Monstercon from Mars!
From Transformers Wiki
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 Shouldn't this magazine be wrapped in brown paper, and bebehindthe cash register? | |||||||||||||
| "Monstercon from Mars!" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | October1988 | ||||||||||||
| Writer | Bob Budiansky | ||||||||||||
| Breakdowns | José Delbo | ||||||||||||
| Finished art | Dave Hunt | ||||||||||||
| Colorist | Nelson Yomtov | ||||||||||||
| Letterer | Bill Oakley | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Don Daley | ||||||||||||
| Editor-in-chief | Tom DeFalco | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Marvel Comics continuity | ||||||||||||
...and weirder!
Contents |
Synopsis
On the set of a really,really bad alien-monster movie,the FX monster suddenly shorts out and explodes. DirectorRollie Friendlyisn't far behind, as this set-back will cost him weeks of filming. In a meeting with his PR expertMitch Kenolater that day, Rollie is looking for new ideas when Keno tunes him into a local broadcast by reporterBrad Emoryrelating to theTransformers.
TheAutobotSky Lynxis finally returning toEarthwith his passengers, the human children nicknamed theSpacehikers.After setting down at a pre-arranged landing site, Sky Lynx releases his friends to their waiting parents. At first, Sky Lynx is willing to stick around, answer a few questions and pose for pictures. But the anti-robot hysteria of some members in the crowd quickly turns it into a mob, and he is chased away into the sky.
Keno's public relations standpoint is that, even as the villain, robot monsters will not be good for business in movies anytime soon. Instead, he suggest that Rollie check out a mysteriousBigfootsighting fromThe Inquisitor.With nothing to do until hisCreepozoidprop is fixed, Rollie enlists a camera crew and his two stars,Jake ColtonandCarissa Carr,to go creature hunting. After grabbing a local guide inNorth Carolinaand slipping past theNational Guard,Rollie and company run right into the giantSkullgrin,inside hisorganic shell.
After a brief "fight", Rollie gets to talking with Skullgrin and offers to pay him in exchange for a movie deal. Thinking back, Skullgrin remembers that he was sent to Earth alone byhis commanderto establish a secret fuel depot for hisDecepticoncomrades. With this in mind, he makes the arrangement with Rollie to be paid in fuel for his time. After squaring things over with the National Guard, Rollie and company bring Skullgrin back toHollywoodforhis big break.
Skullgrin mania sweeps the country, and as he adjusts to his new role, Skullgrin prepares for his first live press conference. Things go a little crazy when the fleshlings actually ask him questions, but Carissa manages to calm him down in a classicKing Kong/Beauty and the Beastmoment. After the show, Carissa happens across a wheelchair-bound woman who is depressed about not seeing more of Skullgrin, so Carissa lets her in on a little secret: they'll be traveling to theGrand Canyonfor more filming.
As the shooting continues at the Grand Canyon, Rollie calls a break and Skullgrin goes off to talk with Carissa. Once she confesses the sheer horror of her real name, Ethel Stankiewicz, Skullgrin feels the need to confide in her as well, and removes his Pretender shell for the first time. Unfortunately, the "poor woman in the wheelchair" has followed them to the Grand Canyon, and reveals herself as the robot-hatingCircuit Breaker.
As Skullgrin and Circuit Breaker begin to spar with one another, Rollie catches sight of the battle and begins setting up cameras to catch it all on film. Skullgrin swipes his fleshling foe with his vibro saber, and prepares to shrapnel-blast her into oblivion until she manages to radio-override his shell and turn it against Skullgrin. The shell's strike knocks his cannons off-target, shattering the cliffside under Carissa's feet. While Rollie just continues to roll film, the poor actress is about to fall to her death. Skullgrin is willing to let her, as he feels betrayed by Carissa telling Circuit Breaker where to find him, but Josie does her good deed for the millennium and tells him Carissa never did anything to harm him.
As Skullgrin moves the actress to safety, Circuit Breaker overwhelms him with her electro-bolts and is ready to move in for the kill when Rollie yells that he'll pay her double bucks to kill Skullgrin on film for him. Momentarily more disgusted with her own race rather than the Transformers, Circuit Breaker fries Rollie's equipment and takes off, leaving Skullgrin alive but injured at the bottom of the canyon.
Featured characters
(Characters initalic textappear only in flashbacks.)
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"You can't even believe thepage numbersin this rag, Mitch! "
- —Rollie Friendlydoesn't have a high opinion ofThe Inquisitor
Notes
Artwork and technical errors
- Skullgrin never once shuts his mouth.
Continuity errors
- Skullgrin travels from theDecepticons' shipto Earth by just sort of floating out the door in his pretender shell. This carries on the bizarre trend of Fortress Maximus and Scorponok's crews flying to and from planetary surfaces without shuttle craft.
Continuity notes
- Ridiculous as it sounds, it's entirely possible that Skullgrin mania swept the country without the Autobots knowing about it. As of US issue #44, all the Autobots of Earth were still trapped on the moon following the departure ofSteelhavenforNebulos.
- The Spacehikers joined the Transformers cast in "Child's Play"and began their return journey to earth in"The Cosmic Carnival".
- Placards brought to protest Sky Lynx's landing include, "Let 'em Rust", "DOWN with the ROBOT" and "DIE, Robots!" There was also the slightly more creative "Reck the Robots", with the r of 'Reck' also serving as the r for robots.
- In the previous issue,Berkowas a passenger on Sky Lynx along with the Spacehikers, and he expressed some interest in returning to Earth.When we next encounter Berko,he and Sky Lynx are working as partners, and Berko is contemptuous of humans. It's safe to assume he's on board Sky Lynx during this issue (and just chooses to stay there). One might speculate that the abuse Sky Lynx receives here convinces Berko not to stay on Earth, but this is not explicitly supported by the text.
- Sky Lynx leaving Earth was very fortunate for him, since it means he doesn't get offed during the imminentUnderbase Saga.
- This story is recalled in "King Con!"whenIguanusmakes fun of Skullgrin for his time as a movie star and calls him a "fleshling-lover" over and over.
- Instead of a regular Transmissions letters page, this issue listed the names of a bunch of contestants from theBot RosterandSpot Shingocontests. The list started last issue and continued into the next issue.
- Circuit Breaker's flashback references events primarily from issues#6 ( "The Worse of Two Evils!" )and#9 ( "DIS-Integrated Circuits!" );the art is copied from issues #6, #8, #9, and #22.
- For some reason, Circuit Breaker rolls around in her wheelchair without her "costume" on - meaning she can only move her head and (partially) one arm. Then when she dons the circuit-tape costume and bursts out of her trenchcoat... there's no other clothes there! Was she just running around in nothing but a trenchcoat like a quadriplegic flasher?
- Sky Lynx mentionsscraplets.
- Skullgrin is paid inBlackrockoil.
- The story ends pretty abruptly, with no real resolution for Skullgrin's career or the human cast. Though since Skullgrin ends the story alive, pissed, and within firing range of Friendly, it probably didn't end well for that guy.
Real-life references
- A soldier suggests that a farmer take his complaints toFrank Perdue,a real-life CEO of a chicken business.
- Skullgrin is the cover star ofTime,Newsweek,andPeople.
- One of the reporters at Skullgrin's press conference is reading an issue ofMarvel Universe.
- Sky Lynx returns the children at an unspecified location inCalifornia;the movie crew finds Skullgrin in the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina; the battle with Circuit Breaker occurs at the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
- The implication is that Ethel Stankiewicz, like a number of real-world actors (and Marvel comic creators), has changed her name because it was Jewish and you're not going to get ahead with a name likethat...
- Mr. Friendly hopes his movie will be bigger than something called "Star Wars".
UK printing
Issue #190
- Back-up strips:Visionaries- "Wings" andCombat Colin
- AtoZ:KickbackandLaserbeak
- InDread Tidings,Dreadwindclears up confusion about who is named who in the Powermasters' ad in the UK comics, as well as answering the question of whether Transformers go to sleep.
- An editorial note was added to Circuit Breaker's flashback.
- Several lines of dialog in this issue were changed from the US version for the UK audience. "Nix the close-ups" became "FORGET close-ups" and references to Skullgrin being paid "points" was changed to "bonuses" for the UK version.
Issue #191
- Back-up strips:Action Force- "Unmaskings" andCombat Colin
- The cover of the comic the reporter at Skullgrin's press conference is reading was changed from an issue ofMarvel Universeto the US cover of "The Big Broadcast of 2006".(This has usually been seen as the US cover for this story but you can juuuust about make outthe rocks flying about) The image is only partly angled and not correctly aligned to the outline the reporter is holding, but anything to reiterate that story wasn't really UK canon, eh readers?
- InDread Tidings,Dreadwind covered thatMetroplex's lack of UK appearances had been rectified since the letter was written plus stated the citybot was mentioned in the 1987 annual story "Ark Duty"and continued to tease about the upcoming"Time Wars".
- This issue includes an ad forDeath's Head#1 that includes a summary ofDeath's Head's career before he got his own solo series. The ad is worthy of note because it is one of the few times after his leaving its pages that direct reference is made to his adventures in Transformers.
Courtesy of my...
- Skullgrin's Pretender shell attacks Circuit Breaker with hisvibro-sword,then he moves in to finish her off with hisalt mode'sshrapnel blasters.
Covers (3)
- US issue #45 cover:Circuit Breaker vs Skullgrin, byBob BudianskyandDave Hunt.
- UK issue #190 cover:Circuit Breaker and a Skullgrin poster, byStephen Baskerville.
- UK issue #191 cover:Skullgrin's shell fighting his inner robot, byArt Wetherelland Stephen Baskerville.
US issue #45- If this was made in Japan, it could have gone horribly wrong...
UK issue #190- The only thing worse than robots — B movies.
UK issue #191- We always hurt the ones we are.
Advertisements
US
- Ultra Games - inside front cover
- Freedom Stick (wireless joystick)- between pages 4 & 5
- New England Comics- between pages 5 & 6
- Westfield Comics Subscription Service- between pages 7 & 8
- East Coast Comics- between pages 8 & 9
- Sketchy ads - between pages 16 & 17
- Olympic (sales catalog) - between pages 17 & 18
- Bullpen Bulletins and checklist - between pages 19 & 20
- Sketchy ads - between pages 20 & 21
- Transmissions
- Marvel Comics Subscriptions
- Forgotten Realms(AD&Dcampaigns) - inside back cover
- Candilicious candy - back cover
Reprints
- Transformers: Maximum ForceTPB:Scorponok,aTargetmastergun, theSteelhavenand half ofSkullgrin's head, byAndrew Wildman.
- Maximum ForceHC:Skullgrin, byPeter Snejbjerg.
- Classic TransformersVolume 3:Panels from this issue and US issues#35and#36.Art and pencils by José Delbo, pencils byDon Perlin,finishes by Dave Hunt & Don Hudson, inks byIan Akin&Brian Garvey,colours by Nel Yomtov.
- The Transformers Classics,Vol. 4:Starscream,byGuido Guidi.
- Transformers: The Definitive G1 CollectionVolume 12: Cosmic Carnival:Skullgrinand theCosmic CarnivalbyDon Figueroa,Frank SpringerandDanny Bulanadi
Maximum ForceTPB(Titan Books, 2004)
Maximum ForceHC
(Titan Books, 2004)
Classic TransformersVolume 3
(IDW Publishing, 2009)
The Transformers Classics,Vol. 4
(IDW Publishing, 2012)
The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 12: Cosmic Carnival(Hachette Partworks, 2018)
