World Questions about Transformers

[lilboo]

how are transformers "born"?

if they've never seen earth or whatever, how do they know to turn into helicopters, firetrucks, ambulances, etc.?

did transformers start out as comics published by marvel?

why are autobots and decepticons enemies?

 

[DrSpengler]

Since this is the Comics Section, I'll assume all questions are in regards to the Marvel comic and not the cartoon series, where the answers would be very different.

how are transformers "born"?

Well, they're either built or born through a sort of "budding". Mostly, only first-generation Cybertronians did the "budding" thing. Transformers can be built, but the only way they can be granted sentience and there for "life" is by using the Creation Matrix, which started out as just a computer code but eventually turned into the Matrix of Leadership as we recognize it.

if they've never seen earth or whatever, how do they know to turn into helicopters, firetrucks, ambulances, etc.?

Being sentient robots, they created the whole transformation-thing as a means of self defense and espionage during the war. In the early Marvel comics, the Transformers on Cybertron (before having been to Earth) are shown transforming into very alien-looking vehicles. They didn't start turning into helicopters and ambulances until they established contact with Earth. Now, some fiction has them turning into Porches and what-not on Cybertron without having been to Earth, but that's mostly out of bad writing.

did transformers start out as comics published by marvel?

The Marvel comics preceeded the cartoon by only a few months, but both were developed simultaneously.

why are autobots and decepticons enemies?

Difference of opinion, essentially. The Decepticons want conquest and the Autobots want peace. The cartoon has it a bit deeper, with the Decepticons having been built as warrior drones and the Autobots having been built as slave drones, but that's a different continuity.

 

[Strong Guy]

The comics was filled with tragedy.I felt kinda sad when a lotta Autobots died.I was kinda sad especially to see most of my favorite autobots get their tail kicked by Unicron.

 

[Skip23x]

Hi,

This is my first post. I'm having trouble starting a thread so I thought I'd try my luck here.

I am interested to find a complete list of Gen. 1 Transformers graphic novels. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[MEXBONE]

I DONT REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT THE OLD CARTOONS .. BUT IN WHAT WAYS ARE THE CARTOONS DIEFFRENT FROM THE COMICS

 

[sto_vo_kor_2000]

I DONT REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT THE OLD CARTOONS .. BUT IN WHAT WAYS ARE THE CARTOONS DIEFFRENT FROM THE COMICS

It depends on witch publisher we are talking about.Different companies have owen the rights to do Transformers over the years and with each company came a different take on the Transformers Universe and different historys.The Dinobots are a prime[no pun intended] example of this problem...In the 80's cartoon we see that they are built on earth by Wheeljack and Ratchet...but in the Marvel comics that ran concurrently to the cartoon shows that The Dinobots were originally part of Optimus Prime's crew but where re-activated some time after the Jurrassic age [and given the appearence of Dino's by Telatran 1]to combat Shockwave when he arrived in an area of earth known as the Savage Land where Dinosaur's still exist.
The next difference with the Dinobot's history was when Dreamwave comic's had their run on Transformers.In this story line the Dinobot's did exist on Cybertron before coming to earth and were known as DYNOBOTS and were part of a larger sub-group of Autobots led by Grimlock known as the Lightening Coalition Squad.When and how they adopted their Dinosaur froms is not exactley known.
Now we come to the IDW run in witch the Dinobot's again exist before coming to earth [about 4 or more millions years ago]but are on a mission to find Shockwave and follow him to earth where he is conducting some experiments with energon.The Dinobots learn that to fight him on early earth they must adapt by wraping themselfs in mamalien flesh so as to protect themselfs from energon over-load and eventual shutdown
[much like the Maximal & Predacon's from the Beast Wars era]witch does happen during the course of battle with Shockwave they are then buried by a collapsing mountain[I believe]or somthing like that and are discovered 4 million years later by people digging.
Their are many other difference's but there is not enough time for me to get into that....and I type way too slow and it took me a half hour to post this.

 

[Avangarde]

Hi,

This is my first post. I'm having trouble starting a thread so I thought I'd try my luck here.

I am interested to find a complete list of Gen. 1 Transformers graphic novels. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Its not the graphic novels but I hope this wets your tastebuds. Every single cover for all the Transformers comics ever released.

http://www.tfarchive.com/comics/covers/

just click on the links to open each series up