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Even for those who were able to subscribe, the partwork ended up not being quite as ''definitive'' as advertised. The reprints of Marvel US material were taken from IDW's ''Transformers Classic'' 'remasters', complete with newly-introduced typos and haphazard attempts to 'fix' errors. As such, many of the minor edits made to those stories for their original UK printings (to better jive with Furman's expanded continuity) are absent.<ref name=RyanFTarget2006>[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/uk-transformers-graphic-novel-partwork-from-hatchette.1088662/page-9#post-14167234 Ryan F on the TFW2005 forums]: "In order to smooth over the continuity cracks between the UK and US stories, the US books were usually edited (US#16-24 were especially affected) for their UK printing. But rather than the UK edits of the American stories, we get the familiar US versions. <nowiki>[...]</nowiki> Oh, and on page 214, there's a factual error as well, when it states that Transformers UK sold 200,000 copies per week. That's actually completely false. It actually sold 100,000 copies per week at its peak. That said, each individual comic sold would tend to be read by a number of people, as kids lent or gave their comics to siblings or school friends. It was calculated that, on average, each comic sold would be read by two-point-five people. Marvel (and other comic publishers such as Fleetway or IPC) would therefore take the ''actual'' circulation figures and apply this 2.5 multiplier to give a total readership that did exceed two hundred thousand on occasion. So whilst the ''readership'' was arguably 250K-plus, the actual ''number of copies'' sold was nowhere near that figure.</ref> Furthermore, thanks to the dreadfully-flat colouring of the ''Classics'' reprints, John Paul Bove's newly-coloured versions of the black-and-white UK strips—intended to match surrounding US stories—end up looking out of place anyway!
Even for those who were able to subscribe, the partwork ended up not being quite as ''definitive'' as advertised. The reprints of Marvel US material were taken from IDW's ''Transformers Classic'' 'remasters', complete with newly-introduced typos and haphazard attempts to 'fix' errors. As such, many of the minor edits made to those stories for their original UK printings (to better jive with Furman's expanded continuity) are absent.<ref name=RyanFTarget2006>[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/uk-transformers-graphic-novel-partwork-from-hatchette.1088662/page-9#post-14167234 Ryan F on the TFW2005 forums]: "In order to smooth over the continuity cracks between the UK and US stories, the US books were usually edited (US#16-24 were especially affected) for their UK printing. But rather than the UK edits of the American stories, we get the familiar US versions. <nowiki>[...]</nowiki> Oh, and on page 214, there's a factual error as well, when it states that Transformers UK sold 200,000 copies per week. That's actually completely false. It actually sold 100,000 copies per week at its peak. That said, each individual comic sold would tend to be read by a number of people, as kids lent or gave their comics to siblings or school friends. It was calculated that, on average, each comic sold would be read by two-point-five people. Marvel (and other comic publishers such as Fleetway or IPC) would therefore take the ''actual'' circulation figures and apply this 2.5 multiplier to give a total readership that did exceed two hundred thousand on occasion. So whilst the ''readership'' was arguably 250K-plus, the actual ''number of copies'' sold was nowhere near that figure.</ref> Furthermore, thanks to the dreadfully-flat colouring of the ''Classics'' reprints, John Paul Bove's newly-coloured versions of the black-and-white UK strips—intended to match surrounding US stories—end up looking out of place anyway!


Cover galleries include the covers for both the US and UK stories, but ''not'' the UK-exclusive covers for US stories. Additionally, it's apparent that Hatchette mapped out the partwork with the intent of being the first company to reprint the latter-day [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] material such as [[Transformers: Generation 1 (Dreamwave)|the Sunstorm arc]] and ''[[Transformers: Micromasters| Micromasters]]'', in volumes 27 and 28—but those volumes wound up containing issues from Dreamwave's ''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)| Armada]]'' comic, which merely guest-starred G1 characters and seem very out of place in a "Definitive ''G1'' Collection". Presumably, this late change occurred for the same reason those stories have never been reprinted in the first place—nobody's sure whether the creative teams were actually ''paid'' for their work.
Cover galleries include the covers for both the US and UK stories, but ''not'' the UK-exclusive covers for US stories. Additionally, it's apparent that Hachette mapped out the partwork with the intent of being the first company to reprint the latter-day [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] material such as [[Transformers: Generation 1 (Dreamwave)|the Sunstorm arc]] and ''[[Transformers: Micromasters| Micromasters]]'', in volumes 27 and 28—but those volumes wound up containing issues from Dreamwave's ''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)| Armada]]'' comic, which merely guest-starred G1 characters and seem very out of place in a "Definitive ''G1'' Collection". Presumably, this late change occurred for the same reason those stories have never been reprinted in the first place—nobody's sure whether the creative teams were actually ''paid'' for their work.


To make matters worse, the order in which much of the material is presented—particularly with IDW's stories—can often only be described as ''baffling''. Furthermore, many issues were first printed with glaring errors, and Hatchette's own notoriously-bad customer service made obtaining corrected replacements a nightmare for many subscribers.
To make matters worse, the order in which much of the material is presented—particularly with IDW's stories—can often only be described as ''baffling''. Furthermore, many issues were first printed with glaring errors, and Hachette's own notoriously-bad customer service made obtaining corrected replacements a nightmare for many subscribers.


==Volumes==
==Volumes==

Revision as of 23:03, 9 June 2020

4/5 of a grand tale.

Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection is a fortnightly 100-volume partwork from Hachette, edited by Simon Furman. Partworks are a Hachette specialty: a series will be collected out of order (the first Definitive was volume 6) for commercial purposes but can be collected on your shelf in order with a fancy picture on the collective spines. The collection aims to republish every single "Generation 1" comic ever made, including the original Marvel Comics run—UK and US—in order for the very first time. Each issue has a special cover and bonus content, and Fantastic FREE! Gifts are provided for subscribers. Marvel UK strips which were originally printed in black-and-white have been given brand new colours by John-Paul Bove using emulations of both 1980s American and latter-day Marvel UK techniques.[1] These include "Raiders of the Last Ark" in volume 1 and many later strips starting with "Race with the Devil" in volume 16.

The series was initially announced in September 2016 to contain 60 issues—ending with the Dark Cybertron crossover—but by the time of its launch in December, it had already been extended to 80 issues, with volume 80 providing some closure in the form of Till All Are One and Requiem of the Wreckers. In 2018, upon the conclusion of IDW's first continuity, fans observed that it would take around ten extra volumes to reprint the entire IDW catalogue—and on the 18th of July 2019, Simon Furman confirmed on Twitter that the collection had been extended by twenty issues for a total of 100.

Sounds great, right?

Well... not if you live outside the United Kingdom and Ireland. The partwork was given a trial-run in parts of the UK before a national release started in early 2017. In August 2017, the subscription also became available in Australia,[2] but became unavailable in July 2018 due to the closure of the Australian distributor. In January 2019, it became available in Poland,[3] with volumes being released in proper chronological order.

Even for those who were able to subscribe, the partwork ended up not being quite as definitive as advertised. The reprints of Marvel US material were taken from IDW's Transformers Classic 'remasters', complete with newly-introduced typos and haphazard attempts to 'fix' errors. As such, many of the minor edits made to those stories for their original UK printings (to better jive with Furman's expanded continuity) are absent.[4] Furthermore, thanks to the dreadfully-flat colouring of the Classics reprints, John Paul Bove's newly-coloured versions of the black-and-white UK strips—intended to match surrounding US stories—end up looking out of place anyway!

Cover galleries include the covers for both the US and UK stories, but not the UK-exclusive covers for US stories. Additionally, it's apparent that Hachette mapped out the partwork with the intent of being the first company to reprint the latter-day Dreamwave material such as the Sunstorm arc and Micromasters, in volumes 27 and 28—but those volumes wound up containing issues from Dreamwave's Armada comic, which merely guest-starred G1 characters and seem very out of place in a "Definitive G1 Collection". Presumably, this late change occurred for the same reason those stories have never been reprinted in the first place—nobody's sure whether the creative teams were actually paid for their work.

To make matters worse, the order in which much of the material is presented—particularly with IDW's stories—can often only be described as baffling. Furthermore, many issues were first printed with glaring errors, and Hachette's own notoriously-bad customer service made obtaining corrected replacements a nightmare for many subscribers.

Volumes

Each volume contains cover art from the original issues, plus a new introduction by Simon Furman. The bonus features below are in addition to these.
Vol. Issue Title Contents Bonus Features Release date
06 01 Target: 2006 Marvel UK #78–83
"Cybertron: The Middle Years!"
Marvel UK #84–88
Marvel US #21–23 		A guide to the launch of The Transformers: The Movie in the UK and its marketing purposes for Marvel UK, a "Meet... The Wreckers" feature, a behind-the-scenes look at the development of "Target: 2006", and a spotlight on Geoff Senior. 30/12/2016
36 02 Stormbringer Spotlight: Shockwave, Spotlight: Soundwave
Stormbringer #1–4
Spotlight: Nightbeat, Spotlight: Hot Rod 		An article on the beginning of IDW-verse production and several sketches by Figueroa. 11/01/2017
16 03 The Primal Scream Marvel UK #198, #213–222
Marvel US #56–61 		An overview of the change in format of the UK series and the introduction of 5-page black-and-white strips, and an article by Bove on the colouring techniques used at Marvel UK and Marvel US in the 1980s, and how he emulated them for colourising the UK strips. 27/01/2017
18 04 Edge of Extinction Marvel US #67–75 An overview of Marvel's Unicron and a spotlight on Andrew Wildman. 08/02/2017
29 05 The War Within The War Within #1–6 and preview Various character design sketches by Don Figueroa and an article on the making of The War Within. 22/02/2017
37 06 Escalation Spotlight: Sixshot, Spotlight: Ultra Magnus
Escalation #1–6 		Sketches by E. J. Su, bios on IDW Ultra Magnus & IDW Sixshot, an article on creating the IDW Spotlights, and an interview with Su.
 08/03/2017
08 07 Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive Marvel US #27–28
Marvel UK #113–120
"Vicious Circle!" (Annual 1997) 		An overview of the Marvel UK Annuals and a bio on Marvel Goldbug. 22/03/2017
39 08 Hearts of Steel Hearts of Steel #1–4
Spotlight: Galvatron, Spotlight: Optimus Prime, Spotlight: Mirage 		Concept art by Guido Guidi and an article about the creation of Hearts of Steel. 05/04/2017
10 09 Trial by Fire Headmasters #1–4
Marvel US #38–39
Marvel UK #130–132 		A retrospective on the Headmasters miniseries and an overview of how Marvel UK handled toy marketing. 19/04/2017
21 10 Regeneration One Regeneration One #80.5–85 A commentary on issue #81 by Simon Furman, an overview on production leading up to Regeneration One, and several cover sketches. 03/05/2017
31 11 The Iron Fist Transformers/G.I. Joe #1–6 Various character design sketches by Figueroa and an overview of the many G.I. Joe crossovers across the comics. 17/05/2017
50 12 Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness #1–4
The Transformers: Infestation #1–2 		A post-mortem on "Zombots" across the various comics and a bio on IDW Hardhead. 31/05/2017
59 13 Dark Cybertron, Part 1 Dark Cybertron one-shot
More than Meets the Eye #22–25
Robots in Disguise #23–24 		A bio on the Titans and the making of Dark Cybertron with John Barber and James Roberts. 14/06/2017
01 14 Power Play Marvel US #1–4
Marvel UK #9–#21 		The alternate ending of Marvel US #4, unused artwork from issue #1 by Frank Springer, and an overview of how Marvel UK first approached The Transformers. 28/06/2017
26 15 War and Peace Transformers: Generation 1 vol. 2 #1–6 and preview Top 10 Easter eggs for "War and Peace" and scorecards listing each faction and their crew members during the arc. 12/07/2017
35 16 Primacy Monstrosity #1–4
Primacy #1–4 		An interview with Flint Dille about his work on the G1 cartoon and his involvement in the Autocracy trilogy. 26/07/2017
64 17 Windblade Windblade vol. 1 #1–4
The Transformers vol. 2 #35–38 		A bio for Windblade, an overview of her conception, pictures of her Thrilling 30 toy, and early design sketches by Hasbro. 09/08/2017
19 18 Perchance to Dream Marvel UK #240–260
Marvel US #76–77 		A Marvel UK Classic Heroes Competition! page, an overview of Furman's attempts to connect Marvel UK's black-and-white strips to the US stories and how he would eventually have to abandon doing so, an article on the "Two Megatrons!" confusion, and a bio on Marvel Thunderwing. 23/08/2017
40 19 Maximum Dinobots Maximum Dinobots #1–5
Spotlight: Grimlock, Spotlight: Wheelie 		Dinobot sketches by Nick Roche and Klaus Scherwinski's Spotlight: Wheelie sketchbook. 06/09/2017
22 20 Natural Selection Regeneration One #86–90
"Peace" (Annual 1989) 		An overview of the Marvel Generation 2 comic and several cover sketches. 20/09/2017
46 21 Things Fall Apart The Transformers vol. 1 #2–8 Character design sketches by Figueroa, an extract from Decepticomments from The Transformers #4 by Mike Costa, and a bio on IDW Swindle. 04/10/2017
07 22 The Harder They Die Marvel UK #96–104
Marvel US #24–26 		An analysis of the many deaths of Optimus Prime in Generation 1. 18/10/2017
33 23 Megatron: Origin Megatron: Origin #1–4
Spotlight: Blurr, Spotlight: Orion Pax 		A discussion of the production stages on Megatron: Origin by Eric Holmes. 01/11/2017
14 24 Space Pirates Marvel UK #172–173, #180–189
Marvel US #43 & #51, "Altered Image!" (Annual 1989) 		How Marvel UK incorporated The Big Broadcast of 2006 into the timeline. 15/11/2017
43 25 All Hail Megatron, Part 1 All Hail Megatron #1–8 An article on creating All Hail Megatron, character design sketches by Guidi, and the series pitch by Shane McCarthy. 29/11/2017
52 26 The Death of Optimus Prime The Transformers vol. 1 #24, 26, 28, 30, 31
The Death of Optimus Prime 		An interview with James Roberts on how he worked his way up to become an ongoing writer, and character design sketches by Livio Ramondelli. 13/12/2017
44 27 All Hail Megatron, Part 2 All Hail Megatron #9–16 A Decepticon Roll Call with mini-bios, and trivia about All Hail Megatron #13–16, pointing out notable plot points in the Coda issues. 27/12/2017
20 28 End of the Road Marvel US #78–80
Marvel UK #261–289 		Articles about the ends of the US and UK series, including discussion of "Another Time & Place," the final letters page from #80, and script pages from #80. 10/01/2018
72 29 The Dying of the Light More than Meets the Eye #50–55 The bonus story "No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases and essential background material on the DJD 24/01/2018
75 30 Titans Return, Part 1 Till All Are One #1–4
Titans Return one-shot
The Transformers vol. 2 #56–57
More than Meets the Eye #56–57 		"Creating the IDW-Verse" — a two-page article on the beginning of More than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise. 07/02/2018
60 31 Dark Cybertron, Part 2 Robots in Disguise #25–27
More than Meets the Eye #26–27
Dark Cybertron: Finale one-shot 		A blow-by-blow account of Dark Cybertron's hidden secrets 21/02/2018
71 32 All Hail Optimus The Transformers vol. 2 #50–55 Background material on the Council of Worlds 07/03/2018
02 33 New Order Marvel US #5–#10
Marvel UK #29–#32
"And There Shall Come...a Leader!" (Annual 1995) 		Insights into Marvel UK's efforts to ease the transition between the US and UK material 21/03/2018
03 34 Dinobot Hunt Marvel UK #41–50
Marvel US #11–#12 		A look at the UK Christmas story tradition 04/04/2018
23 35 Destiny Regeneration One #91–95, #0
"Destiny of the Dinobots!" (Annual 1990) 		A feature on Regeneration One issue #0 and rare/unseen sketchbook art 18/04/2018
30 36 War Within: The Dark Ages War Within: The Dark Ages #1–6 Synopsis of War Within: the Age of Wrath, including art from unfinished issues. 02/05/2018
45 37 Last Stand of the Wreckers Last Stand of the Wreckers #1–5
Spotlight: Prowl
The Transformers vol. 1 #1 		Interview with Nick Roche, pre-production sketches and story drafts 16/05/2018
49 38 The Iron Age Ironhide #1–4
The Transformers vol. 1 #19–21 ("Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix" only). 		Casey Coller's Ironhide sketchbook 30/05/2018
11 39 The Legacy of Unicron Marvel UK #133–138, "What's in a Name?" (Annual 1997), #146–151
"Ark Duty" (Annual 1997)
Marvel US #40–41 		A feature on the origins of the origin of the Transformers 13/06/2018
17 40 Matrix Quest Marvel US #62–66
Marvel UK #223–239
"The Chain Gang!" (Annual 1990) 		Features on the stories behind "Matrix Quest" and, Marvel UK's crossover "Deathbringer" saga 27/06/2018
73 41 Transformers vs G.I. Joe, Part 1 Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #0–7 A creator commentary on issue #0 and an exclusive interview with Tom Scioli 11/07/2018
76 42 Titans Return, Part 2 Till All Are One #5–11 Article on Revolution 25/07/2018
62 43 Earthfall Robots in Disguise #28–34 The lowdown on the (new) human cast and rare promotional posters for the Dawn of the Autobots event 08/08/2018
04 44 Second Generation Marvel US #13–16
Marvel UK #59–65
"To a Power Unknown!" (Annual 1996) 		The story behind Marvel UK's Special Teams promotion 22/08/2018
32 45 Infiltration Infiltration #0–6 An article on "Creating the IDW-Verse: From the Ground Up", "The Pitch" - Furman's original pitch to IDW for Infiltration, and some sketches by E. J. Su. 05/09/2018
24 46 The War to End All Wars Regeneration One #96–100 the prose story "King of Shadows" and rare/unseen sketchbook art 19/09/2018
28 47 Worlds Collide Part 2 Armada #14–18
Dreamwave's More than Meets the Eye #8 		A brief overview of Dreamwave's Energon comic and a bonus glossary section dedicated entirely to background material from the Dreamwave G1-verse 03/10/2018
42 48 Revelation Spotlights: Arcee, Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer, Sideswipe, Jazz, Metroplex "-Ations" retrospective, sketchbook art from Alex Milne and E. J. Su reprinted from individual Spotlights 17/10/2018
65 49 Combiner Wars The Transformers vol. 2 #39–42
Windblade vol. 2 #1–4 		An article on the Prime Wars Trilogy 31/10/2018
79 50 Primeless Optimus Prime #9–12
Lost Light #9–12 		A one-page editorial by Simon Furman that mentions the IDW universe's impending end 14/11/2018
12 51 Cosmic Carnival Marvel UK #145, 152–153, 160–161
Marvel US #42, 44–46 		A behind-the-scenes look at the UK-only return of Megatron 28/11/2018
25 52 Prime Directive Tranformers: Generation 1 vol. 1 #1–6 (plus Preview) A two-page article on 'the in-between years' covering the time when no-one had the Transformers licence for comics. 12/12/2018
53 53 Liars, A to D More than Meets the Eye #1–6, Spotlight: Trailcutter and Spotlight: Hoist An all-new interview with James Roberts, rare archive material from the dawn of MTMTE, Alex Milne's sketchbook. 26/12/2018
55 54 Shadowplay More than Meets the Eye #7–13, plus the 2012 Annual The second of a new three-part interview with Roberts, early pages of scripts, and design sketches from Alex Milne. 09/01/2019
13 55 City of Fear Marvel UK #164–171
Marvel US #47–50
"Dreadwing Down!" (Annual 1990)
"Plague of the Insecticons!" (Annual 1985) 		A behind-the scenes look at a sea change moment for the US comic (Furman's takeover as head writer) and a Bob Budiansky sketchbook. 23/01/2019
41 56 Drift The Transformers: Drift #1–4
Spotlight: Drift, Spotlight: Blaster 		An article on creating Drift and some design sketches by Guido Guidi. 06/02/2019
74 57 Transformers vs G.I. Joe, Part 2 Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #8–13 No extras, but still has the cover art and intro from Furman present on all issues. 20/02/2019
47 58 International Incident The Transformers: Bumblebee #1–4
The Transformers vol. 1 #9–12 		An interview with Zander Cannon and breakdowns for pages 1–4 of each issue of the Bumblebee mini-series. 06/03/2019
05 59 The Smelting Pool Marvel US #17–#20
"Victory!" (Annual 1996)
Marvel UK #74–77 		Background material on the planet Cybertron with map. 20/03/2019
54 60 A Better Tomorrow Robots in Disguise #1–7 A new interview with John Barber 03/04/2019
48 61 Revenge of the Decepticons The Transformers vol. 1 #13–18
Spotlight: Megatron 		A Spotlight: Megatron sketchbook 17/04/2019
15 62 Time Wars Marvel UK #199–205
"All in the Minds!" (Annual 1989)
Marvel US #52–55. 		A behind-the-scenes look at Galvatron's storyline 01/05/2019
58 63 Shockpoint Robots in Disguise #15–22 A 2-page history of IDW Shockwave's history-setting plans. 15/05/2019
80 64 Requiem of the Wreckers Till All Are One #12
Till Are Are One Annual
2017 Transformers Annual
Requiem of the Wreckers 		Wreckers sketchbook and notebook material from Nick Roche. 29/05/2019
63 65 Elegant Chaos More than Meets the Eye #35–42 No bonus aside from Furman's intro and a cover gallery. 12/06/2019
09 66 Toy Soldiers Marvel UK #125 and Action Force #24–27
Marvel US #29–#32, #35–#37 		A one-page behind-the-scenes feature on "Man of Iron" and how it got reprinted in the US comic. 26/06/2019
78 67 New Cybertron Optimus Prime #1–8 A sketch gallery by Kei Zama 10/07/2019
67 68 Conquerors The Transformers vol. 2 #43–49
Combiner Hunters one-shot 		Development art by Andrew Griffith 24/07/2019
38 69 Devastation The Transformers: Devastation miniseries
Spotlights for Kup, Ramjet and Cliffjumper 		No bonus aside from Furman's intro and a cover gallery. 07/08/2019
57 70 Remain in Light More than Meets the Eye #14–21
Prose stories "Signal to Noise" and "The Sound of Breaking Glass" 		No bonus aside from Furman's intro and a cover gallery. 21/08/2019
77 71 Dissolution The Transformers: Lost Light #1–8 A sketch gallery by Jack Lawrence 04/09/2019
69 72 Sins of the Wreckers Sins of the Wreckers miniseries
The Transformers Holiday Special 		No bonus aside from Furman's intro and a cover gallery. 18/09/2019
56 73 City On Fire Robots in Disguise #8–14
2012 Annual 		No bonus aside from Furman's intro and a cover gallery. 02/10/2019
34 74 Autocracy The Transformers: Autocracy miniseries
Spotlight: Thundercracker 		A one-page article on Autocracy, including an interview with co-writer Chris Metzen. 16/10/2019
70 75 Punishment The Transformers: Punishment miniseries
The Transformers: Redemption one-shot
The Transformers: Salvation one-shot 		An article about the Motion Book Tool app used for the digital version of The Transformers: Punishment, a "Brief History of the (IDW) Dinobots", and a Livio Ramondelli sketchbook. 30/10/2019
27 76 Worlds Collide Part 1 Armada #8–13
More than Meets the Eye: Armada (select material) 		No bonus aside from Furman's intro and a cover gallery. 13/11/2019
68 77 Empire of Stone Drift - Empire of Stone miniseries
Windblade vol. 2 issues 5–7 		No bonus aside from Furman's intro and a cover gallery. 27/11/2019
51 78 Chaos Theory The Transformers vol. 1 #21 ("Police Action: Prologue" only), #22–23, 25, 27, 29
Spotlight: Bumblebee 		A one-page article exploring the origins of the "Chaos" arc and beyond. 11/12/2019
66 79 Speak, Memory More than Meets the Eye #43–49 A one-page article about the Scavengers. 25/12/2019
61 80 World, Shut Your Mouth More than Meets the Eye #28–34 A page of "Season 2" character posters. 08/01/2020
84 81 The Falling: Part 1 Optimus Prime #13–17
Optimus Prime Annual 2018 		A one-page article about the Primes. 22/01/2020
90 82 Generation 2: Part 1 Transformers: Generation 2 #0–6 An article about Fleetway's UK Generation 2 comic, including [small-scale scans of] "War Without End", their first UK-original G2 strip. 05/02/2020
81 83 Revolution Revolution #0–5
The Transformers Revolution one-shot
Till All Are One Revolution one-shot
More than Meets the Eye Revolution one-shot 		No bonus aside from Furman's intro. 19/02/2020
89 84 Realignments G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1–4
Marvel's G.I. Joe #138–142 		No bonus aside from Furman's intro and a cover gallery. 04/03/2020
82 85 Revolutionaries Revolutionaries #1–8 A two-page timeline of major IDW continuity events from issue #1, and the character profiles also from issue #1. 18/03/2020
92 86 Transformers: The Movie Marvel's adaption of the 1986 animated movie
IDW's adaption of that same movie 		A one-page article about the movie-verse in comics. 01/04/2020
83 87 First Strike First Strike #0–6
First Strike: Transformers one-shot
First Strike: Optimus Prime one-shot 		A one-page "Prelude to...Unicron!" article, preceding the reprint of "The Signal". 22/04/2020
95 88 G.I. Joe vs. Transformers, Part 1 Devil's Due's G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1–6 A one-page article about Devil's Due, a two-page article about creating the "Devil's Due-verse" and three pages of Mike S. Miller's sketchbook art. 13/05/2020
85 89 The Falling, Part 2 Optimus Prime #18–24 No bonus aside from Furman's intro and a cover gallery. 03/06/2020
93 90 Beast Wars: The Gathering Beast Wars: The Gathering #1–4 (assumed) 17/06/2020
86 91 The Everlasting Voices The Transformers: Lost Light #13–18 (assumed) 01/07/2020
96 92 G.I. Joe vs. Transformers, Part 2 Devil's Due's G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1–4 (assumed) 15/07/2020
87 93 Crucible The Transformers: Lost Light #19–25 (assumed) 27/07/2020
91 94 Generation 2, Part 2 Transformers: Generation 2 #7–12 (assumed) 12/08/2020
88 95 Unicron Transformers: Unicron #0–6 (assumed)
Optimus Prime #25 		26/08/2020
94 96 Beast Wars: The Ascending Beast Wars: The Ascending #1–4 (assumed) 09/09/2020
97 97 G.I. Joe vs. Transformers, Part 3 Devil's Due's G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War #1–5 (assumed) 23/09/2020
98 98 The World In Your Eyes Transformers #1–6 (assumed) 07/10/2020
99 99 The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Transformers #7–12 (assumed) 21/10/2020
100 100 Constructicons Rising Transformers: Galaxies #1–6 (assumed) 04/11/2020

Notes

  • The free gifts shipped to subscribers with the first five deliveries (each consisting of two isses - except the first, which included a third issue free) were:
    • Autobot/Decepticon insignia keyrings!
    • A wallet!
    • A tin-plate version of the cover to "Dark Star", featuring a cosmically-empowered Starscream!
    • A mug!
    • A pair of metal Autobot/Decepticon insignia bookends![5]
  • Before the partwork launched, the second free gift was advertised as an Autobrand belt buckle.[6]
  • The first issue collected "Target: 2006", and was coincidentally out at newsagents thirty years after the story originally ran.[7]
  • The printings of Marvel material aren't really identical to those released by IDW—for instance, issue 1 (volume 6 - confused yet?) includes various Marvel trademarks (such as the superheroes around the edge of the cover to "Heavy Traffic" and the kid wearing a Spider-Man t-shirt in "Decepticon Graffiti") which were painted out of IDW's reprints due to rights issues.[8]

Errors

  • When the website launched, it accidentally credited Andrew Wlidman.
  • Copies of the first issue provided to general retail and initial subscribers had an error on the spine, with the black volume number box at the top being the wrong size.[9] Subscribers received free corrected copies, while those who bought theirs at newsagents had to wait for replacements which were included with issue 7.[10] Hachette were seen giving away error-stricken copies for free at a signing event at a London comic shop.[11] This error shouldn't be confused with the change in spine art for the first four issues made between the limited trial run and the mass release,[12] which means that anyone who subscribed to the series from its trial will end up with three different copies of issue 1.
  • The poster included with issue 1 includes a bio for Jazz... which uses an image of Prowl.[13]
  • The trial versions of issues 1 and 2 had the inside cover art swapped: the "Target: 2006" book had artwork for Stormbringer, and vice versa.[14]
  • A feature in issue 1 states that the Marvel UK comic sold 200,000 copies per week, when really it only sold 100,000 per week at its peak. This error presumably stems from the fact that Marvel (and other publishers at the time) multiplied their circulation figures by 2.5 to calculate their readership, as they estimated that many issues would be shared between friends and siblings.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag This error was not present in IDW's original reprints.[15]
  • The bio for John Paul Bove included in issue 3 (volume 16) was apparently written by himself in the first person, then edited into the third person—one of the sentences written in first person remains![16]
  • Some copies of volume 22 had a number erroneously printed on one of the pages.[17]
  • The first print run for volume 35 had an error where the last two pages of Monstrosity #11 were swapped with two from "War and Peace" #3.[18]
  • Many volumes include pages which are stuck together, though this is easy enough for the reader to fix.
  • Though some readers may try to convince you otherwise, Mister Johnson is not an error.

Reading order

  • Within individual volumes, Marvel material is segregated between US and UK stories—even when those stories were originally interspersed, with connected narratives!
    • The material in volume 2 should be ordered US #5-8, UK #29-32, US #9-10. "And There Shall Come...a Leader!" is a Furman-penned comic from the 1995 annual, but it's a standalone flashback that isn't referenced until UK #44. "Plague of the Insecticons!" (the other comic from the annual) is set in the present day but doesn't match up with the continuity at large—for some reason it's included as backmatter to volume 13, alongside stories released three years later!
    • Volume 3 presents UK #41-50 before US #11-12. This should be the other way around!
    • The pack-in comic "The Special Teams Have Arrived" is absent—but of course, it was completely retold in UK #63-65, included here in volume 4.
    • The two comic stories from the 1986 annual aren't directly connected to specific issues; "To a Power Unknown!" doesn't really fit into continuity at all, but certainly takes place after UK #65—which is where the partwork puts it—while "Victory!" (which explains what happened to the Dinobots between UK #50 and #65) is placed before UK #74-77, another Dinobot-centric story which touches on its events.
    • "The Gift", UK #93's seasonal story by James Hill, is omitted; it should be placed in volume 6 between US #22 and US #23.
    • Volume 8 presents US #28 before UK #113-120, despite it having been published afterwards as UK #121-122, which means that Goldbug appears before he is created!
    • The stories from the 1987 annual are scattered. "Vicious Circle!" is placed in volume 8 alongside UK #113-120, collectively forming the first "post-movie" storyline. "What's In a Name?" is set during UK #135-136, but for some reason is placed after UK #137-138 in volume 11. "Ark Duty" is also thrown into volume 11, after UK #146-151... despite chronologically taking place some time before that story.
    • The Action Force crossover "Ancient Relics!" is printed in volume 9 before US #29. It was originally printed afterwards, interrupting the two-part story told across issues #29-30, but this change doesn't affect continuity.
    • As noted on the Earthforce page, the black-and-white backup strips from the tail-end of the Marvel UK run didn't really fit with the US material; this collection sidesteps the issue by placing them in a couple of blocks in volumes 19 and 20.
  • Presumably as an editorial decision, the partwork omits a large quantity of prose material.

Covers

  • Marvel (US & UK)
  • Vol 1: Power Play
    Vol 1: Power Play
  • Vol 2: New Order
    Vol 2: New Order
  • Vol 3: Dinobot Hunt
    Vol 3: Dinobot Hunt
  • Vol 4: Second Generation
    Vol 4: Second Generation
  • Vol 5: The Smelting Pool
    Vol 5: The Smelting Pool
  • Vol 6: Target: 2006
    Vol 6: Target: 2006
  • Vol 7: The Harder They Die
    Vol 7: The Harder They Die
  • Vol 8: Wanted: Galvatron - Dead or Alive
    Vol 8: Wanted:
    Galvatron - Dead or Alive
  • Vol 9: Toy Soldiers
    Vol 9: Toy Soldiers
  • Vol 10: Trial by Fire
    Vol 10: Trial by Fire
  • Vol 11: The Legacy of Unicron
    Vol 11:
    The Legacy of Unicron
  • Vol 12: Cosmic Carnival
    Vol 12: Cosmic Carnival
  • Vol 13: City of Fear
    Vol 13: City of Fear
  • Vol 14: Space Pirates
    Vol 14: Space Pirates
  • Vol 15: Time Wars
    Vol 15: Time Wars
  • Vol 16: The Primal Scream
    Vol 16: The Primal Scream
  • Vol 17: Matrix Quest
    Vol 17: Matrix Quest
  • Vol 18: Edge of Extinction
    Vol 18: Edge of Extinction
  • Vol 19: Perchance to Dream
    Vol 19:
    Perchance to Dream
  • Vol 20: End of the Road
    Vol 20: End of the Road
  • Marvel's Generation 2
  • Vol 89: Realignments
    Vol 89: Realignments
  • Vol 90: Generation 2 Part 1
    Vol 90: Generation 2 Part 1
  • IDW's Regeneration One
  • Vol 21: Regeneration One
    Vol 21: Regeneration One
  • Vol 22: Natural Selection
    Vol 22: Natural Selection
  • Vol 23: Destiny
    Vol 23: Destiny
  • Vol 24: The War to End All Wars
    Vol 24:
    The War to End All Wars
  • Dreamwave Productions
  • Vol 25: Prime Directive
    Vol 25: Prime Directive
  • Vol 26: War and Peace
    Vol 26: War and Peace
  • Vol 27: Worlds Collide Part 1
    Vol 27:
    Worlds Collide Part 1
  • Vol 28: Worlds Collide Part 2
    Vol 28:
    Worlds Collide Part 2
  • Vol 29: The War Within
    Vol 29: The War Within
  • Vol 30: War Within: The Dark Ages
    Vol 30:
    War Within: The Dark Ages
  • Vol 31: The Iron Fist
    Vol 31: The Iron Fist
  • 2005 IDW continuity
  • Vol 32: Infiltration
    Vol 32: Infiltration
  • Vol 33: Megatron Origin
    Vol 33: Megatron Origin
  • Vol 34: Autocracy
    Vol 34: Autocracy
  • Vol 35: Primacy
    Vol 35: Primacy
  • Vol 36: Stormbringer
    Vol 36: Stormbringer
  • Vol 37: Escalation
    Vol 37: Escalation
  • Vol 38: Devastation
    Vol 38: Devastation
  • Vol 39: Hearts of Steel
    Vol 39: Hearts of Steel
  • Vol 40: Maximum Dinobots
    Vol 40: Maximum Dinobots
  • Vol 41: Drift
    Vol 41: Drift
  • Vol 42: Revelation
    Vol 42: Revelation
  • Vol 43: All Hail Megatron, Part 1
    Vol 43:
    All Hail Megatron, Part 1
  • Vol 44: All Hail Megatron, Part 2
    Vol 44:
    All Hail Megatron, Part 2
  • Vol 45: Last Stand of the Wreckers
    Vol 45:
    Last Stand of the Wreckers
  • Vol 46: Things Fall Apart
    Vol 46: Things Fall Apart
  • Vol 47: International Incident
    Vol 47:
    International Incident
  • Vol 48: Revenge of the Decepticons
    Vol 48:
    Revenge of the Decepticons
  • Vol 49: The Iron Age
    Vol 49: The Iron Age
  • Vol 50: Heart of Darkness
    Vol 50: Heart of Darkness
  • Vol 51: Chaos Theory
    Vol 51: Chaos Theory
  • Vol 52: The Death of Optimus Prime
    Vol 52: The Death of
    Optimus Prime
  • Vol 53: Liars, A to D
    Vol 53: Liars, A to D
  • Vol 54: A Better Tomorrow
    Vol 54: A Better Tomorrow
  • Vol 55: Shadowplay
    Vol 55: Shadowplay
  • Vol 56: City On Fire
    Vol 56: City On Fire
  • Vol 57: Remain In Light
    Vol 57: Remain In Light
  • Vol 58: Shockpoint
    Vol 58: Shockpoint
  • Vol 59: Dark Cybertron, Part 1
    Vol 59:
    Dark Cybertron, Part 1
  • Vol 60: Dark Cybertron, Part 2
    Vol 60:
    Dark Cybertron, Part 2
  • Vol 61: World Shut Your Mouth
    Vol 61:
    World Shut Your Mouth
  • Vol 62: Earthfall
    Vol 62: Earthfall
  • Vol 63: Elegant Chaos
    Vol 63: Elegant Chaos
  • Vol 64: Windblade
    Vol 64: Windblade
  • Vol 65: Combiner Wars
    Vol 65: Combiner Wars
  • Vol 66: Speak, Memory
    Vol 66: Speak, Memory
  • Vol 67: Conquerors
    Vol 67: Conquerors
  • Vol 68: Empire of Stone
    Vol 68: Empire of Stone
  • Vol 69: Sins of the Wreckers
    Vol 69: Sins of the Wreckers
  • Vol 70: Punishment
    Vol 70: Punishment
  • Vol 71: All Hail Optimus
    Vol 71: All Hail Optimus
  • Vol 72: The Dying of the Light
    Vol 72:
    The Dying of the Light
  • Vol 75: Titans Return, Part 1
    Vol 75:
    Titans Return, Part 1
  • Vol 76: Titans Return, Part 2
    Vol 76:
    Titans Return, Part 2
  • Vol 77: Dissolution
    Vol 77: Dissolution
  • Vol 78: New Cybertron
    Vol 78: New Cybertron
  • Vol 79: Primeless
    Vol 79: Primeless
  • Vol 80: Requiem of the Wreckers
    Vol 80: Requiem of the Wreckers
  • Vol 81: Revolution
    Vol 81: Revolution
  • Vol 82: Revolutionaries
    Vol 82: Revolutionaries
  • Vol 83: First Strike
    Vol 83: First Strike
  • Vol 84: The Falling Part 1
    Vol 84: The Falling Part 1
  • Vol 85: The Falling Part 2
    Vol 85: The Falling Part 2
  • Miscellaneous
  • Vol 73: Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, Part 1
    Vol 73:
    Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, Part 1
  • Vol 74: Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, Part 2
    Vol 74:
    Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, Part 2
  • Vol 92: Transformers: The Movie
    Vol 92:
    Transformers: The Movie
  • Vol 95: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers, Part 1
    Vol 95:
    G.I. Joe vs. Transformers, Part 1
Extended cover gallery

References

  1. ↑ "A Different Approach to Colour", Vol.16
  2. ↑ Ozformers Transformers Club of Australia: UK Definitive Comic collection from Hachette now in Australia
  3. ↑ Polish version of official site
  4. ↑ Ryan F on the TFW2005 forums: "In order to smooth over the continuity cracks between the UK and US stories, the US books were usually edited (US#16-24 were especially affected) for their UK printing. But rather than the UK edits of the American stories, we get the familiar US versions. [...] Oh, and on page 214, there's a factual error as well, when it states that Transformers UK sold 200,000 copies per week. That's actually completely false. It actually sold 100,000 copies per week at its peak. That said, each individual comic sold would tend to be read by a number of people, as kids lent or gave their comics to siblings or school friends. It was calculated that, on average, each comic sold would be read by two-point-five people. Marvel (and other comic publishers such as Fleetway or IPC) would therefore take the actual circulation figures and apply this 2.5 multiplier to give a total readership that did exceed two hundred thousand on occasion. So whilst the readership was arguably 250K-plus, the actual number of copies sold was nowhere near that figure.
  5. ↑ Archived copy of official site
  6. ↑ Archived copy of official site
  7. ↑ Solar Pool: "The Target: 2006 book is already out... if it doesn’t [finish], Target: 2006 was back on at least some newsagents shelves towards the end of its 30th anniversary week. How cool is that?"
  8. ↑ Ryan F on the TFW2005 forums: "The weird thing is, though, these aren't the IDW versions. The cover to Heavy Traffic has all the Marvel characters around the edge, and the little kid in Decepticon Graffiti is wearing his Spider-Man t-shirt. This stuff was painted out of the IDW trades due to rights issues with Marvel."
  9. ↑ ultra badness on the TFW2005 forums: "I just got an email from Hachette to say they had misprinted the spine art on issue 1. And hey will send a replacement. Hurrah! Im going to have 3 issues!"
  10. ↑ Magnus' Mate on TFW2005: "Incidentally, the 'corrected' #1 will be available to non-subscribers as well, included free with issue #7!"
  11. ↑ Millarworld forums (dead link)
  12. ↑ Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection on Facebook
  13. ↑ fishpop on the TFW2005 forums: "Also: the poster that comes with Volume 1 (Target: 2006) shows some small character bios but goofs up the "Jazz" bio by using a picture of Prowl."
  14. ↑ drmick on the TFW2005 forums: "On anybody else's copies, is the inside cover art wrong? I've got Stormbringer art inside the Target:2006 book, and Target:2006 art inside the Stormbringer book."
  15. ↑ Magnus' Mate on the TFW2005 forums: "Except the IDW "Transformers Classics" volume 2 with issue #23 in doesn't have this same problem - Skids is still Skids, not Skips! I know there are other problems with them, but this one is on Hachette."
  16. ↑ drmick on the TFW2005 forums: "There is also a half page bio on JP, which was obviously written by himself in the first person, and then edited to be the third person- but they missed one of the first person senetnces and it is still in there!"
  17. ↑ rodster6 on the TFW2005 forums: "Got volume 7 today (which I think is issue 22) and there is a weird number printed randomly on one page that shouldn't be there."
  18. ↑ fishpop on the TFW2005 forums: "The last two pages of Monstrosity #11 have been swapped with the ones from W&P #3"
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