TrekInk: Review of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Fool’s Gold #3

IDW Publishing continues their first comic series based on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, with last weeks release of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Fool’s Gold #3. Now that Odo and Kira have finished interrogating the visiting suspects, let’s interrogate DS9’s usual suspects. Spoilers ahead in the TrekMovie review.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Fool’s Gold #3
written by Scott and David Tipton, art by Fabio Mantovani

Backed up by O’Brien’s investigation of the station, Kira and Odo tell Sisko the tale told by Quinn and Portafoy. A shady Triexian sold them information claiming that a Cardassian administrator hid a fortune in jewels and precious metals when the occupation of Bajor ended, leaving clues to the treasure’s location in the station itself. Sisko orders Odo and Kira to lock down the station and follow the money, leading them to the usual suspect. Meanwhile, Dr. Bashir has lunch with the other usual suspect, who offers his help finding the treasure.

Scott Tipton and brother David clearly have a good feel for the relationships among Deep Space Nine crewmembers. They’re hitting all the right notes as the story shifts from Sisko’s office to Quark’s bar and from a quiet table where Bashir and Garak share a meal to a riot on the promenade. They’ve also done a good job hiding the punchline to this mystery. I’m baffled. Ok, so maybe I’ve been watching and reading Trek for so long, that a few of my neurons aren’t firing as fast as they used to. Nevertheless, I’m anxious to read the concluding issue of this story and learn what’s going on.

The usual suspect

The art for this issue is a mix of compelling panels like the Triexian in his shadowy lair and lean-out views that lack detail. I get the feeling that artist Fabio Mantovani rushed to finish some of the panels. Mantovani and Davide Amici provide coloring suitable for a dreary Cardassian space station. No complaints there. I try not to get too worked up about Trek comic characters who don’t look exactly the way I expect them to, but I wish there was a more consistency from panel to panel. We’ll see how things go in the concluding issue.

The other usual suspect

Fool’s Gold #3 has three covers. The Sharp Brothers (Joe and Rob) feature a pair of Ferengi, one of them gleefully caressing some latinum with DS9 crew in the background. David Messina and Giovanna Niro (colors) paint a portait of O’Brien over an engineering graphic of the station for the second cover, and yes, it looks like Keiko’s cooking agrees with Miles. The retailer incentive cover features their artwork without trade dress. With one issue left in the series, the last B cover will probably feature Odo.

 
Cover A: The Sharp Brothers, Cover B: David Messina, Giovanna Niro

Cover RI: Virgin cover

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Fool’s Gold #3 materialized in local comic shops last week. If you missed it, you can still go online to TFAW.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Fool’s Gold will be collected in trade paperback this summer, July 2010.

More Fools Gold

• TrekMovie review DS9: Fools Gold #1
• TrekMovie review DS9: Fools Gold #2

Mark Martinez is an obsessive-compulsive Star Trek comics reader and collector. You can visit his website, the Star Trek Comics Checklist for more than you ever needed to know about Star Trek comics.