Star Trek 1398: Fool's Gold, Issue 1

1398. Fool's Gold, Issue 1

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Fool's Gold #1, IDW Comics, December 2009

CREATORS: Scott and David Tipton (writers), Fabio Mantovani (artist)

STARDATE: 48987.3 (between The Adversary and The Way of the Warrior)

PLOT: There's been an increase in criminally-inclined visitors on the station lately and they're all going to Quark's. Sisko isn't convinced it's a problem, but Odo and Kira are, given the amount of weapons and contraband confiscated. After a riot breaks out in Quark's - who of course seems to know more than he lets on - that spills over onto the Promenade, Jake is shot with a small incinerator device. An angry Sisko now wants to know what the hell is going on...

CONTINUITY: Rom, Nog and Morn appear. Sisko waits for the other shoe to drop re: changeling infiltration (The Adversary). O'Brien gets punched by a Nausicaan (Tapestry).

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - They don't write dialogue like they used to.
REVIEW: IDW finally releases a DS9 series, and it's been so long since the series has aired, apparently, that they feel a need to make a couple criminals speak exposition about the show's premise. It's disheartening to have to admit that a lot of today's Trek fans don't know much about its best iteration (opinion mine). Despite it all, Fool's Gold is off to a good start, with Quark obviously up to no good and the rest of the crew trying to figure out just what that means. Sisko gets angry, Odo gets dour, Kira gets pissy, Quark gets evasive, Dax gets supportive... Etc. There's even the obligatory "Morn talks too much" joke. So while it's recognizably DS9, there isn't much to the story yet. Just a reintroduction of the cast and station for those who might not be all that familiar with the show. What saves the issue is the art, which is quirky and expressive. Montovani doesn't dwell on likenesses, but manages them well nonetheless, with beautifully rendered exterior shots, varied environments and alien extras, and dynamic panel choices.

Comments