TrekInk: Review of Star Trek: Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor #1

After retiring from Starfleet, Dr. Leonard McCoy follows a friend’s advice and gets himself out of the house by signing up with the Federation’s Frontier Medics. This week, John Byrne and IDW Publishing began the narrative of McCoy’s adventures in the first issue of "Star Trek: Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor". Spoilers ahead in our review.

Star Trek: Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor #1 ("Weeds")
written and illustrated by John Byrne, colors by Lovern Kindzierski

While overseeing a refit of the Enterprise, Admiral James T. Kirk receives a handwritten letter that can only have come from one person. Dr. Leonard McCoy has joined Frontier Medics, a Federation program that provides medical care wherever its needed. With a stowaway aboard, McCoy and his partner, Dr. Jon Mikael Duncan, fly their antique shuttle, named Joanna, from an Andorian outpost to Ophiucus III, a human agricultural colony struggling with an outbreak of infectious disease. As the disease mutates and spreads, McCoy has to rely on his medical instincts and Theela, a bratty and well-armed Andorian girl, to find a cure. Much to his chagrin, McCoy learns that he and Duncan will be babysitting Theela for some time to come.

John Byrne has already demonstrated a talent for telling original series tales in his previous work for IDW Publishing. Weeds, an appealing opening chapter to a new mini-series, is no exception. Byrne tackles Leonard McCoy’s story prior to his return to the Enterprise for events told in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. With considerably more facial hair and perhaps a bit more curmudgeonly, McCoy’s decision to treat patients on the Federation’s frontier is completely in character. There aren’t any surprises in Byrne’s script, just a believable story with a few grace notes that I expect from someone who seems to enjoy original series Star Trek as much as I do. It looks like there may be a continuing thread related to Theela, with McCoy as a father figure. We’ll have to wait and see.

McCoy’s ride (proof artwork)

Byrne and colorist Lovern Kindzierski are a seasoned team when it comes to Star Trek comics. I expect clean lines and a light touch to the coloring, which is exactly what they’ve given. A very nice job. The characters in issue #1 are mostly humanoid, except for one very large, very angry shrub, but Byrne has quite a bit of fun with the cover art, which features numerous alien species. I’m looking forward to the remaining three issues in this series.

Byrne frequently discusses the comics he creates on his website. There is a Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor forum thread if you’re interested.

Under the knife! (proof artwork)

Star Trek: Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor #1 has three covers, all drawn by Byrne, who never met an alien species he wasn’t ready and willing to sketch. Cover A features a crowd of injured and ailing aliens waiting for the doctor. Cover B is a keyhole cover featuring McCoy giving medical advice to a patient. I don’t know the species of the patient, but this motif will be used for all of the B covers in the mini-series. A retailer incentive cover features the black & white B cover artwork. Byrne’s cover illustrations are amusing and fitting for a story about McCoy.

 
Cover A: John Byrne, Cover B: John Byrne, colors by Lovern Kindzierski

Retailer Incentive Cover: John Byrne (proof artwork)

Star Trek: Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor #1 arrived in local comic shops this past week. Run, don’t walk, and most certainly, don’t use a transporter, to get your copy. You can also shop online at TFAW.

The trade paperback collection of Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor is scheduled for publication October 2010 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

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.