Every 2 weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a top 5 list related to all things Transformers, usually written by william-james88, but for this special comics book related list, it was best to call on the expert, fellow Seibertronian Optimutt (Rob Queen). These are opinions of one person, so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and we hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found
here.
Top 5 Best Transformers Comics Only Characters That Do Not Have Toys YetFor this list, I am looking at characters that have only appeared in comic form. This means that any Transformer who has also appeared as a toy or in a cartoon or movie do not qualify. And let me tell you, this criteria literally shrank this list from a host of candidates down to about two or three dozen, most of whom have only appeared in the last half-dozen years. In fact, one or two of the characters I was thinking of when I started making this list are not even on it now. Please also keep in mind that by “toy” I mean officially-licensed Hasbro/Takara products. Third Party versions don’t count in regards to this list.
5. Chief Justice Tyrest It must be fun to corrupt things. I mean, since Simon Furman first introduced Flame to the pathos, writers have been corrupting good Transformers (and the occasional Human, too). In this case, the intergalactically-renowned legislator of the Cybertronian wars was first introduced as an observer during the Autobots’ Aequitas trials held on their prison planet, Garrus 9. Since that time, he started having holy visions and began drilling into his body to “relieve” the pressure. This resulted in an endgame that would have destroyed all Matrix-born Cybertronians. Corruption of Tyrest is a guiding light of how dangerous it is to give a lawmaker absolute authority (pun intended). The best part of his MTMtE storyline was that with Star Saber and Pharma, he was one of a triumvirate of corruption: Law, Medicine, and Religion.
Alt Mode: Unrevealed in fiction, presumably jet.
4. Pharma What happens when a famed Autobot surgeon gets shipped off to a planet that also serves as home base to the most notorious Decepticons this side of Megatron? Compromises. Now some compromises aren’t too bad, but when that healer is forced to compromise their very values of life and death, well, something has to break. In Pharma’s case, it was his very sanity. Separated from his award-winning surgical hands, Pharma became a machine of miracles and madness who was just as willing to remove the head, spark and cog from a living bot as he was in experimenting with cutting Autobots in half (lengthwise!). This is one Autobot jet who is thrilling in a Hannibal Lecter kind of way.
Alt Mode: Jet
3. Rung Old what’s-his-face. The guy who…. You know… Him. With the thing. And the eyebrows! Although most people have a hard time remembering Rung after he has walked away, one thing is for certain, this enigmatic Autobot psychologist has been there and, quite literally, seen that. In fact, this ancient Autobot has been present in just about every pivotal moment in the history of the Cybertronian Wars. And has not been killed. Which is surprising, considering the frail cogs and servos that comprise his inner workings. His role is that of walking heart with the ability to forgive anyone any transgression against him. Considering his official capacity as psychologist for the Autobots, this is a useful skill. All that good stuff said, recent stories have hinted at a much more ominous role in the Transformers mythos than anyone could guess.
Alt Mode: Formally unknown. Formerly classified as “ornament.”
2. Emirate Xaaron Emirate Xaaron is the original comics OC. Ok, sure, he’s not the first, but in a way, he is “The” original. Just as Rung is the ubiquitous face of IDW, Xaaron is the ubiquitous face of the Transformers comics. A creation of Simon Furman in the UK series, he soon found his way in the US Marvel series, and later moved on to become a Lost Lighter in the IDW More Than Meets the Eye series. One of his claims to fame is that he got to embody the spiritual essence of Primus! Lucky him! In all his appearances in these three series, however, he has been a pillar of consistency and leadership for the Autobot forces. Who knows, perhaps there is some continuity where he actually is Autobot commander-in-chief. Some fans even speculate that he has accomplished far more than more combat-oriented leaders, like Optimus Prime, ever could.
Alt Mode: (According to TF.Wiki) He has a small combat tank as alternate mode,[The Facts] but what with the "not really a fighter" thing, he hasn't transformed in hundreds of years. Doing so might very well kill him from the shock!
1. The Decepticon Justice Division (DJD)Vos, the sniper rifle who speaks only in the Primal Vernacular! Tesarus, the walking traitor compactor! Kaon, the electrifying chair! Helex, the smelting pool with four arms! Tarn, the point one percenter whose sweet dirges can sing a spark to sleep! They are the ultimate dispensers of justice to the motley menagerie of mayhem called the Decepticons! Yes, I’m cheating by lumping this group together. But I’m doing so because the bulk of this list would probably be the whole team, so it is being done for the sake of variety. Everything about this group of psychotic killing machines is straight out of legend: dangerous, methodical, inevitable, list-keeping, and capable of ripping the Lost Light – a ship fifteen miles long and ten wide – into pieces. Since their first appearance in IDW’s More Than Meets the Eye series, they have become something of an obsession for many fans.
Alt Modes: See above, and Tarn: Tank.
Honorable Mention: Scrounge
“Scrounge? Really? But what did he ever do but show off his special arm? Oh yeah. He got smelted real good. So why is he even honorably mentioned?” Let’s say “because of what he represented to the Autobots.” In fact, let’s take it one step further and say what he represented to the comics series as a whole. When he first appeared (in Marvel’s issue 17) there hadn’t been any deaths. Sure Sunstreaker was in trouble and would probably “not ever recover,” but as Miracle Max would say, there is a big difference between “all the way dead” and “mostly dead.” With Scrounge, we got to see the gruesome effects of the latter classification in beautiful Yomtovian hues! So beautiful, in fact, was this not-quite-an-Autobot’s passing that his buddy, Blaster, launched an attack on the Decepticon fortress Darkmount for the chance to see how striking it was! When all is said and done, however, Scrounge was the first official Red Shirt of Transformers comics, and we have been basking in the brutality of his legacy since. Thanks buddy!
Alt Mode: Wheel thing. Makes you wonder what the Functionists would have said about him. I mean, did he and other wheels they spend their shifts hanging out on the side of a freighter?
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wouldn't it be nice though if one year we did get a DJD set some how?
