A Mother’s Love — Reviewing ‘Star Trek’ #22

Benjamin Sisko and the galaxy’s fate are well acquainted. Unfortunately, this time, the intrepid captain might be far too late.

Gods squabble, fates are foretold, and a dangerous new (yet old) player returns to the game, as a mother and son are reunited in the jam-packed Star Trek #22. Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Megan Levens, Lee Loughridge, and Clayton Cowles deliver an emotional roller coaster of an issue.

Perhaps it was because I was of the right age, but to me I never found Wesley Crusher to be “annoying” or whatever other complaints fandom had back in the day. It was cool seeing this young character right there with the veterans, succeeding and growing. So, seeing his return here, after the way the character left the franchise was truly a delight. Especially since it finally gave us the mother/son moment that has been kept from fandom for far too long.

Kelly and Lanzing juggle this moment and what it means amongst all the other pieces of this complicated but thrilling puzzle. Watching “Sarah” the Prophet throwing down with the other godly beings (while it’s acknowledged that the Prophets might be the true godliest of them all) was pretty darn cool. Especially since everything to do with Deep Space Nine always felt so sectioned off from the rest of Trek. Surely there were reasons, but it never sat right to see all that greatness so far from everything else.

Not so much here, where whole sections of that series and what it birthed are baked into the series (and its sibling series). One must make sure to read the simultaneously released (as it ran a bit late) Annual issue for the series, as there is a connected moment that plays out in both. A moment that leads right into what changes for the rest of this arc and the series as a whole.

Always bringing the right mix of seriousness and whimsy is Levens, bridging that gap so seamlessly. Bringing life to spaces that are bright white godly voids, those that resemble a space office, and so much in-between. Capturing every single emotion vividly, letting it pour off the page as the characters go about their individual and connected stories. Every bit of these characters feels life-like, larger than life really, as the familiar resemble their live-action counterparts while remaining their own entities.

Color wise, Loughridge bounces around to give each of the spaces mentioned above their own unique tone. From those aforementioned bright white, with dashes of yellow or gold, spaces or the more low-key office that belongs to Wesley Crusher. As Lore crashes into the picture, sending the story into a new realm, darker, heavier menacing shadows begin to dominate things. With one slight change to the palette, our feelings are sent careening around.

Similarly, Cowles always does the same with every word that hits the page. Punctuating and modifying text and bubbles as necessary to get the utmost power out of them. Modulating volume or increasing the emotional bandwidth, while making sure there is still quirky fun visual authority in each presented letter.

Star Trek #22 is now available from IDW Publishing.