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: Defiant #1 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Spinning off of IDW's 2022 Star Trek series, Star Trek: Defiant is almost like a dream team. The ship is the USS Defiant, fresh off the Dominion War that occurred in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The Captain is the Federation Klingon officer, Worf. His crew is composed of Ambassador Space, B'elanna Torres, Ensign Ro and the evil android Lore! Not to mention the numerous cameos of fan favorite characters who make the comics of the Star Trek Universe finally feel like an interconnected community.

K'ahless II, the cloned founder of the Klingon Empire, has gone rogue. Leading a group of fanatics called The Red Path, K'ahless has declared himself the one true God! His zealots in response, are killing off the other god-like creatures that occupy the universe. The Red Path's most recent murder was of the crystalline entities that Lore used to destroy the colony on Omicron Theta on an early episode of The Next Generation.

In order to prevent another war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, Worf's mission is clandestine. The Defiant has been reported stolen by Marquis separatists, with Ro Laren accused as having escaped prison and commandeered the Defiant. Worf's intentions are pure, not only as he tries to stop K'ahless from spiraling the Alpha Quadrant into a blasphemous holy war, but because Worf's son Alexander is one of the zealots of the Red Door!

Star Trek: Defiant is Eisner nominated writer Christopher Cantwell's first foray into the Star Trek franchise. Artist Angel Unzueta defects from Marvel's Star Wars books to pencil his Star Trek debut.

Familiarity with its sister series will help readers understand this opening salvo. Unfortunately, the main and variant sketch covers of this book spoil the big reveal at the end of this issue. Early reports project that Star Trek: Defiant will last 7 issues and that the events of the ongoing Star Trek will correspond with this miniseries in a 5 part crossover storyline titled 'Day of Blood.'

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #49 (Is trending on the comicbookroundup.com top 20- Ranked 4th) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

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 Vs. Transformers (Family Comic Friday)

IDW has been doing a line of miniseries based on classic cartoon shows from the 70s and 80s. A GI JOE and a Ninja Turtles book have been huge successes. Now the publisher is gambling on a micro-series based on the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon that ran on CBS from 1983-85. I'm trying to get all of these books and I think none of those 'Saturday Morning Adventures' would have happened if not for this miniseries.

This 2018 story joins the Star Trek and Transformers franchises for the first (and so far) only time ever! Drawn in the style of the 1973-74 Star Trek Saturday morning toon and the original Transformers syndicated series from 1984-87. 

The story starts with the Enterprise intercepting a distress call from a mining colony near the Neutral Zone. Expecting to run into Klingons, Kirk finds the colony under attack by aircraft from the late 20th Century! Adding to the mystery is the massive red and blue big rig that comes out of nowhere to counterattack the out of place planes! 

Oh.... Did I mention that the truck just transformed into a big ole' freakin' robot?

This story was just amazing! It had Arak and M'Ress! Klingons! And writer John Barber and artist Philip Murphy figured out a way to make a Transformer out of the Enterprise!

This story was also kinda sad. Or bittersweet. Star Trek: The Animated Series takes place around the year 2269. That means from 1990 to 2269, the literal hundreds of Transformers whittle down to about 6 Autobots and around a dozen Decepticons. Okay, there could be more. But that's about how many Transformers are in this crossover. So, I'm to infer that a whole bunch of characters died from my cherished childhood memories to about 270 years in the future; all thanks to a needless war for power and energy.

I did love the Easter eggs peppered throughout this book. To get to see the Eugenics war and Zefram Cochran and company from Star Trek: First Contact. Though this is supposed to be a family friendly comic book story, it is a bit shocking to see one of those soldiers from World War III taking narcotics in a throwaway panel. It's a lot like those innuendos that get thrown into Disney films. The kiddoes don't get it. But it's something the adults catch on to. Same thing here. It looks like a dude is picking his nose or something. But really, he's getting high as a kite!

There's something here for the whole family. Whole generations of family. The artwork was utterly amazing. The story was action packed and full of the stuff of dreams. If I had seen Optimus Prime transform into an iconic ship from pop culture history, like the Millennium Falcon or a Cylon raider one Saturday morning, I would have spit my cereal out like an exasperated grown-up drinking coffee when they hear something incredible and then done victory laps around the living room.

I don't think I need to have Star Trek and the Transformers ever meet-up again. But I hope this isn't the end of the animated Enterprise joining forces with other animated entities from my childhood.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 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 400th issue

This oversized special marks the 400th total issue based on the Star Trek Universe to be produced by IDW Publishing. In a year that will mark the end of several big name franchises being published by IDW, it doesn't look like Star Trek is going anywhere.

This issue features stories and artwork from just about every sector on the Star Trek Universe. The original series is represented as is the Kelvin timeline. There's a story starring Miles O'Brien that dives into the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and a brief period of time when the Enterprise C was still functioning. We visit Jean-Luc in his after years with a special appearance by a character that I thought was in one place but has returned to another role. (Look, I don't wanna spoil it, okay?) Even the crew of the Lower Decks are represented. Yet once again- NO Star Trek Enterprise! 

Is it too much to ask for a series, let alone just a single 8-page story starring Captain Archer and his crew? I've looked around and around and I just can't find proof that there's ever been a series featuring the Enterprise NX-01. And why is that? Will Scott Bakula not give permission to use his image in a comic? I think that is unlikely as he didn't seem to have any issue with a Quantum Leap comic in the early 90s. Plus, I don't think any of the other characters are big enough stars to merit derailing such a book from getting the greenlight. So why is this series considered to be the crazy uncle nobody thinks about except at Thanksgiving?

Star Trek: Discovery is also covered in this book. But the story is a mystery to me. It stars a character named Kayla Detmer. So far, so good. She's crashed landed on a planet with a Klingon. Again, I'm good. But both Kayla and the Klingon are flying miniature versions of the Discovery and something called a Cleave ship. And why is that? Is it like a shuttle craft? I've seen variant covers of other Discovery characters flying tiny versions of the experimental starship and I don't understand why. If anyone could solve this mystery for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. 

This issue wraps up with a sneak peak at a new series that promises to look ahead to the future. Simply titled Star Trek, this new series explores 2 things I've greatly been looking forward to- the resurrection of Mr. Data and the return of Benjamin Sisko! I'll have to wait just a little bit longer. With a $4.99 per issue price tag, I will wait for the trade. But I will read this! PROMISE!

A good representation of the Star Trek Universe. Not great as it's not a complete representation of the franchise. Plus, there's not a single blurb of thanks or gratitude to creator Gene Roddenberry. Though the late Nichelle Nicols, who passed earlier last year, is given a single page tribute. And there's the fact that I didn't understand all the aspects of the stories based on the newer properties. But that's okay. I'm looking forward to the continuing voyages that IDW has in store for the future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek Gold Key 100 Page Spectacular #1

     Collecting some of the earliest Star Trek issues by the now defunct Gold Key Comics. The point of this 100-page special isn't so much as being able to full some key missing issues in your collection- though that helps. Instead, this special highlights some of the very odd discrepancies between the classic sci-fi series and the comics.

     Continuity and production errors include:

• Captain Kirk and Sulu's tunics were green- NOT Gold!
• Scotty looks less like James Doohan and more like Robert Stack of Unsolved Mysteries fame.
• In most panels, Spock's ears take over 3/4 of the side of his head.
• The nacelles of the Enterprise spits fire.
• The Klingons all look like Mr. Clean in purple onesies- in other words: white, bald, and in need of a diaper change. 

     I could highlight some further errors, but I don't wanna spoil all the fun.

     The problems that occur in these issues is something I never really thought about, but it explains a lot. Comics based on movies and TV shows usually go into production before the product ever airs. So all the writers and artists had to go on are production photos, some rough drafts, and maybe some sketches. The rest is just made up. Thankfully, if a series gets popular, the production team of the comic book can start to make the two entities sync up

      This was a very interesting read, especially the essay at the end of this volume that delves into the backstory behind the early days of the very first Star Trek comic book. As a fan of MST3K, I had a lot of fun with this book in which you can't really complain about the flaws as that's really the whole point of this special.

      As I had mentioned earlier, this collection also isn't really ideal if you are looking to complete your Gold Key run. But as the first issue, collected here, is valued at anywhere between $500-$1600 depending on edition and condition, this is an affordable way to get your hands on the story without breaking the bank. 

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 10 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: Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment

  Yesterday, the galaxy lost a great man with the passing of Leonard Nimoy: forever to be known as Mr. Spock. In no way was my reading of this trade done as a tribute or some sort of cheap attempt at garnering readership or hits within the Star Trek community. Honest. I actually started reading this book a couple of days before news of Nimoy's hospitalization for chest pains and had finished this book up the night before his death. With yesterday being my day to review a family-friendly comic, I got a day behind on reviewing 'the Enterprise Experiment' and this just happens to be an eerie coincidence.

   'The Enterprise Experiment' was written by original series screenwriter DC Fontana. The story is set during the fourth year of the Enterprise's five-year tour. (The CBS show was canceled after only 3 years, so there are two 'mystery' years of the Enterprise. Why there has never been a Star Trek: Year Five though is beyond me.) The mini is also a sequel to the episodes 'The Enterprise Incident'- which was originally written by Fontana and 'Errand of Mercy', the episode that interduced the Klingons and the Organians.

  Since this story is based on two episodes, there's basically two parts to this story. The first part is the sequel to the 'Enterprise Incident,' in which the Federation has developed cloaking device based on the cloak Kirk and Spock stole from the Romulans during the 'Enterprise Incident.' When Kirk and Spock are on a shuttle craft in order to test the cloaking device's effectiveness they find themselves unable to detect any trace of the ship. That is because the cloaking device is also based on the technology of the Guardian of Forever, thus it phases the ship out of sync with the physical universe. With a Romulan warship on the horizon, Kirk and Spock must regain contact with their starship or they'll become sitting ducks.

    Part Two is the sequel of sorts to 'Errand of Mercy' starting with the Klingon Kor launching several successful attacks on outposts in the Klingon Neutral Zone. Since it appears that the Organians are no longer enforcing the peace treaty they imposed during "Errand of Mercy' the Enterprise is ordering to investigate the Organians disappearance and to stop Kor's attacks on Federation enclaves.

       I liked part one a lot better than part two. Mostly, I found the Romulan story to be more exciting and interesting. But I also found the Klingon story to be in error with the films, particularly 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.' Though the actual whereabouts of the Organians is a subject of debate amongst Trek fans, it's mentioned in both the film and novelization of ST:VI that the sentient beings have suddenly disappeared. But Year Four takes place a good decade or so- thus this story is in error. Trekkers call this sort of continuity flaw a 'nit' and this is a serious one.

    Another thing that I felt was out of sorts were flashback sequences involving Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. The purpose of those scenes was to show how much the three men are a family to each other than their actual families are. But it really didn't have much of a place in this story since the main themes had more to do with trust amongst people and faith in technology and not "family is the company you most keep."

   I don't think DC Fontana meant for these flashbacks to even be included. In the back of this volume is the writer's five-part original proposal for this series. Nowhere are the family flashbacks of the Enterprise's big three even mentioned. So, I think the blame rests with the editors. A good 10 pages was wasted on this extraneous storyline- pages that could have been used to better fill out the conflict between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

   Once again, IDW Publishing did a great job examining the unexplored reaches of the fourth year of the USS Enterprise's five-year mission under Jim Kirk. However, with the new Trek movies, IDW seems to be less focused on the original series. There's no reason why the publisher can't release comics based on both Treks since the new films are set in a tangent universe. I'd really like to see how the fifth and final year of Kirk's first command of the Enterprise ended. But since it's been 7 years since this Year Four story was published, it's probably a pipe dream.

    Lastly, let's talk about the art. It's very good with amazing detail to not just the original cast but the guest stars and the Enterprise as well. I marvelled at how much detail was put into the cloaking device and the work done on animated series character Arex, was fantastic. But the covers by the Sharp Brothers were even better and I enjoyed the pencil to inks processes added to the director's cut materials at volumes end.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

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 III: The Search For Spock: A DC Movie Special

The rule about Star Trek movies are that the even numbered films are good and the odd numbered films suck. Well, I think Star Trek III: The Search for Spock got a bad rap based on it’s numbering.

The movie’s got Klingons! For that reason alone, it’s a great movie. And the comic adaptation doesn’t disappoint. Here, the Enterprise crew risk their careers in order to possibly return Spock to life.

There’s some very interesting source material that was omitted from the movie in this issue that clears some stuff up. Apparently, the crew was supposed to bring McCoy, whose possessed with Spock’s “spirit” to Vulcan in order to have his soul preserved in a sacred temple. Kirk didn’t realize this and thought they needed his body back in order to return him to life. That’s why, in the movie, everyone acts like the re-joining process won’t work! Spock’s resurrection is like a million-to-one odds occurrence. Plus, Kirk and the crew risked serious jail time by stealing the Enterprise on a misunderstanding.

These bits of info make a really good film even better! I am so glad I found out about this adaptation while reading up on the IDW edition of Wrath of Khan. Without that little bit of info, I would have been missing out on an essential gem in my Star Trek comics collection.

Worth Consuming.

Star Trek Movie Special #2: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

The Enterprise crew, having restored Mr. Spock to life, must now return to earth to face their fate for their crimes of disobeying orders, stealing a starship, and subsequently destroying said starship. But, before the gavel can be lowered, a strange probe has arrived on earth, threatening all life. It appears that whales are descendants of an alien race and Kirk must attempt to travel back in time in order to bring the now extinct mammels into the future in hopes to saving the world.

This issue has some great back up info not included in the film. We see more of the crew’s struggles to repair their stolen Klingon bird of prey and to create the galaxy’s largest aquarium of all time.

Sadly, much of the out-of-time humor the Enterprise crew experience being stranded in the 1980s is omitted in order to keep all the plot points moving. It's that humor what makes ST:IV a classic amongst Trekkies and casual fans alike and it's missing here!

It’s slightly forgivable, but still lacks a little bit of that old cinematic magic. Still, it’s Worth Consuming if you find yourself wanting to see the film but without a copy to watch on DVD.

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

"Star Trek #17 (DC Comics 1989-1996, 2nd Series)"

Anytime the Klingons are involved, it’s a great story. So, to have Kirk and crew teamed up with the Klingons should be an instant classic. There are some great scenes, but, this story is lacking that spark to make it great.

Star Trek #12 (DC Comics 1989-1996, 2nd Series)

WORTH CONSUMING!

If you’re a Klingon, the last thing you should ever do is insult Kirk’s son, who was killed by Klingons while defending Spock and Saavak.

The trial of Kirk comes to a close. This 3-issue arc is like Christmas for any Trek fan and is very much worth consuming!!!

Star Trek #4 (Marvel Comics 1980-82)

WORTH CONSUMING!

The Klingons are on the prowl, an escaped prisoner is returned, and the Enterprise crew gets the fright of their life.

The first new storyline issues begin with this take on Kirk vs. a haunted house. Not the best nor most original idea, but still good.