Comments on: Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #72

By: ParanoidObsessive

ParanoidObsessive — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:39:39 +0000

>>> Soundwave turned into a communications relay on Cybertron.

In the original cartoon mini-series, Soundwave basically transformed into something that looked suspiciously like a Cybertronian lamp-post.

>>> Ergo, I guess they just created their own names once they were on Earth to communicate with the populace (though thatâ€™s never formally explained). Though why they use theyâ€™re Earth name in stories that take place before they get to Earth is a good questionâ€¦

It's usually referred to as a translation convention - the premise that giant alien talking robots are using their own language, names, and terminology (most likely in some sort of binary language or digital computer-speak humans could never understand), and that they're only presented as speaking English so that the READER (ie, us) have a chance to actually understand what's going on.

Thus, since they're already translating everything the various robots are saying to each other on Cybertron into English (millions of years before the English language actually existed, mind you), they just go ahead and translate their names as well, into the versions that the readers would recognize.

By: Alseid

Alseid — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 05:59:08 +0000

I gotta wonder, just what exactly did Alan Davis' idea for Rebirth entail?
What little is mentioned here sounds very damned interesting, more than the actual story Rebirth ended up being.
Alas, the world may never know.

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By: Alextheman

Alextheman — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 13:30:35 +0000

Transformers #6 I believe it was I bought at store when I was a kid. What a great issue: All the good guys were dead! Optimus Prime was a head on device and Ratchet was the only working one with a little human friend. You would never see anything like that in the cartoon. I always wondered why those old toy related stories were better than others, now I know.

As for Lobdell on the X-men, according to John Byrne, Portacio and Lee didn't follow their own plots. Sure it Claremont left, but that story gave us Omega Red and Bishop. Well, Omega Red was still really cool. Bishop's story was 'solved' in the whole Onslaught thing leading the traitor to be Xavier himself... the X-man who was supposed to kill Xavier was himself?

Well, whatever.

By: Duck 182

Duck 182 — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:35:40 +0000

I one time read that John Romita Sr had a hand in designing Transformers into their cartoon forms for the show & the Marvel comic. Does anyone know if it's true?

By: Blackjack

Blackjack — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 16:50:52 +0000

Kelvingreen wrote:

"Jazz definitely says as much in the â€œMan of Ironâ€ story from #9 of the Marvel UK comic (reprinted in the US comic around #33), from 1985."

That was probably what I was thinking of and had DW on my mind. I never got that story, even on re-reads, since it seemed to be part of the UK continuity that I wasn't getting at the time.

BTW, if anyone is familiar with that story or the UK storyline: Did Trailbreaker actually bite it, or was he simply injured (despite the fact that he was blown to bits if I remember it correctly.

"Simon Furman managed to get a great story arc out of the misnaming of the Dinobot Swoop in various territories. Swoop was called Divebomb in some places, and we UK readers got a cracking story to explain it"

Which explains why Grimlock calls Swoop "Divebomb" in War Within vol. 2, if memory serves. I thought that maybe it was foreshadowing something else, like the predacons working with the dinobots or something. That makes far more sense.

By: Heath

Heath — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 13:43:55 +0000

RE - "Claremont was ousted" -

I've heard that rumour too, but I have to give it some skepticism. Claremont and Jim Lee teamed up a year or so later on a WildC.A.T.S run (those were Lee's last issues as regular artist). I have a hard time believing either one would WANT to work together if there was any bad blood from the X-Men days.

By: Chip

Chip — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 12:46:20 +0000

"Lobdell is why I dropped the X-Men. The characterâ€™s Iâ€™d been reding about for ten years had been replaced by strangers."

To be fair, that isn't entirely Lobdell's fault. He came in during the horrible Image Era/90's speculator boom where

a) half assed writers like Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld were giving creative input

and more importantly

b) they had those stupid "mega crossover" events every 2-3 months which pretty much forced writers into a corner as far as plotting and characterizations were concerned.

Oh, as for an urban legend, here's one that sorta ties in with Lobdell: Is it true Lobdell was a stand up comedian? Is it true Larry Hama was in an episode of MASH? Did George Perez really direct apartment wrestling videos?

By: RD Francis

RD Francis — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 04:01:35 +0000

Well, on the TRANSFORMERS: BEAST WARS show, the characters have names that match the animal forms they take on while they're still in space - and the nature of locating an animal form to assume is (throughout the series) represented as a sheer chance proposition - whatever critters were in range were used.

By: Matt Little

Matt Little — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 18:23:56 +0000

Okay, here's one since we're all sorta on the subject: Claremont was ousted from the X-office over clashes with Bob Harras regarding Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio's level of input on the books.

By: The Rear

The Rear — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 13:09:03 +0000

Lobdell had at least one good story in UXM: the phalanx story where the creature chases Storm and Gambit through New York. I thought that was a great story, good character bits for both Storm and Gambit, and the phalanx was actually pretty menacing.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:17:15 +0000

That's one huge ass Optimus crushing things on that cover...

By: kelvingreen

kelvingreen — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 23:30:33 +0000

Iâ€™m thinking Jazz says something to that effect in the Insecticon story arc in the Dreamwave comic [issues 7-9, I think], though itâ€™s not in front of me) Jazz definitely says as much in the "Man of Iron" story from #9 of the Marvel UK comic (reprinted in the US comic around #33), from 1985. Though why they use theyâ€™re Earth name in stories that take place before they get to Earth is a good question Universal Translation. They're calling each other by Cybrtronian names but we, as readers, see names we're more familiar with. Or something. Simon Furman managed to get a great story arc out of the misnaming of the Dinobot Swoop in various territories. Swoop was called Divebomb in some places, and we UK readers got a cracking story to explain it.

By: Sammy

Sammy — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 21:59:45 +0000

Lobdell's stuff is some of my favorite as well. Look at Onslaught and Operation Zero Tolerance. Those were GREAT X-stories, much better than Claremont's "The Neo," and his most recent slop run on UXM that THANKFULLY Brubaker is correcting.

Since the 70s, the only thing Claremont has done well was his run on Fantastic Four post Heroes Return.

By: Laminator_X

Laminator_X — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:43:23 +0000

Lobdell is why I dropped the X-Men. The character's I'd been reding about for ten years had been replaced by strangers.

By: Eyemelt

Eyemelt — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:42:02 +0000

Hey, is it true Kevin Smith is going to finish Daredevil - Bullseye? If I remember correctly I think the first issue was pretty good...

By: Eddie C

Eddie C — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:10:28 +0000

I think people are being too hard on Claremont. His final story (X-Men #1-3) was one of his best ever and one of the best Magneto stories ever. He really came full circle with that story and should be remembered for that final farewell, and not his return to the X-books years later. The Claremont/Lee issues was a colloboration that I believe rates right up there with the original Claremont/Byrne team. Though "The Dark Phoenix" storyline will always remain the best X-Men story ever.

By: Eddie C

Eddie C — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:03:15 +0000

I wasn't too happy with Lobdell scripting X-Men at the time, but in retrospect those stories weren't that bad. There was some good character development during that period. I remember somebody saying recently that Bobby Drake and Rogue would never have gotten together in the main Marvel U. (referring to their relationship in Ultimate X-Men), but I seem to remember just such a connection during the Lobdell/Nicieza era. (just before Age of Apocalypse) Of course, they kinda left that story hanging afterwards.

By: Endless Mike

Endless Mike — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 19:47:01 +0000

Paul, the Cybertronian Transformer line is based on Dreamwave's Transformers: The War Within miniseries. The first was really good, but I never read the later ones (and I think the last was never finished due to Dreamwave going bankrupt).

By: West

West — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 19:31:00 +0000

James, I don't know if anyone answered this, already but that's how I remember it, as well.

The Cybertronians were damaged in the crash so the ship went about its task to repair them - both Autobots AND Decepticons.

It searched the Earth and found vehicles and devices it could use as models/inspiration for their new transformation designs.

Then it repaired each robot in a fashion not completely dissimilar from the way Unicron repaired Megatron and the other Decepticons in the animated movie... but that part is taxing even my geek memories.