Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming #5 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 #5 arrives in comic books stores and on digital platforms today. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
The conclusion we’ve all been waiting for! One last epic, soaring moment with the crew of the Voyager awaits… Captain Janeway and her crew are prisoners of Species 8472 on their organic, ever-changing ship, and the Voyager is similarly snared in its clutches. But not all is lost. Imprisoned with them are the rebel Species 8472 who once posed as Starfleet members Boothby and Archer—and they hold the secret to their escape. All that stands between them and their homecoming now is Species 8472’s revenge-bent captain…and the issue of how to open up a singularity into Earth’s space.
Review
It all comes down to this. The final issue of Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming arrives in comic book stores today as Susan & Tilly Bridges steer Captain Janeway and her crew to the end of their (current) mission. The series safely lands the ship balancing wrapping up an intense storyline with a beautifully written epilogue that is likely to thrill long-time fans.
With a whole star system left to traverse there isn’t a lot of breathing room in the first half of the issue. The Bridges have to wrap up complex plotting with both the Borg and Species 8472 still in play. The narrative of Homecoming is made further complex by the brilliant twisting of established relationships to keep the audience guessing. Luckily all of that ground work has been so well laid that it flows neatly towards its natural conclusion.
Parking discussion on how Species 8472 has been changed by Homecoming the subplot around a group of rebels, inspired by the infiltration of Starfleet provides an excellent mechanism to bring Voyager home. More than that it gives the series an opportunity to reflect back Starfleet’s values ahead of rousing speech from Janeway in the latter stages of the book. It’s brilliant, full circle storytelling which highlights the best of what Star Trek: Voyager has always had to offer Star Trek fans.
As if bringing this epic journey into Fluidic Space to a close wasn’t enough. The Bridges’ completely surprised me by utilising the second half of this issue to stitch the conclusion of Voyager with future storylines seen in Star Trek: Picard. It makes perfect sense given we know what happens to Seven of Nine in the following years. But I hadn’t anticipated there being room in the book to lay that groundwork. As has been exemplary throughout Homecoming, that world building is achieved by utilising surprising supporting characters. There are no obvious choices and cannot be applauded enough.
I’d have to cut the review off now to avoid spoilers so here goes… with the crew back on Earth the Bridges do exactly what every Star Trek fan has been hoping for since May 2001. It gives us the extended epilogue where members of the Voyager crew are reunited with their families. It’s the fan pleasing moment of the century finally seeing these tender moments. Rightly they’re given plenty of breathing space within the issue to ensure that no one is overlooked. The moments are beautifully underscored by Janeway’s narration. Some will no doubt feel Janeway’s words are close to the bone but it does nothing to dull their impact.
The final issue runs the gamut from high stakes action right down to tightly framed, intense character beats. So artist Ángel Hernández and colourist Charlie Kirchoff have a lot to contend with. At this point in the series the relationship between writer and artist is second nature. I’ve had no complaints about the look of Homecoming at any point throughout its run. The same can be said of this final issue. Hernández is just so easily able to capture all of the adrenaline in the first half of the story, keeping momentum up before pulling back for their return to Earth.
Verdict
Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming has been a surprising series from start to finish. Well-plotted, superbly written and dynamically drawn to bring Captain Janeway and crew home in the kind of blockbuster fashion they deserved all along.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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