Deadly Games!

« The Transformers (UK) #170–171 »
It's the eye of the tiger and the thrill of the fight...
"Deadly Games!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	11th June - 18th June 1988
Cover date	18th June - 25th June 1988
Writer	Simon Furman
Art	Dan Reed
Colour	Euan Peters
Letterer	Glib
Cover	Jeff Anderson and Jerry Paris
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity (Marvel UK)
Chronology	1988

Ultra Magnus finds himself up against a real hooligan...

Synopsis

The Jekka Amphitheatre was once host to the State Games, in which noble warriors fought honourable duels against one another, but that was long ago before the war. Nowadays, there are only... "Deadly Games!"

New generic or early Optimus Minor cameo? You make the call.

In the arena, the Autobot Chameleon fights a losing battle against the mechanoid Hooligan. He tries to escape by using his cloaking powers, but the crowd tell Hooligan what is happening. The brutal mechanoid switches to heat vision and chops off Chameleon's right arm. The Autobot tries transforming, but the pain is too much and he collapses. Hooligan asks the lord of the games for a verdict, which is death.

The next day, Ultra Magnus and the Sparkler Mini-Bots are searching Tyrest to find out what killed Chameleon, who had reported a deal between the Decepticons and an alien. Ultra Magnus had been preparing to return to Earth with the Wreckers to confront Galvatron when Chameleon's corpse was brought in (minus an arm), and Magnus and the Sparklers decided to disobey Emirate Xaaron's orders not to leave Autobase to investigate. Having found nothing, they are about to return, when Sizzle spots the old amphitheatre and convinces the others to take a brief look inside, even though Magnus believes it will be deserted. In a tunnel, they find a huge pile of corpses, including Chameleon's missing arm. Then they are confronted by Decepticons, led by the Firecons, who have been aching for a rematch with the Sparkabots. As the two confront each other, Ultra Magnus is grabbed by an alien. Zabra, the lord of the games, declares that Ultra Magnus will be the star of the next fight!

Game On!

Even in 1988, Transformers had rampant fanboys.

The amphitheatre rapidly fills up with spectators and souvenir salesmen, with everyone enjoying the games, bar those due to die in them. In the cells, Zabra has Magnus beaten before being taken up, with the warning that if he resists, the Firecons will kill one of the Sparklers. Magnus points out the games are illegal under intergalactic law and asks Zabra if "living off other creatures' suffering" ever bothers him. But the alien argues he is just the supply part of a supply and demand situation, taking the money whilst the games bring trade to the Decepticons and joy to the audience, all under the cover of war. Magnus now enters the arena to see his opponent: Hooligan.

In the cells, the Sparklers start arguing and fighting with one another, but it proves a ploy to lure in the Decepticon guard and overpower him. Up in the arena, Ultra Magnus tries to convince Hooligan he is being exploited for the pleasure of others, but Hooligan responds that he likes fighting. Meanwhile, the Sparklers debate whether to follow Magnus's orders to return to Autobase and take his place on the mission to Earth. Fizzle argues this isn't the right course of action. Back in the arena, Magnus decides that since Hooligan is as perverted as Zabra, he doesn't need to hold back. He fights fiercely and overpowers Hooligan. Up in his box, Zabra is glad, as it means Ultra Magnus will become the new star of the games.

Deal with this, Zabra.

The crowd goes wild and urges Ultra Magnus to kill Hooligan, but Magnus instead declares that the games are over. He leaps up to the box and attacks Zabra. The Decepticon guards are about to shoot Magnus when they are gunned down by the Sparkabots, who have decided to stay and help. With the games collapsing, the Firecons decide to escape.

Ultra Magnus finishes subduing Zabra and tells the crowd he isn't going to kill the alien, but will instead take him into custody. He goes on to explain that killing is not a sport and shouldn't be taken lightly; it should only happen when it's unavoidable. People should cherish life and not throw it away senselessly. He tells the crowd to go away and think about it.

But as the crowd leaves, one of them talks of a great murderpit on Derut Four...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Aliens
Chameleon (2) Ultra Magnus (4) Sizzle (5) Fizzle (6) Guzzle (7) Emirate Xaaron (8) Springer (9) Broadside (10) Sandstorm (11)	Flamefeather (12) Cindersaur (13) Sparkstalker (14)	Hooligan (1) Zabra (3) Hideous giant brain guy (15)

Notes

Continuity notes

• The big one is the nod to "State Games".
• This is the first appearance of the Firecons in robot mode.
• The latter part of this story overlaps with the first part of "Wrecking Havoc" in the next issue, explaining why Ultra Magnus is unable to join the Wreckers on their mission to Earth.
• This story is the last time the present-day incarnation of Ultra Magnus appears in the comic, although his counterpart in the future timeline made further appearances over the next fifty-four issues.

Real-life references

• The cover for 171 clearly states Hooligan is from the planet Mil-Wal. At the time of original publication, UK football club Millwall were notorious for being in the news for the rioting and general bad behaviour of their fans. The club did not see the funny side of the image and sent the comic an angry letter.

Back-up material

Issue #170

• Back-up strips: Action Force - "Thunder Machine" and Combat Colin
• Issue #170 also came with a one-page bonus strip that was actually an advert for the comic. Ultra Magnus explains the war against the Decepticons, ending with Galvatron being pimped as their greatest threat. "Only a miracle can save us now!", Magnus tells us, and an insert of the head of Power Master Optimus Prime (who'll be making his comeback in six issues and will get a cliffhanger battle against Galvatron in "Time Wars").

Issue #171

• Back-up strips: Action Force - "Snap Decisions" and Combat Colin

Covers (7)

• 
  Issue #170 - Zabra gets a cool sticker of some robots for his blade
• 
  Issue #171
• 
  Transformers Comic-Magazin #23 - Possibly the most accurate Comic-Magazin cover yet
• 
  Holiday Special 1993 - Now with 50% less neon

• Issue #170 cover: Zabra terrorises Ultra Magnus and the Sparklers; art by Jeff Anderson.
• Issue #171 cover: Ultra Magnus in the Jekka Amphitheatre; art by Jerry Paris.
• Transformers Comic-Magazin #21 cover: Some kid watches Ultra Magnus and Hooligan fight.
• Holiday Special 1993 cover: recolored version of issue #171.

• 
  City of Fear TPB
• 
  Best of UK: City of Fear TPB
• 
  The Transformers Classics UK Volume 5

• City of Fear TPB cover: Ultra Magnus and the Wreckers battle the zombie horde; art by Geoff Senior.
• Best of UK: City of Fear TPB cover: Trypticon destroying zombies; art by Andrew Griffith.
• The Transformers Classics UK Volume 5 cover: The head of Unicron watches over Triton swapping his badge, Zombie Impactor attacking Springer, a fleeing Cyclonus and Scourge and an angry Flame, by Andrew Wildman.

Generics

Once again, Dan Reed is called upon to populate Cybertron with weird and wonderful generics. The crowds at the amphitheatre are a mix of aliens and Decepticons, and even some aliens wearing Decepticon insignia.

• 
  Some bizarre aliens and a marvellous generic Decepticon berate Hooligan.
• 
  The front two could be Decepticons or mechanoid aliens.
• 
  Who's that strangely blue human in the crowd? A self-portrait?
• 
  Note the slug-like alien playing dress-up as a Decepticon.
• 
  The guard who, er, guards the Sparkabots is almost definitively generic. His lack of insignia means we can't even tell if he's supposed to be a Decepticon. Perhaps one of the aliens stole it.
• 
  Three Decepticon guards prepare to shoot Ultra Magnus. They are slagged by the Sparklers in the next panel.
• 
  Two of these three aliens would later deliver the punchline to this story.

Reprints

• 1992 — Transformers Comic-Magazin #23
• 1993 — Transformers Holiday Special
• 2004 — Transformers: City of Fear
• 2009 — The Transformers: Best of UK: City of Fear #5
• 2009 — The Transformers: Best of UK: City of Fear TPB
• 2014 — The Transformers Classics UK Volume 5

External links

• The generics of issue #170 at the Obscure Transformers Website