Star Trek 1126: Ill Wind, Part Four

1126. Ill Wind, Part Four

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation: Ill Wind #4, DC Comics, January 1996

CREATORS: Diane Duane (writer), Ken Save and Pablo Marcos (artists)

STARDATE: 47962.6 (follows the last issue)

PLOT: The Mestral's consort tries to convince her at gunpoint to stop her racing ways. In fact, she's so uncontrollable, he's agreed to hand her over to a faction to be brainwashed. She keeps an open channel to the Enterprise throughout and Riker arrives with the cavalry. A faction ship attacks, but is stopped by the Enterprise, and the star goes crazy, ripping the sailship open, but transporters save everyone in time. Troi then feels an awakening from the star itself as a giant radioactive bird flies out of it and heads to parts unknown. Finally, the Mestral renounces racing, what with her crew dead, her planet factionned, and her consort a traitor.

CONTINUITY: Duane doesn't go the full 9 yards by naming the creature the Great Bird of the Galaxy (see the New Frontier books for a more brazen author).

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - My pet peeve rears its ugly head: French expressions that don't make sense. ("Tonnerre!" is proper, though I don't know anyone who uses it, and spelled right...)
REVIEW: Save and Marcos finish off the art duties on the mini-series, and they're probably the best match yet, though not by a huge margin. In any case, it's the story that's problematic. I mean, what was it about? The Mestral story was obviously the A-plot, but it ends with the non sequitur of the giant bird, after which many many pages are used up DISCUSSING its appearance. Who won this leg of the race isn't revealed, even though it took up most of the first three issues. A very detailed backdrop, but it doesn't pay off. Red herrings all. The series meandered aimlessly far more than it sprinted to the finish line. I'd like to thank the amiable Ms. Duane for stopping by and commenting on yesterday's review though. There was a lot to like in Ill Wind, but the series may have taken on more story than it could realistically tell.