#65, Second Generation, pt 3

While not Jeff Anderson's first work on Transformers by a long shot, this is Anderson's first strip work as penciller, not inker. It also includes Soundwave spitting at the Robot Master. Puttup!

#78, 79, 81 + 87, Target: 2006, Prologue and pts 1, 3 + 9

Anderson did more issues of Target: 2006 (my favourite UK story) than anyone else. His toy-accurate Galvatron in issue 78 is sweet, not to mention Ultra Magnus dripping fuel as Galvatron beats the hell outa him in issue 87. Check it out.

#97, Prey, pt 2

Jeff Anderson drawing the Predacons.

#99, Under Fire

For some reason, Ultra Magnus has a big red sword in this issue. Weird.

#102, Fallen Angel, pt 2

Sadly, this story appears right after a Geoff Senior issue. Geoff Senior really should have drawn this strip, he would have done it much better. Oh well.

#104, Resurrection, pt 2

Featuring one of the best pictures of Optimus Prime out there; and Bumblebee sans horns.

#118, Hunters, pt 2

This one has Death's Head in it. For that alone, you should read it.

#135 + 136, Grudge Match, pts 1 + 2

The Predacons vs. the Dinobots.

#145, Stargazing

This is one of the best Jeff Anderson issues of all, in terms of art. He really put some effort into this little Christmas special.

#150, Legacy of Unicron, pt 5

The origin of the Transformers, told for the first time ever! (IE: way before US issue #61.)

#152 + 153, Enemy Action, pts 1 + 2

Galvatron vs. the Seacons (and Pirahnacon!)

#166 + 167, Legion of the Lost, pts 1 + 2

In these issues Jeff Anderson absolutely puts to shame all the efforts by Dan Reed and Robin Smith to draw TF Zombies. His work on Zombie Impactor is great too.

#188, Firebug

An okay little strip.

#189, Dry Run

In this story, Nightstick is crushed to death, then Cyclonus has his head ripped off. I like it just to see Nightstick get crushed. (Not that I hate Nightstick, quite the opposite, but it's just a cool scene.)

#223, Aspects of Evil -- Scorponok

Nice issue showcasing Scorponok.

#232, A Small War, pt 1

This issue features a really cool Jeff Anderson generic Transformer. It's also the first appearance of the Decepticon kicker known as Thunderwing.

#245 + 246, Underworld + Demons

This issue story features two things. First of all you have the mutants (Slayride, Rotgut, et al.), second of all you have some awesome looking Demons (as seen in US issue 76). Anderson did such good work on the demons here, that I believe he would have been a far better artist to do issue 247 than Senior, because that story relies on the pure menace of the demons, something Senior didn't quite achieve. 

#267, Snow Fun

Grimlock gets angry and ends up chasing people through the snow. Just like ALL the Earthforce stories.

#276, Bugged

Starscream uses bug spray to stop the Insecticons. No, seriously, he DOES.

#284, The 4 Million Year Itch

Does Grimlock end up chasing his troops through the snow in this one? I can't remember.

#284, Assassins

This is a Decepticon-based Earthforce strip. I assume that the Autobots are occupied with pissing off Grimlock. Either that or he's chasing them through the snow, as he's wont to do.

This is Jeff Anderson's last TF work (up until his Transforce stuff) and the sixth to last strip produced IN the UK for the Gen 1 UK comic.

Rant:  

Anderson is one of those artists who was ALWAYS on the UK Transformers comic. He did inks on some of the earliest UK strips, then covers, then strip work. He was still putting out a fairly steady number of strips when Geoff Senior had left the title for 80 issues. He didn't stop working on the title until UK independant strips stopped. Anderson was on the comic longer than Lee Sulivan, Staz, Will Simpson, Pete Knifton, Dan Reed, Robin Smith and the far more famous Andy Wildman. The only other TF artist who was on the UK comic even close to as long as Anderson was Geoff Senior.

But that really doesn't tell you anything about his art style, does it?

Anderson was a workman. His art was anywhere from pretty good to great; but I don't think he was ever terrible. His artwork was rarely as dynamic as Lee Sulivan's or Geoff Senior's (or even Andrew Wildman's or Dan Reed's), but it was more dynamic than Jose Delbo's, that's for sure. Sometimes his Transformers looked somewhat uncomfortable, but other times they looked just GREAT. He seemed to have an especially fun time with the Predacons in animal mode, for some reason.

Anderson had some definite traits to his work; the way he drew teeth, and that trademark line of drool connecting bottom and top teeth is unmistakeable. He could also do some incredibly detailed backgrounds, and his work on Zombies and Demons was second to none (and that includes Geoff Senior my favouriteTF artist).

Anderson also pulled off some of the most emotive and powerful scenes in Transformers. The 'Digging my own grave' sequence from Target:2006 is one of the best in the history of the TF fiction.

Basically, unlike guys like Gallan, or Delbo, he COULD draw, and unlike guys like Dan Reed and Wildman his art was appropriate for Transformers. 

Jeff Anderson and Generic Transformers:  

Anderson is pretty good. His generics, almost without fail, tend to look like Transformers. they have the right boxy appearance, and are consistent with the other, toy-based, TFs that Anderson draws. Sometimes they have alt-mode features, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they have faction symbols, sometimes they don't. However, unlike almost every other artist, Jeff Anderson seems able to make them always look like Transformers.

For this reason, he's probably a better generic TF artist than Geoff Senior, or Jose Delbo, or Don Perlin, or just about anyone. Except maybe Lee Sulivan and Frank Springer.

Anyway, regardless, I must say this: goooooo Jeff Anderson!

Gallery:

Issue #79

Issue #150

Issue #232

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