Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.reviews,rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: TOS Graphic Spoiler: "Door in the Cage"
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 10:29:43 -0400
Lines: 86

Star Trek Comics Review: "Door in the Cage"
Review by Mark Martinez
============================================

=WARNING= SPOILERS for current comics ahead

Publisher: DC
   Series: TOS
   Number: 61
     Date: July 1994
    Title: Door in the Cage
   Writer: Steven H. Wilson
Penciller: Rod Whigham
    Inker: Arne Starr
    Cover: Jerome Moore
    Cover: Russell Walks
 Stardate: 8684.2
    Grade: s/fn, a/fn, c/fn

Synopsis

Spock travels to Talos IV to offer Captain Christopher Pike
(now 70 years old) the chance of a new life. Upon arrival, Spock
meets a young boy who recognizes him. Pike appears and
identifies the boy as his son, Philip, and invites Spock to
dinner. Pike, Vina, and Philip appear to be reclaiming the
surface of Talos IV, cultivating vegetables, and beginning to
make a dent in the ecological hell that they live in. Spock is
uncertain about the reality of the situation. His offer of
medical help causes Pike and Vina to consider their situation,
but they decide to stay. When Spock is attacked by a beast, then a
Klingon, Number One, and by Pike, he realizes that Philip is
real and trying to scare him off with illusions. Pike explains
how he and Vina were able to have a son and Spock accepts their
decision. He returns to the Enterprise and recommends that
Capt. Pike be returned to Starfleet's active duty roster. 


Review

I enjoyed reading this issue. Steven Wilson takes on an
intriguing and difficult subject. The brief glimpse of what it
might be like to live an illusion provokes many questions and
few are answered here. Pike and Vina learn to distinguish
between illusion and reality, and have found illusion
lacking. There is as much dialogue in this issue as you might
find in two or three issues. This story is probably better dealt
with in a novel, but the comic is still entertaining. 


Veterans Whigham and Starr provide the artwork for this issue.
Their work, as usual, is outstanding. The cover is thought
provoking but a little unsatisfying. I had to look at it for a
while to realize that Spock was in a chair like Pike's and the
Klingons don't really have anything to do with the story. This
issue is a strong entry in the Star Trek comics lineup for the
interesting view of life on Talos IV. 


Notes

Annual #5 is coming in August and the Sulu story arc published
in issues #35 thru #40 will be reprinted in trade paperback as
"Star Trek: Test of Courage". Chris Claremont is working on a
sequel to his "Star Trek: Debt of Honor" graphic novel. 


============================================
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: above average
vg      Very good: average
gd      Good: some defects
fr      Fair: ragged
pr      Poor: falls apart
na      Not applicable/available