BotTalk Reviews

And so on the holodeck Worf and co. find O’Brien and are faced by the head of the Game in the form of a classic vampire. Outside, Odo investigates the Varela and the Defiant makes its return to DS9. Oh good Verad is back. Okay so a couple of continuity things right off, first we see Bashir and Doctor Selar in sickbay, Selar is supposed to be in a coma but then both are captured when Maquis throw Odo and team in confinement with them. Also Odo is off searching the ship, but he’s also walking past Quark? And Selar apparently made a quick recovery.  Also Verad and Maquis? Verad wasn’t even a great antagonist in the show, they could’ve chosen any number of characters. Also the portrayal of the Maquis as power grabbing terrorists, they were never that. They were colonists angered by the Federation’s decision to abandon them for some treaty, making them the big bad for plot reasons is just kinda lazy. On the plus side the A story on the holodeck is a much better story involving a mystery...

The battle begins.  The Emerald Chain fights desperately to destroy the last remnants of the Federation.  Sato and Kirk coordinate fleet actions to get as many ships as possible into the singularity.  Sato proposes Agnes assimilate him so the others can escape.  So she and Kirk can live.  Sato and Kirk have one last argument but this one Sato wins.  He is assimilated.  His plan works.  Two years later we see former members of the Omega living their lives.  A statue of Sato at Starfleet Academy... and on some distant planet a Borg Nanite free Kirk and Agnes watch the sunset.   Most of this issue feels like the George Lucas shorthand of, 'they fight'... but it is pretty great.  I liked Kirk and Sato working together after being at odds for so long.  I thought it was great they had one last 'argument' that Sato one.  After everything his solution was to sacrifice himself.  So much of this series focused on Sato instead o...

Story : Sean Collins/Throwdown continues his rampage, destroying a Terror Drome and a couple of Cobra H.I.S.S.: High Speed Sentries before stealing a Cobra Stinger: Night Attack 4-WD to move onto the next Terror Drome. Helix and Beachhead provide commentary while informing Duke of the situation. A Joe team, with Snake-Eyes and Scarlett are en route. Snake-Eyes is finally able to confront Sean. Writing : Hama keeps the pressure and action going in this issue. Sean, with Dr. Venom's programming, just doesn’t stop. The beginning is a bit odd with the commentary from Helix and Beachhead. While all are cured of Dr. Venom's programming, there might still be more to the story. Art : Pelletier keeps the art nice and crisp with a lot of good colors. When Sean and Snake-Eyes do their mental battle, the color changes up a bit and is a bit reminiscent of the style from the 80’s.   Overall : Sean gets his issue in this deprogramming arc and it has a strong finish. Excellent art and a straig...

Back to Cybertron again! The war changes once again! Robert Kirkman, chief architect of the Energon Universe, writes the flagship Transformers title and Karl Kerschl pencils this issue with Mike Spicer on colors. In this thirty-seventh issue, we return to Cybertron to check in on Elita Prime’s contingent of Autobots as they battle Shockwave’s forces on their contested home planet. Will sabotage from within force Elita Prime to change her mind about Optimus and those still on Earth? That’s what happens, isn’t it? Yeah. Basically this issue is just working towards Elita Prime admitting she was wrong about Optimus and becoming amenable to sending him help on Earth. There’s a bunch of skirmishes with Shockwave’s forces that culminate in a “reveal” that the Autobots have been compromised by a saboteur that nearly swipes the Matrix from Elita! I think Elita has looked kind of shortsighted under Kirkman so far, with her butt-headed decision to oppose Optimus and take the Matrix. Maybe Kirkman...

64 restored and fully colored pages of barbaric savagery! Inside this magnificent full-color magazine you will find the following: Classic revitalized art pin-ups in stunning color: Conan the Barbarian by Michael Netzer/Nasser and Dick Giordano from Savage Sword of Conan (1974) #20 Conan ad from Savage Sword of Conan (1974) #35 The Phoenix on the Sword by Richard Corben from Savage Sword of Conan (1974) #4 The Frost-Giant's Daughter by Richard Corben from Savage Sword of Conan (1974) #4 Queen of the Black Coast by Richard Corben from Savage Sword of Conan (1974) #4 XUTHAL OF THE DUSK/THE SLITHERING SHADOW by Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala. (New Colors by GFB Group/GFB.it) Conan and Natala (a daughter of Brythunia) wander into the accursed city of Xuthal. Thalis the Stygian (the daughter of a king) wants Conan to be her king, she tortures Natala and offers Natala to Thog (a very ancient and very terrible monster), Thog eats Thalis, Conan tangles with T...

In the holo suite Chief Miles O’Brien faces a mysterious and shrouded figure! The commander of the U.S.S. Valera accuses Commander Jadzia Dax of murder and Worf puts everyone on lockdown in their quarters while they investigate. But as Jadzia slowly puts things together two of the Varela escape and run for the O’Brien Must Suffer holosuite, pursued by Jadzia and Worf. Nobody on DS9 gets a break! Is another rule in the Star Trek bible. As now our story has become a murder mystery AND a holodeck tries to kill everyone in a game story. It’s a good story for this month, only issue is this is a graphic novel story and the separate issue break up hurts the momentum. But as a whole it’ll be an excellent story.  7/10

We start our story six years after Frontier Day with Commander Raffaela “Raffi” Musiker and Admiral Kathryn Janewa on the moon in front of a ship that crashed on moon.  From there we get Raffi’s pov during the events that lead up to Seven’s mission (seen in Star Trek #1) and following that is Raffi welcoming her new XO, the Mistress of the Winter Constellations,  and we meet their newest AI, Sybil, a planetoid based on Dr Soong’s positronic network. Sybil is there to forecast future threats to galaxy and the Federation (because that always works out and has no consequence what so ever) and on this mission they are to fly into the watery centre of a frozen planet or “eyeball planet” but  Commander D'Vana Tendi discovers something that could be detrimental to the safety of ship and crew. They have to fly into the ocean, but is the ship sound enough to withstand that pressure? What happens if the hole freezes back over? This first issue introduces us to a new ship and a mos...

In order to continue covering his tracks Captain Miller levels false accusations on Deubert and the Andorian agent, he’s ordered to bring them in alive, he doesn’t want that. Meanwhile our fugitives are on the run and do a quick exposition dump before going to a drone operated mining system controlled by Section Null. After a bloody firefight with goons the fugitives hide in one of the crates until the crates are beamed to captain miller’s ship! Three issues in and at least they end the Will They or Won't They? thing. And already captured by Miller. Or are they? Miller seems to think so.   At least they don’t seem to be dragging this plot out with multiple issues of running and hiding. And the story is a nice quick flow and gives us a little background on our two main protagonists. 7/10

Spoilers! Spoilers!  CHAPTER 53 (book 7 of 18): Descendants of Ogres Ofu senses that an ogre is coming for her. Keiji Maeda pays a visit to Naoe Onatsu (sister of Naoe Kanetsugu) and Naoe Kanetsugu ((1559-1620). Military commander of the Yamashiro Province, an homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger). Keiji picks up The Shiji by the historian Sima Qian. Keiji and Sutemaru are attacked by Iwabe (a giant mind reading Ogre from the hidden Nagiri village). CHAPTER 54: The Laughing Ogre! Iwabe follows Keiji into a bathhouse. Keiji pranks six Kabukimono samurai with a bamboo wakizashi, the Kabukimono ruin (by oxidization) their own iron swords by bringing their real swords into the sauna. Iwabe the Ogre and Keiji become friends. CHAPTER 55: The Ill-Fated Damsel Iwabe reveals that he raised Ofu in Nagiri after her mother's death. Ofu doesn't want to leave with Iwabe, so she brings Keiji some persimmons (fruit). Ofu is actually Princess Ofu, her mother (Oyuki) is from Nagiri and her father is ...

Spoilers! Spoilers!  CHAPTER 35 (book 5 of 18): Mighty Spear Formation Kyoto. Tokugawa Ieyasu ((1543-1616). An homage to actor Shintaro Katsu (1931-1997)) looks on as Okumura Suke'emon (Keiji's closest friend) and Maeda Keiji are decimating the 400 Rōnin of Maeda Gen'i ((1539-1602). Magistrate of Kyoto, one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's five commissioners). Hattori Hanzō ((1542-1597). Leader of the Iga ninjas. The Tokugawa general known for Edo Castle's Hanzōmon gate) stops Tokugawa Ieyasu from participating in the Kabukimono brawl. The Rōnins that are still breathing run for it.  Flashback! Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) and his men win The Battle of Okehazama. Okumura Sukeemon (son of Okumura Eishin) now runs the castle of Arako, as the tea-server in the tea ceremony, Okumura Sukeemon spills tea on Oda Nobunaga (a former Kabukimono), Keiji defuses the situation. CHAPTER 36: White Camellias Sutemaru tries to kill Maeda Gen'i with a grenade.  Maeda Gen'i challenges an u...