The concept of Star Trek: Year Four is right on the money.

The introduction to the original series always referred to the Enterprise's five-year mission, but those short-sighted network executives canned the series after only three years. So now, the gang at IDW has decided to finish off the mission in graphic form.

The results are mixed. The artwork is fair -- the characters, at least, are recognizable as the actors who portrayed them on TV, which is a far cry beyond some earlier attempts with this title -- but it's never stellar. I suppose that's good in a way, since it gives the graphic novel a low-budget look, much like the original series.

The stories, too, feel a lot like those early episodes. The writing ain't great and the plots at times feel a little unfinished, but the patter is snappy and there's often a moral with heart. A few cliches -- including the lines "He's dead, Jim" and "I'm a doctor, not a (insert occupation here)" and the ubiquitous disposable red shirt -- are overused, but let's write that off to writer David Tischman's enthusiasm and see where he goes from here.