Rare TRANSFORMERS Art & Interview From 1985 COMICS FEATURE

Discussion in 'Transformers News and Rumors' started by Monzo, May 22, 2013.

  1. Monzo

    Monzo Weirdest Fan Experience

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    The January 1985 issue of Comics Feature ran a story on Marvel Productions, the company that produced the original Transformers cartoon. As part of this story, Comics Feature briefly interviewed Transformers story editors Bryce Malek and Dick Robbins, and included a piece of rare pre-production Transformers artwork. After learning of this story, I bought a copy of the magazine and made a high-resolution scan of the art, which is included in this post. This is not the first appearance of this particular piece of artwork, as it came into the hands of collector Alex Bickmore some years ago; you can see it here, where the corner isn't covered up by part of a Pandamonium promotional painting.

    Transcribed below is the Transformers-relevant part of the interview.

    The entirety of the interview is available here. Enjoy this bit of history!
     

    Attached Files:

    • News Credit News Credit x 1
  2. Superquad7

    Superquad7 OCP Police Crime Prevention Unit 001 Super Content Contributor

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    Oh wow, this is cool! Thanks so much for sharing this, Monzo!
     
  3. DJW107PRIME

    DJW107PRIME Autobot Hero

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    I love how care free Optimus is in that picture.
     
  4. Murasame

    Murasame 村雨

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    So, at first they were piloted machines?
     
  5. Mr.Deflok

    Mr.Deflok Well-Known Member

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    If there is a human inside Optimus it stands to reason there was a human inside Bumblebee behind him... don't see him? That's because he's engulfed in god damn fire.
     
  6. DJW107PRIME

    DJW107PRIME Autobot Hero

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    ^Ah Bee will be fine, the human? Not so much.
     
  7. Gingerchris

    Gingerchris Telly-headed Tyrant

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    That's kinda nice.

    The guy inside Optimus looks like he's just gazing out wondering if the weather is going to be rainy that day (that's not a steering wheel he's holding, but a cereal bowl of Man Chow). I suspect a few seconds later he'll just draw the curtains and go back to bed for some daytime telly and a lazy fap.
    I like how Bumblebee has his top down.
    He should have a care since that's Laserbeak he's facing. His deadliest nemesis. :p 
     
  8. Deonasis

    Deonasis Well-Known Member

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    Fixed. And I await my punctuation to be fixed :redface2: 
     
  9. Gingerchris

    Gingerchris Telly-headed Tyrant

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    Optimus: "Laserbeakseseseses! All my nemesiseseseses!"

    Laserbeakses: "Attack!"

    Optimus: "Seseseseseseses!"

    Bumblebee: "My precioussssss..."

    Wonder if there's any more of this artwork kicking about. I love this older and somewhat more innocent kind of thing. Pity those three attack birds couldn't have been Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and a third repaint. Was there ever a third colour version of that mold to draw on for a trio?
     
  10. GAUGE

    GAUGE Wargod ARTS

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    I remember when there was a time Marvel tried to steal the Transformers franchise by trying to cross over stuff from both franchises into eachother.

    Hasbro was all like: "Nope"! *yoink*

    So long Death's Head and Circuit Breaker. you will be missed. *sniffles*

    A moment of silence.

    ...
     
  11. TFW10

    TFW10 Well-Known Member

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    I love these pictures
     
  12. G1Prowl

    G1Prowl Prick, apparently

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    We need a green Bumblebee now. Now.
     
  13. Smasher

    Smasher HUNKY BEATS

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    This whole article is fantastic.
    I wish it were a little larger and easier to read, but it's great.
    I wish that Daredevil cartoon had made it to the screen.
     
  14. Dormamu

    Dormamu I am Broot.

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    Proof that Stan was the man even then. I find it interesting that he states one of the Ten Cartoonists Commandments: "It's really the networks that exert the control." True then and true now, true believers.
     
  15. Cobalt Agent

    Cobalt Agent My dick kills dinosaurs

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    I love how instead of just disappearing, Optimus Prime's wheels remain but on the back of his legs. I've never seen that take on his model before.
     
  16. Star Saber

    Star Saber Cybertron 5th Commander

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    Ah, the time when Gobots was more popular than the Transformers. :D 

    That said, can you imagine if the Transformers ended up closer to the original Diaclone line - with human pilots?
     
  17. UltraMagnus3786

    UltraMagnus3786 That's what it is

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    The kid burning alive in 'Bee was Spunk, Spike's older brother. He was never mentioned in the series again after this horrific death. As to who that is riding inside of Optimus with his bowl of Man Chow, the world may never know.
     
  18. Smasher

    Smasher HUNKY BEATS

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    • X-men
    • Captain America
    • Fantastic Four
    • Spider-man
    • Howard the Duck
    Out of all those movie ideas Howard the Duck was the only one that made it to the screen.
    What a tragedy!
     
  19. Monzo

    Monzo Weirdest Fan Experience

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    The earliest treatment for the Transformers franchise was developed by Jim Shooter and Denny O'Neil at Marvel Comics, stemming from Hasbro's relationship with Marvel on G.I. Joe. That treatment, shown the last time Bob Budiansky was at BotCon, already had the Transformers as sentient alien machines. It's possible this artwork was simply developed based on the fact the Optimus toy had seats in its chest.

    There was a blue condor in the Microman range. It would eventually serve as the inspiration for the e-HOBBY cassette Garboil.

    No, not quite. Death's Head and Circuit Breaker were both introduced outside of Transformers comics - DH in a Marvel UK advert, CB in an issue of Secret Wars II - to circumvent the fact that Hasbro's contract with Marvel stipulated that anything introduced in the TF comics would become theirs. There is no way in which Marvel could "steal" Transformers from Hasbro; they were just a licensor, though one with more original input on the brand than a lot of others.
     
  20. StarFire_MK2

    StarFire_MK2 'Till All are One!

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    Wow, I remember seeing this when I was a kid. I really liked that drawing of Optimus. Thanks for sharing!

    I always liked that look, too. Frank Springer used in in the first 4 or so Marvel comics, IIRC.