Star Trek Graphic Novel Series - A review of The City On The Edge Of Forever.

For the very first time ever, half a century of Star Trek comics have been collected together in a single delicious series. This is thanks in no small part to the lovely people at Eaglemoss. I don't know about you, but a collection that spans 50 years and includes many of the seminal moments in Star Trek lore is mouth-watering to say the very least. Do we really want or need the chance to revisit all the classic characters and incredible art from the STAR TREK comic archives? The chance to experience every edition with a specially-commissioned introduction to provide context to the story? The chance to see a number of collected comics and a bonus reprint of one of the comic archive’s classic stories?

Oh, you betcha!

The world of science fiction, fantasy and horror is littered with countless 'what ifs?'; What if Guillermo Del Toro had actually stayed on board to make The Hobbit? Would it still have been an over-inflated self-indulgent CGI fest that lost the soul of the original text? What if the original writers of Judge Dredd had actually been consulted before the disaster that was the first cinematic incarnation featuring Sylvester Stallone (Stallone!!??) as the Mega City Fascist? What if the Alien series hadn't disappeared up its own xenomorphic posterior in haze of pseudo philosophic nonsense? (Yes, Prometheus, I'm talking about you.)

There are more examples, many more and if truth be told which could fill any number of future 5D articles. It may seem a little strange to suggest that a Star Trek episode, one that is rightly regarded as a bone fide all-time classic story and frequent headliner of Trek 'best of' lists, should be part of the 'What if....?' list. However, I would argue that The City on the edge of Forever for a number of reasons does deserve to be part of the list.

The City on the edge of Forever featured towards the end of the first TV series in 1967 and became an instant success with fans and quite rightly gained a level of adoration that endures to this day. The episode sees Dr. McCoy accidentally inject himself with an hallucagenic stimulant which results in him escaping to a nearby planet and travelling through a time portal. This immediately causes havoc with the time line in which the our brave crew's ship, and more importantly the Federation, no longer exists. It's safe to say that things are pretty bad. In order to try and save the day Kirk and Spock follow McCoy back to 1930's America to do that thing they do and repair the time line.

The story was based upon the work of the much revered Sci-fi author Harlan Ellison but it was to experience a number of significant re-writes at the hands of other writers before it was deemed to fit into the acceptable Star Trek world. If the very public (and occasional legal) arguments are anything to go by, I think it's safe to assume that Mr Ellison didn't take the changes to his work very well. So much so that he never wrote for the series again.

Now don't get me wrong, I am a fully paid up member of the Star Trek obsessive club, the whole thing has been part of my life ever since I can remember and I confidently expect that despite the odd series blunder (Yes I'm looking at you Enterprise) my love will continue to endure for the rest of my days. However, I must admit that I have never quite fully felt comfortable with the cosy concept of future humanity envisioned by Gene Roddenberry in which we had lost the vast majority of our selfish, materialistic and warring nature. It all seemed a little naive and dare I say it, boring which meant that all too often there was a danger of some episodes foundering in a sea of nobleness in which harder edged story lines had little chance of flourishing. I'm sure that many will disagree with me...... I await the messages with, ahem, interest.

As a consequence, there are many like me who have often wondered what the result would have been if treatments like Ellison's far darker and complex teleplay for The City on the edge of Forever had ever found their way onto our TV screens. Well thanks to the work of some wonderful individuals we can now have something of a taste.

Some 50 years after the show aired IDW comics made the decision to produce Ellison's vision in the form of a comic book. The result of the work by writers Scott and David Tipton, together with the sumptuous artwork of J.K. Woodward is quite simply an astonishing interpretation of Harlan's work.

For a start there are some glaringly obvious reasons as to why the original story draft was tinkered with so much because there is an explicit harder edge to the narrative than any episode ever dared have. It is quite clear that having a violent crew member who spends part of his time on board dealing in illicit drugs doesn't exactly fit in with Mr Roddenberry's vision of a better future humanity - or with 1960's studio executives for that matter. In actuality, it is this renegade crew member who escapes through the time portal, not an accidentally stoned off his tits McCoy, thus contaminating the time line. 

As a matter of fact, fan favourite McCoy barely features in the story at all appearing in just the single scene. As it happens, it is the criminally underused (in the TV series) Yeoman Rand who is transformed from the role of Captains eye candy to that of a federation version of Xena-Warrior Princess as she shows her worth as a fully respected member of the crew. 

For all the 'advancements' in human society that the show envisaged in the future, gender equality was certainly one factor that had barely improved if the sixties version of the show was anything to go by. So it's rather nice to see a female character have a more nuanced place amongst the crew.

Another noticeable departure from the series is the more fractious relationship here between Spock and Kirk. If anything Spock here appears far more prone to grappling with the human side of his behaviour, particularly in the scene where he and Kirk argue over the positive merits of humanity after being attacked by anti-immigration mobs.

There is also a more complex interpretation of Kirks psychological state here as he struggles to cope with the responsibility of command as well as the terrible conundrum he faces with the decisions he will have to make.

The story here has a far more complex and darker tone than any TV episode whilst still remaining fairly true to the heart of Star Trek, something that won't please all fans - and that's OK. The story is beautifully written and so on a personal level for me the result is a far more satisfying story of genuine human emotion and behaviour that rarely was ever fully exposed on the screen.

As I mentioned earlier, the graphic novel looks truly beautiful and perfectly compliments the compulsive narrative - something I know for a fact that Harlan Ellison completely agrees with.

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

There is also a newly launched forum on the website designed for ANYONE involved or interested in the Independent film industry related to genres of Sci-Fi, fantasy and horror. Feel free to register and contribute - Everyone is welcome!

In addition the 5D website now has PayPal Donate button. Any donations kindly made will be fed directly back to help with a podcast materials, competition prizes and other general costs etc. If you wish to contribute to the exciting growth of the website & blog then we here at 5D headquarters would be eternally grateful. If you would like your contribution to be acknowledged publicly then simply send a message via the website’s contact section and we’ll send you some love!

If all that was enough to entice to 5D land, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.

5D Competition - Win a personalised video greeting from actress Tracey Birdsall.

In the last few months it has been my pleasure to have got to know (just a teensy teensy little bit) the actress, Tracey Birdsall. Ever since news of the award winning film Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter came the way of 5D HQ Tracey has been in the radar of yours truly. I can only apologise just how creepy that sounds - I know I have previous. Though in my defence the court restrictions and restraining orders have now thankfully gone away in regard to those other matters. I mean, just who knew that 278 emails a day to Helena Bonham Carter could be misconstrued as stalking? Well I bloody well know now, that's for sure... your honour.

Anyhoo, for a flavour of the Tracey's talent, friendliness and downright drop dead gorgeousness you could do worse than check out the previous two articles that appeared on this blog;

The Interview with Tracey can be found RIGHT HERE

The review of the marvellous Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter can be found RIGHT HERE

So you can imagine my delight when Tracey consented to offering herself up as a 5D competition prize (behave). However before I give you the details of the competition just have a look at a refresher of he career so far...........

"Tracey Birdsall is an award-winning American film and television actress recognised worldwide for her diverse and challenging roles - which recently earned her the esteemed Female Action Performer of the Year Award at the highly regarded Action on Film Festival for her role of Sienna in the recently Premiered and highly anticipated Science Fiction film Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter(2016).

Birdsall has four feature films which will be released in 2016 alone: The lead of Sienna in the up-coming science fiction film Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter (2016) opposite William Kircher, Daz Crawford, and Stephen Manley, the lead of Jenna in the up-coming comedy feature Who's Jenna...? (2016) opposite Bill Sorvino, Garry Pastore, and Joseph D'Onofrio, playing herself in the up-coming Australian comedy Diary of a Fatman (2016), and the role of Dijanne in the up-coming science fiction film At the Edge of Time(2016). 

Tracey was also just cast as the female lead in Dance of the Blue Tattoo opposite Harry Lennix (The Blacklist (2013), filming soon in Gran Canaria. Birdsall can be seen opposite Barry Corbin once again in 2017 in The Time War (2017), a time travel film featuring a narration by Christopher Lee.

She was the female lead the feature film I Might Even Love You (1998) opposite Leigh McCloskey and James Van Patten which had a Cannes Festival debut, and also performed in films including but not limited to The Prophet's Game (2000) (starring Dennis Hopper), Casino (1992) (starring her good friend Sammy Jackson), Dawn of the Crescent Moon (2014) (opposite Barry Corbin), and Going Very Badly (2014) (opposite Gerry Bednob). She recently voiced the Spaceship Computer on Doomsday (2015) and the Deliverance Computer in Starship: Apocalypse (2014).

In 2014, Birdsall was named honorary Maverick Award Winner at the esteemed Action on Film Festival, and in 2015 the honorary Trailblazer Award at the Temecula Independent Film Festival for her contributions to the entertainment industry."

COMPETITION

Tracey Birdsall has kindly agreed to offer herself up as a competition prize for 5D. However before you people out there get the wrong end of the stick with the majority  of the male population crashing the 5D website with requests, let me explain. 

The prize for the lucky selected entrant is a personalised video greeting from the lady herself. The names of all the entrants who correctly answer Tracey's question will be put into a hat (yes, it's really a hat) and the winner will be selected at random and then sent to Tracey to do her thing. The lady is incredibly busy at the moment but she will squeeze into her busy schedule the recording of the message and then forward it on to the lucky winner.

The closing date for entries is February 19th 2017.

The Question from Tracey is: In our upcoming sci-fi feature Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter  (to be released by Sony), my character Sienna deals with the overtaking of the worlds by artificial intelligence. Given that everything these days is leaning towards artificial intelligence, to what degree are you concerned about this issue in the future? And why?

Please go to the 5D Competition section at www.5d-blog.com to submit your answer. REMEMBER, you must include your email address when you submit your entry.

Good luck!

Tracey's official Facebook page can be found RIGHT HERE. 

Her IMDB page is RIGHT HERE

You can Tweet Tracey via her Twitter handle @traceybirdsall1

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

There is also a newly launched forum on the website designed for ANYONE involved or interested in the Independent film industry related to genres of Sci-Fi, fantasy and horror. Feel free to register and contribute - Everyone is welcome!

In addition the 5D website now has PayPal Donate button. Any donations kindly made will be fed directly back to help with a podcast materials, competition prizes and other general costs etc. If you wish to contribute to the exciting growth of the website & blog then we here at 5D headquarters would be eternally grateful. If you would like your contribution to be acknowledged publicly then simply send a message via the website’s contact section and we’ll send you some love!

If all that was enough to entice to 5D land, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.

Apocalypse Now: The Kickstarter for a game based on the classic Vietnam war film.

As I've grown older (but not necessarily wiser) there are a number of laws that I've come to realise which apparently we all must obey without exception. One such law is to complain heartily that the kids of today have it much easier than we did back in the day blah blah blah; another law is that at we seemingly now are not allowed to eat a meal until a picture is taken of it and posted on Facebook (next to ones collection of kitten and puppy pictures). 

Perhaps the daddy of all laws is the absolute necessity when one talks about a movie, such as Apocalypse Now (1979) that you have without fail to repeat the film's seminal quote "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning". Not only do you have to say this line as if it is the first time that it has ever been said, but you have to do it in the pose of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore. You then have to ( I mean HAVE TO) hum a few bars of Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries' whilst the person you are doing it to smiles knowingly and adds their rendition of 'The End' by the Doors to compliment the exchange. It is the law.

It says something that this seminal war movie has now transgressed the confines of movie aficionado's into the wider public consciousness, particularly when it had a relatively lukewarm initial reception on it's release in terms of public and critical acclaim. I will readily claim that I was one of the chosen ones to fall in love with it on it's theatrical release (that's another law by the way, to claim one was there from the very beginning - see also Shawshank Redemption/Blade Runner/Brazil et al to make such bold claims).

But honest, Guv - I was really there in 1979 (I was underage and sneaked in) and by god it was so fine. 

The plot, well even if you haven't sat through all of its psychological madness, is still familiar as we travel during the Vietnam War with Captain Willard (played by the majestic Martin Sheen) who has been given the assignment to hunt down and kill one of his own: Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando). 

It seems that Kurtz and his merry band of men have holed themselves up deep in the jungle to undertake some serious murder and pillaging. Robin Hood he is not.

The journey that Willard and his men take is a surreal, violent and increasingly insane trip as they encounter military lunacy, surfing and Playboy Bunnies. The greatest war film ever? Er, yes.

So you can imagine my delight when I learnt a few days ago that the film was finally going to get its own video game adaption?! Not only that but it comes not only with the participation of some seriously big hitters in the gaming industry, it also comes with the full blessing and participation of the man who made the film, legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. 

Indeed, the man himself said very recently; 

'Forty years ago, I set out to make a personal art picture that could hopefully influence generations of viewers for years to come. 

'Today, I'm joined by new daredevils, a team who want to make an interactive version of 'Apocalypse Now', where you are Captain Benjamin Willard amidst the harsh backdrop of the Vietnam War,' Coppola said.

There are three essential things that any self-respecting crowdfunding campaign needs to have to stand any chance of success; Firstly a great idea; secondly, some big-hitting individuals complete with talent and ambition. Finally they need a campaign full of tasty backer reward morsels that would entice all ranges of interest. I think it's fair to day that this campaign may just have that........ in spades.

THE IDEA

The combination of perhaps (no, definitely) the greatest ever war film and a video game adaptation is enticing enough. Let me me give you the idea in the words of the makers......

"Apocalypse Now is a first-person RPG with survival and psychological horror elements.

You will explore the jungles and rivers of Vietnam in first person perspective.  

You join a crew of “rock and rollers with one foot in their grave”.

It’s like Fallout: New Vegas on acid in the middle of the Vietnam War.

Your ultimate mission is to assassinate Colonel Kurtz, a rogue American officer who is accused of forming a private army and operating "totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct.”

Combat is often your last resort; the wise soldier will avoid the ever-looming enemy at all costs.

Maintaining resources and relationships is key to your survival and your success.

You will play Captain Willard.

And you have a mission, but between receiving your mission in the hotel room and meeting Colonel Kurtz, how you journey upriver on PBR Streetgang is up to you."

Yep, nailed it.

THE SQUAD

The creative team behind the game sound like a who's who of film and gaming talent. For a start you have Coppola, the writing and directing genius behind The Godfather series, The Conversation, Bram Stoker's Dracula...... to name but a few cinematic delicacies.

You then add a number of key team members of titles such as Lawrence Liberty (Fallout), Rob Auten (Gears of War, Battlefield), Montgomery Markland (Wasteland 2). The team claim that a  'AAA game developers, motion picture professionals and Interactive creatives are coming together to create a truly unique experience.'

Yep, nailed it.

THE REWARDS

The team's funding goal of $900,000 is ambitious to say the least, but already they have reached (at the time of writing) the sum of $92,125 with still 28 days to go. In order to maintain creative freedom and produce a daring and intense game about the horrors of war, the project is being financed outside the traditional publishing system. They need the support of backers like you to make this psychedelic vision a reality.

The KICKSTARTER page has a range of quite frankly stunning rewards that would meet the approval of anyone who wishes to contribute pledges starting from $10 (no reward) right up to the daddy pledge of $10,000 (I think you almost get the planet for that).  Check out the funding page to see for yourself.

Yep, nailed it again. Lets do this.

The Kickstarter page for the Apocalypse Now Game can be found RIGHT HERE. 

The Facebook page for the project can be found RIGHT HERE.

The Apocalypse Now Game Website an be found here at https://apocalypsenow.com

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

There is also a newly launched forum on the website designed for ANYONE involved or interested in the Independent film industry related to genres of Sci-Fi, fantasy and horror. Feel free to register and contribute - Everyone is welcome!

In addition the 5D website now has PayPal Donate button. Any donations kindly made will be fed directly back to help with a podcast materials, competition prizes and other general costs etc. If you wish to contribute to the exciting growth of the website & blog then we here at 5D headquarters would be eternally grateful. If you would like your contribution to be acknowledged publicly then simply send a message via the website’s contact section and we’ll send you some love!

If all that was enough to entice to 5D land, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.

Star Trek Graphic Novel series

There's a certain something about the Graphic Novel that comes with it it's own very distinctive feel that other mediums simply cannot match. I know that may sound obvious and even a little simplistic, but you should know by now that's just how my mind often works. What I'm trying to get at is the ability of the graphic novel to take a familiar subject and transform it into a powerful medium all of its very own. All the while retaining the comfortable familiarity of it's more familiar version to the masses, usually TV or movies.

For me it doesn't really matter what comes first, the Graphic Novel or the TV series. The thing is, I don't tend myself to get that precious about how the written word will fare under TV or film adaptation. There are some within the Scifi, horror & fantasy community who feel a strong degree of 'ownership' of literary material that to a unknowing third party would seem that it was actually them who had written it in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I can certainly understand the feeling of 'ownership'. But I don't agree with it.

To be honest, I sincerely believe that different mediums are entitled to treat the source material in any way they want. Reading a book is an entirely different experience from watching the same thing on screen, which is as it should be. I could never understand the controversy amongst fans (and I am a big time fan) about the adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and Game of Thrones, to name but three.

If you love the books then simply don't give a flying fig about an adaptation that deviates from the source material. Honestly, who cares? The original source material will always be there to be cherished. And do you know something else? (I'm saying this quietly now), but sometimes those changes can work.......cough....Haldir's Elves at The Battle of Helms Deep....cough!.......really works in the movie...........cough.

A case in point is that of The Walking Dead. I discovered the Graphic Novels a couple of years after they first appeared back in the dim and distant days of 2003. Yes, yes I know......once again I was quite ineptly behind the times. It certainly wasn't the first or last time. To be precise it was the summer of 2006 in which I first discovered the stunning artwork and storytelling that depicted a world where an unknown apocalyptic event has transformed the majority of the human population into slobbering, rotting flesh-eating zombies (In other words, Sheffield on a Saturday night).

A few years later (2010 to be once again precise) I learnt that the story was going to be adapted for TV, much to the suspicion and jealousy of some of my fellow Walking dead aficionados. I must admit that for a time I too shared their disquiet, though maybe not quite for the same reasons. I had read for months before the show aired many comments of fans worried in regard to such things as the authenticity of the story being lost and the potential of a glossy and insipid watering down of the gore for TV. There were indeed a plethora of other Graphic Novel fan concerns. 

I did try to dislike the TV series, I really did. Even when I heard that the mercurial Frank Darabont was going to be initially at the helm I had decided beforehand that I simply didn't want to be part of of what I saw as the inevitable watering down in the mainstreaming and mass-popularity that would take place. I can remember on that night in 2010 when I sat in front of my television to watch the 1st episode, arms crossed and a fixed facial expression that signified that I wasn't going to enjoy myself, no matter what.

Well five seasons later, that has somewhat changed, Actually, if truth be told it changed about 3 or 4 minutes into that first episode. Yes, the show deviated almost immediately from the comic source material, and in probably in far too many ways that irked many fellow comic fans. In fact there are far too many examples of how the show has changed the original concept and storyline to mention them all here. So I won't.

Is a TV series better then the comic? Is it important that specific narratives and characters are changed, embellished or even removed? Well to be honest I couldn't really care less. The simple fact is that the Graphic Novels should be treated as entirely different mediums - who cares how they differ? I don't. I say just enjoy them for what they are - they are perhaps the most effective and powerful medium of story telling that there is.

So you can imagine by personal geeky delight when the I learnt of the recent release celebrating 50 Years of Classic Star Trek Graphic Novels - oh deep joy!

There are a few people that know me reasonably well (sorry to those of you that includes, I can never stop apologising) who are more than familiar with my Star Trek obsessions, specifically the 2nd in the original movie franchise series Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The genius that underpinned Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was initially two-fold. Firstly it immediately tapped into the nostalgic obsession of the TV series by using the inspiration of the story from a 1967 episode, 'Space Seed' in which Kirk and the Enterprise crew had battled with the genetically modified group of humans and their charismatic leader, Khan. The film sees the fight re-engaged when Khan and his group escape from their 15 year banishment to what had become an inhospitable planet. At the start of proceedings we encounter a recently promoted Admiral Kirk who rather than boldly going etc etc is more concerned with his ever-growing age, failing eyesight and boredom. Kirk's fate however is soon intertwined with Khan, obsessed with taking his revenge together with control of the Genesis device, a secret Starfleet technology than can render life from lifeless planets. The second stroke of genius was the inclusion of the death towards the end of the film of perhaps Star Trek's most iconic character....

Oh bugger, spoiler alert......... too soon?

For the very first time ever, half a century of Star Trek comics have been collected together in a single delicious series. I don't know about you, but a collection that spans 50 years and includes many of the seminal moments in Star Trek lore is mouth-watering to say the very least. Do we really want or need the chance to revisit all the classic characters and incredible art from the STAR TREK comic archives? The chance to experience every edition with a specially-commissioned introduction to provide context to the story? The chance to see a number of collected comics and a bonus reprint of one of the comic archive’s classic stories?

Oh yes we bloody well do!

So excited are we here at 5D headquarters about this release that it is our intention to produce regular features and reviews about a number of the publications - especially in regard to some of the promised 'lost tales and characters'. For example there is the inclusion of the legendary Harlan Ellison's original version of the all time classic episode and frequent headliner of Trek 'best of' lists - City on the edge of forever. In fact the next edition features that very release so it feels particularly fitting that this will mark the first of the blog reviews.

If all that wasn't enough there is the long overdue inclusion of long lost characters such as the Vulcan Xon, who was created by a certain Mr G Roddenberry, plus Arex and M'Ress from the classic animated series. In addition the collection features a veritable star-studded cast of Trek TV writers such as David Gerrold (who created the Tribbles), Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman (who wrote the re-imagined Star Trek & Star Trek Into Darkeness films) as well as other TV/movie writers including Brannon Braga and D.C Fontana.

Strap yourselves in people, this is going to be a helluva ride!

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

There is also a newly launched forum on the website designed for ANYONE involved or interested in the Independent film industry related to genres of Sci-Fi, fantasy and horror. Feel free to register and contribute - Everyone is welcome!

In addition the 5D website now has PayPal Donate button. Any donations kindly made will be fed directly back to help with a podcast materials, competition prizes and other general costs etc. If you wish to contribute to the exciting growth of the website & blog then we here at 5D headquarters would be eternally grateful. If you would like your contribution to be acknowledged publicly then simply send a message via the website’s contact section and we’ll send you some love!

If all that was enough to entice to 5D land, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.