#Michael J. Trampert

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Transformers: Mosaic #457 - "Preparations Are Essential"

Originally posted on February 15th, 2010

Story - Daniel Worsley Art, Letters - Michael J. Trampert

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wada sez: I think this is the only Valentine's Day-themed Mosaic strip. Of course Trampert would work on it.

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Transformers: Mosaic #315 - "EDC Protocol 300.29"

Originally posted on December 10th, 2008

Story - Liz Calkins Art, Letters - Michael J. Trampert

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wada sez: Yes, it's that Trampert, which explains why poor Faireborn looks the way she does here. As written by Bob Buriansky, Silverbolt and Broadside both shared the character flaw of being jets who are afraid of heights—with triple-changer Broadside suffering from seasickness to boot!

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Transformers: Mosaic #370 - "Last Rite"

Originally posted on April 20th, 2009

Story - Mike Priest Art - Kyle Hudson Colours, Letters - Michael J. Trampert

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wada sez: In Beast Wars, Rhinox’s relationship with Dinobot was not particularly developed, so as Priest puts it: “I always played it in my head that Rhinox never really liked Dinobot (can you actually think of an instance when he was really and completely friendly with him? I can't.) and that was the basis for this script.” According to Priest, the device Rhinox is transporting is the one used to cremate Dinobot in “Code of Hero”, but Hudson drew it at the wrong scale. The strip is set after the funeral. Apparently, the Mosaic editors moved the title and credits from the bottom to the top without actually conferring with the strip's creators; Trampert was upset about this. I've posted his original composition below the break. It’s definitely worse than the final version.

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Transformers: Mosaic - "Daddy's Little Girl"

Originally posted on May 30th, 2008

Story, Script, Art, Letters - Michael J. Trampert Script - Lindsay Smith

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wada sez: Okay, time to talk about the most infamous Mosaic strip by far—in conversations about the project, it’s roughly 50/50 whether this one will come up, and the fact that IDW stopped printing Mosaic strips is often attributed directly to this comic. I felt it was important to repost this strip to put this into question: I can find no evidence to support the claim, and there was a span of several months where IDW was still putting together issues with Mosaic strips. Not only that, but in the surviving threads where the comic was discussed, fan reception seems to be almost entirely unironically positive; I assume the deleted TFW2005 and deviantART threads were where the backlash occurred. It seems obvious to me that Mosaic lead Josh van Reyk personally had no problem with the comic, but did the right thing in removing it in response to valid negative feedback. The co-credit of Smith on this comic’s script is also something that I think goes unremarked upon.

It only takes a cursory look online to see that Trampert is a creep, a creator of CGI smut and essays about the exact biological specifics of Transformers intercourse, and that’s as far as I’m willing to engage with him as an individual. Per my usual policy, I’ve archived several relevant pieces of Moonracer fanart below the break. Shipping is obviously not inherently objectionable; it’s infantilisation as a fetish and the overtly prurient nature of this material—which in multiple cases was submitted to art contests on the IDW forums—that I consider shameful.

Sex is an interesting lens through which to view Transformers, which—as a universe built to sell action figures to little boys—often strains against its own asexuality, as middle-aged men crash over and over against the rock of “but WHY are there girl robots” and churn out endless toyless OCs rendered with the same parodic porcelain-doll hourglass figure, lest anyone get confused. If you’ve ever talked about Transformers with another adult, it’s a fair bet that they eventually were unable to restrain themself from asking “so, do they bone or what?” It’s all those worst impulses which have combined to birth this singular catastrophe.

I’ve previously remarked on Ironhide and Chromia’s relationship, in the annotations for a much better comic; it’s possible that, in a similar vein, Moonracer was named/conceived as a counterpart for the Autobot Sunstreaker, only for newer-product Powerglide to oust him in the script. Just to do my due diligence—Powerglide is drawn here as his Universe toy, Ironhide as the Timelines figure. As for the others: “Chromia started out as a Cybertron Brakedown with a new head, arms, and vehicle chassis. Moonracer started out as an LoC Starscream and heavily kitbashed with many scratch-built parts.” I know it was eating you up inside.

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Transformers: Mosaic #515 - "Cash & Kalis"

Originally posted on July 12th, 2010

Story - Robert Lock Art - Ed Pirrie Colours, Letters - Michael J. Trampert

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wada sez: Gutcruncher’s profession as a grave-robber stems back to his original Tech Specs. This whole strip ties into the Marvel UK storyline “City of Fear!”; like in that story, the Duocons are depicted more as triple changers. Ed Pirrie has drawn Bulkhead into the crowd in the penultimate panel. Preview, inks, and clean colors below.

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Transformers: Mosaic #207 - "Destiny Decided"

Originally posted on June 30th, 2008

Story - Lindsay Smith Art - Michael J. Trampert Letters - Sean Moore

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wada sez: Another Mosaic from the creative team behind the deleted “Daddy’s Little Girl”; this one is normal, a bog-standard origin for Mirage. “Orn” is an obscure unit of time from the Marvel comic.