TrekInk: Review of Missions End #2 + Previews of Klingons Spotlight & ST:II Adaptation

The IDW Star Trek comics are coming faster these days. Today the second issue of the "Mission’s End" series comes out and it is full of politics and intrigue, set at the end of the TOS five year mission. Below we have a review of "Missions End" #2. Plus we have previews of the "Alien Spotlight" Klingons issue coming out next week, and the Star Trek II adaptation coming this summer.

MISSION’S END #2 REVIEW

Like Crew #2 last week, the second issue of "Mission’s End" follows closely on the heels of the first as IDW gets their shipping schedules back on the rails after the fast-tracking of "Countdown". We left off in the first issue at the very beginning of The Original Series. This time we pick up at the tail end of the five-year mission.

It’s been four and a half years since the Enterprise first visited Archernar IV, and the spider-like creatures of that world are now petitioning for acceptance into the ranks of the Federation. After their presentation to the council, the envoy finds himself partaking in some intrigue with a couple of Humans, who, by their words, appear to belong to Section 31 (or its predecessor), a group last seen in DC Fontana’s "Year Four: Enterprise Experiment" series. We then jump forward about six months as the Enterprise has picked up now-Ambassador Cassady and is visiting the Arachernar IV for the Federation treaty ceremony.

Sometimes a simple promotion is the quickest way to get someone off the front lines… (click to enlarge)

Of course, this being Star Trek and a comic story, things inevitably go wrong. In this case, it’s a revolution. This quickly leads to some impressive destruction and some hand-to-hand combat, like only Kirk can do! The first issue was something of an introduction, but this one shows that Ty Templeton really gets the Original Series. He really does. The pace of the story is snappy, the exposition is dealt with quickly and in the context of other events, and he has Kirk and Spock’s voices down. The nice thing is that he has integrated some of the "modern" Trek into the story with Section 13, and at the same time, has tied it into IDW’s earlier "Year Four" comics.

Templeton can deem himself lucky on this series, as he has been united with an artist that can draw the Original Series in Stephen Molnar. Over the course of the first half of the book, we see the Federation Council, Sarek, the Enterprise, the shuttlecrat Columbus, and backing characters like Scotty, Sulu, and M’Ress. Molnar’s given the whole gambit of Trek events and characters to work with and, for the most part, he excels. A couple of characters look a bit flat, but his characterizations of McCoy, Spock, and especially Kirk look fantastic. It’s still obviously a comic book, but the drawings are far more than simple cartoons.

The power being used to destroy space stations obviously takes a toll on ones vocal chords… (click to enlarge)

Just as with the last issue, Joe Corroney provides the cover. Unlike the first issue, it appears that there is only the one cover this time around, but Corroney gives a strong impression of the story on the cover – Hand-to-hand combat, spiders, phasers, and a shuttlecraft to boot. As usual, his covers have something of a photo-realistic feel, and don’t feel too cartoonish.

The first issue started a bit slow, but this issue has thrown the entire mess into a blender and set it on high speed. Leaving us with a cliffhanger at the end of the issue, Templeton is setting us up for a good and swift roller-coaster ride through the next few issues. It’s an interesting story thus far, and through two issues, it’s also taken a couple of unexpected turns, which should make the next three issues quite interesting, especially with their promise of showing why Spock and McCoy leave Starfleet in advance of the first movie.

Cover for "Mission’s End" #2
(click to enlarge)

Mission’s End #2 arrives in comic stores Today and can be purchased at TFAW. Issue  #1 (see our review) is available is also TFAW and Issue #3 & #4 can be pre-ordered.

IDW STAR TREK COMIC PREVIEWS

Alien Spotlight: Klingons (April 15) – 5 page preview
Coming up next week from IDW is the second issue from the "Alien Spotlight" Volume II, this time focusing on Klingons. IDW have sent us a preview of the first five pages, check it out.

 
 
 
(Alien Spotlight: Klingons cover & first five pages – click to enlarge)

(Star Trek Alien Spotlight: Klingons cover & first five pages – click to enlarge)

The Klingons issue of Alien Spotlight is available for pre-order, as is next months issue focusing on Romulans.

Look for the TrekMovie review of "Alien Spotlight: Klingons" next Wednesday.

Star Trek II Wrath of Khan adaptation (June ’09 – better late than never)
Back in 1982, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan never got a comic book. All of other TOS era movies got comics, so it is ironic that the one considered the best did not. In June IDW are going to rectify that with a three issue series adapting the film. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" comic series is being written by Andy Schmidt  with art by Chee Yang Ong and the three issues will be ‘bi-weekly’ starting in June.

Here are covers for the first two issues:

ST:II adaptation comic Issue 2, A & B covers(click to enlarge)

ST:II adaptation comic – issue 2, cover A (click to enlarge)

The first two issues of the TWOK adaptation can be pre-ordered at TWOK.