Written By: David Tipton & Scott Tipton
Story A Artist: Chris Johnson
Story A Colorist: Jason Lewis
Story B Artist: J. K. Woodward
Lettering By: AndWorld Design
Published By: IDW Publishing
Back onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, Worf and Captain Picard are trying to solve the mystery of just who were the intruders upon Naia IV, only to be interrupted by a distress call from an Andorian battle cruiser. Upon reaching the vessel, they discover a massacre. Whilst reviewing the recovered surveillance footage from the aircraft, Captain Picard and Commander Riker are taken aback by what they discover. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander Data from the alternate universe is tracking down all information to do with Emperor Spock. All Imperial records have been altered, leaving Data to follow more unreliable sources.
Worf is fully convinced that Lieutenant Jones of the U.S.S. Enterprise is the criminal he encountered on Naia IV. However, ship records and Jones’ statement prove that he has not left the Enterprise in some time. Before Worf and his superiors can make any sense of who Worf could have possibly seen, they receive a distress call from a nearby vessel. After beaming an away team onboard the ship, they discover a gruesome sight, complete with heart-breaking images and story. Over in the alternate universe, their Data is doing all he can to get information on Emperor Spock. The closing images show just a few modifications he has made to his body, making him battle ready as he gets closer to Spock.
Seeing as I am currently watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, it is very enjoyable to see this comic published. So far I can see how the characters in the comic still reflect the personalities and passion the same characters have on the show. Having said that, the most interesting of these are still the versions of the characters from the alternate universe. Their Data is vastly more confrontational and prone to violence, indicating that there is going to be some serious action ahead of us in the next issue.
Issue #2 of the Through The Mirror story arc can be bought in five variant covers. The main cover pictured at the top of this article is for cover A. Drawn by J. K. Woodward, it showcases both versions of Data facing one another, using the same art style as the second half of the issue for story B. The second cover, also pictured above, is for cover B, created by Chris Johanson and Jason Lewis. This has Commander Riker on-board the Andorian battle cruiser, about to be attacked by one of the ships survivors looking for revenge. The retailer incentive A photo cover is of Deanna Troi, the ship’s Counselor on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. This photo is from the TV series.Next we have the retailer incentive B cover by Peter McKinstry, featuring Lieutenant Worf. Lastly we have the convention exclusive cover by J.K. Woodward, which is just a black and white version of the cover A image. The artwork in story A is clear for character design, but there is not much detail when it comes to the gruesome moments on the Andorian ship. The art design is certainly more metallic in story B, as it takes place in the alternate universe, following Data’s mission to track down Emperor Spock.
Issue #2 of the Through The Mirror saga is out now with Issue #3 coming out shortly. It will be interesting to see if alternate Data actually comes face to face with Spock in the next issue. That will be an exciting read.
Overall: 7/10
