Villordsutch reviews Star Trek: New Visions “Sam”…
In our latest Photoplay from John Byrne we become entangled in the life of Kirk’s elder brother George Samuel “Sam” Kirk before his untimely death in Operation-Annihilate. Sam’s often forgotten in the NuTrek universe, but he is there. You can even see him in the opening of 2009’s Star Trek in the younger Jim Kirk car thieving scene, however due to a script change Sam’s name was changed to Johnny at the last moment (though in the ongoing comic series his story is continued).
SEE ALSO: Check out a preview of Star Trek New Visions: “Sam” here
Now John Byrne takes us back to the Original Series and a shaggy bearded George Kirk (possibly to help disguise the fact that George Kirk was in fact just Shatner with a moustache fish-glued to his face in the original episode) has admitted to murder and handed himself in giving a full confession. With this the Enterprise is called to escort George back to Earth for trial and what follows is a younger brother searching for the slightest piece of evidence to clear his older brother’s name. Meanwhile around him we discover the Klingons are not only entwined in this foul play, but also the Organian Peace Treaty no longer seems to be in effect.
We’ve been on a run of good stories from John recently and unfortunately this is the first minor hiccup we’ve happened to come across for some time. Whereas over the past few issues I’ve sung highly on John’s photographic manipulation and the work his puts into the Photomontages, here – unfortunately – there are simple errors which impact on the quality of work. Smudging around images, eye-line between characters are off, and George’s head appearing to be slightly disconnected from his body are among several problems I’ve spotted within this issue. Again, this isn’t like John’s recent submissions, which makes me believe this – quite possibly – was an earlier piece of work placed out at a later day.
The story is interesting, although not overly engaging however. The highlight of the story being that the Organian Treaty seems to be no longer in effect and the Klingons are aware of this – that and they’ve been testing the limits of the failing Organian Treaty for some time. Here is a nice pinch of something that John may be planning for a future story or two, and it’s something I’m looking forward to knowing that the Klingons are planning on delivering Kirk to the Klingon Emperor.
“Sam” isn’t John’s worst Photoplay ever, however it’s not the strongest either. It’s worth a read, but if it’s a great introduction you’re looking for then start with Swarm or Resistance.
Rating: 6/10
@Villordsutch
Originally published February 1, 2017. Updated November 14, 2019.
