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Star Trek: Khan
Star Trek: Khan #1
"Shall we begin?" Don't miss this all-new mini-series event overseen by Star Trek Into Darkness writer/producer Roberto Orci! Witness the shocking origin of Khan Noonien Singh from his earliest years through his rise to power during the epic Eugenics Wars! Behold the events that led to his escape from Earth aboard the Botany Bay! Learn the truth behind his re-awakening by Admiral Marcus and Section 31! It's the origin of Star Trek's greatest villain, only from IDW!
24 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 20, 2013
1 person is currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Mike Johnson
608 books53 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Mike Johnson is a comic book writer.
An almost lifelong Trekkie, he has scripted more Star Trek comic books than anyone else to date.
Mike Johnson is a comic book writer.
An almost lifelong Trekkie, he has scripted more Star Trek comic books than anyone else to date.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 31, 2013
You can read the full review over at my blog:
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2013...
Khan Noonien Singh is one of the most memorable characters to come out of the Star Trek: The Original Series, so much so that noted science fiction author Greg Cox penned three novels featuring him in the previous decade and the character has had two films to himself since his first appearance in the TOS episode Space Seed. There’s something rather visceral about the character that draws you in, something greater than the character itself. I can’t really say what, but all I can say is that of all the Star Trek villains over the decades, he is definitely one of my favourites.
Recently, IDW Publishing announced plans to publish a new ongoing series for their Star Trek franchise and that this would focus on Khan as he was presented in the recent Star Trek: Into Darkness movie, the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster Star Trek. These movies are a reboot of the old The Original Series sub-franchise and they redefine a lot of the lore that has been canon over the years. Khan himself is no stranger to a change in lore since the Greg Cox trilogy is considered to be out of official Star Trek canon as well. And the new series introduces a brand-new canon, if this first issue is anything to by.
ST2-Khan01-coverThis issue begins in the wake of the ending of Star Trek: Into Darkness, with Khan being brought in before a full Federation council for a trial. He is charged with wholesale murder of Federation civilians and hence his trial is a Federation matter rather than a specific Starfleet one. After some initial hostility towards his accusers, Captain Kirk and First Officer Spock, Khan begins to narrate the tale of who he is. He tells of who he was before Admiral Marcus found his hibernation pods, and those of his fellow superhumans.
Going entirely on the basis of this issue only, and ignoring any previous in-continuity material (since the new movies are creating their own continuity and this comic is a part of that), this is a fairly decent issue. I’m previously familiar with Mike Johnson through his work on the first year of Supergirl in the New 52 and its nice to see him doing something else these days. I haven’t exactly kept up with his work, so he could very well have been busy since he stepped off Supergirl, but still, his scripts were decent material. And that’s what this new comic is as well. Its a decent enough story that could be better, but it does tell an interesting tale of how Khan came to be. Or rather, how Noonien Singh became who he is, the early days of his metamorphosis into a superhuman.
One of the things I liked about this comic is that in a very short and sweet sequence the point is made that the Benedict Cumberbatch Khan looks absolutely nothing like the Ricardo Montalban Khan. The original Khan was flawed in terms of casting because a non-Indian actor was playing a fully Indian character, and this error was magnified by the new movie which had a pretty much full-white cast. So its nice to see that some effort is being made to explain the changes, albeit lore-wise.
The story itself is fairly predictable, especially if you have familiarity with the Greg Cox novels to a degree since they too focused on how Khan came to be. However, predictable in this specific case doesn’t mean boring. The story flows pretty smoothly from page to page and the enjoyment factor is from the execution rather than the beginning and the end. Knowing that Khan is a super-genius in addition to being physically superior to regular humans, it is still entertaining to see how he flips the tables on those who created him, and through the dialogue of Dr. Heisen, we get a nice glimpse into Khan’s early childhood and his development. It also establishes the groundwork for the Khan-to-be.
There is an interesting division of the artwork in this issue. David Messini does the pencils and inks for the present story while Claudia Balboni does the pencils for the (main) flashback story with Marina Castelvetro doing the corresponding inks. And Claudia ScarletGothica does the colours for the issue, while Neil Uyetake does the letters. The art, throughout, is very dynamic and lively. For his part, David Messini does a pretty good job of staying true to the actors who portrayed the relevant characters in the movies. There are some slight differences in how they are drawn, so that the art is not an exact likeness but close enough. The characters are instantly recognizable and that’s the main thing. Claudia Balboni has much more freedom of course and she uses that to the utmost. The art is generally minimalist, and lacks any particular flourish, but it is good, clean artwork regardless. And as far as the colours are concerned, they were the same. The lighting effects used were a nice touch, although the issue was a bit too bright for my tastes. And given that the movie this is based on is called Into Darkness, there’s a slight disconnect.
Overall though, this was a fun issue, and I’m looking forward to reading the second next month. Its going to be interesting to see how the lore is changed/rebooted/affected.
Rating: 8/10
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2013...
Khan Noonien Singh is one of the most memorable characters to come out of the Star Trek: The Original Series, so much so that noted science fiction author Greg Cox penned three novels featuring him in the previous decade and the character has had two films to himself since his first appearance in the TOS episode Space Seed. There’s something rather visceral about the character that draws you in, something greater than the character itself. I can’t really say what, but all I can say is that of all the Star Trek villains over the decades, he is definitely one of my favourites.
Recently, IDW Publishing announced plans to publish a new ongoing series for their Star Trek franchise and that this would focus on Khan as he was presented in the recent Star Trek: Into Darkness movie, the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster Star Trek. These movies are a reboot of the old The Original Series sub-franchise and they redefine a lot of the lore that has been canon over the years. Khan himself is no stranger to a change in lore since the Greg Cox trilogy is considered to be out of official Star Trek canon as well. And the new series introduces a brand-new canon, if this first issue is anything to by.
ST2-Khan01-coverThis issue begins in the wake of the ending of Star Trek: Into Darkness, with Khan being brought in before a full Federation council for a trial. He is charged with wholesale murder of Federation civilians and hence his trial is a Federation matter rather than a specific Starfleet one. After some initial hostility towards his accusers, Captain Kirk and First Officer Spock, Khan begins to narrate the tale of who he is. He tells of who he was before Admiral Marcus found his hibernation pods, and those of his fellow superhumans.
Going entirely on the basis of this issue only, and ignoring any previous in-continuity material (since the new movies are creating their own continuity and this comic is a part of that), this is a fairly decent issue. I’m previously familiar with Mike Johnson through his work on the first year of Supergirl in the New 52 and its nice to see him doing something else these days. I haven’t exactly kept up with his work, so he could very well have been busy since he stepped off Supergirl, but still, his scripts were decent material. And that’s what this new comic is as well. Its a decent enough story that could be better, but it does tell an interesting tale of how Khan came to be. Or rather, how Noonien Singh became who he is, the early days of his metamorphosis into a superhuman.
One of the things I liked about this comic is that in a very short and sweet sequence the point is made that the Benedict Cumberbatch Khan looks absolutely nothing like the Ricardo Montalban Khan. The original Khan was flawed in terms of casting because a non-Indian actor was playing a fully Indian character, and this error was magnified by the new movie which had a pretty much full-white cast. So its nice to see that some effort is being made to explain the changes, albeit lore-wise.
The story itself is fairly predictable, especially if you have familiarity with the Greg Cox novels to a degree since they too focused on how Khan came to be. However, predictable in this specific case doesn’t mean boring. The story flows pretty smoothly from page to page and the enjoyment factor is from the execution rather than the beginning and the end. Knowing that Khan is a super-genius in addition to being physically superior to regular humans, it is still entertaining to see how he flips the tables on those who created him, and through the dialogue of Dr. Heisen, we get a nice glimpse into Khan’s early childhood and his development. It also establishes the groundwork for the Khan-to-be.
There is an interesting division of the artwork in this issue. David Messini does the pencils and inks for the present story while Claudia Balboni does the pencils for the (main) flashback story with Marina Castelvetro doing the corresponding inks. And Claudia ScarletGothica does the colours for the issue, while Neil Uyetake does the letters. The art, throughout, is very dynamic and lively. For his part, David Messini does a pretty good job of staying true to the actors who portrayed the relevant characters in the movies. There are some slight differences in how they are drawn, so that the art is not an exact likeness but close enough. The characters are instantly recognizable and that’s the main thing. Claudia Balboni has much more freedom of course and she uses that to the utmost. The art is generally minimalist, and lacks any particular flourish, but it is good, clean artwork regardless. And as far as the colours are concerned, they were the same. The lighting effects used were a nice touch, although the issue was a bit too bright for my tastes. And given that the movie this is based on is called Into Darkness, there’s a slight disconnect.
Overall though, this was a fun issue, and I’m looking forward to reading the second next month. Its going to be interesting to see how the lore is changed/rebooted/affected.
Rating: 8/10
April 6, 2014
I actually got the chance to read the collected graphic novel from Net Gallery, so this covers the entire series:
Net Gallery Review:
An absolutely stunning graphic novel telling the "story" of Khan and it almost makes you forgive JJ for his little "fib". I would love to see this as a movie but I am sure that the franchise would consider it a waste of time. A solid believable tale for the Star Trek Universe, even if an altered time line. The graphic novel works because of the story, though Kirk and Spock are not involved in this tale. One hopes that there is a return of Khan in the movie (of course, Spock doesn't need to die and then be born again) but I could see some role in the future. Mike and Claudia, a hell of a tale and thanks. I will review on Amazon when I can. I finished this in one day and nearing age 65, I can tell you it is a worthy addition to the Star Trek library
Net Gallery Review:
An absolutely stunning graphic novel telling the "story" of Khan and it almost makes you forgive JJ for his little "fib". I would love to see this as a movie but I am sure that the franchise would consider it a waste of time. A solid believable tale for the Star Trek Universe, even if an altered time line. The graphic novel works because of the story, though Kirk and Spock are not involved in this tale. One hopes that there is a return of Khan in the movie (of course, Spock doesn't need to die and then be born again) but I could see some role in the future. Mike and Claudia, a hell of a tale and thanks. I will review on Amazon when I can. I finished this in one day and nearing age 65, I can tell you it is a worthy addition to the Star Trek library
November 25, 2019
Mike Johnson did a good job of showing us Khan life and what drove him. I love Benedict Cumberbatch but I really disliked the character of Khan in the movie. After reading this and rewatching the movie I found myself enjoying the character much more.
October 14, 2014
It was a nice complement to the movie - it follows where "Star Trek Into Darkness" left and we see the judgement of Khan and some more of his past. Not amazing and didn't blew me away but a good addiction to this universe.
January 24, 2015
This story goes a long way towards explaining why Khan looks different in the newest branch of Star Trek, when, according to the new rules of the franchise, Khan should have never been visually affected.
It's a surprisingly entertaining story that's better than it had any right to be.
It's a surprisingly entertaining story that's better than it had any right to be.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews