Having read Star Trek comics from their humble beginnings at Gold Key Comics some 40 years ago (man, I miss Gold Key), I always wondered why the continuing four-color adventures of the denizens of the starship Enterprise always had a rough go. In fact, doing a bit of research for this blog, I learned ST never lasted at one company longer than it did at Gold Key (12 years), although DC and Marvel published a whole lot more Trek books and spinoffs, according to this cool Star Trek Comics Checklist.
Most of you have read about IDW Publishing relaunching ST via Matt Brady’s extensive November interview, but Bill Radford’s interview with Chris Ryall focused primarily on why this reboot might work when others didn’t.
What Ryall said: “What I surmise anyway is when some of the bigger publishers take it on, it’s never going to be their flagship. I think when they do licensed properties, it somewhat becomes a secondary sort of consideration for them. Where somebody like us, we do primarily licensed comics, we can throw all of our weight — such as it is — behind a comic book like Star Trek. This can instantly become our key priority.”
Staying on the subject of licensed properties as comics, I’m really interested in how people — especially non-comics readers — will cater to the Buffy, the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 series, Dark Horse launched Wednesday. If it’s successful — meaning real staying power beyond issue 1 — what’s to stop creators and comics companies from seeking out other properties with loyal cult followings?
Take, for example, my fav Millennium, a Chris Carter-produced (remember him?) show that sapped some of the creative juices from its companion series The X-Files, yet it turned out, in some ways, to be the better of the two.
March 16th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
where’s the article link?
March 17th, 2007 at 12:44 am
I would camp outside the shop on Tuesday night for the first issue of a Millennium comic.
March 17th, 2007 at 1:56 am
A MillenniuM comic would be amazing. Maybe the best show there ever was.
March 17th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Luke,
The link is up again…
Sorry,
Wayne
March 17th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Hi Penelope and Jeffrey,
As I vaguely recall, Dark Horse did try to secure the rights to Millennium back in the day but couldn’t get the AOK from execs (don’t recall if that was a Fox or Chris Carter problem). I think the plan was for MM to be painted, and that might’ve been the problem too…
There’s been talk since the end of MM about a movie and Lance Henriksen isn’t getting any younger… Makes me think if it ever comes, it’ll star a younger actor or focus on Frank Black’s equally gifted daughter, Jordan…
Yeah, I think a season 4 Millennium miniseries would be a great idea. Any publishers out there feel the same way???
Thanks for the comments. I hoped others felt about MM as I do!
Wayne
March 17th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
I’ve gotta say, the IDW series will fail because the art’s so ugly. I read the previews for the first 2 issues and blah. I also haven’t heard anything good about the stories from Trekkies I know, and they also didn’t like the art.