COMIC: Top of the Stack - Star Trek #6 (Review)

Writer: Mike Johnson
Artist: Joe Corroney
Cover: Tim Bradstreet

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $3.99

Something I love about the comic book industry is the wide variety of topics and genres that you are almost guaranteed to find a title about. One section like that would be the books made from licensed properties. There is just something so exciting about being able to continue on with the characters you have come to love outside of their normal type of medium.

A bunch of times my top of the stack pick has ended up being based off a licensed property, so many companies are doing it: Dark Horse has Star Wars, BOOM! Studios was once the home to many Disney/Pixar books, and DC has the recently announced SMALLVILLE SEASON 11.

But if there is one company that is almost synonymous with the licensed property comic book, it is IDW Publishing that comes to mind. I always find myself dabbling with the titles there to see what hooks me and for awhile I read ANGEL while it was there and lately I have been checking out the GI:JOE and COBRA books. Yet while those properties are sizable, it was a book with a much more vocal/beloved fan base around it that had me wanting more.

Of course, I am talking about this week's STAR TREK #6, a comic book based off the recent J.J. Abrams reboot movie that helped revitalize the Trek universe for modern day science fiction audiences. Featuring the same characters from the film, this book continues their journey that only started there.

Tasked with writing the series is Mike Johnson, who has been part of a fantastic DC writing team for awhile with SUPERMAN/BATMAN and the new DC 52 relaunched SUPERGIRL title but is also no stranger to this new era of the Star Trek universe having contributed to the prequel comics that came out before the film and the movie adaptation comic as well that came out for IDW.

On the art is Joe Corroney, a veteran of IDW having worked on TRUE BLOOD, DOCTOR WHO and other STAR TREK universe titles. Here he accurately captures the look of the characters modeled after the actors that portrayed them, while also getting to be creative and design looks as well like in this issue with the adult version of Jim Kirk's brother, George. One of the things I am becoming more cognizant of with art is the portrayal of clothing on the characters and it thrills me to no end that the uniforms look authentic with folds and wrinkles as they hang on the body like it would be in real life.

This issue continues on with the previous issue's revelation that George Kirk was on this planet with a colony besieged by these alien life-force that resemble jelly fish that latch on to heads and take control. Behind the planet plot, you find all the threads developed in the movie still being fed upon, Jim's family issues, Spock's relationship with Uhura and Spock dealing with his grief.

If you enjoyed the movie than you should have no problem eating up the Trek goodness in this title. The quality of the creative team is very evident in the pages and until the next movie comes out - which sounds like awhile - this is more than an equal replacement for your STAR TREK needs.

Look to buy the STAR TREK #6 digital comic on Comixology for $1.99

GAMING: 2011 E3 Microsoft + Sony Press Conference Recap (News)

The Electronic Entertainment Expo hits Los Angeles, California this week and as a result GeekPlate will be having an E3 week of coverage with the highlights from the news that breaks at the expo. Monday was not the technical start of E3 as the show floor does not open until Tuesday, but there was still news to be had as Microsoft and Sony held their annual press conferences.

MICROSOFT:


FABLE: THE JOURNEY, the next chapter of the FABLE game series from Lionhead Studios is scheduled to arrive on the XBOX 360 in 2012. And it features KINECT functionality, allowing players to use gestures to cast spells.


HALO 4 showed off its teaser trailer and has a scheduled release date of holiday 2012.


STAR WARS KINECT will bring players the ability to wield lightsabers, jump and kick their way through the Star Wars universe.


TOMB RAIDER, the next Lara Croft game from Square Enix for the XBOX 360, PS3 & PC takes players to the beginning of the character's journey for her first adventure.

--BING will be a feature on the new XBOX 360 dashboard coming in the fall, enabling players to search the entire marketplace for content using KINECT.
--KINECT will become a big part of the new dashboard on XBOX 360, letting users control the entire experience through voice commands.
--KINECT FUN LABS is a collection of mini-games available for free that allows players to participate in various activities including scanning real life objects into the game world and creating avatars using the KINECT camera.
--MASS EFFECT 3, the next chapter in BioWare's scifi RPG series is coming in March 2012 and brings with it KINECT features like making conversation choices and battlefield directions through voice command.
--UFC bouts will be coming to XBOX LIVE along with some interactive features where viewers can "call matches" and place bets with friends.
--XBOX LIVE will soon be offering cloud storage for game saves and profiles, making it easier for players to sign into their accounts from any XBOX 360 console.

SONY:


BIOSHOCK INFINITE, is a first person shooter coming in 2012 to PS3, 360 & PC from developer Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BIOSHOCK.


DUST 514, a massively multiplayer online game with connections to EVE ONLINE is a PS3 exclusive scheduled to launch in 2012 with a closed beta testing period on PSN near the end of 2011.


LITTLE BIG PLANET, the PS3 hit game series is making its way to the PSVITA.


RESISTANCE 3, the very popular scifi first person shooter series from developer Insomniac Games comes to the PS3 in September.


Sly Cooper is heading to the PS3 in 2012 with SLY COOPER: THIEVES IN TIME, this time with developer Sanzaru Games taking over the creative reigns for Sucker Punch.


STAR TREK, a new co-op game for the PS3, 360 & PC from developer Digital Extremes is coming in 2012. Play as Captain Kirk and Spock in this new chapter spinning out from the recent blockbuster film.


UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE'S DECEPTION hits the PS3 on 11/1/11.
--GOD OF WAR ORIGINS COLLECTION, a 3D-enabled compilation of GOD OF WAR: GHOST OF SPARTA and CHAINS OF OLYMPUS (the two PSP titles in the series) is coming to the PS3 in September.
--NBA 2K12 features unique MOVE functionality, where the basketball players will move on their own on the court and the player at home can use the MOVE controller to point at anybody on their team and control them.
--Playstation-branded 24" 3D TV that comes with a pair of glasses, 6 foot HDMI cable and Resistance 3 in one bundle for only $499.
--PLAYSTATION VITA, the next chapter in Sony's portable gaming platform, will launch worldwide by the end of 2011 with a WiFi-only model selling for $249 and a 3G/WiFi model at $299. AT&T will be the official wireless carrier for the handheld.
--RUIN, a "social action RPG" for the PSVITA and PS3, will let players create their own hero and lair and laying siege to friends' lairs. This top-down game will use the connectivity feature between the PSVITA and PS3 in which players can transfer their saves between the gaming platforms at will.

That was it for GeekPlate's coverage of the Microsoft and Sony press conferences at E3 2011. Hope you are enjoying the videos and news highlighted. Look forward to tomorrow's post recapping the first official day of the convention and Nintendo's press conference.