Marvel UK Transformers The Complete Works HC

Despite what the name implies, the Marvel UK Reprint series "Transformers: The Complete Works" was quite short lived, in fact, it lasted just 2 volumes. The first collection reprinted the first two US issues, underneath a Jerry Paris cover, which was a re-use of the cover from the premiere issue of the Marvel UK Transformers series. The second cover was a re-use of Robin Smith's cover to Marvel UK Transformers #56. These two volumes combined to reprint the first 4 issues of the American Marvel Transformers series, which had been reprinted in mostly black & white in issues #1-8 of the fortnightly UK Transformers Comics.  This means these series reprinted even less issues than the two volumes of Marvel US Collected Comics TPB collections, which collected the first 6 issues of the US run (which were issues #1-8; 13-16 of the UK run).

However, unlike their lengthier US counterparts, these UK Complete Works Collections were published in Hardcover, similar to the UK Comic Annuals, making the format a little more premiere. The other change, which is one of the most significant changes ever done when repackaging the original US content for the UK, was the change made on the final page of the story for issue #4.

In the original US issue, and its subsequent reprinting in UK issue #8, the battle between Optimus Prime's Autobots and Megatron's Decepticon forces, ends with Shockwave swooping in, and firing on the seemingly triumphant Autobots, leading into issue #5 of the US series, which has the iconic "The Transformers are All Dead" Shockwave cover shown to the right. But in the reprinting for the Complete Works Collection, the final panel where Shockwave decimates the victorious Autobots has been replaced by 2 panels featuring close-ups of Optimus Prime as he monologs about their victory (shown below), putting a nice wrap on the end of the story and eliminating the cliff-hangar lead into the next issue.

Now Transformers was originally just supposed to be a four issue mini-series, but it was extended into an ongoing series at some point before issue #4 went to the printer. Is it possible that the final two panels that were inserted into the conclusion here in the second volume of the Complete Works HC were taken from the original earlier script of the issue #4 when it was still meant to be the finale of the mini-series, and then drawn by a Marvel UK artist? The art for these final two panels looks different than the art preceding it, so in my opinion, this is without a doubt, new panels drawn in the UK office, and not remnants of unpublished US art that was changed last minute before issue #4 went to the printer. But was the dialog original as well, or part of a previous script draft?

That really depends on the production method used for this fourth issue, and the mini-series as a whole. Was it done from a full script? Or was it done via "Marvel Method," where the writer lays out a plot outline and gives it to the artist, they create the story and pacing from there, and then the writer comes back in and scripts the story after the art was completed. If that's the way it was done, then there would be no script to draw from, and the dialog would have had to be created in the UK office along with the art. It's clear that there was some shuffling on writer duties throughout the first four issues. The premiere issue featured a Bill Mantlo plot with a script by Ralph Macchio, who typically wore an Editor hat at Marvel, not writer or scripter. With the second issue, Mantlo remained the plotter, with scripting duties taken over by Jim Salicrup, again a creator known mostly as an editor at Marvel and not writer. Salicrup would then handle all of the writing chores in issue #3 & 4. This is a bit puzzling for me, Mantlo was a seasoned pro at this point in his career, writing and scripting an amazing run of the Incredible Hulk (one of my personal all-time favorite comic runs) as well as tackling the ROM comic. He certainly was capable of scripting his own comics very well, so why bring in editors to script the issues?

The other thing to consider is that this was a licensed product comic, where the property itself was owned by Marvel, one would assume they wanted final editorial control over the issue, and with that being the case, they would also probably require a detailed plot breakdown or complete script before the comic was given the go ahead to complete, which leads me to assume that the traditional Marvel method was not followed for the production of these first 4 issues. I would suspect full scripts were required by Hasbro for approval, it's very possible they liked Mantlo's overall plots, but didn't like the scripting, and that's why two editors came in to re-work the dialog themselves. And if that was the case, then how far ahead were they working and getting approval? Did Jim Salicrup have a full script written and sent in to Hasbro for approval prior to the mini-series being green lit to expand to an ongoing? If so, then an earlier script with the dialog Prime ultimately has here in the final page of the Complete Works may have existed. Ultimately, the only ones who probably know were the creators themselves, and with that being almost 35 years now in the rearview mirror, it's very likely that something as small and trivial is remembered today. That said, this unique little twist at the very end of the last page makes this second hardcover volume of the Transformers: The Complete Works, quite the neat deviation from the original material, as well as presenting quite the mystery on which publishing office this deviation originated in.

The Transformers Production Bible

In the previous post I shared a brief history on the Jim Shooter's Transformers Treatment, here is the big announcement within the Marvel

Jim Shooter's Transformers Treatment

Despite their deviations and differences from each other, both the Marvel Comics Continuity and Sunbow Animation Continuity, which have both since become known as Generation One Continuity, have a singular origin point, the original Transformers Treatment constructed by Jim Shooter, then Editor-in-Chief at Marvel Comics. According to Shooter, Hasbro approached Marvel for a treatment for a licensed comic that they were interested in exploring to help sell their new Transformers toy line that they had purchased the toy mold rights to. He originally assigned the task of the treatment to comic writer and editor Denny O'Neil, one of the all-time great comic writers, probably best known for re-imagining Batman into the Dark Knight Detective in the Bronze Age. When he received O'Neil's treatment back, Shooter didn't like the direction it went in, and rewrote it. I do not believe O'Neil has ever commented or confirmed this, so it is difficult to say if any elements originally conceived by O'Neil ended up staying in the final treatment submitted by Shooter to Hasbro. This landed Marvel the Transformers comic, and then according to Shooter, was repurposed by Sunbow with a new cover page for the cartoon. For more from Jim Shooter on creating the Transformers origins, I'd recommend listing to Episode 002 of the Transformers University Podcast. As well as check out Jim Shooter's Blog.

In 2010 at BotCon, this original treatment was shared via a slideshow presentation, with pictures of the slides shared at the Allspark Forums. The texts from these images were then transcribed into text HERE

So without further ado, here is the original Transformers Treatment:

THE TRANSFORMERS TREATMENT:

Civil war rages on the planet Cybertron.  Destruction is catastrophic and widespread, and yet no life is lost.  None, at least, in the sense that we know life--for the inhabitants of Cybertron are all machines.  There is NO "life" on Cybertron save for mechanical, electronic, "creatures." As mankind is first among the organic denizens of Earth, intelligent, sentient robots are the dominant species on Cybertron.  Even the planet itself is one vast mechanical construct.  Perhaps there was once a "real" world upon which Cybertron was built on, into, under, and through until no trace of the original planet can be found, but the origin of the planet is unknown, lost in antiquity.  Similarly, it is unknown whether the robotic "life" of Cybertron was originally created by some mysterious, advanced, alien race in the dim, distant past, or whether these strange metallic beings somehow evolved from bizarre, basic life forms beyond human comprehension.

What is certain is that the sentient, robotic beings of Cybertron are destroying one another.

The Autobots have, for untold eons, devoted themselves to peaceful pursuits--commerce, trade, and travel--wayfaring endlessly upon the broad turnpikes, through the winding transit tubes, and across the soaring skyhighways of Cybertron.

The Decepticons have no use for peace.  For untold eons they have developed their technological capabilities and quietly prepared themselves for war, all the while dwelling among the Autobots in seemingly perfect harmony.  Finally ready, they struck.

It is a war of annihilation.  The Decepticons, many of whom can convert their bodies at will into awesome weapons, or into mighty aircraft, able to swoop down from the sky upon their astonished enemies, seek to erase the Autobot presence from Cybertron.  Some, capable of transforming themselves into seemingly innocent communications devices, act as spies, undermining Autobot resistance.  Once in absolute control, the Decepticons plan to rebuild their world-machine into a cosmic dreadnaught-- to turn their very planet, a sphere the size of Saturn, into the single most awesome weapon ever conceived.  And then-- let the universe beware…

The Autobots, though peace-loving, are not weak by any means, however.  They, too can transform themselves-- from their usual robotic configurations into unearthly vehicles -- and they, too, are mighty warriors.  They fight back fiercely.  The Decepticons wiped out billions of Autobots in the first surprise attack, which was orchestrated with precision that only machines could effect.  The surviving Autobots, fighting desperately, gathered together here and there around, through, and within Cybertron, establishing strongholds against the Decepticons.  Thus, a sparse network of Autobot City-States, each surrounded by vast areas of Decepticon-held territory, struggle for survival.

A thousand years after The Treacherous Attack of the Decepticons, the war still rages.

Cybertron has sustained much damage, and, in fact, has been shaken loose from the orderly orbit it once maintained around Alpha Centauri, and hurtles through space out of control--a runaway planet.

Thus, it is that the Autobot City-State, Iacon, the mightiest Autobot stronghold of all, launches a space vessel bearing a computer-picked Autobot crew.  Their mission--to clear a path for the planet through an asteroid belt that orbits a certain yellow star which Cybertron is passing near, lest a collision with a large asteroid further damage, or perhaps destroy their beloved, war-torn world.

But, the Decepticons have learned of the Autobot mission, and send out their own space vessel.  It lurks in ambush while the Autobots work feverishly to destroy a huge asteroid.

Once the job is done and Cybertron is safe, the Decepticons attack!  They're bent upon capturing the Autobot ship and learning the secrets of the Autobots' latest weapons

Their weapons' power exhausted from shattering the asteroid, the Autobots can only flee, and take evasive action.  The chase covers millions of miles through space

But, at last, the Decepticons manage to close in on the helpless Autobots, near the third planet from the yellow sun.  They manage to hold the Autobot ship for only seconds with their tractor beams, but it is enough.  A Decepticon boarding party smashes into the Autobot ship.

Outnumbered and outgunned, the Autobot crew holds off the invaders for precious moments, while locking the controls to crash their ship at full speed into the crust of the third planet!

Witnessing the apparent destruction of the Autobot ship, the remaining Decepticons turn homeward toward Cybertron, which is already hurtling out of the solar system and onward into the black reaches of space.

Time passes.  Much time.

Four million years after the crash of the Autobots vessel, Mount St. Hellens Hilary erupts--and deep within the rocky carapace of the Earth beneath Oregon wilderness disturbed by the volcanic rumblings, something stirs.

It is the Autobots' ship -- badly damaged but not utterly destroyed.  Automatic force-shields helped protect the ship's mighty hull.  Though battered into dormancy for eons, the shock waves emanating from the volcano have at last reawakened the ship's "brain" --computer would not be the right word.  It begins to probe the world around it.  This thinking machine, whimsically called "Aunty" the Ark in the Autobot language, has been damaged in the fighting and the crash.  Her Its sensors are no longer fine enough to detect life, but she it does discover much mechanical activity.  True to her its programming, Aunty the Ark begins to alter the structure of the ship's inhabitants rebuilding them to resemble what she it detects in the environment according to standard first-aid/repair procedure.  Only partially functioning as she it is, Aunty the Ark does not distinguish between Autobot and Decepticon; friend and enemy alike are subject to her its attentions. Aunty's The Ark's alterations are done in such a way as to preserve the robots' true, basic nature.  The Autobots, therefore, resemble Earthly vehicles; the Decepticons look like Earthly weapons, aircraft, and communications devices.  Both can revert, in a few moments, to forms very much like their original robotic forms.

The Decepticons leave the ship first.  Although they have been in stasis for millions of years, they remember their mission.  They group in battle formation and aim their combined firepower on the ship and the Autobots still inside.  They fire -- but Aunty the Ark, who has endured so much, somehow summons the strength to raise her its defensive shields one more time and blunt the force of their blast. The Decepticon leader realizes that their forces are too low to annihilate Aunty the Ark and her its crew.  They leave in search of power -- power to fuel themselves and destroy their enemies.  Thus, the hostilities that swept Cybertron are renewed on Earth. its defensive shields one more time and blunt the force of their blast.  The Decepticon leader realizes that their energy levels are too low to annihilate.

A day later, an Autobot shaped as a dune buggy sees a Decepticon infiltrate a human atomic energy plant.  When he reports this, his leader is alarmed.

He realizes, as the Decepticons already have realized, that the earth is a prize of incalculable value, for, unlike Cybertron, where there are no resources -- all materials must be recycled and nothing new can be made without cannibalizing something old, and energy is scarce, indeed -- the Earth has coal and oil, oceans, a mineral-rich crust, and a molten metal core!  It is all that Cybertron lacks -- and its riches, in Decepticon hands, could spell doom for the Autobots and all other peaceful races of the universe!

The Autobots ponder trying to send a message to Cybertron, seeking to learn what has happened there.  Is the war still going on?  If not, who won?  Did either side survive?  It might take centuries for these questions to reach Cybetron, centuries more for the replies, if any, to reach Earth.  And if the Decepticons have won, the reply might be their annihilation.  One thing is certain, the Autobots have no choice; they must defend themselves, and prevent the Decepticons from gaining more power here to abet their evil cause.

So the age-old struggle continues, but in a strange, strange land, full of strange creatures…

In the first adventure the preceding origin will be briefly told, and the following will be accomplished:

- The Decepticons will establish a new, high tech, futuristic base of operations on Earth.  The Autobots will headquarter inside Aunty, their ancient, battered, half-buried spaceship.

- Some supporting human cast members will be introduced.

These will include "Sparkplug" Witwicky, and his son, Spike Buster. Sparkplug (whose real name is Stanislas Piotr) is a rough, tough guy -- uneducated and rowdy, but a natural mechanic with an affinity for things mechanical.  By instinct he can take apart, put together, and fix almost anything.

Spike Buster, despite his name, isn't much like his father.  He's not much interested in mechanical things.  Dad might be able to understand that if he were interested in sports, or adventuring, or even science -- but he's not.  He likes to draw, and he reads philosophy books, and even some poetry.  "Where have I failed?" his father moans.

Spike Buster and his father meet the Autobots and become their confidants, though they relate in completely different ways.  Sparkplug thinks of them as the ultimate machines, and is eager to help them in their battles.  Spike reacts to them on a "human" level.  He cares only about them as beings, and would give anything to stop the war.

Spike's Buster's friends, a big, somewhat rotund kid called "O" and Worm Jessie whose diminutive stature belies her boundless courage, will eventually become involved in the conflict.  Sparkplug's lady friend, called "Toots" can't understand why he's suddenly so busy all the time, until she, too, gets caught up in the fray.

In addition to these human characters, there will be human pawns and allies of the Decepticons.

Being highly developed, sentient machines, they will have distinctive personalities.

 

For Example:

OPTIMUS PRIME - If he had been born on Earth, he would be a doctor, a mechanic, a scientist, and a warrior.  But on Cybertron there is no difference between these professions.  So Optimus uses his skills to heal and repair -- which are the same thing to Autobots -- to control the world around him and, if necessary, to destroy.  He is the leader of the Earthbound Autobots, and also the largest, strongest and wisest of them.  Both in power and in intelligence, he has no equal.  He has the personality of an Abraham Lincoln.  He can be immensely kind and his compassion extends to all that lives, including the creatures of Earth.  Yet when what he holds sacred is threatened, he can wage war swiftly and mercilessly.

PROWL - He is quiet, competent and very loyal, but perhaps his most valuable trait is his almost endless patience.  Once Prowl is assigned a task, he will keep at it until it is accomplished.  He works with proven facts, not imagination or guesses.  If he has any doubts, he will radio Optimus Prime, his commander, before proceeding.  He hates doubt in any form, and strives to make everything he encounters reasonable and logical.  He believes it only when he can explain it.  Personally, he is friendly, but not too sociable.  In conversation, he will tend to listen instead of talk except when someone says something unreasonable.  Then, he will demand an explanation.

STARSCREAM -Soaring swiftly through the clouds, Ulchtar Starscream gazes with scorn on the creatures below.  He is utterly contemptuous of anything that cannot lift itself from the ground and claim the sky.  Occasionally, he expresses that contempt by diving and striking, leaving flame and destruction as he again speeds upward.  Yet he is not totally insane.  He needs a reason for his violence, some way to justify it.  This is provided by his Decepticon companions.  He believes their words about the war against the Autobots being a holy mission because his soul requires that belief.  Without the sense of purpose that the other Decepticons provide, his life would be meaningless and this he could not bear.

The Decepticons' goals, and hence, the conflicts faced by the Autobots will be developed.  In the first adventure, the Decepticons might decide to dry up the oceans in order to gain access to certain raw materials from the ocean floor.  As the series progresses, the Decepticons will continue trying to sieze (sic), control and exploit Earth's energy and resource.  Ultimately, they will seek to transform the Earth itself into a world like Cybertron -- a machine world/weapon of incredible power, with which they intend to fulfill the destiny of conquest they dreamed of for their lost world.

We see the Autobot/ Decepticon battles as far-ranging, outrageous action sequences in various road-oriented settings.  We'll do desert highway battles with a Road Warrior feel, battles on the Pacific Coast Highway along the cliffs, and some in city settings in crowded, high-traffic areas.  We're going to use lots of 'props."  We plan to wreck skyscrapers, Boulder Dam, offshore oil rigs and possibly the Grand Canyon.  The Indianapolis Motor Speedway certainly isn't safe either...

Marvel US Collected Comics

In the mid-1980's in the peak of Transformers' popularity the reprint collection market in the comic industry was still in its infancy, however that didn't stop Marvel from putting out two trade paperback volumes collecting the first 6 issues of the American Marvel Comics Transformers series. Using their Marvel Books division, Marvel Comics put out two volumes of Transformers Collected Comics.

The first was titled "The Story Begins..."and collected issues #1-3 of the US Marvel Comics run ("The Transformers," "Power Play," and "Prisoner of War!") under a $2.95 cover price. The cover itself doesn't seem to credit the artist, but whoever painted it, took a heavy inspiration from Bill Sienkiewicz's cover to Transformers #1.

The second trade paperback collection was titled "The Battle Continues..." and is likewise had a $2.95 cover price, and collected issues #4-6 of the US Marvel comics run.("The Last Stand," "The New Order," and "The Worse of Two Evils!") This cover was a re-use of Mark (MD) Bright's gorgeous cover to Transformers #5, which still to this day remains one of the all-time most iconic pieces of Transformers comic art ever.

Sadly, these were the only two trade paper back collections that the Marvel series saw while it was still being published by Marvel. It wouldn't be until the late 1990's/early 2000's that further issues of Marvel run were published in TPB collections when Titan Books took over the reprinting rights. That said, Marvel did reprint the first 20 issues of Transformers via the digest-sized Transformers Comic Magazine series. More information on those reprints will come in a later blogpost.

Marvel UK Transformers Intro & Format

The Marvel UK Transformers comic series spanned 332 issues over about an eight year publishing run, which was about a full year longer than its US counterpart. The final issue sported a January 1992 cover date and featured the second half of the story that had also concluded the US Marvel Transformers Comics (US issue #80). This was the typical format for the series, smaller installments (typically 11 pages), so that issues from the American run were broken up over two issues when reprinted the UK Transformers magazine. Such was the case with the first issue of the Marvel US Transformers run, which made up the first 2 issues of the Marvel UK run. In fact the first 8 issues of the Marvel UK series were devoted to reprinting the first 4 issues of the American series. So with issues 9-12 of the Marvel UK Transformers series, we got the first of many original Transformers story published by the Marvel UK office. This "Man of Iron" story arc would later be imported over to the US and make up issues 33 & 34 of the US Marvel Transformers run. This was just the beginning, the series sold like gangbusters, and the Marvel UK Transformers series quickly took on a life of its own, spawning many amazing Transformers epics that created much of the rich tapestry of Transformers mythos that are still explored today. Some of these epics include Target 2006, Legacy of Unicron, Fallen Angel, and Time Wars, which to me personally are four of the best Transformers story arcs ever written.

US material that was reprinted in the UK included 78 US Marvel Comics (the Marvel run was 80 issues, but as previously mentioned, 2 of those issues were devoted to reprinting the Man of Iron story that originated in the Marvel UK Run), the Headmasters 4 issue mini-series, and the Transformers vs. GI JOE. The 3 issue adaption of the 1986 Transformers movie was also reprinted, but instead of being released as a reprint broken up over 6 issues, it was released in one large volume under the Collected Comics banner. Like its US counterpart, material was reprinted or repackaged in a number of ways to get the older content back on the stands and in the hands of newer readers.
Most of these reprint options will be covered in future posts.

During most of its life, the Marvel UK Transformers series saw weekly publication, but in its first and final year of publication, the book was published every 2 weeks. And so
issues #1-26 were released on this once every 14 days publishing schedule (fortnightly), as were issues #309-332. So the 282 issues in between saw a weekly publishing schedule. Typically the monthly US issue would be split up into 2 UK issues, so assuming 12 Transformers issues a year published by Marvel in the United States, reprints of US material accounted for roughly 24 of the 52 issues put out a year in the UK. So the Marvel UK office was responsible for churning out even more original content then their US counterparts in the peak of the Transformers boom.

In addition to weekly or fortnightly publishing of the Transformers comic, there were also the Hardcover Transformers Annuals. These hardback comic and activity collections were a pretty standard offering for UK comic series, almost every ongoing superhero comic title that got imported from the US and repackaged in the UK would get these Hardcover annuals, so there were the norm for British readers. But they sure seem like special treasures to me and other US readers. These Hardcover annuals typically featured a combination of comic stories and prose stories, as well as Transformer themed games and puzzles, like word finds, crosswords, mazes, etc. Some of these activities and games also so light in the US and Canada via the many Transformers activity and coloring books. There were 7 of these Annuals during the G1 comic run, the first 5 of these Annuals featured new comic story content, while the last 2 annuals contained just reprint material from previous weekly comic features, but with the hardcover format and additional activities, it still feels like a premium format for some great material.

In short, the Marvel UK comics took on a separate life of their own, fleshing out the Transformers back story and mythos beyond what was done by its US counterpart, and the end result is some amazing reading material, that for many American based Transformers fans, hasn't even been explored or made widely available until recent years. It makes for an untapped gold mine of material to discover for G1 fans, and so it will be a primary focus of this blog to cover the Marvel
Transformers series (both UK & US runs) chronologically as they were released, following the UK publishing timeline as a our guide, meaning that we'll cover the Man of Iron story issues immediately after covering the first 4 issues of the US series, not waiting until we hit issues 33 and 34 of the US run where it was reprinted.

If you'd like to follow along, the easiest way is to grab the IDW reprints of the US & UK material, starting with Transformers Classics Vol 1 and Transformers Classics UK Vol 1.

For more information on the Marvel UK series, immerse yourself in the wealth of content on the subject at the TF Wiki.

Disclaimer

Content:
Any pictures, artwork, box art, captions, etc. are copyright Hasbro, Marvel, Sunbow, IDW, or any of the other respective copyright owners. I lay no claim to ownership of these images, nor do I draw any profit from them. This is a fansite dedicated to the rich history & mythos of Transformers with the end goal of celebrating and promoting the brand.

The only thing I lay claim to are my opinions in posts and personal accounts of growing up a Transformers fan.

As a Transformers fan for my entire cognitive life, it is impossible for me to provide sources for every piece of information gleamed & recorded here. I've done so much research, reading, and digesting of Transformers history and media over the past 3 decades that it would be impossible to site every source of inspiration for my posts. As such, no similarities in opinion or content are knowingly nor intentionally reproduced.

External Links:
If I do happen to lean heavily on content or information gleamed predominantly from a known source of influence, I will post a link to the website (for example TFWiki or BWTF.com) for the respective page covering the relevant content.

Other times I may post links to external sources just because I believe they offer solid content and a well-reasoned counter-viewpoint to my own.

Post Format:
I would like this blog/website to be a resource of reliable information for Transformers fans new & old, as such I believe it is important to recount issue/episode plot synopsis as sterile and unbiased as possible. As such, I will typically leave these plot breakdowns as opinion free as possible, thus allowing someone to get (re)acquainted with the content, without having their view tainted by my own personal view of the merit/quality of the respective issue/episode. My analysis, opinions, and commentary will be listed below the plot breakdowns in a separate section of the post, so that someone can easily read the write-up on the subject matter, without being subjected to my personal opinions on the content, if they so desire. And so my recommendation, would be to read the plot breakdown on any content you are unfamiliar with, and then seek it out for yourself and make your own judgment on the material, before diving into my critical analysis of it.

In the modern day it has become extremely easily for whole groups of people to become dismissive towards whole genres of fiction or comic/TV series, just because their initial exposure to the content was a snarky or humorous roast of the material, and not the material itself. I have no problem with that type of review or analysis of the material, I just do not wish to personally contribute to a biased (whether that be positive or negative) view of the work. Media is something that should be digested and analyzed for merit based on one's own mileage, and I do not want to color anyone's first exposure to an episode or comic issue by adding commentary during the "Plot Synopsis" portion of my write-ups. Something I hate could very well be something someone else loves, and I do not wish to deny them discovering the material themselves, just because they were turned off from my commentary during the plot breakdown. Again, that is no indictment on other sites that present the plot synopsis/content material with a running commentary, just not how I wish to present the material on this page.