Making It Fit

Star Trek (1984 series) annual No. 1
DC Comics
Mike W. Barr, writer
David Ross and Bob Smith, artists

These days, I try almost anything with Star Trek in the title. I've been a fan of The Original Series since growing up watching reruns in syndication in the 1970s. In fact, my brother and I used to plan our entire Sunday afternoons around the television when I was in grade school — we'd watch not only "Star Trek" but the Irwin Allen science-fiction greats "Land of the Giants," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and "Lost In Space" all in one big afternoon block. When those shows were over, "Maverick" would come on (I don't know how the western fit in with all of those sci-fi programs; maybe it was the comedic aspects of the show since its lead-in was the unintentionally cheesy but lovable "Lost In Space."), and then it would be six o'clock, time to change the channel to catch "The Wonderful World of Disney." Those were great days!

Anyway, that helps show my love for classic "Star Trek" goes back a ways. But I didn't always buy everything Star Trek. I don't think I bought a single copy of the 18-issue Marvel Comics series that came out in the wake of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979. This later DC version of the Enterprise crew was a little more on my radar, but still wasn't a guaranteed purchase month in and month out. A lot of what would catch my eye about this series were the "special" issues that didn't just continue the movie adventures of the classic Enterprise crew, but tried to shoehorn stories into that original television run, something in comics called a retcon, or retroactive continuity. This annual from 1985 is one of the first such attempts at such a story in this series.

There is a brief framing sequence at the beginning and end of this issue set in the then-current movie timeline. But the bulk of this comic is made up of a lengthy flashback showing "The First Mission" of James T. Kirk's classic crew in a story titled "All Those Years Ago ..." Now the easy thing to do would be to just show some mission where all of the familiar characters are getting used to working together, but Mike W. Barr and company take things a step further. Included in this tale is the actual change of command ceremony where Kirk assumes command of the Enterprise from Christopher Pike, who is being promoted to the rank of fleet captain. Pike, of course, was the captain of the Enterprise in the original pilot episode "The Cage," footage from which was repurposed into the only classic two-part episode, "The Menagerie."

Great attention to detail is shown including a number of characters who only ever appeared in one episode of the "Star Trek" television program and working them into this story. Gary Mitchell, Lee Kelso and Number One are all featured in this comic. Even important characters from Star Trek canon who really played minor roles in the television show — characters like Capt. Robert April, Dr. Mark Piper and Admiral Nogura — get at least a mention in this story. All of that work adds layers that make this story feel like it really could be the untold story of the crew's first mission together.

As more and more Trek is written, I can't swear that this story holds up and still fits in with everything else seamlessly, but at the time this issue was written, this WAS the definitive version of these events. It simply had to be to include so much attention to detail. And that's a great reason why I still enjoy reading this story three decades after it was first released, and feel justified in heartily recommending it to any Trek fan who hasn't had the pleasure before.

A Love Story About Detectives; A Detective Story About Love

Reading the detective stories in Ms. Tree Quarterly reminded me of another series I'd been wanting to try, one I thought was somewhat similar. After giving the first 10 issues of this other series a try, however, I found that the only thing it really has in common with Ms. Tree is that both series are good reads.

Ms. Tree's tales are quite a bit different in tone from those of Mike W. Barr's The Maze Agency. The latter series specializes in done-in-one mysteries wherein the author supplies enough clues along the way that readers who are so inclined can try to solve the puzzle right along with the main characters.

The series stars Jennifer Mays, owner and lead investigator for the Maze Agency. Often assisting her in her sleuthing is boyfriend and crime-fiction author Gabriel Webb. Just as much a part of the series as crime conundrums is the growing relationship between Mays and Webb, much like in the television series "Moonlighting."

Some of the mysteries in those first 10 issues which the characters must unravel involve the apparent theft of the frames from some expensive paintings, a murder over lost episodes of a famous 1950s television sitcom, the apparent return of Jack the Ripper, plus a murder mystery game which turns all-too real and employs a locked-room whodunit at the same time.

Barr's writing is the constant in this series, which began life at Comico in 1988 and produced seven issues through June 1989 with much of the interior and cover art supplied by then newcomer Adam Hughes.

That was it until December of 1989 when Innovation picked up the series and continued the original numbering with issue No. 8, still by Barr, Hughes and Rick Magyar. Innovation continued the series through issue No. 23, with a Special and an Annual to boot. They even put together a trade collection of the first four issues in a black-and-white format.

The Maze Agency Special No. 1 featured a stunning cover by Bill Willingham and Magyar. The Special also reprinted the very first Maze Agency story, which was illustrated by co-creator Alan Davis. I'm not sure where this tale was originally published, or when, but it makes a nice addition to the Special, which also includes Davis' original character designs for Jennifer Mays and Gabriel Webb.

With issue No. 11 of the Innovation series, the art team became more irregular and featured such names as Darrick Robertson, Rob Davis and Robb Phipps. This last penciler, Robb Phipps, did issue No. 14, among others, of which I now own several of the original art pages. From the pages I have, this story seems to involve Mays and Webb attending the execution of a convicted murderer who is killed mysteriously before the state can end his life. Hughes didn't do interiors for the series after issue No. 12, but did return to do several covers beyond that point.

Since the Innovation series ended, The Maze Agency has had a number of revivals, first at Caliber Comics in 1997, and later at IDW Publishing in 2005. I enjoyed these first 10 issues enough, that I have ordered the remainder of the Innovation issues, as well as the IDW ones, and am anxiously awaiting their arrival so I can read those as well. Haven't found anyone yet with the Caliber series for sale, but I'm keeping a lookout for them.