Happy holiday weekend, geeks and geekettes! While we’re packing in the barbecue and beer, and taking in the great things about our country, we’ve got another look at an upcoming title here, folks! And this time, it’s the continuing adventures of the starship Enterprise!
As a lifelong fan of Star Trek, I’ve sat through thousands of stories via television, film, prose and comics. Some of these writers seem to “get it” and some do not. I will go on record as saying that Brandon Easton gets it more than nearly any writer that has handled Star Trek the last ten years.
The Enterprise returns to the world of Sigma Iotia II. What was once a planet that mirrored 1920s Chicago has become something far different thanks to a communicator being left there by Doctor McCoy a few years ago (this, for those playing at home, was covered in the original series episode “A Piece of the Action”).
Seeing the ramifications unfold before their eyes strikes Bones down to his very core. Kirk also deals with some heart wrenching personal news. All of the voices and character tics in this story are spot on.
I, for one, applaud Easton for going out of his way to focus on the importance of Scotty and Uhura, and not have this be yet another O.G. Trek story that’s all about Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
Artist Martin Coccolo does a serviceable job with the character likenesses, but he really nails the facial expressions and emotional beats perfectly. Though there are some jarring scene transitions, he bounces back fairly quickly. Fran Gamboa’s colors tie a nice bow that brings the narrative together. Whether it’s the familiar corridors of the USS Enterprise, or the newly futuristic cityscape of Sigma Iotia II, everything feels like classic Trek.
This story not only justified this Year Five series’ existence, but is proof that the big two need to scoop up Easton for either Superman, Steel, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern or some high sci-fi project, ASAP. 5/5 Bibles.
-Gene Selassie