Transformers Graphic Novels Part 1: Marvel
In 1984, Hasbro struck gold with a new toy concept. Robots that transform into everyday gadgets, machines or vehicles. Cars, trucks, jets, planes - even a P-38 pistol, complete with scope.
The Transformers were born.
Fast forward to 2007. The Transformers are as popular as ever. The toys are selling, the cartoons are airing, the movie is blockbusting, and the comics are…, the comics are doing their comic thing.
But questions exist for the discriminating graphic novel reader. What Transformers comics have been collected? What Transformer graphic novels exist, to be read, cherished, and read again?
You’d be surprised. Even a tad confused. Transformers comic history encompasses multiple story lines, multiple publishers - even multiple countries.
Read on as I begin to unravel the mystery, and be sure to check back, each day, for a new installment in the GNA’s eight part blogging event of the summer, the Transformers Graphic Novels overview.
Transformers Graphic Novels: Prologue
A note on continuity and publishers
[Some important points to keep in mind, to make the best use of this guide:
1. The Transformers property is owned by Hasbro, a toy company. As Hasbro doesn't produce its own comics, they've licensed the Transformers comic rights to various comic book companies over the years, including Marvel, Dreamwave, and IDW Publishing. In addition, as Hasbro owns both the Transformers and G.I. Joe IPs, comic book publishers holding the G.I. Joe license (such as Devil's Due) often have some leeway in creating G.I. Joe/Transformer crossovers.
2. There is no such thing as an all-knowing, all-defining Transformers continuity (storyline). Nor do the comics necessarily follow the storylines laid down by any other Transformers media (toys, television, or otherwise). Inspired, yes, but followed? Rarely.
3. A publisher's Transformers storyline is different from any other publisher's Transformers storyline. Remember this when reading Marvel's Transformers one day, Dreamwave's the next. It'll keep your head from exploding. (In addition, publisher's will sometimes develop Transformer comics outside even their own, primary continuities, creating What If/Elseworld-like stories of their own.)
4. Publishers like to collect other publishers' Transformers stuff. The majority of Marvel's Transformers has been collected not by Marvel, but by Titan Books. Much of Dreamwave's Transformers: Generation One has been re-published by IDW. IDW has published reprints of Marvel's Transformers. Etc. Point being, know the originating publisher (thus establishing what continuity you may be reading) and you should be fine.
Mind you, these various imaginings of the Transformers universe can make for some wonderful reading. But it can also make things very difficult to follow. I'll mention continuity discrepancies and differences frequently, if only to help make the most of what is a long and convoluted Transformers history.
That said - let's get started!]
Marvel’s Transformers and related mini-series
[Marvel's Transformers comic series (circa 1984) extended well beyond it's original four-issue limited series roots, stretching into an on-going title until it's cancellation with issue 80 in 1991.
In 2001, Titan Books stepped up and published the vast majority of the Transformers comic book series in a set of trade paperbacks and hardcovers. IDW Publishing has recently joined the fray with some Marvel reprint collections of their own. While Marvel themselves never collected their core Transformers series, they have collected a few related mini-series.
In regards to continuity, Marvel's Transformers begins based on Transformers Generation One (aka G1), a retroactive label applied to the first wave of Transformer toys and animation. Marvel's comic book series features some of the storyline elements made popular in animation (namely, the Ark storyline and some animated movie tidbits), but for the most part, goes about its business all its own.
Marvel's related Transformers mini-series are also set within this comic continuity, although some with better success/appreciation than others.
The more pertinent continuity question - is Marvel's Transformers series set within the Marvel universe? Some would say yes (after all, Spider-Man makes an appearance in issue #3), while others would say no (Spider-Man also appeared in an issue of Ren & Stimpy). It's a matter for debate, though both sides can agree that the series did very little to actually incorporate itself into the Marvel superhero universe following issue #3, unlike other Marvel toy licenses (ROM, for instance).]
Titan Book Collections
[A quick sidebar. You'll find Titan Books' Transformers collections to be far more continuity oriented than issue oriented. So if an issue didn't fit into the story being told at the time, it was almost always ignored. Fittingly, this applied in reverse as well, with Marvel's continuity-conscious Transformers: Headmasters four issue limited series collected by Titan, within the proper time frame of the core Transformers series.]
Transformers Volume 1: Beginnings
Trade Paperback- $29.68 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
This is where it all begins… the very first shots fired in the civil war between the heroic Autobots, led by the noble Optimus Prime, and the evil Decepticons, ruled by the crazed Megatron — and featuring an all-new cover by classic Transformers artist Andrew Wildman! A spaceship launched from the planet Cybertron crashlands on Earth, four million years in the past. In 1984, its inhabitants are awakened — and Earth is plunged into the middle of the greatest conflict it has ever known, with teenager Buster Witwicky and his mechanic father caught in the middle, as Autobots and Decepticons alike battle for fuel and technology! Now it is up to Optimus Prime and his few remaining allies to protect both themselves and their human friends from the threat of Megatron… but surprises galore lie in store for both robotic leaders! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #1-6. Also available as a limited edition Amazon exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 2: New Order
Trade Paperback- $29.68 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
Continuing Titan’s collections of the very first Transformers comics, chronicling the civil war between the heroic Autobots, led by the noble Optimus Prime, and the evil Decepticons, ruled by the crazed Megatron! Teenager Buster Witwicky has been given the power of the Creation Matrix by Optimus Prime, who currently lies in the hands of the Decepticons. Their leader, Shockwave, plans to use Prime to create new, even more powerful Decepticon warriors… so that they can steal the Earth’s fuel resources! But little does Shockwave know that his plan will be threatened by forces both within and without his team, as the Dinobots make an explosive return, Starscream’s treacherous nature surfaces, and the Transformers meet their human nemesis — Circuit Breaker! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #7-12. Also available as a limited edition Amazon exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 3: Cybertron Redux
Trade Paperback- $29.68 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
Continuing the very early adventures of the Transformers, the ground-breaking stories that established the Robots in Disguise as the ultimate `80s icons! The balance of power shifts again in the ongoing battle for Earth… and Cybertron. The civil was between the Autobots and the Decepticons rages on two fronts. On Earth, Optimus Prime must face the twin threat of Megatron and Shockwave, as the former and current Decepticon leaders make their respective power plays. On Cybertron, Blaster and the Autobot resistance must break the hold of current Decepticon overlord, Straxus. But Straxus’s megalomania cannot be contained by a few billion light years of space… and Earth is squarely in his sights! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #13-18. Also available as a limited edition Amazon exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 4: Showdown
Trade Paperback- $19.95 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
The collections of the classic comic strips from the 80s continue with one of the most dramatic and searing slices of Transformers action ever put to print! As the Autobots unveil their new secret weapon, Omega Supreme, and the stage is set for their greatest triumph, so tragedy strikes at the very heart of their ranks. The action cranks up to fever pitch, as the Special Teams — The Protectobots, the Combaticons, the Aerialbots and the Stunticons — make their debut. But the final battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron will not be fought with cold, hard steel, but rather within the digital realm… of a computer game! Never-before collected, these are the stories that created a legend! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #19-24. Also available as a limited edition Amazon exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 5: Breakdown
Trade Paperback- $19.95 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
The stories that laid the groundwork for the entire Transformers Universe continue, as the Autobots mourn the death of their leader — Optimus Prime! Things go from bad to worse for the Autobots, as new adversaries step up to rock their world. From the human threat of the Mechanic, to the giant menace of Trypticon, to the all-consuming plague of the Scraplets. Who will lead them in their darkest hour? Prowl? Blaster? Grimlock? And if you think it’s all a bed of roses for Megatron and the Decepticons — think again! Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the phenomenon that is Transformers with these classic collections! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #25-30. Also available as a Diamond Previews exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 6: Treason
Trade Paperback- $19.95 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
The 20th Anniversary celebrations continue with this exciting classic Transformers collection! The action cranks up to fever pitch as Autobot leader Grimlock’s erratic behaviour finally pushes Blaster over the edge. Out on his own, in open opposition to Grimlock’s command, Blaster is suddenly public enemy number one… hunted by friend and foe alike. But Grimlock has other problems as well. The Decepticons too have a new leader — Ratbat, and he’s bringing out the big guns. Featuring never-before-collected stories,Transformers: Treason is exactly why the Robots in Disguise are back with a vengeance! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #31, 32, and 35-37. Also available as a Diamond Previews exclusive hardcover.
That's right - issues 33 and 34 are not collected. The reasoning is based on the omitted issues actually being reprints of Marvel's UK Transformers series (different from the USA version - learn more in part 2 of the GNA's Transformers guide). Falling very loosely within the series continuity, if at all, the issues were not included.
This, and there's talk of the writer's insistence that the issues never be reprinted, along with - perhaps - other legal issues.
Meaning, for fans of the story, you won't be missing much. For completists..., well, such is life.
]
Transformers Volume 7: Trial By Fire
Trade Paperback- $19.95 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
The robots in disguise are back! Inspired by the top-selling toy line and TV show, this is an ongoing series collecting classic UK and US Transformers comic stories. The saga of the Transformers enters a dramatic new phase, as the amazing Headmasters debut! Tired of the seemingly endless civil war on Cybertron, Fortress Maximus leads a group of like-minded Autobots in search of another world to call home. They reach the planet Nebulos, but Scorponok and his Decepticons are in hot pursuit — bringing with them war and prompting the strangest team-up of all! Trial By Fire collects the entire Headmasters limited series, and folds it into the ongoing Transformers saga. - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers: Headmasters #1-4 (the entire limited series), and Transformers #38 and 39. Also available as a Diamond Previews exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 8: Maximum Force
Trade Paperback- $19.95 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Transformers with these collections, starring the bestselling transforming “robots in disguise”! Featuring stories that have never before been collected, Transformers: Maximum Force is packed with action and adventure for all ages! The action is at fever pitch as things go from bad to worse for the Autobots, with new adversaries, such as the Pretenders, stepping up to take them on! The balance of power shifts again in the ongoing battle for Earth… and Cybertron. This paperback edition, featuring all-new cover art from current Transformers artist Andy Wildman, is packed with bonus material specially created for this volume! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #40-42, 44 and 45. Also available as a Diamond Previews exclusive hardcover.
Another collection featuring an incomplete run, issue 43 wasn't included. It's apparently a cartoon episode adaption, outside the comic's traditional continuity.]
Transformers Volume 9: Dark Star
Trade Paperback- $19.95 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Transformers with these classic collections! Featuring stories that have never been collected before, Transformers: Dark Star is packed with action and adventure for all ages! The saga of the Transformers continues with the introduction of the Roadjammers — a deadly group of human bounty hunters who are well-equipped to hunt Transformers — and the race is on to locate the mysterious Underbase, an ancient repository of knowledge from the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron. This paperback edition, featuring all-new cover art from current Transformers artist Andy Wildman, and never-before-seen sketches by writer Bob Budiansky! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #46-50. Also available as a Diamond Previews exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 10: Last Stand
Trade Paperback- $19.95 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Transformers! Featuring stories that have never been collected, Transformers is packed with action and adventure! In Last Stand, a terrifying new threat (if you’re a robot!) surfaces — the Mechannibals! Autobot pretenders Landmine and Cloudburst are on the menu, and Decepticons Dreadwind and Darkwing are looking to serve them up on a platter. Plus, the breathtaking début of the Micromasters! This final volume includes a gallery showcasing fantastic Transformers pin-ups by some of comics’ hottest talents, exclusive behind-the-scenes sketches and notes by Bob Budiansky, and a brand new cover by Andrew Wildman! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #51-55. Also available as a Diamond Previews exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 11: Primal Scream
Trade Paperback- $29.68 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
The hit animated TV shows Beast Wars and Beast Machines introduced a whole new generation to the Transformers - a race of robots able to shift form and become vehicles, weaponry and hardware. Now, at last, the original stories of those `robots in disguise’ can be seen again in their world-shaking glory. The death of a hero… the return of an old foe… and the awakening of the gods! When Ratchet, Autobot chief medic, is kidnapped, a desolate Optimus Prime must find it within himself to continue the eternal battle against the Decepticons. And unbeknownst to all of them, their battles have woken Primus - creator of the Transformers. Unfortunately, Primus’ scream upon waking has awoken an enemy from before time - an enemy who will not rest until all are dead - Unicron! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #56-62. Also available as a limited edition Amazon exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 12: Matrix Quest
Trade Paperback- $29.68 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
The hit animated TV shows Beast Wars and Beast Machines introduced a whole new generation to the Transformers - a race of robots able to shift form and become vehicles, weaponry and hardware. Now, at last, the original stories of those `robots in disguise’ can be seen again in their world-shaking glory, in the awesome run-up to the bestselling “All Fall Down” storyline! The Creation Matrix - the life-force of Transformers, the essence of their creator, Primus - has been lost for an age. Now, with the chaos-bringer, Unicron, bearing down on their home, Cybertron, the Autobots must locate the Matrix before all is lost. But they’re not the only ones looking for it, and the Matrix itself may be more than they can handle! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #63-68. Also available as a limited edition Amazon exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 13: All Fall Down
Trade Paperback- $29.68 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
The hit animated TV shows Beast Wars and Beast Machines introduced a whole new generation to the Transformers - a race of robots able to shift form and become vehicles, weaponry and hardware. Now, at last, the original stories of those `robots in disguise’ can be seen again in their world-shaking glory. The civil war has spread from the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron to Earth and beyond. Ranged on one side: Optimus Prime, leader of the heroic Autobots; on the other, the malevolent Megatron and the evil Decepticons. The atmosphere is ripe for the coming of planet-eating super-robot Unicron, and for the Transformers…that’s doomsday! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #69-74. Also available as a limited edition Amazon exclusive hardcover.]
Transformers Volume 14: End of the Road
Trade Paperback- $16.95 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
The hit animated TV shows Beast Wars and Beast Machines introduced a whole new generation to the Transformers - a race of robots able to shift form and become vehicles, weaponry and hardware. Now, at last, the original stories of those `robots in disguise’ can be seen again in their world-shaking glory. The war with Unicron reaches its apocalyptic conclusion, but even if the Transformers win — they lose. Their world, Cybertron, is coming apart, shuddering in its death throes, the fragile alliance between the Autobots and the Decepticons is on shaky ground, and the inhabitants of Earth tremble before the power of the utterly insane creature known as Galvatron. With Optimus Prime missing in battle it might finally be the day when all hope is gone! - Amazon.com
[Collects Transformers #75-80.]
IDW Collections
[While Titan Books has been the major player in collecting Marvel's Transformers, IDW Publishing has also jumped on the nostalgia bandwagon with their recent collections.]
Transformers: Generations
Trade Paperback- $19.99 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
A look back at some of the most beloved TRANSFORMERS comics from years past. This special collection presents classic hard-to-find stories from the past two decades of TRANSFORMERS comics. And to top off this special release, there will be two cover galleries, presenting new interpretations of the classic cover from artists Ashley Wood (Zombies Vs. Robots) and Nick Roche (Transformers Spotlight: Shockwave).
- IDWPublishing.com
[In 2006, IDW began publishing a reprint series titled Transformers: Generations, which reprinted select issues of Marvel's Transformers series. This same-titled trade collects Transformers: Generations #1-6, reprinting Transformers (Marvel) issues 7, 12, 14, and 16-18, respectively. Preview available via IDWPublishing.com.]
Classic Transformers Volume 1
Trade Paperback- $19.99 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
Relive the original TRANSFORMERS stories that started it all! Presenting over 300 pages of classic TRANSFORMERS comic book stories in one affordable volume. Pulling from the earliest of the ’80s Marvel material, this first volume offers some of the most beloved stories from the past, including the seminal “The Last Stand,” “The Worse of Two Evils,” “I, Robot Master,” and many others. The TRANSFORMERS have undergone many changes over their 20-plus year reign over pop culture, but this retro, black and white collection showcases the beginnings of their dynasty.
- IDWPublishing.com
[Collects Marvel's Transformers #1-2, 4-8, and 10-16. Text summaries replace issues 3 and 9, which are not included (likely due to legal entanglements related to characters Spider-Man (issue 3) and Circuit Breaker (issue 9)).]
Classic Transformers Volume 2 TPB
Trade Paperback- $19.99 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
Continuing IDW’s re-presentation of the beginnings of the Transformers’ comics lore! The Autobots create Omega Supreme, Shockwave cedes command to Megatron, and the cast of mechanoids here on Earth grows! Join the original Generation 1 characters as the ongoing war continues between the Autobots and Decepticons! - Amazon.com
[Scheduled for a July 2008 release. Reprints Marvel's Transformers #17-30.]
Marvel Collections
[Along with the aforementioned Transformer: Headmasters, Marvel produced other 80's era Transformer related mini-series as well. Two were collected by Marvel themselves: G.I. Joe and the Transformers and Transformers Universe (modeled after The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe), leaving Marvel's animated movie 3-issue adaption the lone, uncollected series.]
G.I. Joe and the Transformers
Trade Paperback - $4.95 (suggested retail)
The Evil Transformers known as the Decepticons will stop at nothing to achieve domination of their home planet, Cybertron. Even if it means blowing up the Earth by means of a mobile nuclear power station, utilizing the resulting fireball as the ultimate source of energy for their world.
To put a stop to the robots’ ruthless machinations, America’s heroes, the Joes, must reconcile with their arch-enemies, Cobra, and ally themselves with the benign Transformers, the Autobots, to put an end to the ruthless Decepticons’ scheme. - back cover description
[Collects G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1-4 (the entire limited series run). Take note: typical of earlier Marvel trades, some edits have been made - page 1 of issue 2 has been removed. The book also suffers from some continuity issues. While acknowledged by the core Transformers series, it seems to have been ignored by Marvel's G.I. Joe storyline of the time (reportedly, Larry Hama (then G.I. Joe scribe) decided to disregard the crossover).]
Transformers Universe
Trade Paperback- $5.95 (suggested retail)
[Collects the Transformers Universe limited series run (issues #1-4). Some severe edits have been made from the source material, however, with many character entries changed, and some entries removed entirely.]
[Capitalizing on Hasbro's property enjoying some silver screen publicity (aka, the 2007 live action/cgi film), 2008 finds Marvel publishing a new Transformers related mini-series in graphic novel form, thanks to a publisher crossover between the House of Ideas and IDW Publishing.]
The New Avengers/The Transformers
Trade Paperback - $10.99 (suggested retail)
Check for availability and discount pricing from Amazon.com
It’s time to Assemble - and Roll Out! What in the world could unite Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Autobots? Maybe the Decepticons and Dr. Doom know! War is about to break out on the border between Latveria and Symkaria unless two unique teams of heroes can unravel a dark mystery…that is, if they don’t destroy each other first! Stuart Moore (WOLVERINE, PUNISHER X-MAS SPECIAL) and Tyler Kirkham (X-MEN: PHOENIX WARSONG) bring together fan-faves like Wolverine, Megatron, Spider-Man and Optimus Prime in this all-new widescreen adventure! Collecting NEW AVENGERS/TRANSFORMERS #1-4.
-Marvel.com
[Likely an out-of-continuity storyline, this trade collects the entire mini-series.]
[And so ends the GNA's Transformers Graphic Novels Part 1. In the next exciting installment, I'll take a look at Marvel's other Transformers foray - this time, across the pond.]
Continue with Transformers Graphic Novels, Part 2.