Serpent O.R. (2015)

Some toys have more complex backstories than others. This is definitely one of the more complicated ones, so let's just get started:

Back in the 1980s, the GI Joe franchise decided to shake things up by creating the character "Serpentor." Serpentor was essentially a cloned being, created by using a DNA combination of the greatest warriors and tacticians in history. The idea was to give Cobra an edge by creating a more effective leader than Cobra Commander had been. Fast forward through multiple iterations of both the Joe and Transformers franchises, and the concept was revisited in one of the several crossover series published by Devil's Due Press, who was also publishing the main G.I. Joe series of that era. The Serpentor concept was reborn as the "Serpent O.R.", the "Serpent Organic Robot." A hybrid of Cybertronian technology with human engineering, the Serpent O.R. was used by Cobra Commander in yet another bid to take over the world. Fast forward a few more iterations, and Fun Publications brought the idea back yet again, which brings us to this toy.

Not Your Father's Autobot - Episode #0 - G.I. Joe issues #138-142

 

For this inaugural episode of Not Your Father's Autobot, we're discussing the five issues of Marvel Comics' G.I. Joe comic (issues #138-#142) that served as a prequel to the Transformers: Generation 2 comic. These issues can be found reprinted in IDW's G.I. Joe Classics, Vol. 14, which is available digitally via Comixology at https://www.comixology.com/G-I-Joe-Classics-Vol-14/digital-comic (purchases through this link do not support the podcast in any way).

Generation Two "Hero" Megatron (1994)

Although the period of time we now know as the Generation Two line was fairly brief, if understood as a fraction of the franchise's now more than 35 years of existence, I consider it an important time in Transformers history. I have thus decided to spend the next year (and change) giving some extra attention to that little window of Transformerdom. The main part of this focus will be a new podcast, which I'm calling Not Your Father's Autobot. This podcast will cover the whole run of the Transformers: Generation Two comic produced by Marvel Comics in the early 1990s. The first episode (well, actually, it will be "Episode 0," since I'm dealing with a few issues of the G.I. Joe comic that set up the actual G2 comic) will drop this Sunday. You can get it as it drops by subscribing to the RSS feed or, if you prefer, you can simply find it via this blog on Sunday. This blog will also be the primary place to leave comments on the podcast, as well, and I invite you to give it a listen! Thanks in advance.