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By Michael Jan Friedman & Pablo Marcos (Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84576-153-7
Readable reprinting (issues #1-5 of the ongoing DC series from 1989) of the now-venerated TV phenomenon originally published in tandem with the further adventures of the original Star Trek franchise with novelist Michael Jan Friedman scripting and capable if uninspiring comics veteran Pablo Marcos illustrating characters which were still new to those oh-so unforgiving TV audiences.
The stories themselves are no great shakes, and certainly – at this stage – no rival to the comics starring the original series characters (also available from Titan in a companion series). The crew busy themselves dealing with an away mission that leads to Captain Picard being accused of murder (‘Return to Raimon’ & ‘Murder Most Foul’), a rite of passage for a anxious neophyte crewman (‘Derelict’ & ‘The Hero Factor’) and a lost love (Geordi LaForge’s this time) who has become an evil monster (‘Serafin’s Survivors’).
Happily, there is a marked improvement even between the first and last stories in the book, and later volumes have some genuine treats in store for both the dedicated fanatic and comic readers in general.
™ & © 2005 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.