Bottalk Reviews

Over drinks Harry tells Tom that he misses Voyager. After they returned from the Delta Quadrant he didn't fit in on other ships and started taking on other, bigger jobs. As the attack begins the Tzenkethi, Starfleet and Romulans battle the attackers. In the end, Sisko is literally stabbed in the back by the Romulan Commander. This was a solid issue. We learn more of the Tzenkethi, specifically that the attackers are their evolutionary ancestors. The conversation between Harry and Tom is nice, and I really like this characterization of Harry. It fits and isn't extreme or over the top. Facing the impossible and trying to survive daily for seven years changed him from a naive ensign. As a fan of the Romulans I find them underused in this issue... though the final page certainly has an impact. seven out of ten.

Spock dreams of Captain Pike, feeling that it may not be him but some other force trying to communicate with him. On the bridge Worf informs the senior staff that Rasmussen is headed for Talos IV. He also reveals that while General Order Seven was lifted, the Talosians are not allowed to leave the planet in an unspoken quarantine policy. Suddenly, Sisko, Riker and Janeway show up telling them to turn the Defiant over to one of them. Spock arrives and informs them they are not on the Defiant, but already on the surface of Talos IV. Rasmussen plans on leaving Talos IV with a Talosian so he can sell their perfect illusions. The entire set up is a ruse created by the Keeper. He wants to leave Talos IV and explore. He used Rasmussen, allowing him to think he had control over the Keeper in a bid to eventually leave the planet. Rasmussen is arrested. The Keeper asks Worf to take him with them... but is denied. Later, Worf gives orders for Ro and B'Elanna to repair Rasmussen's

Picard attempts to go over strategy with several other cadets during an exam. They fail. Later, an argument with Resh leads to him reading Picard's mind without permission which turns into a fistfight. Picard is determined to prove himself and pass the exam. I'm a little unclear on what exactly is going on. The issue opens with the cadets taking an evasive maneuvers exam... which they fail. But they can retake the exam the next day? Or a different exam? Having Picard butt heads with a person nearly as stubborn as him is fine, but we've seen this confrontation before. Again, I'd prefer a non YA, cutesy pie artwork Academy mini series. This just grates on my nerves as it progresses. six out of ten.

The hijacked Enterprise fires on the alien ship which is being flown by Mr Spock. Spock attempts to reason with the crew of the alien ship, to little avail. Meanwhile, Sam and the alien who hijacked the Enterprise are blown into space and rescued by Number One. After a heartfelt speech from Pike, the alien returns the Enterprise to him. As Spock arrives offering assistance the Enterprise seemingly breaks apart. There is a lot going on in this issue. Perhaps too much. The race aspect, which I have not been a fan of since issue one is downplayed here. Pike getting control of the Enterprise and Spock taking control of the alien ship are the main beats of this issue, which make it the best one thus far. six out of ten.

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