IDW Star Trek Ongoing...

[Pauln6]

Christopher wrote:

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How is a one-shot issue not a proper story? If anything, they're increasingly a lost art in comics today. And getting flashback stories to fill in the backgrounds of the supporting characters strikes me as a good supplement to the first movie, which did the same for Kirk and Spock. Anyway, it's only about five months.

I prefer a story that involves elements of a character origin rather than a story that is primarily about the origin with a weak plot device attached, especially if they are telling them one after the other. However, if the prequel comic has a 'proper' story and they run in tandem then it might still satisfy me.

I think it will depend on how the origin stories are written too. The Redshirts one-shot was very well done but the Keenser origin was weak - the plot involved how they'd made no effort to accommodate Keenser's smaller size by providing him with an anti-grav board or even a step ladder but wait luckily they have built the Enterprise's access shafts too small for 6 footers. Dreadful.

I was also really shocked that Keenser was a fully-fledged engineer AND an officer given the way Scotty treats him. It was a shame as they could have given the character his own niche as a grease monkey but sending him scurrying into tiny spaces is a terrible waste of the skills set that they've chosen to give him as an officer.

Now a Janice Rand origin story on the other hand... but I jest. I would like to see more alien crew introduced, given more than just a cameo, and perhaps an origin element to the story to establish their skills set. If Carol Marcus' area of expertise is going to be weapons tech, that still leaves a lot of other niches unfilled. Let's have some Arcturian security guards, some Zaranite environmental engineers, and a Saurian zoologist or something.

[The Wormhole]

Pauln6 wrote:

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However, if the prequel comic has a 'proper' story and they run in tandem then it might still satisfy me.

That's basically how it's going to be. Countdown to Darkness is going to be telling the "proper" stories for the Abrams timeline leading up to the movie's release and the ongoing series will be origin stories until the movie's release.

[Christopher]

The Wormhole wrote:

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Countdown to Darkness is going to be telling the "proper" stories for the Abrams timeline leading up to the movie's release and the ongoing series will be origin stories until the movie's release.

Given that it's named after the original Countdown, I think it's likely to take the same approach as that miniseries and tell one particular story that sets up the movie, rather than multiple stories.

[BillJ]

Is this an error from issue #15?

[ATimson]

BillJ wrote:

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Is this an error from issue #15?

I see at least three errors there (wrong registry most likely, text is rotated to port, no bridge window). But given the use of the wrong ship earlier in the issue, I'm not surprised.

Learning that there's more errors beyond the preview is disappointing, though - I was hoping maybe they'd be fixed for the trade. It looks like they may be too extensive for that, though.

[Pauln6]

The McCoy story was ok but according to Trekmovie.com the ongoing series will finish with issue 20. If that's true I wish they'd decided to go out with more of a bang. I'll be sorry to see the series end but maybe the events from the movie sequel are going to change the format?

[ATimson]

Or IDW just wants to restart the numbering. They've done that with their ongoing Doctor Who series ones or twice (also around the 20-24 issue mark).

[Nightowl1701]

Seems to be standard operating procedure at IDW.

[Therin of Andor]

Pauln6 wrote:

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maybe the events from the movie sequel are going to change the format?

Issue #1s sell well, so I'd expect to see a "Series II" of the ongoing comic to turn up after the inevitable run of sequel and prequel mini-series (like "Spock Reflections" and "Nero", which both did very well, IIRC) and expanded-scenes script adaptation to the next movie.

So following the McCoy (#17 - which I quite enjoyed), we have a solo Uhura (#18), then Scotty (#19), then a Sulu & Chekov teamup (#20) to finish up.

[Pauln6]

I was thinking that they might decide to start telling 4-6 issue mini-series. Isn't that what they do with TNG? I would be happy with that as long as they have an overall plan for character development.

[Pauln6]

Therin of Andor wrote:

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Issue #1s sell well, so I'd expect to see a "Series II" of the ongoing comic to turn up after the inevitable run of sequel and prequel mini-series (like "Spock Reflections" and "Nero", which both did very well, IIRC) and expanded-scenes script adaptation to the next movie.

So following the McCoy (#17 - which I quite enjoyed), we have a solo Uhura (#18), then Scotty (#19), then a Sulu & Chekov teamup (#20) to finish up.

I hope the Uhura one-shot focuses on her and not on her relationship with Spock - ah who am I kidding she's a girl, of course it's going to be about her love for her man.

Looking forward to the Sulu/Chekov story. It's a shame that the Rand/Keenser team up just got bumped by the cancellation! Actually, all joking aside, I would seriously have liked to see a Chapel one-shot added to the list.

[Therin of Andor]

Pauln6 wrote:

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I would be happy with that as long as they have an overall plan for character development.

Character development will always come from the parent sources, (ie. "Into Darkness" and its sequel), before the comic is allowed such extrapolation.

Pauln6 wrote:

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I would seriously have liked to see a Chapel one-shot added to the list.

Since we still have no idea if she's even a part of the next movie yet, a one-shot Chapel was never a likelihood for the current comic series.

If she's in "Into Darkness", then yes, a future solo issue about Chapel is a possibility. In the distant future. If she turns up in "Countdown into Darkness", as an easter egg, her chances of being in the next film are probably also increased.

[Allyn Gibson]

Pauln6 wrote:

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The McCoy story was ok but according to Trekmovie.com the ongoing series will finish with issue 20. If that's true I wish they'd decided to go out with more of a bang. I'll be sorry to see the series end but maybe the events from the movie sequel are going to change the format?

It's not true. IDW is soliciting issue #21 in the March PREVIEWS.

[Pauln6]

Allyn Gibson wrote:

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It's not true. IDW is soliciting issue #21 in the March PREVIEWS.

Hmm - I hope that's the case. I'll mention it on Trekmovie. Maybe they mean the origin stories conclude with issue 20?

[Allyn Gibson]

ATimson wrote:

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Or IDW just wants to restart the numbering. They've done that with their ongoing Doctor Who series once or twice (also around the 20-24 issue mark).

Revise those numbers downward.

The first ongoing series (the tenth Doctor, Emily, and Matthew) ran 16 issues and an annual. The second ongoing series (the eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory) also ran 16 issues and an annual. The first series ended because Tennant's era was long since over; IDW had assumed that BBC America was going to show "The End of Time" on a several months delay. The second series ended to make room for Assimilation2; until very recently IDW has avoided offering more than two Doctor Who comics a month.

Pauln6 wrote:

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Hmm - I hope that's the case. I'll mention it on Trekmovie. Maybe they mean the origin stories conclude with issue 20?

You don't need to hope. It really is the case.