Villordsutch reviews Star Trek #38….
The STAR TREK event of 2014 continues in Part 4 of “The Q Gambit!” Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise find themselves in a true no-win scenario thanks to the mischievous Q! Trapped in a dark future, at the mercy of the mighty Dominion, this adventure might prove to be their last! Don’t miss this all-new story produced in association with STAR TREK writer/producer Roberto Orci!
We’ve arrived at Part Four of The Q Gambit and Mike Johnson has shown us in previous issues that this universe – that he has created for Q to upset Kirk and Co. – is truly his and that he [MJ] is doing whatever he damned well wants to, with glee too. It takes some guts to stick a bat’leth through Worf’s throat (from behind) after only a mere few panels, but that’s what happened at the end of the last issue and you know if that can be delivered anything from this point on can happen.
We open with Kira, after showing Spock and McCoy a recently unearthed tablet from Bajor, explaining that the history of the Prophets and the Pah-wraiths and how the Pah-wraiths sided with the Dominion thereby making their might too strong for the Alpha Quadrant. Returning to our brutal Worf murder we catch up with Kirk, Sisko, Odo, Uhura and Scotty at the wrong end of a Changeling rifle, but thanks to a dramatic rescue from O’Brien and what appears to be a perhaps Commanding Officer Keiko they are soon rescued; this party is soon spoiled for Kirk when Q shows up to show him the Enterprise occupied by Cardassians. Meanwhile on Bajor, Quark – like a leopard and its spots – can never change and has just sold out Kira with Spock and McCoy to the Cardassians. Dukat brings all three to his ready room and rather smugly parades himself before inspecting the recently discovered tablet and well aware of what’s supposedly inside it, smashes the tablet into pieces.
Like our last issue we’re lacking in Q again and the little appearance we see of him gives hardly anything away to his actually reason for bring the Enterprise and crew to the future and messing up this timeline. This however as a whole doesn’t detract from what is a rather excellent comic. You’ve got Ferengis selling out friends, Dukat upto his non-corporeal extra-dimensional bothering best, and not forgetting Keiko not watering plants or just mewing in the background but actually in control of the rescue shuttle; this is an action filled, entertaining, enjoyable Star Trek comic. A question has also been raised in my head:- What will happen between the Prophets, Pah-wraiths and Q?
Whereas last month I wasn’t impressed with the art work from Tony Shasteen this month there does seem to be a considerable improvement in the definition in character profiles and faces don’t appear to lose shape, which is always a good thing. Though the look of art being pasted on top of art is still there and it stands out quite a bit. If you can bypass this minor frustration however it does look a lot better than last month.
Today is a good day to spend your money… on this comic.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
If you’re a fan of Flickering Myth and have a minute to spare, please vote for us in the National UK Blog Awards 2015. You can find our page here.
Originally published November 12, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
