primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
Posts: 6,001
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Post by primenova on Mar 9, 2019 22:18:53 GMT
Simon said he left being the editor back in 87 when he did Thudercats?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 11, 2019 20:14:22 GMT
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 12, 2019 19:12:56 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #209 Dark Star - Part 2: Starscream's attack destroys the Decepticon ship, scattering its occupants across space. He then announces his decision to attack Earth, targeting New York, Tokyo and Buenos Aires. Optimus produces the Ark, and once aboard, both factions agree to send teams to Earth to protect the cities. Optimus mysteriously decides to remain on the Ark, where he and Hi-Q set to work on a rocket. Blaster and Ratbat go to New York along with Jetfire, the Aerialbots and several others. Starscream arrives and destroys them all before moving on to Tokyo where he again wages destruction with only Scorponok escaping him. Elsewhere, the slightly increased page count for the main strip means there's no space for Dread Tidings this week; Geoff Senior turns in his first cover for a year and a half; Transformation brings news that Dragon's Claws will cease publication this month with its tenth issue; and in 'Desperate Moves' Cobra Commander gets excited about activating Fred VII (not to be confused with Fred I or Fred II).
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 12, 2019 19:28:55 GMT
It is, as all the Freds are identical
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 19, 2019 19:04:31 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #210 Dark Star - Part 3: Fort Max leads the defence in Buenos Aires, but even Omega Supreme can't beat the Underbase-charged Starscream. Ratbat and Scorponok sneak aboard the Ark while Optimus and Hi-Q launch their rocket at the Underbase. Assuming treachery, Scorponok threatens Optimus, who explains his plan is to use his rocket to deflect the course of the Underbase and bring it to Earth. Ratbat tries to escape to claim the Underbase's power, but he is brought down by Scorponok who then shoots Prime and leaves to intercept it himself. Prime gives chase and manages to carry Scorponok out of the Underbase's path. Starscream rises to meet it, and is destroyed by basking in its full power. Scorponok grudgingly accepts that Prime's plan was the right one and the truce between the Autobots and Decepticons ends as they count the cost of the battle. Elsewhere, Transformation congratulates Andy Wildman on the birth of his third child, Joanne; Tempo video advertise the latest Transformers addition to their catalogue - The Big Broadcast of 2006 and Fight or Flee; and on the letters' page, Hi-Test reveals to Ian Ross of Bournemouth that although Catilla is on the side of the Decepticons now, there's a reason why his toy is an Autobot.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 19, 2019 22:37:20 GMT
Andy Wildman now has children in his 30's? Good golly. Time really is marching on.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 19, 2019 22:57:56 GMT
Terrifying!
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Post by inflatabledalek on Mar 20, 2019 15:54:17 GMT
Well, he and Furman are basically the same age as my mum, so that's no surprise really.
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Mar 20, 2019 17:42:44 GMT
Furman never ages.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 26, 2019 22:35:14 GMT
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 26, 2019 22:52:36 GMT
Oh arses. Busy and exhausted is where he is. Hang on a mo.
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 26, 2019 22:55:32 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #211 The Man in the Machine - Part 1: Spike experiences strange nightmares, which he blames on the presence of the helmet from his Headmaster exosuit. He ditches the helmet in a local junk yard and attempts to leave his experiences with the Transformers behind him by going on a ski trip with his friend, Cliff. Snarler and Carnivac arrive at the junk yard and locate the helmet, chasing off two down and outs who had claimed it. They begin to track Spike's car. En route to the Sierra Nevada mountains, Spike has another nightmare, but tries to put it behind him when he and Cliff arrive at the ski resort. Elsewhere, Transformation warns readers to prepare for a new look Transformers in two weeks' time, along with the return of Visionaries; Metroplex is covered in the first A-Z entry for 15 weeks; and on the letters' page, Gianpaolo Sbuttoni of London W7 wants to know why Nebulans don't break their bones when they transform. Bio-engineering apparently.
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 26, 2019 22:59:26 GMT
Stuart's book is helpfully informative reading alongside these issues. It's obvious Buster and Sparkplug are old news by this point, but I'd not have pegged this story as their last in the series. Very understated exit for two key characters from the early days.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 26, 2019 23:02:15 GMT
Indeed. It was nice to see them back at the time though.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 26, 2019 23:05:15 GMT
I wonder had the book not gone the way it did would Buster have been used as part of Matrix Quest, or some UK originated material tying in to it given his possession of it in the past.
Andy
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 26, 2019 23:07:50 GMT
It's just a bit weird considering a couple of weeks ago Buster was about to be executed, then left for dead in the Arctic, and now he's making toast. I know people go on about Budianski being out of steam and wanting to be away from Transformers at this point, but this low key switch to the human characters straight after Dark Star is quite a gear shift.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 26, 2019 23:12:55 GMT
A gear shift, but a standard comic trope, especially with Marvel. Epic ends, next issue is usually a lot more low key.
Andy
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Mar 27, 2019 5:23:45 GMT
I wonder had the book not gone the way it did would Buster have been used as part of Matrix Quest, or some UK originated material tying in to it given his possession of it in the past. In 'Second Generation' Shockwave and Soundwave were really interested in Buster because he was having Matrix-fuelled dreams about the Special Teams. When they had him on their desert island a few years later, there was obviously no acknowledgement of that, as it was a US strip. But instead of just cooking fish for him with his eye-laser, you'd expect Shockwave to take some interest in whether there had been any follow-up messages. I suppose he might have had Soundwave scan him off-camera. Maybe that's why they and Ratbat kept him alive for so long. If Buster's Matrix powers had returned - you know, to levitate and fix radios with the power of his brain, and blow up un-living robots like the original Jetfire - he might have qualified as a Neo-Knight! Martin
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 2, 2019 19:06:59 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #212 The Man in the Machine - Part 2: Carnivac and Snarler attack at the ski resort, but are thrown off the scent by some quick thinking by Spike. He and Cliff camp out, and Cliff suggests Spike's nightmares are about him running from his former self. Spike enters a trance again to make peace with his past and comes into contact with Fortress Maximus, whose headless body leaves the Ark and descends to the ski resort. The Decepticons attack again, but after Spike realises he can communicate with Max even without his helmet, he orders the release of his Headmaster exo-suit and the restored Fort Max overcomes the Pretenders. Elsewhere, it's the end of an era as Transformation gets excited about next week's new-look issue; Lee Sullivan's cover to #152 becomes April's calendar image; and on the letters' page, Lee Ricketts of Coventry rather optimistically offers Landfill and Lightspeed (good condition, all weapons) in exchange for Prowl, Trailbreaker and Sunstreaker (good condition, all weapons).
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 2, 2019 21:21:13 GMT
Next week's New Look issue won't be half as exciting as Transformation claims. A thinly veiled tissue of lies!
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 6, 2019 18:19:39 GMT
The new design is one thing. The new contents is another...
7 days to delight or disappointment!
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 6, 2019 20:00:48 GMT
Well we are warned not to lose our head!
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 6, 2019 20:36:48 GMT
I wonder if Lee got that exchange.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 6, 2019 21:41:15 GMT
That is one of life's unanswered mysteries.
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 9, 2019 10:42:11 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #213Guess Who The Mechanibals are Having for Dinner - Part 1: Landmine and Cloudburst visit the Black Hole Bar and Grill to source some much needed microchips for Autobot repairs. They witness extreme prejudice against a robot, who is ejected into space for asking for a can of 40-weight, and Landmine decides to mete out justice with his fists. The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire - Part 1: Megatron returns to Cybertron with Ravage to find Decepticon control has weakened since his last visit. They head for the Decepticon capital, Helex. Within, three opportunists, Legionis, Octus and Seizer, have taken control and preside over gladiatorial combat while Triggercons Crankcase, Windsweeper and Ruckus look on in disgust at their lethargy. Megatron begins to question what is going on. Elsewhere, it's new look time. Thirty issues after the last design revamp, Transformation returns to looking more like it used to and extols the virtues of the new three-strip format; Visionaries returns to the back up slot (by popular demand apparently) to reprint the first American issue; Colin and Steve take the Giggly Sisters for a meal, only to find a fly in their soup; Mirage and Mixmaster feature in the A-Z; and there's an advert inviting readers to join the Action Force Special Corps, where for only £4.99 plus £1 P&P (and two action points) you can obtain an amazing welcome pack which includes a fantastic Action Force figure of YOURSELF!
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 9, 2019 10:42:41 GMT
Ralph is Semi-Automatic Steve and I claim my five pounds.
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 9, 2019 10:49:50 GMT
Looking at this in context now, I think the bizarre return of Visionaries is simply because the editor at this point is trying to create a neat jumping on point, and the Action Force strips can be hard to follow unless you know the characters. Transformation clearly says Action Force will be back shortly, so I think this is just an 'entice new readers' thing, presenting three strips. What would be weird is if Visionaries #1 is also in the Visionaries Marvel Special which came out two weeks before this, as they'd be selling the same story in two places.
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Post by blueshift on Apr 9, 2019 10:53:05 GMT
This was my first regular issue (I'd had a few random ones before) so the 'hop on point' worked in that case!!
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 9, 2019 11:22:26 GMT
The Action Force offer is unbelievably cool. Look at all the tat that came with it for a fiver. The exclusive figure alone is worth the hassle. It's such a shame that Transformers never got this level of add-on in this country. At least in the US they had several years of mail away offers for Robot Points, but we had bugger all bar the STARS base.
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primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
Posts: 6,001
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Post by primenova on Apr 9, 2019 11:30:46 GMT
We did get Beast wars - but 2 years after the USA, wasn't until 2001 we have got the final episode of every cartoon series (apart from the Prime DVD only one) before the USA
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