cover image Star Trek: The Next Generation: Maelstrom

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Maelstrom

Michael Jan Friedman, . . Titan, $19.95 (160pp) ISBN 978-1-84576-318-3

When a collection starts out with actor interviews from 2000 and 1995, the reader gets the impression that the story isn't foremost. Bonuses are nice, but they're usually in the back of the book. This volume reprints the DC Comics issues Star Trek: The Next Generation 13–18 from 1990. With so many characters, giving each some focus takes up much of any issue, but the portrayals seem accurate and in keeping with the show. From panel to panel on the same page, the same characters' faces vary greatly, from excellent likenesses to heads with features in not quite the right places. At times, it's reminiscent of the work of MAD magazine satirist Mort Drucker. Stories are self-contained, one or two issues' worth. Telepathic queens battle over who will inherit the throne. Snowboarding shore leave turns into a Ferengi fight. The ship strays into the Neutral Zone while energy beings cause crewmembers to act irrationally. They don't stray far from the types of plots seen on TV, providing more of the same to those who miss the show. (Jan.)