By
GustavoLeao /
05:36, 20 September 2012 /
Trek Books
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Hive #1
Reviewed by Patrick Hayes
The covers: It's a number one, so you know IDW will be
giving you several options. Joe Corroney is the artist of Cover A and
it's gorgeous in green! Locutus, Seven of Nine, Picard, the Enterprise
E, Borg cubes and spheres, and a borg army with the Borg Queen leading
them. Poster quality! Cover B is a Photo Cover of Patrick Stewart as
Locutus. Very nice. Cover RI A is kitchy coolness by David Messina and
Ilaria Travers, reinacting the famous end of WWII kiss between a sailor
and a nurse; this time the sailor is a Borg. Hilarious and creepy,
simultaneously! Cover RI B is the A cover signed by story creator
Brannon Braga! Wowzers! Cover RE is the Montreal ComicCon Exclusive
Cover, featuring photos of Patrick Stewart, John de Lancie, Brent
Spiner, and Wil Wheaton. Spoiler Alert: only two of the four appear in
this issue, so I'm expecting the other two to show soon. Overall grades: A A+, B A, RI A A+, RI B A, and RE A
The story: It's the 29th century and Locutus
oversees all the Borg who have conquered Federation space, but, he
ponders, "And now we are without purpose. Perfection has not been
attained. Perhaps individuality was, indeed, perfection all along." How
to solve this uncertainty? Create a companion for assistance. Who is
this companion? Waiting in the wings, because we go back 500 years
earlier when Jean Luc was on a planet with Vash (YES!). And then
"something" sounds out. There is a lot going on that's unstated until a
major race appears and, seemingly, introduces the antagonists of the
series. What happens with our Captain is good, and how others treat him a
thrill, but I'm dying to know the whole story of how he got
reassimilated and running the Borg. The story by Brannon Braga and the
script by Terry Matalas & Travis Fickett is full of many promises
I'm looking forward to seeing revealed. Overall grade: A
The art: On the first page it's obvious that we
now have a Borg King in the Trekverse, as he sits on his throne
overseeing the Hive go about its business. The images are familiar, yet
different. On Page 2 the King moves about with Jim Starlin omnipotence.
Page 3 the created companion is in classic silhouette, that brought to
mind Denise Crosby's return to Next Gen. Joe Corroney is a shining star.
The emotion he wrings out of Picard in the flashbacks is golden! Page
5, panel three is a gut kick that every fan will feel; Page 7, panel
three is the classic pensive Picard; Page 9, panel four show the
surprise that should never happen; Page 18, panel two is the ultimate
look of resignation. And the space shots are so detailed you'll think
it's lost footage. Page 16 will make the antagonists of "Scorpion" seem
like Care Bears. Greatness in every panel. Overall grade: A+
The colors: Borg green and black, bright and vivid
planetscapes, Starfleet's metallic interiors, and space scenes that
are dynamic. Hi-Fi hits every right note. Overall grade: A+
The letters: There aren't any sound effects and
the same font size and style is used throughout the book. It's fine, but
seems generic. Shouldn't the Borg have an augmented font, Shawn Lee? Overall grade: B
The final line: You will be unable to resist once you begin. A must read and must own for Trek fans. Overall grade: A
Star Trek #13
Reviewed by Patrick Hayes
The covers: The red shirts get their due with a
smart cover by Tim Bradstreet and Grant Goleash. The background consists
of a red shirt wearing crew member, the interior of the delta shield is
a perfect shot of the Enterprise, and in the foreground five
representational crew members Brilliant! Cover RI A is a "sketch
art" version of Cover A by Bradstreet, which is also neat. Cover RI B is
a photo cover of Anton Yelchin on the bridge looking at a upright touch
panel. Nice, but I'd rather see Jason Matthew Smith, since he's the
focus of this issue. Overall grades: Regular A+, RI A A-, and RI B A-
The story: I wish I knew what this story was titled,
because it's not on the inside cover, or anywhere else, in this book.
That's too bad, because Mike Johnson has done something I didn't see
coming: he's taken away the punchline associated with red shirts. The
issue is told by Hendorrf ("Cupcake"). Writer Johnson has crafted an
honest, brave tale for those who wear the crimson. All of the favorite
leads are here, but darned if I wanted to see more of the red. They're
human beings and their lives have been given a much needed shot of
pathos. I even got a little choked up in the end. This is the closest
fans will ever see for a recruitment film to wear the red in Starfleet.
Amazing storytelling! Overall grade: A+
The art: I was so pleased by Stephen Molnar's work in
this book. We get to see him doing so much, he shows himself to have
strengths outside a sci-fi setting. His likeness of Smith, as well as
the likenesses of the stars of the film, are solid. He gets to revisit
scenes from the reboot, he gets to show the crew while they were in the
academy, and an alien world with its inhabitants and threats. The final
page is deceptively simple, but speaks volumes. Perfection. Overall grade: A
The colors: Just like Molnar, John Rauch gets to show
he can do a lot. Any time I saw a red shirt I was rivited to the image,
which only increased the power of the story. Page 16 was my favorite. Overall grade: A
The letters: A few necessary sound effects, but primarily dialogue. Sufficient work by Neil Uyetake for this story. Overall grade: B
The final line: A great behind-the-scenes tale that only makes me eager for more original stories. This should be considered a classic! Overall grade: A
