Nothing Neutral About This Zone: Reviewing ‘Star Trek’ #14

Sometimes you have to stop a God killer. Other times it’s about avoiding war with space dinosaurs. Starfleet is wild.

Boldly going where no Trek has gone before, Star Trek #14 dives deep into the culture and threats that are posed by the mysterious Tzenkethi. It’s a story of twists & turns, as well as more wall-to-wall Star Trek love from Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Marcus To, Lee Loughridge, and Clayton Cowles.

Exploring the unknown brings many opportunities to truly cut loose with visual foundation building. Marcus To is an artist who excels at creating a deep feeling space on the page. Whether it’s on a ship or a planet, what is presented on the page feels like it could be visited at any moment. Like I could just touch it and be yanked into the thing Pagemaster style (deep 90’s movie cut!).

It’s not just the settings, though. All the characters, human, Andorian, android, or Tzenkethi, are so expressive. They also have weight and presence, and their body language and emotional energy are perfectly rendered. Depicting characters adapted from TV and movies is always tough because of the actors behind them. We always get the best because To, like others before him, aims for a likeness that allows uniqueness rather than going for picture-perfect recreations.

No matter who is on the art, the colors have a steady presence. Loughridge brings such a unique array of colors into play. They shift and change a bit to match the energy of the art while maintaining their own style. Plenty of vibrant poppier colors fill the pages allowing certain aspects to stand out even more. Each space shares colors in common while having its own distinct signature. Whether that happens to be a color filter that highlights the page or distinct backgrounds, there’s a sense of realism and personality.

One of the best aspects of Star Trek is the sense of exploration and adventure. Sending this crew into a space where they and we the audience are both learning about an entire race, while danger lurks around the corner. One of the best aspects of this series is how well each issue and arc allows the story to breathe and grow naturally. It’s not like the series movies or such where we need a bunch of action to propel every single moment forward.

Just like the TV shows they are pulling from, Kelly and Lanzing are down to do entire issues that are more about the quieter moments. Those where we focus on growth, learning, and just atmosphere. Of course, there is very much action, as the preview pages showcase. It supports the overall exploration adventure vibes of the story, rather than being the entire story.

Tackling a series that is part of a massive franchise and must dance through the raindrops of future continuity is tough. Except, when it isn’t. Kelly and Lanzing do a stellar job of finding ways to mine the most character development and moments out of every single individual that passes through the title. There are those such as Data and Worf who these titles stalwartly guide toward their Star Trek: Nemesis and beyond futures.

Then there are the other characters who have no real future appearances as of this moment. That would be ones like Sisko, Paris, Scotty, and the best guest Harry Kim. It’s here that the duo can really have some fun. They easily maintain the characteristics and personality that we know so well of these characters while finding a way to naturally showcase how much they’ve grown in the years since. Deep in his work, a much more confident secret agent, Harry Kim fits so well.

Just as the colors find a way to distinctly bring personality and energy into play, so do the letters. Cowles is a master at making sure all the words flow through the pages. Allowing those voices to grow and stand out, by making just the right little tweaks here or there. Increasing the ways that the volume or tone is clear, emotions just swirling around each word.

Star Trek #14 is now available from IDW Publishing.