The GameOn Magazine - Free Special Editions Transformers Edition | Page 11
ARTICLE
We’ve all been there - “What is this awesome thing
compete with Mattel’s He-Man and the Masters of
I’m watching? Who is that heroic red and blue robot
the Universe so went to Marvel Comics and asked
and why is he fighting that other robot?” Well, you
them, due to the success of the GI Joe comic book.
might know it’s Transformers, you might even know
it’s Optimus Prime, but which one? Transformers has
Marvel got editor Jim Shooter involved, someone
been rebooted more than once, more than twice - in
who is now well known in the comic book industry
less than thirty years it has had six non-Japanese
as overseeing many important Spider-Man, Thor
animated series and eight Japanese series. Three of
and Daredevil storylines. The Transformers was
those were dubbed and made into one longer series
a miniseries created primarily by Bob Budiansky
arc, but let’s not start this off with complications.
who wrote 50 of the 4 issue miniseries. Yes, despite
only commissioning four, it went for many more,
The Transformers were originally a series of toys
finishing with Simon Furman writing to issue 80.
released by Takara in Japan. They came with little
The continuity went on for a further 20 issues with
people who fitted into the drivers seats and cockpits
IDW, written by Simon Furman and drawn by his
and were a combination of a line called Diaclone
frequent Transformers partner Andrew Wildman,
and another called Micro-Change. This was the
but that happened 20 years later - just recently, in
middle of the 1980s when toy manufacturers were
fact. There were a few miniseries that ran alongside
deciding how to get kids to buy more toys - what
Marvel’s main book, but the real meat of it was in The
did boys like other than giant robots? Hasbro
Transformers, a Marvel UK series which ran for over
- Transformers’ home in the west - wanted to
330 issues, mainly due to it being a weekly comic. The
Transformers Special Edition
The GameOn Magazine
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