STAR TREK: KLINGONS/FERENGI
Trek without Terrans
RELEASED OUT NOW! Publisher IDW Publishing
Writers Jackson Lanzig, Colin Kelly,
Christina Rice
Artists Timothy Green II, Andy Price, Maria Keane
With any humans limited to fleeting appearances, Star Trek’s alien species take centre stage in this pair of one-shots. As Trek’s most famous extraterrestrials, the Klingons are unsurprisingly the focus of the first issue, which chronicles the formative days of the warrior race’s most formidable ruler, Kahless the Unforgettable, and how he reputedly fought off an entire army at the legendary Three-turn Bridge.
Opening with a rare scene of Kahless displaying his more tender side, as he first bests and then befriends a multiple-tusked, boar-like creature, writers Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelly neatly evoke the spirit of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai films as they play with notions of honour. Keeping dialogue to a minimum, they often leave it to Timothy Green II’S manga-flavoured art to tell the tale, resulting in several exhilarating fight scenes, as he combines visceral figure work with imaginative layouts.
In contrast, there’s an offbeat, caper-esque quality to the second special’s story of the Ferengi, as Deep Space Nine barkeep Quark becomes embroiled in a plot to smuggle women off their home-world. Aided by Andy Price and Maria Keane’s vibrant artwork, Christina Rice’s boisterous script explores one of the more dubious aspects of Ferengi culture: their belief that women not only shouldn’t earn money but shouldn’t even wear clothes. She handles it deftly, mixing pathos with sly humour. A promising new series, which bring a different perspective to the Star Trek universe.
Jody Houser and Hendry Prasetya will focus on the Trill in the next one-shot. The Vulcans are also lined up.