By Dustin Cabeal

Yeah… this is more like what I was expecting from this series. God damn that first issue was so fucking good and this issue. Well, this issue is exactly what I thought it would be.

The first story follows the original Enterprise crew. Not a big deal. I ain’t mad at it. What I am mad at, is the fact that the story is such a throwback that it could fit right in with the original series. Probably the intention. Here’s the thing. We’re not living in that era anymore. Meaning, I don’t want to read a comic which resembles such a thing. The storytelling is dated, rushed, and full of holes. In the end, the good guys win because they’re good and it really makes Star Fleet look like dicks. This was my biggest fear. That someone would feel they were clever and wrote a story that fit with the original TV series.

Listen, I can appreciate the original series. I watched all the reruns growing up with my parents. It was the start of my love with Star Trek. But it is appreciated in the context in which it existed because it’s something that can’t be changed. To add to that and make it feel natural to that context is basically impossible. I’m not willing to accept your shortcomings because A) this is a comic and B) too much time has passed. Storytelling has grown and continues to grow in our novels, comics, TV, movies, video games and for fuck sake, even our commercials!

The second story stayed with the crew, but it was much longer than it needed to be. It ended up having a lot of filler which is a shame because of the twist at the end a nice bit of fan service, but I ended up not caring much about it. It was awkwardly paced and stole its own thunder because of it.

The art for the first story was also intentionally throwback and looked like a comic produced in the same era. It looked fine, but it did nothing to win me over. It never guided the story and felt more like fan fulfillment than anything else. The second stories art was inconsistent. It was good, but there were entire pages that were leaps and bounds better than the rest. It’s good art, and the artist has talent, but there were clearly some pages and panels that they didn’t have any interest illustrating, leaving them feeling hollow.

If it weren't for the second story, this book would get the lowest score possible. It doesn’t make me happy to say that. In fact, I was hoping the opposite. I came in energetic and enthusiastic about this issue much like I did on the first issue. Unfortunately, the shift from issue one to issue two is too great. I will likely give this series one more issue, but my enthusiasm is greatly diminished.

Score: 2/5

Star Trek: Waypoint #2
Writers: Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore, Sam Maggs
Artists: Gordon Purcell, Rachel Stott
Publisher: IDW Publishin