IDW Publishing 2016
Written by Mike Johnson & Ryan Parrott
Illustrated by Angel Hernandez
Coloured by Esther Sanz
Lettered by Andworld Design
I’ve made no secret that I’m a fan of the current run of the main series and this may be NuTrek but that’s fine with me when you’ve got this kind of storytelling. It’s been a long time since the franchise has felt this fresh, fun and exciting when meeting Klingon’s and going up against them. This brings that tension and angst when that comes with this kind of story and it does that incredibly well.
I’m a huge fan of Angel on this series. After seeing his work on the Green Lantern crossover and now with how he’s bringing the Klingons to life he’s someone I think needs to be followed for the sheer quality of his work. His attention to detail is outrageously good these faces and bodies and the backgrounds seriously. He’s got a great eye for how a story needs to flow across pages and panels. Plus aliens we’ve never seen before showcase another side of his creativity and imagination. Esther too does all this justice with some impressive colouring skills too, together they really make this pop!
Aside from a very heavy Klingon presence this also has a very strong Bones presence as well. Anytime you can spotlight the Doctor in ways that we would never expect makes me a happy camper. Though seeing him in his opening and the results on the bridge yeah while it smacks of the originals indignation it’s completely now and that merging is done in a way that I find perfect.
So this version isn’t the one I grew up with it’s got this unlimited and untapped potential to it and the relationship we still see emerging between Kirk and Spock is among the highlights. The dialogue and the way the story itself unfolds keep this as relevant today as the original one was back in the day. There are still barriers to overcome and stereotypes, stigmas and such that find their way into life and while some are more subtle others aren’t but that we see them so openly discussed here is great.
The choice for the away team, red shirts included, was inspired and the whole situation they and the Enterprise find themselves in is wonderfully constructed. There’s so much about this issue to really like. Klingon’s, the away team, what’s happening in space it all just conspires to bring back the feelings for me that I had when all of this was new, unknown and kind of both dangerous and slightly terrifying.
For me this is a Prime example why the NuTrek should be loved as it’s own entity.