When it came to figuring out what gun I wanted to write about for this theme blog about comic book guns, I was at a loss. Most of the characters that I like don’t use guns… Or… They already are the gun. Characters like Cyclops, Superman, and Darkseid; who can shoot beams out of their eyes. Or characters like The Juggernaut, The Maxx, and Buffaloman (Kinnikuman/Ultimate Muscle): who can hit you hard enough to make you feel like you were shot by a cannon. It wasn’t until Jon suggested the leader of the Decepticons (Transformers), that I knew what to write about. And so, I bring you a blog about Megatron, as well as another Transformer that I think is cooler than him.

Before I begin, I’d like to point out there is some debate about what came first, the cartoon or the comic? Honestly, they came out so close together that I feel that, they were both probably developed at the same time. For most fans out there, we know that the toys came first, different sets of transforming items were created in Japan and were later licensed for distribution in America under a united brand. The toys were faction’d up between “friendly” items and “unfriendly” items. Generally, automobiles made up the majority of the Autobot faction, and military/combat vehicles made up the Decepticons. When it came time to deciding on who the leaders would be, well… I don’t know how simple it was to come up with the red and blue truck (Optimus Prime) becoming the leader of the Autobots, but certainly, the toy that changed from Man to Gun was a simple choice for the leader of the Decepticons.

So what kind of gun is Megatron? Originally, based on his toy design, he had the ability to change forms between a humanoid robot and a Walther P38. This handgun was developed for use by the Wehrmacht as their general service pistol. More specifically, the toy that was eventually named Megatron was a special edition transforming gun modeled after “The Gun” from the television show The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which explains why Megatron’s barrel was so absurdly long. Growing up, I’d only ever seen one original Megatron toy in person. It was a cool thing to behold. The problem was, Megatron just looked to much like a real gun, so most parents just wouldn’t allow their kids to have one. Also, as you’ll notice in the picture above this paragraph, this gun was produced during a time before toy guns were required to have an orange nozzle at the end of the barrel.

But enough about the toy, why is Megatron such a cool gun? Well, I think part of it has to do with the absurdity of his size-changing ability. Megatron is a giant robot who can transform into a gun that can be held by other Transformers, or to an even smaller size to be used by an average sized human. When Megatron is in his robot form, the fusion cannon that is attached to his right arm is able to level a city-sized block in one shot. He can also create a sub-dimensional link to a black hole and fire out antimatter as ammunition. That’s pretty cool to me. But you know what? That’s not as cool as this other Gun-Transformer. No. The Transformer that I’m talking about has no need for changing his size when he transforms. This Transformer that I’m talking about is named Shockwave.

Shockwave is the purple cyclops Decepticon that never received an “Earth form”. Because of this, when he transforms, he remains a giant 35 foot-long ray gun. While in both forms, he can fly around and talk. Also, as a means of attack, he commands the entirety of the electromagnetic spectrum for offense. So… He can cook you in any way he wants. That’s pretty cool. Also of note, Shockwave is purely a logical being, in fact, the idea behind his character was inspired by Spock of Star Trek fame. But in the end, Shockwave lacks a face in his robot form. This makes him one of the most unnerving characters in the Transformers universe. His cold optic will stare deeply into your soul, then he’ll melt you. That’s cool. Way cooler than Megatron.

And that’s it for this one folks. Megatron and Shockwave. Two awesome comic book guns. One more awesome than the other. I hope you’ve been enjoying this themed blog, and I guess, I’ll just catch you later!

-Fleet

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