The Expanding Transformers Universe

by Bill Slavicsek
From Marvel Age #44, November 1986

From toy store shelves to comic books to television screens, the Transformers have captured the imaginations of millions and have become the hottest things in designer robots! And yes, their popularity and uniqueness have rocketed them right to the top of everyone's must-have list.

In keeping with this spirit and in answer to the throngs of fans everywhere who keep clamoring for "more! More! MORE!," Marvel delivers! That's right, in addition to our monthly illustrated offerings of THE TRANSFORMERS adventures, we'll be producing a number of special packages and geodies that will help you keep up with the mechanical megastars from Cybertron.

You wanted a mighty meeting between the Transformers and the G.I. Joe Team, so one has been arranged! You asked for a re-presentation of the classic tales that started it all, and we answered! You hoped that one day your favorite robots from Cybertron weuld make it to a movie theater near you, and they have! Can all these wonders be true? Without any further ado, read all about it...

TRANSFORMERS VS. G.I. JOE!

Perhaps the most eagerly awaited event in the Transformers universe is the upooming team-up with the G.I. Joe team! THE TRANSFORMERS vs. G.I. JOE promises to be chock full of action, adventure, and high-tech hijinx!

This four-part Limited Series will be written by Mike Higgins and illustrated by Herb Trimpe and Vince Colletta. With the abundance of mechanical wonders that both groups of characters employ, is it any wonder that Herb was selected to handle the penciling chore? Herb loves to ply his trade drawing vehicles, weapons, and plain old mechanical marvels to such an extent that it's easy to understand why he jumped at the chance to be involved with this team-up extravaganza. And Mike and Vince are no strangers to these mythos either!

The story involves a cooperative effort by the Decepticons (those Transformers who want to eradicate life forms from the galaxy) and Cobra (those villains who are out to destroy freedom, deroocracy and the American way) to take control of a new high-tech power station. Whoever controls this station controls the world's energy supply! Both groups see a major advantage in working together to accomplish their own ends -- at least for the time being.

Being the elite combat unit that they are, the Joes are assigned to guard the power station. And when the Decepticons get in on the fun, the Autobots get involved to help defend humanity. Action and high-tech go wild as these four groups get together for a major battle over the power station. And there are plenty of surprises in store, too.

But when so much raw power gets tegether, tragedy is sure to follow. With THE TRANSFORMERS vs. G.I. JOE, this tragedy strikes quickly as a major Transformer gets blown up in the very first issue. Will there be more death and destruction? Will other Autobots and Decepticons wind up as scrap metal? Will any Joes or Cobras give their lives for their dramatically opposed causes? We think you'll be completely surprised.

THE TRANSFORMERS vs. G.I. JOE is the team-up you have been waiting for.

TRANSFORMERS DIGEST AND THE TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE!

The saga of the Transformers began billions of years ago on the far-off world of Cybertron. It was a completely mechanical planet, a world where skyscrapers were as big as mountains and technological rivers of highways and byways crisscrossed the land. It was here thai the first shot of the civil war was fired, where Decepticon and Autobot first waged their battle that has raged for centuries.

If you have only recently become aware of THE TRANSFORMERS and have only begun to follow their adventures, have no fear. In order to bring everyone up to date on the saga of these mechanical megastars, Marvel will be bringing you THE TRANSFORMERS COMICS MAGAZINE. Planned as a bi-monthly publication, the square-bound, digest-sized book will begin by reprinting the first two issues of THE TRANSFORMERS. Then, every other month, two more classic issues will be re-presented.

So if you weren't around the first time when the Transformers were awakened from their dormant state, if you missed the first battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, then this is the book for you; And if you've been around since the beginning, you still might want to re-live the Autobots' declaration to defend the Earth, re-experience the Decepticons discovery of our resource rich planet and their dawning schemes to eventually eradicate all life from the galaxy.

There will even be some brand new material in the digest as well! Each issue will contain pages of THE TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE, a new four-issue Limited Series full of information and statistics about your favorite mechanical marvels. In the tradition of THE MARVEL UNIVERSE, THE TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE will present the history, powers, origins, and other vital statistics of everyone connected with the world of the Transformers, all in alphabetical order to make it easy to refer to. There will be something for everyone in the TRANSFORMERS COMICS MAGAZINE.

TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE!

What new plateau can the Transformers conquer? What else is left for these mechanical marvels to accomplish? Well, how about the movies? Yes, the Transformers are on their way toward Hollywood startdom; their names in lights, their visages upon the big, silver screen! And Marvel will bring the large screen opus to life on the comic book page with TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE.

The adaptation is being written by Ralph Macchio from the sceerplay by Ron Friedman, with breakdowns by Don Perlin and finished art by Ian Akin and Brian Garvey. It will be a three-issue Limited Series that takes us into the future to see the outcome of the Transformers' eon-long civil war.

But the TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE is a first for Marvel. The movie itself is the first full-length animated film to be animated by Marvel Productions, and is produced by Sunbow and Marvel Productions. The California branch of everyone's favorite comic book company has pushed on to the next plateau itself. The people who bring you "Dungeons & Dragons" and "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends" every Saturday morning are turning their talents to the giant screen. And the comic version is Marvel's adaptation of Marvel's first movie!

The movie is set 30 years into the future. The Decepticons have finally conquered the home planet of Cybertron and the war seems to be going in their favor. The Autobots, those defenders of life throughout the galaxy, are relegated to bases on the twin moons of Cybertron and to an outpost on Earth. Things look grim.

But then they get worse. A new being has entered the galaxy and is heading toward Cybertron; It is called Unicron, and it eats planets! As it weaves a path of death and destruction across the endless reaches of space, it finally reaches a point where it threatens Cybertron, the Transformers' home world.

How do the evil Decepticons deal with a being that includes them on its daily menu? They decide to cooperate and join forces with it, leaving the valiant Autobots in even more of a predicament. They must now battle two forces that seek the destruction of life everywhere -- the Decepticons and Unicron!

The movie (and the adaptation, too) also features a life and death strgggle between the Transformers' leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron. We won't reveal the outcome of this titantic dash, but we will say that there will be plenty of new characters introduced to fill any sudden vacancies. On the Deceptions' side. we'll see the debut of Galvation, a Transformer who definitely has his sights set on leader-ship! For the Autobots, we'll meet Ultra Magnus, who also has leadership stamped all over himself.

Old favorites, a new roster of characters created just for the movie, visits to strange, new worlds, dramatic confrontations, and a deadly new menace --TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (both the comic and the cellulold sensation) has it all, as the three-issue Limited Series based on Marvel Production's first full-length animated feature! You won't want to miss either of them.

So that's what to expect in the months ahead from these compelling mechanical beings. A starring role in Marvel's first movie venture, an adaptation of that movie, a team-up with those Real American Heroes, an official handbook, and a compilation of the clasic tales that started it all. That should satisfy the hordes of Transformers aficionados -- at least for a while. But expect the unexpected. By now, everyone has discovered that where The Transformers are concerned, there really is more than meets the eye.