New Transformers UK Comic

Now this is surprising. The original Transformers UK couldn't afford the artists and writers to produce new material each week a couple of years before the Marvel title finished and now Titan is bringing out a new book with the former creative team?

On the 18th of January 1992 the final issue (#332) of Marvel UK's greatest comic-book success The Transformers was published. I had collected each issue from #77 (September '86) onwards and was thrilled by the adventures of the "Robots in Disguise" as I played out the comic book adventures with my own Transformers in plastic form each week. What is facinating about the weekly UK version of the Transformers comic book is that it featured reprints of the monthly US book with work from the best of British comic book talent at the time in the form of artists Ron Smith, Staz, Andy Wildman and the greatest of them all Geoff Senior as well as writer extraordinaire Simon Furman. To this day American comic-book collectors pay enormous sums of money for Transformers UK books citing their superiority over their own books - I sold my own collection on lots to them a few years ago for almost a grand. In the Transformers hayday the comic book was the best on the market. However as with all things, times change and the market changed with it. Furman and the artists began to create their work for the US book in the late 80's and the UK book began reprinting the US book which was now being created by the UK team so when the US book ceased publication in '91 it was not long before the material for the US book dried up too.

With the resurgence of popular culture in opening years of the new millennium, both deceased Marvel titles Transformers and G.I.Joe were purchased by independent US publishers Dreamweave and Devil's Due respectively. I allowed both of them to gain their market footing before I "investigated" and I discovered that while G.I.Joe had taken a more adult turn in it's direction and respected (and continued) the rich 20-year continuity created by Larry Hama - the Transformers on the other hand, had "rebooted" and was telling a different version of the events of the G1 Transformers without the same respect for previous work. It was at this point while I was happy to rekindle my association with the Joes, I also vowed to sever all ties with Transformers.

I was perplexed as well as astounded that a new Transformers UK book was being published by Titan and I was delighted to see that one of my favourite artists of all: Geoff Senior (some new work pictured right) would return to do what he did best. Then I remembered my vow and wept, for there are some things that are now, much, much too late for....

Sources: AICN, Siebertron.com