Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2
review by Jamie Dunst
Writers: Scott & David Tipton with Tony Lee; Art: J.K. Woodward; Lettering: Shawn Lee & Robbie Robbins; Editor: Denton J. Tipton
I love Doctor Who. I love Star Trek in all it’s forms. (I even watched Enterprise) and when I heard that IDW was going to do a crossover story, I was so on board. Unfortunately I missed out on the first printing of #1. Now that I have the second printing in my hands, I can tell you that this was worth the wait.
The issue starts out with a Borg invasion Delta IV which for those that remember is the planet that Lt. Ilia was from. (She was in Star Trek: The Motion Picture) The Prime Minister of the planet mentions how unusually aggressive the Borg are being when someone notices that the Borg aren’t alone. The Borg are attacking the planet with the Cybermen.
We then see the Doctor, Amy and Rory in ancient Egypt. The Doctor does what he usually does so he can get an audience with the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh’s right hand man tries to get rid of the Doctor and his companions but panics when it’s revealed who the Doctor is. This is when we see that the Pharaoh’s right hand man was in fact a space alien that the Doctor quickly dispatches with a green crystal-like object.
Later on in the TARDIS, when the Doctor holds that object, he sees the Cybermen with a shadowed group of individuals which makes change his course. The Doctor and his companions arrive in what looks like San Francisco in the year 1941. As the Doctor, Amy and Rory explore area, they walk into a club where they spot an android in a pinstripe suit which for those that are paying attention at home is Lt. Commander Data who is with Commander William T. Riker and Doctor Beverly Crusher of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Fascinating.
So this first issue was clearly the set-up issue. I loved the opening sequence with the attack on Delta IV. When the evacuation of the planet occurs, I noticed that one of the shuttlecraft was named U.S.S. Mattingly. Yankee fans REJOICE! As much as I find it predictable, I always like when someone responds to “I’m the Doctor.” with “DOCTOR WHO?” Always puts a smile to my face. When the Doctor, Amy and Rory are checking out 1941 San Francisco, thre is a shop called Tom’s Bakery Shop and you can see the street sign saying it’s on 4th street which is a clear nod to Tom Baker who portrayed the 4th Doctor. Really liked that.
All of the known characters who appear in this issue act the way you would expect them to. It’s the art that has me really impressed. One of my biggest complaints when it comes to comics based off of shows or movies is that more times than not the characters don’t always look like the actors who play them. Not in this case. Everyone in this book looks amazing. I particularly love the coloring of this issue. The way things are shadowed really give the panels mood which really adds to the overall page. Overall, a very nice start to a crossover story I’m sure people have wanted to see for a long time and I can’t wait for issue 2 to materialize.
