Star Trek #1429: Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes Part 5

1429. Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes Part 5

PUBLICATION: Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #5, IDW Comics/DC Comics, February 2012

CREATORS: Chris Roberson (writer), Jeffrey and Philip Moy (artists)

STARDATE: Unknown (follows previous issue).

PLOT: In the prehistoric past, the Starfleet/Legion team discover the entity captured by (Emperor) Vandar and it makes an appeal for them to free it before the future can happen. And in the future, the other team is invited to dinner by the Emperor and THEY discover other time travelers have tried before, and failed.

CONTINUITY: See previous issue (Flint). Among the races apparently enslaved by the Earth Empire are the Caitians (M'Ress' people from TAS), Cherons (Let That Be Your Last Battlefield), Andorians and (from DC's Green Lantern comics, Xudarians) . Among the captured time machines are Lazarus' dimension ship (The Alternative Factor), Captain Braxton's timeship (Future's End), Rasmussen's timeship (A Matter of Time), and both the Atavachron and one of its data discs (All Our Yesterdays). From the DC side of things, we have Flash's Cosmic Treadmill and Rip Hunter's Time Sphere. (See Panel of the Day for more.) And SPOILER (block text to read): Flint/Vandal Savage has harnessed the power of Q to change the timeline.

DIVERGENCES: None (except as per the divergent universe).

PANEL OF THE DAY - Can you identify them all? In particular, the patch of steaming mud under Lightning Lad. What is that thing? And don't go looking for Marvel's time machines, I'm pretty sure this being a DC book, they weren't allowed. My answers in SPOILERY WHITE: The Time Tunnel, the Doctor's and Master's TARDISes, Bill & Ted's Phonebooth, the Stargate, Prince of Persia's dagger, the Voyagers' Omni, the Hot Tub Time Machine, the Delorian from Back to the Future, Time Cop's Timesled, H.G. Wells' Time Machines from the book and from Time After Time.
REVIEW: With the two-page spread, writer Chris Roberson labels himself as a great big nerd, and that's probably why we like him so much. What comes through in everything he does is fannish love, which is definitely what is fueling this crossover. Too inside-jokey? Who cares. He's riffing on these characters and on time travel the same way we might. And he does it so well we can't quite call it fanwank. In addition to the big spread, we've got three histories of the world crashing together, an obvious but unexpected reveal at the end, and more great scenes between characters of both franchises. Especially fun is Brainiac 5 talking down to Spock (he's the superior genius after all, and it's not like Spock can be offended... right?) and Kirk hitting on Shadow Lass who's got a REAL man at home (do you really want to get between Mon-El and his girl?). The Moy brothers do an excellent job with the art, as usual, keeping things upbeat and lightly comical (especially the characters' expressions), reminiscent of Mark Bagley's work.