There have been four main publishers of the comic book series bearing the name Transformers based on the toy lines of the same name. The first series was produced by Marvel Comics from 1984 to 1991, which ran for 80 issues and produced four spin-off miniseries. This was followed by a second volume titled Transformers: Generation 2, which ran for 12 issues starting in 1993. The second major series was produced by Dreamwave Productions from 2002 to 2004 with multiple limited series as well, and within multiple story continuities, until the company became bankrupt in 2005. The third and fourth series have been published by IDW Publishing with the third series starting with an issue #0 in October 2005 and a regular series starting in January 2006 to November 2018. The fourth series started in March 2019 with issue #1 and concluded in June 2022. There are also several limited series being produced by IDW as well. Skybound Entertainment began publishing Transformers comics starting in June 2023, kicking off the Energon Universe. In addition to these four main publishers, there have also been several other smaller publishers with varying degrees of success.
Overview No.TitleIssuesPublication dateFirst publishedLast publishedMarvel Comics continuity1The Transformers80September 1984July 19912The Transformers UK332September 1984January 19923G.I. Joe and the Transformers4January 1987April 19874The Transformers: Headmasters4July 1987January 19885Transformers: Generation 212November 1993October 19946The Transformers: Regeneration One20July 2012March 20147Transformers '84: Secrets & Lies4August 2019October 20203H Enterprises Beast Wars comics8Tales from the Beast Wars2July 1997July 20009Transformers: The Wreckers3July 2001July 200410Transformers: Universe3August 2003June 2004Dreamwave Generation One comics continuity11Transformers: Generation One26April 2002December 200412Transformers: The War Within15October 2002December 200313Transformers: Micromasters4June 2004September 2004Dreamwave Unicron Trilogy comics14Transformers: Armada18July 2002December 200315Transformers: Energon12January 2004December 200416IDW 2005 comics continuity427October 2005November 2018IDW Beast Wars comics17Beast Wars: The Gathering4February 2006May 200618Beast Wars: The Ascending4October 2007January 200819Transformers: Beast Wars18February 2021June 202220The Transformers: Hearts of Steel4June 2006September 200621IDW movie comics59February 2007August 201122Transformers (Titan)75July 2007September 201423Transformers Animated: The Arrival6August 2008December 200824IDW Aligned Continuity comics21June 2010December 2015IDW crossover comics25Transformers vs. G.I. Joe13July 2014June 201626Star Trek vs. Transformers5September 2018February 201927Transformers/Ghostbusters5June 2019October 201928Transformers vs. The Terminator4March 2020September 202029My Little Pony/Transformers8August 2020July 202130Transformers/Back to the Future4October 2020May 2021IDW 2019 comics continuity31Transformers35March 2019June 202232Transformers: Galaxies12September 2019December 202033Transformers: Escape5December 2020July 202134Wreckers: Tread & Circuits4October 2021January 202235Transformers: War's End4February 2022May 202236Transformers: King Grimlock5August 2021February 202237Transformers: Shattered Glass10August 2021December 202238Transformers: Last Bot Standing4May 2022August 2022Energon Universe (Skybound Entertainment)39Transformers24October 2023TBATotal1245September 1984June 2024
Marvel Comics
The Transformers (Generation 1), Marvel, U.S.
The Transformers comic by Marvel was the first and arguably the best known Transformers comic. Although it was originally intended to be a 4-issue limited series, it expanded into an ongoing series, which ran for 80 issues before being cancelled. The final cover read "80 in a 4 issue limited series". Issues #5–15, 17–32, 35–42 and 44–56 were written by Bob Budiansky, with Marvel UK writer Simon Furman taking over for the remainder of the comic. The comic did not attempt to follow the show and some elements and characters were completely absent, including Ultra Magnus, Springer, Arcee, and Metroplex. The comic started much the same as the show; a crew crash landing the Ark on Earth in the distant past. They are befriended by Buster Witwicky. His brother Spike eventually joins the cause as Autobot leader when he became the head of commander Fortress Maximus. There occurs a considerable amount of fractioning and in-fighting in both the Autobots and Decepticons. However, the series climax occurs when both sides, Autobots and Decepticons, form an uneasy peace to defend Cybertron from Unicron.
A few of the early issues were reprinted by Marvel in a digest sized magazine called The Transformers Comics Magazine that ran 10 issues from 1987 to 1988. Marvel had also reprinted some of these early issues in 1985, as the Transformers Collected Comics which ran 2 issues.
In latter years, when various other companies were able to obtain the license for the Transformers, they were able to gain access to the Marvel series and reprinted a lot of the issues. From 2001 to 2003, Titan Books reprinted numerous Marvel issues in a series of 14 trade paperbacks. Years later they were able to do more reprints but only in the U.K. market.
IDW Publishing reprinted numerous Marvel issues as well, as part of the Transformers: Generations series that ran 12 issues and a collected trade paperback from 2006 to 2007. Issues were also reprinted in The Transformers Magazine, that ran four issues in 2007, while other collections were published in 2008 and 2009. IDW began publishing another new series of reprints called Transformers Classics. This six volume series started getting published in June 2011. Meanwhile, a 100 Penny Press: Transformers Classics #1 mini edition was also published in June 2011. Some issues were also reprinted in the hardcover book Transformers: The Best Of Simon Furman in July 2007. In March 2014, the first issue of the series was reprinted as 100 Penny Press: Transformers #1
In July 2012, to prepare the new series Transformers: Regeneration One (which continued the Marvel series after 21 years), IDW Publishing released Transformers: Regeneration One 100-Page Spectacular. This one-shot reprinted issues 76–80 of the Marvel series.
In August 2013, IDW published the hardcover Transformers: 30th Anniversary Collection. This deluxe book celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Transformers franchise, and as such, many of the original Marvel books were reprinted.
Marvel UK
The sister title in the UK, this series ran for 332 issues, as well as spawning 7 annuals and 28 specials. It was a weekly publication that spliced original stories into the continuity of the reprinted US issues, and was mostly written by Simon Furman. At the start, it had a more serious science fiction approach. Because of the weekly approach, the UK comic was able to flesh out characters and ideas more; in the US comic, the Aerialbots and Stunticons are first shown having just been built and being given life by the Creation Matrix program, whereas the UK comic fleshed it out more and showed the two teams as being created out of new technology created by Shockwave after scanning Buster Witwicky while he had the Matrix downloaded into his brain. Furman also tried to maintain continuity with The Transformers: The Movie, and wrote several stories set in the future after the movie's ending, as well as bringing characters from the future (i.e. Galvatron) into the present day. Due to his epic and mythological approach, he was highly praised and succeeded Bob Budiansky on the US title at issue 56. The mythic tone continued to influence Furman's work on the Dreamwave and IDW comics.
Numerous issues and stories from this series would eventually be reprinted. Marvel UK themselves would reprint some stories in Transformers-The Complete Works Part 1 and Part 2, Plague of the Insecticons and The Transformers Universe Vol. One.
In latter years reprints were done courtesy of Titan Books who published reprints in 14 volumes.
When IDW Publishing acquired the licence to the property, they published various reprints in the hardcover book The Best Of Simon Furman and in the Best of UK Omnibus. Other reprints were featured in mini-series collections such as Target 2006 (#1–5), Dinobots (#1–6), Space Pirates (#1–5), Time Wars (#1–5), City of Fear (#1–5), and Prey (#1–5). A new 8 volume reprint collection called Transformers Classics: UK started getting released in October 2011.
The Transformers: The Movie, Marvel, U.S., 1986 A three-issue mini-series adaptation of the feature film, with no continuity ties to the regular comic series. Differences to the animated feature include the original designs for the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and Ultra Magnus' original death at the hand of Scourge and his Sweeps.
Transformers Universe, Marvel, U.S., 1986 A four-issue limited series in the style of Marvel Universe and G.I. Joe: Order of Battle, featuring lengthy bios of nearly all of the Transformers of the period. Most of the text was the same as the tech specs found on the toy boxes, only much more expanded. The first three issues (as well as the first portion of the fourth) contained all of the first, second and third year Transformers. The latter half of the fourth issue dealt with characters new to The Transformers: The Movie (1986), including characters that were not made as toys at the time.
The series was collected as a trade paperback in July 1987.
G.I. Joe and The Transformers, Marvel, U.S., 1987 A four-issue limited series written by Michael Higgins, G.I. Joe and the Transformers teamed-up the Transformers with the other popular Hasbro property of the 1980s, G.I. Joe. The Joes, the Autobots, and Cobra (after being betrayed by the Decepticons) must join forces to stop the Decepticons from activating an energy drill device to suck up energy from the Earth's core, which would destroy the planet in the process.
The story was hampered by continuity issues (though the storyline was only referred to in the pages of the Transformers comics, as G.I. Joe writer Larry Hama opted to ignore the mini-series), and the absence of several key characters from both franchises, including Cobra Commander, Optimus Prime, and Megatron, as the three characters were presumed dead at the time of the mini-series' publication. The story featured Bumblebee being destroyed by G.I. Joe forces and rebuilt as Goldbug. This plot point was ignored in the UK comic, where the story was not reprinted until much later in the comic's run, and resulted in an alternate story being conceived to change the character into his "Goldbug" persona.
Marvel UK also featured a crossover between these two properties. 'Ancient Relics' began in Issue 125 of the UK comic and continued within issues #24-#27 of Action Force, (the name given to the G.I. Joe comic series in the UK).
The Transformers: Headmasters, Marvel, U.S., 1987–1988
The Transformers: Headmasters is a four-issue mini-series (July 1987 – January 1988) introducing new characters that were incorporated into the ongoing series (issue #38) at the conclusion of the mini-series. The series introduces the Headmasters, Targetmasters, some of the movie Transformers, Monsterbots, Horrorcons, Technobots and Terrorcons.