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I've heard the new Power Man/Iron Fist series is really good. Has anyone here tried that one?

I really hope it's good because I'm a fan of the duo and of Iron Fist in particular. Been waiting for a decent IF series since the Brubaker/Fraction/Aja/Sweirczynski/Foreman "Immortal" series ended. From what I've heard the Kaare Andrews "Living Weapon" series wasn't it, so I never checked it our.

^ I have not tried it but I'm also curious. Having really not looked at any reviews (on any series) in awhile, I haven't heard anything about the latest series.

A LOOK BACK: DC's STAR TREK COMICS (PART ONE, STAR TREK (1ST DC SERIES) #1-4)

(Cover dates: Feb. 1984 to May 1984)

Written by: Mike W. Barr

Art by: Tom Sutton & Ricardo Villagran

Edited by: Marv Wolfman

For me, and, I suspect for most other readers born approximately between 1970 and 1985, there really are no Star Trek comics other than DC's uneven but often remarkable Trek run, which lasted over a decade (1983-1995) and is notable, for, among other things, giving one of Trek's most talented fans-turned-pro, Peter Allen David, his first crack at writing Trek canon (or at least Trek comic book canon, which apparently is a different canon than Trek live action canon; I try not to think about it too hard, because I think life's too short.) But we won't be getting to PAD's contributions for a while. We are starting from the start, with the 4-issue opening arc of writer Mike W. Barr's year-and-a-half Trek comics run.

Barr has been one of my favorite writers pretty much since I started collecting superhero, sci-fi, and other sub-genres of adventure comic books in the early 90s. The first year or so of the comic starring the gender-bending superheroine Mantra made me a Barr fan, and subsequent treasure-hunts through the back issue bins and the trade shelves paid off thousandfold: Camelot 3000, Batman & the Outsiders, and, most importantly, the original edition trade collecting Star Trek: The Mirror Universe Saga, Barr's epic masterpiece and the Barr Trek story most remembered by fandom. It also, sadly, turned out to be Barr's last Trek comic book story, followed by what I am assuming was an abrupt and acrimonious departure for this always-underrated writer.

But before TMUS, there were the first 8 issues of DC Trek. I own 1-4 and 7, regrettable because 7 is the compelling first half of a 2-parter focusing on Saavik's struggle with Pon Farr, which, in a nutshell, is the term for Vulcans getting frisky. Someday I'll track down a copy of 8. (And, for that matter, 5 and 6.) For now, I'll review the story-arc from the first 4 issues, followed by The Mirror Universe Saga and the first 2 Annuals, and then we'll see what else we cover before jumping to Peter David's DC Trek stories (IIRC, PAD's first DC Trek story was Annual 3.)

Firstly, some context: DC Trek began a little over a year after Nicholas Meyer's movie "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" pretty much saved the Trek franchise from oblivion. It's not really spoiling anything to say that Mr. Spock, Trek's most iconic character, "died" at the end of STWOK, and so the first 8 issues of DC Trek are Spock-less (he was brought back to life in the movie "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock), which takes place in between issues 8 and 9 of DC Trek.) Needless to say, I'm sure it must have been awkward for Barr and DC Trek's initial editor, Marv Wolfman (who also edited those great early issues of "The Omega Men," and those not-so-great early issues of "V: The Comic Book") to kick off the Trek comic without being able to use the beloved Spock. But I think this was actually a blessing in disguise, because it led to Barr, who has always been better-than-average among male comic book writers at writing female characters, giving some much-needed fleshing-out to Spock's (temporary) heir apparent, Lt. Saavik. This character had been introduced in STWOK, where she was (unfortunately IMHO) played by Kirstie Alley before she became a celebrity and went effing bonkers. The DC Trek version of Saavik, on the other hand, possesses none of Alley's bug-eyed fidgetiness wholly unbecoming any self-respecting Vulcan. She is strong, capable, steadfast, and, of course, logical, and she plays a substantial role in this opening DC Trek arc. We are also introduced to a couple new Starfleet members of Barr's creation: Ensign Bearclaw & Ensign Bryce, both the progeny of Starfleet officers who both served on the Starship Gallant, which was destroyed in a battle against a Klingon ship. Needless to say, both Ensigns share a mutual hatred for Klingons. Bearclaw, despite his lapses into jackassery (he hits Bryce in the face because he blames her father for the Gallant's destruction just as much as he blames the Klingons) is an interesting character in that he is a Native American who just happens to also be virulently racist; at the time, it was unprecedented in comic books and pop culture for a Native American to be portrayed as anything other than either a saint or a savage, and if Bearclaw's portrayal in DC Trek did often err of the wrong side of on-the-nose, I think the character is nonetheless a milestone in pop culture, a minority character who is neither hero nor villain, but only human (interestingly, I wonder whether Bearclaw might have partly inspired the Trek movie character Admiral Cartwright, an African-American Starfleet official who was unapologetically racist toward Klingons.)

And, as it happens, in this story the Enterprise finds itself battling the Klingons (lucky Ensigns) on a greater scale than they ever had on either television or cinema. Barr takes what I've inferred a page from the groundbreaking sci-fi author E.E. "Doc" Smith (affectionately known as "The Father of Space Opera" by constantly making each threat bigger than the one before it.) This takes the story in refreshing and unexpected directions, with budgets and special-effect technology being no obstacle to Barr's widescreen imagination and clever and accessible use of Trek TV series continuity which may be obscure to the layperson, but could also be seen as a gateway to the richness of the larger Trek mythos.

Also surprising and refreshing is the presence in this story of a Klingon who is a misfit for being a pacifist (are the Klingons the Trek version of the Khunds, or what?) His name is Konom, and if, like Bearclaw, his introductory portrayal feels a bit on the nose (if anything, Konom reminds me of Robert Englund's reptile-man misfit character from television's "V," who started out interesting and likeable in the two mini-series, but devolved into a cringe-inducing wimp in the atrocious weekly series) it's still nice to see that not all Klingons are warmongers, something which future live-action incarnations of Trek would go on to explore, beginning with the belligerent but complicated Lt. Worf.

Artistically, the opening arc of DC Trek is a qualified success. The late Tom Sutton (1937-2002) was one of the most idiosyncratic and exciting pencilers of his generation, doing a lot of remarkable work during the 1970s, but by Sutton's own admission, his near-five-year run on DC Trek quickly became a disillusioning paycheck job because of the penciler's unhappiness with the inker assigned to the book, Ricardo Villagran. Sutton, IMO, had a point -- Villagran was a journeyman inker very much of the Vinnie Colletta school of, "Why waste time being faithful to all the details in the pencils when it's just comic books?" By his own admission, Sutton coped with it by working diligently but half-heartedly during the day, and getting stinking drunk at the local bars during the night; to his credit, Sutton did eventually get sober, but only after leaving DC at the end of the 80s.

Ultimately, despite is flaws, Barr & Sutton managed to deliver the goods on their opening arc for DC Trek, and it would get even better from there (for a while, at least, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.)

You'd think that a comic like Guardians of the Galaxy, which stars the pop-culture darlings themselves, the GotG, the beloved X-Men Kitty Pryde, the perhaps even more beloved star of the Silver Age, the Thing and the 90's favorite Venom, would be a series that just kind of sells itself. Oh, plus Angela, who Marvel is trying really hard to make "a thing".

And apparently it does just sell itself. Because upon reading it, I could not find a story included within.

It also tricked the reader into learning about Civil War II. Which, if you've ever ingested poison and have only minutes to purge from your system, I recommend you read the cliff notes on, since the ensuing vomiting may just save your life.

I bought the GOTG issues where Bendis explained how Quill and Thanos escaped the end of THANOS:IMPERATIVE... SO MUCH REGRET...

^^You guys should have spent your money on back issues of vintage DC Star Trek comics by Mike W. Barr & Tom Sutton instead.

(As in, I demand some feedback on my Star Trek comics review, dammit!)

You know, I've never read a single Star Trek comic.

(In fact, my knowledge of Star Trek is severely limited: I've watched the odd episode from the 60's series here or there, and I've watched the first four movies, and I watched a few random episodes of Next Generation when I was a kid and my parents used to watch it. But that's about it.)

Ah, okay. I was joking anyway.

But both Mike W. Barr and Peter David really did do some very good stories for DC's Star Trek comics of the 80s and 90s.

EDIT: And the sixth Trek movie is awesome.

The only Star Trek Comic I've read (other than LSH/Trek) was the issue where one of the Horta's kid in in Starfleet now and gets the com. He made a funny quote about how much his Mom was friends with Kirk.

I'm the same. I feel like I've missed out on a whole sub-section of geek culture.

As a result, I am firmly in the Star Wars camp in that great debate but one thing I've always been jealous of the Star Trek universe for is its variety of villains. Soooooo over the Empire as the perennial Star Wars villain.

Well, now, this is quite a surprise. I was not expecting to learn that so many Legion Worlders have never given DC Trek comics a go.

In that case, I hope my reviews might inspire you guys to sample back issues and/or trades of what I consider the best of the vintage DC Trek comics.

(Incidentally, a lot of the Trek DC stories have been reprinted by the current holder of the Trek comics license, IDW Publishing. The reproduction's not as good as it was on the DC trades, but it's adequate.)

I've not read any either. I remember seeing an advert for one telling a Scotty love story.

I think it was the close resemblance to the actors that put me off a bit from reading any of the series*.

They looked a bit old for all action Sci-Fi adventure, perhaps, and while I'm happy if Scotty found love (and probably lost it), he's finding it in that issue as a pensioner.

*I've never read DC's V either.

The Scotty romance story was Peter David's first Trek comic book story. It's lovely. Curt Swan penciled it.

Regarding DC's V, I regret even mentioning it as a cheap joke against Marv Wolfman. Please, Thoth, avoid it like the red-dust plague (see what I did there?) But seriously, it is sooooo awful. Among other things, it has the *worst* Carmine Infantino art from the 80s that I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot.

There you go. That dated look of Swan's and a guy called PAD who can absorb liquid through his name.

I mean, what gorgeous, classic comics did Swan ever draw? What combination of character driven/ light edge/ action/ adventure did PAD ever end up doing? I'm so glad my gut instinct proved to be right on the mark.

Oh, I seem to have hit my head. Repeatedly off my keyboard...

LOL

It's never too late. It was originally printed in Star Trek (DC 1st Series 1982-1990) Annual #3, and it's been reprinted at least twice, in the DC trade "The Best of Star Trek" and the IDW trade "Star Trek Archives Volume 1: The Best of Peter David."

I was more inclined to read V, but something has suddenly put me right off.

I was thinking about Carmine Infantino's work on Star Wars when I was typing about the resemblance of the Star Trek art being too close for my liking to the actors on Star Trek. I never got the impression I was seeing Harrison Ford or Mark Hammill with his distinctive art. And I think that helped the book.

I can't speak for the Trek books, but I find things that are bit too slavish can also be a bit too static. As if all the energy in the panel has gone into making the resemblance, rather than advancing the story.

Hmmmm.

Point well taken, Thoth.

As I said in my review, Star Trek was not penciler Tom Sutton's finest hour, and there was the stiffness and the excessive effort at creating likenesses of the cast members that you mentioned. Ironically enough, the close-ups of the main characters appeared to be the only things that Sutton's Trek inker, Ricardo Villagran (whose work, as I said before, Sutton hated to the point that it drained most of the enthusiasm out of his pencils) could be arsed to spend more than a few seconds working on.

OK, I got the first Vision trade. I'm about 3/4 through and it's blowing my mind at how inventive, intelligent, creepy and dark it all is. I'm sure fans of the character have reason to be upset, but as someone with only a passing knowledge of Marvel I find it really far, far beyond what I expected. Digging it a lot.

Really glad you checked it out, Dave! I've been singing the series' praises for awhile and I probably should have just outright said that I think it would be right up your alley, based on all the years we've talked about comics.

King is really pushing the limits here and makes me very encouraged about any future DC work he'll be doing.

*SIGH*... okay, if there's wiggle room in next month;s DCBS order, I'll get the trade...

^ And we expect a review! Just like I expect reviews on all those other comics you're reading!

I'll have to go back through the thread and see if I'm reading anything not already touched on... Gail's CLEAN ROOM is creepy and fun...

Look Ma! Reads!

Aliens: Life and Death 1 Dark Horse
Although it says #1 on the cover, it's actually part #9 of the life and death series. So, it doesn't make a good first impression for readers like me coming in half way through something.

Fortunately, Aliens comics can’t get past the movies, so it's another battle between marines and bugs to get off a planet.

There's a mention of an Engineer to tie it all into the new franchise and some fairly standard dialogue and plot movements.

It by ex- Legion writer Dan Abnett. He's done some Aliens work before and this rates in with the mediocrity of most franchise fare. The reliance on the action keeps it in the middle ground of safety. 3.25


Atomic Robo: The Temple of Od 1 Tesladyne
Robo gets between the Japanese and Chinese in the 1930s, where he's looking to investigate some esoteric energy source and it's weapon capabilities. It started off with some movie cliches from Indiana Jones among others. Actually, it continues with a few of them, but it gets a wittier as it goes. There's a bit of a layered plot too, as Robo's naiveté when dealing with governments is shown to him. The issue ends with enough twists to make me want to see the rest of the mini. 4.25

Atomic Robo: The Temple of Od 2 Tesladyne
More action packed than the first issue. For a robot, our poor protagonist certainly comes up against powerful foes. He a straight man punching bag character in the lineage of both Robotmen and Cyborg.

With all the action, there's a little less nuance in the sides that Robo is choosing, but the dialogue is a bit sharper. Apparently everyone in the '30s said "the hell" all the time too. One of my pet peeves. 4


Doom Patrol 1 DC Young Animal
A reasonable protagonist holds the centre between being an echo of a previous version and some pretty rubbish villains. There are a few little subplots introduced. Having read older issues will surely help, but they aren't incoherent enough to be challenging, despite how strange the book would like you to think it is. 3.25

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Cometh the Hour 144 Dark Horse
One of our cast travels with a previously imprisoned demon down in to the depths of classical hell. While he faces torments from his past there's a revelation that even the greatest of evils can die to be replaced. As a subplot, we see the evacuation of the BPRD HQ but there's very little characterisation there. The art is solid enough to give the title some points. The final couple of pages are interesting, and it's the little Russian demon that holds the most interest. 3.75

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Cometh the Hour 145 Dark Horse
Plot and subplot switch from last issue, as we see a lot more on the evacuation. A fair bit of it is unconvincing, regarding the dog in particular, and we see some very belated emotion from Panya.

It's been years and if it's the end for her it will be too little too late. On our other plot, we see the fallen angels of pandemonium rise to tackle their creations, highlighting the link Mignola has made between classical beliefs and his own Lovecraftian creations.

The BPRD's powerhouses resemble nothing more than the Human Torch and Iron Man fighting creatures from '50s Timely comics. I think that's sort of the point from Mignola, despite all the years of building. More Mignolaesque Monsters Meets Akira spotted in the latest Batman arc. 4.25

Britannia 1 Valiant
Nigh invulnerable hero is manipulated like numerous Slaine stories and goes to Druidic Britain. Sex and violence aplenty to titillate the target audience. Peter Milligan goes to efforts to give his central character some depth, but it never really works. The more skills he's given, the less likely he is. Superior warrior, Rome's private detective and special favourite of the Vestals. Whatever historical interest there is (and there's a short essay at the back) is lost fairly quickly. 3

Wait, Britannia's out already? Looks like I'll be having a pointed conversation with my LCS guy.

Would that be using a pointy Roman gladius?