The Great Car Rally: Difference between revisions

From MediaWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
← Older edit
undoLocoman (talk | contribs)
Administrators
29,777 edits
No edit summary
 
(50 intermediate revisions by 30 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{stub}}
{{comicstory|
'''The Great Car Rally''' is a Transformers storybook.  The art is really gorgeous.
|prev=Battle for Cybertron
|seriesissue=[[Big Looker Storybook|''The Transformers'']]
|next=Decepticon Hijack
|prev2=Battle for Cybertron
|seriesissue2=[[Kid Stuff|Kid Stuff storybook]]
|next2=Satellite of Doom
|image=GreatCarRallyMBLCover.jpg
|caption=
|title="The Great Car Rally"
|publisher=[[Marvel Books]], [[Kid Stuff]]
|date=1984, 1985
|story by=[[Dwight Jon Zimmerman]]
|art by=[[Earl Norem]]
|pagecount=36
|ISBN=ISBN 9780871350152<br>ISBN 0-87135-015-7
|continuity=Don't hold your breath.}}
'''The Autobots enter a race to win free gas and oil for a year.  But the Decepticons have a little surprise for them!'''


== Vital statistics ==
==Synopsis==
ISBN  <br/>
[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] shows [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] a billboard advertising the "[[Big Car Rally]]", for which first prize is free gas and [[oil]] for one year. The [[Autobot]]s decide to inform their commander, but, unbeknownst to them, the evil [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] just happens to be hiding in the bushes next to that very billboard, listening to their entire conversation. While Mirage and Cliffjumper go off to tell Prime, Soundwave likewise informs [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] of the Autobots' plan.
'''Writer:''' [[Dwight J. Zimmerman]] <br/>
'''Illustrators:''' [[Earl Norem]] <br/>
'''Publisher:''' Marvel Books, Kids Stuff <br/>
'''Published year:''' 1984, 1985 <br/>
'''Pagecount:''' 36 Glorious Pages of Car Robot Racing Action!!!!!<br/>
'''Major characters:''' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]],  [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]],  [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Hound (G1)|Hound]],  [[Spike Witwicky]], [[Sparkplug]],  [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]], [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]<br/>


== Summary ==
The Autobots examine a map of the race and decide who will run each of the three stages of the rally. Mirage is assigned the winding coastal road portion, the mountainous section will be traversed by [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], and Cliffjumper is assigned the final stretch. When the race begins, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] watch as Mirage takes an early lead. Spike is excited, but Sparkplug wisely cautions that the Autobots have a long way to go before the race is over. Almost as if Sparkplug has some sort of supernatural clairvoyance, [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] appears and attacks Mirage. Mirage counterattacks and defeats the [[Seeker (body-type)|jet]], but in the course of the fighting, he has gone from first place to last.
[[Image:KidsCliff1.jpg|thumb|left|Megatron [[scale|drove]] a car chasing Cutejumper.]]
This book is crazy. The title page features a group shot of Autobots and Decepticons fighting in space.  The Autobots have rocket boots like the Decepticons, for some reason.  Still nifty artwork though.


So the story...  A bunch of humans set up a race for charity. Actually, no.  It's just a regular cross-country race like the Cannonball Run or something. No sick people's hospital bills will be paid.  No starving people will get fed.  The homeless will not recieve beds to sleep in.  It's just your typical 1980's automobile race where, apparently, everybody drives race cars built before 1975 except for the Autobots, whose altmodes seem almost futuristic in comparrison.  Oh yeah, and because Megatron doesn't turn into a car, he has to drive an early 1950's Buick/Caddillac/Desoto amalgam.  It's wierd, but it was 1984.
[[Image:KidsCliff1.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Megatron has the most awesome [[Ultra Pretender]] shell ever!]]


Anyways, one day Cliffjumper and Mirage are randomly walking around and notice a billboard advertising a cross-country race.  The victor would received a year's supply of oil and gasoline. Forgetting about Energon, the Autobots decide they need this gas and oil and decide to sign up for the race.  The Decepticons, of course, desperately wanted that bounty, so they decided to sneak into the race rather than just steal it. Optimus Prime, a paragon of nobility, decides that super-powered giant transforming robots from space do not hold an unfair advantage over the human race participants who probably spent all year long (and all their money) preparing their race cars for the event.
Mirage meets Hound at the start of the mountain stage, and warns his ally to watch out for Decepticons. Hound starts his part of the race with confidence, but up ahead, [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] awaits his approach. Thinking Hound will be too busy watching for threats to keep his optics on the road, Rumble collapses a bridge so Hound will fall into the chasm. [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] shows up and puts the bridge back together after Rumble leaves, and the racers proceed to the end of the stage without interruption.


Since the race is split into three heats, Prime decides to assign the best-qualified Autobots to each segment of the race.  He also apparently drinks a fifth of 180 proof energon vodka each time he makes an assignment, since his choices for heat contestants gets spottier as he calls them off...
At the start of the final stage of the race, [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] attacks, planning to ambush Cliffjumper before he even gets going. Hound foils the Decepticon's plan, sacrificing himself by jumping into the path of the missiles meant for Cliffjumper.  [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] arrives and begins reassembling Hound as Cliffjumper speeds away. The little red Autobot makes his way to the front of the pack, with only an ominous black car between him and the lead. When he pulls even, the [[big black car|black car]]'s driver reveals himself to be none other than the Decepticon leader, Megatron!


''"This race has three parts -- or heats. A different car runs in each part," says Optimus Prime.''
Megatron opens fire on Cliffjumper as a concerned [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] watches from near the finish line. After Bumblebee explains the situation to his commander, Optimus Prime uproots a nearby utility pole, telling Bumblebee that the way to deal with bullies like Megatron is to use a bigger stick. Prime then proceeds to swing his impromptu bat at Megatron, sending the Decepticon and his car beyond the horizon. With Megatron out of the race, Cliffjumper cruises to an easy victory, and the Autobots celebrate their win. Spike declines to share a portion of the Autobots' prize, opting for [[human]] food instead.


A beautiful illustration shows Optimus Prime and three Autobots looking at a giant paper map on a table, because Teletran-1 is seemingly offline.  The first heat runs along a coastal highway full of twisty turns, and passes a couple of friendly-looking whales.
{{--}}


''"Mirage, you take the first heat, because you drive best on winding roads."''  Glug glug glug...
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (1)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (2)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (3)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
* [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (11)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (13)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (14)


The race route is marked in a dotted line like one of Jeffy's crazy paths from Family Circus.  The second heat of the race zigzags amidst craggy mountains.  Optimus Prime decides to pick a racerbot not on the strength of their racing ability, but because they happen to "like" mountains.  Note:  the race course is not off-road at all, just normal paved highway.
|c2=
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (4)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (9)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (10)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (12)


''"Hound, you like the mountains,so you take the second heat."''  Glug glug glug...
|c3=
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (7)
* [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (8)
}}


The final bit of race is pretty much a total straight line with one angular turn halfway through the desert, where you pass three ginormous cacti, before crossing the finish line. At this point in his speech, Optimus Prime is either totally hammered on energon vodka, or he's one of Megatron's evil clones from the episode, "A Prime Problem".
==Quotes==
"You sure go all to pieces when a missile hits you, Hound."
:—Oh, that '''Ratchet''', what a comedian.


''"Blow-Out, the last heat is yours because we need someone fast for the finish!  Now let's go to the racetrack!" says Optimus Prime.  "And remember, watch out for Decepticons!"''
==Notes==
[[Image:KidsPrime1.jpg|right|180px|thumb|And good times were had by all.  ''Yay!'']]
* Owing to its different author and its origin as a [[Big Looker Storybook]], this book differs in style and tone from subsequent [[Kid Stuff]] books. Among other things, it has more than the normal stable of four speaking characters.
* All appearances of Optimus show him with a mouth rather than his usual [[mouthplate]], leading to the ''really'' creepy open-mouthed grin on the last page.
* Sparkplug's son is called "Spike", but the illustrations look like his other son, [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]], or possibly his other other son, [[Butch Witwicky (G1)|Butch]].
* Rather than affording him invisibility, in this story Mirage's Electro-Disrupter seems to function like [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s electro-scrambler.
* Even if one assumes that the bridge he destroys is only one lane wide, and the trees he's standing next to are saplings, Rumble appears to be quite a bit bigger than his normal roughly-human-sized portrayal.
* Megatron is drawn in his [[:Image:Earlymegatron.jpg|pre-production design]] with the black helmet. The text even mentions Megatron pulling the trigger of his [[Fusion cannon|cannon]].
* Megatron is driving a '''[[big black car|car]]'''! Also, Cliffjumper has very human-looking ''eyes'' on his headlights in vehicle mode.
* Prime casually yanks a telephone pole out of the ground, probably cutting off telephone and electrical service to untold numbers of local residents in the process.  What a jerk.


"Blow-Out" could not be reached for comment, nor could any pictures of him be found.  Assumably, Prime was referring to Cliffjumper who was pictured reading the map, and also eventually performs the final segment of the race. I'm sure the writers of the book didn't goof up the names at all, though, because Cliffjumper was correctly referred to by name at the top of the very same page.  Drunken Optimus or evil clone Optimus are the only possible solutions to this conundrum!  It should also be noted that Optimus Prime would need to be drunk out of his mind in order to trust a puny minibot like Cliffjumper to a race segment that would be a breeze for somebody like Jazz, Wheeljack, Sideswipe, or any number of the other more race-apt Autobot cars.
===Errors===
* At one point Cliffjumper is referred to by [[Cliffjumper_(G1)#Notes|his pre-production name "Blow-Out"]].
* At the start of the third stage, the car next to Cliffjumper has its number '12' reversed.
* The labeling on Mirage's sides reads "Citane" rather than "Citane'''s'''".
* Ratchet is consistently misspelled "Rachet".


Anyways, I won't bore you with all the details.  Spike and Sparkplug watch the race begin.  Mirage races quite a ways, does a great job, and gets attacked by Skywarp.  Without even needing to shift to robot mode, Mirage's tailpipe (he calls it an "electro-disruptor") shoots a pink lightning bolt that crashes Skywarp into the ocean.  Oh yeah, and Mirage finishes his heat in last place.  Seriously.
===Covers (2)===
* [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[Big Looker Storybook]]
* [[Kid Stuff]] read along storybook


Hound thinks he's got the race in the bag, despite not being a race vehicle whatsoever. Rumble (he's red, so it may be another typo, and they meant Frenzy), way up ahead, decides to hassle Hound (and probably kill a bunch of flesh-creatures) by seismically destroying a small bridge in the mountains. Somehow, Huffer anticipated this exact ambush, and waited for Rumble to do this (although he didn't try to stop Rumble beforehand).  Magically, Huffer multiplies himself into seven super-fast Huffers (plural) and repairs the bridge before a whole slew of racecars can careen off the cliff and explode in bloody fireballs in the chasm below.  Remember, kids, Huffer is one of the most powerful Autobots ever!!!
<gallery>
Image:GreatCarRallyMBLCover.jpg|
Image:GreatCarRallyKSCover.jpg|
</gallery>


Just as Hound ends his segment, Thundercracker swoops down and blows the ever-loving crap out of the jeep, exploding him into thousands of pieces!  PWN'D!!!!!
==External links==
 
*[http://www.camphortree.net/tf/books/kidstuff/rally.html The Great Car Rally] at Steve-o Stonebraker's site.
Ratchet makes jokes at Hound's expense while putting him back together.  There's a rather nice picture of robot-mode Hound, missing arms and a leg, being reassembled by Ratchet. The art in this book kicks ass.
 
Cliffjumper has a pretty easy time driving through the mostly-straight desert highway until he needs to pass the leading car, a big black Buick/Cadillac/Desoto amalgam...  ...which just happens to be driven by smiling, black-helmet-wearing MEGATRON!!!  Opening the entire roof of the car, Megatron shoots his fusion cannon at Cliffjumper, whose car mode gains big blue eyes for headlights as the fear grips him!
 
Meanwhile, Optimus Prime is using that cool telescope eye thingee that Hod Rod used in the movie to scope out the hole in the Autobot shuttle.  And just like Hot Rod, Prime can see Megatron causing trouble!  Bumblebee, meanwhile, just stands around acting like a panic-ridden dunce.  Optimus Prime does not worry, he pulls out a big telephone pole as though it were a blade of grass!!!
 
Optimus Prime makes a baseball reference as he homerun-swings the telephone pole against Megatron's car, sending the car flying into the horizon, Team Rocket style.  Cliffjumper, still sporting eyes, bends his front bumper into a grin of approval.  Then he crosses the finish line, his headlight eyes emoting joy as he wins first place.
 
At the end, Spike, Sparkplug, Cliffjumper, and Optimus Prime pose for a celebratory photo.  Bumblebee, who didn't do anything, gets into the picture to share in the glory, while Hound and Mirage are utterly forgotten.  And yeah, Optimus smiles a big smile of sheer crazy joy.  But he didn't have a mouthplate anywhere else in the book either, so whaddya expect?
 
The final page shows the two faction symbols, with their respective names underneath.  THE END.
 
[[Image:KidsPrime1.jpg|thumb|right|Everybody smiled, '''even Optimus Prime'''.]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Car Rally}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Car Rally}}
[[Category: Generation 1]]
[[Category:Audiobooks]]
[[Category: Books]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>
[[Category:Generation 1 storybooks]]

Latest revision as of 18:37, 9 November 2025

« The Transformers »
« Kid Stuff storybook »
"The Great Car Rally"
Publisher Marvel Books, Kid Stuff
First published 1984, 1985
Story by Dwight Jon Zimmerman
Art by Earl Norem
Continuity Don't hold your breath.
ISBN ISBN 9780871350152
ISBN 0-87135-015-7
Page count 36

The Autobots enter a race to win free gas and oil for a year. But the Decepticons have a little surprise for them!

Synopsis

[edit]

Cliffjumper shows Mirage a billboard advertising the "Big Car Rally", for which first prize is free gas and oil for one year. The Autobots decide to inform their commander, but, unbeknownst to them, the evil Soundwave just happens to be hiding in the bushes next to that very billboard, listening to their entire conversation. While Mirage and Cliffjumper go off to tell Prime, Soundwave likewise informs Megatron of the Autobots' plan.

The Autobots examine a map of the race and decide who will run each of the three stages of the rally. Mirage is assigned the winding coastal road portion, the mountainous section will be traversed by Hound, and Cliffjumper is assigned the final stretch. When the race begins, Spike and Sparkplug watch as Mirage takes an early lead. Spike is excited, but Sparkplug wisely cautions that the Autobots have a long way to go before the race is over. Almost as if Sparkplug has some sort of supernatural clairvoyance, Skywarp appears and attacks Mirage. Mirage counterattacks and defeats the jet, but in the course of the fighting, he has gone from first place to last.

Megatron has the most awesome Ultra Pretender shell ever!

Mirage meets Hound at the start of the mountain stage, and warns his ally to watch out for Decepticons. Hound starts his part of the race with confidence, but up ahead, Rumble awaits his approach. Thinking Hound will be too busy watching for threats to keep his optics on the road, Rumble collapses a bridge so Hound will fall into the chasm. Huffer shows up and puts the bridge back together after Rumble leaves, and the racers proceed to the end of the stage without interruption.

At the start of the final stage of the race, Thundercracker attacks, planning to ambush Cliffjumper before he even gets going. Hound foils the Decepticon's plan, sacrificing himself by jumping into the path of the missiles meant for Cliffjumper. Ratchet arrives and begins reassembling Hound as Cliffjumper speeds away. The little red Autobot makes his way to the front of the pack, with only an ominous black car between him and the lead. When he pulls even, the black car's driver reveals himself to be none other than the Decepticon leader, Megatron!

Megatron opens fire on Cliffjumper as a concerned Bumblebee watches from near the finish line. After Bumblebee explains the situation to his commander, Optimus Prime uproots a nearby utility pole, telling Bumblebee that the way to deal with bullies like Megatron is to use a bigger stick. Prime then proceeds to swing his impromptu bat at Megatron, sending the Decepticon and his car beyond the horizon. With Megatron out of the race, Cliffjumper cruises to an easy victory, and the Autobots celebrate their win. Spike declines to share a portion of the Autobots' prize, opting for human food instead.

[edit]

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots Decepticons Humans

Quotes

[edit]

"You sure go all to pieces when a missile hits you, Hound."

—Oh, that Ratchet, what a comedian.

Notes

[edit]
And good times were had by all. Yay!
  • Owing to its different author and its origin as a Big Looker Storybook, this book differs in style and tone from subsequent Kid Stuff books. Among other things, it has more than the normal stable of four speaking characters.
  • All appearances of Optimus show him with a mouth rather than his usual mouthplate, leading to the really creepy open-mouthed grin on the last page.
  • Sparkplug's son is called "Spike", but the illustrations look like his other son, Buster, or possibly his other other son, Butch.
  • Rather than affording him invisibility, in this story Mirage's Electro-Disrupter seems to function like Blaster's electro-scrambler.
  • Even if one assumes that the bridge he destroys is only one lane wide, and the trees he's standing next to are saplings, Rumble appears to be quite a bit bigger than his normal roughly-human-sized portrayal.
  • Megatron is drawn in his pre-production design with the black helmet. The text even mentions Megatron pulling the trigger of his cannon.
  • Megatron is driving a car! Also, Cliffjumper has very human-looking eyes on his headlights in vehicle mode.
  • Prime casually yanks a telephone pole out of the ground, probably cutting off telephone and electrical service to untold numbers of local residents in the process. What a jerk.

Errors

[edit]
  • At one point Cliffjumper is referred to by his pre-production name "Blow-Out".
  • At the start of the third stage, the car next to Cliffjumper has its number '12' reversed.
  • The labeling on Mirage's sides reads "Citane" rather than "Citanes".
  • Ratchet is consistently misspelled "Rachet".

Covers (2)

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://tfwiki.duckdns.org/index.php?title=The_Great_Car_Rally&oldid=1873888"