By
GustavoLeao /
06:04, 22 December 2012 /
Trek Books
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 #8
Reviewed by Patrick Hayes
The covers: Jack Kirby was the inspiration (from Fantastic Four
#49), and nicely credited, by J.K. Woodward for this cover showing a
gigantic Cyber-Controller reaching for our heroes. The lettering on "The
Menace of the Cyber-Controller!" is not the neatest, but it has that
classic old school comic book style, so I'm liking this. The RI has art
by Andrea DiVito with colors by Laura Villari and it's a slick pairing,
unlikely as it may seem, of Worf and the Williamses. It's really good!
Christmas request to Santa: Get this pair to the interiors on a Star
Trek comic next year! Outstanding! The final cover for this series is a
smartly designed wraparound RE cover for Dynamic Forces, an online
retailer, penciled by Gordon Purcell and painted by J.K. Woodward. The
front shows Locutus in profile shooting this laser pointer to the right,
and when you flip the book you see it's hitting the Doctor while Amy
and Rory look on in horror. Nicely done! Overall grades: Regular A-, RI A+, and RE A-
The story: A good recap on the inside front cover
brings readers up to speed in this final installment by Scott &
David Tipton. The Williamses, Worf, and three unidentified security
guards (who should be wearing red shirts) are in the Cybermen's engine
room and their job is to sabotage it. They swing into action, their goal
is achieved, and then we move to the Doctor, Picard, and Data trying to
make their way to the Cybermen's bridge only to have a gazillion
Cybermen in their way. There's a great line about Data from one of the
rogues before they are defeated, and their defeat is pretty cool! The
dialogue between the Cyber-Controller and the Doctor rivals that of the
best classic Who-Cyebermen encounters. And just when you think things
are over, the Borg back strong on Page 16, which has got to be the
ultimate nightmare for Picard and the Doctor. A solid solution is given,
with Worf and Rory proving to be a good team. There's a nice Star Trek
moment of reflection before the Doctor leaves, which will will satisfy
Who and Trek fans equally. Overall grade: A
The art: As with the previous issue, Gordon
Purcell provides the pencils and J.K. Woodward paints the images. This
again provides for some very nice images of all your favorite
characters. The "solution" on Page 7 is especially a nice feat, and I
doubt it would have looked so well had it not been painted. It's so good
to see a book done in this fashion because it makes it stick out from
most books, and it works. My favorite image is Picard's last scene.
Everything in the panel is gold (no pun to any Cyberman intended)! Overall grade: A
The lettering: Tom B. Long gets a ton to do with
this comic: dialogue, phasers, screams, Cybermen speak, Borg speak,
explosions. He does all well, except for the Cyber-Controller's dialogue
which was a bit difficult for this old fan to read at times. Overall grade: A-
The final line: A solid conclusion in every way! Now if we can only get Doctor #7 and Ace onto Deep Space Nine. Overall grade: A
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Hive #3
Reviewed by Patrick Hayes
The covers: Cover A is gorgeous in green as
Locutus has the Borg Queen by the neck. I love the indifference in
his face and the coloring is perfection. All of this from interior
artist Joe Corroney. Cover B is a full bleed photo (Thank you, IDW!) of
Jean-Luc Picard, from Star Trek: First Contact. Cover
RI A has art by David Messina and colors by Ilaria Traversi showing a
new version of Mount Rushmore: Locutus, a movie Borg, a television Borg,
and the Borg Queen. Great image and the rose colored sky and logo make
this a stand out! Overall grades: All A's
The story: Hommina-hommina-hommina! Wow! Does this
story rip along fiercely! This penultimate chapter has story credits
going to Brannon Braga and scripting duties from Terry Matalas &
Travis Fickett. There's a quick synopsis on the inside front cover to
bring readers up to speed. The issue opens on the bridge of the Enterprise
with Seven of Nine screaming. The Borg Queen's programing has kicked in
and Seven quickly transmits the fleet's prefix codes to the Borg and
then the bloodbath begins. 50 years in the future, Locutus and Data
finally meet the Borg Queen and things get violent. Back in the present,
Picard makes a decision to hide in a location that made me verbally
say, "Uh, oh!" as I was reading. The pacing is quick, yet allows time
for some great lines, such as Crusher's on Page 15. Wow, wow, and wow! Overall grade: A+
The art: A story like this has got to have some
great art to match it and it does in Joe Corroney, with inking assists
by Matt Fillback and Shawn Fillback. Just look at that first page with
Seven screaming as eight Borg "spider" appendages burst from her sides!
Look at the ships in space! Heck, there are even bodies floating in the
devastation! Worf's got a splash page that reaffirms he is the most bad
ass of Star Trek characters! And let's not forget the scenes set 500
years in the future: tons of action and tons of detail. If anything, I
feel I could have been charged more for this lush looking work and
not blinked. Outstanding! Overall grade: A+
The colors: Great "Red Alert" tinting on the
Federation ships, vibrant blues and purples in space scenes, the
overpowering greens and grays of the future, and Page 18's "surge" are
just some of the spectacular work provided by Hi-Fi. Overall grade: A+
The letters: Several creative sound effects to go along with all the carnage from Shawn Lee, as well as good dialogue and narration. Overall grade: A
The final line: An epic tale that could only be captured in a comic! Overall grade: A+
