Free Comic Book Day 2017 Star Trek The Next Generation Mirror Broken 1 NM IDW

Description

Star Trek the Next Generation Mirror Broken FCBD 2017 #0
Published May 2017 by IDW Publishing
Written by Scott Tipton and David Tipton
Art and Cover by J. K. Woodward

Space… The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the I.S.S. Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to conquer strange new worlds, to enslave new life and new civilizations… to boldly go where no one has gone before!

Return to the Mirror Universe with the Next Generation crew in a way you’ve never seen them before in this prequel to the upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation miniseries, Mirror Broken! Captain Jean-Luc Picard will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Terran Empire’s newest starship, the Enterprise-D. And no one had better stand in his way!

We last saw the all-star team of writers David and Scott Tipton with artist J.K. Woodward in 2014’s critically acclaimed Harlan Ellison’s City on the Edge of Forever – The Original Teleplay adaptation. IDW has brought them all together again for something Trek fans have been waiting a long time for – the first Star Trek: The Next Generation trip to the Mirror Universe. We spoke with the Tiptons about it last week, and you can check out that interview here.

We pick things up in the early days of the Mirror Universe’s TNG era not on the I.S.S. Enterprise, but on the I.S.S. Stargazer – Picard’s first command in our universe, where he served for 22 years as its captain. We first meet a “slightly” more confident Lieutenant Reginald Barclay, bored with his engineering job and yearning to do something “dramatic.” This boredom is alarming for a number of reasons because, as we know, a bored Barclay can be a dangerous Barclay. I say “slightly” more confident because it’s clear that Reg doesn’t feel as comfortable as the rest of the crew is showing their bulging biceps. Seriously – everyone is wearing a sleeveless uniform exposing perfectly chiseled arms except him. Believe me, I know how he feels. No amount of Crossfit could get me to look anywhere near that good.

As referenced in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, “Crossover,” the Terran Empire in the 24th century is in a sad state. After Kirk’s pep talk at the end of “Mirror, Mirror” a century earlier Mirror Spock eventually rose to power, preaching peace and earning the role of commander in chief. Unfortunately, his “weak” leadership made the Empire vulnerable to attack from the Cardassian/Klingon alliance, resulting in the destruction of most of the fleet. Since then, the Stargazer has been put on patrol to defend what was once known as the great Empire.

A bearded, ripped Picard gives Barclay a reprieve from engineering by summoning him to his ready room. Along with Counselor Troi, Picard manipulates him into taking a new assignment – to help security chief Lieutenant Tasha Yar oversee the Vulcan slave ship transports to Titan. I do find it curious that an evil Empire that punishes people in something called an agony booth would have use for a therapist at all, let alone on a starship. However, I could see this as an advantage for Picard if she was full empath and could actually read thoughts. Let’s hope she has more to do in the coming issues. I also do need to give a quick shout-out to Picard’s new pet python. I wonder if he named it Livingston?

As soon as Barclay sheepishly reports to Yar, the Vulcan ships try to escape. Without hesitation, Tasha channels her inner Sela and cold-bloodedly destroys them along with 2,000 Vulcan slaves in an effort to “maintain order.” Maybe this crew really does need a counselor after all.

I won’t spoil the ending, but you need to pick this up now. There was a reason why IDW trusted the Tiptons with a story 30 years in the making and they do not disappoint. This Free Comic Book Day prequel issue gives us just a glimpse of what’s to come in the six-issue series and it has the makings of being truly outstanding.

And what can I saw about JK Woodward’s jaw-dropping lifelike painting style? It gives me chills each time he nails an actor’s likeness. The Free Comic Book Day issues a “Designing Mirror Broken” section which takes a closer look at some of Woodward’s early design ideas along with some other art he created for the series. His art makes the characters seem familiar and you really want to like them, but they are horrible people. If issue #0 is any indication of what we should expect moving forward, we’re in for a real treat.

28 pages, full color.

8-2771401259000111

Near mint condition