To mark the news that a Transformers/G.I.Joe film is on its way once more, let’s take a look back at the first time these Hasbro titans clashed!
As Marvel had the rights to publish stories starring two of Hasbro’s best-selling toy properties of the ’80s (as well as having a hand in their success), they decided to throw these brands against each other in one story! It turned out to be a little too hastily thrown together, though, with no one looking too hot. And, with a few notable exceptions, the respective ongoing titles largely ignored the events of the mini-series.
G.I.Joe’s continuity (in the reality designated Earth-91274) didn’t quite match up with the mini, but would eventually be recognised as a part of continuity when the Joes met the Transformers again, years later. The events of the mini were recognised in Transformers’ continuity, with the stories being referenced in their own ongoing series. But Bumblebee’s revamp was about the only element with lasting impact on the lives of the Autobots.
Minor Crossover: The events of the four issue mini-series can be read without reading the main Transformers series alongside it, but doing so provides the full story.
Must-Reads: Issues marked with a ✔are essential to the story.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions, first appearances and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- PIT-FALL (1986-1987) – The fall of Cobra Commander
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- ✔ G.I.Joe and the Transformers #1
- Transformers #24
- ✔ G.I.Joe and the Transformers #2
- Transformers #25-26
- ✔ G.I.Joe and the Transformers #3-4
SUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNIVERSE COMICS GUIDE today and unlock bonus features! Gain access to Subscriber Exclusives, all of the Trackable Digital Reading Orders and Bonus Video Content that you won’t find on our YouTube or podcasts – see the full list. Navigate your way through multiple comic universes with us, your gateway to any and every comics universe!
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | G.I.Joe and the Transformers #1 (pp.1-19) (1986) Optimus Prime sends Bumblebee to monitor the launch of a new, portable nuclear power station called Alpha. G.I.Joe defend Alpha from the Dreadnoks, the Decepticons make their move and Optimus orders the Arialbots to intercept… |
| Transformers #24 (1986) The Decepticons secondary plan to steal the energy-generating Hydrothermocline from Futures Industries is intercepted by the Autobots. In order to prevent pitched battle, Futures employee Ethan Zachary suggestions Optimus Prime, Megatron and the Protectobots and Combaticons hook themselves up to his video game. If the Decepticons win, they take the device. The loser will be destroyed. It looks like the Autobots are winning, but Optimus allows some of the computer-generated innocents to die in order to defeat Megatron. With that, Ethan Zachary is ordered to blow Optimus up. The Decepticons leave with the Hydrothermocline and the Protectobots leave with Optimus Prime’s corpse. 1st appearance: Bruticus/Combaticons (Blast Off, Brawl, Onslaught, Swindle, Vortex), Defensor/Protectobots (Blades, First Aid, Groove, Hotspot, Street Wise), Ethan Zachary | |
| ✔ | G.I.Joe and the Transformers #1 (pp.20-24) (1986) Bumblebee remains at the power station site and rescues a child who, under Megatron’s orders, is placed under Bombshell’s control. But G.I.Joe believe Bumblebee to be an attacker and Hawk orders the Joes to open fire. Bombshell sneaks about Alpha while Bumblebee’s destruction alerts the Autobots. The Arialbots arrive too late to save their fallen comrade, but combine into Superion to face the threat of G.I.Joe… |
| ✔ | G.I.Joe and the Transformers #2 (1986) Superion is ordered to return to the Ark following the death of Optimus Prime. G.I.Joe’s Mainframe believes Bumblebee might have been alive. Hawk becomes involved with Senator Larkin who helped make Alpha a reality. Shockwave decides to turn Megatron’s state of depression over not being the one who killed Optimus Prime to his advantage. Bombshell flies away with Alpha, while Serpentor orders Cobra to give chase. Cobra shake off G.I.Joe, leading to a Cobra alliance with the Decepticons. But Doctor Mindbender knows they plan to use Alpha to destroy Earth. |
| Transformers #25 (1986) As Megatron begins to lose his mind and leads the Stunticons and Combaticons in search of Optimus Prime, Shockwave orders the Predacons down to Earth. Pretending to be Autobots, the Predacons try to kill Megatron but even combining to form Predaking isn’t enough to stop him. Despite learning of Shockwave’s betrayal, the unstable Megatron boards the space-bridge to Cybertron and blows it up. 1st appearance: Predaking/Predacons (Dive Bomb, Headstrong, Rampage, Razorclaw, Tantrum) |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | G.I.Joe and the Transformers #3 (pp.1-6) (1986) Shockwave’s plan is to use Alpha to turn the Earth into a fireball that will recharge Cybertron, but end all human life on the planet. Serpentor is unaware of this when they make their alliance official. |
| Transformers #26 (pp.1-9) (1986) Ratchet becomes depressed that he can’t fix Optimus Prime. He heads to a junkyard to obtain parts for other injured Autobots, missing Prime’s funeral. Ratchet is stolen by a car-thief calling himself the Mechanic. 1st appearance: Mechanic/Nestor Forbes | |
| ✔ | G.I.Joe and the Transformers #3 (pp.7-8) (1986) Mainframe begins rebuilding Bumblebee. The Autobots prepare to give Optimus Prime his send-off. |
| Transformers #26 (pp.10-22) (1986) Optimus Prime’s body is launched into space. The Mechanic uses Ratchet’s hi-tech equipment to break into the Ark. Ratchet uses the injured Prowl‘s police car form to scare the Mechanic away, saving the Ark and reuniting him with his fellow Autobots. | |
| ✔ | G.I.Joe and the Transformers #3 (pp.9-23) (1986) Hawk learns Senator Larkin is in league with Cobra. Dirge and Cobra attack the Ark, but Serpentor turns on Dirge and forms a new alliance with the Autobots against the Decepticons. |
| ✔ | G.I.Joe and the Transformers #4 (1986) G.I.Joe ally themselves with the Autobots and Cobra as they all hatch a plan to stop the Decepticons. Ratchet helps Mainframe resurrect Bumblebee as Goldbug. The cerebro-shell removed from the protestor is used by Doctor Mindbender to take control of Alpha. While the coalition attack the Decepticon base, Mindbender sends Alpha into space and detonates it against the Autobots wishes as they believe it could be sentient. Cobra quickly depart and, feeling betrayed, the Autobots end their alliance with G.I.Joe. Baroness assassinates Senator Larkin, leaving Hawk to mourn her. |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event/ Crossover |
| Transformers #114-118 (1987, Marvel UK) On Earth-120185, Bumblebee‘s transformation into Goldbug happens differently; Bumblebee is killed by the bounty-hunter Death’s Head and rebuilt by Wreck-Gar as Goldbug. | WANTED: GALVATRON, DEAD OR ALIVE | |
| ✔ | Transformers #27 (1987) Impressed with Grimlock‘s victory over Trypticon, the Autobots name him the new leader of the Autobots. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #28 (1987) Grimlock orders Blaster and Goldbug to apprehend the Mechanic, but he manages to escape; Blaster and Goldbug decide to abandon the Autobots while Grimlock’s in charge. | |
| Transformers #125 (1987, Marvel UK) Action Force #24-27 (1987, Marvel UK) In Earth-120185 continuity, ‘Megatron‘ emerges alive in the sewers of London; the Transformers meet the UK version of G.I.Joe dubbed Action Force. | TRANSFORMERS VS ACTION FORCE | |
| Transformers #135-136 (1987, Marvel UK) Divebomb‘s arrival on Earth (alongside the other Predacons) reignites an old feud with Swoop of the Dinobots (on Earth-120185). | GRUDGE MATCH | |
| Transformers #137 (1987, Marvel UK) Brawl is revealed to have survived Megatron crushing his head in Earth-120185 continuity. | ||
| Transformers #36 (1988) Prowl is fully rebuilt. | ||
| ✔ | Transformers #40-42 (1988) Ethan Zachary returns, giving the disc that holds Optimus Prime’s personality to Goldbug; Optimus Prime is rebuilt with a new Powermaster body. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #47 (1988) Optimus Prime assumes leadership of the Autobots again. | |
| Transformers #189 (1988, Marvel UK) Shockwave reprograms ‘Megatron’ to use as a weapon against Galvatron, testing him against facsimile versions of him; ‘Megatron’ kills Cyclonus while Scourge escapes to avoid altering the timeline where Megatron is transformed into Galvatron by Unicron and Scourge and Cyclonus are (re)created as his lieutenants. | ||
| Transformers #199-205 (1989, Marvel UK) ‘Megatron’ teams up with his future self, Galvatron, increasing the time rift; the Autobots and Decepticons join forces to combat the two Decepticon leaders. | TIME WARS | |
| ✔ | Transformers #57 (1989) Megatron is revealed to be alive, wandering Cybertron with no memory of who he is. | |
| ✔ | Transformers #58 (1989) Ratchet restores Goldbug to his Bumblebee form when he turns him into a Pretender. | |
| Transformers #243-244 (1989, Marvel UK) The ‘Megatron’ double is revealed to be a clone created by Lord Straxus to house his own personality when the real Megatron returns; Straxus tries to claim the clone Megatron’s mind, but it’s own ‘Megatron’ persona commits suicide to kill Lord Straxus by blowing its own head off. | ||
| ✔ | G.I.Joe #138-142 (1993) G.I.Joe and Cobra face the Transformers again. | WAR WITHOUT END |
| Transformers: Generation 2 #12 (1994) Dirge is only resurrected long enough to die again when he sacrifices himself against the Swarm. |
G.I.joe & Transformers crossover stories from other publishers:
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event/ Crossover |
| ✔ | G.I.Joe vs the Transformers #1-6 (2003, Devil’s Due/Image Comics) Cobra use the deactivated Transformers they discover in the crashed Ark and use them as their own vehicles and weapons of war; G.I.Joe take on Cobra’s transforming vehicles. | |
| Transformers/G.I.Joe #1-6 (2003-2004, Dreamwave Productions) Set during World War II, Cobra find the Matrix and utilise it to summon the Decepticons; G.I.Joe and the Autobots join forces to oppose them. | ||
| Transformers/G.I.Joe: Divided Front #1 (2004, Dreamwave Productions) This time set in the present day, the Autobots and G.I.Joe join forces to battle Cobra and the Decepticons as we learn the origins of the two Earth-bound military units. Note: Only one issue was produced due to Dreamwave’s bankruptcy. | ||
| ✔ | G.I.Joe vs the Transformers II #0, 1-4 (2004, Devil’s Due) Continuing from the previous Devil’s Due series, Cobra Commander‘s attempts to take over the Cybertronian computer Teletran 3, only to send the Transformers, the Joes and Cobra through time and space. | |
| ✔ | G.I.Joe vs the Transformers: The Art of War #1-5 (2006, Devil’s Due) Continuing from the previous Devil’s Due series, Megatron is reborn as Serpent OR with the combined DNA of some of the greatest military geniuses in Earth’s history; Serpent OR turns the tide of war against the Autobots on Cybertron. | |
| ✔ | Transformers vs G.I.Joe #0, 1-6 (2014-2015, IDW) Free Comics Book Day – Transformers: Robots in Disguise #0 (2015, IDW) Transformers vs G.I.Joe #7-13 (2015-2016, IDW) Set in a separate continuity from the respective IDW titles, G.I.Joe and the Autobots find themselves at war with both Cobra and the Decepticons – as well as each other – but make a startling discovery about their own existence. | THE TRANSFORMERS VS G.I.JOE |
| ✔ | Transformers vs G.I.Joe: The Movie #1 (2017, IDW) A film is created, based on the events of the ‘Transformers vs G.I.Joe’ series. | |
| ✔ | Revolution Prelude (2016, IDW) Revolution#1-5 (2016, IDW) G.I.Joe are called in to deal with the ever-growing threat of the Cybertronians based on Earth; Cobra, the Micronauts and Rom are also drawn into the conflict. Note: This is set in IDW’s first Transformers mainstream continuity. | REVOLUTION |
| G.I.Joe #1-4 (2016-2017, IDW) Following the events of the ‘Revolution’, Skywarp becomes a fully-fledged member of G.I.Joe. | RECONSTRUCTION | |
| ✔ | Revolutionaries #1-8 (2016-2017) The lives and histories of the Transformers, G.I.Joe, MASK, Action Man and others are further intertwined in the post-Revolution IDW/Hasbroverse continuity. | |
| ✔ | First Strike #0, 1-6 (2017, IDW) The last major Transformers/G.I.Joe event set in the Hasbroverse sees General Colton on a suicide mission to end the threat of the Transformers once and for all by attacking their home planet. | FIRST STRIKE |
See how this story fits into the wider Marvel Multiverse with these reading orders:
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| G.I.Joe and the Transformers (Marvel) | G.I.Joe and the Transformers #1-4 |
| G.I.Joe/The Transformers vol.1 (IDW) | G.I.Joe #139-142 G.I.Joe and the Transformers #1-4 |
| Transformers Classics vol.2 (IDW) | Transformers #14-25 |
| Transformers Classics vol.3 (IDW) | Transformers #26-38 |
| Transformers Classics vol.8 (IDW) | G.I.Joe and the Transformers #1-4 Transformers Universe #1-4 |
| Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection vol.89 (Hachette) | G.I.Joe #138-142 G.I.Joe and the Transformers #1-4 |
| Transformers: Showdown (Titan) | Transformers #19-24 |
| Transformers: Breakdown (Titan) | Transformers #25-30 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Transformers: Best of Megatron (IDW) Transformers: Greatest Battles of Optimus Prime and Megatron (IDW) | Transformers #24 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2024
Leave a Reply