“You’re sure that’s not a mutated tribble?”
Star Trek: The Next Generation #76
DC Comics (October, 1995)
“Suspect”
WRITER: Michael Jan Friedman
PENCILER: Ken Save
INKER: Shephard Hendriz
COLORIST: Rick Taylor
LETTERER: Phil Felix
EDITOR: Margaret Clark
Previous chief engineers of the Enterprise have been killed and an investigator from Starfleet is checking into her prime suspect, who just so happened to have served on each ship and is now asking questions about Geordi, the current chief. We follow the investigation and when the killer is revealed it’s not who we thought.
What they got right: As a procedural investigation story it actually works pretty well. And the reveal of how the killer was found out works as well. I won’t ruin it in case you decide to read it.
What they got wrong: The solution comes from information we don’t get until after the killer is caught, so it’s not a mystery the readers can solve along with. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but a warning for those of you who prefer those kinds of mystery stories. It’s also disappointing that the other two chief engineers from the early seasons are killed off.
Recommendation: This was a good story, even if it wasn’t a good mystery. Worth checking out for TNG fans.
