Happy Birthday to You.
Issue 19: Smoked Out. 20th February 2014.
I don’t like cats.
And as we come ever closer to the end of this project, issue 19 begins the final year of (original content! Always got to emphasise that thanks to Signature. More on that soon...) British Transformers comics. Seven issues and then it’s all over.
Not that they knew that at the time. Indeed, we’re two issues away from an attempt at a pushing a relaunch. And 2014 has a far greater significance in the history of Transformers, being the 30th anniversary.
Now, we’ve had “Big Issue number” celebrations before. But despite Titan having the licence during the 25th year, we’ve never had a UK story tipping the hat to a major birthday. So it became something of a surprise to reread this comic for the first time in six years and find it is a stealth 30th anniversary special.
I say stealth, because there’s no mention of it anywhere else in the comic, so I suspect Chris Cooper did it himself, for fun and in a rather sneaky way. Though with the fluctuating release schedule, it could even just be a coincidence a homage to the early days of the franchise was in the first issue of this year and therefore it was stealthy even to the author.
I don’t like cats.
And as we come ever closer to the end of this project, issue 19 begins the final year of (original content! Always got to emphasise that thanks to Signature. More on that soon...) British Transformers comics. Seven issues and then it’s all over.
Not that they knew that at the time. Indeed, we’re two issues away from an attempt at a pushing a relaunch. And 2014 has a far greater significance in the history of Transformers, being the 30th anniversary.
Now, we’ve had “Big Issue number” celebrations before. But despite Titan having the licence during the 25th year, we’ve never had a UK story tipping the hat to a major birthday. So it became something of a surprise to reread this comic for the first time in six years and find it is a stealth 30th anniversary special.
I say stealth, because there’s no mention of it anywhere else in the comic, so I suspect Chris Cooper did it himself, for fun and in a rather sneaky way. Though with the fluctuating release schedule, it could even just be a coincidence a homage to the early days of the franchise was in the first issue of this year and therefore it was stealthy even to the author.
TWO METRES
But before we celebrate the old, we bring in the new as Smoked Out gives a featured role to one of the new Autobots introduced last issue, Smokescreen. Who since then has shifted to his blue colour scheme from the later days of the TV show. Not that it means anything but toy promotion as the exact character set-up remains impossible at any point in the cartoon.
He’s quite good fun, quipping away as he’s attacked by four Vehicons and Skylynx, going for some good cheesy puns like “Things are getting a little too hot to handle” as the Sierra Nevada forest he was driving through catches fire.
Which is totally my bag. The key thing though is that he’s knocked into a river (“What are you looking at, fish face?”), before stumbling out into the fictional Jackdaw City, stuck in vehicle mode in a place so backwards the car showrooms have 1920’s models in them.
Which, close to halfway through the story, brings us to the anniversary aspect, as he spots “Joe’s Auto Repair: No Job too Small—Or too Big!” and decides that, as an Autobot, he definitely qualifies for Auto repair.
Rolling in and hooking up to the diagnostic computer, Smokescreen quickly realises he’s buggered. But help comes in the form of Joe himself. A grumpy mechanic in overalls and a red cap.
Sound familiar?
He’s quite good fun, quipping away as he’s attacked by four Vehicons and Skylynx, going for some good cheesy puns like “Things are getting a little too hot to handle” as the Sierra Nevada forest he was driving through catches fire.
Which is totally my bag. The key thing though is that he’s knocked into a river (“What are you looking at, fish face?”), before stumbling out into the fictional Jackdaw City, stuck in vehicle mode in a place so backwards the car showrooms have 1920’s models in them.
Which, close to halfway through the story, brings us to the anniversary aspect, as he spots “Joe’s Auto Repair: No Job too Small—Or too Big!” and decides that, as an Autobot, he definitely qualifies for Auto repair.
Rolling in and hooking up to the diagnostic computer, Smokescreen quickly realises he’s buggered. But help comes in the form of Joe himself. A grumpy mechanic in overalls and a red cap.
Sound familiar?
De ja vu.
Yes, it’s a homage to the end of the opening Marvel Transformers issue/start of the second, with Bumblebee bleeding to death in Sparkplug’s garage. I get why the Witwicky name wasn’t used (too confusing for younger fans for whom it has the weight of the films), but it is a shame the Sparkplug name doesn’t slip in. Or that it wasn’t called William/Irvin's Auto Repair.
But he never does introduce himself (presumably deliberately, again, this seems to be happening under the radar), so you can always assume this is Aligned Continuity Sparkplug Witwicky with a new, third, first name.
After initially being scared by a talking car, Joe quickly works out Smokescreen must be “One of those evil alien fighting robot things from the internet!” To which Smokescreen replies that “And I thought humans only used the internet to watch funny cat videos”.
Which is actually a telling comment that reminds us just how long the Titan comic has been running as that would not have been such an obvious joke in 2007, just two years after YouTube started.
Joe may not like cats, but he once satisfies himself that Smokescreen is ticklish (kinky),he decides this must be a nice alien fighting robot and offers to help.
Which is much needed, as it turns out Skylynx is hot on the Autobot’s trail. Which Joe quickly finds out as he has a police scanner on in the garage to “Keep an ear out for any auto incidents. In case someone needs a recovery truck”.
But he never does introduce himself (presumably deliberately, again, this seems to be happening under the radar), so you can always assume this is Aligned Continuity Sparkplug Witwicky with a new, third, first name.
After initially being scared by a talking car, Joe quickly works out Smokescreen must be “One of those evil alien fighting robot things from the internet!” To which Smokescreen replies that “And I thought humans only used the internet to watch funny cat videos”.
Which is actually a telling comment that reminds us just how long the Titan comic has been running as that would not have been such an obvious joke in 2007, just two years after YouTube started.
Joe may not like cats, but he once satisfies himself that Smokescreen is ticklish (kinky),he decides this must be a nice alien fighting robot and offers to help.
Which is much needed, as it turns out Skylynx is hot on the Autobot’s trail. Which Joe quickly finds out as he has a police scanner on in the garage to “Keep an ear out for any auto incidents. In case someone needs a recovery truck”.
Trump's latest suggestion for a corona virus cure went about as well as the bleach.
Sure “Joe”, there’s definitely no reason a man who keeps changing his first name needs to keep an eye on what the police are doing.
With this new emergency, Joe decides to take a drastic measure to help Smokescreen transform. The issue is his door being smashed in and blocking the process... so Joe takes a chainsaw to remove the door (and attendant arm).
Which, with its direct reference to surgery with a chainsaw, feels like another nod as it comes a year after Dr Pharma in IDW’s More Than Meets the Eye returned with a similar medical chainsaw. Joe’s is even in Pharma colours.
This advanced medicine works, and we get a fairly perfunctory one page fight where Smokescreen and Joe (in his pick-up truck) throw Skylynx off a cliff. Which is apparently enough to deal with a guy who can fly. But we close on a nice gag where Smokescreen offers to pay for parts and labour, but Joe says it’s on the house.
Which is lucky as his services cost an arm and a leg.
This is a tremendously fun story that successfully captures the spirit of those early Marvel issues without beating you over the head with it. The conversation between Smokescreen and Joe is the meat of the story rather than the action scene, and it’s to its credit that it makes such an impression despite on taking up half the story.
Alongside some lovely art from Andres Ponce, this isn’t just a fitting celebration of 30 years of Transformers, it would have been an excellent final issue for Titan, bringing things full circle back to how the franchise started. It isn’t, but it is fair to say we are very much winding down from here.
With this new emergency, Joe decides to take a drastic measure to help Smokescreen transform. The issue is his door being smashed in and blocking the process... so Joe takes a chainsaw to remove the door (and attendant arm).
Which, with its direct reference to surgery with a chainsaw, feels like another nod as it comes a year after Dr Pharma in IDW’s More Than Meets the Eye returned with a similar medical chainsaw. Joe’s is even in Pharma colours.
This advanced medicine works, and we get a fairly perfunctory one page fight where Smokescreen and Joe (in his pick-up truck) throw Skylynx off a cliff. Which is apparently enough to deal with a guy who can fly. But we close on a nice gag where Smokescreen offers to pay for parts and labour, but Joe says it’s on the house.
Which is lucky as his services cost an arm and a leg.
This is a tremendously fun story that successfully captures the spirit of those early Marvel issues without beating you over the head with it. The conversation between Smokescreen and Joe is the meat of the story rather than the action scene, and it’s to its credit that it makes such an impression despite on taking up half the story.
Alongside some lovely art from Andres Ponce, this isn’t just a fitting celebration of 30 years of Transformers, it would have been an excellent final issue for Titan, bringing things full circle back to how the franchise started. It isn’t, but it is fair to say we are very much winding down from here.
Tag yourself.
Not that you’d tell that from an issue that is otherwise business as usual. Starting with a double page All About Smokescreen, that recaps events from the no-longer compatible with the comic cartoon. It also, strangely, reveals that despite being armed with “Enormous power” and “Ancient terror”, Smokescreen only induces a “Medium” fear factor.
Poor guy.
Best of Bots! is a multiple choice personality quiz to find out which Autobot you are most like, out of Ratchet; Bumblebee; Bulkhead and Optimus. I am, of course, a Ratchet. Only instead of being grumpy on the outside and soft on the inside, I’m just grumpy.
Double Trouble! is another spot the difference of Agent Fowler’s CCTV images. His cameras must be psychic as it’s a panel from the comic that happens later in the issue.
Trans Files covers Skylynx and Darksteel, with what looks to be original art of them. Confusingly, it describes both their creation in the cartoon and the events of this issue’s comic, despite them (again) not being reconcilable continuities any more. It also mixes up CNA into CAN again.
Past the Autobots Rule! poster, Soundwave’s Stumpers sees him having a bad day, as you have to separate his mixed up wires and work out which Autobots he’s seeing through his broken vision. You also have to try and recognise the Autobots in the KAPOW style sound effects and translate Megatron’s secret message using Raf’s code.
Relic Race! is a board game with cut-out counters where you have to race Knock Out about, avoiding oil slicks, to get to a Lacon relic.
The competition this month is for what seems to be a bunch of random Transformers toys that were laying around the office, and requires you to know which special unit Bulkhead was a part of.
Poor guy.
Best of Bots! is a multiple choice personality quiz to find out which Autobot you are most like, out of Ratchet; Bumblebee; Bulkhead and Optimus. I am, of course, a Ratchet. Only instead of being grumpy on the outside and soft on the inside, I’m just grumpy.
Double Trouble! is another spot the difference of Agent Fowler’s CCTV images. His cameras must be psychic as it’s a panel from the comic that happens later in the issue.
Trans Files covers Skylynx and Darksteel, with what looks to be original art of them. Confusingly, it describes both their creation in the cartoon and the events of this issue’s comic, despite them (again) not being reconcilable continuities any more. It also mixes up CNA into CAN again.
Past the Autobots Rule! poster, Soundwave’s Stumpers sees him having a bad day, as you have to separate his mixed up wires and work out which Autobots he’s seeing through his broken vision. You also have to try and recognise the Autobots in the KAPOW style sound effects and translate Megatron’s secret message using Raf’s code.
Relic Race! is a board game with cut-out counters where you have to race Knock Out about, avoiding oil slicks, to get to a Lacon relic.
The competition this month is for what seems to be a bunch of random Transformers toys that were laying around the office, and requires you to know which special unit Bulkhead was a part of.
Fowler needs more reliable cameras.
Mega-Mouth has Megatron protesting a little bit too hard that he doesn’t understand why people hug and kiss every February, before Arcee suggests Knock Out and Starscream have gotten him some lovely Valentine’s cards.
Which is a lot to unpack.
And not that topical for a comic on sale a week after the 14th.
Jennifer Tansley sends in some more cool art, this time of The Predaking. Which is enough to get an invitation around for dinner from Megatron.
The best drawing of the month though comes from Matthew Howard (6, Warwickshire), who has sent in his OC. The purple and orange, machine gun armed and heavily spiked, Killer.
That’s not he is a killer, Killer is his name.
And again, people say the Bay films were too violent for children.
Next week, it’s the final Prime issue!
ISSUE 18
2014
COMMENT
KO-FI
Which is a lot to unpack.
And not that topical for a comic on sale a week after the 14th.
Jennifer Tansley sends in some more cool art, this time of The Predaking. Which is enough to get an invitation around for dinner from Megatron.
The best drawing of the month though comes from Matthew Howard (6, Warwickshire), who has sent in his OC. The purple and orange, machine gun armed and heavily spiked, Killer.
That’s not he is a killer, Killer is his name.
And again, people say the Bay films were too violent for children.
Next week, it’s the final Prime issue!
ISSUE 18
2014
COMMENT
KO-FI
