Adrift in unexplored space, the Enterprise is far beyond the reach of Starfleet, but not IDW Publishing. The Five Year Mission continues this week with a new story arc. Spoiler review after the break.
Star Trek #43, March 2015
Written by Mike Johnson, art by Tony Shasteen, colors by Davide Mastrolonardo, letters by Neil Uyetake, story consultant Roberto Orci, edits by Sarah Gaydos
Regular Cover: art by Joe Corroney
Subscription Cover: Photo
The Story
Eurydice, Part 1 of 3: Following their desperate escape from the Behemoth, the crew of the Enterprise finds themselves in dire straits; stranded in the Delta Quadrant, warp and impulse engines offline, and no dilithium crystals. Kirk doesn’t hide the truth from his crew, because he knows they will do their jobs, and plots a course for the nearest system, Jemison 575, over three hundred light years away. For two months, the crew performs admirably, then a large ship intercepts the Enterprise and it’s captain appears on the bridge as a hologram, introducing herself as Eurydice.
Chekov and Irina cooking up some dilithium.
A salvage expert, Eurydice is intrigued by the Starfleet vessel and irreverent to the crew. She offers to tow the Enterprise at warp to a location where dilithium is available. Given their circumstances, Kirk reluctantly agrees. Eurydice takes them in tow and makes a disturbing entry in her ship’s log.
Hallelujah!
The Review
After the action-packed conclusion of the Behemoth story arc in Star Trek #42, Mike Johnson lets us takes a deep breath and take stock of the situation. Rather than letting us drift like a ship with no dilithium, Johnson reminds us what Trek is all about, people committed to an ideal. By showing us the crew of the Enterprise through Kirk’s eyes, carrying on under difficult circumstances, we can truly understand the strength of those ideals. Pausing for a reflective moment like this could have easily been a disaster, but Johnson tells the story with style that’s much appreciated. When Eurydice appears on the bridge, the transition from reflection to mystery is smooth and seamless. I’m anxious to learn what happens next.
Tony Shasteen resumes art duties following a short break from the ongoing series. Shasteen’s work on The Q Gambit was outstanding and he has hit the ground running in issue #43. Many of the panels focus closely on crewmembers and the likenesses are very good. My only quibble is that McCoy occasionally looks as young as his younger crewmates. The alien Eurydice is drawn with feline elegance. It’s no surprise that she’s up to something. This issue is full of complex art effects that overlay the ship, the crew, and backgrounds. Shasteen’s clean line art and the colors by Davide Mastrolonardo make it all work. I’m very pleased with the look of this issue. Joe Corroney provides the cover art for the regular edition of Star Trek #43. Kirk, Spock, Dr. Marcus, phasers and communicators make for a striking cover. The subscription cover variant features a photo of Sulu. Not much to say about it except he looks like he’s ready to shred. So where does that leave us? A thoughtful introduction to a new story arc leading into an intersting mystery. Bring on issue #44!
The Preview
IDW Publishing is finally getting caught up with their release schedule after unexpected shipping delays. Star Trek #43 will be at your local comic shop this Wednesday, March 11.
Hot on the heels of the ongoing series is Star Trek/Planet of the Apes #4 which is scheduled for release next week. The retailer incentive variant of issue #4 is already in some local comic shops, so some of you may have seen this installment of the Trek/Apes saga already.
Cover art by Rachael Stott
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Mark Martinez is an obsessive-compulsive Star Trek comics reader and collector. You can visit his website, the Star Trek Comics Checklist for more than you ever needed to know about Star Trek comics!
http://www.acting-auditions.org/2015/03/casting-calls-for-star-trek-3.html
As others might have already pointed out, the casting call has gone out.
photon70: the casting call for this comic? You mean to say that it will be filmed as written? Otherwise I can’t think of a reason why that would be relevant to this blog post.
No. I didn’t mean to create confusion.
Casting call for Star Trek 2016.
I didn’t feel the link belonged in any other place!
It does confirm the June to Sept window of primary filming in Vancouver.
photon70: nobody was confused; I merely promoted Mike Johnson to screenwriter in order to have some fun with your off-topic comment. If you feel that trekmovie writers have overlooked important up-to-the-minute information, you can always email it to them, and they can create a separate, relevant blog post.
Can’t wait to read part two and find out what this lady is up to! Don’t trust her Kirk! I also loved the character moments (if this Sulu is like the other one don’t hurt his plants! Though Lol) spock is an adorkable vulcan and chekov has a new cute friend ;)
I was pleasantly surprised that they ran into her ship instead of a predictable, mirrory Borg cube, though I suppose there’s still time for it.
So, they went from rehashing TOS episodes in the comic to pre-figuring “Voyager” by 100-odd years or so.
If the Kazon show up, I’m giving this up!
@1. photon70,
Thanks for the link.
#4. Boris – March 11, 2015
I dunno, I’ve always imagined that even comic artists need models from time to time?
9 – Let there be Google Image Search.
#8. Ahmed – March 12, 2015
Did you notice the credit for that guy, Chernov, that you thought wasn’t producing ST XIII?
@11. Disinvited,
Yeah, I saw that. It is the only list that has his name attached to ST XIII as Line Producer. Didn’t find him listed for the new movie on IMDB or other sites.
Going by the casting call, I guess he is involved in the movie after all.
Its so hard to keep up on comics, but this sounds like something cool I would want to check out.
Regarding the casting call, interesting that it says an original screenplay by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung. So they either did a massive rewrite on the previous script enough to make it their own, or they completely started from scratch.
Why is this not a tv series?
After the next trek film, this should be a tv show
‘Star trek: The ongoing mission’ even if it’s just 10 episodes a year like game of thrones.
14: Whole heartedly agree!
I agree with Martin. We should have a TV show after Star Trek 13. Here is how nuTrek should proceed.
Star Trek 11
” ” 12
” ” 13
More 23rd century nuTrek:
Star Trek Season 1
” ” 14
” ” Season 2
” ” 15
” ” Season 3
” ” 16
” ” Season 4
” ” 17
” ” Season 5
” ” 18
24th century nuTrek:
” ” ” ” Season 1
” ” 19
” ” ” ” Season 2
” ” 20
” ” ” ” Season 3
” ” 21
” ” ” ” Season 4
” ” 22
” ” ” ” Season 5
” ” 23
” ” 24
Plus with the unfortunate death of Leanord nimoy,
Zachary quinto is Spock now.
I would be gutted if star trek 3 is the last film with these cast of characters, unless they do a forth film but I can’t wait another 4 years.
# 17. Martin – March 18, 2015
” Plus with the unfortunate death of Leanord nimoy,
Zachary quinto is Spock now.” — Martin
Illogical, the casting of Quinto, if anything, proves that any competent actor can perform the role.
True anyone can play the role,
but Zachary quinto is officially active as spock at the moment.
#17 Martin. I SO AGREE
#18 Disinvited, Quinto is more than “competent” at playing Spock. IMHO. Perhaps it’s the scripting of Spock that you object to?
# 20. Marja – March 19, 2015
“Quinto is more than “competent” at playing Spock. IMHO. Perhaps it’s the scripting of Spock that you object to?” — Marja
Hey, I was the guy who noticed his resemblance to Nimoy’s portrayal of Spock in his performances as Syler in HEROES and rooted for him to be an actor to be considered to play Spock in an alternately cast Trek looooong before it was a glint in Gail Berman’s eye.
The only thing I object to is the constant current in fandom, that I have had to stand against since the series’ cancellation, that there can only be ONE actor who could possibly be cast in each of these roles, as if the casting was some sort of HIGHLANDER ritual dictum. I didn’t buy it then, and I don’t buy that contention now.
If the new Paramount somehow manages to follow true to the form of the old in other projects where directors have been replaced, keeping their next Trek in development hell long enough to end acting contracts, I for one will not be boycotting their next Trek effort simply because they’ve recast the parts. Been there. Didn’t do that.
It probably stems from being the AV geek in elemhi with a hicoll friend who was heavily into dramatic arts. I just don’t identify roles as being only performable by one possible actor. Not to mention the constant churning, and rotating of artists and writers in comic books.
Another thing that gets lost on others than you, Marja, is their constant seeking to lump people into some “anti” group that can justify bullying with an insidious banner: I paid to see the 2009 effort. It wasn’t the Trek that I was looking for. But I never tried to organize a boycott against it as I darn near did with NEMESIS [I have a Trekfan relative that I doubt to this day forgives me for never having seen it.]. I reported in these very halls that I told family and friends that asked me about the 2009 movie that I thought they would find it a well-made B science-fiction movie, and I didn’t think they’d regret spending their entertainment funds on it, but it simply wasn’t a STAR TREK for me.
I liked the casting. I liked the performances and that it proved that which I had long railed against in fandom that the roles could NEVER be recast. The directing was as competent as any in the series. I was glad Paramount finally saw fit to bestow upon what they saw as STAR TREK the production funds that it had long deserved but been denied since the first film. But the writing wasn’t where I expected it to be in the future of 2007 as I exited the first screening of TMP in my community in 1979.
Speaking of the comics, has anyne here picked up David Gerrold’s Doctor Who and Star Trek crossover from Amazing Stories magazines? Got mine today. It totally sucks. Really, reall bad. One of the worst comics I ever read. Stupid story with no point, and not worth three dollars let along the thirty I spent for it. Totally ripped off. Don’t order it, cause it’s crap.
#20. Marja , Thanks for your kind words. :)
If they do bring a tv show back, they might as well stay in the alt universe,
either the same cast on uss enterprise or a different ship and crew.
I would like the prime universe to come back as a tv show as well I don’t know if it will happen tho.
#23 maybe the prime universe will come back in the form of direct-to-dvd movies, which could result from collaborations between cbs and paramount
#24: That has zero chance of happening.
# 25. BatlethInTheGroin – March 20, 2015
“That has zero chance of happening.” — BatlethInTheGroin
Now, now, it’s a big IF but if Moonves manages to get his finances in a row and he times it precisely right, it is not entirely inconceivable that he could succeed in what no doubt many will regard as a hostile takeover of Paramount’s parent corp., Viacom, when Redstone has to abandon his controlling shares to his trust.
#26: Prime-universe Trek returning as direct-to-DVD movies, though? No chance whatsoever.
# 27. BatlethInTheGroin – March 21, 2015
” Prime-universe Trek returning as direct-to-DVD movies, though? No chance whatsoever.” — BatlethInTheGroin
Well, definitely not the way the op meant it, but after doing it for Les’ new VOD internet channel I could see him making special limited edition collectors box overpriced sets available that might include DVD copies as well as BDs without much fuss. But I agree with you that the longer this gets put further and further into the future the likelihood of a DVD anything Trek becomes more and more remote.
#28: Agreed. It’s like when people kept naively saying there’d be a Worf series starring Michael Dorn. That never had even the slightest chance of happening.
They are bringing back the X-Files as a short order series with the original actors. Personally, I would do just that but as a set up for a new full order series with new principles and the originals as guest stars (use Skinner as the connection).
Why can’t Star Trek being a short order or “HBO style” series? Yes, because CBC wont do it unless they can do it on their own network. Silly. If CBS announced they were open to lincensing Trek to others, they’d have no shortage of interest. Netflix? Absolutely. I know Trek would be more expensive than most…but look at the cost of Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead etc. And those properties dont need to be dumbed down for the kids.
make a smart Star Trek for adults…the kids will come along but it’s the adults who spend the money.
So, back to the comic being reviewed… No dilithium crystals to power the engines… Um, the Entperprise-JJ must have a ton of powerful batteries to keep all of the lens-flare causing lights to stay on. One would think that since they are adrift in space with nothing to power the engines (and they do more than just power the warp capabilities) that they would turn off the lights (especially with that conversation between Uhura and Spock regarding repurposing the arboretum).
That was one thing that caught my eye while reading the book.
30 TUP, agreed. I hope CBS won’t abuse Trek by anchoring a new CBS streaming network. So many streamers are proliferating now (Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, &c.), I fear Trek might get lost among the competition. I hope they launch on Netflix or another economically viable network … meaning, “affordable to viewers.”
Doesn’t Les Moonves hate Science fiction because he “can’t understand” it? He is still heading CBS?
# 31. sisko – March 23, 2015
” That was one thing that caught my eye while reading the book.” — sisko
You only just now noticed it reading the book and not seeing the movies???
What about when Scotty ejected the warp core and apparently its backup cores too because the E started spitting them out like a pez dispenser, AND the lights stayed on? And in the sequel it starts falling toward Earth because of no power and those lights stayed on! They should have rigged up internal solar cells to power up the impulse engines in that sequel of theirs.
# 32. Marja – March 23, 2015
” Doesn’t Les Moonves hate Science fiction because he “can’t understand” it? He is still heading CBS?” — Marja
Correct and the only explanation I have is the two women who do understand it at CBS — one he put in charge of licensing and the other as head of daytime and worldwide programming — apparently explained it to him?
33 Dis, and they probably explained it to him like this. “Les, this ‘Star Trek’ can be a cash cow if we play our cards right.”
Is this another one of those comics that Angry Bob wrote to explain all the BS in the films?
#33. Disinvited – March 23, 2015
Well, to be fair, while watching a movie you tend to get caught up in the action and the moment and not pay attention to why are the lights on. That comes about on the 3rd or 15th viewing. :-) In the comic, you can read at your own pace and notice things right away.
# 36. sisko – March 26, 2015
“) In the comic, you can read at your own pace and notice things right away.” — sisko
In the movie, I figured the lights had to stay on because you can’t have lens flares without ’em.