IDW Publishing is the current comic book publisher to have obtained the Star Trek license. They did so in 2006, with the first comics published in January 2007. IDW's comics have so far been based either on The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and the 2009 movie Star Trek. IDW's comics have all been released in miniseries of between two and six issues, and all of their comics are reprinted in omnibus collections.

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Overview Edit

For the first three years of their license, IDW only purchased the rights to publish comics from the two most popular Trek series; The Original Series and The Next Generation. The company have the right of first refusal to the rest of franchise should they decide to expand; which they did so in taking on the license to publish tie-in comics for the new movie, Star Trek, and in late 2009 when they began to publish their first Deep Space Nine comics. The current licences include the full breadth of any series they opt into and its spin-offs; IDW can therefore published stories from more obscure angles on the series, such as the era of Captain Pike, and comics from the New Frontier series.

In their first year IDW tested the format with miniseries of various formats. In their second year they intend to push the line forward with the involvement of big names such as D.C. Fontana and Peter David, branding their output for the year Star Trek: Second Stage. The Second Stage branding only actually appeared on the first issue of Turnaround.

After the first few issue of the first series IDW released two comics a month throughout their first year. With the launch of their Second Stage titles they upped production to four issues a month, intending to deliver a new comic almost every week. Output has since fluctuated, with as few as one comic being release in a month, and up to as many as five.

Format Edit

IDW has so far released Star Trek comics in miniseries of between two and six issues over several consecutive months. Each comic is thirty-two pages in length, twenty-two of which (with limited exception) are actually story. The story pages flow uninterrupted (again with limited exception) with the final ten pages consisting of adverts, previews and interviews relating to other IDW projects, letters pages, and in a hand-full of issues The Trek Life comic strips.

The inside front cover of each comic typically contains a title a credit page and sometimes an opening monologue like paragraph of text related to the miniseries or in the case of some part-stories a short paragraph of text to refresh the reader on the story so far. In a hand full of issues this title page has been moved to the first page after the story at the back of the book.

Most of the comics have been available in several covers. Earlier comics tended to have more covers, while the most recent releases have had increasingly few, with many issues being released in just one cover by May of 2008. "Against Their Nature", the first issue of the Klingons: Blood Will Tell miniseries has had the most covers to date, with a total of seven being available. For IDW's first year's worth of miniseries the back inside cover of each comic was used as a cover gallery for that issue. With the launch of the Second Stage titles the cover gallery was moved to the title page, occupying a smaller area using thumbnail images.

Publications Edit

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For a list of all IDW comics by publication order see IDW Publishing release order.

Miniseries Edit

Completed series





Forthcoming series

John Byrne has announced he has had three series green lit, though release dates are as yet undetermined. The latter of the three will be a second Assignment: Earth series. One of the earlier two will conclude at about the time Robert April took command of the Enterprise, and one of the three will feature James T. Kirk at the Academy. [1][2][3]

Omnibuses Edit

Typically, three months following the publication of the final issue of a miniseries, an omnibus book of the series is released. There have been a few exceptions to this; Romulans: The Hollow Crown was released in an omnibus along the Schism series as a single omnibus of the entire John Byrne Romulan Saga. Similarly the new adaptation of The Wrath of Khan was printed in an omnibus alongside previous movie comic adaptations.

The Countdown miniseries also broke the normal rule, with the omnibus released almost immediately after publication of the final issue so that it would be out ahead of the release of the movie to which it is a prequel.

IDW also publish collections of Star Trek comics originally published by previous holders of the Star Trek comics license. These have so far taken two forms: The Star Trek Archives series collects between four and six issues per volume, based on a theme, while the Star Trek Omnibus format sees larger collections of entire series of comics.

Creators Edit

International reprints Edit

In several foreign markets other publishers have purchased the rights to reprint IDW comics:

Starting in 2008 the Brazilian publisher Devir has published several Portuguese translations of IDW miniseries omnibuses.

In Germany, starting in 2009, the publisher Cross Cult has published German language translations of several series omnibuses. Releases have been in both hardcover and paperback, often with new cover art.

Also in 2009 the British publisher Titan Comics launched a short-lived magazine format called Star Trek Comic . The publication lasted three issues, reprinting the complete Star Trek: Nero series, before it was cancelled.

. The publication lasted three issues, reprinting the complete series, before it was cancelled. In 2010, Australian publisher Wilkinson Publishing began to produce local prints of both omnibus books and individual issues.

Unrealized concepts Edit

See also: unpublished comics.

Since obtaining the Star Trek license several IDW editors and writers have announced or talked about projects which have, so far, not been published. Few have officially been announced as cancelled, but have remained unproduced for significant periods of time:

Following on from their first two Year Four miniseries' IDW had vague plans for two more Year Four miniseries, making a total of twenty-two issues over the four minis, equivalent to a full season of The Original Series. After that they planned to continue on to Year Five miniseries’. [4] IDW skipped ahead with this concept somewhat with the 2009 release of Mission's End, showing the finally year five mission.

Former editor Andrew Steven Harris indicated IDW were developing an idea for a post-Nemesis TNG series, working with an unspecified individual who has previously worked on Star Trek projects form Marvel and DC Comics. Harris suggested the series would start in early 2009; that period did see the start of Countdown a part-TNG series set many years after Nemesis. [5]

When Mirror Images was first announced it was also suggested that there would be a TNG mirror universe series to follow. However that series was pushed back in favor of the Myriad Universes miniseries The Last Generation.

Announced in Focus on... Star Trek another project that never surfaced was Probability Factor, a six issue miniseries, three issue TOS and three TNG. The series was to tell "What if?" stories exploring episodes that might have been is some factor had changed. The episodes choose for the alternate universe treatment were to be selected by and voted for by fans. However since its initial announcement no further news on the series has been announced, while other new miniseries (including a different alternate timeline story - The Last Generation) have gone ahead.

Announced in the end matter of the 2008 prose anthology Echoes and Refractions, author Keith R.A. DeCandido was apparently due to write a TNG miniseries titled Redshirts.

Building on the success of the new Star Trek movie and its comic spin-offs IDW had plans for several projects based around the film and Countdown. The Countdown writers Tim Jones and Mike Johnson have talked about a prequel to Countdown showing how the TNG crew got to their new positions, and in particular how Data was restored. Additionally they would like to write a series following Countdown showing the continuing future of the TNG era. In the Kelvin timeline from the new film they produced a series leading into the next film in a similar function to Countdown. [6]

Since IDW obtained their license author Andy Mangels has been pushing for a Star Trek: Titan miniseries, and had even managed to talk Tim Russ, the actor who played Tuvok, into co-authoring it. In 2010 however he received confirmation from IDW that they would not be taking up the concept. [7]

John Byrne has discussed ideas he has yet to develop, such as a miniseries exploring the adventures of Balok and David Bailey.[8] One idea Byrne will not be able to realize was a crossover between Assignment: Earth and the series Doctor Who; unfortunately the BBC, who own the Doctor Who franchise, were not willing to go ahead with this.[9]

Additionally several individual issues of miniseries have been lost or re-arranged. Both Alien Spotlight series saw significant changes to the creative teams involved. Early announcements for the second series indicated there would be issues on the Tholians, Ferengi and Betazoids, none of which were produced. The fifth issue of the Captain's Log series, "Captain's Log: Garrett" was written but cancelled before the artwork was produced[10].

Voyager and Enterprise Edit

On Voyager comics Andrew Steven Harris has stated they are unlikely to happen any time soon if at all. Enterprise comics have a similar outlook, if not worse; Dan Taylor noted likeness approvals for Scott Bakula/Jonathan Archer are problematic[11]. Enterprise, being the series with the smallest fanbase, would also make such a venture risky, ie. developing comics on a series that may be less commercially successful. [12]