The Transformers #23
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free"Decepticon Graffiti!" marks the first comic appearance of the Battlechargers Runabout and Runamuck, a pair of anarchic Decepticons whose debut gave the Marvel Transformers series one of its most offbeat and memorable done-in-one adventures. The issue also carries an unusual distinction in publishing history: because Marvel-owned character Circuit Breaker plays a central role, subsequent licensees faced rights complications that caused this issue to be omitted — replaced by a text summary — from IDW Publishing's earliest Classic Transformers reprint volumes, underscoring how deeply the Marvel Universe's intellectual-property web was woven into what was nominally a toy-tied book. Beyond those legal ripples, the story stands as writer Bob Budiansky's own personal favorite from his long run, a distinction reinforced when Marvel's then-Publisher Stan Lee sent Budiansky a glowing fan letter praising it after reading the issue.
In "Decepticon Graffiti!", Megatron sends the Battlechargers to Earth to leave their mark—literally—scrawling their insignia across American landmarks. Meanwhile, Circuit Breaker pushes her experiments further, piecing together a makeshift Autobot from salvaged parts and syncing herself into its frame. The issue’s dynamic blend of high-octane action and inventive sci-fi mechanics shines through Bob Budiansky’s sharp writing and Don Perlin’s detailed artwork, with Ian Akin and Brian Garvey’s inks adding depth to every panel. The cover by Herb Trimpe, inked by Akin and Garvey, captures the chaos in bold, striking detail.
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The issue was written by Bob Budiansky and illustrated by Don Perlin with inks by Ian Akin and Brian Garvey, the same core creative team that had been carrying the series through 1986; Nel Yomtov colored and Janice Chiang lettered, with Don Daley editing under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. Published by Marvel with a cover date of December 1986, it continued directly from the Skids-betrayal cliffhanger of issue #22 and served as a bridge to the then-upcoming G.I. Joe and the Transformers crossover miniseries, which the issue's letters page teased alongside the forthcoming Transformers Universe profile series. The story's real-world texture was anchored in a topical detail: the Statue of Liberty sequence explicitly references the monument's centennial renovation, which had just returned the statue to public access in 1986.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First comic appearance of the Decepticon Battlechargers Runabout and Runamuck, introduced as anarchic enforcers summoned by Megatron from Cybertron to challenge Optimus Prime to a duel.
- Story title is 'Decepticon Graffiti!' — the Battlechargers, inspired by a vacationing boy's marker scrawl, spray-paint Cybertronian graffiti across American landmarks including Mount Rushmore, the Gateway Arch, the Washington Monument, and the Statue of Liberty.
- Writer Bob Budiansky cited this as one of his personal favorite issues from his Transformers run; Stan Lee, then Marvel's Publisher, reportedly sent Budiansky a fan letter expressing admiration for the story after reading it.
- Circuit Breaker (Josie Beller) is a central character; because Circuit Breaker is a Marvel-owned character rather than a Hasbro property, IDW Publishing was unable to reprint this issue in the first edition of Classic Transformers Volume 2 (2008) and replaced it with a text summary — a legal complication later resolved for subsequent reprint editions.
- The climax features Circuit Breaker assembling the captured, deactivated Autobots — including the Aerialbots Silverbolt, Fireflight, Air Raid, Slingshot, and Skydive, plus Blaster, Perceptor, Beachcomber, Warpath, Cosmos, Seaspray, Powerglide, and Skids — into a single giant gestalt robot to defeat the Battlechargers.
- Both Donny Finkleberg and Circuit Breaker are fired from RAAT (Rapid Anti-Robot Assault Team) at the issue's end as a consequence of releasing the captive Autobots; Finkleberg donates his bounty money to Statue of Liberty repair funds.
- Creative team: script by Bob Budiansky; pencils by Don Perlin; inks by Ian Akin and Brian Garvey; colors by Nel Yomtov; letters by Janice Chiang; editor Don Daley; editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.
- The issue's letters page previews both the forthcoming G.I. Joe and the Transformers crossover miniseries and the Transformers Universe character-profile limited series, situating it at a pivotal expansion point for Marvel's Transformers publishing line.
Cast · 36 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints The Transformers Universe #2 (1987)
Reprinted in Transformers #5/1988 (1988), Transformers #[4] (2003), Transformers Compendium #1 (2025), Transformers spesiaali #2/1989
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