idea having been contradicted by books Dreamwave [[Transformers: The War Within|had ''already'' published]] at the time (and not making even remotely one lick of sense either way, as it would mean that, for instance, Kup would have been younger than Bumblebee).<ref name="profiles">[http://web.archive.org/web/20091201160222/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=563 Destination's original interview previewing ''Profiles'' at Newsarama]</ref> Additionally, explanations as to how characters such Galvatron, Goldbug and Powermaster Optimus Prime could exist at the same time as their original counterparts were not forthcoming. ''Transformers Profile Book One'' was initially scheduled to be released in December, [[2002]].
Destination's timeline was to have been a remarkably convoluted creation, plotting out a Great War that lasts for nine million years. In an October [[2002]] interview, Destination's [[Marc Patten]] referred to one million Cybertronian years as both a millennium – acknowledging that, conventionally, a millennium is only a thousand years – and as an "Arc" of the war. Each millennium/Arc would correspond to one year of the real world ''Transformers'' toyline; characters who debuted in 1984 "either originated or rose in power and prominence" in the war's first Arc, characters from 1985 corresponded to the second Arc, and so on. Patten envisioned the first three millennia of the war as taking place on Cybertron (and thus with only 1984-1986 characters), followed by four million years of the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' and ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' being buried on Earth, with the Transformers' re-awakening and subsequently the present day timeframe of Dreamwave's stories taking place in the seventh Arc, thus allowing the use of every character from the toyline's entire U.S. run. (Seeing as this only adds up to seven million years, presumably the final two millennia would introduce characters from 1991/1992.)<ref name="profiles">[http://web.archive.org/web/20091201160222/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=563 Destination's original interview previewing ''Profiles'' at Newsarama]</ref>


Three months later, Destination was removed from the project and the entire endeavor was renamed into ''Transformers: More than Meets the Eye'' and re-solicited as a far more modest and uncomplicated series of ''Transformers: Universe''-style profiles,<ref name="refitted">[http://web.archive.org/web/20091213095206/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=711 Newsarama reports that ''Profiles'' has "transformed" into ''More Than Meets The Eye'']</ref> released as eight issues in 2003. The series was also released as a 2-volume trade paperback edition in December [[2004]], which included introductions by the authors, and bonus artwork, though ''not'' the intro and conclusion story.
The interview raised eyebrows among the contemporary fanbase. A common misinterpretation hinged on missing the "rose in power and prominence" of Patten's answer, instead concretely tying each character's year of debut with an in-universe birth date, resulting in misconceptions such as old coot [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] being two million years younger than [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], and complaints that characters in Dreamwave's already published [[Transformers: The War Within|outbreak-of-the-war story]] shouldn't have been born yet. Additionally, Patten's sweeping statement did not account for rebuilt characters like [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], or [[Powermaster]] Optimus Prime, or how they would co-exist with their original counterparts. Fans looked forward to explanations being found in ''Transformers: Profiles'' book one, scheduled for release in December 2002.
 
December came and went with no such release. In the subsequent January, it was announced that Destination was removed from the project and that the entire endeavor would be renamed into ''Transformers: More than Meets the Eye'', now re-solicited as a far more modest and uncomplicated series of ''[[The Transformers Universe (Marvel)|Transformers Universe]]''-style profiles,<ref name="refitted">[http://web.archive.org/web/20091213095206/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=711 Newsarama reports that ''Profiles'' has "transformed" into ''More Than Meets The Eye'']</ref> released as eight issues throughout 2003. The series was also released in trade paperback form across two volumes in December [[2004]], which included introductions by the authors, and bonus artwork, though ''not'' the intro and conclusion story.


The series profiled all characters that were released by Hasbro between [[1984]] and [[1991]], as well as a few characters that appeared only within [[Marvel Comics]]/[[Sunbow Productions]] animated projects between 1984 and [[1987]]. The series also introduces new content in order to establish parameters for stories within the Dreamwave Generation One continuity, particularly in the "special topics" issue. A number of personalities were created from scratch for the Micromasters, many of whom were little more than names and mottos prior.
The series profiled all characters that were released by Hasbro between [[1984]] and [[1991]], as well as a few characters that appeared only within [[Marvel Comics]]/[[Sunbow Productions]] animated projects between 1984 and [[1987]]. The series also introduces new content in order to establish parameters for stories within the Dreamwave Generation One continuity, particularly in the "special topics" issue. A number of personalities were created from scratch for the Micromasters, many of whom were little more than names and mottos prior.


The profiles follow the same format as the original 1980s Marvel profile book, ''[[The Transformers Universe|Transformers Universe]]''. A characteristic quote leads off each bio, followed by Bio, Weapons/Abilities, and Weaknesses. Many profiles are told from the perspective of another character ("from the [[datatrax]] of"); [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]], for example, narrates the profile for his friend and associate [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]. Despite initial reports that the profile book would be re-creating the entire Transformers universe from scratch, most established characters stay close to their original profiles, with some [[Thunderwing (G1)|occasional]] [[Carnivac (G1)|massaging]] when a character's popular fictional portrayals [[Bludgeon (G1)|clashed]] with their profile.
The profiles follow the same format as the original 1980s Marvel profile book, ''Transformers Universe''. A characteristic quote leads off each bio, followed by Bio, Weapons/Abilities, and Weaknesses. Many profiles are told from the perspective of another character ("from the [[datatrax]] of"); [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]], for example, narrates the profile for his friend and associate [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]. Despite initial reports that the profile book would be re-creating the entire Transformers universe from scratch, most established characters stay close to their original profiles, with some [[Thunderwing (G1)|occasional]] [[Carnivac (G1)|massaging]] when a character's popular fictional portrayals [[Bludgeon (G1)|clashed]] with their profile.


Artwork was done by numerous artists. As such, there are stylistic differences among the various profiles. Some of the original art submissions were rejected as not being consistent with the Dreamwave "house style", i.e. that of [[Pat Lee]]. Lee's hand and/or influence is particularly visible on some of the earlier and more popular characters, who often feature his characteristic rounded, swollen limbs, tiny heads, and enormously thickened metal panels. [[Don Figueroa]] drew a huge number of profile entries as well, including many of the best known characters. Lesser known characters were apparently left to other artists, who were allowed a freer hand; however, attempts at conveying a character's personality through their profile art were generally [[Blades (G1)|quashed]].
Artwork was done by numerous artists. As such, there are stylistic differences among the various profiles. Some of the original art submissions were rejected as not being consistent with the Dreamwave "house style", i.e. that of [[Pat Lee]]. Lee's hand and/or influence is particularly visible on some of the earlier and more popular characters, who often feature his characteristic rounded, swollen limbs, tiny heads, and enormously thickened metal panels. [[Don Figueroa]] drew a huge number of profile entries as well, including many of the best known characters. Lesser known characters were apparently left to other artists, who were allowed a freer hand; however, attempts at conveying a character's personality through their profile art were generally [[Blades (G1)|quashed]].
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===Credits===
===Credits===
*'''Writers:''' [[Adam Patyk]] & [[James McDonough|Brad Mick]] (for entire series)
*'''Writers:''' [[Adam Patyk]] & [[James McDonough|Brad Mick]] (for entire series)
*'''Pencils:''' [[Pat Lee]], [[Don Figueroa]], [[Guido Guidi]], [[Mark Brooks]], [[Makoto Ono]], [[Ke Jiang]], [[Sanford Greene]], [[Alex Lin]], [[Matt Kuphaldt]], [[Dan Khanna]]
*'''Pencils:''' Pat Lee, Don Figueroa, [[Guido Guidi]], [[Mark Brooks]], [[Makoto Ono]], [[Ke Jiang]], [[Sanford Greene]], [[Alex Lin]], [[Matt Kuphaldt]], [[Dan Khanna]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Erik Sander]], [[Elaine To]], [[Clayton Brown]], [[Rob Armstrong]], Don Figueroa, Makoto Ono, Sanford Greene, Matt Kuphaldt, Dan Khanna
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferd Poblete|Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Erik Sander]], [[Elaine To]], [[Clayton Brown]], [[Rob Armstrong]], Don Figueroa, Makoto Ono, Sanford Greene, Matt Kuphaldt, Dan Khanna
*'''Colours:''' Pat Lee, [[David Cheung]], [[Blond]], [[Rob Ruffolo]], [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[René & Michel Koiter|Twincruiser]], [[Kenny Martinez]], [[Bonnie Cheung]], Makoto Ono, Sanford Greene, Matt Kuphaldt, Dan Khanna
*'''Colours:''' Pat Lee, [[David Cheung]], [[Blond]], [[Rob Ruffolo]], [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[René & Michel Koiter|Twincruiser]], [[Kenny Martinez]], [[Bonnie Cheung]], Makoto Ono, Sanford Greene, Matt Kuphaldt, Dan Khanna


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**[[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]]
**[[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]]
**[[Superion (G1)|Superion]]
**[[Superion (G1)|Superion]]
*[[Airwave (G1)|Airwave]] and his [[Airwave (facility)|airport]]
*[[Airwave (Micromaster)|Airwave]] and his [[Airwave (facility)|airport]]
*[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]
*[[Alpha Trion]]
*[[Apeface]] with [[Spasma]]
*[[Apeface]] with [[Spasma]]
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]
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*[[Barrage (Micromaster)|Barrage]]
*[[Barrage (Micromaster)|Barrage]]
*[[Barricade (G1)|Barricade]]
*[[Barricade (G1)|Barricade]]
*[[Battletrap]]
*[[Battletrap (G1)|Battletrap]]
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]
*[[Beastbox (G1)|Beastbox]]
*[[Beastbox (G1)|Beastbox]]
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*[[Big Hauler]]
*[[Big Hauler]]
*[[Big Shot]]
*[[Big Shot]]
*[[Blackjack]]
*[[Blackjack (G1)|Blackjack]]
*[[Blackout (G1)|Blackout]]
*[[Blackout (G1)|Blackout]]
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]
*[[Blast Master]]
*[[Blast Master]]
*[[Blaze Master]]
*[[Blaze Master (G1)|Blaze Master]]
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (2 pages)
*[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (2 pages)
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*[[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]]
*[[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]]
*[[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]
*[[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]
**[[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]]
**[[Blast Off (G1)|Blastoff]] {{sic}}
**[[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]]
**[[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]]
**[[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]
**[[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]
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===Art Credits===
===Art Credits===
*'''Pencils:''' [[Don Figueroa]], [[Guido Guidi]], [[Mark Brooks]], [[Makoto Ono]], [[Ke Jiang]], [[Joe Ng]], [[Sanford Greene]], [[Alex Lin]], [[Matt Kuphaldt]], [[Dan Khanna]]
*'''Pencils:''' Don Figueroa, Guido Guidi, Mark Brooks, Makoto Ono, Ke Jiang, [[Joe Ng]], [[Sanford Greene]], [[Alex Lin]], [[Matt Kuphaldt]], [[Dan Khanna]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Erik Sander]], [[Elaine To]], [[Clayton Brown]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferd Poblete|Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Erik Sander]], [[Elaine To]], [[Clayton Brown]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Blond]], [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[René & Michel Koiter|Twincruiser]], [[Kenny Martinez]], [[Chris Walker]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Trang Dang]], [[Felipe Smith]], [[Linda Bergkvist]], [[Ramil Sunga]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Blond]], [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[René & Michel Koiter|Twincruiser]], [[Kenny Martinez]], [[Chris Walker]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Trang Dang]], [[Felipe Smith]], [[Linda Bergkvist]], [[Ramil Sunga]]


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**[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
**[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
**[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]
**[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]
*[[Direct-Hit (G1)|Direct-Hit]]
*[[Direct-Hit]]
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]
*[[Dogfight (G1)|Dogfight]]
*[[Dogfight (G1)|Dogfight]]
*[[Doublecross]]
*[[Doublecross]]
*[[Doubledealer]] with [[Knok]] and [[Skar (Decepticon)|Skar]] (2 pages)
*[[Doubledealer]] with [[Knok]] and [[Skar (G1)|Skar]] (2 pages)
*[[Doubleheader]] (2 pages)
*[[Doubleheader]] (2 pages)
*[[Downshift (G1)|Downshift]]
*[[Downshift (G1)|Downshift]]
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*[[Fastlane]]
*[[Fastlane]]
*[[Finback]] (2 pages)
*[[Finback]] (2 pages)
*[[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]]
*[[Fireshot]]
*[[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]]
*[[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]]
*[[Fizzle]]
*[[Fizzle]]
*[[Flak (G1)|Flak]]
*[[Flak (G1)|Flak]]
*[[Flamefeather (G1)|Flamefeather]]
*[[Flamefeather (G1)|Flamefeather]]
*[[Flattop (Decepticon)|Flattop]] and his [[Platonix|aircraft carrier]]
*[[Flattop (G1)|Flattop]] and his [[Platonix|aircraft carrier]]
*[[Flywheels]]
*[[Flywheels]]
*[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] with [[Cog (G1)|Cog/Gasket/Grommet]], [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]], and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] (3 pages)
*[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] with [[Cog (G1)|Cog/Gasket/Grommet]], [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]], and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] (3 pages)
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*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (2 pages)
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (2 pages)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]]
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]]
*[[Getaway]] with [[Rev]]
*[[Getaway]] with [[Rev (G1)|Rev]]
*[[Gnaw (G1)|Gnaw]]
*[[Gnaw (G1)|Gnaw]]
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]]
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]]
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===Art Credits===
===Art Credits===
*'''Pencils:''' [[Don Figueroa]], [[Mark Brooks]], [[Makoto Ono]], [[Ke Jiang]], [[Joe Ng]], [[Alex Lin]], [[Pat Lee]], [[Andrew Froedge]]
*'''Pencils:''' Don Figueroa, Mark Brooks, Makoto Ono, Ke Jiang, Joe Ng, [[Alex Lin]], Pat Lee, [[Andrew Froedge]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Elaine To]], [[Clayton Brown]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferd Poblete|Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Elaine To]], [[Clayton Brown]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Blond]], [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Trang Dang]], [[Linda Bergkvist]], [[Shaun Curtis]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Blond]], [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Trang Dang]], [[Linda Bergkvist]], [[Shaun Curtis]]


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{{collist|3|
{{collist|3|
*[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]]
*[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]]
*[[Greasepit (G1)|Greasepit]] with his [[gas station]]
*[[Greasepit (Micromaster)|Greasepit]] with his [[Greasepit (facility)|gas station]]
*[[Greaser]]
*[[Greaser]]
*[[Grit (G1)|Grit]]
*[[Grit]]
*[[Grotusque]]
*[[Grotusque]]
*[[Ground Hog]]
*[[Ground Hog]]
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*[[Horri-Bull]] and [[Kreb]]
*[[Horri-Bull]] and [[Kreb]]
*[[Hosehead (G1)|Hosehead]] and [[Lug (G1)|Lug]]
*[[Hosehead (G1)|Hosehead]] and [[Lug (G1)|Lug]]
*[[Hot House]] with his [[fire station]]
*[[Hot House (Micromaster)|Hot House]] with his [[Hot House (facility)|fire station]]
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
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===Art Credits===
===Art Credits===
*'''Pencils:''' [[Don Figueroa]], [[Makoto Ono]], [[Ke Jiang]], [[Alex Lin]], [[Andrew Froedge]], [[Marcelo Matere]]
*'''Pencils:''' Don Figueroa, Makoto Ono, Ke Jiang, [[Alex Lin]], [[Andrew Froedge]], [[Marcelo Matere]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Elaine To]], [[Erik Sander]], [[Keith Morris]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferd Poblete|Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Elaine To]], [[Erik Sander]], [[Keith Morris]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Trang Dang]], [[Linda Bergkvist]], [[Espen Grundetjern]], Rob Ruffolo
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Trang Dang]], [[Linda Bergkvist]], [[Espen Grundetjern]], Rob Ruffolo


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*[[Mini-spy|Mini-Spies]] (4 models - 2 pages)
*[[Mini-spy|Mini-Spies]] (4 models - 2 pages)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
*[[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] and [[Aimless (G1)|Aimless]]
*[[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] and [[Aimless]]
*[[Missile Master]]
*[[Missile Master]]
*[[Moonrock]]
*[[Moonrock]]
*[[Motorhead (Decepticon)|Motorhead]]
*[[Motorhead (G1)|Motorhead]]
*[[Mudslinger (G1)|Mudslinger]]
*[[Mudslinger (G1)|Mudslinger]]
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] with [[Sunbeam (G1)|Sunbeam]] and [[Zigzag]]
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] with [[Sunbeam (G1)|Sunbeam]] and [[Zigzag]]
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*[[Pointblank]] with [[Peacemaker]]
*[[Pointblank]] with [[Peacemaker]]
*[[Pounce]]
*[[Pounce]]
*[[Power Punch (G1)|Power Punch]]
*[[Power Punch]]
*[[Powerdasher]]s (3 models)
*[[Powerdasher]]s (3 models)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]]
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]]
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===Art Credits===
===Art Credits===
*'''Pencils:''' [[Don Figueroa]], [[Ke Jiang]], [[Alex Lin]], [[Andrew Froedge]], [[Marcelo Matere]], [[Joe Ng]], [[Rob Ruffolo]]
*'''Pencils:''' Don Figueroa, Ke Jiang, [[Alex Lin]], [[Andrew Froedge]], Marcelo Matere, Joe Ng, Rob Ruffolo
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Elaine To]], [[Tracy Ho]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferd Poblete|Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Elaine To]], [[Tracy Ho]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], Rob Ruffolo, [[Susan Luo]], [[Shaun Curtis]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], Rob Ruffolo, [[Susan Luo]], [[Shaun Curtis]]


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**[[Skalor]]
**[[Skalor]]
**[[Snaptrap (G1)|Snaptrap]]
**[[Snaptrap (G1)|Snaptrap]]
**[[Tentakil (G1)|Tentakil]]
**[[Tentakil (G1)|Tentakill]] {{sic}}
**[[Piranacon (G1)|Piranacon]]
**[[Piranacon (G1)|Piranacon]]
*[[Searchlight (G1)|Searchlight]]
*[[Searchlight (G1)|Searchlight]]
Line 373: Line 374:


===Art Credits===
===Art Credits===
*'''Pencils:''' [[Don Figueroa]], [[Ke Jiang]], [[Alex Lin]], [[Andrew Froedge]], [[Marcelo Matere]], [[Joe Ng]], [[Rob Ruffolo]], [[Pat Lee]], [[Guido Guidi]], [[Makoto Ono]]
*'''Pencils:''' Don Figueroa, Ke Jiang, [[Alex Lin]], [[Andrew Froedge]], Marcelo Matere, Joe Ng, Rob Ruffolo, Pat Lee, Guido Guidi, Makoto Ono
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Elaine To]], [[Tracy Ho]], [[Erik Sander]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferd Poblete|Ferdinand Poblete]], [[Elaine To]], [[Tracy Ho]], [[Erik Sander]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], Rob Ruffolo, [[Susan Luo]], [[Espen Grundetjern]], [[Jong-im Winterbell Lee|J. I. Winterbell Lee]], [[Trang Dang]], [[Cil Cheung]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], Rob Ruffolo, [[Susan Luo]], [[Espen Grundetjern]], [[Jong-im Winterbell Lee|J. I. Winterbell Lee]], [[Trang Dang]], [[Cil Cheung]]


Line 442: Line 443:


===Art Credits===
===Art Credits===
*'''Pencils:''' [[Don Figueroa]], [[Ke Jiang]], [[Alex Lin]], [[Andrew Froedge]], [[Marcelo Matere]], [[Joe Ng]], [[Makoto Ono]]
*'''Pencils:''' Don Figueroa, Ke Jiang, [[Alex Lin]], [[Andrew Froedge]], Marcelo Matere, Joe Ng, Makoto Ono
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferd Poblete]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Ferd Poblete]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Jong-im Winterbell Lee|Winterbell Lee]], [[Cil Cheung]], [[Josh Perez|Joshua Perez]], [[Ed Racho]], Sue Ng]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Jong-im Winterbell Lee|Winterbell Lee]], [[Cil Cheung]], [[Josh Perez|Joshua Perez]], [[Ed Racho]], [[Sue Ng]]


===Profiles===
===Profiles===
Line 470: Line 471:
*[[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]]
*[[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]]
*[[Tote]]
*[[Tote]]
*[[Tracer (G1 Decepticon)|Tracer]]
*[[Tracer (Micromaster)|Tracer]]
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]
Line 478: Line 479:
*[[Trip-Up]]
*[[Trip-Up]]
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] with [[Full-Tilt (G1)|Full-Tilt]] and [[Brunt (G1)|Brunt]]
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] with [[Full-Tilt (G1)|Full-Tilt]] and [[Brunt (G1)|Brunt]]
*[[Twin Twist]]
*[[Twin Twist (G1)|Twin Twist]]
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (2 pages)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (2 pages)
*[[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]]
*[[Vanquish]]
*[[Vroom (G1)|Vroom]] (2 pages)
*[[Vroom (G1)|Vroom]] (2 pages)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]
Line 495: Line 496:
*[[Wingspan]]
*[[Wingspan]]
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]]
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]]
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] with [[Haywire]]
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] with [[Haywire (Targetmaster)|Haywire]]
*Pretender [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (2 pages)
*Pretender [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (2 pages)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] with [[Nightstick (G1)|Nightstick]]
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] with [[Nightstick (G1)|Nightstick]]
Line 509: Line 510:
[[File:DW MTMTE 8.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh yea Galvy, you know how I like it!]]
[[File:DW MTMTE 8.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh yea Galvy, you know how I like it!]]
'''Originally published:''' [[December 3]], 2003<br>
'''Originally published:''' [[December 3]], 2003<br>
Includes a one-page conclusion to the Megatron story begun in issue 1.
Includes a one-page conclusion to the Megatron story begun in issue #1.


===Art Credits===
===Art Credits===
*'''Pencils:''' [[Joe Ng]], [[James Raiz]], [[Edwin Garcia]], [[Don Figueroa]], [[Alex Lin]]
*'''Pencils:''' Joe Ng, [[James Raiz]], [[Edwin Garcia]], Don Figueroa, [[Alex Lin]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Rob Armstrong]]
*'''Inks:''' [[Rob Armstrong]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Jong-im Winterbell Lee|Winterbell Lee]], [[Josh Perez|Joshua Perez]], [[Ed Racho]], [[Rob Ruffolo]], Edwin Garcia, [[Sebastian Caisse]], [[Ferd Poblete]]
*'''Colours:''' [[Mike Majestic]], [[Elliot Kravchik]], [[Sigmund Torre]], [[Jong-im Winterbell Lee|Winterbell Lee]], [[Josh Perez|Joshua Perez]], [[Ed Racho]], Rob Ruffolo, Edwin Garcia, [[Sebastian Caisse]], [[Ferd Poblete]]


===Subjects===
===Subjects===
Line 537: Line 538:
*[[Earth]] (2 pages)
*[[Earth]] (2 pages)
*[[Energon]]
*[[Energon]]
*Energon-based weaponry
*[[Energo weapon|Energon-based weaponry]]
*[[The Fallen]] (2 pages)
*[[The Fallen]] (2 pages)
*[[Gladiatorial combat]]
*[[Gladiatorial combat]]
Line 574: Line 575:
*[[Unicron]] (2 pages)
*[[Unicron]] (2 pages)
*[[Vector Sigma]]
*[[Vector Sigma]]
*[[Wrecker]]s
*[[Wreckers]]
*Glossary (2 pages)}}
*Glossary (2 pages)}}


==Omissions==
==Omissions==
[[File:WingthingDreamwave.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|"Don't worry pal, I know who you are."]]
[[File:WingthingDreamwave.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|"Don't worry pal, I know who you are."]]
*While ''More Than Meets The Eye'' featured Action Masters, it did not include Action Master versions of pre-1990 characters and therefore also not their [[:Category:Action Master partners|partners]]. Thus the guide omits the following US characters and/or accessories entirely: Grimlock's [[Anti-tank cannon]], [[Fistfight (G1)|Fistfight]], Blaster's [[Flight Pack]], Bumblebee's [[Heli-pack]], Inferno's [[Hydro-Pack]], Megatron's [[Neutro-Fusion Tank]], Optimus Prime's [[Armored Convoy]], [[Scorpulator]], Jazz's [[Turbo Board]], Prowl's [[Turbo Cycle (G1)|Turbo Cycle]], Starscream's [[Turbo Jet]], Wheeljack's [[Turbo Racer]], [[Tyrannitron]], and [[Wingthing (G1)|Wingthing]]. This becomes goofier with the collected editions; due to their choice of [[20th Anniversary Lithograph|artwork]], Wingthing appears on the back cover but not in the actual books.
*While ''More Than Meets The Eye'' featured Action Masters, it did not include Action Master versions of pre-1990 characters and therefore also not their [[:Category:Action Master partners|partners]]. Thus the guide omits the following US characters and/or accessories entirely: Grimlock's [[Anti-tank cannon]], [[Fistfight (G1)|Fistfight]], Blaster's [[Flight-Pack]], Bumblebee's [[Heli-pack]], Inferno's [[Hydro-Pack]], Megatron's [[Neutro-Fusion Tank]], Optimus Prime's [[Armored Convoy]], [[Scorpulator]], Jazz's [[Turbo Board]], Prowl's [[Turbo Cycle (G1)|Turbo Cycle]], Starscream's [[Turbo Jet]], Wheeljack's [[Turbo Racer]], [[Tyrannitron]], and [[Wingthing (G1)|Wingthing]]. This becomes goofier with the collected editions; due to their choice of [[20th Anniversary Lithograph|artwork]], Wingthing appears on the back cover but not in the actual books.
*Gasket and Grommet are not shown as separate vehicles, only in their combined form as [[Cog (G1)|Cog]].
*Gasket and Grommet are not shown as separate vehicles, only in their combined form as [[Cog (G1)|Cog]].
*Weapon modes are not shown for [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]]'s Targetmaster partners [[Tracer (Targetmaster)|Tracer]], and [[Holepunch (G1)|Holepunch]].
*Weapon modes are not shown for [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]]'s Targetmaster partners [[Tracer (Targetmaster)|Tracer]], and [[Holepunch (G1)|Holepunch]].
Line 591: Line 592:
*Base and flight modes are not shown for the [[Battlefield Headquarters]].
*Base and flight modes are not shown for the [[Battlefield Headquarters]].
*Powermaster Optimus Prime's smaller robot form is not shown.
*Powermaster Optimus Prime's smaller robot form is not shown.
*[[Flattop (Decepticon)|Flattop]]'s aircraft carrier is shown but not its 'interstellar jet' mode.
*[[Flattop (G1)|Flattop]]'s aircraft carrier is shown but not its 'interstellar jet' mode.


==Errors and critiques==
==Errors and critiques==
[[File:Eagleeyes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The shame of it is, that's perfectly good art of G2 Eagle Eye.]][[File:Mtmte-yeahright.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Surrrrrre he can turn into that truck.]]
[[File:Mtmte-yeahright.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Surrrrrre he can turn into that truck.]]
[[File:RavageCassetteDreamwaveMTMTE.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|The perfect disguise: a panther box.]]
[[File:RavageCassetteDreamwaveMTMTE.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|The perfect disguise: a panther box.]]
[[File:StarscreamBioPicMTMTEDreamwave.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Pat Lee's Starscream. Wait, why's everyone laughing?]]
[[File:StarscreamBioPicMTMTEDreamwave.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Pat Lee's Starscream. Wait, why's everyone laughing?]]
*In issue #2, [[Eagle Eye (G1)|Eagle Eye]] was drawn with his [[Eagle Eye (G2)|''Generation 2'' Decepticon namesake]]'s jet mode. For the TPB, the art was edited somewhat to look more like the G1 character.
[[File:Eagleeyes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The shame of it is, that's perfectly good art of G2 Eagle Eye.]]
*In the trade paperback edition, the picture of Wingspan in [[robot mode]] has an Autobot [[insignia]].
*Nautilator's weapon mode is depicted differently on Nautilator's page and Piranacon's page. On Nautilator's page, his [[beast mode]] head and claws surround the weapon barrel; on Piranacon's page, Nautilator's beast head and claws are at the rear of the weapon.
*In the trade paperback edition, Nautilator's weapon mode is depicted differently on Nautilator's page and Piranacon's page. (On Nautilator's page, his [[beast mode]] head and claws surround the weapon barrel; on Piranacon's page, Nautilator's beast head and claws are at the rear of the weapon.)
*The character models for Blackout and Spaceshot were reversed, so that Spaceshot was portrayed as the front half of their combined vehicle mode and Blackout as the rear half. This error carried over into the bio text as well, so it is entirely possible that the personality assigned to Spaceshot was intended for Blackout, and vice versa.  
*The character models for Blackout and Spaceshot were reversed, so that Spaceshot was portrayed as the front half of their combined vehicle mode and Blackout as the rear half. This error carried over into the bio text as well, so it is entirely possible that the personality assigned to Spaceshot was intended for Blackout, and vice versa. This error was never corrected.
*Not an error per se, but the alphabetization is inconsistent. Earlier subgroups like the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and the combiner teams are alphabetized by their subgroup names, while the [[Micromaster]] teams are split up by individuals. However, while a deliberate decision may have led to alphabetizing some characters by their individual names and others by the name of their subgroup, [[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]] and [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] are definitely alphabetized incorrectly.
*Not an error per se, but the alphabetization is inconsistent. Earlier subgroups like the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and the combiner teams are alphabetized by their subgroup names, while the [[Micromaster]] teams are split up by individuals. However, while a deliberate decision may have led to alphabetizing some characters by their individual names and others by the name of their subgroup, [[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]] and [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] are definitely alphabetized incorrectly.
*Likewise, Micromaster bases are inconsistently shown. Some appear with their owners; of these, many are only shown in one configuration. Others only show up in the special topics issue.
*Likewise, Micromaster bases are inconsistently shown. Some appear with their owners; of these, many are only shown in one configuration. Others only show up in the special topics issue.
*Many characters had their art drawn by multiple artists, with Dreamwave's editors picking the versions they liked best or those that fitted best with the profile. For example, [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] also had artwork drawn for him by [[Matt Kuphaldt]] that was not used for the final product.<ref name="jackpot">[http://www.spektakle.com/ Artist Matt Kuphaldt's online portfolio], containing profile art for MTMTE not used for the final book.</ref> That doesn't necessarily mean what ended up being published was always the best ''quality'' art, though that's a highly subjective matter.<br>What's ''not'' a subjective matter, however, is the fact that what was ultimately selected by the editors often resulted in different artists' artwork being used for the same characters' robot and [[alternate mode]]s in many instances, leading to some glaring incongruities when the two modes appear side by side. For example, the angled windshield on [[Oiler]]'s robot-mode chest (pictured at the top of this article) is a nearly-flat windshield on his truck mode. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (pictured to the right) has a similar problem as well as differently styled windows. [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]] is drawn by [[Joe Ng]] as a very angular robot, whereas the vehicle mode is a very accurate rendition of a classic Volkswagen Beetle. Bumblebee's alternate mode, by contrast, bears only very vague resemblance to both a classic Beetle and a New Beetle. Even the clones, [[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]] and [[Fastlane]], appear very different to each other, though their respective poses (Cloudraker stood up straight and calm, Fastlane in a rather haphazard action pose) don't help either.  
*Many characters had their art drawn by multiple artists, with Dreamwave's editors picking the versions they liked best or those that fitted best with the profile. For example, [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] also had artwork drawn for him by [[Matt Kuphaldt]] that was not used for the final product.<ref name="jackpot">[http://www.spektakle.com/ Artist Matt Kuphaldt's online portfolio], containing profile art for ''More than Meets the Eye'' not used for the final book.</ref> That doesn't necessarily mean what ended up being published was always the best ''quality'' art, though that's a highly subjective matter.<br>What's ''not'' a subjective matter, however, is the fact that what was ultimately selected by the editors often resulted in different artists' artwork being used for the same characters' robot and [[alternate mode]]s in many instances, leading to some glaring incongruities when the two modes appear side by side. For example, the angled windshield on [[Oiler]]'s robot-mode chest (pictured at the top of this article) is a nearly-flat windshield on his truck mode. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (pictured to the right) has a similar problem as well as differently styled windows. [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]] is drawn by Joe Ng as a very angular robot, whereas the vehicle mode is a very accurate rendition of a classic [[Volkswagen]] Beetle. Bumblebee's alternate mode, by contrast, bears only very vague resemblance to both a classic Beetle and a New Beetle. Even the clones, [[Cloudraker (G1)|Cloudraker]] and [[Fastlane]], appear very different to each other, though their respective poses (Cloudraker stood up straight and calm, Fastlane in a rather haphazard action pose) don't help either.  
*In addition, artwork for characters' alternate modes is, on occasion, a maddeningly literal drawing based on their toy, instead of any kind of accurate, in-universe representation of the actual object they transformed into. [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]'s tape mode, for instance, is more of a folded-up-robot mode than an actual cassette tape.
*In addition, artwork for characters' alternate modes is, on occasion, a maddeningly literal drawing based on their toy, instead of any kind of accurate, in-universe representation of the actual object they transformed into. Take [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]'s tape mode, for instance, shown as more of a folded-up-robot mode than an actual cassette tape or [[Downshift (G1)|Downshift]]'s car mode cluttered with a ridiculous number of panel lines, making for a rather unconvincing disguise.
*In other instances, artists also applied their tendency to draw the robots with an excessive amount of detailing to the alternate mode. This results in [[Downshift (G1)|Downshift]]'s car mode being cluttered with a ridiculous number of panel lines, making for a rather unconvincing disguise.
*Octopunch's crab mode art is traced directly from his packaging art.
*Octopunch's crab mode art is traced directly from his packaging art.
*Frustratingly, some of the best-known characters such as Megatron, Fortress Maximus, Starscream, Jetfire and Octane have some of the poorest artwork.
*Frustratingly, some of the best-known characters such as Megatron, Starscream or Jetfire have some of the poorest artwork. Again, a subjective assessment.
*In the IDW collected edition, at least, Darkwing's robot mode art has been incorrectly photoshopped with one image over the other, leaving him with an extra-thick torso, too many fins on the back and four arms, amongst other errors.
*Excavator is listed as part of the "Micromaster Constructor Squad" instead of "Micromaster Combiner Constructor Squad."
*Excavator is listed as part of the "Micromaster Constructor Squad" instead of "Micromaster Combiner Constructor Squad."
*Sunrunner is correctly drawn with propellers, but is incorrectly labelled as a "jet" anyway.
*In issue #2, [[Eagle Eye (G1)|Eagle Eye]] was drawn with his [[Eagle Eye (G2)|''Generation 2'' Decepticon namesake]]'s jet mode. For the trade paperback, the art was edited somewhat to look more like the G1 character.
*In all trade paperback editions of the series, the picture of Wingspan in [[robot mode]] has an Autobot [[insignia]].
===IDW editions===
In general, IDW's reprints of Dreamwave material were not identical to Dreamwave's own editions.
*Broadly speaking, the brightness of all the artwork was uniformly increased (except a few pages, like the spread for [[Doublecross]] and [[Doubledealer]], which have the look of a raw scan of a previous edition). This helps with the visual readability of some characters (like [[Blot (G1)|Blot]]), but leaves others (like [[Skalor]] and [[Flak (G1)|Flak]]) looking washed out and overexposed.
*Where Dreamwave's collected editions had given Autobots red borders and Decepticons purple borders, IDW's collected edition instead kept the uniform dark-blue borders from the individual issues.
*Darkwing's robot mode art has been incorrectly photoshopped with one image over the other, leaving him with an extra-thick torso, too many fins on the back and four arms, amongst other errors.
*Various coloring errors are introduced by these editions:
**[[Blackout (G1)|Blackout]]'s eyes are left green, like the rest of his face.
**[[Camshaft (G1)|Camshaft]], [[Grand Slam (G1)|Grand Slam]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]] are missing their Autobot insignias.
**[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] is missing the silver on his face.
**[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet's]] shoulders are rendered red with [[Red Cross|white crosses]].
**[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] has white eyes and no Decepticon badges.
**[[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon's]] art is entirely missing its purple color layer, leaving him mostly teal.
*The IDW volume 1 does however fix [[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst's]] inner robot eyes, rendering his visor red rather than grey as in the Dreamwave edition.
*[[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] also gets a nose and mouth drawn onto his mouthplate in the IDW version! It's very possible this was present in the original art all along, but was removed to line up with the toy appearance which was Dreamwave's preference.
*The cover galleries across the two paperbacks only have six pages between them, meaning the covers for two of the eight issues are omitted: issue #5, featuring Shockwave, and issue #8, featuring Cybertron. The unused cover art featured in the Dreamwave collections is also absent.
*The IDW editions also do not utilize any of Don Figueroa's epic lithograph art, of which sections can be seen on the back covers of both Dreamwave volumes as well as on their foreword pages.
*In the first IDW volume [[Ferdinand Poblete]]'s name is listed as two individuals called Ferdinand and Poblete. This is corrected in the second volume—but his surname is misspelled as "Poblette" twice! The guy can't win!
*[[Keith Morris]] is listed as one of the designers on the IDW edition, but he only contributed to the Dreamwave collected editions, not the individual issues (which list [[Heli Bartman]] as the sole designer). Presumably, as the IDW versions reuse none of the specific design of the Dreamwave trade paperbacks—such as contents, page layouts, etc.—Morris shouldn't be credited here.


==Notes==
==Notes==
*The original version of issue 3's cover depicted [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], whose profile was published in issue 2, rather than [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]].<ref name="brooks1">[http://diablo2003.deviantart.com/art/Transformers-covers-143973822 Mark Brooks' original cover artwork for MTMTE #s 3 and 4] on Deviantart</ref>
*The original version of issue #3's cover depicted [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], whose profile was published in issue #2, rather than [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]].<ref name="brooks1">[http://diablo2003.deviantart.com/art/Transformers-covers-143973822 Mark Brooks' original cover artwork for ''More than Meets the Eye'' issues #3 and #4] on deviantART</ref>
*During the time that the Dreamwave were releasing the individual issues it became known that they only ever had the rights to release Transformers comics in North America. With immediate effect supply of Transformers comics to foreign countries was stopped. This left international Transfans with only a partially completed run of MTMTE, and having to resort to other methods to acquire the remainder.
*During the time that Dreamwave was releasing the individual issues, it became known that they only ever had the rights to release Transformers comics in North America. With immediate effect supply of Transformers comics to foreign countries was stopped. This left international Transfans with only a partially completed run of ''More than Meets the Eye'', and having to resort to other methods to acquire the remainder.
*Additional profiles for characters such as [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] (rather notably absent in the MTMTE profile books) and the [[Female Autobots]] were to be released in [[Unreleased Dreamwave issues|Generation One 2004 Datatracks Annual]]. However, Dreamwave went bankrupt before it would be produced.
*Additional profiles for characters such as [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] (rather notably absent in the ''More than Meets the Eye'' profile books) and the [[Female Autobots]] were to be released in [[Unreleased Dreamwave issues|Generation One 2004 Datatracks Annual]]. However, Dreamwave went bankrupt before it would be produced.
*As alluded to below, the covers for the collected editions are... odd. Megatron and Optimus's bios are both in Volume 1, but Megatron is on the cover of Volume 2. However, Optimus ''does'' have a profile in Volume 2 for his Powermaster form. Likely, Optimus was used first for marketing reasons.
*The cover for Volume 2 featured Megatron, despite his profile not actually appearing in the book; his was in Volume 1 along with Prime's. Now, Volume 2 ''does'' also have a profile for Optimus Prime in his [[Powermaster]] form, so it would've worked better the other way around—but presumably, Optimus appeared on the Volume 1 cover for marketing reasons.
*Optimus Prime's Powermaster partner is called Ginrai rather than Hi-Q, to match the then-current [[Toys"R"Us]] ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' reissue, though the character described is still Hi-Q.
*Optimus Prime's Powermaster partner is called Ginrai rather than Hi-Q, to match the then-current [[Toys"R"Us]] ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' reissue, though the character described is still Hi-Q.
*[[Gigatron (G1)|Gigatron]] is mentioned as a pioneer of the Powermaster process.
*[[Gigatron (G1)|Gigatron]] is mentioned as a pioneer of the Powermaster process.
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==Collections==
==Collections==
Dreamwave released two trade paperbacks (TPB) of the entire collection. Volume 1 contained issues 1–4, Volume 2 contained issues 5–8. No changes were made to the order of articles, and as such the same criticisms apply. Both volumes are quite rare, and as a result can be expensive to acquire. It is much easier to obtain the original individual issues.
Dreamwave released two trade paperbacks (TPB) of the entire collection. Volume 1 contained issues #1–4, Volume 2 contained issues #5–8. No changes were made to the order of articles, and as such the same criticisms apply. Both volumes are quite rare, and as a result can be expensive to acquire. It's much easier to obtain the original individual issues.


*'''DW Volume 1''': [[October 27]], 2004 (ISBN 0973381760, ISBN 978-0973381764)
*'''DW Volume 1''': [[October 27]], 2004 (ISBN 0973381760, ISBN 978-0973381764)
*'''DW Volume 2''': [[December 8]], 2004 (ISBN 0973381779, ISBN 978-0973381771)
*'''DW Volume 2''': [[December 8]], 2004 (ISBN 0973381779, ISBN 978-0973381771)


[[IDW Publishing]] later reprinted the ''Generation 1'' guides, unchanged from the Dreamwave originals (bar the covers) (and thus reference the DW plots of the Great Shutdown, Shockwave's inventions of the Triple Changers, Duocons etc.).
[[IDW Publishing]] later reprinted the ''Generation 1'' guides, with minor artistic changes. It seems like these editions are ''even rarer'' than the Dreamwave collections. Contrary to the preliminary cover images seen in the gallery below, they used the same art of Optimus and Megatron as the Dreamwave editions.


*'''IDW Volume 1''': [[October 1]], [[2008]] (ISBN 1600102506, ISBN 978-1600102509)
*'''IDW Volume 1''': [[October 1]], [[2008]] (ISBN 1600102506, ISBN 978-1600102509)
*'''IDW Volume 2''': [[December 10]], 2008 (ISBN 1600102956, ISBN 978-1600102950)
*'''IDW Volume 2''': [[December 10]], 2008 (ISBN 1600102956, ISBN 978-1600102950)


Issue #8 would later be reprinted as part of Hachette's ''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]]''.
Issue #8 was later reprinted as part of Hachette's ''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]]''.
*'''''Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection, Volume 28: Worlds Collide, Part 2''''' ([[October 3]], [[2018]])
*'''''Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection, Volume 28: Worlds Collide, Part 2''''' ([[October 3]], [[2018]])
:* Also includes Dreamwave's ''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Armada]]'' issues [[Worlds Collide|#14]]–[[The End|18]].
:* Also includes Dreamwave's ''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Armada]]'' issues [[Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4|#14]]–[[The End (Armada)|18]].


<gallery>
<gallery>
File:DW-MTMTE-V1.jpg|Dreamwave's Volume 1.
File:DW-MTMTE-V1.jpg|Dreamwave's Volume 1.
File:DW-MTMTE-V2.jpg|Dreamwave's Volume 2. Unsurprisingly, Megatron's bio is actually in Volume 1.
File:DW-MTMTE-V2.jpg|Dreamwave's Volume 2. Unsurprisingly, Megatron's bio is actually in Volume 1.
File:DW-MTMTE-V1-IDW.jpg|IDW's reprint of Volume 1.
File:DW-MTMTE-V1-IDW.jpg|Non-final art of IDW's reprint of Volume 1.
File:DW-MTMTE-V2-IDW.jpg|IDW's reprint of Volume 2.  IDW continues Dreamwave's tradition.
File:DW-MTMTE-V2-IDW.jpg|Non-final art of IDW's reprint of Volume 2.
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v28.jpg|Scourge actually '''is''' actually in this book!
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v28.jpg|Scourge actually '''is''' actually in this book!
</gallery>
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
<references/>
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==

Latest revision as of 18:35, 21 January 2026

The name or term "More than Meets the Eye" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see More than Meets the Eye (disambiguation).
True to form, Oiler looks like he's about to pass out.

Transformers: More than Meets the Eye is the first of a series of profile books published by Dreamwave Productions in 2003. The book included a profile for every extant US Generation 1 toy character at the time of publication, plus some originating from the original cartoon and Marvel Comics continuity. A sequel series was published for Armada, and the same was planned for Energon.

The series has no known physical weaknesses.

Overview

[edit]

More Than Meets The Eye was originally conceived to be a four-issue series under the title of Transformers: Profiles and was intended to be outsourced by Dreamwave, to be written by Destination Entertainment. Destination's rather grandiose original plans involved weaving their own take on the Dreamwave timeline passively throughout all the character profiles, seizing this opportunity to shape some of the then-contemporary fiction since presumably they were being kept well away from contributing anything in the main books.

Destination's timeline was to have been a remarkably convoluted creation, plotting out a Great War that lasts for nine million years. In an October 2002 interview, Destination's Marc Patten referred to one million Cybertronian years as both a millennium – acknowledging that, conventionally, a millennium is only a thousand years – and as an "Arc" of the war. Each millennium/Arc would correspond to one year of the real world Transformers toyline; characters who debuted in 1984 "either originated or rose in power and prominence" in the war's first Arc, characters from 1985 corresponded to the second Arc, and so on. Patten envisioned the first three millennia of the war as taking place on Cybertron (and thus with only 1984-1986 characters), followed by four million years of the Ark and Nemesis being buried on Earth, with the Transformers' re-awakening and subsequently the present day timeframe of Dreamwave's stories taking place in the seventh Arc, thus allowing the use of every character from the toyline's entire U.S. run. (Seeing as this only adds up to seven million years, presumably the final two millennia would introduce characters from 1991/1992.)[1]

The interview raised eyebrows among the contemporary fanbase. A common misinterpretation hinged on missing the "rose in power and prominence" of Patten's answer, instead concretely tying each character's year of debut with an in-universe birth date, resulting in misconceptions such as old coot Kup being two million years younger than Bumblebee, and complaints that characters in Dreamwave's already published outbreak-of-the-war story shouldn't have been born yet. Additionally, Patten's sweeping statement did not account for rebuilt characters like Galvatron, Goldbug, or Powermaster Optimus Prime, or how they would co-exist with their original counterparts. Fans looked forward to explanations being found in Transformers: Profiles book one, scheduled for release in December 2002.

December came and went with no such release. In the subsequent January, it was announced that Destination was removed from the project and that the entire endeavor would be renamed into Transformers: More than Meets the Eye, now re-solicited as a far more modest and uncomplicated series of Transformers Universe-style profiles,[2] released as eight issues throughout 2003. The series was also released in trade paperback form across two volumes in December 2004, which included introductions by the authors, and bonus artwork, though not the intro and conclusion story.

The series profiled all characters that were released by Hasbro between 1984 and 1991, as well as a few characters that appeared only within Marvel Comics/Sunbow Productions animated projects between 1984 and 1987. The series also introduces new content in order to establish parameters for stories within the Dreamwave Generation One continuity, particularly in the "special topics" issue. A number of personalities were created from scratch for the Micromasters, many of whom were little more than names and mottos prior.

The profiles follow the same format as the original 1980s Marvel profile book, Transformers Universe. A characteristic quote leads off each bio, followed by Bio, Weapons/Abilities, and Weaknesses. Many profiles are told from the perspective of another character ("from the datatrax of"); Grapple, for example, narrates the profile for his friend and associate Hoist. Despite initial reports that the profile book would be re-creating the entire Transformers universe from scratch, most established characters stay close to their original profiles, with some occasional massaging when a character's popular fictional portrayals clashed with their profile.

Artwork was done by numerous artists. As such, there are stylistic differences among the various profiles. Some of the original art submissions were rejected as not being consistent with the Dreamwave "house style", i.e. that of Pat Lee. Lee's hand and/or influence is particularly visible on some of the earlier and more popular characters, who often feature his characteristic rounded, swollen limbs, tiny heads, and enormously thickened metal panels. Don Figueroa drew a huge number of profile entries as well, including many of the best known characters. Lesser known characters were apparently left to other artists, who were allowed a freer hand; however, attempts at conveying a character's personality through their profile art were generally quashed.

Issue #1

[edit]
Bumblebee has the odd feeling of being followed.

Issue #1 opens with a one-page intro story in which Beast Wars Megatron (or the Dreamwave universe's version of him) gains access to Vector Sigma, with the intent of reading all these files.
Originally published: April 30, 2003

Credits

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Profiles

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Issue #2

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Dudes, we're free - FREE!

Originally published: May 29, 2003

Art Credits

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Profiles

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Issue #3

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By Primus, they're everywhere! Don't let them touch you with their fat greasy hands!

Originally published: June 25, 2003

Art Credits

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Profiles

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Issue #4

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Attack of the Stay-puffed Transformers

Originally published: July 30, 2003

Art Credits

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Profiles

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Issue #5

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Shockwave makes any cover awesome!

Originally published: September 4, 2003

Art Credits

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Profiles

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Issue #6

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Originally published: September 24, 2003

Art Credits

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Profiles

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Issue #7

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Originally published: October 29, 2003

Art Credits

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Profiles

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Issue #8

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Oh yea Galvy, you know how I like it!

Originally published: December 3, 2003
Includes a one-page conclusion to the Megatron story begun in issue #1.

Art Credits

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Subjects

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Omissions

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"Don't worry pal, I know who you are."

Errors and critiques

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Surrrrrre he can turn into that truck.
The perfect disguise: a panther box.
Pat Lee's Starscream. Wait, why's everyone laughing?
The shame of it is, that's perfectly good art of G2 Eagle Eye.
  • Nautilator's weapon mode is depicted differently on Nautilator's page and Piranacon's page. On Nautilator's page, his beast mode head and claws surround the weapon barrel; on Piranacon's page, Nautilator's beast head and claws are at the rear of the weapon.
  • The character models for Blackout and Spaceshot were reversed, so that Spaceshot was portrayed as the front half of their combined vehicle mode and Blackout as the rear half. This error carried over into the bio text as well, so it is entirely possible that the personality assigned to Spaceshot was intended for Blackout, and vice versa.
  • Not an error per se, but the alphabetization is inconsistent. Earlier subgroups like the Dinobots, the Insecticons, and the combiner teams are alphabetized by their subgroup names, while the Micromaster teams are split up by individuals. However, while a deliberate decision may have led to alphabetizing some characters by their individual names and others by the name of their subgroup, Slapdash and Sureshot are definitely alphabetized incorrectly.
  • Likewise, Micromaster bases are inconsistently shown. Some appear with their owners; of these, many are only shown in one configuration. Others only show up in the special topics issue.
  • Many characters had their art drawn by multiple artists, with Dreamwave's editors picking the versions they liked best or those that fitted best with the profile. For example, Blades also had artwork drawn for him by Matt Kuphaldt that was not used for the final product.[3] That doesn't necessarily mean what ended up being published was always the best quality art, though that's a highly subjective matter.
    What's not a subjective matter, however, is the fact that what was ultimately selected by the editors often resulted in different artists' artwork being used for the same characters' robot and alternate modes in many instances, leading to some glaring incongruities when the two modes appear side by side. For example, the angled windshield on Oiler's robot-mode chest (pictured at the top of this article) is a nearly-flat windshield on his truck mode. Optimus Prime (pictured to the right) has a similar problem as well as differently styled windows. Goldbug is drawn by Joe Ng as a very angular robot, whereas the vehicle mode is a very accurate rendition of a classic Volkswagen Beetle. Bumblebee's alternate mode, by contrast, bears only very vague resemblance to both a classic Beetle and a New Beetle. Even the clones, Cloudraker and Fastlane, appear very different to each other, though their respective poses (Cloudraker stood up straight and calm, Fastlane in a rather haphazard action pose) don't help either.
  • In addition, artwork for characters' alternate modes is, on occasion, a maddeningly literal drawing based on their toy, instead of any kind of accurate, in-universe representation of the actual object they transformed into. Take Ravage's tape mode, for instance, shown as more of a folded-up-robot mode than an actual cassette tape or Downshift's car mode cluttered with a ridiculous number of panel lines, making for a rather unconvincing disguise.
  • Octopunch's crab mode art is traced directly from his packaging art.
  • Frustratingly, some of the best-known characters such as Megatron, Starscream or Jetfire have some of the poorest artwork. Again, a subjective assessment.
  • Excavator is listed as part of the "Micromaster Constructor Squad" instead of "Micromaster Combiner Constructor Squad."
  • Sunrunner is correctly drawn with propellers, but is incorrectly labelled as a "jet" anyway.
  • In issue #2, Eagle Eye was drawn with his Generation 2 Decepticon namesake's jet mode. For the trade paperback, the art was edited somewhat to look more like the G1 character.
  • In all trade paperback editions of the series, the picture of Wingspan in robot mode has an Autobot insignia.

IDW editions

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In general, IDW's reprints of Dreamwave material were not identical to Dreamwave's own editions.

  • Broadly speaking, the brightness of all the artwork was uniformly increased (except a few pages, like the spread for Doublecross and Doubledealer, which have the look of a raw scan of a previous edition). This helps with the visual readability of some characters (like Blot), but leaves others (like Skalor and Flak) looking washed out and overexposed.
  • Where Dreamwave's collected editions had given Autobots red borders and Decepticons purple borders, IDW's collected edition instead kept the uniform dark-blue borders from the individual issues.
  • Darkwing's robot mode art has been incorrectly photoshopped with one image over the other, leaving him with an extra-thick torso, too many fins on the back and four arms, amongst other errors.
  • Various coloring errors are introduced by these editions:
  • The IDW volume 1 does however fix Bomb-Burst's inner robot eyes, rendering his visor red rather than grey as in the Dreamwave edition.
  • Brainstorm also gets a nose and mouth drawn onto his mouthplate in the IDW version! It's very possible this was present in the original art all along, but was removed to line up with the toy appearance which was Dreamwave's preference.
  • The cover galleries across the two paperbacks only have six pages between them, meaning the covers for two of the eight issues are omitted: issue #5, featuring Shockwave, and issue #8, featuring Cybertron. The unused cover art featured in the Dreamwave collections is also absent.
  • The IDW editions also do not utilize any of Don Figueroa's epic lithograph art, of which sections can be seen on the back covers of both Dreamwave volumes as well as on their foreword pages.
  • In the first IDW volume Ferdinand Poblete's name is listed as two individuals called Ferdinand and Poblete. This is corrected in the second volume—but his surname is misspelled as "Poblette" twice! The guy can't win!
  • Keith Morris is listed as one of the designers on the IDW edition, but he only contributed to the Dreamwave collected editions, not the individual issues (which list Heli Bartman as the sole designer). Presumably, as the IDW versions reuse none of the specific design of the Dreamwave trade paperbacks—such as contents, page layouts, etc.—Morris shouldn't be credited here.

Notes

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  • The original version of issue #3's cover depicted Goldbug, whose profile was published in issue #2, rather than Huffer.[4]
  • During the time that Dreamwave was releasing the individual issues, it became known that they only ever had the rights to release Transformers comics in North America. With immediate effect supply of Transformers comics to foreign countries was stopped. This left international Transfans with only a partially completed run of More than Meets the Eye, and having to resort to other methods to acquire the remainder.
  • Additional profiles for characters such as Sunstorm (rather notably absent in the More than Meets the Eye profile books) and the Female Autobots were to be released in Generation One 2004 Datatracks Annual. However, Dreamwave went bankrupt before it would be produced.
  • The cover for Volume 2 featured Megatron, despite his profile not actually appearing in the book; his was in Volume 1 along with Prime's. Now, Volume 2 does also have a profile for Optimus Prime in his Powermaster form, so it would've worked better the other way around—but presumably, Optimus appeared on the Volume 1 cover for marketing reasons.
  • Optimus Prime's Powermaster partner is called Ginrai rather than Hi-Q, to match the then-current Toys"R"Us Commemorative Series reissue, though the character described is still Hi-Q.
  • Gigatron is mentioned as a pioneer of the Powermaster process.
  • These profile books say that a front-end Micromaster Combiner can combine with any rear-end Combiner, and vice versa, implying that in Dreamwave's G1 continuity, front-end Combiners can not combine with each other and rear-end Combiners can not combine with each other (a limitation untrue for the toys or other depictions of the characters).

Collections

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Dreamwave released two trade paperbacks (TPB) of the entire collection. Volume 1 contained issues #1–4, Volume 2 contained issues #5–8. No changes were made to the order of articles, and as such the same criticisms apply. Both volumes are quite rare, and as a result can be expensive to acquire. It's much easier to obtain the original individual issues.

  • DW Volume 1: October 27, 2004 (ISBN 0973381760, ISBN 978-0973381764)
  • DW Volume 2: December 8, 2004 (ISBN 0973381779, ISBN 978-0973381771)

IDW Publishing later reprinted the Generation 1 guides, with minor artistic changes. It seems like these editions are even rarer than the Dreamwave collections. Contrary to the preliminary cover images seen in the gallery below, they used the same art of Optimus and Megatron as the Dreamwave editions.

  • IDW Volume 1: October 1, 2008 (ISBN 1600102506, ISBN 978-1600102509)
  • IDW Volume 2: December 10, 2008 (ISBN 1600102956, ISBN 978-1600102950)

Issue #8 was later reprinted as part of Hachette's Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection.

  • Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection, Volume 28: Worlds Collide, Part 2 (October 3, 2018)
  • Dreamwave's Volume 1.
    Dreamwave's Volume 1.
  • Dreamwave's Volume 2. Unsurprisingly, Megatron's bio is actually in Volume 1.
    Dreamwave's Volume 2. Unsurprisingly, Megatron's bio is actually in Volume 1.
  • Non-final art of IDW's reprint of Volume 1.
    Non-final art of IDW's reprint of Volume 1.
  • Non-final art of IDW's reprint of Volume 2.
    Non-final art of IDW's reprint of Volume 2.
  • Scourge actually is actually in this book!
    Scourge actually is actually in this book!

References

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  1. ↑ Destination's original interview previewing Profiles at Newsarama
  2. ↑ Newsarama reports that Profiles has "transformed" into More Than Meets The Eye
  3. ↑ Artist Matt Kuphaldt's online portfolio, containing profile art for More than Meets the Eye not used for the final book.
  4. ↑ Mark Brooks' original cover artwork for More than Meets the Eye issues #3 and #4 on deviantART
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