The Transformers Compendium Vol. 1

by Bob Budiansky, Bill Mantlo, Ralph Macchio

TRANSFORM AND ROLL OUT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!
THE TRANSFORMERS rocked the comic book world with their debut that was truly MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, and now you can experience every issue-from the original series and tie-ins-in this new reader-friendly compendium format for the very first time.
Discover the heroic Autobots, the evil Decepticons, and the galaxy-spanning war that will leave you breathless in this first volume perfect for fans new and old.

Collects THE TRANSFORMERS #1-46 and THE TRANSFORMERS: HEADMASTERS #1-4

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction

1208 pages, Paperback

Published June 10, 2025

About the author

American comic book writer, editor, and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel's Transformers comic. He also created the Marvel character Sleepwalker and wrote all 33 issues of that comic.

Reviews

[Benji's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this massive tome 12 days early, on May 30th, in NYC, before the official release on June 10th. It is the Direct Market exclusive cover featuring Bill Sienkiewicz iconic cover for Transformers no. 1.

Growing up, I had only had the US Titan Books Collections ("Matrix Quest", "All Fall Down" and "End of the Road"), so my introduction to the Marvel years of Transformers was actually the end of that whole run. Side note: I found those three trade paperbacks at a Job Lot of all places as a kid, so "Boombox-eared" Optimus Prime is the most nostalgic Prime for me.

This was a great collection of comics featuring the Transformers, collecting issues 1-46, as well as Headmasters 1-4. Fans will be happy to hear that issue no. 3 is also collected, previously left out of other collections for copyright reasons, since it is an issue that guest-stars Spider-Man.

As much as I'd love these stories to focus more on Optimus Prime and Megatron, this story does the unexpected and shows us that those characters are minor in an entire galaxy full of other sentient beings. I mean, Fortress Maximus probably had more "screen-time" than Megatron. They get their fair share, but overall, they are minor characters compared to other adaptations, where they are up front and center throughout the whole story.

How does this compare to Larry Hama's run on G.I. JOE? Of course, it's subjective, but coming from someone who prefers Transformers, I have to say Joe takes the win on this debate. Hama's writing just flows so smoothly, even when shoving new characters into every single chapter just to sell toys. He makes it feel real, as if they aren't actually showing up just to sell toys, and they're actually meant to be there. Here, every issue focuses on new characters and jumps all over the place. It can get very confusing throughout, since there isn't enough time to get to know anyone and they all have the same personality for the most part. They are very one-dimensional, whereas in Hama's G.I. Joe, each character feels real and different.

Overall, I do not regret picking this one up, though. I missed out on the kickstarter, but I love how the spine and cover look on this compared to the hardcover anyway, so I see it as a win. It's rare for Image Comics compendiums to include pictures of the covers for each comic inside, but fortunately, this and the G.I. JOE Compendiums includes them on a page before each chapter begins.

Recommended!

[Phillip Murrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I watched The Transformers religiously in the 80s. I loved it! I cheered when important characters, including Optimus Prime, got whacked in the movie. It made everything more real for me. Years ago, I read all the G. I. Joe comics and loved how many casualties they had. People told me The Transformers comics were the same, so when I learned of this compendium, I jumped at it. Man is it cheesy! The casualties don't count for anything. Leadership, especially among the Decepticons, changes without reason. Megatron is barely a presence in the first 50 issues (counting Headmasters) in this bundle. I'm disappointed I have the second half of the series coming. I'll read it, but I expect even worse stories. I already got to boring and inexplicable Pretender characters (yet no sign of Arcee, Springer, or Ultra Magnus). I can't imagine the back half of the run will improve. For those claiming the UK version is superior, that means little. I read some of those and was equally as bored. I found it more as padding than deeper dives into characters who disappeared faster than their cartoon counterparts. This was the real toy commercial. I've definitively decided the original cartoon is superior in every way to all other Transformers mediums. Rumble is blue.

[Michael Bertrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compendium contains issues 1-46 of the 1980s Marvel Transformers comics and issues 1-4 of the Transformers Headmasters mini-series.

I discuss the background of the 1980s comics in THIS REVIEW

There's nothing new here, content-wise. It's important to note- the issues with Spiderman and Circuit Breaker are present. This is everything from issues 1-46.

Some notes about the book quality:

1. This book is massive. So big that it's almost unreadable.
2. It's softcover, which is a problem in such a large book. The binding is sure to fail, especially if kids have access to it.
3. The paper quality isn't awesome. I'm not usually picky about this one, but the paper feels (and smells) like the old-school low-grade paper used in the original printings. This is a disappointment if you're buying this to collect. Other reprints of the 80s run made a point of using better quality paper.
4. The original art wasn't groundbreaking to start with. They were making a comic book for kids and they knew it. Thus, the art was functional and fun. There are panels in this reprint that look muddy or blurred. That might be an error from the source material. Or it might be issues with quality control.

Considering that this compendium is going for $50 new ($1 a comic) I'd say you get what you pay for. I'm glad I bought it, but I'm a little disappointed in the quality.

[Diamond Feit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly nostalgic for me as I collected, read, and reread these pages as a child. Seeing them today it’s impossible not to see the messy narrative as the demands of the toy biz forced the writers to rush new “characters” onto the page resulting in dozens of new robots with increasingly little individuality.
Still, the comics do push harder angles than the cartoon ever did. I appreciate that.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always loved the Transformers as a kid but never read any of the comics so I decided to rectify that. First, I'll say that it's very different than the cartoon. There's a lot less focus on individual characters. Each issue focuses on different ones. As the series goes on, it becomes more and more about introducing the new toys. The first three-quarters of this is pretty good. Once the Headmasters show up, it loses focus. I thought the Headmasters were stupid when I was a kid and I still think they are stupid now. The head turns into a human that is controlling them? What kind of sense does that make? The other thing that was really strange was how inconsistent the size of certain transformers were when they changed. Megatron shrinks down into a normal gun when he transforms. Shockwave is a giant gun floating through the air. It looks ridiculous. The Insecticons shrink down to the size of insects when they are in insect form. I wish they'd just explain that. It bugged me as a kid and it bugs me now.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The '80s Transformers is interesting in many ways.

The science-fiction aspects and the world-building are great.

It's also interesting how it tells its one-off tales. Just having them be one-and-dones wasn't unusual at the time, but the way The Transformers constantly shifts its viewpoints and its storytelling was quite innovative.

On the other hand, the comic is deeply impacted by its requirement to support a toy line. New characters are constantly introduced to match the newest toys and old ones disappear. It badly hurts any ability to have characters arcs (or at times even plot arcs).

The best pair of issues are the ones that were originally printed in The Transformers UK. Both the storytelling and art are a whole level above what was being done in the US comics.

As for the worst? That was probably the Carwash of Doom. Seriously. Hypnotizing people to fill up and empty their gas tanks. Yikes!

[I. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book itself is absolutely worth the price as it’s a perfect reproduction of the original issues. The problem lies in the fact that the original comic isn’t that great. Budiansky tries admirably but the constant requirements to introduce new characters almost every issue means there’s no focus or really any group to latch on to. It’s just a never ending : introducing the predacons, the aerialbots, the stunticons, the sparklebots, the pretenders, the headmasters, etc etc.
I have loads of nostalgia for this series as I collected it as a kid but never had more than a few issues here and there, so I never knew how the story arcs played out. Reading it all here in one place is nice, but the stories themselves weren’t nearly as well done as say GI Joe. Still, this is a tremendous volume well worth getting even if it’s not as good as you’ll remember.

[Trey Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRANSFORMERS!!!!
this book is very fun. lots of great artwork in here and lots of the earlier stories are fantastic. The first 12 issues or so where Ratchet is the only Autobot alive and has to bring back all of the Autobots after they are slain by Shockwave in issue 5 is some of the best Marvel comic book reading I have done in a while.
if you are expecting to read about all of your favorite characters like Optimus Prime, Soundwave, Prowl and Hound, well you are out of luck. most of them are killed off around issue 11, and in their stead we are introduced to dozens of other characters to sell toys. I just do not care about the predacons, the throttlebots, the firecons, pretenders, head masters, target masters, and other meaningless characters with no personality.
the stories involving those characters are still fun, but I wish they were about Optimus Prime instead of Fortress Maximus

[Davide Pappalardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating 2.3

This first compendium encompasses 46 issues of the original Transformers series, plus the 4-issue limited series Headmasters.

Unfortunately, the writing hasnt aged too well, and this is really a product aimed at children.

The plot starts to meander after the first 12 issues, the same kind of situation is repeated again and again. There are some very nonsensical plot twists, and everything is very childish.

Unlike the G.I. Joe series, they failed to make a comic that both young and older readers can fully appreciate.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 2025