Star Trek Vol. 4 by various authors and illustrators

 

(pb; 1977-9: graphic novel. Collects the Golden Press-published comic book series, issues 27-35, a.k.a. Star Trek: The Enterprise Logs, Vol. 4.)

Overall review

Good, entertaining, better-than-earlier-issues collection of Star Trek comic books, worth owning.

 

Issues/story arcs

“Ice Journey” [#27]: Spock, Kirk and Dr. Krisp beam down to Floe I, a frozen planet for a Federation-ordered population survey, unaware of the civil war between its inhabitants, red masters and blue slaves. Sad, solid and clever in parts.

 

“The Mimicking Menace” [#28]: On Tactis II, a mysterious asteroid with a dormant volcano, Kirk, Spock and a landing crew encounter parasitic creatures that feed on energy and duplicate their victims physical forms. Good, entertaining story.

 

“Death of a Star” [#29]: Kirk, Spock, Lt. Uhuru and Nurse Chapel encounter an old woman who refuses to leave an about-to-explode star (Isis III). While its twist is telegraphed, it’s a fun read.

 

“The Final Truth” [#30]: Kirk, Chekov and other Enterprise personnel are abandoned on a hostile planet (Tristias) where eco-aware denizens hold them prisoner. Can Spock and the rest of the crew rescue them before it’s too late?

This story is an interesting, good remix to the usual Trek issue set-up, with a pleasant, cosmic-minded ending.

 

“The Animal People” [#31]: On the planet Hercula, Kirk and Spock try to prevent the genocide of the Yerbas, a mostly speechless, slave race who are targeted by the Herculas. Good, entertaining story with a truncated finish.

 

“The Choice” [#32]: In a little known quadrant of space (Mark I), possibly the “birthplace of the universe,” the Enterprise crew find themselves mired in a void where human will, duplication and ruminations on free will might be life-or-death events. Fun, interesting, wonky and heavy-on-science entry in the Star Trek comics.

 

“A Bomb in Time” [#33]: While checking out new technology at Research Satellite-5, a doctor working on a time machine is murdered, a bomb is hidden somewhere in time on Earth, and Scotty, Spock and Kirk must act quickly before much of Earth’s history─as well as its universe─is wiped out.

Fun, twisty and intriguing, this is one of the better issues of this series.

 

“The Psychocrystals” [#34]: During a mineral and biological survey on Planet Alpha 23-C, Bones, Kirk and Scotty encounter a race of sentient crystal beings that can not only probe their minds, but prevent them from tonctacing the Enterprise for rescue. Good, entertaining story.

 

“One of Our Captains is Missing” [#35]: While Kirk goes on a secret mission to prevent the Klingons from exploiting a possible war on planet Mobita, Captain Zarlo─a by-the-book commander replaces Kirk on the Enterprise, much to the crew’s ire. Solid, sometimes melodramatic (even for Trek) read.