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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 19, 2024 23:00:02 GMT
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Sept 20, 2024 9:09:43 GMT
I started my epic readthrough this morning.
It would have been dozens of issues before I had my first comic, so this will be my first time of reading from the start on a regular schedule.
As I recently read Skybound's 40th anniversary edition, I actually didn't absorb the main strip as much as I otherwise would have, but it was nice to read it in its original clarity, as compared to the various reprints, scans and remasters. But besides the Transformers strip, there was plenty to enjoy.
Machine Man was one of my favourite back-up strips but of course that was the future-set story that would be printed years later; I missed this strip first time around so it was fun to see an early story. I find the editorials quite charming in this issue, with the layouts marvellously unsophisticated, presumably reflecting literal cut-and-paste techniques of the day. I laughed at one reader's letter that said children would go out and buy the toys after reading and be disappointed that they couldn't do as much as in the strip, such as fly! The reply mentioned imagination, but at least the reader was savvy (or cynical) enough to recognise that this was an advert! Speaking of adverts, I recognised that the toy advert in this issue used artwork from one of the catalogues covered at the TFNation panel last month. Robot Roundup: I wish this feature would have lasted longer, even if it were just occasional, as I'd have enjoyed reading it as a child; this issue's was well researched and a pleasing read. I liked the reader survey, which amongst various things asked, how much pocket money do you get?
Whatever happened to children's clubs? Send us your money and we'll send you some factsheets and a birthday card! This issue had Smash instant potato and Pedigree Chum clubs!
My copy doesn't have the transfer sheet, but the transfers have been rubbed down on the poster inside. Unfortunately, the second poster was removed, so I have two missing pages. I shall have to make some notes about this sort of thing as I read through, in case I have chance of better copies at some point. Though it seems unlikely I'll ever have another No.1 - the only copy on eBay at the moment, the seller's asking £500!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 20, 2024 21:19:06 GMT
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Post by that_bluestreak on Sept 21, 2024 17:55:23 GMT
Like everyone else, I didn't get issue 1, and didn't read it until it was released in volume one of The Complete Works (which only made two volumes). Its not really very impressive but also there's nothing wrong with it, given the general standards of the day and the economics of toy selling. It sets the scene, introduces the product, introduces the product and the little aryan boy that is supposed to represent the everyman reader. I have an original copy but its pretty battered. I love that its full of other stuff as they threw everything at the wall. *checks content* lots of products mostly unrelated, Robot Round-Up, some posters (of which i have one remaining, nicely filled in with some transfers). Machine Man never did it for me, and a quick scan right now doesn't change anything. Were Transformers available in the shops when this came out? Had the cartoon been seen in the UK yet? I was six and hadn't heard of Tfs yet. I suppose it must have been, but if not it was pretty impressive that any copies got sold. Well done to Jonathan Dunn, previous owner of my copy whose name is all over it!
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Post by pulsar on Sept 22, 2024 7:04:39 GMT
I first saw the toys a few weeks before the comic came out. I’d been collecting Robo Machines for most of 1984 and was intrigued by the larger, more intricate TFs and the bios on the back, but not enough to switch. The Robos were more affordable and had more interesting vehicle modes: you could get a train and a race car and a submarine for the same price as a strike jet.
That first issue changed everything. The cover really stood out among other comics. The characters look both impressive and toy accurate, both robotic and human. It helps that Soundwave and Optimus were really good toys — it might not have looked so good if Megatron had been released in the UK — but I still think it’s one of the best pieces of TF art. And it pays off years later when Soundwave leads the Decepticons to victory.
I still wasn’t completely sold, though: TFs were an unknown quantity to me and what I really wanted was a Robo Machines comic. Flicking through the first issue in Smith’s, I was reassured by the backup strips and other features like Robot Roundup, as well as by the editorial saying that it aimed to be a comic about all robots rather than just TFs. This gave it a wider appeal at a time before the TV show aired and the toys became a craze. I was a little disappointed when they moved away from the magazine format, and even more disappointed when they moved away from robot-focused backup strips like Spitfire and Iron Man of 2020.
The story grabbed me right from the first page, with the interaction of naturally-occurring gears, levers and pulleys. I started to make up fan theories immediately, specifically that “shaken loose” meant a test of the engines for the cosmic dreadnought. By the time I reached the accidental cliff hanger, I was hooked and never bought another Robo Machine.
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 22, 2024 10:24:20 GMT
Robo Machines did get a fantastically violent comic strip back in the day. STRON-DOMEZ!!! en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Robo_Machines_(comics)I have fond memories of it and would love a nice reprint volume, though I imagine the rights issues would be a nightmare for a niche publication. -Ralph |
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Post by pulsar on Sept 25, 2024 14:08:05 GMT
I don't remember that at all, but I didn't often read Eagle. Perhaps I'd never have become a TF fan if it had been a standalone comic and/or published a month or two earlier.
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Oct 6, 2024 12:09:27 GMT
Issue No.2
Classic John Ridgway cover art. I love this piece. It's like some sort of Enid Blyton science fiction adventure, with the boys' reactions to the robotic aliens and the contrast of the out-of-this-world Autobots with the everyday imagery of the girl playing with a doll. And of course, it delightfully has nothing to do with the contents.
Black & white! I'd forgotten they did that. It was a surprise after the full-colour No.1. I actually found the art far more clear than the colour version. Interestingly, by contrast I often find that today's line art can be hard to distinguish without the colour, which seems to point to changes in comic art over the last forty years.
I like how, with a couple of captions they were able to remove the Autobots' sound-off from the narrative without it having any effect on the story, to utilise it as a poster instead. Unfortunately, the original owner of my copy removed those centre pages.
Does anyone know anything about Johnny Black, author of Robot Round-up? Was he a freelancer? Was it a pseudonym for someone in editorial?
I have a few more things to say, but dinner's ready!
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Oct 6, 2024 13:51:48 GMT
So, the roast chicken was nice.
I find it interesting that they got the editor of DWM to write an article about Dr Who's robots, an article that now puts this comic into context in time, as it includes a note that Colin Baker's first series is a few months away from starting.
I've always been intrigued by the advert in this issue (and presumably others) for a digital watch that transforms into a robot. I had (and must still have up the attic) a couple of transforming watches, one a robot, one a jet. I don't know if they were the actual Kronoforms that got released here or licensed or knock-off versions. The watches in this advert, though, are slightly different to Kronoform, having longer torsos.
I'm enjoying looking at prices and values in these comics. Remember that the cover price was 25p. At this stage, the comic wasn't yet offering toys as a reward for letters being printed, but £5 cash, which was a good amount and actually higher value than the smaller toys. Things advertised in the comic are expensive. For example, the back page advertises Spider-Man watches, £16.95 for analogue, £9.95 for digital - watches are cheaper than that now! On a related note, there's a Weetabix advert for on-pack competition. 100 Dragon 64 computers to be won, including a portable TV! What a cracking prize!
I don't have the Action Transfers.
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Oct 6, 2024 14:22:25 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 6, 2024 14:58:56 GMT
I want to be an interplanetary spy.
-Ralph
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Post by Benn on Oct 6, 2024 15:19:15 GMT
Oh my gods, that's so cool!
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Oct 6, 2024 15:59:02 GMT
I had some of those back in the day. They weren't bad actually.
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Post by pulsar on Oct 6, 2024 17:10:29 GMT
With Jazz front and center and younger human characters, the cover almost looks like it’s foreshadowing Man of Iron. Perhaps that influenced it, as they’re by the same artist and the story is only 7 issues away.
Though it’s younger kids on the cover, the Design a Decepticon competition suggests a slightly older audience. That really appealed to me, even if I spent so long thinking about different designs that I never got round to entering. The American reprint itself works well split across two issues, with a natural break in the transition from Cybertron to Earth.
But the main thing I remember about this issue is the Autobots introducing themselves. While I’d sometimes reread the comic itself, I saw the poster multiple times a day (along with the “Witwacky” battle scene from #1) and it quickly burned the Autobots’ names into my brain. Separating it from the comic strip meant better toy promotion and a more naturally flowing story.
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Post by that_bluestreak on Oct 8, 2024 17:21:28 GMT
another one that i didn't buy at the time and only read the story in reruns later. i do have a copy, so lets whip it out...
a bit less battered than issue one, nice. the cover leaps out at you, this is one of the best. the right mix between toy-accurate and believable giant robots, it reminds me that one of the things i liked about the comic was that most of the stories took place in urban or green environments. the few cartoon epdisodes i ever saw seemed to take place in barren rocky environments which didnt seem real.
inside, robot watch 3.99, nice. i would have loved one of them. the good introductory story continues. i am pleased to see that the central poster is intact. definitely a better layout than the original.
an ad for sideswipe, bumblebee, rumble, and thundercracker, featuring bluestreak. design a decepticon, someone has entered this competition and scribbled notes on that page say "sunray / rainfall" in a way that suggests that sunfall is also considered. i always approve when the cut out slip is on a page that isn't a main story page. good design. some doctor who stuff that looks too boring to read (sorry whovians), and machine man the living robot. one thing i will say about transformers back up strips is that i never once got the urge to buy any other comics franchise title. i quite enjoyed rocket raccoon, and i read action force in transformers, but all the other strips ever did was convince me that other titles were rubbish. occasionally i bought oink, mind.
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Oct 10, 2024 15:21:36 GMT
My book arrived yesterday. Amazing condition! It's clearly never been used. I'm glad I went for the original edition rather than a reprint. |
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Oct 22, 2024 10:09:48 GMT
I have a brief hiatus in my readthrough, as No.3 is the sole issue that I'm missing.
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primenova
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Post by primenova on Oct 24, 2024 18:21:17 GMT
I'm currently on Jan 1985 #9
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Nov 3, 2024 15:48:51 GMT
My copy of No.4 isn't in the best of condition: the past owner cut off the masthead, pulled out the centre pages and cut out the coupon for a transforming watch. The missing portion of the front cover unfortunately means I'm missing half of Gears' fact file, a nice new feature (unless there was one in the missing No.3) that I'd have lapped up as a child.
There's a mail-in offer for a times-table based board game, Check-Math. Intrigued, I've just looked it up online. Originally released in 1968, it can be bought on eBay for £18. (I'm not intrigued enough to buy it.) Wikipedia quotes a review of the game: "Checkmath is one of those games which an educationalist might applaud, but it bored me stiff. I will concede that it might be a good idea to play it several times with a six year old child, but after the age of seven it should be used only as punishment." Another board game that's advertised, Quiz Kids by Waddingtons, looks vaguely familiar but it's not a game I ever had, if even played. Then there's an advert and competition for an A-Team soundtrack! I loved The A-Team, always watched it on a Saturday, had the toys before I had Transformers and even had a BA costume!
The contrast in the readers' letters amused me. From "I am four-and-a-half years old" Adam who states "I like robots very, very much" to Malcolm (Scrap the Machine Man) Stone, who finds that "The article, 'Robot Round-Up', is also mildly diverting." Speaking of Robot Round-Up, I was a bit disappointed with it this issue; it felt very much like filler.
A new Machine Man story, not a bad read. The Transformers and Aaron Stack actually seem equally alien (non-human) in this issue.
There's an advert for Grandreams on the back cover. I think I might have the Knight Rider, Spider-Man and Return of the Jedi annuals. I shall have to get into my Cupboard of Doom in my parents' house. I might have a quick look on eBay for some others: Fraggle Rock, The Fall Guy, Manimal, Roland Rat and Hulk. I'm not so bothered about Culture Club, SAS, Wham or BMX. Such a cross section of 1980s pop culture!
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Nov 3, 2024 16:05:19 GMT
Okay, so I did look on eBay for the annuals. Apart from Manimal and this particular Hulk, I found most of them available for about £9 each including postage. It would be nice, but I can't afford to buy things from every issue - if I bought all these annuals, it'd cost over £100! I'll stick to those I think I have already. Of course, there is an argument that I shouldn't read them until Christmas. Did anyone ever have an annual before then?
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 3, 2024 17:20:27 GMT
I remember Quiz Kids! It was great!
Such a shame most modern Annuals are poorly produced shite. That's not just me being Old Man Burns: they really are poorly produced shite. The only notable exceptions are The Beano, The Dandy, Rupert and Oor Wullie/The Broons.
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 3, 2024 17:21:04 GMT
Annuals should never be read before Chrimbo Day.
-Ralph
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Nov 5, 2024 10:02:05 GMT
I remember Quiz Kids! It was great! Such a shame most modern Annuals are poorly produced shite. That's not just me being Old Man Burns: they really are poorly produced shite. The only notable exceptions are The Beano, The Dandy, Rupert and Oor Wullie/The Broons. -Ralph The Treasury of British Comics annual should be good. (Including work by Simon Furman, Mike Collins and Simon Williams.) It's not cheap, though. shop.treasuryofbritishcomics.com/catalogue/RCA-B0258 |
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 5, 2024 10:44:16 GMT
Yes, I got last years and it was decent. The 2000ad Annual returns this year also.
Both are online/specialist shops only though. No civillians will come across them.
-ralph
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The Huff
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Post by The Huff on Nov 8, 2024 11:29:38 GMT
I remember Quiz Kids! It was great! Such a shame most modern Annuals are poorly produced shite. That's not just me being Old Man Burns: they really are poorly produced shite. The only notable exceptions are The Beano, The Dandy, Rupert and Oor Wullie/The Broons. -Ralph Oh, I don't know. I loved looking at the same stock image of movie Bumblebee at slightly different angles on every page of the Transformers annuals in the 2010's. |
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Nov 18, 2024 21:10:14 GMT
No.5 is the earliest fully intact issue in my collection.
Of course, the most important thing to note for this issue is the debut of Matt and the Cat!
"What're you getting for Christmas, Spidey?"
"Dunno, Gears - but I'm hoping for a subscription to The Transformers."
I find it interesting that this advert uses a panel that hasn't yet appeared in the strip, but rather would appear in No.6. This is, of course, the first issue in which Peter Parker/Spider-Man appears though it's Nick Fury and Dum Dum Dugan that appear first. Their panel makes a reference, though not by name, to Godzilla; as it happens, I'm currently reading Marvel's recently-released Godzilla omnibus. I can't help but wonder whenever I see such cameos, what the Transformers comic might have been like if it had been more integrated into the Marvel universe.
Bless Shiela Cranna for telling readers to save their money and not use first class post for competitions.
Autobots Fact File features, um, Megatron!
Ah, the charming innocence of printing Penpals' full addresses.
One of the readers' letters speculates on the possibility of a Transformers cartoon, with the reply confirming a series is on the way. Though the comics were always the root of the British fanbase, it's easy to forget that we didn't actually have the cartoons from the start. (Personally, I didn't come into it until the following year, by which time we must have had both.)
A feature on Saturday Superstore's Sieve-Head. I vaguely remember him, but then specifics of Saturday Superstore itself are pretty vague in my memory anyway. I suppose he could be considered a forerunner of Gordon the Gopher, Edd the Duck, etc.
Robot Round-up has a couple of interesting things, about talking cars and robotic doctors, about their potential for the future, but it's never really come to pass. At least, not in the sense that the article predicts. Another item could be described as early AI and facial recognition. Another piece mentions the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher: I'm enjoying such references that put the comics in a wider context.
An advert for the Autobot cars. While I'm trying to experience the things around the comics, not just the comics themselves, unfortunately I don't have easy access to these toys to get them out for a fiddle.
This issue has a competition for a Four-in-Line game. I don't remember this. It was a semi-computerised take on Connect Four. The success of the latter in comparison perhaps points to one case of brains being better than machines.
"This is your final chance to write in to the Robot Watch Offer!" One day, I will find out more about my own robot watches.
Last issue's advert for Grandreams annuals is repeated. I've not yet dug mine out. I'll probably wait until Christmas!
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chrisl
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Post by chrisl on Nov 19, 2024 12:56:35 GMT
The incredible Graham Thomson of TFUKGuide fame has started producing Digitally Mint 40th anniversary editions of the comics for subscribers. He emphasises that these are not "remasters" and there is no messing about to "improve" them. Rather he has digitally restored each issue to what it was like in its original form.
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Post by Bogatan on Nov 19, 2024 18:43:49 GMT
Oooo, that sounds interesting.
I think Im going to finally do a reread every year, but I never get around to it.
I didn't read issue 1 till 1996 when I got a load of US comics while on holiday. I eventually got Complete Works Part 1 in the 2000s and I still dont know how or when I ended up with an actual UK issue 1, but Ive now got maybe 3 copies in varying condition. I find it facinating, but dont have much nostalgia for it as it is so different from where the comic was by the time I started reading at issue 200.
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primenova
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Post by primenova on Nov 19, 2024 20:25:20 GMT
I'm a bit head on re read - on Nov 1985 issues
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