Assimilation (squared)

Assimilation²
by Scott and David Tipton and Tony Lee (writers), J.K. Woodward (and others) (art) [741.5 Tip]

Considering the popularity of crossovers (also known today as mashups) I'm surprised that this has never happened before, but apparently this comic-book-turned-graphic-novel is the first official cross-over of these two incredibly popular multi-media juggernauts: Star Trek (in this case Star Trek the Next Generation) and Doctor Who! Originally released as a monthly comic-book in multiple installments, this trade paperback combines the first four issues of a much larger ongoing story. The 11th (current) Doctor, with his travelling companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams, crosses paths with the crew of the Enterprise D (Jean Luc Picard,Geordi LaForge, Commander Data, et. al.) only to discover that their realities should not co-exist -- they come from two parellal timelines. Ever worse, one of the Doctor's worst enemies, The Cybermen, have teamed up with, and then taken over the Federation's deadliest foe, The Borg. I have mixed feelings about this cross-over. While I'm a huge fan of both properties, and the writers even work in a subplot featuring the classic Trek characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy encountering the 4th Doctor, I found the artwork to be all over the place. Woodward's art, which is made to resemble paintings in each panel, ranges from very good to absolutely atrocious. The art in the Classic Trek flashback sequence was terrific. The writing, on the whole is strong, but occasionally sacrifices story logic in order to emphasize character quirks. The dialog, especially for The Doctor, really captures the personality of the characters as they were seen on screen. And the chilling storyline of the Borg and Cyberman joining forces made for a suitably powerful villain. I wish I liked this more than I did, but find myself only recommending it for it's fannish historical significance. Fans of both Star Trek the Next Generation and Doctor Who should certainly appreciate it! I just wanted better artwork!. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [Subscribe to Scott's monthly booklist newsletter It's All Geek to Me! - on the Books, Movies & More newsletter sign-up page]

[ Wikipedia page for this comic series ]

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