The Energon Pub

Great news for fans wanting to read through all the original G1 Transformers comics. Skybound will be releasing the first 44 issues in an upcoming compendium. It has a $64.99 pre-order price. ISBN is 9781534373679.

For Fans of Invincible Compendium and Mass Effect: The Complete Comics, TRANSFORMERS COMPENDIUM collects the very first issues of one of the most popular comic book series into a complete compendium for the first time ever.

TRANSFORM AND ROLL OUT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!

The Transformers rocked the comic book world with their debut that was truly MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, and now you can experience every issue - from the original series and tie-ins- in this new reader-friendly compendium format for the very first time.

Discover the heroic Autobots, the evil Decepticons, and the galaxy-spanning war that will leave you breathless in this first volume perfect for fans new and old.

Collects The Transformers #1-44.

While we don’t have an image for the cover, here is what the compendiums for GI Joe look like.

It's not mentioned but implied, that they are also doing a Marvel GI Joe compendium. 2 different covers?

So likely Transformers Marvel with have the Autobot and Decepticon cover? I will be getting the Decepticon. As well as the Cobra for that matter.

oh my god...

I may need to get this. If I can get the whole Marvel G1 in 2(?) books, I would be so down

Agreed. I am totally down for this. I wonder if it will include the limited run series like Headmasters and The Movie.

I take it from the numbers that this will be the US series only, and probably just #1-80 with maybe some back matter, but putting 44 comics into the first collection would leave room for Headmasters + TFTM at a total of 87? (Heck, throw in another four issues for TF:Universe, why not)

The question for me is whether they're using the IDW demasters for this, much as the Rhino versions of the G1 cartoon became the 'standard' copy.

I became a fan through the G1 comics, so it's always good to see them treated well. I already have all the Titan TPBs, so unless these have a bunch of extras, I might not get it. I never got any of the IDW versions. I do plan on getting the Joe ones, I have never read the original G. I. Joe comics.

Glyph wrote:I take it from the numbers that this will be the US series only, and probably just #1-80 with maybe some back matter, but putting 44 comics into the first collection would leave room for Headmasters + TFTM at a total of 87? (Heck, throw in another four issues for TF:Universe, why not)

If it will be 44 issues in each, I think it'll be 1-80 plus the HM series and the 4-issue crossover with G. I. Joe. But both of those take place before issue 44, so if they put them into the 2nd compendium it will be chronologically out of order. HM takes place between issues 37 and 38, and the Joe crossover happens during the issues numbered in the 20s.

The question for me is whether they're using the IDW demasters for this, much as the Rhino versions of the G1 cartoon became the 'standard' copy.

I hope not. It would be great to get them as they were originally, like Titan did. Purple Soundwave FTW.

Glyph wrote:I take it from the numbers that this will be the US series only, and probably just #1-80 with maybe some back matter, but putting 44 comics into the first collection would leave room for Headmasters + TFTM at a total of 87? (Heck, throw in another four issues for TF:Universe, why not)

The question for me is whether they're using the IDW demasters for this, much as the Rhino versions of the G1 cartoon became the 'standard' copy.

A few issues in the later half are double issues, hence why you have 44 in the first compendium instead of 40.

william-james88 wrote:

Glyph wrote:I take it from the numbers that this will be the US series only, and probably just #1-80 with maybe some back matter, but putting 44 comics into the first collection would leave room for Headmasters + TFTM at a total of 87? (Heck, throw in another four issues for TF:Universe, why not)

The question for me is whether they're using the IDW demasters for this, much as the Rhino versions of the G1 cartoon became the 'standard' copy.

A few issues in the later half are double issues, hence why you have 44 in the first compendium instead of 40.

IIRC only issues 50 and 75 are double issues. That would account for only 2 extras. Assuming they split the volume evenly between the 2 compendiums.

Rodimus Prime wrote:If it will be 44 issues in each, I think it'll be 1-80 plus the HM series and the 4-issue crossover with G. I. Joe. But both of those take place before issue 44, so if they put them into the 2nd compendium it will be chronologically out of order.

Sequencing aside, I wasn't sure if they'd be licensed with the TF comics or separately, or would have said that would be my expectation too (HM + TFvGIJoe). But since the same company is also putting out GI Joe compendiums, I figure they can fit them in somewhere?

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Glyph wrote:The question for me is whether they're using the IDW demasters for this

I hope not. It would be great to get them as they were originally, like Titan did. Purple Soundwave FTW.

Marvel UK guy here, so he's always been blue except in the weird strips with the rectangular speech balloons

I might get this. I had every individual issue of Marvel, DW, and IDW (up until the first IDW continuity ended in 2017), and sold them all a couple years back. I wouldn't mind getting Marvel and DW again (IDW I can definitely live without).

I'd imagine Vol 2 would be issues 45-80 as well as Universe #1-#4 and Headmasters #1-#4 (would make it also 44 issues bound together ) But where does that leave TF vs GIJoe ?? , unless Skybound plans to do a full Compendium of just all the TF/GI Joe crossovers from Marvel, DW, Image, DDP etc… That would be a great collection actually now that I think about it.

Also, that kind of leaves the 3 issue TF:TM movie adaptation out as well. They may include it in the 2nd volume, or leave it for something else?

Glyph wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:If it will be 44 issues in each, I think it'll be 1-80 plus the HM series and the 4-issue crossover with G. I. Joe. But both of those take place before issue 44, so if they put them into the 2nd compendium it will be chronologically out of order.

Sequencing aside, I wasn't sure if they'd be licensed with the TF comics or separately, or would have said that would be my expectation too (HM + TFvGIJoe). But since the same company is also putting out GI Joe compendiums, I figure they can fit them in somewhere?

I suppose they could go with G. I. Joe instead. And that brings up another point: what about G. I. Joe issues 138-142? That was another crossover leading up to the Transformers G2 comics.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Glyph wrote:The question for me is whether they're using the IDW demasters for this

I hope not. It would be great to get them as they were originally, like Titan did. Purple Soundwave FTW.

Marvel UK guy here, so he's always been blue except in the weird strips with the rectangular speech balloons

To each his own. That's what you grew up with, that's what you consider the original. I've read the UK comics online, and I really like some of their exclusive stories I never got in the US comics, such as Legacy of Unicron and Time Wars. But I never cared for Geoff Senior's style, and I prefer the rectangular speech blocks as opposed to the bubbles. I always thought bubbles only belonged to humans.

I've always read the G1 comics either in the TPBs from Titan or my original single issues. To me the color "mistakes" and other oddities are part of the charm. Though Soundwave being purple I never considered a mistake. I always thought that color fit him better. It's the color I associate with Decepticons, and Soundwave's face is the Con symbol. I always felt he should be purple.

Since Hachette used the IDW "Classics" versions for their "Definitive G1 Collection" reprint series, it really wouldn't surprise me if Skybound does the same for this release.

I'd be pleasantly surprised if not... unless theirs somehow turn out to be worse than IDW's.

Rodimus Prime wrote:To each his own. That's what you grew up with, that's what you consider the original.

Well, yeah. Back atcha, hence the winky-face. But I will hear no Geoff Senior slander

Rodimus Prime wrote:To me the color "mistakes" and other oddities are part of the charm. Though Soundwave being purple I never considered a mistake. I always thought that color fit him better.

I find it an interesting one to ponder - in general, I feel the originals should be reprinted as they first appeared, preserving editorial & art choices made at the time; on the other hand, I don't have a problem with correcting actual errors, especially minor ones that don't impact the overall look & feel. It's a tricky line to draw and will vary for each reader, I guess. Also depends on whether it's sold as a 'reprint', 're-release' or 'remaster'.

Purple Soundwave intrigues me because it's another case like cartoon Rumble, where that particular colouring only appears in one place but it's influential enough that for many people it's the 'right' version. I've idly wondered why that choice was made (i.e., not enough to go find out if it's actually been answered beyond what's on the wiki - like is there any link to the older comics idea that primary blue belonged on heroes and purple belonged on villains?), but that's the kind of thing I mean when I say an art choice rather than a one-time mistake, for whatever reason it was made.

Sabrblade wrote:Since Hachette used the IDW "Classics" versions for their "Definitive G1 Collection" reprint series, it really wouldn't surprise me if Skybound does the same for this release.

Inclined to agree

IDW did some Marvel reprints but, no matter how much they pleaded, Marvel would not give permission to reprint issue 3 (US) due to the prominent presence of Spiderman! They'll probably do the same to Skybound / Image. I wonder how they will deal with the problem this time?!

According to OVRLORDcomics here, Compendium vol 1 is Marvel #1-44 (no mention of #3 in or out) plus Headmasters #1-4. Also no mention of TFvGIJoe, so I'd assume that's not in.
https://x.com/OVRLORDcomics/status/1803097707289944404

Haven't found direct confirmation via Skybound yet, but they have shown off the cover here.
https://x.com/Skybound/status/1803110475380486374

Really? Why not use the style from back then? This is not what Marvel art from the 80s looks like.

Otherwise, I'm very curious to see if they include the TF/Joe crossover. If they did, it should appear in this set, as chronologically it takes place during the 20s issues. It actually has as much if not more to do with the main story than the Headmasters.

And I'm probably buying their Joe compendiums, I never got to read that comic from start to finish

I hate that this isn't coming until April next year

Hey all,
Posting this for my friend Josh, he is the co-author of several GI Joe comic guide books. His current project is a GI Joe/TF comic checklist book. Please check it out:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/afteractionreport/gijoe-and-transformers-comic-checklist-after-action-report

Thanks!

Dave Willis on Xitter wrote:In case anybody's wondering, Skybound's TF #1 reprint uses the IDW Classics recoloring

https://x.com/damnyouwillis/status/1828930997976465435


He doesn't say, but This is presumably from the TF #1 single-issue reprint that released yesterday.
Unfortunate but not unexpected.

What do you mean "He doesn't say"? It's right there in the text you quoted.

Ah, yeah, my bad - when I started writing the post, I didn't know about the single issue reprint and was going with "doesn't say where this is from". Wanted to give better sources, googled it, found out about the reprint... and didn't edit properly.

One day we'll get a collected series of work that slams the Marvel US and UK runs together, reproduces the original look and feel of the run as faithfully as possible, and is widely available worldwide. Sadly, it isn't happening this time either. Maybe it never will and isn't worth the effort, but I'll keep dreaming. And holding on to all my originals.

ScottyP wrote:One day we'll get a collected series of work that slams the Marvel US and UK runs together, reproduces the original look and feel of the run as faithfully as possible, and is widely available worldwide. Sadly, it isn't happening this time either. Maybe it never will and isn't worth the effort, but I'll keep dreaming. And holding on to all my originals.

This is why I'm glad I got all the Titan Books TPBs when they came out 20 years ago. I still have all of them in pristine condition. I'm in the beginning stages of hunting down all the hardcover versions.

I just noticed that the pencils for Marvel US #1 were done by Frank SPRINGER. Appropriate.

Looks like a new Kickstarter is coming, but what's the difference between it, and the Compendiums Image is already publishing?

https://www.skybound.com/transformers-kickstarter