Transformation 78: Bang on Target.

8/11/2013

We kick off the BIG Marvel UK story, with intrigue, mystery and a random Arnie impression.

Plus Prowl has an accident in the toilets.

All in my look at:

Target: 2006 Prologue!

11 Comments

Simon Hall

9/11/2013 01:06:24 am

This is always seen as 'the big I am' of the UK stories, yet its not one that resonates with me. Okay, yes its a big sprawling time travel epic but its the "...spinning out of events in Transformers: The Movie" that I stops me enjoying this as much as I should.

I can see that its a good solid story (the Geoff Senior drawn bits are my favourite - even small stuff like Scourge throwing steel sheets at Grapple have an energy and dynamism few other artists bring to the table) and easily some of Furman's best work, but its hobbled by the constraints of having to fit in with happening part way through the film. It gives the whole thing a feeling of "it was all a dream" by the end. I found it quite surprising that having had to put the toys back in the box to fit the UK stuff around the US material, the same approach is adopted here. I just find it a slightly unsatisfying story as you know that all this is going to amount to nothing.

I much prefer the subsequent future-verse stories as they are better able to set out their own stall without being hampered by having to fit around someone else's work. And these stories really turn into something special with the arrival of a certain Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, which - in a small way - gives us a glimpse of there being a wider place in the universe for the Transformers. up until then, it always felt a bit like a there was nothing more than them out there.

Again, I think my lack of seeing this as something amazing is due to being a Collected Comics reader at the time (and a sporadic one at that), so I missed this arc entirely. Quite possibly why I found more to enjoy in the likes of 'Second Generation' and 'Prey' (the latter being one of my personal favourites).

Stuart

9/11/2013 05:27:02 am

The man who isn't keen on Target: 2006? Well, there had to be one... ;)

I would say there are some lasting consequences to the story though, the alliance with Galvatron and Prime's doubts about it are what kick of the plot of Prime and Megatron Go To Cybertron.

I do agree there are a couple of odd bits across the whole story though, which I will come to in time.

snowkatt

10/11/2013 03:14:12 am

actually i am another one who doesnt like target 2006 very much

the things i mostly trip over are 2 huge logical fallacies one you will discuss soon
its quite a supreme one

the other one involves autobot city im sure you know which one i mean

the second especially seems incogurent with the story
and i find that the ending sort of fizzels out to a non event
with quite a few leaps of logic

a somewhat common problem for furman

the parts that are good though are very good but when it falters it falters badly

the stories that flowed out of target 2006 and its follow ups are better

i much prefer wanted galvatron dead or alive or headhunt or the return of unicron

Kevin Routledge

14/11/2013 09:12:08 am

Personally I like Dinobot Hunt better, but I've always thought Target 2006 was the only piece of Furman's work that could compare to other 'decent' comic fiction (not the legimate classics).

I think his writing was better when he was constrained by having to work around Bob's central story and I don't begrudge him giving himself more or using a few MacGuffins along the way. He knew where he had to be at the close of the story otherwise he'd just kill everyone and that's not building a character unless it's made to matter to us or someone else in the story.

The intertwining of the Cybertron and future/now elements of the story were great. He maintains the feel of a Dystopian Cybertron already brought in by Bobby Bob Bob as well as giving himself lots of new characters to play with inc. Impactor, presumably pleasing Hasbro in the process.

Plus he seems to realise that Prime (as glorious as he is) should be disappeared and used very sparingly, which is another reason why I love Roberts use of him thus far in MTMTE. Unfortunatley any extra characterisation for the Autobots is restricted to making them uninteresting and directionless who seek out any Prime proxy and follow them, good or bad.

The ending of the future/now half of the story is admittedly meh, but I suppose Galvatron could be symbolic of future comic readers because 'he realised it didn't matter and we should stop thinking about it'. I definitely think Furman was setting us up for something there. The Cybertronian half of the story was wrapped up much more neatly.

Overall I think it was a nice little bit of universe building and this was something Furman didn't do as well until Infiltration (hey I liked it) for IDW which was very nicely paced until it later fell down around his ears for some reason.

I've probably repeated everything everybody else said, damn my muddled mind. So yeah it's good, so good Furman keeps referring back to it in Regen One even though 'it doesn't matter and we should stop thinking about it'.

Felicity

4/9/2016 02:14:12 am

Back when I had only read one UK story, it was “Man of Iron,” because that was reprinted in the US comic. :-)

Back when I had only read *two* UK stories, it was an issue my parents picked up for me when they were on vacation. I think it might have an annual or summer special. There was a framing device with Optimus comforting a dying Outback while Roadbuster, Ultra Magnus, and some Guardians looked for him, believing him to be an impostor. One of the interior stories involved some alien brain creatures that fed on emotions.

I have yet to read “Target: 2006,” though I heard about it from someone who had read it.

Alex Smith link

7/9/2016 10:48:50 pm

That would be 'Distant Thunder'.

Felicity

8/9/2016 07:40:33 am

Yes! That sounds exactly right. :-]

Ralph Burns

6/9/2016 08:48:01 pm

30 years ago today!

*jumps in the sea*

SPECIAL TEAMS!

Stuart

6/9/2016 08:51:33 pm

Anniversaries mean nothing to time travellers!

Paul link

7/9/2016 01:04:51 am

"... was the comic recovered with the local barbie based currency on the front or was the price change achieved in other ways?"

FYI - There weren't any cover changes in Australia. (Think it took quite a while for young me to know the "30p" thing on the cover was a price.) The majority of my UK comics have a handwritten $AU price on the cover. If not that then a price sticker was added by the store.

Felicity link

27/10/2019 06:23:32 pm

I just realised those three fleshlings in the image above look like the three hunters (Gus, Morrie, and Juan) from from upcoming issue “King Con!”

Transformation 78: Bang on Target.

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