Bottalk Reviews

Through a crowd of people Dracula watches Mina and Lucy. Lucy appears quite taken with Dracula and once Mina leaves, he makes his presence known. Much later, Mina finds a bloody Lucy laying in bed, a smile on her lips. Once again, the art is the selling point of this comic. The story of Dracula has been told again and again, but I find the artwork really helps sell it. The madness of Renfield and even the softer moments of Lucy crushing on Dracula are wonderful. eight out of ten.

After a brief struggle with the Tzenkethi, they agree to allow the away team access to their leader. On the way, Tom yells at Harry for bringing his daughter on such a dangerous mission. Upon meeting the Tzenkethi leader a Romulan Tal Shiar agent makes her presence known. She implies knowing the truth as to how the Romulans entered the Dominion War. Later, a group of Remans show up and it is revealed the Tzenkethi strong hold will soon be under siege. The infamous Nemesis dune buggy makes a brief appearance here. I never imagined the Tzenkethi as dinosaurs, I guess I always imagined them more along the lines of the Gorn. still, this is a race that has never been seen on screen (aside from Star Trek Online I believe), so getting to know them here is... fascinating. seven out of ten.

As the Defiant bridge crew review the past and current whereabouts of Hugh, the ship comes under attack... by Hugh and his forces. He demands they turn Lore over. Worf lowers the shields and invites Hugh to search for Lore. Worf and an away team beam on to Hugh's ship with the intent of capturing him. They are stopped by Nomad. Later, Worf and Hugh discuss the situation. Hugh sends Nomad to attack a Borg cube and cuts the drones off from the collective. Later, Worf offers Hugh a place on the Defiant, that they might track down Lore together. Hugh accepts and the Defiant warps off to locate the next target. This was a really fun issue. The inclusion of Nomad was unexpected, though I think the Borg connection unnecessary. Adding Hugh to the Defiant certainly fills the gap left by the departing Lore. A somewhat loose cannon with goals that could possibly conflict with those of Worf and the Federation. seven out of ten.

In a flashback we see Picard's life growing up in France. The disapproval of his father and jealousy of his brother. After sharing, Spock orders Picard to attend the party. At the party Picard watches a classmate get bullied... only then for the bully to get his comeuppance. The flashback of Picard's farm life is, while nothing we haven't seen before, charming. the rest of the book feels like all ages fluff. And I'm sorry, but the art doesn't do it any favours. this is inoffensive, but rather bland. six out of ten.

The race continues. The Enterprise attempts to navigate through a dangerous section of 'track' while getting pummelled by lightning, solar flares and coronal ejection. Meanwhile, the ship Una is on decides to raid Enterprise, resulting in a running phaser battle on the ships hull. During the battle Aisla changes computer access, locking Pike out. At this moment, the ship Spock in on comes up from behind... and Aisla intends to destroy it. This issue was much better than the previous two. The stakes are raised and we have multiple situations going on at once. Even though Sam got KOed at least he was given something. Often times in the show it feels like they forget he exists. The art continues to be a highlight of this mini. six out of ten.

The first several pages have various characters discussing Renfield and later, the dead crew of a ship. I assume they are referring to the Demeter from the novel Dracula. Lucy and Mina discus similar subjects before returning to a crazed Renfield and a sequence where a wolf stalks a woman, turns into Dracula, and attacks her. The issue ends with Renfield freaking out and a final shot of Dracula in his coffin. If you are familiar with the story of Dracula through any number of adaptations then you can easily follow this comic. It does jump around from various groups of characters. If you are looking for something intense and bloody, this isn't it. As stated, you have different characters sitting around discussing horrible events. The madness of Renfield, the murder of the ships crew. But it is not boring. The art is wonderfully done. It has the feeling of an early 90s Vertigo comic. It feels fluid and helps the conversations move along from panel to panel. seven out of ten.

Troi realizes that Armus is just another of Redjac's tricks. Also, the captives that were rescued turn out to be Holograms, the real crewmen are still being held hostage. Later, Redjac and Armus attempt to storm the bridge while Data, once again, tries to rescue the hostages. Using a map of Redjac created from when he possessed Scotty, Troi is able to dispel him. The hostages are freed and the crew celebrates Halloween in peace. I would have liked more involvement from Armus. Even though it isn't real, Armus has little impact after his shock appearance at the end of the previous issue. The battle between Redjac, Armus and the bridge crew feels much too short. I am happy that Scotty is able to be helpful, as he seemed to have little impact last issue. seven out of ten.

The fallout from Day of Blood... Sisko attends a mandatory celebration and speaks with Admiral Janeway briefly, and then Admiral Sato. T'Lir is being reassigned and Sisko is ordered to investigate a Tzenkethi build up along the Cardassian border. Sisko, Paris and Ensign Sato beam down to meet a Starfleet Intelligence operative... who turns out to be Harry Kim. The reunion is short as a group of dinosaurs attack the away team. Nice reference to Admiral Dougherty and 'Insurrection'. T'Lir, I suspect, will be back as their involvement in this book has been mysterious to say the least. Nice to see the crew get a bit of downtime and reflection after Day of Blood. The Tzenkethi have always been an interest of mine. They have been explored in a few novels but, I think, this is the first time a comic will tackle them. seven out of ten.

The monster crew must leave the Holodeck in seven minutes or face severe brain injury. Data battles the Redjac Moriarty/Borg and the monster crew manage to escape. Geordi runs to the transporter room to check on a power fault when who beams in but... Montgomery Scott! Later, the senior staff go back into the Holodeck under their monster guises. They emerge in a graveyard and battle Redjac while Data attempts to rescue the crewmen still held captive. At the battle's end, it appears Redjac is defeated but power is still being fed to the Holodeck from elsewhere. Redjac emerges... with Armus! This issue pulls out all the stops. Scotty returns to aid the TNG crew. The one TOS character who suffered the most under Redjac. We also have the unexpected return of Armus. Given how Redjac feeds off fear and terror, it will be interesting to see how the senior staff react to the being who killed one of their own. This mini continues to a fun ride. seven out of ten.

Riker and Worf struggle to hold off the Holodeck creations but Picard raises a force field, keeping them in check. Later, the senior staff watch Scotty's Redjac testimony. They are unable to release a gas that would effect the crew like what Dr. McCoy used. Dr Crusher suggests a form of role play, putting members of the crew under and assuming the role of a monster to battle the Holo monsters. Troi becomes a Mummy, Riker a Werewolf, Worf a Fishman and Picard a Vampire. The Monster Squad make their way to and engage the modified Data. Troi allows the captives Redjac took to escape. Using the old movie trope, the freed crew grab pitchforks and torches and turn on the Monster Squad. This is so much fun. Seeing the senior staff done up as monsters feels like some kind of odd TMNT toy mash-up. If you enjoy that sort of thing or dig Universal Monsters and/or Monster Squad check this out. eight out of ten.

I'm not sure why this book needed a director's cut edition. It doesn't. I imagine this is the sort of thing that will be added to the eventual trade collection of Day of Blood. So if you are interested in seeing pencils, colourless pages and the pitch proposal, maybe wait for the trade.

Worf and Spock arrive in the transporter room to see Sela off when Worf begins coughing up blood.  Before she departs, Sela tells Spock about three Romulan scientists that were imprisoned because of something they learned.  Worf has a brief vision of his son before waking up in Sickbay.  Later, standing before a Starfleet review board consisting of Admirals Jelico and Nechayev, the crew must explain their actions during the Day of Blood incident. Instead of being cleared and reinstated, Worf, B'elanna and Ro are disavowed and given new, off the book, assignments. later, on DS9, they 'buy' the decommissioned Defiant and set out on their new mission. Some references of note.  I assume Sela's line about Romulan scientists learning something so terrible they were locked up without trial is in reference to the supernova that will eventually destroy Romulas.  The targets given to Worf and crew are Hugh, Rasmussen, and a gangster from Sigma Iotia III (aka TOS episode 'A P

The race begins.  La'an wants to rescue the crew that were scattered across the various ships in the race but her request is denied by Pike.  Una is given little to do on her ship while Spock mentally interfaces with his.  Enterprise is attacked by what was believed to be an asteroid but in turn, is a life-form.  Pike wants to take down the person behind the entire race, who ends up destroying a ship to prove a point.   I wish I had more to say about this.  I find the premise thin and uninspired.  Una and Spock have little to do on their ships.  The one good thing about this comic is the art by Angel Hernandez. five out of ten.

Hit by the energy beam and slowly beginning to unravel, Sisko hears the Prophets tell him over and over he has failed. The two starship crews work together to sever the energy beam and save Sisko. Alexander wakes up and speaks to his father. The wounds received in our last issue not fatal afterall. Kahless flees from battle. Martok also wakes up, his life saved by Dr Crusher. Sela enters the scene soon after, informing him of the toxin she used and how helpful he can be to her. Later, at a victory celebration, Sisko and Worf make amends. Finally, Kahless troops receive a message from their hijacked systems... from Lore. Day of Blood is over. the finale was... one that feels at home with DS9. Sisko is saved by teamwork and the great battle with Kahless is, in the end, no real battle at all. I still feel that certain aspects of this event don't quite work. That certain characters, namely Kahless and Alexander, have been written in a way simply to get from point a to b. b

The events of Day of Blood are told from Shaxs' point of view. mainly the surface battle against the forces of Kahless, done in the art style of Lower Decks. I'm not the biggest fan of Lower Decks. As pointed out in the Strange New Worlds crossover episode, the references are very specific. The sense of humour is a bit much IMO. Despite these feelings, this was an enjoyable comic. And, in parts, more epic and fun than most of the Day of Blood crossover event. If you enjoy Lower Decks and simply want to pick up this issue and nothing else from Day of Blood, I believe you would find it an enjoyable issue that provides some backstory with Shaxs. eight out of ten.

After a fight, alternate Uhura kills alternate Chekov, despite Kirk and Uhura's best efforts to talk her out of this action. Dr McCoy gets the blood he needs from alternate Chekov to save Chekov while on the planet surface, Sulu manages to destroy the Nightbringer. Uhura allows her counterpart to escape. Overall this entire mini-series was a disappointment. It did nothing original. The alternates of Chekov and Uhura were one note. The involvement of the Romulans was good, but ultimately was little more than a simple backdrop and foil for our heroes... and villains. five out of six.

Worf confronts Alexander while Sisko talks with Kahless. a Bird of Prey arrives and sends a stream of energy around Sisko, intended to kill him. but it does not. in space the crews of Defiant and Theseus deal with the ships that pursue them. meanwhile, Worf and Alexander continue their battle and when it seems Worf's words have gotten through to him, Kahless stabs Alexander in the back. Though, like Goku, one could make the argument that Worf was an absent father it seems all Alexander can do is state this fact again and again. it is his only motivation in this story and after he shouts his rage it becomes tiresome. much like this event, as this is the penultimate installment and i am ready for it to end. six out of ten.

Counselor Troi suggests the ship celebrate Halloween while a mysterious entity begins to spread through the ship, feasting on fear. crewmen begin to go missing all over the ship. soon the entity reveals itself to be Redjac. the crew begins to feel the weight of fear and anxiety, some of them come to Troi for help. Data enters the Holodeck and encounters the missing Lt Bloch, possessed by Redjac and in the garb of Professor Moriarty. Bloc injects Borg Nanites into his body and easily decapitates Data. Data is modified by Bloc into a Frankenstein's Monster type of being. Lt Bloch is a nod to writer Robert Bloch. who not only wrote Psycho but three episodes of TOS. Redjac comes from TOS episode 'Wolf in the Fold', also written by Bloch. this is not the first time the TNG crew have encountered Redjac. the Wildstorm one-shot 'Embrace The Wolf' has similar Holodeck scenes. in fact i do wonder if that story is cannon with this new one, as the TNG crew seem fam