Kevin noted earlier that Star Trek celebrated its 42nd anniversary yesterday. That got me to thinking: What about all those Star Trek comic books?
I didn’t start reading comics until 1975. Starting in 1967, Gold Key had been publishing Star Trek comics for eight years. Classics. I missed out on Gold Key’s original run.
I came in on the Marvel line of Trek books, which hit the stands at the same time as Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. Those books were decidedly lame. Rather like the movie (tho the director’s edition DVD is pretty sweet).
DC got it right when they started printing the books after Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. These books were set in my favorite era of Trek, the original cast movie era. For the first time in the movies and in the comics, one truly felt that Starfleet was a military power. Capital ship combat! U.S.S. Reliant (the Star Trek starship Hallmark ornament this year) firing on Enterprise along the broadsides? Love that! Throw in the fact that many of these books were written by my favorite comic writer, Peter David? Boo-yah! Sop that stuff up with a biscuit, my friend.
There have been other publishers working the Trek universe since then, but DC’s run remains my favorite.
Although … I really got a kick out of Marvel’s short run in 1996. Star Trek: Early Voyages told the tales of Captain Christopher Pike and a U.S.S. Enterprise predating Kirk and his crew. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy told the story of a group of young cadets. These stories were fresh, bold, and a whole load of metaphasic fun.
Both the DC books and the latter Marvel run retain a cherished space in my long boxes.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:50 am
And now there’s a DVD featuring all the pre-IDW comics hitting shelves this week! No more long boxes!
September 9th, 2008 at 10:23 am
No more long boxes?!?! Are you going to make me go all Samuel T Cogley on you espousing the tangible esthetic value of a book in a your hands?!?!
Still, I think I want that DVD.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
ALL the pre-IDW books? So Gold Key, DC, Malibu, and Marvel all? Is it just TOS, or is it all of the series? Sorry, I haven’t checked the link yet. I will.
Anyhow, Aron, you’re right. That DC run of both TOS and TNG was the best era for Trek comics. By far. Peter David’s work stands above the rest for sure, but there were other good writers too. I never cared much for Michael Jan Friedman’s Trek novels, but I enjoyed his comics.
Being the big DS9 fan that I am, I also thought Malibu’s DS9 run was really good. They did some creative stuff, including various one-shots and mini-series, and some top-notch guest writers. I was sorry that Malibu didn’t last. Those are worth seeking out in quarter bins, or whatever.
Those Gold Key comics? Yeah, they’re considered “classics,” I guess, but they weren’t exactly great reads. I have the feeling the people who wrote those comics never actually saw the show!
I tried a few books in the current IDW line, and I have to say I’m seriously underwhelmed. Nothing I’ve read seemed to have much of an actual story, and even less dialogue. Pretty dull, for the most part, and none of the artwork has impressed me much either. I’d like for them to do some DS9 books, but if the stuff I’ve read is any indication they’d probably disappoint me too.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
HOLY CRAP!! It really is “The Complete Collection,” isn’t it? Everything from all those various publishers, from all the different Trek series, from 1967-2002. Even though there’s bound to be a fair amount of junk in there, 500+ books for $50 is a great deal. There’s the first item on my Xmas list this year! Thanks for the heads-up, Kevin!
September 10th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Oh. My. God. Someone give Kevin Church a medal. I am ordering that DVD NOW!!!