Posting a day early, because it's my day off and I was thinking about it.

THE TRANSFORMERS issue #31is the infamous misadventure called "Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom!"  For many years, it was the go-to example of why the Marvel Comics stories just weren't as good as the hard-hitting, fast-paced action-adventures of the Transformers cartoon show.  It's a ridiculous premise and a rather silly story.  

When I was a kid, I wasn't following the Transformers comic book too closely.  Every time I looked at an issue that one of my friends owned, it seemed like something goofy and dumb was happening, like the Autobots trying to rescue rock n' roll from the Decepticons, or a gangster carrying Megatron around in gun mode. I only personally had a handful of issues, and this was among the ones I actually owned back in the day.  I have two copies of it now, in fact, and I'm not really sure how that happened.  Regardless, this story didn't exactly go a long way towards convincing me to read the comic book on a regular basis!

The issue was printed on May 19,1987 with a pull date of August 1987 (as a frame of reference, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was in theaters in May 1984).  We got a bit of a shake-up with the creative team for this issue.  Bob Budiansky still scripted the story (and he also illustrated the front cover), and Don Perlin is still penciling the art, but this time it's Jim Fern inking the artwork and Rick Parker doing the lettering.  Nel Yomtov is our faithful and dutiful colorist.

So our story begins with the Decepticons attacking an oil tanker—coneheads, Insecticons, at least one aerial Combaticon.  They force the crew into lifeboats and commandeer the ship. (This does seem strangely decent of the Decepticons. Why allow the humans to escape with their lives?)  The whole operation is actually a test, arranged by Shockwave to demonstrate to Ratbat, Decepticon fuel auditor supreme, that even though their operations on Earth tend to be costly, the results are worth the energy expenditure.  In this case, however, Shockwave is clearly in the wrong.  The ship is carrying no fuel, and the entire operation was a waste.  Ratbat explains that Shockwave needs to start using the humans to collect energy on behalf of the Decepticons, rather than having his troops doing all the work.  When Shockwave counters that the humans are too illogical to be trusted, Ratbat points out that he's already doing just that. (Maybe that's why the Decepticons let the humans live. They're potentially free labor.)

One of the problems I had with the comic book as a kid was that it never seemed like there was any real synergy between the new toy releases and their appearances in the book.  Even when I was 11 years old, I recognized that Transformers media existed as advertising for the toys. I *liked* seeing the new toys appearing in the latest stories.  But, this was 1987, and the only Transformers character who was featured in any real capacity in this story was Ratbat, who was a) not a new toy by this point and b) was the smallest, most pathetic choice to put in place as Decepticon leader.  (Yes, the Headmasters and Targetmasters and everybody were coming very soon by this point.  But, this entire issue still felt like a big waste, at the time.)

Elsewhere, the Witwicky auto garage has recently installed a car wash, and business is booming.  Buster is, as always, helping out his dad.  Jessie shows up and invites Buster to the local Dairy King for an ice cream soda (because Jessie lives in the 1950's, dontcha know) but Buster is too busy to go.  Already, things are happening that are a bit curious.  For one, Sparkplug says something about filling up his own car, even though Buster remembers him doing it recently.  Also, the local newspapers are reporting that fuel consumption is skyrocketing and that a shortage is expected. The devil is in the details.

Buster admits that life has been dull since he stopped hanging out with the Autobots, but he doesn't want to risk his dad having another heart attack (you never know when one of the Autobots might shoot a flamethrower in Sparkplug's direction). So, it's clear that the Witwicky clan is done with the Autobots.  This is interesting foreshadowing—particularly if, say, Buster had an older brother who was, oh, I don't know, permanently binary-bonded to one of the Autobots.  You know what I'm saying?

At a press conference, G.B. Blackrock is explaining how his new car wash franchise, entitled Wash and Roll, is generating tremendous profits.  A reporter named Ms. Dunkin (who I imagine brought donuts to the meeting) asks why Blackrock has taken this odd pivot into a completely different business model, and he offers some meaningless business jargon in response.  Later, he pulls a cassette tape out of his pocket, which transforms into Ratbat.  Oh, no, they're in cahoots! (I'm reminded of the scene from "Megatron's Master Plan" when Shawn Berger picks up a cassette on his office desk and it turns into Laserbeak.)

Jessie shows up at the car wash, this time driving her brother's car.  If she can't take Buster out on a date, then she's determined to bring the date to him. Makes sense, right?  She invites him into the car so they can go through the car wash together.  It's not romantic, and even with all the colored lights and music, Buster isn't at all impressed.  It takes Jessie a minute to realize he's been slaving away at the place all day long, so the car wash is probably the last place he wants to be.  Jessie apologizes by attacking his face with her lips.  However, Jessie seems affected by the light show somehow, and adopts an abrupt change in plans.  She decides to leave, and a confused Buster ends up following her in his dad's pick-up truck.  

Jessie seems to be in a trance, and ignores Buster as he follows her to a Blackrock oil storage facility.  Thinking perhaps she just doesn't see him in the dark, he switches his headlights on, and that seems to jolt her out of her reverie.  Honestly, this is playing out like the cartoon episode "Auto-Bop" only with car washes instead of night clubs.  I know Bob Budiansky said he didn't watch the show, so it's possible this is just the result of parallel development, but sometimes you really have to wonder..  It always seems to be the comic book copying ideas from an episode of cartoon, never the other way around.

Laserbeak starts shooting at Buster's truck, and at first Buster naturally assumes that ol' birdbrain recognizes him from his adventures with the Autobots.  When he gets in line with the other cars, though, Beaky withdraws.  Buster realizes the whole operation is to siphon gas from the motorists' vehicles so the Decepticons can use the fuel themselves.  He's about to take Jessie to go find the Autobots when he sees that his dad is also in line.  Now it's personal.  Buster elects to stay and try to find a way to rescue Sparkplug himself.

Blackrock is on hand, and explains how the Triple Changers delivered the first Wash and Roll prototype to Earth, which transformed into car wash mode and served as the template for Blackrock to mass produce them and sell them to franchisees.  We learn that the hypnotic effects controlling the humans who use the car wash are temporary, but Ratbat has developed a Wash and Roll II whose hypnotic effects will be permanent.  "Did you hear that?" Buster says.  "That thing not only washes cars, it washes brains!"  Groan.

Blackrock picks a volunteer to go through the Wash and Roll mk. II, and it just happens to be Sparkplug.  (He identifies himself as Irving "Sparkplug" Witwicky, which is at odds with an early issue in which his first name is given as William.)  Buster pulls up in the pick-up truck and implores his dad to climb in, but Sparkplug is hypnotized and will not comply.  As motorists surround Buster, his only escape is to drive right through the car wash itself, with Ratbat hot on his heels.

Ratbat chomps through the truck's hood and siphons its fuel.  "I wonder what fleshling fuel tastes like?" he wonders, setting his sights on Buster.  Ratbat chases him through the car wash, as the strobe lights are activated and Buster has to struggle to maintain his senses.  Jessie shows up and collides with Ratbat in her brother's car, giving Buster time to escape.  He scrambles to the top of the car wash and throws a tire iron at the illuminated sign, which creates a flash of light strong enough to restore all the car wash patrons, including G.B. Blackrock, back to normal..  They start throwing tools at Ratbat and Laserbeak, who both decide to escape.  

Buster explains to Blackrock and everyone else what happened, and Blackrock vows to dismantle all the car washes.  Sparkplug realizes that running a car wash isn't appropriate for a young boy, and he swears to allow Buster more free time in the future.  Jessie basically just went through all that so she could lock lips with Buster again, and proceeds to do so.  (In retrospect, the front cover illustration is inaccurate, since it depicts Buster tangling with Ratbat inside the car wash while Jessie clings to Buster for dear life, her dress ripped to pieces.  In the actual story, Jessie never gets out of the car and her dress remains intact.  But, putting Jessie on the cover, her wet dress torn to shreds and clinging tightly to her shapely body, no doubt sold more comic books.)

So, here's the thing.  Most of the guys at Marvel who worked on this comic book recognized that the idea of shapeshifting robots from outer space was kind of silly.  It wasn't a prestigious comic book to work on—it only existed to sell Hasbro merchandise, and nobody thought it would make it past the four issues of the original mini-series.  The jokey attitude of the staff would manifest itself often in side characters like Ferdy and Gabe, who made wisecracks about cold pizza while being enslaved by the deadly Decepticon war machines.  Even characters in-universe didn't take the Transformers seriously.  So, it's perfectly in character for the staff to be sitting around the Marvel offices going, "So what's next for the Transformers?  When you turn into a car, what would you be afraid of?  A mechanic?  Oh, we did that already.  A car wash?  Ha!  Wait for it... what if it was a DEADLY car wash?"  And I'm sure everybody had a good laugh, and then somebody said, "Hey, get this. What if instead of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, it was Buster Witwicky and the CAR WASH of Doom?" and they had another big laugh over that and then made it happen.

On Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 11:25:36 a.m. UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:

>
> THE TRANSFORMERS issue #31is the infamous misadventure called "Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom!" For many years, it was the go-to example of why the Marvel Comics stories just weren't as good as the hard-hitting, fast-paced action-adventures of the Transformers cartoon show. It's a ridiculous premise and a rather silly story.
>

I always felt that "Car Wash of Doom" is one of the better Transformers stories.

To me "The Car Wash of Doom" is very underrated. Far from being silly, #31 was one of the more realistic TF comic stories. Instead of elaborate schemes for stealing Earth's energy resources, the Decepticons just brainwash the humans, sit back and let the humans give them those resources. No one would be the wiser, whether Autobots or human. The Decepticons don't have to do much, they don't have to expend energy to acquire energy. This is certainly a scheme that Ratbat, a fuel accountant, would propose.

This issue has some comedic moments. Nobody does snark like Ratbat. When he suggested that the Decepticons go lick the oil clean off the walls to recoup some of the energy expense they incurred incompetently, I was chuckling. My personal favourite was when he dismissed Shockwave as a "monocular moron" in a latter issue.

>
> The issue was printed on May 19,1987 with a pull date of August 1987 (as a frame of reference, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was in theaters in May 1984). We got a bit of a shake-up with the creative team for this issue. Bob Budiansky still scripted the story (and he also illustrated the front cover), and Don Perlin is still penciling the art, but this time it's Jim Fern inking the artwork and Rick Parker doing the lettering. Nel Yomtov is our faithful and dutiful colorist.
>

May 1984 was also coincidently when Marvel Transformers #1 went on sale, introducing The Transformers to the world.

>
> One of the problems I had with the comic book as a kid was that it never seemed like there was any real synergy between the new toy releases and their appearances in the book. Even when I was 11 years old, I recognized that Transformers media existed as advertising for the toys. I *liked* seeing the new toys appearing in the latest stories. But, this was 1987, and the only Transformers character who was featured in any real capacity in this story was Ratbat, who was a) not a new toy by this point and b) was the smallest, most pathetic choice to put in place as Decepticon leader. (Yes, the Headmasters and Targetmasters and everybody were coming very soon by this point. But, this entire issue still felt like a big waste, at the time.)
>

They also seem to be reintroducing old characters. The Insecticons appear in this issue and they have stilted expository dialogue as if they were new characters to be advertised despite their toys being discontinued by 1987. Kickback was akwardly talking about his characteristic trait to smooth talk anyone, reflected in his tech specs, while Bombshell compliments him on this characteristic trait. That was a really akward scene.

Ratbat was an inspired choice to be an high-ranking Decepticon. And Marvel Comics Ratbat certainly was a better leader for the Decepticons than MC Shockwave or MC Megatron. MC Megatron was a terrible leader, a buffoon. Budiansky did not write Megatron well. Budianksky wrote in the tech specs that Megatron is supposed to have no weaknesses. But that is not true of MC Megatron. He has one big weakness; he has an ego and anger issues such that he could be manipulated. In #6 he angrily went after a powerful TF despite being badly injured and not fully recovered. He did this just because Shockwave usurped his command. Shockwave calmly pointed it out to him as he effortly took him down with ease. In #19, he decided to attack the Ark after learning that the Autobots left it. It didn't occur to him that the Autobots wouldn't be stupid to leave it defenseless. Shockwave warned him on that. When Megatron then saw a huge TF that he hasn't seen before, he recklessly attacked him too and lost all his troops as a result. In #25, Shockwave munipulated him to go nuts on everyone by insinuating that Optimus was still alive and then got him to commit suicide. MC Shockwave was certainly better than MC Megatron and MC Ratbat was better than MC Shockwave.

>
> Ratbat chomps through the truck's hood and siphons its fuel. "I wonder what fleshling fuel tastes like?" he wonders, setting his sights on Buster. Ratbat chases him through the car wash, as the strobe lights are activated and Buster has to struggle to maintain his senses.
>

The panel of Ratbat crashing through the windshield, fangs baring to get at Buster, was one of my most memorable moments in the entire Marvel TF comic run.

>
> The problem is, that's adult humor. Yes, when you're in your 30's or 40's and you're writing a silly comic book about children's toys, of course you're going to take a whimsical and light-hearted approach. Of course the concept is silly, and the natural tendency is to lean hard into the silly. But, the fans of the comic book absolutely did not consider it to be a silly concept. The 12-year-olds reading this book took the Autobot-Decepticon conflict very seriously. It's evident in the letters page for this very issue, in which there's this huge outpouring of concern for Optimus Prime being killed and Ethan Zachary seemingly copying his mind to floppy disk. There weren't any readers writing letters who were wanting to see goofy stories like a vandal who goes around popping all the Autobots' tires, or a Decepticon weapon that tints all the Autobots' windshields so they can't see when they're driving. That's an adult applying real-world automotive concepts to a fantastical science fiction environment.
>

I like silliness when it is done right. And Budiansky did them right most of the time. Those people who consider TF a silly concept probably wrote super hero stories. Super heroes back then and now are a silly concept. It is said that Batman is the most realistic superhero but he is not. I can list many reasons that Batman is the most ridiculous and most silly superhero while Superman, while silly too, is not as silly despite dressing up with a red cape, red underwear and red boots. Batman is easily the most overrated superhero. The only super hero stories that has aged well was Walter Simonson's Thor in the 1980s and that is only because Thor was not human. The TF comics by Budiansky has aged well because they are do not take themselves seriously, unlike superhero comics. Also, Budiansky writes self-contained stories and tries oddball ideas, which I like. I prefer Budiansky to Furman for those reasons. I didn't like any of Furman's Marvel US stuff when he took over from Budiansky. I liked some of his Marvel UK stuff, though.

>
> So, I think the concept falls flat for that reason. The idea of Ratbat enslaving humans to collect fuel for him is diabolical and clever, and if the concept had been spun differently, this could have potentially been a great story. Since it's a story about humans, it needs a lot more human pathos. Like, if Sparkplug had been adamant about Buster helping him at work, and had even grounded him and forbade him from seeing Jessie... and then suddenly a hypnotized Sparkplug didn't care what Buster did at all, then that would have definitely added to the mystery. Or, if Buster and Jessie were having relationship drama and Buster had to save her life, even knowing that she was planning to break up with him... that would have made for some real character-driven conflict. Or, instead of doing a silly rip-off of an Indiana Jones title, they could have leaned hard into the zombie aspect of hypnotized enslaved humans, and it could have become the "Night of the Living Car Wash" or something along those lines.
>

I think people, including you it seems, couldn't get past the title. I agree that it was a bad title, a poor attempt at an homage. The reason why the movie was called "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was because the temple was run by a death cult who rip the hearts out of their victims. Nobody goes to the Decepticons' Car Wash to die; they go to hand over their fuel. So the homage to the Indiana Jones movie was a lazy and uninspired move by Budiansky. But just like you shouldn't judge a book by the cover, you shouldn't judge a story by the title. Once you get past the title, the story is actually pretty good, one of the better ones in the Marvel TF comic (up there with #7-8 and the Death Head TF stories that Simon Furman and Geoff Senior did at Marvel UK.)

I would like to comment on the cover for this issue. It was a pretty good cover. I like the detail inside Ratbat's mouth. I didn't realize until decades later that Budiansky was also a cover artist, and a pretty talented one, who did a few TF covers like this one. Budiansky gets some flak for being silly, but his covers always seem to have a hint of viscereal horror to them. My favourite was #28 with the Scraplets crawling over Blaster's head with evil grins. That was a bit frightening. Overbite opening his jaws at Jesse, in #47, was a bit frightening too. I love the detail inside his mouth. Non-Budiansky TF covers with a few exceptions were bland.

Anyway, #31 is far from the worst TF comic story. To me, the worst TF comic story is #40 when Budiansky couldn't make the Pretenders concept work. #45 was bad too for the same reason. Budiansky stories from #40 - #51 were bland. However, his last stories, #52 - #55, were good. #53 was the only good Pretender story that any TF writer did. I liked the much-maligned wresling issue, #55.

On Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 11:26:56 PM UTC-7, Optim wrote:

> To me "The Car Wash of Doom" is very underrated. Far from being silly, #31 was one of the more realistic TF comic stories. Instead of elaborate schemes for stealing Earth's energy resources, the Decepticons just brainwash the humans, sit back and let the humans give them those resources. No one would be the wiser, whether Autobots or human. The Decepticons don't have to do much, they don't have to expend energy to acquire energy. This is certainly a scheme that Ratbat, a fuel accountant, would propose.

I mean, yes, within the internal context of the fictional universe, it's not a terrible plan, and I did acknowledge that. But speaking as a consumer, who wants to read cool comic books about gigantic warrior robots who can change into cars and trucks, it's not a very satisfying issue of the TRANSFORMERS comic book. Like I said, no Autobots at all, with a huge focus on Ratbat, who at this point was a year-old toy.
> They also seem to be reintroducing old characters. The Insecticons appear in this issue and they have stilted expository dialogue as if they were new characters to be advertised despite their toys being discontinued by 1987..

I'm sure Budiansky knew he had introduced them already. I think the expository dialogue is just how he had the characters talk sometimes. It's a little clunky, but there are so many robot characters that it's difficult to differentiate them without focusing a bit on what makes them different from each other.
> Ratbat was an inspired choice to be an high-ranking Decepticon. And Marvel Comics Ratbat certainly was a better leader for the Decepticons than MC Shockwave or MC Megatron. MC Megatron was a terrible leader, a buffoon.

As a kid, I didn't like Ratbat as leader because it a) conflicted with his toy tech specs (his Rank is only 4) and also b) it conflicted with his cartoon portrayal. Also, the way the toy line generally works is that the biggest toys end up being the leader characters. Optimus Prime, Megatron, Ultra Magnus, Galvatron, Fortress Maximus, Scorponok. It's not 100% consistent, but there's enough to establish a pattern. (I tend to think Skyhammer and Roadblock were intended as the leader toys for 1989 by merit of having the largest toys for that year.) So, tiny little Ratbat as Decepticon leader pretty much flew in the face of everything I knew as a kid. I know it was Budiansky subverting expectations, as he liked to do, but sometimes you gotta play it straight.

> I like silliness when it is done right. And Budiansky did them right most of the time. Those people who conider TF a silly concept probably wrote super hero stories. Super heroes back then and now are a silly concept. It is said that Batman is the most realistic superhero but he is not. I can list many reasons that Batman is the most ridiculous and most silly superhero.

Well, it seems like the early Batman and Superman comics certainly had their share of silly stories. The ones that come to mind are rainbow Batman ("I must, Robin... I must wear a different-colored Batman costume EVERY DAY!") or the Superman issue where Lois Lane marries a gorilla. It's almost like they went out of their way to come up with the most goofy premise imaginable, just so consumers would go, "No way, that can't possibly be what this issue is really about!" and then buy the comic.

But, modern-day Batman is a brooding anti-hero who is dark and gritty and takes himself very seriously. Same with Superman, to a lesser degree. (I shudder to think what a Silver Age version of TRANSFORMERS would have been like. Optimus Prime: "I must, Bumblebee! A tree, a fire hydrant, a mailbox.... I must transform into something new EVERY DAY!")

> Also, Budiansky writes self-contained stories and tries oddball ideas, which I like. I prefer Budiansky to Furman for those reasons. I didn't like any of Furman's Marvel US stuff when he took over from Budiansky. I liked some of his Marvel UK stuff, though.

I think the self-contained stories were a necessity because of the sometimes chaotic nature of monthly publishing. Issue #32 could have been shuffled around and could have easily become issue #35 if necessary. I actually liked the way that Furman wrote an ongoing narrative. It drew me into the story and made me care about what would happen to the characters. It wasn't until the Furman run that I actually subscribed to the comic.

> I think people, including you it seems, couldn't get past the title. I agree that it was a bad title, a poor attempt at an homage.

I mean, a more straightforward title might have been something like "Brainwashed!" which would eliminate the silly movie title homage. It wouldn't save the story, though. It's still one of the weakest issues in the entire Budiansky run, in my opinion.

> Anyway, #31 is far from the worst TF comic story. To me, the worst TF comic story is #40 when Budiansky couldn't make the Pretenders concept work. #45 was bad too for the same reason. Budiansky stories from #40 - #51 were bland. However, his last stories, #52 - #55, were good. #53 was the only good Pretender story that any TF writer did. I liked the much-maligned wresling issue, #55.

From what I understand, Budiansky was getting tired near the end of his run on the title. Hasbro kept interfering, forcing him to keep introducing so many new characters, to the point where he couldn't tell the stories he wanted to tell. In his early issues, he was carefully crafting story elements and dropping hints about what was coming. By the end of his run, he wasn't crafting stories as carefully, and it shows. I don't blame him for getting fed up, though.

What's strange to me is that Furman came along and, while he still showcased new toys, it seemed like Hasbro gave him the freedom to just write about his favorite characters—Optimus and Grimlock and Prowl and a whole bunch of other obsolete characters who didn't have toys in stores in 1989. It doesn't really make sense. I'm sure Budiansky would have jumped at the chance to focus on a small, core group of familiar characters, but it seems like Hasbro never let him do that. It was Pretenders this or Micromasters that, but as soon as Furman was on board, he's like, "Hey, remember Megatron and Shockwave and Starscream? They're all back now." I don't think Budiansky got treated fairly.

Zob

On Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 10:26:56 PM UTC-8, Optim wrote:

> The panel of Ratbat crashing through the windshield, fangs baring to get at Buster, was one of my most memorable moments in the entire Marvel TF comic run.

OMG I thought I was the only one who felt like that! That scene for whatever reason really stuck in my head when I was a kid. I really vibed with that kind of absurd comedic sci-fi storytelling at the time. Giant robot bat crashing through your windshield in a killer car wash was the kind of high adventure mixed with Transformer robot craziness that only Bob Bud could deliver.

Fast forward decades later (actually a couple years ago) and I was at a convention to meet Don Perlin. I looked through the pages he had for sale and that was one of them. I was floored. One of my most iconic childhood comic book moments. And he only wanted like 30 bucks for it. I bought that one and the page where Megatron tells the Combaticons and Stunticons to "TRANSFORM OR DIE!" And then I asked him to pose for a picture with those two pages.

Nowadays if you do an image search for "Don Perlin" on google or yahoo or wherever, the shot I took of him holding the Ratbat page is always near the top of the search results. He doesn't do conventions so modern era pictures of him are super rare. Mine just got picked up by a couple websites and people use it for their articles about him. I am proud that of all the things he's done it's my favorite page from Car Wash of Doom that was immortalized with him in that picture.

On Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 1:12:33 p.m. UTC-5, evil.king.m...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 10:26:56 PM UTC-8, Optim wrote:
>
> > The panel of Ratbat crashing through the windshield, fangs baring to get at Buster, was one of my most memorable moments in the entire Marvel TF comic run.
> OMG I thought I was the only one who felt like that! That scene for whatever reason really stuck in my head when I was a kid. I really vibed with that kind of absurd comedic sci-fi storytelling at the time. Giant robot bat crashing through your windshield in a killer car wash was the kind of high adventure mixed with Transformer robot craziness that only Bob Bud could deliver.
>
> Fast forward decades later (actually a couple years ago) and I was at a convention to meet Don Perlin. I looked through the pages he had for sale and that was one of them. I was floored. One of my most iconic childhood comic book moments. And he only wanted like 30 bucks for it. I bought that one and the page where Megatron tells the Combaticons and Stunticons to "TRANSFORM OR DIE!" And then I asked him to pose for a picture with those two pages.
>
> Nowadays if you do an image search for "Don Perlin" on google or yahoo or wherever, the shot I took of him holding the Ratbat page is always near the top of the search results. He doesn't do conventions so modern era pictures of him are super rare. Mine just got picked up by a couple websites and people use it for their articles about him. I am proud that of all the things he's done it's my favorite page from Car Wash of Doom that was immortalized with him in that picture.

Wow. The original art pages by Perlin are so big and beautiful. Congratualtions on having two of them. I would love to see an IDW Artist or Artifact edition of TF comics. What I like about Perlin was that he was one of the old-school comic artists. He was focused on drawing panels to tell a story; no unnecessary pin-ups or large panels. He was the best TF artist at telling a story while Geoff Senior was the best TF artist at creating action scenes.

I thought I had seen every Perlin TF art but, no, I haven't. I didn't know he has done TF work long after his TF run. There is one artwork: Optimus and Megatron are facing off with Optimus being supported by Bumblebee, Ratchet, Blasterm Perceptor and Tracks. Grimlock has his crown and looking on. Megatron seems to be supported not by Decepticons but by human villains: Circuit Breaker, Mechanic and Robot Master. I don't know what year this was done. It was well done.

Another one is an Optimus Prime portrait. It seems loosely based on his first Masterpiece toy.

I think those two artworks were the only TF stuff he did after his Marvel TF run. Am I correct?

I hope he is okay. In 2015, he was apparently having health problems and needed financial help which he got, thank goodness. He is 93 years old now.

On Monday, February 6, 2023 at 11:58:38 AM UTC-8, Optim wrote:

> I think those two artworks were the only TF stuff he did after his Marvel TF run. Am I correct?

He did an alternate cover for All Hail Megatron number 9 I think. I would be surprised if that's the only thing he did for IDW. Maybe there's an alternate GI Joe cover by him out there, too.

He drew a couple things for me at the convention I saw him at so I am sure he has drawn lots of Transformer commissions that we just don't hear about.

> I hope he is okay. In 2015, he was apparently having health problems and needed financial help which he got, thank goodness. He is 93 years old now.

Yeah a lot of the G1 Marvel artists are up there in age or already dead. I am surprised Perlin has lasted this long.

On Monday, January 23, 2023 at 6:24:14 PM UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> On Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 11:26:56 PM UTC-7, Optim wrote:

> What's strange to me is that Furman came along and, while he still showcased new toys, it seemed like Hasbro gave him the freedom to just write about his favorite characters—Optimus and Grimlock and Prowl and a whole bunch of other obsolete characters who didn't have toys in stores in 1989.. It doesn't really make sense. I'm sure Budiansky would have jumped at the chance to focus on a small, core group of familiar characters, but it seems like Hasbro never let him do that. It was Pretenders this or Micromasters that, but as soon as Furman was on board, he's like, "Hey, remember Megatron and Shockwave and Starscream? They're all back now." I don't think Budiansky got treated fairly.
>
>
> Zob

That is a really interesting point. I consider Furman's run on the Marvel Comics one of my favorite parts in all of Transformers period. Conversely, most of the post-Headmasters run from Budiansky one that I have the least interest in. Now I'm wondering if it's not so much a function of story-telling or art or continuity, but rather of characters. I'm bored to death about Landmine and that other guy going to find some microchips - but Grimlock trying to revive the Dinobots and Shockwave and Starscream starting a civil war? I'm all in! I thought Furman handled the Matrix Quest pretty well, but again, I have to admit that I was much more drawn in to the Classic Pretenders story than the Longtooth/Doubleheader one. Three measly years separate Inferno and Hosehead, and yet one is imminently more popular than the other. If you took all of the G1 Transformers released after 1987, I wonder what percentage of them have broken through the popularity barrier. Certainly Bludgeon, Nightbeat, Thunderwing, and um, Krok? Fangry? It just takes such a nosedive. I'll admit that I don't even know the names of a lot of Micromasters, and probably none of the Micromaster combiners. Would we feel the same way about Furman if the entire lead up to Unicorn was about Greasepit and Pincher?!

BJN

On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 9:02:28 AM UTC-7, Brian Nelson wrote:

Three measly years separate Inferno and Hosehead, and yet one is imminently more popular than the other. If you took all of the G1 Transformers released after 1987, I wonder what percentage of them have broken through the popularity barrier. Certainly Bludgeon, Nightbeat, Thunderwing, and um, Krok? Fangry? It just takes such a nosedive. I'll admit that I don't even know the names of a lot of Micromasters, and probably none of the Micromaster combiners. Would we feel the same way about Furman if the entire lead up to Unicorn was about Greasepit and Pincher?!

Really, any toys that Furman had chosen to feature in the comics would have ascended to greatness. Bludgeon and Nightbeat and Thunderwing just happened to be the stars, but it could have easily ended up being Quickswitch and Doubledealer and Vroom.

Imagine if the cartoon series had actually continued in the USA, and had managed to breathe life into unsung characters like the Pretenders and the Micromasters. Hasbro should have made more of a priority in keeping the TV series going. I think they greatly underestimated how important a media presence was for the toy line to be successful. Kids had no idea who the 1988 characters were, without a show to bring them to life.

Zob (on the other hand, I've seen every episode of the DiC version of G.I. Joe, and I don't think I can name a single one of the new characters except for Scoop)

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>
> Zob (on the other hand, I've seen every episode of the DiC version of G.I.. Joe, and I don't think I can name a single one of the new characters except for Scoop)

I grew up on the DiC version, and I'll defend its Season 1 with vigor. (Season 2 is nigh-irredeemable). Victory at Volcania remains one of my favorites to this day, with its contemplation of aging and redemption through General Hawk's arc, and its full scale invasion of the Cobra-occupied island at the end.

No props for Ambush, with his touching, slightly dark, backstory and his sole connection with a girl who ended up on the opposite side? Nothing for the laid-back Pathfinder, or the completely bonkers yet likeable Metal Head, both courtesy of the great Garry Chalk? And Chris Latta's return as Cobra Commander plays well to his strengths as a comedian, with the Cobra despot firing off quips like he's performing at an open mic night. Re: an amorous gorilla reminding him of an ex-girlfriend:

Pathfinder: "What's the matter? Does she remind you of an old flame?"
Cobra Commander: "So what if she does? At least Bernice had a lot less body hair!"

The animation may have been subpar, but the voice acting was superb, and the first season holds a special place in my heart as a worthy successor to the original series. Considering what's come since (the excruciatingly bad live-action movies, anime Joe aka Sigma 6, horrible DTV CGI misfires), DiC Season 1 may be one of the high water marks of the post-Sunbow franchise, for better or for worse.

[I mean, seriously, "Globally Integrated Joint Operating Entity"?]

On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 8:18:45 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:

> And Chris Latta's return as Cobra Commander plays well to his strengths as a comedian, with the Cobra despot firing off quips like he's performing at an open mic night.

Oh, Cobra Commander is the singular saving grace of the DiC series. He's at the top of his form.

But the other characters just don't grab me. I mean, the bad guys are always more interesting to me than the good guys. In the Sunbow series, I don't really count any of the Joes among my favorites, but there are so many that are distinctive and memorable. Shipwreck, Low-Light, Quick-Kick, Gung-Ho, they're all wildly charismatic in different ways. But I can hardly remember any of the Joes from the DiC episodes. They just never resonated with me. None of them ever stood out.

But, I was also watching the Sunbow series semi-regularly growing up. The DiC episodes were something I was vaguely aware of existing—I remember Operation: Dragonfire was a major event and something to get excited about, but after that, the show just wasn't on my radar. My strongest memory of it flipping channels one day and catching Cobra Commander screaming something about the ozone layer, which had, at the time, suggested to me that the show had gone environmentally woke and was trying to be like Captain Planet.

Zob (didn't hate G.I. Joe Extreme, to be honest)

On Friday, February 17, 2023 at 5:15:08 PM UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 8:18:45 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
>
> > And Chris Latta's return as Cobra Commander plays well to his strengths as a comedian, with the Cobra despot firing off quips like he's performing at an open mic night.
> Oh, Cobra Commander is the singular saving grace of the DiC series. He's at the top of his form.
>
> But the other characters just don't grab me. I mean, the bad guys are always more interesting to me than the good guys. In the Sunbow series, I don't really count any of the Joes among my favorites, but there are so many that are distinctive and memorable. Shipwreck, Low-Light, Quick-Kick, Gung-Ho, they're all wildly charismatic in different ways. But I can hardly remember any of the Joes from the DiC episodes. They just never resonated with me.. None of them ever stood out.

Fair enough - if I hadn't grown up with it, I can't imagine I'd be as taken with it as I am. There's something to be said for rose-colored glasses.

>
> But, I was also watching the Sunbow series semi-regularly growing up. The DiC episodes were something I was vaguely aware of existing—I remember Operation: Dragonfire was a major event and something to get excited about, but after that, the show just wasn't on my radar.

I stumbled on Operation Dragonfire in reruns after the DiC series proper had started, and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It existed in that liminal space between Sunbow and DiC Series 1 for me, and to this day I can't remember much about it.

> My strongest memory of it flipping channels one day and catching Cobra Commander screaming something about the ozone layer, which had, at the time, suggested to me that the show had gone environmentally woke and was trying to be like Captain Planet.

IIRC, the wokeness didn't come until the second season and the introduction of the Eco Warriors and the Drug Elimination Force. The ozone layer episode, The Nozone Conspiracy, was another of those comedic farces that I think the DiC series pulled off so well. Cobra Commander steals CFC-rich shaving cream, fills a hot air balloon with it, then threatens to detonate it and destroy the ozone layer...to drive sales of his Cobra-branded "Nozone" sunscreen. It's so crazy that it works.

(Has anyone checked to see if the balloon that was just shot down was full of shaving cream?)
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> Zob (didn't hate G.I. Joe Extreme, to be honest)

EXTREEE33EM!! aka Joes on HGH, and wider than they were tall.