Transformers: The Ultimate Guide
by Simon Furman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Simon FurmanIllustrator: Richard Chasemore
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-05-03
ISBN: 0756603145
Number of pages: 144
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: DK CHILDREN
Book Reviews of Transformers: The Ultimate Guide
Book Review: 20 years of Transformers
Summary: 3 Stars
To be honest, i was a little disappointed by this book. Compared to the other 'Ultimates' in DKs series, it's incredibly concise. I also found it hard to find (although i love the internet, there's something to be said for hunting for things in the real world). The book itself works well as an introduction to the Transformers' 20 year history (and its many permutations) for new fans, but there's little here for the long time fan, although the revalations concerning the toy-line's origins in Japan are interesting if you've never read about this in the various US toy trade mags. All the major comic book arcs from the'80s are covered, but not in the same depth as Furman's own editorials from the Titan books (I'd recognised that bracketed style of writing anywhere!), and there is a sense that Furman is repeating himself here. Bob Budiansky gets a brief mention for his contribution to the Transformers mythos (writing ALL the tech specs for the entire G1 toyline!Thats some 200 plus characters!).I do feel for Bob, as fans are extremely critical of his work on the US comic and its really not all that bad - his main problem seems to have been Hasbro's insistance that he feature EVERY SINGLE TRANSFORMER EVER RELEASED.What is nice to see, is some good coverage of the Beast Wars era, which I have to say,is my favourite Transformers period and its sucessor Beast Machines (which I hope one day will be released on DVD so I can finally watch it). The Robots In Disguise section lacks any coverage of the related cartoon, (which is a shame 'cos its actually quite fun and beats Armada hands down in my book) preferring to give us lots of images of the toys from that line (which were ace from us old farts point of view as they were so intricate and detailed, but quite how Hasbro's target audience of 5-10 year olds got on with them I'll never know!). Speaking of the toys, (which lets face it, is what the Transformers are really all about) its suprising that there is not wider coverage of the vast array of figures that were available and we're limited to the items housed in one fan's collection (who seem to use Hot Spots guns for quite a few different shots). The reviews for the G1 toys that Furman is more familar with are more enthusiastic than for the later entries, and I do wonder if Simon was trying to write all this alongside his ongoing work for Dreamwave. the Armada and Energon entries are suprisingly brief considering what a big splash Armada made in the States and over here,but seem in keeping with the modern era's Power Rangers style approach of a new set of figures/circumstances every year. And there's a mention of Dreamwave's rebooting of the comics, which is a bit gushing of their ambitious but muddled reinvention. And thats it.Nicely produced, and for the most part well written, but perhaps could have used some input from some of the other creators involved along the way. Particularly as I'm sure Simon could do with a break from the world of Transformers every now and then. Overall, good for new starters but a bit of a missed opportunity (why no coverage of the Japanese stuff - Masterforce, Victory and the like?).
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