TrekInk: Early Review of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ghosts #4

Trapped in a ghostly plane of existence, Picard must communicate with the Enterprise before Riker gets medieval on the squabbling leaders of Juulet and Dorossh. It’s business as usual in the penultimate issue of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ghosts from IDW Publishing. Check out our early review of Star Trek TNG: Ghosts #4 due in comic shops tomorrow (Wednesday). We also have a bit of a late review of Ghosts #3.

REVIEWS: TNG Ghosts #3 & #4

While this reviewer was temporarily stranded on an ice planet, IDW Publishing has remained busy out in sunny southern California, so before we get into the review of #4 (below), let’s catch up with last month’s release of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ghosts #3.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ghosts #3
written by Zander Cannon, art by Javier Aranda and Marc Rueda

Data is recalled to the Enterprise during a crisis and brings the leaders of the Republic of Juulet with him. Picard hopes they will help prevent Worf’s execution, now a prisoner of neighboring Dorossh. Researcher Everuud recovers enough to talk to Dr. Crusher, but his colleagues strongly recommend that he remain silent. While Data tries to make sense of the planet’s history, Picard tries to reason with Worf’s captors who respond with a battery of missiles. During the brief battle, Picard vanishes from the bridge. Stardate 44751.5

Zander Cannon‘s complex story arc continues to unwind slowly but surely in Ghosts #3. In this issue, a few more threads of the mystery are unraveled and the duplicitous Juuletians take center stage. You just know they’ve been naughty. As in previous issues, there is a lot of dialogue, telling a story as detailed as the art. Like the television show, everyone likes to talk, including Worf, proving that you can kick the snot out of a Klingon, but you can’t get him to shutup. Although the story seems to be heading in a predictable direction, I’m enjoying the ride.

The art team of Javier Aranda, Marc Rueda (inks), and John Hunt (colors) has put together a vibrant and colorful backdrop for Cannon’s story. Riker suffers a bit in this issue, looking like a young man in one panel and an old geezer in the next, and who knew that Picard could look commanding as a puff of smoke? I know some readers are unhappy with the art in this mini-series, but if you look past some inconsistencies in character appearances, its an unusually rich presentation.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ghosts #3 has two covers. The regular cover by Joe Corroney features Picard falling in terror through nothing. You can hear Picard screaming all the way down. It’s an unusual cover. The retailer incentive cover presents Corroney’s art without trade dress.

 
Cover: Joe Corroney, Cover RI: Virgin cover

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ghosts #4
written by Zander Cannon, art by Javier Aranda and Marc Rueda

Still on alert following a Dorossh missle attack, Riker must determine what happened to Picard and is fed up with evasive Juulet politicians and truculent Dorossh rebels. Meanwhile, Picard has materialized in some alternate plane or dimension, an infinite space of white nothing, where he finds all of the missing Dorossh leaders and the Juulet researchers who first discovered its existence. Among the researchers is Keer, Everuud’s wife. With her help, Picard hopes to communicate with the Enterprise before dire circumstances become explosive. Stardate 44751.6

Zander Cannon seems to be channeling the original writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation television episodes. I’m annoyed with Picard because all he wants to do is negotiate; I’m annoyed with Riker because he’s too disciplined to start blasting away; I’m annoyed with Data because he does not or will not use contractions; I’m annoyed with Worf and his warrior ways; I’m annoyed with LaForge and his technobabble; I’m annoyed with Dr. Crusher and Counselor Troi just because they’re behaving like Dr. Crusher and Counselor Troi. Basically, all of the things that used to annoy me about the television series now annoy me in this mini-series. Cannon knows his Next Gen Trek. That said, I’ll certainly stick around for the last issue and I’m sure I’ll be annoyed about something.

Remember those budget-balancing episodes using clips from previous episodes or the one-room sets? I’ve never seen it done in comics before, but that’s what Ghosts #4 looks like. The richly detailed backdrops drawn by Javier Aranda and Marc Rueda are replaced with nothing, just characters on a ghostly white background. Picard has been here before, courtesy of Q. Sisko has been here, visiting with the Prophets. Keanu Reeves has been here after taking the little red pill. I think a few car commercials have been filmed here too. It’s very odd to see it in comics, but I guess it works and it also shows John Hunt‘s fine coloring work in very stark relief.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ghosts #4 has two covers. The regular cover by Joe Corroney features Picard pointing a fickle finger of fate at something in front of him. I’m not sure what this cover is meant to convey. What happened when Picard stopped falling through the cover of issue #3? Didn’t he break something when he landed on the infinite white plane of nothing? The retailer incentive cover presents Corroney’s art without trade dress.

 
Cover: Joe Corroney, Cover RI: Virgin cover

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ghosts #4 will appear on a vast infinite plane of existence in local comic shops this week. You can also pick it (and other issues from the series) at TFAW.

A trade paperback collection will be published June 2010 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

More Ghosts

Check out our previous reviews for Ghosts #1 and Ghosts #2.

More Trek comics this week

Also due in stores this week is issue #1 of the Star Trek movie adaptation and the trade paperback for John Byrne’s Romulan series. Look for the TrekMovie reviews of those soon.

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.