Grotusque

Grotusque is a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is an Autobot military stratigist who turns into a winged sabertooth tiger.^[1]

Transformers: Generation 1

The only thing that frightens Grotusque is looking at his own reflection. He hates his bizarre gargoyle-like creature mode (a bizarre blend of a saber-tooth tiger, reptilian hind-quarters and dragon-like wings), but he doesn't let it get him down—instead, he maintains a totally upbeat attitude and treats all aspects of life as a joke, including the Transformer war itself.^[2] After all, he reasons, if combat can't be fun, then he'd be loath to do it. Although his comrades sometimes wish he would take combat a bit more seriously, Grotusque is nowhere near as offhand about his duties as he might appear, possessing a sharp analytical mind that makes him an expert campaign planner. Slow in robot mode, Grotesque's creature mode has indestructible fangs and allows him to fly, although the process is fuel consumptive, meaning that he prefers to travel in three-mile leaps—when he decides to utilize his un-aesthetic alternate mode at all. He is armed with a vaporator weapon which evaporates enemy robots' fuel supplies right out of their bodies.^[3]

Marvel Comics

Small roles were fated for the Monsterbots even in the pages of Marvel Comics Transformers series. Introduced in the Headmasters four-issue miniseries, the three Monsterbots joined with Fortress Maximus and other like-minded Autobots who wanted to leave Cybertron in order to escape the war on the planet. Relocating to the world of Nebulos, they were followed by Scorponok's Decepticon forces, who began wreaking havoc on the planet after members of both factions bonded to Nebulan natives as "Headmasters". Attempting to defend Nebulos's beautiful Mercury Gardens against a Decepticon attack, the Monsterbots were overpowered by the Decepticon Headmasters and forced to retreat. They later departed Nebulos with the rest of Maximus’s team and were integrated into the larger Autobot army on Earth.

In issue #41 he was part of a select greeting party involved in the first meeting with the Ark's crew. He was introduced as Fortress Maximus' information officer.

Grotueque last appeared in issue #76, in a story called "The Still Life".

Animated series

Although the Monsterbots were introduced after the end of the U.S. animated series, they did appear in animated form in a commercial. Grotueque and the Monsterbots were created accidentally during an attempt to create new Autobots. Kup raced to warn Rodimus Prime and Blurr of the accident, as the wild Monsterbots trashed the lab where they were born. Thankfully the Decepticons attacked just then and the Monsterbots burst out of the building through the wall to fight them. Rodimus expressed relief that, though they were monsters, at least they were Autobot monsters.

The Monsterbots were among the few new 1987 toys who did not make it into the fourth and final season of the American Transformers animated series. They did, however, make it to the small screen on the other side of the Pacific, when they appeared in the Japanese-exclusive series, Transformers: Headmasters.

The Monsterbots made their debut accompanying Rodimus Prime to Planet Beast, home of the Battle Beasts, which had been invaded by the Decepticons. Rescuing the captive Battle Beasts from the Decepticons' subterranean factory, the Monsterbots were appointed by Rodimus to stay behind on the planet and keep guard for a time, in case the Decepticons returned; the trio accepted the position, their animalistic alternate modes well suited to the planet. The Monsterbots later rejoined the main Autobot force, and accompanied the new leader, Fortress Maximus, and his crew on their pursuit of the Decepticons from planet to planet, entering combat on the planet Paradise, where the three of them turned their fire-breath on Abominus and used it to detonate the Decepticons' energon cubes.

Of the three Monsterbots, Doublecross received the most attention, as his unusual personality quirk offered opportunities for humor. While attempting to put out a fire on Paradise, one head instructed the other to shoot water instead of fire, forgetting that they did not possess that ability. Later, when the Decepticons returned to Earth and attacked one of the Autobot bases there, Doublecross's two heads could not agree on which direction to take to get to the battle, and he was attacked and defeated by the Horrorcons.

3H Enterprises/Fun Publications

Although they issue never saw release except as artwork on the internet, the Monsterbots were to make an appearance in the fourth issue of Transformer: Universe - The Wreckers by 3H Enterprises. They were among the patrons of a bar on spaceport CSSB-16 when it was being visited by Devcon and the Beast Machine Dinobots.

The first four pages of Transformers: Universe - Wreckers #4 were eventually finished and printed in issue 16 of the Transformers Collectors Club magazine.

Dreamwave Productions

Although Grotusque didn't appear in any Dreamwave storyline, he did get a full page biography in the More Than Meets The Eye comic.

Toys

• Generation 1 Monsterbot Grotusque (1987)

The Grotusque toy could shoot sparks from his mouth if you flicked a switch on his back.

References