Khan | Comic Readings

Star Trek: Khan 1

Star Trek: Khan 1

Although this is only the first issue of this series I am sill in 2 minds about it, is it simply milking the popularity of Star Trek Into Darkness (and arguably Benedict Cumberbatch as well) or is it a much needed look back at the origin story of one of Star Trek’s most well known villains: Khan? It could well be both. However given this new universe was created at the point Nero and Spok arrived in the 22nd Century, surely Khan’s origin story should be identical to the already established one seen in the TV series and the original Wrath of Khan movie, apparently its not though, which could get annoying if you are very familiar with the original story. One thing this series will be addressing is the way Khan looks, something which probably should have been dealt with in the movie and it will be interesting to see how the story progresses in telling how Khan went from Indian appearance to very British. This issue its a good starting point for the rest of the series to flesh out the villain and provide some much needed back story to the character and while it may bug a few continuity buffs, it will appeal to the fans of this “new” Star Trek universe.

Mike Johnson gets the “voice” of the established characters down perfectly, which you would expect as he has been writing the Star Trek ongoing series for a while now so he has a good grasp on the characters. The artwork is split between 2 artists, one for present day and one for flashbacks, the present day artist David Messina makes all the known characters look familiar and everyone looks as though this could have been a deleted scene from the movie. The flashback artist Claudia Balboni also does a great job of making everyone have their own look and makes the story flow well throughout the rest of the issue.