Steve's Transformers fansite: 1990 reviews

Issue #267

Story 1: Blood on the Tracks (Part 3)
Story 2: Snow Fun
Back-up strip: GI Joe The Action Force
Cover date: April 28, 1990
Price: 45p
Writer: Michael Higgins, Simon Furman
Artwork: Herbe Trimpe, Jeff Anderson, John Marshall & Stephen Baskerville (cover)
Rating: Art / Story

Synopsis:
By Steve Bax

Autobots and Decepticons are not the only giant machines who can transform!

Grimlock is tricked into a wasted trip to the artic - and he's not happy.

Power Station Alpha - the world's first mobile solar/nuclear station - is at Fort Lewis military base under guard from GI Joe. Already the Dreadnoks have tried to steal it but they were driven off by the commandos, and narrowly avoided colliding with the Autobot Bumblebee as they made their escape. We now see the bikers roaring into the back of Zarana's semi for a rollicking over their ill-timed and incompetent assault. Meanwhile the Joes are forced to admit that the Dreadnoks have alluded them and they decide return to base.

As night falls the anti-nuclear protesters are still camped out at the perimeter, but have been joined by a familiar looking yellow Volkswagen. Bumblebee stares in awe at the marvel of modern engineering that is Power Station Alpha, and by morning it is he who is the focus of attention... from a traffic cop anyway. It is the height of indignity, Bumblebee given a ticket for being illegally parked.

Shortly afterwards the satellite demonstrates its awesome capabilities as it transforms into space shuttle mode and is ready for launch. Road Block allows his four-legged-friend Junk Yard to go wandering off and the dog meets Tony Duranti (the boy from the first instalment) and they keep each other amused courtesy of a game of Frisbee.

Up above, Dirge soars over the base (unseen amazingly) and dispatches the Bombshell to do his thing. The Insecticon needs an agent for what he has in mind, and injects poor Tony with one of his mind-controlling cerebro shells. The boy drops the Frisbee and walks zombie like towards Power Station Alpha.

******

Northern Canada, April 1st 1990 sees Grimlock trekking through the frozen wastes as a driving blizzard blinds his optics. The Dinobot and Earthforce leader is cold, wet, tired and fed up, and boy does he need to hit something! The reason why Grimlock has travelled 300 miles by shuttle and the last 50 or so on foot is because he is supposed to be meeting Shockwave for a showdown. Quite why the Decepticon has chosen this inhospitable place is unknown, and Grimlock's mood is not helped by his latest comedic fall.

Meanwhile, the two Predacons, Razorclaw and Rampage, are on patrol - and not really expecting to run into any Autobots because surely none are dumb enough to come out here. A quick jump over to Earthforce HQ sees Dinobots, Swoop, Snarl, Slag and Sludge, having a good laugh at their leader's expense. It turns out that they were behind the fake communication from Shockwave challenging Grimlock to a duel. Sure enough in the next frame we see Grimlock arriving a giant Shockwave-shaped-snowman with a big sign alongside saying April Fool. The Dinobot leader - not known for his sense of humour at the best of times is fuming, and takes apart Razorclaw and Rampage (who turn up laughing) then hightails it back to base and is last seen approaching the other Dinobots with a gigantic snowball.

******

Comments:

Transformers playing practical jokes on each other - need I say more? If someone had told me, around 86/87 when the truly great stories were churning out, that the comic would be running stories in 1990 about such themes as April Fools Day, I would have checked the calendar to make sure I wasn't being 'April fooled'. Sadly that was the reality of the comic at this particularly point in its evolution. Its like Furman has decided he's concentrating his energies on the US book, and any old crap will do for the UK strip, which had been pretty much undermined to a shadow of its self by then.

Don't get me wrong. I have no objection to a few laughs, but why can't it be the odd light hearted moment in an otherwise gritty, action-packed and well thought out story? Otherwise we might as well all buy the Beano or Dandy. Besides for light-hearted entertainment we already have the brilliant Combat Colin back-up strip.

The main strip with GI Joe illustrates the point I am making. While unbearably dull, it manages moments of humour like where Bumblebee gets his parking ticket and moans how this sort of thing never happens to an Aerialbot. Moments of slapstick in an otherwise serious story are so much better than a totally spoofed strip which has no significance or bearing on the story continuity. I'll admit to liking the final scene where Grimlock arrives with a giant snowball about to ambush his Dino-buddies, and the 'censored' box was quite unusual for this comic, but overall its one that I would have been happy to miss.

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