“Okay, now you’re just cheating.”
The Transformers #30
Marvel (July, 1987)
“The Cure!” WRITER: Bob Budiansky BREAKDOWNS: Don Perlin FINISHERS: Ian Akin & Brian Garvey COLORIST: Nel Yomtov LETTERER: Janice Chiang EDITOR: Don Daley
On Cybertron Ratbat takes captive an Autobot unit called the Throttlebots; Chase, Wide Load, Searchlight, Freeway, and their leader, Rollbar. He sends them to Earth to fill the Scraplet-infested crater with acid or else he’ll destroy the Earth to keep it from spreading. However, when Rollbar and Wide Load chase down Goldbug he and Charlie have already discovered the cure…water! With Blackrock’s aid, they’re able to cure the Triple-Changers and Blaster in time to help stopped a merged juggernaut of Scraplets. The Triple-Changers leave with their prize, but not before Astrotrain leaves a “gift” for GB.
What they got right: While I still think Bumblebee’s redesign should be connected to the Throttlebots (since that what the toy was designed for…not sure why they had to rename Bumblebee to do it, mind you) it is a good introduction to the new characters. I know it wasn’t intentional but since the toys didn’t have weapons I find it neat that the characters don’t, either, since Ratbat took them before dropping them off on Earth.
What they got wrong: The forced exposition returns. Also, I would have liked to have seen an actual send-off for Charlie, or better yet have him decide to remain with the group and help teach the new bots about Earth. Instead he gets less of a send-off than Charlene 10 issues ago.
Recommendation: Not a spectacular story but I do like some of the set-up that I wish they had gone with. Still a decent read.
Next week will not be issue #31, by the way. At this point Marvel released a four issue mini-series featuring the Headmasters. Just like G.I. Joe And The Transformers I have the story mixed into continuity so you’ll see those stories interchanged with the regular comics.
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