Jazz

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
SUB-GROUP(S): PRETENDER, ACTIONMASTER
FUNCTION: SPECIAL OPERATIONS

"Do it with style or don't bother doing it."

First Appearance: Transformers 1
Significant Appearances: Transformers 1-4, 7, 9-14, 17-18, 22, 26-44, 48-49, 53, 63, 78-88, 93, 96, 104, 114, 174-175, 194, 209, 234, 240-251, 257-261, 265-266, 268, 270, 274, 277-279, 283, 288-289, 299-301, 311, 320, 323, 325, 328.

Jazz is cool, collected and cultured. Always keen to embrace newly discovered cultures and civilisations and learn more about the world around him. His knowledge of Earth makes him an indispensable lieutenant to Optimus Prime. Jazz likes to specialise in dangerous missions.


Marvel Comics: Throughout the course of the original Transformers comic series, Jazz remained a major character. In the first slew of stories Jazz was responsible for striking a deal with an American industrialist called Blackrock to allow the Autobots to obtain fuel whenever they needed it. Jazz was also shown to enjoy songs by Madonna. Like many of the other Ark crew Autobots, Jazz was sidelined from the main storyline in America.

In the UK, however, Jazz continued to remain popular and had major roles in the likes of "Crisis of Command" and "Target: 2006". In "Crisis of Command" a compassionate side of Jazz was shown. In "Target: 2006" he was cruelly lobotomised by Galavtron and used as a remote-controlled puppet to attack his fellow Autobots.

Jazz was destroyed by Starscream in The Underbase saga, but shortly returned to life as a Classic Pretender, along with Bumblebee and Grimlock. During a battle with Bludgeon's Mayhem Attack Squad, Jazz and his team were transported to Cybertron and learned the origin of the Transformers race from the Keeper.

Jazz later ditched his Pretender Shell and an updated "AtoZ" entry in a Transformers annual mentioned that he preferred to "do his thing" in his original mode. Jazz had a major role in the Earthforce stories and the Unicron Saga; by this time his character seemed to slip into a more immature and wise-cracking persona.

IDW Comics: Jazz was part of Prowl's crew on the Ark-19 crew on Earth, acting as his second-in-command. His alternate mode was still a Porsche.

Transformers: Jazz was released by Hasbro in 1984. In his original form he could transform into a Porsche sports car. A very popular character, he made two returns in toy form to the Transformers toy series. In 1989, Jazz became a Pretender Classic with a new toy that could be hidden within a human-looking plastic shell. For those that didn't want to play with a doll of Jazz, he was also released without the shell as a Legend. The following year, Jazz returned as a non-transforming Actionmaster.

In the Generation 2 range, Jazz's original toy was re-released with a new set of stickers and additional weaponry. The original toy was re-issued in Japan in 2002 and in the US/UK in 2003.

In 2004, Jazz returned as an Alternator. His alternate mode had been updated to a Mazda RX-8 sports car. In Japan he was released in two colours, white and red. Also in 2004 a Spychanger version of Jazz (a recoloured Side Burn mould) was released.