Originally published on Set The Tape
Finally, Mirror Picard’s plot is revealed! It’s Enterprise crew versus Enterprise crew, with the fate of a galaxy hanging in the balance!
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writers: Scott Tipton & David Tipton
Artists: J.K. Woodward & Carlos Niet
Pages: 32
Finally, readers of Star Trek: The Next Generation: Through the Mirror get to find out what the mirror universe Captain Picard’s plans are; and they’re much bigger than I was expecting.
The previous issues had made it clear the the I.S.S. Enterprise and it’s crew were stealing technology and resources from the prime universe in order to fill their ship stores, and to act as bartering supplies to help them win favours with other Imperial ships. Whilst I thought that they were targeting the U.S.S. Enterprise in order to steal something from them, probably something unique to the ship itself, I was completely wrong; they wanted the entire ship.
Having modified the Martorelles Array to act as a giant transporter, capable of bringing an entire star-ship through universes, the crew of the I.S.S. Enterprise intend to claim the ship as their own, with the eventual goal of each of their command crew having their own Galaxy Class ship to command; making them an unstoppable force.
Not wanting to bring across the entire crew and ending up with a thousand or more hostages, the mirror universe gang have come up with a plan to trick the people off the U.S.S. Enterprise. This is the part of the mission that Inquisitor Troi was tasked with, that we never got to see in the previous issue.
Thanks to some sheer luck of Commander Riker wanting to find their Troi at the same time the Inquisitor is on the ship, they discover that there are two Diana’s, and that one is sabotaging the ship. It’s a fun little moment as Riker and Data realise that the computer isn’t malfunctioning, but rather they’ve been infiltrated, and it’s a good way for the plan to go wrong without having one of the mirror universe crew having messed up in some way.
Thankfully, being aware of the sabotage the U.S.S. Enterprise crew manage to undo it, and even beam across to the mirror univers themselves, bringing Captain Picard face to face with his double on board the I.S.S. Enterprise for a confrontation that is sure to be explosive and dramatic.
The fourth issue moves with a brisk pace, and there’s almost no time to stop and think about what is happening, but with so little time left in which to tell the story this fast pace is needed in order to get all of the pieces in place for the final issue. Thankfully, this faster pace isn’t a detriment to the story in any way, and the reader is still given some small character moments to enjoy, such as the alternate Barclay and his anger over how the U.S.S. Enterprise crew treats his counterpart.
The art, as always, is on fine form, and you’re instantly able to tell who is who without any difficulty, something that is always good when your characters are supposed to look like real people. The best art in the issue, however, still falls to the B story by J.K. Woodward. The wonderful hand painted style gives these few pages a lot of gravitas. The darkness of Data and Spock’s surroundings doesn’t just feel like a dark mass, but has texture and depth. The recreation of the actors here is also spectacular, with the actors faces being near spot on in every single panel.
The B story also finally offers some more insight into the past of Emperor Spock, and the reformed Terran Empire that he created following the mirror episode on the original series. As this not only ties into the story being told in these Star Trek: The Next Generation comics, but also plays a part into the history of the mirror universe seen in several Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes, it’s a nice inclusion.
With only two issues left of Star Trek: The Next Generation: Through the Mirror in which to wrap up its story both Scott and David Tipton keep the story moving with pace, but never make it feel rushed. It gives us small character moments, and big scenes filled with exposition. It manages to keep the reader entertained throughout and move all of the pieces into place for what is sure to be a dramatic conclusion.
Go to Amy's Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment