The Saga of Princess Ugly

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Planet Terry in The Saga of Princess Ugly
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Published in	The Transformers issue 20
First published	15th June, 1985
Writer	Lenny Herman
Pencils	Warren Kremer
Inks	Jon D'Agostino
Colours	Peter Kremer
Letterer	Grace Kremer
Editor	Sid Jacobson
Executive editor	Tom DeFalco
Editor-in-chief	Jim Shooter

"The search begins anew"

Synopsis

Speeding through space in his ship, Planet Terry is excited that he is closer to finding his parents than ever before. Thanks to the adventures he's had with his new friends Robota and Omnus, he knows that his mom and dad served on the Space Warp, and with the space cruiser's former radioman, Squink, recovering in the main hold, it's only a matter of time before he wakes up and can give them directions on their quest.

However, Squink has already recovered consciousness, and he draws a blaster on Terry, saying that no-one can learn the secret of the Space Warp. Despite being Terry's only hope, Squink tells him that his father, the Space Warp's captain, blamed Squink for what happened, but he maintains his innocence. Squink refuses to answer any more questions, and puts on a jet pack to abandon ship. Robota warns him about an incoming astro tornado, but Squink doesn't believe her, and takes off into space.

Terry's ship is tossed around in the astro tornado before it crashes on a nearby planet. Nearby, a concerned inhabitant reports this development to the Wise One... who was expecting it, as the alien craft landing was just one of many prophecies "written in the book!" As the Wise One and his acolyte descend the hill, he reveals a number of predictions about their new visitors: that their ship was caught in an astro-cyclone, that it carries a crew of two, and that one of its pilots will be searching for a lost puppy, as "it is written in the book!" As he discovers each error in the predictions – the astro tornado, the crew of three, and Terry's search being for his parents – the Wise One insists that it is "close enough!"

That evening, the Wise One has the villagers – his fellow Gorkels – throw a banquet in honour of the long-awaited arrival of Terry and his crew. He explains that their beloved Princess _(shudder) Ugly has been kidnapped by her uncle, Vermin the Vile, and kept in the Domed City under a sleeping spell. Though unhappy under Vermin's rule, the Wise One is confident their woes are soon to be over, as the prophecies tell of how the spell will be broken by visiting alien creatures. Noticing the Gorkels' expectant looks, Terry whispers to Robota that he thinks he means them. As the Wise One says, "it is written in the book!"

The Wise One offers them an exchange: if Terry and his friends retrieve their beloved yet unbelievably ugly princess, he'll have the Gorkels fix up his ship. Consulting his prized empty photo frame, Terry realises he needs the ship for his quest, and Omnus and Robota chime in that they're a family that works together. Terry accepts the terms, and the Wise One insists that it'll be a straightforward, painless job – "it is written in the book!" But another Gorkel reminds him of the myriad dangers between their settlement and the Domed City, listing off the impenetrable forest, the Mayhem Maker, the terror vines, the volcano, and the whirlpool as evidence that this will be a dangerous task indeed. But our three intrepid heroes march forward with a determined war cry of "close enough!"

Featured characters

Planet Terry's crew	Antagonists	Inhabitants
Planet Terry Omnus Robota	Squink	Wise One Assorted Gorkels

Quotes

"Don't go, Squink! I've just received a warning of an astro tornado! It's due any moment!"
"Heh heh! The old astro tornado due-any-moment trick, eh? So long, suckers!"

—Robota tries to protect Squink, who doesn't listen.

"They must come from a very wealthy world! When you land a ship like that, you can only use it once!"

—The ignorant one misunderstands a crash landing.

Notes

Planet Terry issue 2 on Marvel Database, an external wiki

Original printing

• Planet Terry issue 2, 22 January 1985

As originally published, each issue of Planet Terry contained multiple separately-titled but interconnected chapters. "The Saga of Princess Ugly" is the first of three chapters from the second issue.

Edits

• Warren Kremer's credit is changed from "penciler" to "penciller", and Peter Kremer goes from a "colorist" to a "colourist".
• On the first, fifth, and sixth pages, the inking is altered on Terry's picture frame to say "MUM" instead of "MOM", with varying degrees of success. On page five, Terry's dialogue is similarly edited.
• Also on page five, "honor" becomes "honour".

Artwork and technical errors

• Considering all the other moms are edited to mums, it's weird that there's one they missed on the first page.
• On the second page, Robota's dialogue refers to Squink as "Squint".
• One drawing of Omnus on page five is coloured entirely yellow.

Continuity errors

• All these "mum" edits create a continuity flub with "A Clue", in which the picture frame was introduced reading "Mom & Dad". The exact placement of each word on the frame is inconsistent every time it is seen – and on the first page, the signature is rendered as "Mum + Dad", with a plus symbol instead of an ampersand!

Continuity notes

• The Wise One refers to the planet as "the world of the Gorkels"; "Too Close (Enough) for Comfort" clarifies that the Gorkels are the planet's green-skinned inhabitants, and the later "The Secret of the Space Warp" reveals that the planet is also named Gorkel.
• The impenetrable forest, the Mayhem Maker, the terror vines, the volcano, and the whirlpool are threats Terry and friends face in "Too Close (Enough) for Comfort", and it is in that exact order that they are introduced to the audience.

Real-life references

• Space tornadoes – a real thing!

Other notes

There's nothing astro about this tornado.

• This story and "Malt Shop Menace" are the only Planet Terry strips to be printed entirely in colour.
• As with background aliens from other stories, the "ignorant" Gorkel goes on to appear in the 2009-2010 miniseries X-Babies,  most prominently being tossed about by Storm  in the second issue.