Where No Man Has Gone Before

Star Trek Fotonovel #2

by Samuel Anthony Peeples

A Star Trek episode, told in comic book format, using photos from the episode instead of drawings.

"The life of Captain Kirk is imperiled!! Two starship crew members are suddenly endowed with superhuman powers to create...and destroy!"

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Media Tie In

152 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Samuel A. Peeples (September 22, 1917 – August 27, 1997) was an American writer. He published several novels in the Western genre, often under the pen name Brad Ward, before moving into series television after being given a script assignment by Frank Gruber. He is known to Star Trek fans for his script for the second pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", as well as "Beyond the Farthest Star", the first episode of the animated series Star Trek. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_...]

Reviews

[Otherwyrld · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit of a cheat, trying to review a book like this because it's not really a novel per se. Like all of the photonovels (or fotonovels) this book consists of a series of pictures taken from the actual episode in question and then having word or thought bubbles added like a comic. They were briefly popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s because at the time there were few other ways of reliving a favourite TV episode but the advent of home recording killed them almost totally.

Star Trek produced 12 of these altogether, and I won't bother reviewing them all as they would all say the same. It's entertaining to read and there's a good deal of nostalgia for them but that's about it. I have all 12 of these books but I'm getting rid of them because, let's face it, I can always watch the remastered DVD version these days.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fotonovel of one of the earliest Star Trek episodes, and one of the best. Reading one of these is kind of like reading a graphic novel, but with stills from the actual show inserted instead of regular art. It uses a lot of the dialogue from the episode, but not all. As I was reading it, I kept hearing the dialogue in the character's voices. The book also add some internal monologue to some scenes that was not there in the show. This is based on facial expressions of the characters and I wasn't quite sure about some of the choices. Still, an enjoyable book.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those of us who may remember when this book was first published, it was a pretty big deal. We didn't have DVDs and possibly not even the video tapes of the entire Star Trek series to enjoy at our leisure. But here, in book formate, we could relive certain episodes.

The comic book style of word balloons and thought balloons seems corny for this, though I admit that I got a kick out of getting some of Captain Kirk's thoughts ... thoughts that were never aired as such on the show.

I rate it a three primarily for nostalgia. Watch the episode, it's better.

[Renee Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cross between a comic book and graphic novel, this adds another layer to a way to enjoy Star Trek if you are a fan. The thought bubbles gives you some insight into the characters, something that you might not pick up by just viewing the episode. I found it to be a good read and enjoyed it.

I decided to read it a second time.

[bluetyson]

isbn,original

[rivka · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Curtiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another clever use of stills from the TV series combined with conversation/narrative "balloons" to create a graphic novel of an original Classic Star Trek episode.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these fotonovels from the Classic Trek. I would like to own all of them.

[Fangirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the days before the internet a book like this was precious to a fan.
I remember waiting impatiently for each of the photo novels to come out.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread November 1978.
Reread February 1980.
Reread June 1980.