10 WEIRDEST DETAILS IN OLD TRANSFORMERS COMICS

It goes without saying that the Transformers aren't just one of the most successful '80s brands that's still doing well today, but one of the most beloved nostalgic properties in history a well. The Transformers owed most (if not all of) their popularity to the hit 1984 cartoon and, to a lesser extent, the 1984 comic from Marvel.

Since the cartoon and comic launched at the same time, the assumption was that they followed each other's story. Instead, the Transformers' cartoon and comic were incredibly different. The cartoon was so popular and influential that it completely buried the comics, thus leaving many weird details about the Transformers lost to time.

The Transformers Comics Had Exclusive American & UK Continuities

The weirdest and most confusing thing about the Transformers' first comic was that there were two very different continuities that were published at the same time. Specifically, Marvel Comics' The Transformers had an American and British run. When they ended in the early '90s, the American run had 80 issues, while the British run had 332.

The American and British runs were basically the same, but the UK version split every issue in half. This was because the American comic was initially sold bi-monthly, while the British run was sold weekly. The British run made new content to fill the gaps. The two runs told the same general story, but the British run had a lot more extra depth.

The Transformers’ Anatomy Was Based on the Toys

The Transformers' important 1984 cartoon was so nostalgic and influential that their humanoid designs became the franchise's default. Even modern or alternate versions of the Transformers still based their designs on the animated Autobots and Decepticons in some way. These, however, were not the Transformers' original designs.

Previously, the Transformers were drawn like the Takara toys they were based on. This resulted in uncanny proportions, exaggerated vehicle designs, and—in some truly weird cases—missing body parts like heads. The cartoon redesigned the Transformers to be more palatable. This wasn't just a good idea, but a necessary one.

The Transformers Evolved From Gears, Levers, & Pulleys

The Transformers were the kinds of characters whose detailed history and biology were unnecessary for enjoying their story. It was just accepted that the Transformers were giant sentient robots who fought a seemingly endless war. Their original comics explained these as being the logical conclusion of simple machines evolving.

The very first Transformers comic explained that Transformers were what happened after gears, levers, and pulleys evolved through carbon-bonding. This was too silly even by the comics' standards, and it was quietly dropped. Later continuities replaced the Transformers' weird evolutionary tree by introducing the Children of Primus.

The Transformers’ Ability To Transform Was Not Natural

Even ignoring the fact that they were based on transforming toys, it was just accepted that the Transformers transformed into cars, robotic animals, weapons, cities, and more. Not only was this made clear by their name, but it was a unique ability that made them stand out. In their early comics, though, they had to learn how to transform.

The Decepticons needed to be mechanically modified so that they could turn into combat vehicles, while it was hinted that the Autobots gradually learned how to transform over the course of the war. This convoluted explanation for the Transformers' signature ability was retconned into a simple natural instinct in later continuities.

The Transformers Needed Fossil Fuels for Sustenance

Energon is one of the Transformers' most famous bits of lore. Energon was Cyberton's most invaluable resource, and sustenance for the Transformers. Because of how important it was, it was easy to overlook the fact that Energon was made for the cartoon. Previously, the Transformers needed regular fossil fuels to survive.

Finding fuel like oil was a major point for many of the Transformers' early issues. But after the cartoon introduced Energon, the comics slowly had it replace fuels. This retcon was an improvement, since Energon emphasized the Transformers' alien origins, and made them seem much more than familiar gas-guzzling Earth machines.

The Matrix of Leadership Was a Series of Intangible Code

The Matrix of Leadership is both the Transformers' most important artifact, and the franchise's most iconic object. It granted its wielder authority over the Transformers, and also gave them the ability to create new life. The Matrix existed in the comics, but it was called the "Creation Matrix." What's more, it was an abstract concept, not an object.

The Creation Matrix was given to a chosen leader once every ten millennia to help the Transformers procreate. Nobody actually held it, since it was data that had to be downloaded. The code was reimaigined into the physical Matrix of Leadership for The Transformers: The Movie, and this became its preferred form ever since.

Grimlock Was Not a Mindless Brute

The Dinobots were the Transformers' most intimidating yet lovable brutes. This was best exemplified by their leader Grimlock, who was incredibly powerful but also really simple. Grimlock was literally the Autobot's resident caveman; he spoke in broken sentences, and preferred to bash things with his tail rather than think.

This was a far cry from Grimlock's earliest comic appearances. Originally, he was just as verbose and sound of mind as any other Transformer. Despite being marooned in the Savage Land, Grimlock could think and talk fine. Grimlock became an oafish self-parody after the cartoon, and especially the movie, depicted him in that way.

Starscream Was Cannon Fodder

Starscream wasn't just Transformers' most infamous double-crosser, but an archetype of his own. To a generation of audiences and creators, Starscream was the ultimate traitor and schemer. However, Starsceam being a Decepticon officer with treacherous designs of his own was something from the 1984 cartoon, not the comics.

Starscream was always untrustworthy, but he lacked the authority and narrative relevance of his animated counterpart. At best, he was an overly ambitious lackey. To hammer this in, he was quickly killed off early on by Omega Supreme. Starscream only got a bigger role later, following the success of his characterization in the cartoon.

Megatron Was Barely the Decepticons’ Leader

Whether he's depicted as a merciless tyrant or a morally conflicted revolutionary, the veteran Decepticon Megatron is almost always shown as the Decepticons' leader. Megatron was committed to the Decepticons' cause, and would never rest until victory was absolute. This wasn't the case in the Transformers' original comics, since he was an independent villain.

Megatron started as the Decepticons' leader, but was challenged and ousted more often than not. He spent more time on his own, while Scorponok served the longest tenure among the Decepticons' leaders. This weird detail would be unthinkable today given Megatron's legacy and how inseparable he is from the Decepticon throne.

The Transformers Lived in the Marvel Universe

The Transformers are one of the biggest pop culture franchises around, which is why it may be hard for newcomers and even longtime fans to believe that they were once a Marvel property. This didn't just mean that the Transformers' comic were printed under the Marvel imprint, but that the Autobots and Decepticons existed in Earth-616.

This was famously made clear when Spider-Man helped Gears fight Decepticons, and when the Dinobots were revealed to be based in the Savage Land. Before the Transformers could get a bigger role in Earth-616, they and G.I. Joe were moved to their own reality so that Hasbro, their rights' owners, wouldn't interfere with Marvel's in-house characters.

2023-12-30T02:01:37Z dg43tfdfdgfd