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Post by Pinwig on Mar 24, 2020 13:05:51 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #263 Birds of Prey! - Part 2: Xaaron and Optimus Prime recap the situation so far, recalling that Prime's funeral barge is the last known location of the Matrix. On Pz-zazz, Nightbeat gets frustrated that he can't connect the mysterious bird with the obvious decline in the planet's fortunes. His team encounter Fatale, a shadowy figure who claims the bird belongs to her. She shows the Autobots a mountain where sick people used to go for healing from the 'font of life', which Siren thinks could be the Matrix. Later, Nightbeat is accosted by B'Hgdad, who menacingly asks for the bird to be returned to him. In response, Nightbeat claims to be Peter Lorre and punches him. Break-Away: Grimlock's unhappiness with Prime's leadership boils over into an argument. Prime wants to focus on Unicron's imminent arrival at Cybertron, while Grimlock reminds him of his responsibility to safeguarding the Earth. The two fight and exhaust themselves. Prime concedes the Earth must be defended and Grimlock is made Autobot Commander: Earth. He is joined by the classic heroes to help him. Elsewhere, Transformation explains the split depicted by Break-Away and informs readers that forthcoming issues will feature Earth based stories in the second slot while the main US continuity continues on Cybertron; Colin introduces the Combat Tax after saving the world yet again; Hasbro advertise new customisable motorised cars called Record Breakers on the back page; in Stock Exchange, Colin Dann of Norwich rather hopefully offers a pair of jumpstarters in exchange for Rodimus Prime and Ravage; and among the letters, one James Kinsey of Long Eaton would like to know whether the GI Joe figure he just bought is a new one, and where he can buy old Transformers. Exciting Record Breakers promo material including the 1990 championship!
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 24, 2020 13:06:47 GMT
So, this leaves us with a BIG question and the chance of a full on thirty year update!
DID JIM COMPLETE HIS SUPERION?
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Post by Jim on Mar 24, 2020 14:12:20 GMT
* cringes so hard he collapses into a singularity *
No, he did not, and prior to that letter he didn't have a single component - the prize they sent for getting printed was a gold-card Fireflight! Still the only one I have though
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Post by Jim on Mar 24, 2020 14:16:25 GMT
My letter from Dreadwind:
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 24, 2020 14:34:14 GMT
WHAT.
That burning childhood desire for the Aerialbots... assisted by the fact they were IN THE SHOPS at the time, and you only have one freebie!?
Dreadwind would be disappointed.
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Post by Jim on Mar 24, 2020 15:12:51 GMT
Self-employed Dad in an industry that was still feeling the effects of the recession meant not so much pocket money, etc. at the time. It was painful seeing those gold box / gold card classics of toys I so much wanted previously and be unable to get them!
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 24, 2020 15:43:19 GMT
This letter PROVES that Dreadwind is real!!!
-Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 24, 2020 17:04:47 GMT
TO THE GALVAJIM WE LISTEN, BROTHERS!!!!
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 24, 2020 17:08:30 GMT
Second BIG question:
Does Jim still have the Shockwave figure?
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 24, 2020 19:29:50 GMT
TO THE GALVAJIM WE LISTEN, BROTHERS!!!! Is Jim Galvajim? Has he changed his name? -Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 24, 2020 19:31:26 GMT
TO THE GALVAJIM WE LISTEN, BROTHERS!!!! Is Jim Galvajim? Has he changed his name? -Ralph Yes! Do try to keep up, Doctor...
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Post by Jim on Mar 24, 2020 22:54:17 GMT
Second BIG question: Does Jim still have the Shockwave figure? of course!
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Post by Jim on Mar 24, 2020 23:00:04 GMT
Is Jim Galvajim? Has he changed his name? -Ralph Yes! Do try to keep up, Doctor... I took upon myself the honour of Shockprowl's nickname for me exactly one year ago when I crossed the 3K posts barrier. But now I must relinquish it in shame as ill-judged missives from my youth surface...
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 24, 2020 23:00:37 GMT
Phew.
Third BIG question:
Why Showdown and Command Performances specifically?
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Post by Jim on Mar 24, 2020 23:12:30 GMT
Phew. Third BIG question: Why Showdown and Command Performances specifically? Pretty sure it's because those comics were in a terrible state already, covers falling off. I started regularly buying the comic with #70 and took those first issues with me everywhere.
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Post by Jim on Mar 24, 2020 23:16:53 GMT
Bittersweet backstory around that letter from Dreadwind - within minutes of me opening it, another letter that came in the same batch sparked a major row between my parents that led to them separating for a few weeks. My brother, sister and I went to live at my grandparents for a bit. It was alright in the end, but the letter stirs a number of emotions! Dread Tidings indeed...
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Mar 25, 2020 11:26:46 GMT
Darn Decepticons!
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Post by The Huff on Mar 25, 2020 19:44:16 GMT
Bittersweet backstory around that letter from Dreadwind - within minutes of me opening it, another letter that came in the same batch sparked a major row between my parents that led to them separating for a few weeks. My brother, sister and I went to live at my grandparents for a bit. It was alright in the end, but the letter stirs a number of emotions! Dread Tidings indeed... Sorry to hear that. I also link a lot of my TF toys (and a few comics) to sad memories from my past. Seige Brunt is definitely going to end up becoming my memory of what is happening now (hopefully).
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 31, 2020 11:47:11 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #264 Birds of Prey! - Part 3: Nightbeat notices that the bird was damaged when he used it to club B'Hgdad and realises the mountain's healing power is a gem trapped within the statue. He chases after the others, who atop the mountain have been accosted by Gutt. The Autobots stun Gutt's henchmen and Fatale knees Gutt in the... gut. Fatale wants to steal the bird and share its power with the Autobots, but Nightbeat knows that it should be replaced in its mount to restore life to Pz'zazz. He resets the bird on its plinth, and light erupts across the planet. A second later the Autobots are attacked from behind by Thunderwing, who has come to find out why so many Autobots are searching this sector of the galaxy. Desert Island Risks!: Bumblebee and Ironhide are searching the Bahamas for a Transformer energy source they believe to be Prowl, last seen trying to stop Megatron's atmosphere altering satellite. Instead they find a half built Devastator, made by the Constructicons as a separate robot because they themselves can no longer combine. Ironhide overcomes a series of tests designed to trap unwary attackers before he brings the unfinished giant robot tumbling down. Elsewhere, Transformation introduces new artists Peter Knifton and Pete Venters; there's a rerun of the Monstrous Micromasters Competition after complaints that the last one (issues 232-235) was too hard; Grandstand introduce their range of spy accessories for children with an exciting comic strip; and on the letters' page, Dreadwind reveals there's a Death's Head graphic novel in the pipeline.
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 31, 2020 11:50:51 GMT
We've had some duff stories recently, but what on earth is the nonsense in this issue about? Surely Furman didn't write that.
Is the idea that the Constructicons have been revived with nucleon, can't transform and so can't combine, so instead they decide to build a separate Devastator? How would it be given life? and why have they spent ages creating loads of comedy traps around it? and where the hell are they?! Nothing about this story fits with anything that's gone before, the idea, the style, the tone, if this wasn't in the actual comic you'd *never* believe this is proper TF storytelling.
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 31, 2020 11:54:03 GMT
Have we reached the lowest point in the comic's run? I see next week that the main US strip becomes GI Joe vs The Transformers for sixteen weeks, breaking all continuity with the UK story. If the UK strips continue to be the kind of bobbins served up this week, how did anyone make it through the next four months?
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Mar 31, 2020 11:57:43 GMT
how did anyone make it through the next four months? I was too delighted with the return of quality TF toys that I forgave them anything for a while. I guess Hasbro liked the idea in this story, because a couple of years later they treated UK fans to non-transforming Constructicons! Martin
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 31, 2020 12:15:19 GMT
What makes it worse is the short-cutting in the story telling - how does Ironhide know that the Constructicons have 'lost the ability to combine?' who made him the world authority on Decepticons?
Why the hell are the Constructicons in the Bahamas doing this?
If this is a Nucleon reference, no one reading has any idea what that's about yet as the main strip hasn't got that far. This is the second time the comic has referred to this - Grimlock talked about a secret mission to resurrect the Dinobots two weeks ago, but he doesn't go to Hydrus 4 in the UK until April 1991!
Everything about this is just total tripe.
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Post by The Huff on Mar 31, 2020 12:19:07 GMT
I like the way the cover teases that 'something big is moving around the jungle' when in fact nothing big is moving at all because it hasn't been built yet.
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 31, 2020 12:20:22 GMT
Is this the worst UK story of the entire run? Or does the Earthforce stuff just keep going down hill?
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Post by The Huff on Mar 31, 2020 12:24:30 GMT
I think there are worse ones still to come.
But also a few good funny ones too - one of which is next issue and there was also the 'Snow Fun' strip later (which, by rights, should have been in this weeks comic actually)
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 31, 2020 13:34:07 GMT
Have we reached the lowest point in the comic's run? I see next week that the main US strip becomes GI Joe vs The Transformers for sixteen weeks, breaking all continuity with the UK story. If the UK strips continue to be the kind of bobbins served up this week, how did anyone make it through the next four months? I didn't. I quit as a regular reader after 16 weeks of that pish. -Ralph
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Post by Jim on Mar 31, 2020 13:49:00 GMT
Why the hell are the Constructicons in the Bahamas doing this? Why the hell not? If you had to pick anywhere on the planet for your new project... I have a feeling there are at least a few better Earthforce stories coming, but I haven't been back to read them in a long time. I have fond memories of Earthforce but that might just have been seeing classic characters, on Earth, without big mythical story arcs rumbling on rather than a reflection of the quality.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Mar 31, 2020 14:11:30 GMT
Is this the worst UK story of the entire run? Or does the Earthforce stuff just keep going down hill? There are some much more entertaining ones ahead, and some great artwork* even when the story is naff. Amusing: #265, 267, 270, 278, 280, 288 Relatively good straight stories: #268, 272-5, 282-3, 285, 289 Mediocre: #276-7, 279 Poor: #266, 269, 281*, 284, 286-7 Madness: #271 Martin
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 31, 2020 14:32:47 GMT
I will stick this out. I was tempted to just read Hachette vol 20 and get it over with, but that'll make the next four months of writing these updates dull as hell. I must have returned to reading the comic after this all finished. I reckon it must have been in the low 300s.
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