Transformers ’84 – Secrets & Lies #1: We’re Not Gonna Take It

I’m a regular reader of GI Joe: A Real American Hero. That’s a book that’s been going on since 1982 (with a short break), so I should’ve realized how much I missed the Transformers book that came out around that time, but I didn’t until I read this comic. Written by Simon Furman, the Larry Hama of the Transformers, this book is all about the launch of the Ark from Cybertron, what happens, and doesn’t happen, to get that flight into motion. There are a few other interesting storylines that merge with that main one, and they give almost all our favorite robots in disguise something to do, even if they aren’t apart of the first generation of Transformers. It’s the closest, story-wise, I’ve felt to the original comic since the original comic. A brilliant idea by Furman turned into an even better script. After all the different cartoons, live-action films, and new comics that have come out since 1984, this book is just as new, fresh, and sharp as it was then.

Maybe one thing has changed from almost 35 years ago, and that would be artist, Guido Guidi. He does an incredible job of making this book look like it was published all those years ago, right down to using page layouts and panel designs that are straight out of the ’80s. Add to that, he uses the original character designs and retro alt modes and he gives us that straight out of the back issue boxes look. Keep your eyes peeled, he throws a lot of stuff in there that you might not notice your first time through. For years Guidi has been considered one of the premiere Transformers artists, and after looking at this issue, it’s easy to see why.