Ancient Relics!
From Transformers Wiki
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 BEHIND YOU, FLINT. WHERE THE NOISES ARE COMING FROM. | |||||||||||||
| "Ancient Relics!" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | 8th August 1987 - 5th September 1987 | ||||||||||||
| Script | Simon Furman | ||||||||||||
| Pencils | Geoff Senior | ||||||||||||
| Inks | Dave Harwood | ||||||||||||
| Colours | Steve White | ||||||||||||
| Letters | Annie Halfacree | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Richard Starkings (AF24-27) | ||||||||||||
| Assistant editor | Steve White (AF24-27) | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Marvel Comics continuity (Marvel UK) | ||||||||||||
| Chronology | 1987 | ||||||||||||
Megatron comes face to face with the finest counter-terrorist unit in the Western world![1]
Contents |
Synopsis
Archaeologist Susan Hoffman is exploring ancient Roman sewers under London when she and her associates are attacked by the ex-Decepticon leader Megatron. Susan manages to escape, but her friends are left behind...
Meanwhile, in Oregon, Autobot commander Grimlock is wondering why nobody's turned up to his meeting for all available Autobots. Wheeljack snarkily points out that there are no available Autobots: They're all either chasing after the deserters Blaster and Goldbug or tied up with pointless tasks Grimlock's dumped on them. Wheeljack is particularly miffed about having to repair the Dinobot's friend Centurion, actually saying in Centurion's earshot that he's an ancient relic being repaired at the expense of offline Autobots.
The Protectobot Blades is in London investigating an unknown Transformer signal, which Grimlock believes is the deserters. Fed up with the Dinobot's comment, Blades briefly muses on joining the deserters. At the same time, down in the tunnels, Susan has returned with a team from Action Force, an international special mission force. Operative Scarlett can't believe they're looking for some "monster" and openly insults Susan, when Blades enters the tunnels looking for the source of the signal.
Mistaking him for the monster, Action Force attack. Blades, briefly tempted to kill them before he remembers the Autobot Code, manages to convince them that he doesn't mean them any harm, but the noise has attracted the attention of Megatron! With the Protectobot taken down with one shot, Flint orders an immediate running away withdrawal to the surface, where Action Force are surprised by the arrival of Grimlock and Centurion.
Megatron breaks through the ground hunting for his prey and then attacks Grimlock and Centurion, quickly overcoming them. Flint calls in Action Force's Dragonfly choppers and Mauler tanks, and Wild Bill leads the choppers in attacking Megatron. Enraged, Megatron lashes out at his attackers, making short work of them. Centurion tries and fails to save the downed Wild Bill, with a recovered Blades succeeding where he failed; Centurion is left wracked with doubts, not knowing if he can do anything to help.
Briefly believing Bill to be dead, an angry Flint orders in the Mauler tanks. They fail utterly, and Flint is left horrified when he realises several drivers may have been killed when Megatron tears through them. However, the tanks have distracted the Decepticon from killing Grimlock. The Dinobot, owing them a debt, repays the favour and relaunches his attack, taking Megatron into a gas refinery. Since this won't hold Megatron back for long, Flint calls in an air strike on the refinery, hoping to blow up Megatron before he leaves and heads into central London: Grimlock's life for thousands of others.
Centurion, still wracked with doubts and guilt for being repaired at the expense of others, launches a suicidal attack on Megatron and holds him at bay long enough for a wounded Grimlock to be pulled free and the Action Force air strike to be launched. Megatron and Centurion are engulfed in flames. A burning shape is seen leaving the conflagration and leaping into the river Thames.
After hearing from Blades about Centurion's concern about being an "ancient relic" and wanting to make amends for denying life to others, Flint replies that the mechanoid was more like an old soldier. Blades and Flint salute the courage of Centurion and the sacrifice he made.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Quotes
"Centurion is Grimlock's friend, Wheeljack. That is why he is to be repaired first!"
"Oh well, that's all right then! Anyway he's fixed, improved and functional, so you got what you wanted! Even if it was at the expense of those who've been lying injured injured for months on end!"
- –Grimlock and Wheeljack on cronyism.
"This stinks! We're supposed to be out fighting Decepticons...but Grimlock's got us hunting down our fellow Autobots!"
- –Blades is not a fan of this plotline.
"Just give me on clear shot and you're-"
"Dead! Grimlock always did say the only good human is a dead human! And you know something? I agree with him!"
- –Scarlett and Blades as the latter begins to lose it.
"Forgive me, humans. It seems my commander's instability has infected even me. I bear you no malice. We Autobots are sworn to protect human life."
"Oh yeah?"
- –Blades and Bazooka
Notes
Artwork and technical errors
- Wild Bill and Flint end up in a helicopter at the end of Part 4, then are back on the ground for Part 5.
- Blades wasn't there when Wheeljack dissed Centurion. How does he know what happened?
Continuity errors
- Centurion was originally created as a mindless automaton by the Intelligence and Information Institute to be controlled by Professor Morris (and had no face). He was later destroyed by Galvatron in "Fallen Angel". Here he is rebuilt by Wheeljack but there is no reference to Professor Morris, and he acts like and is treated as a sentient being in his own right, even though the Dinobots learnt that he was controlled by a human. Simon Furman would later admit this is unclear, but his assumption is that Morris is still communicating through Centurion.[2] This, however, doesn't mesh with the dialogue or the ending.
Continuity notes
- For the confused among you, Action Force was a 1980s European toyline of international super-soldiers that was spun off from Action Man: the European rebrand of the original G.I. Joe. Action Force had both original sculpts and Joe repaints to start with and then became just G.I. Joe under a different name, but with many Joes given foreign backgrounds (Flint was British), and then eventually under the same name. Marvel UK's tie-in comic reprinted G.I. Joe issues and ran short original strips, which the comic presented as the Yank and European branches of Action Force respectively.
- This story was a crossover with the Action Force comic. The first part was published in Transformers #125, while the remaining issues were published in Action Force #24–27. This was an attempt to boost interest in Transformers' sister title. The plan didn't work, however, as the Action Force comic folded less than six months later. It then merged with Transformers from issue #153.
- At this stage, the US G.I. Joe and the Transformers had not been published in the UK, and when it was, it would be out of continuity.
- Whereas the American crossover has the Joes as equal partners to the Autobots and able to take Transformers down, this story presents the Transformers as being beyond Action Force's capabilities, especially Megatron.
- Like in "King of the Hill!", Grimlock is impressed by human bravery.
- This is one of the few Marvel UK stories that ties into the Grimlock-as-leader story (the other being "Grudge Match!") and shows Autobot dissent. Why Blades didn't go on to defect is a question for the ages.
- Despite what is said in this story and the following 119 issues, the "Megatron" found in this story is not the real Megatron deposited here by the space bridge after "Gone but Not Forgotten!", but a clone created by Lord Straxus. See "Two Megatrons!" for more information.
- Megatron and Centurion are brought out of the Thames in "Salvage!".
- Wild Bill recalls having to leave a man behind in a Southeast Asian rescue mission. The toy, however, states the cowboy is from Hull (no, really). A profile in Action Force #12 explained that he had served in an exchange programme with a US Army Aviation squadron and it was during this exchange that he flew helicopters in the Vietnam War.
Real-life references
Other trivia
- Susan Hoffman, who Furman based off Susanna Hoffs from the Bangles[3], would return in "Ladies' Night" and again in "Race with the Devil".
Back-up Material
- Backup strips: The Iron Man of 2020 - "Man of the Year" Part 7 and Robo-Capers
Foreign Localization
- Swedish
- Title (1989): "Hjältemod" ("Heroism")
- Title (2022): "Reliker" ("Relics")
Covers (5)
- UK issue #125 cover: Blades being attacked by Action Force, by Jeff Anderson.
- Action Force #24 cover: Megatron's damaged face, surrounded by AF headshots, by Jeff Anderson.
- Action Force #25 cover: Wild Bill takes a dive from a helicopter, by Jeff Anderson.
- Action Force #26 cover: Megatron crushes Heavy Metal's tank, by Jeff Anderson.
- Action Force #27 cover: Blades, Scarlett, Flint & Wild Bill as Big Damn Heroes, by Jeff Anderson.
Transformers #125
Action Force #24
Action Force #25
Action Force #26
Action Force #27
Reprints
- Action Force Monthly #1 cover: Leatherneck, Lady Jaye, Roadblock, Flint, Sci-Fi and Footloose, by Dougie Braithwaite.
- Action Force Monthly #2 cover: A Rattler attacks Snake-Eyes and Hawk, by Geoff Senior & John Burns.
- Action Force Monthly #3 cover: Storm Shadow and Snake-Eyes, by Kev Hopgood, Mark Farmer & John Burns.
- Action Force Monthly #4 cover: Sci-Fi, Cutter, Wet-Suit and Hawk aboard the W.H.A.L.E., by Robin Smith & John Burns.
- Action Force Monthly #5 cover: Action Force jumps out of a Tomahawk, by Geoff Senior & John Burns.
- Action Force Monthly #6 cover: Destro pleads guilty, by Robin Smith & John Burns.
Action Force Monthly #1
Action Force Monthly #2
Action Force Monthly #3
Action Force Monthly #4
Action Force Monthly #5
Action Force Monthly #6
- G.I. Joe: European Missions #1 cover: same as Action Force Monthly #1.
- G.I. Joe: European Missions #2 cover: same as Action Force Monthly #2.
- G.I. Joe: European Missions #3 cover: same as Action Force Monthly #3.
- G.I. Joe: European Missions #4 cover: same as Action Force Monthly #4.
- G.I. Joe: European Missions #5 cover: same as Action Force Monthly #5.
- G.I. Joe: European Missions #6 cover: same as Action Force Monthly #6.
G.I. Joe: European Missions #1
G.I. Joe: European Missions #2
G.I. Joe: European Missions #3
G.I. Joe: European Missions #4
G.I. Joe: European Missions #5
G.I. Joe: European Missions #6
- The Transformers: Classics UK Volume 4 cover: Rodimus and Galvatron fight whilst Scorponok squeezes Highbrow and Goldbug rides Wreck-Gar, by Andrew Wildman.
- Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 9: Toy Soldiers cover: Searchlight by "unknown"/Ratbat by Don Perlin & Jim Fern.
The Transformers Classics UK Volume 4 (IDW Publishing, 2013)
Definitive G1 Collection: Vol. 9: Toy Soldiers
References
- ↑ According to Scarlett in Part 1!
- ↑ Simon Furman: "We 'assume' that's him [Morris] communicating through Centurion later in 'Ancient Relics' (though I confess it's not clear)." IDW Publishing Forum: Simon Furman Q&A Volume 2 LIVE!
- ↑ The Transformers Classics UK Volume 4 "Susan Hoffman is Susanna Hoffs from [American pop/rock group] the Bangles" reveals Furman. "That's how I always visualised her."
