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Star Trek (2022)
Star Trek, Vol. 1: Godshock
Deep Space Nine captain Benjamin Sisko returns in a new ongoing series featuring fan-favorite characters from across the Star Trek universe, sure to thrill new readers and longtime Trekkies alike!
Stardate 2378: A bold new era of Star Trek begins! Three years ago, Benjamin Sisko made a courageous sacrifice that left him trapped in the dimension of the mysterious Prophets; now he's returned to his home universe—with powerful, godlike abilities. But his omnipotence is failing when he needs it most. Someone is killing the gods, and Sisko and the motley crew of the U.S.S. Theseus will have to travel to the deepest parts of space to stop them.
Star Trek: Year Five lead writers Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly (Batman Beyond, Captain America) and artists Ramon Rosanas, Oleg Chudakov, Joe Eisma, and Erik Tamayo present a new ship, a new mission, and a lot of old friends! Sisko is joined by Commanders Data and Worf, and Dr. Beverly Crusher, of Star Trek: The Next Generation; Lt. Tom Paris, of Star Trek: Voyager; Ensign Lilly Sato, of Star Trek: Enterprise; Captain Montgomery Scott, of Star Trek: The Original Series, and Ben's son, Jake. But there are new faces as well, to surprise established fans while showing new readers the ropes.
Collects the prequel short story "A Perfect System" from Star Trek #400 and issues #1–6 of the ongoing series.
Stardate 2378: A bold new era of Star Trek begins! Three years ago, Benjamin Sisko made a courageous sacrifice that left him trapped in the dimension of the mysterious Prophets; now he's returned to his home universe—with powerful, godlike abilities. But his omnipotence is failing when he needs it most. Someone is killing the gods, and Sisko and the motley crew of the U.S.S. Theseus will have to travel to the deepest parts of space to stop them.
Star Trek: Year Five lead writers Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly (Batman Beyond, Captain America) and artists Ramon Rosanas, Oleg Chudakov, Joe Eisma, and Erik Tamayo present a new ship, a new mission, and a lot of old friends! Sisko is joined by Commanders Data and Worf, and Dr. Beverly Crusher, of Star Trek: The Next Generation; Lt. Tom Paris, of Star Trek: Voyager; Ensign Lilly Sato, of Star Trek: Enterprise; Captain Montgomery Scott, of Star Trek: The Original Series, and Ben's son, Jake. But there are new faces as well, to surprise established fans while showing new readers the ropes.
Collects the prequel short story "A Perfect System" from Star Trek #400 and issues #1–6 of the ongoing series.
192 pages, Paperback
Published July 18, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
September 4, 2023
My thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Ok, what did I just read?? How did the SPOILER manage to get a weapon that can kill GODS and why the HECK did they decide to go out and DO THAT?? Maybe I missed a movie or a show that explains this part, or maybe I missed the explanation in the book.
And they decided it was BETTER to possibly have the SPOILER KILL the Gods, like GENOCIDE them (they saw it happen once already and KNEW they were going to do it some more), then STOP the spoiler and possibly start a war? And I'm sorry, but Worf wouldn't HESITATE to stop the SPOILER, even if his own child was on the SPOILER'S ship as a turncoat. Whatever happened to "it's a good day to die"? Doesn't that philosophy apply to ALL?
And if ALL of the Gods KNEW what was happening, why not, oh I don't know, USE THEIR GOD-POWERS TO STOP IT FROM HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE?!? Like, the weapon can't be USED on you if you are invisible and blow the SPOILER'S space ship out of the sky with your God Powers. Like HELLO?!? Q was in this!! Is the Q's biggest power the ability to annoy Star Fleet captains and nothing else?!?
And the God-like aliens that provided the SPOILER with the faster than warp-whatever drive so the SPOILER could catch up to the Gods and kill them, because they were threatened with the God-killing weapon, weren't they worried that the other Gods might get pissed and, you know, take retribution against them? I get that they were being threatened with the God-killing weapon, but how about some sacrifice for the others? If they were the ONLY way the SPOILER could get the uber-tricked out space ship, maybe take one for the team? Just sayin'.
The characters were pretty well rendered and I did like the different types of parental love that were shown, but Worf man, come on, sometimes you have to cut your losses. The artwork was ok. Nothing outstanding. I was reading on a SMALL screen, so the words were sometimes too tiny for my old-lady eyes to read, but that's a me thing.
1, I didn't hate this but the plot holes are too much for me to suspense my disbelief away and I quite possibly missed the point, stars.
Ok, what did I just read?? How did the SPOILER manage to get a weapon that can kill GODS and why the HECK did they decide to go out and DO THAT?? Maybe I missed a movie or a show that explains this part, or maybe I missed the explanation in the book.
And they decided it was BETTER to possibly have the SPOILER KILL the Gods, like GENOCIDE them (they saw it happen once already and KNEW they were going to do it some more), then STOP the spoiler and possibly start a war? And I'm sorry, but Worf wouldn't HESITATE to stop the SPOILER, even if his own child was on the SPOILER'S ship as a turncoat. Whatever happened to "it's a good day to die"? Doesn't that philosophy apply to ALL?
And if ALL of the Gods KNEW what was happening, why not, oh I don't know, USE THEIR GOD-POWERS TO STOP IT FROM HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE?!? Like, the weapon can't be USED on you if you are invisible and blow the SPOILER'S space ship out of the sky with your God Powers. Like HELLO?!? Q was in this!! Is the Q's biggest power the ability to annoy Star Fleet captains and nothing else?!?
And the God-like aliens that provided the SPOILER with the faster than warp-whatever drive so the SPOILER could catch up to the Gods and kill them, because they were threatened with the God-killing weapon, weren't they worried that the other Gods might get pissed and, you know, take retribution against them? I get that they were being threatened with the God-killing weapon, but how about some sacrifice for the others? If they were the ONLY way the SPOILER could get the uber-tricked out space ship, maybe take one for the team? Just sayin'.
The characters were pretty well rendered and I did like the different types of parental love that were shown, but Worf man, come on, sometimes you have to cut your losses. The artwork was ok. Nothing outstanding. I was reading on a SMALL screen, so the words were sometimes too tiny for my old-lady eyes to read, but that's a me thing.
1, I didn't hate this but the plot holes are too much for me to suspense my disbelief away and I quite possibly missed the point, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2023
This is The Travelling Wilburys of Star Trek comics, with popular legacy characters (and one or two new ones) plucked from multiple ships and eras to follow Captain Sisko on a Galaxy-spanning quest to, I guess, save omnipotent beings under threat? Feels a little like the Trek version of Thor versus Gorr the God Butcher to an extent, but the art was good and it felt nice to spend a little more time with Data, Crusher, Scotty and co.
"You see kids, back in the '80s..."
"You see kids, back in the '80s..."
May 16, 2023
I read this storyline as individual issues, including the prequel that was a short story in IDW's issue #400, which appears to have Gary Mitchell killed off by the same hunters that become the villains of this whole storyline.
For issue one, I have quite an extensive review, as I read the issue twice, and had a much better feeling about it the second time.
I was quite excited to read this title, since I have been wondering what happened to Captain Benjamin Sisko since the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and how Star Trek would reintroduce him. I have read some of the non-canon novels that explained what happened after the series finale, but this felt like a more concentrated effort to bring the story into the modern Trek lore. Unfortunately, Sisko's first appearance in this story could not be more uneventful, is he basically just appears and then the story begins. I was expecting a story to be in full development and have Sisko arrive at a far more dramatic moment.
I really like the design of the new hero ship, the USS Theseus, particularly the two-page full size portrait of it. I appreciate that they took the time and effort to create a new ship design as well. That goes a long way with a fan like me.
It is very exciting to read a story about this period in the Star Trek timeline, since we haven't had much of it after the feature film, "Nemesis." The story really hasn't developed much by the end of the first issue, and it is left on quite a cliffhanger, which one would expect from an opener. The art is quite good, though nothing memorable or particularly unique. I also wish that IDW publishing had given this storyline a better title than just the generic Star Trek name. One other issue that really bothered me was the moment where Tom Paris, who is somehow still a lieutenant at this point, takes a picture of a threat on the viewscreen with what looks like a Federation branded cell phone, for his wife, B'Elanna Torres. I'm not saying that it wouldn't be tempting to do so in real life, but he could have at least used a holo-projector like the Doctor did in Star Trek: Voyager, and not just what looked like a smart phone with the Starfleet insignia. It was a moment that really snapped me out of the Trek fantasy, and brought me back to real life before the story had ended, and it really put a dampener on the final few pages for me. It reminded me of that photo where an asteroid is coming down out of the sky and all the people watching it are recording it on their cell phones. I know this seems like a huge rant to go on about a single panel in a comic, but it reminded me of how Star Trek is supposed to show humanity at an evolved and enlightened level, and this felt more like another example of how modern Trek is trying to base and ground itself in today's fractured society. Art mimics life, but I would have been just fine without it doing so this one particular time.
Upon second reading, I think I appreciate this story more. The moment where Sisko explains why he went to Picard for help, mentions their shared experience, is definitely a moment that transcends a comic book. It feels like the writers know what they're actually dealing with here, which I didn't feel the first time.
Data's first panel is also terrific. His quick interaction on the shuttle with Sisko is also enjoyable. I can't argue with bringing back Scotty, either. He's a timeless character as far as I'm concerned. The Native American officer on the bridge is a neat touch I didn't notice the first time around.
I'm noticing this time that perhaps not as much time has passed since the end of DS9 and Voyager as I'd originally thought, so maybe it's not so crazy that Paris is still a Lieutenant.
I also hadn't noticed that the Starfleet uniforms change from when Sisko departs the Enterprise to when they arrive at the Theseus. They're now the streamlined TNG uniforms that appear in Picard, which are a nice update. I enjoyed the baseball reference Sisko uses when speaking of the Theseus crew. It makes this feel more accurate to the characters than I originally thought.
I liked the second issue more than the first, as it explored the Klingon culture and also reintroduced Worf. The art is consistent, and the tension does continue to build. Upon second reading, this is a stronger issue than I first realized. Worf coming back to Starfleet is a big moment, and Data's speech to the Shapers is what some of the best Trek is all about.
For issue three, my original thought was "Honestly, what the heck is going on with this?" This issue has two different artists, and the one with the better, sharper art only has two pages, while the rest is done in a style I'll generously call... simplistic. Maybe other Trek fans enjoy the random running around romps in episodes and movies, like how there's always some giant creature someone is running from in the JJ Abrams movie reboots, but even for a story that has Q in it, where you have to expect shenanigans, I feel like this was just a complete waste of space. On second reading, I don't feel the need to judge this issue quite as harshly, though I do still admit it's the weakest so far. I felt that Q always had a point behind all his machinations and while that may prove to be true in a future issue, in this particular one he just seems to spend the entire issue messing around with the crew. I did enjoy Worf's comedic line about it only taking him a week on this new ship to end up in a "stupid hat."
For issue four, I'm honestly not sure what to make of it. It doesn't wow me in any particular way, but doesn't overly disappoint, either. The art is well done, and the story certain continues to develop, and there isn't much if any waste, but I also feel that there isn't really anything concrete to discern, either. There is more revelation about the antagonist, or at least one of them, but it's not enough to really make me feel any particular way about it.
By issue five, this series is definitely starting to grow on me. The art improved in this issue, and there’s a surprise character return that I don’t want to spoil. There’s an exchange between Sisko and Worf that feels out of character for both of of them, but it moves the story along and sets up the Defiant spin-off.
For issue six, the confrontation with the God City of T'Kon is drawn with a style that evokes a sense of scale and wonder that really does feel like some of the big moments of Star Trek, especially the feature films. The moments between Jake and Ben Sisko on the city that being the immediate conflict to a close are emotional and touching, and I really liked how the threat was stopped. The ending reveals they are headed back to where it all started, DS9, which closes this arc out in an optimistic and welcoming way.
For issue one, I have quite an extensive review, as I read the issue twice, and had a much better feeling about it the second time.
I was quite excited to read this title, since I have been wondering what happened to Captain Benjamin Sisko since the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and how Star Trek would reintroduce him. I have read some of the non-canon novels that explained what happened after the series finale, but this felt like a more concentrated effort to bring the story into the modern Trek lore. Unfortunately, Sisko's first appearance in this story could not be more uneventful, is he basically just appears and then the story begins. I was expecting a story to be in full development and have Sisko arrive at a far more dramatic moment.
I really like the design of the new hero ship, the USS Theseus, particularly the two-page full size portrait of it. I appreciate that they took the time and effort to create a new ship design as well. That goes a long way with a fan like me.
It is very exciting to read a story about this period in the Star Trek timeline, since we haven't had much of it after the feature film, "Nemesis." The story really hasn't developed much by the end of the first issue, and it is left on quite a cliffhanger, which one would expect from an opener. The art is quite good, though nothing memorable or particularly unique. I also wish that IDW publishing had given this storyline a better title than just the generic Star Trek name. One other issue that really bothered me was the moment where Tom Paris, who is somehow still a lieutenant at this point, takes a picture of a threat on the viewscreen with what looks like a Federation branded cell phone, for his wife, B'Elanna Torres. I'm not saying that it wouldn't be tempting to do so in real life, but he could have at least used a holo-projector like the Doctor did in Star Trek: Voyager, and not just what looked like a smart phone with the Starfleet insignia. It was a moment that really snapped me out of the Trek fantasy, and brought me back to real life before the story had ended, and it really put a dampener on the final few pages for me. It reminded me of that photo where an asteroid is coming down out of the sky and all the people watching it are recording it on their cell phones. I know this seems like a huge rant to go on about a single panel in a comic, but it reminded me of how Star Trek is supposed to show humanity at an evolved and enlightened level, and this felt more like another example of how modern Trek is trying to base and ground itself in today's fractured society. Art mimics life, but I would have been just fine without it doing so this one particular time.
Upon second reading, I think I appreciate this story more. The moment where Sisko explains why he went to Picard for help, mentions their shared experience, is definitely a moment that transcends a comic book. It feels like the writers know what they're actually dealing with here, which I didn't feel the first time.
Data's first panel is also terrific. His quick interaction on the shuttle with Sisko is also enjoyable. I can't argue with bringing back Scotty, either. He's a timeless character as far as I'm concerned. The Native American officer on the bridge is a neat touch I didn't notice the first time around.
I'm noticing this time that perhaps not as much time has passed since the end of DS9 and Voyager as I'd originally thought, so maybe it's not so crazy that Paris is still a Lieutenant.
I also hadn't noticed that the Starfleet uniforms change from when Sisko departs the Enterprise to when they arrive at the Theseus. They're now the streamlined TNG uniforms that appear in Picard, which are a nice update. I enjoyed the baseball reference Sisko uses when speaking of the Theseus crew. It makes this feel more accurate to the characters than I originally thought.
I liked the second issue more than the first, as it explored the Klingon culture and also reintroduced Worf. The art is consistent, and the tension does continue to build. Upon second reading, this is a stronger issue than I first realized. Worf coming back to Starfleet is a big moment, and Data's speech to the Shapers is what some of the best Trek is all about.
For issue three, my original thought was "Honestly, what the heck is going on with this?" This issue has two different artists, and the one with the better, sharper art only has two pages, while the rest is done in a style I'll generously call... simplistic. Maybe other Trek fans enjoy the random running around romps in episodes and movies, like how there's always some giant creature someone is running from in the JJ Abrams movie reboots, but even for a story that has Q in it, where you have to expect shenanigans, I feel like this was just a complete waste of space. On second reading, I don't feel the need to judge this issue quite as harshly, though I do still admit it's the weakest so far. I felt that Q always had a point behind all his machinations and while that may prove to be true in a future issue, in this particular one he just seems to spend the entire issue messing around with the crew. I did enjoy Worf's comedic line about it only taking him a week on this new ship to end up in a "stupid hat."
For issue four, I'm honestly not sure what to make of it. It doesn't wow me in any particular way, but doesn't overly disappoint, either. The art is well done, and the story certain continues to develop, and there isn't much if any waste, but I also feel that there isn't really anything concrete to discern, either. There is more revelation about the antagonist, or at least one of them, but it's not enough to really make me feel any particular way about it.
By issue five, this series is definitely starting to grow on me. The art improved in this issue, and there’s a surprise character return that I don’t want to spoil. There’s an exchange between Sisko and Worf that feels out of character for both of of them, but it moves the story along and sets up the Defiant spin-off.
For issue six, the confrontation with the God City of T'Kon is drawn with a style that evokes a sense of scale and wonder that really does feel like some of the big moments of Star Trek, especially the feature films. The moments between Jake and Ben Sisko on the city that being the immediate conflict to a close are emotional and touching, and I really liked how the threat was stopped. The ending reveals they are headed back to where it all started, DS9, which closes this arc out in an optimistic and welcoming way.
February 20, 2024
I appreciate that Star Trek is setting up a big storyline here, with some adversary out there capable of killing Gods (or god-like space entities). That's pretty different from most of the Star Trek comics I've read, which tend to try to recreate the feeling of the TV series. Not that those were bad (some were quite good!), but it's also fun to threaten the whole universe, y'know?
The downside to Godshock is that it might require a good deal more prior Trekkie knowledge. I'm basically in the dark regarding Deep Space Nine, and Benjamin Sisko (main character here) was the lead in that show. We also get a handful of other (presumably surprising!) guest stars from other series. Naturally, Q also shows up again for assorted shenanigans - seems like that guy is a total crutch for Star Trek writers to add some humor/weirdness to their narratives.
Godshock also leaves the fun mystery elements behind towards the end in favor of big explosions and confusing visions from beyond. All that said, the whole package is very intriguing and consistently engaging. I do feel like I got to know the unfamiliar characters by the end and am very eager to observe their continuing adventures.
The downside to Godshock is that it might require a good deal more prior Trekkie knowledge. I'm basically in the dark regarding Deep Space Nine, and Benjamin Sisko (main character here) was the lead in that show. We also get a handful of other (presumably surprising!) guest stars from other series. Naturally, Q also shows up again for assorted shenanigans - seems like that guy is a total crutch for Star Trek writers to add some humor/weirdness to their narratives.
Godshock also leaves the fun mystery elements behind towards the end in favor of big explosions and confusing visions from beyond. All that said, the whole package is very intriguing and consistently engaging. I do feel like I got to know the unfamiliar characters by the end and am very eager to observe their continuing adventures.
June 23, 2023
Star Trek vol. 1: Godshock will be published July 25, 2023. IDW Publishing provided an early galley for review.
I go a long way back with Star Trek, from watching reruns of the original series as a kid in syndication and picking up Gold Key comics of Kirk and his crew. I am happy to own the 2008 DVD-ROM release from GIT Corp that collected in digital form all the Trek comics from 1967 through 2002. So, my history with Trek comics is also a long one.
The key to a good Trek comic is the artwork, specifically with how the iconic characters from the live-action programs are rendered. If the cast is made up of known characters, as this one very much is, then this is a must. The art team here steps up to the plate and hits it solidly almost every time.
The other key is the story. It needs to be a solid sci-fi tale with layered messaging that can apply to our own world. And with a franchise such as this, it also has to borrow from and build upon the rich tapestry of what has come before. Godshock does that as well.
This crew has an interesting dynamic that I look forward to reading more of in the future.
I go a long way back with Star Trek, from watching reruns of the original series as a kid in syndication and picking up Gold Key comics of Kirk and his crew. I am happy to own the 2008 DVD-ROM release from GIT Corp that collected in digital form all the Trek comics from 1967 through 2002. So, my history with Trek comics is also a long one.
The key to a good Trek comic is the artwork, specifically with how the iconic characters from the live-action programs are rendered. If the cast is made up of known characters, as this one very much is, then this is a must. The art team here steps up to the plate and hits it solidly almost every time.
The other key is the story. It needs to be a solid sci-fi tale with layered messaging that can apply to our own world. And with a franchise such as this, it also has to borrow from and build upon the rich tapestry of what has come before. Godshock does that as well.
This crew has an interesting dynamic that I look forward to reading more of in the future.
July 18, 2023
The first volume of the latest ongoing Star Trek comic brings together characters from across the various different shows including The Original Series even with its 24th Century setting to create a super-crew for the adventures of the USS Theseus. The art team does a great job capturing the feel of the characters without making me feel like they simply traced photos of the actors, which I always enjoy when reading these tie-in comics. Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing have become a writing team that stands for quality storytelling throughout the multiple projects at multiple companies that I have read from them. I can easily hear the actors speaking the dialogue and I really can't wait to see where the series goes from here. They've really crafted the beginning of a great epic Star Trek event here and I will 100% be along for the ride.
Special Thanks to IDW Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
Special Thanks to IDW Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
January 26, 2024
Not a bad ST story but perhaps a bit too much fan service.
April 20, 2023
needs more t'lir.
no, but in all seriousness, the first arc of idw's star trek ongoing assembles an all-star cast of golden age star trek characters (plus scotty) and puts them under the command of a returning captain benjamin sisko. it's nice to see the objectively best captain back in the franchise in some fashion, though the franchise really does owe avery brooks a big payday in the near future imo.
the inclusion of scotty is a bit of a strange one imo. like, just let some people stay retired ffs. and i really do hope that after these first two arcs we get some more chill episodic stuff where there's a chance for more character beats. but be all of that as it may, it's nice to finally have an ongoing star trek series from idw so we'll hopefully be afforded the opportunity for the series to find that time.
no, but in all seriousness, the first arc of idw's star trek ongoing assembles an all-star cast of golden age star trek characters (plus scotty) and puts them under the command of a returning captain benjamin sisko. it's nice to see the objectively best captain back in the franchise in some fashion, though the franchise really does owe avery brooks a big payday in the near future imo.
the inclusion of scotty is a bit of a strange one imo. like, just let some people stay retired ffs. and i really do hope that after these first two arcs we get some more chill episodic stuff where there's a chance for more character beats. but be all of that as it may, it's nice to finally have an ongoing star trek series from idw so we'll hopefully be afforded the opportunity for the series to find that time.
October 30, 2023
It was OK. The story doesn't conclude in this volume, which is slightly annoying but would be forgivable if it felt like much happened in the process. However, barring one major incident with an appropriately Star Treky resolution it's a lot of side quest stuff. I might try the next volume but I think I'd need research if it's actually going to end after 10 issues. Wish me luck 😉
May 7, 2023
I honestly can’t think of another publisher who has done as good a job with a licensed property than IDW has done with Star Trek. This one hit all the right notes for me: continuing stories of beloved characters, introducing new characters with their own characterizations and intrigue, and putting them all into an epic, interesting, entertaining, and emotionally rewarding story. I’m looking forward to more!
September 13, 2023
Star Trek Vol. 1: Godshock
Sensing a galactic threat to ascended beings, the Prophets of Bajor eject Benjamin Sisko from the Celestial Temple with one directive. To prevent the destruction that, for the Prophets, has already happened. Reactivated by Starfleet, Sisko is given command of a unique ship, with a maverick crew.
A good story and some excellent artwork, this volume is a fantastic opener for IDW's new run of stories.
Sensing a galactic threat to ascended beings, the Prophets of Bajor eject Benjamin Sisko from the Celestial Temple with one directive. To prevent the destruction that, for the Prophets, has already happened. Reactivated by Starfleet, Sisko is given command of a unique ship, with a maverick crew.
A good story and some excellent artwork, this volume is a fantastic opener for IDW's new run of stories.
January 13, 2024
Captain Benjamin Sisko (of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series) has returned from his three year entrapment in a different dimension with the mysterious ‘Prophets’. And with his return come some god-like powers. He’s now commanding the U.S.S. Theseus with a crew of mostly familiar set of faces:
Data, Beverly Crusher, Tom Paris, Worf, Lilly Sato, and even Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, as well as his son, Jake. But what good are god-like powers if they fail you when you need them most?
Someone is killing gods in the most remote parts of deep space and Sisko and his crew are tasked with uncovering the root of the matter and stopping the perpetrators. But what should be a slam-dunk for someone who is omnipotent becomes dangerous and potentially deadly. Sisko will need all the combined abilities of his team to survive.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a new Star Trek graphic novel and I was excited to get into this. While I initially had some doubt about the pulling together of these different crew members from the different television series’, I actually found it to be a bit fun. Still, despite how much I like Scotty and the original series, his inclusion here just didn’t feel right (yes, I understand he’s now in this era).
I do wonder if I’ve missed something with Sisko. Is there another book or series detailing Sisko’s abilities that I missed or don’t remember? What is the purpose of giving him his own god-like powers just to take them away in this series?
I found the story to be just a bit tedious. I think this is endemic to graphic novels that are put together from a regular comic book series, as opposed to a graphic novel written as a novel. When writing for a monthly (or bi-monthly, or quarterly, etc) series there’s a certain amount of reminders about what’s come before. It’s great when reading on a regular, delayed basis, but definitely slows things down when reading the story as a whole.
What works well is the contrasting story themes. On the one hand we have gods and godlike powers with battles and threats abundant. But the heart of the story is about humanity and the simple will of what’s important to humans … family and those close to us.
The artwork is decent but inconsistent. On one page we might get some really well-drawn characters (these are mostly very familiar figures to us all) and then the next page will feature the same characters but if not for an identifying feature (skin colour, hair colour, uniform, etc) we might otherwise not know who the characters are. This can sometimes be a real problem and since this is a graphic novel, where the art is part of the story, this definitely loses some points for me.
Looking for a good book? Star Trek: Godshock is a graphic novel assembling a variety of familiar Star Trek universe characters and putting them together to take on unknown dangers. Star Trek fans should enjoy it but non-Trek fans won’t find much of interest.
Data, Beverly Crusher, Tom Paris, Worf, Lilly Sato, and even Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, as well as his son, Jake. But what good are god-like powers if they fail you when you need them most?
Someone is killing gods in the most remote parts of deep space and Sisko and his crew are tasked with uncovering the root of the matter and stopping the perpetrators. But what should be a slam-dunk for someone who is omnipotent becomes dangerous and potentially deadly. Sisko will need all the combined abilities of his team to survive.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a new Star Trek graphic novel and I was excited to get into this. While I initially had some doubt about the pulling together of these different crew members from the different television series’, I actually found it to be a bit fun. Still, despite how much I like Scotty and the original series, his inclusion here just didn’t feel right (yes, I understand he’s now in this era).
I do wonder if I’ve missed something with Sisko. Is there another book or series detailing Sisko’s abilities that I missed or don’t remember? What is the purpose of giving him his own god-like powers just to take them away in this series?
I found the story to be just a bit tedious. I think this is endemic to graphic novels that are put together from a regular comic book series, as opposed to a graphic novel written as a novel. When writing for a monthly (or bi-monthly, or quarterly, etc) series there’s a certain amount of reminders about what’s come before. It’s great when reading on a regular, delayed basis, but definitely slows things down when reading the story as a whole.
What works well is the contrasting story themes. On the one hand we have gods and godlike powers with battles and threats abundant. But the heart of the story is about humanity and the simple will of what’s important to humans … family and those close to us.
The artwork is decent but inconsistent. On one page we might get some really well-drawn characters (these are mostly very familiar figures to us all) and then the next page will feature the same characters but if not for an identifying feature (skin colour, hair colour, uniform, etc) we might otherwise not know who the characters are. This can sometimes be a real problem and since this is a graphic novel, where the art is part of the story, this definitely loses some points for me.
Looking for a good book? Star Trek: Godshock is a graphic novel assembling a variety of familiar Star Trek universe characters and putting them together to take on unknown dangers. Star Trek fans should enjoy it but non-Trek fans won’t find much of interest.
March 9, 2024
When it comes to Star Trek, I’m pretty sure that Deep Space Nine is my favorite series. I quickly love Benjamin Sisko, and that translated to the rest of the series. Being able to enjoy Star Trek, Vol. 1: Godshock was a treat.
The non-Q god-like beings in the world of Star Trek aren’t my favorite, so I was a little bummed at the end of Deep Space Nine, when Sisko disappeared into “nothing” with the Bajoran gods at the wormhole. This story picks up three years later, and Sisko finally reappears, albeit with a message and a mission from those gods.
Sisko takes a Starfleet experimental ship, the Theseus, alongide a crew of some familiar faces to investigate a mysterious message from those gods.
Joining Sisko on the trio are Montgomery Scott from Star Trek; Data, Worf, and Beverly Crusher from The Next Generation; Jake Sisko from Deep Space Nine; and Tom Paris from Voyager. There are also several other familiar faces who make an appearance.
There were occasions early on when reading this book that I did a few double takes on the art of established characters. However, I was able to adjust pretty quickly and had a good time.
I didn’t enjoy this as much as I enjoyed The Dog Of War, but… I like Star Trek, so it was still a fun read.
Thank you Edelweiss and IDW Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
The non-Q god-like beings in the world of Star Trek aren’t my favorite, so I was a little bummed at the end of Deep Space Nine, when Sisko disappeared into “nothing” with the Bajoran gods at the wormhole. This story picks up three years later, and Sisko finally reappears, albeit with a message and a mission from those gods.
Sisko takes a Starfleet experimental ship, the Theseus, alongide a crew of some familiar faces to investigate a mysterious message from those gods.
Joining Sisko on the trio are Montgomery Scott from Star Trek; Data, Worf, and Beverly Crusher from The Next Generation; Jake Sisko from Deep Space Nine; and Tom Paris from Voyager. There are also several other familiar faces who make an appearance.
There were occasions early on when reading this book that I did a few double takes on the art of established characters. However, I was able to adjust pretty quickly and had a good time.
I didn’t enjoy this as much as I enjoyed The Dog Of War, but… I like Star Trek, so it was still a fun read.
Thank you Edelweiss and IDW Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
July 27, 2023
I haven’t read a Star Trek comic in a long time. This one seemed interesting, so I thought I would give it a try.
Benjamin Sisko has returned from the Celestial Temple that he disappeared into at the end of Deep Space Nine. He’s on a mission.
He gets a ship and a crew to help him.
The ship, the USS Theseus, is a prototype. It’s a good ship, although the author kept using the word “photovoltaic” to describe something about it. It seemed a tad too repetitive.
The crew that gets assembled is a mix of familiar faces. It was good to see them all, but some of them seemed out of place.
The artwork was good. Strong lines. The characters did look like their TV counterparts most of the time.
The story was good. I was definitely sorry when it ended. I wanted another couple of issues.
In all, a strong return to the Star Trek franchise by Benjamin Sisko.
Benjamin Sisko has returned from the Celestial Temple that he disappeared into at the end of Deep Space Nine. He’s on a mission.
He gets a ship and a crew to help him.
The ship, the USS Theseus, is a prototype. It’s a good ship, although the author kept using the word “photovoltaic” to describe something about it. It seemed a tad too repetitive.
The crew that gets assembled is a mix of familiar faces. It was good to see them all, but some of them seemed out of place.
The artwork was good. Strong lines. The characters did look like their TV counterparts most of the time.
The story was good. I was definitely sorry when it ended. I wanted another couple of issues.
In all, a strong return to the Star Trek franchise by Benjamin Sisko.
July 31, 2023
"Star Trek: Godshock" is the first volume of a new ongoing series that bears watching. This book combines characters and themes from multiple series to tell an original and compelling story. Hopefully, this is the start of a successful multi-volume series.
The book details the adventures of the U.S.S Theseus as it is commanded by Captain Benjamin Sisko who has recently returned from a three year sojourn with the godlike Bajoran prophets. Additionally, the new crew includes a number of fan favorite characters from “Star Trek”, “Star Trek: Next Generation���, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Voyager”. This new crew is quickly involved in a quest across the Alpha Quadrant in search of a powerful entity that is destroying godlike beings.
The action in “Godshock” is , for the most part, compelling and fast paced, although some of the latter chapters feel a bit choppy or rushed. The real strength of the book, however, comes from the careful attention to the various characters' complex backstories and its respect for maintaining continuity with the various original series.
Four and a half stars rounded to four.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, IDW Publishing, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
The book details the adventures of the U.S.S Theseus as it is commanded by Captain Benjamin Sisko who has recently returned from a three year sojourn with the godlike Bajoran prophets. Additionally, the new crew includes a number of fan favorite characters from “Star Trek”, “Star Trek: Next Generation���, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Voyager”. This new crew is quickly involved in a quest across the Alpha Quadrant in search of a powerful entity that is destroying godlike beings.
The action in “Godshock” is , for the most part, compelling and fast paced, although some of the latter chapters feel a bit choppy or rushed. The real strength of the book, however, comes from the careful attention to the various characters' complex backstories and its respect for maintaining continuity with the various original series.
Four and a half stars rounded to four.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, IDW Publishing, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
December 9, 2023
Summary: Gary Mitchell, a human that developed godlike powers when exposed to strange energy, is destroyed by a red beam.
3 years after entering the Celestial Temple, the Prophets send Sisko back to linear time with an important mission, though he has trouble remembering what exactly. Starfleet is unsure if he's fit for duty, so he goes to Captain Picard and asks him for a ship. He agrees, but only if he'll take Data with him. The ship is an experimental upgrade to the Discovery class, the USS Theseus. Montgomery Scott is the captain, but relinquishes the ship to Sisko.
The bridge crew consists of Ensign Sato, an Andorian; Ensign T'lir, a Vulcan; Lt. Tom Paris; and Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher. Jake Sisko is also along for the ride.
For their first mission, Sisko says the Prophets have told him to go to the Hephaestus Nebula. They arrive to find hundreds of crystalline entities, but further scans also reveal a cloaked ship. Suddenly, a red beam blasts all the crystalline entities into shards; genocide. The Prophets tell Sisko he was too late.
They go to Qo'nos where Ambassador Worf takes them to meet with the Klingon Emperor, Kahless II, cloned from the original Klingon hero if legend. Sisko tells Kahless that the Shapers of Sarkadesh--godlike beings who can create anything, but do not in exchange for peace in Klingon space--have violated their treaty and Sisko needs to speak with them. Kahless tells him no.
Worf tells Sisko that Martok and the Council cannot stop Kahless from doing whatever he wants; Sisko says Worf better come with him then, because he's about to cause an interstellar incident.
They fly to Sarkadesh, with the Klingons in pursuit. Sisko beams down with an away team, and the Shapers do not care for humanoid life, nor do they wish the Prophets to see unto their world. Data says that humanoids are the Shapers equals, since they created him, and as beings who create, they should wish to stop those who seek to destroy everything. The Shapers do offer up a clue: a bloody Klingon D'k tahg.
Back on the Theseus, Worf asks to be reinstated as a Starfleet officer.
Bizarre things start occurring on the Theseus suddenly, and then Q arrives. T'lir and Scotty devise a way to trap him with extra-dimensional tachyons from the deflector, and Q is impressed. He says with all the other god-like beings going into hiding because of the god killer on the loose, he thought he'd give them a little test--and he's very pleased that they passed, and says maybe the Prophets made the right choice. He tells Sisko to head to T'kon.
T'lir continues to repeat to himself that he's a Vulcan of Starfleet as he begins glowing.
T'lir, Sato, and Scotty devise a way to track god particles using the Theseus's solar photovoltaic power array. They come up with a location that seems most likely to be T'kon and head there at maximum warp.
When they arrive, they see an enormous, ancient city as big as a sun. Scans reveal a living, though hibernating, creature inside, which appears to draw nourishment from a nearby black hole. Unfortunately, the god killer shows up again--it was Kahless in a cloaked bird of prey.
Kahless prepares to attack the god city. The Theseus throws everything it has at him, but it also has Sarkadesh-enhanced shields. Kahless's ship hacks the Theseus's system, dropping its shields. Multiple boarding parties attack, and Worf is forced to battle his own son, Alexander, who follows Kahless fanatically. Eventually, the boarders are all repelled.
The Prophets speak to Sisko, and he realizes that Kahless is getting his power from the Orb of Destruction. He tells Worf to tune their weapons to the frequency of the orbs, but Worf refuses to comply, saying that if Kahless is killed, war with the Klingons is inevitable--and his son will die. Sisko relieves Worf of duty, but tells Scotty to use the frequency to create shield emitters around the god city instead.
Sisko beams down and activates the shields as Kahless attacks, but they don't fully negate the blast. Beverly and Jake followed him down and Jake is seemingly killed by the attack, but luckily is only knocked out. The god city awakens in great pain; Kahless flees. After reading the ship's computer, the god inside the city decides to destroy Earth in retaliation.
The being heads to earth faster than the Theseus can keep up, so Data tells Scotty to engage the classified propulsion system designed by B'elanna Torres. Scotty says she never got the containment field to work properly, but Data gives him the proper calculations and it works: they engage proto-warp.
Sisko tries to talk to the Prophets, but only T'kon replies with anger and sadness for being used and then left alone for millennia.
As they're about to reach Earth, Beverly tells Sisko that he needs to use his last moments to talk to his son. Sisko apologizes to Jake for not being there when Kassidy gave birth, when Joseph Sisko died, etc., and says it's his fault for following the Prophets instead of fighting to be with his son. T'kon senses Sisko's remorse and stops.
Beverly reports that during the conflict, Worf stole a shuttle and chased after Kahless. Sisko says that due to her exemplary service to him, he wants her to be his second officer, to which she agrees.
The Theseus returns to Deep Space Nine.
Review: 2.5 stars. The whole thing was very rushed; sometimes major plot points are glossed over in a single page. The brand new crew members aren't given much to do in lieu of the familiar characters taking the lead. It felt like everything but the kitchen sink was thrown in for a "wow" factor. The art was inconsistent, mostly landing on mediocre.
3 years after entering the Celestial Temple, the Prophets send Sisko back to linear time with an important mission, though he has trouble remembering what exactly. Starfleet is unsure if he's fit for duty, so he goes to Captain Picard and asks him for a ship. He agrees, but only if he'll take Data with him. The ship is an experimental upgrade to the Discovery class, the USS Theseus. Montgomery Scott is the captain, but relinquishes the ship to Sisko.
The bridge crew consists of Ensign Sato, an Andorian; Ensign T'lir, a Vulcan; Lt. Tom Paris; and Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher. Jake Sisko is also along for the ride.
For their first mission, Sisko says the Prophets have told him to go to the Hephaestus Nebula. They arrive to find hundreds of crystalline entities, but further scans also reveal a cloaked ship. Suddenly, a red beam blasts all the crystalline entities into shards; genocide. The Prophets tell Sisko he was too late.
They go to Qo'nos where Ambassador Worf takes them to meet with the Klingon Emperor, Kahless II, cloned from the original Klingon hero if legend. Sisko tells Kahless that the Shapers of Sarkadesh--godlike beings who can create anything, but do not in exchange for peace in Klingon space--have violated their treaty and Sisko needs to speak with them. Kahless tells him no.
Worf tells Sisko that Martok and the Council cannot stop Kahless from doing whatever he wants; Sisko says Worf better come with him then, because he's about to cause an interstellar incident.
They fly to Sarkadesh, with the Klingons in pursuit. Sisko beams down with an away team, and the Shapers do not care for humanoid life, nor do they wish the Prophets to see unto their world. Data says that humanoids are the Shapers equals, since they created him, and as beings who create, they should wish to stop those who seek to destroy everything. The Shapers do offer up a clue: a bloody Klingon D'k tahg.
Back on the Theseus, Worf asks to be reinstated as a Starfleet officer.
Bizarre things start occurring on the Theseus suddenly, and then Q arrives. T'lir and Scotty devise a way to trap him with extra-dimensional tachyons from the deflector, and Q is impressed. He says with all the other god-like beings going into hiding because of the god killer on the loose, he thought he'd give them a little test--and he's very pleased that they passed, and says maybe the Prophets made the right choice. He tells Sisko to head to T'kon.
T'lir continues to repeat to himself that he's a Vulcan of Starfleet as he begins glowing.
T'lir, Sato, and Scotty devise a way to track god particles using the Theseus's solar photovoltaic power array. They come up with a location that seems most likely to be T'kon and head there at maximum warp.
When they arrive, they see an enormous, ancient city as big as a sun. Scans reveal a living, though hibernating, creature inside, which appears to draw nourishment from a nearby black hole. Unfortunately, the god killer shows up again--it was Kahless in a cloaked bird of prey.
Kahless prepares to attack the god city. The Theseus throws everything it has at him, but it also has Sarkadesh-enhanced shields. Kahless's ship hacks the Theseus's system, dropping its shields. Multiple boarding parties attack, and Worf is forced to battle his own son, Alexander, who follows Kahless fanatically. Eventually, the boarders are all repelled.
The Prophets speak to Sisko, and he realizes that Kahless is getting his power from the Orb of Destruction. He tells Worf to tune their weapons to the frequency of the orbs, but Worf refuses to comply, saying that if Kahless is killed, war with the Klingons is inevitable--and his son will die. Sisko relieves Worf of duty, but tells Scotty to use the frequency to create shield emitters around the god city instead.
Sisko beams down and activates the shields as Kahless attacks, but they don't fully negate the blast. Beverly and Jake followed him down and Jake is seemingly killed by the attack, but luckily is only knocked out. The god city awakens in great pain; Kahless flees. After reading the ship's computer, the god inside the city decides to destroy Earth in retaliation.
The being heads to earth faster than the Theseus can keep up, so Data tells Scotty to engage the classified propulsion system designed by B'elanna Torres. Scotty says she never got the containment field to work properly, but Data gives him the proper calculations and it works: they engage proto-warp.
Sisko tries to talk to the Prophets, but only T'kon replies with anger and sadness for being used and then left alone for millennia.
As they're about to reach Earth, Beverly tells Sisko that he needs to use his last moments to talk to his son. Sisko apologizes to Jake for not being there when Kassidy gave birth, when Joseph Sisko died, etc., and says it's his fault for following the Prophets instead of fighting to be with his son. T'kon senses Sisko's remorse and stops.
Beverly reports that during the conflict, Worf stole a shuttle and chased after Kahless. Sisko says that due to her exemplary service to him, he wants her to be his second officer, to which she agrees.
The Theseus returns to Deep Space Nine.
Review: 2.5 stars. The whole thing was very rushed; sometimes major plot points are glossed over in a single page. The brand new crew members aren't given much to do in lieu of the familiar characters taking the lead. It felt like everything but the kitchen sink was thrown in for a "wow" factor. The art was inconsistent, mostly landing on mediocre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2023
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This is such a love letter to Trek fans - so many references and Easter Eggs to delight those invested in the Trek Universe. This doesn't feel like a generic story tacked onto an IP; rather, we have writing where the characters act and feel as they should - all with the thought provoking sci fi musings that made Star Trek so engaging. I really enjoyed this first arc in a new series that features characters from many different Star Trek shows (and set in the time line after the events in Nemesis).Story: When the god-like prophets are threatened, Benjamin Sisko abruptly finds himself back in human space-time, a bit confused and very emotional about seeing his son again. He has a mission: to find the threat and save the prophets (as well as other god-like entities) before they are destroyed. To do so, he will petition Picard for an experimental-class Federation ship, one that can seek out and hopefully neutralize the threat. Along the way, he will recruit old friends as well as make new ones, all the while dealing with a power that may be great than even the Q.
First and foremost, there are characters from a wide range of Star Trek shows: Paris from Voyager, a descendant from Enterprise's Hoshi Sato, Worf, Q, Scotty from TOS, even Crusher from TNG. They aren't all cameos as some will be called upon to crew the ship with Sisko. There are a few new characters as well on the ship, including a mysterious Vulcan and a woman in Native American accoutrements as a nod to 'he-who-shall-not-be-named from Voyager. All the characters act like their series equivalents; other than one breakout moment with Worf at the end that perhaps hit an odd note, I was impressed with the writers' knowledge of the various series. What does God need with a starship?, tribbles, the needs of the many outweigh the few, I'm giving it all I got, and more - indeed.
The artwork is decent. The characters don't always look like they should and the illustration work can be very uneven in quality. This was perhaps the big letdown for me - e.g., I didn't recognize Paris at all until he was named and Data is unrecognizable in several pivotal scenes. Even Sisko seems to be a random face with a beard. Crusher lost 30 years and Jake really needed more details to show his transition to adulthood while his father was away. He somehow feels like 16 here even though he was already 20 by the time the series ended.
The best part of the series is that it retains its humanity (the real heart and key to Star Trek). Sisko's loss of Jake when he went into the wormhole and his feelings of having chose the prophets over his son are important aspects of this story arc. There are parallels to Worf and Alexander as well as some developing storylines featuring a Vulcan officer who clearly has mental issues. In all, there is a lot here to enjoy. The only thing missing were some Romulans to act superior and shoot things up for no particular reason other than to make grandiose pronouncements.
Those not invested in Star Trek probably won't get much out of the story - it would be too confusing with so much backstory missing. But I also appreciated that the authors cleverly wove in ways to remind you of characters and their backstories (e.g., Crusher answering Sisko's sarcastic question of whether she's ever been omnipotent and her response of, "I once single-handedly escaped a reality-erasing warp bubble. I was the only being in existence. One time I feel in love with a ghost."). As well, the dynamic of Crusher, Sisko, and Worf all having emotional resonance and issues with their sons (one abandoned, one disappeared, and one fighting his father) all contribute depth to the story.
In all, there is a lot to love here. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
May 30, 2023
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher IDW for an advance copy of this Star Trek Graphic Novel featuring the return of one of the Federation's best captains in an adventure to help save powerful beings from an even more powerful enemy.
Star Trek was a show that was both ahead of its time in many ways, though the idea was sold as a Wagon Train in space. Humans an aliens, all of different beliefs, different colors and shapes banding together to make the future not only safe, but making sure there was a a future. A lot of these adventures meant being in conflict with powerful characters, some so strong they could even be considered gods. In fact a few called themselves that. Sometimes these gods were bested, sometimes it was a draw, with lessons learned by both sides. Sometimes a god's mom would show up, return everything to normal and send the naughty god to bed without their dinner. In this story though, these powerful creatures are being hunted, slain for reasons that are not clear, and some of the most powerful creatures in the galaxy need a defender. Enter Benjamin Sisko. Star Trek, Volume 1: Godshock is written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with illustrations from Ramon Rosanas, Oleg Chudakov, Joe Eisma, and Erik Tamayo telling a story about gods, humans and a threat that could destroy the universe.
Benjamin Sisko left his son, his love and unborn child to enter another universe to save many. Three years later after being declared lost, Sisko is returned home with a powers that deft description and a new mission. Something is killing gods, and they must be stopped. Sisko through a visit to Captain Picard of the Enterprise is given an experimental ship, the USS Theseus designed and engineered by Montgomery Scott, with a cast that includes many favorite characters from across the Star Trek universe, including Worf, Data, Lt. Paris and others. Their mission to seek out the assassins who are killing cosmically powered race and determine their threat. For whatever is killing the unkillable might be a threat to the whole universe.
A big, big adventure, one that really only could be done in comics. The cast, the many different planets, the sights of these gods in the celestial sky, only comics could really capture this kind of story. And what a story. Lots of characters, lots of easter eggs, and a plot that even though again is a big story, has a lot of small moments that reminds one they are in the Star Trek Universe. Small moments are something that recent Paramount shows seem to have lost, or hiring people who never understood Star Trek. These writers get it. And it shows. The characters all fit who we know. Some get a chance to shine, others are probably waiting for future issues. Sisko is the Captain he was on Deep Space Nine, a thinker who could fight, and even on paper has an aura of strength one does not see. The art is really good, cosmic in scope, capturing the look of the characters, the different uniforms, and the ships and locations. So many locations, each with their own style and feel. A real work of love and respect for the material.
What does god need with a starcraft. A question asked in a movie that many don't like to admit existed, but something I still find funny. I guess we could ask Sisko that, but we should wait for more issues. Which I am very excited to read in the future. A great Star Trek story and I really can't wait to see where it is going.
Star Trek was a show that was both ahead of its time in many ways, though the idea was sold as a Wagon Train in space. Humans an aliens, all of different beliefs, different colors and shapes banding together to make the future not only safe, but making sure there was a a future. A lot of these adventures meant being in conflict with powerful characters, some so strong they could even be considered gods. In fact a few called themselves that. Sometimes these gods were bested, sometimes it was a draw, with lessons learned by both sides. Sometimes a god's mom would show up, return everything to normal and send the naughty god to bed without their dinner. In this story though, these powerful creatures are being hunted, slain for reasons that are not clear, and some of the most powerful creatures in the galaxy need a defender. Enter Benjamin Sisko. Star Trek, Volume 1: Godshock is written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with illustrations from Ramon Rosanas, Oleg Chudakov, Joe Eisma, and Erik Tamayo telling a story about gods, humans and a threat that could destroy the universe.
Benjamin Sisko left his son, his love and unborn child to enter another universe to save many. Three years later after being declared lost, Sisko is returned home with a powers that deft description and a new mission. Something is killing gods, and they must be stopped. Sisko through a visit to Captain Picard of the Enterprise is given an experimental ship, the USS Theseus designed and engineered by Montgomery Scott, with a cast that includes many favorite characters from across the Star Trek universe, including Worf, Data, Lt. Paris and others. Their mission to seek out the assassins who are killing cosmically powered race and determine their threat. For whatever is killing the unkillable might be a threat to the whole universe.
A big, big adventure, one that really only could be done in comics. The cast, the many different planets, the sights of these gods in the celestial sky, only comics could really capture this kind of story. And what a story. Lots of characters, lots of easter eggs, and a plot that even though again is a big story, has a lot of small moments that reminds one they are in the Star Trek Universe. Small moments are something that recent Paramount shows seem to have lost, or hiring people who never understood Star Trek. These writers get it. And it shows. The characters all fit who we know. Some get a chance to shine, others are probably waiting for future issues. Sisko is the Captain he was on Deep Space Nine, a thinker who could fight, and even on paper has an aura of strength one does not see. The art is really good, cosmic in scope, capturing the look of the characters, the different uniforms, and the ships and locations. So many locations, each with their own style and feel. A real work of love and respect for the material.
What does god need with a starcraft. A question asked in a movie that many don't like to admit existed, but something I still find funny. I guess we could ask Sisko that, but we should wait for more issues. Which I am very excited to read in the future. A great Star Trek story and I really can't wait to see where it is going.
October 12, 2023
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
Captain Benjamin Sisko (of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series) has returned from his three year entrapment in a different dimension with the mysterious 'Prophets'. And with his return come some god-like powers. He's now commanding the U.S.S. Theseus with a crew of mostly familiar set of faces:
Data, Beverly Crusher, Tom Paris, Worf, Lilly Sato, and even Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, as well as his son, Jake. But what good are god-like powers if they fail you when you need them most?
Someone is killing gods in the most remote parts of deep space and Sisko and his crew are tasked with uncovering the root of the matter and stopping the perpetrators. But what should be a slam-dunk for someone who is omnipotent becomes dangerous and potentially deadly. Sisko will need all the combined abilities of his team to survive.
It's been awhile since I've read a new Star Trek graphic novel and I was excited to get into this. While I initially had some doubt about the pulling together of these different crew members from the different television series', I actually found it to be a bit fun. Still, despite how much I like Scotty and the original series, his inclusion here just didn't feel right (yes, I understand he's now in this era).
I do wonder if I've missed something with Sisko. Is there another book or series detailing Sisko's abilities that I missed or don't remember? What is the purpose of giving him his own god-like powers just to take them away in this series?
I found the story to be just a bit tedious. I think this is systemic to graphic novels that are put together from a regular comic book series, as opposed to a graphic novel written as a novel. When writing for a monthly (or bi-monthly, or quarterly, etc) series there's a certain amount of reminders about what's come before. It's great when reading on a regular, delayed basis, but definitely slows things down when reading as a novel.
What works well is the contrasting story themes. On the one hand we have gods and godlike powers with battles and threats abundant. But the heart of the story is about humanity and the simple will of what's important to humans ... family and those close to us.
The artwork is decent but inconsistent. On one page we might get some really well-drawn characters (these are mostly very familiar figures to us all) and then the next page will feature the same characters but if not for an identifying feature (skin color, hair color, uniform, etc) we might otherwise not know who the characters are. This can sometimes be a real problem and since this is a graphic novel, where the art is part of the story, this definitely loses some points for me.
Looking for a good book? Star Trek: Godshock is a graphic novel assembling a variety of familiar Star Trek universe characters and putting them together to take on unknown dangers. Star Trek fans should enjoy it but non-Trek fans won't find much of interest.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Captain Benjamin Sisko (of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series) has returned from his three year entrapment in a different dimension with the mysterious 'Prophets'. And with his return come some god-like powers. He's now commanding the U.S.S. Theseus with a crew of mostly familiar set of faces:
Data, Beverly Crusher, Tom Paris, Worf, Lilly Sato, and even Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, as well as his son, Jake. But what good are god-like powers if they fail you when you need them most?
Someone is killing gods in the most remote parts of deep space and Sisko and his crew are tasked with uncovering the root of the matter and stopping the perpetrators. But what should be a slam-dunk for someone who is omnipotent becomes dangerous and potentially deadly. Sisko will need all the combined abilities of his team to survive.
It's been awhile since I've read a new Star Trek graphic novel and I was excited to get into this. While I initially had some doubt about the pulling together of these different crew members from the different television series', I actually found it to be a bit fun. Still, despite how much I like Scotty and the original series, his inclusion here just didn't feel right (yes, I understand he's now in this era).
I do wonder if I've missed something with Sisko. Is there another book or series detailing Sisko's abilities that I missed or don't remember? What is the purpose of giving him his own god-like powers just to take them away in this series?
I found the story to be just a bit tedious. I think this is systemic to graphic novels that are put together from a regular comic book series, as opposed to a graphic novel written as a novel. When writing for a monthly (or bi-monthly, or quarterly, etc) series there's a certain amount of reminders about what's come before. It's great when reading on a regular, delayed basis, but definitely slows things down when reading as a novel.
What works well is the contrasting story themes. On the one hand we have gods and godlike powers with battles and threats abundant. But the heart of the story is about humanity and the simple will of what's important to humans ... family and those close to us.
The artwork is decent but inconsistent. On one page we might get some really well-drawn characters (these are mostly very familiar figures to us all) and then the next page will feature the same characters but if not for an identifying feature (skin color, hair color, uniform, etc) we might otherwise not know who the characters are. This can sometimes be a real problem and since this is a graphic novel, where the art is part of the story, this definitely loses some points for me.
Looking for a good book? Star Trek: Godshock is a graphic novel assembling a variety of familiar Star Trek universe characters and putting them together to take on unknown dangers. Star Trek fans should enjoy it but non-Trek fans won't find much of interest.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
July 18, 2024
I enjoyed this book, but I did feel like parts of it were rushed and there were jump cuts and inconsistencies. We went from Sisko being back to the Theseus mission in a flash. Suddenly we’re chasing Godkillers, and what we know as readers versus what the crew knows is vastly different and confusing. I would have liked us to be filled in more about the entities we’re encountering, the stakes, the dynamics among characters we know and love, but who’ve not worked together before.
The inconsistencies were rally odd. At one point Worf is fighting Alexander in the hallway, and the next he’s on the Bridge pleading for Captain Sisko not to fire on Kahless. Another time Sisko is on a planet and blink he’s back on the Bridge—did we know he was transporting back, was his mission done? Editing-wise, this book was a real mess. The story needed fleshing out too, but I liked it, especially the theme of mortals fighting and fighting for gods and the place of mortals in the face of such unfathomable powers.
It was nice to see so many characters from different franchises come together or cameo. Gary Seven, the crystalline entities, Q. Really cool. And the crew as well, a combo of Sisko, Worf, Data, Beverly, Tom, Jake and Scotty, plus new characters Lily and T’Lar. What a dream to see them on the same Bridge. And the Native American characters we got a glimpse of, how lovely to see them properly represented.
I do wish the art had been more consistent. Tom and Beverly looked nothing like themselves, but the other characters did for the most part. The colours and landscapes were incredible though. Every shot of space, the ships and the entities, they were all wow.
T’Lar is a nonbinary character, and I love how they use the title Mx. for them, since we’ve not had that used in Star Trek before. But, after T’Lar reminds us that the gender binary is a construct, why does the rest of the crew continue to call the ship ‘she’? They just said it was stupid to do that. Odd choice.
Jake and T’Lar’s very brief friendship was super awesome. It’s hard to get chemistry off the page, but theirs was so obvious. Wish it had gone on longer. I thought the page of them navigating the strange eras on the ship, from dancing in a ballroom to running away from tribbles, was so cute. Something is up with T’Lar, and I really want to know what it is.
I loved Jake’s log about the fallacy of utopia. The one that the Federation and Starfleet promised and the original Star Trek was built on—it’s cynical but real, especially as we read it in an age of hatred and war. I am floored by how accurately his 78 rejections to get the piece published represents whose and what kind of stories are celebrated, while others are quashed because they do not fit the narrative we prefer.
All in all, I really dug the book, despite the editing oddities.
The inconsistencies were rally odd. At one point Worf is fighting Alexander in the hallway, and the next he’s on the Bridge pleading for Captain Sisko not to fire on Kahless. Another time Sisko is on a planet and blink he’s back on the Bridge—did we know he was transporting back, was his mission done? Editing-wise, this book was a real mess. The story needed fleshing out too, but I liked it, especially the theme of mortals fighting and fighting for gods and the place of mortals in the face of such unfathomable powers.
It was nice to see so many characters from different franchises come together or cameo. Gary Seven, the crystalline entities, Q. Really cool. And the crew as well, a combo of Sisko, Worf, Data, Beverly, Tom, Jake and Scotty, plus new characters Lily and T’Lar. What a dream to see them on the same Bridge. And the Native American characters we got a glimpse of, how lovely to see them properly represented.
I do wish the art had been more consistent. Tom and Beverly looked nothing like themselves, but the other characters did for the most part. The colours and landscapes were incredible though. Every shot of space, the ships and the entities, they were all wow.
T’Lar is a nonbinary character, and I love how they use the title Mx. for them, since we’ve not had that used in Star Trek before. But, after T’Lar reminds us that the gender binary is a construct, why does the rest of the crew continue to call the ship ‘she’? They just said it was stupid to do that. Odd choice.
Jake and T’Lar’s very brief friendship was super awesome. It’s hard to get chemistry off the page, but theirs was so obvious. Wish it had gone on longer. I thought the page of them navigating the strange eras on the ship, from dancing in a ballroom to running away from tribbles, was so cute. Something is up with T’Lar, and I really want to know what it is.
I loved Jake’s log about the fallacy of utopia. The one that the Federation and Starfleet promised and the original Star Trek was built on—it’s cynical but real, especially as we read it in an age of hatred and war. I am floored by how accurately his 78 rejections to get the piece published represents whose and what kind of stories are celebrated, while others are quashed because they do not fit the narrative we prefer.
All in all, I really dug the book, despite the editing oddities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2023
“Star Trek Volume 1: Godshock” Hardcover (IDW, 2023). Writers: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing. Artists: Ramon Rosanas, Oleg Chudakov, Joe Eisma, Erik Tamayo. Color art Lee Loughridge. Reprints: “Star Trek #400” (“A Perfect System” story, September 2022) and Star Trek #1-6 (October 2022 to April 2023). Read: 08/19/23 to 08/21/23. Opinion: Very good. This is the start of a new ongoing “Star Trek” series featuring a combination of characters from several separate series: Captain Benjamin Sisko from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”, Data and Doctor Beverly Crusher from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, and Tom Parris from “Star Trek: Voyager” (plus, at least for awhile, Worf, from “TNG” and “DS9”). Oh, yeah, and a certain chief engineer with a Scottish accent. Plus a couple (younger) new characters. The time frame is, I believe, 2378. Soon after the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager made it safely back to Earth in the same year, and three years after the events of the TNG film, “Star Trek: Insurrection” and the end of the “Deep Space Nine” series. Something very powerful is killing the known “god like” beings of the galaxy. (The teaser short story from the “Star Trek #400” special issue shows this happen to Gary Mitchell, James Kirk’s friend from the original series second pilot episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before”.) The Prophets return Benjamin Sisko to his corporeal form to stop this. He goes to Captain Picard for a ship and Picard sets him up with a brand new experimental ship, the U.S.S. Theseus. He insists that Sisko take Data on as his first officer on this mission (and Dr. Crusher eagerly volunteers to go along too as Sisko’s return is a medical mystery). The others I mentioned are already part of this new crew or join up along the way. I really liked this. It’s very “comic booky” in all the right ways: the whole “crossover” element of blending characters from the separate series, and the universe threatening circumstances and powers that are much larger than life. The art (a tag team of alternating artists to keep the book on its original monthly schedule) is very appropriate for the type of story being told here. (My one real gripe is that the artist who draws the issue where Worf comes aboard apparently either cannot draw a Klingon that looks anything even remotely resembling Michael Dorn, or perhaps didn’t get the memo that it was supposed to be him. I swear, when we see him I immediately thought Sisko was meeting an entirety different Klingon character and was somewhat shocked when Sisko called him Ambassador Worf. The artists in the following issues do manage to draw him better though.) These first six issues (plus the teaser) did exactly what it should do, which is make me look forward to the next collected edition later on this year. (Worf goes on his own part way through the story, by the way, leading into a second series titled “Star Trek: Defiant”, which has its own “all star” blending of characters: Worf, Spock, Lore, and Ro Laren. That will also be getting its first collected edition soon, as well.) I gave “Godshock” four out of five stars on GoodReads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2023
I was reeled into borrowing this from the library after hearing about it on the Pod Directive (TBD if that episode will also reel me into reading Defiant). My big question, before I get into my review, is are these things canon? Semi-canon? Just random things published to make the rights holders more money? I'd like to know because I'm trying to set my level of caring about the details to an appropriate level...
Canon questions aside, I think I mostly liked it. I certainly found the artwork quite wonderful - a key thing when partaking in a visual medium. However, I wasn't as sure what to think about the whole "supergroup" aspect of it all. I mean, all these people working together in this particular time and place? Hmmmm... (I'm soooo skeptical!!!) LOL, looks like canon issues are not aside! And I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for Sisko to come back in this way at this time. If it's not canon, I'm ok with it. If it is canon, I'm wrinkling my nose at the whole thing (despite a really lovely father/son moment towards the end).
And I definitely have to say that the technobabble was turned up to 11 which essentially resulted in my mind glazing over at a bunch of points. So much so that I think I've already forgotten half the really key details about... everything. I'm pretty sure some interesting/fun things happened, I'm just 100% sure I'd need to re-read this again before reading any future volumes in order to get anything out of the entire storyline.
Heh, after re-reading that last paragraph, I think it's pretty clear this was in the 3-star territory for me. I definitely enjoyed it and, if I remember to hunt them down after they're published, I'll read additional volumes. But I'm extra appreciative I was able to borrow it from my local library so I can return it now that I've read it.
Canon questions aside, I think I mostly liked it. I certainly found the artwork quite wonderful - a key thing when partaking in a visual medium. However, I wasn't as sure what to think about the whole "supergroup" aspect of it all. I mean, all these people working together in this particular time and place? Hmmmm... (I'm soooo skeptical!!!) LOL, looks like canon issues are not aside! And I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for Sisko to come back in this way at this time. If it's not canon, I'm ok with it. If it is canon, I'm wrinkling my nose at the whole thing (despite a really lovely father/son moment towards the end).
And I definitely have to say that the technobabble was turned up to 11 which essentially resulted in my mind glazing over at a bunch of points. So much so that I think I've already forgotten half the really key details about... everything. I'm pretty sure some interesting/fun things happened, I'm just 100% sure I'd need to re-read this again before reading any future volumes in order to get anything out of the entire storyline.
Heh, after re-reading that last paragraph, I think it's pretty clear this was in the 3-star territory for me. I definitely enjoyed it and, if I remember to hunt them down after they're published, I'll read additional volumes. But I'm extra appreciative I was able to borrow it from my local library so I can return it now that I've read it.
January 22, 2024
Star Trek (2022-) Annual #1 - A Heartwarming Detour Before Day of Blood
I really loved this story! It was heartwarming and the most Star Trek-like story I've read in a comic in a very long time. Yes, it is a holodeck story. But it's not a typical holodeck story.
Professor Moriarty is not involved and, from my point of view, that makes this story different right away from your typical holodeck tale that's usually told in Star Trek stories. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous! There's this scene of Zefram Cochrane's ship, the Phoenix, blasting through space that is absolutely beautiful 💖to look at! The artist for this issue's name is Rachel Scott and hopefully she does more work in the Star Trek Universe because her drawings of the other legendary Star Trek figures who show up in this issue is just spot on.
She did such a great job on capturing William Shatner's profile. She should be very proud of the work that she did on this Annual because I've read from other artists who've stated that it's very hard to get Mr.Shatner's likeness down on the printed page. But Rachel Scott has captured it perfectly. Hopefully she does more work in the Star Trek Universe.
As for the writers, I've already stated how much I love Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing's stories and how much of a fan I am of their current Star Trek run in other reviews for this series so I don't want to retread old ground here. But I will say this about this story - this is the most Star Trek-like story in any form in a long time and every Trekkie should give it a try because it's fun, it's lighthearted, and it's even got a morality play in it just like they used to have in TOS and TNG back in the day. So Star Trek (2022-) Annual #1 is well worth a read. Trust me, you won't be sorry that you did 🙂🖖.
I really loved this story! It was heartwarming and the most Star Trek-like story I've read in a comic in a very long time. Yes, it is a holodeck story. But it's not a typical holodeck story.
Professor Moriarty is not involved and, from my point of view, that makes this story different right away from your typical holodeck tale that's usually told in Star Trek stories. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous! There's this scene of Zefram Cochrane's ship, the Phoenix, blasting through space that is absolutely beautiful 💖to look at! The artist for this issue's name is Rachel Scott and hopefully she does more work in the Star Trek Universe because her drawings of the other legendary Star Trek figures who show up in this issue is just spot on.
She did such a great job on capturing William Shatner's profile. She should be very proud of the work that she did on this Annual because I've read from other artists who've stated that it's very hard to get Mr.Shatner's likeness down on the printed page. But Rachel Scott has captured it perfectly. Hopefully she does more work in the Star Trek Universe.
As for the writers, I've already stated how much I love Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing's stories and how much of a fan I am of their current Star Trek run in other reviews for this series so I don't want to retread old ground here. But I will say this about this story - this is the most Star Trek-like story in any form in a long time and every Trekkie should give it a try because it's fun, it's lighthearted, and it's even got a morality play in it just like they used to have in TOS and TNG back in the day. So Star Trek (2022-) Annual #1 is well worth a read. Trust me, you won't be sorry that you did 🙂🖖.
April 17, 2024
So, let’s chat about Star Trek, Vol. 1: Godshock by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing. I went through this adventure issue by issue, so buckle up for the ride through the final frontier.
Issue one had me hyped to see Captain Benjamin Sisko back in action after the Deep Space Nine finale. But, honestly, his entrance felt a bit lackluster. It's like he just materializes and boom, the story starts. I was hoping for a bit more drama, you know?
The story's set in a sweet spot in the Trek timeline, post-Nemesis which is exciting. But by the end of issue one, it's like we're left dangling off a cliff. It's a good opening move, but it left me wanting more.
Issue two dives into Klingon culture and brings back Worf—big moment, right? And Data's speech? Classic Trek goodness. But issue three? It felt a bit like a wild goose chase, especially with Q in the mix. It's not my favorite, but it grew on me after a second read. I still don't feel that great about the art by Joe Eisma, but that's the last we see of him in this volume.
Issue four was decent, nothing too flashy. But by issue five, things were picking up. Surprise character returns and a decent art upgrade kept me hooked. And that twist with Sisko and Worf? A bit out of character, but hey, it moves the plot along.
Finally, issue six delivers some epic showdown vibes with the God City of T'Kon. The art captures that grand Trek feeling, especially in the moments between Jake and Ben Sisko. And the return to DS9? A satisfying end to the arc.
In summary, Godshock has its highs and lows, but ultimately, it’s a trek worth taking for any Star Trek fan. So, grab your phasers and set a course for adventure—this one's a journey you won't want to miss.
Thank you NetGalley and IDW for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.75 stars out of 5.
Issue one had me hyped to see Captain Benjamin Sisko back in action after the Deep Space Nine finale. But, honestly, his entrance felt a bit lackluster. It's like he just materializes and boom, the story starts. I was hoping for a bit more drama, you know?
The story's set in a sweet spot in the Trek timeline, post-Nemesis which is exciting. But by the end of issue one, it's like we're left dangling off a cliff. It's a good opening move, but it left me wanting more.
Issue two dives into Klingon culture and brings back Worf—big moment, right? And Data's speech? Classic Trek goodness. But issue three? It felt a bit like a wild goose chase, especially with Q in the mix. It's not my favorite, but it grew on me after a second read. I still don't feel that great about the art by Joe Eisma, but that's the last we see of him in this volume.
Issue four was decent, nothing too flashy. But by issue five, things were picking up. Surprise character returns and a decent art upgrade kept me hooked. And that twist with Sisko and Worf? A bit out of character, but hey, it moves the plot along.
Finally, issue six delivers some epic showdown vibes with the God City of T'Kon. The art captures that grand Trek feeling, especially in the moments between Jake and Ben Sisko. And the return to DS9? A satisfying end to the arc.
In summary, Godshock has its highs and lows, but ultimately, it’s a trek worth taking for any Star Trek fan. So, grab your phasers and set a course for adventure—this one's a journey you won't want to miss.
Thank you NetGalley and IDW for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.75 stars out of 5.
November 9, 2023
I've always felt that Star Trek, as a franchise, wasn't terribly well-suited to the medium of comics.
Comics, in general, tend to be very dynamic and heightened-- using exaggeration and stylism to tell stories. Trek, on the other hand, tends to be at its best when it's subdued, thoughtful, and character-driven-- telling far-fetched sci-fi stories on a human scale. And while I don't think that Colin Kelley and Jackson Lanzing have quite nailed a balance between these two styles... they've probably come closer than any writers have in a long, long time.
It helps that the comic they've written has a fun hook: Captain Benjamin Sisko and a crew of familiar faces from across Trek canon have assembled on the experimental U.S.S. Theseus to investigate a series of unusual murders... that is, the murders of GODS (or rather, several of the god-like beings that populate the Trek universe). While there do end up being action sequences and starship battles that feel a bit... "comic book-y"... the majority of the book is character-focused, as Sisko struggles to reconnect with his humanity (and his son Jake) while commanding a crew made up of new (to him) faces: Commander Data, Lt. Tom Paris, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Chief Engineer Mongomery Scott, along with new characters Ensign Sato (an Andorian) and Ensign T'Lir (a Vulcan who may be more than he appears).
So far, this new book seems to be off to a pretty great start! I just feel like it could use a little less whiz-bang action and a little more inventive sci-fi storytelling. But it's a minor complaint.
Comics, in general, tend to be very dynamic and heightened-- using exaggeration and stylism to tell stories. Trek, on the other hand, tends to be at its best when it's subdued, thoughtful, and character-driven-- telling far-fetched sci-fi stories on a human scale. And while I don't think that Colin Kelley and Jackson Lanzing have quite nailed a balance between these two styles... they've probably come closer than any writers have in a long, long time.
It helps that the comic they've written has a fun hook: Captain Benjamin Sisko and a crew of familiar faces from across Trek canon have assembled on the experimental U.S.S. Theseus to investigate a series of unusual murders... that is, the murders of GODS (or rather, several of the god-like beings that populate the Trek universe). While there do end up being action sequences and starship battles that feel a bit... "comic book-y"... the majority of the book is character-focused, as Sisko struggles to reconnect with his humanity (and his son Jake) while commanding a crew made up of new (to him) faces: Commander Data, Lt. Tom Paris, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Chief Engineer Mongomery Scott, along with new characters Ensign Sato (an Andorian) and Ensign T'Lir (a Vulcan who may be more than he appears).
So far, this new book seems to be off to a pretty great start! I just feel like it could use a little less whiz-bang action and a little more inventive sci-fi storytelling. But it's a minor complaint.
July 15, 2023
Star Trek Avengers assemble! Captain Sisko, Doctor Crusher, Data, Tom Paris, Scotty, and a cast of new supporting characters find themselves drawn together by a new mission when a mysterious villain begins targeting incredibly powerful entities throughout the universe and flat-out murdering them.
I've not read many Star Trek comics, mostly just the Discovery/Picard/Lower Decks tie-ins, but if they're all this good, I should maybe go back and check out some more. Kelly and Lanzing craft an engaging story with fan favourite characters (I mean, aren't they all?) that had me guessing all the way to the end of the arc, and even managed to rope in a few unexpected faces too (Hi Q!).
And above all else, this was fun! Like, I enjoy reading comics, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I think they forget that they're meant to be fun too, and this, even though the stakes are high and stuff, still felt like it was enjoying the fact that it could bring all these characters together and throw them into these weird situations without worrying too much about budgets and such, revelling in the fun of it all.
I'm not the biggest fan of Ramon Rosanas, but I have noticed that he works really well on these space books - his Star Wars run was similar, and he brings the same energy to the Star Trek stuff too. The ships look great, the character acting is on point, and everyone looks like they're supposed to.
Good stuff, for casual fans (like me) and presumably for the hardcore ones too.
I've not read many Star Trek comics, mostly just the Discovery/Picard/Lower Decks tie-ins, but if they're all this good, I should maybe go back and check out some more. Kelly and Lanzing craft an engaging story with fan favourite characters (I mean, aren't they all?) that had me guessing all the way to the end of the arc, and even managed to rope in a few unexpected faces too (Hi Q!).
And above all else, this was fun! Like, I enjoy reading comics, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I think they forget that they're meant to be fun too, and this, even though the stakes are high and stuff, still felt like it was enjoying the fact that it could bring all these characters together and throw them into these weird situations without worrying too much about budgets and such, revelling in the fun of it all.
I'm not the biggest fan of Ramon Rosanas, but I have noticed that he works really well on these space books - his Star Wars run was similar, and he brings the same energy to the Star Trek stuff too. The ships look great, the character acting is on point, and everyone looks like they're supposed to.
Good stuff, for casual fans (like me) and presumably for the hardcore ones too.
August 21, 2023
I don't know why but I apparently didn't pay attention and thought this was a novel instead its a long comic/graphic novel. I am in no means disappointed by this. While I was given an arc of this through Net Galley I missed the download time as I received it rather shortly before the archive date, so I went ahead and purchased a kindle copy. I am in no means disappointed by this. The illustrations are beautifully done, the story is engaging, and time stops as you read. I was immediate transported back to curling up with my very few and cherished Star Trek Comics and the cons I managed to convince my dad to take me to. The characters play true to what we already know about them and are just as rich as one would expect. The cast is a wide array of known and new characters and the plot is set a good pace for a comic. If your a Trekkie you can't go wrong.
May 27, 2024
It's always fun seeing mashups of various "Star Trek" TV series in one story. It does feel fanservicey but in this case I found the main storyline about a "God killer" to be intriguing enough that it worked in combination with the fan service. And let's face it, if you're reading this then you are a Trekkie.
My main issue is that the story feels rushed at times, it feels like Sisko's return was covered in about two pages where it could have run through several issues. There's also very little character development since they have to focus so heavily on the main storyline.
I really loved "Star Trek Year Five" so I'm glad writers Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly are writing this as they clearly have a deep love for the lore of this universe, so it's going to be fun to see where they go.
My main issue is that the story feels rushed at times, it feels like Sisko's return was covered in about two pages where it could have run through several issues. There's also very little character development since they have to focus so heavily on the main storyline.
I really loved "Star Trek Year Five" so I'm glad writers Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly are writing this as they clearly have a deep love for the lore of this universe, so it's going to be fun to see where they go.
August 22, 2023
A solid extension of the Next Generation era of Star Trek. It's 3 years after the end of Deep Space Nine. Captain Sisko has finally returned from the Prophets and set on a mission. He puts together a crew of Star Trek's version of the Avengers (Data, Beverly Crusher, Worf, Tom Paris, and Scotty along with a couple of new bridge crew.) I didn't think Kelly and Lanzing's writing was as sharp as when they continued the last two years of the original Enterprise's 5 year mission, but it's still pretty solid. This story is spreading pretty far and into other books. They do have their work cut out because they obviously can't affect anything that happens in Picard. If you are a Trekkie, this is a pretty good way to further that fervor for new content along the original timeline.
September 16, 2023
This takes place a year prior to Star Trek: Nemesis, and three years after the Deep Space Nine series finale. Though I wouldn't think it fits with current onscreen continuity, as Lower Decks, which takes place in the 2380s, gave me the impression that Sisko was maybe still with the Prophets. The concept of Benjamin Sisko returning should be a big event, but I feel like this goes a bit overboard in getting some god stuff and team assembling involved. When I think of Ben's return, I think of the emotional weight of the reunion with Jake, something I felt the novels didn't delve enough into the moment he returned, and it doesn't really become a thing until toward the end of this. I wanted to like this more, but it just felt overstuffed in places.
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