Transformation 248: Coming Out of Their Shells.

9/2/2017

It's a double serving of robot goodness this week as the refined diner gets a two course meal.

Starting with jumping back in time to 1987 to look at the Berni comics in the newest ADDENDUM.

Then, back in 1989, Starscream is back as the supreme terror in the Universe!

Plus Starscream is very depressed and useless. All in my look at ISSUE 248!

12 Comments

Nathan Webb

10/2/2017 08:38:11 pm

This is the best black and white story, it's so so powerful, you can't help but route for starscream to overcome his depression and get a win. I love it when Furman flips the villains into likeable characters

Alex Smith link

11/2/2017 10:17:29 pm

I love it too. This is what the black-and-white era does best for me - pithy little character pieces, telling stories the 'main' strip wouldn't have time for.

Ralph Burns

10/2/2017 09:53:44 pm

Well done for mentioning the BEST Star Trek movie, V: The Final Frontier. Good times! You may now have a marsh melon.

Next issue brings forth by far the most hateful character in all of human literature and storytelling since the species began. LONGTOOTH MUST DIE, I HATE HIM.

Did you have a brain fart? What does: 'eping with envy. ably have Vudek is them abandoning the supposedly protective shells as they run intwrning in' mean?

WHO IS VUDEK???!!! We must know!!!

SPECIAL TEAMS!

Stuart

11/2/2017 11:42:04 am

Not sure how that got mangled, but tis now fixed!

Ralph Burns

13/2/2017 06:29:04 pm

Vudek must return!

SPECIAL TEAMS!

Tim Roll-Pickering link

10/2/2017 10:12:12 pm

Yeah, the format works well for focused character pieces, less so for ensemble cast get togethers. It's also a good contrast with Stargazing from two years earlier - both focus on a recently resurrected Starscream trying to find what his place in the universe is but that went all Spirit of Christmassy whereas here Starscream rediscovers himself as a force of terror.

I think the G.I. Joe story is one of the ones with the shortest time since it was originally printed (January 1989) so will probably feature at least some of the toys on UK shelves - or maybe even pre-empt their arrival in the New Year.

Berni Inn is one of those institutions that I don't seem to have ever visited. Maybe we didn't have any in Surrey or perhaps my parents were more inclined to either eat at home before going into town or use department store restaurants/cafes on longer trips.

Colin H

10/2/2017 11:10:19 pm

Starscream's relationship with the Decepticons is probably not dissimilar to POTUS Trump's relationship with the online community at the moment (thre weeks into his presidency, for anyone who can still read this in a smoking crater six months from now) - he thinks we're all just laughing at him, but we're actually shit-scared he's going to kill us all.

Or perhaps he's just a Pretender shell for Putin.

Nathan Webb

11/2/2017 07:23:21 am

Whoooooa, please let's not turn this into a political forum.

Ralph Burns

13/2/2017 06:30:50 pm

I think it's quite impressive that a disposable weekly black and white toy tie-in comic strip from over 25 years ago can illicit a reaction from a reader that reminds them of contemporary events. That's a well made comic with more depth than is usually given credit.

SPECIAL TEAMS!

Matthew Shortt

11/2/2017 07:37:06 pm

If I had to pick one story to demonstrate why I love Transformers (and in particular, the G1 UK comics) it'd be 'Fallen Star'. It's sophisticated, humourous, exciting, carries an epic quality and actually makes you care about these 'toys'. Starscream is just wonderful - my favourite Transformer. Furman and Wildman knock it out of the park with the narrative and visuals. Loved it then, love it now.

Charles RB

13/2/2017 06:12:22 pm

"Fallen Star!" really does a great job of bridging "Skin Deep" and "Primal Scream!" - pity it's not in the relevant Hatchette collection, really. (also the Demons!*) And whoooof, not sure how the UK fans survived the Pretenders story being dragged out so long AND THEN THEY HAVE THE JOE/TF CROSSOVER TOOOOO

I quite like the cover. It's the best the Pretenders have ever looked, like a rival Game team off to fight Dragon's Claws. The attempt to keep kayfabe going with who the Pretenders will be is appreciated but it does seem like this should've been the cover for next issue (sorry Longtooth), focusing on the Autobots in their usual look to win readers back, and Starscream got this cover to himself. Senior-style Pretender Starscream whacking things, who'd say no?

* Though including Rise & Fall does give the fun impression that the Megatron from that is the one who's fighting Ratchet. And that does make more sense.

Felicity link

29/11/2019 03:34:38 am

I liked the Classic Pretender shells, and while some of the characters didn’t use them much, like Starscream (who didn’t use it after this issue IIRC) and Grimlock (who occasionally used it, as with parts of the stories where they met Primus and fought Thunderwing on Vsqs, but then abandoned it from the Nucleon quest onwards), others seemed to quite enjoy their shells. Jazz reacted to Bludgeon damaging his “snappy new Pretender threads” by making him “eat floor,” and Bumblebee went as far as to say “I love this!” about how as a Pretender he’s no longer small and others respect him, even fear him.

So there’s a connecting story between Starscream begging for his life at the end of this story and Starscream listening in doorways and planning treachery in the next. And in this connecting story it looks like we do get to see Starscream’s Classic Pretender shell one more time.

Yay Soundwave! I love how Geoff Senior manages to make him look angry even with that faceplate in the story where the Decepticons are mad at Scorponok for letting Starscream live. :-)

I remember that issue of “GI Joe: Special Missions.” It was depressing the way the GI Joes had no sympathy for the homeless old veteran who was hurt that he fell through the cracks of society after he served his country. While that veteran did get to do some heroic things later in the story to “make up” for his anti-military attitude at the beginning, I still feel the Joes’ reaction to him being abandoned by his government was pretty harsh. It was something like “So? You got your paycheck while you were serving. What more did you expect? Grow up.” I could see that attitude coming from a bad guy, like some heartless bureaucrat for example, but not from the heroes of the comic.

“Long in the tooth”? But the “Moby Dick”/“Jaws” parody is a long way off…I’ll have to see what this means! :-)

Transformation 248: Coming Out of Their Shells.

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