1121. The Prince of MadnessPUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation: Shadowheart #4, DC Comics, March 1995
CREATORS: Michael Jan Friedman (writer), Steve Erwin and Charles Barnett III (artists)
STARDATE: Unknown (follows the last issue)
PLOT: As "Shadowheart" is about to render judgment on Worf, Riker and Kurn, the Klingons of Nothra attack. In the midst of battle, the fume-addled Nikolai recognizes one of the Klingons who raided his farm, and then Worf as his brother. Kurn manages to turn the tide by recovering his transport bracelet and beaming the good guys off the planet. Gowron is well happy that he can implicate the governor of Nothra in dealings with the Duras and depose him. Though Nikolai has come out of the fog and is no longer the "Shadowheart", his relationship with Worf remains strained.
CONTINUITY: See previous issues (Nikolai Rozhekno, Kurn, Gowron, the Rozhenkos). Dr. Selar makes an appearance.
DIVERGENCES: None, though it's always suspicious when events are not mentioned on later, television appearances (Homeward).
PANEL OF THE DAY - Brazil isn't safe.
REVIEW: A rock'n'roll last issue - it's incredible how disintegrating your enemies ramps up the violence - and really not too much in the way of exposition (which I'd feared). Connections are made more naturally and the most simple explanation for Nikolai's walkabout is used and not over-examined. It's a story of brothers, so Kurn gets some good action, and the drama between Nikolai and Worf takes us to Homeward more organically than expected. My only caveat is that Riker is essentially wasted in this story. His honorary Klingonhood doesn't pay off, and he's basically the third dude on the trip, the one who would have been killed 2/3 into the movie had this been anything but a licensed comic. Still, I'm amazed at the overall quality of the mini-series and wish Friedman could have supplied such scripts throughout his long TNG run.
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