IDW's June Star Trek comics, and other updates

IDW have announced their June solicitations, which include four Star Trek titles, but only one entirely new comic. The rest of the releases are nuTrek omnibus books, which will arrive just in time to get you in the mood for the release of Star Trek Beyond the following month. Continue below for details of those, and other Star Trek comic updates.

That one new comic in June is Legacy of Spock, part four, which is issue fifty-eight in the nuTrek ongoing series. This final issues in the Spock story-line is from the series' regular creative team of writer Mike Johnson and artist Tony Shasteen. Here's how IDW describe it:

The stunning conclusion of "Legacy of Spock"! The fate of the Vulcan people hangs in the balance as Spock tries to prevent all-out war with the Romulan Empire! Will the Vulcans find a new homeworld on which to rebuild their civilization... or does this spell the end of their species? Don't miss the final chapter of this mini-series event celebrating the 50th anniversary of STAR TREK!

There will be two covers for this one, the regular by Tony Shasteen, featuring Spock from three eras (you can see Shasteen's development process for this in an article on 13th Dimension), plus a subscription cover by Alberto Silva:

Details of Manifest Destiny and other Star Trek comics news

Starting in April is Manifest Destiny, a new four-part nuTrek comic miniseries featuring the Klingons, which will be released fortnightly. Continue below for new details of that, and other Star Trek comics news from IDW.

Things From Another World have posted an interview with Manifest Destiny's writers, Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott, artist Angel Hernandez, and editor Sarah Gaydos, revealing some new details about the series. Perhaps the biggest news is a quick note that there will be no prequel comic series for Star Trek Beyond, but that this series kind of fills that event role anyway, as Johnson explains:

We aren’t doing a movie prequel this year, but we wanted to do another event-worthy series to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek. What could be more event-y than a showdown with the Klingons? And this time both sides are out where no one — human OR Klingon — has been before.

As that summary suggests, it seems this series will be exploring strange new worlds from a new perspective, with the Klingon equivalent of our heroes, as Parrott notes:

...who’s the Klingon “Captain Kirk?” What does their “Enterprise” look like? How does the Empire explore? So we did some research into the Vikings and Mongols, just to establish a base...

Parrot also outlined the Klingon-Kirk, someone called Shotok:

There are some great villains in the original series, but outside of Khan, they’re mostly races — Klingons, Romulans, etc. So our goal was to try and create a worthy adversary for Kirk — someone personal, who thinks and acts like he does. Shotok is an outsider who doesn’t conform to the traditional Klingon code of honor. And because of that, he’s dangerous, unpredictable, and a bit of a wildcard when he first encounters the Enterprise.

While Johnson elaborated on the setting:

Mega update #7: IDW

It's a bit of a quiet time on the Trek front from IDW. The end of last year saw just one series runnning, Khan Ruling in Hell, and following the current Star Trek element in the Infestation crossover we wont have any new Trek comics for at least a couple of months (the first time since IDW starting doing Trek comics a few years ago)!

TrekMovie talked to IDW about this and were reassured there was more Trek coming later this year:

IDW is not moving away from Star Trek. We’ve included it in our company-wide event, INFESTATION, and are working on some big things to start in the spring. There are several Star Trek books in the works. 

Those books apprently include stories form both the prime and new-movie timelines.

If you missed any of Khan you can find previews for the final three issues: here, here, and here.

Solicitations for the next few months:

February

Star Trek Infestation #1

The first-ever event in IDW Publishing’s history crosses over into the Star Trek universe with this two-part, bi-weekly series! A routine visit to a colony world takes a horrifying turn when Admiral Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy find themselves surrounded by hordes of the undead! Spinning out of the pages of last month’s INFESTATION, this series takes the crew of the Enterprise into a dark and deadly new direction!

Star Trek Infestation #2

The second chapter of a bi-weekly Infestation tie-in! Admiral Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy fight for their lives against mobs of zombie colonists! Will they be able to prevent the Infestation from spreading throughout the Federation? And will they discover the greater threat behind the undead invasion in time to save themselves?!

March

Captain's Log omnibus

The most legendary captains of Starfleet get their due in this collection of five standalone tales! See how Captains Pike, Sulu, Harriman, and Jellico handle the responsibilities and challenges they face as Starfleet Captains.

April

Infestation #2

IDW's first-ever mega event ends here! Britt has returned from the universes of TRANSFORMERS, GHOSTBUSTERS, G.I. JOE and STAR TREK, armed with new technology that will spread the Infestation across all known realities. Zombie apocalypse looms and the remaining members of CVO are running out of options... humanity's last hope may be a risky sacrifice that could alter the IDW universe forever!

Khan: Ruling in Hell omnibus

When the most infamous villain in Star Trek history is last seen in the Original Series episode "Space Seed," Khan Noonien Singh's an elegant, proud warrior-king. When he's next seen in Star Trek II, he's a grizzled maniac, twisted by loss and an unquenchable thirst for revenge. What has happened between these two points in time to so radically alter what seemed to be an unbreakable will? That story is finally told!

Countdown #1 100 penny reprint

Our line of affordable reprints continues with the prequel to the blockbuster film from Paramount Pictures! JJ Abrams, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman present the origin of Nero, the mysterious Romulan who will ultimately threaten the survival of the entire universe.

And finally with Infestation now begun, and the Star Trek section starting this week, there are lots of previews about! From Infestation #1 preview pages before colouring, and after. From Star Trek Infestation, three pages to get you going. Some character designs from David Messina. And a zombie-McCoy by J.K. Woodward, which appeared in the retale incentive Infestation Sketchbook. There's also a Comic Book Resources interview with Scott and David Tipton on their work on the Star Trek issues. They noted the choice of setting:

...one choice we did make was to use a slightly later incarnation of the Classic crew, as seen in ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture.’ This was done in part in the hopes of setting the stage for future stories to be told in that period, which has long been a favorite of ours, and also because that 1970s feel that's found in ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ seemed to be a good match for this more bleak kind of tale.

German Nero covers

Cross Cult have posted on their facebook page their new covers by David Messina for the German paperback and hardcover releases of the Nero miniseries. They look like this:

IDW in February and comics updates

Comics Continuum have posted IDW's solicitations for February, which include three new Star Trek comics and two omnibuses.

Ghosts #4
With Captain Picard shifted into another dimension, Commander Riker takes command of the Enterprise and negotiates with Worf's hot-tempered captors for his release. Troi tries to pick through the noise in her patient's head to unravel information on the extra-dimensional ghosts. Meanwhile, the missing Picard finds himself in a peculiar leadership role.
Fool's Gold #3
As the temperature rises aboard Deep Space Nine, Captain Sisko, Kira and Odo come closer to getting to the bottom of the mystery. Can Sisko calm the volatile situation and restore order before another riot breaks out? And what does Garak have to do with all that has transpired?
Star Trek Movie Adaptation #1
JJ Abrams' blockbuster revitalization of the Star Trek franchise was the most thrilling film of the year. Now, under the direction of Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, comes the highly anticipated graphic adaptation of the film! Additionally, new scenes and moments cut from the movie are revealed‹an event no Star Trek fan can dare miss!
Romulans: Pawns of War omnibus
Collecting Byrne's tales of Star Trek's Romulans in one volume. This special edition tells tales leading up to the seminal "Balance of Terror" episode. Included within is the Romulans Alien Spotlight, the two-part Hollow Crown story, and the three-issue Schism series. As an added bonus, Byrne writes and draws an all-new 12-page "Balance of Terror" adaptation just for this collection.


Nero omnibus
From Star Trek writer/producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, comes an all-new story set within the events of the hit film! Not an adaptation, this exclusive story follows the villainous Nero as he seeks to destroy the Federation.

Meanwhile on his forums John Byrne has given some new details of his forthcoming series Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor. It apparently sees McCoy dealing with a new disease in each issue, and is based on an idea Byrne once had for a TV series set in the American Civil War.

And final some new art. David Messina's cover for Fool's Gold issue 2 (also available on Messina's blog, Captain's Log: Sulu cover art at higher res than previously released):
And from the interior artist of the same series, Fabio Mantovani, a page from the first issue (which you can also see pre-colouring on the original post):

IDW five page previews

Since my last updates three comics have been released by IDW, and all have had their usual five page previews. Here is a page form each a link to the full preview:

Schism #3
Ghosts #1Nero #4

Nero #3 preview

In case you missed it... Comics Continuum posted a six-page preview of last week's third issue in the Nero series (which featuring a neat tie-in with The Motion Picture), here's one page, see the rest, here.

Nero #2 preview

TrekMovie have posted a five-page-preview of next week's second issue in the Nero miniseries. Here's one page:
See the rest, here, along with covers for the issue and this omnibus cover:

Comics update: IDW in November and Crew omnibus

Comics Continuum have released IDW's solicitations for November, which feature three Star Trek comics and two omnibuses, including the first issue of the new TNG series, Ghosts.

Nero #4
Written by Mike Johnson and Tim Jones, art by David Messina.

From Star Trek writer/producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and the creative team behind the best-selling Star Trek: Countdown. The final issue contains the climactic confrontation between Nero and the elder Spock -- leading up to the cataclysmic destruction of Vulcan!

Romulans: Schism #3
Written and illustrated by John Byrne.

When the edges begin to fray, can the center hold for long? The alliance between the Klingons and the Romulans begins to collapse -- with the Federation squarely in the middle! John Byrne's Romulan Saga comes to a literally shattering conclusion!

Ghosts #1
Written by Zander Cannon, art by Javier Aranda.

Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise respond to a distress call and find a terribly wounded scientist aboard a marooned ship. While evaluating the planet below (and its two warring nations) for possible Federation membership, Picard discovers to his horror that the survivor of the disaster is foreseeing his death.

Archives #7: Best of Klingons

In stories like "The Wormhole Connection," "The Only Good Klingon...," "Errand of War," "Deadly Allies," "Maggie's World," and "Judgment Day," get a close look at the relationship between the Federation and Klingon Empire. These fierce, warring people present unique challenges to the Federation, and in these classic stories give a glimpse of what the future holds for Federation-Klingon relations.

Movie Omnibus

Star Trek's many movie adaptations are collected together for the first time in this Star Trek Movie Omnibus from IDW. Included are the three-part Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the one-shots Star Trek: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek: The Final Frontier, Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country, and finally the newly created, three-part Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan from IDW.

Finally, in a post on his forums, John Byrne has revealed the omnibus book of his Crew series will include a pre-colored version of the third issue of the series, to show-off the pencil shading technique he began to use in that issue.

IDW October

Comics Continuum have released IDW's solicitions for October, which include three Star Trek comics and three omnibuses!

Spock: Reflections #4
Ambassador Spock has returned to Earth but why?! The answers may lie in another previously untold tale from Spock's life, starring Lt. Saavik, of Wrath of Khan fame! The secret behind Spock's journey is revealed here!


Nero #3
The third installment of Nero warps ahead with the villain continuing his quest for vengeance against Spock and the Federation!Romulans: Schism #2
The Second Romulan War rages along the bounderies of the Neutral Zone and beyond, and Star Fleet Command chooses their most decorated Starship Commander for a deadly mission against an unexpected foe.Countdown hardcover omnibus
The explosive return of Star Trek has rocked movie theaters worldwide, and IDW's exclusive movie prequel comic Countdown is the perfect accessory for fans of the film, and it's now available only for the direct market in a limited edition hardcover!
Crew omnibus
Eight years before "The Cage," the young woman who would become the Starship Enterprise's "most experienced officer" was a lowly cadet assigned to the shakedown cruise of an uncommissioned starship. But that supposedly pedestrian mission may just be the most dangerous of her life.




Mission's End omnibus
The most important "lost" tale of the Star Trek saga can now be told: The final mission of the original Starship Enterprise and her crew. What prompts Mr. Spock and Doctor McCoy to retire from Starfleet? What earns Kirk his promotion to Admiral? And what is the mystery of Archenar-IV that threatens to tear the Federation itself apart? All will be revealed in this collection of the five-issue mini-series, with appearances by fan-favorite characters.

Nero preview

TrekMovie have posted a five-page preview of next week's Nero, Number One. Here's one page:

See the rest, here.

New move comics, prequels, sequels and inbetwequels!

TrekMovie have posted an interview with Tim Jones and Mike Johnson discussing their various comic book tie-ins with the new movie. Highlights and newsoids include:

• Insights into their approach to the new movie adaptation; going back to early drafts of the scripts to find new angles on events and such.
• Confirmation the Nero series wont be repeated within the events of the adaptation.
• A few hints on Nero, which will feature "a sort of famous Klingon", a new Human character, and a Spock.
• Plans for a prequel to Countdown showing Data's return and rise to captaincy, and how the rest of the TNG gang have been moving about.
• After that a desire to do a post-Countdown TNG series.
• And the earliest hint of a potential for a Countdown-like tie-in prequel for the next film when it comes about.

The article discusses all those projects in detail, check it out, here.

IDW September

Comics Continuum have released IDW's solicitations for September, which include a reprint of DC Comics previously reprinted and a disappointing lack of Alien Spotlights. But on the upside we get the start of Schism, and two David Messina illustrated comics!

Spock: Reflections #3

Ambassador Spock's mysterious journey continues! As Spock makes his way toward Earth, he thinks back on another previously untold tale from his past, this time featuring James T. Kirk, Leonard McCoy and the crew of the original U.S.S. Enterprise!

Nero #2

From Star Trek writer/producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and the creative team behind the best-selling Star Trek: Countdown. The story of the villainous Nero continues as we learn how Nero spent the years between his battle with the Kelvin and his reunion with Spock! You don't want to miss this essential chapter in the rebirth of Star Trek!

UPDATE: David Messina has also posted this new art on his blog.

Romulans: Schism #1

War! From behind the scenes, the Klingons loose their unsuspecting puppets, the Romulans, against the forces of the Federation. But the Klingon Emperor is impatient with the slow pace of the conflict, and back on Romulus there are already some who begin to see through the Klingon schemes. The final arc in John Byrne's Romulans tales begins here!

Archives #6: Alternate Universes

The treacherous but intriguing tales of Star Trek's Mirror Universe are presented in this collection of the 8-part Mirror Universe Saga! It will take all the guile and cunning Kirk, Spock and the crew of the Enterprise can muster if they hope to ward off the coming Empire invasion, and save themselves in the process!

More Nero

TrekMovie have also posted a preview article for Nero, with four more pages to enjoy looking, like these two:

UPDATE: You can also see these same pages before they coloured on David Messina's blog.

Nero details and preview

Comic Book Resources have posted an interview with Mike Johnson and Tim Jones (the writers of Countdown) on their forthcoming series Nero. As widely anticipated the interview confirms the series will deal with Nero's lost years in the new movie; based on scenes cut from the movie itself, the comic will include: "Robau, prison, ear damage, green blood, the Narada, explosions, astrophysics, red matter, 47 Klingon ships. And more."

The interview also reveals Spock (prime) will be a major character in the series, as will Ayel. They also list characters named Quocch and Clavell as well as "an entity whose name escapes me at the moment" and a cameo from The Motion Picture.

The article includes three pages from the first issue, here's one of them:

See the original article for the other preview pages and the full interview.

IDW August

Comics Continuum have posted IDW's solicitations for August, which include three Star Trek titles: The return to Alien Spotlight with a Q issue by Scott Tipton (but not David!); A new Pike story in Spock: Reflections; And the start of a new series, Nero, which is set among the events of the new film (fingers crossed for a what-was-Nero-up-to-for-quater-of-a-century series):

Alien Spotlight: Q
Writer: Scott Tipton; Artist: Elena Casagrande
The all-powerful Q has returned once more, with his latest attempt to understand the nature of humanity, and this time, it's in a manner that Captain Jean-Luc Picard will never forget! How will Q bedevil Picard this time... or has Picard finally found a way to turn the tables?
Spock: Reflections #2
Writers: Scott and David Tipton; Artists: David Messina and Federica Manfredi
Spock continues on his mysterious mission! What could have driven him to leave his new life on Romulus? The answers start here! And also, an untold tale from Spock's life featuring Captain Christopher Pike!

Nero #1
Writers: Mike Johnson and Tim Jones; Artist: David Messina.
From Star Trek writer/producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and the creative team behind the prequel comic Star Trek: Countdown comes an all-new story set within the events of the film! Not an adaptation, this exclusive story follows the villainous Nero as he seeks to destroy the Federation. An essential chapter in the rebirth of Star Trek!