BotTalk Reviews

Marin County (San Francisco Bay Area of California), December 1978 Wendy Moira (a Peter Pan homage?) confesses to Clara Holmwood that she is in love with the leader of "The California Cult", Billy Joe aka William Joseph Franklin. Wendy plays Billy Joe's advanced promo record. Wendy and Clara listen to Billy Joe's song "Come Wander With Me". Suzy Smiles (a radicalized acolyte of Billy Joe who likes to listen to "Always is Always Forever" by Charles Manson) pays the girls a visit. Suzy leads the demoiselles into an ambush, they get abducted by "The California Cult". Death Valley National Park, east of the Sierra Nevada, 5 months later Clara escapes from the Billy Joe Family. Reseda, Los Angeles, California, Present day Clara (now Lucy) cannot afford to pay for her daughter's university tuition, so she agrees to tell her "California Cult" story on TV for beaucoup bucks.  Clara/Lucy, Wren (Clara's daughter), Phoebe (Clara...

The Omega will soon head out toward Babel.  A conference will determine the future of the Federation, the trip will take the Omega four months... but everyone else, twenty three years.  Before they leave First Officer 'Wowie' has a disappointing family reunion.  He returns over the years and time moves on.  His family grows bitter, Earth slowly recovers but the future appears bleak.  Wowie returns to the Omega and says that Kirk should be in charge. The situation on Earth, at least the political climate, feels very 'of the moment'.  We see those who lived in comfort now living with fear.  This issue is focused on 'Wowie'.  we get to see his family life, his personal doubts, and how he sticks to his guns in the face of opposition from his family and others.   seven out of ten.

This volume collects the Nancy daily newspaper comic strips from 1949–1950.  We actually get 620 timeless, charming and very clever black-and-white Nancy strips by American cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller (1905-1982) in one collection! Don't worry Sluggo aficionados, Nancy's pal is very much present in this tome. We get to see Sluggo ice skating, playing in the coal yard, struggling with his weight and lack of hair, losing his bubblegum, growing taller, using his periscope, magnet and handheld mirror, working at the bank, circus and music shop, reading in his attic, ski jumping, dissipating static electricity, going to the most dangerous place in town, tightrope walking, sleeping in a hammock, mowing lawns, walking on stilts, keeping Nancy off the grass, catching a baseball, dressing for tea, painting, playing the trombone and the xylophone, getting a push on a tree swing, slicing some baloney, dancing, golfing, fishing, swimming, paddling his boat, pulling weeds, camping, learning...

Ninkugel the Harvester purloins bars (a currency) from his stingy employer, Tonkfarr. Ninkugel trades his bars for a Schema Beetle sculpture. The sculpture comes to life and gives birth to a brood that devours all of Tonkfarr's crops. Ninkugel is thrown in jail, he escapes and leaves his village that has become abandoned. Ninkugel comes across a talking lizard, Wurl. Wurl gets killed by slavers: Rolden and "Huntsman". A Bog King appears. Rolden and "Huntsman" slaughter the beast, but Ninkugel drops his blade, blade first, on "Huntsman"'s foot. Refusing to be sold into servitude in Arn-Uthyr (An homage to Uther Pendragon?), Ninkugel murders Rolden and "Huntsman". Ninkugel runs into a talking dragon (a "demon"), he kills it. Ninkugel arrives at another village, he introduces himself as a "Demon Slayer" to Arloth. Arloth introduces Ninkugel to Smekland. Smekland introduces Ninkugel to the village council members (includin...

Creators : Larry Hama (writer), Paul Pelletier (pencils), Tony Kordos (inker), Francesco Segala (colorist), Sabrina Del Grosso (flatter), Pat Brosseau (letterer) Story : Ace does a high altitude recon in the Sky Raven and discovers a satellite that might be a space station.  Duke and Stalker send up Payload, Sci-Fi, Lady Jaye and Countdown in the Joe's Defiant shuttle to investigate it.  Once in space, the station, controlled by Revanche, begins shooting at the Joes.  Lady Jaye and Sci-Fi are able to get inside the station and, by fighting the blue ninja, are able to take the station out.  However, Revanche does have other plans. Writing : This is a tight issue, focusing just on the space station.  I do enjoy it when Hama incorporates lesser-used Joes, like in this issue we get Law & Order, Countdown, Sci-Fi, Hardtop and Payload.  Three of those Joes are a very specific subset, dealing with outer space.  We don't get any other Joes on other mission...

Chapel reunites with her friend, no longer under control of the Seed.  In space the Enterprise is intertwined in vines.  Pike confronts the Seed controlled Una.  He manages to speak directly to the Seed, informing them their jailers are long gone.  Enterprise fires a beam at the surface that frees the trapped prison ship.  Later, Chapel and Una beam down to a 'boring' planet with The Seed, presenting them with a new home. I feel like this five issue mini is the first or second draft of a Strange New Worlds episode.  There are some interesting ideas, with an unusual setting.  But as I have said there is something lacking in its portrayal of our characters.  Scotty especially, but even the modern take on Chapel feels off in this series.  The resolution is very Trek.  Talking with the Seed and resolving the situation.  Much appreciated as opposed to a pew pew sfx battle.   six out of ten.  

Is this the end of Angry Vine Woman? So Chapel rescues her friend, her team, and La'An Noonien-Singh and they are then rescued by Spock and Anime drawing Scotty. Meanwhile in space the crew work to solve the mystery of the Arken and work toward a solution for the angry vine woman, all of which tie up nicely. And good thing too, because this is the type of story that would get old if it got dragged out. And the solution and how they worked it all out is classic Star Trek, and then how it wrapped up with the plant creature by working out a deal instead of running in with phaser firing and blowing everything up, was also very good. Again this would’ve been better as a 5 part season 3 story instead of the seasons more weaker episodes. 8/10

Last time on issue 14! The Cerritos visited Laapoonia, sent down an away team led by Jack Ransom where they were suddenly trapped on planet as Cerritos was suddenly attacked by a strange battleship. And now here is 15 with the away still on the planet attempting to find a way off, in orbit Cerritos is getting slaughtered by the much more advanced strange ship.  Eventually a small shuttle from the planet commanded by the away team attacks the strange ship, and Cerritos makes its escape straight into a cliffhanger. So here we are with part two and we seemed to have forgotten all about D'Vana Tendi being mad about T’Lyn for some reason, and the senior officers on the planet are now stupid. But only we can follow the lower decks main characters of course. We still learn nothing about the mystery ship except that it’s advanced. Well advanced compared to Cerritos, which is not a Prometheus class ship or anything. Really the thing hurting the story is the truncated length of comic books o...

Creators : Joshua Williamson (writer), Tom Reilly (artist), Jordie Bellaire (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer) Story : As the Dreadnoks corner Cobra Commander, he instead offers a proposal to them to be hired henchmen, which they accept.  As the Joe team enters the area, they now have to fight off Cobra Commander leading the Dreadnoks.  Autobot Hound joins in the fight, much to the shock of everyone.  Destro finally arrives and Cobra Commander and the Dreadnoks escape with him while Duke wants answers.  Hawk, meanwhile, recovers from his injuries while taking a call. Writing : Williamson throws a lot of action into this issue and helps set up our "standard" status quo going forward - with the Dreadnoks working with Cobra.  He continues to show us how much of a professional soldier Duke can be.  Even with changing battlefield situations, Duke is able to quickly adjust his strategies.  We also get some classic Cobra Commander as well - he's always thinki...

Kirkman Kills The Transformers! Well, not all of them, yet! With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, he now takes the writing reins of the flagship Transformers comic series as well, with Dan Mora now on pencils and Mike Spicer still on colors. In this twenty-eighth issue, Megatron has a freakout, Arcee gets a promotion, Miles Mayhem tries his darndest to get a spin-off, and SOMEONE DIES. FOR REAL. PERMANENTLY. Whut-oh. Yeah, Kirkman finally gives in to his Walking Dead and Invincible pedigree and brings on the gore here, for both human and Transformer alike! After I felt like he was being remarkably restrained for his first three issues, he really goes for it here and it’s... I dunno... kind of on the nose, maybe? I guess he wanted to show that his run will be chock-full of consequences too, but I feel maybe his choice of victim was a little flawed and a real shame. The victim is a Transformers character that is known for getting the shaft usually...

Species 8472 chase Voyager as the Doctor attempts to make more nanoprobes.  Janeway has Voyager take a hit from the Borg cube, defending their new allies against 8472.  As reinforcements come in, Voyager takes out three bioships.  The assault against the ship intensifies.  The planet killer beam is charged and fired on the Borg cube, with Seven and her new allies beamed away at the last moment.  Janeway surrenders when 8472 promises the Voyager crew will live.  They are taken to a base where they meet Boothby and Archer... and Admiral Paris. A lot going on this issue and it feels intense.  The Doctor struggles to produce new assimilation nanoprobes while under attack and dealing with the ailing Tuvok.  I will say the Borg who were severed from the Collective get little to do here except dodge weapons fire.  The appearance of 'Boothby' and Archer from an episode of Voyager is much appreciated.   seven out of ten.

In a medieval setting a fortress is under siege.  During the attack an armoured knight opens the gates and stands ready with a modern gun.  He opens fire.  In conflict with the leader of the opposition the knight is defeated by his own weapons and the victors enter the fort.  Behind enormous doors we see a tank, a WWII plane and seemingly an atomic bomb.  The victor meets the face of God, a fast food drive through character with a speaker in its stomach.   The art for this issue is great.  The story, however... just doesn't fit The Twilight Zone.  I could see it in Eerie (1966 Warren Magazine) or Creepy (1964 Warren Magazine), but it just doesn't have that 'it' factor that says The Twilight Zone.  That doesn't mean it is bad.  Not at all.  It is a fine story.  I just think that it would fit in better elsewhere.   six out of ten.