Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "star-trek"

Fantastic Four: Volume 1, Issue 87:

Issue 87 brings to an end the four part storyline featuring Doctor Doom capturing the Fantastic Four. While the story isn't without its charms and good moments, it highlighted the big problems with the story arch.

It was padded and it gave a truly anti-climatic end to the arch facilitated by an all too convenient Nazi. The book featured some nice art by Jack Kirby but a few full dubious full page spreads including one of Doctor Doom at a dinner table with detailed drawings of what's on the table.

Clearly the great Kirby/Lee run appears to be past its peak. Whether it recovers in the next 15 issues that Kirby drew for it, or the next 28 issue that Lee wrote remains to be seen for me anyway.

Rating: 1.50 out of 5.0

What-The? #3:

This issue of What The? skewers the world of comics in the late 1980s and early 1990s with great humor and without being cynical. It pokes fun at the classic Kraven's Last Hunt, the X-men, and more. The one part parodying DC and Batman was hilarious and I loved the one page story where a poor comic book reader goes into buy a copy of the Avengers and gets horribly confused because there are too many titles and then asks for a copy of the X-men. Poor guy.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0

Doc Savage #1:

This book isn't horrible, but it just really isn't Doc Savage. Having experienced Savage through the 1970s Marvel comics, an '80s radio series, and a couple novels, I have to say that the comic book's portrayal of Doc is really weak. Doc Savage is the type of big hulking guy who stands out nearly anywhere with his bronze skin and golden eyes that make him look almost alien. In this book, Doc Savage is just a white guy in a suit.

All of Doc's assistants are there also decked like Ham Brooks (the team dandy) was in charge of dressing them, though maybe it was just the Brooks Brothers.

The Adventure isn't bad, but it doesn't seem to fit or even lay the groundwork for the type of epic adventures that Doc Savage was legendary for.. Apparently for 1933, they couldn't think of anything better.

The cover by Alex Ross was the best part of this book. Here's hoping future stories are better.

Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0

Mr. T and the T Force #3:

An okay issue of Mr. T and the T force with quite a bit less action. It also dealt with the issue of car jacking which was a little bit less emotional than the previous issue's topic. The last page of the book is the most interesting of the book and it gives a hint that we'll have a more action packed story in Issue 4.

Still Mr. T continues to be a very strong likable character with heart and that makes the book worth a read. Also fun fact from the letter's page: Mr. T actually read every line of dialogue in the book to make sure it sounded genuine to him.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0

Peter Cannon Thunderbolt #1:

This is a strong premier issue for Dynamite take on Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, an old Charlton comic character. The book could end up being a series I love but also could go the heavy handed route. The story establishes much of Cannon's backstory: how he saved the Earth from a dangerous monster and how he revealed his secret identity against all his better judgment to save others who were being harassed as potentially being Thunderbolt. This has brought unsought celebrity which has made him powerful enemies, plus he's keeping a secret. All great stuff to establish in your first issue.

What makes the book worth viewing is the artwork. This first issue features eight different covers, all of them pretty eyecatching and appeal plus the interior art is great. In addition, readers get to experience a lost Peter Cannon story. While working at DC, Mark Waid had gotten the right to do a Peter Cannon story for Secret Origins but the title was cancelled before it could run, and this book features the first publication. It's a very solid origin story that's published for the first time here.

This issue is dynamite. While there are some hints that the book might not keep up its high standards in future issues, the first issue is good and makes you want to read more.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

Star Trek (1967 series) #34:

The Enterprise Crew on an away team meet a group of powerful crystal based aliens who have amazing powers and think they don't need science, only poetry and arts. They determine the Enterprise Crew must die. Overall, this not a whole lot outstanding about this story good or bad. It just is. Unlike early issues, they have the character drawings right but I can't say much more for this story.

Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0

Mr. T and the T Force #6

Issue 6 wraps up the storylines from Issue 5 nicely and with a little more action. It's not as good as the first four issues, but this one has positive messages and just enough of Mr. T to keep it interesting.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0

Star Trek Gold Key #36:

Star Trek Gold Key comics were notorious for being nothing like the TV show and could also be kind of repetitive with them facing one generic alien menace after another with early issues even messing up the uniforms.

However, this particular was actually a very pleasant surprise as we get a very pleasant break in this pattern as a scientist has traveled back in time to disrupt history but they don't know whether it was to 1855 or 1955. Mr. Scott goes to 1855 and Kirk heads to 1955. The story is a lot fun particularly the part where Kirk thinks he landed in the wrong time and the wrong country. This book actually feels like it could have been on the original series. It's a fun story that captures what people really love about Star Trek.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0

Batman'66 Meets Green Hornet #4:

This comic moves along and does what it has to do: Our two villains are interacting, while the Dynamic Duo and the Green Hornet and Kato are converging on the villains

There's not a whole lot special about this but 2/3 of the way through we have somewhat average story. Not a whole lot bad, but not a whole lot really good has happened so far. The only real bad dialogue is the part where Batman has to explain to Robin what a philatelist is. (No way that Robin doesn't know that.) On the positive side, the book does conclude with a decent cliffhanger and I'm hopeful that the last two issues will redeem the time I've spent reading this series.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0

Iron Man, Vol. 1, Issue 55:

This is a landmark book drawn and co-written by Jim Starlin which introduces the villain Thanos as well as Drax the Destroyer. In many ways, the story seems somewhat out of nowhere, but with all the changes happening on Iron Man at the time, that's kind of par for the course. But as an issue, it's well written and fun, and introduces a character who would be key at Marvel for decades to come.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0

Flash #23:

Like in many modern comics, the story is kind of slow and not a whole lot happens although we do have a great reveal of who the Reverse Flash is as well as an idea of what he's aiming for. By rights, we should also have a resolution. However, this is dragged out to Issue 24 due to only 17 pages of story, much of which is taken up by Barry Allen's girlfriend Patti who seems to be more worried that he might miss her parents 30th Anniversary party than that he might get killed by a supervillain who has already murdered several other people with Speed Force powers. Ah, priorities. Got to love them.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0

Mr. T and the T Force #7:

Mr. T continues his one man crusade against crime. (Though this was supposed to be a group book, I don't miss the lack of T force) as Mr. T goes after a gang of jewel thieves and he suspects someone he knows is involved. As usual, there's a few corny bits but the story works pretty well with a lot more action than seen in the prior storyline. It's a cliffhanger with a decent set up even if it's a little silly (though with a serious message.) We'll see how they wrap it up in Issue 8.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0

World's Finest #7:

This book continues on from Issue 6 and finds Huntress and Damian Wayne teamed up on the trail of whoever's been stealing money from Bruce Wayne (other than of course the Huntress who is the daughter of Earth's 2 Bruce Wayne) while Karen investigates a related issue in Africa.

To be honest, I'd been losing interest in this series, but this book was really fun and renewed my interest. Both parts of the story were well-told and Paul Levitz did a great job building mystery, so I'll definitely be back for issue 8.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0

Star Trek #37 (Gold Key):

The Enterprise encounter two mischievous brothers who are up to no good and trying to get the Enterprise's help. I could actually see this as an episode of the The original series to a certain point. I can't see it as a particularly good episode and the end is just silly.
Rating: 1.75 out of 5.0

Justice League Adventures #7:

The Flash uses his power to fax himself from the Watch Tower to help out Star Labs to find himself transformed and the only one able to see invaders from the second dimension that are attacking. This was a fun story, lessened only by the silly look of the villains. Still, a nice read if you can find it.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0

Superman Adventures #46:

In this story, Superman saves the world from one of Toy Man's evil devices only to be given amnesia in an explosion and crash in Smallville where he quickly joins with a couple of homeless guys. The story's point about treatment of the homeless and not judging people is brought home well enough and doesn't become too preachy. Plus it does a good job portraying Superman's character. A decent read.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0

Batman Beyond #24:

Max and Terry have to stop a metal creature from destroying Gotham. This story had a nice twist with the re-introduction of a classic DC character to the Batman Beyond universe and then wrapped up with a good cliffhanger. Very nicely done.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

Flash Gordon (2014) #1:

This book manages to update Flash Gordon's story to the twenty-first century without going cynical and still maintaining the flavor of fun. Flash and friends find themselves in a world of trouble on Planet Mongo in a very well-done set up. The art is beautiful here and adds to that space sci fi adventure fun.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

Batman Brave and the Bold #20:

This book contains two stories and is somewhat atypical in how its structured as usually a short story follows a long one.

The longer story is the better one and it's quite touching as it features Batman teaming up with Barda to find Scott (aka Mister Miracle). The celebration of the couple's marriage and what it means is actually kind of touching with some solid action and story telling.

The next story of Batman teaming up with Martian Manhunter to fight a White Martian is more just an okay story. Still, not a bad read and this is a fun and one of only two issues of Brave and the Bold not to be collected in a trade.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0

Peter Cannon Thunderbolt #5:

Once again, we get another okay issue of Peter Cannon Thunderbolt that's held together by the solid art. The big problem with Peter Cannon is that he's a superhero who looks down on humanity and is clear that he doesn't even like people. Our hero!

However, what makes this issue worthwhile is the great battle with the mechanical dragon and the stupidly insane yet also awesome scheme of the villains whose dastardly dark plans continue to be dark and dastardly. Not a great comic but still keeping my interest.

Rating: 2.75 out of 5.0

Batman '66 #38:

The book finishes with a bang as Batman finds out what villain really became a TV producer who made a TV show portraying Batman as grim and gritty.

While I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous issue, it had some good moments and was funny. I did worry a little bit as to whether Gabe Soria has a feel for what this series should be like. Jeff Parker always managed to play it straight just like the old TV series and let the humor come from that rather than trying to have the comic devolve into self-parody. A few of the jokes seemed a little cynical including Batman's final line.

Will Gabe Soria go more cynical and ruin the fun of this book? I'll tune in same batbook in two weeks to find out. As for this issue, it's plenty of fun despite its few minor issues.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0

Iron Man Volume 1 #56:

This story continued the eclectic history of Iron Man at this period. The writer varied from issue to issue and the type of enemies varied. Mostly the results were not great This book has a somewhat plot of Iron Man facing an evil monk named Rasputin who turns a statue that personifies human evil into an actual living being. The battle scene with the statue is cool, but this just doesn't feel like an Iron Man story.

Rating: 2.25 out of 5.0

Batman Meets Green Hornet #5:

Through the first four issues, this is what fans have been waiting for. When Green Hornet and Batman make a truly boneheaded deal with the villains that has the villains spare Robin and Kato and take Robin and Kato with them. This leads to Batman and Green Hornet forced to actually team up and from there, the comic is a joy to read as we get to see the two interact and Green Hornet go inside the Batcave. We're left with a nice cliffhanger that promises a smash conclusion.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0


Indestructible Hulk #18:

This is a hard book to evaluate It's the second of four stories in Inhumanity Arc. with Doctor Bruce Banner trying to save humans from Terrigen Mists which has Banner's first attempt to solve the problem fail-an event that could have been avoided if Tony Stark, Hank Pym, and Hank McCoy had actually tried to talk with him than Stark setting off the Hulk through pure idiocy.

Overall, while this story poses some questions particularly regarding the death of one character and why Maria Hill is complaining about being made to play the heavy. (Kinda comes with the role when you're Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.) I find myself engaged and enjoying this story.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0

Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who: Assimilation2, Volume 1 by Scott Tipton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Two of the greatest Science fiction franchises meet in one comic. This book collects the first half of the series as the TARDIS lands smack dab in the middle of the Enterprise Holodeck just in time to find out the Borg and Cybermen have teamed up.

Most of the book is set up but it's very well-done. No character seemed out of character and there are lots of great scenes of the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory on board the Enterprise. It's also clear something has clearly gone wrong as the Doctor has crossed into another universe and in Issue 3 we learn he's been here before as we get to see a team up between the Fourth Doctor and Kirk shown in a more retro four color style than the painted style of the rest of the book. The book definitely holds your interest and Volume 1 ends on a very compelling note that makes Volume 2 a must read.



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Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who: Assimilation2, Volume 2 by Scott Tipton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book collects the second half of the Star Trek: TNG/Doctor Who crossover, Issues 5-8. This is decent but not quite as good as the first four issues. One thing is there's a lot of dialogue and a lot of exposition. Issue 5 is a LOT of exposition and dialogue as the Doctor and friends try and convince Captain Pickard to hear out Borg who are wanting an alliance against the Cybermen. We get a ton of backstory on Pickard having been assimilated and events of, "The Best of Both Worlds." I suppose it's necessary for Doctor Who fans who don't know TNG, but it's very involved. We also have an attempt to add on emotional drama by making the Borg representative an old friend of Riker's who doesn't actually play a big role in the story.

However, the good stuff comes in Issues 7 and 8 as we have the TARDIS aboard a Borg ship and we have the Enterprise crew teaming up with the Doctor and a clash between the Doctor and Worf over the raid. It really does feel believable.

So while there's some pacing issues, this is still a decent conclusion to the story.



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Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics, Volume 1: 1979-1981 by Thomas Warkentin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


These newspaper comics from 1979-81 are set in the era of Star Trek: The Motion Picture and use the uniforms from that move as well as the Enterprise crew using wrist communicators.

The stories are perfectly enjoyable Space Adventure newspaper strips but little else. Those expecting the equivalent of, “The Trouble with Tribles” or “City on the Edge of Forever” will be sadly be disappointed. The Star Trek strips are pretty much straight up space adventures in the style of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Well told, but not particularly innovative, but all of them are interesting.

Among the highlights are a strip where Doctor McCoy meets his ex-wife and a wannabe doppleganger (whose plan to replace McCoy is foiled by him acting completely out of character.) Also, Harry Mudd makes an appearance, and there are several stories involving the Klingons, the most interesting involving a crazy alien general who is trying to start a Klingon-Federation War so they can fight in it.



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Star Trek: Harlan Ellison's The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay by Harlan Ellison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This graphic novel is an adaptation of Harland Ellison's original teleplay for the classic Star Trek episode, City on the Edge of Forever.

First of all, the art is gorgeous. It's on the same level as Alex Ross. It does a great job recreating the original Enterprise crew in glorious detail. At the same time, there are some just stunning artistic bits in that you couldn't have done on television.

The story is a very good story. Yet, I think that those who rewrote it for the TV show were mostly right. There were some parts that would have been budgetarily challenging such as the space pirates who'd taken over the Enterprise. In a book or comic, it's easy to show that, but it complicates a TV production. In addition, I don't think Ellison quite had the Kirk-Spock dynamic in this story and the aired version did a better job capturing that.

Again, that's not to say that this one is a bad story. It might even be a better story for a generic captain and an alien first officer but not quite fitting for Kirk and Spock. Still, the story is worth a read, particularly when paired with the compelling artwork.



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Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics, Volume 2: Complete Dailies and Sundays 1981-1983 by Sharman DiVono

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book collects the second half of Star Trek's Newspaper strip run from 1981-83. The first story, a four-month epic that begins with the Enterprise chasing Klingons and ends up with them battling Cyborgs under the control of the Omnimind. While I think the similarities to the Borg are oversold by the Introduction and the back cover copy, there are similarities there and the story is truly an enjoyable one.

The next two stories by the same creative team (writer Sherman DiVono) are both good space opera stories at the same quality level as the previous volume. The final seven stories are another matter. While they're not universally bad, many are plagued by bad artwork, sloppy writing, and illogical plots. Some are wretched, and the best of them could be said to be average with a few interesting features.

The last story is enjoyable though. It's about the Enterprise slipping into a Universe where they exist as stars of the TV show Star Trek as they travel back in time 1983 and two young boys Joey and Malcolm end up on the bridge of the Enterprise. The story has several logical flaws and some dubious plot twists. However, it's such a lovely bit of fan service, so I can forgive its faults.

Overall, this is an uneven collection, but the lead off story may make the entire book worth reading for die hard Trek fans.



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Assignment: Earth by John Byrne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Gene Roddenberry's last episode of Star Trek in Season 2was a back door pilot for Assignment Earth. This book takes a look at five adventures of Gary Seven and his secretary Miss Lincoln.

In Issue 1, they have a mystery to solve as immediately after the Enterprise leaves they have to access a government research project where there's a Soviet Spy present. This is okay but really could have used more space.

In Issue 2, Gary Seven and Miss Lincoln deal with another visit from the Enterprise in their future from their first appearance, but in Earth's past. This is a wonky time travel tale that keeps our heroes on the periphery.

Next up is Issue 3 where they are investigating strange goings on at a University. On one hand, the military villain is pretty stereotypical. On the other hand, the war protestor character has some nuance.

Issue 4 has them trying to fight an alien invasion by a group called Counterstrike. This one was the weakest in the book. It's okay, but it needed more room to breathe.

The final issue involves Gary and Ms. Lincoln having to stop the Chinese from kidnapping Nixon and replacing him with a duplicate. This one was actually pretty funny and the best comic in the book.

This book is okay, but just okay. I'd give it 3.5 stars on the strength of the fake Nixon story. The more you're curious about this concept and all things Trek, the more you're actually going to enjoy this.



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Star Trek: Ongoing, Volume 1 by Mike Johnson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


For the Start of the Kelvin Universe Star Trek books, we get a re-telling of two stories from the original series in the new Universe.

The first is, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" where an old friend of Jim's obtains incredibly dangerous powers and must be dealt with. This one is almost exactly like the original story except for losing the romance angle and emphasizing on how Gary had helped Kirk.

The second is, "Galileo Seven," in which the shuttle "Galileo Seven" is brought down during a side-trip while the Enterprise has a pressing engagement they have to get to with lives on the line. On the positive note, I think the Federation Commissioner is a lot more reasonable and a lot less annoying than in the TV show. On the negative, it highlights how insane it was to send out a Shuttle with the first officer, ship's doctor, and chief engineer while the ship is on a vital mission. Further, it messes with the overall tone of the story. The TV show highlighted was a character spotlight on Spock that highlighted how he, as a Vulcan, related to a largely human crew and what his style of command might be, and it was Spock's story of how he found a way to save the day. Instead, another character (who wasn't even on the shuttle) became a Mary Sue and we got a cheesy bit of innuendo from Kirk instead.

These aren't bad stories, but they are rather pointless, particularly if you've seen the original series. Retelling stories with very minor alterations isn't a good way to run this comic book series and looking ahead, they do get away from this, but overall, this is a lackluster start for the Kelvin Comic universe.



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