Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment, idw, mike johnson, star trek, Tony Shasteen

Star Trek #50 – The Mirror Universe Is Only The Beginning Of The Surprises

Published Tue, 20 Oct 2015 12:00:36 -0500

IDW Publishing's run on Star Trek will be hitting issue #50 this week and they have something pretty big planned. Normally when a special book is coming out, we try to talk to one of the creators… but here we get to talk to writer Mike Johnson, artist Tony Shasteen and editor Sarah Gaydos who put this whole thing together. So lets get right into talking about bringing out old toys into the new Star Trek cinematic universe.

BLEEDING COOL: Let's start off with how did the idea of doing a special anniversary issue come about? Did you go to Mike and ask him to do something special or was this story arc already planned?

SARAH GAYDOS: Everyone at IDW wanted to do something special to celebrate this landmark. Not many comics make it to 50 issues these days, much less with practically one writer on the entire project! We knew we wanted to kick it up a notch, both in terms of the interior story content, but also the extra material in the back of the comic. Mike and I discussed what sort of crazy, pie-in-the-sky ideas he might have for the storyline, and he really wanted to revisit the Mirror universe…and take it someplace he was never able to before. I was happy to oblige, that is – – with the approval of our great licensors.

BC: If ever there were sacred episodes of Star Trek, Mirror Mirror would undoubtedly be one of them. How did the story come about and how eager were you to take on the evil alternate reality that was first seen in 1967?

MIKE JOHNSON: I think it's a rite of passage for any Star Trek writer to venture into the Mirror Universe at least once. We did a Mirror story earlier in the ongoing series, but that was more of a hypothetical story showing how the 2009 movie would have played out in the Mirror Universe. I knew I wanted to tell a story that showed the new cast actually meeting their Mirror counterparts, and the 50th issue felt like a great opportunity to tell a story of that magnitude.

BC: Doing likeness comics can always be tricky, but here you get to purposely alter some of the characters you have been drawing. Does that make it easier or harder? And how did the choices of what was altered get made?

TONY SHASTEEN: The likenesses to the actors weren't too terribly difficult. The only speed bump was in the uniforms. I've gotten very used to drawing the standard Starfleet uniform, so I kind of go on autopilot when I start drawing those details. I found myself forgetting and having to go back and redraw the EVIL detailing on the uniforms.

As far as how the choices were made, Mike gave a good physical description of the characters. I based the uniforms on the original series.

I based Khan's look off a more biblical chic fashion sense. It's all the rage on Ceti Alpha V!

BC: Besides bringing in the Mirror reality, within the first issue alone two other popular characters from the Star Trek universe appear. What made you decided to expand the story in such a way? Are there more surprise appearances in the second and third parts of the series?

MJ: I'm always itching to bring in more classic Original Series characters to show what they're like in the Mirror Universe. I have to be careful not to show anyone that might show up in the movies later. There are more surprises to come, especially when the good and evil crews start interacting. Not all of their motives are as contrary as you might think at first.

BC: With this story arc, you are getting some of the most popular toys in the toy box to draw. What is the most fun for you to draw? What is the most difficult? And what would you like to have seen make it into the story that isn't there?

TS: I'm not sure what I'm giving away here, but Khan was by far the most fun to draw. These issues were a nice mix of Original Series Trek and current Trek. You get a little taste of the old characters, and some nice nods to the ships as well. When we're playing in this world we don't have to be tied to any one era. That's what makes this comic so much fun to work on.

The most difficult part is being accurate to the details of the movie and tv show, but that's no different than usual. We have to make the true fans happy!

BC: With all the things you are getting to work into the story… what is the one thing you weren't able to work in that you really wish you could?

MJ: I was blessed not to have to change or omit anything. The biggest question was showing Mirror Khan, but thankfully we were able to do so. He plays a key role in the story. It's been a blast writing a never-before-seen version of the character, one who is very different but still possesses the Khan-like intensity we love.

BC: Besides the beginning of the Live Evil story arc, there is quite a bit of "back matter" to this anniversary issue. What are the things fans will see when they buy the book? Who was responsible for doing all of the research and putting it all together?

SG: There's so much fun stuff in this issue! We start out with an essay by Joseph F. Berenato, who literally wrote (with contributors) the book on Star Trek comics, called New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics. He does a great job of putting the current IDW run in a historical context with the other iterations of the comics. We've also got an annotated rundown of the "Top 50 species of IDW's Star Trek comics," an oral history of the comics with Mike and original editor Scott Dunbier, and interviews with many of the wonderful artists that have made the series so great.

I had the pleasure of puling this together – – along with a lot of help from Mike!

BC: If there are Star Trek fans reading this article that aren't picking up the comic series… What is it about this issue that should make them drive to their local comic shop and grab a copy?

MJ: There's no Trek on TV at the moment, and the next movie won't be out until next summer, so we hope all Trek fans will scratch their space-itch by joining us for the comics. And if your space-itch still persists, Bones has a hypospray for that.

Check out Star Trek #50 from IDW at comic shops tomorrow. Cover art by Tony Shasteen and Rachel Stott.

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