Star Trek Comics Weekly EXTRA: Looking Back on the Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection

In addition to writing my Star Trek Comics Weekly column, first for Eaglemoss and HeroCollector, and now for this blog, I had the privilege of editing the Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection since volume 72, and I started writing introductions as of volume 10. When the contents of volumes 137–140 were announced, it was a bittersweet moment for the STGNC team, because that marked the end of the collection. Though we’d managed to reach volume 140, we’d actually published 150 books, including six “Special” editions, collecting the crossovers and IDW’s Alien Spotlight, and four out of the five planned (and rather oddly named) “Upsell” editions, reprinting John Byrne’s Star Trek: New Visions.

I was sad to see the series end so close to reprinting everything there was to reprint, but I am proud of what we achieved. I’d have loved to keep the line going, because there was more to offer before we could have boasted of collecting every Trek comic (well, almost every comic… alas, Marvel’s two Star Trek/X-Men crossovers were off-limits due to ownership issues). In fact, I already had volumes 141–160 mapped out when word of the cancelation came down, and those 20 books would have enabled us to fill in all the non-X-Men gaps from 1967 to 2020. It would have been glorious, and it still pains me that a corporate decision prevented us from doing so. Collectors lost out because of it, and I’ll always regret that.

There is a bright side to this, though, and it’s one I find gratifying. In these 150 volumes, we reprinted every single story from Gold Key, the British strips, Peter Pan Records, the L.A. Times Syndicate, Marvel (X-Men notwithstanding), Editora Abril, Malibu, WildStorm, and Tokyopop, while also offering several rarities and previously unpublished works along the way. That last part was especially exciting, as it meant I got to present new material to fans. Alas, we never reached the finish line for DC and IDW, which had been my plan for the never-published final set of 20 volumes. At the time, we were told insufficient sales numbers had curtailed our efforts, but since Eaglemoss has gone out of business, it’s pretty clear the problem ran deeper than that.

Still, from its inception to its premature conclusion, the Graphic Novel Collection reprinted the vast majority of Trek comics ever produced, and nothing can take that away from us. I ended up writing 100 of the 150 books’ introductions, which was a wonderful bonus. Since the stories were not reprinted in their original publication order, STGNC readers might find it challenging to locate a particular comic, or to read everything by a given publisher or creative team, or to even know what they’re missing. With that in mind, I had compiled the following index for inclusion in volume 140, in order to help fans navigate their shelves and identify every tale not reprinted by Eaglemoss. I’m reprinting that index below, updated to include the comics released since 2020.

Gold Key Comics (Issue #/volume #)

Note: Gold Key #29, 35, 37, and 45 reprinted #1, 4, 5, and 7, respectively.

• Star Trek #1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7, 8/8, 9/9, 10/11, 11/12, 12/13, 13/14, 14/16, 15/17, 16/18, 17/19, 18/21, 19/22, 20/23, 21/25, 22/26, 23/27, 24/28, 25/30, 26/31, 27/32, 28/33, 29/1, 30/35, 31/36, 32/37, 33/38, 34/39, 35/4, 36/40, 37/5, 38/41, 39/42, 40/43, 41/44, 42/45, 43/46, 44/47, 45/7, 46/48, 47/49, 48/50, 49/51, 50/52, 51/53, 52/54, 53/55, 54/56, 55/57, 56/58, 57/59, 58/60, 59/61, 60/62, 61/63
• Star Trek #62 (previously unpublished): Volume 124
• Star Trek: The Enterprise Logs #1–4 mini-stories: Volume 103

British Strips

• Joe 90: Top Secret #1–34: Volume 10
• TV21 and Joe 90 #1–36: Volume 10
• TV21 #37–44: Volume 10
• TV21 #45–100: Volume 20
• TV21 #101–105: Volume 29
• Valiant and TV21 #1–42: Volume 29
• Valiant and TV21 #43–118: Volume 121
• Joe 90: Top Secret Annual (1969): Volume 10
• TV21 Annual (1971): Volume 29
• TV21 Annuals (1972 and 1973): Volume 121
• Valiant Summer Special (1972): Volume 121
• Mighty TV Comic Annual (1978): Volume 121
• TV Comic Annual (1979): Volume 121
• Radio Times (June–July 1970): Volume 121
• Sugar Smacks Star Trek ad: Volume 126

Gong Magazine (German-exclusive fumetti comics)

• Star Trek episode/film adaptions: Uncollected

Kenner/Chad Valley

• Star Trek Give-A-Show Projector slides: Volume 126

Peter Pan/Power Records

• Passage to Moauv: Volume 106
• The Crier in Emptiness: Volume 108
• A Mirror for Futility: Volume 111
• The Time Stealer: Volume 114
• Dinosaur Planet: Volume 116
• The Robot Masters: Volume 119

Dinky Toys

• Star Trek Klingon and Enterprise advertorials: Volume 126

Editora Abril (Brazilian-exclusive comics)

• Jornada Nas Estrelas #4: Volume 129
• Jornada Nas Estrelas #5: Volume 136

Bantam Books/Mandala/Pocket Books (U.S. fumetti comics)

• Star Trek Fotonovels #1–12: Uncollected
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture Photostory: Uncollected
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Photostory: Uncollected

McDonalds Happy Meals

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture box strips: Volume 126
• Star Trek Video Communicator toy strips: Volume 126

Larami

• Star Trek Space Viewer toy strips: Volume 126

L.A. Times Syndicate (U.S. newspaper strips)

• Star Trek artist audition strips: Volume 126
• Star Trek storylines #1–6: Volume 15
• Star Trek storyline #7: Volumes 15 and 24
• Star Trek storylines #8–11: Volume 24
• Star Trek storyline #12: Volumes 24 and 34
• Star Trek storylines #13–20: Volume 34

Look–In Magazine

• Weetabix Star Trek ad: Volume 126

Marvel Comics (1980 series)

• Star Trek #1–7: Volume 13
• Star Trek #8–13: Volume 19
• Star Trek #14–18: Volume 39

DC Comics

• Star Trek (series I) #1–8: Volume 31
• Star Trek (series I) #9–16: Volume 41
• Star Trek (series I) #17–21: Volume 49
• Star Trek (series I) #22–26: Volume 57
• Star Trek (series I) #27–31: Volume 101
• Star Trek (series I) #32–36: Volume 72
• Star Trek (series I) #37–41: Volume 78
• Star Trek (series I) #42–46: Volume 84
• Star Trek (series I) #47–51: Volume 90
• Star Trek (series I) #52–56: Volume 93
• Star Trek Annuals (series I) #1–3: Volume 105
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock: Volume 51
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: Volume 51
• Who’s Who in Star Trek #1–2: Volume 122
• Star Trek (series II) #1–6: Volume 110
• Star Trek (series II) #7–12: Volume 115
• Star Trek (series II) #13–16: Volume 134
• Star Trek (series II) #17–21: Volume 138
• Star Trek (series II) #22–26: Volume 139
• Star Trek (series II) #27–31: Volume 64
• Star Trek (series II) #32–80: Uncollected
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: Volume 61
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: Volume 61
• Star Trek Annual (series II) #1: Volume 138
• Star Trek Annual (series II) #2: Volume 139
• Star Trek Annuals (series II) #3–5: Uncollected
• Star Trek Annual (series II) #6: Volume 136
• Star Trek Special (series II) #1: Volume 122
• Star Trek Specials (series II) #2–3: Volume 125
• Star Trek: The Modala Imperative #1–4: Volume 118
• The Ashes of Eden: Volume 125
• Debt of Honor: Volume 54
• Captain Sulu Adventures (previously unpublished): Volume 139
• Star Trek: Resolution (previously unpublished): Volume 139
• Star Trek: Lessons of Life (previously unpublished): Volume 133
• Star Trek: The Devil Kirk (previously unpublished): Volume 133
• The Next Generation (series I) #1–6: Volume 27
• The Next Generation (series II) #1–6: Volume 32
• The Next Generation (series II) #7–12: Volume 42
• The Next Generation (series II) #13–19: Volume 50
• The Next Generation (series II) #20–24: Volume 58
• The Next Generation (series II) #25–30: Volume 65
• The Next Generation (series II) #31–36: Volume 73
• The Next Generation (series II) #37–41: Volume 79
• The Next Generation (series II) #42–46: Volume 85
• The Next Generation (series II) #47–51: Volume 91
• The Next Generation (series II) #52–58: Volume 94
• The Next Generation (series II) #59–63: Volume 96
• The Next Generation (series II) #64–70: Volume 97
• The Next Generation (series II) #71–75: Volume 98
• The Next Generation (series II) #76–80: Volume 99
• The Next Generation Annuals (series II) #1–3: Volume 132
• The Next Generation Annuals (series II) #4–6: Volume 136
• The Next Generation Specials (series II) #1–3: Volume 128
• The Next Generation: The Modala Imperative #1–4: Volume 118
• The Next Generation: The Series Finale: Volume 140
• Star Trek: Generations: Volume 140
• The Next Generation: Ill Wind #1–4: Volume 88
• The Next Generation: Shadowheart #1–4: Volume 82
• The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine (crossover with Malibu): Volume 67
• The Next Generation: Return of the Wolf (previously unpublished): Volume 138

Malibu Comics

• Deep Space Nine ashcan #1: No story—not applicable
• Deep Space Nine ashcan #2: Volume 37
• Deep Space Nine #1–5: Volume 37
• Deep Space Nine #6–9: Volume 47
• Deep Space Nine #10–13: Volume 55
• Deep Space Nine #14–17: Volume 62
• Deep Space Nine #18–22: Volume 70
• Deep Space Nine #23–28: Volume 80
• Deep Space Nine #29–32: Volume 86
• Deep Space Nine Spectacular 64-Page Annual: Volume 74
• Deep Space Nine Ultimate Annual: Volume 74
• Deep Space Nine: Lightstorm: Volume 116
• Deep Space Nine: Terok Nor: Volume 116
• Deep Space Nine: Worf Special: Volume 116
• Deep Space Nine Special: Volume 106
• Deep Space Nine: Hearts and Minds #1–4: Volume 43
• Deep Space Nine/The Next Generation (crossover with DC): Volume 67
• Deep Space Nine: The Maquis, Soldier of Peace #1–3: Volume 123
• Deep Space Nine: Celebrity Series—Blood & Honor: Volume 106
• Deep Space Nine: Celebrity Series—Rules of Diplomacy: Volume 106

Marvel/Paramount Comics

• Star Trek Collector’s Preview ashcans #1–2: No story—not applicable
• Early Voyages #1–4: Volume 9
• Early Voyages #5–11: Volume 18
• Early Voyages #12–17: Volume 30
• Star Trek Unlimited #1–3: Volume 102
• Star Trek Unlimited #4–6: Volume 111
• Star Trek Unlimited #7–10: Volume 130
• Deep Space Nine #1–5: Volume 28
• Deep Space Nine #6–11: Volume 35
• Deep Space Nine #12–15: Volume 114
• Voyager #1–8: Volume 21
• Voyager #9–15: Volume 38
• Voyager: Splashdown #1–4: Volume 124
• Starfleet Academy #1–5: Volume 107
• Starfleet Academy #6–10: Volume 117
• Starfleet Academy #11–16: Volume 133
• Starfleet Academy #17–19: Volume 137
• Untold Voyages #1–5: Volume 120
• Star Trek: First Contact: Volume 119
• Star Trek/X-Men: Unavailable for reprinting
• Mirror Mirror #1: Volume 137
• Operation: Assimilation #1: Volume 119
• The Next Generation/X-Men: Second Contact #1: Unavailable for reprinting
• The Next Generation Special: Riker―The Enemy of My Enemy #1: Volume 119
• Telepathy War (crossover): Volumes 133, 114, 111, 38, and 137
• Starfleet Academy #20–29 outline (previously unpublished): Volume 137
• Star Trek Unlimited “Reaping the Whirlwind” (previously unpublished): Volume 138
• Early Voyages “Copyright Violations” (previously unpublished): Volume 138
• Star Trek: Phase 3 (previously unpublished): Volume 138
• Split Infinities/Realities “Dark Emissary” (previously unpublished): Volume 140
• Deep Space Nine #16–26 outline (previously unpublished): Volume 140
• Deep Space Nine: The Romulan Imperative (previously unpublished): Volume 140
• Voyager: “Cold Vengeance” (previously unpublished): Volume 135
• Voyager: “As Others See Us” (previously unpublished): Volume 140
• Voyager “Confessions” (previously unpublished): Volume 140

WildStorm Comics

• Star Trek: All of Me: Volume 103
• Star Trek: Enter the Wolves: Volume 103
• The Next Generation: Perchance to Dream #1–4: Volume 33
• The Next Generation: Embrace the Wolf: Volume 33
• The Next Generation: The Killing Shadows #1–4: Volume 66
• The Next Generation: The Gorn Crisis: Volume 69
• The Next Generation: Forgiveness: Volume 113
• The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine: Divided We Fall #1–4: Volume 22
• Deep Space Nine: N–Vector #1–4: Volume 126
• Voyager: False Colors: Volume 131
• Voyager: Elite Force: Volume 131
• Voyager: Avalon Rising: Volume 131
• Voyager: Planet Killer #1–3: Volume 131
• New Frontier: Double Time: Volume 109
• Star Trek Special #1: Volume 113

Tokyopop (manga digests)

• Star Trek: Shinsei Shinsei: Volume 83
• Star Trek: Kakan ni Shinkou: Volume 89
• Star Trek: Uchu: Volume 129
• The Next Generation: Boukenshin: Volume 135

Wired Magazine #17.05

• Star Trek: When Worlds Collide: Volume 112

Haynes Publishing

• Klingon Bird of Prey Manual advertorial: Volume 126

Idea and Design Works (IDW) Publishing

• The Next Generation: The Space Between #1–6: Volume 5
• Klingons: Blood Will Tell #1–5: Volume 127
• Focus On Star Trek #1: Volume 46
• Year Four #1–6: Volume 46
• Alien Spotlight #1–6: Special 04
• Alien Spotlight #7–11: Special 05
• The Next Generation: Intelligence Gathering #1–5: Volume 11
• New Frontier: Turnaround #1–5: Volume 109
• Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment #1–5: Volume 75
• Assignment: Earth #1–5: Volume 23
• Star Trek: Mirror Images #1–5: Volume 68
• Romulans: Hollow Crown #1–2: Volume 104
• Myriad Universes: The Last Generation #1–5: Volume 76
• Countdown #1–4: Volume 1
• Crew #1–5: Volume 108
• Mission’s End #1–5: Volume 100
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan #1–3: Volume 26
• Spock: Reflections #1–4: Volume 4
• Nero #1–4: Volume 6
• Romulans: Schism #1–3: Volume 104
• The Next Generation: Ghosts #1–5: Volume 16
• Deep Space Nine: Fool’s Gold #1–4: Volume 59
• Captain’s Log #1–4: Volume 52
• Star Trek (2009) #1–6: Volume 7
• Pawns of War: Balance of Terror: Volume 104
• Leonard McCoy: Frontier Doctor #1–4: Volume 53
• Burden of Knowledge #1–4: Volume 44
• Khan: Ruling in Hell #1–4: Volume 26
• Infestation #1–2: Volume 134
• Star Trek: Infestation #1–2: Volume 134
• Infestation Sketchbook: Volume 134
• Star Trek #1–6: Volume 12
• Star Trek #7–12: Volume 14
• Star Trek #13–18: Volume 17
• Star Trek #19–24: Volume 25
• Star Trek #25–30: Volume 40
• Star Trek #31–34: Volume 48
• Star Trek #35–40: Volume 56
• Star Trek #41–47: Volume 63
• Star Trek #48–54: Volume 71
• Star Trek #55–60: Volume 77
• Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #1–6: Special 03
• The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation²: Uncollected
• The Next Generation: Hive #1–4: Volume 3
• Countdown to Darkness #1–4: Volume 81
• Khan #1–5: Volume 36
• New Visions: Strange New Worlds: Uncollected
• New Visions #1–6: Upsell 01
• New Visions #7–11: Upsell 02
• New Visions #12–15: Upsell 03
• New Visions #16–20: Upsell 04
• New Visions #21–22: Uncollected
• New Visions: Eye of the Beholder: Uncollected
• New Visions: The Cage: Upsell 03
• New Visions: More of the Serpent Than the Dove: Uncollected
• Harlan Ellison’s The City on the Edge of Forever #1–5: Volume 2
• Flesh and Stone: Volume 123
• Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive #1–5: Special 02
• Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War #1–6: Special 01
• Starfleet Academy #1–5: Volume 8
• Manifest Destiny #1–4: Volume 45
• Waypoint #1–6: Volume 60
• Waypoint Special #1: Volume 112
• Waypoint Special 2019: Volume 112
• 50^th Anniversary Cover Celebration: No story—not applicable
• Boldly Go #1–6: Volume 87
• Boldly Go #7–12: Volume 92
• Boldly Go #13–18: Volume 95
• Star Trek/Green Lantern: Stranger Worlds #1–6: Special 06
• Deviations: Volume 112
• The Next Generation: Mirror Broken #0–5: Uncollected
• The Next Generation: Mirror Broken Loot Crate One-Shot: Uncollected
• Discovery: The Light of Kahless #1–4: Uncollected
• Discovery Annual: Uncollected
• Discovery: Succession #1–4: Uncollected
• The Next Generation: Through the Mirror #1–5: Uncollected
• The Next Generation: Terra Incognita #1–6: Uncollected
• Star Trek vs. Transformers #1–5: Uncollected
• Star Trek: The Q Conflict #1–6: Uncollected
• The Next Generation: IDW 20/20: Uncollected
• Year Five #1–24: Uncollected
• Year Five Valentine’s Day Special: Uncollected
• Discovery: Captain Saru: Uncollected
• Discovery: Aftermath #1–3: Uncollected
• Voyager: Mirrors & Smoke #1: Uncollected
• Sky’s The Limit: Volume 120
• Picard: Countdown #1–3: Uncollected
• Hell’s Mirror: Uncollected
• Deep Space Nine: Too Long a Sacrifice #1–4: Uncollected
• Voyager: Seven’s Reckoning #1–4: Uncollected
• Star Trek: Titan (previously unpublished): Volume 140
• Star Trek: The Mirror War #1–3 plus specials: Uncollected
• Star Trek Alien one-shots (three to date): Uncollected
• Star Trek: Discovery—Adventures in the 32^nd Century #1–4: Uncollected
• Star Trek: Picard—Stargazer #1–3: Uncollected
• Star Trek 400^th Issue: Uncollected
• Star Trek: Lower Decks #1–3: Uncollected
• Star Trek Sampler ashcan: No story—not applicable
• Star Trek (ongoing Sisko series): Uncollected
• Star Trek: Resurgence #1–5: Uncollected
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds—The Illyrian Enigma #1–4: Uncollected
• Star Trek: Defiant (ongoing Worf series): Uncollected

I, of course, did not work in a vacuum—many fine folks at Eaglemoss brought these 150 books to life, including design manager Terry Sambridge; designers Paul Montague, Steve Scanlan, Ryan Cummings, and Ross Jackson; my editing predecessor, Réka Turcsányi; editorial director Maggie Calmels; my fellow intro writers James Swallow and Bob Greenberger; and editorial manager Ben Robinson. Each of these individuals helped to make the series as extraordinary as it turned out to be, and they should take a collective bow—as should Will Potter, my amazing editor at HeroCollector. I’m humbled to have been allowed to play in this sandbox alongside them all.

Must all good things end? That seems to be Star Trek‘s eternal pattern—though with each ending has come a renewal. The original show was canceled after only three seasons, but it was revived a few years later as The Animated Series, adding two more seasons to complete Jim Kirk’s network-aborted five-year mission. Attempts to bring the show back as Star Trek: Phase II fizzled, but Paramount took Kirk and his crew onto larger screens with The Motion Picture and five more films.

In 1987, “Encounter at Farpoint” ushered in a new series set nearly a century after the Kirk-era movies; although The Next Generation ended after seven seasons, the franchise then handed the theatrical baton to Jean-Luc Picard with Star Trek: Generations and its three sequels. Other shows have followed—Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Short Treks, Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds—as has J.J. Abrams’ film trilogy. We’re up to a whopping 12 shows and 13 movies now, and most of it has been very good. At least two more shows, Section 31 and Starfleet Academy, are currently in development, along with a possible (albeit unlikely) fourth Abrams film.

Star Trek has never been more popular or more prolific than it is right now, and every year a new generation of fans discovers the shows and films, as well as the comics, novels, short stories, and video games. They say all good things must end, yet no matter how many times the franchise has seemed to end, Star Trek has lived long and prospered. So maybe all good things don’t need to end, popular wisdom be damned. For example, HeroCollector is no more, yet my Star Trek Comics Weekly column continues at this blog. (I mean… I consider the column a good thing. Your mileage may vary.)

When you consider how many Trek comics have been released in the past five decades—just under a thousand and counting, plus nearly a decade’s worth of daily and weekly comic strips—as well as the staggering number of novels and short stories and video games, it’s truly remarkable. What a vast universe of stories. I wish we’d been able to bring you every single comic from 1967 to present not featuring X-Men (sigh). We got pretty darn close, didn’t we? Perhaps the Prophets will bestow another extension someday (Are you reading this, IDW? Call me!), and I’ll finally get to work on volumes 141 and beyond. Who knows? After all, good things don’t just end—they also come to those who wait.

Looking for more information about Star Trek comics? Check out these resources:

• The Complete Star Trek Comics Index, 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
• Star Trek: A Comics History, by Alan J. Porter

Rich Handley has written books about Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, and Watchmen, as well as licensed Star Wars and Planet of the Apes fiction, and he edited 70 volumes of Eaglemoss’s Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection. Rich co-edited Titan’s Scribe Award-nominated Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone; nine Sequart anthologies discussing Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Hellblazer, Stargate, and classic monsters; and four Crazy 8 Press anthologies about Batman and (now) the Joker. He has contributed essays to DC’s Hellblazer: 30th Anniversary Celebration; IDW’s Star Trek and Star Wars comic-strip reprint books; BOOM! Studios’ Planet of the Apes Archive hardcovers; Sequart anthologies about Star Trek and Blade Runner; ATB Publishing’s Outside In line exploring Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, and Babylon 5; and a Becky Books anthology covering Dark Shadows.