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Transformers Classics #4
Transformers Classics, Volume 4
The historic comic book roots of The Transformers are re-presented for maximum Cybertronian enjoyment. Collecting issues #39-50, rejoin The Autobots and The Decepticons as their war stretches across the cosmos. Freshly re-mastered and re-colored, these stories are accompanied by an in-depth introduction as well as select issue notes by Mark W. Bellomo. Collects issues #39-50.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2009
15 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Bob Budiansky
387 books8 followers American comic book writer, editor, and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel's Transformers comic. He also created the Marvel character Sleepwalker and wrote all 33 issues of that comic.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 14, 2017
A lot of cheese that equates to lame TV episodes like Auto Bop and Hoist Goes to Hollywood.
July 13, 2024
The stories in here were still very good, especially the Underbase Saga at the end. The constant introduction of new characters finally started to get tiresome in this one though. Especially when they started to get stranger and more gimmicky. But still on the 80s Transformers journey and enjoying it.
July 26, 2022
This volume lags a bit. I don't really care for the Headmasters, and I definitely don't care for each issue just introducing new Transformers and losing any plot momentum. But it brings it back together for The Underbase Saga at the end, which makes it all worth it.
September 9, 2017
The first half of this volume was kind of a chore to read. The last issue though redeemed the entire book.
February 12, 2020
Oh boy. The Underbase is the highlight and that's because Starscream gets the spotlight.
"Fullstrength Motleypuss!" is about as good as it gets.
"Fullstrength Motleypuss!" is about as good as it gets.
July 6, 2024
With the show over but the toys still being cranked out, the series truly became bloated. And silly. The headmasters and pretenders were always rather dumb. Budiansky was always a bit uneven, but here it gets much worse, although one can still find those odd moments and funny lines that make him endearing (for myself at least).
The draw is the Underbase saga. It's one of the biggest mixed bags I have ever encountered. At times, it is quite silly and filled with plot holes and conveniences. At other times it really is as epic as advertised, and the art is awesome in places. It's flawed, but it works because Starscream and Optimus Prime are both in top form, and that is who needs to sell this tale. For Budiansky it seemed to be a way to eliminate much of the bloated cast and offer up something special for issue 50. The series was originally only meant to be 4 issues, but it became such a big hit it was a Marvel standard of the 1980s. Some of that is due to Budiansky. He had a tough job, but he put out some great issues and made the comic different enough from the show to be its own draw.
The Underbase saga combined cosmic scope with great character moments, sloppy plotting, and silly ideas. It takes risks, and some pay off and some falls flat. As an example of taking risks, Budiansky kills Blaster, his favorite character and a fan favorite as well. That takes some guts. As such, the Underbase saga is a perfect encapsulation of Budiansky at his best and worst. For that reason, I will be generous and give it 4 stars.
The draw is the Underbase saga. It's one of the biggest mixed bags I have ever encountered. At times, it is quite silly and filled with plot holes and conveniences. At other times it really is as epic as advertised, and the art is awesome in places. It's flawed, but it works because Starscream and Optimus Prime are both in top form, and that is who needs to sell this tale. For Budiansky it seemed to be a way to eliminate much of the bloated cast and offer up something special for issue 50. The series was originally only meant to be 4 issues, but it became such a big hit it was a Marvel standard of the 1980s. Some of that is due to Budiansky. He had a tough job, but he put out some great issues and made the comic different enough from the show to be its own draw.
The Underbase saga combined cosmic scope with great character moments, sloppy plotting, and silly ideas. It takes risks, and some pay off and some falls flat. As an example of taking risks, Budiansky kills Blaster, his favorite character and a fan favorite as well. That takes some guts. As such, the Underbase saga is a perfect encapsulation of Budiansky at his best and worst. For that reason, I will be generous and give it 4 stars.
November 13, 2015
Warning: Here be Spoilers!!!!
When we last left the Autobots and Decepticons in their war in Volume Three, Grimlock had become the new leader of the Autobots and was doing an incredibly poor job in the process while Shockwave and Rat-bat had kidnapped the human Buster Witwicky and are working with him on a deserted tropical island. Blaster had been arrested by the Dinobots for 'treason' (defending the humans from Grimlock) and Buster's older brother, Spike, had binary-bonded with the robot known as Fortress Maximus to become the leader of the Headmasters.
Now, the Decepticons have begun a search for a rare artifact known only as the Underbase, an ancient machine that allows incredible powers to the wielder and which has devastated entire worlds. And they are doing with the help of Spike Witwicky. Meanwhile, Goldbug has discovered the unthinkable: Optimus Prime is still alive!
If memory serves, this is where Simon Furman (who is basically the Geoff Johns, Alan Moore, and Stan Lee of Transformers comic book franchise) starts his run on the comics so you can expect rather more edgier and more dynamic adventures than some of the ones Bob Budiansky cranked out. The story starts to get a bit more cosmic, also, since Volume Four's comics came out around the same time, I believe, as the classic animated Movie.
I sincerely enjoyed this novel and thought it was worth waiting for. A really good read.
When we last left the Autobots and Decepticons in their war in Volume Three, Grimlock had become the new leader of the Autobots and was doing an incredibly poor job in the process while Shockwave and Rat-bat had kidnapped the human Buster Witwicky and are working with him on a deserted tropical island. Blaster had been arrested by the Dinobots for 'treason' (defending the humans from Grimlock) and Buster's older brother, Spike, had binary-bonded with the robot known as Fortress Maximus to become the leader of the Headmasters.
Now, the Decepticons have begun a search for a rare artifact known only as the Underbase, an ancient machine that allows incredible powers to the wielder and which has devastated entire worlds. And they are doing with the help of Spike Witwicky. Meanwhile, Goldbug has discovered the unthinkable: Optimus Prime is still alive!
If memory serves, this is where Simon Furman (who is basically the Geoff Johns, Alan Moore, and Stan Lee of Transformers comic book franchise) starts his run on the comics so you can expect rather more edgier and more dynamic adventures than some of the ones Bob Budiansky cranked out. The story starts to get a bit more cosmic, also, since Volume Four's comics came out around the same time, I believe, as the classic animated Movie.
I sincerely enjoyed this novel and thought it was worth waiting for. A really good read.
January 18, 2014
This one was a little more exciting than the previous ones, but I am again surprised at the weird continuity and other errors. Didn't anyone proofread these stories?
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews