UPDATED: Marvel UK & Berni Inns

Here's one I'm filing under "I don't know much about this comic - so I'm recording it here in the hope that I'll be able to update this post in due course when more information comes to light". 

UPDATE: I'm very grateful to friend of the blog Richard Gilham who was kind enough to send me this note all about these tie-in comics...

The issue [of Muppet Babies] with animal on the cover, Muppet Babies #23, is identical to the Berni Inn copy, apart from the front cover.... even the same adverts, letters etc and nothing has been blanked out.

I can't be certain about the other Berni issue, as I don't have Muppet Babies #17 to compare.

As a point of interest, the date of the original Muppet Babies issues do coincide with two of the Transformers Berni Specials:

Muppet Babies #17 issued on 21/2/87, is the same date as #101 of Transformers.

Muppet Babies #23 issued on 4/4/87, is the same date as #107 of Transformers.

If there are other Muppet Babies Berni Inn Specials, they are likely to be:

Muppet Babies #29 issued on 16/5/87 - To tie up with Transformers issue #113.

Muppet Babies #31 issued on 30/5/87 - To tie up with Transformers issue #115.

The final Transformers Berni Special was #130, but that was issued a few months later on 12/9/87.

As a point of note, I also have the Doctor Who Berni Special, which was a copy of issue #123, being issued for 04/87.

images c/o Ford Castle

UPDATE: With thanks to Wayne Allen who provided this image of the Transformers comics that were also available at Berni Inn

I recently spotted these 2 comics for sale on ebay. 

I wonder if they were available at a Berni inn to keep your kids quiet while you waited for your food?

Were there more than 2 issues?

Why have I never done a Marvel UK Muppet Babies covers gallery?

The first comic above is clearly based on issue #23 (dated 4th April 1987) and I'm sure the 2nd issue is based on a regular issue too.

UPDATED: Marvel UK & Berni Inns

Here's one I'm filing under "I don't know much about this comic - so I'm recording it here in the hope that I'll be able to update this post in due course when more information comes to light". 

UPDATE: With thanks to Wayne Allen who provided this image of the Transformers comics that were also available at Berni Inn

I recently spotted these 2 comics for sale on ebay. 

I wonder if they were available at a Berni inn to keep your kids quiet while you waited for your food?

Were there more than 2 issues?

Why have I never done a Marvel UK Muppet Babies covers gallery?

The first comic above is clearly based on issue #23 (dated 4th April 1987) and I'm sure the 2nd issue is based on a regular issue too.

Transformers G1 signing (2017)

Here's a flashback to a signing that took place 6 years ago today...

Creators...

The poster for the signing (at the much-missed Orbital comics)

The signing was to kick-off a Transformers 'partwork'

My signed book...

Signatures (in order) are as follows...

(To Richard - ) Simon Furman

(For Richard) Geoff Senior

John-Paul Bove

(Richard) Lee Sullivan

Stephen Baskerville

Jeff Anderson

Transformers - Perchance to dream

Ages ago (here, here, here and here) I looked at 4 (of the 5) small Transformers reprint volumes that Titan books published in 2005. I've now acquired the 5th volume so I present it here to bring my researches up to date....

Stories are taken from Transformers #255-260, 230-233, 241-242 & 287-289

Stories are...
Perchance to dream - script by Simon Furman, art by Andrew Wildman, Staz, John Stokes, 
The big shutdown! - script by Simon Furman, art by Lee Sullivan
A small war! - script by Simon Furman, art by Jeff Anderson, Geoff Senior
Rage! - script by Simon Furman, art by Andrew Wildman
Inside story! - script by Simon Furman, art by Pete Knifton
Front line! - script by Simon Furman, art by Pete Knifton
End of the road! - script by Simon Furman, art by Staz

Transformers - Aspects of evil

Ages ago (here, here and here) I looked at 3 (of the 5) small Transformers reprint volumes that Titan books published in 2005. I've now acquired the 4th volume so I present it here to bring my researches up to date....

Contents are from the following issues of Transformers 223-227, 251-254, 235-236, 240 & 245-7 and are as follows:

Aspects of evil! script by Simon Furman, art by Jeff Anderson, Art Wetherll, Simon Coleby, Andrew Wildman, Lee Sullivan, Cam Smith
The Void! script by Simon Furman, art by Staz
Edge of impact script by Simon Furman, art by Staz
Shadow of evil script by Simon Furman, art by Cam S[mith]
White fire script by Simon Furman, art by Cam Smith
Deathbringer script by Simon Furman, art by Geoff Senior, Staz
Out to lunch script by Simon Furman, art by Andy Wildman
_{^{Underworld! script by Simon Furman, art by Jeff Anderson
Demons! script by Simon Furman, art by Jeff Anderson
Dawn of darkness script by Simon Furman, art by Geoff Senior}}

Geoff Senior @ Orbital comics, July 2019 - part 6

A final flourish then...5 pages of Transformers art to make you wish you'd been able to make it to Orbital comics. Hope you've enjoyed this record of the show.   

Geoff Senior (left) and Simon Furman (right)

Geoff Senior @ Orbital comics, July 2019 - part 5

Four stunning pages of Transformers art from the pen of Transformers maestro Geoff Senior - plus the inks for a To the death cover. Thanks again to Orbital for displaying the art (and all those who contributed pages). 

Geoff Senior @ Orbital comics, July 2019 - part 4

More Transformers comic art and 2 pages from To the Death - all from the page of Geoff Senior and displayed at Orbital comics recently...

Geoff Senior @ Orbital comics, July 2019 - part 3

More amazing Geoff Senior art from Transformers comic, an Action Force weekly cover, Death's Head and an amazing portrait of Alexsy from To the death 

Geoff Senior @ Orbital comics, July 2019 - part 1

For anyone who missed Geoff Senior's recent fantastic exhibition at Orbital comics In London, here's what you missed...by the way, there's plenty more art to come over the next few days 

Transformers - Earthforce

Book 4 (and the last I have) in this series of 5 reprints by Titan Books - this was published in November 2005. In Earthforce, Optimus Prime realises that having brought the war to earth, the Autobots must protect humanity...but with the hard-headed, battle-hungry Dinobot, Grimlock, in charge, the heroes may be even more dangerous than the villains!

Stories are credited as being from the following issues:
261-267, 269, 271, 278-281, 234 & 228

Stories are as follows:
Starting Over! - script by Simon Furman; art by Staz
Two steps back! - script by Simon Furman; art by Andy Wildman
Break-away! - script by Simon Furman; art by Staz
Desert island risks! - script by Simon Furman; art by Pete Knifton & Pete Venters
Once upon a time - uncredited
Life in the slow lane - script by Simon Furman; art by Pete Knifton & Pete Venters
Snow Fun - script by Simon Furman; art by Jeff Anderson
Mystery! - script by Simon Furman; art by Pete Knifton & Pete Venters
The living nightlights! - script by Simon Furman; art by John Marshall & Stephen Baskerville
The house that Wheeljack built! - script by Simon Furman; art by Pete Knifton & Michael Eve
Divide and conquer! - script by Simon Furman; art by Staz
The 4,000,000 year itch - script by Simon Furman; art by Jeff Anderson
Makin' tracks! - script by Simon Furman; art by Pete Knifton & Michael Eve
Prime's Rib! - script by Simon Furman; art by Andy Wildman
[Double] Deal of the century! - script by Simon Furman; art by Andy Wildman

Transformers - Fallen Star

Here's book 3 (of) in the Titan Book Transformers reprint, this volume from September 2005

All the books highlight that the strips are taken from Marvel UK's Transformers title issues 219-222, 229, 237-239, 272-247, 282-283 & 249-50 - but as I don't have these I can't tell which issues the following stories originally appeared in...

Race with Devil - script by Simon Furman; art by Andy Wildman

Fallen star - script by Simon Furman; art by Andy Wildman

Mind games - script by Simon Furman; art by Staz
Two Megatrons! - script by Simon Furman; art by Geoff Senior
Flashback! - script by Simon Furman; art by Stephen Baskerville & John Marshall
The bad guys ball! - script by Simon Furman; art by Pete Knifton & Michael Eve
Secrets - script by Simon Furman; art by Pete Knifton & Pete Venters
Bugged - script by Simon Furman; art by Jeff Anderson & Michael Eve
Internal Affairs! - script by Simon Furman; art by Simon Coleby & Michael Eve
Assassins - script by Simon Furman; art by Jeff Anderson & Michael Eve                                     External forces! - script by Simon Furman; art by Pete Knifton & Pete Venters
The lesser evil- script by Simon Furman; art by John Marshall & Jeff Anderson 

Transformers - Way of the Warrior

I've recently acquired 3 (from a series of 5) small (smaller than A5) Marvel UK Transformers reprints, published by Titan Books in July 2005, to encourage you to seek them out I'm going to list the contents of each book so you can see what you are missing out on...

All the books highlight that the strips are taken from Marvel UK's Transformers title issues 219-222, 229, 237-239, 272-247, 282-283 & 249-50 - but as I don't have these I can't tell which issues the following stories originally appeared in...

Survivors! (part 1) - script by Simon Furman, art by Dan Reed
Survivors! (part 2) - script by Simon Furman, art by Dan Reed
Survivors! (part 3) - script by Simon Furman, art by John Stokes
Survivors! (part 4) - script by Simon Furman, art by John Stokes
The hunting party - script by Simon Furman, art by Simon Coleby
Way of the warrior - script by Simon Furman, art by Simon Coleby
Survival run - script by Simon Furman, art by Lee Sullivan
Savage Place - script by Simon Furman, art by Geoff Senior
Cry Wolf! - script by Simon Furman, art by Pete Knifton & Michael Eve
Wolf in the fold - script by Simon Furman, art by Staz
Where wolf? - script by Simon Furman, art by Stephen Baskerville & Jeff Anderson
Shut up! - script by Simon Furman, art by Staz
Manoeuvres! - script by Simon Furman, art by Pete Knifton & Pete Venters
Whose lifeforce is it anyway? - script by Simon Furman, art by Staz
Greatest gift of all!- script by Simon Furman, art by Staz

All in all about 80 pages of comicy goodness in a book that you can very nearly stuff in your pocket, more small reprints please!

Bank holiday reading sorted - part 1

A quick trip to London last night allowed me to rush around a few (comic) shops where I managed to buy enough stuff to keep me busy over the forthcoming bank holiday weekend...

First up is 50p well spent in the bargain corner of Forbidden Planet megastore on Shaftesbury Avenue. This is an A5 sized volume of Marvel UK Transformer repeats. Bad news for me is that it's book 4 (of 5) so I won't actually be reading it this weekend. I have got volumes 2 and 3 but I want to get volumes 1 and 5 as well.

The latest issue of Comic Heroes magazine is now out, a quick flick through but nothing that grabs my attention hugely so far with regards to British creators / strips etc.

An indie press moment for me as the Beast Wagon draws to a close. If you haven't read this comic then it's hard to describe it adequately. It's has an amazing rhythm to it, a terrible sense of events spiralling out of control as man and beast struggle to stay on top of their animal desires. It's brilliant.

What I actually went to London for...the opening of The Inking Woman exhibition at the Cartoon Museum. Review and photos coming soon. More details here

What are you going to read this weekend then?

Transformers Generation 2 annual (part 3)

Pages 6, 7 and 8 of this Dinobots story...