The final two years of the starship Enterprise's five-year mission have proved a fertile ground for storytelling and examination over the past severalThe final two years of the starship Enterprise's five-year mission have proved a fertile ground for storytelling and examination over the past several decades. Pocket Books has multiple tie-in novels from the era and then a hit-or-miss series about the "Lost Years" between the end of the five-year mission and the start of the motion picture series.
Now, IDW attempts to give fans the final year of Captain James T. Kirk and company's tenure on the starship Enterprise with Star Trek: Year Five. This collection of the first six issues of the series contains three complete "episodes" that attempt to blend the stand-alone storytelling of the original Star Trek with the season-long arcs that are prevalent today. The hybrid works well enough, giving us some interesting character exploration as Kirk faces the prospect of becoming an admiral coupled with regrets about his past (his relationship with Carol and David Marcus serves as a launching point for the middle installment of the arc). There's even an apparent rift developing between Kirk and Spock (which interestingly plays into Pocket Books' "The Lost Years" saga) and the crew potentially becoming involved in some squabbling between the Tholians (last seen trapping our crew in their web).
The storytelling and artwork for these six collected issues is spot-on an feels like they came right out of a potential fifth season of the classic series. It's interesting to see the crew go back to "A Piece of the Action" to examine the implications of McCoy leaving his communicator behind (this is also explored by Peter David in his comic arc "The Trial of James T. Kirk" for D.C. years ago). The characters are well represented and some of the crew that aren't Kirk, Spock, or McCoy get a moment or two to shine as well.
In short, this is a diverting and entertaining collection of stories that Star Trek fans will enjoy.
Merged review:
The final two years of the starship Enterprise's five-year mission have proved a fertile ground for storytelling and examination over the past several decades. Pocket Books has multiple tie-in novels from the era and then a hit-or-miss series about the "Lost Years" between the end of the five-year mission and the start of the motion picture series.
Now, IDW attempts to give fans the final year of Captain James T. Kirk and company's tenure on the starship Enterprise with Star Trek: Year Five. This collection of the first six issues of the series contains three complete "episodes" that attempt to blend the stand-alone storytelling of the original Star Trek with the season-long arcs that are prevalent today. The hybrid works well enough, giving us some interesting character exploration as Kirk faces the prospect of becoming an admiral coupled with regrets about his past (his relationship with Carol and David Marcus serves as a launching point for the middle installment of the arc). There's even an apparent rift developing between Kirk and Spock (which interestingly plays into Pocket Books' "The Lost Years" saga) and the crew potentially becoming involved in some squabbling between the Tholians (last seen trapping our crew in their web).
The storytelling and artwork for these six collected issues is spot-on an feels like they came right out of a potential fifth season of the classic series. It's interesting to see the crew go back to "A Piece of the Action" to examine the implications of McCoy leaving his communicator behind (this is also explored by Peter David in his comic arc "The Trial of James T. Kirk" for D.C. years ago). The characters are well represented and some of the crew that aren't Kirk, Spock, or McCoy get a moment or two to shine as well.
In short, this is a diverting and entertaining collection of stories that Star Trek fans will enjoy....more
Close to forty years past the premiere of The Next Generation, it's hard to remember just a gamble The Next Generation was back in 1987. After years oClose to forty years past the premiere of The Next Generation, it's hard to remember just a gamble The Next Generation was back in 1987. After years of struggling to get a weekly series back on our airwaves, Gene Roddenberry finally had his wish and was returning to television and the day-to-day running of a Trek series.
And while Paramount had little control over whether or not the quality of a new Star Trek would be up to snuff, they could certainly make sure the public was aware of the series. This brings us to this collection of the six-issue DC limited series comic books based on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Reading them thirty-plus years later, they stand out as a bit of anachronistic.
It feels like writer Mark Carlin was given an early writer's bible to the show and based his stories and characterization on that. Data is a bit more emotional than we see in the series (at one point when Geordi is apparently killed, Data is ready to kill the person he considers responsible), Troi's abilities seem to include predicting the future (to the point that Picard defers to her on the make-up of a landing party) and Picard seems a bit sterner. In many ways, the first couple of issues feel like they were inspired by the same writer's guide that Diane Carey did for the first Pocket novel, "Ghost Ship."
The characters feel almost like the ones we will come to know, but there's something slightly off-kilter about them. Given that TNG is relatively new when the first issues were produced, having the characters stop to reflect on their backstory isn't necessarily worth taking points off. It's just one of those things that happen in comic books from time to time. (Well, at least comics of this era.)
The comics do provide an interesting "what if" glimpse into how Tasha Yar could have been developed. Denise Crosby left after the first season due to the feeling her character wasn't getting any decent scripts or character development. These comics make me wonder if the writing team for the TV series had taken a page from what we see here if Crosby might have stayed around a bit.
There's also an interest in bringing Q back and stripping him of his powers --something TNG would do in season three with great effect. It's interesting to see another writer get to there first and what he makes of the situation and its impact on Q.
Alas, these nuggets are the only gems of this otherwise disappointing collection of six issues. Carlin doubles down on the families on the Enterprise aspect of the series by giving us a bickering couple who work together at the ops station when the regular crew is off having adventures. Think the Bickersons but piloting the flag ship of the fleet. Then there is the second issue in which the crew visits a planet just in time for Christmas and pursues the spirit of Christmas -- who only Geordi can see with his visor and looks like just Santa Claus. Subtle, this ain't.
Given how good the DC run of original series tie-in comics could be, it's a shame that this limited series misses the mark so badly.
And yet, I read the entire collection through to the end. I'm not sure if this says something more about this collection or me. I leave that up to your discretion. ...more
Celebrating 900 issues and sixty years of my favorite comic book character, this collection of three issues (two stories) from Amazing Spider-Man leavCelebrating 900 issues and sixty years of my favorite comic book character, this collection of three issues (two stories) from Amazing Spider-Man leaves me feeling confused and like something is missing.
The first issue is an overly long story in which something has kidnapped the Sinister Six and made one huge being with all their powers to take on Spider-Man. All this starts around Pete's birthday and it feels like it should be more fun than it is. By what felt like the millionth page, I was just ready for things to end so I could move on.
Next is a story in which the Vulture's granddaughter finds out he's a bad guy and wants to cut ties with him. Instead of seeing this as a wake-up call, the Vulture blames Spider-Man and heads out on a vendetta to end his life. Meanwhile, Peter is interviewing to work at Oscorp and Norman Osborne, who may or may not have a few Spider-suit modifications and gadgets for him. Worlds collide. The cliffhanger with the Vulture smashing Spidey's web shooters and then dropping him from way up in the sky would be better if we hadn't seen this done to Spidey before. And while it's fun to watch Vulture lose his cool, I can't help but come away from this story feeling like I'm missing a lot of backstory.
I want to enjoy the comic book adventures of my favorite hero, but I begin to wonder if these comics are really written for me anymore...more
Comic book movies have always cited original source material, but it wasn't until the advent of the MCU that said movies attempted to be interconnecteComic book movies have always cited original source material, but it wasn't until the advent of the MCU that said movies attempted to be interconnected as some of the most memorable storylines in comic books have been. So, while Tim Burton's Batman may have introduced some possible story threads for future use, there wasn't always a guarantee there was a plan in place or a long-term payoff.
One example is the inclusion of Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent. Fans of the comics would get the Easter Egg and hope for an eventual payoff of Williams' character becoming Two-Face. Alas, creative differences between Burton and the studio over Batman Returns meant this thread was jettisoned and we got Tommy Lee Jones chewing scenery as Two-Face instead of Williams.
This brings us to Batman '89, a six-part story that imagines what could have been had the original outline for a third Burton-directed Batman installment seen the light of day.
The six issues here feel very episodic and only tangentially connected by a running thread of Dent's campaign to clean up Gotham and his evolution into Two-Face. The big problem is that Christopher Nolan and company gave us this story on the big-screen and the story that unfolds here feels like it's borrowing some of the bigger stories beats from that version. I get there are only so many Two-Face stories out there, but I was hoping for a different take on this than what we got.
More interesting is the lurking presence of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman and the emergence of Marlin Wayans' Robin to this niche of the Batman universe. Seeing Keaton's Bruce Wayne/Batman conflicted about his relationship with each of them is a nice touch, even if the whole Catwoman thread kind of goes off the rails in the final installment.
There are a few other gems in here, but overall, the story doesn't necessarily live up to its full potential. That said, it's still a fascinating "what if" exercise into a universe that it appears we may not see on-screen again (despite Keaton filming some cameos) in the near future. The...more
After enjoying Spider-Man: Life Story, I was optimistic to see what Chip Zdarsky might do for an encore. The result is the fairly disappointing extendAfter enjoying Spider-Man: Life Story, I was optimistic to see what Chip Zdarsky might do for an encore. The result is the fairly disappointing extended "what if" story The Spider's Shadow.
What if instead of giving up the symbiotic black costume when Reed Richards warned him about it, Peter Parker kept it and gave himself over to its dark nature?
Well, according to this collection of five issues, Peter Parker would become public enemy number one, slaughtering multiple members of his rogue's gallery along the way because the Hobgoblin kills Aunt May. There's always been a bit of a dark undercurrent to the story of Spider-Man, though many writers haven't really explored that side of things. Zdarsky did that over the course of Peter's life in Life Story and maybe part of my issue here is that the timeline is simply too compressed to make for a satisfying story like the original collection was. Seeing Peter slowly descend into darkness makes sense and the question of "what if" Spidey had a really bad day and was pushed too far is an intriguing one.
But this could be one of those stories where it goes too dark and possibly too far. I get that Venom is a violent, dark mirror of Spider-Man -- a creature that is the bonding of two entities that hate Peter Parker. And the idea the alien costume might feed into some of Peter's internal self-doubt and loathing is an intriguing one. But honesty, the concept of Peter going dark was better realized in the animated series from the 90's when the dark suit was brought into the story. I guess I wanted to see Peter do more than just become a violent sociopath who kills or hurts everyone around him before getting a bit of redemption and an obligatory happy ending.
Like a lot of modern comics, this feels like a story that was expanded a bit too much for its running time. Life Story had each issue focus on a decade of Peter's life. This one just seems to run along from violent point to horrifying cliffhanger.
I wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did. A bit of a disappointment....more
I'm guessing this limited series hit shelves when Spider-Man: Far From Home was hitting theaters to tie-in to Mysterio featuring in that movie.
Set duI'm guessing this limited series hit shelves when Spider-Man: Far From Home was hitting theaters to tie-in to Mysterio featuring in that movie.
Set during the time when I was really into Spider-Man comic books and written by one of my favorite authors, Peter David, Symbiote Spider-Man should be right up my alley. And yet, I can't help but come away from it feeling that it was good, but not necessarily great.
Set in the time before Spidey knew his alien costume was a symbiote looking to bond with him for life, this five-part storyline has Spidey squaring off with Mysterio and the Kingpin. Mysterio is determined to find out as much as he can about Spidey's alien costume and to be seen as a bigger foe of our web-slinger than maybe many (including the reader) believe he actually is.
It's a decent enough little story arc, slipped into the main storyline of the time. I will admit that the part that intrigued me the most was Felicia Hardy and Aunt May meeting and discussing Peter at the cemetery with Uncle Ben is buried. David makes these scenes alone worth the price of admission.
But the rest with Mysterio blackmailing Black Cat to get a sample of the suit and becoming symbiote Mysterio -- I could take or leave. It was intriguing but you know it's not going to all go anywhere in the long run. ...more
I should preface this review by saying I've never been the biggest fan of Venom. The character is an interesting idea, but I honestly think he's been I should preface this review by saying I've never been the biggest fan of Venom. The character is an interesting idea, but I honestly think he's been overused and overexposed by Marvel since his creation.
So why, then, would I pick up this collection of stories focusing on Venom?
Call it an impulse check-out from my local library.
After reading this collection of five comics, I find myself wondering just who the target audience is for this collection. Is it young readers to introduce them to the character of Venom (in case you've just discovered comic books, I guess)? Or is it older readers to give a quick overview of Venom's origin? I don't necessarily think it's anyone who has only seen the big-screen, live-action version of Venom with Tom Hardy because that storyline doesn't include Spider-Man as part of Venom's origin.
The question of just who this collection is for was on my mind a lot reading this. The first three parts are an adaptation of the Venom story from the '90's Spider-Man cartoon. As a way to introduce the symbiote to the Spider-Man universe without delving into the Secret Wars aspect and the long burn that was Spidey's alien costume and the creation of Venom, it works fairly well.
Then, the collection gives us a Todd McFarlane Venom story that I've read elsewhere involving Spidey and Venom meeting on a beach to duke it out and Spidey figuring out a way to trick the symbiote as a way to defeat Venom. My reaction to this story is the same as I have to a lot of McFarlane's run on Spider-Man -- his art is great, but his stories just don't quite seem to have the same depth as those from Stan Lee or other Spider-writers I read growing up. I know I've lamented that a lot of comics these days feel like as single Stan Lee issue stretched out to six or eight issues, but I can't help but feel that this story would have benefitted from a bit more time to stretch its legs and breath a bit.
The final story was the one that held the least interest for me, though I hadn't read it or experienced it before. Honestly, I came away from this one feeling like it's more of the same and reminding me of why I'm not the biggest Venom fan -- the character feels too one-note at times for my liking.
There is a short little comedy add-on at the end, that may end up frustrating some -- I know it did me. It's a six-page story that serves as little more than a preview for more to come and encourages you to go out and buy another volume (which comic books have been doing since the dawn of time, but still....). The comedy gold of contrasting Spider-Man and Venom singing his famous '60's cartoon theme song and then possibly being Odd-Couple-like roommates seems like it could be a lot of fun -- though, I don't necessarily think I'll be running out for the next installment.
Your mileage on this collection may vary. If you love Venom, odds are you'll like it. ...more
Well, it appears that J.J. Abrams' son Henry has inherited his father's ability to start off a story well but has no idea how to stick the landing.
ThWell, it appears that J.J. Abrams' son Henry has inherited his father's ability to start off a story well but has no idea how to stick the landing.
This five-issue mini-series event is a bit of a disappointment on the writing side. A new villain called Cadaverous kills Mary Jane and a bunch of other superheroes, sending Peter Parker into exile. A decade or so later, Peter is estranged from his fifteen-year-old son Ben and has left Ben in the hands of Aunt May as he travels the globe for the Bugle. But Ben is starting to have strange occurrences in his life, like sticking to walls and the ability to take out bullies with a single punch. Before you know it, Ben has discovered he's got Spidey powers and Cadaverous is alerted that Spider-Man is back on the scene and can be used to complete whatever the hell plan it is that Cadaverous has dreamed up.
Bloodline feels like an extended mini-series based on the MCU more than the comic-book storylines surrounding Spider-Man -- and that's not a bad thing, per se. If there's one thing Into the Spider-Verse showed us, it's there can be multiple variations of Spider-Man without necessarily wrecking things.
But as I started out saying, the big issue here is Henry Abrams' writing. It's all over the place, pulling in things like Tony Stark, the Avengers, and other MCU items without necessarily thinking things through. If you're all about a big reveal that doesn't require much thought or internal continuity, this is the mini-series for you. However, Spider-Man has always been about something more than just big reveal after big reveal for me -- it's about investing in the character of Peter Parker -- or whoever is taking up the Spider-Man mantle. And that's where this mini-series ultimately fails. Yes, Ben Parker is Peter and MJ's son, but beyond that, there is little or any character arc in play to give us a reason to care about. And since Peter turns into a distant father, there's little, if any reason, to invest much in him either.
The story does try to go for a huge emotional twist in the final issue with mixed results. Again, I hadn't invested enough in the characters to really feel anything more than a shoulder-shrug when said reveal takes place.
And the ending is all over the place. So, maybe J.J. wrote this with his son.
Putting the plot aside, the artwork for this miniseries is superbly done. I grew up reading reprints of the Steve Ditko and John Romita eras, and those will always be my favorites when it comes to Spider-Man. But the art by Sara Pichelli for this mini-series event evokes the best of Ditko and Romita. It's colorful and easy to distinguish each character over the course of the five issues. There are a few striking panels in here that made me pause to just enjoy them before turning the page and continuing to roll my eyes at the plotline.
I loved Spider-Man comics growing up. I still do, but I'm not quite devoted enough to keep up with the comics on a regular basis. Hence, I love the opI loved Spider-Man comics growing up. I still do, but I'm not quite devoted enough to keep up with the comics on a regular basis. Hence, I love the opportunity to check in on my favorite superhero when my library gets the latest collect editions of The Amazing Spider-Man.
Recently, I picked up three new collections featuring Nick Spencer as the head Spidey writer and featuring cover blurbs about how great his work was on Marvel's flagship title. And after reading "Hunted," I could see what the positive buzz was about.
Then there came the next two collections.
It's not that they're necessarily bad. I did enjoy Volume 5's look at Mysterio a bit and seeing him in counseling was a nice touch. But, I can't help but feel like Spencer is making this all up as he goes and has no definitive end-game in sight. There's a lot of treading water across these two collections -- whether it's waiting for the Chamelion's nefarious plan to unfold or revealing who is behind the new villain who seems to spend a lot of time with Spidey's enemies pontificating about some agenda he has in mind. At one point, I wanted to scream at the page, "Set your plan in motion already!"
Of course, it doesn't help that collection six is just a tie-in to a longer arc of stories -- without any indication of this on the cover, mind you -- so nothing much happens in the storyline. Which all leads to my overall dissatisfaction with the flagship title for the Marvel Universe. Stan Lee always said that writers should treat comic books like every issue is someone's first issue. And if you go back and read much of Lee's best stuff, he does just that, making sure that readers are welcome to play in the sandbox of the character(s) you've picked up. Sure, they'd joke with readers about missing an issue at times, but it never felt like they were trying to exclude you because you didn't read every issue or you couldn't recall every nuance and detail from an issue three years ago.
Not the case here with Spencer who seems to be actively excluding readership by having labyrinth-like stories that are pulling on obscure references from past issues or not bothering to catch you up on what's currently going on enough to fully enjoy it if you haven't read all the previous installments plus the latest tie-in storyline. (Again, a quick note on the cover indicating this would REALLY help!). It's no wonder comic books are in trouble these days -- they're just not welcoming in new fans. And given how huge those Marvel movies are, you'd think Marvel would be ready to welcome readers with open arms not turn them away.
Sadly, I will say I'm invested enough to want to find out who this new villain really is and to see what, if anything, the Chamelion has in mind for our hero. So, I will keep going and pick up a new collection the next time my library has one on the shelf. And I'll hope that eventually it will all be worth it.......more
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