1982 / Ebook / 126 pages / USA*
Curious residue from the parallel universe where the second Star Trek film wasn't the acclaimed Wrath of Khan, but a non-ish rescue mission with multiple abrupt endings. Even as gimmicky Star Trek II merchandise, this is terrible, not having anything in common with that cinematic outing and evidently backtracking an era or two. As an interactive gamebook, it's an embarrassment. Apparently, the author wrote a Saturday Night Fever gamebook too, so there's a chance this isn't the absolute nadir of the art form and Western culture in general.
1996 / Ebook / 128 pages / USA
***
An introduction to The Greatest American Composer™ for the benefit of non-Americans who won't have heard of him. Detailed insights into a guy tinkling up and down a piano and a comprehensive record of his "sophisticated borrowing."
1998 / Ebook / 224 pages / UK
***
Two tonally-incoherent novellas from his mock-gothic days, seemingly conjoined out of practicality, they're at least ordered the right way around; the relentless joke-book-standard groaners of the first tale reassuring readers that the second story's over-the-top perverse sadism and body horror is all in good fun, theoretically.
Peter David and James W. Fry, Star Trek Comics Classics – Death Before Dishonor
1989-90 (collected 2005) / Ecomics / 160 pages / USA
****
One of the more worthwhile outcomes of Star Trek V's desperate overmarketing campaign (better than a marshmelon [sic] dispenser, anyway) was the resurrection of the DC comic, seemingly with orders from above to be less weird this time. You can see Peter David's bristling in his stubborn introduction of new supporting randomers to replace the old ones, but he follows the prime directive and comes up with a compelling, meandering serial that's true to the characters and the specific period. It would be annoying that the collection's page count cuts the story off before the conclusion if I was actually reading them in this archaic way and the covers weren't just for show.
Michael Jan Friedman, Gordon Purcell and Pablo Marcos, Star Trek: The Next Generation Comics Classics – The Battle Within
***
Data's new kid buddy saves the day in a weak two-parter, because Wesley Crusher's aged out of being relatable for the target comic-buying demographic now, then a more mature and substantial four-parter redeems the collection with some memorable scenes. There's also the historical curio value of Picard's juvenile near-death experience being interpreted "wrong" a few years before it was revisited on the show.
