As a fan of Star Trek In general, with a particular soft spot for Star Trek comics, I’ve considered IDW Publishing’s current ongoing run as a true renaissance for the franchise – but now, I think it’s started to take a step even beyond that, to become a legitimate standard bearer for ambitious comic book storytelling with classic Franchise IP.
The franchise is steadily building to next year’s main story event, Lore warWhich is set to be the culmination of over two years of patient plot tellingAcross two titles, Star Trek – written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing – and Christopher Cantwell’s Star Trek: Defiant.
I’ve been steadily more impressed with both series as they’ve progressed; Like most readers, I thought the sweep Day of Blood The storyline was impressive enough, but as it turns out, it was just the first act in an even more sprawling saga.
Trek comics are boldly going places I never expected – including letting lore blow up the universe
Star Trek #25 – Written by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing; Art by Liana Kangas; Color by Lee Loughridge; Lettering by Clayton Cowles
The Star Trek Franchise is, of course, first and foremost associated with television, but each of its television incarnations has, to some degree or another, been subject to the limitations of what a television series of its era can do. Although Trek also has a long history in comics, I would argue that IDW’s current series, Star Trek And Star Trek: DefiantAre taking full advantage of the resource as no Trek Comic did before. That is to say, both series do more than just push the boundaries of Star Trek Stories, but warping past it.
The last issue of Star TrekThe twenty-fifth milestone of the run continues to explore the aftermath of Lore literally blowing up the entire universe using the Bajoran Orb of Destruction. If this sounds over the top, let me assure you it is, in all the right ways. What excites me most about this, however, is As the storyline builds steadily over multiple years, in a remarkable example of long-term comic book storytellingOne that I hope creators around the industry take note of.
IDW’s Trek comics have added dimensions to franchise lore (not the villain, I mean mythology)
Star Trek #25 Now available from IDW Publishing; Star Trek: Defiant #20 Available October 23
One of the things I enjoyed most about Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing Star Trek was how each issue added to the tapestry of Trek canon, either by introducing novel ideas, or recontextualizing deep-cut pieces of classic lowercase-l lore. Every step of the way, it has consistently been men service of immersing readers in the authors’ take on the Trek universe, while the ambitious overarching story of the serieswhich focused on the interaction between the flesh-and-blood characters of the series and higher dimensional beings, such as Q, and the Bajoran prophets.
First the rogue Klingon Emperor Kahless, and now Lore, sought to destroy the “gods” of the Star Trek universe and advance to their position. I thought these God war And Day of Blood Stories That Occupied IDW’s Early Years Trek There were thrilling reinventions of the franchise, along with an all-star cast to tell a suitably epic story. The fact that it was, in fact, a warm-up for the even more cataclysmic Lore war This event really makes Kelly and Lanzing’s Star Trek at its best.
I’m excited to find out how the “lore war” pays off years of hard work – but what comes after that?
Star Trek: Lore War – Coming March 2025
I don’t take it lightly when I say that Star Trek is pretty much the high watermark for franchise comic book storytelling; Trek is competing for that distinction with the likes of Daniel Warren Johnson’s Energon Universe Transformers, and the end of the X-Men franchise’s Krakoan Era. I focused on Kelly and Lanzing’s flagship title, but Christopher Cantwell Star Trek: Defiant is an equally great read, and equally important, and editor Heather Antos has shepherded the line through this absolutely incredible run. Overall, I believe this is the result of incredible hard work by the whole Trek team at IDW.
All that said, I can only hope it won’t end with Lore war. Two-plus years is a long time for most creative teams to spend on a series, but to me it feels like Kelly, Lansing, and Cantwell are all just getting started, and it would be a shame if they moved on from Trek Now. It was a pleasant surprise watching Star Trek Rising to a place of prominence as one of the shining examples of IP-based tentpole comic book storytellingAnd I can only hope that this last step in the journey is not the last for the creators who worked so hard to make it happen.
Star Trek #25 is available now from IDW Publishing.