And thats "IF" there was ever a long bio to begin with.

This is true....and I wasnt trying to exclude those TF's... I was trying to get a point across.

I'm doing my best.

Actully its a given that its "NOT IN CONTINUITY" unless explicitly stated.Even when the story is written to fit between story arcs.

Now its...if it contradicts, it was a lie the characters told.

But I thought I pointed out that Star Wars was on the exception list.

Thats a matter of opinion.

A "rule of thumb" doesnt have to be written down in some manual to be understood by all.

And as a "basic rule of thumb" when comic properties jump mediums they take place in a separate continuity.

I completely disagree.

Even your Hellboy Novel example seems to be adhering to the general rule of thumb.

 

Oh tough decision but I will have to go with Bruticus just cause he has Swindle as part of the gestalt.

 

Predaking!

 

Bruticus.

 

Bruticus

 

Voted Bruticus. He was my first completed combiner team from when I was a kid, military team just seemed badass from the start, even as a kid the other teams just seems meh.

Bought 4/5 combaticons new, took me a year hunting in car boot sales to find a beaten up 2nd hand Vortex and a further 20 years to get his rotor blades + guns LOL. Looking forward to the FP set and will display them side by side - Canadians see my sig!!!

Computron is a close 2nd, much love for the combined figure and the separate bots were pretty cool. I also love the new Legends Devy figure but never cared for G1 version as it never saw a UK release, although to be fair it has arguably superior combination style & colour scheme.

 

I dig Bruticus.

 

Voted Devastator

 

It seems likely... Budiansky wrote them for all the characters at the early stages of the line, and it seems like Reflector was dropped pretty late in the game. Who knows if it still exists anywhere, or if it ever got to a polished, finished form beyond notes...

See, this is it. I would say that it's NOT a given, and that the context of the story and it's publication might indicate one way or the other... but when it comes down to it, it's ONLY when there's an official statement that we can say whether it's in-continuity or not.

I have argued the same thing regarding common word meaning, etc... and you wouldn't accept it. So, sorry... I don't agree, and moreover, on PRINCIPAL, I think you're contradicting yourself.

And the whole point of a "rule of thumb" is that it's only an informal rule that may not actually apply in every case. You can't cite a "rule of thumb" as an exclusive rule that binds a genre, because it cannot be considered a strict rule by definition.

Not really. It flouts your convention, and the fact that it's status may or may not have been "explicitly stated" after the fact is irrelevant. If something is written to be in-continuity, it is... at least until someone with authority decides that it should be stricken OR canonized.

zmog

 

Maybe.....but it appears, at least to me, that Budiansky wrote the short bios first in the early stages of the toy packaging "phase" of production and then later wrote the longer bios.

And if thats the case he may have never gotton to do an extended bio on Refelctor.

You can say that if you like but the evidence points to.....it "IS" a given, even when and that the context of the story and it's publication might indicate otherwize.

Not at all, and I thought we covered this.

Its not that I dont accept it.....I'm trying to "Correct" the mis-use of it in the "combiners" case.

It may ne be considered a strict rule........but most publishers [if not all] seem to be following it.

,

Yes really....it absolutely did.

Not only did the publisher/editors and writers confirm the Novels take place in the comic continuity in a Wizard magazine interview [wish I still had the issue] but the events of the novels are refranced and cataloged in the comic's official character bios and timeline printed in Hellboy: The Cofmpanion....which was a comic publication.

No less the Golden-penned character of Anastasia Bransfield was described in the companion, despite having never actually appeared in a comic.

So yes...the Hellboy Novels do follow the rule of thumb.

Edit:BTW, I've found my copies of the DW Novels last night.I've been skimming trew them and have found some interesting issues as they concern "continuity".

I'll be double checking the comic run and the Novels and I'll post the issues later.

 

Landcross.

 

Safeguard. ;D

 

It is my feeling (which I seem to recall being confirmed in the recent Budiansky interview, but I'm not sure) that Budiansky was tasked with creating (or in some cases fleshing out) all the original G1 characters, and afterwards, his bios were condensed into a short, almost point form to fit the format of the Tech Specs cards. To me, they very much feel like they were excerpted from the long bios, rather than the other way around (written in short form, then expanded for the TFU). That's why I'm pretty sure there must have been a longer, more extensive Reflector bio, though who knows if it still exists in any form now.

Which means it's not a rule. It's happenstance... an informal practice at best.

You're not helping your case. The point is, without official sources, it cannot be said that the Hellboy novels are NOT part of the official canon. You are proposing that there is a "rule" that dictates that comic novels are not in-continuity unless someone says so. I'm saying that they very well CAN be (or might not be)... but without official word on the matter, we can only guess.

For example, the novels are probably written with the blessing of the editors, and the author him/herself likely knows throughout the creative process whether the piece is intended to be part of the official canon or not. So even if we do not get official notification of the status of the story for some time after it is written and published, it still is or is not part of the continuity, equally. Our knowing or not knowing does not affect it one way or the other. It's canonical status is an absolute, whether we know about it or not.

Could be interesting...

zmog

 

I get the feeling it was a bit of both.

Some bios were written out in long form, while others were just simple little bios that were fleshed out for the Marvel bio.

Call it what you want, but it seems to be adhered too by just about every publication house.

I see no reason why DW would have tried to "rock the boat"
YouTube - Hues Corporation - Rock the Boat

You haven said anything to place any doiubt in my case.

No the point is that even trhe Hellboy novels followed the "general rule of thumb".

They just didnt release the novels and leave it up to the reader to discover that it was in the same continuity as the comic books.

They made an official statement proclaiming that the novels were in the same continuity because they know that the general practice of the industry is to have Novelized stories take place in a sepreate continuity.

"canonical status" and "in continuity" are to different concepts within the context of what we are talking about.

And it was.

I've pretty much concluded that, althou it appears that the concept for the Novels was to have them be in continuity with the comics.....the unfolding story of the Novels and the following comics, make it impossible for both events to take place within the same continuity.

I can explain further if you like.

 

There's several missing.... Piranacon and Monstructor being two surprising ones because they were in the US....

This poll seems to be, which combiner from the US cartoon is your favorite?

 

Quite possibly... especially the later characters (the Terrorcons come to mind... they seemed really sloppy). But I'd be pretty surprised if the long profiles weren't the original text for the shortened bios for the first year or so.

If only to combat the general perception that there is a "rule". Which there isn't, and it shouldn't be presumed that there is one... even if some companies have established their own official practices regarding continuity.

Well, not totally, though I know what you mean. You're right that everything published officially with the Transformers brand is technically "canon" even if the fractured nature of "continuities" sort of makes that irrelevant.

But something's "canonical status" can still encompass it's location in the continuity too.

I've pretty much concluded that, althou it appears that the concept for the Novels was to have them be in continuity with the comics.....the unfolding story of the Novels and the following comics, make it impossible for both events to take place within the same continuity.[/QUOTE]I can imagine it. These days it seems like comic book companies can barely coordinate their continuity between their concurrent comics, so I can easily see the different time demands, and process associated with writing novels creating havoc with continuity.

Heh. Or just which "classic" combiner is your favourite. A lot of us stopped counting around 1986.  

zmog

 

Who knows........I say we share a drink to one day finding out. 

Like I said, call it what you want....an unwritten rule,a silent rule, what ever, but just about every company if following the practice.

It can.......but that wasnt the "nature" of our debate.

Yeah...it appares the first Novel was written after the first G1 mini......but with out checking with the writers of the 2nd G1 mini.

 

Voted for Defensor on the list, though Rail Racer is my personal all-over fav.

Honorable mentions go to the Trainbots, Safeguard, Perceptor (Armada cartoon), Magnaboss (Beast Wars II) and the Prime/Jetfire combo from Armada.

 

Gotta go with Menasor. Last I checked he's the only combiner who's "combined mind of the components" dealie that didn't really work, due to the fact that all four limbs hate Motormaster. The Stunticons are such an interesting team too - we have a sadistic arsehole leading a psycho, an egotistical douche, a paranoid nutter and possibly the only emo who wants to be his SHINIEST when the inevitable comes.