Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming #2 is written by Susan & Tilly Bridges and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Ángel Hernández, colours by Charlie Kirchoff and letters by Neil Uyetake. Main cover art (left) is also by Hernández.
Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming #2 arrives in comic books stores and on digital platforms today. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
With her ship’s deflector dish broken and the ship itself out of her control, Janeway must convince the aliens that Starfleet means them no harm if she’s ever going to get her found family home. If that weren’t enough to handle, there’s a ticking clock to contend with: Tuvok’s disease has accelerated, and he must get home to mind-meld with a family member to cure himself with Fal-tor-voh…before it’s too late!
Review
The beleaguered crew of the U.S.S. Voyager are back in comic book stores today. Now trapped in Fluidic space and staring down an invasion force of Species 8472 ships. Captain Janeway is backed into a corner and looking for a way to save her family. With few options and even fewer allies, the second issue of Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming ratchets up the tension and reminds us why we fell in love with these characters.
It’s safe to say that many fans expected Homecoming to pick up on the moments the Star Trek: Voyager finale failed to present. Seeing the crew arriving home to San Francisco. Being reunited with their families. Regaling Starfleet’s finest with tales of the Borg, the Hirogen and the Kazon. Last month’s debut issue pulled the rug out from under those expectations spectacularly. Setting up a storyline which came completely out of left field whilst honouring so much of the storytelling of the show.
Picking up in issue #2, Homecoming is moving at an already brisk pace. With the ship out of action, most of the crew hiding in their quarters, the cast has already been slimmed down to Voyager’s key players. Twenty-four years after “Endgame” first aired we’re right back to Captain Janeway in fight-or-flight mode. Regrouping in sickbay it all seems somewhat dire. Tuvok is in danger of being lost to his own warped mind if he can’t be brought home to Vulcan in the next two days. Paris and B’Elanna have integral roles to play but a newborn baby to protect. With minimal power the Doctor is forced offline leaving Seven on the ship as the others are taken aboard as Species 8472 vessel.
In traditional Trek style Susan and Tilly Bridges keep Janeway front-and-centre of the story, surrounding her by the ensemble. She’s the driving force of the story as well as its emotional centre. The Bridges brilliantly build in Janeway’s sense of duty to her crew, pitting it at odds with her duties as a Starfleet captain. Her decision-making throughout this issue echoes the Janeway of old and so long-time fans will likely know some of where this journey is heading. But that doesn’t make it any less exciting.
With the odds so perilously stacked against them it feels only natural it would lead to a decision which may forever trap the crew in Fluidic space. We’ve seen this crew grappling with never getting home before. But never when they were this close to finally achieving their dreams. Having them be so close to home hikes the tension up hugely. On the one hand it could be melodramatic. But it’s also exactly how we love our Star Trek: Voyager stories to play out. It’s life-or-death in the most gripping way possible.
Given that we’ve yet to reach the halfway point it feels like there are yet more twists to come. If this were an episode of Star Trek: Voyager the cliffhanger ending to issue #2 would feel like the end of act 2. So in some respects it feels we’re a little far along with so much to go. I hope that means the Bridges are planning for a final issue which will circle back to those moments missed from “Endgame”. That’s not to criticise having so much bang for our buck this early. I just hope that Homecoming can keep up this momentum for three more months.
Ángel Hernández continues to illustrate the hell out of this world. The ship interiors evoke all the nostalgia of the show. Whilst moving the location over to the Species 8472 ship brings a cool alien aesthetic to spice things up. The heightened sense of emotion wrapped up in the Bridges story is all perfectly communicated through Hernández’s character work.
Verdict
Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming #2 feels like classic Voyager reborn — heartfelt, high-stakes, and full of character. It’s everything fans could hope for from a return to unfinished business, and then some.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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