Star Trek 7 (March 2012)

Johnson does a whole lot better when he’s not adapting episodes of the original “Star Trek.” Sure, it’s the whole point of this series, but this issue–the first original one–is leagues better than the previous ones.

Okay, Joe Phillips’s art is the same tepid, heavy on the likenesses, light on actual quality art the rest of this Trek series has had, but the story makes up for it.

This issue’s a sequel to the Trek revamp movie, with rogue Vulcans and Romulans in some kind of intrigue and the Enterprise getting involved. Johnson writes a really good scene for Kirk and Spock, something I can’t remember having happened before. Clearly the adaptations are too constrictive for his writing.

The other plus is the end reveal. It’s a great soft cliffhanger end reveal, feeling exactly like one before a commercial break.

It’s nice to actually enjoy reading this series.

CREDITS

Vulcan’s Vengeance, Part 1; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Joe Phillips; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

Star Trek 6 (February 2012)

While this issue is undeniably better than the last one, Corroney’s bad art is still a problem and Johnson exhibits a different writing problem. The issue’s better because more of it is dialogue. Spock and McCoy try to figure out what’s going on. It’s probably lifted from the original episode, but it definitely works. There’s tension, there’s drama. Johnson can handle it.

But he can’t handle the scenes between Kirk and his brother. Johnson’s unable to write Kirk as a person. He’s a wooden stand-in, as emotionless as Corroney’s photo referenced visualization of him. It’s Star Trek’s salient problem. It can’t sustain itself without a compelling protagonist–all it’s got going for it is a gimmick and a gimmick isn’t enough.

Johnson relies too much on text too. It’s a comic book, it’s supposed to be visual. It might be an editorial decision; if so, it’s a bad one.

CREDITS

Operation: Annihilate, Part 2; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Joe Corroney; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

Star Trek 5 (January 2012)

It’s hard to take Star Trek seriously. Joe Corroney’s art concentrates on photo likenesses of the new movie cast–he photo-references to the point when two people are in the same panel, they don’t even occupy the same physical space. And scripter Mike Johnson is just adapting old episodes in the new movie continuity. What he does add doesn’t seem substantial.

It all makes Trek a missed opportunity. The creators treat the comic as nothing but a check to cash, but there’s a lot of possibility. For example, this issue features the crew attacked by a planet’s zombie-like inhabitants. Star Trek vs. Zombies. Ought to be fun, right?

Not with Corroney’s art. The issue gets a little more compelling once it’s off the Enterprise, but then the action sequences fizzle.

Johnson also seems incapable of giving characters moments; he gives them one liners instead.

It’s tepid and lame.

CREDITS

Operation: Annihilate, Part 1; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Joe Corroney; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

Star Trek 4 (December 2011)

These comics ought to come with a fifty cents off coupon for buying the original “Star Trek” episode online.

If I’ve seen the episode, The Galileo Seven, I don’t remember it. But I do know the resolution must be somewhat different because Johnson’s finish for this issue is firmly in movie continuity.

The issue’s a failure, partially due to the awkward pacing, the rest due to Phillips’s art. Molnar is reduced to a layouts credit.

Johnson can’t make the comic, based on television pacing, exciting. Meaningful looks fail, as do the action scenes. And Phillips is so weak, any time Johnson does come up with a good moment, it flops. There’s one in particular, with Kirk spouting off regulations, where Phillips misses the humor. He’s clearly just too busy poorly tracing publicity photos of Chris Pine.

If I were reading Trek for quality, I’d give up now.

I’m not, however.

Star Trek 3 (November 2011)

Once again, Mike Johnson does well enough adapting an original “Star Trek” episode to the new movie’s continuity. Well enough means it utterly lacks any personality.

This issue Uhura gets the most “movie” personality, just because of her romance with Spock. But even with those added details, she barely makes any impression.

Instead, it’s all Spock, McCoy and the red shirts stranded on a hostile planet. No one agrees with Spock about how to proceed, but he’s in charge, yada yada. He’ll undoubtedly save the day.

The issue also introduces Yeoman Rand, who didn’t get a movie appearance, and Johnson just does it as a nod to the original series. I don’t think she has a line after her first panel.

The art’s a mess. Stephen Molnar manages to use the movie likenesses, Joe Phillips doesn’t. Neither is particularly good, Molnar just fulfills the task better.

Trek remains a curiosity.

Supergirl 3 (January 2012)

Green and Johnson give Supergirl a Lex Luthor knock-off this issue–he lures her in, runs tests on her… Seems very familiar. Oh, like Action Comics last month.

It’s unclear why they need a Lex Luthor stand-in, except to make a dig at the U.S. over the lack of a space program.

The issue’s sadly stupid. Superman leaves Supergirl to her own devices (he’s got to help somebody) and Lex Jr. speaks to her as a hologram. In English, so she doesn’t understand, which creates some of the issue’s problems. It’s not a bad plot for an issue, it’s just a poorly written comic book.

And the art’s not up to par either. It’s unclear what, if anything, new inker Bill Reinhold does to Asrar’s pencils because the issue looks like nothing but pencils. Maybe faded ones, but sketchy pencils.

Just when things were looking up, Supergirl drops.

CREDITS

Reunion; writers, Michael Green and Mike Johnson; penciller, Mahmud Asrar; inker, Bill Reinhold; colorist, Paul Mounts; letterer, Rob Leigh; editors, Matt Idelson and Wil Moss; publisher, DC Comics.

Star Trek 2 (October 2011)

So Sally Kellerman doesn’t show up this issue either.

Johnson continues his adaptation of the show’s pilot, but it’s all of a sudden very reductive. He can’t handle a big cast–I think there’s maybe five people in the whole issue–which makes it feel less like “Star Trek.”

Molnar can’t handle the technology, which is another problem. Again he’s concentrating on the likenesses IDW has contracted instead of good art. Johnson gives him a mildly complex sequence (Kirk is being forced to kneel) and Molnar bombs it.

The emphasis this issue is on Kirk, his captain log narrates, he’s the one sitting alone thinking about the events. It doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t feel like the new movie Kirk and it doesn’t feel like the original.

The concept is starting to fall apart two issues into an ongoing series… not a good sign at all.

But it’s still readable.

Supergirl 2 (December 2011)

Oh, I’m going to regret saying it… but this issue of Supergirl isn’t bad. If it weren’t for some of the art issues, it might even be good.

It’s an all-action issue (again), with Kara and Clark fighting it out over Russia and China. The location makes it a novel idea, but there’s also all this talking, with Clark trying to calm her down and whatnot.

And in those moments, Asrar and Green (and colorist Dave McCaig, can’t forget him here), make this great Supergirl comic. Sure, her costume is still moronic. Asrar doesn’t objectify her, but her costume does? It doesn’t make any sense conceptually and it’s visually confused.

But Asrar’s Superman is awful. Superman looks about fourteen and bears a striking resemblance to “Alfalfa” Switzer. The bad Superman does these moments in.

Green and Johnson actually pleasantly surprised me. I was dreading this issue, but it’s fine.

CREDITS

Reunion; writers, Michael Green and Mike Johnson; penciller, Mahmud Asrar; inker, Dan Green; colorist, Dave McCaig; letterer, John J. Hill; editors, Matt Idelson and Wil Moss; publisher, DC Comics.

Star Trek 1 (September 2011)

IDW should have put out Star Trek as double-sized issues, containing the entire episode adaptation, instead of splitting them up.

It’s a high concept series–comic book adaptations of the original series but in the new movie’s continuity, which is the only reason I was interested.

So, an issue is only as good as the original episode… I mean, Mike Johnson takes a lot of dialogue straight from the pilot episode (if I remember right) and he does a fine enough job updating to the “new” personalities. It almost seems, in some cases, he’s updating to the Star Trek movie–original cast–personalities more than the new movie’s (as the new movie didn’t have the time to fully establish characters).

As for the art, Stephen Molnar seems more concerned with likenesses than he is with doing a good job. It’s unfortunate, but Trek‘s about the concept, not the art.

CREDITS

Where No Man Has Gone Before, Part One; writer, Mike Johnson; artist, Stephen Molnar; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Neil Uyetake; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

Supergirl 1 (November 2011)

Relaunching Supergirl when Superman’s not even established seems thoughtless. Thank goodness writers Michael Green and Mike Johnson are so dull they don’t even engage that question.

Their take on Supergirl is she’s a dumb teenage girl. If they made her like Paris Hilton–someone who turned herself into a brand–it might be interesting. Instead, she’s just a dumb girl.

They do, however, lift moments from Supreme Power and Red Son; their lack of ingenuity is universal, not just Kara.

DC should have hired a female writer. Or at least hired a guy with a teenage daughter. Green and Johnston’s insight into the female condition isn’t laughable. It would need to exist to be laughable.

Mahmud Asrar’s art is actually pretty good. There’s no reasonable explanation for Supergirl to dress like a hooker out of Blade Runner (except DC likes objectifying teenage girls). But Asrar probably didn’t do the redesign….

CREDITS

Last Daughter of Krypton; writers, Michael Green and Mike Johnson; penciller, Mahmud Asrar; inkers, Dan Green and Asrar; colorist, Dave McCaig; letterer, John J. Hill; editors, Matt Idelson and Wil Moss; publisher, DC Comics.