Star Trek Ongoing comic reviews

[Shadowknight1]

Hey guys, I decided to do a review of IDW's new Star Trek Ongoing series, starting with Issue #1.  The writer is Mike Johnson, artist is Stephen Molnar, colorist is John Rauch, and letterer is Neil Uyetake.  Robert Orci acted as the creative consultant.  Before I get into the story, I have to start with the artwork.  I was hesitant because of the poor quality art in IDW's Jurassic Park comics.  I mean, the people in those comics looked like who they were supposed to be, but all the dinosaurs, especially the predators were all generic and I couldn't tell what was what.  That is not the case here.  The artwork in this comic is fantastic.  The characters are really well done, as are the interiors of the Enterprise and the exteriors.

Now, to the story.  It's essentially the first part of Where No Man Has Gone Before.  So if you've seen that, then you have a general idea of what's going on.  However, because of certain changes thanks to Nero, certain things play out differently.  The comic begins, fittingly enough, with Scotty in engineering.  Basically, recording his log, and cursing the brass for sending the Enterprise out after the Nero incident without a proper refit considering what the ship went through.  So, difference number one, right there, though everyone knows that this is perfectly in character for Mr. Scott.  Jump to the recreation room where Jim Kirk is playing 3-D chess...but this time, with Gary Mitchell instead of Mr. Spock.  Apparently Spock turned down the invitation, which good ol' Jim believes is due to Spock still being upset about the Kobayashi Maru.

Kirk gets called to the bridge, and he takes Gary and Lee Kelso with him to the bridge.  We find that Mitchell and Kelso were a year ahead of Kirk in the Academy and that they're serving as back-up helmsman and navigation officers to Sulu and Chekov.  Mitchell makes a comment about this, which causes Kirk to say that Sulu and Chekov earned their positions.  But Kirk asserts that, back-ups or not, when he's on that bridge, he needs the best.  They arrive at the bridge, and things start to go how we remember.  The Enterprise, on course to explore the edge of the galaxy, finds the distress beacon of the S.S. Valiant, here referred to as a Starfleet vessel(which is my only nitpick quibble here).  In a nice touch, the artist preserved the original look of the beacon.  Spock reads through the log tapes as before.

Basically, the trip through the edge of the galaxy ends much the same way.  The only minor exception is Spock showing concern when Uhura is knocked back from her console when it explodes, as Enterprise consoles are wont to do when they go through something crazy.  Again, the artwork is really nice, especially when they show Mitchell's silver eyes.  As before, the Enterprise's warp drive capability has been knocked offline, nine crewmen dead.  Now, one little detail has changed.  In the original timeline, McCoy hadn't yet come aboard the Enterprise as Chief Medical Officer.  In this timeline, his presence has resulted in Dr. Dehner NOT coming aboard the Enterprise out of some prior "affiliation" with Bones, who regretfully says that he thought she'd forgiven him.  To me, this already speaks of trouble because Dehner was a...human anchor for Gary for a time.  The loss of this "anchor" clearly allows Mitchell to revel in his new powers, and he does so eagerly, levitating everything in sickbay when Kirk, Spock, and McCoy arrive.   Again, this is a nice set that really shows off an area of the new Enterprise we didn't get to see much of.  Now, as before, the ship has only one real chance, and that's to get to the lithium-cracking facilities on Delta Vega(probably the original).

Now, one major difference occurs at the end of the comic.  Spock reveals that while McCoy was sedating Gary Mitchell, Spock mind melded with him.  This did not happen in the original because the technique hadn't been conceived of by the staff and, in universe, because the Vulcans don't engage in it lightly.  In the new timeline, Kirk is aware of the technique, so Spock has no need to hide it, nor any need to not use it when the situation dictates.  Spock lays out his findings in typical Spock manner: "Captain, there was no one there.  No consciousness.  No sentience of any kind.  Whatever now inhabits the body of Gary Mitchell poses an imminent threat to this ship and its crew."  As before, Spock recommends that they either leave Gary Mitchell behind on Delta Vega or kill him while they still can.

I have to say that this can turn out very interesting if done right.  The idea of the series is to take adventures from the original series and give them a new twist with the new crew.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

For this issue
Art: 10/10
Story: 8/10 because it hasn't deviated much yet
Characterizations: 10/10
Overall: 9.5/10

PS. Hoping that Scotty's line about the ship needing a retrofit means we have a new engineering set coming. ;)

[Shadowknight1]

I picked up Issue #2 of Star Trek Ongoing last week.  Writers, artists, etc. are retained from Issue #1.  This is "Where No Man Has Gone Before" part 2.  As before, the artwork is fantastic.  In addition to the Enterprise, we get to see a take on Delta Vega that is interesting and reminiscent of the original series.

Picking up where the first comic left off, Kirk and party have made the decision to strand Gary Mitchell on Delta Vega.  Gary realizes this, and tries to fight against it, but a well timed hypospray from McCoy knocks him out.  They beam down to get what they need to get warp power back online and to leave Gary behind.  Mitchell definitely shows a more aggressive side without a Dr. Dehner there to temper him.  He also makes note that Spock stranded Kirk on "another Delta Vega" perhaps showing that the planetary nomenclature might be shared.  Must be confusing.  Also of note is that Spock brought the phaser rifle along when they beamed down instead of sending for it.  Again, I think this is because of the lack of a human anchor for Mitchell, so he's shown as being more dangerous.

As before, Mitchell breaks out and renders Kirk and Spock unconscious.  Meanwhile, Kelso has found parts to use, but Gary comes up behind him.  Mitchell warns Kelso not to go for his phaser, though Kelso had already done so.  Now, interesting note, the phaser is clearly set to the nozzle that the movie identified as the stun setting.  I don't know if this was a goof, or if it's meant to show that Kelso, like Kirk, is hesitant to simply phaser his friend out of existence.  It doesn't matter though, as Mitchell forces Kelso to put the phaser to his temple, leaving poor Kelso tearfully begging his friend to stop.  Sadly for Kelso, if there's one constant in the Trek universes, it's that even a phaser's stun setting can be lethal at point blank range.

Scotty revives Kirk and Spock and informs them of Gary's escape and Kelso's fate.  Kirk takes the phaser rifle and tells Spock and Scotty to return to the ship and to quarantine the planet if he's not back in three hours.  Kirk then sets out across the alien landscape, introspectively noting that whatever has taken over Gary isn't his friend any more.  I also want to not at this point that the new phaser rifle is COMPLETELY different from the one that was in the original series, and that's a good thing.  Though it does look like something out of Mass Effect.

Kirk confronts Mitchell, which I found to be very slightly disappointing.  Mitchell, of course, is reveling in his god-like powers, creating a small forest out of the rocks and preventing Kirk's phaser blast from even hitting him.  He then enters Kirk's memories, showing him both a scene from the 2009 film where Kirk was knocked out on the bar table and another of him at the Academy, struggling through a test.  Gary taunts Jim, saying that he wouldn't have the captain's chair without him.  He then says that he'll give Kirk a decent burial, though in this version, there is no tombstone.  Kirk says that he can't let Mitchell leave the planet, which Mitchell remarks is a no-win scenario.  Then, in the ultimate act of Mitchell's hubris, he forces Kirk to kneel, very similar to the original.  Kind of odd seeing Pine's Kirk kneeling exactly like Shatner's Kirk, but whatever.  Then came the slight disappointment.  In direct contradiction of orders, Spock arrives and knocks Gary out with a nerve pinch.  I believe that the only reason this worked was because Gary felt himself untouchable and was focused purely on humiliating Jim Kirk.  I feel that this is a rather weak idea, but without Dehner, they probably had to come up with something.  Gary regains himself briefly and begs Kirk to end it before he goes mad again.  Kirk does so, drops the rifle to the ground, and hits his knees, mourning his friend.

We end with the Enterprise leaving Delta Vega, leaving behind two torpedo tubes, obviously repurposed as coffins, just like for Spock in Star Trek 2.  Kirk is introspective, and rightly so, and this is an interesting look into his character.  Hopefully, they'll touch on this kind of characterization in the next movie.  Spock enters the briefing lounge to inform him that the ship is underway.  Then he offers to play a game of chess with Kirk, mentioning that Gary spoke of his proficiency.  A small thing, but a definite olive branch extended between the two characters.  The last two panels have no dialogue, and just show Kirk seated in the lounge, obviously deep in thought and mourning, and the final shot of the Enterprise, warping away to parts unknown.

All in all, a decent start to this series.  I would have enjoyed seeing their take on Dr. Dehner, but in this case, perhaps less is more.  And it added some depth to Kirk's turmoil since he couldn't plead with somebody to appeal to Mitchell's humanity.  I do wish they could have found an alternate route to ending it rather than a Vulcan nerve pinch, but that's minor.

Art: Still 10/10
Story: 9/10; Good deviations from the original, but an odd climax
Characterizations: 9/10; Mostly good, deducting a point because I'm unsure as to whether Spock would really disobey orders in this regard or not.
Overall: 9/10;  Solid issue, hoping for more.

Tune in next month for Issue #3!  I believe it's going to be the first part of The Galileo Seven.

[Tuskin38]

Nice reviews, I just read them myself And thought they were pretty good.

[Tuskin38]

Sorry for the bump but I noticed something in the comic, they went back to the traditional Stardate usage instead of what they used in the movie.

[Shadowknight1]

Sorry for the bump but I noticed something in the comic, they went back to the traditional Stardate usage instead of what they used in the movie.

That's what I've heard, but I didn't remember the original stardates.  I don't know why they switched, but it could indicate the start of a new stardate system. *shrugs* I dunno.

I read the 3rd issue, but as I don't actually own it yet(hooray for reading it at a store), I'm going to just post a quick impression of the issue.  This one is the first part of the redux Galileo Seven storyline, and there are very few differences thus far.  My only real gripe is the choice of shuttle design.  Instead of using the shuttle type that actually looks like the TOS shuttle, they went with the troop transport-like shuttle.  Anyway, more to come once I can settle in with the story and give it my full attention.

[ACES_HIGH]

I hope they continue using the correct stardate system for the new movie, it just bothered my whenever someone said 2258.42.  that's not even an accurate date scheme, .01 of a year is almost 4 days! You'd have to go to at least three decimal places to give any semblance of accuracy with that system.

[Shadowknight1]

Okay, I was a bum for a while, so I didn't get around to getting issue 3 for a while, but now I have issue 3 and 4.  Since the two issues as a whole cover the "The Galileo Seven" storyline, I'm just going to do a review of 3 and 4 together, but not quite as in-depth as the first ones.  I do want to make a quick note about a detail in Issue 2.  I was rewatching the trailer for the new game based in the JJ-Verse and noticed Kirk and Spock using phaser rifles that looked somewhat familiar.  Upon rechecking, the same phaser rifle design for the game was used for the book.  Never thought I'd see THAT kind of continuity.

An odd little note about this pair of comics, they have the name of the story on the front covers, unlike the first set.  Not sure why, but not a big complaint.  The books start out much the same way.  The Enterprise is en route to Makus III with medical supplies when they pass by Murasaki 312.  Kirk is still under orders to investigate phenomena like Murasaki 312.  Unchanged is Federation High Commissioner Ferris, who really plays well at being a jerk.  He continues to oppose the side mission to Murasaki, just like in the original.  We get a nice shot of the artist's rendition of the interior of the shuttlecraft, although I still wish they'd have gone with the other shuttle design instead of the troop transport.  The Galileo's crew consists of Spock, McCoy, Scotty(who can't wait to stretch his legs on solid ground), Boma, Latimer, Gaetano, and in a nice twist, Yeoman Mears is replaced with someone more familiar, Yeoman Janice Rand.  A lot of dialogue is still the same, though there are some references to concepts introduced in the film, such as Uhura muttering to herself that Spock had better come back.  Ferris decides to rub it into Kirk's nose that he hasn't been in Starfleet that long and that Jim has already developed a rep for neglecting protocol.  McCoy notes to Spock that this is his big chance to be in command.  Spock notes that Kirk's promotion was "a natural result of the events that brought [them] together."

As before, Latimer and Gaetano are scouting around when they are attacked.  As in the original, Latimer is killed, although the impact of the spear is obviously far more graphic with the spear impaling the unlucky Lieutenant.  Again, Spock takes the logical steps through this process, severely unnerving Boma, though McCoy steps in to keep the argument from escalating.

Upon return to the shuttlecraft, the writers decided to take a different route with the shuttle's damage considering that the new Enterprise's shuttles have obvious warp engines and wouldn't need booster fuel.  Scotty informs them that all power has gone out in the engines and they'll need a miracle.  The creatures are heard in the distance, and Spock orders that they attempt to drive them off by firing their phasers near the rock formations instead of directing the weapon fire at the creatures themselves.  An odd artist flub occurs where McCoy is temporarily a red shirt.  Somewhat annoying considering how well the art's been done in this comic series.

As in the original story, the recon shuttles have little luck finding the Galileo, and Kirk is informed that he has very little time before Ferris orders them to Makus III.  Meanwhile, Scotty is hit with the idea of using the phasers' power cells to power the shuttle's engines, but there's no way there would be enough power to take the entire crew into orbit.  Spock tells them that his decision will be a logical one, but that the Enterprise will soon be forced to abandon its search and that they have to prepare for the worst.

Issue 4 begins with, sadly, another art flub, this time on the Enterprise herself.  The font used for the ship's name isn't even close to the JJ or TOS font, and the registry is the TMP font.  I'm starting to wonder about these and if they'll continue.  Minor flubs in full shots of the ship are going to happen, that ship, while being pretty and curvy, has to be an artist's nightmare thanks to all the curves.  But close-ups of the saucer?  That should be child's play.  Anyways, Kirk is informed that his time is now up and that he is ordered to go to Makus III.  Ferris makes a comment about how Spock was an irreplaceable officer(which is hilarious considering Spock Prime's presence in this timeline), but Kirk refuses to think that Spock is dead.  He does, sadly, see the need to abandon search and proceed to Makus III.  Sulu attempts to question him, but Kirk firmly reminds him who is in charge.  He then gives a glance at Uhura as to say that there's nothing he can do.  Uhura's stare seems challenging.

We then get a look at the ape-like inhabitants of the planet that the Galileo is stranded on, while we get a lecture on the Prime Directive from Spock.  The creatures are pounding away at the shuttle's hull while Scotty gets the shuttle powered up.  However, even with his finagling, the shuttle is still about two bodies overweight.  They might be able to take off, but the shuttle wouldn't reach orbit.  Spock prepares to make a decision, sending Boma into a frenzy, accusing Spock of preparing to dump Latimer's body outside the ship without a burial and then making one of them stay behind.  Spock tries to defuse the situation, but Boma won't have any of it, until McCoy intervenes, reminding Boma that Spock IS the senior officer.  And then Bones reminds him that the time for a decision is now.

A quick jump back to the bridge of the Enterprise which is leaving the system at impulse speeds.  Ferris attempts to sound like he's sorry for leaving Kirk's crew stranded, which Kirk responds to brusquely.  Then Chekov exclaims that one of the shuttles has been hijacked from the shuttle bay.  Kirk turns to Uhura to ask her to hail the shuttle, only to find her chair is empty.

The shuttle, meanwhile, is being beaten on by the aggressive natives, while Spock ponders who gets left behind.  Spock then makes the decision to electrify the hull of the craft and then lift off.  Meanwhile, Kirk orders the ship to turn around(he says back to Makus III, but considering how often that name gets thrown around in the story, I can't blame the writer for flubbing, especially since the name of the planet, Taurus II isn't mentioned and I don't know that it was mentioned much in the original episode either).  Ferris obviously takes exception to this, but Kirk responds that Uhura commandeered a shuttle to attempt a rescue and he will NOT leave her behind too.  Ferris then decides to shot that he'll see Uhura thrown out of Starfleet for what she's done and that regulations give him authority.  Kirk then bolts from his chair and asks if Ferris really wants regulations quoted.  Which Kirk then does, showing that considering the circumstances clearly show that Kirk can resume command as he has lost his First Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Engineer, Chief Communications Officer, and now two shuttles.  He tells Ferris that he's getting his crew back and that Ferris is welcome to stay on the bridge and complain, but command is his.

Scotty electrifies the hull of the shuttle, sending the creatures running.  Spock orders Gaetano and Rand to take the helm and get the shuttle off the ground.  Scotty congratulates himself as the shuttle lifts off.  Boma apologizes to Spock for his outburst, which Spock shrugs off, saying it was understandable.  The shuttle then begins to lose altitude, with poor Scotty saying that he knew he spoke too soon.  Spock then picks up Latimer's body and tells Boma to open the door of the shuttle after he has Rand take the ship down to ten meters above the surface.  Scotty tells him that Latimer's body won't be enough.  Spock agrees and says that he will be joining him.  This causes both McCoy and Boma to volunteer to go instead, but Spock says that it is his decision as commanding officer.  Just as he says his goodbyes and prepares to jump, another shuttle appears with Uhura piloting.  The story returns to the Enterprise with Ferris griping about how Starfleet will hear about how Kirk has treated this mission.  Kirk tells him that they'll make the rendezvous with time to spare.  Uhura attempts to apologize to Kirk for stealing the shuttle, but Kirk deflects the apology, saying that he's only mad he didn't think of it first.  He also says that the record will show that she was acting under his orders.  Kirk then confines them to their quarters together.  Not much of a punishment, but then again, Kirk is all to happy to have his crew back.

So there it is, the JJ-verse version of "The Galileo Seven".  The story started off very much like the original, with the only difference being the presence of Yeoman Rand, but by the end, only one fatality among the landing party and the Galileo was even recovered.  All in all, a much happier ending than the original episode.

Art: 9/10.  Excellent most of the time, but a couple of art flubs drop this down a point.
Story: 10/10.  "The Galileo Seven" is one of my favorite TOS episodes and this story did a really good job of setting it in the new universe AND twisting it to a different conclusion.
Characterizations: 10/10.  The Enterprise crew was spot on this time, especially the shuttle crew.  Ferris was handled very well, and Kirk spouting off a regulation to counter him at the end was nice to see.  This universe's Uhura really has a fire burning inside her, and she gets more opportunity to show it than the original.
Overall: 9.8/10.  The art flubs got a tiny bit annoying, as did the one dialogue flub, but all in all, a great comic.

Next time, Issue 5..."OPERATION: ANNIHILATE!"