Stardate 7493.5, Admiral Kirk, Dr. McCoy, and Spock have left the Enterprise to visit the colony world of Calibus VII, where McCoy is to be honored. The world is a virtual paradise, the Enterprise will join them in five days, so what could go wrong? Only an interdimensional infestation of zombies. Read on for the review of the first issue of IDW’s Star Trek: Infestation.
REVIEW: STAR TREK: INFESTATION #1 REVIEW
Scott and David Tipton have returned to the Star Trek universe after their "Burden of Knowledge" series to tackle this portion of IDW’s cross-title event. The overall storyline began in the first of a two-issue series simply titled "Infestation", and will also cross into IDW’s "G.I. Joe", "Transformers", and "Ghostbusters" titles with each title getting two issues for a total of ten issues overall.
The Tiptons have set the Star Trek story shortly after the events of the original Motion Picture (released in 1979), and as such, have used the attitudes and looks of the characters and uniforms from that movie. The issue spends a fair bit of time introducing the scenario, similar to a typical Romero zombie flick, and only really blows up the situation into a fully-fledged zombie epic in the last ten pages.
Casey Maloney provides the pencil layouts for the story, his first Trek work since the first IDW Star Trek title, "The Space Between". Gark Erskine did pencil finishes and inked Maloney’s work. The combination of the two ends up rendering a bit more detail than the art Maloney used in his prior Star Trek work, but some of the likenesses still seem a bit awkward. Their attention to the uniforms and stylings from the first Star Trek movie are excellent, and evoke a strong sense of that era.
Kirk mistakes Spock for Barnes, the guard, despite the differing clothing… oh, and the pointy ears… (click to enlarge)
Luis Antonio Delgado is the colorist for the issue, and this is his first Trek work. He has worked for IDW for a couple of years, and his colors, while dark and gloomy, suit a zombie tale well. The contrast between the TMP look and the aim to feel like a Romero film helps the characters stand out compared to the roaming flesh-eaters. As the story proceeds further and further, the colors move more toward an earthy palatte, giving a good sense of foreboding.
Chris Mowry has been tapped for the lettering, and all of the words are easy to read, clean, and simple. The word balloons used for the zombies are done in a negative style, which helps identify them easily and quickly. Sound effects are used throughout the story for phasers, doors, and even wooden planks (althoug a shovel and a plank do not usually sound the same…).
There are four cover variants for this issue, with the stand-out cover being the A cover which features John K. Snyder III’s work and is highlighted by the old classic Gold Key Comics Star Trek logo at the top. The B cover is almost a panel from the story itself, as done by Maloney and Erskine, while the two retailer incentive covers feature Gabriel Rodriguez’ work (best known for her work on "Locke & Key"), one blank, and one with a pencil sketch from Gordon Purcell.
"He’s undead, Jim." (click to enlarge)
This issue is the first of two exclusively set in the Star Trek universe, but the third overall in the ongoing storyline. Fortunately, the story contained within this issue is essentially self-contained, not requiring the reading of the first "Infestation" title. The story feels a bit slow with the menace being introduced late, but based on the circumstances at the end of this issue, the second should be pretty action heavy.
Issue #2 is scheduled for release on February 23rd, with the final wrap-up issue being released April 6th. March issues in the series will be drawn from the "G.I. Joe" and "Ghostbusters" titles.
Covers for "Star Trek: Infestation" #1
(click to enlarge)
Star Trek: Infestation #1 is available this week comic stores, and #2 arrives February 23rd. You can order both from TFAW.
| Star Trek: Infestation #1 (Feb 9) |
Star Trek: Infestation #2 (Feb 23) |
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| $3.19 | $3.19 |
Is there to be no critique of the story itself?
Again with the zombies?
I loved it when Kirk was an Admiral, when he stole the Enterprise in ST III the action was a huge F U to Starfleet political machinations.
I wished that Nimoy had seen that as a plot point instead of the “Carry-on Kirk” film that became The Voyage Home
Shouldn’t the zombie epidemic be easy to solve? Beam the uninfected to safety & set phasers to disrupt? Of course vaporizing zombies should be cleaner & more exciting than headshots every so often.
LOVING THE LOOK OF THIS !!!
Simple for the Zombies. Beam all Uninfected out. Contain the Zombies till 1. A Cure can be found.
2. Launch a full Volley of Torpedoes at the Zombies.
End of Zombies.
Yeah, yeah, but there’s no Enterprise. The away team is on its own for five days.
@1: There’s critique of the story at the end of the article… it’s a bit slow. I’ll give a more detailed critique when the second (and final issue of the duology) is out. The problem with these two-issue things is that it takes a while to get started, then just as you’re going, things finish.
^^Besides, if we want to cure them, a full spread of Torpedoes is not a good idea… kinda against Trek morality anyway.
2 things that work regardless of, erm, the undead…
(1) The Gold Key type cover. YES!!!! The story belongs with that era, but anyway.
(2) The TMP era selection. Perfect. A mostly untold era. Plus, the golden jacket uniform was always superb since it made much more sense than the blue pyjamas. Ties in nicely with the blue jackets of The Cage era, and perhaps even with the later red jackets.
Wow, zombies in Star Trek….. I can’t believe no one has ever thought about making a zombie type villain in Star Trek…..
Truly, resistance to reading this comic is futile. My life, as it has been, is completely changed reading this. I will adapt. My technological and biological distinctiveness is prepared for this.
The orginiality
Here is so
Effortless. I can’t
Believe no
One has
Really
Gone off and created a zombie Star Trek Villain.
#11: Oh… there were Zombie-type villains. They were called the Borg.
#11: Erm…. as you pointed out. *sigh* (Missed that the first time). :-)
So have all of the creative ideas just completely dried up? Just wondering. I guess the “comic dudes” (the ones that write this drivel) were sitting around in silence when all of a sudden one of them said, “hey let’s do vampires!” Then the next dude said “no that’s been done to death…..let’s do zombies!”
Is an Earth/Romulan war series too much to ask for?
Zombies…how can that be a threat? “Oh noes, we’re bein attacked by ZOMBIES!” “No problem.” *sets phaser to wide angle vaporize and destroys the entire hoard* “See?”
will #2 have a Gold Key style cover too or just the TMP one on show there?
I love Star Trek (I’m posting here, so that’s a given).
I love a good zombie movie (I’m a fan of the Romero movies, and the “Walking Dead” TV show/comics).
I just DON’T see blending the genres together. AT ALL.
It’s like a pouring a fine Chardonnay into your favorite breakfast cereal…
Zombies would be easily deconstructed or cured with Star Trek technology. It’d be like having the crew menaced by Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise: You’d lock onto his heat signature, beam him into the brig and stun him (or vaporize him, if need be).
End of story…
*facepalm* The attitude in some of these comments is just embarrassing. Like the living embodiment of some of the worst Trekkie caricatures. Lets try to remember to keep some perspective:
A) This is a Zombie series featuring Star Trek characters, not a Star Trek storties featuring zombies.
B) This obviously isn’t intended to be an epic and serious addition to Star Trek canon, or a documentary that is perfectly logical in its mechanics; lest we forget, Star Trek has had its share of campy stories and gapping plot holes too.
There is an “Enterprise” episode that deals with Zombie Vulcans. It was pretty fun. T’Pol became addicted to a substance after being treated for the same disease that caused the Vulcans to become zombies. It was a really fun episode.
Junk…yawn…next story please…
#15 YES! Right on!
#17 Exactly
What is the point of this?!?! If I were Borg, I believe my response would be… “IRRELEVANT!”
THANK RODDENBERRY THIS IS NOT CANON! What useless crap and a waste of time, paper and ink, three of the most precious resources in the known universe.
I like IDW’s Trek comics. But it was a really boring issue. Just like that Enterprise episode…
IDW wanted a megacrossower Joes, Enterprise, Ghostbusters and Transformers with zombies and a clone Hellboy crew.
In First Contact there was Cochrene, the Phoenix start, but in this issue, just an empty colony.
In Serenity there was a political conspiration not just zombies (Ravers).
And Trek fanbase waiting for a new ongoing, not for zombies. We want Titan, Excalibur, Kelvin, NX-01, NX-02, etc comics.
A pack of brain-munchin’ zombies invaded Rick Berman’s house…
**dammit, you beat me to the punchline!!**
#18
“A) This is a Zombie series featuring Star Trek characters, not a Star Trek storties featuring zombies.”
That’s just meaningless semantics. Same result.
As for your rather denigrating comments to the folks who are giving their opinions on this series, we KNOW it’s not to be taken ‘seriously’; none of it is. We are simply giving opinions on why we like or dislike it.
Sorry if the Trek ‘nerdiness’ level here offends you, but this IS a Trek site, last time I checked…
Relax… have a tranya.
24 – “Relax… have a tranya.”
Nerd.
;-)
It seems Trekkies like to find things to complain about. Sigh.
is it just the two issues for star trek in the ‘Infestation’ series or will there be more trek?
#3 – WOW, I COMPLETELY…disagree.
The great thing about the Original Series movies was the DIVERSITY of the themes and genres that were being explored. Unlike the Next Generation films and later Trek TV shows that found a comfortable niche (i.e. action-adventure) and ran with it.
ALL HAIL THE FACT THAT NIMOY AND COMPANY TOOK A CHANCE AND MADE DIVERSE FILMS AND NOT THE SAME CRAP OVER-AND-OVER AGAIN!!!
i have to say some of the responses here kind of shock me…i think the whole Trek of the Living Dead idea is great…really inspired.
i hope we get some more Trek crossovers – e.g. Star Trek: A L I E N, Kirk vs Predator etc
If ever a Trek/Zombie crossover did make it to the screen, I know the perfect actress to play Queen Zombie, Kristen Stewart. She makes zombies look alive and ready for anything.
(I know it may be a bit mean, but I have been dying to say this. Where DO they find these people?)
Zombie Trek – dearest me! I’ve never been a great fan of comic books to start with but this looks just like a ridiculous bunch of bull…
A Star Trek vs. Aliens crossover would kick ass, though! – that’d be so ludicrous that it’s just bound to be great.
I want a Star Trek crossover with Lost In Space. Can you imagine Dr. Smith taking the con of the Enterprise? And Dr. McCoy’s reaction to Dr. Smith’s credentials?
#18’s criticism of the fans is spot-on. This isn’t an example of a dearth of creativity; it’s an example of Trek “fans” that no longer possess any iota of imagination or willingness to suspend disbelief. The bullshit babbling of #24 illustrates this sad state of affairs perfectly.
Trek fandom has become a sad, pathetic shadow of its former self. The glory days are long gone. You fair-weather fans don’t deserve another movie, much less a TV series or *ANYTHING* else Star Trek. Go back to your TOS repeats and your Shatner shrines; just keep sitting there and shouting at those damn kids to get off your lawn, and fade into the obscurity and irrelevance that you have so rightfully earned.
32–
You made me grin just reading that! I would buy that comic book.
They have heard of Dead Space right?
This is why I started blogging about zombie movies- I got fed up of the “Oh no! Something else with zombies in! Now nothing’s original anymore!” argument.
So you don’t have to go and read my blog I’ll break my argument down simply: The zombie genre is formulaic, more so than many other genres. From Night of the Living Dead (Actually, from I Am Legend, the book Night of the Living Dead nicked its premise from) zombie movies are usually about a bunch of characters trapped in some kind of building, under siege from The Hordes.
What seperates the zombie movies from each other, is the characters under siege. Because we all know the zombie movie formulae, we know the problems that the characters will face, so the way the characters react to the siege and work with or against one another tells us more about them.
Now, being a massive Trekkie as well as a zombie nut, I happen to think that Kirk, Spock, McCoy and friends are some of the most iconic characters out there, and that if you trap them in a building/space colony and put them under siege from a horde of zombies, they’ll be pretty entertaining under the circumstances. It won’t be mind blowingly original, but not everything has to be.
Interesting… Will definitely read this if I can find it somewhere.
All we need now is a Star Trek//Mass Effect crossover.
I’d be interested in seeing how Kirk & Co. would deal with the Reaper threat. ;)
How about a Star Trek/Known Space crossover. Oh wait, Kzinti happened.
How about a Star Trek/X-Men crossover. That happened. In a novel though.
.
I’m all for “James T. Kirk, Vampire Hunter”. The evil Nosferatu-looking character would of course be the evil S’chn T’gai Xtmprsqzntwlfd Spock of Vulcan.
Star Trek/Jane Austen/Zombie/Fat Albert crossover?
How about a Star Trek Babylon5 Crossover. Oh wait. Space Battles has done that. Great Fighting.
@38: The X-Men thing happened in two comics too. One was OK, the other was terrible.
Issue #2 has a Gold Key cover. Even more Gold Key than that from issue #1.
A review of #2 should be online Tuesday night.
I read the Str Trek zombie story and it’s good fun. If I have any criticism, it’s that they chose to focus on Kirk, Spock, & McCoy. A longer story featuring better defined supporting characters other than 3 white human male dispoable & interchangable security guards would have had more mileage. It’s very odd that the landing party has no women involved – it’s a story being being written in the 21st century, not the 1960s!