Raver #2 - Or Reason One Why There Isn't Much Life After Star Trek

I look at popular TV of the 60's, and compare how that generation revered it's television stars and perma-sealed them into a type casting that, no matter if the actors in question like it or not, will forever immortalize them into being remembered for such roles as "That annoying red-headed kid from the Partridge Family" or "That guy from that Happy Day's spin-off who's name means 'Penis' in Korean."

If you've seen enough interviews with former cast member of Gilligan's Island and Batman (the 60's one with Adam West) you'll notice that a lot of them just resign to be forever known as "That asshole scientist who can't figure out how to fix a fucking boat" and write book after book about their experiences working on the show that made them famous. Or, failing that, they write a cook book inspired by the TV show in question.

Some of them try other things, writing their own fiction, acting in other TV shows, or putting their name on some other commercial property, be it something some company cooked up or something of their own creation. Most times there might be a blip on the radar, and maybe two or three people care. I mean, there's got to be somebody watching Danny Bonaduce's realty show right?

There always seems to be one exception to the rule: Cast members of the original Star Trek. It doesn't matter if it's Leonard Nemoy releasing a record that is the anti-thesis to music, or William Shatner putting his face on a box of All-Bran, I think society as a whole have to slow down to a crawl and laugh at the rather pathetic display. It's kind of like driving past a train wreck, where all the passengers are clowns. It's hilarious, yet disturbing, but funny, yet really really creepy... And we can't help but stop and look, even if it scars our mind forever.

The only two that can do it these days and still manage to rake in some cash (mostly because the only real competition for them are already dead.) are Shatner and Nemoy. But there was a time where some of the others made an attempt at doing something other than Star Trek.. With minimal success.

This is all a round about way to get to today's review, an issue of "Raver" a comic that was created in part by Walter Koenig, who's biggest contribution to science fiction was the phrase "Affirmative Kep-Tin." The comic was published by Malibu Comics, which was famous for printing comics that nobody really read, and also printed the various titles of that Image Comics was pumping out when they were getting started. They took on Koenig to write a few things here and there, one of which was a title called Raver, which from what sources I can actually find on the internet, only lasted about three issues.

Malibu wouldn't last very long either, in the mid 90's it would be bought by Marvel Comics, in an attempt to boost their list of characters, they even tried to boost stales of Malibu properties by incorporating Marvel character into the mix. After a number of unsuccessful relaunches and crossovers, the Malibu characters have been put to pasture and haven't seen the light of day since the end of the 90's.

But enough about that, let's get back to talking about Raver, so sit back, and get ready to read about how I read something that I thought was crap!

NEXT - BACK