James Roberts planning 40th anniversary book on pre-Internet Transformers fandom and zines

[SHIELD Agent 47]

As you may know, James Roberts, the renowned writer of The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye at IDW Publishing in the 2010s, is a graduate of the fanfiction group Transmasters UK (TMUK), from which fellows such as Nick Roche and Jack Lawrence also got creative experiences in their younger days of the 1980s and 1990s before going on to do official Transformers work. Now, Roberts is planning a book for the fortieth anniversary of the Transformers brand, covering the fandom and notably zine culture of the pre-Internet / early Internet era of the previous century. He is appealing to anyone who may still have such old printed material in their possession to contact him so he can comprehensively cover all aspects of the fandom.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1695730796248633848

I’m thinking about releasing a big new book celebrating the old school Transformers fanzines of the 80s and 90s, to be released in time for the 40th anniversary

It would be a large format, photo-heavy book, part reference guide, part history (the early 90s End of Days is a critical but under-catalogued period in TF history), containing interviews with a host of zine editors and contributors

In 1990/91, the demise of the Marvel comics and the end of the toyline in the US gave every impression that the franchise was dead, even if the toys continued elsewhere

Fans from 84 were now old enough to make fanzines, and with no new canonical fiction the time was right for the fandom to embrace the DIY ethos and Take Control

If this project is to work, I need as broad a sample of TF zines as possible. I have 150ish from the Transmasters days, but there are lots more out there. Zines from the 80s, plus non-UK/US zines, are especially hard to come by, as are general toy and SF zines that featured TFs

This is me putting my toe in the water, trying to gauge interest and to see how much material is out there. So to get to the point: if you own or know of or made or contributed to TF fanzines published in the 20th century, please get in touch by emailing me at [email protected]

If I decide this has legs, I’d find ways to take high quality scans of the material, and to interview zine creators and contributors

Please could you spread this message far and wide so I can determine the amount and the availability of the source material. If any of you post on TF sites and message boards, please fly a flag for this project. Thank you!

And in the meantime, I am also plugging his MTMTE notebooks. If you would like to read behind-the-scenes details on what went into the comic series, you can soon order copies from him.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1692797286500225329

Lots of questions about this, so: I plan to invite orders for the MTMTE notebooks (both sets: Vols 1 and 2; and 3 and 4) in September — probably 1st to the 30th. I might make the latest scripts available too. ** I will post something on here, on Bluesky and on my Instagram **

If you bought Vols 1 and 2, or emailed the MTMTE Books account about placing an order, you’ll automatically be contacted. If you put your name on the preorder lists at TFCon and TFNation, you’ll be contacted

I’m doing some things differently this year, having learned some lessons last time. These changes should cut down on delivery times and make everything run more smoothly. I’ll explain everything when you contact me to place an order, or to enquire about placing one

Some people are worried about missing out, so please spread this message far and wide — TF message boards, Tumblr etc. I’m conscious that people have deserted Twitter. I don’t want to have to extend the preorder window, which is what happened last time. Thank youuuu

 

[lastmaximal]

There's a volume 3 and 4?! Thanks for this. Gonna stand by now.

 

[MrBlud]

I wonder if “Battle Protocol” would make it.

Kinda the tail end of that era but it was quite the undertaking, involving a wide breath of the fandom and from people who would also go on to do official work as well.

 

[The Phazer]

There's a volume 3 and 4?! Thanks for this. Gonna stand by now.

There's going to be. I think he even said there would be a volume 5 that would more be a standalone "stuff that didn't really fit anywhere else" at some point.

I'm really interested in this book. It'll be especially interesting because this scene really was the genesis of some more mainstream portrayals and characters. I know some people really didn't like Star Saber's characterisation in MTMTE but it was obviously pretty inspired by the TMUK continuity (where Star Saber was a somewhat grumpy anti-hero who was another of Liege Maximo's underlings like Jiaxhus, but came around to be a bit more of an independent fairweather ally).

 

[Sabrblade]

This should be very fascinating. The pre-ATT era is one of the most mysterious and undocumented eras of the fandom's history to anyone who wasn't there at the time.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

I would actually LOVE to see most of the old TMUK stuff put into some kind of official order and re-released. There's some really interesting ideas out there, but a lot of it's just lost to time. And I think a lot of the people who were involved have either moved on or just don't want to talk about it anymore. Martin McVay, the guy who seemed to be more or less trying to keep the TMUK ship afloat, seems to just want to focus on the newer stuff. I suppose it just got too hard to keep getting everyone's okay to reuse their drawings or writings over and over again.

I actually haven't even SEEN most of the old comics. Nevermind the actual 'zines, since those were all distributed in the UK (duh). It'd actually be kind of neat to see their comic version of the fight between Optimus and the Liege Maximo, which actually predates Furman's Alignment. I actually found the script for it on Archive.org.

They actually used to offer a CD full of the comics and zines burned onto it...but you had to pay for shipping, which wasn't possible for me at the time. Kind of regret that. Part of me kind of hoped they would just throw the whole thing up on mediafire or something for everyone to see, but they never did, as far as I know. I was always JUST on the outskirts of being able to see this stuff, back in the day. I actually have a bunch of their text stories saved.

If you haven't checked it out, TMUK is actually still active, and putting out fanfics and zines to this day. The art quality is MUCH higher than it was back in the day. But...there's just something magical about that time from around '95 to about 2005. Martin McVay's Storyteller and Back to Basic. Graham Thompson's EPIC Globequake saga. Graeme Brown's haunting Grovebirth, depicting new life post-Beast Machines. Decepti-Kombat. Their version of Beast Wars which was happening in the present on a alien planet. And, of course, James Robert's Eugenesis.

It's a real shame that part of it kind of died out around when Robots in Disguise was coming out. Armada really seemed like the death knell of that particular era, to me. I would like the chance to revisit more of it again.

 

[Lobjob]

Jack Lawrence's Beast Wars stuff was truly inspired as well. I'd love to see that again.

 

[Destron D-69]

put Ravage three bodies evolution in there and I'm down for a copy.

This is an awesome idea - despite my joke up there, I hope it goes through. Fanfic was a big part of my first decade here at the allspark and I know a lot of us oldtimers have a bit of a soft spot for it

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I don't care for any of this stuff in particular, but I do care for media preservation. I hope this is successful.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

I'm intrigued.

 

[The Phazer]

Volumes 3 & 4 have just arrived for me, and include another (very much dropped and couldn't have fit with the actual ending they went with) idea that I remember from TMUK too, so it's interesting how more of this stuff was percolating in Roberts' brain at the time.

 

[SHIELD Agent 47]

Update!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1931106518176600538

Generation Mechs - a favour This will be a thread, so bear with me. Gen Mechs is going to print in a few weeks. I’ll be selling and signing copies at @tfnationltd, and then later in the year I’m going to make it available to order, as I’ve done with the MTMTE notebooks

Normally, I do a small run of notebooks for the cons then wait until I’ve taken people’s orders before doing a second print run. That way, I know exactly what the global demand is and I don’t over-order

I’m doing things differently with Gen Mechs. It’s a large format, 500 page hardback book with glossy inserts, a dust jacket and an embossed spine. It’ll be expensive to produce. The cost-per-book is greater the smaller the print run, to a more pronounced extent than the notebooks

For this reason, I’m only going to do a single print run. Gen Mechs will therefore be a limited edition (I *may* do a softback second printing in a few years, depending on demand). Thing is… I’ve no idea how many copies to get printed. And this is where you come in

I’m not inviting pre-orders/payment, but I’d appreciate it if those of you who intend to buy a copy would let me know by liking the first tweet in this thread. I say “intend to buy”, but there’s no obligation. If you change your mind, fine. I just need a rough idea of demand

I’m still waiting on final costs (which will of course be determined in large part by the size of the print run), but I think I’ll be selling each copy for around £40 (plus shipping). I’ll be signing them and sending them out in bespoke packaging

So if you think you’ll be ordering a copy or picking one up at TFNation, please like the first tweet. RTs to maximise the sample size are also appreciated. I’ll be posting a similar message on BlueSky, Insta, Facebook and Tumblr — **please do not Like more than one**. Thanks x

Oh god, I should say what the book’s ABOUT. The subtitle is “Transformers Fan Culture in the 90s”, and it’s a detailed exploration of the rise of organised TF fandom from… well, the mid-80s to 1999. It’s all new content. Part critique, part reference guide, part oral history

I’ve interviewed over 50 creators, industry execs and fans (especially fanzine editors) and dug up very rare new info about the early days. I’m really happy with how it’s turned out. It’ll be a “proper” book in that bookshops and libraries can order copies

 

[Anonymous X]

I would actually LOVE to see most of the old TMUK stuff put into some kind of official order and re-released. There's some really interesting ideas out there, but a lot of it's just lost to time. And I think a lot of the people who were involved have either moved on or just don't want to talk about it anymore. Martin McVay, the guy who seemed to be more or less trying to keep the TMUK ship afloat, seems to just want to focus on the newer stuff. I suppose it just got too hard to keep getting everyone's okay to reuse their drawings or writings over and over again.

I actually haven't even SEEN most of the old comics. Nevermind the actual 'zines, since those were all distributed in the UK (duh). It'd actually be kind of neat to see their comic version of the fight between Optimus and the Liege Maximo, which actually predates Furman's Alignment. I actually found the script for it on Archive.org.

They actually used to offer a CD full of the comics and zines burned onto it...but you had to pay for shipping, which wasn't possible for me at the time. Kind of regret that. Part of me kind of hoped they would just throw the whole thing up on mediafire or something for everyone to see, but they never did, as far as I know. I was always JUST on the outskirts of being able to see this stuff, back in the day. I actually have a bunch of their text stories saved.

If you haven't checked it out, TMUK is actually still active, and putting out fanfics and zines to this day. The art quality is MUCH higher than it was back in the day. But...there's just something magical about that time from around '95 to about 2005. Martin McVay's Storyteller and Back to Basic. Graham Thompson's EPIC Globequake saga. Graeme Brown's haunting Grovebirth, depicting new life post-Beast Machines. Decepti-Kombat. Their version of Beast Wars which was happening in the present on a alien planet. And, of course, James Robert's Eugenesis.

It's a real shame that part of it kind of died out around when Robots in Disguise was coming out. Armada really seemed like the death knell of that particular era, to me. I would like the chance to revisit more of it again.

Only belatedly read this post of yours, and yes, it is a shame all this has mostly been forgotten! I wish I had kept my original zines from the ‘95 to ‘05 golden age of TMUK. Unfortunately, I have no idea where the CD-ROMs I have of their material currently are or whether the discs are still readable. Certainly was a vibrant scene at the time with what seemed like a constant supply of new fan-made material.