STAR TREK: YEAR FIVE #8 review – Where No Man Has Gone Before (Lanzing, Kelly, Thompson, Kirchoff, Uyetake, IDW Publishing)

Jackson Lanzing (Author) Collin Kelly (Author) Stephen Thompson (Artist, Cover Artist) Charlie Kirchoff (Colorist) Neil Uyetake (Letterer)

Thanks to IDW Publishing for the review copy!

Have you ever wondered what would happen if the original Star Trek hadn’t been cancelled? Thanks to IDW, we know know what happened during the final year of their 5 year mission. Issue 8 picks up where the last issue left off. The Enterprise and another alien vessel are stuck in a Tholian web. Kirk, Sulu, and a new alien character named Ayal are on the other ship trying to find a way for the Enterprise to escape.

This issue has some decent action sequences, and rescued Tholian Bright Eyes is given a chance to shine. Credit is due to the artists for being able to depict movement effectively. Ayal’s design really stands out, and takes advantage of the comics medium – I doubt it would be possible to bring her to life, even with today’s special effects. 

If I had one criticism of this issue, some of the dialogue feels a bit forced. It isn’t bad, but it doesn’t feel as natural or as true to some of the characters as prior issues. Aside from that, this issue follows the pattern of this series and resolves the conflict started in issue 7. The end teases the next arc and references another original episode (I had to look it up so don’t be ashamed if you don’t know who it is).

I can’t put my finger on why, but this issue was just … fine. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it felt less like an episode of Star Trek than other installments. The focus also shifted away from the  relationship between the ‘big three’ of Spock, Kirk, and McCoy, which may have something to do with it. I recommend reading issues 1 and 7 before this one to understand what is going on.

STAR TREK: YEAR FIVE #8 is available now.

Check back soon for my thoughts on issue 9 of this series.

Have you read the issue? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.