We look back at the Academy days of Jean-Luc Picard and see that he's quite the loner, focused solely on doing well and getting ahead. But his instructor, Mr. Spock, informs him that getting to know the people on his team is important when making leadership decisions and orders Cadet Picard to attend a party with his fellow cadets. Well ... Spock can order him to attend but there's nothing that says he has to enjoy it or participate in shenanigans!

Through a series of incidents, young Jean-Luc discovers that there's more to being command than simply giving orders and knowing 'the book' backward and forward.

This is a pretty simple story (hard to believe it makes up six issues of a comic) and frankly pretty obvious. I never felt like we were following the same Jean-Luc Picard who would go on to captain the USS Enterprise or become a Starfleet Admiral. That's not to say I think we are the same at age 19 as we are at 50. Of course we learn and grow, but I don't see anything of the Picard we know in the television shows and movies in this comic/graphic novel.

Because it's a graphic novel, the art is just as important in telling the story as is the writing (otherwise why not just make it a novel?) and the art here is ... I suppose 'cartoony' is the best way to describe it. If we weren't introduced, by name, to Jean-Luc Picard or Mr. Spock, I'd never know that's who we were looking at.

This style works in some graphic novels, but I definitely don't feel like it enhances the story in any way. This looks like a Veronica and Betty style comic meant to appeal to sixth graders.

Which brings me to: Who is this for? Based on the simplicity of the script, the whole 'academy days' (ie being in school) and the over-the-top message, along with the artwork, this looks like the target audience is middle schoolers and younger. But do these kids know Star Trek: The Next Generation? Why not a story using the more recent Star Trek series' characters? Did Janeway (featured in the animated Star Trek: Prodigy) learn some important lessons about getting to know her crew? What about Michael Burnham? Based on her current character she had to have had some hard lessons in the academy.

I enjoy reading new stories and adventures featuring my familiar Star Trek 'friends' (they often feel like friends when you've watched the episodes over and over) but when they no longer look or feel familiar but instead are used to make a moralistic message to kids (who probably don't know them at all), I don't feel good about the book.

Looking for a good book? The graphic novel Star Trek: Picard's Academy--Commit No Mistakes written by Sam Maggs and illustrated by Ornella Greco, doesn't feel at all in line with the Star Trek universe.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Book 168 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟💫

I'm a trekkie, but I love the OG. Because Picard is played by the brilliant Patrick Stewart, I make the exception for TNG and the rather humorous Lower Decks (this one because my husband forced me to give it a go. LOL)

I read this with interest as Picard is a cadet here and a rather cocky and self-entitled one.

The art reminded me of LD, and as for the writing... well, most of it felt cliché. I will give it a go and see what plays out if I either get a review copy or a library one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Meh. Nothing about this feels like a story about Picard. It just doesn't feel like the character we know and love. The story is nothing new. I wanted to love this, but I just didn't.

"Star Trek: Picard's Academy-Commit No Mistakes" is a fun and fast paced , YA oriented adventure featuring a younger and not entirely likeable version of fan favorite Jean-Luc Picard. The titular character is a driven young man who bottles up his feelings and refuses to fully support or interact with his peers. Of course, he has a few hard lessons coming his way, some of which are delivered through the school of hard knocks and some from visiting professor Spock and a bunch of holo-deck Romulans. The actual resolution of this story is never in doubt but it is an enjoyable ride watching Picard fail and flounder until he finally sees the light.

Highlights include Professor Spock lecturing on the importance of human interactions and party attendance, a manic pixie dream cadet who some sees Picard's real potential, cameos from earlier versions of well known and not so well known ST:TNG characters, a not so veiled reference to the Kobayashi Maru scenario, Picard's hair fantasies and a bunch of very put upon grumpy Romulans .

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, IDW Publishing, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was relatively enjoyable as a standalone academy story, but I found it difficult to connect it to Jean-Luc Picard and his voice; the story would've been almost equally relevant without it being about Jean-Luc. Apart from that, the story was engaging, the art was well-done, and the story focused on lessons and had an "antagonist", but without relying on the crutch of a real "villain".

This was a fun graphic novel about Picard's past. It introduced new characters that, while not familiar in the greater Trekverse, could definitely be interesting to learn more about in future editions. The overall plot wasn't the most captivating but the characters still drew me in.

It was really fun to see what Picard was like in the academy. We knew about some of his motivations for joining Starfleet before, but this story fleshed that out a little. There was also some great comedy too. The drawing style is easy to follow and matches the tone of the story. I enjoyed this book a lot. If you are a Trek fan check it out!

This is an omnibus of 6 individual, previously published comic issues. I had not read them before, though, so the world was new to me. Each individual story was not very long (around 25 pages), which made this one move quickly.
Our main character is a young Jean-Luc Picard, who dreams of being out in space. So much so, that he wants to graduate from Starfleet Academy early, and has a tendency to bowl over his teammates to try to be the top of his class. So, the lesson he needs to learn overall is cooperation and team work.
His classmates are a fun little group who have distinct personalities. One of their teachers is a guest professor, Spock. The enemies are holographic Romulans. Some fun things to see for fans of Star Trek as a whole.
If you are a fan of Trek, this is a fun and colorful quick read. If you're not, I'm not sure it would really "land."

Thanks to NetGalley, IDW Publishing, including Sam Maggs and Ornella Greco for providing this Advanced Reader's Copy. It presents an intriguing perspective of a youthful Jean-Luc Picard beginning his journey at the Academy.

This cute graphic novel has an interesting story that takes us back to Picars academy days. As a second year student he longs to pass the practical Evasive Maneuvers test with flying colors so that he can achieve top rank in the class and graduate a year early. Picard longs to take command so that he has complete control of his fate. But he is a loner who doesn't care to get to know his classmates and does not trust anyone else to have his back. When communications fail, and the test scenario seems out of control, he and his team must learn to work together. The story was fun and included a lot of Trek lore, including a large variety of aliens. The author even included his Jean-Luc's friendship with Boothby the groundskeeper who shows up in a couple episodes. I enjoyed the fun appearance with Spock as a guest teacher who councils the young Picard that getting to know his team mates would be the logical thing to do. Although avid fans might remember that in ST canon the two characters don't actually meet until the Next Gen "Unification" episode, this bit is really cute and does add to the story. What I do have a problem with is the premise that Starfleet academy would not have had early graduation for the top student based solely on grades, instead of what courses had been taken. Despite those flaws in the story line, I did enjoy the novel. I especially liked the little surprise for the reader at the very end.

I loved the illustrations by Ornella Greco. The art style was reminiscent of the 1973 animated series. It was colorful and there was background scenery reminiscent of the ships and starfleet in the show. There were plenty of aliens too. That said, I did find the young Picard a bit disconcerting. He didn't look at all like Patrick Stewart. Even after accounting for the hair. It was only after looking up pictures of the actor at a young age that I could see any resemblance at all. Perhaps it was the old fashioned comic book art style that prevented an accurate portrayal of the actor. I have noticed that it is sometimes an issue in animated adaptations of live action shows.

I enjoyed this graphic novel, and I think that most fans will get a kick out of it, however, it seemed to be aimed at a middle grade or young adult readership.

I am a Star Trek Fan from way back and remember watching the premise of Star Trek: Next Generation on TV and wondering if it would work for me because of the new cast, crew, and even ship. I was thrilled to see that Capt Picard quickly became a ST staple and now is synonymous with the series itself. After seeing Picard age and even get his own show it was so refreshing to go back and watch him develop into the captain I know during his cadet years and establish his space legs as both a man and an officer.

If this sounds like something that speaks to you, I can say this Graphic Novel will garner multiple reads from you, just as it did for me, because the beauty of the art, the originality of the storyline, the connection to Picard Cannon, and the introduction of A great cast of new supporting characters. Reading through this was like the best Easter Egg Hunt when i was little. There are so many nods to the Picard that I know, but all is done subtly with a wink and nod to the long time fan...Picard prefers coffee??? He sits in the command chair lost for words!!! No 'Engage' as a tag line?? What was the moment that turned that young man from Wine Country France into the officer that could take on The Borg and unite a crew.in crisis? All of this here in beautiful color with great dialogue and cast of characters that I want to know more about.

Not a versed in all things Star Trek, Picard and Next Gen. No problem, everything you need is here for a self co gained story!

Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for sharing this with me. I enjoyed every frame and page and will be looking for more adventures of Cadet Picard in the future!

I volunteered to read this earc

Jean-Luc Picard as we've never seen him before (well, sorta never seen him before). He's at the Academy and, he has no friends, has no influence, and, is sort of a wet noodle. But, can Spock and Boothbay help him get his act together and find his way into who he should be (or at least the start of who he should be). It's the story about a big test that is done with a team, and we get to see if Picard can pass it or will his Daddy issues make him fail it. (And which is the better outcome).

We do get the origins of two of his very well known sayings. But, also, weirdly has stuff in it that is different than the Picard TV show I think? Personally, the second part I'm okay with, (the Picard TV show wasn't my very favorite of the Star Trek TV shows/movies I've watched). A fun read.

This collection gather issues #1 through #6 of the comic of the same name. It tells the story of a young Jean-Luc Picard in his second year at the Academy, star pupil and eager to show his mettle in order to get an early assignment to active duty.

Story: Picard is a loner, trying to push through the Academy at speed without any real social interaction with the other students or even working with them during his studies. As an important test is looming he and the other students assigned to his group need to figure out how to work together, including deciding who will lead.

For fans of Star Trek, the premise and the test itself holds no real surprises, so we're left with a character story, which of course is the true heart of Star Trek. In this one, I quite liked the other characters and mostly Picard, except the main premise: the idea that he wants to be in command but apparently lacks any idea that he should understand and know the people he is aiming to lead. This one rubs me the wrong way and while excuses are made of how Picard is driven and wants to just concentrate on his studies, it is just too unrealistic. Command is people leadership, and the Academy should even have a whole curriculum on this, so he should not be so bad at this, or be so ignorant that these skills are required.

Other than this, the story is enjoyable and even Picard feels 'right'. We get a bit more insight into his past and history and it's fun to see him interacting with Boothby.

The art is quite comicky with a style usually intended for younger audiences. I don't mind it (and it's fun to see Picard with hair), but honestly this Picard looks nothing like Patrick Stewart, not even when he was young. But overall I did enjoy the art and it definitely adds more than it detracts.

In summary, this is a fun tale in the world of Star Trek and is one of the better comics from the series to come out of late. If the overall setup premise doesn't bother you as much as it did me, you'll probably rate this at least one star higher. Recommended for fans, and this one will be a good read even with limited exposure to Star Trek.

This was an interesting look into what Picard’s past was supposed to be like. The Picard we know and love is such a stellar captain, with such a great sense of confidence in his crew and himself, it was hard to imagine him as this weird cadet. The test cracked me up though. And Doq 😂

This was a really fun adventure into Picard’s past during his academy days. “Commit No Mistakes” shows us a time when Jean-Luc is just beginning to find his footing as a leader, but he still has a lot to learn before he can become the captain we all know and love. So much detail is put into the artwork and designs throughout the story. In addition to getting a story about Picard’s growth, we’re also treated to some interesting expansions of characters in the Star Trek universe that make appearances here. The arc of this series balances humor, action, and a lot of heart, to create a tone which fits perfectly in the academy environment.

Thank you IDW Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to IDW and Netgalley for the eARC.

This was a cute story about the origins of Starfleet Captian Jean-Luc Picard set during his Starfleet Academy days. It detailed challenges and obsticles that he faced while in the academy.

This Picard is not the wisened captian from The Next Generation yet. He deals with a lot of impatientce, stubbornness, and failure to lean on his fellow classmates. Sam Magg's stories are always great, and I loved her adaptation of Rowell's Fangirl. This story reminded me a bit of Lower Decks, and wasnt quite as mature as some other Star Trek stories, but the characterization, art, and cameos made it an enjoyable story.

I went into this graphic novel blind. Initially, I thought it was about an academy run by Picard, rather than Picard in the early days. Sam Maggs drew in me. I am enjoying her Manga adaption of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl and loved her debut, The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy.

Picard's Academy--Commit No Mistakes gives us a glimpse into Jean-Luc’s cadet days at the academy. I enjoyed the deep Trek cuts and the collegiate vibes. While it may draw comparisons to Lower Decks for the team comradery, I find it reminds me more of Grown-ish with a sprinkle of the series the Aurora Chronicles by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I’d recommend it to any Star Trek fan, or anyone who loves coming of age stories.

Thank you, IDW Publishing, for an ARC.

This comic mini-series tells a story of Captain Picard during his academy days.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this. I can say that I wasn’t disappointed.
A young Cadet Picard has a hard time fitting in with his classmates, mostly through his own desire to be the best and move on to something that matters.
A group test with some of his fellow students forces Picard to realize that sometimes, it’s best with a group than by yourself.
The writing was solid and well done. Each character seemed to stand out on their own.
If I had a problem with any of it, I think the artwork looked a little cartoonish for what I like my Star Trek to be.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this and will be picking up a copy as soon it releases. 💕
It was well written and I really enjoyed my time reading it.

Rating 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is an enjoyable but slightly flawed read. I enjoyed the story and the characters. Theres action, conflict and humour. The perfect Star Trek mix.

Picards characterisation i’m not a hundred percent sold on though. It seems at odds with the Picard we see in the TNG episode “Tapestry”. Now this may just be an earlier picard but i’m unsure of the timeline.

I also felt that the art(while good) was a bit too cartoony for the comic. It felt to me that the art was for kids but the story was for adults. And i didn’t enjoy that juxtaposition.

Despite those couple of flaws i would still recommend it for any trekkie as a worthwhile read