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Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline (IDW) #19

Star Trek. Destino Manifiesto

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Rare book

112 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 2016

12 people are currently reading
116 people want to read

About the author

Mike Johnson

608 books53 followers
Librarian 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.

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5 stars
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3 stars
65 (25%)
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15 (5%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
Profile Image for Scott.
2,265 reviews269 followers
June 7, 2021
"On my honor as a Klingon, I give you one hour to surrender." -- Commander Sho'Tokh, the bad guy

"This is the U.S.S. Enterprise. We don't surrender." -- Captain James T. Kirk, the big damn hero

With character illustrations and situational references directly connected to the rebooted 2009-2016 Star Trek film series, the graphic novel Manifest Destiny is actually more comparable in tone to an hour-long TV episode (which is what the very first Star Trek series was originally known for, after all) than a cinematic screenplay . . . but that episode would be an exceptionally good one. And for even the fair-weather Trekkers like me there are enough moments - the landing party being thrown into sudden chaos, the 'red shirt' character being killed, Kirk and the villain-of-the-week engaging in fisticuffs, and so forth - that will be instantly recognizable to almost anyone as trademarks from the now 55 year-old franchise. It was an extremely action-oriented storyline, with the famed Enterprise falling under a vicious attack by a rogue vengeance-minded Klingon military officer and his followers after a handful of key command crew members (Dr. McCoy, Mr. Sulu, Uhura) are ambushed and then stranded on a nearby planet. A unique side bonus was imagining the speech balloon dialogue in the voice stylings of the rebooted movie series actors (Chris Pine, Zach Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, et al.), because artist Angel Hernandez did a nice and consistent job of capturing their likenesses.
Profile Image for Wayne McCoy.
4,298 reviews32 followers
July 2, 2016
'Star Trek: Manifest Destiny' by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott with art by Angel Hernandez starts off interesting, but I can't tell you much about it because I was given only a portion of it for review.

The story starts right off in action mode, with the Klingons doing what they do best. They conquer a planet, and when the USS Enterprise shows up to help, an away team is sent to the planet. Traps about as the away team is unable to help and the ship and it's crew are also caught in what seems to be a clever trap. The preview I got ends on an exciting cliffhanger.

This is the J.J. reboot crew. I liked the art, even with the artist putting in lens flares like in the movies (although they aren't nearly as distracting here). I liked McCoy having to fight using his medical technology and his usually grouchy attitude. It's a really good set up for an exciting story. I see that as a bonus, this graphic novel includes issue one in the Klingon language, which would be fun. I liked what I got to read, and I would seek out the rest to read.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from IDW Publishing, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Profile Image for Cathy .
1,937 reviews295 followers
July 9, 2016
I had a 24-page preview in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and then decided to get the whole comic, because I was hooked. The plot develops quickly, there is fairly good tension right from the start. The story doesn't quite deliver what I hoped for, but it's decent. It's a pretty standard Star Trek storyline with all the usual clichees.

Pretty good character depictions, based on the reboot movies, aka Chris Pine, Quinto, Urban. I had to laugh at the flares in the background... Just like in the first reboot movie!


 
There are some good, full-page extra artworks.



As an extra there is a Klingon edition of the story beginning at the end.



Nicely nerdy idea, but instead of 24 pages of repetition with Klingon speech bubbles I would have preferred a more intricate main story.

So, verdict--it was ok, I would recommend it to friends and maybe buy the next one, but it didn't bowl me over. 3.5 stars?
Profile Image for Parker Keys_to_hades.
138 reviews13 followers
December 28, 2019
I’m pretty much biased for anything involving the original Star Trek crew, so my review probably won’t be helpful to anyone who doesn’t feel the same. I don’t consider myself a professional in the graphic novel/ comic department, but I felt like it was really well put together. It wasn’t confusing at all, which can often be the case for me when I read a graphic novel/comic. The plot kept me interested right up to the end, and of course, reading Chekhov’s adorable accent always makes my day!
As for content, it was pretty clean in my book. A few uses of damn and hell, but no inappropriate scenes or sexual talk. The violence mixed with small amounts of blood might disturb some people, but I wouldn’t call it gory. Yes there are some severed limbs, but it’s not dramatically bloody, and I often couldn’t tell the difference between blood and the blaster discharge.
One more thing. The graphics? Stunning. I adored this and will definitely be doing several rereads.
Profile Image for Dakota Morgan.
3,421 reviews53 followers
September 27, 2021
Manifest Destiny is a quick, simple read, but in its clarity of purpose, there's a lot of Star Trek goodness. The plot: The crew of the Enterprise battle a marauding Klingon outcast. Easy enough to understand. The characters (from the recent set of movies) are accurately portrayed, especially artistically. The Klingons are murderous villains, but occasionally sympathetic.

Captain Kirk and company are set on their heels basically from the jump, so this is an extremely action-packed read. Not the heady space philosophy of some more recent Star Trek reads. Solid fun, nonetheless.
Profile Image for Bea .
2,037 reviews136 followers
August 22, 2016
I saw this at NetGalley and couldn't resist. I'm a sucker for most things Trek and I like graphic novels. Unfortunately, when I downloaded it, Adobe Edition wouldn't work and I couldn't get it to open. Several months later, I got the hardcover from the library and was finally able to read the story.

The story details a conflict between the Federation and the Klingon empire. I enjoyed seeing the Klingons and it was strange, after so many years of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Voyager, to see them as the bad guys again. Bad guys they were but for the most part, Johnson and Parrott avoided cliches and stereotypes and gave us villains with meat to them. The exception was the main bad guy who was lacking in development. What wasn't lacking was action, there was plenty of that. The story moves along at a brisk pace but there's also some humor and good character interactions. The crew is from the movie reboot and between the story and the artwork, I could easily hear their voices as I read the dialogue. The artwork was okay, nothing spectacular. The artist went with a dark color scheme and that meant some panels were hard to see or read. Then other pages would be just about perfect in their coloring, arrangement, and overall aesthetics.

"Star Trek: Manifest Destiny" gave us action, villainous Klingons and honorable Klingons, and a pleasant trip to the Star Trek universe, if you don't mind fighting and some blood. It wasn't great but it was enjoyable. The version I read also had some extras: additional artwork and the first issue redone in the Klingon language. The extra artwork was especially well done.
Profile Image for Albert.
1,453 reviews37 followers
April 26, 2016
Star Trek: Manifest Destiny by Mike Johnson is an original tale using the young crew of the Enterprise. It appears to be one of the adventures of the Starship using the features of the crew that is currently part of the newer movie franchise. As the Federation is expanding, so it seems, is the Klingon Empire.

On the outskirts of the galaxy the rules of war are set by the Commander of the occupying army and when that Commander is a violent and bloodthirsty Klingon, then genocide begins. Months later, the Starship Enterprise receives a distress beacon to this same distant planet. The planet itself is honeycombed with caverns and it is in one of these that the landing party finds the beacon. What they also find is an ambush. In the caverns the away team is attacked and in space, the Klingon warship uncloaks.

This version of the Klingon empire is brutal and totalitarian, more so than we have ever seen before. The opening pages of Manifest Destiny show them slaughtering the inhabitants of the planet, even the children, only keeping some able bodied men and breeding age women to create a slave race for them. This is one of the earliest contacts between the Enterprise and the Klingons.

What makes this comic so good is that we have the easy banter between the Enterprise crew that is a staple of the new movie franchise next to the cruel actions of the Klingons. Let's be real, the Klingons have of late in Star Trek, been something of a tame puppy. Here in Manifest Destiny, we see the untamed wolves of their past.

A terrific addition to the lore for all trekkies to love!





Profile Image for Helix.
146 reviews45 followers
September 4, 2016
I have a lot of feels for this one, especially that little showdown Kirk had at the end. The art is considerably better than some...editions in Ongoing and it influenced my enjoyment a lot. I understand why the title can be read as cringe-worthy, but otherwise the story is fine. Lots of action, but not as intense as After Darkness or The Q Gambit or The Khitomer Conflict in Ongoing. While I'm in it for the exploration and even the filler episodes, this is a nice change of pace. It shows another side of Kirk and Bones especially, and even Spock and Uhura (and Chekov although he only got a little portion of the action, but I love it). I just...really love the characterisation, and the pacing is good.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot (god bless AOS James T Kirk, he's a blessing), and that silver space suit thing? Distracting as hell.
Profile Image for Steven Shinder.
Author 5 books20 followers
January 1, 2017
I like that Kai from "Reunion" has a big role in this so that he does not just feel like a throw-away character. There is a lot of action and the crew learns about the Klingon warrior code as they fight each other. The crew becoming soldiers and Kirk's conclusion that Starfleet should be more about exploration than war feels like a repeat of Star Trek Into Darkness. The theme may kinda feel like it feeds into Kral's motives in Star Trek Beyond even though this is not necessarily "Countdown to Beyond." There is also a Klingon language version of the first issue at the end of this TPB, which just feels redundant to me but may be cool for someone else.
Profile Image for Dany.
257 reviews
May 5, 2016
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and the publisher.

The art and the color is amazing. The story is fluent, well told. In this small premise (a preview of 24 pages of 136) The starship Enterprise is under attack (Klingon) and is the beginning of a new and fun adventure. I will recommend this to all the star trek fans out there, I know you all will enjoy it as much as I do.
PS: I NEED to know what happens next.
Profile Image for Kieran McAndrew.
3,083 reviews20 followers
October 5, 2021
When the Klingons manage to capture the 'Enterprise', Kirk is prepared to destroy the ship before they can use it to attack the Federation.

Johnson's scripting is excellent and the artwork is outstanding in most respects (though Spock appears to look more Nimoy than Quinto in a few frames). While interesting in concept, the Klingonese version of issue #1 is unnecessary.
Profile Image for John Yelverton.
4,438 reviews38 followers
June 29, 2016
This was an amazing "Star Trek" graphic novel that was full of action that still managed to accomplish the deep thoughts and essence of "Star Trek". I found myself wishing that this book would be turned into a movie it was so well done.
Profile Image for Riddhi.
162 reviews
June 17, 2016
I read this with the help of NetGalley.I read the preview of the book.I really liked reading it.I really want to know what happens next.
Profile Image for Chad.
10.4k reviews1,060 followers
July 24, 2023
A rogue Klingon captain lays a trap for the Enterprise and attempts to take the ship. A really good story set in the Kelvin timeline. Feels like an episode of the TV show if the Kelvin crew had a TV show. Hernandez does a great job of capturing the likenesses of all the actors too. Good stuff.
Profile Image for Tom.
1,211 reviews3 followers
January 13, 2025
A solid, action-heavy Trek tale. It's a side-story, so it's not necessary for the main Kelvin-timeline comics story, but it does fill in a tiny bit of characterization for the Orion siblings from the main comic.
Profile Image for Dominic Sedillo.
457 reviews2 followers
July 1, 2024
What a blast to see the Kelvin Timeline Enterprise crew take on some rogue Klingons. My biggest beef with the reboot films is they don’t give you a lot of the main baddies from TOS. The Klingons get short shrift in “Into Darkness” IMO. This makes up for it.

I recommend!
90 reviews3 followers
December 15, 2016
All in all, I kind of like the Abrams-verse version of Star Trek. They gave the original series a nice update and let us revisit some old characters with new faces. And this review is from someone who actually read the whole thing.
One thing that I felt these new movies lacked was the inclusion of the Klingons. They were always the "baddies" of the original series and I was looking forward to seeing them again in a more villainous role. Alas, aside from a too brief appearance in "Into Darkness", this was not to be. Fortunately we get some bad guy Klingons for Kirk and Spock to fight in Manifest Destiny.
The plot is simple - Klingons try to take over the Enterprise. The story is similar in some ways to the classic episode "Day of the Dove" but without the "we aren't so different after all" vibe to it. We get some classic cranky Dr. McCoy dealing with a dissident faction within the Klingon ranks. In some ways it reminded me of the book "Klingons: Blood May Tell" as it allowed the Klingon characters room to develop. In some ways, they got a bit more space than the core characters. Kirk, Spock et al, are generally what you would expect. Typical redshirts dying. I actually found myself rooting for the bad guys here. There was also some time spent dealing with the honor side of the Klingon culture, which was presented well without minimizing the fact that they are the bad guys. And we love Klingons as the bad guys! (One aside though - why no smooth foreheaded Klingons? There are some theories about this online but I kind of missed them in this.)
So, finally the Klingons get to shine in the Abrams-verse. A fun read for Klingon fans and a not bad read for Star Trek fans too, though if you are looking for a more Kirk and Spock-centric tale, you might want to look elsewhere.
Profile Image for Gregory.
325 reviews5 followers
December 19, 2016
I loved reading this graphic novel and read it twice! This book has the spirit and feel of the recent 2 films including Star Trek Beyond. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Star Trek with a new series on its way to television in 2017.

Kirk and Crew deal with an adversary who definitely cares more about his own glory than honor. The story brings to heart how unity can overcome any obstacle rather than division. The story shows Kirk's maturity from the last film to the Captain he is becoming. Mike Johnson is the best writer for the ongoing series and proves it issue after issue.

This is the best adaptation of Star Trek since DC Comics' run back in the 1980's-early 1990's. IDW takes it to another level. It has Roberto Orci as a consultant to make sure that the continuity is very tight and faithful to both the films and Star Trek history.

For Star Trek fans and new fans alike: This is a good introduction to Star Trek and prelude to Star Trek Beyond.
Author 3 books1 follower
August 19, 2016
Part of Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, Star Trek: Manifest Destiny is an exciting and action-packed graphic novel. When the Enterprise investigates a distress call they get ambushed by a rogue group of Klingons who take the away team hostage and proceed to invade the ship. The tone is surprisingly dark and violence, and is full of suspense. The fight scenes in which the Klingons battle their way through the decks of the Enterprise are particularly intense. And the writing is especially well-done, structuring each issue to build to an engrossing cliffhanger. Additionally, author’s Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott do an impressive job at developing the Klingons and at making them a formidable threat. A thrilling read Star Trek: Manifest Destiny is an extraordinary compelling adventure.
Profile Image for Arkrayder .
438 reviews
August 14, 2016
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you!

The illustration and color used in this book were great. And while the characters such as Spock and Kirk weren't drawn exactly "lifelike" it was still easy enough to know who they are. The story was fairly good with the humor of the series present, as it should be. My Only regret is that I haven't the rest of the series to read. The illustrations are well done but for me the illustrations of the Enterprise were beautiful. I could spend hours just looking over these illustrations.

It's great to see the new crew of the Enterprise in an all new adventure of the own and if I can get my hands on the rest of the series I'll be a happy man.
Profile Image for B.J. Burgess.
790 reviews24 followers
June 2, 2016
While the Klingons were shown briefly in Star Trek Into Darkness, most fans wanted to see more of the new incarnation of the race. The galley that I reviewed only has the first 24 pages in it. In this comic, we get to see what true Klingons are - deadly warriors that want nothing more than to conquer worlds. While the plot is very thin, "Manifest Destiny" is a decent beginning to a bigger arc; just when it starts to get interesting, it ends on a cliffhanger. The illustrations by Angel Hernandez are well-done. The entire paperback contains all 4 issues as well as a bonus Klingon Language version of the first issue. Overall, I enjoyed reading Star Trek: Manifest Destiny and I recommend other fans.
Profile Image for NullusAnxietus.
338 reviews6 followers
October 1, 2016
Original review posted at http://wp.me/p4Wvzn-1SN

Two Nerds Talking received a free review copy of a portion of this comic in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Manifest Destiny tells the tale of an encounter between the Klingons and the crew of the USS Enterprise from the JJ Abrams reboot.
The story is standard Star Trek fare with some amazing artwork and some really cool nods to the film style of Mr Abrams. There's even a cool Klingon-language part to the story for those who are able to read Klingon...personally I only know a few words so that was lost on me.

Overall this was an enjoyable comic and I will most definitely be buying the full book so I can see the rest of the story

TNT Score 4/5
323 reviews3 followers
June 17, 2017
I am not a huge fan of the new Trek lets get that out of the way.

I did enjoy this graphic novel I thought both the art and the dialogue captured new Trek well.

I really enjoyed seeing a klingon with no honor as the villain and how this effects the other klingons of his crew and how this leads some of them to work with the crew of the Enterprise. I really liked watching McCoy come to see that klingon culture was not as black and white as he thought.

There are a few things that do bug me like how the ship looks and I don't think all the characters are close to being how Roddenberry envisioned them. That is a negative for me when ever I deal with new Trek.

I think this is a must read if you really enjoy new Trek and are looking for more stories.
Profile Image for Derek.
525 reviews5 followers
December 17, 2017
IDW's Star Trek books continue to be some of the most dependably enjoyable books on the market. They capture the tone of the current generation of movies perfectly.

This volume featuring the Klingons is no exception. Their absence from the modern films has been a bummer for me but this trade does much to assuage my disappointment. This is a great story filled with adversaries whose motivations and methods make utter sense. Our crew of beloved characters speak and behave exactly like themselves, nothing is lost in the translation from screen to page, and it's easy to imagine the events of these issues taking place at your local movie theater.

Licensed property comics, like Star Trek, can be very tricky to execute well. Books this good should not be taken for granted.
Profile Image for Kacey.
1,449 reviews6 followers
October 3, 2018
It should come as no surprise that I loved this comic. The personalities of the Enterprise crew are all delightful. I love reading about them and seeing them work off each other. The only real complaint I have is that I wish I could watch or read what comes next after this. If the Federation and the Klingon Empire have a more cooperative relationship, if they team up again, something!

Even though this features the AOS crew, I feel like this is something that could've happened with the OS crew as well. Not much more I can say. The art was colorful, the action was good, and it was kind of cool to include a Klingon language version of the first issue. I'm not such a big fan that I could've understood any of that, but I'm sure those who are loved it.
Profile Image for Tariq Malik.
169 reviews2 followers
February 3, 2019
Out in the frontier of space, the Enterprise stumbles across a Klingon enemy like no other in an epic battle that just might trigger a war between the Federation and Klingon Empire in this tale from the Kelvin universe. This is a solid and self contained Trek gale that's a welcome addition to Kelvin universe, with a pace that moves at warp speed to expand the Klingon side of the Kelvin universe beyond the bare bones take we got in Star Trek Into Darkness. Come for the story, but stay for the art! There some awesome takes on the original Star Trek movie posters of the Shatner era with Kelvin characters that are just amazing to behold. And if you happen to be fluent in Klingon, there's a whole issue just for that!
Profile Image for Joanna.
558 reviews9 followers
July 25, 2018
I really enjoyed this one for a lot of reasons. The first is that it felt like an episode instead of the movie companion graphic novels that feel like movies. Second it’s a female Klingon who kicks butt and saves the day! I am always here for that! And she does as much if not most of the work saving the Enterprise. Sure, Kirk and co. contributed but the lion’s share of the victory has to go to Divash. Lastly, the bonus of the graphic novel being printed in Klingon at least in part is pretty cool. I wish I knew Klingon so I could read it that way too.
Profile Image for Sara.
371 reviews11 followers
April 8, 2016
Since my dad has been a fan of Star Trek since he was young and I immensely enjoyed the new movies, I decided to check out the first issue of Star Trek: Manifest Destiny. It's an interesting, adventure-filled start to a new Stark Trek storyline featuring none other than the Klingons. There's the classic bickering humor and the beginning of new drama for Kirk and Co. I'll definitely be checking out the rest!

*Received a copy from NetGalley.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews

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