Transformers, Vol. 11: Primal Scream

Transformers US Titan Collections #11

by Simon Furman, Geoff Senior (Illustrator), José Delbo (Illustrator)

The hit animated TV shows Beast Wars and Beast Machines introduced a whole new generation to the Transformers - a race of robots able to shift form and become vehicles, weaponry and hardware. Now, at last, the original stories of those ‘robots in disguise’ can be seen again in their world-shaking glory. The death of a hero... the return of an old foe... and the awakening of the gods! When Ratchet, Autobot chief medic, is kidnapped, a desolate Optimus Prime must find it within himself to continue the eternal battle against the Decepticons. And unbeknownst to all of them, their battles have woken Primus - creator of the Transformers. Unfortunately, Primus’ scream upon waking has awoken an enemy from before time - an enemy who will not rest until all are dead - Unicron!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Simon Christopher Francis Furman is a British comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro/Tomy's Transformers franchise, starting with writing Marvel's initial comic book to promote the toyline worldwide, as well as foundations for both Dreamwave Production's and IDW Publishing's takes on the Generation 1 minifranchise.

Reviews

[Hugo · Rating 3 out of 5]

kind of not good but this is also like exactly the goofy pseudo-space opera beige food i need rn, definitely up there in the pantheon of silly scifi for me

[Shawn C. Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Primal Scream, the eventual greatness Simon Furman’s run on Marvel’s Transformers Comic would achieve had not yet manifested. You can see how this is still very much a “licensed property” comic, first and foremost. But the seeds for greatness are there. I’ve never been a fanboy for Transformers the way some my age are - no disrespect intended - but I always admired the way that Bob Budiansky and then Furman wove a certain frenetic Kirby-ness into the book, embracing the constant tide of character introductions as a way to kill-off characters, sometimes within the span of a single issue. In the collected volumes that follow Primal Scream Furman really begins to make the book his own, until the books cancellation and eventual return in 2012 with the incomparably plotted Regeneration miniseries which, to me, helps this title transcend the limitations of being, essentially an ad for merchandise, and become a modern science fiction epic.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Transformers comics I've read as Simon Furman makes the leap from UK to US Transformers writing. Taking some slightly worn and very convoluted threads and putting them in a new context while giving fans what they want from the series was a great plan. Bonus for Bird of Prey, a fill in story that has Nightbeat in a Noir (get it?) chasing a mysterious Maltese Falcon as jumbo Bogey monsters chase his group around. The offbeat charm of the UK smashes headlong into the bigger picture of the US series!

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's great to have Simon Furman in the writer's seat for these issues, but honestly, they don't feel much different at the start than the previous issues. Part of it is Jose Delbo's art, which is so cartoony and makes it hard to take the story seriously (Geoff Senior's much grittier work on the last few issues in the collection certainly helps). But, while Furman does some work with the characters, the personalities are still rather broad and it's not until the last few issues that he begins to really get his plot rolling.

[Lena Fickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trade includes the first US Transformers comics written by Simon Furman. I really enjoyed these issues, especially the last two issues, Primal Scream and Matrix Quest issue 1 of 5: Bird of Prey.

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't really too excited about these comics. The colours were kind of bland, and i didn't like some aspects of the stories but overall they were a fun read with classic 80's action.