DC Comics/IDW Publishing 2015
Written by Mike Johnson
Illustrated by Angel Hernandez
Coloured by Alejandro Sanchez
Lettered by Neil Uyetake
A War of Light has erupted in Federation space, with Hal Jordan and the U.S.S. Enterprise caught in the middle. Sinestro has subdued Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew with the power of his yellow ring. Hal Jordan has assumed the captain's chair in Kirk's place, leading the fight against the ring-powered forces of the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Gorn. Light-years away, the evil Nekron uses his dark powers to resurrect a dead world…
With each issue Mike keeps bringing the heat to a higher intensity than I’d have thought was possible. This is far and away the best crossover i’ve seen from the two companies to date, though honestly i’d like to see the New Teen Titans crossover next. That might be the only crossover capable of outdoing this one!
Not only is Mike excelling at writing this series with each issue Angel and Alejandro seem to be right there with him outdoing themselves. From the way the we see the colour of the rings in action to the body differences of the Corps members and Enterprise crew, facial expressions and just the overall effect each page seems to have this really is so incredibly dynamic.
It really wouldn’t be an epic story without such a formidable opponent like Nekron but it’s really been the build up to next issues grand finale that’s been incredible to witness. Seeing the rings reach out to various races and watching them and their universal counterparts kind of revert to type and seeking each other out and battling full title while Nekron quietly does his thing well that’s been the real meat and potatoes here.
I’ve been incredibly impressed with how Mike has been able to truly write this as a team-up without favouring one over the other. From my perspective they get the same amount of attention. Plus the action they are all caught up in well it’s definitely been eye opening for all of them. Seeing how well Kirk and his crew adapt to this new threat and experience like we think they should being who they are has been handled with some exceptional skill. Plus the continuing characterization we see and the late arrivals to the party all conspire to really set this apart from anything either company is doing with the same characters.
Ah I have to say one of the best moments of this series so far is seen this issue with Scotty and his assistant. Making a ring of their own that kind of acts like the white one through the use of the technology at his disposal really stresses how underused his intelligent, drive and determination has been since the (television) series began. Plus there’s just something inherently fascinating to see him looking like Simon Pegg and being this serious that is beyond joyfull.
I sincerely hope these two companies continue to do these crossovers as it demonstrates that regardless of everything else going on in the world that this kind of cooperation is what makes fan bases grow all around.