Thanks to the Sunbow Marvel Archive website the storyboard of the classic G1 episode “Webworld” is now available online.
Thanks to Monzo, the Sunbow Marvel Archive now hosts storyboards for Act III of Webworld. The season 3 cartoon episode co-written by comics legend Len Wein and Diane Duane, which saw Galvatron committed to psychiatric “care”, on a planet possibly more insane than he is.
Read this and even more G1 storyboards at the Sunbow Marvel Archive website. Click on the discussion button below and share your impressions on the 2005 Boards!
Wreckneck
Honestly, both Burden and Webworld are oddites as far as Toei-produced episodes go (Nightmare Planet simply looks unfinished, and thus doesn't count). The former is all blurry and the animation gets almost AKOM-like during the third act. The latter… I do commend the models having massive amounts of detail in most of the shots, but it lacks shading, looks and moves stiffly like an actual anime; and reminds me a lot of the Ashi Pro animated episodes from Season 1.
Really, for every Chaos, or Call of the Primitives, Season 3 showed that Toei could still produce rushed, sometimes poorly animated episodes just like AKOM. I will say that Webworld is very much a standout of the season as far as writing and voice acting are concerned. Plus I will admit some of the animation, while rough, was amusing, like Laserbeak walking after the asteroid battle, or Cyclonus's silent, unenthused reaction as he and the Torkuli discuss Galvatron's condition.
cj37a
Magnus… I shall use your head as a door stop.
prfctcellrulz
“Autobots…Ultra Magnus, yes…”
GrimCharr
I agree with this. The Burden Hardest to Bear is almost shocking at how it is written as a story that is just a cut above the rest. Really the best of G1. To me, it's what G1 should have centered around and the Autobot leader. The problem is that this came too late, with Rodimus always going to feel like a shoehorned-in character. This was the story arc that should been there from the get-go, if we got to know HotRod from the very start. Or the arc that Optimus Prime himself had to fill in as leader.
That and Webworld were the creators doing their best work. (Not you, animators.) And the series essentially ends after this.
nune
I appreciate how expressive the art style in the storyboards is.
View attachment 29967231
cj37a
"This Cyclonus, is beauty. Devastation brought by precision and care!"
"Yes, it will take them centuries to rebuild"
"Only Centuries?! Are you certain!?! Then perhaps my work is not finished!"
View attachment 29967069
prfctcellrulz
And not only it backfiring HORRIBLY for both Cyclonus and the Torkuli in the end (with them losing their planet’s CPU), but also the Quintessons (albeit indirectly) because THEY initially pitched the whole “Take him in for therapy” idea to Cyclonus in the FIRST place
bman29
This was one of those standout episodes from season three. Definitely humorous seeing Galvatron this Uber space despot being restrained and forced to go through therapy.
If I was to write it today, I’d make part of his psychosis be imparted to of fragments of a previous personality profile trying to resurface despite having gone through a reformatting from Unicron. Hence Megatron is clawing his way back causing the Galvatron personality to be unhinged and crazy. Eventually both having to reconcile themselves and be one mind.
Smasher
Annoying?
A Decepticon focused episode that expands the characters of Cyclonus and Galvatron immensely is annoying?
I think you need a session at Web World.
Not only does it explore Cyclonus' motivations, but it has so many good scenes.
Like this one UndertakerPrime beat me to posting:
And the entire dichotomy of an insane military tyrant who has destroyed so many lives screaming "You have no right to change what I am!" stuck with me from 13 years old on.
It's very well written.
For me the best written episode is The Burden Hardest to Bear.
Unfortunately that arc of Rodimus rejecting his role as leader and then coming to accept it was repeated, and then repeated again.
And then made narratively pointless.
But taken on its face, I like it the best.
Beast_Megatron
I always thought this was one of the best and most creative G1 episodes.
ambarmettatron
Exactly my thoughts.
ambarmettatron
Disagree.
This is why the show is fairly significant looking back at it as an adult.
I'm reminded VERY much of the original Star Trek series.
Skreeonk
Along with Dwellers in the Deep, Webworld is IMO the best in the series. The part where Galvatron makes a gun during that therapy session never fails to make me laugh.
Sovietbot
One of the best episodes of the third season of G1!
Starscream1997
I'm biased though I love Galvatron and Cyclonus. The idea of Galvatron getting help is just hilarious and they really go for it. It's goofy and it's a nice change of pace from the usual nonstop war.
BWIguanusfan2
Webworld was a definite highlight of the G1 Cartoon for me atleast! An episode about the demented Galvatron getting psychological treatment was an incrediblely compelling idea!
Also I'll just drop this in.
RazorclawX
This was one of those episodes that really stuck with me even as an adult (which unfortunately is getting more relevant the older you get). It's wild that this was on a kid's show, much less a Decepticon-centric one.
prfctcellrulz
Same here!
cj37a
Oh wow, these are so cool. Some of them have the animators translating the English writer's Story into Japanese.
I'm so glad they have put these up for the public to read. Excellent line art practice for the G1s too lol.
IamPersona
Rather interesting that the storyboards show the characters emoting with their eyes, that was always a rare occrance in G1. I never really questined that until 2007, it just seemed nomal for a Cybertronians eyes were just big blocks of colour that never moved.