Transformers Classics UK trade paperbacks

[GoktimusPrime]

*sigh* Disappointing to see that IDW's G1 reprint quality is still as shoddy as ever. (T-T)

[Cat]

*sigh* Disappointing to see that IDW's G1 reprint quality is still as shoddy as ever. (T-T)

A lot of the stuff people are responding negatively to is intentional on IDW's part. It's the use of half-tones (which I can't explain in detail, as I'm not a colourist, and don't really know the details).

[GoktimusPrime]

I picked up Vol.2 today. It was shrinked wrapped in the store, so I couldn't browse through it -- just opened it now and had a flick through. The reprint quality is actually worse than I expected.

Some of the bonus material is interesting though. I read the foreward by James Roberts which explains why the UK comics were better written than the US ones - but without necessarily bagging out the US comics. i.e. Budiansky was under pressure from Hasbro to introduce more new toys into the US comics leaving massive plotholes that Furman saw fit to fill in.

[Paulbot]

Volume 3 is out now.

The reprint quality feels a bit better than Volume 2, but still quite washed out and not up to the standard of the Titan reprints (or the originals).

This book has reached the point where I started reading Transformers comics so many of these tales hold a fond place in my heart. It covers #78 to #112 which has a couple of the longest individual UK arcs (Target: 2006, the 'return to Cybertron') and starts the longest running overarching tale of Galvatron in the current era.

Some nice bonuses include: the poster from 78/80 at full page size (that hung on my wall for many years), the A-Z profiles from this run of issues, the TF-related Robo-Capers strips (including the Christmas morning one I was always personally fond of), the colour corrected pages from 101 (as a kid I thought that was just illustrating Galvatron's seeing-red fury!), and the Cybertron: Middle Years text feature from #83.

Oddly #93 "The Gift" is placed out of order in this collection with no explanation that I've found yet. (I wonder if it was printed after #100 in the "Best of UK: Prey" edition?)

All the three volumes have great commentary, it's a real selling point for those who've read these stories before, but this volume is where what makes TF:UK so special really begins so I'd recommend this volume more highly.

[Paulbot]

Volume 4 is finally out. It's been a long wait. I had this preordered since August last year!

It's the thickest volume yet and I'm happy to finally own that missing chapter of Ancient Relics I didn't have.

Same issues with previous volumes in that the colouring is not always quite right. I've owned most of the comcis in this volume for 25 years so it does bug me that it's not always that well reproduced. The Titan reprints were much more accurate so I'm not sure why IDW have always got it a bit wrong.

Hopefully not as long a wait for the next volume.

[Gouki]

Good thing I'm reading 98% percent of the reprints for the first time, as the colouring or presentation has never bothered me. I'm loving these Classics books, and hope that they're doing well so the line isn't just dropped.