David A. Goodman (1) (1962–)

Dithered a bit over buying this one - especially after reading a few reviews, ironically - but really, I couldn't resist! I think Captain 'Jim' Kirk, of the original series, is a fascinating character, subtly (yes, Shatner could do subtle!) shaded by the actor who played him and the writers who penned him. Masculine yet feminine, arrogant and vulnerable, flirty with men and women but uncomfortable when talking about sex, intelligent, caring, romantic - I could go on, although all I really show more need to say is that I think David Goodman does the character justice in his 'autobiography'.

In agreement with some less positive reviews, the early chapters are definitely the best - Jim's home life, with a father in Starfleet and an frustrated academic mother, his older brother Sam, and that fateful move to Tarsus IV, go towards constructing the ambitious yet reticent personality that Jim becomes. Ben Finney, Gary Mitchell, Ruth and Carol Marcus are also introduced, along with the crew of the Enterprise. I love that Bones earns his nickname in the traditional manner here - performing emergency surgery on Gary Mitchell - instead of the 'Duh, he used the word 'bones' in a sentence' approach of the reboot. Spock's first meeting with Jim and McCoy is perfectly understated, as with his poignant departure at the end of the five year mission.

Goodman's attempt to rewrite the series and the films in prose form is a balancing act of old and new - and where the autobiography comes unstuck for some fans. He can't leave out the basis for the character's popularity, but his readers are already familiar with every episode and film. I think the author manages well, with introspection, nostalgia and a few 'missing scenes' - but I will admit to skimming the final few pages (never really cared for the films, don't shoot me!) And of course Kirk's voice is the reflective, regretful tone of Kirk in later years, not the brash young captain of the show - that's what autobiographies are all about!

Jim's relationship with Carol Marcus and son David seemed a bit off to me - I was under the impression that Kirk didn't know he had a son until later - and I thought the nods and winks to future events were a bit heavy-handed in places (Gary Mitchell laughing about 'Me with ultimate power?' and Chris Pike showing Kirk the ship's ion pod almost as soon as he steps on board the Enterprise), but mostly I enjoyed this character study. In Bones' words, 'You grew up in outer space, I was there' - and here we get a chance to read about what made Jim Kirk the icon he is. show less

Two stories bridging the gap between seasons 1 and 2. The stories felt like they'd fit in well with the TV show, so if you like the show you'd probably like this. The humor from the show didn't translate very well to the comic format though, but there were still some moments I laughed aloud. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who's not already familiar with the show because the comic does not explain anything about the characters or the world. Which is fine (and possibly preferred) for show more someone like me who already likes the show. show less

This third collection of comics based on the TV show The Orville features two stories of two parts each.

The first, "Digressions," revisits the alternate universe featured at the end of season 2 of the show and gives us a look at how things developed there. Specifically, it shows us a little bit of how the events of "Identity" went in that world, something I'd definitely been curious about. It doesn't tell us a whole lot that we didn't already know, but I think it answers a question or two show more about the alternate universe that weren't fully addressed on the show, and it does a decent job of filling in a gap. Not that there might not still be things left to explore there. Personally, I'd happily read a whole series of comics set in that universe.

The story does rely a bit much on coincidence, specifically on important characters just randomly happening to meet at exactly the right time even though they don't know each other in this universe. But I think that sort of thing is pretty much par for the course for this kind of story, so I don't really hold it against them. I am a little disappointed not to learn more about this universe's version of Isaac, who I've always been very curious about. We don't get to see him in action here, but mostly only when he's been deactivated. We do, however, get to see a really sharp contrast between how the people around him react to him in that state here vs in the show's "real" reality, and I like the way that's written. It doesn't call attention to itself, but if you know why it's significant, it does make what happens next feel a lot more inevitable. (And if you don't know why it's significant, you really shouldn't be reading this one. Not only will it not make much sense if you haven't seen all the relevant episodes, exposition notwithstanding, it will pretty thoroughly spoil them for you if you ever do watch them.)

The second story, "Artifacts," is a bit slight, but it does feel like the sort of thing that could have appeared as an episode on the show. Ed runs into his old archeology professor (who was also Gordon's archeology professor, although he refuses to admit to remembering the guy he nearly failed). He's made a potential breakthrough discovery concerning the whereabouts of an ancient, powerful alien fleet, so even though it's in a really dangerous place, The Orville goes to check it out.

The main thing I found interesting about this one is that, after watching season 3, its hey-look-at-this-starship-crew-full-of-ordinary-screw-ups sense of humor kind of feels like it belongs to a bygone era. It works well enough, though, and is reasonably amusing. (Plus, there's a stealthy Star Trek reference that made me laugh a lot.) And even here, there's a least a little bit of moral-dilemma meat to think over, although nothing like what the show gives us at its best.

And with that, I am now completely out of new Orville-related stuff to enjoy. I am sad about that. I really, really want a season 4. Why has there not yet been an announcement about that??!! I will also happily take more comics while I'm waiting, too. I'd like something set after season 3, preferably with a focus on the Finn family, please and thank you! show less

A slim graphic novel containing two stories based on the TV show The Orville, set between its second season, which aired what seems like a million years ago on Fox, and its upcoming continuation on Hulu.

The first story, "Launch Day," was rather disappointing. The plot, involving a planet that withdrew from the Union twenty years ago and might or might not now be building a superweapon, was slight and full of details that didn't really work, and there was a satirical element that show more simultaneously felt entirely too on-the-nose and not remotely developed enough to be interesting. Although there were at least some amusing lines.

The second, "Heroes," in which the crew visits a planet where people are being forced by aliens to work themselves to death in a mine and Talla gets to play superhero on their behalf, was a lot more fun, if not necessarily a lot more substantial, and featured a nice little kicker of an ending. I also quite liked the design of the nasty aliens. They're an interesting combination of slightly silly and genuinely menacing that fits the sensibility of The Orville really well.

Actually, I'm incredibly impressed by the art in these comics, overall, and especially with how perfectly the artist captures the faces of all the actors. It's amazing how often you get tie-in comics like these where the characters are practically unrecognizable, but here they feel like they've just walked straight of the TV and into the comics panels.

Rating: The first story drags things down enough that I'm only going to give this one a 3/5, but the art taken by itself would get a much higher rating, for sure. show less