A Guide to the Chronology Project

So what is this chronology project, then?

This project aims to list every character and group featured in the original Transformers Comic alphabetically, giving a complete list of their appearances. The format should be self-evident, with a few exceptions. "Appearances" that are behind the scenes (The character has to be there, but the artist didn't draw them) are indicated by a (b/s) next to the issue number. When a character appears in a flashback but not the main story, this is indicated by a (f/b). If they only "appear" in the flashback, and that "appearance" is behind the scenes, then this is indicated by a (f/b, b/s). Characters guesting from GI Joe / Action Force or the Marvel Universe only get their Transformers-related stories listed. (Marvel Universe charcters' appearances are listed at the Marvel Chronology Project, GI Joe / Action Force characters' appearances probably aren't listed anywhere - unfortunately.)

What order are the stories in?

Every story is listed chronologically from the point of view of the character in question. As an example. for Galvatron, the 11-issue story "Target: 2006" takes place in between scenes of Transformers: The Movie, even though every part of the story (except for one panel) featuring Galvatron takes place 20 years before anything that happens in Transformers: The Movie. Stories are listed by their UK issue number(s) rather than their story name or US issue number. When I get almost done, I'll be adding US issue numbers as well and, if there's enough demand, story titles as well.

What's the difference between Megatron I, Megatron II, Megatron 2006, and Galvatron I?

There are a number of characters who have the same name, but are not the same character. There are also a number of characters who appear in more than one timeline. In these cases, I have labelled them with a number in order to distinguish the two characters. In most cases, one (or more) of these characters only appears in the UK storyline. Here's a guide to the most important numbers:

Warning: Some of these explanations contain spoilers for various stories

• Optimus Prime 2006: All the characters labelled 2006 come from the timeline we see in Transformers: The Movie, Target: 2006, and all the UK's future stories up to Time Wars. I have used the 2006 to distinguish between characters from the 2006 timeline and their counterparts from contemporary stories. When a character appears only in the 2006 timeline (e.g. Metroplex), I have not bothered with the number.
• Megatron Facsimilie: Facsimilie units are non-sentient robots used in combat training. They are designed to mimic the appearance, combat abilities, and styles of potential opponents. We have seen facsimilies of a number of Transformers, including Megatron.
• Megatron I: The founder of the Decepticons who was on the Ark when it crashed. This is the Megatron who appears in all the US stories, and the Generation 2 comics.
• Megatron II: An exact duplicate of Megatron created by Lord Straxus and containing the minds of both Megatron and Straxus. This Megatron appeared in the UK storyline from the Action Force crossover story Ancient Relics until shortly after Time Wars.
• Megatron 2006: The Megatron we see in Transformers: The Movie. It is unclear whether he is the future equivalent of Megatron I or Megatron II.
• Galvatron I: The Galvatron we see in Transformers: The Movie, Target: 2006, and the UK storyline from Fallen Angel through to Time Wars. He is, effectively, the same character as Megatron 2006.
• Galvatron II: Possibly the Galvatron we see in UK story Aspects of Evil, and definitely the Galvatrpm who is taken to the contemporary timeline in US story Rhythms of Darkness.
• Galvatron III: The Galvatron we see in UK story Perchance to Dream. In some dating schemes that attempt to fit the Earthforce stories into the US continuity, he could be the same character as Galvatron II.
• Divebomb I: The Dinobot Swoop was called Divebomb back on Cybertron. He took on his current name of Swoop after he was rebuilt by the Ark. Divebomb I is used for all his appearances before this point.
• Divebomb II: A member of the Predacons who, back on Cybertron, stole Swoop's name in order to rub in a defeat. His original name is not known.
• Hook I: The Constructicon called Hook, seen in numerous stories throughout the series.
• Hook II: A being created by Unicron, along with Line and Sinker, to kidnap Galvatron II from the future who appearedin the later US stories.

There are also a number of characters who have had more than one name. Usually this accompanies a major change of appearance. These characters are mentioned by both names in the project, though there is a link between the names. Later on, I'll probably duplicate the information in both entries The most important of these characters are:

• Josie Beller/Circuit Breaker: Josie Beller is her real name, Circuit Breaker the one she adopted after gaining her powers.
• Megatron 2006/Galvatron I: Megatron was transformed by Unicron into the more powerful Galvatron during Transformers: The Movie. But you probably already knew that.
• Divebomb I/Swoop: Divebomb got transformed into a new form by the Ark just after it crashed. He adopted the name Swoop for this new form.
• Bumblebee/Goldbug: Bumblebee got destroyed and rebuilt into Goldbug either during the orginal (US) GI Joe Crossover or during the (UK) Wanted: Galvatron storyline or, possibly, both in quick succession. He was, much later, rebuilt as Bumblebee by Ratchet. In the future stories, he appears as Bumblebee 2006.

You visited Target: 2006 at 1:24 am BST on Sunday 5th September 2010