Review: Star Trek Year 5 #3

Synopsis:

There’s a lot going on in this issue as the Enterprise has a Tholian infant as it’s guest. The Tholians think that the child has been kidnapped and the Enterprise crew can’t seem to communicate with the child (whatever happened to the universal translator?) Then the crew has to return to the Sigma Iotia system. You know the planet from TOS episode “A Piece of the Action” or “Star Trek meets The Untouchables.” Well, things have changed since the Horizon left behind their book on Chicago mobs of the twenties, followed by Dr. McCoy leaving behind his communicator in a highly imitative society. In fact, if it wasn’t for a certain gangster showing up, we wouldn’t even recognize the place. And it all started when Dr. McCoy failed to follow the prime directive. And how was your day?

The Creative Team:

Brandon Easton is bringing us to the end of the Enterprises original five-year mission. He’s got the pace going at a pulse-pounding level and the Enterprise seems to be juggling three missions at once. While the starship arrives in orbit around Sigma Iotia, it appears our good doctor has helped accelerate their rate of technological advancement when he left his communicator behind years earlier. It’s to the point of not even being able to recognize the planet. This is the most far fetched part of the story since it’s been less than three years since our starship encountered the Iotions. I know they were a highly imitative race, but could McCoy’s communicator have led to a society advancing that quickly? If we suspend our disbelief, however, this makes for an interesting tale which sees Spock running for political office. Time is running out and our heroes have to right the wrongs implemented by their last visit and avoid a catastrophe with the Tholians. Great stuff includes Kirk, Spock, and McCoy reuniting with their old gangster acquaintance and certain crew members disgust with the Tholian child, A taste of bigotry that Scotty isn’t happy with. I’m enjoying this tale immensely as we don’t have many tales of the original five-year mission aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. It’s a fun trip down memory lane and I love IDW for bringing it to us! All this and Carol Marcus too.

Martin Coccola has his work cut out for him as he has to take several aspects of TOS and make them come alive! From the Tholian child and the gangster from Iotia to showing us a version of Carol Marcus that fans of TOS and the Kelvin timeline can relate to. He’s doing an excellent job as he captures our heroes spot on and compliments the writer’s words with his energetic panels. Highlights include the all-new Iotia and Scotty defusing an attempted mutiny.

In Conclusion:

A fast-paced story worthy of Gene Roddenberry’s original series. Each comic book company that has taken on Star Trek, and there have been many including the big two, has given the series it’s own unique spin. IDW is by far the one with the best tales. They have consistently put forth quality as well as quantity. For more than thirteen years they’ve been churning out great adventure and this tale is one of the best so far. I am so pleased with what they’ve done and I hope they churn out many more. The end of this issue seems a little strange as Spock is picked…to be continued. ***1/2 (8.2 rating)

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Writer – Brandon Easton
Art – Martin Coccolo
Colors – Fran Gamboa
Letters – Neil Uyetake
Publisher – IDW

Author Profile

Kevin Given

Kevin Given has studied with â€œ Longridge Writers Group â€ and â€œ Writerâ€™s Boot Camp â€ a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the â€œ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter â€ franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of â€œ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter â€ # 1 and â€œ Files of Karl Vincent â€ # 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series â€œ Dracula Rising â€ (working title) and developing â€œ Foul Blood â€ into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given