1118. The Lion and the LambPUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation: Shadowheart #1, DC Comics, December 1994
CREATORS: Michael Jan Friedman (writer), Steve Erwin and Charles Barnett III (artists)
STARDATE: 46479.3 (between Aquiel and Face of the Enemy)
PLOT: Though believed dead, Worf's foster brother Nikolai Rozhenko has taken on the identity of the legendary Shadowheart and is fighting with Nothrani rebels against the Klingon governorship. Worf, Riker and Kurn are tasked with stopping him before his actions destroy the alliance between the Empire and the Federation.
CONTINUITY: Nikolai Rozhenko appeared in Homeward (in the future from the story), but was mentioned as early as Heart of Glory. Attending his "funeral" are his parents (Family) and Alexander. Jenna D'Sora (In Theory) is part of Worf's security team. Admiral Quinn (Conspiracy) gives the Enterprise its mission. Gowron appears. Kurn (last seen in Redemption) does not, but is assigned to the mission.
DIVERGENCES: None (as yet).
PANEL OF THE DAY - Channelling Dr. Seuss?
REVIEW: Shadowheart quickly shapes up to be a promising Klingon story. We get to see plenty of Klingon action, including new specialist uniforms and equipment, all very well drawn by Erwin and Barnett. It also acts as a prequel to Homeward, and thus as a strong Worf story. And the trio of Worf-Riker-Kurn (the three recurring Klingon heroes, Riker by virtue of A Matter of Honor) should work well together (as well as Worf, Dax and Kor? we'll see). I'm actually excited about this one.
Comments
I really appreciate the 90's artwork--it was simple and, more importantly, it didn't draw too much attention to itself. I tried to start reading Superman again during the New Krypton storyline, but it was difficult with the new style artwork. I feel like the new "epic-myth" kind of coloring and penciling tries to make these books into something bigger than what they really are: comicbooks. Anyway, it's just good to see someone reveling in what I think was one of the best times for comics.
So sad DC dropped Trek. Who is making them these days?
Mike
90s artwork... Funny you should say that because the decade is better known for its outrageously BAD artwork. And still, many titles (especially at DC is my recollection) had very clean art.
Comics today, well, they're so costly, I think companies want to make them APPEAR costlier. And that's the reason behind the slick coloring.
Trek comics (and very good ones too) are today being made by IDW. I'll get to them towards the end of the next year, but feel free to check them out til then. IDW publishes Trek stories from across the whole timeline in "easy to pick-up and follow" specials and mini-series.
Are you thinking about reviewing any TOS comics? Those were the ones I read--a couple months worth all leading up to the DC drop. Hope to see some of those on the blog.
Mike
TOS comics? Just done a pile. I'm going through the comics more or less in publication order. So if you go back a few months, you'll find the Gold Key series, the Marvel series and then the 2 DC series of TOS.