Transformers Annual 1985

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BIG BOXES FROM SPACE!
Transformers Annual 1986
Publisher	Marvel Comics in association with Grandreams
First published	December 1985
Cover date	1986
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity
ISBN	0-86227-331-5
Page count	64
Price	£3.25

The Transformers Annual 1986 was published in the UK by Marvel Comics Ltd. in association with Grandreams Ltd. in December 1985.

Contents

• Introduction to the main Decepticons
• Introduction to the Autobot Ark crew (as seen in issue #1 of the comic)
• Plague of the Insecticons! (Part 1)
• Puzzles: The Transformers Name and Face Match!, Find the outline of the fastest Autobot- Cliffjumper.
• Missing in Action (Part 1)
• Puzzles: Decepticon Word Scramble, Decepticon Match-Up!
• And There Shall Come...a Leader! (Part 1)
• Missing in Action (Part 2)
• And There Shall Come...a Leader! (Part 2)
• Puzzle: Match the Autobot Robot and Vehicle
• Game: Hexagonal Attack on Castle Decepticon!
• Hunted!
• Puzzles: Huffer's Word Maze, Hound's Scrambled Word Message
• Plague of the Insecticons! (Part 2)
• Puzzle: Ratchet to the Rescue!
• Puzzle Answer Page

Synopsis

Decepticon Introduction

The first two-page spread of the annual. Shows the box art with accompanying introductory text of the main Decepticon cast; Megatron, Starscream, Ravage, Skywarp, Soundwave, Rumble, and Laserbeak.

Autobot Introduction

Two page Autobot roll-call as printed in issue #1 of the comic, introducing all of the 1984 Autobots.

Plague of the Insecticons!

Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Warpath travel to Washington D.C. to engage in peace talks with the President, but the Insecticons arrive and attack the humans while posing as Autobots.

Missing in Action

Tracks travels on a reconnaissance mission to Greater Portland, where he encounters and is critically wounded by Rumble in an alleyway behind Woolworth's. Left to go off-line, Tracks converts to vehicle mode and is found by a young hooligan named J.D., who decides to use Tracks as a getaway car in the robbery he's about to participate in.

J.D. and his partner-in-crime, Mark, take Tracks to New York to continue their crime spree where Tracks's Autobot symbol is recognised by a young boy named Danny. Meanwhile, Prime hears of Tracks being used as a getaway car and sends Inferno, Grapple and Hoist to retrieve him. After seeing the Autobot symbol on Tracks' hood, Danny follows the drivers into a bank to tell them what they were driving, only to find they're robbing the bank. Inferno, Grapple and Hoist arrive on the scene, and the sight of three giant robots causes J.D. to inadvertently set off the timer on the bomb he was holding.

The Autobots are thrown to the ground as the front of the bank is blown outwards. Upon hearing of the hostages inside, they begin to evacuate the building and get everyone but Danny clear. Inferno ignores the fact he is 30 foot tall and enters the burning building, shielding Danny with his heat-resistant body. Danny is taken to the hospital, J.D. and Mark are taken by the police, Tracks is brought home and given a lecture by Optimus Prime.

And There Shall Come...A Leader!

The Decepticons are staging a final assault on Iacon. Emirate Xaaron campaigns the Council of Autobot Elders to relinquish command of the Autobot army to a warrior, Optimus Prime.

Hunted!

Bumblebee is stuck on-base with Prowl monitoring news channels for Decepticon activity, complaining about being excluded from combat missions. Prowl spots a small piece of metal in the background of a news report, instantly recognising it as a piece of Ravage's hide. What a clever chap Prowl is.

Bumblebee and the Jumpstarters convince Prowl to go to South America, where the report originated, and investigate. After wrecking a military roadblock and wrestling with a Boa Constrictor, they discover Megatron has a secret crystal mine, mining for ultra-rare crystals which can be imbued with artificial intelligence, creating Megatron an army of soldiers! He also has a human expedition team held hostage.

Bumblebee attacks the mine-fortress alone, somehow avoiding Starscream, Thrust, and Dirge's fire power. The Jumpstarters manage to shoot down Starscream causing him to crash into the mine, destroying it instantly.

Megatron escapes, leaving the lone Bumblebee unscathed, and tells him there's a bomb in his fortress where the humans are held prisoner. Bumblebee saves them in the nick of time.

Items of Note

• This was the first annual, published for Christmas 1985. Due to the 1985 print date in the cover it is frequently referred to as the 1985 annual. As many annuals are printed at the end of the year before this has led to it being dated as such.
• A softcover edition of the annual was reprinted in 1986 which has 4 extra blank pages due to the binding. The internal contents are identical save for correcting the mislabeling of Page 47 as page 46!
• The Annual contains 8 one-page puzzles and a two-page game.
• Rumble is red and black, lending more credence to FIBRIR.
• President Ronald Reagan refers to Optimus as a "lorry".
• Page 47 is erroneously mis-labelled as page "46"
• In the puzzle answers page, the answer for the "Transformers Name and Face Match!" puzzle has Ravage and Laserbeak switched around.