Category Archives: Star Trek

Star Trek 10 (July 2012)

Posted on 1 March 2013 | 1 Comment

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Johnson closes this issue on San Francisco Starfleet Command. He opened the last issue with it, but these scenes have no connection. It’s a terrible bookend device, since it tears the reader away from the regular cast.

The plot revelations throughout the issue, though predictable, aren’t bad. Johnson has problems transitioning between locations, which is annoying–Molner is no help.

For most of the issue, Johnson’s updates to the original episode appear to be Scotty’s Star Trek movie memories. The references to the movie’s events feel rather forced. Johnson doesn’t trust the reader to remember the movie, even though Molnar’s good for nothing but (badly drawn) photo-referenced illustrations of the movie cast’s faces.

The big finish dumbly gives up pages for the epilogue. Instead of (numerically, not talented) substantial sci-fi visuals, the resolution gets a few rectangular panels in the middle of a page.

The end sinks it.

CREDITS

The Return of the Archons, Part 2; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Stephen Molnar; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

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Star Trek 9 (May 2012)

Posted on 28 February 2013 | Leave a comment

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The secret to reading Star Trek is to concentrate on the words. Not on what people are saying, but the actual visual text. Focusing on the balloons and boxes, one can ignore the art. For a panel or two, I thought Molnar had improved since his last issue.

He has not. He oscillates between bad and worse. His photo-referenced faces lack any personality, but it’s nowhere near as technically lacking as when people need to make expressions. Then Molnar makes the faces even more static.

Johnson’s script isn’t bad. He paces things well.

There’s something particularly compelling about this issue, which doesn’t just update an old episode’s story, it updates technology. For “Trek” fans, it’s a familiar technological visual. Even though Molnar’s creating the new design, it excites the imagination a little… an internal review over a classic item revised.

That process is the neatest thing about this Trek.

CREDITS

The Return of the Archons, Part 1; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Stephen Molnar; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

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Star Trek 8 (May 2012)

Posted on 8 February 2013 | Leave a comment

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I’m trying to imagine what Phillips’s pencils must look like. He does so little work on faces–relying almost entirely on the colorist to fill in depth–I wish I could see the pencils. People probably look like blobs with eyes.

If you haven’t guessed, the art is terrible. Johnson still comes up with a fairly decent story. It gets talky at times; he’s better writing dialogue for the guest stars than the supporting Enterprise crew. Sulu in particular has no personality in Johnson’s Trek.

Johnson doesn’t so much rely on surprises as reasoned behavior, which is a fairly neat route to take… given some of the guest stars are Vulcan.

There’s a strange smallness to the issue too. It almost seems intentional; to mimic the confined sets of the old TV show. If so, it’s the coolest thing IDW’s done with Trek.

Besides the art, it’s pretty okay stuff.

CREDITS

Vulcan’s Vengeance, Part 2; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Joe Phillips; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

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Star Trek 7 (March 2012)

Posted on 7 February 2013 | Leave a comment

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Johnson does a whole lot better when he’s not adapting episodes of the original “Star Trek.” Sure, it’s the whole point of this series, but this issue–the first original one–is leagues better than the previous ones.

Okay, Joe Phillips’s art is the same tepid, heavy on the likenesses, light on actual quality art the rest of this Trek series has had, but the story makes up for it.

This issue’s a sequel to the Trek revamp movie, with rogue Vulcans and Romulans in some kind of intrigue and the Enterprise getting involved. Johnson writes a really good scene for Kirk and Spock, something I can’t remember having happened before. Clearly the adaptations are too constrictive for his writing.

The other plus is the end reveal. It’s a great soft cliffhanger end reveal, feeling exactly like one before a commercial break.

It’s nice to actually enjoy reading this series.

CREDITS

Vulcan’s Vengeance, Part 1; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Joe Phillips; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

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Star Trek 6 (February 2012)

Posted on 9 January 2013 | Leave a comment

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While this issue is undeniably better than the last one, Corroney’s bad art is still a problem and Johnson exhibits a different writing problem. The issue’s better because more of it is dialogue. Spock and McCoy try to figure out what’s going on. It’s probably lifted from the original episode, but it definitely works. There’s tension, there’s drama. Johnson can handle it.

But he can’t handle the scenes between Kirk and his brother. Johnson’s unable to write Kirk as a person. He’s a wooden stand-in, as emotionless as Corroney’s photo referenced visualization of him. It’s Star Trek’s salient problem. It can’t sustain itself without a compelling protagonist–all it’s got going for it is a gimmick and a gimmick isn’t enough.

Johnson relies too much on text too. It’s a comic book, it’s supposed to be visual. It might be an editorial decision; if so, it’s a bad one.

CREDITS

Operation: Annihilate, Part 2; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Joe Corroney; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

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Star Trek 5 (January 2012)

Posted on 8 January 2013 | 1 Comment

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It’s hard to take Star Trek seriously. Joe Corroney’s art concentrates on photo likenesses of the new movie cast–he photo-references to the point when two people are in the same panel, they don’t even occupy the same physical space. And scripter Mike Johnson is just adapting old episodes in the new movie continuity. What he does add doesn’t seem substantial.

It all makes Trek a missed opportunity. The creators treat the comic as nothing but a check to cash, but there’s a lot of possibility. For example, this issue features the crew attacked by a planet’s zombie-like inhabitants. Star Trek vs. Zombies. Ought to be fun, right?

Not with Corroney’s art. The issue gets a little more compelling once it’s off the Enterprise, but then the action sequences fizzle.

Johnson also seems incapable of giving characters moments; he gives them one liners instead.

It’s tepid and lame.

CREDITS

Operation: Annihilate, Part 1; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Joe Corroney; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

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Star Trek 4 (December 2011)

Posted on 19 February 2012 | Leave a comment

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These comics ought to come with a fifty cents off coupon for buying the original “Star Trek” episode online.

If I’ve seen the episode, The Galileo Seven, I don’t remember it. But I do know the resolution must be somewhat different because Johnson’s finish for this issue is firmly in movie continuity.

The issue’s a failure, partially due to the awkward pacing, the rest due to Phillips’s art. Molnar is reduced to a layouts credit.

Johnson can’t make the comic, based on television pacing, exciting. Meaningful looks fail, as do the action scenes. And Phillips is so weak, any time Johnson does come up with a good moment, it flops. There’s one in particular, with Kirk spouting off regulations, where Phillips misses the humor. He’s clearly just too busy poorly tracing publicity photos of Chris Pine.

If I were reading Trek for quality, I’d give up now.

I’m not, however.

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Star Trek 3 (November 2011)

Posted on 18 February 2012 | Leave a comment

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Once again, Mike Johnson does well enough adapting an original “Star Trek” episode to the new movie’s continuity. Well enough means it utterly lacks any personality.

This issue Uhura gets the most “movie” personality, just because of her romance with Spock. But even with those added details, she barely makes any impression.

Instead, it’s all Spock, McCoy and the red shirts stranded on a hostile planet. No one agrees with Spock about how to proceed, but he’s in charge, yada yada. He’ll undoubtedly save the day.

The issue also introduces Yeoman Rand, who didn’t get a movie appearance, and Johnson just does it as a nod to the original series. I don’t think she has a line after her first panel.

The art’s a mess. Stephen Molnar manages to use the movie likenesses, Joe Phillips doesn’t. Neither is particularly good, Molnar just fulfills the task better.

Trek remains a curiosity.

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Star Trek 2 (October 2011)

Posted on 5 November 2011 | Leave a comment

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So Sally Kellerman doesn’t show up this issue either.

Johnson continues his adaptation of the show’s pilot, but it’s all of a sudden very reductive. He can’t handle a big cast–I think there’s maybe five people in the whole issue–which makes it feel less like “Star Trek.”

Molnar can’t handle the technology, which is another problem. Again he’s concentrating on the likenesses IDW has contracted instead of good art. Johnson gives him a mildly complex sequence (Kirk is being forced to kneel) and Molnar bombs it.

The emphasis this issue is on Kirk, his captain log narrates, he’s the one sitting alone thinking about the events. It doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t feel like the new movie Kirk and it doesn’t feel like the original.

The concept is starting to fall apart two issues into an ongoing series… not a good sign at all.

But it’s still readable.

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Star Trek 1 (September 2011)

Posted on 24 September 2011 | Leave a comment

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IDW should have put out Star Trek as double-sized issues, containing the entire episode adaptation, instead of splitting them up.

It’s a high concept series–comic book adaptations of the original series but in the new movie’s continuity, which is the only reason I was interested.

So, an issue is only as good as the original episode… I mean, Mike Johnson takes a lot of dialogue straight from the pilot episode (if I remember right) and he does a fine enough job updating to the “new” personalities. It almost seems, in some cases, he’s updating to the Star Trek movie–original cast–personalities more than the new movie’s (as the new movie didn’t have the time to fully establish characters).

As for the art, Stephen Molnar seems more concerned with likenesses than he is with doing a good job. It’s unfortunate, but Trek‘s about the concept, not the art.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – N-Vector 4 (November 2000)

Posted on 23 October 2010 | Leave a comment

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Jeter runs out of space here a little. He’s got an exciting conclusion, but then he’s also got a big special effects conclusion (Cypress is disastrous as rendering it, unfortunately) and some more talking heads stuff.

Also–and here’s why I was confused last issue. He’s got the station commander–Major Kira (you can’t refer to “Deep Space Nine” characters and expect non-Star Trek aficionados to know them)–using the exact same dialogue the evil guy used when he was possessing people. But it’s apparently not done to raise suspicion. It’s like Jeter copied and pasted dialogue and didn’t think about the context. The editor should have caught it.

This issue is probably the least successful for the above pacing and art reasons. It also ends on a humorous note, mimicking how a television episode would end. But it doesn’t work because it’s way too slight.

The series should have run five issues.

CREDITS

Writer, K.W. Jeter; penciller, Toby Cypress; inker, Jason Martin and Mark Irwin; colorist, Bad @ss ; letterer, Naghmeh Zand; editor, Jeff Mariotte; publisher, Wildstorm.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – N-Vector 3 (October 2000)

Posted on 23 October 2010 | Leave a comment

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This issue is the all action issue. Or close to it.

I think N-Vector is most useful–not to discount its success as an episode of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” it’s a fine episode of that television program–as an example of how television pacing can be adapted to comic books. The problem, of course, is the length and pricing. It takes four issues to get a single episode. All together, it would have been ten dollars for, basically, something one watches for free on television.

Also, this issue requires the reader be familiar with the show and the relationships between its principal characters. I couldn’t tell if people were acting out of character or if I’d missed something since I hadn’t seen the show or if the evil space entity had possessed them.

Jeter’s good at plotting out the dramatic moments; still a fine licensed comic read.

CREDITS

Writer, K.W. Jeter; penciller, Toby Cypress; inker, Jason Martin and Mark Irwin; colorist, Bad @ss ; letterer, Naghmeh Zand; editor, Jeff Mariotte; publisher, Wildstorm.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – N-Vector 2 (September 2000)

Posted on 23 October 2010 | Leave a comment

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Did Wildstorm not get the likenesses in their “Star Trek” license or something? At first I thought it was just Cypress’s style, bringing a scratchy indie feel to a completely mainstream release, but now I’m wondering if it’s just because he couldn’t draw the actors. His artwork is a little static at times, especially for this issue, which is mostly talking heads. Then there’s the problem with him not being able to show important details–I don’t know if Quark found a dead Ferengi or Ferengi costume or a Ferengi blow-up doll.

As far as writing, this issue’s a little better than the first, as Jeter is getting into the actual situation. Even if someone isn’t familiar with the characters or ground situation, the drama’s been introduced and Jeter’s got a good A plot and a good B plot (no doubt they’ll tie together nicely).

A fine, mediocre comic.

CREDITS

Writer, K.W. Jeter; penciller, Toby Cypress; inker, Jason Martin and Mark Irwin; colorist, Bad @ss; letterer, Naghmeh Zand; editor, Jeff Mariotte; publisher, Wildstorm.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – N-Vector 1 (August 2000)

Posted on 23 October 2010 | Leave a comment

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So this series is a continuation of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” I guess I’m glad I don’t care about the ending of the series being spoiled for me.

I decided to read it because of Jeter, who’s a science fiction novelist of good repute, and because I didn’t realize–on seeing it in his bibliography–N-Vector was a Star Trek comic book.

Jeter does a fine job writing the characters and matching their personalities to the show (as far as I can tell, having mostly seen the first couple seasons), but there’s zero subtext. It’s more of a television episode than a comic book. The issue breaks are the commercials.

The art is the most interesting element–for a licensed comic book, it looks nearly nothing like the norm. Cypress isn’t interested in likenesses, he’s using the art to convey emotion.

It’ll probably turn out a pointless read, but I’m on board.

CREDITS

Writer, K.W. Jeter; penciller, Toby Cypress; inker, Jason Martin and Mark Irwin; colorists, Dan Brown, Bad @ss and Wildstorm FX; letterer, Naghmeh Zand; editor, Jeff Mariotte; publisher, Wildstorm.

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