It feels like forever since I read a book the opposite of "decompressed."

Even though I'm a big Star Trek fan, and have read a metric ton of Star Trek comics, Comics Alliance's recent post on the various companies runs with the title reminded me there's still more than a few I haven't read. Specifically, the early DC Comics series; which I didn't really hop onto until Peter David took over. There's a good forty, fifty issues there I hadn't read, so when I saw the "Mirror Universe" issues for a dollar a pop, I grabbed them. Written by Mike W. Barr with art by Tom Sutton and Ricardo Villagran, it runs for the better part of six or seven issues: without having #9 next to me, I think the Mirror-Kirk and crew return at the end of that one. But it probably could've stretched for twice that many issues; as these seem to cram in everything they can get in there!

There's regular-universe Kirk and crew, immediately after rescuing Spock from the Genesis Planet in Star Trek III--yeah, the continuity loses containment when Star Trek IV seemingly takes place maybe a week after III, not a couple years. They're about to be hauled back to earth for court-martial, with the recurring braggart Captain Styles bringing them back in the Excelsior, along with Kirk's stolen Klingon Bird of Prey. Mirror-Kirk and his Enterprise recreate the transport accident that brought Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura to their universe fifteen (or so) years ago, and attack a Federation ship; but seem outmatched by Excelsior. Only Jim Kirk's a crafty bastard, in any universe...

The Mirror bridge crew meets at least some of their counterparts, although only the McCoys seem to have time to get any words in, and a slightly disappointing Kirk vs. Kirk punch-up. Later in the series there would be a Mirror Spock vs. Comatose Spock (more exciting than it sounds!) and the return of Marlena Moreau, Captain's Woman; multiple swapped ships, a destruct sequence gambit, a visit to the Mirror Universe; the return of crewmen Bearclaw, Konom, and Bryce (characters created for the comic) and much, much more. Too much more: maybe this could have been given twelve issues, give it room to breathe. (And at seventy-five cents an issue, why not?) It's interesting how DC seemed to go, at least here, as far in the opposite direction from Marvel's first Star Trek run as they could: Marvel's was almost exclusively single-issue stories, with no new recurring characters. Not stellar, but certainly not unreadable.