#webworld

You know, queries about this come in every now and then. So—because this response from last year is pretty detailed, and I think will answer all your questions—I'm just gonna paste it in here. 🙂

...About my work on Transformers G1: Developmentally speaking it’s kind of a complicated story, so bear with me here while I set the scene.

In 1985 I was a pretty busy gal. The Door Into Shadow had just published. Deep Wizardry had gone to press for publication in Delacorte’s fall-‘85 schedule. My first computer game, Star Trek: The Kobayashi Alternative, launched (in the Rainbow Room on top of 30 Rock…) in the summer of '85. I was then scripting my first comics work for DC (the “Double Blind” two-parter and “The Last Word”). And after taking a brief breathing space from four or five years’ worth of animation work across a number of shows (scroll down here for details), I’d just turned in an episode of My Little Pony.

In memory all this work tends to get tangled together somewhat (which is probably no surprise). One thread that shows persistently through the tangle, though, is how much time I was spending in New York at a time when I was living in Philadelphia.

A surprising amount of that has to do with the research surrounding Deep Wizardry, which required specialized materials not readily available anywhere else. Because I had a contract for that book, in early 1984 I applied for (and was granted) access to the Frederick Lewis Allen Memorial Room at the main branch of the New York Public Library. As a result, for the guts of a year I was “up in town” at least every other week or so, sometimes for two or three days at a time—taking notes from the Woods Hole oceanographic resources there, drawing copies of them (like this one) when xerography wasn’t available or when otherwise necessary, and—when there was time—writing.

But on those stay-overs my evenings were my own, and fortunately there were some really nice people to meet up with, every so often. Back when 666 5th Avenue (now 660) was DC Comics’ home, a lot of the writing and editorial talent had a habit of heading down to street level and around the corner on Friday nights, to meet up and relax at the bar in a local steakhouse on the W. 52nd Street side (long gone now, alas). That’s almost certainly where I first met Len Wein—most likely introduced to him by my editor on the Trek comics at DC, Bob Greenberger—and we quickly got to be friends. Each of us was interested in the writing (and kinds of writing) the other was doing, so we had lots to chat about.

Now during this period I’d recently finished work on that My Little Pony script. A production company called Sunbow was then handling the screen side of the property, along with shows based on various other IPs. To this day I can’t remember who it was over there who said to me, “So listen, now that you’re done with that, we’ve got some slots unfilled on another show—would you be interested in doing a Transformers?” My answer was naturally “Sure, why not?”*

So shortly I was talking story, in a general way, with my new story editor over there, Steve Gerber. The thought of doing something a bit personal, and getting into some of the characters’ heads a bit, was as usual on my mind. The idea of getting Galvatron some psychiatric care had already crossed my mind at that point… though I had on first impulse pushed that (for the time being) onto the back burner due to possibly being a little too “on the nose.”

At some point pretty early on in this process, though, a different idea hit me. Len was plainly perfectly cut out for animation storytelling (as other comics writers have also been: but the fit had rarely seemed quite so perfect, to me at least). And he’d have a party with this, I thought. Why not invite him along for the ride and let him get a feel for how it’s done?

So I said to him (as Tom Swale had once said to me years back), "Hey, you wanna write a cartoon?" And to my great pleasure Len promptly said “Yes!” And having cleared this team-up with Steve Gerber, we dove in as co-writers.

Collaboration can sometimes be a rocky road, but I’ve always been lucky in mine, and that lucky streak held true with Len. I have rarely had a co-writer who right out of the starting gate was more willing to stretch hard to get things right, and one who was more effortlessly funny… even when the humor turned dark (as it repeatedly did in this episode). Len unquestionably brought things to that script that I wouldn’t have thought to try, or would have been nervous about my ability to pull off, solo.

…So after a couple/few weeks we turned “Webworld” in, the checks cleared, and we both went on to other things... while remaining good friends all the while: and it was @petermorwood's and my great pleasure to have Len as a houseguest here. The two of them got along famously: yet another case of senses of humor "raised" thousands of miles apart meshing perfectly.

...But that episode keeps coming up as many people’s favorite… and I can’t say that I mind a bit. 😊 (If you want to look at it, the whole episode’s online: just follow the link.)

BTW, because people do ask “Why does Len’s name appear first on the credits screen?”, the answer’s simple: Because I insisted. He was the newbie here, after all. I thought it only right that the junior partner in this medium should be put in pride of place on that credit, his very first time out (and if you scroll right down to the bottom of his IMDb page, you'll find it there, the very first entry). ...Noting here that I've routinely done the same with Peter, for anyone who’s been watching. Collaborator of thirty-plus years he may have been, but he’s still always been newer at this than I am. 😏

In any case, I wear the joint credit with Len with great pride. It’s an honor to be associated with someone who went on to become—entirely separate from his already-stellar career in comics—one of the strongest and most prolific animation writers of the last few decades.

…So that’s how it happened. (And as for the story, which pops up here and there, of how Bob G. and I dragged Len out of that restaurant one night and made him buy his first computer [an early Macintosh]: that’s true too.) 😅

none of the therapy works so they go to give galvatron a lobotomy

Are there some issues you still need to unpack from the divorce?

aka Galvatron goes to therapy. Finally.

We start off with a bit of Soundwave! And wow Rabat looks different now. I wonder how much he's missing Megsy about now.

Galvy is such an idiot that the bots joke they don't even have to do anything. I mean are you guys new here? That's kind of what the Con leader does.

Galvy and Magnus wrestle a bit and Galvy picks him up by the crotch like OP did to Megs that one time. Cyclonus is fanboying over Galvy while everyone else gripes about what a shithead he is.

Damn poor Cloney his husband is such a hot mess. Anyway a Quint tells him to take Galvy to therapy so they can get rid of him.

It's too bad this episode was made as a "fuck you" to shady therapists I sure hope no kids watched it and were like "all therapy is a manipulation"

Anyway Cloney tricks Galvy into going to Evil Therapy Planet and because Galvy's a moron it's really easy. This is all that's left of Megsy. Primus it's such a tragedy.

(Referring to what I said in this post)

Yes I can! It took a moment for me to find it (and also I just updated the post so it now does link to it) but it was from this post here: https://www.tumblr.com/overlordraax/181241517247/galvatronsthighs-chrismcfeely-g1facts?source=share

I think it was honestly only after reading Diane Duane's take on why she wrote the Webworld episode that it clicked for me. Cos the ending everyone tends to assume (ie. Galvs is too ill to ever be cured) is just so bleak and dark. It's not the most encouraging message for people who might be suffering from their own mental illnesses. But then seeing this post made me realise that it was not meant to be the case. Now I think back on the scene where Galvatron is being held down, about to be lobotomized and screaming "You have no right to change who I am!" That's what the episode is about.

I think in a series that had actual planned character arcs rather than a reset to status quo every episode might have tried to explore Galvatron further, and maybe even present the idea that he could be cured, or at least get better. It could take time and work, but I would honestly love to see a story about Galvs getting better.

To review the episode would be a feat, it's an interesting episode with a lot of little hints and all sorts.

I wouldn't quite know where to start in a review without just endlessly going off on tangents, it's an episode well-worth a watch over just reading about it.

Hearing things like Cyclonus's voice crack sounding on the brink of tears as oppose to his usual proud self? It pulls at the emotions more than words describe.

The episode also puts a name/descriptors to Galvatrons mental health issues which is something I wish is more widely known among the fandom instead of people just being "Oh he crazeh".

Given how the episode draws on someone's experience working in the mental health field adds a layer of unease to it when watching...