Look Who's Back, Back Again.
Issue 4: Tales of Earth Part One/Tales of Earth Part Two. 3rd December 1994.
Hear me, loyal Decepticons. The shallow Pretender is dead—the reign of Megatron begins anew!
So if there is a specific moment where Fleetway completely gave up on the Generation 2 comic, this is the issue where it happens. A reprint of a story that completely rehashes (from the POV of readers) the events of the first two issues. Any young kids reading must have felt they’d wasted their money and almost certainly didn’t come back.
Amusingly though, this was amongst the first Generation 2 material I read, as I picked up this issue as a Memorabilia event at either the same time or slightly after I got that Marvel bumper pack with most of the Joe crossover and the first US issue. So I will always think of it more fondly than anyone who worked on it seems to have.
The editorial does make a token effort to try and smooth things over, in-between saying how great the comic is and how assured its future is, it repeatedly emphasises that Bludgeon is intentionally trying his same plot again having failed the first time. Which is a valiant effort, but is completely undone by there being no editing of the comic itself as would have been done by the Marvel comic at its peak.
Hear me, loyal Decepticons. The shallow Pretender is dead—the reign of Megatron begins anew!
So if there is a specific moment where Fleetway completely gave up on the Generation 2 comic, this is the issue where it happens. A reprint of a story that completely rehashes (from the POV of readers) the events of the first two issues. Any young kids reading must have felt they’d wasted their money and almost certainly didn’t come back.
Amusingly though, this was amongst the first Generation 2 material I read, as I picked up this issue as a Memorabilia event at either the same time or slightly after I got that Marvel bumper pack with most of the Joe crossover and the first US issue. So I will always think of it more fondly than anyone who worked on it seems to have.
The editorial does make a token effort to try and smooth things over, in-between saying how great the comic is and how assured its future is, it repeatedly emphasises that Bludgeon is intentionally trying his same plot again having failed the first time. Which is a valiant effort, but is completely undone by there being no editing of the comic itself as would have been done by the Marvel comic at its peak.
Oddly familiar.
As noted with issue 3, the American issues were divided into different chapters to deal with the fact that original lead artist Derek Yaniger struggled with deadlines. From issue 4, the shorter section was entitled Tales From Earth, and the first two do form a nice tight contained narrative that is perfect for the UK comics format.
Part One is also our first exposure to Yaniger’s art, and even coming after Manny Galan’s attempts to match it in the last issue, it really is bold and striking and, more importantly, different to anything we’ve seen before, feeling more like the more varied and experimental art you might get in an IDW comic than what we would expect from Marvel. And it really works, though perhaps having Galan as a transition helps it avoid less mood whiplash as going straight from Robin Smith to this would have induced.
Part One is also our first exposure to Yaniger’s art, and even coming after Manny Galan’s attempts to match it in the last issue, it really is bold and striking and, more importantly, different to anything we’ve seen before, feeling more like the more varied and experimental art you might get in an IDW comic than what we would expect from Marvel. And it really works, though perhaps having Galan as a transition helps it avoid less mood whiplash as going straight from Robin Smith to this would have induced.
"Well, I've not seen you in two months"
As we open, it’s clear that if there were originally concerns about the violence of the US comic that helped result in the original content, Fleetway no longer care (a sentence you’ll be reading a lot) as we pass over a very Terminator 2 image of devastation and destruction on Earth that is full of smouldering human skeletons that’s so striking the very Furman apocalyptic narration feels rather unneeded.
But its over the page that things start to fall apart for British readers, as Bludgeon up on his War World watches news reports of the devastation with glee and thinks of his plan in almost word for word the same way it was presented back in issue 1, as if this is an entirely new idea he’s never done before. The feeling of redundancy kicks in straight away.
Things do improve when Bludgeon joins the fray and starts stabbing and blowing up stuff himself, alongside his old troops that he’s reassembled after all his new boys were arrested at the end of issue 2 (go on, believe it). But where is Krok? Up to something very clever no doubt.
The death and destruction and sheer glee of the Decepticons as they get to cut lose with no constraints is fantastic, though again you get lots of narration from Bludgeon explaining his plot to lure Optimus Prime out that we know far to well at this point. So it’s something of a relief that he’s shut up by someone smacking the sword out of his hand that (in a reprise of a cliff-hanger from way way back in The Enemy Within!) he expects to be Optimus... but turns out to be Megatron and Starscream!
Again.
But its over the page that things start to fall apart for British readers, as Bludgeon up on his War World watches news reports of the devastation with glee and thinks of his plan in almost word for word the same way it was presented back in issue 1, as if this is an entirely new idea he’s never done before. The feeling of redundancy kicks in straight away.
Things do improve when Bludgeon joins the fray and starts stabbing and blowing up stuff himself, alongside his old troops that he’s reassembled after all his new boys were arrested at the end of issue 2 (go on, believe it). But where is Krok? Up to something very clever no doubt.
The death and destruction and sheer glee of the Decepticons as they get to cut lose with no constraints is fantastic, though again you get lots of narration from Bludgeon explaining his plot to lure Optimus Prime out that we know far to well at this point. So it’s something of a relief that he’s shut up by someone smacking the sword out of his hand that (in a reprise of a cliff-hanger from way way back in The Enemy Within!) he expects to be Optimus... but turns out to be Megatron and Starscream!
Again.
The eyes have it.
For Tales of Earth Part 2, we switch to Manny Galan on art, and it is rougher and less adept at the look than Yaniger, most notably mistaking Starscream’s snarl from the previous cliff-hanger for him chewing on... something.
The fact this was originally from two different issues means the opening is rather weak for UK readers, being Bludgeon explaining the events of the first half and his entire plan. Again.
On the plus side, G2 Megatron is one of Furman’s great successes, and he and Starscream (who gets a nice moment of placing a bet on the leadership fight with Fangry) deliver some excellent snark about how they’re back and bigger and badder than ever.
Which is odd when this is the second time they’ve run into Bludgeon on Earth and had this near enough exact same conversation. Though Bludgeon does get a great line about the only obvious enhancement being to Megatron’s mouth and how he’s not impressed by these two old relics (ironically for an old toy about to be retired hard).
The following fight is perhaps rather brief, but considering it’s remarkable the comic bothered to give Bludgeon an exit at all, it’s probably as good as we could expect. Highlights include Megatron putting his hands in Bldugeon’s eye sockets to rip off his head and a tank to tank battle. But for all Bludgeon talks up his mystic powers, Megatron puts him (and Darkwing) down quickly and brutally in a way that would be shocking if not for the fact the iconic Hamlet inspired “Alas poor Bludgeon” cover didn’t give it away.
We then end on the watching Skydive realising he needs to warn the other Autobots Megatron is back... even though they already found this out in issue 1.
This is a strange story to review in this context, it’s clearly better executed than the first two issues (though it has the advantage of the Megatron/Prime reunion not having to be squeezed in as well), but it all having been done before and so recently kills it completely, despite great art on the first half and some snappy dialogue. It is probably the first real time in Transformers that Furman’s Terry Nation recycling tendencies really bites him on the ass and hurts the series.
The fact this was originally from two different issues means the opening is rather weak for UK readers, being Bludgeon explaining the events of the first half and his entire plan. Again.
On the plus side, G2 Megatron is one of Furman’s great successes, and he and Starscream (who gets a nice moment of placing a bet on the leadership fight with Fangry) deliver some excellent snark about how they’re back and bigger and badder than ever.
Which is odd when this is the second time they’ve run into Bludgeon on Earth and had this near enough exact same conversation. Though Bludgeon does get a great line about the only obvious enhancement being to Megatron’s mouth and how he’s not impressed by these two old relics (ironically for an old toy about to be retired hard).
The following fight is perhaps rather brief, but considering it’s remarkable the comic bothered to give Bludgeon an exit at all, it’s probably as good as we could expect. Highlights include Megatron putting his hands in Bldugeon’s eye sockets to rip off his head and a tank to tank battle. But for all Bludgeon talks up his mystic powers, Megatron puts him (and Darkwing) down quickly and brutally in a way that would be shocking if not for the fact the iconic Hamlet inspired “Alas poor Bludgeon” cover didn’t give it away.
We then end on the watching Skydive realising he needs to warn the other Autobots Megatron is back... even though they already found this out in issue 1.
This is a strange story to review in this context, it’s clearly better executed than the first two issues (though it has the advantage of the Megatron/Prime reunion not having to be squeezed in as well), but it all having been done before and so recently kills it completely, despite great art on the first half and some snappy dialogue. It is probably the first real time in Transformers that Furman’s Terry Nation recycling tendencies really bites him on the ass and hurts the series.
Mega CD!
The comic only spreads onto the rear gatefold this month, meaning the opening can give us profiles of Snarl and Sideswipe (“To know me is to fear me!”, who hurt you Sideswipe?), plus as a tie in to the release of Mickey Mania on various consoles (including the Mega CD) there’s a competition for a family trip to Disneyland Paris.
The editorial promises a terrifying Decepticon poster this month (probably Robin Smith again) and it does indeed show Megatron charging into battle alongside those famous Decepticons, Grimlock and Snarl.
The letters page is mainly older readers again, with the most notable being Robin Chare of Bexhill-on-Sea asking about a Generation 2 annual that, despite being in shops as this issue came out, is only given a vague answer as it’s from a different publisher. There’s also some sloppiness as Guadenzio Civita of Lewis is called Robin in the reply to their letter.
Though as a plus, there’s a lovely drawing of Skram by Adam Moore of West Ewell.
The big sign of things to come though is that the next issue is not coming out for over a month, January 21st. Even allowing them wanting to skip a week over the traditional four so as not to put out an issue on New Year’s Eve, that’s still very much a sign of a book on death’s door.
But before that, the kids would have had an extra treat in their stocking on Christmas day with the first, and only Transformers: Generation 2 Annual.
REGENERATION ONE
1994-2003
COMMENT
KO-FI
The editorial promises a terrifying Decepticon poster this month (probably Robin Smith again) and it does indeed show Megatron charging into battle alongside those famous Decepticons, Grimlock and Snarl.
The letters page is mainly older readers again, with the most notable being Robin Chare of Bexhill-on-Sea asking about a Generation 2 annual that, despite being in shops as this issue came out, is only given a vague answer as it’s from a different publisher. There’s also some sloppiness as Guadenzio Civita of Lewis is called Robin in the reply to their letter.
Though as a plus, there’s a lovely drawing of Skram by Adam Moore of West Ewell.
The big sign of things to come though is that the next issue is not coming out for over a month, January 21st. Even allowing them wanting to skip a week over the traditional four so as not to put out an issue on New Year’s Eve, that’s still very much a sign of a book on death’s door.
But before that, the kids would have had an extra treat in their stocking on Christmas day with the first, and only Transformers: Generation 2 Annual.
REGENERATION ONE
1994-2003
COMMENT
KO-FI
