Star Trek Reading Room Spotlight- Star Trek: Spock- Reflections From IDW Publishing

Name: Star Trek: Spock- Reflections
Published by: IDW
Written by: Scott & Dave Tipton
Art by: David Messina, Elena Casagrande, Federica Manfredi, & Arianna Florean

The Rundown: Ah... Star Trek comics. They've been produced by just about every comic publisher at one time or another, with varying degrees of success. The Gold Key stuff was fun but sometimes highly inaccurate, the DC run was long-lived but had a very mixed bag when it came to good stories and art, Marvel had it twice but didn't deliver much memorable stuff, Wildstorm was just a brief flash in the pan... which leads us up to IDW. For the first time (at least in my eyes), I feel a publisher is treating Trek comics as a truly viable medium to continue the onscreen adventures. I have yet to be disappointed in an IDW Trek book. Each one that I read seems to capture the "feel" of the characters better than anything presented by those previous publishers. So for my first comic spotlight, I'm picking one of my favs from the IDW era: Spock- Reflections

Reflections is a four issue mini-series that spans Spock's life, from his days as a young outcast on Vulcan up through his efforts of reunification on Romulus. The story is told in flashbacks set against a "current" story of Spock on a mission to bid a final farewell to an old friend. You can either snag the trade paperback pictured above to get it all in one handy volume, or if you prefer single issues, here's what you'll be looking for (the retailer incentive cover, if one was available, is pictured to your right)-



Issue 1 finds Spock leaving Romulus in secret for Earth. Spock has to deal with a talkative Saurian, and through their exchanges we see a little more behind the reasoning for Spock's departure. A brief flashback with Captain Harriman, and a scene from Spock's youth on Vulcan give you a feel of what to expect from the series.



The second issue continues Spock's talk with the Saurian. In this issue, we get flashbacks of Spock's return to the Enterprise in "The Motion Picture", his time serving with Pike, and a brief scene on Romulus that basically set the stage for the "current" story. The TMP scene is especially well done and may be my favorite Trek comic moment EVER. It truly feels like a deleted scene from the movie.



Issue 3 finds Spock leaving the company of the Saurian to charter a ship for a little pickup before completing his journey to Earth. We get to see more of Spock's past, from an encounter with an old flame on Vulcan during the time of Spock's attempt to complete the Kolinahr Ritual back to an adventure during the original 5 year mission with Kirk and company (a moment I had anxiously awaited since the first issue).



The closing issue of the series finds Spock completing his mission to Earth interspersed with flashbacks to his experiences with Saavik around the time of "Wrath Of Khan". The story ends with a very touching moment shared with an unexpected special guest...

Overall, "Spock- Reflections" is one of the best Trek stories to hit comic shelves. The Tiptons know their Trek and can really get inside the mindset of these characters (something lacking from many of the previous Trek comic writers). The art too is elevated to a point beyond what the other publishers have offered and has a truly cinematic feel to it. You can tell by reading these books that this isn't just a job to these creators, but in fact they really do care about this property and are putting everything they have into delivering a high quality product. Can't wait for more!

Picking up the trade is probably your best bet if you just want to read the story (which you SHOULD do). Amazon has it for the low price of only $12.23, which is well worth it!

-James

AA/ DST Spotlight- Captain Spock ("Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan")

Item Name: Captain Spock
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



Diamond Select released this Captain Spock as part of it's "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" line.



The Rundown: Fun little story for you- I was only 4 years old when TWOK hit theaters, but I still had a pretty good knowledge of Trek thanks to watching reruns on Sunday mornings with my mom. One of my earliest childhood memories stems from my love of Trek; I vividly remember playing around outside my grandparent's house in the summer of 1982, acting like I was Spock. One of the older neighborhood kids came up to me and asked "What are you playing?", to which I replied "I'm Spock". The older kid gives me a little chuckle and says (without even so much as a spoiler-warning mind you) "awww, it's too bad he dies in that new movie". He then hopped on his bike and rode away. I remember standing there being completely dumbfounded at what he'd just said, staring in shock as he pedaled off, probably to dash some other child's hopes and dreams. Ever since that day, whenever I see a Spock in his familiar TWOK garb, my mind goes right back to that moment. Weird, huh? Anyways...



One could argue that Spock is the most pivotal character from "Wrath Of Khan" (hell, you could easily argue that Spock is the most pivotal character in Star Trek period), so the fact that he was missing from the first wave AND the second "Comic-con" wave of TWOK figures was a little distressing. With so many Trek crews left unfinished in figure form, having to wait until essentially the third wave to get a Spock was torture. Obviously, we did get him...and man was he worth the wait! This Spock rocks.



As good as the AA TOS Spock head sculpt is, I think this older Spock captures him a bit better. Maybe it's the fact that Nimoy had a little more "character" in his face by this point that made it a little easier to nail the likeness, but whatever the reason the fact is that this is one excellent head sculpt. The only small gripe I have is with the skin tone- it looks a little like Spock has been hitting the tanning beds or he's trying out for the next season of "Jersey Shore". I wish he'd had a bit more of a pale green tint to his skin, but alas, what can you do?



As I've discussed in the other DST TWOK spotlights, there is some body reuse between the characters. Not really a big deal, since the uniforms are all basically the same and some minor changes are made to reflect different ranks and divisions. Spock is no exception, but regardless of it being a reuse, the body works. The build is a good match for Spock and the body has a good range of movement without sacrificing the look of the sculpt.



Accessories: Spock includes a phaser, communicator, the book he gives Kirk, and 3 (count 'em 3!) extra interchangeable hands. I'm especially pleased to see the book included- who'd have thought we'd get that!



If you are just beginning to collect DST stuff- the "Wrath Of Khan" line is a great place to start, with this figure HIGH on your list of priorities. He's a great sculpt with solid accessories and reflects one of the greatest moments in Trek history- even if some punk kid spoiled the end for you.

-James

Star Trek The Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition Extras- "The Conscience Of The King"

All the extras from the Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition of "The Conscience Of The King". Yeoman Rand's final episode...

Star Trek Reading Room Spotlight- Khan Noonien Singh Trilogy By Greg Cox

Awhile back, I spotlighted the excellent Trek novel "Assignment: Eternity" by Greg Cox. The tease at the end of the book about how Gary Seven would be instrumental in dealing with Khan's exile lead to 3 books focusing on the Rise and Fall of Khan. In the "Eternity" review I named it as the best Trek novel I had ever read. Well, after completing the Khan trilogy, that may have changed.



The first 2 books focus on Khan's origins and rise to power. Intertwined in Khan's origin story are Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln, who are on a quest to thwart the efforts of genetic engineering. You won't believe the role that Gary plays in Khan's life, from his earliest days up through his exile from earth. Cox also does a masterful job of making sense out of the Eugenics Wars taking place in the 1990's. Mixing in real world events and giving a plausibility to a "behind the scenes" genetic tyrant and cryogenic-capable sleeper ship make you almost question if perhaps Khan really did exist in the 90's...



The third book in the series focuses on Khan's years of exile on Ceti Alpha V. Again, Cox does a great job of making certain film inconsistencies not only work, but add depth to his stories (like why Khan keeps the one glove on...). I actually found myself rooting for Khan by the end, and it has enriched my views on Khan's character in "Wrath Of Khan". In fact, do yourself a favor if you pick this up and immediately watch TWOK after completing it. It's amazing how different you feel about Khan once you know where he comes from.

I went into these books thinking I'd probably like them, but not as much as Eternity since they lacked the TOS regulars (Kirk, Spock, & company). Boy was I wrong. While Kirk and crew do have small (yet still interesting) side stories in all 3 books, Khan easily held my interest all on his own. All 3 books are fantastic and get my highest recommendation. I just wish there were more...

-James

Playmates Spotlight- Captain James T. Kirk (9" Figure- As Seen In The Episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before")

Item Name: Captain James T. Kirk (From "Where No Man Has Gone Before")
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Turtleneck Kirk was released as a Target Exclusive way back in 1996 as part of the "Star Trek Collector Series" (sorry, no boxed pic for ya).

The Rundown: I've always been a fan of the uniforms seen in "The Cage" and "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Sure, the standard series uniforms are classic, but there's something about those early uniforms that just scream "sci-fi" to me. Playmates replicated the look for their 9" line, and the result was pretty nice (if you're a fan of that style of figures)...



Sure, they aren't that well-articulated, and yeah they're a bit too buff, but the Playmates 9" line has charm to spare. It's a line that made great financial sense to Playmates, since almost all the figures could use the same body with different uniforms thrown on them. The price was REALLY high back then, which caused me to shy away from the line when it was on shelves. You can get almost all the figures on the cheap now though, and it's worth picking up some of your favs if you've got a few extra bucks to spare.



In the case of the "WNMHGB" figures, Playmates did a fine job of capturing the look of the shirts. The knitted material works well and the collar is very nice. The only thing that's a bit off here for me is the color. It looks a little closer to Pike's and is a bit too "peachy" for Kirk.



It's been awhile since I've spotlighted one of the 9" Kirk figures, so I'll say it again: I think Playmates did really nice work capturing the Shat's likeness, especially considering the rotocast material used here. I don't know the exact process of taking an original sculpt and transferring it into this rubberized material, but they definitely made it work. I'm not sure any other company has captured him as well up to this point.



Accessories: Kirk includes a phaser, a communicator, and a tricorder. This is probably the most disappointing aspect of the figure as none of the accessories match the look of the equipment used in the pilot. Oh, and Playmates 9" figures can't hold their weapons all that well since they are all made just a bit too big (a major drawback you'll need to overcome if you decide to get into the line).

His box bio-





I may sound like a broken record here, but the 9" line really is an acquired taste. If you decide to get into it, you can usually find some pretty good deals out there. You may want to start by picking up your favorite subset, like for example the "WNMHGB" figures like Kirk here! The weapons are a bit disappointing, but the figure looks good on a shelf surrounded by his "pilot uniform" brethren...

-James

Playmates Update (It's not good news...)

Just got this notification from Playmates on future product-

Playmates Toys has been trying to come up with alternative ways to continue distributing our Star Trek brand of toys. Unfortunately, we have been unable to come up with additional distribution options and have discontinued the Star Trek line. Playmates sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this has cause you or your family.

That's a bummer. I was hoping that at least the proposed TOS 3.75" figure 2-packs (which we're rumored to be a collaboration between DST and Playmates) were going to still happen, but it sounds like all Trek is pretty much dead at Playmates...

-James

AA/ DST Spotlight- U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 ("Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan")

Item Name: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



DST released this Enterprise as part of it's "Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan" line.



The Rundown: The greatest ship design to ever grace the silver screen is recreated by DST in plasticized, effect-laden glory! One of the nicest segments of DST releases are their affordable, high-quality replicas of the ships seen in the films and movies. Let's take a peek at their "movie refit" version of the old girl...



The first thing you notice when you see this one in person is the "pearlized" finish used on her. I personally REALLY like the look. It gives it a much richer look than had they just molded it in light gray plastic and called it a day.



Unlike the TOS version, the movie refit of the Enterprise had a ton of little details painted onto the shooting model. DST did a fine job at capturing all of these little bits, and the paint on my original release is very clean and straight... which was probably quite a task with all these little details (more on this later).



Just like all the other DST ship releases, this TWOK version includes an interchangeable battery cover and stand for display purposes. I like the style used here (ball-and-socket) versus the pegged stand used on the TOS ship. The stand feels sturdier and I worry a little less about these taking a dive off my shelf.

And (of course) the ship is loaded with electronics- There's lighted features on the nacelles, deflector, and on the saucer, plus a ton of sound effects! Instead of typing them all out, here's a quick vid so you can just hear them for yourself-



You can't make out the lights that well on the video, but they are just a tad bit on the disappointing side. The deflector could be a bit brighter, and there's a pretty good amount of light bleed on the nacelles. Which leads me to the recent reissue...

Due to popular demand, DST recently did a new production run on the TWOK Enterprise. I picked one up the other day to see what was new on this second release. It seems (to me at least) that the light bleed has been improved a little on this new version. Take a look for yourself (the first one I activate is the original release)-



Not a huge difference, but I believe they used a thicker paint on the nacelles to block some of that bleed a bit. Now while that's an improvement, I have to say that the new release isn't quite as nice as the first in the paint department.



The newer release doesn't have as much sheen as the original. The pearly finish is still there, but it doesn't have the luster of the original. It's tough to tell in the pics, but some of the detailing lacks the sharpness of the original. Instead of sharp edges, the lines look a little more undefined and a bit sloppy.



You can see in this pic what I mean by the nacelle now having a thicker paint. Notice the difference in the nacelle colors there. Again, while that's an improvement, you can also see what I mean by the details being a bit sloppier this time around. The small brown marking at the edge of the nacelle looks sharp on the original, but looks more like a brown splotch on the new release. I should also point out that all of the text used on the new release lacks the definition of the original, even though they seemed to have use a slightly larger text this time around.



Some details seem totally omitted on this new release as well, like the lines encircling the saucer section. At first glance I also thought that the photon torpedo emitter area was missing it's red paint detailing, but upon further investigation it just appears that the paint app is muddy and the red just got lost in the black.



Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on the new release. If I didn't have the original to compare it to, I'm sure I would be totally happy owning the newer version. Any way you cut it, this is a fantastic toy of a beautifully designed ship. If you have a first release, you don't really need the second issue, even with the lesser light bleed. If it's your first time snagging one, even with the little downgrades here and there, I think you'll still be happy owning the reissue.

-James