As we wait with bated breath for every single development – no matter how small – on J.J. Abrams’ new motion picture take on “Star Trek,” the folks over at IDW Publishing have given us something to keep us occupied: a new comic series which explores in the fourth year of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s five-year mission. (You know: the one immediately after the original TV show got cancelled?)
I picked up the first issue, and…well, I’m still on the fence. I’m both a Trek geek and a comic geek from way back (though I’ve found that it’s not exactly something that’s healthy to bring up in social settings), so I’ve read just about every excursion that Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and company have taken within the pages of the comic-book medium, so maybe I’m just spoiled from having read their adventures as written by such sci-fi luminaries as Peter David, Howard Weinstein, and the like. This first story, though, really feels thin to me…though I think that may be because writer David Tischman has tried so hard to reproduce the feel of an original episode of the show down to the very last detail. On that level, he’s unquestionably successful.
There’s definitely fun to be had by flipping through the pages and seeing backdrops (courtesy of artist Steve Conley) which recall the matte-painting landscapes of the show, and, by the 7th page, a red-shirted crewman has bit the dust, which, tragic or not, will still inspire a chuckle from longtime fans; on a similar note, the inclusion of “Trek” animated series figures into the mix – stand up, please, Lieutenants M’Ress and Arex – will bring a knowing grin to the faces of those who recognize them. I may have even laughed out loud when Tischman gave Kirk the following line: “Even amidst all this scientific wonder, I’ll always appreciate the company of a beautiful woman.” (Get ‘er, Jim!)
Despite all of these moments, though, when you reach the end of the 22-page story, I couldn’t help but feel that a filmed version of the tale wouldn’t have lasted more than about a half-hour. I think that might be the result of Conley opting to go for a widescreen effect with his panels rather than making them into smaller blocks which could’ve included more dialogue. Your mileage on this part may vary, but, personally, there’s just not enough spoken interaction between the characters for my liking. (Informal conversations between the crew are invariably my favorite moments of any “Trek” episode or film; it always feels as though they flesh out the characterization, no matter how well we may feel that we know these people.)
Of course, I’ll still pick up the second issue of “Star Trek: Year Four,” anyway, but I had hoped to be a bit more enthused by reading the first of these heretofore-unrevealed “Trek” tales; by the end of this issue, I was admittedly entertained, but I wasn’t nearly as impressed as I’d hoped to be.
