Star Trek #1433: Vulcan's Vengeance Part 2

1433. Vulcan's Vengeance Part 2

PUBLICATION: Star Trek #8, IDW Comics, April 2012

CREATORS: Mike Johnson (writer), Joe Phillips (artist)

STARDATE: Unknown (follows previous issue).

PLOT: Kirk's shuttle is taken prisoner by the Romulans who applaud Nero's deed and sentence the away team to work in a penal colony. But Spock, disguised as a Romulan, convinces Sarek to switch sides and prevent the Vulcans impersonating the Narada's crew from exploding the Red Matter on Romulus. Our heroes are allowed to leave, but the Romulans keep the Red Matter.

CONTINUITY: See previous issue (Neutral Zone, the Narada's crew, Sarek, Red Matter). Zahra (Operation - Annihilate!) and "Cupcake" Hendorff (Star Trek) are in Kirk's away team. The Romulan ship designs are from Balance of Terror. Admiral Pike (Star Trek) is mentioned.

DIVERGENCES: None except those caused by the new timeline.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Don't call him "Tiny" either!
REVIEW: A very talky ending to the series lone "original" storyline, Vulcan's Vengeance Part 2 consequently feels rather old-fashioned. Kirk's speech to the Romulans about what the Federation is was quite good, but the Vulcans tend to speak in loads of exposition that feel stilted and forced. That's if you believe in their outrageously emotional behavior in the first place. Where words fail is in how Spock convinces his father to abandon his plans for revenge, as the scene is never shown. Sarek eventually makes the argument, but it still feels like a bit of a cheat. Despite his involvement, he's free to go at the end as well, another cheat, if a necessary one. Maybe Johnson shouldn't have used Sarek at all, because he was limited in what he could actually do with him. His presence makes the story more shocking, but forces the comic to press the reset button at the end. The price, I suppose, is letting the Romulans keep the Red Matter, a Pyrrhic victory if there ever was one. I'm sure there are plans to do more with this idea - to be continued. And I don't mean to come down too harshly on this comic. Though it was a little sluggish for my tastes, there were still things to like. The use of "Cupcake" (the guy in the movie who gives Kirk a beating in the bar) as part of Kirk's crew is brilliant and I hope to see more of him, perhaps as a redshirt who just won't die. McCoy also gets some good acerbic lines. Johnson gets these characters, no problem. It's the plots that need a little more work.