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A Torquay comic book artist who draws some of the most recognisable characters from the cartoons and toy shops of the Eighties and Nineties has designed what could be the last postage stamp ever to carry the Queen’s head. Stamps featuring the Transformers are being issued by the Royal Mail as the iconic franchise approaches its 40th birthday.
But the production of stamps featuring Queen Elizabeth has stopped since her death, and future stamps will carry the embossed head of King Charles instead. It all means the striking image coloured by John-Paul Bove for the set of Transformers stamps – available to buy now – could be the very last to feature the Queen’s famous profile in the top corner. As with all Royal Mail stamp designs, it was personally approved by her Majesty.
A former Torquay Boys Grammar School student, 42-year-old John-Paul has been working on the popular Transformers comics for more than 10 years. He said: “This job was a bit special.
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“They might be the last stamps to feature the Queen. They are certainly the last ones to have come out while she was alive.”
And John-Paul has another reason to be delighted to see his work on the stamps, as his dad was a postman in Torquay for 20 years before he retired. “For me the job felt sort of special,” he added. “Not only was it Transformers, but also because my dad was very proud to work for the Post Office.”
Royal Mail says the set of 13 special stamps celebrates the British contribution to the globally-successful Transformers franchise from toymakers Hasbro. As well as John-Paul, artists involved are Andrew Wildman and Stephen Baskerville.
The main set of eight designs has been produced in pairs and features original illustrations of Transformers “Autobots” and “Decepticons” locked in a battle. The appeal of the Transformers for children is that the characters can “transform” into vehicles, planes or animals. Featured on the stamps are characters including Optimus Prime, Megatron and Bumblebee.
“I grew up loving Transformers, and I never actually grew out of it!” said John-Paul. “I have always liked the idea of hidden things, and I loved the idea of a plane that turned into a robot.
“That got me into the toys and then the comics. The stories were just brilliant, and they didn’t talk down to the kids. I felt very grown-up reading them, and that’s why they have stood the test of time.”
Many Transformers comics internationally were worked on by British writers and artists, and that sparked the interest in releasing stamps. “Royal Mail saw that the 40th anniversary was coming up in 2024 and contacted Hasbro, who said they could do it right away,” said John-Paul
Creating the special designs for the stamps took months, he said, and involved “a million adjustments”, but eventually they were ready for Royal approval. Over the years he has worked for other sci-fi comics on characters including Judge Dredd and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The main eight stamps have hidden ink which reveals extra details under ultra-violet light. Fans who scan them with the Royal Mail app can see animations as well.
Matt Parkes, the Royal Mail’s Director of Stamps and Collectibles, said: “Since The Transformers burst onto the scene in 1984, British writers and artists have made a substantial contribution to the ongoing story of the popular warring mechanoids. To this day many continue to do so and have inspired new artists to do the same.
“We are delighted to be able to celebrate their work with this stunning set of stamps which calls back not only to the early comics but also – by using the app – the original cartoon series as well.”
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