Star Trek #12
Written by: Collin Kelly
Art by: Jackson Lanzing, and Angel Unzueta
Cover Artist: Malachi Ward
The crossover event between Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant comes to a thrilling conclusion in part five of Day of Blood! Using powers bestowed upon him by the Prophets, emissary Benjamin Sisko withstands the god-killing weapon for now, but forces of the Orb of Destruction wear on him with each passing moment. Meanwhile, Worf agonizes over a fatal wound of his own that he can never hope to heal. What will become of our heroes? What will become of the universe? Can the crews of the Theseus and Defiant stop the godkiller once and for all?
Star Trek: Day of Blood - Shaxs' Best Day
Written by: Ryan North
Art by: Derek Charm
Cover Artist: Derek Charm
You've seen Captains Benjamin Sisko and Worf with their crews of the U.S.S. Theseus and Defiant stop the fascist, god-killing clone Kahless II from declaring war on non-followers across the galaxy in a brutal battle on Qo'noS. But you haven't seen it from the eyes of the man, the myth, the legend-Lieutenant Junior Grade Shaxs!
From the writer behind the best-selling Lower Decks comics series, Ryan North, with esteemed artist Derek Charm (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl), comes a 30-page standalone tie-in to the Star Trek: Day of Blood event detailing the Bajoran's beast-mode brawl and showcasing all the behind-the-scenes Klingon-zealot butt-kicking in full animated glory!
Star Trek: Picard's Academy #1
Written by: Sam Maggs
Art by: Greco Ornella
Cover Artist: Sweeney Boo
From New York Times-bestselling author Sam Maggs (Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars) comes a new ongoing series unveiling the past of one of Starfleet's most celebrated officers: Captain Jean-Luc Picard! Before becoming the Federation's finest, Jean-Luc was an ordinary student at Starfleet Academy with sights on the stars. His path forward was charted: blow his classmates out of the water on the infamous Evasive Maneuvers exam and graduate early. But there's a detail Cadet Picard hadn't factored into his plan: the exam was a group project and he'd need to make friends with, ugh, people if he stood a chance at passing. Federation starships aren't run by a party of one, after all!
I don't think I will be sticking with Picard's Academy. A story about how young Jean-Luc Picard was a dick, and needed to learn how to make friends doesn't hold much appeal. We know from "The Samaritan Snare" and "Tapestry" that during his Academy days Picard was a bit of a rover and rabble rouser, so seeing him here as a guy obsessed with getting top marks and being alone doesn't really fit. Granted, he's only second year here, but regardless.
Some aspects of the story are the writer, Sam Maggs, trying too hard to be cute, like Picard asking Boothby if he has coffee instead before settling for tea, and some choices are just bizarre. A couple pages in, a caption box describes a characters as "Always drinks his respecting-women juice." Which is just a wild thing to put in a Trek comic for one, but also not relevant to the scene they're in, and we don't see the character again for the rest of the issue.
I also hate the art choices. For some reason the artist decided a Bolian character -- the respecting-women juice drinker -- should have a fin on his face and head as opposed to the bifurcation line that we see Bolians typically have. There's a Betazoid that appears to have a number of extra nostrils like an Ilari from the VOY episode, "Warlord", and if the cover is any indication they glow. In a holodeck simulation, there are a number of ENT era vessels, some of which have their nacelles connected at what appears to be 45° angles to the ships' centreline.
All in all, not much to recommend.