Transformers #1 - Video Review by 80s Comics

Everybody sing along with me. Transformers, fighting for freedom over air and land. That is not the song, but this is the first issue of The Transformers from September of 1984, before Transformers was a household name. This is the first issue in a four‑issue limited series that went on to be way more than four issues because Transformers got huge. The cartoon was big. The comics were big. The Last Starfighter was awesome. And this is a great book for fans of Transformers. Even if you are familiar with the Transformers story, it is good to read this because it is really detailed, far more detailed than the cartoon. And I like the cartoon, but it is like G.I. Joe. Transformers the cartoon was good. The comics were great. Though the G.I. Joe comics are actually better. It is like it flip‑flopped. The Transformers cartoon was better than G.I. Joe the cartoon, but the G.I. Joe comics are better than the Transformers comics. Anyway, they are all good. Never mind. Disregard, I will cut that out in editing. There is no editing. Whatever.

Circling the star Alpha Centauri ages ago as a planet unlike any other in the heavens, Cybertron. Very detailed description of Cybertron and the conflict between the evil Decepticons and the Autobots which knocks the planet out of orbit. And then the Autobots of course board the Ark and fly away. But look, there is Optimus Prime for the first time we see Optimus Prime. Back in 1984 or 1985, whenever I got this comic, was the first time I ever saw Optimus Prime and I loved Optimus Prime. I had the chance to get the Optimus Prime action figure, but I went with Shockwave because, you know, Shockwave. I love the Optimus Prime cover here. Is that not great. You never see him look like that. It is a very unique art style on the cover. None of the other comics look like that either. It is a really cool cover. I read this like a thousand times, as you can see. I took this to summer camp and I think just passed it around to a bunch of kids. Disregard the dog roaming around upstairs. Maybe she will transform into a jet and fly away, but probably not.

There is the Ark. The Decepticons invade the Ark. We all know the story. They crash‑land this thing onto Earth where it lays dormant for what, a couple million years, in a volcano that erupts. And the art is really nice actually. I like the art in this book. Super old‑school Transformers comic art, but I like that. I like the modern Transformers comics too, but they are really polished, the new IDW ones. This is just classic 80s. Looks really good. It explains how, in great detail, the Ark put all of the robots back together. And then we meet all of the asshole Decepticons. We have Thundercracker, Skywarp, Starscream, who I cannot read any of Starscream or Soundwave’s dialogue without hearing the voices from the cartoons.

Here are all the Autobots. I was thinking Racer and his wife Bumblebee out of there, but I guess he is kind of important, whatever. There is Jazz. I love Jazz. Who does not love Jazz. Scatman Crothers as Jazz. You are in The Shining one day and Transformers the next. Sort of like if you were in Citizen Kane one day and then playing Unicron the next. Of course, I guess there were a few years in between. Never mind. I started to lose my train of thought and then I have to actually do a jump cut. So, you know.

There it is. Hey look, a drive‑in movie theater. Remember those. Before you just watched movies on your phone, you could actually go to this giant park where everybody was drunk and hooking up in their back seats, just like this guy. What is his name. It is not Spike, it is Buster, I think, is the kid’s name in the book. Buster, yeah, that is right. Okay, it is Buster, who has some sweet puffy Luke Skywalker 80s hair. And how rude of this interstellar war to interrupt his makeout session. The best part of this is that he is hooking up while his friends are in the backseat eating popcorn. Come on, kick him out of the car and never mind.

So here we have Decepticons attacking Transformers and I cannot give away the ending of the book even though you know what it is. It is a fun read. Hey look, Star Wars on the back cover. The early Transformers books were great, like the first 30 or so. Then G.I. Joe started to get a little bit silly after a while. But I love the Transformers comics and this is a great introduction. It is obviously harder to find this book in mint condition for a low price, but a banged‑up copy will not cost you too much. There are also a bunch of digital options available out there. It is a fun reintroduction or first‑time introduction into the world of Transformers and 80sComics.com. Thanks for watching.

I just love the cover of this one. He looks so menacing. Optimus is a good guy, but he does not really look like it in this picture. Maybe that is why they never drew him like this again, but I think this is really cool. I like that one.