Pretender to the Throne!: Difference between revisions
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{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel Comics)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #40 | |||
|prev=The Desert Island of Space! | |||
|next=Totaled! | |||
|title=Pretender to the Throne! | |||
|seriesissue2=[[Generation 1 (Marvel Comics)|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #162–163 | |||
|prev2=Salvage! | |||
|next2=City of Fear! | |||
|image=MarvelUS-40.jpg | |||
|caption=The Decepticons look uglier than I remember. | |||
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] | |||
|date=January 1988 | |||
|coverdate=May 1988 | |||
|writer=[[Bob Budiansky]] | |||
|penciler=[[Jose Delbo]] | |||
|inker=[[Dave Hunt]] | |||
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]] | |||
|letterer=[[Bill Oakley]] | |||
|editor=[[Don Daley]] | |||
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]] | |||
}} | |||
'''Optimus Prime lives... sorta; the Pretenders are created by Scorponok.''' | '''Optimus Prime lives... sorta; the Pretenders are created by Scorponok.''' | ||
| Line 261: | Line 25: | ||
Since Optimus Prime's destruction, Ethan Zachary has been using the copy of Prime's mind he had saved on a [[floppy disk]] at that time to play video games. Although Prime is sentient and able to converse with Zachary, Prime believes himself to be nothing more than a computer character. | Since Optimus Prime's destruction, Ethan Zachary has been using the copy of Prime's mind he had saved on a [[floppy disk]] at that time to play video games. Although Prime is sentient and able to converse with Zachary, Prime believes himself to be nothing more than a computer character. | ||
In an attempt to convince Prime that he is more than this, Zachary tries to phone [[Buster Witwicky]], but ends up talking to his father, Sparkplug. Embittered by recent events | In an attempt to convince Prime that he is more than this, Zachary tries to phone [[Buster Witwicky]], but ends up talking to his father, Sparkplug. Embittered by recent events<ref>"[[Toy Soldiers!]]" and "[[The Desert Island of Space!]]", most notably.</ref>, Sparkplug rants at Zachary, then hangs up. | ||
Fortunately, Spike Witwicky bugged his old man's apartment and overhears the mention of Optimus Prime. He, Goldbug, and Brainstorm, on board the ''[[Steelhaven]],'' discuss the possibility that Prime might be alive, and Goldbug travels to [[Earth]] to investigate. Goldbug traces the phone call to [[Alternate Reality, Inc.]], Zachary's computer game company. | Fortunately, Spike Witwicky bugged his old man's apartment and overhears the mention of Optimus Prime. He, Goldbug, and Brainstorm, on board the ''[[Steelhaven]],'' discuss the possibility that Prime might be alive, and Goldbug travels to [[Earth]] to investigate. Goldbug traces the phone call to [[Alternate Reality, Inc.]], Zachary's computer game company. | ||
[[Image:Decepticonpretenders-behold.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Nobody will connect the giant alien monsters with the giant alien robots! Heck, we'll practically be invisible!]] | [[Image:Decepticonpretenders-behold.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Nobody will connect the giant alien monsters with the giant alien robots! Heck, we'll practically be invisible!]] | ||
| Line 271: | Line 34: | ||
==Featured characters== | ==Featured characters== | ||
{{featuredcharacters | |||
|c1= | |||
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (1) | * [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (1) | ||
* [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] (5) | * [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] (5) | ||
| Line 290: | Line 46: | ||
* [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]] (21) | * [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]] (21) | ||
* [[Splashdown]] (22) | * [[Splashdown]] (22) | ||
|c2= | |||
* [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] (8) | * [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] (8) | ||
* [[Iguanus (G1)|Iguanus]] (11) | * [[Iguanus (G1)|Iguanus]] (11) | ||
| Line 299: | Line 54: | ||
* [[Bugly]] (15) | * [[Bugly]] (15) | ||
* [[Finback]] (16) | * [[Finback]] (16) | ||
|c3= | |||
'''Regulars''' | '''Regulars''' | ||
* [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (3) | * [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (3) | ||
* [[Spike Witwicky]] (4) | * [[Spike Witwicky]] (4) | ||
'''Guests''' | '''Guests''' | ||
* [[Ethan Zachary]] (2) | * [[Ethan Zachary]] (2) | ||
|h4=[[Nebulon]]s|c4= | |||
* [[Vorath]] (9) | * [[Vorath]] (9) | ||
* [[Zarak (Nebulan)|Zarak]] (10) | * [[Zarak (Nebulan)|Zarak]] (10) | ||
}} | |||
==Errors== | ==Errors== | ||
[[Image:Pretendertothethrone-landmine.jpg|right|250px|thumb|We won't even go into the issue of how these things can walk and stuff when they're completely hollow.]] | [[Image:Pretendertothethrone-landmine.jpg|right|250px|thumb|We won't even go into the issue of how these things can walk and stuff when they're completely hollow.]] | ||
| Line 334: | Line 82: | ||
===Covers (3)=== | ===Covers (3)=== | ||
<gallery> | |||
Image:MarvelUS-40.jpg|'''US Issue 40''' - Hey look, its THOSE GUYS who have been here the whole time HONEST! | |||
Image:MarvelUK-162.jpg|'''UK Issue 162''' - Tutankhamun eat your heart out! | |||
Image:MarvelUK-163.jpg|'''UK Issue 163''' - Thus starts the 'so WHICH way do they open?' debate | |||
</gallery> | |||
'''US Issue 40''' - Hey look, its THOSE GUYS who have been here the whole time HONEST! | |||
'''UK Issue 162''' - Tutankhamun eat your heart out! | |||
'''UK Issue 163''' - Thus starts the 'so WHICH way do they open?' debate | |||
* '''U.S. issue 40 cover:''' Skullgrin and Bomb-Burst by [[Jose Delbo]] | * '''U.S. issue 40 cover:''' Skullgrin and Bomb-Burst by [[Jose Delbo]] | ||
* '''UK issue 162 cover:''' Cloudburst emerging from his shell by [[Jeff Anderson]] and [[David Elliot]] | * '''UK issue 162 cover:''' Cloudburst emerging from his shell by [[Jeff Anderson]] and [[David Elliot]] | ||
| Line 370: | Line 95: | ||
==Footnotes== | ==Footnotes== | ||
<references/> | |||
[[Category:Marvel US issues]] | [[Category:Marvel US issues]] | ||
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]] | [[Category:Marvel UK issues]] | ||
Revision as of 02:10, 30 March 2009
| |||||||||||||
 The Decepticons look uglier than I remember. | |||||||||||||
| Pretender to the Throne! | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||||||||||||
| First published | January 1988 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | May 1988 | ||||||||||||
| Writer | Bob Budiansky | ||||||||||||
| Penciler | Jose Delbo | ||||||||||||
| Inker | Dave Hunt | ||||||||||||
| Colorist | Nel Yomtov | ||||||||||||
| Letterer | Bill Oakley | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Don Daley | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Marvel Comics continuity | ||||||||||||
Optimus Prime lives... sorta; the Pretenders are created by Scorponok.
Synopsis
Since Optimus Prime's destruction, Ethan Zachary has been using the copy of Prime's mind he had saved on a floppy disk at that time to play video games. Although Prime is sentient and able to converse with Zachary, Prime believes himself to be nothing more than a computer character.
In an attempt to convince Prime that he is more than this, Zachary tries to phone Buster Witwicky, but ends up talking to his father, Sparkplug. Embittered by recent events[1], Sparkplug rants at Zachary, then hangs up.
Fortunately, Spike Witwicky bugged his old man's apartment and overhears the mention of Optimus Prime. He, Goldbug, and Brainstorm, on board the Steelhaven, discuss the possibility that Prime might be alive, and Goldbug travels to Earth to investigate. Goldbug traces the phone call to Alternate Reality, Inc., Zachary's computer game company.
Zachary and Goldbug meet, compare notes, and surmise that sending Prime on a mission might help him understand that he is more than a program. They send Prime into the computer of a genetics lab that has been seized by the Decepticons. There, Optimus learns about the experiment by Headmaster Decepticon leader Scorponok to create the Pretenders. Copying the data from this experiment, Prime returns to Goldbug and Zachary, but his computerized presence does not go unnoticed. While Goldbug and Zachary transmit this data to the spacecraft above, thus creating Autobot Pretenders, the Decepticon Pretenders trace Prime back to Zachary's software company and launch an attack. The computerized Prime coordinates the Autobot Pretenders' successful defense of the company's headquarters, and the Decepticons are repulsed. However, this experience does nothing to convince Prime that he is a real, living robot.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Nebulons |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Regulars
Guests
|
Errors
- Goldbug claims to have seen Prime's body launched into the Earth's sun for burial. When the funeral bier is launched in "Funeral for a Friend!", Bumblebee/Goldbug is not listed among the Autobots present, presumably because he is still a pile of parts, due to events in the G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover. (Although this problem doesn't apply to the UK printing, which didn't include the crossover.) Also, we learn later in the series that the bier was not launched into the sun in the first place.
- Landmine's shell is drawn with multiple segments opening up to release his inner robot form. However, the opened sections are non-contiguous, meaning his robot limbs would have to detach in order for him to exit the shell.
Items of note
- The computer game in which Prime fights includes the "Mechabots" as the good guys, the "Bombasticons" as the bad guys, and "Hyper-Fax" (or possibly "Hyperfax") as the land/city/planet that Prime fights to defend.
- Goldbug's original body was destroyed by Triple-I in #37, and he was rescued by the Autobot Headmasters] in #38.
- The Autobots manage to replicate the innovative and unprecedented Pretender creation process really quickly...
- Goldbug comments that he is well-known for his optical prowess on page 9, but experiences an optical malfunction on page 25...
- In this story the internet is portrayed as a series of tubes.
UK printing
- The UK issue #162 included the free gift of a Pretenders sticker badge on the cover.
- In Grim Grams for issue #162, Grimlock attempts to explain why the Seacons exist if Transformers don't know about the existence of water and expounds on his extreme distaste for being called "Grimmy Babes".
Covers (3)
-
US Issue 40 - Hey look, its THOSE GUYS who have been here the whole time HONEST! -
UK Issue 162 - Tutankhamun eat your heart out! -
UK Issue 163 - Thus starts the 'so WHICH way do they open?' debate
- U.S. issue 40 cover: Skullgrin and Bomb-Burst by Jose Delbo
- UK issue 162 cover: Cloudburst emerging from his shell by Jeff Anderson and David Elliot
- UK issue 163 cover: a variation of the U.S. cover by Lee Sullivan
Advertisements
- None yet identified.
Footnotes
- ↑ "Toy Soldiers!" and "The Desert Island of Space!", most notably.
