Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.reviews,rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: TNG Graphic Spoiler: "Lifesigns"
Date: 26 Aug 1993 18:02:08 GMT
Lines: 81

Star Trek Comics Review: "Lifesigns"
Review by Mark Martinez
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WARNING: SPOILERS FOR CURRENT STAR TREK COMICS AHEAD

Publisher: DC
   Series: TNG
   Number: 51
     Date: October 1993
    Title: Lifesigns
   Writer: Judith Reeves-Stevens
   Writer: Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Penciller: Peter Krause
    Inker: Mike Christian
    Cover: Jerome Moore
 Stardate: 42102.5
 Synopsis: Investigating an unexpected supernova, an
Enterprise away team discovers an exposed shelter on a nearby
planet. The shelter was originally two kilometers below the
surface and Troi senses some kind of life inside. She touches
the shelter and is knocked unconscious by an energy discharge.
Troi recovers in sickbay and Dr. Pulaski finds no damage. Data
and Geordi use the ship's phasers to cut the shelter open but
don't find any life forms. When the away team beams back to the
ship, several energy creatures from the shelter transport
with them and enter the ship's systems. The creatures begin
draining power from the ship while the nearby star shows signs
of going nova again. Troi communicates with the creatures and
learns that they feed on stellar nova and were responsible for
the nova under investigation. To prevent them from using the
Enterprise to travel through Federation space creating
supernovae, Data devises a scheme to contain the creatures. He
succeeds, but it nearly costs him his life and Troi senses
something in Data for the first time. 

    Grade: s/gd, a/gd, c/vf

REVIEW

This is a story of Data's potential for humanity rather than the
usual "energy creature running amuck aboard the Enterprise"
story. Dr. Pulaski is present to voice the opinion that Data
will never be anything more than a machine. The energy
creatures have no form, but Troi senses recognizable desires
and emotions. The crew debates the concept that emotions are
signs of life and how this applies to Data. Although the story is
intriguing, it doesn't really hang together with the
techno-jabber scenes. The shelter is found on the fifth planet
orbiting a sun that has gone nova and the same sun is about to go
nova again. I don't know anything about star systems, but this
seems a bit farfetched. 


This issue has a terrific cover featuring Troi, Data and
Pulaski, but the interior artwork is not as strong. Many of the
characters look hunched over and overweight. The ups and downs
of the story and artwork leave me unsatisfied with this issue in
spite of an interesting concept. 


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Grading Key
(adapted with tongue-in-cheek from "The Overstreet Comic Book
Price Guide" and subject to revision with little or no provocation) 


s       Story
a       Art
c       Cover art

mt      Mint: perfect in every way
nm      Near mint: minor imperfections only
vf      Very fine: outstanding
fn      Fine: no serious defects
vg      Very good: presentable
gd      Good: readable
fr      Fair: ragged
pr      Poor: falls apart
na      Not applicable/available