Comic Review: Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan #3 (IDW Publishing) By Eddie R.

Well done.

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan#3 opens right at the best part of the movie: the hunt /chase scene between the U.S.S Enterprise and the U.S.S Reliant in the Mutara nebula. The static discharges from the nebula make the sensors on both ships inoperative, leaving them both evenly matched, and essentially blind. You can feel the tension between the two ships, and their respective captains, as they search for one another within the gas cloud. I must admit the art here really captures this feeling. The colors and shading used here really draw the movie and the book together.




Once inside the nebula, Kirk uses Khan's inexperience with three-dimensional combat to basically cripple the Reliant. With his dying breath, Khan activates the Genesis Device, which once detonated will reassemble all the matter in the nebula. This includes the Enterprise.

Even though the crew of the Enterprise detects the activation of the Genesis device, they are unable to escape the oncoming Genesis wave with just impulse power. With few moments to spare, Spock hurries to Engineering to restore the warp drive. When McCoy tries to stop Spock from exposing himself to high levels of radiation from the warp core, Spock incapacitates the doctor and does a mind meld, telling McCoy to “remember”. Once inside the dilithium chamber, Spock manages to restore power to the ship, allowing the Enterprise to escape the oncoming Genesis wave. But this act of heroism does have its price.

Now, no matter how many times I look at the movie, I always get choked up a bit at the end, as we watch Jim Kirk see his best friend die before his eyes, then deal with the aftermath which follows. To me, this is just one of many parts to an amazing story, and this comic book adaptation does justice to it all.

The only thing which surprised me though in this issue was Spock’s death scene. I honestly don’t remember Spock mentioning about this act of heroism being his “Kobayashi Maru”, the no-win situation used to test the character of Starfleet officers, during his death scene in the film. Granted this does make sense, and I am really glad they included it here. Its gems like this which make this book a very enjoyable read, and one great comic book adaptation.

8/10

On sale July 1st.

Eddie R
Review Co-Editor