Set your scanners to “sequential graphic narrative.” For this week’s edition of Trek Tuesday, we’re surveying four semi-random Star Trek comics from the personal collection of the Ensigns Kaplan. These four issues were selected to represent different publishers, shows and characters.
Furthermore, the issues were obtained from many different comic shops, conventions and used bookstores. This means the issues sampled may only represent part of a multi-issue story or otherwise be incomplete or without context. But hey, who says you can’t go boldly into comics? Excelsior!
Star Trek #18
First up is Star Trek #18 from DC Comics. Published in 1991, the story focuses on the Star Trek: The Original Series crew. However, the red uniforms are a dead giveaway: this story is set during the crew’s “movie era.”
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This issue’s creative team consists of writer Howard Weinstein, penciller Ken Hooper, inker Bob Dvorak, letterer Bob Pinaha and colorist Tom McCraw. Weinstein has the distinction of having actually written an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series, season 2’s “The Pirates of Orion.” When Weinstein sold that script, he was just 19. That makes him the youngest writer on a Star Trek episode (as of 2023).
Meanwhile, Star Trek #18 is the conclusive chapter to a story in progress. It opens with Bones and Kirk playing Tridimensional Chess. When Kirk wins, he tells Bones that he didn’t play so well before he had Spock’s Katra in his head. This immediately places the story on the timeline, demonstrating attention to canonical detail. The art maintains this same level of fidelity to the on-screen inspiration. Characters and ships are depicted faithfully and can easily be identified by the reader.
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While this issue came out the same year as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, it is set earlier on the timeline. This means the narrative concerns whether or not Klingons can be trusted. This is an interesting topic. However, it can only be developed so far in a comic, which is considered supplementary canon. The biggest critique I have for this issue? The depiction of Klingon ships and bridge officers doesn’t quite align with what we later learn about these environments.
The New Crew #2: Jonathan Frakes
Our second comic from 1991 is The New Crew #2: Jonathan Frakes. This issue was published by Personality Comics, Inc. This publisher specialized in nonfiction biography comics. In addition to The New Crew, focusing on the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Personality Comics was concurrently releasing Original Crew, about the cast of TOS. While I would like a complete run of both titles, the luck of the dollar bin draw means I only have New Crew #2 on hand.
That said, New Crew #2 is a good issue because it’s about Number One. This issue is written by Stephen Spire III, penciled by Charles Drost, inked by Robert Jones, lettered by Eric Shefferman and with a cover by John Ward. Also credited is research assistant Sharon Leray. Unlike other entries in this article, New Crew is a nonfiction series. Comics! They’re an incredibly versatile medium.
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This issue features simple black-and-white line art. It is reasonably easy to determine which TNG actors are being depicted in any given panel, although their likenesses are perhaps not quite as closely captured as those in Star Trek #18 above.
Nevertheless, this is easily compensated for by the interesting information contained within the issue. Over 24 pages, readers get a brief autobiography of Jonathan Frakes, leading into his participation in the first few seasons of TNG. This includes his direction of several episodes, including his directorial debut, “The Offspring.”
However, it states, “This episode was considered too much like a previous effort called ‘The Measure of a Man.'” Objection! They’re both unique, classic episodes! In spite of this disagreement, this issue was a fun and unique read. I hope to find more from this publisher in the future.
Starfleet Academy #18
Next up is May 1998’s Star Trek: Starfleet Academy #18 from Marvel Presents Paramount Comics. This issue was written by Chris Cooper, with “visuals” by Chris Renaud, inks by Andy Lanning, letters by Jim Novak and colors by Kevin Somers. The cute credits also include “commandant” Bobbie Chase, “Kahless” Bob Harras, “special translation coordinator” Dr. Lawrence Schoen and “translation editor” Chip Carter.
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First of all, let’s acknowledge Cooper’s awesome legacy. A Black gay man, Cooper was responsible for bringing more queer rep into Marvel Comics in the 1990s. This includes the introduction of Star Trek‘s first openly gay character. Now that’s boldly going! Furthermore, it seems that a special Klingon language version of this issue was concurrently released alongside the English edition from our collection. I have a complaint here: I want that Klingon language edition! Qu’vatlh!
Unlike Star Trek #18, Starfleet Academy #18 includes more “up-to-date” depictions of Klingons. Perhaps this is because it was released more than halfway through Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which shed new light on Klingon customs and technology. The Klingon warriors who serve as the main characters for most of the issue are hunting for the sword of Kahless. Klingons love that quest.
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The heroic arrival of the Starfleet Academy heroes in Act 3 probably plays better if you’re invested in the characters from the previous 17 issues. However, I do want to shout out this issue’s interesting back matter. First of all, the letters page has the kind of LCARS presentation that is still being used in Star Trek comics today. And an advert for “B’Eulah’s Gagh! Gagh! and more Gagh!” was a nice touch. Sadly, the back matter also states this is the penultimate issue of this apparently engaging and experimental series.
Flesh & Stone #1
Finally, we have 2014’s Star Trek: Flesh and Stone #1 from IDW Comics. This issue was written by Scott Tipton and David Tipton, with art by the Sharp Brothers, colors by Andrew Elder, a cover by the Sharp Brothers with John Rauch and letters by Neil Uyetake. Rob Hollander and David Zweig are credited as consultants. According to the credits page, this issue was “created in partnership with the Qualcomm Tricorder Xprize.” This mid-2010s contest boasted a $10 million prize for any team that could create a working medical tricorder.
Fittingly, the story takes place at a Starfleet Medical Conference. This creates a narrative reason for doctors from throughout Star Trek canon to appear. Julian Bashir, Beverly Crusher, Katherine Pulaski, The Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager, Leonard “Bones” McCoy and Phlox from Star Trek: Enterprise all appear in the narrative. If this issue was released today, I bet they’d find a way for Hugh Culber from Star Trek: Discovery and T’Ana from Star Trek: Lower Decks to be there, too.
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The story sees the doctors working together to solve a medical mystery. In the process, they visit an agricultural cultivation facility. This leads to a flashback sequence set during the TAS era, with a nice little cameo from Arex.
However, there was a whole lot of character and story to cram into this regular-sized issue. Why not give this one-shot space to breathe with a few extra pages, or even make it a full double-issue?
Star Trek Comics Forever
Finally, a conclusive thought on the creators behind these issues. They hardly include any women at all. While this shortcoming can be dismissed as the comics have been a product of their time, let’s urge current and future editors of Star Trek comics to remember what the Franchise is all about. It isn’t “where no man has gone before,” it’s “where no one has gone before.” The creative teams behind our Star Trek comics should reflect this.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/star-trek-vulcan-women/
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