I'm currently about 30 issues into the original G1 Marvel run.

Full disclosure: I've read quite a few modern comics, but only about a dozen or so TF specific comics from the early IDW series.

The G1 cartoon was my first exposure to Transformers fiction and the brand as a whole, so I will probably make liberal comparisons between it and the comics.

Some things that have occurred to me while reading:
  • The first dozen or so issues are incredibly verbose. Individual panels are quite small, relying on the text to tell you what's happening rather than showing it in the picture or dialogue. This seems to get better however and by roughly issue 24 the comics feel a lot more modern in terms of the narrative style and delivery.

  • The stories are a bit better than the G1 cartoon. I definitely think they benefit from having story arcs over multiple issues while the cartoon episodes were, for the most part, self contained. One interesting change from the cartoon is that there is three way conflict between humans, Autobots and Decepticons. While the Autobots have a few human allies, the majority of humans do not distinguish between the two robot factions and there is a much greater emphasis on staying undetected - something the cartoon dispensed with almost immediately.

    Some silliness does still crop up from time to time however. When the Autobots are choosing a new leader, Grimlock shows up claiming the leadership as he's the strongest. The other Autobots explain the qualities a good leader should have and he leaves in a huff. A short time later after Grimlock saves the Ark from Trypticon the other Autobots crown him leader as he displayed all the necessary qualities. By the next issue, surprise, surprise, he's a terrible leader.

  • Humans play a pretty major role in the story so far. At present it seems like the Autobots and Decepticons spend more time battling the human 'villain of the month' or the humans in general than each other. There are a handful of issues which are almost exclusively about the humans. In general I'm not really a fan of humans in my transformer comics but they're tolerable because they help to set up subsequent stories.

  • Something the comic does well is explain the presence of new transformers on Earth, which the cartoon completely failed to do. The creation of the Constructicons, Dinobots, Protectobots, Aerialbots, Combaticons, Autobot reinforcements (Blaster, Seaspray, Beachcomber, et. al), Throttlebots and Triple Changers are all plausibly integrated into the story.

  • The way some characters are portrayed feels a bit off and many characters are poorly used - no different to the cartoon in that respect. Optimus Prime is given his final send off around issue 24 (which I think would correspond with the 1986 movie). Unfortunately he seems to be a pretty weak character, he spends half his time in the series as a disembodied head and the rest of the time moaning about betraying his guiding principles. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration but I don't feel his absence yet.

    On the other hand, some minor characters get a lot more use - Ratchet really has a chance to shine in the comics and Shockwave has a major role too. His characterisation as coldly logical is interesting but I do prefer his 'loyal 2IC' portrayal from the cartoon to the leadership ambitions he displays in the comic, however logical they might be. He seems to fill the role of Starscream in the comics - another character who was never developed very well and seems to have disappeared altogether now.


Worth buying?
Original: Not unless you're really keen.
Digital: Worth a try. Comixology has collected volumes for about $12 each or individual issues for 0.99c which you can read online or on your phone/tablet. At that price I think it's worth a try.

Specific issues?
I've powered through the first 30 issues pretty quickly so they're a bit of a blur. The ongoing story lines also tie the issues together too. I'd suggest just starting at the beginning - if the verbosity bothers you just keep in mind that it gets less dense after a little while.

Comparison to modern comics?
Art, particularly the early issues, has a very 'statuesque' quality, like they were drawn from the toys posed on a desk. They become more 'animated' later on. Colour palette is quite limited, though probably normal for the time. The stories and characters can feel quite dated at times too. The modern incarnations definitely benefit from 20 years of character development.