So, whilst Transformation is over...

Vack when I started, I didn't even have a smart phone, let alone an app. So I'm going to do weekly Twitter threads on at least the early issues, seeing how much I've changed in the last 8 years.

So starting today... #TransformationRedux.

I'm not going to reread either my post or my book before each issue. So we'll see how much I repeat myself and how much is new.

Though this is largely to remind you all I'm still here and it will turn into a shameless plug for the book at the end.

Let's start with this amazing and beautiful (and Megatron free as he wasn't out in the UK yet) Jerry Paris cover.

Which is perfect till you spot Prime's arm is coloured wrong. Then you can't unsee it.

NO FAKE LETTERS HERE BITCHES

The very first ever bit of Transformers feedback ever published is someone having a moan.

Indeed, because it's from a kid given a test copy, they're moaning about stuff later in the issue.

THIS IS YOUR SPACE OLYMPICS

Fuck Primus, Quintessons, the Guiding Hand and the creators. Naturally occurring gears, levers and pulleys are where it's at.

Ravage is the first speaking Transformer!

Much to @tainkirrahe's annoyance, he starts a long road of refusing to commit to cat or dog.

Giagawatt?!

Before you get to the end of the second page, the comic has covered more ground than all 20 issues of the Ruckley series to date.

The storytelling here is fueled by too many blue Smarties.

The ideal male form.

Though he's down the far end of the credits, Budiansky is the real powerhouse here.

Apparently by the end of these four issues he was basically dictating the scripts rather than editing them.

Because it's a new, difficult concept.

Pause for pizza.

Optimus Prime's first appearance is barely contained thirst for Megatron.

Amusingly, considering how ubiquitous they'd become later on, only Prime gets a stab at a Cybertronian alt mode.

Apparently he turns into...

Preceptor?

Oh, and Megs bonkers battle station plan will never quite be let go of by media.

The asteroid stuff is a really contrived way to get everyone into space compared to the cartoon's fuel hunt.

But lost in space Cybertron is because a warring species is too big an idea for a comic, it's one of two things to separate the core cast from the millions fighting.

Also, it's a little muddled (possibly because there was a lot of rewrites and reworking of the art during production) by Prime being called Autobot leader in his first panel...

...but he's not. He's a general reporting to the Autobot government (with gold Jazz).

But I don't want to meet Jazz. He scares me.

Only seeing that panel in black and white (with the spool clearer) do I realise that's Rumble/Frenzy fighting with Prime.

Where the Decepticons lived was a great mystery.

Who hasn't had an annual review like this?

Prehistoric Earth researched by watching Earthshock.

Optimus Prime fleeing in terror from Decepticon leader Optimus Prime. Yomtov tries to hide this goof by making the double every colour.

Your move Hasbro Select.

I want to know more about Two Guns here.

OK, this has to be the result of pages being redrawn and replaced during the tortuous creation process.

The page after the Decepticons board the Ark... they board the Ark again. But this time with properly drawn Cons.

I think the second page was supposed to replace the first (and presumably a second with Prime making his choice), but someone goofed and it's missing the key moment of the start of the attack, so they ran both and as it's dense and awkward storytelling you don't really notice.

The key difference between Marvel Prime and TV Prime: In the cartoon, the crash on Earth is an accident. In the comic, it's a choice. One that will haunt Prime.

And let's just flat out ignore that Transformers 84 one shot's terrible idea that this wasn't an emergency backup plan for Prime, but that he'd taken all his best friends into space on false pretenses to murder them for The Greater Good.

If nothing else, why not go into the sun?

That joke in MTMTE was drawn like the cartoon, but Roberts was definitely picturing this.

The cartoon Ark (that the UK stories use as well) is rightly iconic. It's cheery and easy for a kid to draw sticking out of the volcano.

But I really like the buried fucked up Marvel US version.

Bluestreak will shoot you with his cock.

And no one tell @DarkestH0ur17 I said this....

...but Sideswipe scares me.

The single most important character in all Transformers.

You forget the Transformers are Centauri. Where's the Babylon 5 crossover toy Hasbro?

As we're told Cybertron is unique by the narrator, they've obviously never left their home system before the planet went nomadic (or looked at any worlds they passed) to not be prepared for organic life.

Impressively I don't think this will be contradicted later on.

In that, all the Transformers/alien interaction we learn about could have happened after Prime and co were lost.

Mind, robot planets are fucking everywhere.

And because the US issue is split into two...

The first cliffhanger is a jet that doesn't look like an F-15 being scanned.

Unless looking at Starscream toys has warped my idea of an F-15.

Like Doctor Who fans are confused by real celery.

This panorama (some little shit has stuck the stickers on) has a decent reproduction of Sparkplug's place from following issues on the left, and what look more like a British village street on the right.

You thought just because I was done with Titan, there'd be no more lazy ass posters?

Imagine if they told you in 1984 that Ford and Arnie were still threatening to do Indiana Jones and Conan films in 2020.

Oh wait, no. There was an extra page. Behold the birth of Teevee Prime!

The only recognising machine life thing is one of several aspects of the backstory nicked from V'Ger in Star Trek.

Most notably, Cybertron is a ringer for the planet of the machine people. And probe Ilia talked like a cartoon Transformer.

And the end for real this time! And it actually is a solid cliffhanger.

But there's more...

As the backup we get the loathed by the first reader letter, Machine Man!

Because this starts with issue 11 of his own book, and despite that being a reformatting and relaunch, there's a special three page recap of events to date.

And double checking the Machine Man trade, the pages are (out of order) straight up from the previous issue with new text.

That's why there's a pointing finger on what is now the "cover of the TFUK version.

"Well, the treated as a public menace thing worked for Spider-Man..."

The Binary Bug says ACAB.

Slightly desperate history of robots space filler!

Oh to be in the timeline where robots had taken over by 2014.

TFW, as it always is with humans, there's a hackle behind all troubles.

A crazy man stirring up bigoted hatred to become president? Must be SF.

Ah, @chrismcfeely, @DemonTomatoDave, I know you've not been impressed by the data strip thing in Sonic the Comic.

Here's the Transformers version.

But only if you have a dog. The dogless die alone.

It's really hard to know what the target audience would have made of that.

The material surrounding the comic, editorial, features and backup, is aimed fairly young. I'd say 8-ish.

The comic is dripping heavily with dense text though. Prime says "Sire". Would kids get it?

But it's incredibly fast paced and has some interesting grabs your imagination SF ideas.

Even if Prime is the only proper character to transform in the whole thing.

And clearly the kids *did* come back.

But what did I think 8 years ago?

Well, Transformation started off fairly straightforward compared to both what it became and even this thread, but enjoy:

https://thesolarpool.weebly.com/transformers-uk-1.html

And if you'd like to read an extended version of the above, you can buy both volumes 1 and 2 from Lulu (and other sellers like Amazon)!

Use code PRINT15 at checkout to get 15% off before midnight.

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/stuart-webb/transformation-a-personal-journey-through-the-british-transformers-comic-volume-1-1984-1987/paperback/product-1g8g4yeq.html

https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/stuart-webb/transformation-a-personal-journey-through-the-british-transformers-comic-volume-2-1987-1989/paperback/product-189kr7vr.html

Or if anyone fancies Ko-Fing me, I'm not proud: https://ko-fi.com/stuartwebb 

I'll be advertising Blue Apron next.