TrekInk: Review of Star Trek #41: Behemoth Part 1 + 7-Page Preview

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It’s a new beginning for IDW’s nu-Trek comics, but when the Enterprise finds a massive new threat in uncharted space, will the five-year mission end before it even begins? Find out with a spoiler-filled review, plus a 7-page preview, after the jump.

 

Star Trek #41: Behemoth, Part 1 
(available Wednesday, February 11)

Written by Mike Johnson, story consultant Roberto Orci, art by Cat Staggs, colors by Wes Hartman, letters by Neil Uyetake, edits by Sarah Gaydos.

Cover: Art by Tony Shasteen Subscription Cover: Photo

Cover by Cat Staggs – Subscription Cover: Photo

Story:

The crew of the Enterprise is, at last, on their five-year mission into uncharted regions of space. Enjoying the view of a vast field of stars, Chekov meets a woman from his past in the observation lounge, while Kirk and Carol Marcus reflect on the still-recent devastation in San Francisco.

Pavel Chekov Star Trek Behemoth

Chekov meets an old friend.

Both conversations are interrupted by the receipt of a mysterious distress signal. Following the signal to its origins, the Enterprise finds an alien vessel, badly damaged and dead in space. Uhura and Science Officer 0718 do their best to decipher the alien transmission, which offers little except a vague, ominous warning about a “behemoth.”

Kirk, Marcus, McCoy, and Uhura beam over to the damaged vessel to investigate, where a large, injured alien awaits. The universal translator begins to facilitate meaningful communication and the alien shares tragic memories of its home planet, just before a massive new threat arrives on the scene…

Star Trek behemoth alien vessel

The Alien vessel, in trouble.

Review:

It’s the beginning of a whole new mission for Trek comics, with the Q Gambit over, and the Enterprise at the outset of spending five-years in deep, unexplored space. It’s probably no surprise, then, that this issue definitely feels like a fresh start, and, sets up some pieces that appear as though they’ll resonate both in the Behemoth two-parter and, hopefully, beyond.

Writer Mike Johnson said in a recent interview that he wanted to show a “wider slice of life” on the Enterprise in the upcoming comics, and that focus is a nice addition to this first issue. We’re introduced to the nu-verse Irina Galliulin (only time will tell if she joins the nu-Trek space hippie movement), and spend some much needed time with Carol Marcus. Lest we forget, she had to watch Khan crush her dad’s head in the last movie, so it’s good to see the trauma of STID acknowledged in her heart-to-heart with Kirk, even if only for a moment.

Jim Kirk and Carol Marcus Star Trek

Kirk and Carol catch-up on old times….

Johnson also said that “Behemoth” is an unabashed Trek-style take on Moby Dick. It’s easy enough to see it heading in that direction; the rest of the issue proceeds at a brisk clip, amping up the intrigue of the mysterious alien vessel and its inhabitant, and peaking just in time for a cliffhanger with the introduction of this tale’s “white whale.”

Cat Staggs handled the art and the cover for this issue, and there’s lots of nice work throughout. A story featuring a “behemoth” actually starts with what one might call the smallest character in the main cast, Pavel Chekov, reflecting on a dense, beautiful star-scape on the observation deck. There’s nice restraint from Wes Hartman on the colors in the early outer space panels that makes the vibrant color scheme of the Behemoth really pop by story’s end.

It’s also worth pointing out the great job Staggs, Hartman, and Neil Uyetake on lettering, do with rendering the the giant creature on the damaged ship and its nearly indecipherable language. It’s ever refreshing to have Trek aliens in uncharted space actually feel so, you know, alien. And the aforementioned Behemoth itself, with its introduction in the final pages, is an absolute beaut. Likenesses are more inconsistent, though, with Kirk, in particular, oscillating between spot-on Chris Pine and generic pretty boy. The cover by Staggs is also plenty cool, though it seems a bit out of place with the actual story, which has nary a phaser fired the entire time.

Alien Behemoth Star Trek

A very alien alien

Behemoth is a fine introduction to the new five-year mission, and ends just as it really gets cooking. From the interviews with Johnson, it sounds like there’s exciting stuff to come for the nu-Trek comics, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to play out in part 2.

7 Page Preview:

ST_35-pr_Part1ST_35-pr_Part2ST_35-pr_Part3 ST_35-pr_Part4ST_35-pr_Part5ST_35-pr_Part6 ST_35-pr_Part7

Coming Next:

Next up for February – stay tuned for the third issue of Trek/Planet of the Apes crossover The Primate Directive!

Cover: Art by Tony Shasteen

AVAILABLE AT THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD   All the Star Trek comics can be pre-ordered at Thing From Another World. Click the banner below.

Find Star Trek comics, toys, statues, and collectibles at TFAW.com!

Fritz Kessler is a writer and editor for media and technology site FliptheMedia.com. He’s actually pretty damn excited about Justin Lin-Trek. Quiz him on his absurd knowledge of Star Trek guest stars anytime by finding @hellofritzcom on Twitter or visiting fritzkessler.com

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After the Planet of the Apes silliness, when will we see the Star Trek – Gilligan’s Island treatment?

Thanks Fritz. Looks like a good start for the 5-year mission!

A quick note for Trek comics fans: IDW Publishing is experiencing shipping delays due to West Coast port labor disputes. There won’t be any IDW comics released this Wednesday (Feb 18) and all their titles may be pushed back a couple of weeks or more.

An alien alien…

A Jughead Alien…invaders from the Riverdale system threaten Enterprise…

http://www.coloringpagesabc.com/wp-content/uploads/jughead_coloring_pages_015.gif

Oh good to know, thanks Mark – what a bummer!

Looks great! Looking forward to diving into these as soon as I finish the recent City on the Edge of Forever series!

So from one picture it looks as if the deflector is more STII style and now recessed into the hull, I wonder if this will be how it looks in the next movie?

Sorry, but I couldn’t stop thinking about a mysterious alien “wessel” while reading the article. :)

The artwork looks really solid on this one.

So I’m a lazy sonofagun and I stopped reading these an issue or two after Into Darkness. Okay, so a) wasn’t that nearly two years ago and b) they’re just heading into deep space on that five year mission now?

Did the intervening comics take place in that year before the five-year-mission started?

You don’t need to give me answers. I should probably read ’em — but I sort of lost interest (I was faithful up until STID, and then… meh).

No mention of the 3 year extension of Bad Robot’s contract? Star Trek will still be under their purview come 2018. That’s pretty big news.

Oh there’s plenty of other news too,the one about Bryan Cranston for instance,guess it just flies by,lol!

The story is promising but I’m disappointed by the arts for the simple reason that that the otherwise talented artist gets bored and too many panels look the same as scenes in the movies. How many times will you trace those stills of kirk, uhura, spock? Maybe because I read them all I notice it more but what’s even the point of making the art of the comics if you don’t take the effort to actually draw ALL the scenes written by the writer and the characters accordingly?
The first issues were more simple but I prefer simple old fashioned comic arts than copies of screencaps and stills.

9. Jack – February 18, 2015

Did the intervening comics take place in that year before the five-year-mission started?

——
I have lost the count of what’s the current stardate but I remember that in the after darkness comics they got it wrong and ignored the one year jump (because, I think, that line was added last minute in the movie) but then corrected it in later issues. These events should be one year and half after khan

Somehow a picture of the beautiful Alice Eve next to the word Behemoth seems ironic. But then I guess irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.

10

They are trying to downplay this news in the other thread. Funny stuff.

Anyway, I wanted to thank Fritz Kessler for doing reviews that do not give the whole plot away. That is the type of review I prefer.

ugh… hate this crap… =(

BR got a contract extension?!? (*puke*) =P

# 15. NuFan – February 19, 2015

” Funny stuff.” — NuFan

Indeed, people trying to conflate an extension of an agreement J.J. had in place while directing his first MI for Paramount long before Gail Berman was hired to approach him about anything dealing with STAR TREK is most amusing.

@ Jack

most recent stardates stated in the captain’s log from the comics
2261.274 (parallel lives where they meet a gender swap version of themselves, priceless! lol)

2261.34 (most recent issues featuring Q)

star trek into darkness was in 2259, right?

The five-year mission began a year after the main events of STID, according to Kirk’s speech at the end of the film. Issue #24 remains consistent with this – Kirk logs stardate 2260.115 – so we can surmise that “After Darkness” (#21-23), which immediately precedes those events, is also set in 2260.

However, then it gets tricky because “The Khitomer Conflict” jumps to 2261.147-168, followed by “Parallel Lives” (2261.274-234, in reverse), followed by “The Q Gambit” (begins on SD 2261.34, backwards in time according to the rule stated by Orci, since Day 34 is earlier in the year than Day 234).

We also learn in the latter that Science Officer 0718 is “online as of stardate 2260.314”, whatever that means.

Since Johnson has stated in the letters section that the publication order = chronological order, I can only guess that the year is supposed to be 2260, not 2261, and that all the 2261 stardates were chosen incorrectly.

20 – what does that have to do with the comic?