Star Trek 2008 Comic Book Lineup

[Geekyfanboy]

Rico mentioned this in his latest podcast... looks like some good stuff coming our way.

IDW OUTLINES 2008 "STAR TREK" PLANS
by CBR News Team, Editor
Posted: January 2, 2008 — More From This Author

Official Press Release

San Diego, CA (January 2, 2008)—In its first year of Star Trek storytelling, IDW Publishing blasted off the launch pad with marquee titles like Star Trek: Year Four, the hit miniseries Klingons: Blood Will Tell and the fan-favorite Alien Spotlight one-shots.

Now, for its sophomore cycle, IDW will take its titles to the next level with STAR TREK: SECOND STAGE, an all-new publishing lineup showcasing some of the top Star Trek storytellers in comics, books and television. Among the creators: fan-favorite comic book writer and novelist Peter David, legendary comics artist John Byrne, IDW's new rising stars Scott & David Tipton, and the grande dame of Star Trek writing, D.C. Fontana.

"We're incredibly proud of the work that we produced in our first year of Star Trek publishing, and the quality of those titles has really allowed us to recruit some of the best Star Trek storytellers from across several different mediums," says IDW Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall. "In the first year, we took the IDW starship on its shakedown cruise. For 2008, we're taking the storytelling beyond the Final Frontier."

"This will really be an epic year for Star Trek, and we want to make sure our books do justice to the scope of it all," says IDW Star Trek editor Andrew Steven Harris, who together with Ryall conceived of and assembled the teams for SECOND STAGE. "We're expanding our slate of titles to four issues a month, so that there's a feeling of weekly appointment reading for our audience, like a Star Trek TV show. At the same time, we want each title to have the significance of a Star Trek film, so that each series is a seminal comics event. That's the level that we're shooting for with STAR TREK: SECOND STAGE."

All SECOND STAGE series will debut with a specially-designed STAR TREK: SECOND STAGE logo. Titles launching in the opening months of SECOND STAGE include:

MARCH — STAR TREK: NEW FRONTIER®

New York Times Best-Selling novelist Peter David, author of the first Star Trek series designed exclusively for print, celebrates the 10th anniversary of the New Frontier saga with its first-ever comic book series. The five-part epic, debuting in March with artist Stephen Thompson (Beneath the Valley of Rage), features all-new stories and the official continuation of the runaway hit novels by Pocket Books.

In "Turnaround," the most dangerous experimental vessel in the galaxy—a prototype time ship—has vanished, and it appears that the man who stole it is none other than Starfleet Admiral Edward Jellico. Only Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the Excalibur have a hope of finding him before the ship, intended purely for scientific exploration, is used to disrupt the space-time continuum.

To mark the launch of SECOND STAGE with New Frontier #1, IDW will debut its new Quad Cover™ format, with four separate covers bound directly onto the same issue.

APRIL — STAR TREK YEAR FOUR: THE ENTERPRISE EXPERIMENT

D.C. Fontana, who started her career as Gene Roddenberry's assistant during the Original Series, went on to write some of Star Trek's most memorable episodes, including ground-breaking episodes of that first series, as well as the pilot for Star Trek: The Next Generation®, and contributions to the Star Trek animated series and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine®. Now Fontana adds Star Trek comic books to her literary legacy, continuing IDW's successful Star Trek Year Four saga with co-writer Derek Chester (Star Trek: Legacy) and longtime Star Trek artist Gordon Purcell. Fan-favorite illustrators The Sharp Brothers will also contribute special covers for the five-part series, which debuts in April.
   
The Star Trek Year Four series has chronicled the untold fourth year of the U.S.S. Enterprise's legendary five-year mission, depicted for just three seasons on the original Star Trek show. For The Enterprise Experiment, Fontana and Chester craft a sequel to Fontana's celebrated Star Trek episode "The Enterprise Incident," in which Kirk famously posed as a Romulan to capture a new state-of-the-art cloaking device.

In this all-new story, Federation efforts to fully adapt the cloaking device to Starfleet ships leads to an experiment gone awry, trapping Kirk and Spock on an Enterprise out of phase with space itself. At the same time, Romulan forces close in on the starship, intent on claiming revenge for their stolen technology. Later chapters in the series will provide a sequel to the first two issues, as the Klingon™ Empire—with its own agenda—suddenly enters the fray.

MAY — STAR TREK: ASSIGNMENT EARTH

Comics icon John Byrne provides a prequel to the SECOND STAGE titles with the February finale of IDW's Alien Spotlight series in an issue showcasing the Romulans, the writer/artist's first-ever illustrated Star Trek story in a decades-spanning career. But in May, Byrne will unveil his first full-blown Star Trek comic series, the five-part, time-jumping Star Trek: Assignment Earth.

The original TV episode "Assignment Earth" had been the Season Two finale for the Star Trek series. It introduced the cryptic character Gary Seven and was intended by Gene Roddenberry as the pilot for a spin-off series that never came to pass. Now, however, Byrne will bring Roddenberry's dream to life, delivering the spin-off 40 years after it would have debuted. The series tells the tale of the interstellar time traveler and his Earth-born assistant as they covertly confront threats to the past so that they can save Star Trek's future.

Byrne will both write and draw the series, which steps one year forward with each installment, beginning with 1968, the year that the original "Assignment Earth" episode aired.

JUNE — STAR TREK: MIRROR IMAGES

The Mirror Universe remains one of the most popular themes in Star Trek canon, and IDW will travel through the looking glass with Star Trek: Mirror Images, written by IDW Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall together with Scott & David Tipton, brothers have become the new breakout stars of Star Trek comics writing with hit series like Klingons: Blood Will Tell. The new four-part epic launches in June, teaming the brothers once again with Klingons artist David Messina.

In Mirror Images, Ryall and the Tiptons recount twin tales: the rise of the mirror James Kirk to the command of the ISS Enterprise as he plots to unseat Captain Christopher Pike, as well as the story of Enterprise crew members whose counterparts were not prominently featured in the original "Mirror, Mirror" episode—McCoy, Scotty and Uhura, who use their unique positions on the ship to advance their own ambitious agendas.

A second Mirror Images series, spotlighting The Next Generation crew, is slated for the second half of 2008, written by IDW Star Trek editor Andrew Steven Harris and screenwriter George Strayton (Xena, Dragonlance).

[Geekyfanboy]

A second Mirror Images series, spotlighting The Next Generation crew, is slated for the second half of 2008, written by IDW Star Trek editor Andrew Steven Harris and screenwriter George Strayton (Xena, Dragonlance).

This got me most excited.. we have never seen the TNG or (Voyager) mirror universe.. can't wait!!!!

[Ktrek]

The only thing that has gotten me excited is the New Frontier series as we have never really seen the characters and this is an opportunity to give the fans of the series something visual. I would rather have had a new New Frontier novel but since it's been over two years now I will take what we can get.

I really hate that Pocket Books reduced their release schedule to one title a month! Ugh!!!

Kevin

[Geekyfanboy]

Yeah I agree.. I'm looking forward to New Frontier also.. I've enjoyed the few books that I have read of that series.

[wraith1701]

Thanks for the update, man!  I've been considering following the Trek comics; this decided the issue for me.  In addition to the mirror universe books, I'm really looking forward to the New Frontier series.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  Peter David is The Man!!!

[Geekyfanboy]

  Peter David is The Man!!!

I agree with you 100% he has written my favorite Trek novels....

[wraith1701]

The only thing that has gotten me excited is the New Frontier series as we have never really seen the characters and this is an opportunity to give the fans of the series something visual.

Actually, there are quite a few images of the characters out there-

The series follows the adventures of Capt. Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur.  Calhoun is a Xenexian, a near-human race known for their martial prowess and purple eyes. 


Capt. Calhoun

After leading his enslaved people in the overthrow of their ruthless oppressors, the Danteri, a teenaged Mackenzie Calhoun (or, in Xenexian, M'k'n'zy of Calhoun) has an encounter with the Captain of the U.S.S. Stargazer- Jean-Luc Picard.  Inspired by a semi-mystical vision, Calhoun leaves his war-torn world behind and joins Starfleet, with Picard as his unofficial mentor.

  Because of his prior life as a warlord, Calhoun's transition to the Starfleet way of life is... a bit rocky.  He quickly earns a reputation as a maverick, and a loose cannon.  To the dismay of his detractors, however, his unorthodox style and attitude nearly always lead him to success.  After leaving Starfleet for a period of time, Calhoun is convinced to return by Picard, and takes command of the Ambassador-Class Starship Excalibur.  His mission:  to patrol the largely unexplored Sector 221-G; a chaotic and often dangerous region which is home to the recently fallen Thallonian Empire.  It seems that Calhoun's "cowboy-diplomacy" way of dealing with adversity makes him the perfect man for the job...


          The Excalibur

This series has 2 things that keep me coming back for more.  First and foremost is Peter David's writing style.  He manages to consistently mix humor and action, with just a dash of raciness, in each and every installment. 

The second thing is the fact that the characters are fully fleshed out.  In fact, they seem as "real" to me as the characters we see on the Trek movies and TV shows.  Of course, part of this is due to the fact that several of the key characters are folks who we have seen on episodes of The Next Generation.  For example-

Elizabeth Shelby.  Calhoun's primary romantic interest was first seen in the episode The Best of Both Worlds. (you know, the one with the Borg?)



  It seems that these two have a history that predates Shelby's appearance on TNG.  Matters are complicated, however.  As the series begins, Shelby is Calhoun's first officer, which makes the tension that exists between them a little... inappropriate.


Dr.  Selar. 



The Chief Medical Officer of the Excalibur was glimpsed on several episodes of The Next Generation, where she served as part of Dr. Crusher's support staff.

Lieutenant Robin Lefler serves as Engineer on the Excalibur, as well as liaison to the Thallonian ambassador Si Cwan.



She appeared in two Next Generation Episodes, where she was played by Ashly Judd.

Admiral Edward Jellico.



Early on in the series, Jellico is one of Calhoun's chief detractors. 

Here's a link to the original thread:

http://www.treksinscifi.com/forum/index.php?topic=3213.0

I would rather have had a new New Frontier novel but since it's been over two years now I will take what we can get.

I really hate that Pocket Books reduced their release schedule to one title a month! Ugh!!!

Kevin

I agree with you Kevin.  We need more New Frontier books! 8)

[Geekyfanboy]

Yeah I even have an action figure of MacKenzie :)

[wraith1701]

Yeah I even have an action figure of MacKenzie :)

Cool. 8)  I remember seeing the offer for the figure in the back of some of the earlier New Frontier books.  I should have ordered it when I had the chance.  Oh well; there's always ebay.

[Ktrek]

If anyone here is a fan of the Star Trek New Frontier books written by Peter David and published by Pocket books, you will be pleased to know that IDW is releasing a comic book New Frontier story this month in five segments. I have always loved the New Frontier stories. I think it's up around 20 novels now. Peter David has created some of the most interesting and colorful characters in the Star Trek bookverse. The comic sounds promising as well. Here is an article about it:

Created by New York Times Best-Selling novelist Peter David, New Frontier features all-new stories and the official continuation of the books...

New York Times best-selling novelist Peter David, author of the first Star Trek® series designed exclusively for print, celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Star Trek: New Frontier saga with its first-ever comic book series. The five-part epic, debuting from IDW Publishing (www.idwpublishing.com) in March with artist Stephen Thompson (Beneath the Valley of Rage), features all-new stories and the official continuation of the runaway hit novels from Pocket Books.

Star Trek: New Frontier #1 also marks the debut of IDW's Star Trek: Second Stage, an all-new publishing lineup for the company's sophomore year of Star Trek storytelling, showcasing some of the top Star Trek storytellers in comics, books and television, including legendary comics artist John Byrne, IDW's new rising stars Scott and David Tipton and the grande dame of Star Trek writing, D.C. Fontana. The new lineup takes flight following IDW's launch year, which included marquee titles like Star Trek: Year Four, the hit miniseries Klingons: Blood Will Tell and the fan-favorite Alien Spotlight one-shots.

To mark the debut of the Second Stage lineup, IDW will launch Star Trek: New Frontier with a special limited edition retailer incentive that includes a new Quad Cover™ format, with four separate covers bound directly onto the same issue, "so people can get four covers without having to buy the issue four times," says Andrew Steven Harris, Star Trek editor at IDW Publishing. The first cover is painted, while the other three are drawn. Another limited edition incentive cover will feature David as a Starfleet captain on the bridge of his ship, crewed by a number of notable guest stars.

New Frontier
In the new story, Turnaround, the most dangerous experimental vessel in the galaxy-a prototype time ship-has vanished, and it appears that the man who stole it is none other than Starfleet Admiral Edward Jellico. Only Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the Excalibur have a hope of finding him before the ship, intended purely for scientific exploration, is used to disrupt the space-time continuum.

"Peter has written a cracking good story for us," says Harris. "It's like a Star Trek version of The Hunt for Red October, with all sorts of gripping sequences and a number of remarkable twists. The moment I read the pitch, I was totally hooked. Peter is an incredible writer, so you can pick up this book if you've never read New Frontier stories before and you'll be able to follow it right away. At the same time, if you're familiar with the stories and characters, it feels like it's being written for the long-time fans."

This is the first time this crew has been featured in a comic book series, though they appeared in a one-shot published by Wildstorm in 2000, also written by David. Paired with David this time is artist Stephen Thompson, a relative newcomer who previously worked for Fangoria Comics before the horror publisher discontinued its comics line.

"He's a real find for us," says Harris. "He's almost a complete unknown here in the States, and he really delivers the goods. He's taken a lot of people by surprise, and fans online are already raving about him when we post previews of his work. It's got a slightly darker, grittier look than if we were doing a typical Kirk-and-Spock story, and it's exactly what we were looking for. This is everything that New Frontier should be in comics form."

Taken from Action-figure.com

http://www.action-figure.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=22905

[Locutus]

Well, I've read all of the Year Four comics, the Alien Spotlights, and the first two issues of ST:TNG - Intelligence Gathering. I can post reviews if you want.

I'll start with the Alien Spotlights and then do the Year Fours, since the whole series are out for each of them. I'll do a post for each series issue by issue, and then do the Intelligence Gathering. I'll try to be as timely as possible with the rest of them.

[Geekyfanboy]

I just picked up the last issue of the Space Between, the first two issues of Intelligence Gathering and Borg, Andorian and Romulan from the Alien Spotlight.. I have lots of reading to do... I also picked up the New Doctor Who and Angel After the Fall 1 - 4

[Locutus]

If you can understand the last issue of The Space Between, please -- explain it to me.

[Geekyfanboy]

The 5-Year Mission Continues

We have seen three other formats in which the original 5-year mission of the legendary Captain James T. Kirk and crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 continued their voyages, cut short on television after only 3 years into fulfilling their Starfleet orders — novels, an animated series and the highly successful online series "Star Trek: New Voyages," now called "Star Trek: Phase II."

There is a successful fourth venue for those voyages to continue — in comic books!

As we mentioned in January 2007, IDW publishing announced that it was going to do the series in the comic book format and the stories will pick up right where the original Star Trek television series ended, with a chronicle of the Starship Enterprise's untold fourth year, the company said in a press release. "Star Trek Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment" is to be co-written by the great Star Trek author and screenwriter D.C. Fontana. She bit her creative teeth with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry over 40 years ago as his assistant and has since become one of the formost authorities on that universe with several novels, some of the best TOS Trek episodes on record, movie screenplays and even some script work for James Cawley's "Star Trek Phase II."

For this new 5-part series IDW has also signed on veteran Star Trek artist Gordon Purcell, Terry Pallot on inks, with Derek Chester, from "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and Star Trek video games, and finally, for illustrations the Sharp Bros.

This new series will include a sequel to Fontana's celebrated episode "The Enterprise Incident," in which Kirk famously posed as a Romulan to capture a new state-of-the-art cloaking device, according to SCI FI Wire. "In this all-new story, Federation efforts to fully adapt the cloaking device to Starfleet ships leads to an experiment gone awry, trapping Kirk and Spock on an Enterprise out of phase with space itself," the article stated. "At the same time, Romulan forces close in on the starship, intent on claiming revenge for their stolen technology."

References to the first two issues, in which the Klingon Empire suddenly enters the fray with its own agenda, will get a followup in this new series of comics.

The cost for the first new issue, available in April, will be $3.99 (USD).