Star Trek: Holo-Ween #2

Redjac is back! The ancient evil entity that was once the dreaded Jack the Ripper in Victorian England, has taken control of the Enterprise-D. Using Borg nano-technology, Redjac possessed a crew member and then began taking users of the Enterprise's holodecks captive. Redjac has also reprogrammed Commander Data and turned the android into a perverse version of the Frankenstein monster.

In attempt to free the hostages, Picard, Worf, Riker and Troi undergo plastic surgery to appear as the monsters Redjac has used to entrap and torment those stuck in the holodecks. The high ranking officers have also allowed Dr. Crusher to alter their brain waves to not just act but to think as the horrors they represent. This should prevent Redjac from detecting their presence. The caveat: Picard and the others only have 30 minutes to save their fellow shipmates or their brain patterns will be forever altered, resulting in permanent brain damage!

Issue #2 was much better than the opening salvo. The writing was better. The plot made a lot more sense. And the art improved. The likenesses of Riker as the wolfman and Worf as a sort of Klingon Gill Man were fantastic. Franken-Data was pretty cool too. 

I remember Redjac from one of my least favorite TOS episodes. However, in this story, Redjac refers to a past history with the Enterprise-D crew. I know that Redjac never appeared on Next Gen, as I've seen every episode. So what was the villain talking about. It turns out that this IDW story is continuing from a Wildstorm comic that pitted Redjac against Data previously on the holodecks in the middle of a Sherlock Holmes program. This also explains why Redjac has a major beef with Data.

Unfortunately, I have never read that story. Maybe I have it in my collection and don't realize it. I'll have to check.

A much better second act with improvements all around. You don't have to know of Redjac's history with the Federation. But it helps.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics, The Complete Comics Vol. 2: 1982-1983

When I reviewed Volume 1, I said that it was unlikely that I'd ever get my hands on the second book any time soon. Volume 2 is listed as out of print. The cheapest copy I could find was $110. That was just too rich for my blood. Then my wife made a very good point: with the book being out of production, the asking price is only going to go up and up. I happened to have about $80 in Amazon trade credit. So when deducting that from the asking price and adding tax and shipping, I only paid about $40 out of pocket, which was still $10 less than the original MSRP.

The stories of Volume 2 continue with the Enterprise on the trail of a Klingon cruiser. Kirk and crew must intercept the vessel to prevent an escalation in the war between the Federation and Klingon Empire. This leads the Enterprise crew to a planet inhabited by cyborgs with the Klingons the latest victims of the planet's Overmind super-computer conversion process. 

Other than the story being a bit long, it was rather good. Plus, I seemed to have gotten my money's worth as it appears that its addition to this book is a must have story among Star Trek fans. That's because the tale called 'Restructuring is Futile' is considered by many to be the unofficial origin of the Borg! (Though I think that the story from TokyoPop's Star Trek Manga series is a more definitive origin tale.)

There are 10 stories, making for a total of 20 comic strip stories through 2 volumes. Thomas Warkentin only pencils one story. In my mind, he's the definitive Star Trek strips artist. Ron Harris, pencils the first 3 or 4 stories. He's almost as good as Warkentin. Ron Harris uses proper shading, includes great backgrounds into the panels and does very good representations of the actors. Although, they look more like themselves from TOS and not TMP. 

Towards the end of 1982 going into 1983, the series was in decline. Not just in terms of quality but with a number of readers. Only a handful of newspapers continued to run the strip, even after the amazing success of Star Trek II: The Wraith of Khan. Yet, the artists chosen to replace Ron Harris are no Ron Harris and definitely not in the league of Thomas Warkentin. I've seen high school and college newspaper artwork better than what you see in stories 15-19. Heck, I think I could have done a better job than whoever penned (definitely not penciled) story #16! 

Okay- so the artwork diminishes. However, thanks to the addition of Gerry Conway as head writer, every story was a ton of fun. Fans of Larry Niven will want to get their paws on this book as well. Niven's most famous species, the feline Kzinti, guest-star in the story titled 'The Wristwatch Plantation' for a Star Trek/Man-Kzin War crossover! And man, am I a sucker for a crossover. 

The magic of the Star Trek newspaper strip wasn't lost from Volumes 1 to 2. The stories were far more superior to the quality of such TOS stinkers like 'The Way to Eden' and 'This Side of Paradise.' In terms of visual quality, I think the even the worst Star Trek episode was more visually appealing than those middle stories.

Bittersweet to say good-bye to these stories. Star Trek comics, covering any series, is just a type of sequential art comfort food to me. But I am glad that the series ended when it did. I don't think I could afford a Volume 3!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics, The Complete Comics Vol. 1: 1979-1981

Celebrating a forgotten period of Star Trek comics. From 1979-1983, select newspapers nationwide carried the further adventures of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew in comic strip form. Unlike the Gold Key Comics version or Marvel's short-lived run of adventures, the Star Trek comic strips are the rarest of the rare because most newspapers decided instead to run the Star Wars strip along with the continuing escapades of Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon in the funny pages.

Set immediately after the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, this book covers the next 5-year mission, which coincidentally is being explored right now in the IDW Publishing miniseries Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Echoes. These 23rd century episodes are full of Klingons, with their new head ridges, along with many of the races introduced in the 1979 Robert Rise flick such as Arcturians, Saurians and Zaranites. But sorry Next Gen fans, not a Romulan in the bunch!

This joint IDW/Library of American Comics collaboration was published in 2012. I didn't even know this thing existed until I saw a post about this in one of the Star Trek Comics groups I am a member of on Facebook. I learned about this collection from Rich Handley, who wrote the foreword and helped with the editing, from a post. Thus, in the manner of complete transparency, I am not in any way being compensated for a review of this book. (Unless Rich follows through on the No-Prize I requested when I found an error in one of his story recaps.)

The main genius behind many of these stories is Thomas Warkentin. He provides nearly flawless older representations of the Enterprise crew. It's forgivable that Lt. Ilia appears in the first story, despite having died earlier in her lone canon appearance during The Motion Picture. The quality of the stories, the artwork and just how in character everybody is is top notch! 

After about a year, Warkentin left the strip. He was replaced by Sharman DiVino and Ron Wilson. The stories were just as good. The art was just as stunning. Only for some reason, both Spock and Kirk have been de-aged to look like their 1960s incarnations while Uhura, Scotty and the rest remain their middle aged selves. 

Both this volume and volume 2 are out of print. Amazon at least still has a few copies of this edition left at the original cover price of $49.99. As for the companion piece, it's really expensive. Not just on Amazon but everywhere that claims to have a copy. $119 and up! No joke. And no way I'm going to ever get my hands on a copy for that price, right?

If you do go searching for Volume 2, it can also get a little confusing. Eaglemoss, which is a publisher out of England, released the entire 1979-83 run of the strips in 3 volumes. They can be purchased on eBay for around 25-40 pounds. Not sure what the dollars to pounds conversion rate is. And since I already have volume 1, I'm not about to go that route. Plus, with UPS about to go on strike, I'm afraid if I order from the UK, it'll be the 23rd Century before I receive them.

A great read of long lost tales exploring the final frontier! Including a fantastic look at the ST:TMP McDonald's Happy Meal boxes that featured comic strip art by Thomas Warkentin!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Star Trek: The Key Collection, Vol. 3

Volume 3 does see some vast improvements in the artwork and coloring in terms of technical merit. The representations of actors William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and others by Alberto Giolitti continue to be second to none. Well, I take that back Nevio Zuccara, who drew several issues in Volume 1, is just as impressive on the likenesses. But things are still far from perfect on the Enterprise. 

The bridge still looks like the cockpit of the Space SHUTTLE Enterprise with everyone crowded around a tiny view screen. The phasers used by the crew are varied and futuristic. But they are not Federation issue. And while the visuals of the crew being transported is starting to look more like what you'd see on the original TV show, the transporter room looks like it is off to the corner of the main bridge, instead in another part of the ship. 

Captain Kirk finally is portrayed wearing an orange/tan looking tunic. But everybody else, including Sulu and Chekov, who makes 2 brief first appearances, are still wearing green. Bones is finally in blue. But I don't think anybody knows for sure what color tunic Scotty is supposed to wear as he's decked out in blue, green and red in different issues of this series. 

It doesn't look like Len Wein was involved in the scripts at this point. The Swamp Thing co-creator's name isn't listed in the credits at the beginning of this book. In fact, nobody is credited as to have written these stories and that's a shame because many of them were very, very good. 

A Taj Mahal in space! Space Mummies! Kirk on trial for assisting iron poachers! A war between two tribes of teens as Spock races across the galaxy to find a cure for a deadly disease! A brat becomes the leader of his planet after his father is murdered by an unknown assailant. Machine/tree hybrids run amok! All very good stories, though I also saw a couple of these stories when they were TOS episodes 'Court Martial' and 'Miri'. 

Also, I refuse to believe that Captain Kirk doesn't know what a black hole is. Granted, his ignorance was used as a plot device to help educate readers as to what this anomaly in space is. But Kirk shouldn't have been the character used for this scene. 

The space Taj Mahal story is also notable for its artwork of an all-new crew member. The Federation historian Dr. Krisp, is assigned to unravel the mystery as to why almost anyone who visits the intergalactic shrine never returns. Dr. Krisp looks amazingly like Julie Newmar (Catwoman on TV's Batman)! Not sure if Giolitti or Zuccara drew that issue, as Gold Key didn't give artist credits. But BRAVO nonetheless. 

This is my last hurrah with the Checker reprints of the Gold Key books. I've already read volumes 4 and 5. Unfortunately, the publisher went defunct after Vol. 5. That means I still need issues 43-61. IDW released 5 hardcover volumes of these books. But they only went to issue #30 and the last edition was published in 2016. So, it's going to bargain bins and affordable back issues in order to complete my read of this entire innovative series that was a constant work in progress.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: The Key Collection, Vol 2

I really enjoy reading the Gold Key Star Trek books. True, they are filled with errors, inaccuracies and glitches. But they are still amazingly creative stories that bring the original Enterprise crew back to life.

When I reviewed Volume 1, I noted that the tunics worn by Kirk and Sulu were green and not gold. While Captain Kirk did wear a ceremonial tunic that was green, that shirt is not the worn being worn by him in these books. Then I read an article on Mental Floss. 

A couple of days ago, I learned that the 3 tunics worn by the crew of the Enterprise were supposed to be the colors of red, blue and GREEN! However, due to the lighting of the sets, the green uniforms came out appearing as yellow/tan on screen. I've got some mild color blindness issues, especially with green. Thanks to that online article, I now understand why it feels like my brain was always playing tricks on me when I watched classic Trek. I always felt like when I looked at Kirk or Sulu or Chekov, I was seeing 2 colors at once and I really was!

As for some of the other errors, I don't think I can excuse them anymore. In the forward of the previous volume, the editors remarked on how many of the problem with the early Star Trek books was the fact that artist Alberto Giotlitti and Nevio Zaccara both had never watched the show. They mostly had stills from the series and props to work with in order to craft the artwork. This is why Gold Key printed Kirk's tunic as green- because it was! However, we're now covering books 9-16 and it's 1970-71. The artwork problems should be fixed by now!

The Federation phasers look more like a Klingon disruptor. Spock's ears are the size of my feet! And for some reason, Bones' tunic is green instead of medical officer baby blue. And Scotty isn't wearing his engineering reds. The bridge of the Enterprise- it looks impressive but it's not the Enterprise. The very act of transporting from ship to planet also looks really different- cool- but different. But since none of the artists ever watched the TV show, I can't fault the creative license. 

I will say that the likenesses of the main characters are second to none. By issue #16 of Marvel's Star Wars series, the art team still couldn't get Luke Skywalker to look like actor Mark Hamill. By issue #16 of this old school series, not only does Spock look like Leonard Nimoy, I'm expecting him to jump off the page. Alberto Giolitti's work is that lifelike! But not all Klingons look like French wrestler turned actor Maurice Tillet!

As for the writing, I did see a large jump in quality. Len Wein pens these stories and you can tell that he at least had watched the series. I'm not sure if he was a Trekkie as some of Spock's dialogue seems too emotional. But if you really think about it, it's hard to not be emotional. I tried to write some Vulcan appropriate dialogue in my head recently and it's darn near impossible. But everybody else sounds pretty close to their onscreen counterparts. 

This was a fun read. Quite flawed. But it was an enjoyable adventure that I wish to continue by getting my hands on the remaining 30 some odd issues that I don't own.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: New Visions #5

I've been re-cataloging my collection currently. I'm creating a back-up in case my main archive ever goes away. In this lengthy process, I am coming across some treasured items. I'm also realizing there's a lot of stuff I forgot I had, like this issue from John Bryne's photo-comic series Star Trek: New Visions. 

Taking stills from the original series along with newly created CGI-art, Bryne created a 22-issue issue series that I imagine had to have been a lot harder to create than it looks. With drawing your own comic book, your imagination can run wild. But by basing your visuals on photographs, there's only so much you can work with without being repetitive. And if you want to add action to the images though digital means, there's an even finer line you can't cross without making the changes look fake. That's the massive challenge Byrne has with this issue. 

In the story 'A Scent of Ghosts', Number One from the pilot episode 'The Cage' has returned to the Enterprise. The officer is on a short trip to her newest assignment as the commander of the USS Yorktown. Eventually, the Enterprise catches up with its sister ship. Only, the crew of the Yorktown is missing!

Kirk leads a landing party to the Yorktown. But within moments, Kirk's team begins to vanish as well, leaving only Dr. McCoy left on board to conduct the investigation! As the country space doctor checks through records, both Spock and Number One, along with Scotty, notice that the last encounter the Yorktown crew had was with a ship that the former crew members of Captain Pike are very familiar with. Only, the last time they parted ways, it was as friends. 

Scenes of Captain Pike's original interactions are peppered throughout this tribute to the most unknown first officer in Star Trek history. Considering that John Bryne only had 1 50-minute long episode of character interaction to go on with Pike's crew, I'm amazed at how well a never before revealed tale of the Enterprise was pulled off. Having most of the story set during Kirk's time as captain helped. But still, this was a feat that only a master storyteller could pull off. 

I would have liked to have seen an interaction between the two crews. That's what I thought I was getting from the cover. Alas, they just weren't the case. This omission doesn't make for a worse story. I was just disappointed. 

There's a small back-up feature set during Spock's pursuit of Kolinahr. This tale pays respect to a character whom the actress who played her had passed away just recently in real life. The stunning visuals of Vulcan reminded me of Jack Kirby's collages. Only, these were better. 

I really like this series. It always impresses me how John Byrne made these work. Hopefully, I'll one day find out his process because I am fascinated by the meticulous nature it must have took to make these books.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: The Manga Ultimate Edition (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

From 2006-2008, Manga publisher TokyoPop produced a trilogy of books based on the classic Star Trek TV series. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the crew of the original Enterprise were given the Manga treatment in an assortment of stories written by classic Star Trek screenwriters and modern comic book authors. In 2009, TokyoPop was ready to release a 4th edition. Only instead of all-new material, the international publisher held an online poll in which fans voted for what already published tales they wanted to see in a giant treasury of 'Best Of' material.

Star Trek: The Manga Ultimate Edition was over 300 pages of already published material. Incentives to purchase the treasury edition was having the first 2 dozen pages of the opening story 'Side Effects' printed in full color, along with a color insert poster comprise of artwork by cover artist Michael Kelleher.

The first story gives a possible origin story to the definitive foe of the Next Generation era of Star Trek: The Borg. Given that these Manga stories are not canon, it's not an essential story that Trek fans must read. But with that chilling ending that sets up a massive reveal, 'Side Effects' was a spectacular choice to open this fan's selection of Japanese inspired Star Trek reads.

David Gerrold, the writer of the original series classic 'The Trouble With Tribbles' pens the closer. Gerrold's 'Bandi' is a sequel to 'Tribbles' in spirit when the Enterprise picks up a stowaway. During a recent survey mission, a crew-member brings with him a Bandi-Bear; a seemingly adorable creature that looks like a cross between a gummi bear and those bruins found on Grateful Dead t-shirts. A creature that thrives on emotions, when Kirk becomes adamant that no foreign animals be allowed on the Enterprise after the Tribbles incident, the Bandi begins to exhibit hostile intentions towards the crew.

Another story of note was 'Art of War'. That tale was scripted by Wesley Crusher himself- Wil Wheaton! Told from the joint perspective of the court-martials of both Captain Kirk and his Klingon counterpart, this story hints at the eventual peace between the Federation and Klingon Empire. 

Aside from a 2009 volume of material based on Star Trek: The Next Generation (of which a 28-page preview is included in this book), no further Manga works based on the CBS franchise have ever been released by TokyoPop. IDW Publishing has definitely taken over the reins of Star Trek related comics. Meanwhile, TokyoPop has focused on works owned by Disney along with traditional Japanese titles and American inspired Manga works.

Note: If you buy this book on Amazon- BEWARE! Amazon claims that the Ultimate Edition 'Collects the original Star Trek manga trilogy'. That's just not true. This volume is a collection of fan favorites. If you were to buy all 3 volumes, they would equal almost 700 pages. This treasury is 342 pages (28 of which is TNG previews). So you miss out on over half of the available material out there devoted to the classic Star Trek TV series if you decide to purchase this work instead of the 'trilogy'. I made such a mistake and now I am having buyers remorse despite being such a fan of these stories.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars because I really want to read those missing stories!

Completing this review completes Task #14 (A Manga Work) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Star Trek: New Visions #20

The crew of the Enterprise individually find themselves alone during a systems malfunction. Now the crew must piece together what has gone wrong while being tested with memories from their past. Can they get to the bottom of this mystery while not being able to trust their very own eyes?

Another John Byrne story that was quite intriguing. The level of detail Byrne has given on recreating all of the decks of the Enterprise is insanely good. But again, when it comes to all-new creatures, there's something off about them.

It's kinda like a Pixar movie. The animals, toys, and creatures created in those type of movies are really cool looking. But the staff at Pixar just can't make a human being look like a human being. Is their some sort of joint limitation of CGI and Photoshop when it comes to humanoids???

I love this series. I really love it when I can find issues for only a dollar a piece. $7.99 is just too much to pay for a monthly comic.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: Boldly Go, Volume 1

Story by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott. Art by Tony Shasteen and Chris Mooneyham. Published by IDW.

Go Your Own Way

Star Trek: Boldly Go immediately follows the explosive events of Star Trek Beyond. This miniseries continues the story of the Kelvin Universe after the destruction of the Enterprise. A new Enterprise is being constructed. But until then, the ship’s crew have undertaken temporary assignments.
Kirk has accepted the position of the interim captain of the Endeavor. Spock and Uhura have taken sabbatical to establish an academy on New Vulcan. The family Sulu undertake a 6-month long scouting mission. Meanwhile Scotty teaches safety protocols at Starfleet.
Once the reader has become familiar with the roles of the crew, the action takes a giant leap into… I’m sorry folks, but there is no way in the universe that I am going to spoil things. What I will say is that the cliffhanger at the end of chapter 1 left me stunned.

Potential For So Much More

I’ve been reading for some time now that there doesn’t seem to be a script ready for a fourth Star Trek film. The producers can’t seem to nail one down. Actor Chris Pine hasn’t seen a script. Actress Zoe Saldana is clueless as to if another film set in the Kelvin Universe will be made at all. Hello? Guys- your script is right here! Just have someone adapt this series into a script and get going on filming Star Trek 4!
Maybe series writers Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott should do it. Star Trek: Boldy Go, Volume One only captures the opening rounds of miniseries.Yet, I am thrilled with the direction it’s heading. Johnson is putting ‘Holy Crap!’ moments into a franchise that hasn’t really surprised anyone for years! Meanwhile, Parrott is shaking the Kelvin Universe up in mind blowing ways. You might not like every change either are making in the alternative universe Trek. But at least they're reinvigorating it at warp nine speeds!

Spock Looks Like Spock

Equally as good is the artwork. There’s been quite a bit of debate on the internet about photo-realism in comics lately. For books based on TV/ Movies, should the drawings looks just like the actors or not? I am strongly in the camp of making James T. Kirk look like Jim Kirk. Witchblade illustrator Tony Shasteen and Chris Mooneyham do an amazing job in capturing the likenesses of the actors. But I think I like Shasteen's work a little better as it looks a bit less like it's Manga.
Plus, I like the extras he’s adding to the series as well. For instance, following a Trek tradition of having respected British actresses play high ranking Vulcan’s, Tony Shasteen cast Dame Judi Dench as the head of the Vulcan High Council.
Drawing Judi Dench as a Vulcan! This is an example of the nostalgic feel of the original series that the creative staff have put in the series. You can tell that they all equally love Star Trek. But the team also don’t want this book to be a repeat of already established story lines either. If the next volume is just a fraction as good as this one, I will boldy go wherever they take the Enterprise crew!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Review originally published July 27, 2017 on outrightgeekery.com.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 31

  Upon doing research for today's article, I found a photograph and an article that answered a long-standing mystery I've had: Whatever happened to the space shuttle Enterprise?

Art Rogers, 1977.

   I came across the above photograph taken by the Los Angeles Times on January 31, 1977. It shows a rider on a horse looking on as the Enterprise is being towed to Edwards Air Force Base. Just a few months earlier, the shuttle was in Palmdale, where members of the Starship Enterprise from the cult classic series Star Trek were on hard for the christening. 

Actors from the original Star Trek TV series
on hand for the Enterprise's debut. Sept. 1976.

     The idea behind the space shuttle was that NASA could finally have a reusable ship instead of having to build a new module for their space missions. Fans of Star Trek wrote in by the thousands and demanded that the first shuttle be named after the ship used by Capt. Kirk, Spock, and Scotty. So, if the Enterprise was the first space shuttle, was was the Columbia the first shuttle to be flown into space?

Another space shuttle Enterprise mystery:
Why wasn't it on the wall of the Enterprise D conference room?

    Well, thanks to this photo and article, I finally got my answer: the Enterprise was never used for actual missions! Instead, while as Edwards, the Enterprise was used as a prototype for heat shield testing. Enterprise also wasn't equipped with actual rocket engines. But that doesn't mean that the Enterprise never got off the ground. At least 3 times in 1977, the Enterprise was used to practice free flight and landing procedures. Sadly, it just never entered the stratosphere.

Aerial photo of the Enterprise during on of it's
free flight missions in 1977.

    Today, the Enterprise is housed at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City.  It's permanently been retired and will probably never fly since NASA grounded the Space Shuttle program just a few years ago. But it's viewed by hundreds daily and hopefully continues to inspire the next generation of astronauts and space explorers. Who knows, maybe the next generation of space vehicles will carry on the Enterprise name.

The Enterprise being towed to it's latest home,
the Intrepid Museum.

      Well, today's journey to 1977 didn't commemorate anything special or particularly noteworthy. But I did solve a mystery that I've wondered about for years. Hey, that's just part of the fun of A Madman Turns 40...

The Enterprise today.

      Live Long and Prosper!

Star Trek Beyond

 Who knew that in the 50 year history of Star Trek, the only thing missing was the Beastie Boys?!

    Clearly, this is a reference for those who have gone to see the film. I finally was able to see it tonight and I loved it. No, I was not scared off by the detractors of the latest entry in the Star Trek Reboot Franchise. I had every intention of seeing it the week it came out with a buddy of mine. But he kept putting it off with excuses that I later learned never came to be on his end. Maybe Rotten Tomatoes scared him away. Regardless, after 3 weeks of waiting, I said 'enough's enough." and decided to see it by myself.

    In this chapter of the rebooted Trek universe, Kirk and crew are into year 3 of their 5-year mission and are about to enjoy some much needed R&R. While on shore leave on the Yorktown space station, the Enterprise is called upon to launch a rescue mission is an uncharted sector of space. The missing ship is located in a nebula, which means that the Enterprise will be cut off from communicating with Starfleet. Once through the nebula, it becomes immediately appearant that Kirk and his crew were duped as the are overcome by an unknown swarm of enemy ships that cripple the Federation's flagship. 

   After ordering all hands to abandon ship, the majority of the Enterprise crew are captured by the army of a completely new character named Krall (Luther's Idris Elba, as you've never seen him before under about 9 pounds of prosthetics and make-up), whose got a major beef with the United Federation of Planets for some reason. But not all of the Enterprise crew are held captive by Krall. Kirk and Chekov made it out safely. Can they organize the remaining uncaptured crew members, save their comrades, and find a way off planet before Krall unleashes a weapon that promises to destroy the entire Alpha Quadrant?

     I don't know why some many people hatred this movie. I thought it was really good. By shear coincidence, I happened to see the film on the day that media outlets were declaring Star Trek Beyond to be a massive flop. But, this film had me and the 30 or so other patrons who saw the movie with me, flipping over how awesome it was. There was lots of great moments, some funny, lots filled with action. There's even a very touching tribute to the late Leonard Nimoy as well as the original Enterprise crew in this film.

     In the original Star Trek films, it is commonly agreed upon that the even numbered films are the best. But if you ask me, the odd numbered films in the reboot franchise series are the best. Beyond captures the spirit of the original series so well and it just surpassed Into Darkness, the previous Trek film that critics and fans just raved over. 

     Star Trek Beyond was directed by Fast & the Furious franchise director, Justin Lin and it marks the first of the new series not to be directed by J.J. Abrams, who was busy with Star Wars Episode VII. But Abrams did have a hand as an executive producer and his good buddy Greg Grunberg even makes an appearance in the film. 

     Maybe critics of this film weren't happy that Justin Lin was at the helm for this one. I for one thought he did an very good job. I'm not very familiar with his other works but with all of the crazy angles and fast paced machinery, you could tell that the Fast & the Furious had something to do with influencing this picture. But some of these crazy angled shots made me a tad motion sick, but I quickly was able to rebound from that. So glad I did not opt for 3-D!

      Don't let those who have trashed this film keep you away. It's a good way to spend 2 hours. In fact, it's one of those films that I kept looking at my phone not for knowing how much time until I could leave but I was checking to see how much time was left as I did not want this one to end. 
     
     Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek The Key Collection: Volume 5

  

    The fifth volume of the Checker reprints of the Gold Key Star Trek comics from the 60s was an even better thrill ride than the previous one. The art was so much better in this one and the writing was very, very good. Let's discuss the art first.

 In the issues of volume 4, Spock's ear were drawn to such a degree they were freakin' huge. They took up most of the side of his head. Thankfully, the ears here are much less pronounced. The likenesses were amazing as well, especially of Kirk and Scotty, who plays a much larger role in these issues.

    The art of the Enterprise featured dynamic exteriors (AGAIN) and very good facsimiles of the interiors. The renderings of the aliens were pretty good too. I had to remind myself that with these issues being published years before the Star Trek films came out, that the Klingons were not going to be sporting their now iconic cranial ridge.

     Speaking of Klingons, they were featured in a clever story in which Kirk must go undercover to expose a Klingon gun running scheme in order to overtake a dilithium rich planet along the Neutral Zone. Another great tale features Kirk, Spock, Scotty, and McCoy racing against time when a radiation leak begins to turn them into children. Along with a cryogenically frozen professor and a time-travelling romp through the 1850s and 60s, this volume was near flawless in its delivery.

    Sadly, this appears to be the last volume in the series. Though Gold Key published about 30 more issues before ending in 1979, this volume was last issued in 2006. Along with that, the Checker Book Publishing group went out of business in 2010. Though I can find all five volumes on Amazon, I've not found another publisher that has issued reprints of the remaining issues- yet!

     IDW Publishing, who currently owns the rights to the Star Trek comics franchise, has issued two volumes reprinting the Gold Key series. But there are only two volumes thus far and they're only at issue #12.  So, only time will tell, unless I get lucky in the bargain bins.

Worth Consuming
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Enemy Unseen

This Wildstorm Comics collection is devoted to the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series as well as the theme of unknown adversaries. This volume contains 2 mini-series and a special. They range from the last season of the series up to right around Star Trek: Insurrection.

In Perchance to Dream, the Enterprise-D is called to perform security duties for a newly elected governor of a distant planet. When the official’s sexual orientation is called into question, it’s up to Worf and his security team to fend off scores of would be assassins. But it’s up to Capt. Picard and some blasts from his past to save the day when the Enterprise is attacked by a virus that causes violent delusions.

In Embrace the Wolf, the original series (and even the DC Comics from the 80s) are paid tribute with the return of Redjac (or is it Redjack? I’ve seen it both ways.) The spirit of Jack the Ripper has its sights on destroying this new Enterprise if then inhabitants of the planet below don’t nuke it first. Only an adventure with Data resuming the role of Sherlock Holmes in the holodeck will save the Enterprise from sure destruction.

Lastly, in the Killing Shadows, Picard, Data, and the half-Romulan Sela are trapped on a planet of intergalactic ninjas. With ninja infiltrating the Enterprise-E, can Commander Riker and Troi unlock the secrets of this deadly clan before the away team’s time is up?

All three stories were very good. But what surprised me was that I liked the Redjac story best! Wolf in the Fold is my all-time least favorite Original Star Trek episode. The DC story was a stinker as well. But this tale was awesome! I’d read it again.

Perchance to Dream wasn’t half bad. It’s a thriller with a moral and it’s classic Gene Roddenberry. It starts a little slow but left me wishing it wouldn’t end for at least another 50 pages.

Killing Shadows started really good and then just got weird. There’s something called “The Void” that motivates these ninjas who look human one minute and alien the next. I couldn’t tell what the void was any more than could I tell if the art was inconsistent or supposed to look that way.

Overall, this is a really good collection of tales that are a must for fans of Trek.

Worth Consuming

Rating:
Perchance to Dream: 9 out of 10 stars
Embrace the Wolf : 10 out of 10 stars
The Killing Shadows: 7 out of 10 stars

Overall rating: 8.667

Star Trek Into Darkness

Into Darkness hits a little close to home with the acts of terrorism conducted by Benedict Cumberbatch’s character. Even more relevant is how Starfleet has become like our government when the long-range torpedoes developed to kill Cumberbatch are like the drones of today. What right does any government have to kill someone, even a known terrorist without a trial? It’s a question that not only Spock asks in the film, but the average Joe on the streets in the 21st century.

Besides being preachy, a few scenes seem like they were made only for being added to a video game- or to make the 3D version more exciting. But, those action scenes are too far fetched and not needed, really.

The acting is great. Abrams did a fantastic job getting actors who look and act like those of the Original series. I must admit, I liked the first Star Trek a little bit better, but in no way did this film not leave me wanting a 3rd film, either.

I am waiting for the director’s cut, because several actors are listed in the credits that do not appear in the film, like Chris Hemsworth's George Kirk and whoever Heather Langenkamp of Nightmare on Elm Street fame played.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek #2, Winter 1994 Special

The Enterprise returns to the world of the Tholian Web when the crew is tasked with bringing the Defiant back home.

But, the real winner in this special is the Saavik/ Valeris story. In this tale, Saavik is charged with rating Valeris’ performance appraisal that will basically determine her future in Starfleet. However, Valeris has a lot of prejudices to get in front of, especially of her half-Romulan superior before she’ll go anywhere in the galaxy.

While I love this story- it’s very inaccurate. In The Undiscovered Country, Kirk and Valeris had never met, yet they are both engaging with each other during several scenes of the story. Clearly, someone made a big continuity nit here. A real shame- the story and art were awesome.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars