Walter Keonig's Things to Come (Science Fiction) (Graphic Novel)

by Walter Koenig (author) & Juan Baez (illustrator) 

Publisher: Bluewater Productions (October 20, 2012)

Softcover, 96 pages

Yes, the Walter Koenig here is the famous one who played Chekov on the original Star Trek and (my favorite) Bester on Babylon Five. If the people who produced this thought that because he was in so many science fiction tales (the bulk of his work actually) that meant he would be able to write a good one, then they gambled wrong. If they thought his fame would result in good sales, they were wronger still - I know it's not a word, I’m using it anyway.

Two storylines entwine in this post-apocalyptic tale. One dealing with vampires stalking the land in a world trying to restore civilization, the second is about a group of human who had to retreat underground due to the air outside becoming too poisonous and now, after three generations below, they must escape back to the world. The two storylines eventually join in a confusing and uninteresting manner. By the time all the dots were connected, I really didn’t give a damn. I was just pushing on to the end of the story.

While pacing and character development are a problem in this tale- it jumps in a haphazard and jarring fashion and you often don’t learn much about a character beyond their name- the real problem is the art. It is muddy and indistinct and often you have difficulty distinguishing one character from another. And while it looks beautiful at first, the style is not pleasant for long-term viewing.

There seems as if there was a lot of unstated backstory in this tale, which was badly hinted at along the way. The problem, similar to many new writers, is that he’s trying to be subtle and understated, but only succeeds in telling half a story. Many characters, which may be important, come across as inconsequential and results in a large muddled mess of a story.

For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.