Monday, June 24, 2013

Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men #1: Second Contact

 photo STTNGX-Men-1-Thumbnail_zps20ac0c04.jpg

To Boldly Go Where- wait, X-Men and Star Trek? AGAIN?!



96 comments:

Anonymous said...

T̸̴͟͞͝h̶̢̢̛͠è̶͏͠ ͏̷̨̀t̴͜͝͝i̶͘͝͠m҉̛e̸̵ ̵̀҉w̷̴̶̨͜í͝l̴͜͠͡l͏̀҉̨͟ ̨͏c̸͢o͏͏ḿ͘͠͡e̸̴,̴̨́͟ ̧̢͠I̢͠ ̴̧̀͞p̵̡̕͝r̸ơ̢m̛͟͡i͟s̕͟ȩ͘҉̨́ ̶̶̨͝į̴̡͢͠t̸̸̢͏̧ ̶́͘w͏̷͟i͏͢l̵̷͞ļ͝͡ ͏҉ć̶̛̕o̕͢m̸͏͠e̕͏͝͏̡

LucasChad said...

With the mention of Days of Future Past, I can't help but mention the new follow-up to X-Men: First Class that is currently in production. I don't know much about that story (I don't consider myself a nerd unsurprisingly), but I don't know how does it all tie into this new prequel series. Then again, these X-Men movies are starting to swirl around me now that the new Wolverine movie is coming out.

Of course they had to make a follow-up comic/novel to First Contact since it IS the best of the Next Generation movies. I can't wait until they make a follow-up comic/novel to The Voyage Home.

I'm sure Heroes Reborn is coming up. Rob Liefeld working for Marvel? I see good things happening.

Doug Puthoff said...

I'm still waiting for the STAR TREK/LOST IN SPACE crossover.

red said...

well then next week the new storyline starts i look foward to it good review this episode

Anonymous said...

Three Months!? They expected someone to write, draw, ink and paint an entire comic…in THREE MONTHS!?
Who the heck thought that be a smart plan.

Troi at 7:50 looks like she’s a NPC Model out of “Star Trek: Elite Force”.
Ensign Monroe is displeased.

Also, In the Marvel 90’s with Eugenic Wars? I thought that was the Clone Saga?
Continuity Errors? So, the Enterprise is what made the Plot Hole?

SMAXZO said...

First off, weird anonymous comment. Secondly, Ah Onslaught, never read the comics but damn was he a tough nut to crack in Marvel vs Capcom...that was before I met the horror that is Cyber Akuma. Third, IIRC, there was a Transformers/TMNT/Ghostbuster/G.I Joe crossover a while back.

Lyle Huckins said...

Seriously....you do a Star trek comic with Kang the Conquer in it and you don't do a joke where Picard yells "KAANNGG!!!!!" JJ Abrams managed to get it in his movie LOL

SMAXZO said...

Oh wait, how silly of me. There was a Star Trek/Transformers/G.I Joe/Ghostbusters crossover not the other stuff I mentioned in an earlier comment. Sorry about that. To be honest, I never read any western comics in my life save for Superman/Batman #66 and that that one issue that I can't really remember accept for the ending where Superman became Jordan Elliot at the end.

Anonymous said...

Just out of curiosity? Where was Beast? Was he dead during this point or something?

-WD said...

Any chance of seeing Bizzarro Linkarro reviewing his opinion of worst comics ever?

Anonymous said...

All this time technobabble further shows how ridiculous this crossover is when that stuff sounds like something from a bad Doctor Who episode.
I often tell people that about Star Trek commemorating it's 30th anniversary by having a crossover with the X-men, they have reaction you'd expect.
I'm in favor of getting invading Disney and Paramount to make a s Star Wars/Star Trek crossover, regardless of the medium it's in.

Lostshadows said...

I've gotta wonder, how many comic book plots would have been derailed over the years, if heroes were smart enough to at least consider that people, who try to take over the world periodically, might be slightly less than completely trustworthy.

Unknown said...

Having not watched Nex Gen in over a decade and not following the X-Men at all, I have no idea what just happened. But it looked kind of awesome.

Ozaline said...

I have to completely disagree with you this is one of my favorite crossover comics of all time, and probably one of my favorite Marvel comics from that period. I didn't even notice the rip on Worf's pants, heh what a hoot.

As for Picard meeting Xavier? That happens, kind-of in the novel. While trying to sort out the problems on the Planet Xhaldia, Beverly actually makes an Xavier hologram to help her research the genetic structure of the transformed, near the end of the novel he has a talk of Picard and the two note how alike they look, the hologram seems to have near Moriarty like awareness.

The Novel also has Q sipping Pina coladas in the epiloque with the Watcher.

Back to the comic though... the reason the Sentinels had people in their heads near the end is because the timeline fusing was reaching epic hijinx and they actually had Borg in their head (you missed a line in there that said "Sentinels" "borg" "the worst of two worlds).

The story didn't really need a lot of character moments it was just a fun little adventure story, we all know who these people are already and the characterization carries more into the novel... With Wolverine and Worf working out on the Holodeck, Picard and Storm having a romantic attraction which is left undeveloped since they know they will have to part... and the best scene ever, where Wolverine goes in to the mess gets put off on Synthahol and asks for something Worf would drink... Gainan (who happened to be tagging along) bet him he couldn't handle it then pulls out a pint of Prune Juice!

If the Novel has one problem it's the flimsy excuse for bringing Worf on board, they're on their way to a strategy meeting with the Klingons, and Worf is brought along since he's the Federation's only Klingon... never mind that Riker went on an exchange with the Klingons, and Picard was Gowron's Arbiter of Succession. But that's better then what Star Trek 9 or X gave us. (For the record the Novel happens just after Worf's wedding).

Anyway why wouldn't the Borg want to assimilate the X-men... "We will add your biological... distinctiveness to our own." If the Borg can replicate Storm's weather powers that would make them just so much more badass.

Anyway you cut over some of the best lines.

"Wolverine be warned if they touch you, you will become one of them." "Point taken, but what happens if I touch them first."

Sorry this comic isn't as good as Star Trek/LoSH or Star Trek/Doctor Who but I freaking love it... read it and the novel so many times.

Anonymous said...

''T̸̴͟͞͝h̶̢̢̛͠è̶͏͠ ͏̷̨̀t̴͜͝͝i̶͘͝͠m҉̛e̸̵ ̵̀҉w̷̴̶̨͜í͝l̴͜͠͡l͏̀҉̨͟ ̨͏c̸͢o͏͏ḿ͘͠͡e̸̴,̴̨́͟ ̧̢͠I̢͠ ̴̧̀͞p̵̡̕͝r̸ơ̢m̛͟͡i͟s̕͟ȩ͘҉̨́ ̶̶̨͝į̴̡͢͠t̸̸̢͏̧ ̶́͘w͏̷͟i͏͢l̵̷͞ļ͝͡ ͏҉ć̶̛̕o̕͢m̸͏͠e̕͏͝͏̡''


Yikes Linkara! I think Missingno is back.

arw1985 said...

So Bob Harras thought this could be done in three months... I think I see why people are so depressed about the New 52.

Also, who says the Sentinels have to attack this year? 2014's just around the corner...

Ozaline said...

"Third, IIRC, there was a Transformers/TMNT/Ghostbuster/G.I Joe crossover a while back."

Not quite... IDW's Infestation Crossovers are about a single event (first Zombies that can infect machines then Old Ones) touching base across different realities but not those realities interacting with each other. So we get to see how the Autobots, Star Fleet, GI Joe and the Ghostbusters deal with Zombies but not how they deal with each other.

Nick Michalak said...

I loved seeing the Nit-Pickers Guide! I have a couple of them including the one released for The X Files!

And I STILL have my copy of Star Trek: Borg. I tried selling it a few months ago, but no takers on eBay. I can't play it on my computer any more anyway. So, I'm very willing to part with it for a couple of dollars.

It was funny to see just how much back story you had to tread through to explain this comic. Sort of a double edged sword. Surely anyone buying this comic would at least be a strong fan of one franchise or both, but anyone not very familiar with one or the other would be quite confused at times. A very fine review of an odd comic.

Anonymous said...

First of all, DO NOT diss Onslaught
he was awesome in Marvel vs Capcom

Second, are you planning on checking the Star Trek / Legion of Super-Heroes crossover?

Anonymous said...

OMG, A Patrick Stewart three-way!
*ehm*


an an unrelated note
if you aren't already following it, you should check this month's issue of Batwoman!
it's a one-shot issue centered around Killer Crock, and told from his point of view
some of the best character writing I've seen in a while

Kaze Koichi said...

I'm sure promotion doesn't work this way, Linkara.

Everybody loves crossovers. Star Trek/X-men crossover... I'm not so sure.

Is there some context I don't know? Why is KHAAAAAAAN here?

"Wouldn't it be cool if..." No, for God's sake, no! Nobody likes Wesley!!!

I'm seriously considering going to Last Angry Geek's site and begging him to review that Star Trek/Dr. Who crossover.

By the way, no matter how unnecessary Star Trek/Star Wars crossover seems to be, it still sounds more awesome then Star Trek/X-men.

Jessica said...

Star Trek Online has a mission around the battle of Wolf 359 where (new-)Q sends you back in time to eliminate the Borg on the Saratoga... Sent back in time (as well) by the eponymous Demons of air and darkness.

You don't actually stop the Saratoga from being destroyed, but you do stop the Borg inside the ship from destroying it, saving a (not appearing in this game) Sisko in the process. It seems to try and retcon the Borg being on the ship and the difference in how laughably short the Saratoga lasts on screen.

Ssso, it looks like Q did it. Or at least the discrepancy is somehow Q warping time onboard to let the starfleet/romulan officer save Sisko. STO IS canon, I... Think.

Man, the Saratoga is just a hotspot for people mucking about with time i'm surprised the Doctor isn't seen wandering through the halls being chased by Borgified Daleks or something.

Anonymous said...

Kang seems really out of character here. Ultimately, as his name suggests, he is a conqueror, not a manipulator. He actually has his own code of honor and refuses to let his ability to use his ability to time travel to help his battles, such as teleporting the damaged ships to the future, repairing them, and sending them back to the same moment. Even if he was to try and use the problems in the time stream to his advantage, he would fight the battles himself rather than manipulating others to do so for him. For example, during the "Destiny War" he fought alongside the Avengers against Immortus. Actually, Immortus, a future version of Kang that was split from him, it's complicated, would have made much more sense as the villain.

Anonymous said...

The crossover with the Legion Of Super Heroes had more sense than this.

Anonymous said...

I find it weird that Kang the Conqueror, an AVENGERS villain, whose only interaction with the X-Men's world was meeting Apocalypse in ancient Egypt (comics!) was chosen as the villain.
Then again, the X-Men and the Enterprise don't really have time travelling conquerors as villains, so I guess they had to make do.

Anonymous said...

Since you mentioned Heroes Reborn, I feel the urge to ask if you ever intend to review it.

Anonymous said...

Its really obvious that you're a Star Trek fan and not an X-Men fan, since you pointed out a whole bunch of Star Trek continuity but didn't explain hardly any Marvel continuity (although maybe it just looks like hardly any by comparision, you sure said a bunch of Trek stuff most people didn't care about).
Not that there's anything wrong with it of course, to each his own.

Anonymous said...

Whatever happened to the continuity alarm? You were explaining Star Trek continuity like crazy, not that there's anything wrong with it, but you missed a joke opportuity.

Anonymous said...

To be fair that clip at the end with Worf smoking a stogie is from season 4 of DS9 where the station's senior staff are all on a shuttle and someone decides to blow them up. The station tries to save them with the transporter, but some how they end up in the holodeck while Bashir is running a "James Bond" type program and end up taking over the key characters in the story.

... That's a trifecta of a shuttle accident, a transporter accident, and a holodeck malfunction all in one episode, and all connected. So, to say that Worf might not know what a stogie is in this comic is passable.

Also, if you're waiting for the Star Trek/Wars crossover just wait until Star Wars 7. At any point you see a normal looking dog in that film you can blame J.J. Abrams.

And finally to prove how much of a trekker, not trekkie, I am I only have one question: Was the uniform made by the 'Prop Lady' or someone else? Also, how much?

-M4A

RK_Striker_JK_5 said...

The novel, to be honest, is actually pretty damned good.

RK_Striker_JK_5 said...

The novel is actually pretty damned good and has some interesting ideas, concepts and views on mutants and rights.

Unknown said...

Congrats on making Admiral.

Glad to know you dislike Star Trek Enterprise as much as I did.

I honestly thought the Nitpickers guide was a joke until you brought it out.

Good review. And I love the Star Trek/Doctor Who comic crossover. Glad you liked it as well.

The Jovian said...

For those who couldn't read the anonymous comment from all the static it says this:

"The time will come, I promise it will come."

So yeah, the Entity, or it's cousin, is coming. Unless this is written by an overzealous fan who THINKS it's the Entity.

Anonymous said...

Personally I'd say just ignore the entire "Eugenics Wars were really real life events that we didn't fully understand", mostly because so. damn. many writers do that sort of thing and think they're being clever when in reality they're actually showing their lack of imagination.
Why not just say "the events that would lead to the Star Trek shows, including the Eugenics Wars, happened in an alternate universe?". Maybe Gene wouldn't have liked it, but he would have been dead for around five years by then (and frankly by the 80s and 90s his ideas weren't that great).

As for the comic, well "official fanfic" is really the best way to describe it. It feels more like a fan's work than a professionally created story.

And weird thing Linkara. I have adblock turned off for your site, Blip et al, but there wasn't any commercial after your Doctor appearance.

By the way Anonymous, stop ripping off ZALGO! Let it go, come back in maybe ten years when you've got your own gimmick, okay?

Unknown said...

Linkara did you know that the sequel to X men First Class (Also a sequel to X3) which is coming out this year will a plot that's based on the Days of Future Past storyline?

Probably not I just thought I should mention that.

Also will you ever review the Fall of Green Arrow miniseries?

Anonymous said...

Love the Phil Farrand reference -- I think a lot of people have forgotten his work, since he was muscled out of business so long ago now. Were you ever a Nitpicker's Guild member, Lewis?

Mike-2-Alpha said...

From one Star Trek nerd to another, I think I can explain the "Stealth Mode" thing.

In a couple of episodes of The Original Series, Kirk's Enterprise ended up traveling back to what was then contemporary Earth. When that happened, they were able to render the ship invisible to detection by radar and such, while remaining visible. I don't remember off the top of my head whether or not they called it Stealth Mode, but I imagine they'd still have that capability in Picard's time.

Nevermore said...

SMAXZO said...

"First off, weird anonymous comment."

Not the first one, there was one in the Kamandi at Earth's End #4 review's comments section too.

In other words: Oh look, the upcoming storyline is infesting the comments section. That, or Lewis popped up on the NSA's surveillance.

Unknown said...

Strange that they avoided the Picard/Xavier thing for the whole comic and much of the novel. You'd have thought the entire planning process would boil down to them trying to shoehorn it in.

Des Shinta said...

Since you brought up nitpicking, was that Stinger Clip from Our Man Bashir, the one where most of the cast's bodies are turned into holograms due to transporter malfunction, and are driven by Holosuite characters? Soo~o That wouldn't count.
Plus, Stogie is slang for Cigar, and as Star trek has long established (Black hole, Room Service, etc), they tend to get dated slang wrong.
...I Think the nerdiness in the comments is going to reach critical mass.

TyrMcDohl said...

About the "Sto...gie?" comment.

It's amusing, but that Worf you put in the coda after the credits, from "Our Man Bashir", isn't actually Worf. Because of a transporter accident/holodeck malfunction/exploded shuttlecraft hat trick by the writers of the episode, Worf's physical parameters were stuffed in to Bashir's holosuite program. So it may look like Worf, sound like Worf, and smell like Worf, but he's just a holodeck character.

/nerd

Zachary said...

http://www.uproxx.com/gammasquad/2013/04/j-j-abrams-developing-star-warsstar-trek-animated-crossover/ trhe Star Trek/Star Wars shall exist and it will be directed by J. J. Abrams

Duragizer said...

Ugh. I can't believe people paid to publish this crap. Bad fanfiction should never, ever leave the confines of the internet.

Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque said...

WHY DID YOU SPOIL THUNDERBOLTS #1???

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Whatever happened to the continuity alarm? You were explaining Star Trek continuity like crazy, not that there's anything wrong with it, but you missed a joke opportuity."

I considered it, but decided there wasn't anything particularly new and funny to use the gag for.

red said...

yeah i noticed in your reviews u use the continuty alarm less often think been year since last used

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"To be fair that clip at the end with Worf smoking a stogie is from season 4 of DS9 where the station's senior staff are all on a shuttle and someone decides to blow them up. The station tries to save them with the transporter, but some how they end up in the holodeck while Bashir is running a "James Bond" type program and end up taking over the key characters in the story."

I know that. =P Considernig how much Star Trek geekery I drop in the episode, why would you think I didn't know that? XD

"Was the uniform made by the 'Prop Lady' or someone else? Also, how much?"

Nope, donate by a fan.

Lizard-Man said...

@smaxzo

There was indeed a crossover with all those universes from IDW. The first one involved Zombies and the second Cthulu monsters.

If Linkara is still planning on that Zombie Series sometime this summer maybe he'll cover it.

Leor said...

Great review Lewis!

I remember when this comic came out back in 1997. I only thing I really remembered about it was the gratuitous Thunderbolts cameo.

In retrospect the plot doesn't make any sense. Why does Kang need to have the X-Men and the Enterprise crew help him? It would have made more sense for Kang to send his own minions to make the changes he wanted, and for either Immortus or Uatu the Watcher to warn the X-Men to stop Kang. Immortus would have been a good choice, since he was continually trying to foil Kang's plans in those days (pre- "Avengers Forever"). As for The Watcher, he would have been aware of the attempt to make changes, but his sacred oath would forbid him from interfering. (It might also be interesting to see Picard or Data trade notes on non-interference with the Watcher. Did that happen it the novel?)

So my verdict: mediocre comic, with a gratuitous Thunderbolts cameo.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"WHY DID YOU SPOIL THUNDERBOLTS #1???"

Because it's been 16 years since the comic was published? =P

AndNowInStereo said...

So Lewis, do you really dislike Enterprise, or are you just channeling SFDebris on that line? "He's dead to us" is one of my favourite SFDebris running gags.

Trekker4747 said...

You know, not that it should be an official part of either the Star Trek or the X-Men/Marvel universe but there *is* a good fit there. Make the X-Men as part of the product of the Eugenics program that lead to the Eugenic War. I think that could certainly be interesting to place them in the same universe in that way to tie the two together. (Again, not that such an occurrence should be an official part of either continuity but as a one-off for fun story the two could fit together nicely.)

Leor said...

Seriously, there should be a statute of limitations on not revealing spoilers. Do we also need to avoid spoiling "Citizen Kane"?

You can't discuss the original run of "Thunderbolts" without mentioning that they're the Masters of Evil! Except for Jolt; she's just a kid with superpowers.

Unknown said...

This episode was fun. Oh, btw, congratulations on your promotion, Admiral.
(Is your mom still a higher rank then you? I know Admirals, like Generals, get ranks.)

Anyway, this comic seems a hell of a lot better than the OS Trek crossing with X-Men, though I'll admit I think a lot of my enjoyment came from you reviewing it because your knowledge of the Star Trek universe is so unreal (and I do mean that as a compliment.)

I had no idea there was a DS9 game for the Genesis, wonder how I missed it. (though touy said genesis).

The colors didn't seem so widely contrasted this time as in the previously mentioned crossover.

When Wolverine said 'Kirk's people?' I thought of how Scotty thought Kirk had come to rescue him in Relics.

I really miss James Doohan.

Sorry for the tangent there.

New uniform looks nice.

Did Pollo go up in rank too?

FugueforFrog said...

Boy was that convoluted and ridiculous. All that just to have all these fanboy moments with no reason all while a good chunk of the universe is within the terrors of Rob Liefeld. But hey, it had Wolverine slicing up Borg so why not.

Bluecho said...

Ah Wolf 359, when will crossovers and supplementary material not include you for the sake of cheap fanservice? Seriously, in addition to all those ones mentioned, the Next Generation/Doctor Who crossover ALSO had characters going back to that battle.

I too liked NG/DW Assimilation 2, though I thought the artwork was kind of bad in various places. Most of it was good in an Alex Ross kind of way, but sometimes the characters looked deformed. Also, I haven't reread the entire series in a while, but I remember following it from issue to issue and growing tired of the whole thing after eight months. Rereading all at once will probably be more enjoyable.

Let's also not forget that before that crossover, there was a crossover between the original Star Trek and the Legion of Superheroes. It was a lot more campy and shorter by three issues, and I found it enjoyable. It helped that there was a splash page of various time machines from around media, like the Dagger of Time or Bill & Ted's phone booth or the DeLorean. Great stuff.

Jeff Jacobson said...

There's a book called Star Wars, Star Trek and the 21st Century Christians. I don't know if its actually a crossover, though.

Peteman said...

I am somewhat aware of some of the Star Wars/Star Trek internet debates that happened years ago. While the furor seems to have died down, considering the level of craziness that happened, I shudder at the reaction of either faction should they perceive their side being underplayed.

Anonymous said...

Thunderbolts need more love!
...just, not the awful Marvel NOW Thunderbolts made up of Punisher, Red Hulk, Venom, Deadpool and Elecktra. BLECK!

Frosty said...

"These bugs are known as feeders. They are the feeder breeders. They eat their weight in liters. They even are world eaters. They measure things in meters. But hey, they ain't mosquiters."

ThePuppyTurtle said...

As a book reviewer, may I ask that you please say "graphic novel" when talking about such so as to not get me all excited for several seconds only to experience mild but discernible disappointment?

Rob Green, MN said...

It is interesting that you reviewed this comic as a friend of mine just got this comic, and the first Star Trek/ X-Men crossover for his birthday. And they both know that they are not the greatest, but are they still like them.

I myself when I was younger I loved watching TNG, and DS9 as not having cable they were interesting to watch, and had grown to like them. But man I wish we got to see some double Patrick Stewart Panels.

Well this weekend is AniMinneapolis, so I can't wait for the Live Panel on Saturday. And hope you get some down time to play the Battle City Tournament again as this year I'll be playing in it.

But till this weekend comes take care and keep up the awesome work.

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous

Sorry, but those are the only Thunderbolts I know, and I LOVE THEM!

also, you also forgot The Leader in the line-up

purple said...

There are too links.
At times X-men rips off the plot element of the leader choosing the away team.
and more basic things like intellectual storytelling,rich ensemble casts,and badass aircraft.

Speaking of Links,are you ever going to review a weird Zelda manga.one by Akira Himekawa.
Speaking of manga,an awesome change of pace for Secret Origins month would be Dragonball,the juxtaposition of where it started to dragonaball z and what people think of when they hear dragonball is insane,I would even recommend jumping ahead through all the crazy shit throughtout the begining of dragonball because its not like youd review every issue,nor would it be worth it,but its worth the joke,like alot

(as you can tell i wish i could write for your show)

my secret orgins recommended schedule is

1.DRAGONBALL

2.HAL JORDAN (obligatory)

3.Green Arrrow (Id say Captain Marvel or Flash but Ollie hit it big this year,u can insult arrow,and it would be nice to review the him and his friend Hal the same Origins month,and maybe even throw in a bonus,Green Lantern/Green Arrow review to cap off Secret Origins month. I mean being festive is one of your show's unique themes so why not celebrate the holiday of your own creation bigger?)


4.Thor(i love thor,plus he fights aliens his first appearance,i was very taken aback)

5.Hawkeye (not for any reason like movies or cartoons,but his first appearance is hilarious and indentifiable in a fucked up,negative way,
He becomes a super hero because Iron Man stole the attention of a crowd from him,then he fucks that up and gets labeled a villain by the cops. Then Black Widow tells him to get in her car,he only does so becaause she's hot.

Later on she tries to get Hawkeye to kill Iron Man and the conversation goes something like this...
Black Widow:I want you to Kill Iron Man.

Hawkeye: That's physically impossible.

Black Widow: If you kill him,I'll fuck you.

Haakeye:He's a dead man!)


And they actually brought him back as a hero! It's so crazy.


So yeah,feel free to use those suggestions,and thanks for free funny every monday.

Bellarius said...

"I am somewhat aware of some of the Star Wars/Star Trek internet debates that happened years ago. While the furor seems to have died down, considering the level of craziness that happened, I shudder at the reaction of either faction should they perceive their side being underplayed."

Mostly sneering by the worst parts of the fandom. Probably also screeching about how the Enterprise could totally PWNZRD the entire galaxy overnight or the Mandalorians would conquer earth within minutes of its discovery.
The best that could really be hoped for is an adaptation of Chuck Sonnenburg's Unity saga.

Anyway, thank you for the review. Entertaining as it was you had be worried for a while it was going to be completely thrown under the bus. They might be a guilty pleasure, supported mostly by continuity porn, but the crossovers were certainly enjoyable.

Besides obvious comparisons with the Doctor Who crossover, are there any other ways you think this could have been done?

Anonymous said...

I think at this point Onslaught will be forever remembered as the last boss of Marvel vs. Capcom before anything else.

Standard Trek comic review. Even with the X-Men, I find your Trek comics the least enjoyable of all your reviews. There's just little to them outside of nitpicks.

Anonymous said...

"Sorry, but those are the only Thunderbolts I know, and I LOVE THEM!

also, you also forgot The Leader in the line-up"

Go back and read the original team. They were actual characters that grew and changed. Songbird especially.
The new team is just blood and violence.

Rocketboy1313 said...

I owned and read the full novel of the crossover. It was fine for when I was 14 and had an affection for both "Star Trek" and the "X-Men" but I couldn't imagine anyone who wasn't already a fan getting anything out of it.

A race of aliens infect a planet with a virus that makes them mutate X-Men like powers. They have weapons that easily disable the enterprise so Nightcrawler teleports himself and Data onto their ship since his teleportation works differently. They make a Holodeck representation of Prof X and Dr. Crusher works with him to develop a cure for those who were affected by the virus.

There are silly scenes of Wolverine and Worf on the holodeck fighting aliens, then the X-Men rogue's gallery. Wolverine ordering a drink in 10 forward, and saying "whatever Worf drinks" and getting a prune juice. Shadowcat and Archangel getting balled out by Picard for using their abilities indoors (somehow Angel is flying down the corridors, I have no idea).

It was schlock. I only remember it because of the fact that it was a crossover.

milo said...

So the doctor who star trek crossover is good? I might check it out someday.

Talking about crossovers, Star Trek\Mass Effect or Doctor Who\Mass Effect would be awesome, and by crossover I mean the reapers attack the whoniverse or trek verse.

Megan said...

Let me preface this by saying something that I'm sure may lose me some geek cred:

I don't care about Star Trek. At all. I've seen a few episodes of the Original Series, and yes, I can see why people would love it. It's just...not my thing. The same with Star Wars, to be honest. But for me, I'll take The 'Heart of Gold' over the Enterprise any day.

That being said, I feel the same way Linkara does about X-Men. There's just so DAMN many of them that it's hard to really care. And this comic is a good example of Not Caring. There's just...nothing to it. Two famous franchises meet and go on 'wacky' adventures.

The review was good, though.

*Waits for angry Tekkies*

Anonymous said...

Gotta love the Thunderbolts. My favorite incarnations of the team is probably the first gen and Warren Ellis' Suicidebolts, mainly for having Norman Osborn being so pants-crappingly insane that it's wonderful.

Doresh said...

Well, that was certainly a bit tolerable than the last crossover. At the very least, having continuity errors be an actual plot point was kinda clever.

Though I have to ask: How are the Prophets a threat for Kang? They only hang out in the wormhole, only really care about said wormhole and Bajor, and to my knowledge, they can't really manipulate time since they exist OUTSIDE of time and have no concept of linear time.

Unknown said...

Would you consider doing another Doctor who comic? Also which modern Doctor is your favorite?

Megan said...

Errr..that should be 'Trekkies', obviously. See, I do know a bit! :P

Volvagia said...

Purple:

He's FAR from tackling Hal Jordan. (He still needs to cover the rest of the JSA, after all.) My guess at this moment for this year is:

Detective Comics #38 (Dick Grayson)
Journey into Mystery #83 (Thor)
All-American Comics #19 (Al Pratt, The Golden Age Atom)
Tales to Astonish #27 (Hank Pym, The Original Ant-Man)

Then Next Year:

More Fun Comics #52 (Original Spectre)
Tales to Astonish #44 (The Original Wasp, Janet Van Dyne)
Adventure Comics #40 (The Golden Age Sandman, Wesley Dodds)
Marvel Super Heroes #18 (The Guardians of the Galaxy)

Also 2015:

Adventure Comics #48 (Hour Man (Rex Tyler))
The Avengers #1
Flash Comics #1 Revisit (Hawk Man (Carter Hall))
Daredevil #1

And, finally, 2016:

More Fun Comics #55&67 (Doctor Fate's first appearance and origin)
Marvel Super Heroes #12 (Mar-Vell)
Justice SOCIETY of America #1
Fantastic Four #52 (Black Panther)

Mad Andy said...

Kang... oh good gravy Kang.

I once tried to explain Kang to a non-comic reader. It wasn't easy.

"So, there's this warlord from the future who comes back to try to conquer the present, but is also an Egyptian Pharoah, except he isn't, actually a villain called the Scarlet Centurion, no he's actually the ruler of a limbo dimension, but then he's a kid version of Iron Man, and also the mayor of a turn-of-the-century town and ARRRGH!"

I'm pretty sure you could have an entire soccer team made of alternate Kangs and people who are and are not Kang.

He is, without a doubt, the second most conplicated and confusing character in comics, after the Time Trapper from the Legion of Super Heroes, who... I... I don't even...

It says something that when you pointed out how convoluted his plan was, my immediate reaction was "yeah, that's pretty much Kang. You were expecting comprehensibility from the guy?"

Also, on a completely unrelated note: Are you familiar with the show Thunderbirds? I don't think it's especially well known outside the UK, but you strike me as someone who might be familiar with it. Probably not, but you never know.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Also, on a completely unrelated note: Are you familiar with the show Thunderbirds? I don't think it's especially well known outside the UK, but you strike me as someone who might be familiar with it. Probably not, but you never know."

Thunderbirds! Are! Go! =3

Yeah, not familiar with EVERY aspect of them, but the marionation and puppet stuff I know of. ^_^

Tantum Ergo 2 said...

1. Worf's observations on the "uncomfortable" jeans.

"A warrior does not complain of physical discomfort."
Worf; ST:TNG, "Clues"

2. Colossus becoming a giant.

Yes. Colossus is already very tall, but gains some extra height when he transforms, though I don't recall how much.

3. Kang's size.

Generally speaking, Kang is not 10 feet tall. In fact, there was a time when there was some question as to whether he and Dr. Doom weren't one and the same person. Still, his tech is advanced enough that I wouldn't put "size changing" past him.

4. DS9 Video Game.

I remember that game. It was a pain in the neck, but I remember feeling -really- satisfied over completing it. Especially the borg level, even though I knew, at that time, that that wasn't how Wolf 359 went.

5. Wesley.

Am I the only one who never disliked Wesley? Really? After all, it's not like Picard, or Data, or Worf never solved problems for the Enterprise, and a heck of a lot more often. I admit, though, my favorite Wesley episode is still the academy one, which showed his human side.

Also, the first couple seasons of Star Trek, in my opinion, were -by far- the best, as they still involved traipsing around the universe and discovering amazing things, as opposed to getting mired in all sorts of federation political garbage, which I always found boring. I kept praying for Q to show up and make things interesting again.

6. Villains who smash TV Screens.

For me, it'd be just as satisfying to see such a villain say "oh, crap! I don't think Target has any more of those!"

7. Finally, "Planet X."

In high school, I was friends with a guy who owned -everything- X-men related -in any way,- and in the process I read the Star Trek/X-men stuff in its completeness, including Planet X. It's been over a decade and a half since I read it, but I do recall it having a coherent plot that gave a reason for the X-men and Star Trek guys to team up, as well as several character interaction moments that didn't involve combat, like a singing contest between Banshee and Data. Still, many of the character moments, though non-combat, didn't seem terribly relevant to the main plot, and while it wasn't -awful,- I feel it could have been done better.

Enigma_2099 said...

I did a little digging and I thought so... the artist on this book is Cary Nord. An acquired taste, but I like him. I especially enjoyed him on Mutant X.

Mekkanos said...

Personally, the level that messed me up in the DS9 game was that one where you had to plant a bomb at the bottom of a canyon and then outrun a REALLY rapidly rising flame. I think I was just approaching it wrong, but it's been a while so I can't be sure.

Anyway, this was a fun review of a merely "meh" comic. Like you said, it was ambitious but fell short in a few areas. Still, I always thought the Sentinels were cool, so it was nice to have a Days of Future Past cameo.

Also, I have no idea if that anonymous person in the first comment is hinting at the upcoming storyline or if it's just a fan that forgot the Entity is supposed to be dead...

Unknown said...

Rewatching the review, I want to say something about Wesley: Yeah, the way he was used was silly, but we did get the sentence, "Shut up, Wesley" out of it, and since my brother is named Wesley, this is one of the most important sentences of my youth.

Anonymous said...

So I was watching this while cooking dinner, and my mother comes in and thinks Linkara sounds like John C. Reilly.

Anonymous said...

I love this review. Was I the only one who thought they would often stretch a bit for the jokes? Not you, but the comic.

I would love for you to do a positive review of star trek doctor who. You could play evil Rob Liefeld, or Michel Grade. He bashes the comic, and you'd prove him wrong.

Unknown said...

Or, you could have Rob Liefeld work with Michel Grade. The confrontation would be epic.

About this comic, even though Worf could easily have changed his pants, the rip was a nice touch. You can't say they did this halfway.

Unknown said...

Lewis, have you ever considered getting in contact with Chris Sims of ComicsAlliance.com? He seems to have your taste in stories, has a huge audience, and I really get the impression he'd love to be on any show he can get.

He makes a living off of being "The World's Foremost Batmanologist", and has even been drawn into an issue of Detective Comics (as a corpse, of course. Let's not get silly.)

Kazeromaru said...

I was more partial to Star Trek X Doctor Who, with the Ponds in it. Never got to read the second issue unfortunately.

Gareth said...

To anyone wanting to reads good Star Wars/Star Trek crossover I recommend the fan novel series the unity saga.

The Doctor Who/Star streak crossover had its moments but at times it felt a but padded.

Anonymous said...

Your copy has a different cover to mine. I like yours better. (Mine's like the interior art.)

I haven't read it in a long time, but could that giant Kang have been a hologram? That'd be in character.

Julie Paulson:
LOL!

The Puppy Turtle:
I'm not sure exactly what you're asking; the book we've been talking about here (Planet X) is indeed a prose novel.

Lewis, a semi-request:
At the end, you credited a track used as "End Credits" by Jerry Goldsmith. I'm assuming it's from Star Trek: First Contact, but I have three different tracks named "End Credits" by Jerry Goldsmith, all from Star Trek movies. (I searched my iTunes, expecting I'd have more than that - from Poltergeist or the Gremlins movies, for example - but apparently that track title isn't used on those CDS.)
When you're crediting soundtrack tracks with titles like:
opening/main/end credits/titles
Prologue
Final Confrontation
Finalé
could you please credit the specific movie as well? Otherwise it's unclear. (This has come up before; and Danny Elfman has at least three 'Final Confrontation's.)
(I'm only asking for the obvious stuff - not titles like 'Tunnel Chase', even though Alan Silvestri has two of those (one for Avengers, one for Back To The Future II).)

Thanks.

~ Mik

Anonymous said...

Also, 2 Tantum Ergo 2:
"Am I the only one who never disliked Wesley?"

Nope.

~ Mik

Ming said...

Great review. You know, I don't think the fact that this crossover continued in a novel actually helps. Why didn't Marvel adapt the book into an actual comic?

Heroes Reborn with Rob Liefeld . . . I expect an entire month dedicated to tearing apart all of Liefeld's titles.

Sage Saria said...

I'm sorry Lewis, but every time you say "Days of Future Past" my first thought is still the Moody Blues album.

boooratt said...

I might read the novel for the hell of it! It has got to be better than this!!!

Arianne said...

Oh, nice Doctor Who cosplay for the commercial break segment. Its good to see you use different costumes for commercial breaks. The comic looks .. okay. I don't trust the book that had the Entity poem in it. Its also over Linkara's shoulder. I know that in time the plot of the current arc will show up. I also wonder if the thing that took over Nimue is smart enough to fool technology/computer experts into thinking Nimue is Okay.

Unknown said...

Troys face at 18:13 should have been compared to Rocky Balboas face at the end of Rocky 1 (ADRIEEEEEN!! ADRIEEEEEEN!!!)

Anonymous said...

are you thinking of reviewing the Mass Effect comics?

firiel-archer said...

I'm trying to turn off my adblock, but it doesn't seem to be taking. I still can't see the ads. And I'm in a region where that's not typically a problem. Not sure what's going on.