GI Joe/Transformers cross-overs
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 11:38 am
Some might argue that this should be in the G1 forums. But, ultimately, these are cross-over books, and there going to be inevitable comparisons to other cross-over books.
GI Joe v/s Transformers volume 1:
IDW is reprinting all of the Joe/TF cross-overs over the years. This first volume includes the Marvel cross-overs.
The first official cross-over between the two mainstay Hasbro franchises was published in 1986 during a time when both of the "core" books were undergoing changes. (Notably, the Joes got top billing, which is inconceivable today.) Issues 24 and 25 of the original "Transformers" series occur during, or immediately after issues 1 and 2 of the cross-over. Aside from Bumblebee being rebuilt as Goldbug and a few TFs getting damaged/destroyed, nothing from this series carries over in to the main TF book. On the Joe side, it was wholly ignorable, (being set early in Serpentor's reign, roughly concurrent with Cobra's attack on the Pit). All things considered, this series is actually better than I recalled it being. Higgins actually did a sound job of combining two previously unrelated properties and writing a complete, if forumulaic, story. The biggest problems with this series were all common to the Marvel of the early to mid-80s (clunky writing and redundant narration boxes). Aside from Goldbug's appearance, this series would be easily ignored for American TF fans of the mid-80s. (Readers in the UK would have accounted for "Gold Bug" in "Fallen Angel".) As a result of this, one could credibly argue that the TFs shared a world with the Joes *and* at least some 616 Marvel characters.
G2:
Even when I first read this nearly 20 years ago, I knew that there was not much to recommend it beyond having both the Joes and the TFs in once place. And, over time, that has come to mean less to me than simply wanting good comics. Truth be told, these are some *bad* comics. While Larry Hama would have had little control over the fact that he had to use TF characters, he could have written this story so it would not have been necessary for the Joe series as a whole. (On the other hand, given that Hama was not really giving "GI Joe" his A-game after issue 100, the poor execution of a forced cross-over should probably not be much of a shock.) Besides making specific reference to the previous TF/Joe cross-over, Hama addresses major plot-points from the Joe series. The town of Millville is liberated from Cobra control during the battle with Megatron, (who provides the Joes pretext to invade the town), and Doctor Mindbender is raised from the dead during Cobra's encounter with Megatron. (Aside: I wonder if a cursory misreading of this story is the reason for DDP mistakenly including Stormshadow among the characters buried on the frieghter.) Aside from raising odd questions about just who the Joes share a world with, these are just some bad comics.
And, if that were not enough, the Joe comics make no mention of Bludgeon's, and later Jhiaxus, attack on Earth....despite the Joes being prominently shown in the G2 comic. This implies that there are at least two G2 timelines, on top of however many splintered G1 timelines.
All things considered, the old Joe/TF cross-overs are worth reading more as curiosities than as anything particularly memorable or defining.
Grade: B
For those who are curious about which Marvel characters might share a world with the Joes or TFs:
-Shown: Spiderman and the black costume, Fury and SHIELD, Dazzler (mentioned), the Savage Land.
-Strongly implied or referenced: Venom (via Spider-man's costume and some footnotes), the "Secret Wars", the Celestials and Inhumans (due to the Savage Land), the Avengers (via footnote), the X-Men (Dazzler), Godzilla (throwaway line from Fury), the Beyonder (shown interacting with Circuit Breaker in "Secret Wars II").
Dom
-would like to see a series pick up from this, or the DDP series....
GI Joe v/s Transformers volume 1:
IDW is reprinting all of the Joe/TF cross-overs over the years. This first volume includes the Marvel cross-overs.
The first official cross-over between the two mainstay Hasbro franchises was published in 1986 during a time when both of the "core" books were undergoing changes. (Notably, the Joes got top billing, which is inconceivable today.) Issues 24 and 25 of the original "Transformers" series occur during, or immediately after issues 1 and 2 of the cross-over. Aside from Bumblebee being rebuilt as Goldbug and a few TFs getting damaged/destroyed, nothing from this series carries over in to the main TF book. On the Joe side, it was wholly ignorable, (being set early in Serpentor's reign, roughly concurrent with Cobra's attack on the Pit). All things considered, this series is actually better than I recalled it being. Higgins actually did a sound job of combining two previously unrelated properties and writing a complete, if forumulaic, story. The biggest problems with this series were all common to the Marvel of the early to mid-80s (clunky writing and redundant narration boxes). Aside from Goldbug's appearance, this series would be easily ignored for American TF fans of the mid-80s. (Readers in the UK would have accounted for "Gold Bug" in "Fallen Angel".) As a result of this, one could credibly argue that the TFs shared a world with the Joes *and* at least some 616 Marvel characters.
G2:
Even when I first read this nearly 20 years ago, I knew that there was not much to recommend it beyond having both the Joes and the TFs in once place. And, over time, that has come to mean less to me than simply wanting good comics. Truth be told, these are some *bad* comics. While Larry Hama would have had little control over the fact that he had to use TF characters, he could have written this story so it would not have been necessary for the Joe series as a whole. (On the other hand, given that Hama was not really giving "GI Joe" his A-game after issue 100, the poor execution of a forced cross-over should probably not be much of a shock.) Besides making specific reference to the previous TF/Joe cross-over, Hama addresses major plot-points from the Joe series. The town of Millville is liberated from Cobra control during the battle with Megatron, (who provides the Joes pretext to invade the town), and Doctor Mindbender is raised from the dead during Cobra's encounter with Megatron. (Aside: I wonder if a cursory misreading of this story is the reason for DDP mistakenly including Stormshadow among the characters buried on the frieghter.) Aside from raising odd questions about just who the Joes share a world with, these are just some bad comics.
And, if that were not enough, the Joe comics make no mention of Bludgeon's, and later Jhiaxus, attack on Earth....despite the Joes being prominently shown in the G2 comic. This implies that there are at least two G2 timelines, on top of however many splintered G1 timelines.
All things considered, the old Joe/TF cross-overs are worth reading more as curiosities than as anything particularly memorable or defining.
Grade: B
For those who are curious about which Marvel characters might share a world with the Joes or TFs:
-Shown: Spiderman and the black costume, Fury and SHIELD, Dazzler (mentioned), the Savage Land.
-Strongly implied or referenced: Venom (via Spider-man's costume and some footnotes), the "Secret Wars", the Celestials and Inhumans (due to the Savage Land), the Avengers (via footnote), the X-Men (Dazzler), Godzilla (throwaway line from Fury), the Beyonder (shown interacting with Circuit Breaker in "Secret Wars II").
Dom
-would like to see a series pick up from this, or the DDP series....