The Transformers issue 16/The Chromobots

« The Chromobots »
The Chromobots (issue 16)
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Published in	The Transformers issue 16
First published	20th April, 1985
Script	Mike Kazybrid
Art	Mike Kazybrid

"Dudley has a lecture on history!"

Synopsis

Dudley returns home, with Mikros still concealed in the shopping bag and Transmute in disguise as another boy Dudley quickly names "Lenny". Dudley's mum is shocked to see him back so late; she's been waiting for her groceries for two hours, and his father isn't pleased. Dudley nervously lies to her about Lenny's identity, and the two quickly retreat up to his room, where Dudley demands Transmute give him some answers.

Transforming back into his regular form, Transmute reveals that he and his comrades are the crew of one of two starships dispatched by the Chromatic Star Federation of the distant planet Chromos Five. Their mission is to capture or annihilate a notorious Chromobot criminal named Predator, who escaped imprisonment and has now made his way to Earth. His plan is to combine Chromobot technology with human nuclear weapons in order to destroy Chromos Five and impose his rule on Earth.

Dudley's mental to-do list expands beyond getting mum her groceries into also saving the world.

Featured characters

Regular cast	Antagonists	Others
Dudley "Lenny"/Transmute Mikros A third Chromobot	Predator	Dudley's mum Chromobot civilians

Quotes

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Notes

• Having evidently seen his previous strips in print and realised that he hasn't been credited for any of them, Kazybrid letters "Script and art: Mike Kazybrid" into the space beneath the The Chromobots logo.

Continuity errors

• The narration establishes that Transmute and Mikros are from the Chromatic Star Federation, which opens up a whole can of worms.

Continuity notes

• Dudley's mum makes a rare in-person appearance, having been mentioned in issue 14.
• The unnamed, third member of Transmute's crew is Shield, who would go on to be introduced in issue 19.
• This world establishes much of the backstory behind The Chromobots:
  • Their home world is Chromos Five, but their population is spread over a group of planets.
  • Their chromium composition appears to be a result of Chromos Five's proximity to its star(s).
  • Chromos Five is (maybe) policed by the Chromatic Star Federation (see continuity errors above).
  • The Chromobots are not robots, with Transmute using terms like "Chromobotic-organic being" and "chromatic-organic people".
  • Chromos Five is "mainly a techno-empire", meaning it has forgone nuclear weapons.
• The other ship containing three Chromatic Star Federation officers dispatched to Earth does not get reintroduced before The Chromobots ends in issue 26.

Real-life references

• Tea is an evening meal referred to as "dinner" Daarn Sarf (where the mid-day meal of dinner is referred to as "lunch"). See the North-South divide.
• In addition to the "Make Mine Marvel" flag and Machine Man and Humph posters on his bedroom wall, this strip also shows Dudley to own another comic with Spider-Man on the front.
• Transmute referring to his ability as transforming is almost certainly a nod to the wider Transformers book.
• The threat of nuclear destruction was everywhere in 1980s fiction as a result of Cold War tensions.