“Crisis of Command” (33 pp) was originally published by Marvel UK in Transformers #42-44 (January 1986)

The burdens of leadership can take their toll all too often. Autobot Commander Optimus Prime, in under 40 issues, has lead a mission into deepest space to protect his own war-torn planet, deliberately crashed his ship into a primitive alien world to stop his enemies, had his mind probed and plundered in a search for the Creation Matrix, had a fake head connected to his body to decimate his own army, and, to top it all off, dressed as Father Christmas to cheer up a human child.

And now there’s dissension in the ranks! It’s no wonder Optimus Prime is suffering a “Crisis of Command”…

Regular series writer, Simon Furman, continues his break to leave Mike Collins and James Hill in charge.

While “Crisis of Command” is almost as trip-hammer in the script department as previous episodes, it offers a more thoughtful and mature story for its readers.

Issues of war and its price are brought to the fore and leave the reader with much to think about.

“Crisis” is a classical story: a hero wracked with indecision, an unwelcome quest, a brave choice, a daring rescue. At times the plot can veer too close to writing-by-numbers, but it’s so well crafted that the inevitable climactic showdown brings no small amount of satisfaction.

Perhaps more than before, this story cements the characterisations of the Transformers (Autobot and Decepticons) making them each heroes and villains to root for.

Geoff Senior makes his artistic debut to a Transformers comic book strip with the first two chapters. His work is stunning and instantly ignites the script. Action scenes are kinetic and his talent for visual storytelling is nothing short of brilliant.

“Crisis of Command” is an immediate classic, rightly commanding a place in Marvel UK’s hall of fame.

Category: Marvel UK
Tags: Geoff Senior | James Hill | John Stokes | Mike Collins

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