Line #39 ComicBook/TransformersVsGIJoe


1	[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_300px_tfvsjoe_promo.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:225:'''WARNING:''' This comic series gets as insane as this cover is awesome in every sense of the word.]]
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4	Take ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', take ''Franchise/GIJoe'', give them to the guy who made ''Webcomic/AmericanBarbarian'', let him filter them through Creator/JackKirby and gonzo art comics, and lo and behold, you might get something like ''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''.
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6	In the past, G.I. Joe and the Transformers had plenty of crossover series[[note]]It should be noted that the cartoons, WesternAnimation/TheTransformers and WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero, implicitly took place in the same universe but only directly crossed over once in the Transformers episode "[[Recap/TransformersG1OnlyHuman Only Human]]"[[/note]], first with the ''ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel'' and ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'' by Creator/MarvelComics (which helped develop both properties in TheEighties), and later when their licenses were with the likes of Dreamwave Productions and Devil's Due Press, who respectively did ''ComicBook/TransformersGIJoe'' and ''ComicBook/GIJoeVsTheTransformers''. But when both publishers either went belly up or lost the licenses, Creator/IDWPublishing saw it best to snag the licensing rights to both.
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8	The series, written by Tom Scioli (who also draws the series) and ''Transformers'' group editor John Barber, has the war between the Autobots and Decepticons colliding with the war between G.I. Joe and Cobra. [[OffTheRails But things don't exactly go as paint-by-the-numbers]] [[DenserAndWackier as you'd think it would...]]
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10	The series started on May 2014 with an issue #0 serving as a prologue for the series. The series proper continued with issue #1 in July 2014 and concluded with #13 on May 2016. A follow up comic was made as an InUniverse Comic Adaptation of the InUniverse Movie Adaptation [[RecursiveAdaptation of the In Universe Comic version of this comic]] was made in March 2017.
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12	Near the end of 2017, a hardcover collection titled ''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe: The Quintessential Collection'' came out, which contained the entirety of the maxiseries, including the 0-numbered issue, the Free Comic Book Day Funnies strip (which was originally featured in the 0-numbered issue of the ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015'' comic book tie-in) and the ''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe: The Movie Adaptation'' one-shot.
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14	----
15	!!This comic series contains examples of the following tropes:
16	* AbledInTheAdaptation: In a sharp contrast to most incarnations of Snake-Eyes, this version of the Joes' token ninja isn't mute, though he still doesn't talk nearly as much as the other Joes.
17	* AdaptationDecay: The InUniverse Comic Adaptation of the InUniverse Movie Adaptation of the InUniverse version of this comic parodies this. The first half is more or less a summary of the events in the original comic with most of the things right... but are not. Such as Scarlett becoming Optimus' Head Master when she was Scorponok's and Snake Eyes fighting with the Joes [[spoiler:when he was a DoubleAgent inside of Cobra]].
18	* AdaptationAmalgamation: The ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' cameo [[spoiler:in which the deceased Megatron's remains are sent to be discovered by "Unicorn" instead of Unicron]], deliberately mixes the generations together. The scene features G1's Moondancer, G3's Rarity, and G4's Twilight Sparkle and Lyra Heartstrings, all four of whom are drawn in the G1 art style.
19	* AdaptationalContextChange: The FCBD Funnies strip (originally published in issue 0 of the ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015'' comic book tie-in) references Cobra Commander's MadnessMantra of saying "I was once a man" after turning into a mutant snake in ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeTheMovie'', except in this context the saying refers to how Cobra Commander [[FromNobodyToNightmare was an ordinary man with a wife and a son before he became the dreaded leader of Cobra]].
20	** Oddly, its later revealed that he's in fact a reptilian creature from beneath the earth, a la the Sunbow film. This discrepancy is never really explained.
21	* AdaptationalUgliness: Most incarnations of Serpentor were presentable at the least. The incarnation of Serpentor in this continuity has green skin and multiple red eyes.
22	* AdaptationalVillainy: While Megatron has always been evil, most versions portray him as either somewhat sympathetic, or ALighterShadeOfBlack next to truly devilish opponents like Unicron. This version portrays him as a murderous, diabolical monster bordering on a GodOfEvil with no redeeming qualities (clearly riffing on ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}).
23	* AllJustADream: The end of Issue #6 "reveals" the whole adventure was just pure imagination from Scarlett, confined to a mental institution. Subverted in the very next issue when it turns out that Scarlett was being [[{{Gaslighting}} manipulated]] by Cobra's Doctor Mindbender and the Decepticon hypnotist Mindwipe. In the backmatter, the authors reveal that so many people had suggested the series would turn out to be a kid playing with their toys that they decided it would be funny to do it as an obviously fake twist at the halfway point instead.
24	* AnyoneCanDie: It happens surprisingly ''very'' often.
25	** [[spoiler:Bumblebee]]'s out of the picture in the ''prologue''.[[spoiler:.. until Issue #8 reveals that he's still alive.]]
26	** [[spoiler:Cobra Commander]] and [[spoiler:Baroness]] die in the prologue too. [[spoiler:But issue #5 shows they both survived... albeit comatose in Cobra Commander's case and heavily scarred in Baroness' case.]]
27	** This hits [[spoiler:Soundwave]] pretty badly in ''Issue #1''.[[spoiler:.. until his brother, Shockwave, resurrects him in issue #10's side story "Black Cybertron"... [[CameBackWrong kinda.]]]]
28	** [[spoiler:Grimlock]] is a goner as of Issue #5.
29	** As of Issue #8, we can add [[spoiler:Optimus Prime]] into the corpse count.
30	** And of Issue #10, [[spoiler: the entire population of Earth.]]
31	** Issue #13 has [[spoiler:Destro, Hawk, Cobra Commander, and Storm Shadow.]]
32	** Some of the above get better or appear again in the afterlife, though.
33	* BabiesEverAfter:
34	** At the end of the comic, it is mentioned that Brawn and Cover Girl are expecting a child and Roadblock is seen watching his daughters get onto the schoolbus (quickly revealed to be a Decepticon with the driver being a disguised Buzzer) for their first day of school.
35	** The Baroness ends the series pregnant with [[spoiler:Cobra Commander's child]], who is implied to be this continuity's version of Serpentor.
36	* BackFromTheDead:
37	** Optimus, in the finale. And it is awesome.
38	** In Issue #13, [[spoiler:the narration assures that Megatron will one day return as Galvatron.]]
39	* BossSubtitles: As a nod to the file cards on the packaging of both G.I. Joe and Transformers toys, each of the significant characters is introduced with a caption featuring their portrait, code name, and a Boss Subtitle-styled caption. When Destro first meets Megatron, the SplashPanel of Megatron's face reflected in Destro's mask is accompanied by ''[[OverlyLongGag five]]'' caption boxes, describing Destro as "Gun Maker, Life Taker, Dream Breaker, Earth Shaker, Money Raker".
40	* CameBackWrong: [[spoiler:Shockwave (who is is Soundwave's brother in the canon) does his damndest to resurrect Soundwave, but Soundwave ends up sounding monotone rather than melodious, much to Shockwave's horror. It gets worse when he notes that where he used to treat his cassetticons well and simply command them to return to his compartment, now he impatiently grabs them, crumples them into tape mode and shoves them into his chest.]]
41	* TheCameo: Bludgeon appears as guardian of the afterlife in Issue #12.
42	* CombiningMecha: [[spoiler: Defensor as combined by the Rescuebots, which are comprised of Inferno, Jetfire, Ratchet, Prowl, Red Alert, Blades (who is styled after his ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRescueBots'' toy incarnation physically while sporting the colors of his G1 self), and Arcee.]] ...We did say this comic series was insane, right?
43	* ComicBookAdaptation: Parodied with ''The Movie Adaptation'', which is presented as an in-universe comic book tie-in to a film adaptation of the story that has taken a lot of creative liberties.
44	* ComicBookFantasyCasting:
45	** General Flagg is based on the real-world definitive ''[[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I. Joe]]'' comic writer Creator/LarryHama.
46	** Dr. Venom is based on Creator/ChristophWaltz, largely because in this continuity he is [[{{Expy}} mostly]] [[Film/IngloriousBasterds Hans Landa]] as a MadDoctor.
47	** Falcon is a young Creator/SylvesterStallone.
48	* CoversAlwaysLie: Ultra Magnus appears in the cover for Issue #7... but he's nowhere in the actual story.[[spoiler:.. until Issue #10.]]
49	* {{Crossover}}: Between Franchise/{{Transformers}} and Franchise/GIJoe, natch... but be warned, for it is...
50	* DenserAndWackier: Compared to the previous Transformers and G.I. Joe crossovers, this one goes... out there.
51	* DramaticUnmask: [[spoiler:Cobra Commander and the Serpentress (formally known as the Baroness) have one in Issue #12. The Serpentress' scars aren't so bad, but Cobra Commander's? He's pretty bad looking.]]
52	* EldritchAbomination: Koh-Buru-Lah is a... thing made of tentacles and teeth.
53	* EnfantTerrible: Crystal Ball predicts [[spoiler:Serpentor will be one.]]
54	* FantasticSlur: The Joes initially negatively refer to Transformers as "Go-Bots", which is also a TakeThat to a different franchise, the rival US TransformingMecha show ''WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGoBots'' (which, funnily enough, is now technically another Hasbro property due to Hasbro buying out ''Go-Bots'' owner Tonka). It's eventually revealed that ''Go-Bots'' exists as a fictional show in-universe.
55	* FeedItABomb: [[spoiler:Dr. Venom]] is killed by having a live grenade pushed into his mouth.
56	* TheGhost: A Decepticon chef named Confektor is mentioned, but never seen.
57	* GrimReaper: Turns out Cybertron has one.[[spoiler:.. and it's Ultra Magnus. No, really!]]
58	* IFightForTheStrongestSide: Dr. Venom will always suddenly undergo a moral conversion to whoever seems to be winning, or claim to have been secretly working for them all along. [[spoiler:This eventually gets him killed.]]
59	* ImAHumanitarian: [[spoiler:Megatron turns out to be one after eating a very much alive Skidmark in issue #10]], much to the horror of most of the Dreadnoks.
60	-->'''Ripper:''' GORE BLIMEY! I fink I've gone and lost me bloomin' happytite. \
61	'''Torch:''' [[{{Squick}} Not me, mate. (CHOMP CHOMP) Grub's gotten way better since we shanghai'd that G.I. Joe celebrity chef.]]
62	* InNameOnly: Deliberately invoked in a lot of places, in that a lot of characters and concepts are vastly off from the originals - for instance, the Oktober Guard goes from a Russian counterpart to [[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I. Joe]] to a Halloween-themed squad of villains, and Rodimus goes from a youthful cavalier given a sudden promotion to an exiled philosopher-king who now harvests "hot rods." The overall sensation is intentionally like a kid playing with their toys and making up lore and backstories as they go along. That being said, there are enough nods to the source materials and details that are accurate to most continuities that make it clear that Scioli is quite well-informed about both franchises.
63	* InsultBackfire: [=Mini-Megatron=] was an Autobot creation meant to insult him by calling him a tiny weakling. Megatron instead took him in as an official Decepticon, and had him act as Destro's personal bodyguard and firearm.
64	* IntercontinuityCrossover: The comic is a crossover between Transformers and G.I. Joe, with a tongue-in-cheek cameo from ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' characters near the end.
65	* InterspeciesRomance: As a LastMinuteHookUp at the end, [[spoiler:the human Cover Girl and the Autobot Brawn]].
66	* LastMinuteReprieve: [[spoiler: At the end of the series, General Flagg is set to be executed for treason after deposing the president. He's saved when a sniper shoots the rope meant to hang him and it's announced that he's been pardoned by the president.]]
67	* MythologyGag: The maxiseries has enough references to past ''G.I. Joe'' and ''Transformers'' continuities to warrant [[MythologyGag/TransformersVsGIJoe its own page]].
68	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: By the end of the series, [[spoiler:Billy has become a Cobra-Franchise/GIJoe-Transformer-Arashikage-Reptile-human fusion who not only leads the remnants of COBRA as the new Cobra Commander, but also inherited the Master Sword and both the title and costume of "Snake Eyes." However, to show him embracing both roles, there is now a COBRA insignia on the chest.]]
69	* ProductionForeshadowing: The Joes calling the Autobots "[=GoBots=]", aside from being a tongue-in-cheek allusion to a lesser-known rival franchise to ''Transformers'' that is now technically another Hasbro property due to Hasbro acquiring ''[=GoBots=]'' owner Tonka, comes off as alluding to Scioli's later ''ComicBook/{{Gobots}}'' miniseries in retrospect.
70	* PronouncingMyNameForYou: Doctor Venom is very insistent that his name should be pronounced with a German "v" sound, to sound like the first two syllables of "phenomenon", and not with an English "v".
71	* RelatedInTheAdaptation:
72	** Shockwave and Soundwave are brothers in this version, a decision most likely made from their similar names.
73	** Serpentor goes from being a clone of various infamous historical figures created by Dr. Mindbender to the future son of [[spoiler:Cobra Commander]] and the Baroness, in effect also making him half-brother to [[spoiler:Cobra Commander's son Billy]].
74	* {{Retraux}}: Looks and feels like a much older comic series. While the storyline is heavily influenced by the styles of the 80's and 90's, the [[Creator/JackKirby Kirbyesque]] art style, combined with the deliberate browning of the pages, is more along the lines of a vintage 60's or 70's book.
75	* RetroactiveLegacy: In the issue where Destro is TouchedByVorlons in medieval Scotland, he and his clan have to battle both Cobra-themed druids and a clan of Vikings from '''G'''iant '''I'''sland '''Jo'''tunheim, wielding a distinctive warhammer[[note]](In the shape of the "Adventure Team" logo)[[/note]] that reappears in the hands of Hawk and Duke.
76	* ShootTheRope: [[spoiler:Happens to General Flagg when he's about to be hanged for war crimes and a pardon almost arrives too late.]]
77	* ShoutOut:
78	** The cyborg-augmented Joe animals are referred to as the [=US7=], a punning reference to the comic ''ComicBook/{{WE3}}''.
79	** In the finale, Megatron[[spoiler:'s corpse crash-lands on [[Franchise/MyLittlePony Equestria]]. No, really. The depiction's more in line with the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends original 80's version of MLP]], as befits the {{Retraux}} feel. The only justification is the narrator mentioning him meeting a 'unicorn' instead of [[WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie Unicron]] after his defeat.]]
80	** One of the previous holders of the Matrix of Leadership is named Amazon Prime, a blatant pun on the streaming service of the same name.
81	** The FCBD Funnies strip included in issue 0 of the comic book tie-in to ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015'' has a strip about Cobra Commander's son titled ''Billy the Brat'', which is drawn in the style of ''ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUS'', and a strip of Billy fighting Snake Eyes titled ''Ninja vs. Ninja'', referencing the ''ComicStrip/SpyVsSpy'' strip from ''Magazine/{{MAD}}''.
82	* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: [[spoiler:Cobra Commander]] dies, but after his demise is revealed to have impregnated the Baroness.
83	* SparedByTheAdaptation: As in [[ComicBook/GIJoeIDW the 2008 IDW G.I. Joe comics continuity]], Cobra Commander's son Billy does not die like in the [[ComicBook/GIJoeDevilsDue Devil's Due]] and [[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroIDW IDW]] continuations of [[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel the Marvel Comics continuity]] and survives the entire series.
84	* VillainTeamUp: Cobra teams up with the Decepticons in Issue #3 onwards.
85	* WeCanRebuildHim: After Billy gets his arm and leg cut off by Snake-Eyes, Megatron binary bonds him to Army and Limbot, who become powerful prosthetic limbs for Billy.
86	* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:Issue #8 ends not only with Optimus Prime dying at the hands of Megatron, but also the apparent destruction of Earth itself.]]
87	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Koh-Bru-Lah vanishes from the series without explanation.
88	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Issue #9 is a whole flashback to the origins of the Destro family in Dark Ages Europe and Issue #11 is a flashback to the Duke acting as DrillSergeantNasty to his half-brother Falcon as he is training to fight the Cybertronians.
89	* YoureNotMyFather: Issue 5 shows a flashback of a younger Duke refusing to accept his stepfather and half-brother Falcon as his kin.
90	* YourHeadAsplode: Cobra Commander's fate, thanks to that helmet full of explosives he has.

Context ComicBook / TransformersVsGIJoe