Fun with Kirk and Spock

by Robb Pearlman

See the Enterprise. See the Enterprise go boldly. Go Go Go, Enterprise! Go Boldly! Join Kirk and Spock as they go boldly where no parody has gone before!

This Prime Directive primer steps through The Guardian of Forever to a simpler time of reading, writing, and red shirts. From the mind of  New York Times  bestselling pop culturalist Robb Pearlman,  Fun with Kirk and Spock  will help cadets of all ages master the art of reading as their favorite Starfleet officers, Klingons, Romulans, Andorians, and Gorn beam down into exciting adventures.

Genres: Humor, Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Picture Books, Science Fiction Fantasy, Media Tie In

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 29, 2014

Reviews

[The Flooze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this one up today at New York Comic Con. Great, detailed illustrations. Hilarious references to the original series. Definitely a worthy purchase for any fan who likes to poke fun at the moments of over-the-top camp from Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew.

See the crewman.
What is the crewman's name?
It does not matter.
Why does it not matter?
He is wearing a red shirt.
It is best not to get too attached.

[M. J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost as fun as watching 1960's Star Trek The Original Series, which is to say not much fun. This is non-linear recap of a bunch of TOS episodes, some memorable, some quite forgettable. I like Star Trek, most of all I like to read and watch everything about it without the burden of being a die-hard fan, I'm just constantly curious about this huge sci-fi landmark and it keeps me interested even if I do not feel overtly attached to the characters (except Data and Spock and Uhura and Guinan, oh no I'm probably more attached than I thought I was). This book unfortunately brings nothing new to the table, it's barely even a parody by the lack of irony and the absence of reexamination in the text, the illustrations are drawn in a caricature style that are nice to look at, but not especially funny. This is not a satire, it is synopsis, summary, which is a shame since there's so much to make fun of / parody in TOS. Now, the deadpan sort of approach might just be the whole point, so I suppose one must not only have watched the 79 TOS episodes, but also read the other books of this series to fully appreciate this humor. I laughed at the Gorn remark though, I love the Gorn and their fashion; I also liked seeing Spock wearing a duck buoy. Other than that the book is just a series of statements summarizing episodes / describing character traits accompanied by decent, but unremarkable art. I'm glad there's something like Lower Decks around today to properly make fun of this rich universe, this one was not for me.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a joke book written in the See Dick and Jane mode. I found it quite funny but then I'm a huge fan of Star Trek: The Original Series. I could only wish it had been a lot longer.

[Bryan Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed until I cried. Everyone who loves Star Trek TOS needs this book.

[Ron Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parody: the final frontier. These are the jokes of “Fun with Kirk and Spock.” Its 60-page mission: to explore familiar old episodes, to seek out old gags and old cliches, to boldly go where no satire has gone before!

Every boomer geek on earth – and off it — will want to beam up a copy of this hilarious picture book by Robb Pearlman. Using “Dick and Jane” as his base camp, Pearlman has recreated the 1960s sci-fi show in all. . . .

Read the rest of this piece in The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/s...

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a funny read. Pearlman taps into just about every classic Star Trek moment and character via the children's book medium skewering everyone from the show ala Mad magazine style. My favorite laugh out loud had to be "See the Gorn. The Gorn is tall. The Gorn is green. The Gorn is wearing a one-piece sleeveless tunic with brocaded accents and matching gauntlets. The Gorn is fashion-forward." Too funny. And Pearlman's artwork is spot on capturing the crew, aliens, facial features, and even Abraham Lincoln spot on! A must read for Trekkies!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made me laugh and want to show my nerdy friends

[Heinrich DuBose-Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

My childhood with a twist! Join Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and a nameless red shirt dude on a crazy adventure ... but don't get too attached to the red shirt dude.

[Chris Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing book done in the style of a children's book. It doesn't tell a story. Rather, it's just a series of references to the show. It's amusing but requires knowledge of the original series.

[Mae Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thesis advisor bought me this for Christmas!!! 😭💞 This is the funniest thing ever, my roommate and I were crying all the way through it. Phrases that will probably make my way into ongoing commentary when watching the show and also just in life in general:

"See Spock push his feelings down. Down, down, down!"
"The bridge is safe and secure."
"The Gorn is fashion-forward."

Also a whole page for "A Piece of the Action" in Kirk's attempted mob boss speak translated to a Dick and Jane style??? Asdjkasdjfkd seriously this thing is priceless.

[Tara DuBose-Schmitt]

I’m not enough of a Trekkie to adequately appreciate this book.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book for Star Trek fans.
Read, fans, read!
This book will make you laugh.
Laugh, laugh, laugh ...
🖖

[Aquila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and silly with lots of nerdy references.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merging the style of the old primers Fun with Dick and Jane with the original Star Trek series, this book really has a lot of fun with joking about some of the characters, settings and events found in the classic television show. Fans of the show will have a blast with the satirical nature of the book.

[Helix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically wasn't reading either but who cares. Had lots of fun. Wishing it was longer? Didn't get some of the references since I still haven't finished watching TOS but it was great. I loved this. Please make more and take my money.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely funny parody, a must have for aby TOS fan! Celebrates all the weird TOS things we love

[Rozkminy Hadyny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mała, ilustrowana książeczka pełna przezabawnych ilustracji i jeszcze śmieszniejszych opisów, wzorowana na perypetiach Dicka i Jane, rysunkowych bohaterów, którzy uczyli czytać amerykańskie dzieci w latach 1930-1970.

Na kartach tej książki nie znajdziemy jednak pulchnych, roześmianych dzieci, a załogę statku U.S.S. Enterprise z oryginalnej serii Star Treka z lat sześćdziesiątych ubiegłego wieku. Opisaną w krótkich, dosadnych zdaniach, skutecznie naśmiewających się ze znanych stereotypów dotyczących serialu.

Esencja każdej postaci została uchwycona krótkim opisem, idealnie parodiującym momentami zbyt poważny styl oryginału, który dziś często śmieszy z powodu efektów tak słabej jakości, jak pies z czułkami jako kosmita. Widząc jaszczura, z którym walczył kiedyś Kirk, i czytając parodiujący tekst: "Spójrz na Gorna. Gorn jest wysoki. Gorn jest zielony. Gorn ma na sobie jednoczęściową tunikę bez rękawów z brokatowymi akcentami i rękawicami do kompletu. Gorn podąża za modą" trudno się nie uśmiechnąć.

Jeden z moich znajomych zapowiedział, że pożyczy tę książeczkę w swoim czasie, by uczyć swoje dziecko czytać po angielsku. Dopracowane, pseudo-realistyczne ilustracje rysowane komiksowymi pociągnięciami markera i dużą ilością tuszu są naprawdę prześmieszne. Jest też Spock w żółtej kaczce-kole ratunkowym. Polecam.

[Laura Verret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slim little book parodies both the Dick and Jane readers as well as Star Trek TOS by retelling the adventures of Kirk, Spock, and Co. in the style of the Dick and Jane stories. I purchased the book thinking that the text would be humorous simply because a retelling of any aspect of the Star Trek universe in pre-k language must be funny, but Robb Pearlman far surpassed this admittedly low bar by slipping in lots of cheeky little jabs at particular incidents in various TOS episodes. Admittedly my heart was stolen by the very first sentences of the book (see below). ;)


See the Enterprise.
See the Enterprise go boldly.
Go go go, Enterprise!
Go boldly!


Just yes.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly and fun mash-up of Star Trek and the old Dick and Jane children's books touches on a lot of the classic episodes from the original series and pokes fun at the show's well-known tropes: the fate of red-shirted characters, Kirk's fighting prowess, Spock's logic, Kirk's sex appeal, Spock and McCoy's antagonism toward each other.

This has a lot of nostalgia appeal for an old Trekkie like me. But I do wish they had rethought the weak and ableist joke about Christopher Pike that is just in poor taste and seems out of line with the rest of the book.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wry Look at the Final Frontier

At first, this appears to be a children's primer, but if you look deeper, this is a very clever parody of both the 'Star Trek' and 'Fun with....' Books, while still being a good children's primer.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[TJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not funny. Not much of a parody. Illustrations were good. Only one that made me laugh was the parody of the Gorn.

[Patricia Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like Dick & Jane from way back.
I had some laughs.

[Jacabaeus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny little parody. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but my 1.5yr old daughter just thought I was a kook for reading it to her. Would have been five stars but the ending is abrupt and unsatisfying.

[Alemanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ma-ra-vi-llo-so. Este libro debería estar en la biblioteca de cualquier trekkie que se precie, especialmente si tiene criaturas a las que «trekizar» en inglés. Go boldly, go!

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. Whether you need a break from classic children´s first readers, or a massive fan of ST:TOS, this is magnificent.
The text is witty, following the familiar pattern of first readers (and yes, is repetitive, but that is part of its charm), and the illustrations transport you immediately to iconic episodes.

[Jim Shaner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humorous retrospective of the original Star Trek TV series, written for adults in the style of a children's early reader. The outstanding illustrations accurately depict beloved characters in scenes from various episodes. Author Robb Pearlman injects a humorous perspective in describing aspects of each episode's plot. "See Bones. Bones calls Spock a pointed-ear hobgoblin. See Spock. Spock calls Bones illogical. Spock and Bones help each other. Spock and Bones are worried about Kirk. Spock and Bones are frenemies." I would recommend this for fans of the show, especially those who maybe haven't seen an episode in a few years. This book pokes a little fun at the characters and plots, without taking anything too seriously.

[glass.curtain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!
Once I'd read one of the "stories" in the book on google I had to have it. It's certainly a great gift for any Star Trek fan, plus it solves the Khan mystery, who knew he just wasn't a morning person ;-)

[Craig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeesh. Was this supposed to be funny? It came with a bunch of other Star Trek books so I read it to see if if was appropriate for kids but I don't think I ever want to touch this book again. It's framed like a kids book and makes the most low-hanging-fruit jokes about Star Trek I have ever seen.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! A must-read for every TOS fan.