Robo-Capers

From The Transformers UK Appendix
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Robo-Capers
Format Quarter-page gag strip
Half-page gag strip
First TFUK appearance Issue 15
Final TFUK appearance Issue 152 (regular)
Issue 200 (guest)

"Together with our robots, we will crush all who oppose us! The moaning minnies of the weaker planets will be stamped out!"

History

Robo-Capers was a gag strip written and drawn by Lew Stringer. Though it flew under the radar in its first appearance in issue 15 – not even being mentioned by the editorial until issue 22 – it became intrinsically linked to the development of the wider Transformers comic.

First appearing on the Openers page, Robo-Capers initially told gag-a-day tales of mechanical mishaps on the Planet Zip, largely focussed on the despotic King Nonose and his robot inventor, the Robot Inventor, as they would try to conquer enemy planets – including Earth. But the strip also presented jokes about the world of consumer robotics, usually with machines designed to do simple tasks failing in inevitable ways, set both on the heavily-mechanised Zip and on the fledgling Earth.

The Transformers saw a redesign in issue 22: Openers became Transformation, and Robo-Capers began to share page space with Soundwaves, ushering in the new, in-character iteration of the letters page. Though it would soon find its way back to the opening pages, Robo-Capers also began to bridge the fictional world of the Transformers with the real world of the readers, as well as the strange middle ground in which the comics and the alien robots co-exist. Notably, issue 59's strip saw letter answerer Soundwave get in-person revenge against a Marvel staffer for a misprint in an earlier issue.

The Transformers was redesigned again further down the line in issue 74, which marked another sea change for Robo-Capers. In preparation for Grimlock becoming letters page host, a special full page Robo-Capers strip co-written by an uncredited Simon Furman depicted his hostile takeover. In the subsequent issue, Robo-Capers took over the half-page gag strip slot recently vacated by Matt and the Cat, then the strip's longest running regular feature. This gave Robo-Capers twice the page space to enjoy.

In celebration of The Transformers's 100th issue, Stringer had the King and the Robot Inventor inadvertently destroy the entire planet Zip, shifting focus of the strip to a plethora of gags, including the multi-part "Forgotten Robots of History". The duo returned in issue 127, beginning a serialised story in which they finally made it to Earth, were exiled into deep space by Mrs Thatcher, and wound up on Robotworld, a planet of entirely pacifist robots.

Robo-Capers came came to an abrupt end in issue 152, when the Action Force comic folded into The Transformers – taking the place of its regular back-up strips – and brought with it the much more regarded Combat Colin, also by Stringer. The Robo-Capers name would resurface twice more: first in a special full-pager in issue 183 which saw Dreadwind taking over as letters host from Grimlock, and the second in the blow-out issue 200, which crossed over the two Stringer cartoons and depicted the King being defeated by Col (by accident!) and deciding to give up attempting to conquer Earth forever. This was the last Robo-Capers story to grace the pages of The Transformers... and probably the last ever as, unlike with Combat Colin, Lew Stringer did not retain the rights.[1]

Robo-Capers strips in TFUK

Reception

  • In issue 22's debut Soundwaves, Ryan Gogherty of Cardiff lists "Robo capers" as one of the book's extraneous back-up stories and features "wasting valuable Transformer space".
  • In issue 24's Soundwaves, Richard Isaac of Swansea sends in a "Your Choice" listing Robo-Capers as his "Best Cartoon Strip".

References

  1. ↑ "Robo Capers is still owned by Marvel I'm afraid, so you'd have to write to Panini UK to see if they'd reprint them." – Lew Stringer on Twitter
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