The new Transformers comic from Robert Kirkman’s Skybound imprint at Image Comics is set to reboot the robots in disguise for a new set of readers. To do so, it’s pulling from the franchise’s most iconic incarnation, with the character designs shown so far clearly steeped in Generation 1 tradition. Unfortunately, that means following in the footsteps of a contentious error made in the classic cartoon.
One of the villains present in the series is the Decepticon Rumble, who’s known as one of Soundwave’s “Recordicons.” He was also a purplish blue color in the G1 cartoon, but the toy and comics had him as red and black. This made him incredibly easy to confuse with his veritable “twin” Frenzy, and the new comic is addressing the issue head on.
The First Transformers Cartoon Reversed the Colors of Two Decepticons
The toys for Rumble and Frenzy in the original Generation 1 Transformers toyline were originally sold as the Microcassette Robo Micross in the Micro Change toyline (itself part of the Microman toyline that would be brought to the West as Micronauts). Within the new toyline, Rumble was red and black, whereas Frenzy was a blue/purple color. This was followed in Marvel’s Transformers comics, which largely adhered to the toys’ original designs for the characters. In the case of the original animated series, the character models for the still developing franchise were changed to be more aesthetic, namely in the case of Transformers such as Ironhide and Ratchet (whose toys didn’t actually have heads). The series would also suffer from numerous production and animation errors, with one of these becoming permanent.
Of all the design changes, Rumble and Frenzy were the most egregious. One of the aforementioned production errors had the two Decepticons’ color schemes switched. Thus, fans who were mostly familiar with the cartoon were confused as to why Frenzy was the blue/purple one outside animation. This resulted in the now infamous acronym “FIRRIB,” which stands for “Frenzy is red, Rumble is blue.” This statement is said in both jest and sincerity concerning the supposed superiority of the cartoon compared to other iterations of Generation 1 Transformers, though the inverse “RIRFIB” has also been used over the years to broadcast the opinions of the other side of the debate. Thankfully, most entries in the franchise have made a definitive statement of their own by having Rumble in the correct colors, even if the new comic isn’t one of them.
Post-G1 Transformers Have Featured a Red and Black Rumble
Ironically, Rumble and Frenzy would both disappear from the franchise for quite a while, despite their being a prominent part of the classic series. This was especially apparent during the Beast Wars time period, in which the names of old-school Transformers were casually reused for wholly unrelated characters. One example was Frenzy and Rumble’s master Soundwave: instead of a cassette player, the Beast Wars toyline used the name for a “mutant” Cybertronian who had lost his robot mode and could merely transform from an organic bat to an organic alligator. Frenzy’s only immediate post-G1 appearance was as a “Gobot” in the Transformers: Generation 2 toyline. He traded in his cassette alternate mode for a sports car, but he retained a predominately red color scheme, echoing the cartoon.
It wouldn’t be until the late 2000s that new toys for the two would be released. For the overwhelming majority of these cases, Rumble was appropriately colored as red and black, with Frenzy getting the reverse treatment. However, the newest Rumble figure was a blue and purple “Core Class” cassette robot in the Studio Series toyline. While it’s erroneous compared to the classic toy, it’s at least meant to be a screen-accurate representation of his appearance in Transformers: The Movie. This excuses the decision somewhat, although the fact that the new comic book is running with this false color scheme is interesting.
Skybound’s Transformers Is – and Isn’t – Pulling from the G1 Cartoon
It could be argued that in making Rumble blue and purple, the new Skybound “Energon Universe” Transformers comics are going to mainly be using the G1 cartoon as their source. After all, this is the main place where Rumble had that color scheme, and it’s also the most definitive take on many other Cybertronians. At the same time, there are clearly some divergences from the cartoon’s canon that will separate it and keep it from being a mere retread of old material. For instance, the female Autobot Arcee is apparently part of Optimus Prime’s main team on Earth. This is despite her not joining the team until the events of the movie where Prime himself was killed off.
Likewise, there’s the presence of Cliffjumper, who’s largely been kept in the shadow of the similar looking (but much more popular) Bumblebee. Bumblebee himself seems to have been replaced by Cliffjumper in the comic book, or at least doesn’t have as big of a role. This definitely wasn’t how things were on the original cartoon, with Bumblebee being the main character and the resident friend to human ally Spike Witwicky. If this very important part of the classic cartoon’s canon isn’t kept, it’s highly questionable as to why Rumble’s color scheme is made to match what’s now known to have been a production error. It’s unlikely that the creators behind the new comic book are unaware of this reality, as there seems to be a lot of love and fandom involved in the series. Thus, the most probable explanation is that Skybound’s new Transformers continuity is incorporating elements from all the different versions of Generation 1, resulting in a narrative amalgam that will embrace the best that the franchise has had to offer over the years. If that’s the case, a bit of confusion concerning Rumble being purple and blue might be worth it.