 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | TOKYOPOP | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | WIL WHEATON, DIANE DUANE,
MARK WELLMAN, PAUL BENJAMIN
EJ SU, DON HUDSON, STEVE CUMMINGS,
BETTINA KURKOSKI, NAM KIM | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | ENGLISH / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 216 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 08/30/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 09/27/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN |
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the arguably most cherished and influential sci-fi franchise of all time, TOKYOPOP gathered top talent from around the world to create new "episodes" of the classic STAR TREK in 2006. Presented in the distinctive manga format, but published here in the romanized style we western readers are used to, these stories were a melding of cultures and narrative forms. Each story featured a different creative team, giving for everyone picking up the book-be they hard-core Trekker, avid manga reader, comic book fan, or just someone who enjoyed a great story.
One must assume the concept worked, because one year later, we have the second volume in this saga, and it is a far, far superior work to the first. Yes, all the familiar elements are still there. The Enterprise, her gallant crew, and all the sets and props are in the book exactly as you’d expect to see them. Kirk is still Kirk, Spock and McCoy are still as argumentative as ever, with new sparring to add to the legion of ‘greatest hits’ gone by, Scotty still worries that the engines canna’ take any more, and Uhura is still keeping the hailing frequencies open and Chekov and Sulu are still steering the ship on course. And…always with the Klingons…
The difference between the two volumes is in the writing, and the art. The first volume really had a fan fiction feel to it, and frankly, the art work left a lot to be desired in many cases. In this volume, the stories have more punch, and the design is better. Perhaps some of the talent behind the stories is to account for this. One of the writers is Wil Wheaton- yes, that Wil Wheaton of TNG fame. He shows he has the right stuff as a writer for the franchise with his work “Cura Te Ipsum” which headlines the book. Damaged engines, Scotty getting new crystals from the middle of a war zone, and McCoy wrestling with his conscience and the Prime Directive whilst seeing a civilization tear itself apart are prominent elements in the classic tale that could easily have been an episode in the original series. You can see the author has caught the essence of what the classic shows were all about and has cleverly distilled it in a compact manga format. In “The Trial”, by Mike Wellman, Kirk is put in the dock for being a bad human. No…Q is nowhere to be found, but Kirk’s way out of this fine mess is definitely Kobiyashi Maru all the way. Easily, the best, though, is “Communications Breakdown” giving Uhura a much deserved headlining role. She has just returned to duty after her unfortunate encounter with Nomad, that nasty little Earth probe that got its brain boosted by aliens and its purpose totally twisted inside out. (Refer to ST- “The Changeling” for the original story.) However, he sanity is questioned when she defies Kirk’s orders and warns of a trap ahead as the Enterprise is sent to investigate worlds destroyed by the rogue robot. We also have the obligatory beautiful woman visiting the ship- and Kirk doesn’t get the girl in “Scean Gate”. Finally, a trip to Vulcan in “Forging Alliances”, with a little nod to the short lived ENTERPRISE series as some more of the mysterious culture is demystified before our eyes takes place. A short story featuring the Next Generation cast written in a novella format without illustrations winds up the works, once again showing the Star Trek universe is vast indeed.
This is a crackerjack anthology. I read it in one sitting, so well put together it was. The essence of the characters has been retained, and the writers have actually managed to play with the story a little, while not straying from the basic format laid out by Mr. Roddenberry’s team in the 1960s. If this quality can be maintained, hopefully it will lead to more anthologies like this, not just on STAR TREK, but other classic sci-fi shows. EXTRA:
In addition to the Next Generation story “Suicide Note”, there are some short four panel comic strips called “The Red Shirts” and “The Trek Life”. Oh, those poor red shirts…
Ads for other Tokyopop publications are placed at the end of the book. IN SUMMARY:
STAR TREK THE MANGA really does go boldly where no one has gone before. Fresh stories with action, crackling wit, and an imagination that pays homage to the original series and yet gives the best aspects of this sci-fi classic room to stretch makes this anthology a great addition to any Trek fan’s collection.
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