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The Complete Transformers Ark from IDW publishing is a reference book for hard-core Transformers fans, artists, or anyone who wants to be able to keep the hundreds of Generation 1 Transformers characters straight. As an added bonus, the book even ventures off into the strange realm of the Japanese G1 continuity, with character models from the Japan-only series that followed the venerated American animated show.
The reason-to-be here is black and white character models, high-quality sketches of the characters. The characters are presented more-or-less exactly how they appeared in the show (with some variation for those characters that had an altered design for their comics appearance). There is also plenty of material from Transformers: The Movie, such as the characters which debuted on screen as well as some of the minor characters.
The Complete Transformers Ark is a collection of the very functional art from the various G1 sources. It's not a glossy and beautiful coffee table-type book but a work-a-day collection of literally four-hundred-odd pages of just about every Generation 1 Transformers character you could imagine. Depending on your interest level this will be a good or bad thing. Unfortunately, there is very little in the way of text or trivia to break up the monotony of endless character models. Additional notes or insights from the original artisits would have been greatly appreciated.
In any case, the book is a great companion to the new DVDs of the original series and a handy reference for those looking to sift through the long and sometimes complicated G1 continuity. And for those of us who never got familiar with the Japanese shows, it’s nice to get a glimpse of that world and it’s somewhat different aesthetic. If you are interested in drawing G1-style Transformers this is a must-buy. For the casual fan, the book may loose its appeal fairly quickly.
Patrick Garone
Staff Reviewer
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