Villordsutch reviews Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming #3…
If you’ve ever had one of those days where everything goes wrong at once, spare a thought for Captain Janeway. The latest Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming opens with the sort of galactic headache that would send anyone straight to the replicator for an “extra-strong” coffee. This weight dropped onto both the shoulders of Janeway and the mighty bow of Voyager is far bigger than they have ever dealt with before, and the crew are running out of time and Fluidic Space to manoeuvre.
With everything looking extremely bleak for the crew of Voyager (See our review of issue#2 here) – the deflector dish destroyed, the ship trapped in Fluidic Space, no control over their own systems, and Species 8472 preparing an all-out invasion of the Federation – it truly feels like this could be their final moment. However, a last-ditch fight from Janeway and company leads to the theft of a goo-guided shuttle and the unlikeliest of temporary alliances with the same old enemy who helped spark this whole conflict with Species 8472. Yet even with a supposed route home dangled before her by an almost invincible adversary, Janeway once again finds herself holding a decision that could alter her crew’s fate forever.
There’s so much going on in this issue. It’s absolutely packed from cover to cover with story. At one point, I even checked the page count to make sure I hadn’t somehow missed a “Special Bumper Issue!” banner slapped across the front. But no—it’s simply brilliant storytelling from Tilly and Susan Bridges (Star Trek: Prodigy).
And it’s not just narrative fluff either. Everything delivered here locks together like a near-perfect jigsaw. For example – the remains of a shattered Borg cube drifting through Fluidic Space is leftover from their initial incursion (Voyagers TV Episodes “The Scorpion Pt1&2”). Here we find a small group of Borg drones disconnected from the Collective, desperately trying to form their own smaller, if not utterly chaotic, hive. It’s this subplot, combined with the strengths and weaknesses of Species 8472’s bio-vessels, plus Mr Paris learning how to pilot one of these powerful organic craft, that fills out this bursting-at-the-staples Star Trek comic.
Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming is easily one of IDW Publishing’s strongest Star Trek titles on the shelves, digitally or physically. Not only are Susan and Tilly delivering relentless, full-on continuing voyages for the USS Voyager, but we have Angel Hernandez (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Charlie Kirchoff (Star Trek: Resurgence #1) on art and colour, and they are bringing every scene beautifully to life on the page.
We’re now over halfway through the series, and not once have we stumbled out of warp. In fact, it’s become one of those comics I’m impatiently waiting for as each month crawls toward its end. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do when this run finally concludes.
Rating: 8/10
@Villordsutch
