|
This site contains: Contact the site dictator at [email protected]. |
Prime Targets ReviewTitle: Prime Targets: The Unauthorized Story Guide To Transformers, Beast Wars, and Beast Machines Author: Lars Pearson Publisher: Mad Norwegian Press Year: First Printing, 2001 Transformers: Robots from the planet Cybertron that can transform between a robot and another form; in many cases a vehicle or animal. The heroic Autobots battle the evil Decepticons for the fate of not one world - but two. For the Transformers have unwittingly brought their battle to Earth, and the Autobots are the only thing standing between the Decepticons and the domination of both worlds. As the title denotes, Prime Targets is a story guide to various Transformers series. It's very comprehensive, and covers the first four seasons of the regular Transformers, the three seasons of Beast Wars, and the two seasons of Beast Machines. In addition, it also covers the Transformers series of comics released in both the Unites States and the United Kingdom. Finally, there is a price guide and a timeline for easy reference. Done in a twin-column magazine style spread over 320 pages, each episode of the TV series is broken down into the following categories: Title, miscellaneous info, "Main Characters," "Story Summary," a series of different sub-sections (where applicable), and the "Final Computation." Episodes that are more than one part are grouped together, with each individual episode receiving a part in the summary. The comics are done in the same manner, but as they tend to run for more than one issue, they are grouped together like the multi-part episodes. Each episode or comic is broken up by the title, which is encased in a thick, black block and clearly marks the transition between titles. Miscellaneous info includes the episode number, date of original air, and writer and artist credits. The "Main Characters" and "Story Summary" are self-explanatory, but the book shines in the sections that follow them. Entitled "Goofs," "Ass-Whuppings," "Memorable Moments," "Character Development," and other things; these serve to point out trivia and other fun details about the Transformers stories. Since not every episode or issue may have an "Ass-Whupping" or "Memorable Moment," these sections are on a story-by-story basis and highlight both the author's preferences and generally accepted moments and such in the Transformers fan community. The last section, "The Final Computation," is where the book gets iffy. This part is author-preference only, and his biases clearly show through. I found myself in disagreement with many of the things he was against, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. Also, each section is explained in detail at the beginning of the book, allowing a reader to skip over the sections they may not want to read. There is a price guide from Toyfare magazine, and a much-needed timeline for both the comic and animation continuities. Breaking up each major section is original artwork. As an unauthorized guide, no actual artwork can be legally used, so an artist drew some random robots to compensate. They're nothing like Transformers. Really. Some minor gripes include a few spelling mistakes, and on many pages the ink used for the type ran, causing many large black streaks. None of these impaired my ability to read the book, but they sure are detracting.
Very informative, well-researched, and great reference material to what is now a mainstay behind popular 80's culture. Also, it is a very good book to have if you are a Transformers fan. If you aren't, it is a great starting point should you want to get to know the story behind these mechanical beings from another planet. |