Infestation details!

IDW have announced the details of the Infestation crossover event running early next year. Starting weekly from the late January until the beginning of April the series will consist of a two-part framing story and then a series of two-issue blocks for each of the licensed properties involved.

-Infestation #1, January 19.
-Transformers: Infestation #1 & #2, February 2 & 16.
-Star Trek: Infestation #1 & #2, February 9 & 23
-G.I. Joe: Infestation #1 & #2, March 2 & 16
-Ghostbusters: Infestation #1 & #2, March 9 & 23.
-Infestation #2, April 6.

The Infestation itself will be zombies, the sort seen in IDW's Zombie vs Robots series, IDW's Covert Vampire Operations series will also play a role. As reported by CBR IDW's editors describe the series as follows: "...we start in the IDW universe with a zombie outbreak of epic proportions. The threat is contained (or is it?), but not before it infests other realities - the realities of our licensed books. The individual series will show just how our intrepid heroes - folks like Optimus Prime, Dr. Peter Venkman, Mr. Spock, Baroness, and so many others - face down this new and obviously shocking threat, and their desperate efforts to stop it before it can completely consume - both literally and figuratively - their realities."

The crossover element will be from the IDW universe into each licensed universe, but not between those other universes. Although "there is a surprise licensed-based crossover into the IDW universe in 'Infestation' #2".

According to the CBR article the Star Trek element will be set in the TOS movie era (though both covers showcased - see below - show distinctly TV era styling).

The framing story will be written by Dan Abnett (of Early Voyages distinction) and Andy Lanning with art by David Messina. The Star Trek issues will be by Scott and David Tipton with art by Casey Maloney (TNG: The Space Between).

The series will be available in the usual array of covers, issues will also come with incentive embroidered patches featuring the logo from each participating series, and there will be 16-page sketchbook featuring zombified versions of characters from each of the involved series.

Here are the Trek related covers so far released:

You can see more of the other series covers and details on those issues on IDW's press release and the CBR article.

STO, now in cute

The latest edition to the Star Trek Online Cryptic Store is a Sehlat cub, isn't it cute:

Haynes Manual incites

StarTrek.com has posted an interview with the editor of the Haynes Enterprise Manual. The interview talks about the development of the book, and also clarifies its contents; it includes every prime timeline ship from the NX-01 to the Enterprise-E, and does have a section for alternate timeline Enterprises, which amongst others will touch upon the new movie version, but not go into great detail.

We take each ship in turn, so starting with NX-01 and ending with NCC-1701-E, and we have a full-ship cutaway of each one, gorgeous elevation renders, plus renders of key internal locations such as the bridge, transporter room, sickbay and so on. Each ship has a comprehensive systems overview and we discuss key developments that feature in its design compared with its predecessors and successors. We cover defensive systems, deflectors, shuttles, computer systems, crew facilities – pretty much every onboard system. Sadly though, we had to draw the line somewhere, and so we don’t cover things that aren’t nailed down. So no tricorders and no personal weapons, unfortunately.

The Abrams Enterprise, as we all know, is very obviously different externally and much less is known about it internally. There are perfectly valid reasons why the creators would not want anyone to invent or extrapolate based on what has been seen in just one movie. We had to respect that. But also, it’s a different timeline and this meant we had to think very carefully about how we handled it in a book that is firmly rooted in the prime timeline. However, we have a section in the book dedicated to Parallel Universes, in which we discuss alternate realities of which this is one.

The article also included this new preview image:

Shattered Light cover

The Simon and Schuster online catalogue has been updated with the cover for the next Myriad Universes anthology, Shattered Light, out at the end of this year. It looks like this:

Film4's Star Trek weekend

In the UK the film channel FILM4 are going to have Star Trek weekend, starting on the 16th of October. To advertise it they have created a rather amusing trailer, which you can see, here. Check it out.

Star Trek stuff from Cafepress

Cafepress have launched a new Star Trek section of their custom print-on-nearly-anything-you-can-imagine website. The products are all fan designed (so get your thinking caps on Trek artists!); so there's so great stuff, but there's also some terrible stuff! Here are a few of my favourites:

Picard's mug

Red shirt badge

Tribbles on board

Girls’ best friend

Live long and prosper

Cuddly Khan Cover

In celebration of their first time presenting at the New York Comic Con IDW are going to offer several of their titles in limited variant covers at the convention, including Khan: Ruling in Hell, issue 1, with their cuddling Khan on the cover!

STO updates

Cryptic have listed details of their second series of weekly missions for Star Trek Online, The Devidians:

Thousands of Starfleet officers and KDF warriors have died in the battles in the Neutral Zone. The destruction has drawn the attention of the Devidians, unseen predators who use chaos as a cover for their kills. This time, however, their plans involve more than simple survival. You must stop them before they can change the face of the quadrant forever!

#1: Skirmish

An unexpected enemy returns when your ship is called to battle in the Neutral Zone.

#2: Spin the Wheel

A deep cover intelligence operative on Drozana Station needs your help. Dabo!

#3: What Lies Beneath

Something more than Devidians haunts the lower levels of a 200-year-old space station. Will you survive long enough to learn the truth?

#4: Everything Old Is New Again

Follow the mystery back to a place where everything is familiar, but nothing is the same. Get the help of a legend and find out what the Devidians have planned.

#5: Night of the Comet

Even help from old friends may not be enough to stop the Devidian threat in time.

They have also posted the latest Ask Cryptic feature. Highlights include concept art for Tholians:

 And a forthcoming borgified ship feature!

Infinte Space

GameForge has announced the first title for one of its browser-based Star Trek games. Coming next summer will be Star Trek: Infinite Space, a DS9 era game developed by Keen Games.

Sources: Gamastutra and TrekMovie.

Latest from Cross Cult (New Frontier and comics)

Cross Cult have released their latest New Frontier character image, it's Shelby:

On the comics front, my usual German informant, Jens Deffner of Unreality SF, has pointed me towards a Cross Cult forum post announcing their future plans for comics. After impressive sales of Countdown they have found further comic sales disappointing and will no longer be releasing series omnibuses. As an alternative they are considering doing much larger omnibuses instead, with four miniseries in a single limited edition hardcover book. They're seeing customer feedback on the idea on the forum post. The first book provisional could include Klingons: Blood Will Tell (TOS), Leonard McCoy: Frontier Doctor (TOS), Fool's Gold (DS9), and Turnaround (NF).