Transformation 146: Live Long and Prosper.

27/2/2015

In the week where dear old Leonard Nimoy left us, it's time for me to look at the start of the British Transformers story that kicked off what is effectively the sequel to the first Transformers film he was in.

But who is the surprise villain? It's all in my look at Death's Head Guest Staring the Transformers Issue 1!

8 Comments

Tim Roll-Pickering link

27/2/2015 03:32:16 pm

I have vague memories that the later reprint of this story in halves managed to hide the title completely from the first half and then completely gave it away with the recap page on the second half. Not that there was such a big secret this time round but it wasn't the best co-ordination. But if this is a prototype for the Death's Head solo series then I wonder just where and how it veered off into comedy. Here Death's Head is still a serious no-nonsence character but in his own series he can be very tongue in cheek. It's pretty much the route Deadpool would later go down.

Nice to see that two decades before his movies Iron Man was emerging as the leading superhero in one part of the Marvel empire. It's a pity the merger would short circuit the back-up strips as the Iron Man story's from the time of the second Michelini-Layton run (although I forget if they did the annual itself) and just before the start of Armour Wars which would have been amazing to reprint. If one could just wait 25 years, Panini eventually did a pocket book of it.

Stuart

28/2/2015 11:21:44 pm

I'd guess with Death's Head Furman either hadn't settled on a style yet (and working out exactly what a Death's Head comic is will vex the character through his own series), or didn't want to push the latest epic into full on comedy territory on top of sneakily making it all about the character.

IIRC the Doctor Who crossover is where the humorous content really starts to get ramped up.

Andrew Turnbull link

1/3/2015 03:13:14 pm

I think the humour is there from the start, but it's a much more cynical and blackly comedic Death's Head. I do agree that his encounter with the Seventh Doctor changes the tone of the humour somewhat. taking the lead from Season 23's portrayal of The Doctor. Imagine if it had been Fenric era Seventh he had met...?

Ralph Burns

2/3/2015 09:31:06 am

'got you' not 'hot you'. That would have been a much more R rated comic!

Ralph Burns

2/3/2015 09:30:19 am

#146 is good but next week's issue was by far the upsetting issue for me as man and boy. It may make me cry again. Death's Head, you bastard! If only Cylonus and Scourge had hot you this week. You! Yes, you, comics characters from 1988! I'm talking to you! FROM THE FUTURE.

SPECIAL TEAMS!

Harry

3/3/2015 04:40:30 am

Ah, yes, no spoilers for the handful who haven't a clue what Ralph is on about, but it is no mean feat to invoke empathy in the reader for *that* character, yet I was sad to see *INSERT SPOILERS*. Still feel bad reading those pages, even now.

snowkatt

7/3/2015 01:13:02 pm

so this is 1988
well it starts ominously enough well enough as well

if its back door pilot it certainly has been done better then others of its kind yes ?

but other then that this is an exceptional opener to a great storyline one of the last great ones before things become unglued

( time wars really is nothing more then a reset button and a deck clearing exercise )

but that is thankfully still quite some time away we got the rest of this storyline to look forward too

Felicity link

6/11/2019 06:27:43 am

I’ll be appearing at Shiggles from the tenth to the fourteenth! Try the veal! It’s here all week!

When “Transformers” alumnus MD Bright becomes penciller on “Iron Man” it really gets good IMO.

I was at a “Star Trek” convention in 1991 and had the opportunity to ask Leonard Nimoy a question during the Q&A but I got nervous and chickened out. I wish I had asked him to tell us something about “Transformers: The Movie.” Not only would it have added to the information available about the movie but he might have liked getting a non-“Trek”-related question, to clear the palate. Still kicking myself to this day over that.

Transformation 146: Live Long and Prosper.

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