Spoilers Star Trek: Boldly Go Comic Series Review Thread

[Leto_II]

I really enjoy the Kelvin Timeline and seeing it in comic form, but it feels like only getting appetizers to grand ideas, like ‘episode-lite’.

Yeah, stories like the "sun-eater" Kelvin-verse arc ("Behemoth," I think?) started to dip their toes into deeper TOS ideas, but felt suddenly truncated at the very end -- locking some of those stories into a two-issue format tended to have a detrimental effect sometimes, when more issues might've been better.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

From an original idea standpoint, I liked the one about the man who could only survive morphed into an alien. http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Lost_Apollo,_Part_1, http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Lost_Apollo,_Part_2

 

[Enterprise1701]

"Live Evil" was a pretty decent 3-part arc. Plus, it threw out "Mirrored"!

But yeah, most of the other arcs have suffered from too short length.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Does anyone else besides me think that the Kelvin Timeline comics have consistently depicted Uhura with a staggering level of incompetence and disrespect for Vulcan culture? Which is somewhat stunning given that she initiated their relationship?

 

[Daddy Todd]

Does anyone else besides me think that the Kelvin Timeline comics have consistently depicted Uhura with a staggering level of incompetence and disrespect for Vulcan culture? Which is somewhat stunning given that she initiated their relationship?

This never struck me, but honestly, I’ve not been impressed by much the KTL comics have done, story wise. So, maybe I glossed over Uhura’s incompetence like I glossed over Kirk’s. And Spock’s. And the rest. It’s comic books, so my expectations, frankly, are lower than they would be for a novel. Plus, KTL has a high “pew pew” quotient, which interferes with complex storytelling.

I have enjoyed some of the artwork along the way.

 

[Christopher]

It’s comic books, so my expectations, frankly, are lower than they would be for a novel.

Well, that's hardly fair to the comics medium in general, regardless of the quality of any single series. There have been plenty of really good Trek comics over the years, many of them by people who've also done novels.

 

[Markonian]

^ New Frontier: Turnaround is a good example. It combines its plots with a few ongoing subplots that include character-building scenes for nearly the entire ensemble cast.

Only when I read that could I put my finger on the shocking quality disparity between old-style fleshed-out comics, and the current IDW output that feels like reading plot-driven short stories.

 

[Daddy Todd]

Well, that's hardly fair to the comics medium in general, regardless of the quality of any single series. There have been plenty of really good Trek comics over the years, many of them by people who've also done novels.

But it’s a reality of the comics medium. Only having 22 pages of story in an issue (more recently, only 20) does make it extremely difficult to put much complexity into any single story. Even multi-issue arcs, which theoretically have more space to stretch out, are compromised by the need to have some kind of cliffhanger every 20 pages (followed by a quick “reset” in the next issue).

Back in the days of the first DC TOS series, it felt like an issue was about the equivalent of a single “act” of the TV series. So, an 8-issue storyline like The Mirror Universe Saga was about equivalent to a 2 or 2.5 hour movie. It’s a stone classic.

But IDW doesn’t do series that long. Thus, their stories feel short and uncomplicated. It’s not like I hate them, and honestly I think my criticism is quite mild. But the medium distorts the ability to tell a complex story.

 

[Christopher]

But IDW doesn’t do series that long. Thus, their stories feel short and uncomplicated. It’s not like I hate them, and honestly I think my criticism is quite mild. But the medium distorts the ability to tell a complex story.

You're complaining about the format, not the medium. The medium is comics, and comics can be done in many formats. Early comics tended to have 9 panels per page and plenty of text, but told several 8-page stories per issue. Comics from the '60s onward told ongoing, serialized stories with a typical count of around 6 panels per page. Modern comics often have more decompressed stories that are "written for the trade" and emphasize art over text. Those are changes in format within the medium. There are also other formats, like manga, with thick, square-bound, digest-sized volumes containing fairly long stories, or digital comics, which sometimes experiment with unusual panel sizes and structures or are published one page at a time. So you can't blame the entire medium for your problems with a single format.

 

[Daddy Todd]

So you can't blame the entire medium for your problems with a single format.

Where did I do that? I’m specifically talking about Star Trek comics from IDW, and comparing their lack of complexity to, say, a Star Trek novel from Pocket.

I’ve been reading Love and Rockets by Los Bros. Hernandez for over 30 years (they’ve been published for nearly 40). Jaime’s “Locas” stories are among the most complex and meaningful stories I’ve ever read, so I’m not disparaging the graphic story as a genre.

Hell, I’m not even disparaging the Trek comics format. But I think it’s an undeniable reality that the way IDW publishes Star Trek comics does not lend itself to complex, multilayered storytelling. Simplicity and frequent cliffhangers are baked into the format of “4 or 5 or 6 issues, at 20 or 22 pages each, later collected in a trade.”

 

[Christopher]

Where did I do that?

When you said:

It’s comic books, so my expectations, frankly, are lower than they would be for a novel.

and:

But the medium distorts the ability to tell a complex story.

You didn't say "Star Trek comics from IDW," you said "comic books" and "the medium." We can't read your mind, just your words. If you use words that imply blanket generalizations, you can't expect your readers to understand that you're referring to just one specific example. Phrasing matters.

 

[Nyotarules]

Just read issue 17 in the IDW Boldly go series I give it 6/10

 

[Malaika]

Does anyone else besides me think that the Kelvin Timeline comics have consistently depicted Uhura with a staggering level of incompetence and disrespect for Vulcan culture? Which is somewhat stunning given that she initiated their relationship?

that's interesting as I have the opposite feeling. And so do the vulcans in the story as they mostly seem to like her (kids included, LOL). Sarek himself points up to how well and effortlessly she seems to fit among vulcans, to the extent they actually ask her to teach a class at the academy to their kids.
Respecting the vulcan culture doesn't mean, however, that she has to agree with Spock/the vulcans about everything all the time and placate them when they are acting stupid or have flaws just like anyone (and she does experience a bit of xenophobia herself from some vulcans doubting her validity as Spock's mate just because she's human.. and she is more amused by their gossip than being offended).. and really, if she were to pretend every flaw they have or every bad decision they make as individual people must be blamed on them being vulcans and a 'culture', rather than them having their own personality like everyone, she'd essentially 'other' them rather than treat them as equals and thus as people no less than the humans.

There is a difference, though, between her and McCoy for example because she isn't racist/xenophobic about the vulcans, she likes their race and respects their culture (there is a great monologue in boldly go 9 that emphasizes that and how much she gets them. And also a scene from the after darkness comics where she says she loves Spock's vulcan heritage, but he hides it from people and even her at times because he's scared of being perceived as alien). When she disagrees about something the vulcans think or do, she doesn't really make it seems the 'issue' is that those people are vulcans and not human.

as for her competence, she honestly is portrayed being as one the most competent officers of the crew. I mean, she constantly saves the day with her skills and I can't even really remember an instance where she failed or damaged a mission or was truly wrong about anything..so again, I'm confused by your assertion about them 'consistently' decipting Uhura as disprectful of the vulcan culture (again, that would be McCoy), or incompetent (that would be Kirk, and at times Spock too). If they truly were to put examples of that, perhaps it would only balance a bit all the other scenes.

 

[Nyotarules]

Does anyone else besides me think that the Kelvin Timeline comics have consistently depicted Uhura with a staggering level of incompetence and disrespect for Vulcan culture? Which is somewhat stunning given that she initiated their relationship?

I just re read issue number 10 which focuses on New Vulcan. I disagree, she is respectful and still retains her humanity. She even wins the admiration of a teacher and one of the little boys who wants to marry her...its cute.
Plus Sarek keeps hinting S/U should get married

 

[Daddy Todd]

You didn't say "Star Trek comics from IDW," you said "comic books" and "the medium." We can't read your mind, just your words. If you use words that imply blanket generalizations, you can't expect your readers to understand that you're referring to just one specific example. Phrasing matters.

I apologize for being unclear. It made perfect sense to me!

It's easy for me to forget how difficult communication can be online.

 

[Malaika]

I just re read issue number 10 which focuses on New Vulcan. I disagree, she is respectful and still retains her humanity. She even wins the admiration of a teacher and one of the little boys who wants to marry her...its cute.
Plus Sarek keeps hinting S/U should get married

the vulcan kid and his logic (though, aren't names starting with T' female vulcan names?) was adorable

I like the way she replies to him, she doesn't even mention she has a boyfriend already to not hurt his feelings LOL
In 10 years Spock will have to worry though^

I also loved that Uhura understood every bit of Sarek's subtext while Spock was oblivious to what his father was doing and him telling them in his own way that he wishes they'd stay (and marry and make him a granpa^), and he'll miss them when they'll have to get back to their ship.
Spock and his father have similarities but probably Spock's inability, at times, to understand Sarek's subtlety might have contributed to their misuranderstandings through the years. The comics so far are the only vehicle for this trek to further develop the father-son relationship post vulcan diaspora, and I have to say I like what they had done so far because you get hints that there was an evolution and this Spock now has a much better relationship with his father than tos Spock had, no doubt also thank to, in large part, Sarek's own changes here.

 

[Nyotarules]

I bet T'Ven remembers in 10 years and gives her a call. If it takes more than 10 years for S/U to makes thing permanent then the little Vulcan boy deserves a chance

 

[Malaika]

Kelvin comics on pause
It has already been announced that the Star Trek: Boldly Go series will soon wrap up. Speaking about the future of comics set in the Kelvin movie universe, Mike Johnson says “we are putting the pause button on the Kelvin-verse until we get a better sense of where the movies are going to go.”
​

https://trekmovie.com/2018/03/24/wo...ration-terra-incognita-talk-discovery-comics/

 

[F. King Daniel]

Kelvin comics on pause
It has already been announced that the Star Trek: Boldly Go series will soon wrap up. Speaking about the future of comics set in the Kelvin movie universe, Mike Johnson says “we are putting the pause button on the Kelvin-verse until we get a better sense of where the movies are going to go.”
​

https://trekmovie.com/2018/03/24/wo...ration-terra-incognita-talk-discovery-comics/

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[Leto_II]

^ Honestly, with all the fluctuating creative-rumors surrounding the next movie, this is probably for the best until something firmer finally gets locked down by Paramount, and maybe they can use this opportunity to free up some publishing-slots for stories set in some of the lesser-utilized Trek eras in the meantime (TOS movie-era, etc.).