Baskerville's Back!
Chris McFeely
You are the UK Armada comic. You have on board TF luminaries Simon Furman,
Lee Sullivan and Andy Wildman. Sullivan is inking his own work, and kicking
ass on the back-up strip. Wildman's pencils for the main strip are being
massacred by the inking of Bambos Georgiou. What do you do?
Answer:
You get the inker who made Wildman's art kick ass in the first place!
As of issue #9 of the UK Armada comic, Stephen Baskerville has returned to
Transformers, inking Andy Wildman's pencils, making the main strip much more
readable. And while I'm here, I may as well cover the rest of the issue,
too...
Main strip: "Dawn of Destruction!"
Following the events of the last issue, Cyclonus crash lands on the moon
after an explosion instigated by the Autobot Mini-Cons. And who should come
across his body but the Destruction Team, looking for a little payback...
cue a new interpretation of the US Armada comic story of Cyclonus getting
taken over by the team.
Back at the Decepticon base, in ruins after the Autobots' missile strike
last issue, Megatron takes out his frustations on his troops when Cyclonus
comes a-blasting. He's in control of his mental functions, but not his
physical ones, as he begs Megatron to spare him, because it's not his faut!
Megs powerlinks with Leader-1 to tussle with Cyc and the Destruction Team,
and Starscream encourages Demolishor to get involved, before slinking off.
The battle goes on, when suddenly Starscream hits Cyclonus with an
experimental sonic cannon, design to sever powerlinks. The Destruction Team
flee... but later, at their base, they receive a message from Starscream,
suggesting a deal between them...
The colouring on this story is the only thing I can complain about -
Baskerville's inks finally make the main strip worth looking at, but the
colours are a bit muted here, which is odd, given how eye-searingly bright
they've been for the most part in the past.
Next up is a profile for Jetfire - doesn't tell us anything we don't know,
but it's more than the Armada packaging gives us. ;)
Puzzles and a poster...
...then, a big Christmas competition to win Megatron, the Adventure Team,
and notably, Powerlinx Red Alert and Predacon, proving that we'll be seeing
the Powerlinx toys and more Armada beasts in 2004.
The news page focuses on Tidal Wave, on sale now, and previews the UK
comic's Unicron storyline, coming in 2004. Also, it finally confirms that
Unicron will definitely be appearing more widespread in the UK, not just in
TRU, in early 2004.
Data File on Commetor - hey, it's a Mini-Con, by they're giving it...
personality! This is what makes the UK comic worthwhile. :) Commetor,
nicknamed "The Comet" by other Transformers for the speed and ferocity at
which he attacks, is charismatic and influential, with courage and valour on
the battlefield who leaves little after an attack. He can handle the
roughest terrain, and is capable of scaling almost vertical surfaces. That
gun of his? A plasma cannon. That radar? Communications interceptor and
decoder.
Next comes the back-up strip, "Counter-Strike," set in Cybertron's past
before the Mini-Cons left the planet. The focus is again on the Destruction
Team, as Dualor concocts a plan to destroy Decepticons and Autobots alike,
by tricking the Decepticons into an attack on the Autobot base, which the
Mini-Cons have rigged with explosives. But Sparkplug's not down with that,
yo - he knows that Dualor's belief that Autobots and Decepticons are just as
bad as the other is wrong, and warns Prime during the battle, prompting the
Autobots to flee. Dualor triggers the explosion, merely wounding Megatron,
and vows that if he ever finds out who tipped the Autobots off, they'll wish
they were never formatted...
Christmas fun pages and Starscream's letter page round out the issue, with
Screamer being a bit nicer about the art because it's Christmas. The next
issue page show the Adventure Team venturing into an uncharted pyramid in
the desert... where Sideways is lying in wait! Note that Sideways has one of
his heads on, but it's coloured like his actual head.
The UK Armada comic has really been picking up over time. The addition of
Baskerville makes it even better, with art that's worth looking at, and
Furman has managed to scrape out a continuity between the strips after
starting off so weakly. The comic's also becoming a good source of
information for new toy releases, and the Mini-Con profiles are especially
cool. :)
Chris
Thunder v.20.04
I'd be interested in finding out more about it--I've heard next to
nothing about it since it came out.
t.k.
Chris McFeely
> I'd be interested in finding out more about it--I've heard next to
> nothing about it since it came out.
That's because there hasn't been much to say. It's *very* kid-oriented, as
are all original UK comics these days - the attitude of the original UK TF
comic has long passed, and Furman is *seriously* writing down. But,
nevertheless, flipping through google, I've got these summaries of the early
issues that I wrote.
Issue #1 - http://makeashorterlink.com/?U2F642CB6
Issue #2 - http://makeashorterlink.com/?U13721CB6
Issue #3 - http://makeashorterlink.com/?M20752CB6
I don't appear to have done anything more than that, though I think I posted
something else to another board, hold on a tic... nope, gone from it's
archive.
Wee tiny summaries, then...
Issue #4:
Main Strip, "No Way Back!" - the Autobots open a Space Bridge to send the
Mini-Cons back to Cybertron for their own protection, but a Decepticon
attack destroys it and strands the Autobots on Earth.
Tales of the Mini-Cons, "Into The Lion's Den!" - Lee Sullivan begins drawing
this strip with this issue, which sees Sparkplug, Longarm and Jolt attempt
to free the Decepticon Mini-Cons, only to find they don't want to be freed.
Other stuff - Hot Shot and Jolt profiles, Demolishor competition, puzzles
and games, posters, colouring-in, Hot Shot's Hot Mail.
Issue #5:
Main Strip, "Devices and Desires!" - Starscream draws the Air Defense Team
out of hiding by shooting down a satellite, and when they stop it from
crashing into a city, he attacks them. The appearance of the Autobots sees
him off, but no-one is aware that Starscream has attached tracking devices
to the three Mini-Cons.
Tales of the Mini-Cons, "We Are Not Alone!" - When the Air Defence Team
attempt to purloin some tech from a NASA R&D facility in an attempt to get
off Earth, they're attacked and captured by it's guards. They manage to
escape, but downloaded computer files tell them that those guards knew what
they were doing because... they've encountered Mini-Cons before!
Other stuff - Starscream, Swindle and Air Defence Team profiles,
competitions, puzzles and games, posters, colouring-in, Hot Shot's Hot Mail.
Issue #6:
Main strip, "Between Two Worlds!" - The Decepticons head for the moon to
locate any Mini-Cons remaining there, and Optimus contacts Cybertron and has
Jetfire dispatch Scavenger and Smokescreen via Space Bridge to stop them
(since the Earthbound Autobots' Space Bridge is in little bits after #4).
While they occupy the Decepticons - only able to hold their own thanks to
Smokescreen's discovery of Liftor - Optimus and the 'bots Mini-Cons launch a
rocket that transports the inactive Mini-Cons on the moon to Earth.
Tales of the Mini-Cons, "Blast From The Past!" - a flashback to 1959, as we
discover how those scientists from the previous issue came into contact with
Mini-Cons. The Land Military Team were uncovered and taken to an
extraterrestrial research facility in the Nevada desert, where they were
reprogrammed to act as military hardware. Unfortunately for the military,
they begin to override their programming, escaping into the nearby village
of Stillwater and giving a message to local priest Amos Hume, before being
brought back under control by the military. And now, in the present day,
after seeing news footage of Starscream's battle with the Air Defence Team,
Hume knows it's time to deliver the message...
Other stuff - Smokescreen and Liftor profiles, TFTM and Powerpants Prime
competition, puzzles and games, posters, colouring-in. Starscream takes over
from Hot Shot, and the letters page becomes "Starscream's Hate Mail" - and
he's REALLY nasty about the pictures that are printed!
Issue #7:
Main strip, "The Two-Edged Blade" - Starscream ambushes the Air Defence Team
thanks to his tracking devices, putting them under his command and
harnessing the power of the Star Saber. Rad and co. stumble across him, and
he attacks - the kids only make it out alive thanks to Perceptor. The
elements begin to run wild as Starscream discovers he can't control the
immense energies of the Star Saber, and Optimus appears to wrest it from his
grip and free the Mini-Cons. And watching the battle is Amos Hume...
Tales of the Mini-Cons, "Sale of the Century!" - the Land Military Team,
still under the thumb of the military, find themselves on the auction block
when the extraterrestrial research facility is about to be shut down, and
it's head, Quint, wants to walk away with a bit of illegal payola in his
pockets. But once again, the team begin to break free of their control, and
the arrival of the Autobots and Air Defence Team, led by Amos Hume, allow
them to be freed.
Other stuff - Cyclonus, Crumplezone and Land Military Team profiles,
Smokescreen competition, puzzles and games, posters, colouring-in, news page
(Armada marathon on Sky One, Transformers.Com),
Starscream's Hate Mail.
Issue #8:
Main strip, "Earthshaker!" - the Decepticons have set up base on the moon,
and their first act is to target Autobase Earth with their missile weapons.
The Autobots' Space Bridge is still down, so their are unable to act, but
Smokescreen and Scavenger are still on the moon. Optimus and the Mini-Cons
form a plan, distracting the Decepticons by having the Mini-Cons apparently
surrender to them, while Hot Shot and Red Alert cobble a semi-functional
Space Bridge together and Smokescreen and Scavenger break into the
Decepticon base and activate their own Space Bridge. Aligning the signals,
the Autobots shoot the Decepticon missiles through the Space Bridge, right
back into the Decepticon base, destroying a majority of it.
Tales of the Mini-Cons, "Lost in Space!" - Despite the success of the plan,
the Mini-Cons are still being towed back to the moon by Cyclonus. The
Mini-Cons engineer a mid-space breakout, and Jolt uses his electricity
blasters to scramble Cyclonus's circuits, sending him crashing back to the
moon.
Other stuff - Red Alert, Longarm and Laserbeak profiles, laser pistol,
Jetfire and "Cybertron Redux" competitions, puzzles and games, posters,
colouring-in, news page (Overload, "City of Fear"), Starscream's Hate Mail.
Chris
Thunder v.20.04
t.k.
Cradok
wait until next Thursday - it's arrived a week late before - and then start
prodding some buttock.
Ethan Hammond
--
All Purpose Cultural Randomness
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/apcr/index.html
Chris McFeely
I almost didn't find it myself - took a bit of searching before I found the
last issue on the shelf in my Eason, which is really weird, beacuse they
normally have loads. And it had the free gift torn off and everything...
Chris
Hotmissile
I'm quite happy with my purchase.
The art in "Dawn of Destruction"'s pretty good - some of the inking
still a touch thick, maybe. But the colourist does seem a little
obsessed with annoying reflections. The story's OK for something aimed
at children and concluded in 7 pages.
Similar comments for "Counter Strike", but the inking here ~is~ by
Bambos Georgiou, and is still done with board markers. I think the art
- by Simon Williams - could be OK with a better inker.
The profiles and their art are quite nice. I'm also rather impressed
by this & next months' covers. I wonder who draws these bits? I notice
they've gone back to the old Marvel UK practice of putting a scene
from the second strip on the cover.
I may even continue getting this...
Mic // Hotmissile
hotmissile_lives is the answer.
That is all.
"Chris McFeely" <ma...@troy49.freeserve.co.uk> said what!?: