Order New Visions #8

It’s a blast from the past as Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew revisit a classic adventure in New Visions #8, the next chapter in IDW Publishing’s Star Trek photobook comic series.

It must be difficult to answer the question “How may we serve you?” when asked by one of several Andrea androids. All that’s missing from this cover is Spock looking at Captain Kirk with a raised eyebrow and Dr. McCoy looking at the captain with wide eyes.

One version of Sherry Jackson is fantastic, but having this many looks like heaven! This terrific cover by John Byrne nicely sets up the story within.

“The Survival Equation” by John Byrne begins on Wrigley’s Pleasure Planet with McCoy and Kirk about to begin a period of R & R, but one girl instantly has the captain’s attention.

Turning her around, Andrea is revealed, the female android created by Dr. Roger Korby from the episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” Kirk asks if she remembers him, she doesn’t and responds with “On Wrigley’s, formal introductions are not needed.” She then gives him a passionate kiss. McCoy is impressed with Kirk being “quick out of the gate,” but the captain has no humor for the situation.

He asks the doctor if the woman is human; Bones doesn’t have his medical equipment on him, but is sure she is. That’s not good enough for Kirk, who contacts the Enterprise and has himself, McCoy, and Andrea beamed aboard. Scotty and Kyle are surprised at the unexpected addition that has beamed aboard, and Bones thinks Jim has crossed a line, but the captain is having none of it — he wants her scanned. However, another crew member arrives on the scene and tells the tragic tale of Dr. Roger Kory.

The story nicely goes through some twists and turns before revealing who’s responsible for Andrea’s creation. Before that’s told there’s the return of a famous member of the crew on Page 6, a hitherto never seen character on 11, and the reveal of the individual who’s been making Andreas on 14 — I laughed out loud when this character was named, because trouble always follows this person, and I was looking forward to what Byrne would have this character do.

Before this character is met yet another famous character is encountered and his inclusion brought me so much joy. I love this character and getting to see him again in this story is fantastic. The tease at the bottom of Pages 21 and 22 made the character’s introduction awesome. Why the Andreas are created is completely justified by the insane logic of the issue’s antagonist and how Kirk and crew triumph is great.

This is not a story solved entirely with words, as an antagonist is much more forceful than he was allowed to be in the 1960s, which Page 33 can testify to — I gasped at his horrific scene. The ending wraps things up well, with one crew member finally getting the last fun line.

Though only shown for six pages, the scenes set on Wrigley’s live up to all the insinuations it’s had for decades. There is every type of person present, some newly created by John Byrne and others from famous episodes, such as the Tellarite on 2 and the tweaking of Yvonne Craig on 11 and 12.

Having Sherry Jackson in this story was outstanding. Her outfit, or lack thereof, makes her famous in the series’ run and it was neat to see what Byrne could have her, and her sisters, do. As always, Bryne was able to find just the right image of his characters to act out the scene and he has her emote fantastically in this new story, such as in the second panel on 10.

The walking scene at the top of 13 was great to see and had me wishing this had been an actual episode. There’s another famous character who appears, whom I’ll leave unnamed, and he was as magnificent in this story (Pages 21 – 23, 25, 26, and 28 – 35) as he was in the episode, with the large panel on 33 being frightening.

My favorite character visual of the issue is the eye roll in the first panel on 39 which continues to make me smile as I look on it.

This issue also has a famous actor making an appearance as a new character. Bryne includes a one page explanation of how comedian and actor Scott Adsit (pictured), most famous from his role as Pete Hornberger from NBC’s 30 Rock, was cast in this issue.

It was fascinating to see this modern day actor side by side with the classic crew from the 1960s. He seemlessly melds with the others, holding his own alongside Shatner and Nimoy. The door is open for his character to return, and I’d be more than happy to have him do so.

Besides the appearance of Wrigley’s World, there are two familiar settings visited: the bridge of the Enterprise and a location from a previous episode. The familiar settings from that installment are shown, but Byrne also creates some new locations, such as a stunning one on Page 20.

This image is a technological jaw dropper which the television program could never have created. It’s a spectacular, awe-inspiring visual that embraces the “strange new worlds” concept that the crew is continually seeking.