Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming #3 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 #3 arrives in comic books stores and on digital platforms today. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
To save the Federation—and the entire Alpha Quadrant—Captain Janeway made the ultimate sacrifice: deleting Species 8472’s data on opening a singularity into normal space. Now, Voyager is stranded in fluidic space…and 8472 wants them dead. Hunted by a relentless alien fleet, Janeway and her crew go on the run, weaving through planets and asteroid fields in a desperate bid to survive. But just as hope begins to fade, Voyager’s sensors detect something unexpected: the wreckage of a Borg cube. Is it a lifeline back to the galaxy they call home…or the beginning of an even greater threat?
Review
We’re returning to Fluidic Space today to catch up with the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager as their predicament takes yet another dramatic turn. Susan & Tilly Bridges’ dynamic tale of Captain Janeway and co. so close to home and yet cut off from everyone they love is kicking in to high gear as we cross the half way point with issue #3, in comic book stores today.
As mentioned in a previous review, Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming had surprised me – and likely many others – by spinning out from the TV series’ finale in very unexpected ways. With the shock of the crew’s unexpected mission now passing, the book is really hitting its stride this month. It balances some incredibly high stakes drama with enough character beats to ensure the heart of the Voyager TV series remains intact. With the entire crew in crisis mode this month there’s little time for thinking and plenty of time for actions.
We’re dropped back in to the action right where we left off, with Janeway and her away team on the Species 8472 ship. In true Janeway style she has an impossible choice to make and is able to defy all the odds to make a decision which strands her crew but saves Earth from a potential invasion. The Bridges up the ante without even a moment’s pause this issue as it seems our crew has absolutely no hope of returning home. The revelation spins the story on its axis, instantly becoming a survival story rather than a celebratory one.
The pacing of issue #3 is the best of the series so far. Once the away team is on the run it becomes relentless right through to the end. But with so much going on it’s impossible not to be swept up in Voyager’s wake. After this the twists just keep on coming. The introduction of the Borg wreckage could be one element too many for a plot which is already delicately balanced on a heady mix of plot threads from the Voyager TV series. But the Bridges dig further in to the series establish storytelling both to legitimise and to maintain that delicate balance.
As we head in to the penultimate issue there’s still so much at stake. Janeway is left with another Sophie’s choice of a decision which could have seismic consequences regardless of the outcome. Rather than feeling like a rinse and repeat of issue #2, we’ve covered so much ground this month that the cliffhanger moment feels like welcome relief. A chance to catch our breath before an even bigger confrontation which is looming on the horizon.
There’s so much movement in this issue that Ángel Hernández must have been moving at warp speed just to keep up. Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming has maintained all the dynamism of the series. In no small part due to Hernández bringing so much life to each and every panel. This issue has action on the Species 8472 ship as well as on Voyager and during the dramatic space walk on the Borg wreckage. It’s Star Trek: First Contact-like in scale and scope but Hernández doesn’t balk at the challenge. In fact it’s the exact opposite. This is – by far – the best looking issue of the series so far.
Verdict
Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming #3 is relentless, high-stakes Trek at its finest. The Bridges balance impossible choices with character-driven drama while Hernández delivers the most visually stunning issue yet. With just two chapters left, this series has become essential reading for Voyager fans.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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