As much as I rail against “event” comics, there are a few that come along that I actually do enjoy, as hard as it is to believe it! And those mostly have been when Star Trek has encountered other sci-fi franchises!
As posted yesterday here on MajorSpoilers.com, a new Trek crossover series was announced, and I’m looking forward to the crew of the movie Enterprise meeting DC’s Green Lantern!
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Let me point out a couple of important sentences from the press release:
“Two iconic franchises will meet this summer in a legendary crossover event with the release of a six-part comic book miniseries, STAR TREK/GREEN LANTERN: THE SPECTRUM WAR. Both Star Trek and Green Lantern are known for their strong cast of interstellar characters and when they come together for the first time this July, fans new and old are sure to experience a galaxy-sized thrill.
“STAR TREK/GREEN LANTERN: THE SPECTRUM WAR is six-part monthly mini-series and will be written by veteran Star Trek comic writer Mike Johnson with interior art by Angel Hernandez (INFINITE CRISIS: FIGHT FOR THE MULTIVERSE, ARROW). STAR TREK/GREEN LANTERN: THE SPECTRUM WAR #1 will be available in stores and online in July, boasting covers from Gabriel Rodriguez,Francesco Francavilla,Elsa Charretier, and Garry Brown. Following issues will feature covers from an amazing lineup that includes Declan Shalvey, Marc Laming, and more!”
As a long-time Green Lantern fan, I’m anxious to see how the new miniseries functions. Given Hal Jordan’s current state, this story will likely take place in an earlier time period, which is fine by me. I have always enjoyed the GL Corps, and it’ll be fun to see just which Lantern teams up with which crew member of the Enterprise.
SCIENCE FICTION AT ITS BEST
What makes this all work for me is the fact that Trek and the other universes function in science fiction. And in sci-fi, pretty much anything can happen!
Alternate universes are a staple of this genre, and we often discover what might have been when these things happen.
Of course, the best-known of this kind of storytelling was Trek’s “Mirror, Mirror” episode, which was followed up several times during Deep Space Nine’s run. These all showed a more brutal universe in which the Federation wasn’t the peace-loving empire it was in “our” galaxy.
“What if?” is the question that sci-fi loves to ask, and these crossovers have been great fun while answering that question.
Granted, there are people who feel that they shouldn’t have to pay to see Star Trek and other franchises since they’re often shown on “free” television. But with most people buying their television through cable, I don’t hear that argument much any longer.
STAR TREK CROSSOVERS THAT HAVE WORKED BEFORE
The initial events came from Marvel Comics, when Star Trek and the X-Men first met back in 1996. Scott Lobdell wrote the one-shot, and it did well enough so that a comic followed teaming everyone’s favorite mutants with Captain Picard’s crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation. That spawned Planet X, a sequel novel written by Michael Jan Friedman in 1998.
It wasn’t until more than a decade later that the Enterprise teamed up with the Legion of Super-Heroes from DC Comics. I had never realized how many similarities there were between Trek and the Legion until that miniseries happened. I still have my hardcover edition, by the way!
Next was the groundbreaking Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 from IDW Publishing in 2013. It was a great miniseries written by Scott and David Tipton, with art by J. K. Woodward. I loved that one since a real-life crossover is not very likely to happen!
The Tipton brothers returned for the recent Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive. The Enterprise ventured to the Apes universe when the Klingons, as they did in “A Private Little War,” attempted to give the ape leaders future technology. It was just as great, and I’ll be buying the trade or hardcover when that hits the streets!
MANY MORE TO COME?
Honestly, I can see this kind of event going on for years to come. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy could be a good idea to meet Kirk and company, along with Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars, to name a few. That last one could be a huge seller, given Marvel’s recent rebirth of Wars comics.
Are you interested in Trek comics crossovers? Would you be interested to see the movie crew of the Enterprise meet the new Star Wars characters when that film arrives? Feel free to talk about it below!
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1 Comment
“The initial events came from Marvel Comics, when Star Trek and the X-Men first met back in 1996. Scott Lobdell wrote the one-shot, and it did well enough so that a comic followed teaming everyone’s favorite mutants with Captain Picard’s crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation. That spawned Planet X, a sequel novel written by Michael Jan Friedman in 1998.”
I rather enjoyed the original crossover. The second I wasn’t quite as into, but the novel was pretty fun (and I loved the joke that Picard and Prof. X looked so much alike, and this was even before Patrick Stewart played Prof. X).
I’m not sure what to feel about this particular crossover yet, but I do think Trek and GL are a good match for this sort of crossover. Intergalactic peacekeeping corps meets intergalactic explorations and peacekeeping fleet.