Transformers Trilogy Hardcover Book

Bombshell · Post by **Bombshell** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:21 am

The Science Fiction Book Club has posted images of their exclusive Transformers Trilogy Book. The book covers the three soft cover novels by David Cian & Scot Ciencin. Click here to see the pics.

(OK, I have a serious problem with this. Most of us haven't even seen them as paperbacks in a wide distribution, so someone wanna explain to me the logic of doing a hardcover trilogy book as an exclusive?)

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:59 am

They'll lose members if people actually buy and read it...

I found the second volume in a library, otherwise I wouldn't have touched it after having read the first. It's still execrable.

Alpha Trion · Post by **Alpha Trion** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 5:13 am

Which continuity did they try to stuff it in, if any? DW?

Bombshell · Post by **Bombshell** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 6:03 am

Originally posted by Alpha Trion
Which continuity did they try to stuff it in, if any? DW?

Yeah. It's supposed to be DW continuity.

Heavy emphasis on the "supposed".

dedicon · Post by **dedicon** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 1:23 pm

still dont understand whats in it.
so my question is:whats in it?

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 1:53 pm

About eight hundred pages of plot ripped off from early Star Trek scripts.

http://www.bwtf.com/br/ibooks/hardwired.shtml

http://www.bwtf.com/br/ibooks/annihilation.shtml

Ben is extremely kind in his reviews. And he still slates most of 'em...

dedicon · Post by **dedicon** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 11:54 pm

ewww!!its those stupid books!!
gives both of my favorite things a bad name:transformers and books

davetherave · Post by **davetherave** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 1:47 am

How can someone take that artwork and put such a lame font ont the cover for "the trilogy". I haven't read the books so I can't comment on the storyline, but the design and font choice is awful. If you look carefully there is at least 4 different fonts on the spine. I'd get the sack if I done that.
At the end of the day it's still better than metrodomes dvd covers for their g1 series, so I can't complain to much. I wish more companies would adopt Dreamwaves artwork instead of people in boxes.

Post by **Denyer** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 2:03 am

Originally posted by davetherave
If you look carefully there is at least 4 different fonts on the spine

No, there aren't. There's one, plus the fixed TF logo, plus the fixed club logo. Unless you count the barcode (also the fixed standard) or that printing number in very small print on the back.)

Also, DW is the company which left the title off one of its book, putting only War Within rather than the Dark Ages tag on one of those issues...

davetherave · Post by **davetherave** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 2:39 am

Sorry but the logo of the publisher is made of two fonts and the author is more expanded than trilogy, their is definently 4 fonts there, plus a basterdised font. This is a classic case of good artwork and poor typography

davetherave · Post by **davetherave** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 3:04 am

"Also, DW is the company which left the title off one of its book, putting only War Within rather than the Dark Ages tag on one of those issues..."

origanly posted by deynyer

People who know about design, know how and when to brake rules. That was obviously a mistake or something. I was commenting on the fact that dreamwaves illustrations are excellent, not their graphic design [which isn't rubbish for that fact."] The font used for trilogy is a lame font, it's predictable and dated. And the fonts on the spine alone are not up to scratch.

Transformers are a big industry now, especialy when it comes to older collectors. I expect a higher standard now, older collectors are the ones who are putting the real money into tfs, otherwise the alternator line would never of come into existance!

We don't want kiddie oriantated merchandise, isn't that what energon is for. We want something that is gonna spark our imaginations. Nostalgia is a hard thing to beat and binaltech is a great exmple of design and imagination, evrything has to be of this qaulity or it simply will not do.

Post by **Denyer** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 3:31 am

Originally posted by davetherave
Sorry but the logo of the publisher is made of two fonts

It's their stock logo, not insert text—and is quite likely bespoke lettering as it's one less licensing consideration for a company. In either case, it's a graphic from the POV of the designer.

Originally posted by davetherave
the author is more expanded than trilogy,

I think the word you're looking for is either "kerning" or "tracking" (most probably the latter) assuming you're familiar with typesetting. Kerning is something DW themselves could usefully learn about, along with perspective and its application to overlaying text and faction symbols.

Originally posted by davetherave
The font used for trilogy is a lame font, it's predictable and dated. [...] I expect a higher standard now, [...] We want something that is gonna spark our imaginations.

In which case it's spectacularly representative of the contents and Dreamwave itself—not that DW really have anything to do with the iBooks publishing effort, but the books are certainly laborious, juvenile and poorly-written.

I'd spend more time complaining about the tripe between the covers than the five-minute layout job, personally...

davetherave · Post by **davetherave** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 3:54 am

From what I've heard the content is rubbish, so the cover is a big deal, for a collector as their has to be something good about a product.

No I'm not talking about leading or the kerning. Leading is the space between lines and kerning is the space between letters. Expanding is when you stretch a font, and that is what is evident. Dreamwave has good illustrations so I will forgive them for any other mistakes [nobodyelse is giving us this qaulity, even takara is borowing their artwork], it seems this book has neither a good content or an original cover.

This thread is about the book cover and not the contents, thats why I'm complaining about the cover.

Post by **Denyer** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 4:11 am

Mmm, the text has been pulled but the tracking's changed also; assuming expansion with regularity, the gaps should be more pronounced. Though the spine's just a downsize of the front-cover object.

What I can't figure out is why they've use a segmented sunken cut with an oval shape... the art was far nicer when it was part of a holofoil comic cover without a mound of crap on top of it.

I think someone would have to be far too obsessive a collector to pick up a book they'll never read or which will lead them to burn it or give it away if they ever do.

The thread's about the book, incidentally, not just the cover. Mind you, it's unlikely anyone will find anything positive to say about either...

davetherave · Post by **davetherave** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 4:52 am

I have to admit I am one of them obsessive collectors. I buy alot of graphic novels on tfs, I say 2myself I will read them all one day but I don't [well not yet]. The order of the second season part 2 dvd from metrodome has really got on my tits. I like everything to be perfect, yes i know my spelling isn't but that doesn't cost anything.

From what people have said about the contents of this trilogy, I hope they don't use it as a basis for the live action movie. I heard a rumour that they we're planning the tf live action movie to be a trilogy.

Anyway I think it's time for takara and hasbro to get a graphic co-ordinator to unify the general presentation and qaulity of transformer products. Their is way to much fluctuation in qaulity and overall design.