G.I. Joe and the Transformers vs. Transformers G.I.Joe

Yesterday in an uncharacteristically brief entry, I touched upon some connections between two of my favorite cartoons/comics/toys. In 1987, Marvel published a four-issue series that was a dream come true for fans: G.I.Joe and the Transformers, written by Michael Higgins and penciled by Herb Trimpe. The Transformers comics differed from the cartoon in a major way. While the heroic Autobots were widely accepted by mankind in the majority of the episodes(”Megatron's Master Plan” and ”The Return of Optimus Prime” being notable exceptions), the comics painted a different, more realistic picture in that giant warring alien robots were hated and feared by most of the humans, who took little time to make distinctions based on insignias. So it was in the first issue of this crossover, when the G.I.Joe team perceived benign Autobot and fan-favorite Bumblebee as a threat, they destroyed him! Allegiances are sorted out over the course of the next three issues, and while G.I.Joe teams with the Autobots, Cobra naturally forges an alliance with the Decepticons, until they learn their allies' true plans for a stolen satellite and their world's fate. Most frightening of all, amid this conflict, a young boy falls victim to the Insecticon Bombshell, who implants a “cerebro-shell” in the child's brain. This was the first time in the comics that the technological mind-control device was used on a human and not a robot, and the victim's youth and innocence made it even harsher. The problem is eventually detected and the device surgically removed, but not without some lingering effects. The heroes of course triumph ultimately, but not without casualties. As for Bumblebee, after the Joe's try to rebuild him with limited success and abundant error, Autobot doctor Ratchet finishes what they started, and Bumblebee is reborn as Goldbug.

Recently, one of the catalog's I design was offering Dreamwave's Transformers G.I.Joe series as a trade paperback, and I was fortunate enough to get a copy of my own from my editor. Written by John Ney Rieber with dark and moody art by Jae Lee, it has a unique approach, setting the series during World War II. When Cobra unwittingly awakens the Decepticons, it seems they have discovered weapons of mass destruction that will ensure their victory over America's newly-formed G.I. Joe team. But the Joes soon discover the Decepticons are not the only alien robots to have crashed on Earth, and with the Autobots help launch a campaign against their enemies. The concept and setting were amazing, like Saving Private Ryan would be if the tanks and planes were also giant robots. The series wouldn't be complete without a protracted new take on the classic rivalry between Snake-eyes and Storm Shadow. There's a follow-up series I've discovered in researching this article, and I just might have to check it out. If anyone reading this has read Image Comics' G.I.Joe vs. Transformers or the the sequel, please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.