“Yesterday’s” Comic> Star Trek #12 (DC 1st series)

“Just another few days and we’ll have him!”

Star Trek #12

DC Comics (March, 1985)

“New Frontiers” part 4: “The Tantalus Trap”

WRITER: Mike W. Barr

PENCILER: Tom Sutton

INKER: Ricardo Villagran

COLORIST: Michele Wolfman

LETTERER: John Costanza

MANAGING EDITOR: Tom Condon

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Robert Greenberger

EDITORS: Marv Wolfman & Mike W. Barr

The Mirror Enterprise self-destructs but Kirk manages to save the saucer section and the survivors ride the shockwave free of the blast, then use the Tantalus Field to damage the Excelsior. Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Sulu get aboard and knock everyone out with sleeping gas, but Mirror Kirk manages to stay awake and go after his double. Regular Kirk wins and the Mirror survivors are put into stasis. Meanwhile in the mental battle of Spock versus Spock the winner is Spock. Back with Kirk, he decides to take the Excelsior to the mirror universe in the hopes of stopping their invasion, taking along Barr’s created crewmembers and Janice Rand, and warps out just as the Bird Of Prey returns.

What they got right: We get a good contrast between how Spock and Mirror Spock lived their lives, and to a lesser extent Kirk and Mirror Kirk. Uhura gets to take the conn…even if it is the remains of the mirror Enterprise.

What they got wrong: I know Kirk’s reputation and he’s made plenty of friends but the Starbase commander willing to ignore Starfleet Command like that seems like an excuse to get the ship fixed for the trip. And did someone really program the computer to tell unauthorized people who try to activate the Excelsior‘s self-destruct to march themselves down to the brig? Who in their right mind thinks that would ever happen?

Recommendation: This arc is getting really darn good. I can see why it was collected and, again, Barr is trying to work with a time frame that’s hard to set stories in. Worth giving a look thus far.