TrekInk: Review – Star Trek Movie Adaptation #2

Vulcan pit fighting, bar brawls, Corvette racing, motorcycles, and snubs. Where you ask? Why, it’s the second issue of IDW’s Star Trek movie comic-book adaptation. Kirk and Spock are into their teens and causing trouble! Read to find out how it all works out in our review.

 

STAR TREK: THE MOVIE ADAPTATION #2 REVIEW

Following on from last month’s opener, the second issue of IDW’s Star Trek movie adaptation picks up the story a few years later. Things start with Spock taking a test at school on Vulcan, showing him getting bullied because of his deficiency. The story then skips to Earth to pick up Kirk’s auto theft and canyon smashup before closing out Spock’s story on Vulcan and the first meeting of Kirk and Uhura.

Like with the previous issue, the adaptation continues to be presented as an extended version of the film, with new inclusions and deleted scenes. Issue 2 opens by expanding the scene of young Spock being quizzed at school, including the addition of a new a new question (one that looks like an attempt to explain the "quantum" logic of the movie’s alternate reality). We also see an extended version young Kirk’s Corvette joyride scene, which now includes a portion of a deleted scene (with Uncle Frank and Jim Kirk’s older brother). This part in particular is a good example of how writers Mike Johnson and Tim Jones seem to have gotten comic book timing down, limiting the actual joyride to two pages of four panels each. This scene features few words, some sound effects, and no Beastie Boys, but gets the gist of the five minute scene across in a two page spread.


For some reason, Dave Chapelle’s impression of Rick James comes to mind here… (click to enlarge)

The final half of the story plays out in much the same manner as the movie, ending issue with a fantastic rendition of an iconic shot from the film. Johnson and Jones have obviously been given some leeway to play with the pacing, and this has allowed them to give it more of a feel that works in the comic environment, unlike IDW’s adaptation of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan last year which stuck too closely to the script and pacing of the film, and did not translate well as a comic book.

David Messina continues the art, including the cover art, and his work inside the book is inked once again by Gaetano Carlucci. Like some of his work on the "Countdown" series, Messina effectively presents the book in a style that is reminiscent of the look of the feature film, even including some lens flares! Combined with Giovanna Niro’s coloring, the artists have used slight blurring in a few panels to strongly indicate the feel of movement, but do not overuse it, so that the effect never wears out its welcome. Messina sticks to using page-wide panels, 4 to a page for most of the story, breaking up the wide panels into two smaller ones for conversations, but the format does not feel forced, and the story is allowed to flow fairly comfortably.


I guess everyone has to start somewhere… and I don’t mean his tongue comment… (click to enlarge)

The second issue continues with the strengths of the first, and improves the pacing significantly. Once again, there is one deleted scene brought into the mix, and some small bits of dialogue added and removed to give the story a feel that suits the comic book environment. Now that the coming-of-age stories are out of the way, the next issue will move on to Kirk’s time at the academy and the Kobyashi Maru. It will also be interesting to see how this movie adaptation series will connect and possibly overlap with last year’s "Star Trek Nero" series.

So far, this adaptation series is a good way to revisit the movie, and is managing to set itself apart in a different medium.




Covers for "Star Trek: The Movie Adaptation" issue 2
(click to enlarge)

Star Trek: The Movie Adaptation issue 2 is available in comic stores now. You can order it from TFAW.

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Man where can you find these comics?

I went to a comics store in Austin, TX today and was told that #2 did not come in with the rest of the new releases. They were under the impression that it would come out next week, citing IDW “irregularities” (although I countered with trekmovie.com accuracy). I will call my local comic book store in Abilene (which has been very reliable) tomorrow to see if they received any copies and can hold one for me.

Sounds good, though I’d like to declare a month this year – one month, maybe in summertime – where people who write about sci-fi and fantasy franchises see if they can refrain from using the word “iconic” and still get through the day (not at all meaning to single out this site – that word is being flogged to uselessness _everywhere_ in fandom these days … it’s becoming the Liam Neeson of adjectives).

But the comic continues to sound like a worthy work (and a worthy wait for the trade paperback).

Comics are released on wednesdays. But sometimes there are delays. Today is official release day and we run reviews traditionally on release day. The comic is available at tfaw.com which is linked at bottom of article.

I love just about all of the Star Trek comics, but I have to admit Messina’s style of traced “art” is starting to get on my nerves. There’s some parts in this series where its clear he just traced a screencap from the dvd.

the artwork looks like those commercials i think it’s a bank commercial…or even the animation from [adult swim]’s “Frisky Dingo” and FX’s “Archer”

NuKirl: “It means you have a sensitive tongue.”

Crashing a car that was not his and nearly getting killed for stupid reasons that weren’t worth explaining in the movie itself, and this is how he’s introduced to Uhura. While this comic does try to add in plot elements that give reasoning behind Kirk’s actions, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still an arrogant, pompous a**hole later on in the story.

And this has nothing to do with my fan delusion that Kirk would never do such a thing. It simply comes from the fact that his character is portrayed this way and I don’t like him because of it. If there is anything about Prime Kirk that I would compare NuKirk to is that if NuKirk ever did the “Space. The Final Frontier” monologue, that would be out of character. There are no instances in this this storyline where his character reflects any of what that monologue stands for.

been mentioned before but i cant help but feel they missed the boat somewhat – they couldve used the original actors likeness – wouldve set it apart from the movie somewhat and made it more interesting (i doubt the new actors wouldve minded it not being their likeness)

still hoping they include the Shatner scene at the end…

7:

Jeyl:

Kirk and his brother feel rejected by their own immediate family. Mom is always away, and Uncle Frank is abusive and claims ownership of the car the kids know was their dad’s.

The way I see it, after his brother leaves the house, Jim decides to one-up him by stealing ‘their’ car, which, in his mind, if they can’t have, no one can. This is fleshed out in the deleted scenes on the current DVD/BR.

This translates later on into the “leap without looking” attribute that Pike says is lacking at Starfleet, but that Kirk’s father had in droves. Pike’s speech is also meant to come at a time where Kirk is obviously waking up to the possibility that he has no future as a farmboy, and that fate has something greater in store for him.

Of course, he seems far from the ‘stack of books with legs’ as he was described by Gary Mitchell. For me, the main difference between the two Kirks is William Shatner vs. Chris Pine, and not the different origin stories.

As for the person and the monologue, tell me if James T. Kirk was ever ‘remembered’ in Star Trek lore as a great explorer. I don’t think anyone would say he was. Of course Kirk 2 has no experience yet. So, IMHO, there’s still lots of room for character development in ST2012 and beyond.

I think movie adaptations are always a little boring, because I know what will happen. I prefer new stories.

“NuKirl: “It means you have a sensitive tongue.”

Crashing a car that was not his and nearly getting killed for stupid reasons that weren’t worth explaining in the movie itself, and this is how he’s introduced to Uhura. While this comic does try to add in plot elements that give reasoning behind Kirk’s actions, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still an arrogant, pompous a**hole later on in the story.

And this has nothing to do with my fan delusion that Kirk would never do such a thing. It simply comes from the fact that his character is portrayed this way and I don’t like him because of it. If there is anything about Prime Kirk that I would compare NuKirk to is that if NuKirk ever did the “Space. The Final Frontier” monologue, that would be out of character. There are no instances in this this storyline where his character reflects any of what that monologue stands for.”

Well put. So far, NUKirk in no way even hints at the ideals the real/original one stood for. And for this fan, that speaks volumes.

I mean no disrespect to those who hold the opinion, but it’s kind of the POINT that Kirk in the new film starts off as a jerk. It’s not until later, when he has pushed so far he is literally in exile, he finds his salvation in Spock Prime. He sees how a) different his world would be if he applied himself instead of wallowing in the pain of losing his father and b) that he’s not the only sentient being in the universe to experience loss. From that point on in the narrative we see him work his way toward what Kirk Prime was, until finally, when he returns from the Narada and steps on to the bridge of the Enterprise, he is as he should be. That’s why at THAT moment, despite all Nero has done, he offers compassion- something the Kirk we see earlier in the film would never do. That’s character development, and allowing new audiences to see a version of the Kirk we know well to develop. Speaking only for myself, I have no problem with that.

Funny to hear u complain that Kirk wouldn’t do something that HE DIDNT DO!

Yeah, I was disappointed that it wasn’t in my LCS yesterday. Oh, well. I’ll just have to wait a few more weeks. BTW, has anyone seen my copy of ST? One of my kids removed it from the player and I have yet to find it!

I believe the problem some people are having with the behaviors, actions and morals of the “new” characters is based on comparing Kirk Prime with the alternate-universe characters. They are not quite the same.
Imagine for a moment that we presume the multi-verse theories are correct. One universe might be so close to the next universe that they are almost over-lapping (I’m not sure if my explanation is completely accurate, but this is how I understand it). The universe next to ours would have duplicates of every one of us. But in that universe, almost anything would be possible. Elvis could still be alive. World War II might never have taken place. Hitler might have been a good guy. James Kirk might have started out his life on the wrong foot.
I would like to suggest that Kirk’s “new” (and early) friendship with Spock will have a huge affect on the man he becomes… which could easily have been true in the Prime universe, as well. We do not have every detail of Kirk’s past anyway, so how can anyone say for sure what he went through? Plenty of people in real-life history have started out on the wrong foot, or a lesser foot, and, eventually, turned around to become great people. Why not Kirk…? in any universe…?

nice art- great extra scenes – cant wait for the trade.
as fot the oldkirk vs nukirk issue- just be glad there is anythinh “Nu” in Trek…

It’s the point of the whole movie: one can change. Lost people can found principles, values, and can learn to fight prejudices. Kirk starts of as a jerk. It will eventually become the most respected captain in Starfleet. In my opinion, this theme is very inspiring.

^ lost people can “find”

@9: “So, IMHO, there’s still lots of room for character development in ST2012 and beyond.”

Considering that this is now a movie franchise and not a TV series, (i.e. Two and a half years for only two hours or more of new material) I’ve got better material with better characters to wait for than waiting for the writers to come up with something for Kirk and crew to do that would make me care about them.

“Kirk and his brother feel rejected by their own immediate family. Mom is always away, and Uncle Frank is abusive and claims ownership of the car the kids know was their dad’s.”

Too bad that wasn’t in the movie because the scene is just a time waster. Just because it’s deleted doesn’t mean what I took from it was wrong. What matters is the movie. All I got from that scene was that Kirk stole his step-dad’s car and drove it off a cliff nearly killing himself. And for what? Well, we never find out in the context of the movie, so who’s to say that I have to interpret it any other way?

Oh Jeyl, your relentless vitriol never fails to disappoint.

@ 9 AJ – Couldn’t have said it better myself. NuKirk never has the luxary of George’s fathering and inspiration for joining Starfleet. Added and abusive step dad/uncle and you’ve got a youth who becomes a product of his environment, but secretly wants something more.

Had I been in his shoes, i probably would’ve trashed the car too (though not by throwing it off a cliff).

@19- You are always entitled to your opinion, but if that’s all you got from that scene, perhaps you weren’t watching closely enough. Again, I mean no disrespect, but the audience should be interpreting things that aren’t necessarily presented directly in the narrative. That scene was perhaps excised from the film because it was TOO direct an implication of how Kirk was changed by the death of his father.

interesting Debate but its all old news- yes we have a different Star Trek universe – deal with it- the prime universe is still in tact.

how about looking at the comic?

I have been reading these posts and you guys really need to get a life. And so do I. Well let me say this. The movie never established that Kirk had a brother. The film is canon and until it says otherwise, Alternate Jim was an only kid and the car he stole could have been his moms new boyfriend. It is open to interpretation but as you all know the live action stuff is canon which is why Countdown was a bit of a waste. The movie and Countdown contradict each other or was I the only one who noticed that? Look I like the new universe. I argued for years that the original crew was ripe for a reinterpretation. It took a string of bad movies and Batman Begins for the studio to see that it was time to put the old Trek lore to bed. The Next Gen films with the exception of First Contact could have been on television. They were bad movies. You know it and I know it.
Shater is like 100 years old and it was time to let go. If its a alternate reality then that means everything has changed. The appearance of Nero and his tech altered that universe forever. Vulcan destroyed altered it as well. Stop whining about the changes and enjoy them. Do I really want to see Nichelle Nichols at 90 in another skirt? Hell No. Give me Zoe. You can thank Rick Berman and his arrogant delusional vision for the new Trek. If it had not been for his train wreck productions we would not have a cool film.Now, get off these boards Geeks and get to your nearest strip club.

A young Jean-luc Picard was an accomplice as his friend tried to rig a game of chance against a bunch of Nausicaans and he got stabbed in the heart for his troubles. But that experience was part of what made him the captain that he was. Overcoming the flaws in his own character is a vital component of any hero’s journey, the fact that the new Kirk, as a product of a different set of circumstances, has few more character flaws than Kirk Prime to overcome will only make his journey all the more interesting.

I pray Star Trek is a trilogy and they cut it off when these Actors reach their mid thirties. I dont want to see them trying to do this at 50. Take a page from the original Star Wars and do a trilogy while they are young. No more Fat grey haired engineers who waits until the communications officer is an old woman to hit on her instead of when she was hot and young. Remember that mess called Star Trek V?

@26: “Remember that mess called Star Trek V?”

Yes, and I also remember the good film that was Star Trek VI. I care not for age.

26

I’ve always wondered what they’re going to do when the 3 movie contract for the actors finishes, assuming the series still still profitable say, 2016-2017 when the 3rd movie would be out. Are they going to recast the roles or pull a Spider-Man 4 and reboot but without a plot-related reason? I get the feeling they’ll get everyone onboard for a 4th movie, and then a 5th movie would be a semi-recast mish-mash (Dane Cook IS James T. Kirk) and that would be it for this series.

To #28

Dane Cook is NOT James T. Kirk. He’ll NEVER be Kirk. Not in even in some alternate quantum flux capacitor universe ending timeline will he play Kirk.

It’s ain’t gonna happen ;-)

#27 “Yes, and I also remember the good film that was Star Trek VI. I care not for age.”

To be honest, in my humble opinion, the actors in Trek VI were too old and tired. Their acting was wooden and out of place in fast situations, when energy was required. McCoy trying to help Gorkon was painful to watch, and a lot of scene looked static, without dynamism. When Kirk realizes that Enterprise is firing at Kronos One, the reactions of the bridge crew are not believable, slow, without strong emotions. I don’t know who is to blame for this, the director or the actors lacking their juvenile vigor.

To be honest, I don’t see the new cast doing six plus movies like the original cast did. I certainly think they will do 3, maybe 4 but that is it.
I don’t think the new cast will want to be doing Star Trek for more than a decade. Most of the new actors, unlike the original cast (with the exception of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy) will have multiple projects going on and may become too “hot” and expensive for Paramount.

I’d like to see IDW do an adaptation of some of the other Star Trek movies like “First Contact” and “The Search For Spock”. Probably not going to happen since adaptations for those movies were already done by D.C Comics.

@30 Yes VI was a great film but it should have been V. If age wasnt important, then why is it the only time comic book characters age is when they are portrayed in an alternate universe or something. Peter Parker was in high school for a while and I think he is still in college or recently got out. The original crew should have moved on a long time ago. The Next Gen crew was aging. I could not believe how long they kept Riker as Picards Number One. The insult of those films was paying for something that could have been run on television. That is how bad they were.

Anyway Star Trek became a mess after Voyager and Enterprise came on. I appreciated the 4th season of Enterprise but I despised Voyager. It was lame and they saturated it with Borg storylines to keep it interesting but it was not a good show. Next Gen should not have gone beyond All Good Things… because they had no new ideas. Riker should have been given a command. I am happy with the new Trek and I appreciate how protective Paramount is of it. Its time to move forward.

@32 “The insult of those films was paying for something that could have been run on television.”

You don’t pay for television? Adjusting them rabbit ears a lot are you? I dunno about you, but my annual cable bill is twenty times higher than my annual movie ticket bill…all so I can have seventy channels of which I regularly watch, maybe, four.

I’ve never understood the argument that says “I want a film based on the TV show I love, but I don’t want it to be like the TV show.” In my opinion a significant problem with all the Star Trek films has always been that they have to be once-in-three-years stand-alone action movie “events” rather than episodes. Too much at stake to tell a thought-provoking, maybe even quirky “what if we discovered a civilization where…?” story.

Hence, they almost always end up being “the Enterprise saves the universe” stories…over and over and over and over again.

A lot of talk about the new movie compared to the Prime Verse, and Star Trek in general. I understand that this is important, but this article is about the comic (fancier: graphic novel :P). What do you think about that?

The artwork looks good enough. I like it. But Mel (#10) already said it: an adaptation is a receycled story. I would rather see something new.

33. PeterP – March 19, 2010

You don’t pay for television? Adjusting them rabbit ears a lot are you?

LOL