REVIEW: Star Trek – Manifest Destiny #2 (of 4)
The crew of the U.S.S Enterprise are fighting a battle on two fronts as the away team is in as much trouble the Enterprise itself. Stuck in caves with, gosh darn wouldn’t you know it, transporter limiting properties; it then seems overkill that the ship is attacked by Klingons meaning the shields have to be kept up!
Written by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott, this issue is pretty much a “as you were” type of issue. There are a couple of character developments; with this being “tie-in town” you know nothing is going to seriously happen to the main cast; in an effort to make you care about the secondary crew members. This limitation isn’t aimed at the writers; it’s pretty much a trope from all the way back from the original show; a new female crew member for Kirk to woo or a new ensign red shirt to get killed. Still, just because it’s “always been so”, doesn’t mean that readers don’t deserve their trope to be served in a more satisfying fashion. The dialogue is ok, none of the main cast sound off voice, although I do wonder if the writing Spock guide states “to write Spock accurately he must say the word logic”. Also, I would have thought that Uhura would be more vocal when dealing with the planetside Klingons.
The art is provided by Angel Hernandez, who succeeds in making the characters look like their screen counterparts. However, making the characters recognisable facially, is only one way in which we as readers determine situations and people. Things like body language for example, gives just as much information to the reader. It’s here that I feel that Hernandez needs to improve. On the positive, the panel structures allow for the energy of what is mainly a repel boarders story, whilst also giving some focus on the relevant characters at certain points. The quality of the book lies in the color scheme by Doug Garbark and Adam Guzowski, especially with the claustrophobic element of the crew dealing with the invaders.
I avoided looking at the first issue of this story; my views on the “new” Star Trek have been mentioned on more than one occasion. Still, despite my personal feelings, I can’t help but realise that this book may be able to bring new fans out of the woodwork. In addition, I have to tip my hat to IDW to constantly putting out a quality produced comic book series.
Writing – 3 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Color -4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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