IDW Publishing Puts the Spotlight on Star Trek’s Alien Races
New comic miniseries explores the Star Trek universe from the aliens’ perspective.
San Diego, CA (August 31, 2007)—In the vast Star Trek universe, many diverse alien races abound, and now they finally get their due! Starting in September, IDW Publishing is releasing a new, six-issue, Star Trek-themed mini-series, Star Trek: Alien Spotlight Series. This series of one-shots, each produced by a different creative team, features a different Star Trek alien race in each issue.
Following the successful Klingons: Blood Will Tell comic, a miniseries that explored notable encounters with the Federation from the Klingons’ point-of-view, this new Alien Spotlight series will likewise tell stories from differing perspectives.
“We’re offering a wider view of the entire Star Trek universe,” says Chris Ryall, editor-in-chief and publisher of IDW Publishing. “These alien races have always been the antagonist in the different Star Trek series. But now these comics are being told from their point of view—so the aliens go from being the antagonist to being the protagonist. We feel that many of them are too interesting to just stay relegated to the sidelines, and are giving them their due.”
The first issue, due out in September, focuses on the Gorn, the reptilian race first encountered in The Original Series episode Arena, where they attacked a Federation colony on Cestus III, a move they viewed as a preemptive strike against the encroaching United Federation of Planets. The creative team on The Gorn will be the same crew that helmed the recent Klingons miniseries as well as January’s Star Trek: The Next Generation: Intelligence Gathering miniseries, Scott Tipton & David Tipton, with artist David Messina again handling interiors and a cover.
The spotlight shines on the Vulcans in the second issue, written by James Patrick and with art from Josep Maria Beroy. In this issue, a Starfleet starship arrives at a planet on the brink of its own destruction. A once-peaceful society is now savage and warlike, linking itself to the turbulent past of the Vulcans. The third issue, centering on the Andorians, is by Paul Storrie and Leonard O'Grady and is due out in November. The Orions are the focus of the December issue, again written by Scott Tipton & David Tipton, with art by Elena Cassagrande. The Borgs are spotlighted in the January issue, with new IDW editor Andrew Steven Harris scripting and Sean Murphy on art. And the final issue focuses on the Romulans, with writing and art by industry legend John Byrne.
“I’m happy about every creative team we’ve assembled on these books,” said Ryall, “and having John Byrne handle full writing and art detail on the final issue guarantees that we’ll end at least as strong as we started. He just brings something special to everything he does, and as a longtime fan of Star Trek, he’s really inspired creatively on this one.”
Artist Zach Howard, who also provided art for Shaun of the Dead, will be supplied covers for all six issues. Each issue’s artist will also be doing a cover for their own issue.
Star Trek Alien Spotlight, a miniseries featuring six monthly 32-page comics, begins in September.
TM, ® & © 2007 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.
ABOUT IDW PUBLISHING
IDW PUBLISHING, a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC, is a publisher of comic books and graphic novels. IDW’s titles range from 30 DAYS OF NIGHT and FALLEN ANGEL to Hasbro’s THE TRANSFORMERS, Fox’s ANGEL, Paramount’s STAR TREK, and many more. 30 DAYS OF NIGHT film is in development and will be released by Sony Pictures in October 2007. More information about the company can be found at www.idwpublishing.com.
ABOUT CBS CONSUMER PRODUCTS
CBS Consumer Products, a unit of CBS Entertainment, manages worldwide licensing and merchandising for a diverse slate of television brands and series from CBS, CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution, as well as from the company’s extensive library of titles. Additionally, the group oversees the CBS Retail Store and online sales of programming merchandise. For more information, visit www.CBS.com.
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