The former, as far as i'm concerned.
(40th Anniv.) Ranking the 100 Marvel (US) G1/G2 Comic Covers: Complete!
- Thread starter Magnusblitz
- Start date
As I recall, the only way they could use Spider-Man at all was if he was in the black costume, since rival Mattel was selling a toy of classic duds Spidey at the time.
Former.
#25: The Transformers #23 - "Decepticon Graffiti!"
Herb Trimpe
An instantly-recognizable American landmark, defaced with graffiti (with some backwards letters, because the hooligans aren't too bright) - this cover instantly tells you everything you need to know about Runabout and Runamuck, with nary a caption needed. The sunset sky is a nice touch too.
#24: The Transformers #18 - "The Bridge to Nowhere!"
Herb Trimpe
Of the chunk of G1 comics I had when I was young, this was a stand-out cover for me - just a nice fight scene between two cool bots, the underappreciated Marvel Blaster, and Obscure Guy (at the time) Straxus. Still kinda crazy to think that since then we've had a mainline Straxus toy with another one on the way (packaged in this cover!) I love the way Straxus is drawn here, giving his pickaxe the necessary heft.
That said, there are a few things that keep it just out of the best for me - while I like the detailed background, I'm not a fan of the bright green, nor the way the characters are floating in it. And for some reason the little energy burst around Blaster's head has always bugged me, surely if Straxus made contact he would've had his head split in half. But still a pretty iconic cover.
#23: The Transformers #2 - "Power Play!"
Michael Golden
Golden's only contribution to Transformers (not uncommon for the early issues, especially when it was still planned as a mini). Aside from the eyes, it's actually quite close to the Sunbow model sheets (in terms of pencils), helping give a more "cartoon" look to the scene, even though this issue would predate the cartoon by a couple months. Just a really good 'classic' scene - you've got the obvious bad guy blasting the obvious good guy while the small guys are in distress.
#22: The Transformers #69 - "Eye of the Storm"
Andrew Wildman
Wildman's first issue, and he starts off with a bang. Yeah, it's a bit busy with lots of different characters all sort of just lined up, but it still immediately shows off some nice artwork and I think draws the reader in to seeing what's going on inside.
#21: The Transformers #75 - "On the Edge of Extinction!"
Geoff Senior
Geoff Senior was a fixture of the later-stage Marvel run, being brought over from the UK book to do penciling work on Matrix Quest, this issue, and later the tail end of G2. This was the only US cover he got to do, but he made the most of it, as #75 is arguably the climatic high point of the original G1 run given the cancellation as of #80.
It's a pretty awesome picture, allowing the Chaos Bringer to take up the majority of the cover while everyone's favoritetoys characters get devoured like so many M&Ms. Unfortunately I do think the final image editors dropped the ball a bit here, as the "The End?!" box feels oddly small and the green text is nigh-unreadable. It also feels a bit cruel to tease "the end or the beginning" in retrospect given the real end was only a few issues out, though they didn't know it at the time.
Herb Trimpe
An instantly-recognizable American landmark, defaced with graffiti (with some backwards letters, because the hooligans aren't too bright) - this cover instantly tells you everything you need to know about Runabout and Runamuck, with nary a caption needed. The sunset sky is a nice touch too.
#24: The Transformers #18 - "The Bridge to Nowhere!"
Herb Trimpe
Of the chunk of G1 comics I had when I was young, this was a stand-out cover for me - just a nice fight scene between two cool bots, the underappreciated Marvel Blaster, and Obscure Guy (at the time) Straxus. Still kinda crazy to think that since then we've had a mainline Straxus toy with another one on the way (packaged in this cover!) I love the way Straxus is drawn here, giving his pickaxe the necessary heft.
That said, there are a few things that keep it just out of the best for me - while I like the detailed background, I'm not a fan of the bright green, nor the way the characters are floating in it. And for some reason the little energy burst around Blaster's head has always bugged me, surely if Straxus made contact he would've had his head split in half. But still a pretty iconic cover.
#23: The Transformers #2 - "Power Play!"
Michael Golden
Golden's only contribution to Transformers (not uncommon for the early issues, especially when it was still planned as a mini). Aside from the eyes, it's actually quite close to the Sunbow model sheets (in terms of pencils), helping give a more "cartoon" look to the scene, even though this issue would predate the cartoon by a couple months. Just a really good 'classic' scene - you've got the obvious bad guy blasting the obvious good guy while the small guys are in distress.
#22: The Transformers #69 - "Eye of the Storm"
Andrew Wildman
Wildman's first issue, and he starts off with a bang. Yeah, it's a bit busy with lots of different characters all sort of just lined up, but it still immediately shows off some nice artwork and I think draws the reader in to seeing what's going on inside.
#21: The Transformers #75 - "On the Edge of Extinction!"
Geoff Senior
Geoff Senior was a fixture of the later-stage Marvel run, being brought over from the UK book to do penciling work on Matrix Quest, this issue, and later the tail end of G2. This was the only US cover he got to do, but he made the most of it, as #75 is arguably the climatic high point of the original G1 run given the cancellation as of #80.
It's a pretty awesome picture, allowing the Chaos Bringer to take up the majority of the cover while everyone's favorite
I'm pretty sure it was meant to be a glancing blow, Blaster just barely avoiding a much worse fate at the hands of his enemy.
Man, I love seeing those early Marvel covers!
#20: The Transformers #60: "Yesterday's Heroes!"
José Delbo, Danny Bulanadi
Our final Delbo cover! I like to rag on his work, but credit where credit's due, this one is a banger - samurai Bludgeon descending upon the Autobots from above is a great concept, and the choice of angle here is a great one (and helps emphasize Bludgeon, who he knew how to draw, versus the somewhat-derpier Autobots). I'm also really a fan of the synthwave-style color palette with walls of purple, blue and pink contrasting against the bright orange Bludgeon.
#19: The Transformers #32: "Used Autobots"
Frank Springer
Of all the "characters firing at each other angled towards the viewer" shots, this one is my favorite. I just love how big and bold Hot Spot is, juxtaposed against the ominous "Used Autobots" sign. And the guys in the background are pretty decently detailed too, even enough to overlook that Springer mistakenly drew Brawn instead of Brawl.
#18: The Transformers #7: "Warrior School!"
Mark Bright, Herb Trimpe
I think this one could work even without the expository word bubbles - Megatron looming in the shadows framed by the light of the corridor beyond while Ratchet and Buster are clearly sneaking around tells you all you need to know about what's going on.
An interesting note on the wiki is that Herb Trimpe apparently drew Megatron independently as an overlay to the rest of the cover (by Bright), leading to some speculation that Bright had mistakenly drawn an earlier-model Megatron. It'd be interesting to see the original!
#17: The Transformers #12: "Prime Time!"
Herb Trimpe
I think this might be one of the, if not the coolest Optimus was drawn on a Marvel G1 cover... and of course it's when his body is being controlled and shooting his own troops, heh. The way the Autobots are falling around him is a bit silly, but the models are really nicely detailed and "Optimus Prime: Autobot Killer!" is a great tagline, especially for a comic still in its first 12 issues.
#16: "The Transformers #25: "Gone but Not Forgotten!"
Herb Trimpe
Some of the Predacons aren't the most intimidating (looking at you Rampage) but I like the positioning of a surrounded, damaged Megatron in dire straits. A bit surprisingly for a 25th issue, there's no special anniversary callout, but I think I actually prefer that. The sunset sky is a perfect choice here too for Megs' last stand, and it's a nice followup given Optimus was slain last issue.
José Delbo, Danny Bulanadi
Our final Delbo cover! I like to rag on his work, but credit where credit's due, this one is a banger - samurai Bludgeon descending upon the Autobots from above is a great concept, and the choice of angle here is a great one (and helps emphasize Bludgeon, who he knew how to draw, versus the somewhat-derpier Autobots). I'm also really a fan of the synthwave-style color palette with walls of purple, blue and pink contrasting against the bright orange Bludgeon.
#19: The Transformers #32: "Used Autobots"
Frank Springer
Of all the "characters firing at each other angled towards the viewer" shots, this one is my favorite. I just love how big and bold Hot Spot is, juxtaposed against the ominous "Used Autobots" sign. And the guys in the background are pretty decently detailed too, even enough to overlook that Springer mistakenly drew Brawn instead of Brawl.
#18: The Transformers #7: "Warrior School!"
Mark Bright, Herb Trimpe
I think this one could work even without the expository word bubbles - Megatron looming in the shadows framed by the light of the corridor beyond while Ratchet and Buster are clearly sneaking around tells you all you need to know about what's going on.
An interesting note on the wiki is that Herb Trimpe apparently drew Megatron independently as an overlay to the rest of the cover (by Bright), leading to some speculation that Bright had mistakenly drawn an earlier-model Megatron. It'd be interesting to see the original!
#17: The Transformers #12: "Prime Time!"
Herb Trimpe
I think this might be one of the, if not the coolest Optimus was drawn on a Marvel G1 cover... and of course it's when his body is being controlled and shooting his own troops, heh. The way the Autobots are falling around him is a bit silly, but the models are really nicely detailed and "Optimus Prime: Autobot Killer!" is a great tagline, especially for a comic still in its first 12 issues.
#16: "The Transformers #25: "Gone but Not Forgotten!"
Herb Trimpe
Some of the Predacons aren't the most intimidating (looking at you Rampage) but I like the positioning of a surrounded, damaged Megatron in dire straits. A bit surprisingly for a 25th issue, there's no special anniversary callout, but I think I actually prefer that. The sunset sky is a perfect choice here too for Megs' last stand, and it's a nice followup given Optimus was slain last issue.
I was today years old when I learned that there was any green text there at all.
Love that cover! That entire issue is really good too.
In fairness, the series was barely more than half a year old at this point, and Megatron wasn't quite the icon he is now#18: The Transformers #7: "Warrior School!"
Mark Bright, Herb Trimpe
I think this one could work even without the expository word bubbles - Megatron looming in the shadows framed by the light of the corridor beyond while Ratchet and Buster are clearly sneaking around tells you all you need to know about what's going on.
An interesting note on the wiki is that Herb Trimpe apparently drew Megatron independently as an overlay to the rest of the cover (by Bright), leading to some speculation that Bright had mistakenly drawn an earlier-model Megatron. It'd be interesting to see the original!
Oh definitely; it's not meant as a negative against the word bubble, just a positive for how nicely things were composed.
#15: Transformers: Generation 2 #10 - "Total War!"
Derek Yaniger
A nice eye-catching close-up making good use of Yaniger's style and detail, and an effective motif with the model Earth being crushed. I also really like the use of the word bubble (G2-style colored shapes included!) as the text blurb.
#14: The Transformers #15 - "I, Robot-Master!"
Herb Trimpe
As mentioned for the "Bird of Prey" cover, I'm a sucker for the meta-style "cover within a cover" bit. I like this one a bit more since it actually involves the plot within (as opposed to just a theme setting) and that it purports to be an actual comic (even duplicating stuff like the corner box and Comics Code stamp!) And, this is also the rare cover where blatant character miscolorings actually work in its favor, by showing that the (in-universe) cover designers are a bit short on the details (such as co-mingling Autobots and Decepticons).
#13: The Transformers #17 - "The Smelting Pool!"
Herb Trimpe
I remember back in 2006 during the infancy of IDW's (first) run when Stormbringer was advertised as "nothing but robots on Cybertron!" in response to fans unhappy about the slow burn on Earth. Well, time is a flat circle, because Marvel had it's own 'nothing but robots on Cybertron' moment fairly early on too, and in a big way. I love pretty much everything about this cover - the melting robots, the angle from the bottom of the pit looking up, all the pretty reds and pinks... it all just works.
#12: G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1 - "Blood on the Tracks"
Herb Trimpe
This cover also kicks off things (in this case, the GIJOE/TF crossover) in a big way, with GIJOE blasting a hapless Bumblebee to death. Hero-on-hero crossover fights are a bit trite these days, but I gotta think that nearly 40 years ago this was a bit more of a shocker. One might even assume it's a bit of a bait cover (especially after Bumblebee was similarly in trouble only a few months prior in issue #16), but no, this is pretty much what happens inside. A perfect way to start off the crossover, if a wee bit spoilery.
#11: Transformers: Generation 2 #8 - "Escalation!"
Derek Yaniger
"Optimus and Megatron team up" is another thing that probably seems trite by today's standards (heck, there's a whole movie about it coming out later this year!) but I'm pretty sure this was the first time it actually happened in Transformers history, outside of short moments like "Countdown to Extinction". With that perspective, this cover is pretty dang mind-blowing - at least it was to me as an 8-year-old in 1994, but I think it still holds up historically in that regard. I also like the barbarian vibes from Megatron here with a broadsword standing atop a pile of vanquished skulls.
Derek Yaniger
A nice eye-catching close-up making good use of Yaniger's style and detail, and an effective motif with the model Earth being crushed. I also really like the use of the word bubble (G2-style colored shapes included!) as the text blurb.
#14: The Transformers #15 - "I, Robot-Master!"
Herb Trimpe
As mentioned for the "Bird of Prey" cover, I'm a sucker for the meta-style "cover within a cover" bit. I like this one a bit more since it actually involves the plot within (as opposed to just a theme setting) and that it purports to be an actual comic (even duplicating stuff like the corner box and Comics Code stamp!) And, this is also the rare cover where blatant character miscolorings actually work in its favor, by showing that the (in-universe) cover designers are a bit short on the details (such as co-mingling Autobots and Decepticons).
#13: The Transformers #17 - "The Smelting Pool!"
Herb Trimpe
I remember back in 2006 during the infancy of IDW's (first) run when Stormbringer was advertised as "nothing but robots on Cybertron!" in response to fans unhappy about the slow burn on Earth. Well, time is a flat circle, because Marvel had it's own 'nothing but robots on Cybertron' moment fairly early on too, and in a big way. I love pretty much everything about this cover - the melting robots, the angle from the bottom of the pit looking up, all the pretty reds and pinks... it all just works.
#12: G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1 - "Blood on the Tracks"
Herb Trimpe
This cover also kicks off things (in this case, the GIJOE/TF crossover) in a big way, with GIJOE blasting a hapless Bumblebee to death. Hero-on-hero crossover fights are a bit trite these days, but I gotta think that nearly 40 years ago this was a bit more of a shocker. One might even assume it's a bit of a bait cover (especially after Bumblebee was similarly in trouble only a few months prior in issue #16), but no, this is pretty much what happens inside. A perfect way to start off the crossover, if a wee bit spoilery.
#11: Transformers: Generation 2 #8 - "Escalation!"
Derek Yaniger
"Optimus and Megatron team up" is another thing that probably seems trite by today's standards (heck, there's a whole movie about it coming out later this year!) but I'm pretty sure this was the first time it actually happened in Transformers history, outside of short moments like "Countdown to Extinction". With that perspective, this cover is pretty dang mind-blowing - at least it was to me as an 8-year-old in 1994, but I think it still holds up historically in that regard. I also like the barbarian vibes from Megatron here with a broadsword standing atop a pile of vanquished skulls.
Getting closer to that #1 cover!
Ah, one of my first, in a 3-pack with the rock concert and a thug finding Megatron as a gun.#14: The Transformers #15 - "I, Robot-Master!"
Herb Trimpe
As mentioned for the "Bird of Prey" cover, I'm a sucker for the meta-style "cover within a cover" bit. I like this one a bit more since it actually involves the plot within (as opposed to just a theme setting) and that it purports to be an actual comic (even duplicating stuff like the corner box and Comics Code stamp!) And, this is also the rare cover where blatant character miscolorings actually work in its favor, by showing that the (in-universe) cover designers are a bit short on the details (such as co-mingling Autobots and Decepticons).
My only beef is that the angle of Megatron's cannon seems really awkward. But it works in a meta sense, as this is a comic book, so it's not actually Megatron holding it that way. You'd expect a professional comic artist to make it work better, BUT! This was drawn by a professional comic artist, so it's fully accurate.
Into the top 10...
#10: Transformers: Generation 2 #5 - "The Power and the Glory"
Derek Yaniger
Yeah, it's spoilery as hell, but a victorious Megatron gleefully holding the skull of his vanquished enemy, torn oily cables and smoking bullet holes and all, is pretty much peak G2 (with one exception yet to come). Just a great image, one that's worthy of being homaged at least a few times (Regeneration One, Shattered Glass, and an unused Dreamwave cover).
I also like the Shakespeare allusion. I'm pretty sure whoever put it in was simply thinking it'd fit as a famous line said by someone holding a skull. But, and this is likely way overthinking it, I think it also works in a more meta sense. Hamlet laments that an entire life of moments and meaning inevitably ends as a skull in the muck of a cemetery. And so too does a Bludgeon - in universe, a low-level grunt who maneuvered his way into Decepticon leadership; in reality, a 1989 regular Pretender toy - inevitably end up dusted when the big bad leader dude with name recognition and a shiny new big toy comes around. (At least he's lucky enough that the undead samurai look is cool enough to get him new toys and some fiction in more recent years; can't say the same for most of his other Pretender brethren.)
#9: The Transformers #13 - "Shooting Star!"
Don Perlin
It's one thing to have giant alien robots beating the tar out of each other in sci-fi adventures, but I think there's something to be said for a more low-level impact here with Megatron being wielded as a human weapon (something I don't think ever happened in the cartoon, IIRC). The cover is a bit busy but I like the level of chaos and destruction here, with a great angle from the POV of the gunman. It's also a bit of a nice hook only seeing Megs in gun mode after he had disappeared after being defeated by Ratchet back in #8.
#8: The Transformers #71 - "Surrender!"
Andrew Wildman
A really effective picture, where all the elements come together nicely - Prime looking beaten and surrendering to a large, looming foe (thanks to the angle), with even some rain pouring down to really set the mood. I also love the coloring here, with the bold characters standing out from the dour brown surroundings (and even the title is given a color that stands out but doesn't clash with the rest).
#7: Transformers: Generation 2 #1 - "War Without End!"
Derek Yaniger
A good #1 issue needs a cover that will grab eyeballs and immediately set the tone, and I think this one succeeds in spades. The bullet shells, the (ridiculously over-detailed) smoking gun, Optimus' determined glare... yup, all you need to know about G2 and the 90s EXTREEEEM phase is on display. I'm not even counting the holo foil or gatefold cover gimmicks (which are both awesome FWIW), this cover just rocks.
(Though I do have to say - at only 2.5 years after the end of G1, and 9 years after the start, I'm not sure how it could be a long enough period of time to not be my dad's Autobot, pop culture reference be damned.)
#6: The Transformers #70 - "The Pri¢e of Life"
Andrew Wildman
I can only imagine what it was like to walk into your comic book store or local newstand and see this staring back at you. Transformers Cronenberg-style body horror at some of its finest, and I like the cheekiness of the "team-up" tagline up top.
#10: Transformers: Generation 2 #5 - "The Power and the Glory"
Derek Yaniger
Yeah, it's spoilery as hell, but a victorious Megatron gleefully holding the skull of his vanquished enemy, torn oily cables and smoking bullet holes and all, is pretty much peak G2 (with one exception yet to come). Just a great image, one that's worthy of being homaged at least a few times (Regeneration One, Shattered Glass, and an unused Dreamwave cover).
I also like the Shakespeare allusion. I'm pretty sure whoever put it in was simply thinking it'd fit as a famous line said by someone holding a skull. But, and this is likely way overthinking it, I think it also works in a more meta sense. Hamlet laments that an entire life of moments and meaning inevitably ends as a skull in the muck of a cemetery. And so too does a Bludgeon - in universe, a low-level grunt who maneuvered his way into Decepticon leadership; in reality, a 1989 regular Pretender toy - inevitably end up dusted when the big bad leader dude with name recognition and a shiny new big toy comes around. (At least he's lucky enough that the undead samurai look is cool enough to get him new toys and some fiction in more recent years; can't say the same for most of his other Pretender brethren.)
#9: The Transformers #13 - "Shooting Star!"
Don Perlin
It's one thing to have giant alien robots beating the tar out of each other in sci-fi adventures, but I think there's something to be said for a more low-level impact here with Megatron being wielded as a human weapon (something I don't think ever happened in the cartoon, IIRC). The cover is a bit busy but I like the level of chaos and destruction here, with a great angle from the POV of the gunman. It's also a bit of a nice hook only seeing Megs in gun mode after he had disappeared after being defeated by Ratchet back in #8.
#8: The Transformers #71 - "Surrender!"
Andrew Wildman
A really effective picture, where all the elements come together nicely - Prime looking beaten and surrendering to a large, looming foe (thanks to the angle), with even some rain pouring down to really set the mood. I also love the coloring here, with the bold characters standing out from the dour brown surroundings (and even the title is given a color that stands out but doesn't clash with the rest).
#7: Transformers: Generation 2 #1 - "War Without End!"
Derek Yaniger
A good #1 issue needs a cover that will grab eyeballs and immediately set the tone, and I think this one succeeds in spades. The bullet shells, the (ridiculously over-detailed) smoking gun, Optimus' determined glare... yup, all you need to know about G2 and the 90s EXTREEEEM phase is on display. I'm not even counting the holo foil or gatefold cover gimmicks (which are both awesome FWIW), this cover just rocks.
(Though I do have to say - at only 2.5 years after the end of G1, and 9 years after the start, I'm not sure how it could be a long enough period of time to not be my dad's Autobot, pop culture reference be damned.)
#6: The Transformers #70 - "The Pri¢e of Life"
Andrew Wildman
I can only imagine what it was like to walk into your comic book store or local newstand and see this staring back at you. Transformers Cronenberg-style body horror at some of its finest, and I like the cheekiness of the "team-up" tagline up top.
I don't think I ever noticed this before, but... is that Megatron's face looking out of the scope lens?#9: The Transformers #13 - "Shooting Star!"
Don Perlin
It's one thing to have giant alien robots beating the tar out of each other in sci-fi adventures, but I think there's something to be said for a more low-level impact here with Megatron being wielded as a human weapon (something I don't think ever happened in the cartoon, IIRC). The cover is a bit busy but I like the level of chaos and destruction here, with a great angle from the POV of the gunman. It's also a bit of a nice hook only seeing Megs in gun mode after he had disappeared after being defeated by Ratchet back in #8.
Wow that's crazy. I had always just thought of it as cracked glass (from his fall) but I totally see the face!
Time to bring it home!
#5: The Transformers #78 - "A Savage Circle"
Andrew Wildman
I adore the shattered mirror design here, reflective of Galvatron's disintegrating sanity as he confronts his past self. The effect even extends to the title logo (and bonus lower left box) which is cool. Megatron himself is also not immediately visible, only being seen in the shattered glass and as an ominous shadow on the bottom. All the elements come together successfully to make a really striking cover.
#4: The Transformers #1 - "The Transformers"
Bill Sienkiewicz
The granddaddy of 'em all. The painted look is beautiful IMO, with a nice sunburst and movie poster feel with the heads of the Witwickys floating behind Optimus.
There's definitely a lot of weirdness here - Optimus appears to be based off a very early model sheet (understandable), with some awkward proportions (look at those stubby arms!). More importantly, he's also ridiculously huge, towering over the freeway and able to crush a jet in one hand. There's also a very toyetic Gears flying (!) around shooting at Laserbeak.
In a way, though, I think the weirdness is part of the charm, as the whole thing has a sort of surreal feel to it that suggests this story will be different from any other comics you'd see on the shelf at the time. It's big, it's bold and colorful, and it just works, especially for the very first issue of a comic that was only expected to last four issues but turned into so much more.
#3: The Transformers #80 - "End of the Road!"
Andrew Wildman
And here's the other bookend, with the final issue of the original Marvel G1 run. Bludgeon has a great design that's always fuel for a good comic cover, and Wildman doesn't disappoint there. Just like #78, he knows the value of a good looming shadow (this time Optimus obscured by mist). And "#80 in a four-issue limited series" is a wonderful callback.
#2: The Transformers #6 - "The Worse of Two Evils!"
Alan Kupperburg (?)
This one might be a bit out of the box for #2 overall, but I just really, really love the way Shockwave is drawn here - might be one of my favorite all-time still images of Transformers media period. Having the two Decepticon leaders fight in mid-air is a great choice, with the helicopter giving a good sense of size/place. I even love the nice pink sky.
One thing I do have to question, though, is the artist attribution. Notably, there's no artist signature on the picture. Kuppenburg penciled the interiors for #5 and #6, and it's, well... very rough in places. His interior Shockwave especially looks quite different than here, bulkier, boxier and more disjointed. It's possible he simply had far more time to work on this cover than the interiors, but the style just feels so different. Megatron is harder to pin down since the explosion covers some of his body, but he also looks different from the way Kuppenburg drew him as well (helmet, hip pads). Notably, the one very-detailed panel of Shockwave being blasted out of the mountain in this issue was discovered to have been the work of another artist (possibly William Johnson, who penciled #7-8.) I can't say for sure this cover matches his style, but the Shockwave here does look a lot more like the one in #8. I may well be way off here in my speculation, but I'm curious.
#1: The Transformers #5 - "The New Order"
Mark Bright
No surprises here. Like #1, the painted art here is absolutely beautiful, especially in the reflections off all of Shockwave's silver bits. And of course, one hell of a striking message - what a way to introduce the first issue of the now-ongoing comic. I'll just leave you with a little story, quoted from the wiki:
Gotta agree!
#5: The Transformers #78 - "A Savage Circle"
Andrew Wildman
I adore the shattered mirror design here, reflective of Galvatron's disintegrating sanity as he confronts his past self. The effect even extends to the title logo (and bonus lower left box) which is cool. Megatron himself is also not immediately visible, only being seen in the shattered glass and as an ominous shadow on the bottom. All the elements come together successfully to make a really striking cover.
#4: The Transformers #1 - "The Transformers"
Bill Sienkiewicz
The granddaddy of 'em all. The painted look is beautiful IMO, with a nice sunburst and movie poster feel with the heads of the Witwickys floating behind Optimus.
There's definitely a lot of weirdness here - Optimus appears to be based off a very early model sheet (understandable), with some awkward proportions (look at those stubby arms!). More importantly, he's also ridiculously huge, towering over the freeway and able to crush a jet in one hand. There's also a very toyetic Gears flying (!) around shooting at Laserbeak.
In a way, though, I think the weirdness is part of the charm, as the whole thing has a sort of surreal feel to it that suggests this story will be different from any other comics you'd see on the shelf at the time. It's big, it's bold and colorful, and it just works, especially for the very first issue of a comic that was only expected to last four issues but turned into so much more.
#3: The Transformers #80 - "End of the Road!"
Andrew Wildman
And here's the other bookend, with the final issue of the original Marvel G1 run. Bludgeon has a great design that's always fuel for a good comic cover, and Wildman doesn't disappoint there. Just like #78, he knows the value of a good looming shadow (this time Optimus obscured by mist). And "#80 in a four-issue limited series" is a wonderful callback.
#2: The Transformers #6 - "The Worse of Two Evils!"
Alan Kupperburg (?)
This one might be a bit out of the box for #2 overall, but I just really, really love the way Shockwave is drawn here - might be one of my favorite all-time still images of Transformers media period. Having the two Decepticon leaders fight in mid-air is a great choice, with the helicopter giving a good sense of size/place. I even love the nice pink sky.
One thing I do have to question, though, is the artist attribution. Notably, there's no artist signature on the picture. Kuppenburg penciled the interiors for #5 and #6, and it's, well... very rough in places. His interior Shockwave especially looks quite different than here, bulkier, boxier and more disjointed. It's possible he simply had far more time to work on this cover than the interiors, but the style just feels so different. Megatron is harder to pin down since the explosion covers some of his body, but he also looks different from the way Kuppenburg drew him as well (helmet, hip pads). Notably, the one very-detailed panel of Shockwave being blasted out of the mountain in this issue was discovered to have been the work of another artist (possibly William Johnson, who penciled #7-8.) I can't say for sure this cover matches his style, but the Shockwave here does look a lot more like the one in #8. I may well be way off here in my speculation, but I'm curious.
#1: The Transformers #5 - "The New Order"
Mark Bright
No surprises here. Like #1, the painted art here is absolutely beautiful, especially in the reflections off all of Shockwave's silver bits. And of course, one hell of a striking message - what a way to introduce the first issue of the now-ongoing comic. I'll just leave you with a little story, quoted from the wiki:
Gotta agree!
Excellent thread and solid picks. Hard pressed to argue this top 5, let alone the top of the top. What a ride.
I need a cigarette and I don't even smoke.
I need a cigarette and I don't even smoke.