Villordsutch reviews Star Trek #51…
The Mirror Universe epic continues here as the evil counterparts of the Enterprise crew gain the upper hand! Captain Kirk finds himself allied with the mysterious man known only as Singh, while Spock comes face to face with his deceased mother… now alive and well in the Mirror Universe!
After last month’s landmark opener from Mike Johnson [review here], which left us with Kirk, Uhura, McCoy and Lt. Zahra stranded on Ceti Alpha V with a peaceful Khan, and above the rest of the U.S.S. Enterprise nose to nose with the I.S.S. Enterprise lead by Captain Spock and its not so peaceful crew, things really weren’t look to great for all involved. We’re hitting Star Trek “Live Evil” Part 2 of 3 this issue so you can bet that it will be firing rapidly to cram as much story into its covers.
With Mirror Kirk making a deal with Harry Mudd, we see him leave for an unknown destination before we return to the main action. Khan, who insists Kirk call him “Singh”, brings Kirk and the Away Team to the hidden ship Botany Bay, where via Uhura’s investigations – on the computer – reveal that this Singh’s reality shows him to be peaceful, though Kirk highlights computers can be altered.
Aboard the I.S.S. Enterprise, Mirror Spock attempts to gain information out of Spock, in which he truthfully informs him about the ion cloud; when Captain Kirk is mentioned Mirror Spock appears somewhat unnerved and both Enterprises are directed toward Vulcan. Aboard the USS Enterprise Mirror Sulu takes command with both Mirror Scotty and Mirror Chekov in the engine room, and it’s here that Mirror Chekov makes his move for a try at command.
With both Enterprises out of orbit the Botany Bay takes flight and heads for Qo’nos, as Singh takes the Away Team and his own crew to find their only remaining allies. On the Klingon homeworld Kirk finally meets Mirror Kirk. Over at a terraformed Vulcan the ISS Enterprise arrives and Spock realises that his mother may still be alive in this reality.
Packed is the word of the day here – packed! It’s one of those comics where you know all involved possibly had to sit on the comic – like a bulging suitcase – just to close the issue shut. I don’t envy editor Sarah Gaydos with the amount story being placed into these three issues which she has had to oversee. Fantastically enjoyable to take it all in though, with some brilliant scenes delivered, like Chekov attempting a command takeover and the idea of the terraforming Vulcan. One thing I do particularly like is Khan insisting on being called “Singh” – if you’re a fan of Google looking this word up may show you this leopard may not have changed his spots.
With regards to Tony Shasteen’s art, the first thing to say is quite a loud, “WOW!” to his cover. Really this is a magnificent cover Mr. Shasteen and I stopped to have a true look at this. Turning to the inner art again the standard which has ran for the past few issues is keeping up high from both the talents of Tony Shasteen and Davide Mastrolonardo; however on occasion there is the minor face oddity which creeps in, but I’m easily distracted from these by the rest of the excellent work which surrounds them.
Part two of Star Trek “Live Evil” is an excellent comic and a lot of story has been piled into this issue. However I am getting that itch again for I’m wondering if there is going to be enough room to finish off this arc in just the one remaining issue, or whether the story be too compacted to be enjoyed.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our recent interview with Mike Johnson here at Flickering Myth.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=orZBAVqQhSc
Originally published November 18, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
