Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful art, nice prequel but BAD sci-fi!, March 27, 2009
I managed to hit the lottery and get my copy of the Star Trek: Countdown trade paperback very early from Amazon (before the release of Issue #4). Personally I would have preferred to win a real lottery, but that's no reflection of my opinion of Countdown itself. I skipped the comics as I always do these days, preferring to wait for the collected versions to be released. It's often less expensive (as it was in this case) and sometimes you get extras (as you do here, I suspect).
This will be a spoiler-light review, as so few have even seen the concluding Issue #4 at this point. Star Trek: Countdown is a prequel of sorts to the upcoming film, but takes place completely in the post-Nemesis Next Gen timeframe (8 years after Nemesis). Countdown is the story of a Romulan named Nero, a hardworking family man who captains a mining vessel. After barely avoiding a stellar catastrophe, he returns to Romulus with a warning of the pending doom that threatens the entire Romulan Empire. When his fears are rejected, he decides to take on a mission to save his world with the help of some unlikely (and familiar) allies from the Federation. But events will not go as planned, great losses will be incurred, and a villain intent on utter vengeance will rise from the ashes.
Short spoiler-free review: STC is a pleasant, fairly compelling story with wonderful art by David Messina. The TPB includes 5 pages of character sketches by the artist that may not be included in Issue #4, which alone may make it worth picking up the TPB. Despite being intended as a direct prequel to the film, STC stands very well on its own right up to the non-cliffhanger ending. The best aspect of it is the "passing of the torch" feel because of the inclusion of many well-loved characters, undoing some damage inflicted by Nemesis. I found the quality of both the character art and the space battles to be exceptional, the best I've ever seen in a Trek comic. I can't judge how well it succeeds as a prequel at this point, but the story and some specifics in it do raise some questions about some pre-conceptions fans (including myself) have about the movie storyline. The series is let down, however, but some plot-holes and grade school science fiction that I sincerely hope are not going to creep into the film itself.
Some light spoilers follow, so if you want to be surprised, stop reading now.
I've seen some criticisms leveled at Messina's character art, but I found it to be very good. His renderings of Spock, in particular, are just excellent. The character sketch section in the back and Giovanna Niro's cover are wonderful.
As I indicated above, I thought the story was better than average. Despite the number of cameos, they didn't feel forced. It's good to see how some of our favorite characters have moved up over the years, though there's really no time for development of anyone except Nero himself and, to some extent, Spock. The quiet moments are the best. Unfortunately, I feel that the story and Nero's progression is really let down by the contrived cataclysm of the Hobus system supernova. It's never explained how the explosion could possibly endanger Romulus so quickly, let alone Vulcan and the Federation, let alone the whole galaxy. And when Spock tells the Vulcan council, "It threatens the entire Universe," without any further explanation, it just goes from bad science fiction to stupid. I also have to wonder about what seemed to me to be a big plot hole, specifically that if the danger to Romulus was so immediate, why in the world would Nero have left his family there?
But those are the only big weaknesses that jumped out at me. I was impressed by how self-contained the story was because of the conclusion. Countdown could lead directly into the movie, or standalone on its own, and that's more than I expected.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE COUNTDOWN TO "STAR TREK" BEGINS HERE!, April 12, 2009
"Star Trek: Countdown" is a fascinating, thrilling four-part adventure that serves as a prequel to this summer's blockbuster return of Gene Rodenberry's vision of the future: "Star Trek!" What makes this prequel unique is that it is actually set almost a full century AFTER the events of the film. Set in the Next Generation era, and featuring several of that show's iconic characters, it tells the origin story of Nero, a Romulan miner who will eventually become a threat to the entire universe, and the main nemesis of Kirk and Spock 100 years in the past.
Featuring beautiful imagery, a few surprise appearances and a story that builds toward an inevitable climax, "Star Trek: Countdown" serves as a fantastic prequel to the next epic chapter in the Trek franchise!
Grade: A
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent comic which provides good backstory to the upcoming movie, April 14, 2009
Movie tie-ins usually make for bad comic books. Star Trek: Countdown has the added onus of being a preview to a movie that none of us have seen (yet!). Nonetheless, Countdown delivers an entertaining story (with a few flaws) and a worthwhile preview of the new film for fans who are dying for information.
Story: I will not spoil the plot, except to say that it puts Romulans, Vulcans, and TNG-era Federation factions into conflict, and introduces the Romulan character Nero, who will be the antagonist in the upcoming Star Trek "reboot" movie. The story does a decent job of working all of these into the mix - but it is nothing terribly special. It has the feel of a Star Trek: Voyager two-parter - lots of stuff happens, but sometimes you feel that they're piling it on just for show. The comic is also a bit short at just under 100 pages - the plot moves very quickly from one place to another, and could have stood a few extra pages of exposition and character development. The central threat (a supernova) is not explained very well, as mentioned in some other reviews. Cameos from several TNG favorites are worked in in an entertaining manner.
Art: The art is highly stylized. It is a very slick and minimalistic style in terms of rendering. Comic veterans will probably have no trouble following it, but those who have read fewer comics in their day may find it confusing. Some characters do not look appreciably different enough to make them out quickly and without some extra thought. Page layouts also shift irritatingly between single page and double page spreads, leading even this comic veteran to struggle with panel order in a few spots. Overall, I'd call the art slightly above average, but noting to write home about.
Context: I will say this - I am slightly less nervous about the new movie after having read this. Orci and Kurtzman clearly are capable of stringing together a decent plot, and they clearly know and care about the TNG characters they utilize here. Is it rip-roaring action packed space drama? Yes. Is it great sci-fi? Eh, probably not. Hopefully, they show an equal respect for the original series characters with their "reboot." I'm still dubious of the entire project - seeing a continuation of TNG era characters whetted my appetite even more for a Trek continuation that moves FORWARD, not BACK.
Overall, I would recommend this to die-hard Trek fans only. It is a merely average comic. If you want some serious "expanded universe" Trek material, I would recommend some of the comics or novels by Peter David, Diane Carey, or Christie Golden.
One final note: I would have given this collection four stars if the price had not been so high. $18 for 100 pages is a serious rip-off. That works out to $4.50 per comic (it was a 4 issue series). What's the point of getting a trade paperback if not to save? This should have been $12.99 list, TOPS. Even at Amazon's reduced price, it's a bit of a stretch as a value proposition.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
