We Thought About Breaking Up, But Now We Know It's Much Too Late.
Issue 131: Worlds Apart! Part 2/ Ring of Hate! Part 2. 12th September 1987.
I must admit it Highbrow, I'm disappointed! Where's the stoical Autobot spirit I've heard so much about? Where's the "I'll die before I give up our secrets" stuff, eh?
I must admit it Highbrow, I'm disappointed! Where's the stoical Autobot spirit I've heard so much about? Where's the "I'll die before I give up our secrets" stuff, eh?
After a surprisingly strong first half the conclusion of the Headmasters toy promotion winds up taking something of a stumble, as suddenly the art and script feel a lot more rushed and haphazard. It's more than likely that, even with a longer lead in time than normal, the need to get Hasbro's special approval might have resulted in rather a tight deadline. Furman having to work on this at the same time as he was wrapping up the volcano story and writing Ancient Relics! as well can't have helped.
On the writing side, after a rather neat opening narration box making the fourth wall leaning observation that despite going to a new planet the Transformers are going through the same old shit, the dialogue suddenly becomes a lot clunkier. Brainstorm has to get his faceplate around lines like "Not just any Decepticon either. We appear to have walked into a trap set by the most powerful and deadly Decepticon Headmaster of all... SCORPONOK!” To which Scorponok can only reply "Quite so".
There are similar cumbersome speech bubbles and odd turns of phrase (does Hardhead strike you as someone who would say "miffed"?) throughout. Not to mention straight up errors like Crosshairs being called Triggerhappy, a rather amusing cock up considering the whole purpose of the story is to make sure kids know the names of these toys.
There's also the rather odd way that, despite not really needing to study the Targetmaster process, the Decepticons have not only kept the Autobot's Nebulons alive (at least the Cybertronians themselves serve as bait) but in a box right next to their prisoners so they can quickly rearm after Hardhead releases them.
On the writing side, after a rather neat opening narration box making the fourth wall leaning observation that despite going to a new planet the Transformers are going through the same old shit, the dialogue suddenly becomes a lot clunkier. Brainstorm has to get his faceplate around lines like "Not just any Decepticon either. We appear to have walked into a trap set by the most powerful and deadly Decepticon Headmaster of all... SCORPONOK!” To which Scorponok can only reply "Quite so".
There are similar cumbersome speech bubbles and odd turns of phrase (does Hardhead strike you as someone who would say "miffed"?) throughout. Not to mention straight up errors like Crosshairs being called Triggerhappy, a rather amusing cock up considering the whole purpose of the story is to make sure kids know the names of these toys.
There's also the rather odd way that, despite not really needing to study the Targetmaster process, the Decepticons have not only kept the Autobot's Nebulons alive (at least the Cybertronians themselves serve as bait) but in a box right next to their prisoners so they can quickly rearm after Hardhead releases them.
"My gun is better than yours".
The only really stand out moment from the following fight is a strange yet oddly memorable sequence where it looks as if Chromedome has turned on Sureshot only to be actually aiming at Cyclonus standing behind him, otherwise this part of the issue would be fairly forgettable.
The real meat of the story comes from Scorponok running off with Highbrow to study the Headmasters process. The actual dilemma the Autobot and his Nebulon are under isn't especially interesting- though in fairness that's at least partially due to knowing in retrospect that Spike will going through exactly the same internal turmoil three times between now and his death in Generation 2- they think they're completely at odds with one another until Chromedome convinces them it's their mutual desire of fighting for freedom that really brings them together.
It's fairly trite, but what really makes it work (and pretty much salvages the issue) is Scorponok. As we'll see, between Furman and Budiansky there will be at least three different takes on the Decepticon leader and the extent to which the relative goodness of Lord Zarek does and doesn't affect him, but here he's in full on crazy super villain mode and as such is hugely entertaining in an otherwise workmanlike story.
My favourite of his many marvellously camp lines is the quote that opened this piece where he mocks Highbrow for not following through on the clichés of heroic fiction, something that, as with the opening narration, shows Furman can still have some fun with form even when fulfilling a contractual obligation.
The real meat of the story comes from Scorponok running off with Highbrow to study the Headmasters process. The actual dilemma the Autobot and his Nebulon are under isn't especially interesting- though in fairness that's at least partially due to knowing in retrospect that Spike will going through exactly the same internal turmoil three times between now and his death in Generation 2- they think they're completely at odds with one another until Chromedome convinces them it's their mutual desire of fighting for freedom that really brings them together.
It's fairly trite, but what really makes it work (and pretty much salvages the issue) is Scorponok. As we'll see, between Furman and Budiansky there will be at least three different takes on the Decepticon leader and the extent to which the relative goodness of Lord Zarek does and doesn't affect him, but here he's in full on crazy super villain mode and as such is hugely entertaining in an otherwise workmanlike story.
My favourite of his many marvellously camp lines is the quote that opened this piece where he mocks Highbrow for not following through on the clichés of heroic fiction, something that, as with the opening narration, shows Furman can still have some fun with form even when fulfilling a contractual obligation.
Did Nel Yomtov colour this?
As with all camp super villains Scorponok's plan doesn't really make sense, his plot to study the Headmaster process doesn't involve taking Highbrow to a laboratory and dissecting him, it's all about dumping him in a field and watching him. No wonder he jumps to the wrong conclusion (though knowing how his relationship with Zarak will go his mockery of Highbrow for having an incompatible partner is hilarious) and has to run away. Though where he and the Decepticons are retreating to when they're right outside their own base is puzzling.
The other thing to note here is that this starts the great Headmaster rivalry of the British comic. Whilst he may not be a fan of his own work here Furman obviously thought there was something in how Highbrow played off Scorponok and will set the two of them against each other twice more (albeit only very briefly on the final occasion). With Fortress Maximus only appearing properly in the British comic during Time Wars and the American stories eventually making Scorponok's relationship with Optimus the more memorable one I suspect that for most of us, when we think of Scorponok's arch foe, we think of Highbrow.
Sadly Will Simpson's last art on the weekly isn't the best send off for him, looking very rushed and messy in places, the panel on the top right of page five as Scorponok explains his plot whilst holding Highbrow being especially poor. If nothing else though he at least remembers the Decepticons' guns this week though.
Despite the downturn for the conclusion, this is still a fairly straightforward, if forgettable, read and if this is representative of the weakest home-grown material we're going to be getting during this period then this is going to be something of a golden age. It's just a shame a better story wasn't the recipient of the TV promotion (and the 1000s of extra readers it brought) than this.
The other thing to note here is that this starts the great Headmaster rivalry of the British comic. Whilst he may not be a fan of his own work here Furman obviously thought there was something in how Highbrow played off Scorponok and will set the two of them against each other twice more (albeit only very briefly on the final occasion). With Fortress Maximus only appearing properly in the British comic during Time Wars and the American stories eventually making Scorponok's relationship with Optimus the more memorable one I suspect that for most of us, when we think of Scorponok's arch foe, we think of Highbrow.
Sadly Will Simpson's last art on the weekly isn't the best send off for him, looking very rushed and messy in places, the panel on the top right of page five as Scorponok explains his plot whilst holding Highbrow being especially poor. If nothing else though he at least remembers the Decepticons' guns this week though.
Despite the downturn for the conclusion, this is still a fairly straightforward, if forgettable, read and if this is representative of the weakest home-grown material we're going to be getting during this period then this is going to be something of a golden age. It's just a shame a better story wasn't the recipient of the TV promotion (and the 1000s of extra readers it brought) than this.
Actually beats More Than Meets the Eye for most evil looking Brainstorm.
Ring of Hate! Part 2 sees Fortress Maximus declare to his troops he's had enough of war and will be leaving with whoever wants to come with him. This part of the plot has one standard criticism and one standard counter to that criticism, neither of which are entirely accurate.
The criticism is that the bulk of the Autobots who decide to go with Maximus on his ship (the Steelhaven) have personalities that veer from the mildly aggressive to the full on psychotic, so the idea of any of them being pacifists is utterly ludicrous.
The defence is that whatever their profiles and portrayals in other media might say, as far as the Marvel versions of the bulk of these boys go we have no idea what they're like (and of course, with Blaster Uncle Bob has form for ignoring the personalities he's come up with for the toys) and there's nothing to say the likes of Scattershot aren't very mellow dudes.
The truth, as ever, is floating between these two viewpoints. Last week when Kup and Hot Rod were revelling in killing Decepticons they were clearly meant to be representative of the bulk of the Autobots and Fortress Maximus again spells out in his big speech that he sees both sides as being as bad as each other. However, this is intentional on Budiansky's part, the whole idea is that Maximus' strength of personality brings others round to his way of thinking and it's part of the tragedy of the series that his ideals are basically doomed from the start. It's a nice idea and it's a shame so many readers seem to miss what he was aiming for with this.
One other thing that is a shame is the sheer number of characters Bob is having to shove on the Steelhaven, if he hadn't spent part of the regular series pissing about with the Mechanic and Evil Disco Brainwashing Car Washes he could have introduced groups like the Technobots and Monsterbots there so as to lighten the burden of what Headmasters has to do.
Once the Autobots arrive at Nebulos (and as I observed way back in issue one, the speed with which the story gets the characters to their new world is surprisingly fast paced) we get the first non-Cybertron alien planet from Bob, and there's a very clear difference between how he approaches strange new worlds to Furman.
In Furman's case the planet we saw back in Wanted... was just a location, a way of adding some visual colour to the series that ultimately could be set anywhere. The same applies to his treatment of Nebulos in the first half of this issue and the bulk of alien planets he'll visit over the remainder of the series will be treated in a similar fashion with the closest attempt to giving them any depth being when he uses them for a film homage.
Budiansky will leave Earth far less often, but when he does go to alien environs he'll put a lot more thought into actual world building. That's not always going to be a good thing (planet of the 50 foot women anyone?) but it will generally make his planets seem a little more solid.
So here we not only find out Nebulos has its own government, but get an insight into how it works whilst at the same time we move the plot along as Councilman Zarek (in a fetching green toga) tries to whip up his fellows into a fury over the alien "Invaders" that have arrived.
Even the small detail of Fortress Maximus clarifying the Autobots have learnt Nebulanese (something the book has never bothered to do with their grasp of English) helps create the impression this is a real place with a life beyond the comic.
To counter that though, Budiansky gives Maximus some strange ideas about how to make first contact by having him decide to send Highbrow wandering about the woods until he finds a Nebulon (in a nice bit of foreshadowing Gort, who is trying to get a young woman to show her Headmaster skills) to give a message for the government. If Max has studied the plant in as much depth as he claims, surely contacting the government directly would be the easiest option? No wonder Gort falls of a cliff.
This continues to be a strong and thoughtful start to the story, and pleasingly has one of Bob's few cute pop culture references as Doublecross declares he'd like to "Give peace a chance". Though to be fair, for all I know Budiansky could constantly be quoting Lennon's solo work and it just took a really blatant example for it to stand out.
The criticism is that the bulk of the Autobots who decide to go with Maximus on his ship (the Steelhaven) have personalities that veer from the mildly aggressive to the full on psychotic, so the idea of any of them being pacifists is utterly ludicrous.
The defence is that whatever their profiles and portrayals in other media might say, as far as the Marvel versions of the bulk of these boys go we have no idea what they're like (and of course, with Blaster Uncle Bob has form for ignoring the personalities he's come up with for the toys) and there's nothing to say the likes of Scattershot aren't very mellow dudes.
The truth, as ever, is floating between these two viewpoints. Last week when Kup and Hot Rod were revelling in killing Decepticons they were clearly meant to be representative of the bulk of the Autobots and Fortress Maximus again spells out in his big speech that he sees both sides as being as bad as each other. However, this is intentional on Budiansky's part, the whole idea is that Maximus' strength of personality brings others round to his way of thinking and it's part of the tragedy of the series that his ideals are basically doomed from the start. It's a nice idea and it's a shame so many readers seem to miss what he was aiming for with this.
One other thing that is a shame is the sheer number of characters Bob is having to shove on the Steelhaven, if he hadn't spent part of the regular series pissing about with the Mechanic and Evil Disco Brainwashing Car Washes he could have introduced groups like the Technobots and Monsterbots there so as to lighten the burden of what Headmasters has to do.
Once the Autobots arrive at Nebulos (and as I observed way back in issue one, the speed with which the story gets the characters to their new world is surprisingly fast paced) we get the first non-Cybertron alien planet from Bob, and there's a very clear difference between how he approaches strange new worlds to Furman.
In Furman's case the planet we saw back in Wanted... was just a location, a way of adding some visual colour to the series that ultimately could be set anywhere. The same applies to his treatment of Nebulos in the first half of this issue and the bulk of alien planets he'll visit over the remainder of the series will be treated in a similar fashion with the closest attempt to giving them any depth being when he uses them for a film homage.
Budiansky will leave Earth far less often, but when he does go to alien environs he'll put a lot more thought into actual world building. That's not always going to be a good thing (planet of the 50 foot women anyone?) but it will generally make his planets seem a little more solid.
So here we not only find out Nebulos has its own government, but get an insight into how it works whilst at the same time we move the plot along as Councilman Zarek (in a fetching green toga) tries to whip up his fellows into a fury over the alien "Invaders" that have arrived.
Even the small detail of Fortress Maximus clarifying the Autobots have learnt Nebulanese (something the book has never bothered to do with their grasp of English) helps create the impression this is a real place with a life beyond the comic.
To counter that though, Budiansky gives Maximus some strange ideas about how to make first contact by having him decide to send Highbrow wandering about the woods until he finds a Nebulon (in a nice bit of foreshadowing Gort, who is trying to get a young woman to show her Headmaster skills) to give a message for the government. If Max has studied the plant in as much depth as he claims, surely contacting the government directly would be the easiest option? No wonder Gort falls of a cliff.
This continues to be a strong and thoughtful start to the story, and pleasingly has one of Bob's few cute pop culture references as Doublecross declares he'd like to "Give peace a chance". Though to be fair, for all I know Budiansky could constantly be quoting Lennon's solo work and it just took a really blatant example for it to stand out.
The full recap boarder.
Strangely,
as part of its attempts to big up the lead story, Transformation
mentions it's the first adventure to feature the Masters to see print
"Over here". As well as continuing the recent trend of the book being
rather schizoid over whether or not it's acknowledging the American series this
also feels a bit Buzz Aldrin as Ring
of Hate! started in the same issue.
Grimlock establishes for Simon Barber of Norwich that the pilot of the freighter in issue 123 wasn't a Transformer, just an alien hired for the occasion (which is perhaps odd as he didn't look that different from the generics you see on Cybertron in the American stories), whilst a printing error means one poor soul has the end of their letter praising Iron Man 2020 cut off.
There's also another chance to win the Headmasters VHS and some bigging up of the forthcoming stories we've got to look forward to before Christmas.
The exciting thing though, is the backup introduces a new recap boarder for the split up American issues that actually includes the title of the story. As long time readers will remember I was surprised back in issue 2 that this wasn't the case from the start and it's mildly surprising that this small detail that helps to make the broken up U.S. stories feel more like self contained units has taken so long to implement. This now means the book is exactly as it was when I started reading (about a year after this) and as a result now feels to me as if it's in its "proper" configuration.
Next week will be my first piece for the site after turning 33 on Monday. Fittingly it's going to be a story about a grumpy old man who feels past his best.
ISSUE 130
1987
COMMENT
Grimlock establishes for Simon Barber of Norwich that the pilot of the freighter in issue 123 wasn't a Transformer, just an alien hired for the occasion (which is perhaps odd as he didn't look that different from the generics you see on Cybertron in the American stories), whilst a printing error means one poor soul has the end of their letter praising Iron Man 2020 cut off.
There's also another chance to win the Headmasters VHS and some bigging up of the forthcoming stories we've got to look forward to before Christmas.
The exciting thing though, is the backup introduces a new recap boarder for the split up American issues that actually includes the title of the story. As long time readers will remember I was surprised back in issue 2 that this wasn't the case from the start and it's mildly surprising that this small detail that helps to make the broken up U.S. stories feel more like self contained units has taken so long to implement. This now means the book is exactly as it was when I started reading (about a year after this) and as a result now feels to me as if it's in its "proper" configuration.
Next week will be my first piece for the site after turning 33 on Monday. Fittingly it's going to be a story about a grumpy old man who feels past his best.
ISSUE 130
1987
COMMENT
