Transformers: Generation 1 Vol. 0

Chris Sarracini / Pat LeeDreamwave Productions2002

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Series: Transformers: Generation 1

Summary

This volume is issue #0 of the first Transformers: Generation 1 series launched by Dreamwave Productions in 2002—the retailer preview for the Prime Directive series and the starting point of the entire DW G1 storyline. The book is very short, only six pages, and was initially distributed only to comic retailers in a first printing of about 4,500 copies with no cover price, so readers often call it "issue #0." The story takes place in an Arctic snowstorm: a mysterious man named Lazarus brings the businessman Ratzenberg to an excavation site and urges him to invest in a "second chance" project. Lazarus tells of a group of transforming warriors who crashed to Earth millions of years ago, hinting that whoever controls them will gain immeasurable power and wealth. After the two arrive at the ice-field site, workers dig the dormant Soundwave out from beneath the ice, and Ratzenberg decides on the spot to put up the money. These few pages plant the seed of humanity's attempt to control the Transformers and its self-destructive consequences, leading directly into the six-issue Prime Directive storyline that follows. This is volume 0 of the series. The Chinese edition by the Sailian Translation Group rendered this preview as "Preview" and treats it as the starting point of the first Transformers: Generation 1 series. Because the content is only a prologue to the whole, lacking a complete arc, it is better read as supplementary material for collectors and for understanding the origins of the DW version of G1.

Editor's review

短短六页，却是一个时代漫画创作的起点。2002年，加拿大 Dreamwave 公司用 Pat Lee 极具张力的画风，把八十年代电视机里的变形金刚重新带回读者眼前：线条利落、上色明快，人物造型在动画与美漫之间取得了独特平衡。本册作为向零售商投放的预告篇，只讲了一个“北极挖掘”的开场，却把声波的登场、人类资本对变形金刚的觊觎这两条线索都点了出来，正篇的紧张感由此埋下。对于看过《擎天柱指令》或收藏DW老书的读者，这一册的价值主要在“源点”二字：它是DW版G1第0集，也是“Generation 1”这一名称首次在北美正式使用的重要节点；初版限量约4500册，另附草图页，如今已是一份颇具纪念意义的收藏品。塞联汉化组的中文版也让中文读者能顺畅读到这段序章。若你只求完整剧情，不妨直接读正篇；若想弄清DW世界从何处开始，这六页正合适。

Who it's for

A good fit for

想了解DW版《变形金刚》G1故事起点的读者
喜欢Pat Lee画风、关注欧美机甲漫画的读者
收集中文汉化变形金刚漫画的爱好者
对“第0集/预告篇”这类特殊刊号感兴趣的收藏者

Not a good fit for

期待完整剧情、长篇幅叙事的读者
对预告篇、序章类短篇不感兴趣的读者
希望读到中文正式出版实体书（而非汉化组版本）的读者

Reading tips

先读本册，再按顺序读第一部的第1至6集《擎天柱指令》，脉络更清楚。
阅读时留意“拉撒路”与“第二次机会”的台词，它们是后续人类势力线的伏笔。
篇幅极短，可配合DW公司背景资料一起看，理解它为何以“预告”形式发行。

About the publisher

Dreamwave Productions

Dreamwave Productions is a publisher whose catalog centers significantly on Transformers comics, with 32 titles held in the collection. Representative books include Transformers: The War Within, Volume 2, The Dark Ages, books 4 and 5; Transformers: The War Within, Volume 3, The Age of Wrath, fragment 3; multiple volumes from Transformers: Generation One, Volume 3, parts 1 and 2; and the Transformers Summer Special. These works are largely serialized, multi-volume comic publications, with common categories spanning children's books, comics and cartoons, art, design, film and television. Creators represented include Simon Furman, Andrew Wildman, Brad Mick, Adam Patyk, Pat Lee, Joe Ng and James Raiz. Public information is limited; the publishing profile shown by the collection lies mainly in Transformers-centered comic series and related serialized titles.

FAQ

这一册为什么叫“第0册”？

它是《变形金刚第一代》第一部正篇前的6页预告篇，最初只供给漫画零售商、不标定价，也未编入正刊期号，后来被读者和资料站统称为第0集。塞联汉化版把它列为第一部的“预告篇”。

这本是正式的商业出版物吗？

它由Dreamwave公司于2002年3月印制，初版约4500份，主要面向零售商，用来预告随后推出的《擎天柱指令》系列；严格说更像宣传品而非上市零售单行本，中文版为粉丝汉化。

没读过《变形金刚》原作能看懂吗？

可以。本册只有两个人类角色对话与声波的登场，几乎不依赖前情；但若想理解其中提到的“变形战士”背景，建议先了解G1的基本设定。

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About the author

Chris Sarracini Author

Chris Sarracini is a comics writer about whom little public information is available, and whose name is currently associated mainly with Chinese editions of Transformers series. The database includes eight related works, comprising volumes 0 through 5 of Transformers: Generation 1 and volumes 1, 4, and 10 of Transformers: Armada, all of which fall within science fiction and media tie-in comics. These titles are commonly grouped under categories such as premium fiction, science fiction, media tie-in fiction, children's books, comics and cartoons, and art, suggesting that the writing is aimed at young readers and a general audience and builds on well-known science fiction screen franchises, balancing visual storytelling with readability. Because reliable biographical details are lacking, his nationality, dates of birth and death, and creative career cannot be confirmed; readers may therefore focus on the sense of science fiction adventure and the adaptation value of the works themselves.

Pat Lee Author

Pat Lee is a comics creator about whom publicly available information is limited. Six of his works are currently included in the collection, all from the Transformers Generation One comic series: volumes 0, 1, 3 and 5 of the main series, plus volumes 1 and 2 of the second part, War and Peace. These works show his focus on comic adaptation and visual storytelling for a classic science-fiction franchise, building on the established Transformers universe and advancing the narrative through paneling and artwork for readers already familiar with the series. The titles are often categorized under art, comics and cartoons, fiction, science fiction, media tie-ins and children's books, indicating a readership spanning comics fans, science-fiction readers and younger audiences. Beyond these works, public information about Pat Lee's life, nationality and career is limited, so no further inferences are made here.