Transformation 85: Thriller Night.

27/12/2013

We may all be hurtling towards the New Year in 2013, but back in 1986 it's Halloween week and as a result we get the most terrifying moment of all Transformers comics. Plus Starscream learns the whole "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" lesson.

Also: The Constructicons don't give a toss. All in:

Target: 2006 Part 7.

Come back on New Years days for a special addendum, and don't forget to get your entry in for the QUIZ by the same date.

7 Comments

Tim Roll-Pickering link

27/12/2013 08:29:51 am

My collection of the comic began properly (I already had one later issue) when I picked up this issue and two later ones at a school fair, for the price of 2p each. Clearly nobody foresaw the back issue market... It's quite a good introduction to the series, helped by the Transformation page briefly recapping all the new characters, and also manages to cover a huge number of the general themes of the series - you have Autobot-Decepticon conflict, Starscream's treachery, Megatron's sneakiness, Galvatron's ruthlessess, heroic Autobots, time travel and so on, as well as the new ideas and horror of Jazz's zombification.

The movie's UK release date continues to be a pain. IMDB says the 5th and that may be the source for Wikipedia (and other websites) but I question IMDB's reliability when it comes to obscure points that aren't easy to check - it repeats the claim that "Matrix Forever" was (part of) the film's title in Japan. However it's possible the film was released a week early in London's West End - but that really needs a positive confirmation not conjecture and memory.

(On another surprise discovery there are clips from WACaday on YouTube that show the cartoon had some more screenings in the summer of 1987 - seemingly with the first season rerun. That's after the Gobots run - Timmy Mallet explicitly says so in one - and potentially rewrites the history of the cartoon over here.)

Watch out for just how much the comic tries to hype up Spitfire compared to other back-up strips. It was one of the New Universe titles that was Marvel US editorial's Big Thing in 1986, creating a separate comics universe based on hard science rather than fantasy, but treated with indifference by just about everyone else in the comics industry from US finance who curtailed the available funds down to retailers and critics. (When there was an attempted relaunch under a new Editor-in-Chief, Peter David suggested an advertising line "The New Universe: It doesn't suck anymore.") Whether Marvel UK treated it as The Next Big Thing or begrudgingly gave it the bare minimum as though it was forced upon them could be a sign of how they saw it.

bouncelot

27/12/2013 01:27:44 pm

On the New Universe, have a look at this interview with Marvel US Editor in Chief Jim Shooter about it: http://web.archive.org/web/20010509182726/www.comicbookresources.com/features/shooter1/index3.shtml

Turns out that it was conceived as the next big thing, but then had its budget slashed to nothing just before they were about to write the first issues.

Tim Roll-Pickering link

3/1/2014 08:36:52 am

Yeah - sounds like an early example of the disconnected thinking and short term budgetting that would devastate Marvel US in the 1990s.

ISTR that part of the fan reaction was soured in advance by comments by Shooter about how Stan Lee had been setting out to write science fiction comics but went off differently due to knowing nothing about science and the input of the more fantasy orientated Jack Kirby, and the New Universe was a tribute to Stan's original vision. Add in the issues about Kirby and Marvel's relations at the time (too long to go into here) and the whole thing inadvertantly became a side to take in the Stan or Marvel vs Jack wars that some fans insist on raging.

Felicity

27/10/2019 07:00:38 am

I liked several of the 1986 New Universe titles, including one that was written by Peter David, “Mark Hazard: Merc.” “DP7” was good, and “Kickers Inc.,” “Nightmask,” and “Starbrand” all had their good moments. The New Universe may have been underwhelming compared to its hype, and the experiment may have failed overall, but some good comics came out of it.

Stuart

28/12/2013 02:25:54 am

I've actually asked Chris McFeely about where the date of the 5th comes from (if it comes from anywhere), if he doesn't know it's likely no one does.

A little bit of Grim Grams is given over to Spitfire, and it does make mention of the New Universe, so it'll be interesting to see how that goes.

Nick

9/1/2014 01:48:01 am

Happy New Year to all!

What a great issue this was and what a great review. I thought the cover looked subpar, nice lighting but too shiny for such dark events and there's no snap, crackle and pop to Jazz' blows. Will Simpson was really firing on all cylinders inside though, less awkward than usual - I particularly liked the smug expression on Cyclonus' face as Galvatron explained to Starscream that he 'thinks with his fists'. Speaking of Cyclonus, it was great to see him get his clock cleaned finally but at the same time Furman managed to put him across as a force to be reckoned with - Megatron needed Soundwave's distraction to score the knockout blow. No such problems a few years later when Megatron literally ripped off Cyclonus' head. Furman did such a great job portraying Cyclonus as a brute and thug, I don't know if I've ever disliked a Decepticon so much. Neither he nor Scourge ever looked anywhere near as formidable after this story though.

The Jazz beatdown was bizarre - even zombified and with the Autobots bushwhacked, it's hard to buy him taking out his comrades so easily. I recall him practically chopping the cheek off of Brawn, who used to be the strongest Autobot this side of Optimus Prime and could shrug off Seeker firepower with ease. I don't remember exactly how he handled Jetfire but that was a bit of a stretch too. Jetfire wasn't twice the size of Prime in the comics like he was in the cartoon but this was still a guy who flattened Shockwave.

While I'm talking scale, I guess the displacement thing kinda sorta marries up - Thundercracker's about the same size as the Autobots, Frenzy's clearly a lot smaller but Shockwave was a good bit bigger. I doubt Furman put that much thought into it though.

Stuart

10/1/2014 12:04:10 pm

I think the thing with jazz is he's actively trying to kill everyone whilst they're holding back, that's what makes the difference.

Transformation 85: Thriller Night.

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