Advance Review: A Merciful End To `Star Trek – Resurgence’ #5
by Tom Smithyman
Sometimes even bad stories have good endings.
Star Trek: Resurgence has not been a great series. Given that the whole premise of the limited series was to set up an upcoming video game, and that none of the bridge crew of the USS Resolute was familiar to readers, the deck was stacked against the creative team.
To be sure, that team did little to help themselves out. They created a captain, Zachary Solano, who behavior bordered on incompetence. The artwork has been inconsistent at best. And the story has had significant pacing issues – taking its time introducing readers to irrelevant characters at first, then hurrying up to conclude the adventure while practically forgetting about the bad guy that has been tormenting them.
This concluding issue, though, is the high point of the series. It finally demonstrates the best of Trek. Courage in the face of adversity. The importance of scientific curiosity. And the nobility of sacrifice. To be clear, the script by Andrew Grant and Dan Martin isn’t enough to turn the series around. But ending on a high note is better than completely falling into a black hole.
In this issue, the Resolute’s bridge crew must figure out how to save the ship – at least part of it – after a warp experiment goes awry. Meanwhile, the pesky Talarians continue to plague Solano’s team. To make up for the captain’s general incompetence, first office Luke Sutherland calls the shots and saves the story…I mean the ship.
Artist Josh Hood, assisted by Charlie Kirchoff’s colors, turns in his best issue. That may feel like damning him with faint praise given the quality of previous issues, but this time, it’s a decent attempt.
IDW’s Star Trek titles remain remarkably inconsistent. Some are masterful while others feel rushed or overblown. No one will blame the publisher for trying to capitalize on the upcoming video game, but the editorial team needs to remember that story and artwork come first and corporate synergy second.
Star Trek: Resurgence #5 will be available for purchase tomorrow.
Overview
Is it possible to stick the landing even though the rest of the story has been poor? For some reason, this creative team waits until the last issue to turn in the best installment in the limited series. It’s not great, but it’s better than what’s come before.
