Star Trek #4 - Marvel Comics

STAR TREK No. 4, July 1980

Despite being declared “the starship Enterprise's weirdest voyage” on its cover, fans of Gene Roddenberry’s science-fiction franchise probably soon spotted the similarities between this comic’s script and the two televised adventures from the original series – “Dagger Of The Mind” and “Catspaw”. But whilst the plot to Issue Four of “Star Trek” quite unashamedly appears to somewhat heavily borrow from these Sixties broadcasts, there’s still plenty of exciting action for its readers to enjoy as Marv Wolfman disconcertingly pits Rear Admiral James Tiberius Kirk against the likes of Count Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster.

Foremost of these enthralling draws is the seventeen-page periodical’s opening, which sees the Constitution-class vessel’s crew dramatically trying to recapture an utterly mad extra-terrestrial prisoner within the spacecraft’s catacomb of corridors. The Brooklyn-born writer does a splendid job in putting the eyeless Raytag M’Gora’s extraordinary ability to “see in the same manner that an Earth bat sees” to good use, by having it first appear as a strength when he outfights Kirk in unarmed combat, and then later as a weakness; “Scotty… Channel a sonic backlash through intership communications!”

Similarly as well penned is the mystery surrounding the strange materialisation of Bram Stoker’s Transylvanian nobleman, and the vampire’s subsequent shocking murder of Ambassador R’Kgg. Just how “an old Earth Victorian mansion, circa 1800” happens to be sat floating just outside Klingon Space provides an intriguing hook, and the tension as Kirk, Spock and McCoy explore the bizarre haunted house is arguably palpable; especially once it becomes clear that the plethora of Universal classic monsters encountered are apparently real according to the landing party’s tricorder.

Delightfully adding plenty of “Thok!” and “Krak!” to this publication’s proceedings are the excellent layouts of Dave Cockrum, whose swirling clouds of vapour and groaning ghostly spectres go a long way to add to this comic’s horror-themed atmosphere. The Inkpot Award-winner’s prodigious pencilling also always seems to portray the U.S.S. Enterprise's commanding officer at the head of the conflict, whether it be engaging a spike-tailed Normedian in close combat, desperately blasting away at the Lord of the Undead with his phaser, or drop-kicking Frankenstein's creature through a bedroom window in an effort to rescue a blonde-haired damsel in distress.

Script/Edits: Marv Wolfman, Pencils: Dave Cockrum, and Inks: Klaus Janson