STAR TREK ONGOING #25 IDW PUBLISHING 10-Copy Retailer Incentive Cover

(W) Mike Johnson
(A/CA) Erfan Fajar

War breaks out across the stars as the Klingon and Romulan Empires fight for supremacy, with the Enterprise caught in the middle! Don't miss this epic all-new story set after the events of the blockbuster movie STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, overseen by STAR TREK writer/producer Roberto Orci!

IDW Publishing’s ongoing Star Trek series continues to chart new territory (and all the better for it) in the aftermath of Star Trek Into Darkness and this month’s 25th issue (unfortunately no expanded page count like those special “anniversary” editions once common in the medium) launches another original storyline which builds upon the title’s “After Darkness” three-parter from issues 21-23.

“The Khitomer Conflict” opens with a Romulan attack on the newly founded Klingon colony on the planet Khitomer (an incident from Star Trek canon that established fans will no doubt be fully aware of) before cutting to the Enterprise docked at a deep space station where the crew are making final preparations to head out into the unknown.  It’s here that we’re introduced to new crewmember Yuki…Sulu, much to the dismay of the Enterprise helmsman of the same surname.  It’s a fun little sequence (especially since Chekov is rather taken with Sulu’s younger sister) that provides some levity before the proverbial storm gathers.

Of course it isn’t long until Kirk and his crew find themselves embroiled in the Klingon’s quest for vengeance against the Romulan aggressors, a dishonourable act that is complicated by the fact that the nefarious Section 31 have provided the Romulans with the very weapons used to carry out their attack.  With the Enterprise responding to a Klingon ‘distress’ call there’s a steady build up to a tense cliffhanger with Kirk a prisoner of the Klingon Commander, Kor (who was played by John Colicos onscreen in the ‘prime’ Star Trek universe).

Long-serving writer Mike Johnson delivers another decent script, deftly balancing those lighter moments between the Enterprise ‘family’ (he certainly knows the universe and nails the character voices perfectly, you can quite clearly imagine Chris Pine or Zachary Quinto delivering the dialogue) with the darker more sinister elements of the story as well as both the space and planet bound action scenes.

All comics ship in sturdy cardboard with a bag and backing board!