Star Fleet in Look-In : Part 2
Original Publication Date: 15 Jan 1983
Look-In Volume 13 - Issue 3
I enjoyed last week’s comic strip so much, I’ve decided to review the next one! Will Shiro’s gambit work? Will Makara fall for the ruse? Will the colorist paint Mainbody an odd shade of bluish purple? Let’s find out!
The gang is all here, looking their best in black and white, and waiting patiently behind an asteroid in Quadrant 770. It was well established in the TV series the Imperial Alliance had superior scanners and sensors to X Bomber, but here the good guys have somehow figured out a way to evade detection while simultaneously tracking the baddies. Consider my disbelief suspended.
Dr. Benn is a bit touchy about Shiro’s sudden burst of initiative, but that’s OK because it gives PPA an opportunity to introduce himself. He didn’t really get much to do last week.
But even that is irritating Dr. Benn today. He definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
Now, in case you missed it when I covered it in earlier posts, the three fighters that make up Dai-X are known by many names. Brainder, what it is called in the Japanese series, was superseded in the English dub by BrainCom. I kind of like that the comic uses the alternate name here– it gives the strip its own unique flavour. The spelling of Shiro’s family name, however…
Mike Noble’s art is just gorgeous. I can draw people OK, but I find drawing these precise mechanical forms to be challenging so I really appreciate artists who can do it so well. Personally, I prefer the clean line work of the black and white original to the later coloured edition– not least because the colours aren’t accurate.
Where is Lee?
Lamia is not wrong. This Shiro is borderline reckless.
On the opposite page, Captain Orion is in command of the situation. I think he’s ready to blow up an ammo dump!
Not as ready as Makara wants him to be! There’s just no pleasing some managers.
On TV, Captain Orion is often correct but destined to be perpetually overruled by Commander Makara’s bad decisions. Here, his judgement is poor, but Makara decides to give him a chance anyway. D’oh!
I suppose a big question about these comics is could they fit within the TV continuity? I’d have to say that this is an alternate timeline given all the discrepancies in character traits and circumstances, but if you have a theory about where exactly this strip would fall, please let me know! My best guess would be between episodes three and four.
Shiro and Hercules dispatch the enemy with little fanfare. Shiro continues his proactive streak by suggesting that they capture an Imperial fighter in tact. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be able to incorporate some Alliance technology into Earth’s defences.
To be honest, I had hoped that these issues would end with a bit more of a cliffhanger. It would be a bit much to put the heroes in jeopardy every single week given how short the stories are and the pace at which they move, but I think there could be a bit more drama than we’ve seen so far! All our heroes have done is win with little opposition. They’re always one step ahead and, frankly, it’s a bit more interesting if the baddies are a step ahead. That way, Shiro and company are in real jeopardy. But there’s still lots more pages for things to heat up and I am loving the art work! Follow the excitement next week!
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I love how you summarized this comic or manga; I don't know how to watch it. I'd already seen it, and it's very good.