If you haven’t read IDW Publishing’s Star Trek Countdown–the comic book prequel to the 2009 reboot movie Star Trek–you’re missing out on a fun book. We argued here earlier that it was a better ride than the actual film, incorporating post-Star Trek Nemesis Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Data into the backstory leading up to the movie. And there were even some elements that helped explain some of the time travel elements of the film that didn’t make as much sense without reference to the backstory in the comic book prequel.
Tomorrow IDW Publishing wraps the next prequel to the Star Trek reboot franchise with Issue #4 and the trade paperback release of Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness. As with Star Trek Countdown, readers can expect an interesting story preparing us for next month’s movie release. Although we hope to see Klingons in Star Trek Into Darkness without their helmets as first seen in deleted scenes from the 2009 Star Trek, they return in this new four-part series. We also get to meet for the first time Captain Robert April–known to fans of the Star Trek novels and the Animated Series as the first captain of the starship Enterprise, but not necessarily to followers of the modern Star Trek film universe. Below we are posting previews to both the trade edition of Countdown to Darkness and the fourth issue of Countdown to Darkness, both slated for release Wednesday, April 10, 2013, provided to borg.com readers courtesy of IDW Publishing.
Chris Pine’s Kirk is back, as is Zachary Quinto’s Spock and the rest of the reboot Enterprise crew. But we also get to see an almost Enterprise-C inspired story with elements similar to the landmark Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” And we learn there are secrets in Starfleet that Captain Kirk can’t even know about. The story is written by Roberto Orci and Mike Johnson with some well-rendered views of the Star Trek universe by artist David Messina, artist on Star Trek Countdown, which brings some continuity across the prequels.
Strange new worlds? Check.
New lifeforms? Check.
New civilizations? Check.
Although it might not be quite as an exciting ride as Star Trek Countdown, Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness is a must-read for fans of the new film franchise. The big question is how much is really being revealed in this prequel, how key to the understanding of the new film depends on what happens to Captain April and the Klingons, and who is this mysterious new entrant in the Star Trek universe–John Harrison. We’ll only know that after seeing the new film.
Click below for high-resolution previews to Issue #4 of the series, and for those who missed issues #1-3, here’s a preview of the trade edition.
Countdown to Darkness Issue #4 Preview
Countdown to Darkness Trade Edition Preview
The countdown is almost over. Star Trek Into Darkness hits theaters in the U.S. on May 17, 2013.
C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com
