The Solar Pool
Follow Me For Updates On:
  • Blog
  • Revisitation
  • Transformation
  • Book Shop
    • Heart of the Pool
    • Disclaimer
    • Links

Transformation 248: Coming Out of Their Shells.

9/2/2017

14 Comments

 
Picture
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!


14 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

Reply
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.

Reply
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!

Reply
Stuart
11/2/2017 11:42:04 am

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

Reply
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.

Reply
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.

Reply
Nathan Webb
11/2/2017 07:23:21 am

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

Reply
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!

Reply
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.

Reply
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.

Reply
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! :-)

Reply
Wayne Allen
6/11/2021 09:16:36 pm

Does anyone have any of these Berni Fun covers for sale there the only ones I need to complete my uk collection any help would be greatly appreciated

Reply
Stuart
7/11/2021 02:06:54 am

Getting hold of the set, or even being sure you have the whole set, is very tricky.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Stuart Webb. Who knows everything about nothing and not a lot about that.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011

    Categories

    All
    Action Force/G.I. Joe
    Animated
    Announcement
    Armada
    Audio
    Avengers
    Baker
    Bay
    Beast Wars
    Big Finish
    Brosnan
    Cannon
    Capaldi
    Carpenter
    Carte Blanche
    Cartoon
    Combat Colin
    Comedy
    Comics
    Computer Games
    Costa
    Cullen
    Davison
    Death
    Discworld
    Doctor Who
    Dragon's Claws
    Dreamwave
    Dynamite
    Eccleston
    Ellis
    Fantasy
    Film
    Fleetway
    Frost
    Furman
    Generation 2
    Generation One
    Generation One
    Holmes
    Horror
    IDW
    James Bond
    James Roberts
    Jeffrey Deaver
    Ladybird
    Machine Man
    Marvel
    McCarthy
    Mccoy
    Mcgann
    Mosaic
    Nick Roche
    Nimoy
    Nintendo
    Panini
    Pegg
    Pratchett
    Prime
    Rescue Bots
    Revisitation
    RID
    Rincewind
    Science Fiction
    Science Fiction
    Shatner
    Signature
    Smith
    Sponsored
    Spy
    Star Trek
    Su
    Tennant
    Tipton
    Titan
    Torchwood
    Transformation
    Transformers
    Tv
    Visionaries
    Weatherwax
    Witches
    Wizards
    YouTube

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.