Our Trek Comics editor Patrick Hayes is back with a review of this month’s issue of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek comic series: the third chapter of “The Q Gambit,” an ongoing six-part saga.

The first of two covers is by interior artist Tony Shasteen. Engineer Q is farthest from the reader, striking a passive bust-like pose. Before him looking grandiose is Chancellor Worf. Flying before both zips the Defiant, seemingly on a missing to protect the three individuals on the planet below: McCoy, Spock, and Kira, who’s wearing some new togs while firing a blaster.

All look good save the Doctor, who resembles a primate. The coloring is also well done, with yellow and orange being used strikingly.  Grade: A.

The ohoto cover is an image from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, of the always photogenic Worf as played by Michael Dorn. He looks exceptional, and, yes, when didn’t he? The intensity of his eyes remind fans why Klingons are not to be taken for granted, and foreshadows events within.  Grade: A+.

The third chapter of “The Q Gambit,” written by Mike Johnson, opens with the Defiant landing in San Francisco, carrying Kirk, Sisko, Odo, Scotty, and Uhura. The next three pages are a quick summary of how history has changed since the Enterprise disappeared almost one hundred years ago.

The arrival of Dominion changed the balance of power in the quadrant, and Earth fell to the Klingons. Page 4 ends the history lesson with Sisko giving a patented Federation rah-rah speech. And, yes, I got goosebumps. The arrival of three individuals, with one being very familiar, ends the humans’ conversation.

Meanwhile on Bajor, the science divisions of the Enterprise, with McCoy and Spock being the focus, discover life under Cardassians rule. The reveal at the end of Page 8 made my heart sing — I love this individual and this character’s dialogue and actions are gold. Speaking of this rare metal, another familiar face appears on 17, making another fantastic character addition to this story.

There is a lot to love in this story: Earth under Klingon rule, the appearances of many character from Deep Space Nine, McCoy’s wisecracks (especially at the bottom of Page 15), the reappearance of Q to tease the crew, and a great cliffhanger.

Johnson has got the beats of this story down to a science, as every other page reveals a classic character or conflict to confound the leads. Excellent storytelling.  Grade: A+.

The visuals on this book by Tony Shasteen can’t help but impress. The leads look great, with Sisko being reflective on Page 4 a standout moment. I was completely taken by the likeness of the individual that first appears on Page 8; this is the best I’ve even seen this character look in a comic book.

Q’s appearance is delightfully different from his earlier incarnations as he adopts a decidedly alien look, which Shasteen carries off well. Kira’s appearance is a stunner, and she’s wearing the exact opposite of what the Intendant would wear. One character comes up sadly short: McCoy. The bottom of Pages 7 and 8 have him looking anemic. What’s the deal with Shasteen’s McCoy?

This falls under a nit, but one part of this issue that is really poor is the double-paged spread of Pages 2 and 3. The center image was an incredible waste of space. This portion of the story deals with the fall of the Alpha Quadrant and this was the best Shasteen could do to visually show it? Instead, the four insert panels should have been expanded and details increased within them. I have never seen space ignored like this before.

Many of the panels use photographs and they integrate fairly seamlessly with the characters, such as Page 4, 7, 8,9, 11, etc. The third panel sticks out like a Costco’s interiors. Again, this is only one panel out of an entire book, but when all else looks so superb, this really is noticeable.  Grade: A-.

Dialogue and two sounds are crafted by Neil Uyetake. There is no need for sounds in this story, so Uyetake can’t be nicked for their absence, and his dialogue is smooth to read. Grade: A.

Bottom line:
The excellence continues in this third chapter of “The Q Gambit” as more classic characters appear, along with some formidable, classic villains. Grade: A-.

– Reviewed by Comics Editor Patrick Hayes

Order Star Trek #37: The Q Gambit, Part 3