Transformers Exodus and Exiles!

Transformers: Exodus and Exiles!

 

            It’s that time again, and we’re looking at video game tie-ins, this time for the very place where Sidewinder was born…the Transformers franchise!  You lost the All Spark and now we gotta go find it, so scan your alt form and let’s get going!

Here we go again as we dig into video game tie-in novels, this time with Tranformers: War for Cybertron game series.  Both of these books were written by Alex Irvine and take place in the WfC universe.  First let me just say, I’ve been a fan of the Transformers franchise since I was like…six.  I was there when they kicked off in the 80’s and I’ll be there when they end their run, whenever that will be.  I’ve followed almost all the incarnations of these characters over the last few decades and while I may not be an expert on every single little aspect of the franchise, I’d like to believe that I am pretty well versed in what I am talking about.  That said; I was of mixed emotions when the War for Cybertron game came out I was…worried.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of the game.  It was very brutal, very mech oriented, and I love that Cybertron got showcased in such an expansive way.

My problem was that we were going to be revisiting some of the same old story motifs we’ve been visiting for the last twenty five years.  It still ends up being Optimus Prime vs Megatron for the fate of everything.  Every time Hasbro came out with a new cartoon and corresponding toyline, it got added to the ever expanding Transformers multiverse, that is to say that in almost all instances the cartoon/toyline got lumped into it’s own continuity and didn’t crossover with other universes.  Now, however, they were going for a unified continuity, one that would start from basics and build up from there, pinching from concepts used in the past.  It’s not a bad idea.  When you are trying to revitalize your decades old franchise but wanting to keep that decades old fan base, it makes sense to keep it familiar by reusing some of the more successful ideas.  The problem we run into is that the unified continuity isn’t…unified.

 

Here we come across Transformers: Exodus, which is, ostensibly, a novelizing of the first game.  The game itself occurs during the second half of the book, so we are given some context and back story for those events.  However, some of the events depicted in the book did not match up with what happened in game.  This isn’t like the Fable novelizing, where in each Fable game played can be unique unto itself.  There is a clear way to progress in War for Cybertron and therefore a specific continuity.  The writer, regardless of artistic intent, needs to hit those key notes exactly in order to make the two match up.

Speaking of continuity, Exodus didn’t keep continuity within itself.  Starscream stands out as being the most prominent example of consistency failure.  Early in the book he’s depicted as a scientist, one of the brightest they have, and later is depicted as never having a mind for science.  What?  Wait…that can’t be right.

The story ends pretty predictably, with the Autobots fleeing Cybertron in search of the All Spark and Megatron in hot pursuit.

Which is where Exlies picks up; here the Autobots have fled through a failing space bridge which Megatron close behind.  The first half of the book focuses strictly on the Autobots and their leader Optimus Prime interacting with new lines of Transformers on the planet Velocitron and Junkion.  We get to meet this way, some familiar faces such as Blurr and Wreck-Gar.  Blurr I felt they simply nailed in characterization.  Wreck-Gar, on the other hand was a little more confused in concept, but since he’s suppose to be clinically insane I guess it works.

We also have a third group called the Star Seekers, but you won’t find that name in the book, look all you want.  They are pirates running around hunting down Cybertronians for reasons that aren’t explicitly stated.  Again, some of this book is confused, but less so than Exodus.  At least this book keeps some continuity within itself.

Alex Irvine is a fine writer and has the sci-fi/fantasy credentials to write his own ticket, but for franchise tie-in novels, editors need to have more responsibility placed on them.  Remember that these are not books that kids are going to be reading.  My child loves Transformers, but he won’t be reading these books any time soon.  My generation is, because we want to see what is going on with our beloved franchise, and if you can’t tell a cohesive story within a single book, how are we going to maintain our faith in the franchise’s longevity?

 

If you are going for a unified continuity, give us some direction where you are going with the story.  Supposedly the games War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron tie in with Exodus, which ties into Exiles, and then the games tie into the new Transformers: Prime cartoon.  But heavens to Betsy, I’m having trouble seeing how.  I don’t mind saying that things like continuity make me worry, probably more than I should.

So is Alex Irvine the problem?  No.  He does a fine job of conveying the story, which is all you can ask of any author.  The failing comes in the place of the editor, namely Hasbro’s creative team who probably didn’t even look at the novel after it was written.  If it ties into your media, you need to pay attention to what it says.

 

So would I recommend these books?  If you are a Transformers fan, yes.  If you aren’t, then no.  Simple as that.  They are good books in of themselves, but if you don’t care for the franchise you will be lost in what is going on and won’t have any emotional agency for what happens to these characters.  If you are a fan, then you’re going to understand what is going on, despite any continuity errors, and should enjoy the expansion of the mythos in general.  I will say this for Exiles, it is a superior book to Exodus simply because it does give you a much more expansive study of the history of Cybertron.