Transformers T.V. Series History
Ryan P. Gavigan
In article <1992Aug14...@hamp.hampshire.edu> ched...@hamp.hampshire.edu writes:
> The Transformers began as a Marvel Comics endeavor to ride the wave
>of transforming mecha which was currently the rage in Japan. It was a
>four-issue limited series, but it did so astoundingly well that they made it
>into a full serial. The toys were a success also, and because its sister comic
>G.I. Joe was doing similarly well, and had made a profit off of a limited
>series T.V. release, they tried the same with Transformers, first as a limited
>release, then as a full-run series. The reason that the animation dropped so in
>quality towards the end was that the primary market for the show (8-14) was no
>longer interested in it, and so the budget was decreased. The series was
>animated by Toei, but the scripting was done in the U.S. It became somewhat
>popular in Japan, and enjoyed a brief release there. The toys were out there
>for a while, as well.
Not to pick nits , but there are FIVE Transformer series, of which
ONLY 2 were done and brought here in the US. What is known here as "The Trans
formers" was done as two sereis , "Fight, Robots of Life:The Transformers"
(original time setting), "Fight Robots of Life:Transformers 2010" (post movie)
A full SERIES (30 some episodes) of Headmasters, "Transformers:Supergod
Masterforce", and "Transformer Victory", totalling some 150-200 episodes
. The series became a lot better quality wise during Headmasters compared
to anything done for America (Call of the Primitives not withstanding),
without the stupid way to lip-synch american TV series (really shitty lip
movements without any facial expression whatever.)
The Headmasters and Supergod MAsterforce have been dubbed in English for
the Hong Kong/Malaysia/Singapore markets. Nothing official has been said,
but rumors hold they it will(transformers) return to the air in 1993.
Fight:Robots of Life Transformers aired in Japan from 7-6-85 thru 11-07-86
Transformers: 2010 11-14-86 6-26-87
Transformers: The Headmasters 7-03-87 thru 3-28-88
(MArvel made their "own" three episode mini-series instead of using the
Japanese one, partially because Optimus Prime ("Convoy" in the japanese) dies
once again.)
Transformers: Super God Masterforce 4-12-88 thru 2-28-88
Transformer V (Victory) 3-14-89 thru (at least
March 1990)
There was also a 1-shot OVA (Original Video Animation) entitled
"Transformer Zone" done in the last couple of years. The story has gotten pretty
wild as the story line has advanced, and if only all the stuff was translated
I'd be able to understand more specifics (What exactly is the "entity"
supposedly leading the Decepticons in Transformers:SG MF, what is "Zodiac"?
, etc).
Ryan Gavigan
gav...@gn.ecn.purdue.edu
>"Transformers: Number 60 in a four part limited series"
^^ 80
> -Cover to the last ish of Transformers
>
>Disclaimer:
> These opinions belong on Rec.Arts.Anime and Rec.Arts.Comics
>respectively, but give a grieving fan a break, hunh?
Robert A. Jung
>In article <1992Aug14...@hamp.hampshire.edu> ched...@hamp.hampshire.edu writes:
>> The Transformers began as a Marvel Comics endeavor to ride the wave
>>of transforming mecha which was currently the rage in Japan. It was a
>>four-issue limited series, but it did so astoundingly well that they made it
>>into a full serial.
>
>ONLY 2 were done and brought here in the US. What is known here as "The Trans
>formers" was done as two sereis , "Fight, Robots of Life:The Transformers"
>(original time setting), "Fight Robots of Life:Transformers 2010" (post movie)
So you're saying that the American TV series wandered to Japan, which
continued production after the American series ended?
>A full SERIES (30 some episodes) of Headmasters, "Transformers:Supergod
>Masterforce", and "Transformer Victory", totalling some 150-200 episodes.
For all of us drooling robot fans in the assorted newsgroups getting this
message (I know I'm not the only one), is there any information on how to
order/buy/import this additional material?
>The Headmasters and Supergod MAsterforce have been dubbed in English for
>the Hong Kong/Malaysia/Singapore markets. Nothing official has been said,
>but rumors hold they it will(transformers) return to the air in 1993.
You mean the Asian market, and not the American one, I presume. If the
Transformers make a comeback in the States, I'll be very surprised...
>>"Transformers: Number 60 in a four part limited series"
> ^^ 80
Tying this in to rec.arts.comics/rec.arts.comics.misc, anyone care to
speculate how Simon Furman would have continued his US TRANSFORMERS comic
storylines if the title wasn't cancelled? Issue #76, for instance, had a bit
of exposition by Grimlock about the "inevitability" of the Transformers
duality, making allusions to Yin and Yang...
--R.J.
B-)
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Dr. Claw
>In article <1992Aug14.1...@gn.ecn.purdue.edu> gav...@gn.ecn.purdue.edu (Ryan P. Gavigan) writes:
>>In article <1992Aug14...@hamp.hampshire.edu> ched...@hamp.hampshire.edu writes:
>>> The Transformers began as a Marvel Comics endeavor to ride the wave
>>>of transforming mecha which was currently the rage in Japan. It was a
>>>four-issue limited series, but it did so astoundingly well that they made it
>>>into a full serial.
>>
>>Not to pick nits , but there are FIVE Transformer series, of which
>>ONLY 2 were done and brought here in the US. What is known here as "The Trans
>>formers" was done as two sereis , "Fight, Robots of Life:The Transformers"
>>(original time setting), "Fight Robots of Life:Transformers 2010" (post movie)
>
> So you're saying that the American TV series wandered to Japan, which
>continued production after the American series ended?
>
>>A full SERIES (30 some episodes) of Headmasters, "Transformers:Supergod
>>Masterforce", and "Transformer Victory", totalling some 150-200 episodes.
>
> For all of us drooling robot fans in the assorted newsgroups getting this
>message (I know I'm not the only one), is there any information on how to
>order/buy/import this additional material?
I,too, would be greatly interested in getting copies of Transformer episodes
that were never shown in the US. Could someone provide a summary of the
Headmasters, Masterforce, and Victory episodes?
>
>>The Headmasters and Supergod MAsterforce have been dubbed in English for
>>the Hong Kong/Malaysia/Singapore markets. Nothing official has been said,
>>but rumors hold they it will(transformers) return to the air in 1993.
>
> You mean the Asian market, and not the American one, I presume. If the
>Transformers make a comeback in the States, I'll be very surprised...
>
>>>"Transformers: Number 60 in a four part limited series"
>> ^^ 80
>
> Tying this in to rec.arts.comics/rec.arts.comics.misc, anyone care to
>speculate how Simon Furman would have continued his US TRANSFORMERS comic
>storylines if the title wasn't cancelled? Issue #76, for instance, had a bit
>of exposition by Grimlock about the "inevitability" of the Transformers
>duality, making allusions to Yin and Yang...
One of the problems I had with the series were characters that were
introduced and then disappeared. In particular, guys that were created
by the merging of other groups: Aerialbots/Superion, Constructicons/Devastator,
Protectobots/Defensor, Predacons/Predaking, Combaticons/Bruticus,
Stunticons/Menasor, Omega Supreme. These guys should have been major
factors in stories 'cuz they were so powerful, but Budiansky never
even touched them. It would have been nice if someone had reminded him
that there were some heavy-hitters in the Transformers Universe that
basically disappeared. The movie was outdated the moment that it came
out because all these guys came out before the movie, yet, except for
Devastator, none of them were in it. Autobots:"Oh no, there's Devastator,
nothing we have will stop him!" Oh well, it was stilll good. I find
it interesting that Furman would choose Grimlock to be a philosopher.
There was also the storyline he started concerning the nucleon that
Grimlock gave a all the Dinobots. With the death of Scorponok, I wt
Grimlock gave the Dinobots. With the death of Scorponok, I assumed
that Megatron would take control of the Decepticons again. The leadership
of Ratbat and Scorponok really didn't accomplish much. It was almost
asbad as the leadership of the insane Galvatron for the TV series. Would
be nice for Transformers to make a comic comeback...as long as
Budiansky is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT involved!!!!
PMM
--
"Is it madness, my dEnchantress, which drives a man of my genius to strive
for an impossible prize..or is it the striving for that which is ever just
out of reach which prevents madness from overtaking me?"
Dr. Doom, Secret Wars
DAVID E. STILL
not many stations showed it, but I do recall watching a couple of the season
premier episodes rather early in the morning. The station that showed them
was WXON (ch. 20) in Detroit. I don't think they continued to air the series
after that season.
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Dr. Claw
>In article <Bt1zB...@news.cso.uiuc.edu> pmm3...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Dr. Claw ) writes:
>>>
>>> Tying this in to rec.arts.comics/rec.arts.comics.misc, anyone care to
>>>speculate how Simon Furman would have continued his US TRANSFORMERS comic
>>>storylines if the title wasn't cancelled? Issue #76, for instance, had a bit
>>>of exposition by Grimlock about the "inevitability" of the Transformers
>>>duality, making allusions to Yin and Yang...
>>
>>nothing we have will stop him!" Oh well, it was stilll good. I find
>
>and Protectobots simply were not on Earth. After all, even Prime himself
>was away (recall, Blaster had to call him). And we know Omega Supreme
>is capable of extensive space travel. Broadside was the size of Superion
>and Defensor, but he was not seen in the movie; for all we know maybe he
>didn't exist as of 2005.
> The same rules can be applied to the comic: certain transformers
>just can't always be where you want them, when you want them.
However, when Primuss called all the earth-bound Transformers to Cybertron,
at least onne or two of the merging teams should have been along for
the ride...
>
>>it interesting that Furman would choose Grimlock to be a philosopher.
>>There was also the storyline he started concerning the nucleon that
>>Grimlock gave the Dinobots. With the death of Scorponok, I assumed
>>that Megatron would take control of the Decepticons again. The leadership
>>of Ratbat and Scorponok really didn't accomplish much. It was almost
>>as bad as the leadership of the insane Galvatron for the TV series. Would
>
>You remind me of one the best Transformers episodes of all, IMHO:
>"Webworld." If you've seen it, you know what I mean. :-)
Was t the 2005 e episodeswhere they try to cure Galvatron of
the plasma in his brain so he no longer is psychotic?
>>be nice for Transformers to make a comic comeback...as long as
>>Budiansky is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT involved!!!!
>
>Well, like so many, when I saw the commercials for Action Masters, I
>nearly puked. I understood that making transformable figures that also
>looked good was tough, but ... dinky figures that did nothing? Bleah.
>But it became evident that the comics were building an excellent story
>using nucleon.
> I am certain that Optimus Prime and Hi-Q would have merged as part
>of the effects of the nucleon.
> The "Last Autobot": I don't think it was meant just as a device for
>ending the series so abruptly. I suspect another plotline was in the
>works.
> I figure both Starscream and Shockwave would have obtained an infusion
>of nucleon in order to gain power, though each of them for different reasons.
>How Soundwave would have become an Action Master, I can't imagine.
> What I *really* would have liked to see: since there is a Devastator
>Action Master figure, can you imagine those poor Contrusticons, being
>transmuted by the nucleon while combined? Forced to stay together as a
>sluggish, slow-thinking (and apparaently shrunk) behemoth? :-)
> Obviously, once Megatron had undergone his nucleon transmutation, he
>would have beaten the living shit out of the yanked-from-another-time-line
>Galvatron. That settles that conflict. B-)
Damn right! :)
It was never clear to me in the TV series if Galvatron was supposed
to be a rebuilt Megatron, or a new individual with just a trace of
Megatron's memories, like in the comic book series.
> If the comic does ever pick up again, and I believe one day it will,
>I hope that it starts with #80. Replace that goofy clotheslined
>all-encompassing wrap-up. I understand the writers did what they had to do,
>but ... that doesn't make it any better.
>
As long as they don't have Quintessons and Junkions running around
doing stupid things! Ever notice how the size of a Quintesson always
changed? :-) I, too, think the series might make a comeback. One
more question...was Thunderwing ever shown outside of his Pretender
shell? I liked the way they suddenly created a "Decepticon High
Commander" character, when it was obvious to me that Megatron was
the only true "big cheese"!
-pmm
Dr. Claw
> As I recall, they DID show the Headmasters series in the US. Granted,
>not many stations showed it, but I do recall watching a couple of the season
>premier episodes rather early in the morning. The station that showed them
>was WXON (ch. 20) in Detroit. I don't think they continued to air the series
>after that season.
Do you meanepisodes besides the 3 "Rebirth of Cybertron" episodes? In
Chicago, they only Headmasters that they showed were the ones with
the Headmaster's creation. In the 3rd (and I assumed final) episode,
Cybertron is re-energized and the Decepticons, all in Trypticon, are
knocked across the Universe by an energy wave. Not that impressive.
-pmm
CHEN JIA TYAN
: that were never shown in the US. Could someone provide a summary of the
: Headmasters, Masterforce, and Victory episodes?
Singapore is able to watch the Transformers aired by our neighbour's
station, and currently we're catching the 1st of the 3 series:
Transformers - Headmaster.
The other 2 has been aired before, and it cost me about 12 tapes of 3
hours each.
Since I watch the later stories before the earlier ones, I couldn't
really tell what the grand plot was. From what I've seen,
In the Headmaster series, Autobots are inhabiting Cybertron, and
Decepticons are lead by Galvatron on some planet. Very early in this
series did they screen Optimus Prime dead, and Rodimus Prime became the
leader. There was quite a fuss about Metroplex and the Headmaster, plus
Fortress Maximus vs Scorpinok (sp?). All in all, there was some
reference to the originals. Arcee, Willy, Blaster, Blurr, Kup, Danny
were all inside.
For MasterForce, 4 transformers (Headmasters) disguised themselves as
humans and coexist with humans on Earth, until the Decepticons decided
to hit the Earth again. Besides the Cybertonian Headmasters, they've
recruited some humans to also transform into Headmasters, which Optimus
Prime was one of them. This story has already swayyed away from the
American Transformers that I've watched. There was no mention of
Galvatron. The main opponent was Scorpinok.
And finally Victory. Optimus Prime came back (miraculously!), but the
leader another transformer-in-transformer Transformer called Star Saber.
Later on Optimus Prime died (again) and was 'reconstructed' into another
Transformer called Victory Leo (looks like a lion), which merges with
Star Saber and fight on... It was just a load of merging and lots of
sword fights (I guess gun fights weren't that impressing). And the
ending looks like it could be continued if the response is good.
One thing I want to say about the Japanese Transformers is that you can
always find a kid around the whole bunch of huge robots. Sort of like a
fingerprint for their Transmformers.
--Chen JiaTyan
Robert A. Jung
>not many stations showed it, but I do recall watching a couple of the season
>premier episodes rather early in the morning.
I think after the third (post-movie) TV season, the last American airing of
TRANSFORMERS was the five-part Headmasters animated story. It was never
followed up with a fourth season, however.
All I remember was some very bad animation, and a shoehorned appearance by
the Predacons... Bleagh. The movie was the best, IMO.
As for the comic, I'd love to get my mitts on that TRANSFORMERS Annual
referenced by Simon Furman in the lettercol of issue #80. Supposedly, it's the
last UK TRANSFORMERS Annual, and contains an "illustrated text story" that
wraps up a few threads from the abruptly-ended US series. Unfortunately, at
this point in time, I think finding that issue would be near impossible...
--R.J.
B-)
P.S. "NEXT ISSUE: --Sorry, force of habit."
--TRANSFORMERS #80 (last issue)
VGR (Craig Pell)
>>
>> Tying this in to rec.arts.comics/rec.arts.comics.misc, anyone care to
>>speculate how Simon Furman would have continued his US TRANSFORMERS comic
>>storylines if the title wasn't cancelled? Issue #76, for instance, had a bit
>>of exposition by Grimlock about the "inevitability" of the Transformers
>>duality, making allusions to Yin and Yang...
>
>nothing we have will stop him!" Oh well, it was stilll good. I find
I assumed that when that assault on Metroplex took place, the Aerialbots
and Protectobots simply were not on Earth. After all, even Prime himself
was away (recall, Blaster had to call him). And we know Omega Supreme
is capable of extensive space travel. Broadside was the size of Superion
and Defensor, but he was not seen in the movie; for all we know maybe he
didn't exist as of 2005.
The same rules can be applied to the comic: certain transformers
just can't always be where you want them, when you want them.
>it interesting that Furman would choose Grimlock to be a philosopher.
>There was also the storyline he started concerning the nucleon that
>Grimlock gave the Dinobots. With the death of Scorponok, I assumed
>that Megatron would take control of the Decepticons again. The leadership
>of Ratbat and Scorponok really didn't accomplish much. It was almost
>as bad as the leadership of the insane Galvatron for the TV series. Would
You remind me of one the best Transformers episodes of all, IMHO:
"Webworld." If you've seen it, you know what I mean. :-)
>be nice for Transformers to make a comic comeback...as long as
>Budiansky is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT involved!!!!
Well, like so many, when I saw the commercials for Action Masters, I
nearly puked. I understood that making transformable figures that also
looked good was tough, but ... dinky figures that did nothing? Bleah.
But it became evident that the comics were building an excellent story
using nucleon.
I am certain that Optimus Prime and Hi-Q would have merged as part
of the effects of the nucleon.
The "Last Autobot": I don't think it was meant just as a device for
ending the series so abruptly. I suspect another plotline was in the
works.
I figure both Starscream and Shockwave would have obtained an infusion
of nucleon in order to gain power, though each of them for different reasons.
How Soundwave would have become an Action Master, I can't imagine.
What I *really* would have liked to see: since there is a Devastator
Action Master figure, can you imagine those poor Contrusticons, being
transmuted by the nucleon while combined? Forced to stay together as a
sluggish, slow-thinking (and apparaently shrunk) behemoth? :-)
Obviously, once Megatron had undergone his nucleon transmutation, he
would have beaten the living shit out of the yanked-from-another-time-line
Galvatron. That settles that conflict. B-)
If the comic does ever pick up again, and I believe one day it will,
I hope that it starts with #80. Replace that goofy clotheslined
all-encompassing wrap-up. I understand the writers did what they had to do,
but ... that doesn't make it any better.
VGR
"They're gawking at us, how mortifrying...!" -Breakdown
"The word, Breakdown, is `mortiFYing'; my sentiments exactly." -Dead End
MeiBoy of UCU
>the Hong Kong/Malaysia/Singapore markets. Nothing official has been said,
>but rumors hold they it will(transformers) return to the air in 1993.
>
. Would it be back on the air in the U.S. or just in the
Hong Kong/Malaysia/Singapore/Japan markets?
Would it be new episodes or reruns of the 5 series that you talked about.
And if the rumors are just that, where can we obtain the
episodes not shown in the US?
Michael Parks Swaim
>not many stations showed it, but I do recall watching a couple of the season
>premier episodes rather early in the morning. The station that showed them
>was WXON (ch. 20) in Detroit. I don't think they continued to air the series
>after that season.
>
morning, with each episode introduced by a claymation Optimus Prime
(Powermaster version) The last set of new episodes was the 5 parter introducing
the headmasters. From then on it was just repeats.
--
Mike Swaim | "What izzis wunnderful thing? S' Beautiful
sw...@owlnet.rice.edu | I think I'll put my tongue on it." -Arthur
Rupp doesn't even know who I am,
much less care what I think