Simon Furman and Andrew Wildman's Transformers Homaged in New R. Sikoryak Comics Project

After the November 2016 election, Robert Sikoryak felt an urge he couldn’t resist. Referring to the victory of Donald Trump, the award-winning cartoonist says “I really just wanted to put something out in the world that just said, ‘I object.’” That work is The Unquotable Trump, a collection that uses some of the president’s most infamous utterances on classic comic book covers.

[..]

When I began the project, I only wanted to focus on what he said that was objectionable while he was running for president. So after I made that mini and was expanding into the book, I was trying to touch on other topics that he covered, other opinions that he expressed that ran the gamut of what someone running for president might say. I’m really kind of fascinated by 90's “mainstream” comics, the density of the drawing, the attitude, and all of the radicalness of them and I thought this quote was a good summation of his military policy. Saying he was the most militaristic person in the room, he always has to be the best one, or the “most” one.

And this Transformers character [Commander Jhiaxus], he’s actually a character who’s outside the Decepticons and the Autobots. He’s from a third group, a different faction that’s completely untrustworthy. I was like “Yeah, that sounds like [Trump]!” I was really happy I chose that character because i didn’t want to put him in the place of one of the Autobots. I really wanted him to be either the villain or the loose cannon. Most of the covers work that way. There’s probably a few I’ve misconstrued, but I hope that if you had the original context, you’d be like, “Oh, I get it” with regard to his relationship to the characters.

MR Optimus Prime wrote:Thank you R. Sikoryak for making Transformers look like an IDIOTIC comic. Thank you Seibertron even more for sinking so low as to post about it.

MR Optimus Prime wrote:Thank you R. Sikoryak for making Transformers look like an IDIOTIC comic. Thank you Seibertron even more for sinking so low as to post about it.

Super Megatron wrote:

MR Optimus Prime wrote:Thank you R. Sikoryak for making Transformers look like an IDIOTIC comic. Thank you Seibertron even more for sinking so low as to post about it.

I know, right? Trump is NOT Jhiaxus - he's more Optimus Prime, if anything.

• http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/people/donald-trump-quotes-57213
• http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/donald-trump-quotes

Seibertron wrote:

Super Megatron wrote:

MR Optimus Prime wrote:Thank you R. Sikoryak for making Transformers look like an IDIOTIC comic. Thank you Seibertron even more for sinking so low as to post about it.

I know, right? Trump is NOT Jhiaxus - he's more Optimus Prime, if anything.

You're joking, right? I don't recall Optimus Prime ever saying anything about grabbing women by the pussy, or Trump's relentless bullying of people, calling others losers, "liddle", or worse yet ... calling our fellow Americans "sons of bitches", supports racist views, and the never ending amazing list of horrible things that man has said or done.

Please don't diminish the good image of Optimus Prime by comparing him to that disgraceful man who is soiling the legacy of the Presidency. Trump is an extreme embarrassment to all of us Americans and our country. Hopefully we don't get nuked because of his inability to keep his mouth shut.

In case you need a reminder, here are a few more outrageous and idiotic things Trump has said:

• http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/people/donald-trump-quotes-57213
• http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/donald-trump-quotes

You know what, why link to other websites when I can just link to the source itself in order to view many years worth of some of the scariest words to ever come out of a "President's" mouth. Without further ado ladies and gentleman, I'll let Donald J Trump's extreme idiocy speak for itself: https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump

Super Megatron wrote:Trump is Optimus Prime and they should had colored him in red, white, and blue instead.

n10zguy wrote:

Super Megatron wrote:Trump is Optimus Prime and they should had colored him in red, white, and blue instead.

I must have missed the issue where Prime became nothing more than an Alpha whiny little douche who is ineffective and blames everyone else for his own shortcomings.

Super Megatron wrote:

MR Optimus Prime wrote:Thank you R. Sikoryak for making Transformers look like an IDIOTIC comic. Thank you Seibertron even more for sinking so low as to post about it.

I know, right? Trump is NOT Jhiaxus - he's more Optimus Prime, if anything.

Moonshot wrote:

MR Optimus Prime wrote:Thank you R. Sikoryak for making Transformers look like an IDIOTIC comic. Thank you Seibertron even more for sinking so low as to post about it.

Yeah I know. I am expecting a mod to post in here to knock off all the political stuff any second. Oh wait, lol.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Personally, I'm not offended by Trump and the stuff he says, but I do understand why some people are. I wish he was a little more thoughtful considering the position he's in, but I'll take a loudmouth over a conniving manipulator like Hillary or Obama any day.

FHDHS1307 wrote:I was really pleased that everyone in the comments were able to joke around in good faith. This was until (Mr.) Seibertron himself decided to weigh-in.

Honestly, it's very unbecoming of the site owner to so transparently choose a side on a very politicized topic. Of course, he retains the right to say what he wants, but his virtue-signaling is yet another example of people taking Trump as much more than the feckless president and meme he is.

Has Trump's rhetoric spoken to a bigoted, borderline-fascist sect of the electorate? YES.

Is Trump himself actually a fascist? Is there some malicious intent?
My guess is NO.

Ben Shapiro himself said in regards to Trump: "Don't attribute malice when stupidity will do."

Admittedly, I didn't even want to weigh in on this conversation. But the Site Owner's post crossed a line, in my opinion. He put a lot of work into crafting this platform, and a site for Transformers-Fans should be an apolitical place. I'd hate to see users develop a bad taste in their mouth over some innocuous (and not-so innocuous) comments...

TF-fan kev777 wrote:Christ! This is the one place that I thought I could count on not having to hear about Trump. This place was like my escape. And now we have a comic and TF tie-in. And its on the front page, and likely on the banner for a while.

(Note: I'm not criticizing the site for putting something that is relevant to TF-dom, I'm just lamenting that there is no escape from hearing about the a-hole in chief.)

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Moonshot wrote:

MR Optimus Prime wrote:Thank you R. Sikoryak for making Transformers look like an IDIOTIC comic. Thank you Seibertron even more for sinking so low as to post about it.

Yeah I know. I am expecting a mod to post in here to knock off all the political stuff any second. Oh wait, lol.

There wasn't a need for mod intervention. Calm discussion is welcomed and encouraged, regardless of topic. Just make sure it doesn't degenerate into a flame war. Everyone has his/her own opinion, respect that individual's right to express it.

Personally, I'm not offended by Trump and the stuff he says, but I do understand why some people are. I wish he was a little more thoughtful considering the position he's in, but I'll take a loudmouth over a conniving manipulator like Hillary or Obama any day.

FHDHS1307 wrote:I was really pleased that everyone in the comments were able to joke around in good faith. This was until (Mr.) Seibertron himself decided to weigh-in.

Honestly, it's very unbecoming of the site owner to so transparently choose a side on a very politicized topic. Of course, he retains the right to say what he wants, but his virtue-signaling is yet another example of people taking Trump as much more than the feckless president and meme he is.

FHDHS1307 wrote:Has Trump's rhetoric spoken to a bigoted, borderline-fascist sect of the electorate? YES.

Is Trump himself actually a fascist? Is there some malicious intent?
My guess is NO.

Donald J Trump wrote:Every death is a horror, but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the tremendous — hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here, with really a storm that was just totally overpowering, nobody's ever seen anything like this. What is your death count as of this moment? 17? 16 people certified, 16 people versus in the thousands. You can be very proud of all of your people and all of our people working together. Sixteen versus literally thousands of people. You can be very proud. Everybody around this table and everybody watching can really be very proud of what's taken place in Puerto Rico.

FHDHS1307 wrote:Ben Shapiro himself said in regards to Trump: "Don't attribute malice when stupidity will do."

FHDHS1307 wrote:Admittedly, I didn't even want to weigh in on this conversation. But the Site Owner's post crossed a line, in my opinion. He put a lot of work into crafting this platform, and a site for Transformers-Fans should be an apolitical place. I'd hate to see users develop a bad taste in their mout over some innocuous (and not-so innocuous) comments...

Rodimus Prime wrote:

FHDHS1307 wrote:I was really pleased that everyone in the comments were able to joke around in good faith. This was until (Mr.) Seibertron himself decided to weigh-in.

Honestly, it's very unbecoming of the site owner to so transparently choose a side on a very politicized topic. Of course, he retains the right to say what he wants, but his virtue-signaling is yet another example of people taking Trump as much more than the feckless president and meme he is.

Has Trump's rhetoric spoken to a bigoted, borderline-fascist sect of the electorate? YES.

Is Trump himself actually a fascist? Is there some malicious intent?
My guess is NO.

Ben Shapiro himself said in regards to Trump: "Don't attribute malice when stupidity will do."

Admittedly, I didn't even want to weigh in on this conversation. But the Site Owner's post crossed a line, in my opinion. He put a lot of work into crafting this platform, and a site for Transformers-Fans should be an apolitical place. I'd hate to see users develop a bad taste in their mouth over some innocuous (and not-so innocuous) comments...

As you yourself said, he has a right to his opinion. If he doesn't like Trump, that's his choice. The only reason this discussion is taking place is because it's Transformers-related. If those G2 covers weren't involved, we wouldn't be talking about Donald Trump. If you disagree with the administration of this online community, that's unfortunate. But again, as you yourself said, he's the Site Owner. He has the right to express whatever opinion he has, just like we all do. As long as it's done in a civil manner.

Seibertron wrote:

FHDHS1307 wrote:I was really pleased that everyone in the comments were able to joke around in good faith. This was until (Mr.) Seibertron himself decided to weigh-in.

Honestly, it's very unbecoming of the site owner to so transparently choose a side on a very politicized topic. Of course, he retains the right to say what he wants, but his virtue-signaling is yet another example of people taking Trump as much more than the feckless president and meme he is.

I have always been fairly upfront about my political views. Wasn't going to say much until I saw someone compare Trump to Optimus Prime, which is really sad to see that anyone could possibly compare that man with a noble fictional character who, for the most part, has represented all that is good (admittedly amongst a never-ending fictional Civil War and most likely excluding the less than noble Bayverse Optimus Prime).

FHDHS1307 wrote:Has Trump's rhetoric spoken to a bigoted, borderline-fascist sect of the electorate? YES.

Is Trump himself actually a fascist? Is there some malicious intent?
My guess is NO.

Donald J Trump wrote:Every death is a horror, but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the tremendous — hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here, with really a storm that was just totally overpowering, nobody's ever seen anything like this. What is your death count as of this moment? 17? 16 people certified, 16 people versus in the thousands. You can be very proud of all of your people and all of our people working together. Sixteen versus literally thousands of people. You can be very proud. Everybody around this table and everybody watching can really be very proud of what's taken place in Puerto Rico.

FHDHS1307 wrote:Ben Shapiro himself said in regards to Trump: "Don't attribute malice when stupidity will do."

Shapiro says a lot about Trump. Here's plenty more:

FHDHS1307 wrote:Admittedly, I didn't even want to weigh in on this conversation. But the Site Owner's post crossed a line, in my opinion. He put a lot of work into crafting this platform, and a site for Transformers-Fans should be an apolitical place. I'd hate to see users develop a bad taste in their mout over some innocuous (and not-so innocuous) comments...

I'm not going to sit idly by while someone is comparing Donald Trump to Optimus Prime on Seibertron.com. The "apolitical place" got tossed aside at that moment.

FHDHS1307 wrote:All I'm saying is that I feel he has an obligation to not say or type anything that will offend a large swath of his user base.

FHDHS1307 wrote:Most of the people here have a thick skin it would seem, so I don't see that happening. Since a Transformers fansite should be apolitical,

FHDHS1307 wrote:Between Hillary's "Basket of Deplorables" moment, and Trump's "Grab Her By The P**sy" pronouncements, this was a dogs**t election cycle,

FHDHS1307 wrote:Earth to Fox-f**king-News: quit reporting on how bad of a candidate Hillary Clinton was. She didn't get elected, so quit bringing her up!

TF-fan kev777 wrote:Christ! This is the one place that I thought I could count on not having to hear about Trump. This place was like my escape. And now we have a comic and TF tie-in. And its on the front page, and likely on the banner for a while.

(Note: I'm not criticizing the site for putting something that is relevant to TF-dom, I'm just lamenting that there is no escape from hearing about the a-hole in chief.)

FHDHS1307 wrote:Also, I understand and respect that you're the owner. Since you quoted my "apolitical place" phrase, is it to fair to say under ordinary circumstances you agree with me? Isn't it a bit totalitarian to say the rules change when I say so?

But I understand your perspective, and respect where you're coming from; I'll leave off.

Seibertron wrote:

FHDHS1307 wrote:Also, I understand and respect that you're the owner. Since you quoted my "apolitical place" phrase, is it to fair to say under ordinary circumstances you agree with me? Isn't it a bit totalitarian to say the rules change when I say so?

But I understand your perspective, and respect where you're coming from; I'll leave off.

We can agree to disagree. Especially if we can all agree that none of the 2016 candidates can be compared to Optimus Prime!

Seibertron wrote: I would have been all for Bernie Sanders if he had been about 10 to 20 years younger. I liked Hillary, sort of, but she had a ton of political and personal baggage. I wasn't thrilled about her being the Democratic candidate, though she would have been much more Presidential-acting than Trump and would have retained the dignity that position has held for most of our country's history. I was also done with the whole Clinton-Bush legacy from the past 20 to 30 years. Time for someone new! Can't wait to see what happens in 2020. I can just hear the commercials now about having political hindsight in the year 20/20.

Super Megatron wrote:

MR Optimus Prime wrote:Thank you R. Sikoryak for making Transformers look like an IDIOTIC comic. Thank you Seibertron even more for sinking so low as to post about it.

I know, right? Trump is NOT Jhiaxus - he's more Optimus Prime, if anything.

partholon wrote:

just thank christ your not a marvel comics fan man.

theyve RUINED their entire line up having a mental breakdown over the election. they actually seem to hate their readership. i pity anyone watching "thor ragnorok" this weekend who wanders into a comic shop looking to get into his book.

you'll end up with a lecture on feminism instead.

FHDHS1307 wrote:All I'm saying is that I feel he has an obligation to not say or type anything that will offend a large swath of his user base.

Caelus wrote:

partholon wrote:

just thank christ your not a marvel comics fan man.

theyve RUINED their entire line up having a mental breakdown over the election. they actually seem to hate their readership. i pity anyone watching "thor ragnorok" this weekend who wanders into a comic shop looking to get into his book.

you'll end up with a lecture on feminism instead.

How does "a lecture on feminism" express hatred towards Marvel's fans?

Black Hat wrote:

Caelus wrote:

partholon wrote:

just thank christ your not a marvel comics fan man.

theyve RUINED their entire line up having a mental breakdown over the election. they actually seem to hate their readership. i pity anyone watching "thor ragnorok" this weekend who wanders into a comic shop looking to get into his book.

you'll end up with a lecture on feminism instead.

How does "a lecture on feminism" express hatred towards Marvel's fans?

Because people who read comics, generally speaking, read them for superhero shenanigans and not so they can be lectured on why being a man makes them responsible for everything bad that ever happened to every woman ever?

Black Hat wrote:

Caelus wrote:

partholon wrote:

just thank christ your not a marvel comics fan man.

theyve RUINED their entire line up having a mental breakdown over the election. they actually seem to hate their readership. i pity anyone watching "thor ragnorok" this weekend who wanders into a comic shop looking to get into his book.

you'll end up with a lecture on feminism instead.

How does "a lecture on feminism" express hatred towards Marvel's fans?

Because people who read comics, generally speaking, read them for superhero shenanigans and not so they can be lectured on why being a man makes them responsible for everything bad that ever happened to every woman ever?

Caelus wrote:

Black Hat wrote:

Caelus wrote:

partholon wrote:

just thank christ your not a marvel comics fan man.

theyve RUINED their entire line up having a mental breakdown over the election. they actually seem to hate their readership. i pity anyone watching "thor ragnorok" this weekend who wanders into a comic shop looking to get into his book.

you'll end up with a lecture on feminism instead.

How does "a lecture on feminism" express hatred towards Marvel's fans?

Because people who read comics, generally speaking, read them for superhero shenanigans and not so they can be lectured on why being a man makes them responsible for everything bad that ever happened to every woman ever?

Can you provide examples? I'm behind on my Marvel comics.

Black Hat wrote:To be honest I don't read them myself [...] I'm by no means the best person to ask about this, as I have only a cursory knowledge of the madness that has infected Marvel and have tried to steer clear of it. That said, if you want further reading, check out the Subreddit r/WerthamInAction (a community dedicated to archiving agenda pushing, ethical violations and flat-out stupidity in the comic book sphere) or just Google Image Search "Marvel Social Justice" and try not to implode with cringe.

FHDHS1307 wrote:I was really pleased that everyone in the comments were able to joke around in good faith. This was until (Mr.) Seibertron himself decided to weigh-in.

Honestly, it's very unbecoming of the site owner to so transparently choose a side on a very politicized topic. Of course, he retains the right to say what he wants, but his virtue-signaling is yet another example of people taking Trump as much more than the feckless president and meme he is.

Has Trump's rhetoric spoken to a bigoted, borderline-fascist sect of the electorate? YES.

Is Trump himself actually a fascist? Is there some malicious intent?
My guess is NO.

Ben Shapiro himself said in regards to Trump: "Don't attribute malice when stupidity will do."

Admittedly, I didn't even want to weigh in on this conversation. But the Site Owner's post crossed a line, in my opinion. He put a lot of work into crafting this platform, and a site for Transformers-Fans should be an apolitical place. I'd hate to see users develop a bad taste in their mout over some innocuous (and not-so innocuous) comments...