IDW Publishing 2020
Written by Dave Baker
Illustrated by Angel Hernandez
Coloured by Ronda Pattison
Lettered by Neil Uyetake
Seven of Nine’s commitment to the Prime Directive will be put to the test as she finds herself being pulled deeper and deeper into an ancient conflict between two classes of the same alien species. As tensions continue to rise, it seems like old grudges may spiral into an all-out rebellion…
This is a delightful surprise to me, much like the series itself was. I said it after last issue but the placement in the timeline here really is inspired as Seven hasn’t earned the blind trust of her new shipmates yet so they are on edge concerning her and how to proceed in dealing with her. It gives Dave a beautiful nearly blank canvas to flesh out her personality and to give us this look into the woman she’s becoming through the story. Many times I think that Star Trek stories are hit or miss because of the character whom the story centres around, yes we all have favourites and there are many that we never really cared for so this is what I consider a gem. Chakotay or Tuvok would’ve been a much harder sell to me.
I am immensely enjoying the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The first issue set the tone and Dave continues that here as he fleshes things out with the layers within the story as well as how continuing right along with where we left off. The character development that we see really is utterly phenomenal! Just the fact that it doesn’t matter who the character is they all get the same kind of attention to who they are to help us see and understand them better. The pacing here is superb and as it takes us through the pages continuing to reveal the story with its twists & turns along the way it really allows for the story to open up.
With how we see this being structured and the layers within coming to this point of no return it creates that trademark Star Trek feeling within the reader. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is marvellous to see.
I am loving the interior artwork here. The linework that we see is phenomenal and how the varying weights are being utilised to create the detail work is beyond measure. Angel is a master illustrator and one need look no further than how he not only brings the characters to life but the ships, interiors and exteriors, as well as the previously unknown species we meet. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a masterful eye for storytelling. Backgrounds are so essential to the storytelling here and that Angel understands this and utilises them so effectively is stunning to me. The colour work is beautifully rendered as well. The choices are inspired and then to see how the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is exceptional.
The intensity of the storytelling here and how the subject matter and the subjects are seen to be relating to each other is so incredibly well done. This is the power of storytelling and keeping it feel like this could or should have been an episode in the television program and then as a completely stand alone story that doesn’t require explanation to be enjoyed. I feel like this book is so easily accessible to new readers than anywhere else in the line as it also thrills long-time fans to no end.