The Original Mini-Series (1984-1985)

As Hasbro launched its Transformers toy line, it worked with Marvel Comics to develop the characters. Most of the Transformers were already existing toys in Japan when Hasbro redecorated them to craft the new line: this accounted for their vastly differing sizes and for elements such as a seat for a pilot that originally accomodated one in the toy's original version. Marvel Comics worked to grant the characters personalities and a backstory, crafting the beginnings of a mythology for a race of transforming robots. The decision was also made to depict Ratchet and Ironhide, whose robot form lacked anything resembling a face, with a face in their robot forms -- essentially ignoring the incongruity this created with the toys. Future toys would not have this problem, but this incongruity could be seen in the first issue of the comic, in which the robot forms of these characters were those of the toys.
Marvel launched the comic as a four-issue bimonthly mini-series, but its success spurred the company to make it a monthly ongoing. The first four issues covered the Transformers' arrival on Earth and the early skirmishes between the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, and the Decepticons, led by Megatron. The forth issue, however, ended in an unusual manner for a mini-series: after Optimus Prime and the Autobots barely won a pitch final battle and at last defeated the Decepticons, the powerful Decepticon named Shockwave arrived and simply blew everyone away.
After concluding the reprinting of the original mini-series, the U.K. comic was at a crossroads. It could not continue the story, which would be continued in further U.S. issues. It thus began creating original stories set during the first four issues. These stories varied in quality from the exceptional "Man of Iron" to the disappointing "Raiders of the Lost Arc." Publishing demands forced the new stories to be split over multiple issues. All in all, this was a mixed era for the U.K. comic, including some great stories but mostly noteworthly for the U.K. comic beginning to find its legs.
In the table below, the first series and the second series are usually known as the U.S. series and the U.K. series, respectively. If one owns the U.S. issues, the only substantive original material in this era that one would lack (outside of U.K. covers) appeared in The Transformers (second series) #13-21 -- a total of nine issues.

IMAGE	TITLE	DESCRIPTION	STATUS
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (first series) #1	"The Transformers"; cover-dated September 1984	1
	The Transformers (second series) #1	reprints the first half of Transformers (first series) #1; also includes back-up material; cover-dated 20 September 1984	0
	The Transformers (second series) #2	reprints the second half of Transformers (first series) #1; also includes back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (first series) #2	"Power Play"; cover-dated November 1984	2
	The Transformers (second series) #3	reprints the first half of Transformers (first series) #2; also includes back-up material	0
	The Transformers (second series) #4	reprints the second half of Transformers (first series) #2; also includes back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (first series) #3	"Prisoner of War"; Spider-Man, in his black alien costume, appears; cover-dated January 1985	1
	The Transformers (second series) #5	reprints the first half of Transformers (first series) #3; also includes back-up material	0
	The Transformers (second series) #6	reprints the second half of Transformers (first series) #3; also includes back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (first series) #4	"The Last Stand"; Shockwave appears and wipes everyone out; cover-dated March 1985	2
	The Transformers (second series) #7	reprints the first half of Transformers (first series) #4; also includes back-up material	0
	The Transformers (second series) #8	reprints the second half of Transformers (first series) #4; also includes back-up material	0
MISCELLANEOUS
	The Transformers (second series) #9	features the first part of the 4-part "Man of Iron"; also features back-up material	0
	The Transformers (second series) #10	features the second part of the 4-part "Man of Iron"; also features back-up material	0
	The Transformers (first series) #33	reprints the Transformers stories from Transformers (second series) #9-10	1
	The Transformers (second series) #11	features the third part of the 4-part "Man of Iron"; also features back-up material	0
	The Transformers (second series) #12	features the fourth part of the 4-part "Man of Iron"; also features back-up material	0
	The Transformers (first series) #34	reprints the Transformers stories from Transformers (second series) #11-12; continued from #33	1
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (second series) #13	features the first part of the 5-part "The Enemy Within" (reprinted in Transformers (second series) #308-309); also features back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (second series) #14	features the second part of the 5-part "The Enemy Within" (reprinted in Transformers (second series) #313-314); also features back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (second series) #15	features the third part of the 5-part "The Enemy Within" (reprinted in Transformers (second series) #315-316); also features back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (second series) #16	features the (6-page) fourth part of the 5-part "The Enemy Within" (reprinted in Transformers (second series) #317); also features back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (second series) #17	features the (5-page) fifth part of the 5-part "The Enemy Within" (reprinted in Transformers (second series) #318); also features back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (second series) #18	features the (6-page) first part of the 4-part "Raiders of the Last Ark"; also features back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (second series) #19	features the (5-page) second part of the 4-part "Raiders of the Last Ark"; also features back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (second series) #20	features the (6-page) third part of the 4-part "Raiders of the Last Ark"; also features back-up material	0
Larger Version Available	The Transformers (second series) #21	features the (5-page) fourth part of the 4-part "Raiders of the Last Ark"; cover-dated 29 June - 12 July 1985	0
	The Transformers Annual 1985	features "Plague of the Insecticons" (a short comic in which the Insecticons try to prevent the Autobots from signing a treaty with humans, written by Simon Furman with art by Mike Collins), "And There Shall Come... A Leader" (a short comic featuring Optimus Prime and Megatron meeting for the first time on Cybertron before the series began, with the first appearance of Emirate Xaaron, written by Simon Furman with art by John Stokes), "Missing in Action" (a text story in which Tracks encounters humans), "Hunted" (a text story in which Bumblebee helps humans), and childish games such as a maze, pages for coloring, matching games, and a quiz, plus profile pages; hardcover	0

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