Star Trek: Untold Voyages #1
Marvel/Paramount Comics (March, 1998)
“Renewal”
WRITER: Glenn Greenberg
PENCILER: Michael Collins
INKER: Keith Williams
COLORIST: Matt Webb
LETTERER: Chris Eliopoulos
EDITOR: Tim Tuohy
Set just after Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Kirk is given the chance to give the Enterprise it’s shakedown cruise before a new captain is put in place. With V’Ger gone, the Admiral wants Kirk back at his job at Headquarters, and Kirk is reluctant to give up the Enterprise a second time. As they head to check out a station lost when V’Ger arrived an opportunistic Klingon on his was to Earth to hear about the invader decides he’d get glory by taking the refitted Constitution class ship instead. Using the engine-powered phasers Kirk manages to chase off the Klingons but still wants the system changed back to their own power. After this incident Admiral Nogura finally agrees to let Kirk stay on as captain of the Enterprise.
What they got right: The story itself is quite good. Greenberg gets the voices of the characters down perfectly and the art is also good.
What they got wrong: I have a theory that this just Marvel keeping their first run in quasi-canon since by Star Trek II Spock is in command of the Enterprise and Kirk is an admiral again. Also I need to adjust the timeline of my collection since at least this story should take place before last week’s issue.
Recommendation: A good start for this miniseries. Worth giving a look.