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Star Trek The Next Generation Mirror Broken #1 Review

17 Wednesday May 2017

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Star Trek The Next Generation Mirror Broken #1

Review by Paul Bowler

Get ready to boldly return to the Mirror Universe in Star Trek The Next Generation Mirror Broken #1 as Captain Jean-Luc Picard resolves to seize command of the Empire’s deadliest new warship, the ISS Enterprise! It is a quest fraught with deception, intrigue, and murder – with allies and enemies vying for power at every turn. Picard aims to use the Enterprise to restore the Empire to its former glory, the challenge he faces is immense, but fortunately he has a cut-throat crew on his side that will do whatever it takes to succeed!

IDW Publishing’s new six part Star Trek: The Next Generation Mirror Broken mini-series, written by David Tipton and Scott Tipton, and illustrated by J.K. Woodward, kicks off in fine style with this exciting first issue. The Tipton brothers are a winning team when it comes to writing Star Trek, having already brought us many popular Star Trek comic books, including the Star Trek / Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive crossover series and the FCBD Star Trek TNG Mirror Broken special (which was also the prequel to this mini-series).

The Tipton’s take on the Mirror Universe is a fascinating and insightful one, particularly as their was never a TV episode featuring the STTNG crew in this alternative dimensional pane. Star Trek TNG: Mirror Broken shows how the aftermath of the STTOS crews’ adventure in the episode Mirror Mirror (1967) that led to that universes Spock’s more logical and tolerant rule over the Terran Empire, was ultimately overrun during the Klingon / Cardassian alliance that was eventually forged during the TNG / DS9 era. With most of its fleet in ruins, the balance of power in Alpha Quadrant has shifted, and the Terran Empire has been driven back to Earth.

Captain Picard and the crew of the ISS Stargazer are among the few remaining starships of the fleet left defending the Empire. Following a run in with a Cardassian vessel, the Stargazer visits the Mars shipyards of Utopia Planitia, where Captain Picard learns about a new warship that’s secretly being constructed for the Empire, and it’s a ship that could shift the balance of power in his favour!

Star Trek TNG Mirror Broken presents us with a sleeveless, pumped up, and ruthlessly ambitious Captain Picard. Even the familiar Picard phrases have a far more sinister, edgier, inflection to them. Picard has been playing the long game, and it looks like the Captain’s steely patience is about to pay off. We also meet some of the other TNG crewmembers in this issue, including the alluring Inquisitor Troy, the efficient Commander Data is ever present with his seemingly stoic penchant for Borg-like perfection and adaptations, there’s a decidedly cunning version of Barclay as well, and the downtrodden La Forge seems equally as cunning as Picard.

Well known for Fallen Angel, longtime Star Trek artist, J.K. Woodward’s art is a perfect choice to illustrate IDW’s STTNG Mirror Broken and realize a darker version of the Next Generation crew in the grittier reality of the Mirror Universe. From the scene setting opening flashback, to the brooding introduction of Picard, J.K. Woodward’s stellar artwork instantly transports you right into the heart of this Mirror Universe saga. The likenesses of all the characters are stunningly realized, the bridge of the Stargazer feels alive with activity during the fight with the Cardassians, and the scenes with La Forge, Picard, and Data on Mars crackle with suspense.

As this year is the 30th anniversary of Star Trek The Next Generation, it makes this Mirror Universe comic book epic all the more exciting, and its great to see these Mirror Universe versions of Picard and Co reunited for this daring escapade to take the Enterprise for themselves and make the Terran Empire great again. Star Trek The Next Generation: Mirror Broken #1, with its intricately crafted storyline by David Tipton and Scott Tipton, and stunning art by J.K. Woodward, certainly gets this IDW mini-series off to a terrific start, and a must read for all Trek fans this new comic book day. Make it so!

Publisher IDW Publishing

Writers David Tipton & Scott Tipton / Art and colors by J.K. Woodward

Letters AndWorld Design / Cover by J.K. Woodward