One of the coolest presents I received from my awesome wife was the first volume collection of “Transformers Classics UK”  from IDW press.

In the 1980’s Hasbro developed a toy line, Transformers, based off the Diaclone and Microman toy lines originally created by Japanese toy manufacturer Takara. (I am not entirely sure if Hasbro bought the idea or literally stole the idea and sold it in the western world).  Due to the successful marketing and campaign of the toy line, GI JOE, Hasbro decided to work again with Marvel Comics to produce an animated series, comic book series, and toy line known as Transformers. It was the ultimate promotion vehicle- with each animated Transformers show or comic book issue a new character was introduced with the resulting new Transformer toy being introduced on toy shelves. I would imagine being a parent back then with a young boy it would have been a bit confusing.

Meanwhile, in the UK, a limited amount of toys were coming to the British Isle along with a weekly comic series that reprinted the American Transformers comic series as well as an original British comic series. British kids instantly took to the series and it was so popular that it lasted for 332 issues. Each week a new issue came out for a relatively cheap price. The artistic styles of the UK comics were very different than their US counterparts. The British version seemed to use darker lines in it’s art with coloring done by water colors. Also, the British script seem to be edgier and a bit frightening at times.( One of the 4-part series featured a mysterious “Iron Giant” that stalked a boy while he was sleeping! )

If you are a fan of 1980’s comics, especially Transformers, I highly suggest taking a look at the first volume of the Transformers UK series.

– lucien desar