The missing piece of the puzzle
STAR TREK: KLINGONS: BLOOD WILL TELL # 2<br>by Scott Tipton, David Tipton and David Messina<br>IDW Publishing, pp 22, ISBN 1600101089
Star Trek is a colossal franchise. The original Star Trek TV series began in 1966; since then it has spawned countless other TV shows, movies, books and games. Star Trek is a major cultural phenomenon with fanatics all over the world ready to dress up like some kind of strange alien creature and sleep outside for a few days in order to be the first into a convention.
Although I am a moderate Star Trek fan myself I have always been disappointed at how every story is told primarily through the eyes of the Federation and, more specifically, the humans. Star Trek has always been a very "humanistic" series, with the humans being the "good guys" travelling around the galaxy doing good deeds and imposing their ideals on the countless worlds they visit. Even while going "where no man has gone before" all the aliens look human in one form or another. At most they would have a bony forehead or some spikes sticking out of some part of their body. They would always have two arms and two legs and a quasi-human face. It was always slightly disappointing that when you had the entire universe as your backdrop the writers could not think of something that was really strange or unique and always had to look at things from the human perspective.
Star Trek: Klingons breaks away from that mould. It is a collection of five famous encounters between the Federation and the Klingon Empire told from the Klingon perspective. Finally, we can take a look at what the humans look like to at least one of the other many races in the universe. The Klingons are a race of warriors and traditionally have always fought against the humans on every possible occasion. Reading the stories included within this series is an eye-opener and a breath of fresh air.
Star Trek: Klingons: Blood Will Tell #2 is a story about how the Klingons were forced to use espionage against the Federation in order to further their goals. Since the Klingons are a warrior race, espionage is not something that comes naturally to them. They are known to react to any threat with "swift and blinding violence".
The story opens with Gralmek, who is a smaller than average Klingon, volunteering to have some invasive cosmetic surgery done in order to appear human. The procedure is shown in graphic detail: His forehead ridge is sanded down, his spine ridge is sawed off, and his skin burned with acid in order to lighten the colour. At the end of the operation Gralmek looks human but still has the inborn arrogance of a Klingon. He must then be trained to act and speak the human way. Throughout the comic Gralmek's disgust with his new human appearance and the human way of life is apparent. Humans are weak, stupid and have strange customs. Later in the comic Gralmek meets the famous Captain Kirk and thinks he is "pompous, reckless and overconfident". It is refreshing to see that I'm not the only one who thinks Kirk was full of it most of the time!
Star Trek: Klingons is definitely a must-read for any fan of Star Trek. Missing this comic would be like missing out the last few pieces of that 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle you have been working on for the last few weeks. The comic offers a brief and enthralling insight into the Klingons' life and culture. Additionally, the comic is in a glossy magazine format with slick art and high quality paper which is very resistant to creasing.
Verdict: An essential addition to any fan's Star Trek collection.
• Mr Vella is an English Literature graduate with a passion for comics and images. • A review copy of this title was provided by Malta Comics.
http://www.maltacomics.com
Although I am a moderate Star Trek fan myself I have always been disappointed at how every story is told primarily through the eyes of the Federation and, more specifically, the humans. Star Trek has always been a very "humanistic" series, with the humans being the "good guys" travelling around the galaxy doing good deeds and imposing their ideals on the countless worlds they visit. Even while going "where no man has gone before" all the aliens look human in one form or another. At most they would have a bony forehead or some spikes sticking out of some part of their body. They would always have two arms and two legs and a quasi-human face. It was always slightly disappointing that when you had the entire universe as your backdrop the writers could not think of something that was really strange or unique and always had to look at things from the human perspective.
Star Trek: Klingons breaks away from that mould. It is a collection of five famous encounters between the Federation and the Klingon Empire told from the Klingon perspective. Finally, we can take a look at what the humans look like to at least one of the other many races in the universe. The Klingons are a race of warriors and traditionally have always fought against the humans on every possible occasion. Reading the stories included within this series is an eye-opener and a breath of fresh air.
Star Trek: Klingons: Blood Will Tell #2 is a story about how the Klingons were forced to use espionage against the Federation in order to further their goals. Since the Klingons are a warrior race, espionage is not something that comes naturally to them. They are known to react to any threat with "swift and blinding violence".
The story opens with Gralmek, who is a smaller than average Klingon, volunteering to have some invasive cosmetic surgery done in order to appear human. The procedure is shown in graphic detail: His forehead ridge is sanded down, his spine ridge is sawed off, and his skin burned with acid in order to lighten the colour. At the end of the operation Gralmek looks human but still has the inborn arrogance of a Klingon. He must then be trained to act and speak the human way. Throughout the comic Gralmek's disgust with his new human appearance and the human way of life is apparent. Humans are weak, stupid and have strange customs. Later in the comic Gralmek meets the famous Captain Kirk and thinks he is "pompous, reckless and overconfident". It is refreshing to see that I'm not the only one who thinks Kirk was full of it most of the time!
Star Trek: Klingons is definitely a must-read for any fan of Star Trek. Missing this comic would be like missing out the last few pieces of that 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle you have been working on for the last few weeks. The comic offers a brief and enthralling insight into the Klingons' life and culture. Additionally, the comic is in a glossy magazine format with slick art and high quality paper which is very resistant to creasing.
Verdict: An essential addition to any fan's Star Trek collection.
• Mr Vella is an English Literature graduate with a passion for comics and images. • A review copy of this title was provided by Malta Comics.
http://www.maltacomics.com