An ongoing discussion of how the comics provide prequels, sequels, and tie-ins to the Star Trek episodes and films, soon to be a book from BearManor Media. Click here to view an archive of this article series.
53: Multiple Publishers, 1996–Present
NOTE: Portions of this week’s column were published in New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics, edited by Joseph F. Berenato (Sequart, 2014).
Several months back, this column explored Star Trek comic book projects from 1967 to 1995 that for various reasons—cancelation, lost licenses, rejection—were never published. In that article, I’d chosen Malibu Comics’ series as the endpoint. This week, we’ll pick up where that first half left off, examining the “lost” Trek comics intended to be published by Marvel, Malibu, WildStorm, Tokyopop, and IDW.
Star Trek: Phase 3 (Marvel, circa 1997)
Writers: Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin; artists: Rod Whigham and Phil Moy
Before losing the Trek license a second time, Marvel had been planning Phase 3, a series utilizing concepts similar to what would become Section 31, with Starfleet Intelligence undertaking black-ops projects using a spaceship listed as destroyed by the Borg. The ship, initially called the Roanoke but rechristened the Thunderchild, would have visited worlds where the Prime Directive had been broken, in order to assess the damage done and minimize any potential impact. The title paid homage to Star Trek: Phase II—a sad irony, as Phase 3 ended up with a fate similar to that of the unproduced TV show.
Editors Tim Tuohy and Julio Soto outlined character descriptions and springboard ideas for Phase 3, then hired writers Andy Mangels and Michael Martin to script the ongoing title. A 22-page proposal broke down the plots of “Reaping the Whirlwind” (a Star Trek Unlimited story that would have introduced Phase 3‘s concept) and the first 12 issues of Phase 3, with the opener titled “Copyright Violations: Ghost Ship.” The story would have involved a sleek starship briefly shown in Star Trek: First Contact, which had fascinated Tuohy. The series was announced in Marvel’s second Star Trek Collector’s Preview ashcan, much to readers’ excitement, but it was not to be.
The crew would have included Captain Kevin Madsen (named after actor Michael Madsen), first officer Marta Segusa, conn officer Steve Hoffman (who’d lost both his legs), engineer Chief Randall (from the Martian Colonies), Babel-born communication officer Virea Coptasinian, tactical officer Lieutenant Mhos Andex (a dinosaur), ops officer Kern Honrer (a water-breather from Pacifica), and medical officer Horta-217 (whose mother had appeared in “The Devil in the Dark”).
The series was suddenly halted, however, its premise a mystery until Tuohy discussed the project for Star Trek Magazine‘s 2014 Special in an article titled “Unseen Trek: Ghost Ship.” Mangels and Martin resurrected the Thunderchild in their novel Section 31: Rogue, and Mangels says they submitted “a lot of Voyager plots we had done for Tim, two years of DS9 plots, and more,” some of which are discussed below. Thanks to the generosity of Tuohy, Mangels, and Martin, I was privileged to present fans, in Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection #138, with only the full Phase 3 proposal, but also the outlines for both “Copyright Violations” and “Reaping the Whrilwind.”
Star Trek: Realities (Marvel, circa 1997)
Known writers: Mangels, Martin, Dan Abnett, and Ian Edginton; known artists: Whigham, Moy, and Michael Collins
Mangels and Martin had several other projects in the works when Marvel dropped the license. This included the 48-page first issue of Realities—an ongoing comic originally called Split Infinities, styled after Marvel’s What If? and presenting tales from a rotating lineup of writers and artists. The duo had penned a script titled “Dark Emissary” for that issue, which would have featured the Enterprise-D’s destruction and a Borg-controlled Earth. The tantalizing premise: what if Gul Dukat had been the Emissary of Bajoran religion instead of Benjamin Sisko?
A second issue was commissioned, this time from Abnett and Edginton, with Collins providing artwork. This chapter would have explored the consequences of James T. Kirk not letting Edith Keeler die during the tragic events of Harlan Ellison’s “The City on the Edge of Forever.” Sadly, neither Edginton nor Abnett retain an outline of the story, which they never fully scripted since Realities was canceled prior to launch. However, “Realities” was eventually published in Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection #140.
Star Trek: Voyager Stories (Marvel, circa 1997)
Writers: Mangels and Martin; artists: Milgrom and Terry Pallot
Martin and Mangels had been slated to contribute issues of Marvel’s Voyager line. In one story, “Cold Vengeance,” a grudge-holding ex-Maquis crewmate would have lured Chakotay to a snowy world and left him there to die, causing the commander to have a childhood flashback. Chakotay’s onscreen arcs often revolved around his Native American heritage and his divided loyalties to Captain Kathryn Janeway and his Maquis beliefs, and this comic would have explored both.
The Starfleet-Maquis conflict largely vanished early on, aside from episodes here and there in which crew members held a grudge against Janeway and Chakotay regarding their choice to work together. With both vessels stranded 70,000 light-years from home, this was necessary in order to return everyone to Federation space—but for some, it constituted a betrayal of principles. As “Cold Vengeance” would have shown, several Maquis harbored resentments, even if they didn’t display open hostility.
Thankfully, you can read the outline and script for “Cold Vengeance” in Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection #135. Two other aborted Martin-Mangels Marvel tales for Voyager, “As Others See Us” and “Confessions,” were included in STGNC #140.
Deep Space Nine: The Romulan Imperative and Other Stories (Marvel, circa 1997)
Writers: Mangels and Martin; artist: Greg Scott
The Mangels-Martin team had pitched a three-issue miniseries based on Deep Space Nine, with Greg Scott illustrating. Sadly, neither the writers nor Tuohy retain the script for The Romulan Imperative, though Mangels discovered plot breakdowns in his files, which he provided for publication in Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection #140. Previously, he’d submitted a solo script to DC titled Return of the Wolf, which would have provided a sequel to Robert Bloch’s classic “Wolf in the Fold” by bringing back the entity Redjac. That tale appeared in STGNC vol. 138.
The writing duo had their monthly Deep Space Nine comic mapped out until issue #26, though the title was canceled as of #15. The unused stories carried the titles “Memory’s Lamp,” “The End of Reckoning,” “In Truth All Honor Lies,” “Contingencies,” “The Memory Cathedral,” and “Everybody Comes to Quark’s,” and they graciously shared their outlines for publication in Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection #140. Other rejected comics they proposed included Deep Space Nine: The Movie, Deep Space Nine/X-Men, Deep Space Nine: Switch, and stories built around the Dominion, slavery, Moriarty, the Ferengi, and the Prime Directive.
Star Trek: The Devil Kirk (Marvel, circa 1997)
Writer and artist: Kenneth Penders
Ken Penders proposed a 96-page Prestige one-shot titled The Devil Kirk, similar in format to DC’s popular Elseworlds publications, which he’d intended to both write and illustrate. He and actor Mark “Sarek” Lenard had previously pitched a Trek comic to DC titled The Lessons of Life, and though both projects were in the pipeline for some time, neither came to fruition, though both outlines were included in Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection #133.
The premise of The Devil Kirk sounds intriguing, as it would have depicted an alternate timeline created due to Kirk’s evil transporter clone surviving the events of the episode “The Enemy Within.” This darkly amusing scenario would have completely changed the historical course of not only Starfleet but the entire galaxy, with the evil Kirk conquering and destroying everyone and everything in his path.
Star Trek: Early Voyages (Marvel, 1998)
Writers: Ian Edginton and Dan Abnett; artists: unknown
Marvel’s abrupt cancelation of all its Star Trek titles left its final Early Voyages storyline, featuring the xenophobic Temazi, frustratingly unresolved after issue #17. The arc’s intended conclusion is unknown, as is the total number of issues it would have spanned. The 2009 Comics International Star Trek Special quoted Edginton as saying he’d been in talks to write an afterword for IDW’s collection of the series that would have revealed how events might have played out, but there wasn’t enough time for him to do so. When approached regarding this column, both writers said they no longer had the materials.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Marvel, 1998)
Writer: Chris Cooper; artists: unknown
Likewise, Starfleet Academy‘s creators were unable to resolve issue #19’s cliffhanger before bidding farewell to the title. This left the Viators’ nature and abilities, Fatimah Goldstein’s story, Admiral Pradesh’s unspecified anger at the squad, and Kyethn Zund’s past unexplored, among other ongoing threads. Author Chris Cooper revealed the intended plots of ten unproduced issues (#20–29) at his now-defunct blog, then allowed me to reprint them in Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection #137.
In the two-part “Time Out of Mind,” Cadets Matthew Decker and Pava Ek’noor Aqabaa would have had their minds tossed back in time into the bodies of their ancestors, including Commodore Matt Decker from “The Doomsday Machine.” Then, “Q=X” (as one might surmise from the title) would have featured both Q and godlike human Charles Evans, with the latter invited to join the Continuum. Next, “In Search of Kamilah Goldstein” would have seen Edam Astrun undertaking a physical trip to Jerusalem and a telepathic trip through the minds of the slain cadet’s loved ones.
Other stories would have followed, with such intriguing titles as “Face of the Reaper,” “Dark Harvest,” “Homeless,” “Seven of ’99,” “Second Chances,” and “Men in Gray.” Along the way, Cooper would have worked in the Jem’Hadar, a Horta, a Vulcan priestess, Gary Seven, the Department of Temporal Investigations, and other aspects of the various TV shows—all culminating in a 24th-century AIDS storyline.
Star Trek: The Animated Series (Marvel, 1998)
Writers: unknown; artists: unknown
The letters section of Marvel’s Voyager: Splashdown miniseries hinted at an upcoming special based on the 1970s cartoon, featuring the return of Lieutenants Arex and M’Ress. Writer Peter David had been told to stop using those characters only a decade prior, but by this point, the late Richard Arnold no longer worked for Paramount and The Animated Series was thus no longer off-limits to writers, enabling the Edosian and the Caitian to reenter the canon. No creative team was announced for this title, and no story details have emerged.
Star Trek: Civil War (WildStorm, 2000 or 2001)
Writer: Ted Adams; artists: unknown
In July 1999, after acquiring the Star Trek license from Marvel, WildStorm issued a press release describing its upcoming titles, including a Prestige one-shot by future IDW co-founder Ted Adams. After WildStorm editor Jeff Mariotte asked Adams to pitch ideas, the writer proposed a dozen storylines, from which Paramount chose Civil War. The comic would have seen Jim Kirk, Spock, and Leonard McCoy caught in the crossfire of a natural resource war on a non-Federation planet, unable to escape due to a transporter malfunction, while trying to stop the natives from destroying their own world. For reasons unknown, the comic was never released.
Star Trek: New Frontier (WildStorm, 2000 or 2001)
Writer: Peter David; artists: unknown
Following up on his Double Time one-shot for WildStorm, David had been slated to write a second New Frontier title about the mirror universe, featuring characters and situations from his long-running series of novels for Pocket. The comic was never released, which is a shame since pretty much everything Trek-related with the author’s name attached has been well-received.
Star Trek Special (WildStorm, 2001)
Writer: Rich Handley; artist: unassigned
Last-minute space constraints forced a reduced page count on this six-story one-shot, preventing the inclusion of a seventh tale—which would have been written by yours truly, thanks to editor Jeff Mariotte inviting me to take part. Two proposals of mine were considered, though only one would have been selected for publication in this first special. Since WildStorm lost the license soon thereafter, no further specials were produced, leaving both tales unpublished.
“The Barber of Seville” would have seen Mot, the Enterprise-D’s talkative Bolian hairstylist, acting out one of his frequent tall tales in a holodeck adventure casting him in the role of captain of the USS Seville. The other proposed story, “The Needs of the One,” was set on Romulus sometime between Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and The Next Generation, with Spock debating whether to let a Romulan youth die or risk the Unification movement’s exposure by saving his life.
Star Trek: By the Sword (WildStorm, circa 2001)
Writer: Howard Weinstein; artist: Carlos Mota
In 2007, prolific writer Howard Weinstein penned The Blood-Dimmed Tide, the fifth book in Pocket’s Mere Anarchy e-book series, which followed the interactions of Kirk’s crew with the inhabitants of a planet devastated by a cosmic natural disaster over a period of three decades. According to Weinstein, the concept had originated as a Pocket novel titled By the Sword, which he’d outlined around 1998. Although he’d been told the book would be sent to Paramount’s licensing division for approval, he never heard back about it.
Soon thereafter, Weinstein contacted WildStorm, seeking permission to submit story ideas. The company had just launched its Star Trek line, he recalls, and was mostly hiring creators who hadn’t already worked for DC, Malibu, or Marvel, but when the late Ann Crispin asked him to help her convert her prose story Enter the Wolves into a comic script (since she’d lacked comic-writing experience), Jeff Mariotte approved Weinstein as her cowriter. The one-shot was beautifully illustrated by Carlos Mota. Now with his foot in the door at WildStorm, Weinstein pitched By the Sword as a four-part miniseries, with Mota again illustrating, and Mariotte agreed to publish it.
Weinstein wrote all four scripts and Mota turned in cover pencil art, but the publisher lost the Star Trek license before By the Sword could be published. A few years later, Keith DeCandido invited Weinstein to take part in Pocket’s Mere Anarchy project, and he realized By the Sword would fit the concept well with only minimal modification—including a title change to The Blood-Dimmed Tide, in keeping with the books’ titles all coming from W.B. Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming.” At last, Weinstein’s story saw publication, not as a comic book but in its originally intended medium, prose fiction.
Multiple proposals (publishers, titles, and years unknown)
Writer: Steven E. McDonald; artists: unassigned
Novelist Steven E. McDonald has indicated that he’d pitched numerous Trek comics during John J. Ordover’s tenure at Pocket Books. It’s unclear to which publisher he’d proposed these comics, but Ordover (who’d edited Star Trek novels, not comics) left Pocket in 2003, so McDonald must have sent them to either Marvel, WildStorm, or an earlier license-holder.
McDonald had previously proposed three Star Trek novels, titled The Harlequin Game, Mirrorgates, and Moonchild, to Bantam Books in either 1980 or 1981, but none of these had ended up published either. The author would later write the novel Waystation, a tie-in to Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, earning him peripheral Star Trek scribe status.
Klingon-centric graphic novels (publisher unknown, 2004)
Writer: J.G. Hertzler; artist: David W. Mack
Actor J.G. Hertzler (Deep Space Nine‘s General Martok) met with Paramount in 2003 to negotiate terms for a series of graphic novels featuring the Klingon Empire, but the books never materialized. In an interview that year with TrekWeb.com, Hertzler said the series would have been sexier and edgier than most Klingon stories, and that it would have detailed the Klingon experience, with Star Trek‘s televised adventures serving only as a framework. No publisher was announced, though it’s known that David W. Mack would have been the artist.
Star Trek: The Manga (Tokyopop, 2004)
Writers: Mike W. Barr, Jake Forbes, Chris Dows, Jim Alexander, Mark Paniccia, and Alan J. Porter; artists: unknown
Following the publication of Boukenshin, its first manga digest based on The Next Generation, Tokyopop announced a second editioncontaining a “creepy space spider story” by Barr, a “holodeck story with Worf in feudal Japan” by Forbes, a “Q story where he’s split into three personalities” by Dows, a “Klingon battle story” by Alexander titled “Skin Deep,” and a mirror-universe tale by Paniccia. However, the company opted instead to produce another Original Series digest, and the publisher dropped the license before the second volume featuring Jean-Luc Picard’s crew could be revisited. Among the writers invited to pitch for the Kirk-era manga was Alan J. Porter, author of Star Trek: A Comics History (Hermes Press, 2009).
Porter proposed four stories, none of which ended up making the cut, as he discussed at his blog. In “The Game,” the Enterprise would have returned to Sigma Iota II (“A Piece of the Action”) to find the gangster culture replaced by one based on 20th-century Las Vegas. “The Great Hunt” would have seen a Klingon warrior attempting to obliterate the tribble homeworld. Pavel Chekov, in “The Three Russian Pigs,” would have told three bratty children a Russian take on a classic folktale. And in the aptly named “Wagon Train to the Stars” (referencing Gene Roddenberry’s studio pitch to sell Star Trek), Kirk’s crew would have come to the aid of a deep space convoy under attack.
Star Trek: Probability Factor (IDW, 2008)
Writer: David Tischman; artists: unknown
Announced soon after IDW attained the license, this series would have told speculative tales based on The Original Series and The Next Generation, with fans nominating and voting for each issue’s premise. In IDW’s Focus on… Star Trek one-shot, Tischman cited “What if Natasha Yar had lived?” as an example of a story Probability Factor might have told. The premise was similar to that of Marvel’s aborted Star Trek: Realities, and just like that title, it would have been a great springboard for innovative storytelling.
Star Trek: Second Stage (IDW, 2008 and beyond)
Writers: various; artists: various
IDW issued a press release announcing its New Frontier: Turnaround, Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment, Assignment: Earth, and Mirror Images titles, each slated to be printed under the general title Star Trek: Second Stage. That mantle, however, appeared only on a single issue of New Frontier, after which all mention of Second Stage ceased. It’s unclear whether additional tales were set to feature such branding, but it seems likely.
Star Trek: Mirror Images (IDW, 2008)
Writers: Chris Ryall, Andrew Steven Harris, and George Strayton; artist: David Messina
In its Second Stage press release, IDW listed Chris Ryall (the company’s former president, publisher, and CEO) as the writer of Mirror Images. Scott and David Tipton ended up scripting the miniseries, though, and it’s unknown how Ryall’s version might have differed. The press release suggested a second Mirror Images miniseries, this one focused on The Next Generation and written by Harris and Strayton. That project evolved into Myriad Universes: The Last Generation, written by Harris (sans Strayton) and illustrated by Gordon Purcell, Bob Almond, and Terry Pallot.
Deep Space Nine miniseries (IDW, circa 2009)
Writer and artist: Declan Shalvey
In 2007, Shalvey posted sample comic pages based on Deep Space Nine at his blog. A few years later, as IDW began publishing comics based on J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films, Shalvey met with Ryall to discuss the possibility of his penning a Deep Space Nine comic title. Nothing came of the discussion, despite interest on both sides.
Star Trek: Titan (IDW, 2009)
Writers: Andy Mangels and Tim Russ; artist: Simon Bennett
Mangels and actor Tim “Tuvok” Russ of Star Trek: Voyager had scheduled a meeting with IDW’s Scott Dunbier in 2009 to discuss a comic book tied to Pocket’s popular Star Trek: Titan novels. The duo, along with intended artist Simon Bennett, even created a beautifully painted mockup cover to promote the concept. However, Mangels says, Dunbier seemed uninterested in pursuing the project. Instead, Mangels shared the proposal for inclusion in Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection #140.
Star Trek: Countdown sequel (IDW, sometime after 2009)
Writers: Mike Johnson and Tim Jones; artists: unknown
Plans were in place for a sequel to IDW’s Countdown miniseries set in the Kelvin timeline, but the project was quietly canceled, despite Johnson’s Countdown having gone over well with readers. Available details are scarce.
Star Trek: Captain’s Log—Garrett and Riker (IDW, circa 2010)
Writer: Robert Greenberger; artist: George Freeman
Along with the first four Captain’s Log issues (Sulu, Harriman, Pike, and Jellico), Dunbier had planned a fifth focused on Captain Rachel Garrett from the episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” This one-shot, written by former DC Star Trek editor Bob Greenberger, would have taken cues regarding the characterization of the Enterprise-C’s crew from Ilsa J. Bick’s Garrett-centric novel Well of Souls, part of Pocket’s Lost Years event. For reasons not made public, the comic was canceled, which is regrettable since Garrett would have been the first female character spotlighted in Captain’s Log. A sixth issue was also scrapped, focused on Will Riker, the creative team of which is unknown.
Deep Space Nine comic (IDW, sometime after 2010)
Writer: Scott Snyder; artist: Jim Lee
Following the release of IDW’s Deep Space Nine: Fool’s Gold, Scott Snyder and Jim Lee pitched a follow-up miniseries to the prior one from the Tiptons. Although they reportedly offered to do the work for free, IDW passed on the project.
Star Trek: Inquisition (IDW, sometime before 2011)
Writer: Christopher J. Priest; artist: unknown
When IDW invited Priest to pitch a Star Trek comic, the writer suggested a three-issue Worf tale (later expanded to four) using his Klingon-in-Starfleet role as an analogy for racial bias. Priest has claimed Paramount deemed his proposal too controversial, asking that he remove the bigotry aspect and focus solely on his B and C stories. Priest declined, and so the project was canceled. He subsequently archived his scripts at his website. The downloadable scripts provide a solid read, despite the writer having noted in his preface that he’d never wanted to write Star Trek and hadn’t enjoyed most Trek comics he’d ever read.
Deep Space Nine/Doctor Who: Domination (IDW, 2013)
Writer: Tony Lee; artists: unknown
British writer Tony Lee, who has penned comics based on both Star Trek and the BBC’s Doctor Who, was invited to pitch a sequel to 2012’s Star Trek and Doctor Who crossover, Assimilation2, for which Lee had initially been the Tiptons’ cowriter. The follow-up was canceled, but Lee posted on Facebook his proposal for an eight-chapter miniseries that would have featured the Doctor’s companion Clara Oswald.
While the first miniseries had focused on Picard’s crew, Lee intended to match up the time-traveling Gallifreyan with the Deep Space Nine cast. Just as Assimilation2 had spent an issue revisiting The Original Series, Lee had hoped to do the same, utilizing the cast of either Voyager or Enterprise. After pitching the series, Lee learned that IDW and the BBC had ended their publishing agreement, with Titan gaining the Doctor Who license. This prevented the second crossover from moving forward.
The Next Generation/Aliens: Acceptable Losses (IDW, 2017)
Writers: Scott and David Tipton; artist: J.K. Woodward
In a partnership with Dark Horse Comics, IDW had announced a crossover between their respective licensed franchises at the 2016 MCM London Comic-Con. The Tipton brothers were announced as writers, accompanied by artist J.K. Woodward, with a 2017 release planned. The team were also assigned a related Free Comic Book Day issue, which was fully scripted before being scrapped.
The crossover, intended to celebrate The Next Generation‘s 30th anniversary, would have featured not only H.R. Giger’s Xenomorphs, but also the Romulans and the Borg. But later that year, Dark Horse vice-president Randy Stradley announced the team-uphad been shelved, and online sources have attributed this decision to director Ridley Scott. Woodward, Aaron Harvey, and Tristan Jones were all signed up to provide covers for Acceptable Losses, and both Woodward and Harvey have shared their work online, providing fans with an enticing glimpse at what might have been.
Various Projects (IDW, multiple years)
Writers: Keith R.A. DeCandido, David Alan Mack, James Swallow, and Rich Handley; artists: unknown
Finally, Star Trek novelists DeCandido, Mack, and Swallow have each proposed Star Trek comic ideas to IDW throughout the company’s long tenure. DeCandido mentioned his proposal in a 2014 post at the trekbbs.com forum, after which Swallow commented as a follow-up that he’d “put out feelers” to the publisher as well. To date, none of these discussions have resulted in a published comic, but given each writer’s talents, one can hope that will change. Meanwhile, I’ve spoken with IDW editors past and present about getting my two stories from the WildStorm days (and some newer ones) in fans’ hands, but so far have had no luck.
As noted in my previous article about unpublished comics, there could well be many other proposed or rejected tales of which fans remain unaware. There’s simply no way to be all-inclusive on this topic, but websites such as those in the list at the bottom of this article have documented their existence for posterity and will continue to do so if more projects come to light. Some of these lost gems have had a second life in Eaglemoss’s Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection, at least. Speaking of which…
Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection (Eaglemoss, 2020–2022)
Writers: various; artists: various
I had the privilege of serving as the editor of the hardcover STGNC, starting with volume 72, and working alongside Eaglemoss’s Terry Sambridge and Ross Jackson. We came very close to reprinting every Star Trek comic published from 1967 to 2020 (well, other than two X-Men crossovers… long story). Alas, Eaglemoss’s financial problems, which led to the company going out of business, cut us off at the knees before our next planned 20-book expansion. The readers, the creators, and those of us working to create the Graphic Novel Collection were crushed by the news, as that expansion would have completed the history of Star Trek comics by filling in all the remaining gaps.
Had it been produced, fans would have had every story from Gold Key, Marvel, Power Records, Editora Abril, DC, Malibu, Wildstorm, Marvel/Paramount, Tokyopop, Wired, and IDW, as well as the L.A. Times Syndicate and the British strip publishers, all combined in a single set of spine-matching books. We nearly succeeded, too, as we completed everything except for some DC and IDW stragglers. The final expansion would have taken care of the rest. Sadly, those final books didn’t happen. Ever since, I’ve often been asked what the planned lineup would have been, so earlier this year I revealed what never was but should have been, in an article posted at my blog.
That’s a lot of lost lore, though it pales compared to the enormous volume of undeveloped Star Trek episodes and never-produced TV shows and movies. Our examination of the second Marvel era will continue next week with the company’s Nog-centric Deep Space Nine tie-in, Starfleet Academy—which was among Marvel’s most exciting Star Trek offerings, so you won’t want to miss it.
Looking for more information about Star Trek comics? Check out these resources:
- My ongoing column for Titan Books’ Star Trek Explorer magazine
- The Complete Star Trek Comics Index, curated by yours truly
- The Star Trek Comics Checklist, by Mark Martinez
- The Wixiban Star Trek Collectables Portal, by Colin Merry
- New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics, by Joseph F. Berenato (Sequart, 2014)
- Star Trek: A Comics History, by Alan J. Porter (Hermes Press, 2009)
- The Star Trek Comics Weekly page on Facebook
Rich Handley has written, co-written, co-edited, or contributed to dozens of books, both fiction and non-fiction, about Planet of the Apes, Watchmen, Back to the Future, Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Hellblazer, Swamp Thing, Stargate, Dark Shadows, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, Red Dwarf, Blade Runner, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batman, the Joker, classic monsters, and more. He has also been a magazine writer and editor for nearly three decades. Rich edited Eaglemoss’s Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection, and he currently writes articles for Titan’s Star Trek Explorer magazine, as well as books for an as-yet-unannounced role-playing game. Learn more about Rich and his work at richhandley.com.
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