Transformation 135: Birdman.

12/12/2014

A dangling guilty secret from Swoop's past is finally addressed head on in the wrap up to a storyline started two years ago.

No, not the professor Morris storyline. The "Swoop used to be called Divebomb" storyline. It's what we were all waiting for.

Plus, the debut of the amazing Krunix.

All in my look at issue 135!

9 Comments

Alex

12/12/2014 07:39:38 am

I really enjoyed Jeff Anderson's work in this (though I am something of a fan in any case) - solid stuff, with only some dodgy scale to marr it.

Also, I too enjoyed the way 'What's in a Name?' slots in between panels here - clearly it satisfies some as-yet undiagnosed OCD on my part.

Stuart

12/12/2014 07:56:35 am

Indeed, if- as he says- exactly what form the follow up would take hadn't come to him when he wrote the Annual story this really shows his smarts as an editor.

Doing this project has actually hugely increased my appreciation of Anderson.

Auntie Slag

12/12/2014 10:13:05 am

I loved the colour of this story. Very strong and vibrant. For being a cadre of elite killers The Predacon's are a wonderfully bright and colourful bunch.

I'm also not a fan of Anderson's art (especially when he draws Swoop), but whoever does the colouring-in was totally on form.

A good fun story, love seeing a Dinobot fight anyone or anything, and glad they weren't restricted to just the Constructicons as their polar opposites.

I remember brimming with anticipation at the Next Issue panel at the time.

Nick

14/12/2014 12:17:04 am

>>A good fun story, love seeing a Dinobot fight anyone or anything, and glad they weren't restricted to just the Constructicons as their polar opposites.

Yeah, also good to see Grimlock actually getting the upper hand in a fight for a change. He seemed to spend his time getting his metal backside kicked by the likes of Galvatron, Megatron, Trypticon, Shockwave and even Blaster.

Stuart

13/12/2014 06:19:33 am

It may have taken a bit of time, but yeah, the book is really rocking the new colouring technique now.

Alex

13/12/2014 06:37:14 am

I do enjoy Grimlock across these two issues as well - the only time the whole 'tough-but-fair' leader thing ever seemed to work was in his UK appearances.

JeremiahEcks

30/12/2024 02:49:06 pm

Alex, do you think the reason is because Budiansky was playing it for comedy because he'd mentally checked out whereas Furman is constantly trying to show his very best and therefore taking the job a fair bit seriously - which means he has to make even the bad ideas work?

Not that I'm saying Grimlock as a leader is a bad idea. I actually really like it in concept - it's just that with so many toys, falling storylines being lost in the shuffle, and a focus on NEW PRODUCT, I do rather feel as if we were cheated of a Grimlock vs. Ratbat Showdown!

Nick

14/12/2014 12:12:34 am

Much obliged for the shout-out, Stuart. I don't remember those annuals being much cop, although I remember a reasonably cool Megatron/Galvatron encounter in the TF annual and the Cobra Island story in the Action Force annual was quite good. Thundercats fell way short of the other properties though IMO and the comic had nothing to recommend it, other than some early Bryan Hitch and Doug Braithwaite art. Great character designs but otherwise to me the nostalgia for Thundercats is completely rose-tinted.

Nick

JeremiahEcks

30/12/2024 02:44:34 pm

Can I just ask why we haven't had a toy of Krunix? Such an important character who must be a key figure to Scorponok's plans. I look forward to seeing a lot more of Krunix in the UK comics.

I know I'm being facetious but in all seriousness, what has stopped E-Hobby repainting someone purple and claiming it's Krunix? A Highbrow toy would probably do.

In my personal fan-canon head, when Scorponok decided to chase Fort Max to Earth, he deployed some of his crew back to Cybertron to tell them where they were and where they'd been, to ferry with them some Nebulan prisoners/ allies to Cybertron, and to share the Headmaster process there. This is why Hosehead can be a Headmaster (and maybe Playback quite possibly), and why Doubledealer, Hi-Test and Throttle can be Powermasters. But this also explains why some Cons from Nebulous, like Sixshot, never appear again. Because if Sixshot was on Earth, surely we'd see him! No, makes more sense to me he went back to Cybertron with a bunch of Nebulon prisoners / allies, and why I mention this is because Krunix must have gone with them surely!

Have I thought too much about this? 🤔

Transformation 135: Birdman.

Leave a Reply.

Author

Archives

Categories