Order New Visions #11

It’s been several months since the last release, but John Byrne’s photonovel series New Visions is back with an all-new adventure!

On the cover of this month’s issue, Apollo looks down impassively upon Lt. Carolyn Palamas who’s holding a newborn. Kirk is shielding the mother and child, while Spock and McCoy look on concerned. The backdrop is the iconic setting from the episode “Who Mourns For Adonais?”

However, the setting has an odd coloration, as if it were a negative image of Pollux IV. There’s only one way to find out if this signifies anything — Buy this book! Another cool cover created by John Byrne.

The first nine pages of this issue faithfully retell the climax of the Gilbert A. Ralston penned episode. These pages have to be presented to the reader to give him or her the appropriate background for John Byrne’s tale. Pages 3 and 4 are pretty horrific stuff. Normally in my reviews of comics I don’t go past the first four pages of a book so as not to spoil the story. Since the opening pages comprise the television episode’s ending, I’m going to be explicit only with the first two pages of the new material.

The Enterprise is leaving Pollux IV and Doctor McCoy calls Kirk and Spock to sickbay with “some disturbing new information.” The doctor has found that Palamas was showing signs of early pregnancy. “There was something…Now there’s nothing.” Kirk wonders if there was an error with the scan, but the doctor defends his machinery. Spock believes that a complete check of the medical apparatus is called for, as is another comprehensible examination of Lieutenant Palamas.

Readers know, due to the prologue, that any child conceived had to be fathered by the demigod. The possible problems that could come to turn are immeasurable, and Byrne takes the reader into interesting and exciting territory. First and foremost is the conversation between the holy trio of Star Trek that goes on for several pages. It’s an adult conversation where adults are working out a problem through discussion, rather than blindly rushing to action: remember when science-fiction used to do this?

The last three panels on Page 14 nicely tease the action that’s to come and it arrives in a jolting, textless sequence on 17. When a character realizes that he may be able to resolve an issue it becomes a moment that seems lifted from a lost episode. Pages 35 and 36 are very tense, with the resolution on 38 great. The ending is quick, and concludes with fantastic, comedic commentary by the doctor.

There’s also a one page story by Byrne titled “I Sing of Arms and Heroes.” This has a great reveal, with a comment made seemingly for the fans, “…it looks likely (our) prayers may have been answered.” This will create instant smiles.

Manipulating the images from the show and creating new ones, John Byrne makes this a visual masterpiece from the past.

The prologue is incredibly dramatic given what’s done to Palamas. It was disturbing when I watched it in my youth and looking at it in this photoplay format it’s just as uncomfortable to look upon. Apollo’s exit is powerful as that in the series with some clever bit of lettering in the eighth panel magnifying it.

Pages 10 – 14 are a great back and forth with leads. It’s hard not to get caught up in the discussion with long and tall panels that pull the reader into the intensity of the characters’ faces (Pages 10, 11, and 13). The three panel sequence on 17 is an excellent example of Byrne’s composition skills in allowing the images to tell the story. And it’s always a pleasure to see that crew member that assists the character on that page. The long panel on 28 is awesome.

Page 31 has a cinematic transition that’s so 1960s and so Star Trek in its execution. The jagged panels that follow on 32 magnify the tension of what’s to come. The technique used on 33 is the perfect way to show the reader how different the location is. The change on 35 is very dramatic, which matches the arrival of a character.

I dare any reader not to smile at the final panel on 41. I’m still beaming like a ten year old as I look upon that panel.

Narration, dialogue, sounds, yells, echoes, the show’s opening, narration, story title and credits, whispers, and hypnotic pleas (You’ll understand when you read them) are all created by John Byrne.

The sounds on this book are exceptional, with Page 4’s being creepy, 8’s is haunting, 23’s is cool, and 25’s is perfection. There’s also some good dialogue balloon work at the bottom of 21; I like the kink in it to emphasize that’s it’s a mechanical projection. Just cool.