Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Transformers Universes shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Transformers Universes offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Transformers Universes at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Transformers Universes? Wrong! If the Transformers Universes is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Transformers Universes then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Transformers Universes? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Transformers Universes and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Transformers Universes wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Transformers Universes then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Transformers Universes site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Transformers Universes, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Transformers Universes, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Superteambox|image=|caption=A battle between the Autobots and Decepticons. In the centre are Optimus Prime (right) and
Megatron (left). Artwork by Don Figueroa, 2004.]/Hasbro-->
Transformers are [fictional character
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture robots and the titular characters of a popularThe Transformers were voted the second most popular toys in a UK
Toys 'R' Us poll:
Hasbro Transformers (toy line) and its
spin-offs. They come from the planet
Cybertron and are divided into the heroic
Autobots, led by
Optimus Prime, and the evil
Decepticons, led by Megatron. They are able to "transform", rearranging their bodies into a common and innocuous form, such as vehicles, devices or animals, which is reflected by the taglines "More Than Meets the Eye" and "Robots in Disguise". Beyond that, they can displace mass (i.e. shrink and expand), combine with one another, and apply synthetic flesh (see: Transformers technology).
All incarnations have been based around this core concept since their debut in
1984 in various media. The largest continuity, retroactively known as
Transformers: Generation 1, is an umbrella term for both continuities of the
The Transformers (TV series) and The Transformers (Marvel comic), which further divided into Japanese and UK spin-offs respectively. Sequels followed, such as the
Transformers: Generation 2 comic book and
Beast Wars TV series which became its own mini-universe. Generation 1 characters underwent two Reboot (continuity) with
Dreamwave in 2002 and IDW Publishing in 2006. There have been other incarnations of the story based on different toy lines during the 2000s. The first was the
Transformers: Robots in Disguise series, followed by
Transformers: Armada/Transformers: Energon and
Transformers: Cybertron. A Transformers (film) was also released in 2007, again distinct from previous incarnations.
Generation One (1984–1992)
battles
Megatron on the cover of
The Transformers #3
The first generation to not be fiction,
Generation One (G1) is a
retroactive term for the characters that appeared between 1984 and 1992, and this is the only defining aspect of the multiple fictional universes based on this era of the franchise. The Transformers began with the 1970s Japanese toy lines Microman and Diaclone. The former utilized varying humanoid-type figures while the middle presented robots able to transform into vehicular modes, with the latter robots mimicking everyday electronic items or replica weapons. Hasbro, fresh off the success of the
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, which utilised the Microman technology to great success, bought the Diaclone toys, and partnered with
Takara.
Jim Shooter and Dennis O'Neil were hired by Hasbro to create the backstory, the latter of whom christened Optimus Prime. Afterwards,
Bob Budiansky created most of the Transformers characters, giving names and personalities to many unnamed Diaclone figures. The primary concept of G1 is that the heroic Optimus Prime, the villainous Megatron, and their finest soldiers crash land on pre-historic Earth in the
Ark (Transformers) and the
Nemesis (Transformers) before awakening in 1984.
The Transformers (Marvel comic) was originally part of the main Marvel Universe, with an appearance from Spider-Man and Nick Fury as well as a visit to the Savage Land.
The Transformers (TV series) began around the same time. Produced by Sunbow Productions, from the start it contradicted Budiansky's backstories. The TV series shows the
Autobots looking for new energy sources, and crash landing as the
Decepticons attack. Marvel interpreted the Autobots as destroying a rogue
asteroid approaching
Cybertron.
Shockwave (Transformers) is loyal to Megatron in the TV series, keeping Cybertron in a stalemate during his absence, but in the comic book he attempts to take command of the Decepticons. The TV series would also differentiate wildly from the origins Budiansky had created for the Dinobots, the Decepticon turned Autobot Jetfire, known as Skyfire on TV, the
Constructicons (who combine to form Devastator), and
Omega Supreme. The Marvel comic establishes early on that Prime wields the Creation Matrix, which gives life to machines. In the second season, the two-part episode The Key to Vector Sigma introduced the ancient
Vector Sigma computer, which served the same original purpose as the Creation Matrix (giving life to Transformers), and its guardian Alpha Trion.
In 1986, the cartoon became a film titled
The Transformers: The Movie, which is set in the year 2005. It introduced the Matrix as the "
Autobot Matrix of Leadership", as a fatally wounded Prime gives it to Ultra Magnus. Unicron, a transformer who devours planets, fears its power and recreates a dying Megatron as Galvatron. Eventually, Rodimus Prime takes up the Matrix and destroys Unicron. In the United Kingdom, the weekly comic book interspliced original material to keep up with US reprints, and
The Movie provided much new material. Writer Simon Furman proceeded to expand the continuity with movie spin-offs involving the
time travelling Galvatron.
Simon Furman (w), Jeff Anderson, Geoff Senior,
Will Simpson,
Ron Smith (p), "
Target: 2006"
The Transformers (U.K) #78-88
1986-09-13 -
1986-11-22 Marvel UK
Simon Furman (w),
Andrew Wildman, Robin Smith, Dan Reed, Lee Sullivan (p), "Time Wars"
The Transformers (U.K) #199-205 1989-01-07 -
1989-02-18 Marvel UKThe third season followed up
The Movie, with the revelation of the Quintessons having used Cybertron as a factory. Their robots rebel, and in time the workers become the Autobots and the soldiers become the Decepticons. It is the Autobots who develop transformation. Due to popular demand, Optimus Prime is resurrected at the conclusion of the third season, and the series ended with a three-episode story arc. However, the Japanese broadcast of the series was supplemented with a newly-produced
OVA,
Scramble City, before creating entirely new series to continue the storyline, ignoring the 1987 end of the American series. The extended Japanese run consisted of
Transformers: The Headmasters,
Transformers: Super-God Masterforce,
Transformers: Victory and
Transformers: Zone, then in illustrated magazine form as
Battlestars: Return of Convoy and
Operation: Combination. Just as the TV series was wrapping up, Marvel continued to expand its continuity. It followed
The Movie's example by killing Prime and Megatron, albeit in the present day. Dinobot leader
Grimlock takes over as Autobot leader. There was a
G.I. Joe crossover and the limited series
The Transformers: Headmasters which further expanded the scope to the planet
Nebulon. It led on to the main title resurrecting Prime as a
Powermaster.
Over in the UK, the mythology continued to grow. Primus (Transformers) was introduced as the creator of the Transformers, to serve his material body that is planet
Cybertron (Marvel Comics) and fight his nemesis Unicron. Female Autobot
Arcee also appeared, despite the comic book stating the Transformers had no concept of gender, with her backstory of being built by the Autobots to quell human accusations of sexism.
Soundwave (Transformers), Megatron's second-in-command, also
broke the fourth wall in the letters page, criticising the cartoon continuity as an inaccurate representation of history. The UK also had a crossover in
Action Force, the UK counterpart to G.I. Joe.
Simon Furman (w), Geoff Senior (p), "Ancient Relics!"
Action Force #24-27
1987-08-15 -
1987-09-05 Marvel UK The comic book featured a resurrected Megatron, whom Furman retconned to be a clone when he took over the US comic book which depicted Megatron as still dead. The US comic would last for 80 issues until 1991, and the UK comic lasted 332 issues and several Annual publication.
Generation 2 (1992–1995)
It was five issues of the
G.I. Joe comic in 1993 that would springboard a return for Marvel's Transformers, with a new twelve-issue series entitled
Transformers: Generation 2, to market a new toy line. The UK comic came back for five issues and an annual. This story revealed that the Transformers originally breed asexually, though it is stopped by Primus as it produced the evil
Swarm (Transformers). A new empire, neither Autobot or Decepticon, is bringing it back though. Though the year-long arc wrapped itself up with an alliance between
Optimus Prime and
Megatron, the final panel introduced the Liege Maximo, ancestor of the Decepticons. This minor cliffhanger was not resolved until 2001 and 2002's Transforce convention when writer
Simon Furman concluded his story in the exclusive novella
Alignment.
Beast Wars/
Machines (1996–2001)
Unlike the various contradictory and separate G1 universes, the 1996 TV series
Beast Wars and its spin-offs form an extended and cohesive story. The story focused on a small group of
Maximals (led by
Optimus Primal) and Predacon (Transformers) (led by
Megatron (Beast Wars and Beast Machines)), 300 years after the "Great War". They crash land on a planet similar to Earth, but with two moons and a dangerous level of energon, which forces them to take organic beast forms. After writing this first episode,
Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio learned of the G1 Transformers, and began to use elements of it as a historical backstory to their scripts, establishing
Beast Wars as a part of the
Generation 1 universe through numerous callbacks to both the cartoon and Marvel comic. By the end of the first season, the second moon and the energon are revealed to have been constructed by the Vok. attacks
Optimus Prime, in a clash of generations.The destruction of the second moon releases mysterious energies that make some of the characters "
transmetals" and the planet is revealed to be prehistoric Earth, leading to the discovery of the
Ark. Megatron attempts to kill the original Optimus Prime, but at the beginning of the third season, Primal manages to preserve his spark. In the two-season follow-up,
Beast Machines, Cybertron is revealed to have organic origins, which Megatron attempts to stamp out. Although the organic origin of Cybertron, the presence of female characters and Starscream's appearance hinting at his demise in
The Transformers: The Movie brought the series closer to the G1 TV series, the appearance of
Ravage (Transformers)'s intelligent Marvel incarnation and the comics only terms the
Ark left the show in a gray area of "a"
Generation 1.
Since then, the saga has been increased. After the first season of
Beast Wars (comprising 26 episodes) aired in Japan, the Japanese were faced with a problem — the second Canadian season was only 13 episodes long, not enough to warrant airing on Japanese TV. So, while they waited for the third Canadian season to be completed (thereby making 26 episodes in total when added to season 2), they produced two exclusive cel-animated series of their own,
Beast Wars II (also called
Beast Wars Second) and
Beast Wars Neo, to fill in the gap. Dreamwave
retroactively revealed
Beast Wars to be the future of their G1 universe, and the 2006 IDW comic book
Beast Wars: The Gathering eventually confirmed the canonicity of the Japanese series with appearances of the Japanese characters within a story set during Season 3.
Dreamwave Productions (2002–2005)
In 2002, Dreamwave Productions began a new universe of comics adapted from Marvel, but also included elements of the cartoon. The Dreamwave stories followed the concept of the Autobots defeating the Decepticons on Earth, but their 1999 return journey to
Cybertron on the
Ark II is destroyed by
Shockwave (Transformers), now ruler of the planet. The story follows on from there, and was told in
Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave). The series also added extra complexities such as not all Transformers believing in the existence of
Primus (Transformers),Brad Mick, Adam Patyk (w), Don Figueroa (p), "Original Sin"
Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave)#Generation One (Ongoing title) #5, May 2004, Dreamwave Productions corruption in the Cybertronian government that first lead Megatron to begin his warJames McDonough, Adam Patykand (w),
Don Figueroa (p), "The Route of All Evil"
Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave)#Generation One (Ongoing title) #10, December 2004, Dreamwave Productions and Earth having an unknown relevance to Cybertron.Brad Mick, Adam Patyk (w), Don Figueroa (p), "Atonement"
Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave)#Generation One (Ongoing title) #6, June 2004,
Dreamwave ProductionsThree
Transformers: The War Within limited series were also published. These are set at the beginning of the Great War, and identify Prime as once being a clerk named Optronix.
Beast Wars was also retroactively stated as the future of this continuity, with the profile series
More than Meets the Eye showing the Predacon
Megatron (Beast Wars and Beast Machines) looking at historical files detailing Dreamwave's characters and taking his name from the original Megatron. In 2004, this fictional universe also inspired three novels and a
Dorling Kindersley guide, which focused on Dreamwave as the "true" continuity when discussing in-universe elements of the characters. In a new twist, Primus and Unicron are siblings, formerly a being known as The One.
Transformers: Micromasters, set after the
Ark's disappearance, was also published. The fictional universe was disrupted when Dreamwave went bankrupt in 2005. This left the
Generation One story hanging and the third volume of
The War Within half finished. Plans for a comic book set between
Beast Wars and
Beast Machines were also left unrealized.
G.I. Joe crossovers (2003 onwards)
Throughout the years, the G1 characters have also starred in crossovers with fellow Hasbro property G.I. Joe, but whereas those crossovers published by Marvel were in continuity with their larger storyline, those released by Dreamwave and G.I. Joe publisher
Devil's Due Publishing occupy their own separate fictional universes. In Devil's Due, the terrorist organization Cobra Organization is responsible for finding and reactivating the Transformers. Dreamwave's version remagines the familiar G1 and G.I. Joe characters in a
World War II setting, and a second limited series was released set in the present day, though Dreamwave's bankruptcy meant it was cancelled after a single issue. Devil's Due had Cobra re-engineer the Transformers to turn into familiar Cobra vehicles, and released further mini-series that sent the characters travelling through time, battling
Serpentor and being faced with the combined menace of
Cobra-La and Unicron.
IDW Publishing have expressed interest in their own crossover.
IDW publishing (2005 onwards)
The following year,
IDW Publishing reboot (continuity) the G1 series from scratch within various
The Transformers (IDW Publishing) and The Transformers: Spotlight. This allowed long-time writer of Marvel and Dreamwave comics, Simon Furman to create his own universe without continuity hindrance, similar to
Ultimate Marvel. Furman's story depicts a Cybertron that the rogue Pretenders (Transformers)
Thunderwing destroys, so the
Autobots and
Decepticons have to infiltrate various planets for their resources.
Earth comes under particular scrutiny due to a particularly potent form of Energon (power source) which
Shockwave (Transformers) had seeded millions of years ago, with the Decepticons escalating political tensions by replacing people with clones. The
Ark origin is absent in this series, and female Transformers do not exist either*, as Furman felt that "Every time I try and rationalize gender in giant robots it makes my head hurt." The continuity was also the first to acknowledge the existence of in transformations, such as when Megatron downsizes himself into a gun.
- Note: Female Transformers were seen in The Transformers: Megatron Origin miniseries, so it remains to be seen if Furman will integrate them into the main universe.
Alternative stories
In January 2006, the
Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club comic wrote a story based on the
Transformers Classics toy line, set in the Marvel Comics universe, but excluding the
Generation 2 comic. Fifteen years after
Megatron crash lands in the
Ark (Transformers) with
Ratchet (Transformers), the war continues with the characters in their
Classics bodies.
IDW Publishing introduced
The Transformers: Evolutions in 2006, a collection of mini-series that re-imagine and reinterpret the G1 characters in various ways. To date, only one miniseries has been published,
Hearts of Steel, placing the characters in an Industrial Revolution-era setting. The series was delayed as
Hasbro did not want to confuse newcomers with too many fictional universes before the release of the
Transformers (film).
However, IDW and the original publisher
Marvel Comics announced a crossover storyline with the
Avengers (comics) to coincide with the film, entitled
New Avengers/Transformers. The story is set on the borders of
Symkaria and
Latveria, and its fictional universe is set between the first two
New Avengers storylines, as well in between the
The Transformers: Infiltration and
The Transformers: Escalation phase of IDW's
The Transformers (IDW Publishing). IDW editor-in-chief, Chris Ryall hinted at elements of it being carried over into the main continuities, and that a sequel is possible.
Robots in Disguise (2001–2002)
Broadcast in 2001,
Robots in Disguise was a single animated series, imported from Japan (where it was broadcast the previous year), consisting of thirty-nine episodes. In this continuity, Megatron creates the Decepticons as a subfaction of the Predacons on Earth, a potential reference to the return to the vehicle-based characters following the previous dominance of the animal-based characters of the
Beast eras. It is a stand-alone universe with no ties to any other Transformers fiction, though some of the characters from
Robots in Disguise did eventually make appearances in
Transformers: Universe, including Optimus Prime,
Side Burn and
Prowl (Transformers).
Armada,
Energon and
Cybertron (2002–2006)
These three lines, launched in 2002 and dubbed the "Unicron Trilogy" by
Transformers designer Aaron Archer, are co-productions between Hasbro and Takara, simultaneously released in both countries, each lasting 52 episodes.
Armada followed the Autobots and Decepticons discovering the powerful Mini-Cons on Earth, which are revealed by the end to be weapons of Unicron.
Energon, set ten years later, followed the Autobots stopping the Decepticons from resurrecting Unicron with
energon (power source).
In Japan, the series
Transformers: Cybertron showed no ties to the previous two series, telling its own story. This caused continuity problems when Hasbro sold
Cybertron as a follow-up to
Armada/Energon. Plot elements have been changed from the Japanese story into references to the previous shows to enhance continuity, but they largely only add up to mentioning Unicron once or twice.
Just as Marvel produced a companion comic to
Generation One, Dreamwave Productions published a comic entitled
Transformers Armada set in a different continuity to the cartoon. At #19, it became
Transformers Energon. Dreamwave went bankrupt and ceased all publications before the storyline could be completed at #30. However, the Transformers Fan Club published a few stories it in the
Cybertron era.
Transformers: Universe (2003–2006)
The storyline of
Transformers: Universe, mainly set following
Beast Machines, sees characters from many assorted alternate continuities, including existing and new ones, encountering each other. The story was told in an unfinished comic book exclusive to the Official Transformers Collectors' Convention.
Film franchise (2007)
The 2007
live action film,
Transformers (film) was directed by Michael Bay and written by
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. The film focuses on the
Allspark, a large cube of energy that has the ability to create mechanical life. Megatron searched for it, and crash-landed in the Arctic Circle thousands of years ago. His frozen body was discovered and moved into a top secret government base underneath the Hoover Dam, and modern technology was
reverse engineered from him. The Allspark is also kept in this facility. The Autobots and Decepticons race to find the Allspark and Megatron's unconscious body. The Transformers were depicted in the film as having complex physiologies that can reconfigure their disguises by simply touching or scanning nearby objects, though they cannot alter their mass, and are affected by extreme temperatures. The Allspark can instantly repair Transformers and mass-shift.
To market the film, IDW Publishing published
Transformers: Movie Prequel. The comic expanded upon
Optimus Prime's referral to Megatron as "brother", revealing they co-ruled
Cybertron before Megatron's corruption. Furthermore, Optimus sent the Allspark into space in a last-ditch attempt to defeat Megatron. Megatron is responsible for Bumblebee (Transformers)'s muteness in the film. Alan Dean Foster also wrote a prequel novel entitled
Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday. The novel shows that
Starscream hated Megatron and wanted him to never be found, so he could remain as leader, explaining Megatron's line in the film: "You failed me, yet again, Starscream."
Blackout (Transformers) is also depicted as deeply loyal to Megatron, explaining his line "All hail Megatron!" However, the novel contradicts the film with Megatron's body moved into the Hoover Dam in 1969, instead of the 1930s. IDW plans to continue the film's fictional universe with additional prequels and sequels.
Transformers: Animated (2008)
The
Cartoon Network-produced
Transformers: Animated is a cartoon set to air in early 2008. Originally scheduled for late 2007 under the title of
Transformers: Heroes,
Transformers: Animated is set in near-future
Detroit, when robots and humans live side-by-side. The
Autobots come to Earth and assume superhero roles, battling evil humans with the
Decepticons having a smaller role.
References
External links
- Transformers.com - Official Hasbro Transformers Site
- Teletraan-1: The Transformers Wiki - A guide to the fictional aspects of the franchise
- Transformer World 2005 - (2005 is a reference to the year Transformers: The Movie is set in)
- Seibertron
- The Transformers Archive
- TFormers
- Lukis Bros. Transformers Collector Site - Collector site with character bios from all universes.
- Transformers World - Information, images, videos of the Transformers comics, cartoons and movies.
- A History of Transformers at Blockbuster UK
- Everything Transformers
{{Superteambox|image=|caption=A battle between the
Autobots and
Decepticons. In the centre are Optimus Prime (right) and
Megatron (left). Artwork by
Don Figueroa, 2004.]/
Hasbro-->
Transformers are [fictional character Extraterrestrial life in popular culture robots and the titular characters of a popularThe Transformers were voted the second most popular toys in a UK
Toys 'R' Us poll:
Hasbro Transformers (toy line) and its spin-offs. They come from the planet
Cybertron and are divided into the heroic Autobots, led by
Optimus Prime, and the evil Decepticons, led by Megatron. They are able to "transform", rearranging their bodies into a common and innocuous form, such as vehicles, devices or animals, which is reflected by the taglines "More Than Meets the Eye" and "Robots in Disguise". Beyond that, they can displace mass (i.e. shrink and expand), combine with one another, and apply synthetic flesh (see: Transformers technology).
All incarnations have been based around this core concept since their debut in 1984 in various media. The largest continuity, retroactively known as
Transformers: Generation 1, is an umbrella term for both continuities of the The Transformers (TV series) and
The Transformers (Marvel comic), which further divided into Japanese and UK spin-offs respectively. Sequels followed, such as the
Transformers: Generation 2 comic book and
Beast Wars TV series which became its own mini-universe. Generation 1 characters underwent two Reboot (continuity) with Dreamwave in 2002 and
IDW Publishing in 2006. There have been other incarnations of the story based on different toy lines during the 2000s. The first was the
Transformers: Robots in Disguise series, followed by
Transformers: Armada/Transformers: Energon and
Transformers: Cybertron. A Transformers (film) was also released in 2007, again distinct from previous incarnations.
Generation One (1984–1992)
battles
Megatron on the cover of
The Transformers #3
The first generation to not be fiction,
Generation One (G1) is a
retroactive term for the characters that appeared between 1984 and 1992, and this is the only defining aspect of the multiple
fictional universes based on this era of the franchise. The Transformers began with the 1970s Japanese toy lines
Microman and
Diaclone. The former utilized varying humanoid-type figures while the middle presented robots able to transform into vehicular modes, with the latter robots mimicking everyday electronic items or replica weapons.
Hasbro, fresh off the success of the
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, which utilised the Microman technology to great success, bought the Diaclone toys, and partnered with Takara. Jim Shooter and Dennis O'Neil were hired by Hasbro to create the backstory, the latter of whom christened Optimus Prime. Afterwards,
Bob Budiansky created most of the Transformers characters, giving names and personalities to many unnamed Diaclone figures. The primary concept of G1 is that the heroic Optimus Prime, the villainous
Megatron, and their finest soldiers crash land on pre-historic Earth in the
Ark (Transformers) and the
Nemesis (Transformers) before awakening in 1984. The Transformers (Marvel comic) was originally part of the main Marvel Universe, with an appearance from Spider-Man and Nick Fury as well as a visit to the
Savage Land.
The Transformers (TV series) began around the same time. Produced by Sunbow Productions, from the start it contradicted Budiansky's backstories. The TV series shows the Autobots looking for new energy sources, and crash landing as the Decepticons attack. Marvel interpreted the Autobots as destroying a rogue asteroid approaching
Cybertron.
Shockwave (Transformers) is loyal to Megatron in the TV series, keeping Cybertron in a stalemate during his absence, but in the comic book he attempts to take command of the Decepticons. The TV series would also differentiate wildly from the origins Budiansky had created for the
Dinobots, the Decepticon turned Autobot Jetfire, known as Skyfire on TV, the Constructicons (who combine to form Devastator), and Omega Supreme. The Marvel comic establishes early on that Prime wields the Creation Matrix, which gives life to machines. In the second season, the two-part episode
The Key to Vector Sigma introduced the ancient
Vector Sigma computer, which served the same original purpose as the Creation Matrix (giving life to Transformers), and its guardian
Alpha Trion.
In 1986, the cartoon became a film titled The Transformers: The Movie, which is set in the year 2005. It introduced the Matrix as the "
Autobot Matrix of Leadership", as a fatally wounded Prime gives it to
Ultra Magnus.
Unicron, a transformer who devours planets, fears its power and recreates a dying Megatron as Galvatron. Eventually,
Rodimus Prime takes up the Matrix and destroys Unicron. In the
United Kingdom, the weekly comic book interspliced original material to keep up with US reprints, and
The Movie provided much new material. Writer Simon Furman proceeded to expand the continuity with movie spin-offs involving the
time travelling Galvatron.
Simon Furman (w), Jeff Anderson, Geoff Senior,
Will Simpson, Ron Smith (p), "
Target: 2006"
The Transformers (U.K) #78-88
1986-09-13 - 1986-11-22 Marvel UKSimon Furman (w), Andrew Wildman, Robin Smith, Dan Reed, Lee Sullivan (p), "Time Wars"
The Transformers (U.K) #199-205
1989-01-07 - 1989-02-18
Marvel UKThe third season followed up
The Movie, with the revelation of the Quintessons having used Cybertron as a factory. Their robots rebel, and in time the workers become the Autobots and the soldiers become the Decepticons. It is the Autobots who develop transformation. Due to popular demand, Optimus Prime is resurrected at the conclusion of the third season, and the series ended with a three-episode story arc. However, the Japanese broadcast of the series was supplemented with a newly-produced
OVA,
Scramble City, before creating entirely new series to continue the storyline, ignoring the 1987 end of the American series. The extended Japanese run consisted of
Transformers: The Headmasters,
Transformers: Super-God Masterforce,
Transformers: Victory and
Transformers: Zone, then in illustrated magazine form as
Battlestars: Return of Convoy and
Operation: Combination. Just as the TV series was wrapping up, Marvel continued to expand its continuity. It followed
The Movie's example by killing Prime and Megatron, albeit in the present day. Dinobot leader Grimlock takes over as Autobot leader. There was a
G.I. Joe crossover and the limited series
The Transformers: Headmasters which further expanded the scope to the planet Nebulon. It led on to the main title resurrecting Prime as a Powermaster.
Over in the UK, the mythology continued to grow. Primus (Transformers) was introduced as the creator of the Transformers, to serve his material body that is planet Cybertron (Marvel Comics) and fight his nemesis
Unicron. Female Autobot Arcee also appeared, despite the comic book stating the Transformers had no concept of gender, with her backstory of being built by the Autobots to quell human accusations of sexism. Soundwave (Transformers), Megatron's second-in-command, also
broke the fourth wall in the letters page, criticising the cartoon continuity as an inaccurate representation of history. The UK also had a crossover in
Action Force, the UK counterpart to G.I. Joe.Simon Furman (w),
Geoff Senior (p), "Ancient Relics!"
Action Force #24-27
1987-08-15 - 1987-09-05 Marvel UK The comic book featured a resurrected Megatron, whom Furman retconned to be a clone when he took over the US comic book which depicted Megatron as still dead. The US comic would last for 80 issues until 1991, and the UK comic lasted 332 issues and several Annual publication.
Generation 2 (1992–1995)
It was five issues of the
G.I. Joe comic in 1993 that would springboard a return for Marvel's Transformers, with a new twelve-issue series entitled
Transformers: Generation 2, to market a new toy line. The UK comic came back for five issues and an annual. This story revealed that the Transformers originally breed asexually, though it is stopped by Primus as it produced the evil
Swarm (Transformers). A new empire, neither Autobot or Decepticon, is bringing it back though. Though the year-long arc wrapped itself up with an alliance between Optimus Prime and Megatron, the final panel introduced the Liege Maximo, ancestor of the Decepticons. This minor cliffhanger was not resolved until 2001 and 2002's Transforce convention when writer Simon Furman concluded his story in the exclusive novella
Alignment.
Beast Wars/
Machines (1996–2001)
Unlike the various contradictory and separate G1 universes, the 1996 TV series
Beast Wars and its spin-offs form an extended and cohesive story. The story focused on a small group of
Maximals (led by
Optimus Primal) and Predacon (Transformers) (led by
Megatron (Beast Wars and Beast Machines)), 300 years after the "Great War". They crash land on a planet similar to Earth, but with two moons and a dangerous level of energon, which forces them to take organic beast forms. After writing this first episode, Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio learned of the G1 Transformers, and began to use elements of it as a historical backstory to their scripts, establishing
Beast Wars as a part of the
Generation 1 universe through numerous callbacks to both the cartoon and Marvel comic. By the end of the first season, the second moon and the energon are revealed to have been constructed by the Vok. attacks
Optimus Prime, in a clash of generations.The destruction of the second moon releases mysterious energies that make some of the characters "
transmetals" and the planet is revealed to be prehistoric Earth, leading to the discovery of the
Ark. Megatron attempts to kill the original Optimus Prime, but at the beginning of the third season, Primal manages to preserve his spark. In the two-season follow-up,
Beast Machines, Cybertron is revealed to have organic origins, which Megatron attempts to stamp out. Although the organic origin of Cybertron, the presence of female characters and Starscream's appearance hinting at his demise in
The Transformers: The Movie brought the series closer to the G1 TV series, the appearance of
Ravage (Transformers)'s intelligent Marvel incarnation and the comics only terms the
Ark left the show in a gray area of "a"
Generation 1.
Since then, the saga has been increased. After the first season of
Beast Wars (comprising 26 episodes) aired in Japan, the Japanese were faced with a problem — the second Canadian season was only 13 episodes long, not enough to warrant airing on Japanese TV. So, while they waited for the third Canadian season to be completed (thereby making 26 episodes in total when added to season 2), they produced two exclusive cel-animated series of their own,
Beast Wars II (also called
Beast Wars Second) and
Beast Wars Neo, to fill in the gap. Dreamwave retroactively revealed
Beast Wars to be the future of their G1 universe, and the 2006 IDW comic book
Beast Wars: The Gathering eventually confirmed the canonicity of the Japanese series with appearances of the Japanese characters within a story set during Season 3.
Dreamwave Productions (2002–2005)
In 2002,
Dreamwave Productions began a new universe of comics adapted from Marvel, but also included elements of the cartoon. The Dreamwave stories followed the concept of the Autobots defeating the Decepticons on Earth, but their 1999 return journey to
Cybertron on the
Ark II is destroyed by
Shockwave (Transformers), now ruler of the planet. The story follows on from there, and was told in
Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave). The series also added extra complexities such as not all Transformers believing in the existence of
Primus (Transformers),Brad Mick, Adam Patyk (w), Don Figueroa (p), "Original Sin"
Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave)#Generation One (Ongoing title) #5, May 2004, Dreamwave Productions corruption in the Cybertronian government that first lead
Megatron to begin his warJames McDonough, Adam Patykand (w), Don Figueroa (p), "The Route of All Evil"
Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave)#Generation One (Ongoing title) #10, December 2004,
Dreamwave Productions and Earth having an unknown relevance to Cybertron.Brad Mick, Adam Patyk (w), Don Figueroa (p), "Atonement"
Transformers: Generation One (Dreamwave)#Generation One (Ongoing title) #6, June 2004,
Dreamwave ProductionsThree
Transformers: The War Within limited series were also published. These are set at the beginning of the Great War, and identify Prime as once being a clerk named Optronix.
Beast Wars was also retroactively stated as the future of this continuity, with the profile series
More than Meets the Eye showing the Predacon Megatron (Beast Wars and Beast Machines) looking at historical files detailing Dreamwave's characters and taking his name from the original Megatron. In 2004, this fictional universe also inspired three novels and a Dorling Kindersley guide, which focused on Dreamwave as the "true" continuity when discussing in-universe elements of the characters. In a new twist, Primus and Unicron are siblings, formerly a being known as The One.
Transformers: Micromasters, set after the
Ark's disappearance, was also published. The fictional universe was disrupted when Dreamwave went bankrupt in 2005. This left the
Generation One story hanging and the third volume of
The War Within half finished. Plans for a comic book set between
Beast Wars and
Beast Machines were also left unrealized.
G.I. Joe crossovers (2003 onwards)
Throughout the years, the G1 characters have also starred in crossovers with fellow Hasbro property G.I. Joe, but whereas those crossovers published by Marvel were in continuity with their larger storyline, those released by Dreamwave and G.I. Joe publisher Devil's Due Publishing occupy their own separate fictional universes. In Devil's Due, the terrorist organization Cobra Organization is responsible for finding and reactivating the Transformers. Dreamwave's version remagines the familiar G1 and G.I. Joe characters in a
World War II setting, and a second limited series was released set in the present day, though Dreamwave's bankruptcy meant it was cancelled after a single issue. Devil's Due had Cobra re-engineer the Transformers to turn into familiar Cobra vehicles, and released further mini-series that sent the characters travelling through time, battling Serpentor and being faced with the combined menace of Cobra-La and Unicron.
IDW Publishing have expressed interest in their own crossover.
IDW publishing (2005 onwards)
The following year, IDW Publishing reboot (continuity) the G1 series from scratch within various
The Transformers (IDW Publishing) and
The Transformers: Spotlight. This allowed long-time writer of Marvel and Dreamwave comics,
Simon Furman to create his own universe without continuity hindrance, similar to
Ultimate Marvel. Furman's story depicts a Cybertron that the rogue
Pretenders (Transformers) Thunderwing destroys, so the
Autobots and Decepticons have to infiltrate various planets for their resources.
Earth comes under particular scrutiny due to a particularly potent form of Energon (power source) which Shockwave (Transformers) had seeded millions of years ago, with the Decepticons escalating political tensions by replacing people with clones. The
Ark origin is absent in this series, and female Transformers do not exist either*, as Furman felt that "Every time I try and rationalize gender in giant robots it makes my head hurt." The continuity was also the first to acknowledge the existence of in transformations, such as when Megatron downsizes himself into a gun.
Alternative stories
In January 2006, the
Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club comic wrote a story based on the
Transformers Classics toy line, set in the Marvel Comics universe, but excluding the
Generation 2 comic. Fifteen years after
Megatron crash lands in the
Ark (Transformers) with
Ratchet (Transformers), the war continues with the characters in their
Classics bodies.
IDW Publishing introduced
The Transformers: Evolutions in 2006, a collection of mini-series that re-imagine and reinterpret the G1 characters in various ways. To date, only one miniseries has been published,
Hearts of Steel, placing the characters in an
Industrial Revolution-era setting. The series was delayed as Hasbro did not want to confuse newcomers with too many fictional universes before the release of the Transformers (film).
However, IDW and the original publisher Marvel Comics announced a crossover storyline with the Avengers (comics) to coincide with the film, entitled
New Avengers/Transformers. The story is set on the borders of Symkaria and
Latveria, and its
fictional universe is set between the first two
New Avengers storylines, as well in between the
The Transformers: Infiltration and
The Transformers: Escalation phase of IDW's
The Transformers (IDW Publishing). IDW editor-in-chief, Chris Ryall hinted at elements of it being carried over into the main continuities, and that a sequel is possible.
Robots in Disguise (2001–2002)
Broadcast in 2001,
Robots in Disguise was a single animated series, imported from Japan (where it was broadcast the previous year), consisting of thirty-nine episodes. In this continuity, Megatron creates the Decepticons as a subfaction of the Predacons on Earth, a potential reference to the return to the vehicle-based characters following the previous dominance of the animal-based characters of the
Beast eras. It is a stand-alone universe with no ties to any other Transformers fiction, though some of the characters from
Robots in Disguise did eventually make appearances in
Transformers: Universe, including Optimus Prime,
Side Burn and Prowl (Transformers).
Armada,
Energon and
Cybertron (2002–2006)
These three lines, launched in 2002 and dubbed the "Unicron Trilogy" by
Transformers designer Aaron Archer, are co-productions between Hasbro and Takara, simultaneously released in both countries, each lasting 52 episodes.
Armada followed the Autobots and Decepticons discovering the powerful
Mini-Cons on Earth, which are revealed by the end to be weapons of
Unicron.
Energon, set ten years later, followed the Autobots stopping the Decepticons from resurrecting Unicron with
energon (power source).
In Japan, the series
Transformers: Cybertron showed no ties to the previous two series, telling its own story. This caused continuity problems when Hasbro sold
Cybertron as a follow-up to
Armada/Energon. Plot elements have been changed from the Japanese story into references to the previous shows to enhance continuity, but they largely only add up to mentioning Unicron once or twice.
Just as Marvel produced a companion comic to
Generation One,
Dreamwave Productions published a comic entitled
Transformers Armada set in a different continuity to the cartoon. At #19, it became
Transformers Energon. Dreamwave went bankrupt and ceased all publications before the storyline could be completed at #30. However, the Transformers Fan Club published a few stories it in the
Cybertron era.
Transformers: Universe (2003–2006)
The storyline of
Transformers: Universe, mainly set following
Beast Machines, sees characters from many assorted alternate continuities, including existing and new ones, encountering each other. The story was told in an unfinished comic book exclusive to the Official Transformers Collectors' Convention.
Film franchise (2007)
The 2007 live action film,
Transformers (film) was directed by
Michael Bay and written by
Roberto Orci and
Alex Kurtzman. The film focuses on the Allspark, a large cube of energy that has the ability to create mechanical life. Megatron searched for it, and crash-landed in the
Arctic Circle thousands of years ago. His frozen body was discovered and moved into a top secret government base underneath the Hoover Dam, and modern technology was reverse engineered from him. The Allspark is also kept in this facility. The Autobots and Decepticons race to find the Allspark and Megatron's unconscious body. The Transformers were depicted in the film as having complex physiologies that can reconfigure their disguises by simply touching or scanning nearby objects, though they cannot alter their mass, and are affected by extreme temperatures. The Allspark can instantly repair Transformers and mass-shift.
To market the film,
IDW Publishing published
Transformers: Movie Prequel. The comic expanded upon
Optimus Prime's referral to Megatron as "brother", revealing they co-ruled
Cybertron before Megatron's corruption. Furthermore, Optimus sent the Allspark into space in a last-ditch attempt to defeat Megatron. Megatron is responsible for
Bumblebee (Transformers)'s muteness in the film.
Alan Dean Foster also wrote a prequel novel entitled
Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday. The novel shows that
Starscream hated Megatron and wanted him to never be found, so he could remain as leader, explaining Megatron's line in the film: "You failed me, yet again, Starscream."
Blackout (Transformers) is also depicted as deeply loyal to Megatron, explaining his line "All hail Megatron!" However, the novel contradicts the film with Megatron's body moved into the
Hoover Dam in 1969, instead of the 1930s. IDW plans to continue the film's fictional universe with additional prequels and sequels.
Transformers: Animated (2008)
The Cartoon Network-produced
Transformers: Animated is a cartoon set to air in early 2008. Originally scheduled for late 2007 under the title of
Transformers: Heroes,
Transformers: Animated is set in near-future Detroit, when robots and humans live side-by-side. The
Autobots come to Earth and assume
superhero roles, battling evil humans with the
Decepticons having a smaller role.
References
External links
- Transformers.com - Official Hasbro Transformers Site
- Teletraan-1: The Transformers Wiki - A guide to the fictional aspects of the franchise
- Transformer World 2005 - (2005 is a reference to the year Transformers: The Movie is set in)
- Seibertron
- The Transformers Archive
- TFormers
- Lukis Bros. Transformers Collector Site - Collector site with character bios from all universes.
- Transformers World - Information, images, videos of the Transformers comics, cartoons and movies.
- A History of Transformers at Blockbuster UK
- Everything Transformers
Transformers (fiction) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Transformers are fictional alien robots and the titular characters of a popular [1] Hasbro toy line and its spin-offs. They come from the planet Cybertron and are divided into the ...
Whirl (Transformers) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Whirl is the name of a fictional character from the Transformers universes.
Amazon.co.uk: Transformers: The Ultimate Guide: Simon Furman: Books
Simon Furman has been involved in Transformers from the beginning of the days of the UK Comic and provides a great guide to the Transformers universes, along with some excellent ...
The Official Transformers Collectors' Club
Timelines brings you another great story from the Classicverse, set in one of the most beloved and popular Transformers Universes ever!
INEX: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Transformers Universes)
Table of Contents. 1 Generation one; 2 Japanese generation one; 3 Marvel comics continuity; 4 Beast era; 5 Japanese beast era; 6 The robots in disguise /car robots universe; 7 ...
Primus - Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki
... is, then, easily the fiction that is least compatible with the subsequent retcon that establishes Primus as a multiversal singularity and part of all Transformers universes ...
Transformers/Beast Wars Forums - FanFiction.Net
Come and post your opinions on the Transformers universes! Discuss the goods, the bads, the upcoming movie, and even ask questions about the plots!
TFArchive - Transformers Comics - IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing (2005-now) Devil's Due (2003-2007) ... The Transformers, IDW Universe ► ... Other Universes & Miscellaneous ►
Optimus Prime Transfomers Takara MP-04 Masterpiece with Trailer ...
Optimus Prime (known in Japan as Convoy) is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers universes. The name is somewhat iconic, and is usually held by the leader ...
Baseball Caps @ Forbidden Planet - The Online Entertainment Megastore ...
Grindhouse: Death Proof Logo Baseball Cap Great merchandise based on the ... Baseball Caps Universes Grindhouse; Transformers
