The Transformers #37
Marvel UK's The Transformers #37 carries the first instalment of 'Brainstorm!' — the story that formally introduces Jetfire to Marvel continuity. In the comics, Jetfire is depicted as a creation of the Decepticons whose lifeless frame becomes a pawn in Shockwave's scheme to reclaim the Creation Matrix from Buster Witwicky, a characterisation that diverged sharply from the animated series' Skyfire — and that divergence itself became a defining illustration of how the Marvel comic charted its own distinct mythology. For British readers in 1985, this bi-weekly issue was their first encounter with Jetfire in any sequential storytelling format, delivered on a fortnightly schedule months before the character could reach wider cultural saturation.
In "Brainstorm!, Part 1," Shockwave unleashes a new weapon in his war against the Autobots—Jetfire, a powerful new robot designed for destruction. But when Buster gains control of Jetfire using the mysterious Creation Matrix, the tide of battle takes an unexpected turn. Written by Bob Budiansky and illustrated by Herb Trimpe, with inks by Tom Palmer and colors by Nel Yomtov, this 1985 Marvel UK issue features a dynamic cover by John Ridgway.
When Shockwave unleashes his latest weapon, Jetfire, against the Autobots, the tide turns not with brute force but with a spark of ingenuity—Buster Witwicky, wielding the Creation Matrix, takes control of the new threat and turns it into an unexpected ally. As Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and the others brace for battle, the line between enemy and savior blurs in a high-stakes showdown that tests loyalty, trust, and the power of a single idea.
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The issue reprints the first half of US Transformers #11 (cover-dated December 1985), written by Bob Budiansky and pencilled by Herb Trimpe with inks by Tom Palmer and Sam de la Rosa, split across UK #37 and #38 because Marvel UK's page count required American monthly stories to be serialised across two bi-weekly instalments. John Ridgway provided an original cover for UK #37 rather than reusing Herb Trimpe's US artwork, which was held over for UK #38 — a common Marvel UK production practice to give each instalment its own distinct visual identity. The issue appeared during the bi-weekly phase of the UK run (issues 1–26 and the final stretch), before the title shifted to a demanding weekly schedule from issue 27 onward.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Marvel UK #37 contains Part 1 of 'Brainstorm!' — a serialised reprint of US Transformers #11 (December 1985), with Part 2 following in UK #38.
- The story marks the first comics appearance of Jetfire, presented here as a mindless Decepticon drone built by Shockwave to be animated by the Creation Matrix — a backstory absent from the animated series, where the character was renamed Skyfire for separate licensing reasons.
- Script by Bob Budiansky; pencils by Herb Trimpe; inks by Tom Palmer and Sam de la Rosa; colours by Nelson Yomtov (US production credits carried into the reprint).
- The cover of UK #37 was produced by John Ridgway specifically for the British edition, while the Herb Trimpe US cover was reused on UK #38.
- UK #37 appeared during the bi-weekly phase of Marvel UK's Transformers run (issues 1–26 were bi-weekly), before the title accelerated to a weekly schedule starting with issue #27.
- The 'Brainstorm!' story advances the Creation Matrix subplot introduced earlier in the run — Shockwave scans Rumble's memories to deduce that Optimus Prime transferred the Matrix to Buster Witwicky, driving the central conflict of this arc.
- The story and its US source issue have been reprinted numerous times, including The Transformers Comics Magazine #6 (Marvel US, 1987), Titan Books' New Order paperback (2003), Classic Transformers Volume 1 (IDW, 2008), The Transformers Classics Vol. 1 (IDW, 2011), and Hachette's Definitive G1 Collection Vol. 3 (2018).
- UK #37 falls within the material collected in IDW Publishing's Transformers Classics UK Volume 1, which reprints Marvel UK issues #1–44.
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↩ Reprints Machine Man #3 (1984), The Transformers #11 (1985)
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