Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.reviews,rec.arts.startrek.current Subject: DS9 Graphic Spoiler: "Stowaway" Date: 11 Oct 1993 15:01:51 GMT Lines: 136 Star Trek Comics Review: "Stowaway" Review by Mark Martinez ============================================ WARNING: SPOILERS FOR CURRENT STAR TREK COMICS AHEAD Publisher: Malibu Series: DS9 Number: 1 Date: August 1993 Title: Stowaway Writer: Mike W. Barr Penciller: Gordon Purcell Inker: Terry Pallot Cover: Jerome Moore Cover: Richard Ory Stardate: 46257.8 Synopsis: On their way back to class from Dax's lab, Jake and Nog detour through the cargo holds and accidentally release a green mold. They hurry back to class without telling anyone what has happened. Renowned xenoarcheologist, Dr. Wembley, aboard a visiting Federation starship, asks DS9 to store some artifacts from the Gamma quadrant for transport to Earth. O'Brien takes the artifacts to the cargo bay and is nearly overcome by the rapidly reproducing mold, which also produces a toxic gas. While Odo and his staff try to evacuate contaminated areas, Bashir identifies the mold as a Cardassian-engineered substance. Bashir questions Mr. Garak about the mold but gets no answers. In order to cover all bases, Sisko asks permission to examine the artifacts and determine if their presence may have been responsible for activating the mold. Permission is refused and Capt. Johnson takes the artifacts back to his ship. A fungicide developed by Dax and Bashir proves ineffective, but the Cardassians arrive, in three cruisers, with an offer to destroy the mold. Grade: s/vg, a/vg, c/vf Publisher: Malibu Series: DS9 Number: 2 Date: September 1993 Title: Stowaway, Part II Writer: Mike W. Barr Penciller: Gordon Purcell Inker: Terry Pallot Cover: Gordon Purcell Cover: Terry Pallot Stardate: 46258.2 Synopsis: Sisko declines help from the Cardassians while the mold spreads throughout DS9. Capt. Johnson refuses to let anyone speak to Dr. Wembley about the Gamma quadrant artifacts. Sisko sends Dax and Odo to the Armstrong to find out what Johnson is hiding. They discover that Wembley died of a stroke and Johnson has covered up his death so that Wembley would get credit for the Gamma quadrant discoveries. They also confirm that the artifacts were not responsible for activating the mold. Since mold activity has centered around the school, the children of Keiko's class are questioned. Jake confesses to finding the mold after he and Nog spilled chemicals in Dax's lab. The chemicals activated the mold. Dax and Bashir learn how to kill the mold and the station is cleaned up. Sisko invites the Cardassians to return if they ever have problems with the mold. Grade: s/vg, a/vg, c/vg REVIEW Initially, I was very disappointed with the inaugural DS9 comic story line. Perhaps this is because the first television episode featured a crossover by TNG characters. But after thinking about it for awhile, I realized that DS9 stands on its own in the Trek universe. Having said that, there is still a little too much cuteness in "Stowaway". Jake and Nog causing trouble aboard the space station is a story that has been used in the television series. Otherwise, all of the principal crewmembers make appearances and the characterizations are handled well. I am looking forward to future issues but I hope more original ideas will be used. The DS9 #1 cover renderings of Kira, Sisko, O'Brien, Dax, Quark, Odo and DS9 are exceptional, but this is not surprising, coming from seasoned cover artist Jerome Moore. The interior art of both issues is generally good. Sisko suffers a little from one panel to the next. Kira, unfortunately, is recognizable only by her uniform and Bajoran nose. Her nose and face seldom have the right proportions. For reasons unknown, Capt. Johnson is modeled after John Tesh of Paramount's Entertainment Tonight. Perhaps Mary Hart and Leeza Gibbons will be seen cavorting with Quark in a future issue. NOTES Malibu's publication of DS9 #1 has been accompanied by an advertising blitz that's new to Star Trek comics. This seems to be the nature of the comics business these days. DC Comics hasn't succumbed to this kind of marketing fever yet, but it has become the norm for their superhero publications. There are several editions of DS9 #1: Cover A is illustrated and intended for direct market sales; Cover B has a photo of the cast superimposed on artwork of the wormhole and is intended for newsstand sales; and a foil-covered special edition was also announced, but hasn't appeared yet. DS9 #1 has a centerfold poster reproducing the illustrated cover. The backside of the poster advertises DS9 Icee Comic Book Collector's Cups from Circle K, the DS9 Limited Edition Mini Comic, and an untrimmed version of DS9 #1. DS9 #2 came sealed in a bag with a prototype DS9 trading card from Skybox. The card features a photo of Avery Brooks as Commander Benjamin Sisko. ============================================ 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