1320. Year Four, Issue 3PUBLICATION: Star Trek: Year Four #3, IDW Comics, October 2007
CREATORS: David Tischman (writer), Gordon Purcell (artist)
STARDATE: 4173.15 (during The Animated Series)
PLOT: The Enterprise finds everyone dead at colony Phi-11, but there is no sign of infection from the alien pod found there. Soon, most of the crew has been taken over by a virus transmitted by sound, making them commandeer the ship. Only Kirk and Nurse Chapel remain unaffected and run for their lives, but they are eventually cornered and turned. The ship arrives at an uncharted planet that is the sentient virus' home. That's all it wanted to do.
CONTINUITY: See previous issues (M'Ress).
DIVERGENCES: None.
PANEL OF THE DAY - Kirk's fancy-free relationship with v.d.
REVIEW: A little more self-contained than previous issues, and is better for it, though there are still some pesky plot holes. Chief among these is why Kirk and Chapel are the only unaffected crew members. It seems like the virus had plenty of opportunities to infect the captain with its shrill scream, so why tie him up in sickbay. All that was really needed here was something to impair the characters' hearing, but no justification is given. I guess the virus is pretty lucky it can be recorded or else it might never have been transmitted. Still, as far as stories that make use of the TOS style go (in this case, ye olde possession story), it's not too bad. I'm sorry to see Steve Conley no longer on art, but Gordon Purcell does a good, if rougher edged, job, keeping the widescreen look developed by Conley.
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