Review of the comic-book 'Star Trek, The classic UK comics, The complete series volume one: 1969-1970'

Star Trek, The classic UK comics is a series of comic-books from IDW Publishing, a Division of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Its volume one (sized 28,5 by 23,5 cm) collects the first stories from the Star Trek comics published in the United Kingdom, and a five-page introduction by Rich Handley. The edition and design of the book is by Dean Mullaney, colour restoration is by Art Director Lorraine Turner, Associate Editor is Bruce Canwell and Publisher is Ted Adams. As for the stories, the credit for their writing is unknown.

The 18 stories and the credit for their art are as follows:

1. Life Form Nonexistent. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at Joe 90 Top Secret Weekly issues 1-6. The Enterprise find a hidden planet with a hostile robotic civilization. The captain -a recognizable Kirk- is called “Kurt” on this story.
2. The Crucial Element. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at Joe 90 Top Secret Weekly issues 7-10. After exploring planet Crucial-3 some crewmen become mutinous, kidnap Kirk and McCoy and land on planet Vultra, which happens to have intelligent life that is desperate because the planet is on the verge of freezing. Inexplicable drawing of a clown on issue #10.
3. Beware the Beast. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at Joe 90 Top Secret Weekly issues 11-14. While on a diplomatic mission with the intelligent gorillas of Angoma, Kirk and some crewmen are suddenly kidnapped by teleport to a planet of hostile giant mantis. Issue #14 shows the Enterprise crew playing a soccer match.
4. The Third Party. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at Joe 90 Top Secret Weekly issues 15-18. Enterprise arrives in an unexplored system with two twin planets, Hytar and Nuofo, home to two civilizations that happen to be at war.
5. The Children of Stai. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at Joe 90 Top Secret Weekly issues 19-22. Enterprise visits Stai, a planet with a civilization member to the Galactic Union. Soon, the tyrannical Union considers the Enterprise an unwanted presence, and uses a brain-scrambling machine to turn Kirk into his servant.
6. Skin Deep. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at Joe 90 Top Secret Weekly issues 23-30. In the middle of a travel, Enterprise is mysteriously isolated in space. There they find mysterious lifeforms capable of space-travelling, the friendly Kalins and the hostile Balants.
7. The Eagles Have Landed. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at Joe 90 Top Secret Weekly issues 31-34. Enterprise gets chased by a eagle-shaped spaceship.
8. Target: Zargot. Art by Ron Turner. Published at Joe 90 Top Secret 1969 Annual. Enterprise arrives in the Zargot system, whose civilization is dying because of an epidemic.
9. Spectre of the Zond. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at TV21 & Joe 90 Weekly issues 1-6. Invisible beings come aboard the Enterprise.
10. Not Any Drop to Drink. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at TV21 & Joe 90 Weekly issues 7-11. While travelling through space, the Enterprise finds itself suddenly inside a sea. There they find a civilization of hostile fish-men.
11. Menace of the Moloth. Art by Harry F. Lindfield. Published at TV21 & Joe 90 Weekly issues 12-17. Enterprise find an abandoned ship, and when Kirk and Spock board it they are kidnapped by teleport to planet Norus, whose hostile civilization is at war with the one from planet Eldor.
12. The Klingon Ultimatum. Art by Harry F. Lindfield (#18-22) and Jim Baikie (#23). Published at TV21 & Joe 90 Weekly issues 18-23. When Klingons appear with a new weapon -the Granulator- and they want Earth to surrender, Scott doesn't hesitate to break the discipline.
13. The Marshall Plan. Art by Jim Baikie. Published at TV21 & Joe 90 Weekly issues 24-31. The Enterprise is to take Ambassador Marshall to planet Tondus in order to establish diplomatic relations with its civilization before the Romulans do, but it turns out that the Romulans are already plotting against it, and capture Kirk, Spock, Sulu and Chekov.
14. Mutiny on the Dorado. Art by Mike Noble. Published at TV21 & Joe 90 Weekly issues 32-38. The crew of the Dorado mutinies and plan to surrender the ship to the Klingons. Enterprise is sent to stop them, but Spock is concerned because of his Vulcan cousin aboard the Dorado.
15. The Ageless One. Art by Mike Noble. Published at TV21 Weekly issues 39-44. While on an unexplored planet, Kirk and Spock are suddenly kidnapped by teleport to a distant future where The Collector, an immortal being, wants them for his collection.
16. Thorpex. Art by Mike Noble. Published at TV21 Weekly issues 45-51. Enterprise is suddenly attacked by misled Earth forces. It is revealed that Enterprise is the target of the Great Zulk, a Varkan that will do anything to destroy the Enterprise.
17. Under the Sea. Art by Mike Noble. Published at TV21 Weekly issues 52-57. Enterprise investigates the disappearance of a survey ship in water-covered planet Tekkor. It is revealed that before being flooded, the planet had land masses that hosted a now-extinct thriving civilization.
18. Revolt on Dak-Alpha. Art by Ron Turner (#58-61) and Harold Johns (#62-64). Published at TV21 Weekly issues 58-64. Enterprise is requested at Dak-Alpha by its governor for transporting prisoners from a revolt.

As for the stories, they are quite standard space adventure stories with very little character introspection. Spock's vulcan abilities are shown, and that's quite it. Space is the scenario, but technology is rarely central to the plot – these are mostly classical adventures, only in space. There's few of the recognizable Star Trek style in here. Still, stories are interesting – there are stories where the protagonists find that apparent enemies are in fact allies, where aliens happen to be divided into sides and the protagonists have to differentiate them, where deception is used, and where the protagonists are misinformed and need to uncover the truth. There are some shortcomings, such an excess of kidnap by teleport, and forgetting the regular use of teleport and use shuttle-crafts instead (for instance, on Revolt on Dak-Alpha). Some notable stories are The Marshall Plan and Mutiny on the Dorado.

Art is in colour, except for issues #23-31 of TV21 and Joe 90 Weekly, which are in black and white. In general, art improves as the series goes on. At the start, Enterprise and characters Kirk, Spock, Sulu and McCoy are recognizably drawn, later on Uhura and Scott appear too. Harry F. Lindfield and Mike Noble deliver a work of quality that makes reading the comic worthwhile – Lindfield is a bit better at drawing and Noble a bit better at colouring. Jim Baikie and Harold Johns are good. As for Ron Turner, his work is lacking to the point that it is hard to recognize the main characters.

All in all, a notable classic adventure comic in a science-fiction scenario.