Love and Steel!

<table class="infobox" style="width: 20em;">

<tr style="background-color:#e7d492;text-align:center;font-size:12px;"> <td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; background-color:#e7d492; color:black;font-weight:bold;" align="center"> <table width="100%" style="background-color:transparent">

<tr style="font-size:14px;"> <td class="tti_buttonlink">« </td><td align="center">Headmasters #3 </td><td align="right" class="tti_buttonlink">» </td></tr> <tr class="tt1_secondarynav"> <td class="tti_buttonlink">« </td><td align="center">The Transformers (UK) #138–141 </td><td align="right" class="tti_buttonlink">» </td></tr></table> </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="font-size: 12px; background-color:#ffffff;" align="center"> <img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/b/b0/MarvelHeadmasters-3.jpg/230px-MarvelHeadmasters-3.jpg" width="230" height="351" border="0" /><br />Uwe Boll's Bubble Bobble </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; background-color:#e7d492; color:black;font-weight:bold;" align="center"> "Love and Steel!" </td></tr> <tr> <td>Publisher </td><td> Marvel Comics </td></tr> <tr> <td>Date published </td><td> July 1987 </td></tr> <tr> <td>Cover date </td><td> November 1987 </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Script </td><td> Bob Budiansky </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Pencils </td><td> Frank Springer </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Inks </td><td> Ian Akin & Brian Garvey </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Colors </td><td> Nelson Yomtov </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Lettering </td><td> Pat Brosseau </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Editor </td><td> Don Daley </td></tr>

<tr> <td>Continuity </td><td> Marvel Comics continuity </td></tr>

</table> The battle on Nebulos escalates as the Decepticons create their own Headmasters.

Synopsis

The Decepticons continue to wreak havoc on the formerly peaceful world of Nebulos, and the Autobots do their best to fight back, despite mistrust from the world's citizens. Meanwhile, Scorponok has captured a group of Nebulans led by Lord Zarak, and use them as laboratory animals for experiments, by which they intend to dispose of the humanoid populace of the planet. Lord Zarak successfully bargains for his life and convinces the Decepticons to duplicate the Headmaster process.

Luring the Autobots into a trap, the newly enhanced Decepticons prove to be a match for the Headmaster Autobots. Further distracting the Autobots by attacking innocent Nebulans, the Decepticons are able to defeat the Headmaster Autobots and imprison their humanoid binary-partners.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

<table border="5" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" align="center" style="border:#800000"> <tr> <th style="background:#FFEEEE"> Autobots</th><th style="background:#EEEEFE"> Decepticons</th><th style="background:antiquewhite"> Nebulans </th></tr> <tr> <td style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top">

• Brainstorm (1)
• Computron (3)
• Hardhead (4)
• Highbrow (17)
• Fortress Maximus (18)
• Chromedome (19)

</td><td style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top">

• Abominus (2)
• Apeface (5)
• Snapdragon (6)
• Scorponok (10)
• Mindwipe (11)
• Skullcruncher (12)
• Weirdwolf (20)

</td><td style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top">

• Duros (7)
• Arcana (8)
• Lord Zarak (9)
• Monzo (13)
• Galen (14)
• Stylor (15)
• Gort (16)

</td></tr></table>

Errors

• Fortress Maximus has yet another head design on the cover of this issue, which randomly shows up for one panel inside, as he's catching Llyra.
• Also on the cover, Hardhead is colored blue instead of green.
• On the splash page, the second narrative caption is incomplete, as it reads, "But all that changed a few hours ago . . . when these seven living mechanical monsters — the Decepticons Apeface, Cutthroat, Snapdragon, Rippersnapper, Hun-grr, Sinnertwin, and Blot —" . . . Presumably there should have been a third narrative caption telling what the monsters are doing. (Not that it isn't obvious from the art, but still.)
• Slugslinger and Triggerhappy are shown retreating with Snapdragon and the Terrorcons; Apeface and Blot are missing from the group. Rippersnapper is colored with Blot's color scheme in the same panel.
• The "weapons surrendered by six of our Autobot allies" bear no resemblance at all to the guns actually thrown down by the Autobots two issues prior. They do, however, look quite a bit like their future replacement Targetmaster weapons.
• All kinds of wackiness ensues as the Decepticons' Nebulan partners transform for the first time. When their heads are sitting on the ground, Snapdragon has a different design than his standard model (which also showed up last issue); in the next panel, he's in his normal head design. Mindwipe, meanwhile, has a completely made-up head when it's sitting on the ground. Apeface's head is correct when it's sitting on the ground, but in the next panel, he's got a mouth and eyes instead of a faceplate and eyeband. Apeface himself is miscolored, and drawn with rather squat proportions, making him look like a giant Nebulan.
• Fortress Maximus is drawn instead of Scorponok when the latter orders Mindwipe to create a diversion.

Items of note

• Advertised as part 3 in a 4-issue limited series.

Covers (5)

<table class="gallery" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><div class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px;"> <div class="thumb" style="padding: 13px 0; width: 150px;"><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 120px;"><img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/b/b0/MarvelHeadmasters-3.jpg/78px-MarvelHeadmasters-3.jpg" width="78" height="119" border="0" /></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> Headmasters #3

</div> </div></td> <td><div class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px;"> <div class="thumb" style="padding: 13px 0; width: 150px;"><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 120px;"><img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/5/56/MarvelUK-138.jpg/90px-MarvelUK-138.jpg" width="90" height="119" border="0" /></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> UK issue #138

</div> </div></td> <td><div class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px;"> <div class="thumb" style="padding: 13px 0; width: 150px;"><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 120px;"><img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/a/ab/MarvelUK-139.jpg/87px-MarvelUK-139.jpg" width="87" height="120" border="0" /></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> UK issue #139

</div> </div></td> <td><div class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px;"> <div class="thumb" style="padding: 13px 0; width: 150px;"><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 120px;"><img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/4/49/MarvelUK-140.jpg/87px-MarvelUK-140.jpg" width="87" height="120" border="0" /></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> UK issue #140

</div> </div></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div class="gallerybox" style="width: 155px;"> <div class="thumb" style="padding: 13px 0; width: 150px;"><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 120px;"><img alt="" src="/w2/images2/thumb/6/65/MarvelUK-141.jpg/87px-MarvelUK-141.jpg" width="87" height="120" border="0" /></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> UK issue #141

</div> </div></td> </tr> </table>

• Headmasters #3 cover: Autobot Headmasters save the Nebulans in bubbles, by Frank Springer.
• UK issue #138 cover: Rollbar, Goldbug and the ladies, by Barry Kitson.
• UK issue #139 cover: Blaster road surfs on Rollbar and Chase, by Robin Smith.
• UK issue #140 cover: Swindle threatening Big Steve, by Lee Sullivan.
• UK issue #141 cover: Brawl, by Lee Sullivan.

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