Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks #2
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Written by: Ryan North
Art by: Chris Fenoglio
Letter & Design by: Johanna Nattalie
Issue 2 of IDW’s spot-on comic tie-in of Star Trek: Lower Decks is just as fun as the first, complete with not one, but two huge plot twist cliffhangers to set up next month’s issue 3 finale.
Cover A by Chris Fenoglio
Holodeck character sentience is all the rage once again with the unexpected return of Moriarty in Picard Season 3 and the emergence of Dracula in IDW’s Star Trek: Lower Decks comic. Speaking of the fussy old professor, as we learned from the last issue, Starfleet wisely has created a new protocol for this kind of thing and Ransom ordered Mariner to take care of their new bloodthirsty life form.
In typical Lower Decks fashion, what you think is going to happen never does, which remains true in the comic. Mariner, representing the audience (and me), marches into the holodeck expecting the Dracula storyline to become a “Moriarty-level threat,” but instead, she finds the crew sipping replicated blood daiquiris (aka Dracquiris), no doubt used to curtail Dracula’s thirst for the human variety. The interaction with Drac is hilarious – straight down to Boimler donning an “extremely practical” cape and getting leadership advice from whom they call an “immortal, super smart clever charismatic gentleman guy.” I will say that there may have been a missed opportunity by not having them all sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” but if that’s my only complaint, I’ll take it.
Meanwhile, Captain Freeman, Shaxs, and T’Ana continue with their second contact away mission gone awry. One of the things I love about Lower Decks is that it tends to point out some inconsistencies within Star Trek. For example, we tend to forget that there may be other continents on a planet – with different species and technology. This story may answer the question – what happens when a starship lands on the wrong continent?
Sometimes the second issue of a three-parter can be just filler to set up the third act but Lower Decks #2 is able to accomplish much more. It has to perfect balance of humor and danger, while still keeping true to the essence of the show. Once again, the art is spot on and the new aliens and even Dracula stand out.
Ryan North and company are continuing to deliver a fresh and faithful adaptation and if the final issue holds up to the first two, I’ll be petitioning IDW for more Lower Decks comics.
Lower Decks #2 out now
Star Trek: Lower Decks #2 was released on October 12. You can order individual copies at TFAW. Or pick up individual digital editions at Amazon/comiXology.
Keep up with all the Star Trek comics news, previews and reviews in TrekMovie’s comics category.
When are we going to get the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus in these Lower Decks comics?
uh… on Easter and Christmas? :P
Maybe once they finally get around to visiting the Shore Leave Planet.
Unrelated. Have anyone still saying “Knick-Knack!?” Can’t stop laughing about the last episode. :D
$6.99 is a lot for a single comic.
I am of the age of when comics were 20 cents and grumbled when they went to a quarter!
I might be off, but I think $6.99 is roughly the equivalent of a comic that would have cost $0.45 in that era. A bit of an eye-raiser. (I still bought it, though, and it was good enough for me to feel more or less okay about it.)