Furman, Simon
About the Author:
Simon Furman began writing comics in the UK but later began writing for the American market. He now works primarily in animation as a scriptwriter.
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
3.6 out of 5
(5 books)
TOP PICK:
Transformers: End Of The Road
Transformers: All Fall Down
(Art by Andrew Wildman, Stephen Baskerville, Harry Candelario and Bob Lewis)
The UK editions of these stories were my first introduction to the world of comics (barring the Beano and the Dandy, of course) and, after watching 'Transformers: The Movie' for the first time in a decade, I bought this book out of nostalgia. I was pleased to discover that the stories of the robots in disguise were as enjoyable as ever (although I don't have the toys to reenact the battles any more!).
This is the penultimate book in the series and deals with the desperate preparations for the coming of Unicron (imagine the Death Star as a Transformer). Although there's a full cast of characters here, four of them take centre stage. The first is, unsurprisingly, Optimus Prime who has to face the disapproval of his fellow Autobots in order to unite the Transformers against Unicron. The second is Prime's opposite number, the Decepticon leader Scorponok who similarly has to go against his very nature and agree to peace. However, he is also faced by a rebellion against his leadership which threatens his relations with Prime. Next there's Galvatron. He has been pulled out of an alternate future to serve Unicron and the temporal ramifications and his hatred of his master have driven him insane. Galvatron battles against his own rage whilst secretly plotting against Unicron. The final primary character is my old favourite; Grimlock. Warlike and rebellious, Grimlock mutinies against Optimus Prime in order to use an ustable energy source to revive his beloved team-mates, the Dinobots. Grimlock is a wonderfully ambiguous character in a series which has always been clearly defined as Autobots=Good and Decepticons=Bad.
The best bit here is where we finally learn the true origins of Unicron, Cybertron and the Transformers themselves.
Followed by 'Transformers: End of the Road'.
4 out of 5
Transformers: End Of The Road
(Art by Andrew Wildman, Geoff Senior and Stephen Baskerville)
The end of the original run of Transformers comics picks up exactly where 'All Fall Down' left off; with the appearance of Unicron in the skies of Cybertron. The first quarter of the book therefore deals with a classic 'last stand' scenario as Autobots and Decepticons alike become both heroes and martyrs. We are then shown the aftermath, as Cybertron is wracked by seismic upheaval and the alliance between the Autobots and the Decepticons begins to break down.
Once more there are several key characters amid a cast of dozens. Optimus Prime and his Powermaster partner Hi-Q are vital, as the leaders of the Autobots and their guiding conscience. Grimlock rises to a position of unprecedented power but is troubled by the side effects of the energy source which he used to revive fallen Autobots for the battle against Unicron. Attempting to make the alliance work are Prowl and Bludgeon, both of whom become disillusioned with their opposite numbers. However, where Grimlock was the most interesting character in the last book, here it is Galvatron; who is still mentally unstable after being torn from his own timeline in an alternate future.
Surprisingly, it is Galvatron who manages to cement the resistance against Unicron and he briefly becomes almost heroic. However, his mental state begins to unravel once more when he encounters the revived Megatron; his past self in an alternate reality. Ultimately he finds himself caught in a savage battle on Earth against the last Autobot on the planet; Fortress Maximus.
I liked the way in which the Transformer civil war ignites once more and spreads to an alien world (not Earth this time), where Autobot and Decepticon clash in one last battle royale. However, as with most long comic series which come to an end, the conclusion is somewhat abrupt and doesn't tie the story off in an entirely satisfactory way.
Where do the Decepticons go? How do the Autobots react to Prime's return? Are Rachet and Megatron dead? What of the Neo-Knights? None of these questions get an answer.
4 out of 5
Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 18 - Edge Of Extinction
(Art by Jose Delbo, Danny Bulanadi, Dwayne Turner, Andrew Wildman, Harry Candelario, Bob Lewis, Stephen Baskerville and Geoff Senior)
In an alternate future Earth has been conquered by the Decepticons, led by the maniacal Galvatron. However, Galvatron is ripped out of his timestream into the past by his creator, Unicron, to act as the herald of the chaos bringer. But Galvatron does not appreciate being used and formulates a plan to destroy his master. Meanwhile, Optimus Prime and Scorponok, rival leaders of the Transformer civil war, attempt to put aside their differences to unite their people in the final fight against Unicron.
This was my favourite arc from the classic Transformers comics (I started collecting every issue of the UK series from #310 in 1991 - back when I was just eight) as it dealt with some of the most powerful enemies in the Transformers saga having to work together, with the looming threat of Unicron growing all the time. As an adult I think my appreciation of it has actually increased because Simon Furman gives a surprising amount of depth, subtlety and moral ambiguity to character who were conceived simply as Autbots=Good/Decepticons=Bad. The development of the relationship between Optimus Prime and Scorponok is particularly interesting, as they go from enemies, to reluctant allies and then friends, with their final scene together being genuinely emotionally touching. Not something you'd necessarily expect from characters who turn into a truck and giant scorpion.
Whilst this wasn't quite the end of the original Marvel run of Transformers stories, the epic battle against Unicron is absolutely the thematic climax of the series.
(Random side note: I actually had a letter published in the letters page of one of the UK comics of this era, so if you've got the actual comics, look up the awkward kid asking Blaster what it feels like to 'produce' other robots).
4 out of 5
Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 36 - Stormbringer
(Art by Nick Roche, M. D. Bright and Don Figueroa)
Part of IDW's run of Transformers tales, this book collects the titular 'Stormbringer' as well as the 'Spotlight:...' stories focusing on Shockwave, Soundwave, Nightbeat and Hot Rod. As the war between the Autobots and Decepticons spreads among the stars an old foe returns amid the ruins of Cybertron, threatening to destroy everything in its path.
I'm fairly new to IDW's take on the franchise, but I loved 'Primacy' and was hoping for more of the same here. Unfortunately that's not the case and what we get here instead is a somewhat fractured collection of short tales orbiting a larger central tale, which itself isn't terribly compelling. Furman's efforts to make Thunderwing a near-insurmountable threat feel a bit forced and seem almost to be a hold-over from the role he created for that character in the old Marvel continuity.
There are interesting elements here, but I don't feel like any of them went anywhere of terrible significance. If anything, this feels like one of those tie-ins to a comics event storyline which don't make sense if you've not read the core story itself.
3 out of 5
Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 37 - Escalation
(Art by Rob Ruffolo, Robby Musso and E. J. Su)
Open warfare between the Autobots and Decepticons errupts on Earth, whilst Ironhide, Ratchet and their human allies investigate a shadow organisation which has gone to great lengths to cover-up the capture of Sunstreaker.
Although there are a couple of semi-self-contained 'Spotlight' issues collected here, for Sixshot and Ultra Magnus, the majority of this book is the titular 'Escalation'. The problem with that is that it's the middle part of a trilogy (the other parts being 'Infiltration' and 'Devastation') and as a result picks up plotlines from the first part and leaves open-ended ones for the conclusion. Now, some stories can pull off being perfectly enjoyable despite being the middle part of a trilogy ('The Empire Strikes Back' being the first to jump to mind) but this definitely isn't one of them. Not really getting any details of the backstory means we go into events already in motion without really knowing the players or build-up and then we don't get much of a conclusion either.
There are still things to enjoy here, such as Ratchet and Iron Hide going rogue to help their friends or Prime getting the drop on Megatron by using Roller, but overall the book just feels incomplete.
3 out of 5
Collaborations & Anthologies:
Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 1 - Power Play (here)
Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 6 - Target: 2006 (here)
Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 10 - Trial By Fire (here)
Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 16 - The Primal Scream (here)