Star Trek: Holo-Ween II #2 is written by Alex Segura and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Bailie Rosenlund, colours by JP Jordan and letters by Jeff Eckleberry. Main cover art (left) is by XX.
Star Trek: Holo-Ween II#2 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
The Halloween event continues—and the danger deepens. Deep Space 9 remains on edge as unexplained incidents multiply and trust continues to fracture. With conflicting testimonies, missing personnel, and diplomatic tensions nearing a boiling point, station security faces a mystery that refuses to add up. While suspicions mount and the clock ticks toward disaster, a growing sense of unease suggests the truth may be far stranger—and far closer—than anyone suspects.
Review
Jadzia Dax is in dire straits when this year’s Halloween Star Trek miniseries returns to comic book stores today. Alex Segura wastes no time in pushing forwards the series core mystery, surrounding the spooky holodeck happenings with a sprinkling of Trek-lore.
IDW’s experimentation with bringing Star Trek into Spooky Season started strongly last year with the first Holo-Ween story by Chris Sequeira. It exemplified the versatility of the franchise by taking characters from The Next Generation and putting them in a horror-tinged story. But where Seguara is is succeeding in pushing the boundaries in Holo-Ween II is by folding in more of a traditional Trek style of storytelling with those darker, scarier elements blended seamlessly.
We left issue #1 on a bombshell accusation: Dax has been accused of murder by the crew of the U.S.S. Varela. The crew of the Varela is in dire need of assistance but as they board Deep Space 9 this issue there’s plenty of animosity in the air. Segura sticks with this plot line, making it the focus of issue #2, rather than diving straight into the holodeck hijinks that we know are coming. It makes for a tense atmosphere as Dax wrangles with the accusations and frets that her crew may be about to turn on her. It also puts Worf in a difficult situation as the senior officer with Captain Sisko and Major Kira off-station.
The main storyline here all sits squarely in familiar territory for long-time Star Trek fans but it presented uniquely through Bailie Rosenlund’s inspired artwork. Firstly, Rosenlund’s style sits perfectly against the classic designs of the Deep Space 9 TV series. Stack on top of that some classic horror framing, there are plenty of Dutch angles, and it really amps up the atmosphere in Holo-Ween II.
Meanwhile, poor Chief O’Brien is still trapped in the holodeck, sitting bang in the middle of the creepy storyline which is about to override all the rest of the action in the second half of the miniseries. The truth as to what’s happening inside one of Quark’s famous holosuites is still to be revealed. Segura is keeping his cards close to his chest there. Instead he’s just teasing us with the omnipotent presence that has taken control. The blending of the science fiction and the horror effectively ensures those newer elements never feel like a surprise or overwhelm the reader. It allows Trek to naturally sit within a genre it isn’t overly familiar without a sense that any sharks have ever been jumped.
JP Jordan’s colours are also doing a lot of heavy lifting throughout the issue. My memories of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 are of a series which was considerably muddier in its formative years. It was only with the addition of the U.S.S. Defiant that the series took on a more Trek-like palette. Jordan is able to find the familiar in the colours without making the book feel dull or lifeless. Quite the opposite, Holo-Ween II is actually full to the brim with life.
This second issue leaves us on another cliffhanger, one which easily promises to propel the series through its final two issues. There’s still plenty to circle back to around the U.S.S Varela and its murder-mystery. But now Star Trek: Holo-Ween II is ready to dive headfirst into its more fantastical mystery.
Verdict
StarTrek: Holo-Ween II #2 is the perfect balance between traditional Star Trek storytelling and the more fantastical, creepy aesthetic the annual event series is looking to capture. Once again it’s great to see these characters playing in a different, unpredictable type of story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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