by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey ![]() Script- Simon Furman Art- Geoff Senior Letters- Annie Halfarcee Colour- Gina Hart Editor- Ian Rimmer synopsisThe Transformers 86. Galvatron Vs. Ultra Magnus. Dave So, it's 'Crunch Time,' as we are getting nearer to the end of the 'Target: 2006' run with issue 86. This is a cover I do remember. Kev Yep, “It’s Crunch Time,” alright. This is the big one. This is what we’ve been waiting for. Dave It's the main event. I think ‘Crunch Time’ sums it up perfectly. Kev Yeh, it's a pretty good tagline. What do you make of this cover? You say you remember it, so it's at least memorable to you, but I get the impression that you haven't exactly been blown away by some of the covers in this run. Dave This was quite an iconic cover, as it was, as you say, the big event we were anticipating. It's a good cover, yeah, some of them haven't been so good in general, but in this is still a good one. What do you think of the cover? Kev I don't think it has the kinetic energy of Senior's interiors, but what Robin Smith does manage to convey is the sense of two big, meaty, metallic boys just smashing into each other. It's like big lads wrestling. Dave This issue is another Furman and Senior collaboration as well. That opening panel, of an evil-looking Galvatron grinning, is class, and this high speed struggle that's going on is great. There is nothing like a good, high octane, speeding chase, with a twist. It is a bit like the tunnel chase in 'Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom.' Kev It is a bit actually, yeh. That first page is another nice, little one page recap by Furman and Senior. Then we’re into one of thee most iconic Transformers splash pages. I love the damage Senior shows that this fight is doing to Magnus, with the smashed windows and bent out of shape grill that he now has in his truck mode. And it’s only going to get worse as this issue goes on. ![]() Dave It's an unusual twist, as I would have expected Magnus to be in robot form. Kev True. He did end last issue in robot mode, didn't he? We get a little flashback business later on that works as an explanation/fill-in-the-blanks, to show us how we got to here. This opening gambit is a fantastic example of Furman writing to his collaborating artists' strengths. This is all just action, action, action, and no Transformers artist did this kind of stuff better than Senior. Jeez, there weren’t many comic book artists who did this stuff better than Senior, full stop. Dave His images are so visually strong and attention grabbing. I think the splash page is great and would make good poster art. It is very fast paced, and there is no time wasted with getting into this, and it’s obvious Magnus is taking a shit kicking this issue. Kev He really is taking a kicking, isn't he? I like his quippy, running commentary in the early stages of this issue though. It’s reminiscent of Spidey, when he’s fighting an opponent that he knows has got him outmatched. Dave Those three pages are fantastic, and all too brief, as Magnus is really having to scrape by to get the better of Galvatron. Kev Yeh. I always forget that Furman uses a Magnus flashback here to show us, not only what happened earlier in the fight, but also just how long this fight has been going on for. More excellent Magnus quippage here with, “Careful now, Galvatron… you wouldn’t want to damage your little toy now, would you?” and “Oops! You seem to have snapped off another bit.” Dave I like that panel on page 5 of Magnus, standing on the edge of the bridge, looking down. ![]() Kev Yep. It's hella good. In fact, Senior’s art throughout this issue is simply outstanding. The kinetic energyof it is amazing. For example, you can feel the impact of that gorilla press slam that Galvatron hits Magnus with in your bones. Dave The pace of these first five pages is just relentless, and so engaging. It never lets up. Again, this is a nice little cut, back to pre-the fight, as well. Kev Yeh, the flashback is quality. It's all been building up to this though. This is kind-of the crescendo, I reckon. Everything after this is just the aftermath. Dave Yeah. Galvatron really is a force to be reckoned with. Kev He really does seem unbeatable at this point, and his arrogance here is fantastic too. “Did you really think you could best me? Well, did you?! I was forged in the fires of a god! I was made indestructible… unbeatable!” Superb villain characterisation from Furman. Dave Senior really understands the mechanics of good fight choreography. He knows how to easily make these fights entertaining, yet also manages to keep them grounded as well. Kev Yeh, Senior's fight choreography is top drawer, isn't it? Dave Galvatron looks more and more insane as this fight goes on. His madness is continuing to grow. Kev That's a good point actually. I hadn't really thought of it before, but you're right, you can kind-of see him starting to unravel, even at this early stage. I suppose it was always there, to a certain extent, with Megatron, and I wonder if the transition into Galvatron at the hands of Unicron served only to exacerbate that particular situation by scrambling his mind even further. Dave And Furman still keeps little bits of humour in his writing, like when Magnus quips about Galvatron’s mouth being constant. Magnus is doing a sterling job holding it together, considering the damage he has sustained up to this point. Kev Yeh, and if Kup is correct, then Magnus has been enduring this beating for at least an hour now. Maybe even as much as two. I like Magnus’s cracked eye lens too. That’s such a nice touch. It shows the toll that this fight is having on him. ![]() Dave There's quite a lot of little subtle humour throughout this fight, as Kup tells Magnus ".....if i were you I'd," and then Magnus notices in time, "MOVE!" Kev Definitely. Like I always say, Furman writes that action movie, summer blockbuster style comic better than just about anyone. I’m not sure it was the wisest tactical move by Magnus to just stand there and have a wee daydream, giving Galvatron the time he needed, not only to recover, but to gain the upper hand again though. And I’ve always thought that little back-drop that Galvatron pulls off on Magnus whilst he’s in his laser tank mode was amusing. It’s the way Magnus seems to just faceplant. Ha, ha! It's not very flattering. Dave I think the variety of angles used in these panels is great. It just enhances the visuals with each panel. For example, that's a hell of a great panel on the bottom of page 10, with the explosion. You can see just how powerful it is. It’s got great colours by Gina Hart as well. Kev I agree. Senior's sense of composition, and "camera placement" is fantastic. It reminds me so much of 'How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way,' in that everything is about making each image more dynamic and energetic. And his art on those last two pages is nothing short of a masterclass. It’s just so good. And when combined with Furman’s prose, on the last page in particular…..what an ending. What a climax. Dave It looks apocalyptic on the last page, and the second last panel is like 'The Terminator' rising from the burning flames. Kev Yes! Good point, man. More of 'The Terminator’s' influences on Furman showing through here. Dave And then we see that it’s a demonic looking Galvatron, standing victorious. The angle of that last panel, as seen from the ground up, is excellent. Kev I like Galvatron's bicep-flexing, victory pose as well. He likes showing off the guns, does old Galvatron. He was doing it a few weeks back on the cover of issue 84 as well. Dave Victory was his all the way through. This issue is essentially just a one track story, a fight, with minimal flashbacks. Kev Yep. It's a pretty simple, straightforward issue. Dave And it was a quicker read this time, as it was less weighed down by narrative, and had more of Galvatron’s slightly megalomaniacal quips, which just sound like the machine is deranged. I think this issue had to be done by Furman and Senior though, no other combo would have worked for this issue. That's a real testament to their talents. Kev Yeh, I agree. For the type of issue it is, no other team could've pulled it off quite like this. Dave Do you know why it worked so well? ‘Cause it kept the story nice and simple, with plenty of action to entertain along the way. Kev Yeh, it's properly action-packed, isn't it? Dave Indeed. It is a real treat. Especially for fans of this genre. Kev Absolutely. I wasn’t a big prose reader when I was young. I didn’t have the attention span, or the patience, for novels back then, and my English teacher in second year was surprised when she found this out, as according to her I had, and I quote, “quite a good vocabulary.” Just “quite” mind. She didn’t want to put me over too much. But I honestly think I owe that to Furman, and the fact that he often had me reaching for the dictionary (it’s what we used to find out what words meant before Google, kids) to discover the definition of words like “conflagration.” I think this is an excellent issue. It feels like the main event on a wrestling pay-per-view, and along with ‘Defeat,’ this is the other highlight of ‘Target: 2006’ for me, personally. As different as they are to each other. They're opposite ends of a spectrum almost. (D) & (K) Next: 'Back To The Future!'
2 Comments
ROBO-DOG
9/11/2021 12:56:55
"He likes showing off the guns, does old Galvatron."
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10/11/2021 00:11:05
Ha, ha! He's doing his best Bill Goldberg impersonation.
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