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ladyvictoriadiana's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
_bookbabble_'s review
3.0
It was really a good read, I just wish the art work lived up to the writing.
taaya's review
2.0
The backgrounds are beautiful, but the characters look like badly done green screen - and sometimes even distorted.
And then there is the plot. Well, it's the original screenplay that was done before the first season was finished, so it is understandable that it's far from canon. But it's racist, sexist (even Spock has a girl in every port and that's okay and completely normal, wtf?!), heteronorm and somehow the moments that are supposed to have emotional depth come suddenly without any explanation, which makes them feel out of sync with the plot and shallow. Sometimes it even feels as if there were whole pages missing so that there is no context to some panels.
In the end it's good this was not filmed. City at the edge of forever has always been one of my most hated episodes, but plotwise this was even worse. Not in technique, but in logic, characterization, lessons taught,...
And then there is the plot. Well, it's the original screenplay that was done before the first season was finished, so it is understandable that it's far from canon. But it's racist, sexist (even Spock has a girl in every port and that's okay and completely normal, wtf?!), heteronorm and somehow the moments that are supposed to have emotional depth come suddenly without any explanation, which makes them feel out of sync with the plot and shallow. Sometimes it even feels as if there were whole pages missing so that there is no context to some panels.
In the end it's good this was not filmed. City at the edge of forever has always been one of my most hated episodes, but plotwise this was even worse. Not in technique, but in logic, characterization, lessons taught,...
faeriedrumsong's review
4.0
I'm typically a fast reader of graphic novels. I speed through the text with no more than a cursory glance at the images. Enough to know what is happening, no more.
But this one I got from the bookshelves of my recently deceased father. It's a show we both enjoyed, and I waited for at least a month before cracking it open.
And it is beautiful. It is much more full than the televised version, and very much worth the read. And the artwork made me slow down. I read and looked and inhaled the art along with the text.
Two points, in particular, were very intriguing for me:
1) There was a moment when Yeoman Rand (a pretty blond woman who was slightly more than window dressing for many Star Trek - The Original Series episodes) grabs a large gun to blast open a door while Kirk and Spock stand by and let her do it.
2) A different door is jerry-rigged against a blood thirsty crew of pirates. The captain asks the same pretty blond Yeoman Rand if she can hold off the Pirates indefinitely while he and Spock return to the planets surface. The artists allowed the character to be true bad ass. A true team member. Knowing that it is a lost cause - basically a suicide mission - she was in one simple close up panel of her face "I can, sir." And it is amazing.
Yes, these are two extremely minor moments that have very little to do with the primary storyline. But knowing how great these moments are, gives you a glimpse into how intense I think the rest is.
A must for fans.
But this one I got from the bookshelves of my recently deceased father. It's a show we both enjoyed, and I waited for at least a month before cracking it open.
And it is beautiful. It is much more full than the televised version, and very much worth the read. And the artwork made me slow down. I read and looked and inhaled the art along with the text.
Two points, in particular, were very intriguing for me:
1) There was a moment when Yeoman Rand (a pretty blond woman who was slightly more than window dressing for many Star Trek - The Original Series episodes) grabs a large gun to blast open a door while Kirk and Spock stand by and let her do it.
2) A different door is jerry-rigged against a blood thirsty crew of pirates. The captain asks the same pretty blond Yeoman Rand if she can hold off the Pirates indefinitely while he and Spock return to the planets surface. The artists allowed the character to be true bad ass. A true team member. Knowing that it is a lost cause - basically a suicide mission - she was in one simple close up panel of her face "I can, sir." And it is amazing.
Yes, these are two extremely minor moments that have very little to do with the primary storyline. But knowing how great these moments are, gives you a glimpse into how intense I think the rest is.
A must for fans.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
5.0
Harlan Ellison's The City on the Edge of Forever is a graphic novel adaptation (by Scott & David Tipton) of Ellison's original screenplay for arguably Star Trek's best television episode. According to Ellison's introduction, the Tipton's have done a perfect job representing his original vision: "I could not have pictured it as perfect as it has turned out." And perfect it is. Ellison's vision, per usual, is a bit darker than the televised episode, but it also digs even deeper into Captain Kirk's psyche and the loneliness he feels as the man in charge. Ellison has presented readers with an intelligent story with meaning and he does us the great courtesy of assuming that we are fairly bright people who don't need absolutely everything explained. He lets the story speak for itself. That's a great gift from a writer.
There are a few differences between the screenplay and the episode that I'd like to point out. First, there is very little McCoy here. The character who goes a bit crazy and winds up going back in time to change history in the teleplay is a drug-dealing, murderous rogue lieutenant, not our favorite doctor accidentally injected with a full hypo. McCoy shows up just once, to attend to the man Lieutenant Beckworth attacked...and then not by name. And, of course, having a drug-dealer on board the flagship of the Federation is another change. It is also nice to see Yeoman Rand represented as a competent, serious member of the crew and not just secretarial eye candy for Kirk. The other biggie is the role of Trooper, the down-and-out WWI soldier who helps Kirk and Spock find Beckworth.
Trooper, it seems to me, was a huge loss for the televised version. The contrast between his historical value and the value of Edith Keeler is vivid and poignant. It makes a statement about sacrifice as well. Spock's sacrifice in Wrath of Kahn is important--but he makes the sacrifice for his friends and his shipmates. Trooper also sacrifices--but his sacrifice benefits strangers...and ultimately humanity's future. Hard-hitting stuff from a master story-teller.
As far as the graphic novel goes--it is gorgeous. The teleplay has been expertly adapted for the graphic novel and the artwork is impressive. Most of the regular crew members look as we expect--McCoy's brief appearance being the only exception, but perhaps since he wasn't center stage he was given quite the attention that Kirk, Spock and Rand received. Overall, a fantastic graphic novel that any Trek fan should make part of their collection.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
There are a few differences between the screenplay and the episode that I'd like to point out. First, there is very little McCoy here. The character who goes a bit crazy and winds up going back in time to change history in the teleplay is a drug-dealing, murderous rogue lieutenant, not our favorite doctor accidentally injected with a full hypo. McCoy shows up just once, to attend to the man Lieutenant Beckworth attacked...and then not by name. And, of course, having a drug-dealer on board the flagship of the Federation is another change. It is also nice to see Yeoman Rand represented as a competent, serious member of the crew and not just secretarial eye candy for Kirk. The other biggie is the role of Trooper, the down-and-out WWI soldier who helps Kirk and Spock find Beckworth.
Trooper, it seems to me, was a huge loss for the televised version. The contrast between his historical value and the value of Edith Keeler is vivid and poignant. It makes a statement about sacrifice as well. Spock's sacrifice in Wrath of Kahn is important--but he makes the sacrifice for his friends and his shipmates. Trooper also sacrifices--but his sacrifice benefits strangers...and ultimately humanity's future. Hard-hitting stuff from a master story-teller.
As far as the graphic novel goes--it is gorgeous. The teleplay has been expertly adapted for the graphic novel and the artwork is impressive. Most of the regular crew members look as we expect--McCoy's brief appearance being the only exception, but perhaps since he wasn't center stage he was given quite the attention that Kirk, Spock and Rand received. Overall, a fantastic graphic novel that any Trek fan should make part of their collection.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
magneto's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
jmanchester0's review
5.0
Holy crap! That was freakin' insane!
A great story by legend Harlan Ellison. One that has you screaming "NFW!" when it ends.
The entire timestream was altered But it makes me ask - was it a better timestream? For the universes? For the characters in the story? What are the repercussions of keeping the time stream intact? I've got to watch this episode.
A great story by legend Harlan Ellison. One that has you screaming "NFW!" when it ends.
The entire timestream was altered
Spoiler
in a bad way because a bad man did a good thing. Come to find out Kirk and Spock have to go back in time to prevent this evil man from doing a selfless act. This restored the timestream.thingslucyreads's review
5.0
This was made available as a read-now title on Netgalley. The following thoughts are my own honest ones.
I have never met a Star Trek graphic novel that I didn't like, but this one stands far out from all of the others I've encountered. The art, for starters, is breathtaking. Kirk and Spock looked more like William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy than they have in any other ST comic or graphic novel I've ever read. It's a little pet peeve of mine when I feel like the artist hasn't even tried to make them look the same. I understand why they might feel the need to do that, but I don't like it. If I'm reading about Kirk and Spock, I want them to LOOK like Kirk and Spock. But there were no issues with that here. The artists did a phenomenal job at capturing the expressions and emotions of the characters, even and especially Spock's, which I'm sure is not easy.
As for the plot, this graphic novel stands out again. Not just from other Star Trek comics, but non-Star Trek ones too. I understand that this is not based on the TOS episode of the same name, but the original script. (I may be wrong on that count.) I remember very little of that episode, but that was by no means a hindrance.
I often find that the beginning of a graphic novel is a little hard to follow as you're getting used to the styles of the author and illustrator/s. Not so with this one. This was exceedingly easy to follow. The artwork was realistically detailed but also clean enough to be deciphered at glance, the action sequences were not confusing and the plot was well-expressed through the dialogue of the characters. I flew through it in about a half an hour because it was everything that graphic novels should be: gripping, easy on the eyes, and not difficult to read for any reason.
This should be held as the standard for all graphic novels. A lot of authors and illustrators could learn something from it.
Rating: At least 20/5.
I have never met a Star Trek graphic novel that I didn't like, but this one stands far out from all of the others I've encountered. The art, for starters, is breathtaking. Kirk and Spock looked more like William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy than they have in any other ST comic or graphic novel I've ever read. It's a little pet peeve of mine when I feel like the artist hasn't even tried to make them look the same. I understand why they might feel the need to do that, but I don't like it. If I'm reading about Kirk and Spock, I want them to LOOK like Kirk and Spock. But there were no issues with that here. The artists did a phenomenal job at capturing the expressions and emotions of the characters, even and especially Spock's, which I'm sure is not easy.
As for the plot, this graphic novel stands out again. Not just from other Star Trek comics, but non-Star Trek ones too. I understand that this is not based on the TOS episode of the same name, but the original script. (I may be wrong on that count.) I remember very little of that episode, but that was by no means a hindrance.
I often find that the beginning of a graphic novel is a little hard to follow as you're getting used to the styles of the author and illustrator/s. Not so with this one. This was exceedingly easy to follow. The artwork was realistically detailed but also clean enough to be deciphered at glance, the action sequences were not confusing and the plot was well-expressed through the dialogue of the characters. I flew through it in about a half an hour because it was everything that graphic novels should be: gripping, easy on the eyes, and not difficult to read for any reason.
This should be held as the standard for all graphic novels. A lot of authors and illustrators could learn something from it.
Rating: At least 20/5.
livingawayfromreality's review
3.0
The picture style was beautiful however the speech bubbles took me out of the beautiful visuals. Maybe if the could have found a way to incorporate them better.
Very similar to the TOS episode. However there where some changes that were weird.
Very similar to the TOS episode. However there where some changes that were weird.
herwitchiness's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0