Written by Scott Tipton & David Tipton
Art by David Messina; Gianluigi Gregorini; Ilaria Traversi; & Neil Uyetake
Cover Art ‘A’ by David Messina
SUMMARY:
Published for April 2008 by IDW, the fourth issue of this five-part mini-series is entitled “Matters of the Mind.” In the U.S.S. Enterprise-D’s stellar cartography room, Data and Captain Picard ponder their suspicions re: the sabotage inflicted upon the Enterprise and U.S.S. Jackson. For whatever reason, the Enterprise is being diverted to a specific space sector. Inexplicably, three outmatched Pakled ships commence a suicide attack crashing into the Enterprise’s shields. Backtracking to the Pakleds’ last known location, the Enterprise investigates the Baruogon system’s sixth planet. Counselor Troi’s away team suffers a disastrous ambush, leading to shipboard repercussions.
Note: The back inside cover reveals all three covers, with both ‘Cover B’ and its ‘Virgin RI’ variant by Joe Corroney.
REVIEW:
The artwork is sometimes rudimentary, but it’s still sufficient for a solid Star Trek adventure. To the art team’s credit, the cast likenesses are close enough. An extra visual asset is the glossy cover image. As for the ongoing mystery plotted by Scott & David Tipton, their concept is worthy of the TV series. Amusingly, one of its tried-and-true elements is wryly acknowledged in one scene by Riker as being a Next Generation cliché. Even if this comic doesn’t necessary impress hardcore fans enough to purchase the complete storyline, Intelligence Gathering # 4 is a pretty good read by itself.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There’s a full-page cover reveal for the concluding issue. An interview with writer-artist John Byrne promotes his first Star Trek mini-series, which is an Assignment Earth spin-off. Other ads include some full-page cover reveals, such as Star Trek: The Enterprise Experiment.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7½ Stars
