Transformers #21 - Video Review by 80s Comics

Aerialbots Over America. It is Transformers issue 21 from October of 1987, an incredible issue of The Transformers. I love the cover. Great shot composition here. This would be one of the best issues of The Transformers were it not for one problem. Five problems, to be exact. The Aerialbots. Airplanes do not belong on the Autobots.

If you are looking for a pro‑Aerialbot 80s comic book review show, this is not it. I am against the Aerialbots. Why do they have to transform into airplanes. Stupid. It is just not right. It is fundamentally wrong. Airplanes do not belong on the Autobots any more than Bumblebee deserves to be alive. That is all I am saying. Let us get started here, because we have an Insecticon who is about to bite this fleshling with the brown slacks. That guy’s name is dead. Ricky Vasquez. Ricky Vasquez. It is so easy to forget their names, these humans. These humans are forgettable, but I do remember his daughter Maria, because what he does is he promises Maria something, and this is heartbreaking. It brings a tear to my eye because he should know that as a parent, you never promise your children things because then they will hold you accountable for the promise you made to them.

Daddy, can I have ice cream. Yeah, yeah, sure. And later they want ice cream. Well, what does he do. He promises to take his kid to the Fourth of July fireworks celebration, but you know that is not going to happen because the Insecticon bit him in the neck and took over his brain. The Insecticon takes over his brain and Ricky Vasquez drives to meet the Decepticons, who are just hanging out behind a rock drinking beer and smoking or something. I love that shot. It is Megatron.

Ricky walks over to them and to prove that they have control of his brain, one of my cerebro shells planted in his brain module. He would eat nuclear waste if I asked him to. Fleshlings, there is a grease spot on my foot. See if you can clean it off with your tongue. And the human licks it off his foot. They are all laughing at it. Is that not great. This proves the Decepticons are assholes and that is why we like them.

So now that they have control of his brain, Ricky Vasquez is instructed to take over the Hoover Dam because the Decepticons are obviously going to transport the power from the Hoover Dam through the space bridge to Cybertron to power Cybertron with an unlimited supply of energy from the Hoover Dam. Got it. Good. It makes exactly as much sense as you think it does. Look, this kid is being a jerk. But here is the real reason we are reading this comic, so that you all run out and buy Aerialbot toys. It was one glorified commercial after all, and whatever. That is part of the reason it is good. Slingshot, Fireflight, Silverbolt, Air Raid, and Skydive. The Aerialbots.

The Aerialbots are the only ones that can get to the dam in time because they are airplanes and they are faster than the other Transformers, even though the other Transformers can still fly anyway. I did not write it. Hey look, the New Universe, with such great comics as Nightmask. Remember Nightmask. It is Nightmask. I reviewed Nightmask not too long ago and you do not want to read Nightmask, but you do want to read Transformers, because the Insecticons are awesome. And so is Megatron.

Here is the space bridge which materializes out of thin air and along with it come Ramjet, Dirge, and Thrust. Awesome. Decepticons. A drill pops out of this thing and starts to drill through the Hoover Dam. Here is a bit of a subplot where Jetfire, along with Donnie Finkelberg, are on the trail of seven other Transformers that arrived on planet Earth, but that is not the main plot. The main plot is this: Aerialbots fighting Decepticons in an incredible battle that spans many pages and causes many explosions and creative sound effects.

Vroom. So many great sound effects in one issue of The Transformers. For that reason alone, you should buy this. Also, it is a good read. And it is fun to watch the battle and all the cool things each of these Transformers does, like the twisting torque rifle which twists metal. And there is Superion. The Transformers combine to form Superion, but Superion cannot do the job because this irritating little girl gets in the way because of the promise that guy made earlier in the book. See, never promise children anything.

Beyond the edge of your imagination begins a new universe, which is not nearly as good as Transformers. The Transformers issue number 21, a lot of fun, a really good read. This whole era of The Transformers is just terrific. And they are introducing a lot of interesting characters before they got really silly. Like, I do not care for the Autobots, to be honest. Really, I truly believe airplanes just do not belong on the Autobots. They could have transformed into anything else, like blenders.

Then they could have combined to form a giant blender that makes enormous margaritas for Jazz. But no. Airplanes. And the 80s. With BMX biking on the back cover. It is Transformers issue 21. Highly recommended by 80s comics. If you like The Transformers, you are going to love this issue. Great artwork, great writing, and amazing sound effects. It is Transformers 21.