Comics Review : Star Trek Spock Reflections Issue 4

The cover: David Messina (with colors by Ilaria Traversi?) closes out a great set of four covers, with the elder Vulcan statesman against a mustard background, while above him is the Romulan icon set upon stone. I've really liked these covers because all of Messina's covers (for this and other Trek comics) set the right mood for the issue without giving away any specific plot points. The look that Spock is giving the reader is intense (as any wise Vulcan would give), yet sad, because he's just so old, and we know his impending fate thanks to the newest film. I don't know if there was a Retailer Incentive Cover or not, there were no photos on the inside cover or cover credits. Overall grade: A

The story: Scott & David Tipton close out their flashback series with Spock delivering Kirk's coffin to Earth from Veridian III (Take that Shatner authored Trek books! Yeah, it bummed me out as well. I hate when Trek fiction fights one another). Spock is asked by his Bolian shuttle captain why he's taking this body for burial. The causes Spock's final "reflection." In this memory Spock teaches a close friend something that will be a "lifelong journey" while in Starfleet. The memory fits in perfectly when considering the previous three issues, but when looked at by itself, the lesson seems forced. One of my favorite "B" characters from a Trek film has a major part in this past moment, but I would rather have seen the action set during the film, rather than just before, as it caused me minor confusion: Wait, is this what happened off screen in the movie, that caused {this person}...oh, no. Couldn't be, because {this other person} isn't on the ship. But did Pages 5 - 8 happen on Earth or did...No, it's on the {vessel}. The revelation on Page 14 where Spock ultimately ends up threw me back into the emotion of the story. The visitor that arrives was unsurprising, as is their conversation, and I felt on Pages 16 and 17 I was getting the zillionth rehash of this conversation. The following two pages have very little dialogue, but -- Wow! -- I heard Nimoy say the dialogue in the upper right corner. And the final shot of the visitor as he exits, I would have looked back too. I thought the book was over at this point, but three more pages. They need to be there -- they must be there -- because that's what Spock would do. As much as I want him to fly about the universe on new adventures, that's not what he would do. His dialogue at the top of Page 21 was fitting, and the last page a good coda. I didn't care for the sole "reflection" but the "present" was entertaining. Overall grade: B-

The art: "Layouts by David Messina; Finishes by Federica Manfredi; Inks by Federica Manfredi and Arianna Florean." The work by all three is acceptable, but it does run very hot to luke warm. A spiral staircase in a seemingly standard shuttle? The female in the flashback will make you yearn for an untold tale, and you would want her to be drawn by this team; but I wouldn't want them to draw my favorite engineer again. The top two panels on Page 17 are perfection, but the third panel on the same page does not show the same character. Pages 18 and 19 are solid winners: I swear I can hear the breeze and see the clouds moving in that double paged spread. I lingered on that image. Page 20, panel two is the best drawing of Spock in the entire issue, which really diminishes the impact of the close-up on Page 21. I like a lot in this issue, and a lot made me speed through quickly to get to the next panel. Again, acceptable, but not great. Overall grade: B

The colors: "Colors by Ilaria Traversi; Color Assist by Chiara Cinabro of 2B Studio." I would love to know who did what, so I could thank the right person. The coloring of the interior of the Bolian shuttle is blue-grey dim, but not dark: perfectly shuttle-like. The flashback is lit straight out of the movie, it's really good. The first two pages on Earth come across as washed out, and don't really help the emotional impact of what is going on. However, this is remedied on the following four pages as the characters are highlighted expertly. My favorites include Page 17, panel two; Pages 18 & 19, panels two, three, and five. Page 20, panel two is gorgeous and screams as perfect clip art, in no small part to the wonderful coloring. Overall grade: A-

The letters: Neil Uyetake has a variety of effects to go with his dialogue: computer commands, an explosion, leaks (teeheehee), a beep, a transporter sound (YES!), and a gravestone marker. Nice to see Neil get to stretch a bit. Overall grade: A

The final line: In isolation, this is not a strong comic. There's only one reflection, and there's a climax, albeit strong, and then a quiet coda. When looked at as part of a collection (coming soon), this issue fits in nicely. I'd give this book a higher grade when collected, but on its own it's not consistent story-wise or artistically. Overall grade: B

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