Generation 2 (Fleetway comic)

Transformers: Generation 2 was a short-lived title in 1994-5, in support of the Generation 2 toyline re-launch. With Marvel UK having collapse, the company Fleetway (now Egmont Fleetway) published the title; it followed on from the Marvel title and reprinted stories from the Marvel Generation 2 comic. The first two issues were original strip, promoting European exclusive toys and introducing the concept, the Cybertronian Empire and Megatron's new form in place of the first few Marvel issues & the G.I. Joe crossover (the Joe toyline was dead in Europe at the time).

The original strips were twelve pages in length, with the reprints being ten to fifteen pages; the rest of the comic contained character profiles, letters pages, competitions and the like.

It was cancelled by #5 due to low sales, though an Annual had been produced by Grandreams; this annual is famed for being hiliariously bad.

Overview
Without warning, Bludgeon leads his Decepticons in a massed attack on London, restarting the Transformer war - he intends to draw Optimus Prime into a trap, so he can steal the Matrix and create a new generation of Decepticons. However, Optimus and three of his men have already arrived on Earth, having been called there by Grimlock (who hasn't shown) for reasons unknown. The Autobots battle the Decepticons, who have used up their fuel on devastating London, and Optimus is able to fell Bludgeon. Too late, he discovers why Grimlock hadn't arrived to meet him: Megatron is back in a new and deadlier form. The two leaders fight, but Megatron is distracted when Bludgeon's troops - out to protect their leader and not recognising his authority - attack him, giving the Autobots time to regroup with the Dinobots and defeat the Decepticon forces.

As Megatron retreats, Grimlock reveals why he called in Optimus: his team have discovered a new race of Decepticons, and their leader Jhiaxus delivered them a vicious beating. Optimus orders that they wait instead of engaging this Empire, as he is being plagued by apocalyptic visions.

Following this, Grimlock leads a raid on the Empire and fails; Bludgeon attacks Earth again and is killed & his army usurped by Megatron; and Optimus discovers the origin of the Cybertronian Empire.

Items of note

 * Issues one and two have original cover art; #3 and #4 use the covers from Marvel's Generation 2 (#4 and #5 respectively), and #5 uses a blown-up interior panel image by Manny Galan.


 * The comic proudly proclaimed "Remember: this comic also transforms!" - as a gimmick, the cover folded out into a gatefold image.


 * Bludgeon mentions in #1 that this campaign has continued for a "few short days".


 * Bludgeon succeeds in drawing Prime to Earth, but then is beaten back... yet he comes back to try the same plan, while the Autobots have left nothing in place on Earth to stop him. The reprints and the original strip do not logically connect here.


 * Everyone who has a Generation 2 toy is in their G2 colour scheme - which means that, thanks to the reprints, the Dinobots took the time to change back for no apparent reason.


 * In #2, Optimus Prime says "Skydive reported our spacecraft, the Ark - and all aboard her - destroyed", while Megatron refers to be rebuilt by "human scientists". This would suggest the events of Marvel's GI Joe/G2 crossover happened in this continuity (though the US War Without End, for some reason, didn't despite them occuring near the same time).


 * Bludgeon's Decepticons show no fear, respect or deference to Megatron, calling him a "relic".


 * In the fifth and final issue, the editorial page promoted UK fan-club Transmasters UK.

Creative Team
The original strips are credited to Simon Furman and Robin Smith, though Furman has previously claimed he did not write it (and later said otherwise).