Star Trek: Lore War #1 is written by Christopher Cantwell, Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Davide Tinto, colours by Lee Loughridge and letters by Clayton Cowles.
Star Trek: Lore War #1 is available in comic book stores and on digital platforms now. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
The start of an all-new crossover event between Star Trek and Defiant is here! From the Eisner-nominated writers of Star Trek, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly; the critically acclaimed writer of Star Trek: Defiant, Christopher Cantwell; and artist Davide Tinto (Star Wars: Bounty Hunters and Devil’s Reign), Lore War #1 shows us a universe rebuilt in Lore’s image. The crews of the Theseus and the Defiant scattered across the universe with no memory of who they once were—some even worship Lore as their God. Lore has won; his rule is absolute. But The Sisko remains, and there are forces who wish to remind him of his power.
Review
Everything has been building to this moment. All of the plot threads woven throughout both IDW’s Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant series are coming together. The crossovers, the character work, all of the adventures interwoven across this entire initiative have led to this moment. The moment that Lore, Data’s evil brother, has taken over and reshaped reality in his own image. As the end of the series looms, can Trek pull off its biggest and most ambitious story yet?
Of course it can!
Lore War is the culmination of almost three years of storytelling. But it’s also years of blood, sweat and tears from its creative team. Main Trek writers and overlords Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing are pairing up with Defiant writer Christopher Cantwell for Lore War. Together this trio is ripping up the rule book in the most Trek way possible and ensuring this incarnation of the universe goes out screaming rather than whimpering. With this first issue the team is making a bold mission statement: they truly are going where no one has gone before.
With Lore now in charge of the universe we join this issue in a brave new world. One where Starfleet is more military than exploratory and where conquest rules over exploration. This new world is filled with familiar faces so the trope won’t seem alien to readers. There are echoes of the mirror universe which has become a staple of Trek storytelling. But Kelly, Lanzing and Cantwell approach this new universe with different sensibilities. The mirror universe was always very literal in its approach. Characters were little more than a direct mirror to their prime counterparts. In this new Lore War world things are a lot different.
We enter this world through the eyes of Benjamin Sisko, only right given his perspective has shaped much of this run on Trek. Here he’s very much Earth-bound, forming part of the workforce which keeps the planet running. This is where our writing team sticks the first knife in our gut. On this Earth, Sisko still has both Jennifer and Jake at this side. When we last saw Jake he was falling victim to Lore’s reshaping of the universe whilst Jennifer’s death was the impetus which sparked the entire of the Deep Space Nine series. This is where Cantwell, Kelly and Lanzing really set their world apart. This isn’t simple “what if” storytelling. There are real emotional stakes here. Something which Sisko will have to grapple with as he regains his memories.
Perhaps is the best news is that nobody is in a rush to bring Lore War to a conclusion. The story is neatly paced. Taking what feels like the perfect amount of time to acclimate the reader to this new world and the characters within it. Of course there are plenty of familiar faces presented to us in new ways. Cantwell makes sure that Worf, his Defiant lead, has room in the story whilst Khaless also has a central role. But none of the elements in this story so far feel like they’re planted purely to bait the audience in to reading.
That’s also not to say that Lore War is devoid of action. In its own way the book generates plenty of intrigue and adrenaline. This issue runs longer than a standard book and those extra pages feel warranted in order to setup the premise. It also allows the creative team chance to have a little fun. Taking key players from the Trek universe off the board to illustrate there is real jeopardy in trying to escape the clutches of a now omnipotent android.
All of this delicately choreographed character work arrives dutifully on the page from artist Davide Tinto. I don’t want to retread old steps but Tinto strikes that perfect balance between honouring the actors who originated these roles and finding the fun in bringing this new world to life. To be fair Cantwell, Kelly and Lanzing throw a lot of opportunities at Tinto to push the boundaries. Be it creating new uniforms for Worf and the other members of the Starfleet militia. Or the visual cues used to setup Lore as a religious deity worshipped by all those in his subjugation. The book is packed with visual metaphor which strikes right at the core of Star Trek’s heart and that’s a huge win in my book.
Verdict
Star Trek: Lore War #1 is a brilliant opening gambit in IDW’s biggest Trek event to date. Smartly paced to ease the audience in to reality-shifting changes. But also beautifully rendered with plenty of nods to the wider Trek universe and everything which is at stake. Cantwell, Kelly and Lanzing are easily proving why their Star Trek is both genre-defining and some of the best storytelling in the franchise.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
