Transformers Animated Volume 1

Transformers Animated Volume 1 »
Stock image of stock art.
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	January 15th, 2008
Screenplay by	Marty Isenberg
Adaptation by	Zachary Rau
Letters by	Leslie Robbins
Edits by	Justin Eisinger
Continuity	Animated cartoon continuity
ISBN	ISBN 978-160010151-9
Page count	96

Now the animated shows can be enjoyed in print, too!

Synopsis

This book recounts the events of "Transform and Roll Out", the opening "movie" of Transformers Animated, through the use of cartoon screen captures arranged in comic book style panels.

Notes

• Eight pages are taken up at the front of the book to provide mini-bios of the principal robot cast. It starts with a near-blank page with "ROLL CALL" up top and some rather garish black "spray-paint-dripping" faction symbols, then a page each for Optimus Prime, Bulkhead, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Prowl, Megatron and Starscream.
• The book makes heavy, heavy use of text boxes to say what is happening. This gets excessive in places, but considering the sometimes-questionable frame choices in others...
• Several panels throughout the book use low-resolution images where you can see the pixels rather than crisp, clean high-resolution grabs.
• There are also examples of clunky text and misused punctuation littered throughout. One of the more amusing examples is Bulkhead's rather blasé "Ow." as Starscream shoots at the Autobots.
• The book always refers to the Autobot ship as "Teletran-1". Not simply the computer, the whole ship.
• When Sari hugs the revived Optimus, there are now little cartoon hearts over her head. Oh, no.
• The "angry experiment" part of this comic (from Sumdac's tour of his lab to when Sari is returned to her father) was reprinted as part of Free Comic Book Day on May 3rd, 2008.

Noteworthy differences

Due to this book having to cover three episodes' worth of content in a pagecount designed with two episodes in mind, a lot of sequences were condensed and flat-out omitted. This leads to some very disjointed sequences, especially for those who might not have watched the full episodes. This section only covers the larger and more bizarre omissions (and additions!).

• Starscream planting the overload device on Megatron is the last sequence shown onboard the Nemesis until Starscream gets the energy reading fifty years later. Because of this, no explanation is given for why the ship is now a derelict or where Lugnut, Blackarachnia and Blitzwing went.
• The fight with Megatron aboard the Autobot ship is trimmed to three small panels. Megatron appears from nowhere and grabs Optimus, Ratchet uses his magnets on something off-panel (the text box says it's Megatron), then Optimus shoulder-rams him out of the airlock. Another two panels are taken for Megatron's fall. Doesn't make Megatron look real impressive, does it?
• When the Autobots transform and roll out for the first time, Bumblebee asks Ratchet if he's coming... Ratchet snaps "No" and that's the end of the scene. No explanation is given as to why Ratchet is staying behind.
• When the Autobots first emerge from the water and Optimus offers their assistance to the "fellow bots", Prowl is given a fairly ironic new line: "Not very talkative. I can relate." (Boy, I sure can be silent! Man, not talking is totally my thing, yes sir!)
• Optimus' line "Smart like Prowl! Bumblebee, abort!" is inexplicably given to Ratchet... using the same frame used on a previous page.
• Sari's "You can trust this face, can't you?" line is cut. However, Bumblebee's use of the line later when he is saving her from the deadly FARTS is still there, making it seem somewhat out of place.
• Though the whole "Sari vs Bumblebee" struggle inside the Autobot ship is cut, remnants of the scene remain. 'Bee asks "Will you keep downloading information to help fix him?" as a "straight" line, rather than a fumbling cover for hissing out loud "Will you keep down?!" at Sari. The next panel is Optimus' "Will you put a muffler on it and transform to robot mode?" line, but without Bee's car alarm going off, it just comes across as Optimus just being a jackass.
• After Prowl is revived by the AllSpark Key, Ratchet's noticing the human drones looking for Sari on the ship's monitors is cut... but Sari's reaction to this isn't. She just suddenly looks worried and declares "I think my dad is looking for me" for no apparent reason. Then half the page is taken up by a single giant panel with a new line by Optimus declaring they should get Sari back topside "before they interpret your little visit as an alien abduction".
• The book cuts from Sari asking "Can we keep them?" to Starscream's detecting the Allspark energy reading, skipping the "thank you" speech Isaac gives.
• The entire "adapting to Earth" sequence from the beginning of part three is gone, as is Starscream taking his new alternate mode. It cuts straight from Starscream onboard the Nemesis to the public release of Isaac's FARTS.
• Prowl's "a wise Autobot once told me" speech is cut. Optimus laments that maybe he wasn't cut out to be a hero, Prowl replies "You're not alone"... and then bam, the next panel is Sari's excited "Okay, here's my plan!". Huh?